rachel

Change- it's pretty constant, huh?

2011-07-20T11:58:00.005-04:00

If you haven't already heard, I FINALLY found out that I passed my licensing exam. Yippee!! I was really starting to think I had failed. Such a great feeling to know that part of my life is completely done with now (i.e. school, studying and such). While that stressor is gone, I still have a few more up ahead.

We're moving to Florence. Like, next week. I took the job offer from my last clinical rotation at Carolinas hospital and Ethan will be going back to his job at Imperial. I have to make a trip up there on Thursday for pre-employment paperwork and will also be looking around for a house. I really hope I find something that day so we won't have to worry about where we'll be moving all of our junk. I start work on August 1, so we're in a bit of a time crunch!

I hate packing. I feel like we just got settled in here in Summerville and now we have to tear it all down and start all over again. I love this apartment complex and I will surely miss the pool. But I'm trying very hard to look at this in a positive way. I am excited that Ethan will have a few days off work to relax and okay, more importantly, help me with packing. ;) We hope we'll be able to do a few things around Charleston that we enjoy (while spending as little money as possible) before we're in Flo city and land locked. Yes. Land locked. I've had the beach readily available to me for the past 14 months, this isn't going to be an easy transition.

But once we're all settled in a new place and have fallen into a new routine with our jobs, then there will be more time to really kick the wedding planning into gear. I have my dress, my bridesmaids know their dresses, the colors are chosen annnnd that's about it. We have a general idea of venues, but nothing is planned. I know I have 8 months, but I feel like that's nothing.

Anyway, bottom line- Yay! I have a big girl job. Mixed feelings on the move. Wedding will be here before we know it!

Please tell me...

2011-06-23T14:15:00.003-04:00

Tell me how in the world I have been in school studying this physical therapy mess for a year and then I turn around to study for my licensing exam and I feel like I've forgotten EVERYthing?? I better know my stuff because people's LIVES are in my hands. Say someone had a doppler study for a DVT this morning and the results aren't back yet? You better believe I'm not touching them till they're in the clear. It's dang scary! There is such a huge range of information and it's all so specific. For example-

What's rearfoot valgus? Oh, just an eversion of the calcaneus with a neutral subtalar joint. What is an anticholinergic prescribed for? Parkinson's disease, to decrease tremors. If you want to relieve symptoms of chronic trochanteric bursitis using ultrasound, what settings would you use? Probably a frequency of 1 MHz on continuous mode. A patient is exhibiting a Trendelenburg gait- what muscles are weak? The abductors- gluteus medius and minimus of course!

You get the picture.

Less than a week away from exam day. Pray for me please and thank you!

I Cooked!

2011-06-17T13:53:00.002-04:00

Ethan is so good to me. He works until 8 and still comes home and makes us dinner. (While I have been doing what? Napping, laying out by the pool, watching t.v. and reading? You bet.) I decided that I should step up my game and cook him dinner for a change. So last night I made this meal:

I don't think it looks half bad! Now, I could lie to you and tell you that everything was just peachy and delicious and worked without a hitch, but that's not exactly the case.

The mashed potatoes were from a box, so I can't take credit for that. The green beans I make all the time, so I've basically gotten them down to perfection. (Think Outback- garlic salt and butter.) The mac & cheese I'd never made before, but holy moly. Delish. Ethan refused to even take a bite because he's a weirdo and hates the dish. I still don't understand how I'm marrying someone who can't stand such a southern classic. Just kidding.

Now let's talk about the fried chicken. I've never made fried chicken. I don't think I've even been around while someone was making fried chicken. But I had the guts to try it out anyway. So I soaked the chicken in milk for two hours. Seasoned the flour just right. Poured the oil in the pan and turned on the stove. At this point I was feeling pretty confident about it all. I put the first few pieces in- got popped by hot oil a few times. Took it out and placed it on a plate and thought "well this is just too easy". So I put the next few pieces in and the oil popped and fizzed a lot more furiously the second time. The batter was immediately turning black and I realized that apparently medium heat is too high. The smoke got thicker and the vent was not helping. The smoke alarm went off. Yeah. It did. I dropped the pan into the sink. (No, I didn't turn the water on. I AM smarter than that.) I opened the sliding door to the patio and it was still just as cloudy as ever. Luckily fanning the smoke detector a few times made it shut up. I walked back to the kitchen and just frowned. Of course, right then Ethan walks in the door and fans it open and closed a few times. I said "I tried". He said nothing, but with a smirk on his face, went to go get the fan out of the bedroom so help ventilate the place.

He was nice about it all and said that it looked really good and decided he still wanted to eat it. Too bad the middle was still a bit pink in some of the pieces. So after a couple of minutes in the microwave and a load of ketchup later, the chicken was deemed edible. I was still pouty, but E insisted that it was still a good meal. If only he would have eaten the mac & cheese... ;)

It will be a while before I gather the courage up to do THAT again.

Oh, hello there little blogsy...

2011-06-14T19:44:00.006-04:00

Seeing as how it has been almost one year since I have written anything, I imagine I have a little bit of updating to do.

School is over and done with. I graduated May 6- Cum Laude, I am very proud to say. It was tough. My life was practically consumed with nothing but studying, writing papers, finishing projects, working diligently through clinicals (or as I like to call it, working for free. Experience, exshmerience. Just kidding.) and countless sleepless nights. It was so hard to find time to

spare for much else (not to mention energy), so my time was spent with my class- my pseudo family for the year.

Although it was the hardest thing I have ever done, I loved it and am so happy to say that I made it! Luckily I had some insane support from my family and boyfriend. Well, fiancée now. But more on that later :)

I was fortunate enough to have two job offers before I even graduated- one of which I accepted. It's a secret for now, for reasons I can't exactly explain without giving too much away. All I am waiting on now is for the dreaded boards exam date to arrive- June 29. Once I find out the results and get my license (cross your fingers and your toes) then I'll be able to spill my secret.

Back to the whole fiancée thing.

