4.30.2011

el fin del semestre...casi


Yesterday I was so productive, I just have to document how much I can really get done in one afternoon/evening:

- completed my 11 mile run so I wouldn't have to do it today
- concocted various homemade cleaners
- attempted my first batch of homemade laundry soap [ I may have failed...we'll see... ] 
- washed and put away the [ piles upon piles of ] dishes [ oh, the joy of not having a dishwasher! ]
- cleaned the bathroom
- scrubbed all the mold and mildew [ I know, EWW...] off of the walls and ceiling of said bathroom
- washed, folded AND put away the [ piles upon piles of ] laundry
- took out the trash [ a.k.a. walked across the church parking lot and flung our trash bags into the church's dumpster - don't worry, as church home tenants we're allowed to do that ]
- vacuumed up about 3419087324 spiders and their [ not so ] little webs from our walls and ceilings



I'm so domestic.


Now today is a boring BORING day of studying for finals next week...yikers

Please pray that I don't lose my mind over the next seven days.


NPR



4.27.2011

rain, rain go away


It's kind of gross outside today...

...like, one of those "let's-stay-inside-all-day-curled-up-in-a-blanket-on-the-couch-with-a-cup-of-coffee-and-watch-movies-all-day" day.

Conversation with Justin regarding the gross-ness:

Me: Ehh, can I please just stay home today?
Justin: Aw, you're cute. 
Me: No, really, can I please?
Justin: It IS one of those days where it'd just be perfect to stay inside, curled up in your blanket and lie on the couch...
Me: ...lie on the couch watching tv all day! I was just going to say that!
Justin: Well, no, you can't.


Boo hoo. 
Why do I have to be a responsible person and go to class?


NPR


4.20.2011

Boston


Yesterday at work I was slightly obsessing over the news coverage of the Boston Marathon... One may ask, why would Nicole do that? Is it because she enjoys running? Perhaps it's because the River Bank Run is coming up...does she need some extra motivation? 

While the answer to all those questions points to yes, the main reason, however, is this:


Desiree Davila

She's 5'2"! She lives in Michigan! She works for Moosejaw! Did I mention that she's 5'2"?!?!

Yes, that is one short lady who placed 2nd in the women's division just TWO SECONDS behind Caroline Kilel from Kenya. TWO SECONDS...an American woman...who's 5'2"...IT'S AMAZING!!!!

Also, check this out:

Kara Goucher

She ran this 7 months after giving birth (!!!) and finished 5th overall, 9 seconds behind Kilel. 

It is so incredible to see how God created our bodies to allow us to do such great things despite vertical challenges and healing after childbirth! Both of these female athletes are so inspiring to me and make me believe I can do anything I set my mind and commit to. Who knows, maybe there is a marathon in my near future....

NPR

4.14.2011

¡corre, corre!


"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run." 
--John Bingham


RBR 2010


GR 1/2 2010

 Countdown: 30 days  
[eeeeek]

  
NPR

4.13.2011

una lista perdida



What? Two updates in one day? Does anyone even read this? Probably not. Except maybe Justin, who doesn't really count [just kidding]. Oh well. If anything, this blog is for me to look back on and remember where I was in life and what was important enough for me to post.

Anyway, somehow in my search to figure out how to link updates to this blog on Facebook, I stumbled across the only FB "note" that I ever wrote in the history of me having a profile - "25 Cosas," written almost two and a half years ago [though it seems like a LOT more time has passed since then].

First, can I please just say how comical #16 is?! Justin would seriously get some amusement from that little lie, as it has become very clear in the past two years of our marriage that my love language is definitely NOT words of affirmation. I am absolutely clueless as to how to accurately and effectively express myself and my emotions/feelings as well as providing encouraging and meaningful words to others, namely my dear husband [whose love language IS words of affirmation]. My love language is physical touch - apparently all I ever need in the world is a nice hug.

Second, why on earth was I up at 2:53am studying?! Most likely I was freaking out about some Spanish exam giving me a B and "ruining" my GPA. Luckily I've learned to accept failing things here and there, and now the nursing program has bestowed upon me a new motto - "I has gotten to the point where I don't even care what grade I get. As long as I pass, I'll survive." 

So here it is...

25 cosas

by Nicole Potter Rieth on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 2:53am
So once I tag you you're supposed to do this to.
However, I only did it because I'm procrastinating studying and am not quite tired enough to go to bed:

1. Sometimes I think that deep down I am dumb. I don't mean this in a ditzy way, but really I just have to wonder if I have actually absorbed everything that I have learned in the past 20 years and if one day when I have to use this knowledge I'll totally draw a blank.

