Lately...

Alright blog... here's the deal: for the first time in my "adult" life I have been BUSY.

On October 18th, I started a big girl job in an industry that I knew next to nothing about: finance. I say 'knew' next to nothing because for my first two weeks all I have been doing is studying. STUDYING. I thought that I was done with school... what the heck?! But for this new job I have to pass a couple licensing exams and it's pretty much consumed my life. I have honestly never studied this much in my life. The good news is that I passed the first one, and am taking the second tomorrow and, barring failure, will be done with studying!

Another new thing these days is that I am starting to lead Young Life in Liberty, MO. Liberty YL is in a redeveloping stage and so the time I spend mainly revolves around going to events and trying to meet students. For instance, Friday night our team volunteered at the junior high's haunted house. They gave us the job of guiding groups through, which I was incredibly awful at. I'm still getting the hang of YL, but I'm excited for the adventure that lies ahead.

So, everyone who is reading this should know that I went to the University of Missouri. Last weekend Columbia hosted Mizzou's 99th Homecoming celebration. 99th! It is also important to note that my alma mater invented homecoming. INVENTED IT! IN 1911! Pretty awesome if you ask me. Not only was the game a HUGE one vs. then #1 Oklahoma, but ESPN's CollegeGameDay decided to come and help the Tigers celebrate Homecoming. Zach scalped some tickets for cheap and so we got to witness our Tigers beat #1 OU! It was amazing... and of course I forgot to take my camera to the game. Typical. I also got to spend time with my ex-roomies and favorite dog. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Me with some of my faves- Sophia and Mere

Sleepy Z and his little bro Quint

Matching friends Zach and Mary Kate at Chipotle

Vampire Dog

After mourning Mizzou's first loss of the season, we needed something to redeem the weekend. Cue Chiefs win, and Zach's oldest brother and sister in law's Halloween party. Cute kids in costumes, chili, adult bevs, trick or treating through old folks lane, and eating toooo much candy. Zach's niece and nephew were SUPER cute. Elijah was a piece of pizza (hilarious), and Andi was a fairy (super sweet). 

So there's what I've been up to while missing from cyberspace... now off to bed because I'm a grown up now and am getting up in the 5 o'clock hour tomorrow- ahh! 

Epic weekend. (aka Things I Miss)

I usually don't like "recap" type blog posts, but this is going to be one of those... so deal with it!

Started last weekend off early by leaving KC for Columbia on Thursday night. Upon a warm greeting by one of my favorite pups in the whole world, I caught up on life with my old roomies... and of course the latest in all of my former trashy tv addictions (Teen Mom, Jersey Shore to name a couple) that I haven't had the courage to record on the Osborne's DVR.

Friday consisted of waking up early and spending the morning with Mary Kate. Activities included: bagels for breakfast, checking out the new MU student center (which is freaking AWESOME- by the way), spending money at the bookstore & missing the 'student charge' option for payment, and a trip to Sam's Club for Granny's House supplies. Pretty sweet morning if you ask me. Lots of good conversation and heart probing... oh how I have missed living with that lady.

Also took a trip to good ol' Rock Bridge High School to have lunch with these cuties...! I miss getting to spend time with my K-Life small group girls so getting to have lunch with a couple of them warmed my little heart. Got to hear about their latest crushes, the deets on the Homecoming dance, and what the Lord has been up to in their lives. Love me some high schoolers.

After devouring Jimmy John's with Taylor and Alyssa, I headed over to a little slice of heaven on earth... Sara Haslag's house. I am continually amazed and inspired by this woman! We had a wonderful conversation on her deck. She served me a M&Ms and a margarita- what's not to love?! In true Haslag house fashion, we both cried. AHH! Love and miss her so much!

Spent the rest of the afternoon and night hanging out with sweet Meredith playing tennis and watching little-L-love blossom at 504. Ahem...Querica...ahem. ;) Can't forget mention that I enjoyed POKEY STICKS for dinner! Although I eat pretty dang good here in KC (thanks Gayle!), I do miss picking up cheese-less pepperoni/pineapple and pokey sticks from Gumby's and splitting it with MK. Yum.

The rest of the weekend was dedicated to Ms. Sophia Dyer and her quest to overcome the common cold and conquer the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon in St. Charles. Team Soph, which also included some of her Springfield friends, headed to St. Louis Saturday. We enjoyed a tour of Anheuser Busch (sp?) and a delicious Cheesecake Factory meal.

Sunday was race day! After battling a cold all week, Soph decided to go ahead and run. I was glad because I secretly love being a spectator at half/full marathons. I actually have quite a bit of experience doing so. They are so inspiring and emotional...! Maybe I'll run one some day... hmm... for the record, that's off the record...

Anyway, here she is before the race-not going to lie-looking a little tired... for good reason though, because we got up at 5:45! It was also FREEZING!

But she conquered the fatigue and illness to finish the race! The after shot:

When we got back to Columbia we hit up Chipotle, where she flaunted her new medal with great pride, as she should. So Proud of my ex-roomie! It was great to spend time with her- loved getting to have lots of talk time in the car. 