Ethan proposed on May 16! Which is kind of perfect because I have always said I would not even think about getting married until I graduated college. Well, I thought plenty about it before then but at least the ring didn't come 'till after! If you're completely out of the loop, he and I have been together for a year (next month) but have had secret crushes on each other for years. About 8 years in fact. It's crazy how things eventually fall into place. Wedding planning is overwhelming, but definitely fun. March will be here before we know it!

I Need a Vacation

2010-06-22T18:14:00.003-04:00

Obviously I have been terrible at blogging and I feel like this is the time where I should be doing it the most. I've been in Charleston for a little over a month and in school for 3 weeks. Before I say anything else about school, let me just say I love it. I really do. I have never enjoyed learning as much as I do right now. I think it has to do with the fact that I know I will be utilizing all of this information in my career - as opposed to the mindless work I feel like I have been exposed to for... oh I don't know, the past 14 years of my educational experience. I get so excited when the things I'm learning come together and make sense! So yes, I am positive that I love what I am doing. With that being said, I have never felt so drained as I do right now. Let me describe a typical day.

My alarm goes off at the offensive hour of 6 AM. (The first two weeks of school, you better believe I got up right then too! Now, it's more like 6:30...) I'm out the door by 7:20 and get to school at 7:45 (if not earlier). Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have lecture. That means I sit in class until 3 PM taking notes, with a 30 minute lunch break at 11:15 (I am 98.7% positive I will have developed carpal tunnel by next May). Tuesdays and Thursdays I have lab until 2:15. I might stay late if my teachers are able to stay as well so that we can study a little more with the equipment and models. Typically I get home at about 3:45. I take a some time to check email and just relax with a blank mind and then it's back to work. I study and do homework until it's time to go to sleep. And that ranges anywhere from 11 PM - 4:30 AM (Yes. I stayed up studying until 4:30 one morning. Not the most pleasant of days, I assure you.) . And then I'm back at it all over again.

But I really do love it! It's just SO much information and SO much work and SO much studying. I'm doing well though. So far. I have room for improvement, but I'm realizing what adjustments I need to make in my prioritizing and such. It's kind of crazy that I've been at it for 3 weeks already... luckily, the time goes by relatively fast. It will be May 2011 before I know it and I'll stop and say, whoa, where did that time go? (That's my hope anyway, ha.) Hopefully the same will ring true for the next 2 weeks. They are crazy busy, packed with all sorts of major things- exams, papers, lab practicals... But then I have a week off! Still, it will be full of assignments due that following week, but at least I will have a chance to sit, breathe and SLEEP.

That's all for now.. off to start a paper, finish a PowerPoint, and study for a quiz.

p.s. I know I am neglecting all of my relationships and I promise I'm sorry for that. Talk to you in a year?

Home Sweet Home

2010-05-24T23:02:00.004-04:00

I'm officially in Charleston for good. Or at least for the next year. I love it here, always have. I know this is where I belong, it makes me happy and I feel at home. But it still hasn't quite hit me that I'm not just visiting. I guess that realization will smack me in the face as soon as school starts (aka- Monday. yikes!). So I'm living with my BFFL for the next month until my other friend's lease runs up and I move in with her. It'll be so much better once I get situated and am not living out of bags. But as for now, I'm living the life I wish I always had- waking up without an alarm, laying by the pool or going to the beach and finally getting ready for the day around 5pm. Why can't I get paid for that? I think I do it pretty well...

oh, p.s.

lemme give a shout out to all you people out west. I'm so sorry it's snowing. That's the grossest thing I've ever heard. Just another reason why the South is where it's at!! haha :)

I Love My Mom

2010-05-09T23:32:00.002-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom ever! She is one of my closest friends and confidants and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Her humor is tops, she motivates and inspires me daily, and I appreciate her unwavering love and understanding of me. It has been so fun working so close to her (even though I live with her)- when I move, I will definitely miss stopping by when bored and going to lunch together when we can. Thanks so much, Mom, for all that you do and all the sacrifices you make for me. I love you!!

SEG Update

2010-04-15T14:57:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago I got on the elevator and SEG was there. He smiled and said hi and I actually spoke clear English to him! I was very happy with myself. But today, I am sitting up front at the reception desk with a clear view of the elevators and I see a back of a head that is unfamiliar to me. GASP. I know that hot man swagger. NO. HE. DID. NOT. I immediately had the following gmail chat with MaryEllen:

me: SEG got a hair cut and i'm not so sure i'm diggin it......
MaryEllen: bahaha
now he's NSSEG (not so sexy elevator guy)
me: aww.... you're right :( :(
hahah
i liked it a little shaggy and now it's all business.
MaryEllen: he just needs a mullet ;)
me: bahah GROSS
MaryEllen: i just ate a really gross apple.....

hahah she is my friend because she is SO good with transitions. Anyway. I think that little hair cut might have killed it for me. Sad. Our fake future was shaping up so nicely....

Glee!

2010-04-14T13:58:00.006-04:00

The new season of Glee started last night. Oh what a fabulous birthday present to me! haha. My fave song of the night was definitely Finn's version of The Doors' "Hello, I Love You".

Past all time favorites:

Puck singing "Sweet Caroline".

Rachel singing "Don't Rain On My Parade". I think I favor this simply because it brings back childhood memories of watching Barbara Streisand belting it out in Funny Girl.

Mr. Schuster rockin out to The Police.

Smile, Charlie Chaplin cover because I just love that song.

Rachel and Kurt belting out "Defying Gravity" because, well, obviously.

And I could just go on but then I'd probably just end up with the track list of season one's soundtrack! I'm a huge GLEEK.

Children.........................

2010-04-09T16:58:00.002-04:00

Let me preface this by saying I love my nephew.

