I recently stumbled upon a headline during my break at work. "Blogger Posts His Own Death."
Of course, I was intrigued, if not a little confused, as typing may prove difficult in that particular state. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by what followed. See, the article was about Derek K. Miller, who was a pretty well-known blogger in the tech and science circles. He had started his blog about ten years ago, and in 2007, he was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer. The posts that chronicle his journey through chemo and radiation, as well as his drive to live a "normal" life despite the fact are nothing short of inspiring.
And yes, he did ask his family to publish his "Last Post" after his death, and it is amazingly well-written and insightful. He doesn't sound angry, bitter, or resentful. Instead, he sounds grateful for the time he had with his family and the experiences he was able to have.
I love the fact that he was incredibly straight-forward about his particular circumstances. Yes, he had cancer. Yes, it was going to kill him. No, he wasn't going to let it completely consume his life. And really, he didn't let it.
Derek Miller reminded me that life is still, and is always beautiful, regardless of one's worries and troubles. We get so mired down by the petty things, constantly moving those things up our priority list until we completely lose sight of what's really important. It seemed to me that Mr. Miller never let cancer obscure his vision of what was truly significant to him.
I'm sorry I just found your words, Derek, but they serve as a powerful reminder that life is full of complications, yet so very precious to us all.
Here's the link to the blog itself: http://www.penmachine.com/
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
It's only been what, a few months?
Hi everybody! I'm not sure you all remember me, but you can just call me the worst blogger every in the history of blogging. And it's not like I haven't wanted to. Trust me. But, life has a way of running away with you, especially when it's stuffed with things like work, graduate school, trying to get rid of this flab in my middle, planning a wedding, and chasing after two rather neurotic cats. If you're reading this, thank you for being so very patient. I appreciate it.
Life has been pretty great these last few months, but its been marked with moments of uncertainty. Not in regards to the wedding, mind you (unless you count me wondering whether it's really necessary to have menus when we're having a buffet-type dinner) but about where it is I'm going with my professional career. If you've been watching the news at all, you might have noticed that the field of education is not exactly stable. This isn't exactly comforting, as I'm getting my Master's in Education. I feel like a person studying Finance right before the Great Depression. So, there are days when I wonder whether this is the right path for me. Those are the days when I wish I was one of those, "just wait and see what happens," people. Sadly, I'm not. I'm pretty proactive when it comes to my future, especially when said future is proving to be rather expensive at the moment. I don't want to drop thousands and thousands of dollars on something that isn't going to make me happy in the long run. There are those people who say that a job is just that: something to go to for the majority of the day and get paid to do. But I can't subscribe to that school of thought. I want a job where I wake up excited to go and contribute. I just don't know what job that is, yet. And that is somewhat frustrating.
I realize that I'll figure out someday. But, I want that realization to come sooner than later. When you realize what it is you want to do for the rest of your life, you want that life to start as soon as possible.
In the meantime, however, I'll appease my troubles with cute little wedding details and my new music obsession, The Weepies. I'll even share one of my favorite songs with you all.
Life has been pretty great these last few months, but its been marked with moments of uncertainty. Not in regards to the wedding, mind you (unless you count me wondering whether it's really necessary to have menus when we're having a buffet-type dinner) but about where it is I'm going with my professional career. If you've been watching the news at all, you might have noticed that the field of education is not exactly stable. This isn't exactly comforting, as I'm getting my Master's in Education. I feel like a person studying Finance right before the Great Depression. So, there are days when I wonder whether this is the right path for me. Those are the days when I wish I was one of those, "just wait and see what happens," people. Sadly, I'm not. I'm pretty proactive when it comes to my future, especially when said future is proving to be rather expensive at the moment. I don't want to drop thousands and thousands of dollars on something that isn't going to make me happy in the long run. There are those people who say that a job is just that: something to go to for the majority of the day and get paid to do. But I can't subscribe to that school of thought. I want a job where I wake up excited to go and contribute. I just don't know what job that is, yet. And that is somewhat frustrating.
I realize that I'll figure out someday. But, I want that realization to come sooner than later. When you realize what it is you want to do for the rest of your life, you want that life to start as soon as possible.
