Know Your Numbers

My work has this “Know Your Numbers” initiative going on right now. You can go in, get a flu shot and a health screen for free, they’ll donate 50 vaccines to people in need and you get $50 or a Fitbit. It’s pretty rad. I’d never had my cholesterol or body fat measured, so I figured I’d give it a go, plus I’m pro vaccine and I needed my flu shot, sooo win/win. I made the mistake of doing this screen last week, right before I went to Las Vegas. The perfectionist in me wants to get my “numbers” down even further so I can be healthy and hopefully avoid issues later in life. The rest of me wanted to have SO MUCH FUN in Las Vegas (which I did) and probably if I got tested today my numbers wouldn’t be great after how I treated my body this weekend.

So, let me tell you about some of the terrible things I did to my body this weekend to make you feel better about your life (hah) and remind myself that sometimes you just gotta live and hopefully the 80/20 rule is good enough:

• Ate two buffet dinners, both including sushi and dessert, one including about 3 too many margaritas;
• Drank vodka redbulls all night while playing roulette, woke up after 3 hours of sleep to a racing heart;
• As we were boarding the flight back to PDX, Jered was standing behind me and announced “it smells like Chinese Food” to which I responded, “that’s because I have eggrolls in my purse.” Chinese chicken for breakfast at the airport, check! purse eggrolls for snack, check!;
• Got a lot of sun (sunscreened, but still) and drank a lot of drinks at the pool on Sunday; and
• Only slept a total of 11 hours from Friday morning – Monday night.

At least it was fun! My body hates me. Time to get back on schedule (a normal sleep schedule, exercise schedule and work schedule etc.), cut back on the alcohol and get my numbers down.

Please tell me, what do you do to keep yourself healthy?

in which we burned things in a livingroom

Last night I went over to Natalie and Brittan's with an envelope containing an almost illegible letter sealed inside. The letter contained all of the negativity I wanted to release from 2013 so I could move into 2014 unburdened and with good intentions.

Natalie and I grabbed burgers from the place across the street, Brittan poured us some drinks and we got down to business. We lit a candle on a baking sheet in their living room and proceeded to talk about all the negative things and let them go. We physically wrote down the things we wanted to release and burned the paper they were written on and in doing that cleared our minds and our hearts and it was all so good.

We agreed that 2013 was definitely a transition year for the three of us. We are still trying to navigate life after law school and get settled into adulthood, meanwhile some of our peers are married, others have or are having babies, some of our friends are single, some have really enviable careers, and others are working multiple part time jobs to fund their dreams. All of the mid-twenty-somethings I know are at such different points right now. It's really beautiful. It's also really hard not to compare yourself to others sometimes. We're all moving forward whether we like it or not and it's really ok that our lives and our relationships and our career paths don't look like everyone else's. It's nice having such wonderful friends who live so near me who are in very similar points of their lives to talk through all of our insecurities.

The other night our friend Lisa was visiting from Philly and we were having drinks and discussing our resolutions for 2014. My resolutions (minus the one where I want to wear sunscreen on my face and chest every day) are inspired by people who are at very different places in their life than me. I want to find something besides my: work, workout, make dinner, read, go to bed, hang with friends routine that fulfills me. I'm not completely sure what that extra something is, but I want to start exploring. I have a few ideas in mind and I'll let you know how they go.

In the mean time, tonight I'm not going to think too much about serious things and instead I'm going to eat pulled pork, see Super Diamond (the Neil Diamond tribute band), wear a beautiful mermaid dress, dance around with some great friends, get a smooch at midnight and drink (too much) champagne. I can't wait! I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve!

xoxo

another awkward OOTD and also, I moved!

Because I know you guys loved the last one so much, I'm back with another totally awkward (and totally boring) OOTD post, work edition. Yay?

 

Luckily today, when I went to take my bathroom selfie, there was no one around, so I quickly snapped two shots before exiting the bathroom, thus avoiding another hide in a bathroom stall and feel awkward maneuver. 

 

shirt (I got at h&m in London about 5 years ago) | jeans (citizens of humanity) | shoes (steve madden) | watch (michael kors) | glasses (warby parker) | badge (c/o Microsoft)

#fancyasfuck

Like I said before, black shirt, black shoes, jeans. Standard. Boring. You get it.

But, next week I have some purple pants and a special zebra jacket planned, so you might have THAT to look forward to. #shitsgettingcrazy

Anyway, enough of the REALLY boring stuff I wear to work. This last weekend I moved into a new apartment. It's about a block and a half from Greenlake and I'm in love. 

It's a totally tiny one bedroom, in a small, brick building with only 12 units. The interior of the apartment was recently gutted and totally re-done, so it's pretty fancy by Rebeka standards.

 The new kitchen ^^^

 

Even though it's tiny, I'm LOVING my new kitchen. I'm also loving being reunited with all of my things that were previously in storage. It's crazy how happy having my own space, with my own things makes me. Hooray for exciting change.

Because it's been a few years since I lived alone, I need to go to Ikea this weekend to get things like a small table (where I can eat my meals, I mean, not that the coffee table/couch set up isn't working for the time being, but you know, I feel like I should act like more of a grown-up than that), some new kitchen utensils, and some bathroom storage stuff. It's all very exciting. That being said, I would greatly appreciate you all crossing your fingers for me in hopes that I don't get crazy crowd-induced-anxiety at Ikea. I think I can... That place can be nuts.

