Not an ordinary, but extra-ordinary Christmas :)

I'm so glad my Dad sent me this picture yesterday of him & my Great Grandma Burgett :) She's 95 years old and still such a spit-fire!! 


I missed my family a lot on Christmas, but Chase & I had a very LONG Skype conversation with both his & my family while we opened our presents.
I got:
2 Starbucks Gift Cards
My favorite perfume- Pretty Hot by Elizabeth Arden
All 4 seasons of my favorite show: "The Big Bang Theory"
A pack of 4-Cutting boards with a plastic spatula
A queen size memory foam mattress topper along with a black satin sheet set
Money towards a pair of Triple Bailey Button Uggs (HOORAY!)
A book about how dogs think (with a picture of a Great Dane on the front!)
Homemade Chocolate/Candy covered marshmallows 
And a pack of gum :)

I did pretty well, dontcha think?!


Being a now 3 year tradition, Chase & I went to a movie on Christmas evening. I chose "Young Adult" because I love Charlize Theron & I thought the one movie trailer I saw for it looked funny...but this particular movie was not funny. It was AWFUL and DEPRESSING, actually. Don't waste your money, please!!

After seeing the depressing movie, we went home & finished the 2nd Season of "The Big Bang Theory" to lift our spirits :) We have the 4th Season left, after having already checked out seasons 1 & 3 from the King County Library. 

New Years Resolution

As women, we'll never be 100% with our looks...89% of the time.Whether it be our height, weight, hair color, eye color, nose shape, pore shape, or eyelash length. There are those few days when we get a new haircut, or wear a new outfit that makes us feel better than usual, but other than that- there's always going to be a found flaw when we look into that bathroom mirror (no matter how many times our significant other may compliment us.)


What's even worse is when women compliment other women on how they look when we don't really mean it! We simply want to point out a flaw in them making us feel better about OURSELVES. 
Don't deny it, it's something we've all done.


Getting me to my 2012 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION(S):


1) Take more Dance/Fitness Classes. Some of you may be wondering to yourselves, "What the hell?! She teaches all the time!!" True...but I would like to be a student in class, learning from someone else rather than being the teacher all of the time.
I live directly across from Westlake Dance Center and since moving here in September, I have NOT BEEN TO A SINGLE CLASS. Dancing makes me feel better about myself, especially when I'm not up on stage in front of a class.


2) Audition for the Sea Gals again, & make the team this time! I appreciated everyone's support last year via Facebook, but this year I'm not going to hype-it-up like I did last year. It was really painful to have to post that I didn't make it & while I love everyone who asked me WHY I didn't make it, I really had no clear answer for you because no clear answer was given at the Finals to those of us who didn't make it onto the team.


3) Find a hobby to do with Chase besides going out to eat & watching television!!


4) Stop pointing out my physical flaws to myself & others. My job as a Dance/Fitness Instructor is to create confidence in my students...if I'm focusing too much on MY flaws, how can they feel confident about themselves and achieving their goals? 

Thoughts

I only have a few minutes before I have to start getting ready to run some errands before a 4pm appointment, but I just need to get some thoughts out there:


No matter how bad things seem to get, they can ALWAYS be worse. 


Opportunities are flying my way to strengthen relationships with certain people, and I'll be damned if I don't do something about them. 


I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND...he's so ruggedly handsome & is looking more & more like WOLVERINE (aka-Hugh Jackman- YESSSSSS!) everyday :)


I've talked to my dad more in the past week than I did the entire year of 2010.


I can't effing believe Christmas is next week!! Looking forward to Skyping with Chase & I's families!






that is all :)

Living life backwards

I cannot believe I'm slacking...in the blog world, that is. Chase told me yesterday that I need to write more because I'm home enough to do it...very true. I teach around 12 fitness/dance classes per week. Other than that, I make Chase's breakfast, lunch, dinner, & do my best to keep our house & dog maintained. Apollo gets around an hour walk everyday if it's not raining. I'm a regular 50s housewife! (minus the whole -wife- part and I'm okay with that :) 


Leading me into my blog title:


My parents might be the only ones who aren't okay with my happy little lifestyle. They believe that you date for a year, then become engaged for 9-12 months, then get married. Shortly after, get a dog, then try for children...I mean, that's how it's done, right? Anytime my mother heard of anyone living their lives out of that order, she always told my sister (Gina) and I "They did it BACKWARDS." I knew what she meant, but that didn't mean that I necessarily agreed with it. Come to find out, neither does Gina. I got to Skype with her last weekend and we had a discussion about how she and I have chosen to live our lives "backwards" and for ourselves first. (At least in our mother's eyes.)


