Welcome back!

My lovely Saturday night:  writing a blog while laying out by the pool enjoying this breeze and gazing at the stars in the gorgeous dark blue sky.  Well, I guess technically I am not alone if you count the family at the other end of the pool jamming out to Spanish rap and consoling their crying (more like screaming at the top of their lungs) toddler.  The joys of apartment living.

So I decided to start writing again after being ...Oh wow, I'm going to lose my train of thought several times while writing this...This screaming kid is really something else.  Maybe I should have just stayed in my apartment.  But that is a long walk back.  Maybe I can make some earplugs out of tree leaves?  That is one thing I love about the pool here.  It's surrounded by tons of trees, shrubs, and plants and whoever landscaped it did a great job!  (With the exception of putting in these crazy flower trees because the pool is also covered in a layer of little pink flowers.)

As I was saying before being distracted and starting a new random story (It's kind of like being in person with me isn't it?)  I decided to start writing again.  Mostly because Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and Twitter just weren't doing it for me.  Okay really because I had nothing else to do tonight and I really enjoy writing.  Also, it was nice to read old memories I wrote years ago that I probably would've forgotten about.  (Remember what I just said about the flowers?  I wasn't exaggerating.  The family on the other side of the pool is currently yelling "It's snowing, it's snowing!" They are referring to the falling flowers as this breeze is turning into a mini-hurricane!)

Several things have changed since I last wrote.  A lot of things I once mentioned in old blogs don't even exist anymore.  Like my favorite San Marcos hangout spot, The Coffee Pot.  Or Eggo fruit breakfast pizzas.  Or even my dream of working in camps.  While I can't say I followed the path that my 20 year old self ever-so-adamantly believed was meant to be, I can say that I stuck pretty darn close to it.  (Please excuse the harsh language in this blog, I've been listening to Spanish Rap.)  Oh, also in my older blogs I had written about discovering Whole Foods and never going back to H-E-B again.  Ya, that didn't last for long. No one can afford a full basket Whole Foods.

So like I said, I didn't stick to camps as a career but I did stick to recreation therapy.  Once I got back from my internship in California (where I last left off with this blog) I took a job in San Antonio working on psychiatric and chemical dependency units as a recreation therapist.  I did that for two years and quit this past May.  (Shout out to my awesome co-workers!)  I've also been doing contract work as a recreation therapist which allows me to work with several teenagers in the community taking them on fun outings like roller skating and Fiesta Texas.  (Seriously, I've been to Fiesta Texas 20-30 times in the past year.)  For a while I thought I was just going to stick to this job because I love being able to sleep in late and work in the afternoons.  But circumstances have changed and I've decided to switch to teaching as a more stable career.  I took some certification tests and became certified as an elementary and special education teacher.  I have recently applied for 12 different positions at 5 different ISD's so hopefully in the future I'll be writing about a teaching job!

My there are a lot of giant roaches crawling around the pool tonight.   They are walking around at insanely fast speeds too.  I hate bugs.  The other night I was sleeping at my parent's house in the country and woke up TO A BEETLE GRASPED ONTO MY FINGERTIP WITH IT'S FREAKING TRUNK EMBEDDED IN MY SKIN!  I never knew beetles had trunks until that morning at 01:00 A.M.  (This girl is flipping her hair in the pool and asking her guy friend to take a picture of it.  She has done it about 25 times now.  Still hasn't gotten a good picture she is happy with.  Her neck must really hurt by now...)

Alright, I'm going to end my first blog for the night!  I believe I'm going to keep the "Top 5" feature that I used to do where I write a random list of 5 things at the end of each blog! So here goes:

5 things that were difficult for me to restrain from on this blog:
1.  Start every paragraph with "So..."  Only started two of them like that! Score!
2.  Type smiley faces.  If you've ever texted with me, you know I send a smiley in almost every text.  Just trying to keep it friendly, what can I say.
3. Tell you 10 other weird things the family out by the pool did.
4. Tell you the story of how I almost got struck by lightning.  I'll save that for another time.
5. Type way more.  I could probably keep writing until the sun comes up, but I would like it to stay interesting so this is it!