In the meantime, however, I'll appease my troubles with cute little wedding details and my new music obsession, The Weepies. I'll even share one of my favorite songs with you all.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Playing Catch-Up
Hey everyone!
I'm sorry I've been such a slacker at this whole blogging business, but to tell you the truth, I've been having a really amazing couple of weeks. Things have finally calmed down a bit, so I figured I would come here to share a few of my most recent adventures.
So, my biggest piece of news is....
I'm ENGAGED!!!!!!!
It's true; Evan proposed during a mini-vacation to one of our favorite spots, Rockaway Beach. I honestly had no idea he had even been thinking about proposing, and I had been totally oblivious to the fact that he had been talking to his family and mine about asking me to marry him. He actually was hiding the ring under the bed for a week before he proposed!
Anyway, the proposal was perfect, and of course, I said yes. I can't wait to start this new adventure with him, but at the same time, I'm taking my time enjoying being engaged and am currently poring over wedding magazines and books for wedding ideas.
Right after we came back from our mini-vacation, we slogged through the last week of school and went on our full-blown vacation with Evan's family to Maui, Hawaii. I was nervous about flying for so long, but Xanax came to the rescue, and as soon as we touched down in Maui, I forgot all about my flight anxiety and settled into an amazing week of relaxation and fun with my fiance and future in-laws (that feels unbelievably weird to type, but in a good way!). Mainly, my days went like this:
- wake up
- have coffee and cookies while looking admiring the ocean from our balcony
- suit up, lather on sunscreen and beach supplies
- walk the fifty paces down the hall and the ten paces to the beach from the lobby
- plop down on the sand with a book
- turn over
- go boogie boarding
- almost drown (seriously, I was the worst boogie boarder ever)
- more beach/book/mai tai/ shave ice time
- dip in the pool
- walk back upstairs, shower
- have huge, calorie-loaded dinner with everyone
- admire each other's tan/burns (Evan got a really impressive one)
- go to bed
We also went to a really amazing luau where I ate enough to feed a family of four, and where we met a really cool couple on their honeymoon from Sydney, Australia. We swapped engagement stories.
I also was introduced to the amazing thing that is Hawaiin Shave Ice. Can you tell I was completely off my diet the whole time I was there? Anyway, we had to have shave ice whenever we saw some, and I'm missing it dearly now that we're back in Oregon. Actually, I'm missing the whole island. It's tough going from 84 degrees to 43.
We flew back in on December 23rd, and so we only had one night to relax and unpack before getting geared up for Christmas with our families. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents since that's the day we celebrate most (that's just the way Hispanic families roll) and spent Christmas Day with Evan's family. It was a lot of fun to hand everyone their little island goodies. Especially my dad, since he had requested a dashboard hula girl for his car.
For Christmas, Evan pulled another surprise on me. On Christmas Eve, he handed me an envelope, which had Post-It note in it that was the first in a scavenger hunt. He had me going all over my parent's house, and finally, I ended up in the garage, where I found a vintage leather loveseat that I had been lusting after for months waiting for me! You see, Evan and I had visited Sorel's Vintage on Hawthorne Boulevard one afternoon this summer, and I had completely fallen in love with these leather loveseats. Of course, there was no way we could afford them, so I put them on my mental wish-list and vowed that some day, I would have some just like them. So, imagine my surprise when one shows up for Christmas!
There are a lot of exclamation points in this post. But really, I was that surprised!
And then, Evan and I were at his parent's house for Christmas Day, and he handed me another envelope. Again, I was led on another scavenger hunt (which took a lot more effort, because Evan's parent's house is huge) and when I finally made my way back to the living room, there was the second loveseat!
Apparently, Evan had bought the chairs the same day he bought my engagement ring (how I was totally unaware of all this, I really have no idea; I'm not that clueless normally) and had hidden one chair at each house until Christmas. It was awesome, and now both chairs are sitting perfectly in our living room.