Gina is 26 years old, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 2008, and has a career in the Army where she is currently stationed in Afghanistan until next summer. I am 24 years old,  graduated from Peninsula College in 2007, and am (as stated above) teaching around 12 fitness/dance classes per week, working on my dream to become an NFL/NBA dancer, & hopefully own my own studio someday. Gina & I both have boyfriends with no plans for "marriage" in the near future. My Hellenistic self is living in sin with her boyfriend in Seattle. We have a great dog together, and I see nothing wrong with having children before "walking down the aisle". My vision is actually walking down the aisle towards my future husband who is holding onto my son/daughter. 


PLEASE NOTE: WE'RE NOT PLANNING ON HAVING CHILDREN ANYTIME SOON EITHER.


When MY mother was our age, she had been married for 3-5 years (depending on whose age you're more focused on) had a dog with her husband (our father) who she started living with in Dallas, TX only AFTER they got married, and was trying to have a baby, or already had a baby. (again, depending on whose age you're more focused on.) According to her, we're doing things BACKWARDS. I think she focused too much on instilling her views and opinions on Gina & I as children, that Gina & I are bound & determined to do things our way as much as possible. Even if it's viewed in our mother's eyes as backwards. 


I'm not saying my mom is WRONG for wanting Gina & I to follow in her footsteps. Not at all. I just think that labeling someone's life "backwards" is wrong. Everything happens for a reason, whether you choose for it to be that way, or if fate steps in & takes over. I wish my mom saw it differently, but she doesn't & that's okay. I've been dealing with her opinions for just as long as she's been dealing with mine!

Holiday Spirit and Dog Snatchers don't mix in my world

It's a few minutes before 8am, Apollo and I are sleepily occupying the dining room, and I can't believe its already December 1st...I've got candy cane socks on, our very different themed stockings are hung above the fireplace, and I've plugged in our Christmas tree to see if the lights make me feel anymore in the holiday spirit. This time last year, I was eagerly awaiting my trip home to Iowa to see family, the few friends from HS that I still have, and (of course) most of all- Chase. This year however, is a different story. Chase is here with me in Seattle and as some of you know, it sometimes takes more than a few months to become financially stable in a new city before you can do everything and go everywhere you want. In OCTOBER, plane tickets to fly from Seattle to DesMoines were $600-$700 on every travel website I found. Take that x2 plus boarding costs for Apollo, on top of Christmas present, & shipping costs :-( Back in 2008, I wasn't able to go home for Christmas and I spent Christmas Eve on the phone with my Dad crying about it...literally. This Christmas will be Chase & I's official 1 year anniversary! Hopefully we can think of something to do to get our minds off of not being home for the holidays. We plan to Skype with our families as we open our presents from them and they open theirs from us. Chase & I's presents to eachother are as follows:

#1- Main Awesomeness

#2- Something under $1.00

#3- Something the other can READ

#4- Something the other can EAT

#5- Something the other can WEAR

So far, I have #1. I'm about to go & wrap it as soon as I'm done here so we'll have at least one present under our $10 Goodwill tree :) Speaking of, I couldn't believe it was only $10!! Granted it's only 4 feet tall, but as you can see from the photos I will be attaching below, it's a good-lookin tree! I'm not sure what to get Apollo...I'm thinking a nice, huge dog bed so he'll stop taking up the entire couch!

Chase's car started acting up last Friday, so I've been taking him to/picking him up from work this past week meaning getting up at 7am as opposed to lying in bed while he gets up then going back to sleep after he leaves. Seattle traffic SUCKS. To go the 12 miles it takes to get to his work, it normally takes 40-45 minutes on I5 (as well as getting back). I've been bringing Apollo with me so we can stop at Greenlake Park and go for our 3mile walk early rather than around our neighborhood in the afternoons. I normally don't worry about Apollo if I tie his leash up outside a bathroom, or a Starbucks...but that has all changed since he almost got taken on Monday at Greenlake.
We were about halfway through our walk when I stopped at the only bathroom that is available on the trail around the lake. I tied his leash up to a railing, went in & as I was stepping out of the stall, heard him barking/growling. I know he doesn't become vocal unless he feels threatened, so I ran out to see what was wrong. Upon coming outside I heard someone say, "She's coming back..." and then saw an asian man about to unhook his leash. I said, "UHHHH, EXCUSE ME?! THAT'S MY DOG!" Then he backed up & started mumbling, "Oh, dis a Great Dane? He so beautiful..." I replied, "yes, he is. Can I help you?" To which he replied "no" then took off. Apollo was growling low the entire time & for the rest of the walk I had to process the fact that I can no longer leave my dog tied up outside a public place, for fear that someone will want to take him!! On Tuesday, I took him into Starbucks with me when we took our walk around U Village, & yesterday I took him into the bathroom stall with me when I used the restroom at Greenlake. (The handicapped stall, because lets face it...a regular stall would NOT be possible with both of us.)