Hollywood

Hollywood was fun, but it is definitely one of those "been there, done that" type places. Go there once and check it off your list!  There are a ton of stars on the walk of fame, some of which were well deserved, some dedicated to people I had never even heard of, and some who I am still trying to figure out how they managed to even get a star in the first place...I mean, the RUGRATS have their own star!  Seriously?  Anyways, here are some pics from my visit:

Santa Monica

So after I dropped my parents off at the airport, I hoped on the highway and drove to the beach!  So I'm alone in California for the first time, I turn the radio on, and the first song I hear is this:

Too funny!  It was a sign.  I was just meant to be here for a little while :)

So this is Santa Monica:

The waves here are huge.  Here is a video of them. The video is a little blurry due to sunscreen on the lens!

So that is the beach/boardwalk at Santa Monica. Huge waves, freezing cold water, lots of sand, 68 degrees, tourists, volleyball courts, workout stations along the beach, street performers on the boardwalk, yellow life guard trucks patrolling the beach, helicopters everywhere....pretty much explains it all!

5 things @ the Santa Monica Board Walk:

-One guy trying to surf with over 1000 people watching him...Bet he was feeling the pressure!

-There was this guy on the boardwalk charging people to pose for pictures with his snakes..One of which was the yellow and white kind that are stinking huge.  WHY would you touch one of those things?!

-Tons of future hopefuls set up on the boardwalk playing their pianos, singing their songs, and selling their CDs.

-There are TRAPEZE lessons on the boardwalk.  You can pay for a private one-hour lesson to learn a main trapeze trick.  I watched a guy do it and he wasn't bad at all! I may have to try flying through the air on a tiny bar before I leave!

-They have a ferris wheel, roller coaster, and other rides and games at the boardwalk and to my surprise they were reasonably priced!  The ferris wheel was only $3! :)

La-La Land, California!

Previously, on The Adventures of Christi Zwicke: "So I graduated from Texas State in August!  I got my degree in Therapeutic Recreation-and I will define it one more time since no one seems to know what it is!

THERAPEUTIC RECREATION/RECREATIONAL THERAPY: is a treatment service that provides treatments and recreation activities to individuals with illnesses or disabling conditions to improve or maintain physical, mental and emotional well-being and help reduce depression, stress and anxiety.  Recreational therapies help patients recover basic motor functioning and reasoning abilities, build confidence and socialize more effectively. Treatments may incorporate arts and crafts, animals, sports, games, dance and movement, drama, music and community outings.


----SO...with that said, I am now in California doing my internship!  I plan on coming back to Texas afterwards and working in the clinical setting.   However, a lot can change in 4 months so we'll see what awesome adventures are in store for me!"


Here are some pics from my last dinner in San Marcos:

Noelani & Ellen: Two of the coolest people you will ever meet!

Kassie & Chad: The sweetest couple!

Everyone at Grins!

Okay, good! :) I am glad you are caught up now!  Here's some details on the trip up here!


August 27th: The day I packed up my car and headed west!  My parents and I left for the LONGEST road trip ever!  Not going to lie, when I saw the first west Texas mountain I was kind of excited...However, after seeing miles upon miles of the SAME view of a road and desert, it got old pretty quickly!  We finally made it out of Texas and into New Mexico to be greeted by...more mountains, sand, and cactus!

August 28th: Woke up early, got some McDonald's breakfast (never fails!) and started driving once again!  I made my parents stop at the first In-and-Out Burger we saw in Phoenix for lunch.  I had always heard of this place and needed to experience it for myself!  It wasn't bad-it's greatness was just built up way to much in my head!  We ate some cows and proceeded on with this lovely trip!  After a long drive through the desert we arrived to California!  It was about another 2 hours until we made it to Duarte.  It's this cute little town located in the foothills of Angeles National Forest.  It's also the town I'll be living in until Christmas comes around!  Then it's back to Texas for me!


So apartment hunting could have it's own blog entry, but to sum in up in one sentence I would have to go with:  There are more people than apartments available in this place and after many a disappointments I finally lucked out!


