November 30th, 2009
Believing through it
This weekend…
If you follow me on twitter you’ve already heard me shouting to high heavens about this but give me one more second of your time:
I’m done school until mid-January!!
It always shocks me how the removal of one obstacle can change my whole perspective, and finishing my last two assignments was transformative. I packaged them up, got them ready to mail (that’s right, I mail the assignments in. I go to school in 1978 in case you were wondering), popped them into my bag and…suddenly I had my life back. I kind of can’t stop beaming, and I don’t really want to.
Aside from being elated about finishing school, last week I was set on being brave and donating blood. I got up far too early, went to the clinic & a nice lady asked me if it was my first time attempting to donate blood. I was all “Attempting? Bitch, please!”, she rolled her eyes, jabbed me in the finger with what looked like a craft punch, took a look at it and was all “Your iron levels are too low, please take off your first time donor sticker.”
Well those might not have been her exact words, but she said it with her eyes. And what was I going to do? Walk around with that sticker on like a fraud? I was really disappointed that I didn’t get to give, but I thanked them and made an appointment for January. As a reward for how brave I had intended to be I scrambled over to Starbucks for a venti soy gingerbread latte.
On Thursday night Mister played Santa, coming home with my new MacBook Pro that we’ve been saving for, and a fancy Kitchen Aid stand mixer(!!!) that was marked down to $200 on the weekend- which means that I already have my Christmas present and I couldn’t be happier. And you’re not allowed to hate me, I’ve put in my time – I’ve been using a vintage hand mixer from my Baba’s basement since I moved out. I have to make pizza dough by hand because it will break my mixer, and at Christmas when I make over 200 cookies? That’s all shoulder pain, mixing and scraping. Plus I do dishes by hand every day because 100 year old homes with galley style kitchens have no room for dish washers.
But I could kiss my new mixer, and there will be pictures.
I’m so excited to have my life back, to have the next month of just working and being with my family & friends. I’m grateful to be able to afford a few fancy things that will make my life easier and that will be great distractions. I’m thrilled to be able to stop missing some of my favourite people and see them in Vancouver, and I’m even happy about the snow that fell this weekend.
Last week I was falling apart and finishing school seemed impossible, but now I know without doubt I can do this. Next spring I’ll finish my program and this will all be a good story to tell. Until then there will be family, friends, late night heart to hearts, holding each other together, good food, and a lot of laughter. I guess that sometimes when you can’t see your way through, there are other ways through that you just can’t see. You have to work hard, trust, and let go.
It looks like I’m going to have to teach my heart a few new tricks.
hi
I am happy to come here
photo
Love the last photo. Great hair!
.-= Suburban Sweetheart´s last blog ..The First & Only Time I Will Ever Blog About Jon Gosselin. Maybe. =-.
ah you are gorgeous lady. congrats on being done with school! yay for early christmas presents :)
.-= missy.´s last blog ..tough b. =-.
Whoa!! Whoo hoo! Congratulations lovely! You absolutely deserved it! I hope you have a fantastic break. (Also? Your picture has you looking so damn happy in your photo, I couldn’t help but smile!)
.-= brandy´s last blog ..10 Reasons Why I’m Not A Famous Blogger =-.
congrats on finishing up school until January. When I was finishing up degree I swore every quarter I wasn’t going to make it til the end and then when it was over I was soooo beyond happy. I am jealous of your kitchenaide mixer. I currently have just a kitchenaide hand mixer until we have the space for a full on big girl mixer :)
.-= jenelle´s last blog ..oh turkey day, oh turkey day =-.
Woohoo! Good for you, Kyla! I’m so excited that you kicked this semester’s butt, got a new laptop (!!!!) and attempted to give blood!
Keep on rocking, lady! What are your plans for your month long break?
.-= E.P.´s last blog ..Seasons of change =-.
awww. you look beautiful!
so happy that you get a break. and some nice new toys!
now you can enjoy the holiday season :)
.-= erin´s last blog ..seriously? =-.
I have just one exam on Monday and then I’m done, done, done (!) with school until mid-January. I’m so excited.