Anyway, I've missed you all. What have you been up to lately? Fill me in, please.

xo



The most random things filled with my favorite people

Well it’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I just haven’t had much motivation with work (which has been so, so amazing) and a million appointments all the time and studying for PR and dreaming of warm places (Fiji maybe?!) and spending more time than usual with my most very favorite people #happyheart.

I was able to make it back to Hood River two weekends in a row recently (one of which was super spontaneous). Those trips were filled with so much goodness. I missed it there. And, AND guys, I get to go back again for Beth’s birthday (at which point I will have re-taken that darn ethic’s portion of the bar and hopefully be done with that for good). I reallyyyy can’t wait. Friend time is the best time.

So, because I should be studying right now (I’m getting more coffee smell even more saturated into my hair by the minute sitting here in Zoka, so I guess I should spend my time here more wisely), and because I’m still feeling a little bit of a loss of things to write about on the internet (so many thoughts, so little I’d like to share (weird)) here are some poor quality iPhone pictures of good quality people for you:

Marissa and I at Henni’s for dinner while in White Salmon during one of my trips (p.s. that place is seriously amazing):

Josh and I later that evening – REUNITED AT LAST:

Josh and Marissa (matching hoodies, ain’t no thang):

Dave and his overalls, me delirious from spontaneously driving 5 hours and arriving at a house party in Hood River at 11pm (good choices), and Beth who later regretted this picture – sorry for posting it on the internet… and instagram -  oh, and someone’s hand holding a chip photo-bombing/starring:

Lisa and I getting some Friday afternoon happy hour while I should have been studying for the bar. No worries, we spent the whole next day camped out at Zoka: 

My favorite Uncle and I at his surprise 70th birthday party (which I loved so much, best day):

And don’t worry, I also cut my NASTY LONG hair (seen above) and then to celebrate, Marissa and I took some double selfie shots and then ate tacos…

Oh, and in the midst of all of that Valentine’s day happened, for which Dustin got me a wine aerator, and for which I ate guacamole and my heart was happy:

Friends>Internet.

tandem bike love

I don’t know if I’ve ever confessed this on the blog, but one of my lifelong dreams is to ride on the back of a tandem bike and not really do anything. I want to sit on the back, fake pedal, let the other person do all of the work and enjoy the ride. (biking is really hard, OK?)

Well the other day I basically got to check that lifelong dream off of my bucket list…

The day after graduation Dustin and I met Mike and Natalie and some of their friends at Golden Gardens for a beach day. When I got there I was delighted to find out that two of Mike’s friends had ridden their tandem bike all the way to the beach from south Seattle (madness)! They were kind enough to let Natalie and I sit on it. I was so excited, I can’t even describe the joy…

I’ll let you see for yourself (photo cred: Mike and his cell phone):

 
It was a good day.

After the beach that day, Dustin and I drank beers and hung out outside because it was so nice. That day was awesome!

I don’t want it to be tomorrow

I start bar prep tomorrow and I’m not going to lie, I am completely terrified. I do not want to do it. It is finally hitting me – I am going to have to spent the next 9 weeks studying. Not doing anything else; waking up, going to my $3,000 bar prep class, then studying until I go to sleep. That is going to be my life. And I do not want to do it. I want to have time for my boyfriend and my friends and my family and the sun. I want to have Rebeka time. The thought of not having those things is terrifying.

I’m afraid I won’t have the stamina to study as much as they say I need to study.

I’m afraid I am going to work really hard, and it still won’t be hard enough.

I’m afraid I’m going to fail.

I’m also afraid that I’m going to become depressed.

And to be honest, none of that sounds like fun. And I can’t stop thinking about how non-fun it sounds. And I woke up with a stomach ache, and I’ve had it all day. Because I’m afraid and nervous. The bar is already sucking and I haven’t even started yet.

But hopefully it’ll all be worth it. Right?

In the mean time, if you’re thinking about going to law school, don’t. Ha. I kid (mostly).

bleh bleh bleh

in which I vent, feel free to skip this one:

I woke up this morning when Dustin left for work and I just wasn’t feeling it (and when I say it, I mean today). It’s a bummer to wake up feeling like that, you know? So I got out of bed, tried to shake the feeling, gave Dustin some hugs and a kiss and sent him out the door. Then I made coffee and took a few sips before I just gave up and crawled back into bed and I tried my hardest to go back to sleep for the sole purpose of sleeping the whole day away. It was one of those mornings that I haven’t had in so long. And I promise you I didn’t miss them.

I fell back asleep only to dream that my landlord was tearing the tub out of my house and he found a bunch of dead rats and also a dead raccoon in our wall. I swear I could smell it in my sleep. And then this guy had a key to our house, and I hated it, and then he stole money from me. I hated that too.

I woke up 20 minutes later, potentially feeling worse than before, finished my coffee and forced myself into the shower.

I want to go back to my home. I’m tired of living out of a pile of my things on the floor. I don’t want to be a burden but I also don’t want to vomit from the sheer smell of my home. #conflicted. BTW that happened last week. The vomit. TMI? Sorry.

