Catch Up

Well it's day two of working out - how do I like it? I"m not in love with it yet- but it does create a sense of accomplishment, accomplishment that quickly turns to embarrassment when you feel the sweat pour down your face from 10 minutes of brisk walking.  It's been a crazy couple of weeks here in the Salonen household so it's time to catch everyone up.

This month started with a loss so big that I haven't been able to even get close to the hole that it's left in my heart- my grandpa Paul passed away in March from lung cancer. His decline was swift and his deathbed peaceful. I'm not sure when it will sink in that I won't ever get to see him again, but it's definitely not real yet. I can still hear his voice in my head asking me if I'd like a cup of coffee, or how I'm doing or his favorite topic- "How's that dog?" For now,  I'll just listen to his voice and delight in my false vision.

I'm still unemployed and the job market has become increasingly frustrating. In fact so much that we are just going to skip this topic

Andy and I officially close on a new house in Longmont on April 27th!! We are soooo excited to be homeowners and DIY'ers!!! (well at least I'm super excited about being a DIY'er and Andy would like me to get a small reality check) Sample conversations between us

Me: I think we should just knock down that wall
Andy: I think we should paint
Me: Ok so we're knocking down the wall

Andy: We need a ladder
Me: OH, I can go find one at goodwill or craigslist
Andy: It's important that you don't buy a broken ladder, maybe we should just get a new one
Me: na, Goodwill has quality materials

Me: Where are you going to put your clothes?
Andy: It's a 4 bedroom house, there will be plenty of space
Me: I think we should build a closet, in the first week.  Do we know how to do that?
Andy: No.

And don't even get me started with paint samples..... oh boy. That's just nonsense. Let's just say Andy enjoys beige more than any person I have ever met. Anyways, it's something to look forward too and I can't wait for next week to be over so that I can have something to focus on-- besides finding a job.

I've been sick lately, actually hospitalized on Easter for a few days and have been doing at home IV's for this past week. All done on Sunday- whoo hoo.   I had to go to a different (non CFer) hospital this time and it was like a tragic dream replaying all over again- the doctor actually handed me a form that said Cystic Fibrosis on the top and then had some symptoms to watch out for.  My patience was definitely tried as I negotiated medicines with doctors and pleaded for someone to just let me write my own orders.  But that nightmare is over, things are worked out;  I'm working out, starting to feel much much better and life goes on. Did I mention I also gained 12 pounds in a week. A little ridiculous if you ask me but that's what the prednisone will do to someone. So I've set a goal to lose the 12lb's by May! Yay! Starvation? Motivation? One of the two will do.

Well this post is about as random as my day.  What do people do all day?  I'd like to say I'm taking this "unemployment opportunity time" to re evaluate my goals, read more, write,  and plan out my life but it's really hard to plan life when you just keep wondering what you're supposed to be doing. I'm sure I'll get it figured out though and will keep posting more. Maybe I'll find my voice here and you people will make me millions. Let's make it happen people.

With love,
Mimi

How bout that job market?

I need to get better at writing. More documentation of my life must be done!!

I'm on the job hunt, and let me just say that it is truly a hunt. Although a new career and a change up from my day to day work here as mail girl is exactly what I need there seems to be a shortage of jobs  out there- has anyone heard of this? Are we in a recession? Someone tell me what's going on!! :) Ah, well at least for the moment I get to sit snug as a bug in my office cubicle sipping on a Diet Coke( -side note here, there is a community case of DC in the fridge at work here, amazing-) listening to the hot jams of a progressive indi-chick Pandora station and mindlessly searching the classifieds. :)  Life is good, even with the looming deadline of losing my job in two weeks.

God works in the craziest of ways and more than ever he has shown me, in this job, how to be a witness for him where ever I am. Kelsey, who shares my office space with me  has become a great friend in these past couple months and the more chatting we do the more we realize how much in common we have; from The Last Unicorn and crazy hospital stories to struggling with loved ones battling cancer; we've been able to connect. I've been asking God to show me how I am supposed to connect with people and show his love to them and this week He really gave me that opportunity.

