2 Year Plan

5 Year Plan 2 Year Plan

Remember this post from back in mid-2012 . . .???

Sunday, June 3, 2012

5 Year Plan

It was almost instantly. No sooner had the ink dried on the numerous pages of paperwork to refinance my house that I instantly began to feel that I had made a mistake. Looking back now I realize I didn't make a mistake because it was the right thing to do at the time, but life in Vancouver just isn't the long-term plan for me. I've recently been thinking that I really need to make a short-term five year life goal for myself. So I did! My days in Vancouver are definitely numbered. I'm starting my masters program in a few weeks and that's going to take me two years. I was blessed enough to be given interest-free student loans, so rather than trying to pay each semester out-of-pocket, I went ahead and accepted the loans. The main reason I did this is because if I can remain teaching at a low-income school for five years half of my loans will be forgiven! So awesome! By the time I finish my masters I will have three years of teaching down and two more to go! I will definitely want to teach here in Vancouver two more years so I can get my loans forgiven. By that time I should also have a good amount of equity in my house and should be able to sell it. My plan is to make my way back north. I plan on using my new degree and apply for administrative positions in the Bellevue/Seattle'ish area. There are so many school districts up there and the work opportunities are endless. When I moved to Vancouver four years ago I definitely saw myself living here long-term. . . . Teaching, married and raising my family. Now I have come into my own and marriage and kids are no longer the plan for me. I see myself in a bigger city and closer (not too close- sorry mom!) to my family. Maybe just an hour away versus two hours away. I'm exactly where I need to be right now, but I'm definitely excited for what the future will bring. 

Here I sit a year and a half later and I still feel the same. As someone who often always changes their mind, it isn't often that I still feel the way about something a couple of years later. It's hard to know that a few hearts will break with my move, but the bigger picture proves to be that I need to be closer to my support system. I have no idea where a move will take me. I know it will be hard to sell my house, buy a new house, and find a new job all at the same time, but I have faith it will all work out. I still need to get my 5 years in- only 2 more to go! Vancouver was definitely going to be my forever home, but it's proving to be my 7 year landing spot, a place where I am gathering all the tools necessary to move on to my true calling.  

Powerful

I lost hope and thought that we’ll get divorced soon…But then I decided to act on it- Brad Pitt writes a sweet love letter to Angelina Jolie

 

 
“My wife got sick.  She was constantly nervous because of problems at work, personal life, her failures and problems with children. 

She has lost 30 pounds and weighed about 90 pounds in her 35 years. She got very skinny, and was constantly crying. She was not a happy woman. She had suffered from continuing headaches, heart pain and jammed nerves in her back and ribs.

She did not sleep well, falling asleep only in the morning and got tired very quickly during the day. Our relationship was on the verge of break up. 

Her beauty was leaving her somewhere, she had bags under her eyes, she was poking her head, and stopped taking care of herself. She refused to shoot the films and rejected any role. 

I lost hope and thought that we’ll get divorced soon…But then I decided to act on it. 
After all I’ve got the most beautiful woman on the earth. 

She is the idol of more than half of men and women on earth, and I was the one allowed to fall asleep next to her and to hug her shoulders.

I began to pamper her with flowers, kisses and compliments. I surprised her and pleased her every minute. I gave her lots of gifts and lived just for her. I spoke in public only about her. I incorporated all themes in her direction. I praised her in front of her own and our mutual friends.

You won’t believe it, but she blossomed. She became even better than before. She gained weight, was no longer nervous and she loved me even more than ever. I had no clue that she CAN love that much. And then I realized one thing: The woman is the reflection of her man. If you love her to the point of madness, she will become it.“             

- Brad Pitt

Dirty Thirty

Before I get into this post . . .  can I just say I love "Keep Calm" stuff. Oh my goodness! Just look at my classroom, my house and all my phone/computer wallpapers. Well, get ready for some more in this post!  Haha!

I'm a planner. I plan ahead. Way ahead. I have been planning my 30th birthday since shortly after my 21st. Now, I'll be honest - I didn't quite imagine being single and childless at 30, so now that I am my plans have evolved a bit. 

For the last 2 years I have been set on a Gatsby "Roaring Out of My 20's" party in Las Vegas. I have been pinning stuff for this party forever! I have the dress picked, the hotel and all the little details in my mind. But, lately, I have had my heart set on Vail, Co. Now a trip to Vail will be MUCH more expensive than a trip to Las Vegas.  Like.... triple, but I think of the perks of a birthday in the dead of winter is being able to celebrate it in a wintery place like VAIL! 