My parents stayed with me a couple of days and helped get me settled in.  Mom made spaghetti the first night :)  She ate at the cardboard table with the computer chair in the kitchen, I sat on the floor up against the wall with plate in hand and drink on floor, and Dad ate standing up.  To answer any previous questions you may have had-the apartment was definitely unfurnished! After a few days, it was time to take them to the airport.  I dropped them off and gave them quick hugs so I wouldn't get yelled at by the crazy airport people telling me I couldn't park.  I then hopped on the highway and found my way to Santa Monica!

I'm changing up my top 5 feat just for this blog :)  Today it is a top 12! 

12 pics from the trip:

MY FAVE PIC: DAD'S AWESOME BREAKFAST

 OH, WEST TEXAS...

 NO RADIO STATIONS!

I BELIEVE THIS WAS NEW MEXICO...MAYBE ARIZONA?

CACTUS EVERYWHERE

THE LOVELY LITTLE RESTAURANT-THE ONLY LITTLE RESTAURANT-IN DEMING, NEW MEXICO.

CHECK OUT THIS CUTE MENU!

I WAS SO EXCITED TO DRIVE THROUGH A TUNNEL!

GETTING CLOSER... (YET WE WERE STILL 5 HOURS AWAY!)

COLORADO RIVER RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET TO CALIFORNIA BORDER.  WISH I COULD HAVE GOTTEN A BETTER PICTURE OF THIS BECAUSE IT WAS GORGEOUS.

WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!!

FINALLY ARRIVING IN DUARTE!

DRIVING IN MY NEW TOWN.  I DRIVE LIKE I BELONG HERE NOW-BUT WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE I WAS SUPER TENSE AND NERVOUS...ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THOSE CARS ON THE ROAD ;)

Just a quote I like..

“Our egos tells us we're the only ones that have any kind of feelings. We're the only ones with a relationship. We're the only ones with family. You know, I think that if you kill a spider, there is a relationship that you're ruining. There's a conversation going on outside with the other spiders. 'Did you hear about Chris?....Killed yeah....Sneaker. And now Stephanie has nine hundred babies to raise all alone. Well, she's got her legs full I'll tell you that right now. Chris was so kind, wouldn't hurt a fly. It's just been tough for them lately. They just lost their web last week. Those humans think they're so smart. Let them try shooting silk out of their butt and see what they can make.'”

-Ellen

Beautiful

Haven't written since September! Let's catch you up!

Most awesome thing that happened in October:

-I got to go to Game 4 of the World Series!  Here are a few pictures:

Walking with all the fans :)

MLB announcers

Game 4! Can't believe I got to go!

Going up the escalator with my daddy!

Goodness!

Awesome memories! :)

Most awesome thing that happened in November:

-I don't remember!  I would say Thanksgiving, but I was sick for most of it & had to work Black Friday...so let's skip ahead to December, shall we?

Most awesome thing that happened in December:

-December is the best month ever.  I absolutely love the beginning of wintertime and the holidays!  I cannot pick out one thing in particular because I'm sure I was high off the holidays every day!  Something about the season just makes me happy.  Oh, & I got to see Phil Wickham, The Reliques, Dave Barnes, & Drew/Ellie Holcomb!  

So that was how my 2010 ended!

I brought in 2011 with about 1000 other college students in Dallas.  We were all up there for SALT which is a conference hosted by Chi Alpha.  Here's a short video clip to show how the weekend went.  Basically it was a whole bunch of Jesus time, awesome worship, amazing speakers, tons of fun meeting new people, spending time with friends, and an pretty awesome New Years party!  Here ya go:

Things are definitely changing right now. For instance:

• My best friend moved to Oregon with her husband.  They are stationed there for 4 years.  Guess I'll have to invest in some plane tickets!
• My sister moves to NYC in 2 days.  More plane tickets!
• I've started my last semester of classes.  It is nice only having to go to school twice a week!  
• When my sister moves out on Monday, I will be living alone for the first time.  Bummed she is leaving, but kind of excited to have a whole apartment to myself!
• Photography has definitely slowed down.  I went from having hundreds of pictures to edit each week, to having none at all!
• I quit working at adidas. It's been nice not having a job for almost 2 months now!  However, I need to hop back onto the work-train and get myself some paychecks!