Kelsey's aunt passed away on Friday leaving her son heartbroken and penniless. When the opportunity arose to help him out I told Kelsey that Andy and I would love to give him some support to which she replied, "that's really sweet of YOU," at which point I blurted out "No Kelsey, that's what Christianity is. In it's purest form it is taking care of the widows and orphans- no matter what age". BAM holy moly, I think I just evangelised! It felt like the words were spoken from Him and not from me.

So, that is why I am ok job hunting until my eyes go blurry and I start attaching Dr. Seuss's "Oh the places you will go" book to every single application. That's why I'm ok not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing,because God knows what my purpose is. The more I've sat and pondered my days as mail girl, the more I've come to realize that God put me here to show me that my identity needed to be in Him, not in MY career, MY goals, MY accomplishments, MY life.

If the choice was open mail for the rest of my life but have amazing coworker experiences or be very very very important but minimize Christ-- I know I'd choose mail girl.

That being said, I have a resume and references for anyone that would like to take a look :)  

Happy Wednesday!

Christmas Letter 2011... I know.

Christmas Greetings!... In late January!

We finally took our tree down which means we thought we should send out Christmas cards as well! Better late than never, right?! 2011 was a fantastic and very busy year! Here are some of the highlights:

We started 2011 with a big move; well, Andy had a big move down to Colorado so he could be closer to his lovely fiance. The journey was somewhat arduous as we tested the lifetime waters and what family vacations might look like with an 800 mile drive while towing a U-Haul; let me tell you, it wasn't pretty. Little did we know the real journey hadn't even begun...

Career Moves
 Andy struggled the first couple months with the job market. After applying for over 120 jobs, one position in particular really tickled his fancy and his nerves. It was a "dream job" for him so to speak, and he had gone through all the applications and interviews and was waiting and waiting to hear back. Weeks passed from when they told him he should know, and every time he called they'd have another random excuse.  They encouraged him to wait and told him he was still in the pool. Finally, he got the call; he was hired at the University of Colorado Boulder as an Admission Counselor Intern! The reason for the long wait? They had to get approvals from all types of boards to hire him because the position was generally held for a CU alumni and obviously Andy didn't make that qualification. They literally created a position for him because he is so great (okay, at least that's my opinion). This opinion was validated when only a few months after he signed his one year contract with CU-Boulder they promoted him, creating a permanent spot for Andy on the admissions team as a counselor. He loves working in admissions and currently works with the on campus programs team while advising the Student Ambassadors Program; a team of 100 CU students who lead campus tours for prospective students and their families.  He also represents undergraduate admissions and recruits students in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, western Colorado, and the central coast of California. Not only does he read their applications, but he was able to travel to all three areas this fall.  I especially enjoyed his California recruitment but we'll get to that later :)

Mimi could find a job if she knew what she wanted to do.  Before November, she successfully planned and executed the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival.  It was a job for someone with ten years of work experience, but Mimi was able to pull it off two years in a row right out of college.  Anyone who attended the festival remembered it, and will most likely return for round three.  Mimi is gifted in so many areas; she has an eye for detail, is personable, creative and hard working.  Working for her family at Smoker Friendly and planning the event was a wonderful experience, but she knows God is calling her to do more.  What that may be?  She doesn't know!  For now, she has been hired on with the International Admissions team at CU-Boulder (in a different building than myself) as a temporary assistant.  This job description is nice and short: she opens mail all day.  If a prospective international student applying to CU-Boulder sends transcripts, financial statements, test scores or letters of recommendation, Mimi opens it up and processes it.  It's an essential piece of the admissions process, and Mimi loves it.  She has an office partner, and as Mimi puts it, they are best friends.  Although this is a temporary, five-month position, Mimi is excited about the future opportunities God has in store for her and is enjoying this time to truly discover what she should be doing.