It's a beautiful day today AND I got to leave work at 2, so basically that's an equation for perfection. I decided to take advantage of this and go to the park and get my jog on. I was rounding the corner, nearing the end (not to mention wanting to keel over, but thats not important) when i noticed some bikes entangled right in the middle of the path. I thought, well awesome, I'm going to either have to stop running and lose momentum or run around them and into the grass (which i'm not really sure why the creators of this park thought this was a good idea, but its dangerously close to a hill. One wrong step and I'd be taking a pretty sweet tumble and sounding a little something like this.) So anyway, I got closer and all of a sudden two or three little punk kids jumped out of the tall grass screaming "RAAAWWWRRRR!!!" Really kids? REALLY. Obviously it startled me as I shouted some sort of scared/ surprised/ annoyed gasp and gave them the look of death. Seriously, I think one dropped dead. It took all I had to keep moving and not release the series of choice words running through my mind. Anyway the point of this is that today I do not like children very much. Those little jerks need to be tased. And if their parents were in the park as well, I would have loved very much to grab the brats by the collars and drop them in their laps. Seriously though, what if I had been a little old lady? I could have had a heart attack. And died. Then they would have had that on their little rotten consciences. Ha okay I'm done. This is just getting ridiculous.

SEG

2010-03-19T15:55:00.003-04:00

Today is the most boring day at work. I guess after having crazy busy days the past few weeks, I'm not used to all this down time. Not to mention the fact that it is a beautiful 79 degrees today. Nobody should be forced to be indoors on a day like this, especially after what I think has been the longest winter in the history of my life. ANYWAY. Earlier I had an experience that had the potential of being the highlight of my day. But no, sadly I am a coward and gave it up. Here's the story:

Pretty much since I've started working here at F&P, I have admired this ridiculously attractive guy that works on my same floor. I call him Sexy Elevator Guy, but we'll shorten it to SEG for blogging purposes. I see him pretty often, a few times a day, about 3 or 4 days a week. Usually just in passing but more often at the elevators (hence the name). Then there are the very few occurances that we hitch the same elevator to our perspective floors (the office he works for is on two floors, the other (not mine) is where he goes most often. I assume.) When passing each other in the lobby it is pretty easy to advert my eyes and not have to give an awkward hello. Which is what I do. But when stuck in an elevator together, well thats just a whole new level of awkward. Not saying anything is rude and trying to squeak out a hi is embarassing. So I more often than not choose the rude path. BUT today I get on and tah-dah! SEG is already on it going down to the first floor as well. He looks at me and gives a smile and says "hey". What do I do? Oh, I say hey back while looking down and then quickly look up to the screen that rolls news clips and pretend like I'm very interested in what happened in hockey this week. I don't care about hockey!! What was I doing?! I realized I was being dumb. Just two days ago I rode the elevator with SEG's coworker (we'll call him LAEG- less attractive elevator guy) and had looked right at him and said, "Hey, I feel like I should know your name since I see you all the time." LAEG tells me his name, shakes my hand as I tell him mine. He then asks me about a guy that used to work with me, I proceeded to tell him a humorous story of how the door man thought that he (my old coworker) and I were dating, made him laugh, then proceeded to be on our separate ways. So tell me people. Why can I be normal with one person and not the other? Obviously attraction turns me into a nervous bumbling idiot. Not. Cool. And the funny thing is, SEG isn't even really all THAT hot. The receptionist and I decided he's more like a Monet. Pretty from far away and then once you get close, you're just like eh, okay thats a little messy. But much like Water Lilies, I still find that SEG peaks my interest. No clue why. I most definitely do not expect to ever know him as anything but SEG, but I guess when you're this bored with your life, you take what you can get to spice up your day. Maybe I'll get another chance to be a normal human being with SEG before my last day. I'll let you know how that goes..

P.S
Just needed to share this tid bit- At dinner the other day, my dad's friend asked me how the love life was. As always, my answer was "non-existant". He said he figured and then said that once I move to Charleston, if I can't find a boyfriend there, maybe I'd have better luck finding a girlfriend. WHAT! Who says that... And why is everyone always so concerned with people being single? I promise it's not so bad.

Oh Sweet Carolina

2010-03-05T15:26:00.009-05:00

Alright, so my hatred might have been a little irrational earlier this week. Today is a beautiful day! I ditched my car at work and decided to walk my Main Street errands. I snapped this pic:

and sent it to Stephanie. She's in Idaho right now and she sent me one in return with the caption "the beautiful state of Idaho". Here it is:

Hahahah. Oh man. I'll take fickle weather ANY day over that. But she did make up for it by sending this one:

No matter the state, a temple is a gorgeous sight. I'd just prefer it to be in the south:) Speaking of the south... I just had some boiled peanuts. Perfection!

Good Times in Utah

2010-03-02T21:09:00.003-05:00

For the past week I've been visiting my lovely best friend Stephanie in Utah. It was so nice to get away for a bit and have a nice break from work. It wasn't nearly as cold as I expected- when i got home it definitely felt colder here! I had a great time catching up with friends and getting to know a few new people. I felt a little guilty being there though because my grandma died last Friday so Mom, Heather & Nathan were in Wisconsin for her memorial service. I took that kind of hard because I feel like I haven't made much effort to stay in contact with her lately. I guess I felt like I knew she was coming back here soon so it wasn't a big deal. Finding out she passed away was a bit of a reminder that you never know when your or any one else's time is to go. Anyway, I started to really like being in Utah. I've always liked it there but never like this. I seriously considered staying! I never thought I'd find myself saying this but.. well, I like mountains. (Of course not more than beaches!) But I did find myself looking out the window of the plane and thinking, hmm I'm really going to miss those. Insanity. AND walking in the door from visiting with Heather for a bit, the first thing I said was "I hate South Carolina right now." NEVER have those words come out of my mouth. But really, it's snowing right now! It didn't even snow while I was in Utah. There is something very wrong with this. I'm so ready for this cold weather to be gone so I can be a happy person again haha.. Seriously cold just sucks the life out of me! But even with this crazy confused weather, there is just no place like Carolina and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

new year, new life

2010-01-31T22:31:00.005-05:00

i went into this year with the utmost optimism. so many exciting things are ahead and i was absolutely positive that everything was going to be fantastic and work out flawlessly. we're only a month into the year and i feel like i've already had more opposition than i can take. the only things that are holding me together are my family, some of the best friends that a person could have and knowing that Heavenly Father will not give me more than I can handle. obviously He knows i'm a lot stronger than i think am. i've always been a strong believer that EVERY thing happens for a reason. while i might not like the way some things have turned out, i know that it is all for the best and in the end i will be such a stronger and happier person. it is definitely going to take a long time before i am completely ok but it hasn't even been a week and i can already see a huge improvement from where i was. all i can say is that when you have the faith to turn to the Lord for strength and comfort, even at the times where you think you deserve His help the least, He will bless you. but i know for a fact that through this experience, after a few life changes and some healing i will be an improved person.

on the bright side, i got to spend SO much time with my terrific sister and nephew this week. it is amazing what a child's spirit can do for you.

