Life Lessons from "the Cleve"

Well we've hit the end of our Cleveland journey and as many of you know, we are now moving to Del Rio, TX. Trent will be working in Acuna Mexico and commute across the boarder daily. I've decided that means I'll either have nothing to blog about because I'll be bored or everything to blog about because I'll be bored!

I can't believe it's been three months since my last post. I have been busy piecing my new life of 9-5 jobs, voice teaching, and ward callings! Lots happened. Lots tried. Lots been learned. For the sake of this entry, I'm going to focus on the "lots learned."

Lesson 1: It takes time, but I can get used to just about anything and be happy
Many of you knew I was having some problems with my new job. It was really hard for me to transition out of school life and into work life. But after a lot of deep pondering days and honesty with myself, I emerged new and able to tackle work. I'm not saying this is a phase in my life I hope to stay in for a while. I also am not saying I am the happiest I've ever been. But I can say that I am very happy now.

I spoke with my dad, my personal mentor and guide in the business world, and he told me to compartmentalize two different lives: work and personal. Don't check into work life until you walk into the office and literally check your "work mind" out when you leave. This small piece of advise has cured my negativity and given me the time to dive into my old hobbies and passions.

Lesson 2: Life is as good as you make it
We really had the best time in Cleveland. When I first told people we were moving to Cleveland, only one person out of all our friends said that is was neat. But I'm hear to tell you it "ROCKS!" I think a lot of it has to do with our attitude and willingness to participate in whatever adventure came out way. And I'm so grateful for that!

Here are a bunch of activities we did in the past little while since my last posts.

Ringling's Circus came to town

Cleveland and the surrounding areas had so many Mitt Romney rallies. It was so fun to be part of the movement and show our support! That's Trent's hand!

Cross-country skiing in Kirtland. $5 for rentals! 

We fell in love with this 80's movie theater. Guess what it makes me think of. XANADU!

West Side Market celebrated it's 100 year anniversary in 2012. Four days ago, a fire damaged the whole inside of the building and it's closed indefinitely. We are so glad we were able to see it but seriously hope it gets fixed soon! That landmark is a must-see in Ohio City!!!

Squinting during Hurricane Sandy. We may not have been in NY, but the rain and wind got us hard too!

Little Italy was a gem of a district in Cleveland. I ADORED the cobblestone streets,  strung lights, and 1st generation immigrants bantering at each other in the stores.  

 

 Sweety Fry sells novelty ice cream and supreme fries. That's it. It's cheap and delicious. It would do well in Provo.

Day Tripping it to Columbus. This is us in German village. Kinda reminded us of Little Italy :)

This is the famous Beachland Ballroom and Tavern. It's got lots of old character. Used to be an old Slovenian dance hall back in the day. Big names like Yo La Tengo and Sufjan Stevens play at this venue. It's about the size of a living room and kitchen but it is amazing and so intimate to hear such talented performers. I wish we could stay here longer just for this!

At the Brother Joscephus and the Love Revolution Concert. A buddy of ours played back up percussion!

Tobogganing at the Strongsville chutes. It was about a 2 second drop and a 15 second deceleration. It was incredibly dangerous! I highly recommend it.

Lesson 3: People are decent
Apparently I have to relearn this over and over. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes people are really dumb. Watching the news can be discouraging and I hate most celebrity opinions acting as propaganda to the mass of America. But generally speaking, people are doing the best they can. Here are a couple surprising moments.

 

At times I felt very lonely at work as a young college grad in a wealth management company. But I guess they still noticed me. To my surprise, they threw me a birthday party with cake and everything! Then, on my last day of work, they took me to lunch. It was so sweet! I ended up loving those people. I actually will really miss them.

The transit can sometimes seems like a dark and dangerous nightly activity here in Cleveland. You really see just about anything on it. But I grew to appreciate the diversity. I sat next to countless people who just wanted someone to talk to. I also watched a number of kind acts performs like helping an elderly people off the bus, picking up someone's dropped hat, or stopping the bus for a late passenger (me).

Lesson 4: The Holidays mean EVERYTHING to us
Trent and I knew this feeling would come during the Christmas season but we didn't know how much it would mean to us. Now, we thank God for the breaks even during the not-so-important holidays. We crave our family all the time. We miss the casual get togethers with friends on a weekly basis and the flexible college schedule where you could skip class and not get fired...

Here are some pictures of our activities over the holidays.

Halloween Season. We dressed up as dead something. I was going for Dios de los Muertos but the ward thought Zombies

We took a road trip to Buffalo over Veteran's day weekend. While there, we toured the Palmyra church sites, ate Buffalo wings and visited Niagara Falls. It was so fun! Plus we were able to stay with Amy and her family. Amy was once a sister missionary who lived with my family while we were in California!

Ugly sweater/white elephant/fondue party at our place! I will really miss these girls.

The beautiful decoration in Tower City, where I  boarded the transit daily.

Beautiful display at the Kirtland heritage center of nativities from around the world.

with the cousins in UT for Christmas! Lovin' my girl Emily since she's leaving on a mission to France in just a few weeks!

Ridin Canyons. Such a good boarding day.

Day playing with Ian, ShaRee and their cute kiddos!

sundance ski day!

Poshin it up for New Years with Bridgy!

Some of my old bandies, including my roommate Lucy came and we had a nostalgic jam/performance. It was so great to see them but makes it that much harder to be without them too!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Lesson 5: I don't have to have a firm hold on my life. But I'm trying and it's fun experimenting!
Over this rotations I found myself exploring lots of different skills including cooking, photography, exercise, and of course music and travel. I realized that I really have so many hobbies. I remember my friend Erin saying that if she could she would have multiple lives where she could devote all her time towards other skills besides her music like being a ninja! I agree. I don't really know where my life is going yet. But I still have lots of skills and talents and one of these days I know they'll come in handy and I'll get paid for it! For now, I've just been writing a lot and making lots of blogs. Here's one of them:

HEALTHY ME STEPHANIE:  I've made a goal to finish the P90X challenge....it won't be in 90 days total but I WILL FINISH IT! This blog is a diary with inspirational quotes that help me get in the healthy spirit!

Lesson 6: I seriously could not imagine my life without Trent
January marked Trent and my 3rd year anniversary  Can you believe it? I still feel so young and immature so it baffles me when I think that three years ago I was married! I was even more immature then.

Through all our moves and travels we've had each other to lean on. I feel like I do most of the leaning, and I'm sure Trent will say that sometimes it feel more like me pushing. But he's always been there. And I hope he knows how much I love and appreciate the support he gives me.

For now, Ciao! I'll write you when I'm in Del Rio!