Oh and let me tell you also that Vegas was just a disaster, you guys. So much drama (stupid ex girlfriends). And I don’t ever want to think about it again. But there were some good Rebeka + Dustin parts (ex: the Viva Elvis Cirque de Soleil show we went to on Friday night, and dancing around by ourselves, and eating crepes) so maybe I’ll blog about them when I’m not so upset about the drama.

Maybe I’m experiencing some post-vacation blues (major sunburn all over my backside, blues). Or maybe it’s the rainy Seattle week blues. Or maybe it’s the displacement. Or maybe it’s just life. But I hope I snap out of it soon.

I lied, here is one vegas picture. Saturday night fun: Have I mentioned lately that he’s the best? He’s holding me together. And I love him for that (and so many other things too). Thanks, you.

the weekend and other ramblings

Sometimes I feel like the weekend is the only thing that gets me through the week. Do you guys ever feel like that? I look forward to it so much and just go through the motions of the week in order to get there. And by the time Sunday afternoon comes I'm sad and anxious because the weekend is nearing its end. I should learn to enjoy more of my everyday. My last semester of law school (yikes!). That's exciting. I should enjoy it because this is the last time I will every be a student (well, probably anyway). But also, I'm looking SO forward to the end. To graduation. I really can't wait. Graduation is going to be the pinnacle of everything. Literally everything I've done up to this point. I finished law school. I got my doctorate (WTF? I'm not that smart. HOW?). But I think I need to enjoy the part where I learn things and do work and I finish law school. The part where I get to work at a job that isn't hard or stressful. The part where I have time for the occasional date nights or friend time (even though lately I miss my friends - I wish our schedules matched better). Because once bar studying starts, that will all end. Then after bar studying is over, I will finally have to become a real adult. At 25. Oh man...

Wow, I don't know where all of that came from. It wasn't what I intended when I sat down to write.

I intended to talk about weekend, this weekend in particular. I think it is justified that I am looking forward to and I am extra excited for this weekend because tomorrow Dustin and I are headed back to Hood River. My friend Jessica is having her wedding reception (her and her husband actually got married on Valentine's day - which was also their dating anniversary) in Stevenson tomorrow evening, and I CAN'T WAIT! I LOVE WEDDINGS! They're so good. And I get to see so many of my friends (Marissa + Beth, I'm looking at you!!) and I might even get to go to Jack's (and definitely double mountain). And I get to see my Fluffy Face cat who I miss so much it hurts. And my parents. And Dustin's parents. Just so many activities in one short period of time.

Looking forward to things gets me through all the long days and the boring cases I have to read. And maybe I'm alright with that. But I think also I would like to make an effort to enjoy every day a little more. Mostly because lately I've been really, really happy. And I'm so thankful for that. I want to enjoy the joy!

So I know that this was totally random. But I really hope that you all have wonderful (non-school filled, because that's a huge bummer - even though usually SO necessary) weekends. What are your plans? I would love to know.

and for good measure, here's a few (really random) songs about weekends and funtimes and things:

messy life

Yesterday Dustin and I went to Ikea (on a Sunday? what were we thinking? I know, I know. But we made it out alive, don’t you worry). And I found the most beautiful white desk. It was so pretty. It was like a brushed, textured, almost matte, almost off white (not shiny white white). And it was so good. I can’t stop thinking about what it would do for my life. 

My current desk area is stressing me out pretty seriously today. And most days. It needs a re-do. It’s ugly. I’m over it (story of my life).

WTF is that? REALLY? There is NO free room on it.

Oh, but guys, this morning I got home to find that my Indian people sent me a laptop in the mail (it’s right there on the right). Finally. After being in upper education for 7 years I finally got my student laptop. But really, it was an AWESOME surprise. The best mail I’ve got in a long while. I was pretty stoked despite the fact it seems to be running pretty slowly and doesn’t have the office suit on it. But it’s a free computer so I’m not going to complain. THANKS INDIANZ!

Anyway, today my life is seeming so overwhelmed that I don’t even know where to start. I have so much to do I’m not really doing anything. But after a really busy and long day at work (preceded by school) I did buy some wedding registery gifts. #FTW. And I figured out how to get all my iTunes music from one computer to the other. It only took me about an hour. MAN!

Now I think I need to go to bed. And sleep. And then when I wake up I WILL have in my mind what I want to make for V-day dinner. I WILL DO IT! And then I will go and I will get the food. And I will take it home. Then I will go to school. And all the while, I will look forward to some Feb 14th  kisses from my sweet sweet most favorite boy. True story.

random flowers vs. valentine’s day flowers

The other night my roommate Kylee and I were talking about Valentine’s day. I’ve never been a fan of the day. Valentine’s day always has a way of making me feel bad about myself. Either I’m single (which is the worst, being single on Valentine’s day, I mean, c’mon) or everyone in the whole world is busy spending their day out-doing my relationship. And I hate it.

It’s not even like I want much on Valentine’s day. I just want to spend a little time with my valentine. And I want to feel loved. That’s really all.

If you must do something above and beyond to make my day really special I suppose you could throw in some snacks or wine or snuggles or a homemade card, that’d definitely win you a few extra points in my book.

When Kylee and I were talking I confessed that I don’t like roses. I’m that girl. And I also don’t like that drug store chocolate crap that comes in those cardboard hearts. Gross. SO gross. Judge away. It’s true. Those are two Valentine’s day no-nos in my opinion.