So, I have this backup birthday party planned, as well. I will fly out of Seattle to Colorado and go on my birthday week- MLK weekend We'll stay at The Sebastian Hotel (see below) which is bucket list status for me. Just imagine . .  walking the village, hot tub in the snow, eating and shopping. It's prefect for a winter lover like me! 

♥

I am still weighing options, but if I don't do Vail this next birthday I will totally get there sometime SOON!

   

travel does the ♥ good

It's no secret that traveling is one of my favorite- if not, my MOST favorite hobby. I'd rather not spend money daily, weekly,  or monthly on a hobby, but rather save money for traveling. Now that I am done with school (kind of, still have one more teaching certificate to get) I feel like I can plan some trips. I was googling some of the top places in the US to go. I do want to travel outside of the US, but I don't have a passport yet and I want to see more of my own country before exploring the rest of the world. 

I have two upcoming trips in 2014 - Las Vegas and Los Angeles. This will be my 5th Las Vegas trip, but my first true LA trip. I have been to Disneyland, Universal Studios ans of course, LAX several times, but I have yet to spend any amount of time exploring that city.  



Speaking of the top 25 places to see in the US- I have been to 8 of them. Eight! Can you believe that? That is not too many. 



Here they are :
1. New York City, New York
2. San Francisco, California            √
3. Chicago, Illinois                          √
4. Las Vegas, Nevada                      √
5. Orlando, Florida                            √
6. Washington DC
7. Boston, Massachusetts 
8. Los Angeles, California                     (almost!) 
9. Honolulu, Hawaii                        √
10. New Orleans, Louisiana
11. Seattle, Washington                          √
12. Miami, Florida
13. Sedona, Arizona
14. Savannah, Georgia
15. Charleston, South Carolina
16. Napa, California 
17. San Antonio, Texas
18. Lahaina, Hawaii
19. Portland, Oregon                                √
20. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  
21. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
22. Kona, Hawaii                                           √
23. Palm Spring, California
24. Naples, Florida
25. Houston, Texas

So look... I have been to FOUR of the top FIVE travel destinations! That's awesome! I am disappointed that some places I have spent some time in are not on the list, such as . . .

• Nashville
• Tampa
• Dallas
• Cincinnati
• Phoenix 

There are many other cites I have been to while traveling the US, but those five stand out as pretty epic, must see places! 

Thinking about outside the US, some places I really want to see are: Fiji and possibly Australia. I think Italy would be fun too! Right now, my heart is in the US and seeing all those country has to offer. After LA I wonder where I will go next . . .

Suggestions?! 

Xoxo,

K

What's in My Bag?

         One of my favorite weekly reads in my US Weekly magazine is the What's in My Bag article. I am always so curious to know what essentials other people carry with them every day, so I figured I would do my own little "What's in My Bag" for you all. Enjoy! 

1. Coach purse — this is my favorite Coach purse. It's big, but not TOO big! 

2. Coach pouch — a little pouch I use to  hold my coupons, gift cards and other random things I use to get stuff cheap or, occasionally, free.3. A pen and a Marker  — because just having a pen isn’t enough. Sometimes I need to write on strange surfaces like, say, the top of a white styrofoam to-go box from a restaurant.

4. iPod Phone — it never leaves my hand, you know.

5. Starbucks — this is my daily go to card. It's just almost as much as my AMEX card!

6. Coach wallet — I searched for a really long time for the perfect wallet. It had to have all the bells and whistles- this one surly does!

7. Lip gloss and EOS — I’m never without several different types of beauty products, but the EOS is my favorite!

8. Mazda key — that flat skinny black thing is my car key. I just leave it in my wallet and never take it out. It's nice to not have to dig out car keys.

9. Coach pill case — this was another splurge buy, but it's sure handy!

10. Anti-bacterial hand cream

11. Gum 

12. Face powder — So I’m shiny. What?

13. Spare house keys — I'm noticing a Coach theme here ;)

14. Tampons

15. Makeup pouch — where the rest of my six varieties of lip gloss are kept! I usually have a hair tie and a few bobby pins in there, too. I stuff that band aid, mirror, hair brush, sewing kit, lotion, hand sanitizer, and nail kit in there as well.

16. Purse holder — I bought this for use at restaurants and never do. My purse ends up  hanging on a chair or on the nasty floor. Sad story.                                             

        Hope this gives you a little more insight into the enigma that is Kristina — and, if you’re a dude, that you won’t be quite as freaked out the next time I tell you to get your own piece of gum. Nothing will bite or humiliate you, promise.

Scentsy

That's right, as of September 2013 I am a Scentsy Independent Consultant! Since giving up Mary Kay earlier this year I really wanted to find something else to occupy my free time and earn a little cash on the side while I am at it. I intended for Scentsy to be a hobby for me, but I have actually done surprisingly well since I have started.