Evan and I were able to relax for a bit at home in the week before school started back up, and on one of those afternoons, my future maid-of-honor, Karla, came over and we decided to kill some time at David's Bridal. Truly, I went in with the intention to just browse and "get ideas." Well, my intentions flew out the window when I spotted some dresses that I liked and Karla said, "you know, you're already here; you might as well try some on." I quickly called my mom (because I couldn't put on a wedding dress without her there) and I ended up finding the absolutely perfect dress for me. Really, it's beautiful. And now, I have to keep it a secret from Evan for the next 16 months or so. I have to have at least a modicum of tradition with this whole thing!
Before we knew it, we were back at school, and that same Monday I started my winter term at PSU. Luckily, my schedule is a little less heinous than last term, with classes on Monday, Wednesday, and some random Fridays. It gives me a break to read and do homework, which is greatly appreciated. It also helps that I'm getting to know my cohort a little better so those three-hour long classes don't feel quite as long.
So, yeah. That was my amazing winter break. If you've made it to the end of this post, I'm very impressed. I hope you all had an amazing time with your families and hopefully the new year brings you all sorts of adventures and memories. I am so excited to see what 2011 brings us. Maybe a new leather couch?
I'm sorry I've been such a slacker at this whole blogging business, but to tell you the truth, I've been having a really amazing couple of weeks. Things have finally calmed down a bit, so I figured I would come here to share a few of my most recent adventures.
So, my biggest piece of news is....
I'm ENGAGED!!!!!!!
 |
| The ring! |
 |
| The spot where Evan proposed. It was awesome. |
 |
| If I had known that we were going to get engaged, I would have at least put on some mascara and left the thug beanie at the hotel. Oh well! We're engaged! |
Anyway, the proposal was perfect, and of course, I said yes. I can't wait to start this new adventure with him, but at the same time, I'm taking my time enjoying being engaged and am currently poring over wedding magazines and books for wedding ideas.
Right after we came back from our mini-vacation, we slogged through the last week of school and went on our full-blown vacation with Evan's family to Maui, Hawaii. I was nervous about flying for so long, but Xanax came to the rescue, and as soon as we touched down in Maui, I forgot all about my flight anxiety and settled into an amazing week of relaxation and fun with my fiance and future in-laws (that feels unbelievably weird to type, but in a good way!). Mainly, my days went like this:
- wake up
- have coffee and cookies while looking admiring the ocean from our balcony
- suit up, lather on sunscreen and beach supplies
- walk the fifty paces down the hall and the ten paces to the beach from the lobby
- plop down on the sand with a book
- turn over
- go boogie boarding
- almost drown (seriously, I was the worst boogie boarder ever)
- more beach/book/mai tai/ shave ice time
- dip in the pool
- walk back upstairs, shower
- have huge, calorie-loaded dinner with everyone
- admire each other's tan/burns (Evan got a really impressive one)
- go to bed
 |
| My view for most of the day |
 |
| Happy to be in Maui |
 |
| The view from our hotel room! |
 |
| Evan and I at the Luau |
 |
| Watching these girls was the best guilt-trip after eating all that food |
 |
| Oh yeah. |
 |
| One of many amazing sunsets |
 |
| Hibiscus flowers grow everywhere! |
We flew back in on December 23rd, and so we only had one night to relax and unpack before getting geared up for Christmas with our families. We spent Christmas Eve with my parents since that's the day we celebrate most (that's just the way Hispanic families roll) and spent Christmas Day with Evan's family. It was a lot of fun to hand everyone their little island goodies. Especially my dad, since he had requested a dashboard hula girl for his car.
For Christmas, Evan pulled another surprise on me. On Christmas Eve, he handed me an envelope, which had Post-It note in it that was the first in a scavenger hunt. He had me going all over my parent's house, and finally, I ended up in the garage, where I found a vintage leather loveseat that I had been lusting after for months waiting for me! You see, Evan and I had visited Sorel's Vintage on Hawthorne Boulevard one afternoon this summer, and I had completely fallen in love with these leather loveseats. Of course, there was no way we could afford them, so I put them on my mental wish-list and vowed that some day, I would have some just like them. So, imagine my surprise when one shows up for Christmas!
There are a lot of exclamation points in this post. But really, I was that surprised!