But that’s not to say I hate all chocolate or that I hate all flowers. I actually really like good quality dark chocolate and also I really like most flowers (especially tulips). I used to work in a flower shop doing deliveries, back in High School, and I liked that job a lot. I loved seeing the look on unsuspecting people’s faces when you would knock on their door, wait for them to answer, and then give them a beautiful bouquet of their favorite flowers. I love that ish. #preciousmoments

I still think that random gifts of flowers are the best. Random flowers because someone was thinking about you and wanted to do something special for you is so much better than getting Valentine’s day flowers because someone feels like that’s what they “should” be doing. That’s just dumb. Kylee agreed with me. Because she is awesome.

Random flowers = the best, Valentine’s day flowers = we’ll definitely take them, and we’ll even like them, but they’re definitely not as special.

Then I said goodnight to Kylee, went to bed, woke up the next morning and went to school. After that I came home to drop off my things, take some deep breaths to calm the F down (I got out of 6 hours of class to find that I had gotten a $53 parking ticket for exceeding the 2 hour street parking limit by like 20 minutes while I was in class). Then Dustin came to pick me up for date night.

And guys, it’s like he read my mind. Or Kylee had told him (which she didn’t), or something. Because when he took me out to his car and opened up the passenger door to let me in (#lovethat), guess what was on my seat? A bouquet of just because flowers. And I loved them. So much. And him too (obvs). 

Aren’t they pretty?

I don’t mean to sound super braggy or anything like that.  That’s not the point of this. The point is that random flowers will definitely make your lady’s day. I promise they will. So do it. Go buy her flowers. Not because you feel like you have to because it’s Valentine’s day or something, but because you want to make her feel special. And because flowers are pretty. So go! GO!

And also, this post is here because, well, just a little bit because I got just because flowers from my awesome boyfriend, and they made me feel special and I wanted to brag. Judge away :)

questioning the whole law school thing

(warning: this post gets a little serious -
things just got REAL in my blog world haha)

I was just doing my Dispute Resolution reading in preparation for tomorrow’s class, and in the midst of my reading, I came across this:

“Research suggests that lawyers are less interested in people, in emotions, and interpersonal concerns than others. In fact, the research suggests that humanistic, people-oriented individuals do not fare well, psychologically or academically, in law school or in the legal profession.” – Dispute Resolution and the Law, Fourth Edition.

I’m pretty sure I’m the “humanistic, people-oriented” type of person, if I had to pick one. I’m also pretty sure that’s why I’m not a superawesome law student. I mean, I’m superawesome in general (obviously), but maybe not superawesome at law school (as evidenced by my less than perfect grades and by the law school, Seattle winter sadness I feel, and my love of wine)? And I’m sort of alright with that. Or at least I was.

I think I’ve been alright with the whole “I was happier and smarter (well maybe not smarter, but smarter as relative to my peers, and smarter because I got better grades) before law school” thing, because I figured that once I became an attorney I would be happier and I would be good at my law niche and lots of good, life goal-type-things would finally happen for me. And also, I figured the experience, the three years, it would make me a better, stronger, smarter person. I have been living under the assumption that I would be happier after law school. I’m not sure why. 

But then, in the midst of my law school homework, all of my future hopes and dreams got flushed down the proverbial toilette. I’m not going to lie, it has always been a fear in the back of my head, that I’m doing this whole law school thing for nothing. That I’m burying myself under a mountain of debt for nothing except unhappiness and the knowledge that I really don’t want to be a lawyer, so I can cross that job off my list.

But I keep re-assuring myself and justifying my decision to go to law school by telling myself: education is never a bad thing, no one can take your JD away from you after you graduate. Recently, I have also been questioning whether or not that is completely true. Maybe accruing a mound of debt to know that you don’t want to be in a certain profession isn’t a good thing. Maybe I would have been better off going down a different road? Getting a different type of graduate degree, perhaps.

The quote above, it also got me thinking: maybe people who don’t thrive in law school aren’t meant to be lawyers?

But then does that mean that all of my closest law school friends and I are going to be miserable, awful lawyers? I doubt it. I might be, and maybe one or two of them may also be bad at the profession, but I believe that a few of them will be really passionate, amazing lawyers despite being depressed or not getting all As in law school (go friends!).

The whole 3 year experience has definitely changed me. A lot. And I’m not sure if it has been good, or if it has been an overall negative change. I think about this a lot, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to know completely until after I’m out. After I’ve put some space between my life and the experience I’m going through now.

So, for now, I’m just crossing my fingers and hoping that (a) I will get a job I actually enjoy after law school, (b) I will be happy after law school, and (c) that this whole law school thing wasn’t for nothing.

And while living in a trailer on an Indian reservation all last summer really sucked (like, worst. thing. ever. status), I genuinely enjoyed the estate planning, working with the native population type work I did (when I had work to do, that is). I can definitely see myself starting off my legal career doing something like that and enjoying it (well similar in work, not similar in location, obviously). So who knows, maybe there is hope for grown-up-lawyer-Rebeka after all? I’ll try and be optimistic about the possibility of it all.

But maybe those things won’t happen and I’ll end up DJing my life away at Jack’s? Or doing people’s hair? The future is an exciting thing. But sometimes thinking about it gets the best of me, because the future is really scary too.