  In my first 30 days as a consultant I did over $1200 in sales which automatically put me in top commission status. My personal Scentsy collection as flourished and I am having a whole lot of fun in the process!  

Currently, I am gathering orders for a Scentsy Fundraiser for the Southwest Washington Humane Society. . . 100% of profits will be used to buy both wet and dry cat food for the animal shelter. You can place orders online at: kristinaschiltz.scentsy.us or you can personally attend a party on December 29th- if you attend and bring a can of cat food you will be entered into a drawing for a Scentsy Gift Basket!  Let me know if you can make it and I will get you all the details! 

Keep Calm It's 46 Days, Baby!!!

I am SO ready for this vacation! I have so much to celebrate on this trip. I will be in Las Vegas for 5 days and 4 nights, my longest trip yet! We'll be staying at Treasure Island (see pictures below) which is where we stayed last time. The strip views are amazing from this hotel and the location is great, too! Superbowl Weekend just happens to be one of my most favorite weekends each year, so where better to celebrate than in Las Vegas AKA Party Capitol USA?! 

I am excited to experience Vegas in the Winter. I have been in spring, summer and fall before. We plan to try a few new things on this trip that we haven't gotten the chance to do before (and we should definitely have time to some of our classic favorites, too!) A few things that are on our "To-Do" list (and, yes I even make to-do lists while on vacation) are :

Rides at the top of the Stratosphere! 

Rides at the top of the Stratosphere! 

                                                                   Rides at the top of the Stratosphere! 

The Roller Coaster at New York, New York

And, yes, I am the done who wants to try an oxygen bar sooooo bad!!!

Okay, this is me again... I want to see the swimming mermaids at the Mermaid Casino. I ♥ Mermaids!

I know you're all tired of these by now....

....and I am a little tired of them too! I decided no more CONCERT posts. I will just keep track via pictures, not long annoying posts. Hahaha!! Just keep scrolling . . .

Silly Smelly Boy

You would naturally think something that happens all the time would never be forgotten, but it so easily is sometimes. That is why this blog is so important to me. I want to capture memories here, so I don't forget about them.

That leads me to this blog post...

It's about Ryder, as so many of them are. I subscribe to several magazines, a few of them that come with paper perfume samples. When this dog sees me walk in the house with mail, he immediately checks (smells) to see if I have any magazines, and boy, if I do... he goes nuts. He can be asleep upstairs and here me open up the perfume samples downstairs and he will wake from a dead sleep to come smell. Now, he not only needs to smells these, he needs them rubbed all over his entire body! He goes crazy! It's his favorite thing! I don't think I will ever be able to flip through a magazine and see one of those without thinking of my sweet boy. That will be bitter sweet for me someday I am sure.

 I cannot even put my perfume on in the morning without him getting a squirt too! ♥ When I became a Scentsy consultant (that blog post is coming soon!) he went crazy. He loooooves to smell the Scentsy warmers and smells all the scents when they come in. This boy love things that smell good - he must get that from me!

Reflection

Now that I actually have the time to blog again I cannot help, but to go back and re-read all of my posts. My life has been quite the roller coaster ride over the past 3 1/2 years. We are so quick to forget all the little things, hence the reason I enjoyed blogging my journey so much. I am sad that I haven't blogged much over the past 18 months, because although I was emerged in school a lot has happened, but I haven't blogged about it.

Blogging was my outlet during the most trying time in my life. There were so many "what ifs" but in the end it doesn't matter. I will never understand how I didn't see it coming or how I was left with an empty house, a half empty closet and an ache in my gut the size of Texas because nobody told told me.

 Sometimes I wonder if I haven't completely moved on because of the lack of closure, or if I will never be able to because I am left with so many unanswered questions. Actually, all my questions are left unanswered. I don't have a single explanation.

 One of the most heartfelt, meaningful blog posts I ever wrote was called "Broken Ribs" and I remember writing it like it was yesterday. It went a little something like this  . . .

"It's 2 a.m. in the morning, I'm wearing his sweatshirt because it smells like him and drowning in my own tears. I've been there. I've been the saddest girl in the world, with a mangled heart and the certainty of getting over him was impossible. It's hard being that girl that is so incapable of giving me what I need out of a relationship. I not only married him, but gladly gave away every last shed of my self-esteem to be with him."

"On the outside I wear the illusion that I am over it, but let the truth be told it's a charade, all smoke and mirrors and empty words. Being brokenhearted is like having broken ribs. On the outside it looks like nothing is wrong, but with every breath it hurts. Let's just say my ribs are broken."

The past is the past for a reason. I don't have any intentions of going back for answers. I just have to keep trucking forward and that is exactly my plan. ♥

Graduation!