2009 Wrap Up

2009-12-31T10:32:00.002-05:00

You've heard it time and time again, but it really is true- as you get older, the years go by so much faster. Honestly it feels like New Year's Eve 2008 in Charleston was just yesterday! (which, let's be honest, is going to be pretty hard to top.) All in all I've had a pretty good year. Spring semester was as easy AND enjoyable- can't get any better than that! Summer was amazing. My friends and I talk all the time about how much we miss it. There was such a good group here and we did lots of fun things. In the fall I got serious about getting my act together and as of a few weeks ago I can say that it paid off- I got my acceptance letter!! So sitting here on the last day of the year, I am looking forward to all that the new year that has in store. I'll keep working full time at the job that I love so much until May when I make the move down to Charleston. Going back to school after an entire year off will be an adjustment, but a very exciting one. 3 more semesters and then I am completely done? I just cannot fathom how amazing that will be. But as for now, I am trying to endure this ridiculously long day until I'm off to Charlotte with my two besties to bring in the new year. One last get together before our beloved Stephanie leaves us for Utah. Can't wait for shopping tomorrow!!! Have a safe and happy New Year! Love you all!

we gonna talk about people... we gonna talk about places, we gonna talk about fangas!

2009-11-04T15:59:00.012-05:00

http://www.hulu.com/collections/315/102975 --if you're wondering whats up with my title. (go picabo, go picabo)

halloween weekend was packed with things. let's talk aboot it. i managed to get myself a day off from work, so i drove down to charleston thursday night. i got to spend some time with my lovely friend tara. it was fabulous- i never get time with her anymore!

then friday morning i met with the head of the physical therapist assistant program at trident. that's right folks, i'm actually doing something with my life!! can i just tell you that it feels terrific?! anyway, i really enjoyed meeting with her, she's super nice and down to earth (ummm what does that even mean anyway??). i chatted with her for about 45 mins. i think we drifted off the subject of school more times than expected for a conversation with someone 25ish years older than me, who i'd never even met. anyway, laughter was involved and i love anyone that makes me laugh so basically i think i'll love having her as a teacher. she told me that as long as i had everything turned in by mid december, i should have a pretty great chance of getting into the program summer semester. i got all of my applications squared away that same day and transcripts as of yesterday. (today i'm working on finding places to get my observation hours done. 40 hours! whheeeww) so let's all cross our fingers for me that things pan out.

friday night bryant, maryellen, kyle and i went to boone hall for their haunted hayride. hahahh i can't even really describe this experience. just know that the zombies/monsters/ghosts could smell my fear and went at me more than i would have liked. and of courrrrsseee you had to go through a cornfield to get back after the ride. and of couuursseee there were children running amuck in said fields asking to play games and grabbing at our ankles. needless to say, ellen and i linked arms and power walked our way to the end.

saturday i had a goodtimes afternoon with ellen and kyle (bryant of course couldn't miss clemson football!). we saw where the wild things are (still not sure what i think about that movie!) and played some beatles rockband till our arthritis kicked in. for halloween night tara and jenny had a party. my costume, which i'm dang proud of is here:

yep! i was flo the progressive insurance girl. i'm not quite sure i'll be able to out do that one next year. it was a lot of fun trying out liquid eyeliner for the first time (but i'll never use it in real life) and drum roll please, a bumpit! bahaha. it was kind of a pain trying to figure out how to use it. the commercials make it look so easy! fyi, it's not. i think it's mostly because i don't know how to tease my hair. when you're from the south, the humidity does that for you. but honestly, i kind of liked it. again, i'll never use it in real life but it was fun nonetheless. and if you watched the video up at the top, fyi, i rocked the picabo dance a few times. wooooo.

so that's all i got for ya. enjoy this weather while it lasts- i know i am!

can you name that late 90's pop music reference?

2009-10-20T21:48:00.003-04:00

let's please talk for a second about how much i hate this cold weather. i'll be really honest with you- i'm an incredibly sweaty person. so you'd think that i would love cold weather. wrong. sweaters just make me hot and and itchy and uncomfortable. and we all know the story of sitting in church where it is about 98 degrees inside and 20 below outside. am i right, or am i right? so heat (other than heat from the sun) makes me feel like i'm suffocating. which brings me to my car. the inside of a car on a brisk morning is no ray of sunshine. but once the heat finally decides to grace me with its presence, i literally feel like a pillow is being shoved over my face and i can't breathe. so off goes that heat. anyway, so since it has been so cold in the mornings lately, my car has felt the need to make the most wretched of noises when accelerating or idling (at least, this is what my dad has told me is the reason. i think my car is thinking of suicide and is just trying to prepare me for it). anyway, so i come home from work and throw on a hoodie, wrap up in blankets and lay on the couch for three hours. i literally don't move at all. straight up paralyzed. (which reminds me of sleep paralysis. i will never forgive you R&B for bringing that crap into my life!!) so yes, i wrapped up in a blanket cocoon and watched Hercules. ummm can i just say that that is not one of disney's best? i really thought i liked it... falling asleep half way through might have caused me to miss the good parts, but really. does anyone like that movie? enough complaining.

i really like finding different photographers websites and looking through their portfolios. i found one today that i love love love. it's called kickstand studio. i don't know all the photography terms to tell you why i like it, but i just do. i think it might have a lot to do with the fact that it's local so i recognize a lot of the places where sessions were shot. that AND i recognize a few of the people in the pictures too. looking through this portfolio made me realize that i'm strangely drawn to shots with interesting couches or chairs placed in obscure places. why??

so now i'm watching tarzan and the opening is blessing my ears with phil collins' beautiful voice. (we went through old vhs tapes the other day and i pulled out a few that i wanted to watch before we got rid of them. that's what's up with my random disney watching...) anyway, is it weird that i love mr. collins? am i the only one?

i can't cut a straight line, but at least it's cake day.