When I got back to KC I was EXHAUSTED, but it was all worth it for such a wonderful weekend! 

'Never Nude' (and Midnight Update)

Soo... yesterday I blogged about how my four legged roomie, Midnight, and I aren't hitting it off.... well.....

Today, I took a shower this afternoon, (yes, I shower in the afternoons. Don't judge me- I promise I was productive today) and left the door of the bathroom open so that the mirror wouldn't get fogged up. I had the shower radio going singing along with The Steve Miller Band (courtesy of Jack FM) and then it was time to get out and get ready. I pulled open the shower curtain and Midnight was standing in the bathroom just looking at me..... in my birthday suit...... At first it scared the crap out of me, but then I was kind of creeped out.... mostly because Midnight just saw me naked. Sooo awkward!

Hopefully you have had the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful show Arrested Development. (Note: I actually started watching the show so that I could relate to Zach's younger brother, Quinton. And actually, I understand him a lot better after watching the show, haha.) But anyway, there's a character named Tobias who is a 'Never Nude,' meaning that he is uncomfortable being naked and therefore always remains clothed. At all time he's wearing a pair of tiny jorts/cutoffs/daisy dukes:

Warning: I am about to make to make a confession that is; a. too much information, b. inaprop c. awkward d. all of the above. (Correct answer is d.) 

I, too, am a Never Nude. 

So you can imagine the discomfort I felt when I yanked open the shower curtain to find Midnight staring at me... my roommate/nemesis. 

I guess I need my very own pair of jorts...

Woof...

So.... I love dogs..... maybe I love them an embarrassing amount... 

Exhibit A:

Me and Copper Haslag's Christmas card pic

Exhibit B:

My former roomie Winston and I getting our snuggle on - Note: This pic is one of about a hundred similar snapshots. Nevermind the look on his face- he loves me, but hates the camera.

Exhibit C:

An incredibly hideous and really old Christmas morning pic of me and my parent's dog/other child Nicky.

The evidence clearly shows that dogs and I get along famously. I mean, dogs are (wo)man's best friend, right? However, my newest canine roommate and I haven't exactly hit it off. This is Midnight.

This is the only picture that exists of the two of us. I don't want to confess to how many attempts it took to get her to be this close to me. Maybe I'm just way too into dogs, but it's a serious blow to my ego and reputation as a dog lover that Midnight doesn't want much to do with me...

Here are the reasons why I think Mid and I aren't best friends yet:

1. Midnight is a very independent dog. Since I am still job searching and just working part time, Midnight and I spend a considerable time at the house together during the day. She just wants to do her own thing. She'll pay attention to me when I want to take her on a walk, which happens everyday, but beyond that she'd just rather curl up on her couch. I am just not used to this. All other dogs that I've been around always want to be near people.
2. Midnight doesn't cuddle. This is another thing that all other dogs I know love... but I guess Midnight is too big?! I personally think that she would make a great little spoon...
3. I'm not as cool as Zach. I think that this is the main factor in why Midnight hates me: Zach is here too, and he is way cooler than me. That dog looooooves Zach. Probably because he gives her Greenies, taught her a bunch of tricks, and play wrestles with her... How can I compete with that?!

Although I think Midnight likes me more than she did when I first started living here, we've got along way to go...

What a lovely surprise......

[A package...?! For me....?! How exciting!]

[Whoa! From Anthro...?!]

[But... I didn't order anything....]

[I should've known the Anthro Phantom was none other than Mary Kate Loring...!]

[She sent me this super cute headband! What a gal!] 

Thanks Mary Kate- made my day!

¡Viva los Royals!

Yesterday afternoon I missed a call from my friend Barry. My first thought was that his wife had their baby boy (due next week)- no, no... Barry wanted to offer some Royals tickets to me and Z- fo' free! I said yeah, that'd be great and then he told me that they were Diamond Club (read: expensive, behind home plate) tickets, with a parking pass! Unable to pass up such a fun-tivity opportunity, Zach and I left right after I got home from work.

First we needed to stop by Barry's house in NKC to pick up the tickets. In the car Zach and I were talking about how Drew, Lindsey, and kids were also going to the game and were meeting James and Laura at Zach's dad's office, also in NKC. We then realized that Drew and Linds are actually behind us- we stopped to say hi to them and then ended up all riding together in Drew and Linds' swagger wagon to take advantage of the free parking pass.

This was the view from Zach and I's seats... so sweet! Thanks Barry! Sorry for the crappy phone picture. My camera has not resurfaced since I've moved to KC. Zach was excited that he could actually critique the ball and strike calls. I was just blown away by all of the extra sounds that we could hear being so close (nerdy, I know). And, we could see into both dugouts which was cool. What's funny about getting free tickets and parking is that Zach and I felt like we could spend tons of money on ballpark food- so we did. Zach is so KC and got BBQ nachos which consisted of chips, BBQ pork, cheese, and lots of BBQ sauce. I opted for a hotdog and onion rings.