So, for now I’m just hoping that I made the right decision in going to law school. I’m hoping that I will always find happiness in all parts of my life. That neither my school choice nor my profession will take away all of my happiness. That I will be good at my some-day-grown-up-job.  And I’m hoping that law school doesn’t take the “humanistic, people-oriented” side of me away, or even make me think that being that way is a bad thing. Because it’s not. And I’m superawesome just the way I am (duh).

Guess What?

I’m typing this post on my computer bestfriend. It got fixed today. Hallelujah! 

Some computer fixer man came to my home right as Kylee, Kate and I were about to sit down for dinner (we had Kate over for dinner, then Julia came later then Erin got home even later than that. And we ate and then chatted and it was good. Mini PC05 funtimes). So clearly I forced him to fix my laptop at the dinner table and also forced him to eat dinner with us. Awkward? Maybe. I was just so thankful he was bringing my computer back to life. And I think maybe he was thankful for the free delicious dinner of creamy tortellini with spinach and chicken, asparagus and bread. He didn’t want any wine though (so weird, I didn’t understand).  

Also, the computer fixer man put a new cover thing on my computer (you know, it’s the part on the back side of the screen). It’s matte black. So fancy.

I need to get better at technology. And technology terms too. 

Or just buy extended warranties on all my electronic purchases for all time and make up words. #done

I don’t think I would care about all of this if I were you (ok, I lie, I would DEFINITELY care, DUH). But, at least you’re able to read this via the interwebz. Because you have power. Unlike my parents, who haven’t had power since Wednesday. I would be going crazy about now (and by “now” clearly I mean last Thursday).

Also, remember when I was all: yay instagram picture a day!!? Well, I suck at it a little. I haven’t posted yesterday or today. Judge away. Today’s picture is supposed to be of something old. Can I just take a picture of myself? 25 is old (enough). I’m probably the oldest thing I have? Can I have myself? So confusing. Anyway, this is the last picture I posted (two days ago), of a “reflection”:

This was the day the snow melted. We could finally leave the house! I finally had a reason to do my makeup. On Dustin’s floor, in front of his closet mirrors.

And there you go. I’m off to finish my reading for tomorrow and go to bed (since it’s like 11:13 and clearly I should be sleeping instead of blogging or reading). Ohh the life of a law student!

Relating & Communicating & Good Things Like That

I have always been told (and also sort of believed) that you should treat others the way you want to be treated. It seems like a good idea, right? Be kind to people if you want them to be kind to you. Tell people nice things if you want to also hear nice things. I could go on but I think you get the gist.

Anyway, after my first and only class of the day (first day of my last semester of law school complete!) I came home and unsuccessfully job searched for a while (unrelated: if anyone has any search tips or knows or any opportunities I’d LOVE to know) and then stumbled upon something I found really interesting and useful. I found: The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Apparently it’s a NY Times top selling book? I had never heard of it. But I really liked this guy’s idea.

Chapman’s 5 Love Languages theory (from what I’ve gathered, and I’m sorry if I’m getting any of this wrong) basically says that different people like to be treated in different ways. That makes sense, right? It says that you shouldn’t just assume that your partner likes to be treated the same way you like to be treated. And if your partner isn’t treating you the way you want to be treated it probably isn’t because they don’t love you, it’s probably because they show and perceive affection differently than you, and they may be showing you affection and love in the way you the way they like to receive affection and by doing the things that makes them feel loved when done for them and not the way you like to be adored.

If that was confusing here is a hopefully less confusing example: I really like when Dustin tells me nice things and spends time with me. When these two things happen, I feel the happiest and most loved. However, Dustin really likes when I do nice things for him, like make him dinner or watch his cat when he’s gone. When I do those things for him, he feels most loved. But naturally, I’m going to try and tell him nice things and spend lots of time with him because of the way I feel when he does those things for me, and (up until today) I assumed that those things must make him feel the most loved too. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure those things make him feel good and loved too, it’s just that me spending time with him and telling him how much I like him and how handsome he is aren’t the actions that make him feel most loved.

After I stumbled upon this 5 Love Languages information I immediately e-mailed Dustin and made him take the quiz. You should go take the QUIZ too, in order to see which of the Love Languages best describes you (and if you have a partner, probably go make them take it and then you can read about the affection they like the most and in doing so improve communication and affection and things in your relationship).

Here are Chapman’s 5 Love Languages:

Words of Affirmation – “Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.”

Quality Time – “In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.”

Receiving Gifts – “Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.”

Acts of Service - “Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.”

Physical Touch – “This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive.”

Note: the descriptions above were taken directly from this site

I’m sure just from reading the descriptions you could tell which ones were most like you, right? I had a pretty good idea for myself, but I wasn’t completely sure which category Dustin would score highest on when he took the test. However, after he told me his numerical scores, my eyes were opened to the types of things that he appreciates most. In learning what gestures and affections he truly appreciates and wants most from me. Now that I know this, I hope I will better be able to treat him the way he wants to be treated, and I also hope that if I do so he will be happier because of that.

And, you know, when your partner is happier, you will probably end up being happier too.

I think that appealing to your partner’s love languages has the potential to make your life easier and happier. When you show your love in a way that is understood completely (and your partner does the same for you), your partner will probably be happier, and because of their happiness (and hopefully yours too – seriously make your partner go take the quiz and share your results with each other)  things in your relationship will probably go smoother, in general.

