Alas, the time has come. School is back in session, starting today. My schedule is a breeze compared to last semester. I'm taking "Advanced Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals" and "Introduction to School Counseling," the latter which I'm taking as an elective. In our master's program, we must complete 21 hours of core courses and 18 hours of electives. I'm interested in pediatric nutrition and possibly working in schools, so I think this elective will be very beneficial.
I've been busy over the holiday finishing up my application for the dietetic internship. If I get accepted (oh please, pretty please!), I will begin this fall. If I do the internship through the program that I'm in now, I get 9 hours of credit towards my degree. I will find out the result next month. If all goes as planned, after the 1o month internship, I will have just two more courses to complete before I can add RD and MS after my name ;). I cannot wait!
It sure has been a long journey, but looking back, I feel extremely proud of myself for how far I've come.
Before getting caught up in the busyness of school and work, I felt the itch to have one last wild night (by my standards anyway), one last pow wow if you will. Usually I'm in bed by 10, but on Friday, I tried my best to stay awake and wait for Tim to get home from work. He surprised me by bringing home soju, Korean distilled alcohol. My alcohol tolerance is not that high, but when it comes to soju, even I amaze myself. It's a mystery, indeed. Anyway, we had a great conversation and ended up staying up till 2. So there you have it...my "wild" night. That's about as crazy as it gets around here.
The next day, there was only one thing on our minds...downing a big bowl of pho. The warm, beefy, licorice-y, savory broth is by far the best hangover cure! And it sure did not disappoint. I felt my whole head clear up and my tummy settle down. Good stuff...
The rest of the weekend was spent lounging around at home. Tim watched football and did the laundry, while I experimented in the kitchen. I have some delicious recipes to share so stay tuned ;).
I also want to share with you what my marvelous sister did. She sent me a box of Harry and David's famous Royal Riviera pears! She loves me! She really really loves me! She knows all too well that I would never order them myself, as they are so expensive. I was truly touched by her thoughtfulness and generosity. She's simply the best. With great anticipation, Tim and I are staring at them relentlessly in hopes that they will ripen faster ;).
I hope they'll be ready for me when I get back home from school today.
Today is also a big day because my dearest Kona is turning 4!! He's 35 years old in human years, and this makes me a bit sad. My lil' stinker has surpassed me in age. He's so full of personality, and I cannot imagine my life without him. He has brought so much joy and laughter into my life and has gotten me through some really dark times. Although I say he is extremely clingy (no doubt he is), I am just the same way. If he's not in my field of vision, I feel lonely and antsy. Yes, I am a tad bit obsessed with my black shadow. It's hard not to be.
As is the tradition around here, I made him his very own meatballs to enjoy during his bday week. Last year was turkey, and this year it got upgraded to...bison! The meatballs had carrots, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter. He likes his veggies crunchy so I roughly chopped them.
Since both Tim and I won't be home most of today, we threw him a mini party yesterday. He inhaled the meatballs in no time. It was such a joy to see his tail wag vibrate.
Wanna get to know this guy a lil' bit more? Here are some past posts dedicated solely to Kona.
- Hello world! I'm Kona
- Part 2 in the Kona series
- Kona series #3
I also want to take this time to show off his intelligence. He has learned many tricks (both in English and Korean - his "halmoni" or grandma likes to yell at him in Korean). 
He knows "leave it, beg, stay, sit, high five, bang, stay, huggie time, go to bed..." He doesn't like "leave it" very much. He shakes and becomes really tense when he tries to resist the temptation of treats. He also rings the bell to let us know that he has to use the potty. Yup, that's my boy!
He is crazy about peanut butter. Whenever I say "PB!" he starts shaking and licking his lips. He will stay standing on his hind legs for minutes if he has to. I try not to give him too much, but it's just so hard to resist seeing him lose his sanity.
He's quite the curious one.
He's looking wiser and wiser as time passes. It must be the beard. My family affectionately calls him "the goat."
Happy Birthday, Kona! Thank you for 4 amazing years. Mommy and daddy look forward to many more to come!