Heater, Thanksgiving, and Seattle Hockey

At 3am this morning, Chase very lovingly turned on our little heater by the bed before he head out the door to go set up for the Seahawks pre-game show for the KIRO news team. (Luckily, he doesn't have to go back this time at 1pm to tear it down!) He knows I get cold & lonely on Sunday's when he has to leave at that un-Godly hour. I end up death-gripping his pillow, diagonal across the bed until he gets back to replace said-pillow...BUT, back to the heater discussion: As it turns out, its really great for the first hour or so...but then I start to sweat in my sleep under all those blankets, with the heat trapped in the bedroom with nowhere to go but my pores. When my hair gets wet from my scalp sweating, it dries & becomes a wavy mess! I used to wear it this way when I first moved to WA, & Chase loves it, but I think I look like I belong indoors for the remainder of the day if not taken care of. Why am I telling you this, you ask? There's a mirror by where I am sitting...and I'm looking GREAT :-/


Onto Thanksgiving!


Thanksgiving was spent at my adopted WA Mom & Dad's house (Jane & Roy) in Sequim, which is on the Olympic Peninsula (a 2.5 hour drive from Seattle). We had to bring Apollo with us because we can't leave him at home all day with no one to take him out/feed him. He did great riding in the car for that long & not making a fuss while we were inside eating & he wasn't :) So proud of him!
Before we went to Jane & Roy's though, we stopped by my Uncle Brad's house. Uncle Brad has been my dad's best friend since before my older sister (Gina) & I were born. He's part of the reason we moved up to WA back in 2005, as my dad was helping him open up a restaurant. Brad lives on 5 acres with a beautiful view of the mountains. He has goats, chickens, & horses. Apollo got to get out & run around, mainly chasing chickens & spooking goats, but you could tell by the look on his face that he was having a ball!! Brad invited us back in a few weekends to go crabbing with him, which neither of us have ever done! We're pretty excited... 
At Jane & Roy's we had turkey, homemade mashed potatoes/gravy, stuffing, cranberries, pumpkin pie & APPLE SNICKER SALAD (provided by Chase & I). It's exactly how it sounds: Cut up granny smith apples, snickers & toss in 1.5 containers of whipped cream! It was a big hit.
Roy is an amateur photographer & when we expressed interest in his work, he led us into his office where he let us pick out some photos we liked so he could print them off for us to hang in our apartment! He has won numerous awards for his photography, though it is only a hobby for him.
After letting our food settle, & picking out photos, we head over to our friends' Rodney & Kodi's house. Apollo was very excited that he was invited into their house & tried his hardest to make friends with little Riko, & dwarfed their dog Diesel in comparison to himself. Kodi found this very amusing. We wish that Kodi & Rodney still lived in Seattle, but alas, they moved back to Sequim to be closer to family :(
We didn't hit too much traffic on the way home, which was nice because it was raining pretty hard.


The day after Thanksgiving, Chase & I both had to work at 9am. I was subbing a Zumba class at the Seattle Athletic Club & he was headed into the PNTA warehouse. After I got done teaching, I noticed I had 2 new voicemails from Chase. His car had broken down on the way to work!! The one day I'm subbing, & of COURSE I can't get to my phone to answer it...he got it to Pep Boys & got a ride from someone from work. I had planned on picking him up from work anyways because we were going to a Seattle Thunderbirds Hockey game. So, we both went about our days until I picked him up for the game. We drove to the ShoWare Center (gorgeous place) & then changed into our Chicago Blackhawks jerseys for some midwest pride :) I was afraid we were going to get shit for wearing them...a LOT of Vancouver fans are here in WA. BUT, we didn't!! Walking up the stairs to get to our places, row 6 seats 5&6, it felt a lot like when I used to go to the DesMoines Bucs games with my dad. He had season tickets for YEARS & would always take my sister & I like a daddy-daughter date. Something Chase & I noticed about Seattle Hockey fans is that they're not very loud. I have a really loud wolf-whistle, & the old lady sitting in front of me shot me a dirrrrrrrty look. Listen, if you're going to a sporting event, you can't expect everyone to be quiet & well-behaved the whole game. People are going to be loud, obnoxious, & yell profanity. Its like an un-written rule!! We had a good time, all in all...but you better believe the next game we go to, I'm going to be packing an air-horn like I used to take to Bucs games. Get ready to REALLY hate me, old lady!!!