And then, Evan and I were at his parent's house for Christmas Day, and he handed me another envelope. Again, I was led on another scavenger hunt (which took a lot more effort, because Evan's parent's house is huge) and when I finally made my way back to the living room, there was the second loveseat!
 |
| My chairs are kind of like this, but even more awesome! |
Evan and I were able to relax for a bit at home in the week before school started back up, and on one of those afternoons, my future maid-of-honor, Karla, came over and we decided to kill some time at David's Bridal. Truly, I went in with the intention to just browse and "get ideas." Well, my intentions flew out the window when I spotted some dresses that I liked and Karla said, "you know, you're already here; you might as well try some on." I quickly called my mom (because I couldn't put on a wedding dress without her there) and I ended up finding the absolutely perfect dress for me. Really, it's beautiful. And now, I have to keep it a secret from Evan for the next 16 months or so. I have to have at least a modicum of tradition with this whole thing!
Before we knew it, we were back at school, and that same Monday I started my winter term at PSU. Luckily, my schedule is a little less heinous than last term, with classes on Monday, Wednesday, and some random Fridays. It gives me a break to read and do homework, which is greatly appreciated. It also helps that I'm getting to know my cohort a little better so those three-hour long classes don't feel quite as long.
So, yeah. That was my amazing winter break. If you've made it to the end of this post, I'm very impressed. I hope you all had an amazing time with your families and hopefully the new year brings you all sorts of adventures and memories. I am so excited to see what 2011 brings us. Maybe a new leather couch?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
How I Feel
There are just some days, like today, where all I want to do is forget about work, grad school, and the million other things on my mind and just snuggle with my love on the couch. This song pretty much sums up how I've felt on those days.
It's only on days like this, when I come home to such an amazing guy who welcomes my griping, whining, and complaining with a big hug, understanding smile, and a kiss, that I realize that all those other things don't really matter. I guess you could say that overwhelming things are a part of life, but a great love tends to cancel them all out. Thanks, Evan, for reminding me of that. I love you!
It's only on days like this, when I come home to such an amazing guy who welcomes my griping, whining, and complaining with a big hug, understanding smile, and a kiss, that I realize that all those other things don't really matter. I guess you could say that overwhelming things are a part of life, but a great love tends to cancel them all out. Thanks, Evan, for reminding me of that. I love you!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Update in Yays and Nays
I'm not totally sure where to start. I guess I should start by saying that this year has gotten off to a great start, and I can only see it getting better. In the spirit of keeping things concise, I think I'm going to just do a "yay" and "nay" post.
Yay to starting at Portland State University!
Nay to feeling like I've been run over by a rhinoceros by Thursday of every week. I am taking 3 classes, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, plus working full-time. Oy.
Yay to after-class beers with my fellow grad students
Nay to realizing that I am not a real college student anymore and do actually have to go to work at 7:30am the next day after I have an after class beer.
Yay to realizing that after 18 months of feeling like this, I will have my own awesome classroom, and I will be able to teach my own way.
Nay to knowing that in the meantime, I have to work with icky high schoolers and even ickier coworkers. Seriously, they are poo-heads.
Yay to the fact that the school I work at is super close to the middle of nowhere, which is ideal for escaping the icky highschoolers/coworkers and taking pictures.
Nay to not having quite enough time after homework to edit said pictures.
Yay to spending what precious time I have with my absolutely amazing boyfriend Evan and my family.
Nay to driving. I hate it, because it's so boring.
Yay to books on tape. I don't care that it makes me feel 98 years old to have a book read to me, but it's the only time I have. I'd probably listen to NPR if I didn't have a book on tape anyway.
Yay also to losing my fear of driving to Portland. It's not so scary anymore, and we've had some awesome adventures/picture opportunities (pretty much interchangeable in my book).
Nay to having our exploring cut short because of the rain and it getting dark right after lunchtime.
Yay to cozy nights at home with Evan, a glass of wine, and the newest Josh Radin cd.
Nay to spending my Saturdays on the couch doing homework.
Yay yay yay for Zumba! I will always drag myself out of my graduate school stupor for Zumba!
Yay for dropping close to 20 pounds!
Seriously, YAY for dropping close to 20 pounds! (frankly, it deserves two yays)
Nay for the silly holidays coming in at full force. I am such a weakling in front of mashed potatoes and stuffing!
