Massage Therapy

I am going back to school! I have often considered going back and getting a PhD in higher education with an emphais on engineers studying abroad, but for now that will have to wait…while I get my certification in massage therapy. There is a program through the local community college that I have enrolled in. This summer I am taking my first course–Intro to Massage Therapy. I LOVE IT!

Since I work full time I will be going to school part time. I anticipate that the program will take about 3 years to complete.  When I turn 40 I should be a licensed massage therapist!  Then I can work on my friends and family. I love my career in academia so this massage therapy is on the side–just to learn more about the body, help people, relax, and earn a little extra money.

I am excited for the endeavor.

April 2009 trip to DC

Every year I am lucky enough to get to go back to DC. I love the east coast in the spring time, the azelea’s and dogwoods were in bloom and it was gorgeous. In addition to how beautiful it was I got to see my friends. This time more than ever before I ate! I ate Brazillian, Indian, Italian, Seafood, and my favorite Eastern Market real-maple-syrup-peacan-french-toast. The older I get the more I realize how eating is a very social activity. Here are a few pictures taken with my little camera. For more pictures see my facebook page. For the professional pictures see my other blog http://jarviephotography.blogspot.com/

 

Me, Callie and Melinda

I spent a lot of time with Ketan Patel this trip.

Me and Jana

At Hook with Nashwa, Colin, Howard and Yin

Sarah and Ashley on our way to Eastern Market

Me and Erika. Notice Ella is falling off the couch in the background

Camille Pissaro at the National Gallery of Art

My favorite–Dogwood

Zoo with Brooke, Lisa and Amelia

I took a half day from work and spent the time with some friends that I taught English with 9 years ago in taiwan. We went to lunch then the zoo. I just had my little camera and of course cute little Amelia got the most pictures, except the last one where the guy cut her out. It was great.

Quinn’s baby blessing

One of the great things about living in Arizona is that I get to spend time with Bethany. We were college roommates and have been friends for 14 years now. Last Sunday I went to her 5th child’s baby blessing and right before the blessing I took some family pictures. I think they turned out great!

Photo Jeeping with Matt

I have a couple of goals right now and yesterday I worked on two of them. One of my goals is to get to know my brothers Matt and David better while living in Arizona. Another of my goals is to do at least one photographic event with friends a month. My brother Scotty lives in Utah and goes on Photo Walking tours, I want to start something like that here in AZ. Yesterday was the beginging of that except instead of walking we went jeeping. I took my roommate Angela up to Cave Creek to Matt’s house and he took us out into the desert, here are some pictures. Enjoy.  

 

Angela

Matt

Matt’s new puppy- Sparky

I loved this!

Lots of the cati were in bloom.

Sparky under Matt’s jeep

Matt spreading seeds out in the desert

A beautiful catus garden

And of course some saguro cati.

For more pictures click here.

Spring Break 2009

When I left GW a couple of years ago a couple of my favorite students told me they would come visit me for spring break. They did, a couple of weeks ago! And here are some pictures of it. It made me so happy that they would spend part of the thier spring break in Arizona with me. I love you Sible and Alice!

Alice, me, Sible. We got up super early so that we could make it all the way to the Grand Canyon in one day stopping in Sedona, Flagstaff and Oakcreek Canyon. We also decided to all wear our GW Engineering sweaters to represent!

Sedona. I love the beautiful red rock formations. It was so fun to go with Alice and Sible since they have never seen anything like it.

 

Alice and Sible

This was taken at a rest stop on our way through Oak Creek Canyon. It was so beautiful!

For lunch we stopped a wonderful Himalayan resturant in Flagstaff. I LOVE Indian food.

Us at the sign by the park enterance.

Here is one of the many shots I took of the Grand Canyon. It was cold but so worth the trip.

We saw quite a bit of wildlife.

I like this pictures cause you can see the Colorado River. It would so cool to see the Grand Canyon rafting down the Colorado.

We got up early (with hundreds of other people) to witness the sunrise. Wow!

What a great spring break. Thanks for coming out to see me Alice and Sible.

Surgery

Well it has been 5 weeks since I got out of the hospital. I went in for small bowel surgery on January 28th at the Mayo Clinic. It was very successful and my recovery has been great. I am not completely healed yet but getting better everyday.

Here are some pictures of the experience–

People came to see me in the hospital

 

 (Charolette did my hair and gave me a foot massage!)

(Robert and Thad gave me a blessing)

and people brought and sent flowers

 my mom was there for me through all of it

 

I stayed at my brother Dave’s place. It was a perfect place to recover. People came to visit me there too.

(Brundages)

(Amy Pett)

and mom and I went on walks and got yummy grapefruit.

 

And while my mom was taking care of me she had a brithday.

We (Alec, Dave, Matt, Mom and Me) went to lunch to celebrate. 

 Bethany and a couple of her children came to visit me when I was recovering at home.

 This blog only has a small sampling of the people that showed thier love to me through this hard time in my life. There were many other that visited and wrote and called. Thank you all sooo much. I feel very loved!

Dining out on my birthday

I had a great birthday yesterday. Bill and Allison took me to lunch at PF Changs and then I went with a group of friends to Outback steakhouse for dinner. Oh and in between I threw in a full body massage. I also got lots of love from people via facebook and phone calls.

 

Me, Bill, Allison

 

I couldn’t resist getting one in front of the horse.

Renee, Sandra, Angela, Me, Dixie and Janet

Thanks everyone, it was a great day!

Christmas 2008 in Oregon

I got sick while in Oregon and so this post is a little late. I had a great time.

 One thing I really miss in Arizona is the snow. Lucky for me it snowed everyday while I was  in Klammath.

Winter Wonderland!

 I think Elric liked it too!

Pictures of Elric and Brynner below

 

Cousins playing

Me and my mom

Grandma and Brynner 

Kristen and I (the difference in our hair is still hard for some to get used to!)

With Jodi (definately one of my favorite people)

my dad- isn’t he cute?!?

Mic and Scott making faces

The cat Jake

And here are some pictures of the making of the Gingerbread Train

Scott and the tree

Scott and I in our new aprons (thanks Jodi). As it turned out Scotty had a cooking themed Christmas and I got many books that I have been wanting.

I love my family and am so grateful for them!

San Fransisco

Thursday while traveling home for Christmas I got stuck in the San Fransisco airport.  Usually I would be pretty upset about being stuck in an airport for 7 hours but my brother Jeff lives and works in San Fransisco and I got to see him and part of the city (financial district and Knob hill).

Below are some pictures of the finanical district

   

Jeff works on Sansome St.

   

Pretty flowers on the street

This reminds me of my time in Taiwan

  

It was fun being there during the holidays.

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I took the trolly up to Knob Hill to see Grace Cathedral.

  

  

This is Grace Cathedral which I loved. When I got to the doors I joined a wonderful walking tour of Knob Hill. The tour guide was Ken Becker and he was great!  

Replica of the masterpiece doors of Renaissance sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.

         

Pictures of the stain glass, the one on the left is from the 1930’s and the one on the right is from the 1960’s when they added on to cathedral.

The cathedral has to labyrinths- one inside and this one outside.

A view of Chinatown

Me and Jeff in his office

Thanks Jeff for a great time in San Fransisco.