3 Oregon Girls in the Big City

Hey again, 

Welcome back! I have been so excited to write this post but haven't had time to do it until tonight. Yes, this is in fact the infamous NEW YORK POST! Here.we.go

Shannon, my good friend from college decided to come and visit me here in Boston about a week ago. I was beyond excited because even though Teej and I have had a variety of amazing visitors come, this was going to be the first real girlfriend (well besides my lovely sister in law- Leah) to come to see me. Shannon got here on a Tuesday night and we weren't going to New York until Thursday so she was here visiting Boston for a few days and did a little exploring on her own while I worked. I felt terrible because I was practically not around the first two days she was here. Unfortunately, in order to go to New York for the weekend I had to work longer hours. It all ended up being fine because Shannon is a star and entertained herself for those few days! That is, until Thursday night when we began our adventure to NEW YORK CITY. 

So, I worked Thursday night until about 6pm and then came straight home, ate a little dinner, and headed off to the train station with Shannon. Teej was very nice and dropped us off at the station where we took that for a few stops, got off at South Station, and headed to the Bolt Bus. The Bolt Bus was going to take us directly to New York City where our other good friend Paige would pick us up. Getting to the bus from South Station was a little bit of an adventure in itself. Good thing we gave ourselves enough time because it was no easy journey. We had to walk up and down and loop around corners before we finally made it to the terminal. The actual ride was very smooth minus the fact that they said they had wifi but really didn't. They did have a bathroom located on the bus, however, so I was a happy lady. The bus left the terminal at 8:30pm and we were to arrive in New York City at 12:45am. We made one pit stop in New Haven, Connecticut at a Burger King for about ten minutes but that was it. Now, Shannon had never been to New York before so when we finally got off the bus she was, no joke, about to hyperventilate. She even made a comment after I took a picture of her standing in the city that she was about to hyperventilate haha... 

The atmosphere once we arrived there was awesome. It was 1am in the morning but it felt like 5 or 6pm at night. People were everywhere, diners were open, and taxis were flying by us. I think we finally understood what it meant when they say it is the city that never sleeps. Anyway, Paige picked us up (looking very cute and New Yorkish I might add) and we headed to Times Square to take a look at it before heading to her apartment in Queens. 

We ended up getting back to Paige's cute 1 bedroom apartment in Queens at around 2:30am. Crazy, but awesome night. Shannon and I slept on the floor in the living room on this comfortable futon. Needless to say we were out like a light once we arrived at her house. 

Friday was awesome. Paige doesn't work Friday's so she took us on an awesome tour of the city. It was a beautiful clear day so we figured why not start out day out with taking a walk through Central Park. I have been to New York once before (in High School) but we didn't get a chance to go to Central Park so this was a fun, new experience for me. We were so impressed with how large the park really was. It just kept going and going and going. I loved it. We met a nice couple, who took our picture from Oregon, so of course we had to chat with them for a while. 

Shannon and I both really wanted to have a slice of New York pizza while we were there so Paige took us to another part of town where we got some amazing flat pizza. We then walked up and down this really cute and quaint street that Paige wanted to show us. We walked through the neighborhood for a while before heading over to the waterfront where we took pictures and enjoyed the beautiful Hudson River. 

Our next stop of the day was the American Museum of Natural History. Shannon really wanted to go there because this museum was where "Night At The Museum" was filmed. So, we walked inside, took a picture with the dinosaur skeleton, and left. :) The last couple stops were Rockefeller center- where they were setting up for what we thought was a potential movie scene, this awesome high line walkway, ice cream at this POPULAR shake shack, Paige's workplace- Sports Illustrated, and this really neat bar located on the rooftop of this building where Paige and Shannon ordered a drink. I am a wimp and ordered nothing. The bartender gave me a hard time about it haha... 

By this point, we were getting really tired so we decided to head to Whole Foods downtown, grab a salad and some groceries, and head back to the apartment. 

The next day Shannon and I were on our own in the city because Paige had to work from 12pm-12am that day. She is a star worker. So, she gave us very detailed directions and we were on our way. Before that, however, she took us to see the Mets Stadium, where she interned at this past summer. She is such a boss. It was awesome to see the stadium as well as see where she worked. So, like I said, Shannon and I were on our own. We had both agreed that we wanted to be real tourists that day and see all the landmark things. Our list included: Ground Zero exhibit, Statue of Liberty, and taking a tour of the American Museum of Natural History. We successfully did all of those things and did not get lost one time on the Subway. We were very impressed with ourselves. :) 

Ground Zero was phenominal. It was so moving and heart wrenching to see where the two buildings used to lay but are now filled in with 2 massive waterfalls. We also saw the "lone tree." It had a special name but I can't remember what it is called. This tree was the only tree that stayed standing during the fall of the towers. It was a very eye opening experience to finally see the real results of what happened on 9/11 and how it had effected the city of New York. We watched a video that interviewed people whose loved ones were in the tragedy and it made me appreciate life and be thankful for all I had. 