Some Scripture for this Season
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Wedding Bells
As most of you know, something big happened this year... we got MARRIED!  Thank you once again to our families and friends who helped make that special day take place.  We still dream about the food prepared that day, drool over the cake and reminisce when looking at our wedding pictures.  After an amazing wedding on June 18 we hopped on a plane and spent ten days in St. Lucia located in the Caribbean.  What a wonderful way to start a marriage, but as they say life isn't always a honeymoon...or something like that. Marriage is such an amazing gift, and we continue to learn and grow each day. Some of the more practical, sweet and humorous things we've learned:

• Don't leave the butter on the counter; Frank will eat it.
• Surprising each other with even the little things can make any day better.
• The Mazdaratti (Mimi's Mazda) absolutely requires snow tires to function in the winter.
• Boulder isn't as crazy as people make it out to be; it's unique, but we know God has a plan for everyone there.
• God always provides!
• If you have an iPhone, check out the app, Voxer.  Seriously, we have too much fun with it.  Thanks for the introduction, Mr. Bridges.
• Finding a church and friends can take time, but well worth the wait.
• "Go to bed mad" - great marriage advice from my good friend Janelle. The same principle "think before you speak" applies here. 
• Although Mimi is the actual diabetic, Andy gets very cranky when he's hungry.
• Andy gets scared easily and the closet is a great place to hide :)
• Above all, let God be the center of your life and it will be reflected in the way you speak to each other and the strength of your marriage

Some Scripture for this Season

Matthew 19:4-6  Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.

1 Peter 4:8  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.
Around the World
We've had so many opportunities this year to see great places and more importantly to unite with old and new friends. Our love for Montana and the people who live there is never ceasing and we enjoyed ringing in 2011 with the Bischoffs and some Salonens in Helena. Mimi's job got really tough in March when she was asked to attend a conference in Mexico,  but she hiked up her socks, packed the sunscreen and headed South.  Andy headed to Vegas for a whirlwind bachelor party with some of his best buds, where rest assured they were all very "good". After the June 18th union, we were amazingly blessed to receive an incredible gift from Mimi's family; a dream honeymoon in beautiful St. Lucia! We stayed at an all inclusive Sandals resort and let us tell you it is just like the commercials; seriously. Pristine beaches, more food than you can imagine and people in love EVERYWHERE.  It was amazing and a special time we will cherish forever! We're just wondering who would like to pick up the bill for our one year anniversary vacation!:) Any takers???  After the honeymoon we hung low, sneaking in a couple trips to Montana before our schedules started getting crazy!  We also enjoyed a visit from Ryan & Liz when we saw Jurassic Park on the big screen at Red Rocks Amphitheater!  Andy traveled in the fall to the east coast spending two weeks visiting schools in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and also being a solo tourist which included checking out the Ben & Jerry's factory along the way. He came back to Colorado only to head into the mountains for another two weeks this time making stops at all the major resorts like Vail and Aspen. He has assured me we can move as soon as we make our millions! His last trip was out to California, and at the last minute it was decided that I got to tag along! A fantastic way to end his travels as we spent a week along the coast driving from city to city visiting family and reuniting with old friends! Thank you Gridley's, Bridges & Ryan! November & December were marked with hosting friends and family at our house something we both truly enjoy! Andy's folks made it down for Thanksgiving which was a gift that made us truly thankful. Mimi's brother Tom came west from North Carolina to celebrate Christmas and ring in the New Year.

    We both have a love of traveling but more importantly a love of people and so we hope in 2012 we will be listening to God's voice in our life and going where we are called; be that across the seas, to new places, to old friends homes or to our neighbors next door we are ready to be used!

Some Scripture for this Season
Isaiah 6:8  And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me."

Matthew 25:14-30  His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!"