I want to feel like Dustin “gets me” and I’m 100% positive he feels the same way about me. I think this may be a way we can do that.

Anyway, I hope you found this as interesting as I did, and also I hope I explained it in a somewhat coherent manner. If my explanation confused you, but found the idea interesting, you can go HERE and check out Chapman’s website yourself. Also, just FYI this post wasn’t endorsed, it was all a product of my joblessness and want to communicate better with my loverpantz, (who, by the way, bought me peanut butter yesterday – even though I only scored a 2 for gifts, I still totally appreciated it, and him). BAM! You’re welcome, friends.

And just in case you wanted a picture with this post,
Happy times with Rebeka & Dustin:

 

P.S. if you read all of that then snaps to you!

the emo-ist day

Guys, I’m having the emo-ist day.

It’s 1:30pm and I’ve only left my room once today, to go to the restroom and to get water and yogurt+flax. Which made my stomach hurt. I’m probably never going to eat again. It seems like I can’t eat anything without feeling crappy after, it’s so obnoxious. And I’m so dramatic. At least not eating = losing law school weight, right?

Earlier I read this post and the comments and died a little. So good.

And last night I laid in bed with my laptop and watched the episode of Friends where Monica and Chandler propose to each other and I cried sobbed. I want that. Ahh if only my life were a TV show, right? Don’t we all think that sometimes? I woke up this morning still thinking about it. Then I felt guilty for not being happy for the happiness I have in my life.

I’ve decided that I need to take the things and the experiences and the people in my life for what they are and not what I wish they were. I should really see the happiness in what I have, because really, it’s pretty good. But it’s so hard sometimes, you know? Especially at times when everyone else’s life seems so perfect and happy. I guess that’s what you get when you watch too much TV and read too many blogs and don’t have a job or school to keep you feeling like you’re doing good things. And instead you sit in your room all day and think emo thoughts.

And to add some more complaining, I really don’t want to go back to school on Monday. I’d rather do just about anything that start another semester of law school. I mean, really, I should be happy that I only have one semester left. But it’s winter. In Seattle. And school is really stressful and sometimes terrible (I know I sound like a giant complainer, but law school friends, I know you’ve felt this way at least once during your experience). I hate the way I feel during law school. It’s the worst I have ever felt, ever. And I’m dreading feeling that way again. So much so that it’s almost making me feel that way now. See, so emo. Gah!

I’m hoping that hanging out with my law school friends tonight will make things better. It’s Lisa’s birthday and the NBAC (+ a few others) is going to Kell’s - which I love – mostly because we always get crazy at Kell’s. But I’m not sure I want to drink tonight. So, I don’t know how I’m going to feel about a super crowded downtown bar super sober (but hopefully not super emo).

I need to snap the F out of this. Maybe I’ll go for a walk. Walks are good. And then maybe I’ll take a shower and do my hair and makeup and things (for the first time in days – so not like me, right?). I don’t know about you, but when I feel like I look good I usually feel more confident and that can sometimes make my day happier. Looking good = feeling good. Maybe that’s shallow, but I think it can definitely be true.

Also I’m sorry for the most complainey blog post ever. I hope none of you un-follow or hate me for this. I promise my next one will be happier. Like this (which happens to have been at Kell’s):

doing nothingness and things

This break has been a long one and I’m still not ready to go back to school on Monday.

I’m sure you’re probably wondering what I’ve been doing for the last month since I’ve been on break and I don’t have a job (it’s probably keeping you up at night, right??). Well let me give you a little peek into my fancy life by telling you what I’ve done today:

I slept in and only came out of my room when Erin started yelling at me
(she had found something NASTY in a mouse nest (which is also nasty) in her drawer)
So, she and I went on a filthy basement mouse hunt and cleaned/tore apart her closet
(we gon find you, so you can run and tell that, homeboy!)
Then we decided that we deserved FroYo for all of our hard work
And we went to Yogurtland (for lunch, of course)
I got red velvet and oatmeal cookie and it was good
We talked about water dispensers
And then we came home and watched lots of The Big Bang Theory on demand
and to top off the day, later I’m having NBAC dinner at The Other Coast on capitol hill (yay)

See you guys, really exciting stuff. Anyway, when my friend Marissa suggested I do the #janphotooftheday thing on instagram I was all for it – some other mindless thing to fill my days with? Awesome.

I was also excited about this little challenge because I’m kind of addicted to instagram these days. You too? Follow me (rebekaann) we can be IG friendz! And also, you should join me (and everyone else) in this photo a day thing:

Because today’s picture was supposed to be of something you wore, I instagrammed this:

It’s some bare minerals lip color my friend Beth got me for Christmas (it’s REALLY amazing) and my turban.

Again, really exciting stuff!

So I guess the point of this story is that: I’m bored but also so content filling my days with non-school related things. It’s really nice being able to do whatever I want all day long (even if that is mostly nothing). Maybe this is what life will be like after I graduate, and probably even after I take the bar (since I’ll probably be jobless)? I guess I’ll find out this summer.

and P.S. if you decide to do this challenge on instagram or even on your blog, please leave me a comment and let me know so I can stalk all of your pictures!