2009-10-07T19:21:00.006-04:00

i learned something today at work- i can not for the life of me cut a straight line. i was given four of the same instruction cards all on different sheets of paper to laminate. my first thought was, why would you not put these tiny cards all on one sheet. helllooo environment?? green movement?? now, in actuality, i thought this because four sheets of paper meant more cutting and more cleanup. but let's just pretend. so anyway, as i'm cutting, the edge of the paper just got closer and closer to the text. so my finished product i'm sure looked like it came out of a third grade classroom. and that's actually probably insulting to third graders. luckily it wasn't anything important. but, i'll just chalk it up to my lack of scrapbooking in the past year.

so today is wednesday which means lottery day, the most dreaded of days in my work week. i don't mind going to buy the tickets. i don't even mind collecting everyone's money once a week while they each proceed to make some sort of tired, generic "you better make us some winners this week" comment. but what i do mind is the insane amounts of change that people give me to turn in. A- i hate counting change- you can never get that metal smell off your hands. B- i hate counting said change to give to the woman that works at the gas station. i look like a drug addict scrounging for nickels and dimes hoping to score a few extra dollars to support my (enter your drug of choice here) habit. but whatevs.

today was one of those days where when i got back to the office after running an errand, i sat in my car in the parking garage, listening to "sexy back" and not wanting to walk back in. now, let it be said that i absolutely love my job. i know i have it made. an average day consists of, facebooking, gchatting, online browsing and sudoku. with a bit of copies, scans, errands, and special projects thrown in here and there. i do have some really busy days though.. anyway, back to my boring day. so i spent a lot of the day trying not to die of boredom and moreover, trying to contain the incredible desire to hack my feet off. for some reason every few weeks i decide hey, i'll wear heels today. my feet won't hurt that bad. WRONG. gets me every time. so today i made it to about 3:00 before i wanted to die. as i was walking (more like stumbling) to my car at the end of the day, it took everything i had in me not to take them off and hook them on my fingers like a drunk girl downtown at the end of the night. i'll talk to you next month when i think "oh, it wasn't that bad" and make the same mistake again. but on the upside, it was cake day (yeah, that's right. we have cake day. haha once a month for birthdays we have a cake. and it is a very important day. don't mess with cake day.)

side note: yesterday i bought the best water bottle ever. if you're a big water drinker, or want to drink more water, please invest in a camelbak better bottle.

i swear i drank more water yesterday afternoon than i ever have in one day. that actually might not be true, but regardless, i refilled it 4 times from 6pm till i went to bed around midnight. so clearly i'm a definite advocate of the better bottle. go get one! http://www.camelbak.com/sports-recreation/bottles/better-bottle-75L.aspx

"even when life is dull, nothing puts a spring in your step like a sick pair of shoes!!" -jane aldridge

2009-10-03T00:32:00.020-04:00

over the past month and a half, i have shopped more frequently than i probably ever have. and ya know what? i loved it. i might have spent a little bit of a ridiculous amount of money but i pride myself on the fact that i rarely ever buy anything full price. want to see a few of my favorite purchases? good. because i'm going to show you.

this is a ring that i bought at the greek festival. random, i know! i rarely buy things from vendors or any place where i have to plunder to find things. but i walked under this one particular tent just following my mom and was immediately drawn to it. i wear it almost every day and it is a new favorite.

these beautiful things were an amazing find at banana republic. a complete steal at half their original price! i haven't worn them yet- i'm still trying to think of a good outfit for them. but they are surprisingly comfortable!!

these boots are amazing suede wonders that i had the pleasure of wearing for the first time this evening. these i actually did pay full price for, but they were only about $40. they were a little rough on the balls of my feet.. but then again, i was standing for about 4 hours. nothing a couple of insoles can't fix! they made me probably a little over 6 foot, but like i've said, i have learned to embrace, and maybe even love, my height. of course i get comments, but mostly it's from guys who are most likely already insecure about their average heights. sorry boys, i love fabulous shoes, and they tend to include a pretty good sized heel.

this shirt has a fun story along with it. i saw it in a monthly mailer sheet that i get from the limited and liked it. a week later while online browsing, i stumbled upon it again and decided i really liked it. then while in the store last weekend i tried it on and that like turned to love. i had a $15 money card and the shirt was $50, so i said 'done!'. well, i went to the counter and lo and behold, it was friends and family weekend (that means 40% off)!! as if that wasn't amazing enough, i was still able to use my student discount (YES! not many people know this but, show them your student id and you get 15% off anything!) so i ended up getting 55% off this shirt that i was so ready to pay almost full price for. so in the end, it was only about $24. i wore it the next day with a black cardigan and a black pencil skirt. loved it!

okay, so this last thing i didn't buy but it needs to be mentioned. it's fall now, so that means it's time to switch up the fragrance. i bought burberry summer back in april and can i just say how much i have loved it?! i still have a little less than half in the bottle so i might still sneak it in every now and then. anyway, my mom bought new perfume and decided it wasn't for her. a little skeptical at first- i mean, really, who just gives someone an entire bottle of perfume just because? i wore it one day just to try it out. one day has turned into three consecutive days and i've grown a strong attachment to it. it's pretty light and it lasts all day. so next time you're around some cosmetic counters, check out the juicy couture scent! (spray it on. i think it smells different on than in the bottle.)

and to leave you with, here are two things i've had my eye on. theres a brown zebra print scarf from the limited and a big buddha bag. the style is tribeca and they have it in green, purple, brown and this orange color that i love. i'm pretty sure they'll be in my closet sooner than later.

sorry this post was so superficial. but these things make me giddy. you might see a lot more of them. but then again, if you're reading this, you know me and know that i love to shop. and when i say "you", i mean my sister bc i'm pretty sure she's the only one that reads it. hahaha so hi ya sis! (and i'm not sure why the last few paragraphs are underlined. i couldn't fix it :(

wow.

2009-09-18T20:43:00.004-04:00

so basically, i am a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad blogger. this might be because i feel like my life isn't interesting enough to write down and share with you. or it could be that i honestly forgot i even started a blog until my sister called me out on never updating! a lot has happened since april, so i guess i'll give some of the highlights.