Shannon and I also got to see (from a distance) the Statue of Liberty. Our original plan was to take the ferry over to the island and see the Statue in person but when we saw how long the line was to get on the boat we thought otherwise and just took photos from a very far off distance! It was still fun and Shannon said that she could at least say that she saw it now. :) 

The museum was really cool. We had an interesting experience there however. As we arrived, we saw all these people in line to purchase tickets. Well, we wanted to explore the museum, so of course, we waited in line too. When we got to the front of the line, Shannon and I say 2 tickets please. The man sitting there says "ok, we recommend $15 per person." Shannon and I look at each other and she says "Recommends?" He says "yeah, it's donation but we recommend you pay this price." So, Shannon, being the nice person she is says "Ok, well can i give you $10?" Without hesitation, he says "Yes." Anyway, long story short, we didn't end up paying that recommended price but we were so weirded out that they let us have a choice. 

After the museum, our legs were KILLING us, BUT we both really wanted a slice of New York Cheesecake. I had sent a text to one of my clients at work asking where the best place to get cheesecake was (because she used to go to school in New York City) and the place she recommended was about 20 blocks from where we were. Now, we could have taken the train but we decided to bust it out and walk the 20 blocks. We almost didn't make out of shear exhaustion it but by the time we got to the bakery (Benash is it's name) we knew it was going to be worth it. It was honestly the greatest bakery/restaurant I had ever seen, in terms of desserts that is. It has beautiful looking cheesecakes, huge cookies with chocolate chips on top, brownies with everything you can imagine on them, and much more. It was heaven for a chocolate lover like myself. Shannon and I shared a piece of oreo cheesecake. SO GOOD! Flakey, creamy, and all around delectable. We finished it so fast. Turns out that was a bad idea for me because about 5 minutes after we had finished it I felt like I was going to vomit. I think that I felt like this because a) I was hungry for dinner and b) it was really rich and I am not used to having such rich foods. So, needless to say, we had to go back home after so that I could eat some real food. The train ride back was miserable and to top it off Shannon decided to tell me all of her past throw up stories. hahaha.... They were hilarious actually. 

Shannon was so sweet and made me dinner as soon as we got back to Paige's apartment while I laid like a dead fish on the couch. Paige was busy working the rest of the night so Shannon and I decided to go to this ghetto, old movie theater located right down the street from where Paige lives. We chose to see "Pitch Perfect." I LOVED the movie. Shannon had already seen it but wanted to see it again. That's when you know it's good. :) This is my shoutout. If you haven't seen it yet and love accapella music and hilarious british girls, then this is your movie. 

That next day was great. Paige didn't have to work so the three of us headed back downtown to stand in line to wait for "Chicago the Musical" tickets. We only waited in line for a little over an hour and got great seats to see the afternoon matinee showing. Our tickets were given to us at noon which gave us just enough time to go grab brunch before heading back to see the show. We went to this awesome little diner (again, thanks to my clients recommendation) that had amazing breakfast food and such a fun atmosphere. 

The show was awesome. I really loved the music and the cast did an awesome job performing. I guess that is why they are on broadway huh? The only weird thing that I noticed was that they didn't do any costume changes or set changes. It wasn't bad but just different considering I am used to seeing shows like Hairspray or Wicked that both have a lot going on all the time. Overall, very fun and new experience. 

After the show, Paige wanted to take us to one of her favorite cupcake places. On the way there we had a little New York adventure. Earlier in the day it had been raining so the rain had left several puddles all over the streets. Well, as we were waiting to cross the street a taxi drove by and hit one of the larger puddles which ended up splashing all three of us with water. We all thought it was hilarious, even though we were soaking wet. It was a "real" New York experience. This guy waiting next to us saw what had happened and said "Wow, you must be visitors because most New Yorkers would just be cursing." We thought that was funny and continued on our way. 

The cupcake place was so good. It is called "Sprinkles Cupcakes." I found out while there that it was owned and founded by one of the judges on TLC's Cupcake Wars. For those of you that watch the show, it is owned by the girl judge. I don't know her name but she has curly brown hair. haha.. I am so descriptive, I know.

Anyway, the last stop on our journey that day was F.A.O. Schwartz. It was getting dark and kind of cold so we decided it would be a good idea to get inside somewhere that is warm before heading back. It is the biggest toy store EVER. I remember going in when I was there in High School but for some reason it looked even bigger. I think that was just my disillusion but still... it's a big store. 

Then we headed back to the house on the Subway, got thai food, and watched the Wonder Years. It was a great way to end the trip. Shannon and I headed back to Boston that next morning. We both LOVED being in New York and getting to spend time with our friend. 

Having this trip really made me appreciate my friends and the relationships I have at home in Oregon and how much I don't want to ever lose those. :) So, this is to all you ladies in Oregon. I love you girls (you know who you are) and am so thankful to have you all in my life. Thanks for continuing to keep up with me, praying for me, and supporting me. I just hope I can do the same for all of you! I love you guys and can't wait to see you all at Christmas! 

Shannon and Paige- Love you girls. Thanks for making this weekend in New York such a memorable one that I won't ever forget. 

Love to all,

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:12-13

Banick Family Visit

Hello Again!!