Kids Hip Hop/Apollo Anton Ohno Burgett-Bottorff

One of the studio's that I teach at in Seattle holds 8 week long Kids Hip Hop courses that I have been instructing for the past year. Yesterday was the last day of class for the winter set and it was amazing to see all of the parents, siblings, grandparents & even school teachers that showed up for their presentation. I had 16 kids in this particular group of 6-9 year olds, so the studio was packed with viewers. The kids helped me explain a typical day in one of "Miss Chriss' dance classes", then a few volunteers demonstrated transition walks with the help of some music, and then they performed their dance that they have been working on. We ended a few minutes early, so I asked the parents if they would like to see the kids do their dance again. One student called out, "NO! They want to see YOU dance!!!" Which was accompanied with a chorus of "yes's" & "PLEASE's", then all 16 kids started chanting, "Miss Chriss, Miss Chriss, Miss Chriss! MISS CHRISS!" Getting their audience to join in with the chant as well. Aw, shucks kids...what could I do? Normally I don't perform at my kids' performances because it's supposed to be about them & what they've accomplished. BUT, I decided saying NO to a chanting room of YES would've been rude. So, I whipped out a few 8 counts of a routine I had in the back of my mind and you would've thought I was Britney Spears pre K-Fed. The classroom erupted (which I did not expect) and I was nearly knocked over by 16 kids (5 boys, 11 girls) racing in for a group-hug. After I got everyone calmed down, I had them perform their dance again & then wished everyone a Happy Holiday. There were several calls both yesterday and today from parents inquiring about when the next course will be & asking if there is a waiting list because no one wants to be left out. Our next 8 week Kids Hip Hop course was decided to start at the end of January & I cannot wait to see the little munchkins again :) 

Now onto MY not-so-munchkin, my dog. Apollo Anton Ohno Burgett-Bottorff. He's big, he's snuggly, and he's a pain in the butt!! He follows me everywhere I go in the house. I walk into one room, he follows. Then I turn around, & he runs into me. I have to go to the bathroom, he opens the door with his nose and tries to get me to snuggle with him while I'm really wanting some privacy. His 140 lb self sits on my lap every time I'm on the couch. He squeezes himself in between Chase & I while we're hugging after he gets home from work. He barks when we wrestle on the couch. He has to go out when Chase & I are watching a movie. He gets into Chase's backpack & eats his crackers...hold on, I just realized something...HE IS OUR CHILD!! I can't help but love him every time I look into those big, brown eyes. He is currently laying at my feet, sprawled out as much as he can be. Ohhhh, Apollo...you are my full-sized gentleman...now please do Chase & I a favor? Throw up the Cheez-It bag we're pretty sure you ate last night. Mommy loves you :) 

My Life is a Soap Opera

Hello mid-morning viewers,

My Life is a Soap Opera...sort of. It's currently 11:37am and I am sitting at my dining room table in my North Seattle apartment, which I share with my boyfriend, Chase. I sit & type wearing a gray Norwalk High School football sweatshirt, black yoga pants (hooray!) bebe black-framed needs-new-lenses-glasses, in need of a shower hair thrown into a messy bun, texting a friend back on the Olympic Peninsula, contemplating what I could possibly say in this first blog of mine. Getting a visual? I'm "People of Walmart" worthy, folks, though I prefer Target.

Better tell you a bit about myself & why I decided to start this blog: FAME, my friends. Attention, & FAME. No...I'm kidding. Sort of. I'm a Group Fitness/Dance Instructor. I teach a lot of classes, but they're sparatically spaced throughout my week allowing me to make my boyfriend breakfast, lunch, & dinner most days. He's a Mon-Fri (sometimes Sunday) 9am-6pm worker, and I am a 2-4 classes per day Fitness Instructor with dreams of becoming an NFL Cheerleader. My first year auditioning (this past May 2011) for the Seahawks Cheer Squad, I made it all the way to finals, but am hoping to actually make the team this coming year.

I was one of the few Norwalk High School graduates to leave the state of Iowa upon graduating. I moved to the Olympic Peninsula, more specifically- Port Angeles, WA. Yes, Twilight fans...to exotic PORT ANGELES. This, of course was before Twilight was even written.

FUN FACT: Did you know that Stephanie Meyer typed in something like "most depressing city in the US" into Google to get her book's location?