Into the Future

2012 has already proven to be a season of learning and love. From football (Tebow) to house hunting we are leaning on God to guide us. We are currently on the house hunt and will keep you updated with that. So far no new home, but we know it's out there! We wish you and yours all the joy in this New Year; may the Lord bless you and keep you close. To all our loved ones near and far we hope to see you this year; but if it happens that we don't cross paths know that we think of you often and love you deeply! Lastly, since this card was so promptly delivered I want to take this opportunity to wish you a few more things ...

Happy Valentines Day, Pleasant Presidents' Day!, Happy Easter, We Love you Mom on Mother's Day, We honor you on Memorial Day, We Love you too Dad- Happy Father's Day, Happy Fourth of July!, & the Spookiest of Halloweens to you!! 

Okay, we should be good for awhile now!  Check back for more blog entries this year.

Love, 

Andy + Mimi + Frank

How Shamu Ruined my Day

I bet you're thinking this title is an analogy. Well, you're wrong. Shamu has literally wreaked havoc on my day and I'll tell you how: this morning my wonderful husband woke me up and I groggily lifted my arm from under the cover to check the top of his head to see whether or not he was seriously waking me up or just fake waking me up ( if his head is wet he's serious; he's showered which means he believes I should shower- puh).  Anyways it was the real deal which meant I promptly told him I was awake and then rolled over to catch a few more moments of glorious sleep; I firmly believe I would be an amazing full time sleeper- just saying. However, in this particular instance my dreams were rocked with a serious case of lively dreaming. I was instantly thrown into the ocean, I think I was about 300 meters from the wall where Free Willy had to make his jump to safety and I was swimming along side Shamu. I'm not sure what I was doing there but I do know this; I was swimming. Front stroke, back stroke, butterfly stroke, catipillar stroke, wolf stroke you name it (I'm POSITIVE those are all swimming strokes by the way). Needless to say, when I woke I had somehow thrown out my neck and so all day I've been cursing Shamu under my breath.  Next time I dream of Shamu I'm refusing to swim with him....

Good Day All!

Thanksgiving to Christmas

Well it's been quite sometime since I've given the world a dose of my feelings- I'm a bad blogger. Shoot! But I've already begun my New Year's list and being better about updating this is on it... ok I can't lie I haven't started a list-- that would be thinking ahead and I'm incapable of that; instead come 11:58pm on New Years Eve I'll have a moment of panic write down two quick thoughts and then wake up the next morning and not even remember where I put that piece of paper. Anyways that's just me. Onto what's been happening; CHRISTMAS. What a wonderful season! Andy and I are having a wonderful time celebrating our first christmas together.
He surprised me with no Charlie Brown tree...

And I've been playing the 12 days of Christmas with him - in my book today is the 7th day of Christmas (although I've been told I am incorrect and it's the 6th/ - whatever) so I got him something truly special and straight from the heart. .... I ironed a weeks worth of work shirts for him. Yes, I know technically this shouldn't be a present or a treat but in our house it is!  Here is my work in all its glory hanging on the mantel....

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me.... 

Anywhoozles, there are only so many Christmas concerts each year and I'm convinced I need to see them all -- so off I go to another singing festivity! Be ready for our Christmas letter coming soon to our blog! 

-Mimi

She Awakes & Give Thanks!

Well I am so sorry folks that it's been so long. I think about blogging daily, but as go most things in my life; actually doing the task takes more follow through than I'm willing to put forth in a single day.  I'm not sure what that is but I think Ali Brosh does an amazing job explaining the type of depression that dictates around 60% of my life check it out here. The other 40% of my life is split between snacks and productivity.

My Life as a Troll- As I said, sometimes life just gets the better of me.

So that being said-- I'm back and I promise to keep you up to date on my wonderful world more frequently. Two things worth mentioning today-  

New Job & Thanksgiving

Friday is officially my last day as the planner for the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival and I couldn't be more excited! Don't get me wrong; I love the people I work with, I love the job but it was just time for change. For health reasons both physical and spiritual, I knew it was time to find something new. Well, I haven't  exactly found a new position yet but I'll be temping at CU in International Admissions for 4-6 months or till my dream job comes through :)  Lucky for them I'm fluent in Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Zulu-- this should get interesting.