Well, I figured it was about time for another post! This one I am particularly excited to write because it is ALL about the Banick family coming to visit Teej and I. TJ's parents, Jan and Tim, arrived at the end of September and stayed a little over a week with us at our apartment in Everett. His twin sister Leah also came to visit but arrived in the middle of that week after visiting some other friends first in Ohio. 

So, where to begin. Well, Teej picked up his parents at the airport late one night after their long day of traveling to get here. It was so fun to see them and be able to show them our home as well as give them a place to stay. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and catching up on how their flight was before heading to bed. Unfortunately Teej and I both had to work the next day so they decided to adventure over to Cape Cod, which is about 2 hours south of here. Teej and I had explored that area the previous week and thought they would love what it had to offer. Cape Cod is filled with little towns with fun shops and restaurants. The best part is that all the towns overlook exquisite beaches where you can just sit and enjoy God's beautiful creation. 

That following day was fun because I was able to show them where I work as well as give them a tour of the facility. I had a couple people to train that day so they both worked out and enjoyed the pool while I did that. It actually worked out very nicely that they came with me because right after I finished working we headed straight to Boston to meet Teej for dinner and then head to the Boston Red Sox game. 

I think Tim was pretty excited about the Red Sox game because we were playing the Baltimore Orioles, which is his favorite team. We unfortunately left the tickets in the car back at the train station so Teej had to run inside his office and print them off again before his work was closed for the weekend. :) We made it just in time! The game was really fun. It was a beautiful clear evening filled with fun people and the best hot chocolate I have ever had. It was a pretty close game until about the 8th or 9th inning when the Orioles took the lead and won the game. I think Tim was pretty happy when that happened. In fact, at times I actually felt like we were at an Orioles game because there were so many Orioles fans sitting around us with their orange hats and jackets. Overall, great evening.

The next morning was so exciting because we got the opportunity to go and pick up Leah from the airport! I was so pumped up to see her and get to catch up and hear about all she had been doing. That day the 5 of us all drove out to the house that Jan and Tim had rented in Gloucester, (pronounced "Glosta") which is along Cape Ann near the ocean. We couldn't check into the house until about 2pm so we picked Leah up and then headed to get groceries at Trader Joe's before heading to the house. The house we stayed in was located on the top floor of this nice older woman's house. It was so cute with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. The best part was the breathtaking ocean view from her backyard. 

That evening we explored the area around Gloucester and ate at this fun seafood restaurant for dinner. Gloucester was so cute and filled with lots of character. We really enjoyed everything it had to offer and of course took lots of pictures! On the way home we stopped to watch the sunset and decided to take jumping silhouette photos. That was probably one of my favorites memories of the trip. 

The following day consisted of us traveling to a couple different beach towns; Rockport and Newburyport. These are both places that Teej and I hadn't explored much so in a sense, it was new to us as well. Rockport was awesome with little shops and even better views of the ocean. Leah and I had fun adventuring off the beaten path a little bit when we decided to walk down this ladder and sit in an unmarked boat and take photos. We made sure it was attached to the dock so we wouldn't float away haha... Ok, it wasn't really that adventurous but it was still fun. 

Newburyport was another great time to explore. It was structured differently in that the buildings were mainly brick and were a lot taller then the previous towns we had been in. One of my favorite things that we did while there was walk through the biggest antique store I have ever been in. I thought about all my girlfriends from home and knew how much they would have LOVED it. It was located in what looked like it used to be a barn but was recently renovated and made into the antique store. The entire barn was completely filled with really cool stuff. 

We walked around the town for a while before finding a place to have dinner. The place we picked was awesome because it allowed us to sit outside on this deck overlooking the water. It was overall a great location with great food. That evening we came back slightly early and relaxed because I had to take Teej to the commuter rail for work SUPER early that next morning. 

Before leaving the house in Gloucester, Tim, Jan, Leah, and I all headed to the beach just down the road from us. It was another gorgeous day so we took some time and walked along the beach together and took some great photos. 

The rest of the trip Teej and I both had to work so the Tim, Jan, and Leah all went to Boston together and walked along the Freedom Trail, explored the North End and got a cannoli as well as many other things. It was such an awesome trip and Teej and I were so blessed to have them all here and see where we live and what we do everyday. We can't wait to see them all again in December! 

What's next? NEW YORK TRIP with Shannon and Paige. So, stay tuned. 

Oh, and thank you Leah for taking all of the photos so that I could use them in my blog! Love you!

"Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love."  Ephesians 4:2

Church and family visit!

Hello again,

Hope you all liked the post from yesterday. Currently I am sitting in the living room while my husband is watching Sunday night football. Considering I really only care about watching the Oregon Ducks play, I figured what better time to write another post then right now! 

So, yesterday was primarily just updating you on our home and jobs. Necessary but not super fun to read I'm sure. Today will be MORE FUN- promise. 