It certainly WAS depressing the first few months of relocation. Mostly, because two days upon my move to the Pacific Northwest, I met the one person I have been infatuated with for over 6 years. He is my current boyfriend, but it took a long time & a lot of money to get us where we are today, which I mentioned above- our shared (currently freezing) apartment in North Seattle. I'm sure someday I will write a very detailed book or screenplay about our courtship, but for the long-&-not-so-short of it, read on:
We met at a dance club in West Des Moines, IA called Club Energy (it's something else now). I was immediatly attracted to his chin length, dark, perfectly spiral curly hair & sideways smile. One of my HS friends introduced us & we were inseperable for the entire night. Dancing, & yelling over the loud music to find out any information we could about one another. By the end, he tried to get my number but I didn't have a cell phone & had to admit the horrible news that I was moving across the country in a few days. We said our sad goodbye's & I went home unable to get him out of my mind. The next day, I recieved a friend request & a message on MYSPACE (haha, myspace...) from him about how great he thought I was & how he was really upset that we hadn't met sooner than we did. I shared the same regret, but there was nothing we could do except remain in contact & hope for another meeting in the future. It would be 3 years, 9 months, & 13 days before we would see one another again. We remained email/aim/myspace message & comment friends for about half of that time but eventually lost touch as we entered into different 3 year romantic relationships with other people. I planned on returning to Iowa in May of 2009 to surprise my mom for her birthday. As luck would have it, about two weeks before I was going to return, I recieved a totally random email from Chase worndering how I was doing. Our online friendship was re-united and we made a plan to meet up during my visit back home. We hung out a few times during that visit & texted pretty much all the time upon my return to WA. We spent Christmas 2009 together, I made my first trip to visit him in Iowa City February of 2010, then again for his graduation from the University of Iowa in May of 2010. I moved to the Seattle area from Port Angeles in August of 2010 & planned on returning to Iowa for Christmas 2010, staying with Chase at his mom's house, making this the 2nd year we would spend Christmas together. Chase & I never missed a day of talking to one another somehow whether it be texting, talking on the phone, or emailing for over a year. Many people asked if we were dating during that period & while it may have seemed that way, we officially were not. After attending a midnight Christmas Eve service at the Wakonda Christian Church, we had THE TALK. We established our official relationship December 25, 2010 and I couldn't have been happier. Chase braved his fear of flying to come visit me in Seattle February 2011 over Valentine's Day weekend. He got to meet my friends & I did my best to show him around my city. Upon driving to the airport, he confessed that he would move to Seattle to be with me. I have never felt that kind of love before, viewers. To know that you love someone with your entire heart, & have been thinking of moving back to the midwest yourself to be closer to them...& that love is returned x100 by them telling you THEY want to move to be closer to YOU?! It was intoxicating & this was the only time I let him see me cry at one of our many airport drop-offs. I went back to Iowa City late-April 2011, then we met in Chicago in June 2011. Chase LOVES Chicago. He eventually wants to end up there someday & from what I saw/who I met in Chicago in those few days, so do I. The month of July was spent with me trying to find us an apartment. We decided on one in North Seattle. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 1000 square feet. It wouldn't be ready until September due to renovations, but we chose it anyway. I decided to fly out to Iowa & drive back with Chase so he wouldn't have to brave the over 1800 mile drive alone. His mom threw us a going-away party, but here's the REAL kicker: The day we set out on our cross-country drive to start our life together was the same day we had met one another 6 years prior!!! Was it was fate or destiny? (quick plug: Check out S.G. Browne's book FATED) It took us two days to make the trip & the only bad parts were A) me letting Chase's car (Stella) run out of gas & B) Sleeping in the car at a truck stop. We had to stay in my apartment in Newcastle for 3 weeks before we could move into our new apartment & in that amount of time, Chase was able to find a job at PNTA (Pacific Nothwest Theatre Association) where he is currently & I am still at home in my pajamas...in need of a shower...still. We adopted a 5 year old, 140 lb, black Great Dane named Apollo at the end of September & he is like our child. We love/hate him as he love/hates us. He's a mama's boy as I am his primary care-giver, but Daddy plays soccer with him when he gets home most days :)

It is now 12:43pm & I told myself not to let this blog take over an hour. WOOPS! I plan on taking this blog in every direction that I can: Love, Fitness, Food/Nutrition, Beauty, Pets, Humor, Social events, TV/Movies, Sports, all the good (& bad) stuff that goes into a young, unmarried-yet-in-a-serious-relationship-professionals everyday life.

A facebook friend & fellow Norwalk HS graduate, Gabby Bevel, was the reason I decided to start this blog TODAY as her relationship is very similar to mine :) Thanks Gabby!

Tune in for more of my life...my sort of Soap Opera Life!