And now the most important subject...TURKEY DAY!! oh how i love thee! So this Thanksgiving, Andy and I are super excited because the In-Laws are coming! This is both a highly exciting event as it will be their first time down to see us and I just love them and a highly stressful time leading up to it because if I thought Andy was crazy anal about cleaning before I was only seeing the surface of what he could be. Our cleaning prep started last week as Andy had a friend coming into town and he informed me that this would be a great time to get a "pre-clean" cleaning of the house in before his parents showed up. Little did I know he was serious. After a few little bickering's about what actually needed to be done we ended up with him vacuuming and myself mopping, he actually was beaming as he watched me with the mop and said "honey, wow your really putting some muscle behind that," oh Andy.  Anyways, I decide the easy way around this whole situation is to "woman" up and make a cleaning list of things that MUST be double scrubbed before the family gets here (note to audience: Andy and I's house is almost always picked up and clean these are above and beyond measures) On said list is: outside landscaping, fridge and freezer cleanouts, coat closet cleaning and mopping, baseboards windows and blinds (that's a gimmy) and so forth. I fully plan on taking Tuesday off though and by taking Tuesday off I mean not being in the house so that Andy can fully prepare for their arrival and I won't grubby anything up:) Can't wait to see you Sue and Bill!!

Well hopefully I'll add some pictures soon- Andy and I have been very busy with friends and trips and jobs and so on! But for now I'll leave you with this quote- since I haven't been writing I've been reading lots of blogs - so many good things out there :)

"Giving thanks is only this: making the canyon of pain into a megaphone to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God. But this is not easy: That which I refuse to thank Christ for, I refuse to believe Christ can redeem." - Thank you Ann Voskamp and your truly touching blog. Click Here for more of her Thanksgiving advice

Another thing to Thank God for: Take me back to Manhattan Beach please!

California Love....

Well, I figured I'd better get a few things out here before too much time has elapsed. I'm out of the hospital and officially sick :) But seriously, getting out of the hospital is always weird because its like your body has been guarded and preserved against all types of germies while in the joint and as soon as your released your body feels a little like it's under attack! AHH! But, all that being said I'm fighting through it and I'm sure I'll feel just fine in a couple of days! So, what's happened since pants day? Halloween and California are the two big ones!
Saturday night we went to our friends house for a Halloween party, Andy and I had talked up being "rage faces" for Halloween for a solid month so it was no surprise that that costume fell through! However, Bunny to the rescue, we discovered these foam pumpkin looking name tags in the Halloween goodies she had sent us so I wrote our names on them and we dressed nicely, baked cookies and  brought a house gift to the party and went as "respectable guests"  -- yes we are lame but still.... pretty awesome?

:

Look at those Respectable Party Guests.

Pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. These were not very good and probably the longest cookie process of our lives. First time back in the kitchen = something less than successful.

Sunday morning we got up and headed off to California! Andy and I are getting pretty good at this traveling thing together and played the always fun "How many things did you forget?" game all the way to the airport - I won forgetting 3 things while Andy only forgot 1 thing! Hahaha oh boy- luckily nothing was super crucial i.e. we had our ID's and so we boarded the plane! I'm teaching Andy how to play Sudoku right now so he rightfully slept through the whole lesson on the plane while I pointed at number strategies and "ah hah'd" my genius all the way to San Jose! 