Friday Roundup

1. This week I finally took the plunge and signed up for Pinterest. After hours (no joke) of set-backs and Pinterest being a little B-word it finally let me sign up. I have to say I’m not as impressed or as addicted as everyone else seems to be. Don’t judge me, but I don’t really see the draw. Maybe because there is no school work to procrastinate? BUT I do have cleaning to procrastinate and so SO much time to kill since it’s break and I’m not working. Maybe I just don’t get it. I guess though, it is a good way to save random recipes and stuff I see on the internet. Is that the point?

2.  This song has been my JAM the past few days. Don’t mind the first 25 seconds…

Others on the list that has been playing on repeat: Shake it out – Florence & the Machine, Lights – Ellie Goulding (Dustin does a really great Ellie Goulding dancing impression. Have you ever seen her dance? She only has one move. It’s weird), We found love – Rihanna andddd that song with Lily Allen and T Pain’s audio tuned voice, it’s really catchy, 5 O’Clock. OH and also the She & Him Christmas Album!! Can’t forget that one!

3. I made Chex Mix this week, and it’s GOOD. So much better than the kind you buy in gas stations or as finals study “fuel”. You know, the kind that is reallyyyy salty. Here is the recipe I used in case you want to make some for yourself:

3 cups Corn Chex
3 cups Rice Chex
3 cups Wheat Chex (really though, you can mix and match these as you please just make sure you have 9 cups total of Chex)
1 cup Mini Pretzels
1 cup Nuts (I used peanuts)
1 cup Garlic Bagel Chips – broken into manageable, bite-size pieces (again, you can kind of mix and match these, if you can’t find bagel chips I think you could put in some extra pretzels and it would still be good)
6 Tbs. Butter
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce (you find it by the BBQ sauce in the grocery store FYI)
1 1/2 tsp. Seasoning Salt (I used Johnny’s because that stuff is magical)
3/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder

 

I baked mine, you can also make in in the microwave but that just seems weaksauce. So anyway, what you do is heat your oven to 250deg F, then take a roasting pan (I used a 13 X 9 cake pan) and put your butter in it and melt it in the oven. When it’s melted take it out and  mix all the seasonings into the butter. Then, because you’re a great multi-tasker you have also measured all your chex and pretzels and nuts and bagel chips into a big bowl together. So you take the bowl of goodies and slowly pour it into your butter mixture, mixing it all together while you pour (without crushing the chex – a spatula, like for flipping burgers is good for this – because it’s much easier to eat when all the chex are whole and not crumbles) and then when all of your ingredients are combined in the pan, you should probably stir it some more to make sure that it’s all coated really well!! After that you put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Then you take it out and stir it. Then you put it in again for 15 minutes and then take it out and stir, and you do this 4 times total, so your chex mix has baked for an hour total. And then you take it out and eat it and give it to your friends and it’s a delicious treat. And because it’s the giving season, if you want an easier to follow version, look HERE.And just for good measure, here is a really fancy iPhone picture of my final product:

 

But really, I did give a big bag of it to my boyfriend and he text me later that night saying that he went to town on it and it was delicious. This was after we had gone out to dinner (so it’s not like he was starving and anything would have tasted good). Moral of the story: it’ll probably bring all the boys to your yard. And it will give you something to do over winter break.

 

4. It’s Friday which means that it’s almost the weekend and also it’s the last day of finals at law school, WHICH MEANS maybe I will have SO MAN FRIENDZ to hang out with during the weekend! This whole hanging out alone thing has been getting boring. But I did go to happy hour at Tutta Bella with my friend (and sorority sister) Kate yesterday, and we had wine and italian pizza and it was delicious. If you live in Seattle you should go there. And also, you should eat their salted caramel gelato.

 

5. My roommate and I were talking last night about what to get a new boyfriend for Christmas. Isn’t that just the most awkward thing? Like, what if I get you something too big or too small or too awkward (anyone watch this week’s episode of New Girl??)? It’s really just so stressful. So we decided that an appropriate gift might be a subscription to the beer of the month club. Right? It’s not too sentimental, and also beer is delicious so it’s a win win. I think I got Dustin mugs last year. But that’s mostly because he only had one and we always had to share if we were having coffee or something and also I don’t think he got me anything (we had only been dating for like a month) and yeah. It can be so awkward. What do you guys think is an appropriate gift to give to a new boyfriend (or girlfriend) if anything at all?

 

6. This whole Friday Round Up stuff is hard. I don’t have 10 new things to write about. I haven’t been doing anything except deep cleaning our home and going on really long walks all week. So I’ll show you some pictures:

Above: Our house at Christmas time. All because of Kylee. Really, though. A purple and gold Christmas tree (go huskies?), a wreath Kylee’s mom made us and the only wrapped present under our tree.

 

Below: findings from my walk to Greenlake: a flamingo that should have been in my yard when I lived in the trailer park, a very gray Greenlake, Christmas randomness, and my Zoka (super watered down) eggnog latte + mitten/gloves.