Let's start with church. A lot of people have been asking me questions about church like did you find one that you like? If so, how is it going? Are we getting plugged into a community group? Have I met any new friends? Well, I would like to inform you that after today I can thankfully say YES to all of those questions. Yes, we have found a church that we absolutely love. It is called Redemption Hill Church and it is located in Medford, MA. Medford is only about 15 minutes driving from our home in Everett so it makes the commute extremely easy. Overall, the church is small with about 150 members, give or take a few depending on the week. The cool and really encouraging thing about it is that It has only been opened for a little over a year and had that many members already. It is currently held in this building that holds different dance clinics and practices throughout the week. What we really like about the church are the pastors and the friendly atmosphere that we get when we go there. The first week we went we were a little skeptical during the service (not because of anything to do with the church or the pastors) but because of the size of the church. I always thought I wanted to be a part of a bigger and more developed church but the Lord definitely knew what I needed- and that was Redemption Hill. After the service, we were approached by some awesome young people who immediately made us feel comfortable and could tell wanted us to be there. We really appreciated that.

this is the awesome building- church is held on the top floor

Anyway, from then on we have been pretty good about going to church every week. The church staff and pastors are all very young and moved to Boston to plant a church here from their old church located in South Carolina. Needless to say, they all have southern accents. SO.FUN! The first week, the main pastor asked Teej and I to go out for dessert somewhere so that he could get to know us better.  It was definitely something we weren't expecting since nothing like that had ever really happened to either of us but we were excited for the opportunity to meet with the pastor. We went to T.G.I. Friday's near our house one evening and sat and chatted for about 2 hours. It was great to hear about the vision he and the other staff has for their church and the direction they wish to go, Lord willing. Teej and I were excited about his vision and were eager to get involved or help in any way we could to make that vision a reality. We left the meeting feeling really encouraged and feeling like this could be a place for us to grow in our faith with the Lord. YAY! 

So, where are we now in terms of involvement within the church? Well, we are both going to a meeting next Sunday where we are going to get trained to serve in different capacities within the church. I am going to start volunteering in the children's ministry and Teej is hoping to do something with the media team. :) Also, we just went to our first community group meeting today and loved it. It is run by a husband and wife who have three beautiful children. They are both awesome people who are extremely welcoming and easy to be around. There were about 6-10 people there (mostly women so far- sorry Teej) but they were all super nice. We felt really optimistic and excited about what is to come in the following weeks and months within the community group. :) 

Anyway, we are so grateful to have found such a great church in our area. We have also been blessed to have my parents come and visit us while we have been living here. They were able to come out and visit for about a week during the month of August. The greatest part was that we got to host them in our house. After staying in my parents house after we got married for a few weeks, it was nice to be able to have them stay with us in our own house! 

While they were here, we did a great number of things. Thankfully, since I was still pretty new into my job I had a lot of free time to actually spend with them while they were here. The first day they were here was on a weekend so the four of us went to Boston to explore. Now, whoever knows my family knows that we are a "Walking" family. So, what did we do? We walked and walked and walked. My dad carries a pedometer on him at all times and I think by the end of the day we had walked somewhere between 10-12 miles. haha.. We walked ALL over Boston! I think the highlight for my dad though was taking the Fenway Tour at the Boston Red Sox stadium. We got to stand on the Green Monster, which he loved! 

Another day we went and visited the Bunker Hill Monument and climbed all 294 steps to the top. We were all sweaty messes by the time we finished. It was a beautiful view of the city though so it was definitely worth it. After that we rewarded ourselves and went to Little Italy and I got to experience by first Cannoli. Let me tell you, it's AMAZING. My dad introduced me to it because he used to have them a lot when he lived in Mass. I'm still not sure if it was a good idea or a bad idea haha.. 

We were also able to see my grandparents in New Bedford a few different times while they were here. It was fun to see them and catch up with all that is going on with them. :) Here are some pictures from that trip. 

While in the New Bedford area we went to this beach called "Horseneck" that my dad grew up going to. He loves the beach because the water is warm and has great big waves to play in. It took me a while to get the nerve to go in the water but once I did it was really fun and I didn't want to get out. I think I was afraid of sharks and because of the current that the ocean can have where it can suck you under at a moments notice. I got over it though and it was a good time. 

Overall, it was wonderful to have them here for the week! Teej's parents and sister Leah are actually flying in this week to stay with us so that should be another fun time with family! :) We are so blessed. 

What's up next? Our friends Michael and Daniel's visits and some other random trips Teej and I have taken on our own!                                                  

me and grandpa

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." -Deuteronomy 6:5

A Much Needed Update... Part 1

Hello all,

Well... it's been a long time since I have updated this blog so I figured it was about time to let you know what Teej and I have been up to since moving to the Greater Boston area. The last time I blogged was when we were still living at my aunt and uncle's house in Danvers, MA, I had barely just started my job at Latitude and Teej still didn't have a job. That is obviously very different now considering we have been living on our own for months now, I have several clients, and Teej is almost at his 3 month mark at work. 