We checked into the ever lovely Hilton and walked around downtown San Jose the rest of the afternoon. Andy does this thing that drives me crazy where I'll ask him if he wants to eat at a certain place and then he gets his phone out and goes "well it only got 3 1/2  stars" and then I proceed to pull out my hair and walk to the next restaurant and say "how bout here?" and then we repeat the pattern till I get a low blood sugar and we are forced to stop so I can get a coke. I have had the worst luck with my blood sugars and stomach out here so literally I've been living off of coke. Gotta have something to keep the sugar up!  We hit happy hour at PF Chang's where Andy informed me that "we should try places we can only eat at in San Jose"  to which I responded by evilly glaring at him since I had asked if we could eat at 25 local spots along the way (all of which didn't have enough stars for my darling) before having to settle at PF Chang's out of sheer hunger and possible hypoglycemia.  
Then it was off again, this time we ventured to a new area of town called Santana Row (I kept calling it Santa Row and every time Andy corrected me and said "No it's Santana!",  I'd start singing, "Maria maria.. you remind me of a Westside story - growing up in Spanish Harlem...") - anyways- we walked around that area for awhile entertained the entire time by an "Mini Asian American Idol." Those kids got talent~  We decided we'd better find somewhere to eat after stopping to check my blood sugar and the dang thing had dropped to 46. Boo ( normal is 80-120 fyi) Which brings us to Maggiano's Italian Delight! A wonderful place where I could slurp down 4 cokes, eat half a loaf of bread and then order dinner. Since we'd already had Happy Hour we thought we should go light for dinner so we ordered the special; appetizers, 2 main courses, dessert and then wait BONUS.. Maggianos also sends you home with 2 MORE main dishes at the end of your meal. My eyes being just a tad bit bigger than my stomach immediately said "Awesome idea" but by the middle of the appetizer I was starting to scheme what in the heck to do with our extra meals. Andy and I were all set on giving them to one of the many homeless people downtown when they brought the bags out to us and to our dismay the dishes were cold! Well we couldn't give cold food to someone with no way of heating it up right? So we gave it to the hotel bellman and front desk attendant - and they were very happy that our eyes were bigger than our tummys.

almost an excessive amount of food to go home with right?

Monday was a whirlwind of fun! Andy and I got to take a very nice young man out for lunch and fill his head with dreams of being a CU - Buff (in all reality this guy was a champ and will most likely overcome all odds to become a Buff) pretty sweet. And then, BAM, off to San Fransisco! I GPS'd us there and then immediately took a quick lunch nap while my trusty chauffeur guided us along the busy free ways of California! I awoke in time to see the welcome to San Fran sign and immediately GPS'd us over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Vista look out point. Here are a couple photos... mind you Andy is screaming at me in the car "take more pictures, wake up and take some pictures" so I got two....

The mysterious "FOG'

Husband being oh so photogenic.

We then headed downtown and due to some serious construction, awesome detour signs  and Andy and I's innate sense of direction we managed to successfully locate the mysterious Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 only 2 hours after getting in the car!  Mind you, we got a little off course about 10 seconds after coming back across the bridge and ended up in a neighborhood when Andy began to sing ...

"When you're lost out there and your all alone
A light is waiting to carry you home
Everywhere you look."

As most of you know, this is the worst thing he could have said because then I was absolutely useless upon realizing our trip had a theme song and just sang this verse over and over and over until Andy's ears bled. (I couldn't seem to remember the rest of the Full House theme song- Arienanna?) We found Fisherman's Wharf though and walked along the streets, I of course had another low blood sugar, so we got me a coke and nutella crepe and settled in to watch the Sea Lions. That too didn't last because I believed I could communicate with them so I started sort of honking at them and that's when Andy said it was time to go!  We went and drove the crazy streets of downtown San Fran (look honey I'm a local) and walked through China town. It's so much fun being a tourist. :) Our night was capped off by the infamous In N Out Burger where I discovered they had a "secret" menu and immediately ordered the animal fries... fries, cheese, thousand island and onions.. did I mention I'm feeling sick lately?

Life continues to fly by and I cannot believe we are in NOVEMBER now?!! What happened to October?!  So here's to you November, California and the time of our lives! 

Us. Being us in public. scary.