7. That’s really all I have for you. Also if you want to do your own Roundup you should. I’m linking mine up and you can too:

update + video

life update: I went on a walk to zoka and pawned off cookies and then walked through wallingford and greenlake to the actual lake with an eggnog latte that was all watered down with nonfat milk and I saw someone skiing along the edge of the lake with roller skiis and propelling them self with ski sticks and I saw lots of un-lit Christmas decorations and beautiful houses and squirrels and my most favorite thing when I'm having a bad day: ducks. I loveee ducks. they were chilling on the lake and it was magical.

and then I came home to find this video of Danielle and Steffen's wedding highlights. and I love it. I think the video perfectly captures their day (and also almost made me cry again when it showed Steffen's surprise singing - I need to pull it together haha):

Danielle and Steffen's Wedding Highlight Video from Mat Sutor - Sutography on Vimeo.

and also Dustin asked me on a date tonight which made me happy. I of course said yes! I love dates with him.

now I'm going to make chex mix and maybe more cookies because there is more dough (and then pawn them off on Dustin) and clean our home and get ready for my date and I guess things are sort of looking up, and I think maybe I made it be that way. 

Cheers to One Year(s)!

Yesterday Dustin and I celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our first date. Technically it was a year ago today, but he (omg guys) got last minute tickets to go watch the Ducks’ Football Game vs. USC today in Eugene. So he left this morning to go, because he LOVES his UO FB. And so we celebrated last night. And it was really really good.

Last night we went to El Chupacabra for dinner, where we went last year, a year ago, with some of his friends (Ben, Kate and Greg) for date #1. I got the pork tacos and a tecate a year ago, and I got it again last night. But to be fair, I always get the pork tacos, because they are SO GOOD!

I remember being all nervous last year before he picked me up. And changing my outfit like 50 times. And Kylee and her friend Andrea making fun of me and being like, you’re going on a DATE! And I was like NO I’M NOT, STOP CALLING IT A DATE, IT’S NOT A DATE, WE’RE JUST FRIENDS! Because we were, we had mutual friends, and he had just moved from Portland to Seattle, and he was really from Hood River, and guys, WE WERE JUST FRIENDS!

But then after my date, he dropped me off at my house, no kiss, even though I definitely would have liked it if he would have decided to make the move (did I really just admit that for the first time on my blog?!), and I went inside and thought to myself, yeah, that was definitely a date. Fuck.

Oh and also, I was kind of tipped off as to the whole date thing when after dinner, we went to Kate and Ben’s apartment, and we were playing darts and I kept throwing them into the wall because I sucked and we were all laughing together, and then Ben came up to us and put his arm around me and was all “I like her SO much more than any of the others. Please keep her around.” And I was all, fuck, even Ben thinks we’re on a date.

(sorry for all the swearing today ha)

And then, the next day (a year ago tomorrow), I went to Kell’s downtown with my sorority sisters and proceeded to drunk text him and confess my undying love. Well, maybe not exactly undying love, but something like that. And then the rest is history. All of our magical love and things.

Anyway, last night we went to dinner, and then to Safeway, to get some beer, and then headed back to his apartment to watch a movie. This is what we ended up with (because we’re classy AND FUN):

Mini Keg!

And then I slept on his new mattress and didn’t die. And this morning we had breakfast (eggs and bacon and hash browns and coffee and OJ) together, and now he’s on his way to Eugene to watch the game.

I really like that guy. Yay to a whole year!

Monday Night Randomness

Did I ever tell you about the one time I made a majestic wolf picture while I was stranded on that Indian Reservation all summer? No? Well I did. I made a majestic wolf picture with markers and velvet from wal mart. And I made it while I was in my trailer, during the height of my reservation misery. And then I gave it to Dustin. And he framed it. And now it hangs above his toilette. It was one of the best things that came from the reservation. It really is majestic:

And also, today I was thinking, I really hope I didn’t offend anyone with my hunting post. Hunting is rad (when you do it as a healthy/natural food source). And venison is delicious. And I’m sorry if I made you upset. But I hope I didn’t. (this is what Seattle has done to me)

And also, it is Dustin’s birthday week and I am probably more excited about it than he is. But he is gone in Virginia until his actual birthday – lame sauce. Work, sigh. I guess that just gives me more time to prepare! I love birthdays, a lot, in case you couldn’t tell.

And also, I have a witness interview for my juvi case tomorrow morning. With the investigator. And a witness. So official and things. Oh, and because I don’t think I’ve told you this yet, I went to Omnibus on Thursday and when I got there I was surprised by THIS. What? Really? Crazy life. I couldn’t help but laugh, I didn’t know what else to do. Worst [not-quite] lawyer. Poor kid.

Alright, bed time for me now.

P.S. Candy Corn is the shiz. In case you don’t follow me on twitter and didn’t already know!

I don't know what the plan is

All I want to do is listen to music, all day. I'm antsy and lethargic at the same time. I don't like it. 

But I do like this song, lots and lots. Talk about obsession of the day. Do you guys get that? Find a song or an album you really like and just listen to it over and over and over again? I'm so so guilty. Always.

And I must sound like a huge complainer. I'm sorry, friends. I wish I had real things to write about. 

Epic Sigh...
(is it too early for a drink - haha I joke, mostly)

Update:

Day was mostly remedied by Fro Yo date with my roommie, Erin. We went to Zoe Yogurt near our house and right across the street from Green Lake:

I got Peanut butter (DUH) and cheesecake fro yo with heath bar and Oreo toppings. Um, yum. Perfect for this 80 degree Seattle (Fall) day! 

And tonight I have a hot dinner/after date. So maybe my day is looking up after all?

Happy Friday, friendz! xxoo