Kitchen-Aid mixers are absolutely lifesavers. I don’t know what I would do with out mine.
.-= terra´s last blog ..The Next Adventure & November Goal Recap =-.
Yay! Congrats. That happens to me a lot where I don’t realize how much something is stressing me out until it’s out of the way and the weight is lifted from my shoulders. I sometimes struggle with the freedom, though. I wander around not sure what to do for a while.
Congrats! You’re so going to love the mixer! We got a hand me down from the 80s, and it still works like a charm–those are amazing little machines.
I love that you had your baba’s old hand mixer….you should see the one that we have! My girlfriend was over on Friday making cookies with me, and she was all, “uhh…is it supposed to make these noises? And emit that stink? I think I’m just gonna use a wooden spoon…”
.-= kage´s last blog ..It’s a good thing =-.
Woohoo for no school until the middle of January! Also I’m super jealous of imac – it’s so pretty! :)
.-= Walking on Sunshine´s last blog ..Christmas Happiness =-.
YAY YOU!!!!!
.-= Moorea Seal´s last blog ..Time For A Change? =-.
Kyla, it’s so good to come back to the blogosphere to posts like this. You most certainly deserve lots of time off and wonderful presents you’ll get to use to make other people’s holiday season a little brighter. Yay!
.-= SoMi’s Nilsa´s last blog ..Yang =-.
Awesome!! Now the cookie-making experience will be so much more fun for you this year! Oh, and I remember the horror of doing dishes by hand in college… it was horrible because I lived with THREE guys!
Enjoy your month off with your new laptop! :)
.-= steph anne´s last blog ..My Crazy Family & Happy Thanksgiving! =-.
Congrats on being done with school until January! Now let the rum and egg nog flow!!
.-= Matt´s last blog ..The rise and decline of Adam Sandler =-.
Yay! You are amazing, my friend, absolutely fantastic!
Lovelovelove!
.-= Alexis´s last blog ..Breaking the Pain Scale =-.
i didn’t even realize you were still in school for some reason! because i knew you worked, etc. haha. and your 1978 comment threw me off cos i’m like waaait was she even BORN then?? but then i realized you were being sarcastic. haha. i’m slow in the wee hours. and congrats on a macbook pro! awesome gift! i wish i had saved up for mine!! i only had enough to pay $1,000 up front and still paying back the last third. heh.
.-= floreta´s last blog ..Top 10 Things I’d Like to Do While Living In Asia =-.
You, Miss, are SO WONDERFUL! I’m so glad that your course has finished till January, and that’s so cool about the new and shiny things :) I’m glad you’ve come out the other side of a difficult time and things are brilliant now!
And yay, someone else who washes dishes by hand! :)
.-= Elly´s last blog ..Steve’s Orienteering Challenge (December Challenges + November Wrap Up) =-.
Hey that’s great news about the mixer!! You are going to be fabulous with it. And I’ll trade you personal shopping for baked goods any day :)
.-= Jessica´s last blog ..Goodbye sweet cake, goodbye =-.
I really think there is NOTHING better than the feeling of being done with another semester. Yea for you! One step closer to the finish line!
Before I forget – I love your handwriting.
Back to my train of thought – I have also been rejected for low iron levels. It’s really tough to keep my iron levels high enough to make the cut! I think as women we tend to have lower iron levels as it is? Not sure.
And yea for getting that KA mixer – that is awesome! You def have to post pics!!
.-= Lisa from Lisa’s Yarns´s last blog ..November Re-cap =-.
my iron levels are always too low too! such a bummer, but good intentions :) and YAY for the new laptop and kitchen aid mixer!
This post literally jumps off the screen. Your words, your photo, everything is big energy and pure happy and I absolutely love it.
.-= nicoleantoinette´s last blog ..intensity, grey’s anatomy, and the potentially destructive habit of living on the edge =-.