So, where do I even begin? I was talking to Teej and we figured it would be best if I updated you all in chunks. Why? The main reason is because so much has happened and the thought of writing everything down overwhelms me. However, this also gives me a chance to do several posts instead of just one big one! Hopefully that is ok with everyone :) 

Here.We.Go

As most of you already know Teej and I live in Everett, MA in the middle level of a 3 family home. The town of Everett is not glamorous in the least, BUT it is only about 5 miles from Boston and about a 20 minute drive to my work. So, naturally it was a good location for both of us. Anyway, despite the "not so glamorous feel" of the town, it is a great home with 2 bedrooms, a huge living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. We love it. In fact, we don't even know what to do with all the space. The landlord living below us is awesome and so accommodating to anything and everything we need. We honestly couldn't ask for a nicer landlord. However, the process of trying to find this place was difficult. After moving out of my aunt and uncle's home we hopped around to different motels for about 4 days before finding our house now. We both agreed that during that time we had literally hit rock bottom. It was a good experience because we had to really rely on the Lord for help because we could only do so much.  Through lots of prayer, frustration, hope, determination and tears (by me), we found our home and were able to move in the same day. It was such a huge blessing and we couldn't have been more thankful to Him for providing a home for us! 

The actual process of moving in was pretty uneventful because the only things we had were located in our car. The night we moved in we raced over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond before it closed and used our wedding gift cards (thanks everyone) to buy the main essentials we needed for the night and the next week. We felt like we were on the show "Supermarket Sweep" because of how fast we were moving. It was kinda fun. 

As of now, our house is pretty much fully furnished. Well, minus some decorations on the walls, we have all that we need. We even have a guest bed and lamp for when people come and visit us. Let me tell you, it has already been used several times. Thanks Craigslist for helping us get a cheap guest bed. :) 

Teej pointing to "Jobspring" on the bottom floor of his building. He works on the 6th floor.

I'm sure the moving process is not all you want to hear about. Let me change topics and move to our jobs. I'll start with Teej. He is currently working at Jobspring Recruiters in Boston, MA and is really enjoying it. The first two weeks consisted of several training videos and watching other co-workers make phone calls to potential candidates and companies. The goal of his job is help computer programmers find their next company to work for. Well... ladies and gentlemen, Teej is killing it and has already helped 1 person find a new job. So proud. He is hopefully on the way to placing a few more people within the next few months, which is apparently very difficult to do. Needless to say, I think he is doing a great job. The best part of it all is that he is enjoying it. I tell him as long as he likes it then I'm happy! 

So, I guess that leaves my job. Overall, I absolutely love it! For the first month or so I would go back and forth almost daily whether I wanted to quit or not. Why? Well, because it was summer time it was very difficult to get clients, so therefore I wasn't working much at all. Teej would work all day and sometimes I would work 1 or 2 hours per day and have the rest of the day off. Normally I would be ok with all the free time but because I had just moved to a new area and had no friends I felt completely alone a lot of the time and in turn, extremely homesick and discouraged. However, Teej kept telling me to stick with it and he knew it would get better. At times I didn't believe him and kept thinking I was going to fail at this job. I know, I needed to be more optimistic. Well, after about a month of being pessimistic, I began to change my attitude and started trying harder at work. By doing that, I started getting more clients and became much busier. As of now, I would say I have about 13-14 clients and am working about 20-25 hours per week depending on the week. I absolutely love ALL my clients and am so blessed to have the opportunity to help them all achieve their personal fitness goals. For example, I have already helped a 67 year old gain mobility in his neck and lower back, flexibility in his hamstrings, and have helped him lose weight, increase his endurance level and overall muscle strength. I am so proud of him. That's just a small taste of why this job can be so rewarding and why I like being at Latitude every day. I am so glad I stuck with it and didn't give up my dream of becoming a personal trainer. Praise the Lord. 

Can you see me? haha 

What's to come in update #2 and beyond? Visits from family and friends, a new church home, and trips to fun places along east coast. :) 

Thanks everyone! I have missed writing. 

Love to all! 

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1

Change is in the Air

Welcome back everyone! I realize that it has been a while since I have written so I do apologize for that. Teej and I have been so busy it seems like that I haven't had time to blog. However, we do have a lot to update you on. So, let's get started! 

I think my last post ended with me receiving my new personal trainer job at Latitude Sports Club. Well, it has been over a week since I have started and there already been several up's and down's with it. This  past week has consisted of mainly training to become a personal trainer at the gym... how ironic huh? Well, to explain myself further I am finding out that there is much more to this job then just helping clients reach their fitness goals. These past few days I have learned how to make phone calls to new members who have earned a free training session with joining, talk to people on the floor (kinda awkward), as well as have learned how to run the computer system, perform a proper first assessment with potential clients, and my personal favorite... SELLING packages to clients. So, with all that said I have had a semi-overwhelming week and have gotten paid very little. See, the thing about this job is that I am only getting paid when I a) sell packages to a client, b) do initial consultations with them, and c)actually train the clients for their hour session. With all that said, I have been doing a lot of volunteering at the gym thus far. 