- i lived with my best friend, sam, for the summer. although our schedules rarely meshed and she was out of town for about three weeks straight, it was so much fun having that time with her!

- i spent a lot of time with some people from the branch and got to know them a lot better. stephanie and i got to be great friends... she lived one apartment complex over- there was a hole in the fence so we could just walk on over! one of the most fun things we did as a ysa group was go on a canoe trip in augusta. the savannah river is absolutely fantastic! a direct quote from that day was "it was a lot of fun. dogs were bought, people were hit by boats."- ryan jennings. andrea really did buy a dog off the side of the road. and i got hit in the shoulder by a motor boat (not quite the crisis that it sounds, i assure you). on the way home, a few of us went to the drive in theater. it was a very long day but oh so much fun.

- my nephew was born! june 12 (only three days before my prediction!) around 12:30 a.m at 8 1/2 lbs and 20 1/4 inches. he was such a gorgeous newborn! holding him for the first time was the best feeling- being so close to something so perfect, a spirit who had just left our Heavenly Father, completely untouched by the world. how special that was. i haven't been around him nearly as much as i should, but it has been so much fun watching him grow.

- i have yet another life plan. but i'm pretty positive this one is it! hahha so here it is- i'm taking the year off from school, working (some what) full time. then in april/ may sometime i plan to move to charleston (about time, i know.) and finish up school at trident. their physical therapy assistant program starts a semester earlier than midlands (and i refuse to go back there anyway). so i would start in the summer semester and be done with school by the following spring. hopefully!

anyway, i think what would help me keep up with my blogging would be actually having something to write about. i don't have a very exciting life at the moment, so there's nothing really there. i'm not an insomniac of any sort anymore so i'll be needing to change the name of this as well...

your life is wherever you are.

2009-04-25T21:45:00.002-04:00

i was just watching marley and me and jenny said "your life is wherever you are". and that's pretty applicable to my life right now... basically, i don't want to be in columbia anymore. i don't know what i want to do with school. so. i'm going to take some time off from school and figure out WHERE i'll be happiest before i decide WHAT will make me happy. school wise anyway. i'm young, i have lots of time and i'll always regret it and wonder what if? if i don't do this now. my sister has her baby in june and i would hate not being around for that. my family is here, my friends (well, some of them anyway), my job, my school, everything i have ever known has been here, my life is here. but, i guess my life is wherever i am. and it won't be here much longer.

no longer a mommy :(

2009-03-17T22:05:00.004-04:00

yesterday i gave cooper over to her new daddy. i'm really sad about it but i just really did not have the time to spend with her that she needed and deserved. the guy seemed pretty nice and i think it'll be the best thing for her. i'm such a ninny and started crying as i handed her over to him. it was weird coming home later that day and not having her race to the door to meet me... agh, but besides that it was a stupid day yesterday and i'm glad it's over. anyway, it was the first day back to class for me after spring break. can i just say i'm so ready for summer??
marlee gets married this friday! yaaayyy :D so i'll be down in florida (AGAIN!) this weekend. but i'm excited. can't wait to see my dress all put together. annnnd i'm excited to ride back home with austin and laura. 5 whole hours with my lovely friend who i haven't spent much time with in wayyy too long!!

march!

2009-03-05T22:32:00.002-05:00

for one thing, i'm really sick of being cold. so hooray for good times weather this weekend!
for another, last weekend was a terrible one. i went to charleston to stay with tara for the night and felt like a scared mother for the first time in my life. i brought cooper with me and while we went to publix i put her in her kennel and left her in the garage. i felt kind of weird about it and thought maybe we should close the garage door. anyway, she ended up getting out of her kennel and i had somebody call me (i.e. drunken neighbor from new years) asking if i had a black lab named cooper. worst feeling ever. so anyway, saturday morning i drove to florida to get fitted for my bridesmaid dress for marlee's wedding. i love the geralds so of course that was nice being there. but on my way back home, before i even got on the interstate, i got in a wreck. i was paying attention to cooper and didn't see the person in front of me stop. excellent. of course i was shakey and crying anyway bc i know how terrible getting hit is but when we pulled into a parking lot i saw her go to her backseat and pull out a baby. i lost it and started bawling. by the time i finally got back on the road to go home i think it took me about an hour to actually calm down. ugh. so now i have an awesome $150 ticket and $500 deductible to pay. sooo that's fun.
anyway, i'm ready for spring break. although, i'm not really sure why bc i'm working 8:30-5 every day. but it'll be nice i guess...

spring?!

2009-02-09T22:35:00.002-05:00

i'm a full believer that sunshine can cure everything. for the past few days the weather has been absolutely amazing and it has put me in a great mood! the rest of the week is supposedly going to be about the same and i love it! it just makes me hate the fact that i have to go to work and be indoors for much longer than i would like. i would love nothing more than to be outside playing with cooper all day. hate responsibilities!

25 things

2009-01-28T22:59:00.003-05:00

i've been tagged in this on facebook about 5 or 6 times, so i guess i'll finally do it. here are 25 things you may or may not have known about me.

1. i don't have a favorite color.
2. i love to sleep.
3. i get bored with things more often than not, therefore, i like change.
4. if you make me laugh, i love you.
5. i'm taking spanish and i want so badly to learn it now!
6. pictures are the best.
7. i plan trips when i'm bored that i will never take. most recent: puerto rico. RT ticket and 5 night hotel stay for $415, who's with me??
8. i have just recently learned to appreciate, love and embrace my height.
9. i love reading books that you never want to put down. i hate finishing them.
10. i love being near the water and in the sun.
11. i have broken my left wrist and right ankle. funny stories if you ever care to hear them...
12. i'm stubborn, impatient and indecisive but i promise i have good qualities too.
13. i miss art class.. i was just mediocre but i really enjoy painting and drawing!
14. i have a lot of best friends, all for very different reasons.
15. new clothes make me really really really happy.
16. honestly, i've never had a memorable birthday.
17. i think ice cream is good no matter what time of day it is or what the weather is like.
18. i appreciate almost every genre of music.
19. i really miss playing tennis.
20. i hated high school. whoever said those were the best years of your life lied. i wouldn't relive it if you paid me.
21. i am so very very excited to get a nephew in june!
22. there's nothing like the feeling of walking in soccer cleats. or a great pair of heels.
23. mascara is my favorite kind of makeup.
24. i bought a black lab puppy today and i absolutely adore it.
25. there are so many exciting things happening this year and i just can't wait for it all!

spring semester.