That's about all for now!  I'll leave you with the usual top 5 ;)

5 great things I've discovered recently:

-Music wise: The Temper Trap is an awesome band-check them out!

-Food wise: Eggo just came out with these fruit breakfast pizzas that are delicious!

-Friend wise: My friend Jane is really good at getting me up and out of bed on Sunday mornings! She's also an amazing cook!

-Book wise: It doesn't matter how good the book is, I will still fall asleep reading it!

-Community wise:  My downstairs neighbors are awesome.

Photography Website is a go!

Good news! I finished designing my photography website! I absolutely love it and look at it about 20 times a day...Haha!  If you haven't checked it out..Here is the website:

Christi Zwicke Photography

Hopefully all this work with the website and advertising will start paying off and I will get some customers soon!  It would be so great if I could get about 6 sessions booked per month...Then I can quit my part-time job and do my own thing! :) So if you would like to book a session, or six, let me know!




5 other random things to go with this blog:
1.Rainy day=GREAT because I didn't have to go to my classes today
2.A trip to The Coffee Pot with some good friends and a comfy couch is perfect on days like this.
3.It's going to be a 2 day week for me. That is kinda awesome! 
4.Notice I just spelled out "Rain" with the first letters of the past sentences? Clever, eh?
5.Put a little love in your heart...
Look at me quoting Pepsi commercials now! 


Okay..to all my 3 devoted readers....Have a good day ;)

Career jibber jabber :)

When people ask me what I want to do, I basically tell them I want to work with children who have cancer.  When they ask any more details I just say, "Mmm...I don't know.."  I kind of give people this whole, "I want to do a Patch Adams type thing...but not really..."   

In case you didn't know----->  Patch Adams is not Robin Williams.  Patch Adams is a doctor/clown who incorporates laughter & joy into the healing process.  He's definitely an inspiring human being.  Anyone who mixes humor & therapy is great in my book! 

Dr. Hunter Campbell "Patch" Adams

So I think I'm coming to the conclusion that I want to work in camps.  I just spent 3 hours researching cancer camps for children around the country, looking at their volunteer info/internship info, watching videos, reading about campers, virtual touring camps, taking it all in, and getting a bit emotional.  I am completely 100% sure this is what I am going to be doing and loving for the rest of my life.  I'm so stoked I had to write a blog about it :)

The people who work in these camps have so much life, hope, spirit, love in them & it will be so amazing to be included in such an amazing community.   I'm pretty sure some days will be tough, but for the most part, it will definitely be worth it.

So as of right now I'm researching a place to do my internship at.  I absolutely love Texas but it would be pretty neat to go out of state and adventure a bit!  If anything else awesome comes up, I'll be sure to grab my keyboard & post again.  :)

5 Reasons my future career is going to be wonderful:

1. I will be able to wear T-shirts & shorts to work.  Or a comfy polo!

2. I will be working with amazing, loving, caring people and I'm sure I'll meet some amazing lifelong friends.

3. I get to bring a little bit of hope and share my love and joy with kids who need that extra smile or laugh.

4. Working at a camp, there will never be a dull moment. I'll always have a story to tell!

5. My future husband will work at the camp that I intern at and it will be love at first sight...Haha!

Title="Superlative"....Makes me laugh :)

How I feel sometimes...

Haha :)

I can't believe I forgot it...again...

Ok so check it out.... I went to Hula Hut with Laura for dinner tonight.  I got my usual plate (Grilled chicken sandwich-Hawiaan Style).....I was stuffed after eating only half of the sandwich so I ask for a to-go box.  Excited to get home and eat the rest, I remember that I usually forget my to-go boxes.  I look at Laura WHILE HOLDING ONTO THE BOX and say "You know, I am pretty sure the last 5 times I have gotten food to-go, I forget the box on the table....."  and I make sure to keep the box on my lap til we leave.  As we are getting up, I set the box down for ONE SECOND so I can get out of the booth...We start walking out, get outside the door, and I look at my sister in disbelief with empty hands.  I forgot my box!  That's #6.  I walk back to our table, and it was gone :(  Props to the wait staff for turn-over time, but I'm pretty bummed half of a delicious grilled chicken sandwich with juicy pineapples made its way untouched to the trash can!  So note to the reader: If you ever take me out to eat, please remind me to grab my to-go box (or just grab it for me!)