However, a few things have happened to make it so I will get a little compensation. All my calling paid off and I got my first client to sign on with me to workout with me 2x a week for 6 months. Her name is Erin and she is a gem. I am really excited to work with her because she is determined to lose weight as well as feel better about herself. The other thing that has happened is that I have done 3 consultations (they are actually called Fits) and so I get paid each time I do that. Lastly, my awesome boss Rusty told me today that I am going to be helping train middle school and high school students for a half an hour 2x a week for 2 weeks starting this next week. The kids are entering into a basketball camp and the camp is being held at Latitude. They have coaches there that will be doing the majority of the work but they are in need of trainers to do the last half hour with them to do agility drills, plyometrics, and more. I have to go in on Saturday for an hour to learn what the coaches will expect of me as a trainer. I am really excited about that because I love kids and I love basketball. I think it will also be an awesome opportunity to grow as a trainer and get to do something that I ultimately desire to do in the future. 

With all that said, this week has been great but extremely challenging at the same time. I have definitely learned what my weaknesses are. Let me tell you, I am not even remotely good at selling. It actually gives me anxiety and is something I do not enjoy, as of yet anyway. I told my boss that I could train all day but selling the client packages is where I struggle. So, Rusty decided to help me out today and spent about 2 hours practicing how to essentially "close the deal" with your client. Typically when you have a client come in you have them answer a ton of questions about their lifestyle, background in injuries, fitness goals, and much more. Then you take them downstairs and do a few fitness assessments on them before you take them through about a 20 minute workout that you design based on their goals. This should really be the time you are selling them on the training because you are ultimately trying to work them hard enough to where they can't say no to the package. Next comes my favorite part. The close. You bring them back upstairs, sit them down, and explain to them what the value of training with me and this gym is as well as why they need to do this. You transition into showing them the prices of the packages and go from there. I hate this because I don't like being pushy and forcing people to spend their money on training. Don't get me wrong though. I absolutely think its necessary for the majority of people that come to see me to get trained because it will help their health and overall well-being but its hard for me to push them to pay for it. However, today was incredibly helpful and I feel a lot more comfortable with it and learned how to do it in a much less forceful way. 

My goal is to hopefully get 2-3 more clients by the end of next week but we'll see if that happens. :) Enough about me though, on to the husband. For the past week that I have been making no money essentially, he has been rampantly looking for work. I think since last week, he has had a total of 5 different interviews ranging from a position with a recruiters firm to a Starbucks barista to a position at the apple store. He also went to a recruiting firm to get help finding work. We realized halfway through this process that the best option for us would be for Teej to find a job downtown Boston OR somewhere close to the transit line. This way we wouldn't have to get another car and we would ultimately save money on transportation as well as having to pay for gas. With all that said, spending time looking for work has paid off because Teej had two second round interviews today in Downtown Boston. The first one he had was with a recruiting firm and the second was at Starbucks. For the second round at the recruiting firm entitled "Jobspring" they asked him to come up with a 3-5 minute presentation that focused on a company of his choice. In that presentation, he had to choose a business in the area and essentially sell this recruiting firm on why it was a great bank. If he received the job he would be finding potential employees that fit the needs of a specific company and then sell the company to the prospective employee as well as sell the employee on the prospective company. It's a little confusing but it sounds interesting. He went into the interview today with high hopes because he was not only prepared with a powerpoint ready but he had practiced several times the night before as well as in the car ride over to the train station. I was excited to hear what happens with it. 

In the mean time, I went to work and practiced for hours on how to sell and what to say. By the time I was done I had received a text that Teej had GOTTEN THE JOB! He took the job immediately and called Starbucks to cancel the second interview. I was so excited for several reasons. First, I was proud of him for doing so well in the interview and presentation part. Second, we both had jobs which means that we can now look for an apartment. Third, we can finally breathe and know that we will have a steady income coming in. Finally, we can move out of Motel 6 where we have been staying. We actually only moved in here last night due to the fact that my aunt and uncle had allowed us to stay at their home for 2.5 weeks and we both felt that it was necessary to leave and be on our own. We were so grateful for the opportunity to be able to stay that long and only have to be in a motel for hopefully a couple days before getting our first home together! So, tomorrow means APARTMENT HUNTING! Motel 6 is really gross, filled with smokers, and lacks internet service even though we paid $3 to use it. So, needless to say, we are definitely on a mission tomorrow to find a new place. Wish us luck. 

A little update on the fun we have been having! Let's see. This past weekend was really beautiful weather so we decided to take a break from looking for jobs to go to the beach. Aunt Michele and Uncle Clint recommended we try out this beach called "The Singing Beach." It's supposedly gorgeous with great sand and wonderful waves as well as a snack bar with food and drinks. The beach is located in Manchester, MA so we decided to drive close to the beach and park. My aunt and uncle told us that residents of the area were only able to park in the lot so we found a place to park in the town of Manchester that was free of charge. We were so excited because we thought we were finally in the clear of having to pay for something. WE WERE SO WRONG! After walking all the way there, we found out that there is a "Walk on fee" of $5 per head. I was so frustrated. I mean seriously, paying to walk on the beach. That is ridiculous. I was so irritated that we turned around and walked all the way back. Well, that and the fact that we didn't have $10 in cash to give them. SO DUMB! So, instead we decided to walk around the town instead. It was a cute town with lots of unique shops but I still think I would have rather gone to the beach instead. Maybe this weekend we'll try again. Anyway, to cheer up my spirits Teej surprised me with frozen yogurt. If anyone knows me at all, they know that I love fro yo. The only thing was that it wasn't serve yourself. It was PinkBerry (a chain fro yo place) so I was expecting to go in and get samples and serve myself. Oh no, the employees did it for you. It was such a weird experience but I got over it once I had my fro yo in my hand. :) 