The theme for the night was "!Viva Los Royals!" and it was t-shirt Tuesday. So I am the proud new owner of a Joakim Soria shirt. We went to hang out with our carpool friends in their seats for a while and then James, Drew, Eli, and Zach went back to the sweet seats for a little while Linds, Laura, Andi and I enjoyed some girls time. When we were all back together there was a bit of excitement when a foul ball came right at our section. I made a big (read: LOUD) deal in getting out of the way and good thing because if I hadn't the ball would have literally hit me square in the head. All of the guys were mad that I missed the opportunity to catch the ball, but I'm just glad I missed the opportunity for a broken nose. And the guy behind us who ended up getting the ball gave it to Eli, which was super cute. While I'm on the subject of cute... those kids are always adorable but last night they were really turning the cute up to 11! The Royals won big, and we got to see three homeruns- which are both rare to witness at The K (by the home team at least). It really was such a fun night and I'm glad it fell together to be there!

Incredible Ladies

[Me and Sweet Sara]

I have been incredibly lucky in the past several years to be connected to some pretty great people, and especially lucky to have amazing women in my life. I think it's SO important for women to bond and navigate life: celebrate each other, navigate issues, and give honest reality checks as needed. ;) Here to the right is a picture of one of the sweetest women I know- the one and only Mrs. Sara Haslag. Seriously- her thoughtfulness, generosity, and kindness have kept me in awe since the day I met her, and anyone else who knows Sara would tell you the same thing! It was so wonderful having her as a 'mentor' the past couple years and I'm seriously missing getting to spend time with her regularly. Now that I live in Kansas City there's a little piece of my heart missing...!

[Col and I with a few friends in Chicago this summer]

Okay, first of all, this picture is hilarious. Sara, in her infinite sweetness, treated me and a few other ladies to a Chicago trip! One of those ladies was Colleen Kelly, one of my oldest Mizzou friends. This photo op is a product of a fateful museum outing that included paying to get in, (we thought it was free) and getting incredibly lost on the way back to the hotel. Ugh, moving on... To me, the things that make Colleen, Colleen, are her excitement (the girl can and will get excited about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING), her wisdom, and her resiliency. In the past year she went through having cancer and handled it with so much grace, poise, and peace . She's truly an inspiration to praise in all circumstances, and to be kingdom minded.

[Super old pic of me and Em]

I got a very pleasant surprise last weekend at Jacob's Well when another incredible woman I know tapped on my shoulder. None other than Emily Baize! (Formerly known as Miss Hawn.) Em is super sweet as well... I think I will need to go to the dentist after this post because I am going to get a cavity from all the sweetness... But Em is now living in downtown KC and she invited me to her super cute loft to catch up this morning. It was absolutely wonderful to get back in touch and I am so glad that we live in the same town. Five years ago when I met Em she was a high school teacher and now she's finishing up her Master's of Architecture degree. What I love about her is her willingness to follow the Lord's leading in her life. She's a great example of giving her future over to the Lord and in turn experiencing something grander than she could have imagined!

I feel so blessed when I think about these relationships, and about all of the other incredible ladies I know!  Leave it to Destiny's Child to sum it all up:

Third time's a charm...?!

My lovely friend just started a new blog called The Daily Braid [read it- it's going to be brilliant and funny] and she's inspired me to get back into blogging.

"I gotta tell you, I am loving this yada yada thing. I can gloss over my whole life story." -G. Costanza

[http://students.cup.edu]

In case you've been living under a rock, in the classic show about nothing the phrase "yada, yada, yada," is substituted for the details of a story. I've renamed this blog, "yada, yada, yada," not only because I love Seinfeld, but because, unlike George, I don't want to gloss over  the details of my life story. I want to record and share the yada yadas, and this is (hopefully) going to be an outlet for me to do that.

So, here we are... the third go-round for this little-blog-that-could after my second nearly year long hiatus. Hmm... although it appears that I am an awful blogger, I'm back with a desire to record the highs, lows, and in-betweens of life. 

Speaking of the in-betweens of life... 
I graduated from college and am still looking for that big girl job while working part time for the man... literally... I work for the government. Epitome of 'the man'-ness.

[I did not look this excited while sitting through a nearly 4 hour grad ceremony.]

I moved to Kansas City and am loving it... minus the whole unemployment thing... ugh. I do miss the college lifestyle and my Columbian friends (especially this furry one), as well as my family and blessed homeland of Iowa, but living here has been marvelous so far.

[Just Winston being the life of the party at a summer BBQ]

I live with my boyfriend... and his parents... It's true--and the most awkward part about it is telling people. It's a great temporary living arrangement in which I enjoy saving money, excellent home cooking, lots of tennis, and most importantly, wonderful company.

[My roomies!]

Dear Blog, 

Glad that we're getting reacquainted. Please forgive me for ignoring you- I promise that I really like the idea of you... hopefully this time around I will be better at following through. 

Sincerely, 

Christine

Here I go again...!