Mmmm I remember that glorious feeling of submitting final assignments… I don’t think there’s anything quite like it. This is the first year in 5 that I haven’t had to go through that pre-Christmas assignment rush and… oh. It feels SO GOOD. haha
I am so excited to hear about the magic you’ll make with your new mixer!! We got one at our wedding and it is HEAVEN. Love love love!
.-= Shop Girl*´s last blog ..I Fibbed* =-.
You are beautiful!
Congrats on your news toys, you totally deserve them! :) and an even bigger congrats on being done with school! I know that’s a huge weight off your shoulders!
I have missed reading your fantastic self. Major major congratulations on finishing your semester, your beautiful new laptop and umm…the mixer?! Can we say JEALOUS?! I think you need to take glamour shots with it and post them ;)
I love that picture of you! You just look so happy in it! I have 5 assignments left until I’m done until mid-January. I can’t wait to have some time for ME and blogging and writing. It’s been a rough semester.
I’ve never attempted to give blood because it just looks so painful. The last few times my mom has tried to give blood, she’s turned away because of her low iron, too. :(
.-= Stephany´s last blog ..Weekend Recap =-.
You are too cute Kyla! I am without a Kitchen Aid mixer this holiday, so I’ll be doing all my cookies by hand. Maybe next year I’ll be as lucky as you to get one. :) Don’t you just love when all that saving pays off?
.-= Samantha´s last blog ..The State That I Am In =-.
yay for such a fabulous weekend :)
i am absolutely in LOVE with my new macbook and i’m so jealous of the mixer! it is on my want list!
I am SO EXCITED for you and SO SO proud of you. Do you happen to be coming back to MN one more time before school starts again? :) Either way… YAY YOU! I want a cookie and wine night with you.
.-= Doniree´s last blog ..Teach Me to Video Blog =-.
Congratulations on school!!! Thats such a big accomplishment!
And hello, you deserve that new mixer!
And I commend you for even entering a place that donates blood. When the mobile home type thing is parked at my school, I have to walk by it, and I promise you that I can smell the irony, rusty blood smell. It makes me queasy.
So huzzah to you!
=D
PS: The picture is completely adorable.
.-= Kristi´s last blog ..Starbucks, Clouds, and Lady Antebellum. =-.
Aw yay! I know the feeling. I’ve got a few things hanging over my head now and I can’t wait to pack em up and move em out!
.-= Becka´s last blog ..Rustic Wedding at the Black Diamond Ranch | Sarah & Roger =-.
You are so lucky to get a mixer!!! I am so so jealous. I use a handmixer too (it’s new though ;) ) and I’m really hoping I get a stand mixer for xmas :)
.-= Margarita´s last blog ..It’s Okay to Be Unwed. =-.
That picture of you makes me miss you very much :)
And amen to hand mixers my sister…amen!
You look absolutely radiant in that photo, dear!
This is my last week of classes for the semester and I could not be more estatic about it!
.-= Amber from Girl with the Red Hair´s last blog ..TMM Featured Career: Kindergarten Teacher =-.
You are so brave. Possibly the bravest person I know. You definately deserve the new mixer and Macbook. Congrats on them (can’t wait to see the mixer pics) and congrats on the break from school. Enjoy it, you’ve earning it!
.-= Meghan´s last blog ..Tis The Season =-.
How fun it was to read this happy, happy post! And how exciting to get all your Christmas gifts? Will you send me some of the cookies you make with your new mixer? I love cookies! (I kid, I kid!)
Hope you enjoy your freedom from school until mid-January and become all kinds of refreshed before it’s time to go back.
Woot! New Mac! Sounds lovely!
Being done with school must be such a relief. I loved the breaks I would get in between semesters. You’re going to feel on top of the world once you are completely done!
.-= Marie´s last blog ..Turkey Recap and Coffee Giveaway =-.
Congrats Kyla!
Enjoy your well earned break!
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..Three Things =-.
Congrats on being done school! I can’t wait to finish exams and take a breather.
So jealous of your KitchenAid mixer! I may or may not have told Lucas to forget about buying me an engagement ring and buy me the red mixer instead! Still waiting…:P
.-= Vanessa (Last Night’s Leftovers)´s last blog ..The New Addition =-.