To finish the day, we went to this park in Danvers called Endicott Park. You are supposed to pay to go in there as well but we ended up parking a little down the street and sneaking in. Whoops! This park is not your ordinary park. It is awesome because it has a petting zoo inside. Charlie had told us about it last week so we figured we'd try it out. The petting zoo had chickens, roosters, rabbits, horses, and my personal favorite... SHEEP! It was so fun. I felt like a kid again. The park also had a lake that people could catch fish in as well as a small camp ground and playground for kids. It was a fun little side trip before heading back home.

Let's see. What else. Oh, I met Teej Downtown Boston after work one night for dinner. That was an adventure because it was the first time I took the train by myself. haha... I had to ask someone how to get a ticket, which was so embarrassing. However, the guy that I asked didn't know what he was doing either so I didn't feel so terrible! I met Teej at Downtown Crossing (train station stop) and we walked around the town for a bit before getting dinner. We walked around Copley Square, which is a beautiful area with a lot of modern buildings as well as beautiful old churches. I took several pictures of the churches because they were absolutely breathtaking. We ended up walking through Chinatown a bit before deciding to eat at this restaurant called Uno Due Go. Don't ask me why it is called that because I have no idea. It was really cool though because they let you make your own salads. It reminded me of my freshman year in college because Teej and I would meet for lunch at one of the dorms called LLC almost everyday and would have "make your own salads." The ones we made at this restaurant were so much better though because of the incredible amount of options given. I loved it. 

Oh, I almost forgot. We went and toured Harvard University this past weekend. We had planned to take the train in to the University but once we got to the station we found out that the trains were not running. I couldn't believe it because I figured that the trains ran everyday. Apparently not. So, we still wanted to go so we decided to drive. Stupid idea. Why? Because parking is a nightmare downtown. We ended up paying $20 for parking for about an hour and 10 minutes. DUMB. However, we were able to walk around the whole University as well as see the Charles River and Harvard Square in that time. One of my favorite things we saw was this store called S. August company. It was a clothing store that reminded me of course of one of my good friends Shannon August. It was very fitting because she is a fashionista and I don't think would mind owning her own clothing store. I sent her a picture, which I think she appreciated. Anyway, I think we were hoping to stay down there longer but our budget for parking didn't allow that. We loved the area and are hoping to explore it more in the near future, except this time without having to park.

Other then that, we haven't done much. We have however, have been able to really build those relationships with my aunt, uncle, and cousins a lot better which has been awesome. It was Tj's birthday on the 8th of June and then my cousin Charlie's birthday the following day so we all went out to dinner together to celebrate the birthdays. It was fun!

Thank you for all your prayers and support thus far. We really appreciate it and think they are working! God is so good and has really blessed us with so much. We are excited to see what is in store next for us. If you would like to pray for us, we would love prayer for housing. You know, something that is something in our price range and preferably next to or near the transit line. We would be more than thankful for that! 

Love to all! 

There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 1 Cor. 12:5

NEW JOB and much more!

Hello!!! 

Waiting for the T-train 

These past few days have been semi-eventful. Well, some of you may know that..... I GOT A JOB!!!! I am so beyond excited about it. I will tell you details in a bit. I guess I should catch you up the last couple days first. 

So, the weather here has been anything but nice. For the last 3 days it has rained! I told Teej that I felt like we were in Oregon again because of the consistent lousy weather. I thought it was SPRING! Well, apparently Massachusetts hasn't got the memo yet. I don't know how Oregon weather has been but I hope it has been a little nicer then here. Anyway, with that said, Teej and I haven't been able to do much outdoors. However, when we did decide to go outside, we wanted to make it count. Teej had an interview in Boston yesterday so we took the T-train in again. BUT this time, we actually went in the right entrance!

His interview wasn't until 4pm so we had some time to explore a little bit before heading over to Faneuil Hall. Eva, my cousin had told me about this park that had statues of the ducks from the book "The Ugly Duckling" that we had to see. I read that book several times as a child so I told Teej that seeing it was a MUST! Plus, that was the same park that the famous swam boats were located in so we obviously had to go see them too! It was a bit of a walk but it was ok because we got to explore some new territory along the way. 

On our way there, we took a stroll through the Boston Common Park and saw what looked like a ceremony was taking place in the center of the park. There were about 100 people all dressed in different military attire. There were cannons exploding during the ceremony (which scared the daylights out of me) as well as men dressed in uniforms from the early 1900's all the way to the present. We watched the ceremony for a while and then went and saw the ducks and swan boats. As we were walking out of the park we noticed all the men walking up the street. We honestly had no idea what they were doing or what they were celebrating. It was a cool display but we were very confused. 