Remember this post... First Master's Post? It seriously feels like yesterday! 

Done... Done.... Done... and DONE! After 18 long hard months I am completely finished with my Master's Degree. It feels so great to be done! There were times I really couldn't see the light at the end and I didn't know how I could finish. Working full-time and being in school full-time was the hardest thing I have ever done. I don't think that the reality has quite set in yet. I was telling a friend last night that I feel like I just served 18 months in jail for something and I am now emerging back into the real world! Haha!! I am just remembering all the fun things I use to do with my free time before starting school. I have lists, upon lists, upon lists of things I want to do in the next few weeks just because I can! I am so excited and thankful for my new found freedom, but I am also excited for the all opportunities that may come my way with my new degree. It has me thinking about life outside of Vancouver. I will finally have the opportunity to move North and seek a position outside of the actual classroom. This is still probably a few years away though! I wanted to finish my Master's by the time I was 30 and I did it by age 28! :) Now I just have my Professional Certificate left, which should take about a year. I think I will start that sometime next year and then be done. FOREVER!

Up next is a little me time and relaxation for the next 6 or so weeks and then off to Viva Las Vegas to celebrate!!! 

Travel

My very first thought when I finished school was . . . "Yes, now I can travel all I want!!" It's no secret that I love to travel, but it's been quite awhile since I have been anywhere new! I think my 2009 Las Vegas trip was the last "new" place I have been. I say 2014 will be the year of new travel! I have a huge list of places I want to go and I have come to the conclusion that IF I want to travel like I do; I will probably have to teach at least one session of summer school each summer to allow the funds to travel. Although, it is not ideal - I think 3 short weeks of work in exchange for the funds to travel throughout the year is fair. I came across this quote on Pinterest this week . . . 

....and I love it! Here's to 2014- the year of travel!! 

Concerts

Concerts

This was the first concert that I remember. It's Carmen. Yes, the Christian singer. It was at the Tacoma Dome and the place was ROCKIN'. Like I said, no hatin'.

Jamie O'Neal at the Puyallup Fair. What ever happened to her?!

Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Yup, loved this show. Again, at the Puyallup Fair. 

Up until last summer, Rascal Flatts was by FAR the best concert I had seen. Once again, it was at the Puyallup Fair. 

BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE! This was the best concert I had ever seen and I don't think it will ever be beat!!

I also saw NKOTB with BSB at the Tacoma Dome and the show was ah-amazinggggg!  
2011 & 2013!!!

I loved seeing Britney at the Rose Garden in June of 2011. Very fun show!! 

I saw Nicki the same night I saw Britney. She was awesome.

I have seen Toby Keith not once, but TWICE! Both times I saw him at the Sleep Country Amphitheater in Ridgefield. Always a good show. I would probably even go again! 

I saw Trace in the summer of 2010 and what. a. show!! He is so tall... like 6'7" I believe. Love, love, loved this show!

Eric Church came with Toby Keith last summer. It was a pretty good show!

I'm not going to lie. . . she did not put on a great show. I was pretty close to the stage too. Not feeling it.

Matt Nathanson was in Kent with Kelly Clarkson. It was an okay show. Not exactly my kind of music, but still fun.

Kelly Clarkson is amazing. Seriously, this girl can BLOW! Her live vocals are just mind-blowing! 
Kent, WA 2011 & Ridgefield, WA 2013

I saw Matthew Morrison last summer and he puts on a great show!!! It was just him, no Glee and I loved it! 

September 22, 2012! It had been awhile (over 15 years) since the whole family attended a concert together and we had a great time! 

 Aaron Carter. Yup, this happen - April 2013.

Summer of 2013 . . .

We saw 98 Degrees as part of The Package Tour at the Tacoma Dome on July 9, 2013. This was like a teenage Nick Lachey dream come true! :) 

Boys II Men wasn't the best group I have ever seen, but it was still a good time! 

We got to see Carrie Underwood at the Puyallup Fair in September 2013. Great show. Great live singer! 

Thomas Rhett opened for Jake Owens who opened for Jason Aldean- September 2013

Jake Owens sure put on a great show! He came to Ridgefield as a part of the Jason Aldean Night Train Tour.

This was for sure the BEST concert of the summer 2013. LOOOOOVED seeing Jason Aldean!! 

The final concert of the summer 2013 was Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson. She, of course, is AMAZING and they weren't bad either! I could have done without the Adam Levine mustache!! ;) 

Ummmmmm.... this show was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! Katie and I saw Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Rose Garden (Moda Center) on October 22, 2013. Amazing. Just WOW!!! If you ever get the chance to see them live DO IT!


Upcoming...

Friday, January 31st in LAS VEGAS!!!!
 SOOOOOOOOOOOO STOKED!!!