YAY KITCHENAID!!
.-= Chelsea´s last blog ..Not The Update You Were Expecting =-.
YAY I love that picture so much I just want to keep it on my fridge :)
Hooray for the new mixer!! How exciting is that?? I’ll have to come visit it. Are you being good and wrapping it til Christmas? We just got the Wii as our joint gift and I’m basically guarding it with sticks – David thinks because it’s in the house, it should naturally be opened, but I’m being good and waiting patiently :)
I’m SO EXCITED you’re done school!! Let the festivities commence!!
.-= Emily Jane´s last blog ..Traditions and Wishes and a Well-Dressed Little Tree =-.
You are beautiful! Go cuddle your MBP right now. I am doing the same with mine. Aren’t they luscious? :) Also – jealous! – can’t wait to see your new mixer!
xo
.-= Lauren From Texas´s last blog ..Taking time. =-.
Well it’s official — you are the cutest person alive! Sean loooves those mixers because they remind him of his mom (aka June Cleaver) but they are typically SO expensive. It’s funny because when we went shopping on Black Friday, he was like LOOK! THEY’RE DOWN T0 $200!
This is so exciting and encouraging! I’m totally jealous of your new Macbook Pro and KitchenAid mixer, of course, but so happy for you!
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..Help! Household Woes Edition =-.
Did Mister buy the mixer at Sears? If so, I shopped the same sale and bought two mixers (such a good deal!) – one for my mom and one for Shawn’s mom. We’re pretty much going to win Christmas this year, I reckon.
I have attempted to donate blood twice (and almost hyperventilated on my way into the clinic.) The first time I was rejected for spending too much time in the UK (this was while the mad cow restrictions were still in place) and the second time was for low iron. I haven’t attempted to donate in over a year … I should try again. I’m just too wimpy.
.-= hillary´s last blog ..There’s A Woman With A Mustache Who Won’t Let Me Be =-.
This is great! I am so happy for you that you’re done with school until January… and the early Christmas gifts sound wonderful! Enjoy!
Yay for being done with school!!! Reading about your assignments gets me all excited for my very first real semester at an American university. I can’t wait to graduate and wear a cap and gown (something we don’t do in Germany!). It will be fabulous!
‘
AND I am so jealous of your MacBook Pro!
.-= Stefanie´s last blog ..Feeling happy. =-.
My iron levels are usually too low to give blood.
Also, congrats on finishing school until January! That is awesome!
.-= Liz ´s last blog ..All these songs bleed together. =-.
I’m pretty sure this:
“I guess that sometimes when you can’t see your way through, there are other ways through that you just can’t see. You have to work hard, trust, and let go.”
… is my favorite part of this post. (Well, that and the fact that you are so darn happy and it shows! Which makes me happy! And congrats on finishing school for the season. And on the new computer and mixer. So jealous of your mixer).
.-= Nora´s last blog ..Giving Thanks, Seriously =-.
Way to go! Enjoy your free time, you’ve earned it.
You look so happy! I am glad that you’ve found your way though the feelings of last week and have come out on the other side happier (and with a new KitchenAid!!!!). I am sure the Macbook is exciting (let’s Skype soon) but the KitchenAid, is amazing. I’ve had mine for almost a year and I’m pretty sure my life was completely transformed. =)
.-= mandy´s last blog ..Losing Track of Time =-.
Yay for being done school! It’s such a relief, isn’t it? I was so excited when I finished my last semester I could have cried. :)
I have been DYING for a kitchen aid mixer since we moved into the house. Making christmas cookies by hand is certainly no fun.
You look so incredibly happy in that last photo.
Good for attempting to give blood! I wish I could give; I don’t meet the weight requirement, however.
I’m glad you got the mixer! I completely understand how handy that can be.
.-= Megan´s last blog ..More Clearly Myself =-.
This is so inspiring – I must do better at uni next semester! I will! And I’m so happy for you and your mac and your mixer – definitely want to see photos of the mixer! :)
.-= Janie´s last blog ..The Epic Salad =-.