2. I've learned over the past few years that I need to incorporate color into my wardrobe. Solely wearing black and brown for the sake of "being able to match any color" is rather ironic when you don't include any other colors TO match the black and brown.

3. I'm a white person trapped in an Asian's body.

4. Shin splints are my worst enemy. Luckily, I have discovered the beauty of water running.

5. I chose the wrong major/minor in college. Oops.

6. Heights and the dark scare the living daylights out of me.

7. Although I tend to bake when I'm upset/stressed/whenever I feel like it in general, I have never managed to bake a perfect batch of cookies. They either turn out too flat, too greasy, too chewy, too crispy, or too flour-y tasting. However, give me a cake to decorate any day.

8. Included in my future plans is being on The Amazing Race. I even have the participant application downloaded to my computer for when that time comes to submit it. Hey, at least it's not The Bachelorette or anything (although I did tell Candice and Krissy to nominate me for that show if I were not married by the age of 30).

9. The best experience of my life was working with Merge Ministries helping with short-term mission trips in Central America during the summer of 2007.

10. In all honesty, I have terrible taste in music. I tend to stick to what I know and I have no idea how to branch out of that aside from Pandora, which doesn't even load properly on my computer. I'm still listening to the same CDs I've had since high school, save a couple that have been passed along to me by people who learn of my pathetic music collection.

11. Going to Starbucks and sitting in one of those comfy chairs with a coffee frappuccino is one of my favorite things to do.

12. I know that God has called me to help people. It's very reassuring to know that that is what I am supposed to do with my life.

13. There are times that I watch What Not to Wear and I can see myself and how I dress in some of those people that are being made over.

14. Acid reflux has been burning away at my vocal cords for my entire life and I never really knew the extent to which it damaged them until this past year.

15. I'm not sure if I'm going to have kids one day. I know it's supposed to be one of the most valuable things in life, but I just don't feel like I have that maternal instinct. However, I could change my mind as time goes on.

16. My love language is words of affirmation.

17. One of the simple pleasures in life that I enjoy is taking walks during the fall and breathing in that crisp, burning-leaves smell that only lasts for a couple of months.

18. I tried becoming a vegetarian and it just didn't work out for me. I like meat. Ew, that sounds gross.

19. It really sucks being young for your grade/year -- I can't wait to turn 21 so I can go to stein night at the Brewery.

20. Making decisions is one of my greatest weaknesses.

21. My second year in college I think I made a lot of mistakes and drove people away. I've come out of my dark place thanks to some amazing people, but I still regret where that "lost year" left me when I came back to reality. I'm sorry.

22. Don't ever go shopping with me. Either I take forever deciding if I really need what I've picked out or I just go back and return things almost immediately after because I think I don't need it after all or shouldn't spend the money. I have a hard time spending money.

23. Despite a few things here and there, I actually really respect how I was raised by my parents. My sisters, too, whether they realize it or not, have had a huge impact on who I've become. They are the ones who I subconsciously keep in the back of my mind when I have decisions in front of me.

24. My best friend, Sarah Kinsler, knows me inside and out. She observes people incredibly well and picks up on the little things about them. The girl has direction in life and will not let anything get in the way of her achieving her aspirations and greatest dreams. I respect her more than she probably realizes.

25. Beautiful things -- lyrics in a song, a quote in a book, a personal story -- make me cry.

NPR

le sigh


 I'm currently diggin' this...


...but I'm trying to save up for this:

[which unfortunately is super expensive]

Not to mention the fact that we're paying for this:


Oy vey.

NPR

4.11.2011

...the daily grind?



So we have returned from Florida after a blissful week of sun, sand, sleeping in [why are these all s words??] and such [ha! I had to do it]

It was not nice of the alarm to wake me up at 7am this morning, but I conceded, dragged my pouty self to the shower, prepared a lovely cup o' joe and attempted to study for a quiz that I was 95% sure I'd fail.

[which I did - failing a quiz in this class, for the record, is getting one out of five questions wrong = ridiculous]


This was my attempt at pumping myself up for the long day ahead. It didn't help.

Nothing too exciting going on, save for getting my behind kicked in chem today by the worst exam of my life. While the vacation did plenty for my sanity [and cured my sleep deprivation], it did absolutely nothing for my knowledge of alkanes, esters and other such organic chemistry studies. Woof.

NPR