2009-01-13T21:11:00.003-05:00

so today was the first day of classes for me... it was a pretty long day. i had to be at school at 9:30, went to work then went to class again and finally got home a little after 8. ridiculous! but i'm surprisingly in a really great mood! no idea why. but it's nice to be happy, (or really smiley as andrea and bax put it the other day..) for no reason. i like it! anyway, so i really like my spanish class and i'm excited to learn. i've been talking with marlee the past few days about bridesmaid dresses. yaayy! i'm so excited for her. everybody is getting married! i wrote down three weddings in my planner the other day. haha love it...

2009!!

2009-01-08T13:32:00.004-05:00

yay for the new year! new year's eve was a lot of fun- if you weren't at tara's party, yes, you missed out. so next week it will be back to the... what's that expression? eh, i don't remember. but i start classes next tuesday. hopefully it will be the easiest semester of my life and really help boost my gpa. especially after this wretched fall semester. that'll teach me for being lazy i guess! this year i made a list of resolutions instead of making just one. that way, if i keep at least one, i won't feel like such a failure. hahah. the one that i really hope i keep is to try to be a nicer person. so, good luck to me.
i wrote down a lot, but most are more like goals rather than resolutions so i'll share some of those too. i want to volunteer... even though i work and will be going to school, both of those don't really take up that much time. i think it would be fun. not sure where or doing what, but i'll figure it out. also, i'm going to read the entire book of mormon this year. i always get side tracked and never seem to finish it. so. hmm, i know there were others but i can't remember what else i wrote down. ah well. that's a start at least.
also, i am just noticing that the dress i am wearing today makes it appear as though i am with child. just, fyi.

christmas!

2008-12-27T18:09:00.002-05:00

christmas time really is the best time of the year. everyone is just a little nicer and more pleasant, even when everthing around them is crazy and hectic. really spending time with the family is great. each year on christmas eve, we play this game where one person hides a pickle ornament on the tree and everyone else has to find it. whoever finds it with the fastest time wins the present. usually it's a game that we can all play together. this year it was a dice game called farkle. ha, i can't explain it so if you haven't heard of it and care that much go google it. so that was fun. then christmas morning, we got up and went to heather and matt's for breakfast. once we came home i planned on taking a nap- i had to wake up a little earlier than i would have liked- but i got distracted as usual and that nap never happened. so we opened presents, watched movies and started to make dinner. i've noticed that the older i get, the less it really feels like it should be christmas. maybe because the time goes by a lot quicker and it's hard to believe that a whole year really has gone by. maybe it's the fact that i expect to be cold and not have to turn the AC on in the car... ha, that could definitely have something to do with it. the weather is still pretty sick.. dark and drizzly and gross. hate it.
anyway... i've quickly adjusted back to the busy life- and when i say busy i just mean working.. cause work doesn't really keep me too busy. i actually had to work on christmas eve- who does that?? it was an even slower day than usual so they let us go at about 3:30. oh well. but i have a few days off and there's not really anybody around, so i'm bored! i finally got to spend time with sam yesterday. if you've ever gotten me to really open up to you, you know that there aren't many people in my life that i really talk to and tell everything to. mostly because most people aren't good listeners. most people have the instinct to relate a personal story and "trump" yours. i hate that. usually when i talk, i talk to vent, not to ask for advice. it's hard to find people that understand that. so anyway, she's one of those people that i really talk to- it was nice just to get caught up on each other's lives..
this week should be good times.. i'm going to charleston for new years eve. then that weekend is the ski trip! i'm excited about that.. not so much about the having to drive up by myself though... i'm not a fan of long drives alone.. but it will be worth it!

DONE!!

2008-12-19T15:53:00.003-05:00

so the semester is over and done with.. finally. i didn't do as well as i would have liked- and it's all due to lack of trying! i will do much better from now on. i have to. i started my job this week. so far i haven't really done too much, but i think i will really like it there. this week has been crazy boring on account of my dear best frand not being here. but no worries, i will see her tonight!! EXCITED. i have plenty of energy stored up for it because i've gone to bed around 9:30 every night this week. pretty much out of boredom and plain exhaustion. even though i don't really do anything at work, actually having to get up and go places is a big change for me from just these past few months of unemployment haha. so christmas is less than a week away- yess!! and i still haven't really done any christmas shopping. heheh. i tried to do it on monday when i was with laura (which was completely great considering i haven't hung out with her in monnnnthhsss) but i guess i got distracted by sales and ended up being selfish and buying myself a few things. oopsy. but i guess i can go do that right now...

almost done..

2008-12-11T13:29:00.001-05:00

so on tuesday andrea and i randomly decided to pick up and go to charleston. right in the middle of exam week. very responsible, i know. but it was a good time and a nice little stress reliever. i have two more exams- the hardest ones- one tomorrow and one on monday. i'm to the point where as long as i get a c in a&pII i'll be happy. seriously done with that mess. then i start my job, which i'm pretty excited about. i've been unemployed for the past 3-4 months-the first time since i was old enough to have a job. while it was nice to not have responsibilities, the no income part has been the worst. so i'm looking forward to fixing that...

december!!

2008-12-01T23:16:00.002-05:00

writing the date on my notes this morning in biology was a little bit of a shock. december already, really?? crazy. so as suspected, option A is no longer an option. which is okay, things happen for a reason and luckily i already know why that didn't happen. i think i've finally figured out my plan for this next semester but i'm not going to specify what it is until everything is finalized. which will hopefully be very soon. but i feel really good about it and think that it is the best thing for me right now.
so, i'm very excited that the weeks of school are winding down- only 2 more days of class!- but i'm not so excited about the work load that that brings.. i have so much to do tomorrow, i don't even want to think about it. but at least i will feel like i accomplished something (hopefully). i'm never very positive when it comes down to finals time, but i have a friend who for some reason believes in me a lot more than i believe in myself. so it's nice when he calms me down saying, stop it, just study, you're going to do great. i've never thought of myself as one that needed that kind of encouragement and support, but i guess i do...
anyway, as a closing remark, i'm just going to say MAN UP. i think everybody can use that (you can take it literally or not), but there are specific people that i'm talking about. they should know who they are. and if not, well just assume i'm talking about you. life is too short to let yourself be stuck in a rut. say what you mean, mean what you say. say what you feel. feel what you say? ha. it doesn't quite work for that one, but you get the point...

