Charbot'sLife

Miss me yet?

Greetings bloggers and general internet community. I am back. I have had quite a vacation from my blog. Let me catch you up with what has been going on for the past year and a half/two years.

1) Taught middle school science in San Francisco, CA last year. Loved it! Want to be a teacher, but first need to get a teaching certificate.

2) Currently working at Concordia University in Portland, OR as an admission counselor. Two birds with one job. a) Great job and gaining a ton of experience. b) Will start taking classes toward my teaching certificate next spring.

3)I am engaged and will be getting married on October 11th 2008. He is amazing and I am so excited to be starting a family with him. His name is Eric Bohlmann. We met in college but didn't start dating until we both graduated. After spending a year living apart while he was on internship we decided to move to the Portland area and pursue this relationship. Six months later, the day after Valentine's Day, he proposed.
It came as a suprise...I thought he would do it later in the year perhaps around my birthday.

4) I am now in the midst of planning a wedding, working full-time, and currently packing up my apartment and moving to a small little house that I will be renting in NE Portland some friends have. Eric will join me once we get married.

I am really looking forward to the next few months. Friends are moving back to the area, work will be less stressful, finalizing wedding plans, some other friends are having babies, and things are just wonderful.

I hope to post more often now that I am a little more settled in life now. I will keep you informed as new and exciting things happen in Charbot's Life!

What IS it with me & cell phones?!

I have bad luck with cell phones.

I have gone through two cell phones within the past year and a half. Not only have I broke two cell phones but they broke the same way.

CELL PHONE #1
Senior year of college I was taking a pottery/ceramics class fall semester. One Friday evening I had scheduled a time to glaze my pieces before the firing on Monday. I was wearing scrubby clothes as I was going to be working with glazes. However, I did bring my keys, the ceramics key, and my cell phone. I always have a cell phone with me. Especially if I was going to be the only person in the ceramics studio. I had placed these items in my pocket of my very baggy overalls (This information will come in useful later). Upon arrival of the studio I chose my glaze colors, made the appropriate notes and begun to glaze. One of the glazes had to be shaken up. I made sure the lid was on tight, but if any of you know about ceramics glaze, many layers of dried up glaze is on the lid and lip of the bottle, thereby giving the illusion of "screwed on" but not. As I was shaking the glaze the lid FLEW off the bottle and peripinkle (actual color) spattered on my chest, hand, and torso. It continued to ooze it's way down my shirt and overalls. I tried to clean up the mess as best as possible before I left the ceramic studio. I walked back to my apartment and peeled off my overalls and shirt coated in glaze. I filled the sink with warm water and a dash of laundry detergent and placed my shirt and overalls into the water completely forgetting about my keys and my cell phone. As I was getting ready for the rest of the evening I was looking for my keys and phone ignoring the possibility that they could be and in fact were submerged in the sink with my peripinkle stained clothes.I thought I left them in the studio. When I arrived home from going out, about three hours later, I looked at my clothes and felt the left pocket of my overalls only to find my keys and cell phone. My cell phone was completely soaked. I pushed the screen where there was a distinct water line and got squirted with cold, pinkish water. There was nothing I could do.

CELL PHONE #2:
Yesterday I was home alone on a Saturday night about to enjoy a movie with my nighttime snack of peanut butter oreos and a glass of milk. Of course, I had my cell phone with me. In my left hand I had my four oreos and my phone. In my right, my glass of milk. First I placed the glass of milk on the table and was preparing to place my oreos and phone next to it on my napkin. Suddenly, my phone did a gymnastic tumble into my glass of milk (I gave it a 8.5). Call it Nokia suicide, but I swear it leaped out of my hand. I saw the lights go out once it hit the bottom of the glass. I quickly responded and tried to grab it out of the milk before any major damage occurred. I mean, I know what happens to phones if you leave them in water too long. Learned THAT the hard way. It was too late. I brought the phone out of the milk and it continued to drip milk out of the sides. I tried to dry it out as best as possible, but the damage was too extensive. Right now, the phone lights up but doesn't respond to pushing it's buttons. Milk induced coma.

Another one bites the dust.

Charbot: 2

Cell Phones: 0

Gospel candelabra

Each Wednesday and Thursday afternoon I have the joy of leading chapel for the little muffins in preschool at St. Peter's. I usually tell the Bible story with some visual aids or an interactive Bible story where they help me act out it out. After that we usually sing some chapel songs. Each child has their favorite song. I know that we will have to sing "Running Over" when so and so raises her hand. I also know that every Thursday afternoon we will sing "This Little Gospel Light of Mine". A classic.
To start off the song, I usually ask everyone to get their "Gospel Lights" out by pointing their pointer finger straight in the air. However, these is one little boy who brings it upon himself to put all five fingers up. Where he got this idea I have no clue.
However, I really like that image. The faith of a child-his love for Jesus is so strong that ONE light can't contain it. He's gotta bust out all FIVE fingers to share his faith. I love that! Praise for this tyke and all the others who just wanna share their Gospel candelabra.

The weekend in Chicago

The weekend in Chicago. Angela (main girl) flew out to Chicago randomly when she found a reasonable priced ticket. I met her at O'Hare where our friend Kenny works as a pilot said he would meet us there as well. It was a great weekend spent laughing A LOT, eating good food including this amazing chocolate cake that Kenny had, a great walk downtown, a show in Chicago, and an adventure in G-Rap.

The man of the weekend.THANKS KENNY FOR EVERYTHING.

Navy Pier (One of the coldest days in Chicago)

Attack of the pink fluffy bridesmaid dresses. The show we went to see was "Tony & Tina's Wedding". An interactive play where we got to meet many of the characters.

Ang & Kristine getting silly with their Willy Wonka glasses in downtown Rockford.

The end of the weekend. It was fantastic!

BUT WAIT.....THERE'S MORE!

Chicago @ night

The most uncomfortable couch ever.

Pretty much sums up the weekend. Char, Ang, and Kenny having a good time

The obligatory "Ang & Char" picture

The Great Northwest

I would not say I am much of a writer. There are rare occasions where my words flow together to form lovely prose. Many of my friends are wonderful writers. Katie B (Brocko to her friends) is an amazing writer. Recently, as seen in the pictures below, the "interns" gathered in the great Northwest. The experience there was so refreshing and rewarding for myself and I am sure for others there as well. Brocko wrote a piece on her blog "Brocko's World". Exactly what I wanted to write but couldn't.

Her description of the northwest puts me right there gazing at the mountains at sunrise.

Enjoy my friends and readers of Charbot's Life.

Portland & More!

Here are some pictures of my trip back west. Got tp see some old friends, the ocean (notice amazing sunset!) and came back home to hang with my buddy Kristine.