After Hula Hut, we went to Whole Foods.  I was in grocery store heaven!  They have the most amazing selection of food...and some pretty nice looking & healthy shoppers ;) Haha.  But seriously, that store is now a must for me and my grocery list.  Goodbye H-E-B.  I will miss your cheap prices.

The sky tonight was BEAUTIFUL! Especially around 8pm.  The moon had that fuzzy circle around it :) I think it looks best when it's like that...Across the sky from the moon, the sun was still setting and it was gorgeous! (And it was the colors of the word I just typed!)


5 Random things that have nothing to do with this blog:

1. Why is it that I cannot wake up easily for my weekday classes, but on a weekend I'll just naturally wake up at 8am?  Makes no sense!
2. Never heard of VV Brown until the Bobby Bones show.  Check out her acoustic version of "Shark in the Water" if you wanna hear something from her. :-D I'm not too big on the rest of the stuff I've heard from her, but I do like that one!
3. My sister says hello.
4. Sleeping on the balcony tonight!  Me and Laura were out there til 5am yesterday.  Couldn't sleep.  Apparently my neighbor couldn't either because he took a nice little trip to the soda machine around 330.
5. I'm getting darker guys!  Next time you see me, I just might have a normal skin color!

GOODNIGHT!

The Old 97's & a mystery man!

My sister invited me to go see The Old 97's at Stubb's last week.  After driving around the block a couple times for a decent parking spot, we made our way in.  Ben Kweller opened for them, but we were late, so I missed that performance.  (But I really could care less about Ben Kweller...)  So when we get to the gate I hand over my ID and give the guy at the gate my ticket.  I peeked past the bar to watch the band while my "Under 21" bracelet was being fastened nicely on my wrist.  After being told multiple times in detail by the security guard that if  I'm even holding a beverage I will be thrown out, we walk in.  To keep you from having to hear every single detail about the show, I will leave it at this:
The concert was AMAZING.  They are  the best performers EVER!  I absolutely love their fun music and I CANNOT GET OVER HOW RHETT MILLER PLAYS HIS GUITAR!  He does this thing where he swings his arm around in a circle and I adore it. You gotta see them live.

What do you do late at night when a concert finishes? You go get food...

SO GET THIS!  

After the concert, my sister and I went to eat at Magnolia Cafe on S. Congress.  When we are about to leave, she says, "The dude behind you looks like he is one of those murder mystery T.V. show hosts." and I just was like, "Oh.." and didn't pay much attention to it.  So then we get up to leave and I look behind me and after a quick double take I just stopped and smiled.  :)  It was John Walsh!!!  He is the host of America's Most Wanted in case you didn't know.  We shared a smile, and then I walked away.


The night was awesome.  I was definitely on a high afterwards for a good 24 hours.  If only we could meet celebs and see amazing musicians every night, the people of this world would be much happier.




5 songs you should download by The Old 97's:

1. Dance with me
2. Question
3. Timebomb
4. Won't be home
5. No Baby I

Ketchup!

So we have some catching up to do! This blog will consist of a bunch of short statements!  Important statements? Maybe.  Statements to read that will help you procrastinate or allow you to not be bored for 5 minutes? Yes, definitely! Read on.

Updates & Thoughts:

• I got that photography job.  I actually got it about a month ago.

• My schedule next semester won't be so great.  It'll have all the rest of the classes I need to take BUT each class is only offered once at a set time on a set day so I will have a very RANDOM schedule.

• Craigslist is still awesome.

• The lead singer from Blue October came into adidas. Marion Jones came in the following week. Of course, I'm always off when the famous peeps come in the store!

• The other night Hannah & I went to Maria Maria on 5th & Colorado for her birthday. We parked and then rode a bike taxi there! 

• I just burnt my tongue. (Thought you may want to know.)

• Hot Pocket Side Shots are not as delicious as you think. Do not buy them.

• In case you are curious, the 2 statements above do co-relate.