Yay for having a trip to Hawaii being more than enough motivation to turn away those mashed potatoes. At least the first time they're offered. I am, after all, only human.
Yay for buying the perfect swimsuit that actually makes me want to get out on the beach.
Yay for finding shorts, capris, skirts, and my whole Hawaii wardrobe for under $50 bucks. I may just become a flip season shopper!
Yay for Black Friday! Ladies, watch out. I've been working on my elbow throwing skills.
Yay to not having very many Nays in my life.
Yay for having everything to look forward to and nothing holding me back. What an amazing feeling!
Yay to starting at Portland State University!
 |
| PSU = Rhinoceros |
Yay to after-class beers with my fellow grad students
Nay to realizing that I am not a real college student anymore and do actually have to go to work at 7:30am the next day after I have an after class beer.
Yay to realizing that after 18 months of feeling like this, I will have my own awesome classroom, and I will be able to teach my own way.
Nay to knowing that in the meantime, I have to work with icky high schoolers and even ickier coworkers. Seriously, they are poo-heads.
Yay to the fact that the school I work at is super close to the middle of nowhere, which is ideal for escaping the icky highschoolers/coworkers and taking pictures.
 |
| I almost got run over for this one. Totally worth it. |
 |
 |
| I may actually frame this one. |
Nay to not having quite enough time after homework to edit said pictures.
Yay to spending what precious time I have with my absolutely amazing boyfriend Evan and my family.
Nay to driving. I hate it, because it's so boring.
Yay to books on tape. I don't care that it makes me feel 98 years old to have a book read to me, but it's the only time I have. I'd probably listen to NPR if I didn't have a book on tape anyway.
 |
| This was my book on tape. It was excellent, and I kept trying to find excuses to drive so I could listen. |
 |
| Adventure/Photo opportunity at the Pittock Mansion in Portland! |
 |
| Lioness at the Oregon Zoo. We went on Halloween, and the predators I was afraid of were the parents of the tiny humans. We seriously almost got mauled! |
Nay to having our exploring cut short because of the rain and it getting dark right after lunchtime.
Yay to cozy nights at home with Evan, a glass of wine, and the newest Josh Radin cd.
Nay to spending my Saturdays on the couch doing homework.
 |
| Where I can dance like a moron and get a great workout! |
Yay for dropping close to 20 pounds!
Seriously, YAY for dropping close to 20 pounds! (frankly, it deserves two yays)
Nay for the silly holidays coming in at full force. I am such a weakling in front of mashed potatoes and stuffing!
Yay for having a trip to Hawaii being more than enough motivation to turn away those mashed potatoes. At least the first time they're offered. I am, after all, only human.
 |
| I plan on sunbathing right here. No mashed potatoes for me! |
 |
| In love with this! |
Yay for buying the perfect swimsuit that actually makes me want to get out on the beach.
Yay for finding shorts, capris, skirts, and my whole Hawaii wardrobe for under $50 bucks. I may just become a flip season shopper!
Yay for Black Friday! Ladies, watch out. I've been working on my elbow throwing skills.
Yay to not having very many Nays in my life.
Yay for having everything to look forward to and nothing holding me back. What an amazing feeling!
Okay, seriously
The award for Worst Blogger of the Year can now be handed to me. Luckily, for all three of you who read this, I have a four-day weekend and my plan is to definitely update this thing.
Seriously. I will. Pinky swear.
-Mariela-
Seriously. I will. Pinky swear.
-Mariela-
Thursday, September 9, 2010
An Amazing Summer
Summer 2010 from Mariela Marquez on Vimeo.
I know I've been a total slacker as far as blogging goes, but I was really busy having an extraordinary summer. I went on some great trips, saw amazing things, and made some fantastic memories. Now that school/work has started back up again, as well as that dreaded rain, I was feeling nostalgic and decided to make this video of all my great times. There are a lot of pictures, and I realized a little too late that the duration of each picture was about two seconds too long. At least the songs are good. The songs in the video were definitely prominent members of my summer soundtrack, and I will always tie them into the amazing moments I had this summer, especially on those chilly, back-to-school mornings.
Anyway, I hope the video makes up for my slacking. Enjoy!
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