"silly boy" the blue van

..saturday?

2008-11-30T01:17:00.004-05:00

breaks from school always screw me up on the days of the week... hate that. it's funny how when you actually get up in the morning, opposed to later morning/afternoon, you feel like you've accomplished so much more. even though i didn't really do anything, i feel like it was a productive day. i stayed the night with sam last night- i really do miss hanging out with her. it's rare these days :( we finally went to get her nintendo and poor chris was laid up on the couch with a bum knee. i felt like i hadn't seen him in forever- i miss hanging out with my buddy!! so after we were done pestering him we left. our boring selves laid in bed watching say yes to the dress. still good times all the same.. so anyway, i get up with the intentions of going home, showering, then heading over to the munson's lake house to watch the carolina clemson game with her fam and tara and tony. well, i got home only to be sucked into helping getting christmas decorations out of the attic. i HATE the attic. really really. so after doing that and showering, i for some reason decided it was a good time to clean my room.. so by the time i was done with that the game had already started. so i didn't go. which is okay, because they probably would have just been screaming at the tv since it was such a terrible game... reallyy. i got a nap. which makes me happy. but seriously, i wish someone would turn the heat on in my house. i did nothing but freeze all day. later, h & m came over and we all went to look at the lights at saluda shoals park. fun fun. so later i went over to haleigh's to hang out for a bit.. hilarious people. love em. so i'm home from that and pretty tired. i think it'll be a good night for sleeping haha hopefully...

"sitting, waiting, wishing" jack johnson

happy thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T23:07:00.002-05:00

it was a typical thanksgiving, h&m came again this year... and for some reason they thought it would be hilarious to bring up last year. well, we won't go into that but if you know my history of this time last year you know why it was super awkward. i got up, watched a little of the parade then helped mom in the kitchen. food was yummy, family conversation was great. it's always interesting to see the random people that text you on holidays... people you forget you even had in your contact list. anyway, after dinner we watched some episodes of house (that says holiday...) then i was off to babysit. marls called me to tell me she's engaged!!! so exciting. can't wait for bridesmaid dresses... so after a long day and no nap, i'm exhausted.
but since it's thanksgiving, i should probably talk about some of the things i'm thankful for.

awesome friends. great family. the gospel & my testimony. my health. music. technology that allows easy communication. comfortable beds. humor (thats pretty broad, but really. i couldn't live without it...). cameras/pictures. temples. books. the beach & sunshine. alright well, making that list is a little harder than i thought. but those are some basics. hope you all had a wonderful day:)

"rock & roll" by eric hutchinson

well...

2008-11-26T00:25:00.001-05:00

so years ago, i used some other online journal type thing, but for some reason i abandoned it. i started getting used to actual journal writing and proudly finished my first one back in september. obviously, i'll keep up with that- i really like it. i guess my intention for this is to be for people who i don't see or talk to very often to know what is going on in my life. (side note: i don't capitalize letters unless i have to.. so if that bothers you, well, too bad.) most of my posts will be late at night as i have, for some reason, forgotten how to sleep like a normal human. also, if you notice that i contradict myself a lot, well, that's just me. just go with it, you may not understand it, but hey, neither do i...

i'm ready for 2009. this year has been one of crazy ups and downs for me. i moved back home after one semester away at college, i made terrible decisions, i spent the whole summer working and planning on a move across the country only to change my mind at the last minute (a decision that although i know is what was best, i still think about pretty much every day), i straightened my life out, i made some really great friends, i drifted away from some old ones. everything happened for a reason and as i often say, i have no regrets. yes, there were some daft moments, but everything i have done has made me who i am today. and i'm pretty much a fan of that lady. so why am i so ready for this year to be over? as of now, i have no idea what my i will be doing with myself next year. i have two options and it is driving me insane not knowing what will pan out. one of my major faults is my impatience. it triggers anxiety and stresses me out. i know i need to work on it. option A will be decided december 1. but at this point i don't have control over what happens with that. it is my favorite option but i don't think it will happen. option B is mostly to occur. what are these options?

A: i applied for a live in nanny job in charleston. random, yes. but the way the opportunity presented itself made it seem like it was the right thing to do. it would be the perfect way for me to be able to move out, yet still make/save money and not pay rent. and if chosen, i would be moving there in january.
B: i will stay here, at home, take my one class this semester and work at the law firm from now through the summer and more than likely move out to utah in the fall.

so it is frustrating to me not knowing where i will end up in just a few months. i like plans. i might not always be the one to make them, but i like having one to follow. but then again, i know i should stop worrying about it and just take each day as they come. the other day i was talking with andrea and baxter about what our super powers would be if we had them. their answers were the usual, invisibility and flying... i stayed quiet, thinking, and finally said, i would be able to freeze time. i think, well, i know, that too often i get so caught up in thinking about the future months ahead of me that i forget to slow down and enjoy the days that i'm letting slip away right now. while i know i need to work on that, i still have this feeling that i don't have much to enjoy right now. i know that's not true. i have really spectacular friendships that get better every day. but in the roughest of times i can't help but have the thought of "i'm trying to do what i know is right, why is nothing working out for me the way i want it to?" thats where faith comes in. and this quote by dieter uchtdorf from this past general conference has been a big help- "with hope comes joy and happiness. with hope we can bear our afflictions." so i can only hope that the end of this year will bring closure and this next year can be the beginnings of something great. i expect nothing less.

ps... i love music and i love sharing it with others.
so, go listen to ray lamontagne. "lessons learned" or "i go all to pieces" or "trouble"
well, he's just pretty great...