I feel bad that he has to be by himself for the majority of today, but off to school I go. I will just have to shower him with love (and meatballs) when I return.
myhealthyohana says
Happy Birthday to your sweet Kona!! I can't believe he rings the bell to let you know when he needs to potty, SO smart!! The picture of him looking over Tim's shoulder is so adorable. Hope he had a great day. He's very lucky to have you as a mommy 🙂
I'll be praying that you get the internship! So exciting to be very close to finishing and achieving your goals...I'm so very proud of you. That's great that you don't have such a packed schedule this semester. How has it been going so far? Thinking of you, Min 🙂
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
That would be a wild night for me too, don't you worry 😉
Happy birthday to Kona and good luck for the new semester to you!
Corrie Anne says
Awwa happy bday, Kona! Good luck with the new semester!
juliaroastedroot says
This post had be so entertained and giggly! Love your adorable pooch and good luck this semester!
allisonhayes91 says
Your wild night sounds absolutely perfect!
freshlifefindings says
I hope your semester is wonderful Min! And I know how you feel with the alcohol, two glasses of wine and I'm done for the night. Kona is so cute 🙂
Brittany Trentham (@batrentham) says
I hope you have a great semester!! I'll be praying for you, and I'll pray for your internship too! I know you will get it! You are almost done... can you believe it??
rosewithoutthorns says
Min! Kona is really cute! And poor him, struggling not to eat his doggie party food while you guys were singing him happy birthday! Happy birthday to him!
And all the best with your new semester - I pray hard you get the dietetic internship too!
Btw, loved the pho pictures! Am thinking of finally upgrading to a DSLR, and am wondering which camera model you use? Been doing a little survey and am thinking of Canon 650D.
xoxo,
felicia
Min says
Thank you for your prayers!
I shoot with Canon Rebel T3i. It's very user friendly and perfect for me. It's my first DSLR and I was able to learn its functions fairly quickly. It's on the more affordable side as far as DSLRs go...I want to save up and invest in lenses ;). Hope this helps!
dixya @ food, pleasure, and health says
you are so close Min 🙂 Good luck with the internship, I hope you get your first choice and you will love the internship! Kona is such a darling... enjoy those pears!
Cinnamon says
oh man I miss Pho sooooo much. There were sooo many good places to get it in Seattle. I THINK there is on place here but I haven't tried it yet. A little skeptical being in the desert and all. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY KONA!!! What a cutie patootie. I love the pic of him on the shoulders looking at whats going on. Guinn does that all the time too.
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish says
Happy Birthday, Kona!! I love that you made him homemade meatballs -- how sweet! Is it strange that the ingredients sound delicious to me? I think I would have snuck a few bites myself. Next cooking experiment: peanut butter and bison meatballs! 😉
I'm so glad you were able to have a final "hurrah" this weekend! I've never tried soju, but you've definitely piqued my interest. Like you, I have an extremely low alcohol tolerance, but maybe, just maybe, I could handle more of this? Must find out!
I'm a HUGE fan of Harry and David pears! My family orders them every year, and no others can compare!
I hope your first day back in class goes well today! You've come so far, and should be so so proud! Love you! <3 xoxo
jessiebearwhat says
oh my lord, your pup is TOO cute!! Happy Monday 😀
Khushboo Thadani says
Aw happy birthday to Kona! He is a cutie and looks like he got spoiled this year :-)! And congrats to you on coming so far in your degree- the end is in sight and I'm certain you will finish with flying colors !
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie says
Kona is the absolute cutest!! What a little sweetie, I just love him! Hope the start of the new semester goes well!
healthydivaeats says
Kona is so cute! Happy Birthday to Kona again!!
Glad this semester will be easier than the last and I am so proud of you too! Just so you know 😉
Oh pho, I seriously love pho, but no great pho places around here except maybe one!
Happy Monday love! <3
carol says
Min, good luck with the books this semester. The time will pass all too quickly and soon you will be holding that degree. All your hard word will pay off. Best wishes! Kona is all too sweet. I had a Schnauzer a time back - they are super little dogs - small if size but not in attitude.