• I think I like the show Glee.  Last night's episode was pretty enticing.

• Zack Walther & The Cronkites are absolutely amazing.  Saw them at Midnight Rodeo. Got their CD for free (because it was Hannah's bday!) Can't stop listening to it! These guys deserve to be famous. You gotta go buy their CD! Even if you don't like country music in any way, shape, or form, I think you'll still appreciate it :)

• I got offered a job in Colorado as a TR Specialist. The starting pay is $50,000/yr right out of college. I turned it down.

• The above statement is false, but one day I hope to write something like that!

I guess I really don't have much else to say. Have a _______ day.  You fill in the blank.


5 choice words to help you fill in the blank.
-"Just Okay"
-Adventurous
-Lazy
-Horrible
-Stinking spectacular awesome!

Kyrgyzstan

I do not understand how human beings can do this to one another. I really cannot find the words to say how much this breaks my heart. All I can really do is share the link and ask you to be praying for the people involved in this.


http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/crisis_in_kyrgyzstan.html

*100...93...85...78...*

This would be Laura & I kayaking on Town Lake in Austin. Word to the wise, do not kayak one direction more than half the time of your rental. We kayaked all the way down to Congress but ended up having to put our arms in full gear on the way back in order to make our time limit. You see-we only rented for an hour. If you are even ONE minute late, you must pay $10. We had 14 minutes left and were 2 miles away. You can see where this is going...

So...so much for keeping up with the blog! I wish I had more time to actually take time on it!

My sister & I just watched Julie & Julia. At this moment, she is cooking a new recipe, and I am writing this. Funny, huh? I guess it inspired us. Ha-ha :-) The movie actually is pretty neat. I mean, this woman gets famous because she cooks every recipe from a Julia Child's cookbook in one year and blogs about it.

So I have THREE group projects to complete within the next 2-3 weeks. --*Why teachers insist on group projects, I will never know!* It is so difficult getting groups of college kids together when we all have a billion things on our schedules! If I were president, I would outlaw group projects :) Seriously, any professor assigning a group project to college students would get arrested. (Only for a day, just to teach them a lesson!) Oh, and then THEY will get assigned a huge project with 5 other teachers who break the rule. Those teachers would all have crazy schedules too. And then they will learn :-D Simple as that.

I keep having these crazy cool dreams. This past week my dreams have been so real and random, but very interesting and fun. I wish we all had little chips in our heads that would record our dreams, and then we could connect them to a TV and watch them! That would be so awesome. I bet in 25 years someone will invent that! Probably someone who comes across this blog!

I have a TON of stationary but only 5 addresses. If you want me to write you a real letter, send me your address! I love sending real mail to people! And I love receiving it! *hint hint*

Easter was good. I worked all weekend and then on Sunday went down to good ol' Gin Rd to see my parents. My mom made the most delicious homemade meal! (All her meals are delicious, really!) Then I was put through the pain of having to watch a Spurs game. Love my family, can't stand watching basketball. (Sorry Mom!)

So now there are only 6 weeks separating me from the sweetness of summer! And only 6 classes, a fieldwork, and an internship separating me from my diploma! I cannot wait to be done with school! I've been going to school my entire life, I am ready for something new!

Mmmk, enough for now.

WAIT! I forgot TWO things!

thing 1: I received a $20 giftcard to Walmart for participating in a 1 hour study in the Health Professions Building. If you go to TSU & you would like $20 as well, let me know, and I will send you the e-mail address of the lady to talk to. The lady doing the study is actually VERY sweet and the hour goes by fast because it is fun!

thing 2: Yesterday afternoon, one of my classes spent the whole period building bridges out of newspaper to see whose could hold the most cups water. My team won. I felt like I was in 5th grade again. If only all assignments were that simple. <3


Yes, those were definitely two important, significant things I just had to tell you! Everything I say is :)

Peace Out!


5 things I've done since the last time I blogged:
-Kayaked on Town Lake with Laura.
-Had an Easter Egg hunt at work in the shoe stockroom.
-Attended church service in Sewell Park at night.
-Procrastinated and stressed over school
-Found a fun new trail to jog in San Marcos.