After the park we started to toward Faneuil Hall. By the time we got there I was so thankful because the weather was starting to pick up with not only rain but also WIND. Teej went into his interview at 4 and I walked around Quincy Market, which is located right next to Faneuil Hall. I guess I should clarify something. I keep saying Teej went to his interview but it really wasn't an interview. He was meeting with a recruiter who's job is to help individuals find jobs based on their skill sets. So, Teej met with this nice recruiter who was going to try and contact this company who was in need of someone to do some computer support. The recruiter thought that would be a perfect job for Teej and so he is really hoping to hear from the company tomorrow to set up an interview. 

During his meeting, I decided to give Latitude gym a call. The guy from Latitude told me that he was going to call me sometime last Friday to let me know what he had decided and never did. So, I took it upon myself to email him Friday afternoon to thank him for meeting with me and to let him know that I was looking forward to hearing from him on his decision. Well, it was Monday afternoon and he still hadn't called. My mom told me to give him a call and check in and see what was going on. I was kind of nervous to do that because I didn't want to sound too pushy but I decided I might as well. I called and left a message on his machine. About 10 minutes later he called me back and this is what he said. He told me that he met with another girl on Friday and apparently she went through the same program as me so she had a very similar workout for him as well as a similar personality. With that said, it made it difficult for him to choose who would be the best fit. However, he said that he got my email on Friday and then my message today and really liked my persistence. He said that anyone that showed that much persistence obviously shows passion for the job and a desire to really want to work for his facility. He said he really liked me and how I presented myself during the interviews as well as my personality and knowledge toward overall fitness. Then, he OFFERED ME THE JOB!!!!! I immediately took it! I was so excited and blessed that he was going to give me the opportunity to work at his facility. He asked me to come in the next day (today) and fill out some paperwork. I thanked him and hung up the phone. Teej was in his meeting so I couldn't tell him right away so I called my mom to tell her. She was very excited and proud of me for getting a job so fast. Then, of course, I had to call my dad. By that time, Teej got out of his meeting and before I could even ask him how it went I blurted out "I GOT THE JOB!" He was really excited for me and told me that we needed to celebrate with some ice cream! We ended up getting frozen yogurt at this really awesome place in downtown called Ufood Grill. Then, we headed back to the T train and went home. 

Today was pretty great too! I went and filled out some paper work this morning at Latitude. I am going in again tomorrow for about 5 hours to shadow some other trainers, work on sales a bit, and practice first time assessments with clients. My boss, Rusty is really awesome and is going to be there to help me the entire time tomorrow. He told me that his goal is to help me succeed and teach me so that I can be the best trainer that I can be! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!? So blessed. 

This afternoon we went to Foxborough, MA so Teej could interview with the Revolutions at Gillette Stadium. The Revolutions are the major league soccer team in Massachusetts and Teej was interviewing to hopefully get a paid internship with the marketing team there. It took about an hour to get there so it was a bit of a drive. Nothing we couldn't handle though :) The stadium is BEAUTIFUL! There is a mall called Patriot Place located right next to the stadium so I walked around there until he was finished. The interview only lasted about 20 minutes so I didn't get to explore much of it before heading back to the car. Teej said that the interview didn't go super well. Apparently, the man who interviewed him told him that there weren't any positions available at this time. When Teej had sent them an email 3 weeks ago there were opportunities available but since we got to the east coast later then we had anticipated all the positions had been filled. Teej wasn't that upset just because he knew that unless it was a full time position he probably wasn't going to take it anyway. It wouldn't have paid much and it is an hour from my job. NOT.TOO.PRACTICAL! 

The trip wasn't a complete waste! After the interview we met with this amazing Pastor and his wife from this CMA (Christian Missionary Alliance) church called "Church of Emmanuel" that is located in Foxborough, MA. Teej had been emailing the pastor, Dan, for about a month before we left to come out here and he seemed really interested in talking with us. The church there is affiliated with Salem Alliance, which is where Teej went to church most of his life. It so happened that this particular pastor is closely affiliated with Salem Alliance so he knew a lot of the people that Teej knew from Salem Alliance. It was nice to talk about people from Oregon because it made us feel like we had a little piece of home with us just for that split second. Dan and his wife, Erin, took us out to dinner at this lovely restaurant called Bertucci's. We had great conversation and I think we really hit it off. They were so nice to take us out and take an interest in both Teej and I. Then they took us to their church and Dan gave us a tour of the facility. Right now, there is about 500 regular members coming every Sunday morning. Apparently, in Massachusetts, they are considered a big church because most christian churches are very small. I can attest to that because Teej and I tried out a CMA church in Danvers this past Sunday and there were only about 30 people there. Not our cup of tea but they were all very nice people. So, when Dan said they were a big church, I believed them. We loved the church and the way that it was set up. The only problem is the location. They are about an hour away from where we are living. However, we did love it and are definitely going to go one Sunday morning and see if we like it as much as we think we will. :) 

So, there is is a couple days of catch up for you! Thanks for following! Teej and I really appreciate it! 

Tomorrow? Off to my first real day on the job! SO EXCITED! 

Love to all, 

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Ephesians 4:2