Jacks, Yurman and Bobbi Brown

Anyone One Out There?

2010-05-05T11:04:00.005-04:00

I'm back! Probably not continuously, but I wanted to drop in and update anyone who still follows this blog. I'm still pursuing my nursing career. I completed my CNA course and got certified, so technically I could work as a CNA in a hospital right now, but I'm not. I'm still at the part time job I've had for 3 years, but I'm also temporarily working for a non-profit organization. In the past few months, I've really gotten involved with this particular organization and I really enjoy helping out. I have sent in my application for nursing school and should hear back within a week or two. I'm so excited, because if I get in, I could possibly start this summer! If not, I would be starting in January, but either way I will be happy to get in!

New York was fun over New Years. My friend and I spent New Years at the last ever Tavern on the Green event. The trip was a ton of fun and I spent wayyy to much money.

On the boyfriend front, I've been seeing someone for a little over 6 months now. He is really the best guy I've ever met. So incredibly sweet, caring, thoughtful, everything. I really like being with him, but I'm not 100% sure there is that special connection just yet. It is crazy to try to judge the whole relationship after only 6 months, so I'm trying not to get too worried about it just yet.

Well I guess I've been MIA from the blog world for so long that I just can't even think of things to say! I hope everyone is well! I hope to be back soon with some good news!

Hi There.

2009-09-17T10:40:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to pop in for a little update, since I haven't been by in a while. I am still pursuing a nursing degree. Last night I completed a CPR training course. It was like a CPR course on steroids because it is for professionals in health care. They also teach you how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator). If you don't know what that is, it is basically like one of those things from the movies and TV shows that doctors use to shock a person's heart. Except with an AED it analyzes what is going on in the heart and delivers the shock itself, if necessary. It is portable so it can be brought to any scene and isn't on a big cart like a defibrillator would be at the hospital.

I really enjoyed my CPR class. I took one back in high school, but it has been so long that I am obviously not still certified. Not only did I not remember most of the rules/procedures, they have all changed so much since I last took the course. I really liked reading in the book about different diseases and how the heart works and all of that good stuff. Most of it was pretty basic, but I was happy to realize that I am super interested in this and excited to get started on my CNA training class.

My CNA training class starts on Oct.12 and I'm really excited. I know it is going to be a nasty job full of the nurses' bitch work, but I can't wait to get in the field and help patients and start learning and experiencing the environment.

I have also signed up to do some volunteering. I start volunteering for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society next week, and have a volunteer interview with my favorite local hospital in October. Hopefully I will also be able to volunteer for the Red Cross and other organizations. I want to be involved in everything I can possibly be involved in, but with school starting that leaves very little time.

As for my boy situation, I now know that talking about it on the blog isn't a curse, because this last guy didn't work out and I didn't even blog about him. Oh well. NEXT!

OH! This is exciting...a friend and I are planning on going to NYC for New Years Eve! I'm so excited. I haven't been to NYC in about 5 years and I can't wait to get back. It is my favorite city, by far. If anyone reading is going to NYC or knows someone who is going for NYE let me know! I've been doing some research, but I just don't know what to do about the actual New Years Eve. There are all access passes for an ass-ton of money, then single bar tickets, and me wanting to be in Times Square...so many things to think about! Any and all suggestions are more than welcome!

Hope all is well with any readers out there!

Major Life Change

2009-08-25T12:59:00.000-04:00

Hey kiddos. Long time, no see. Since I’ve been so MIA from the blog world, I’ve made a huge life decision…I’m going back to school. To be a nurse.

First off, I’ve always had an interest in medicine. I’ve always known I don’t have the drive to become a full-fledged doctor, and I used to be an all or nothing kind of girl. So when deciding on a major in college, I ruled out any medical career and instead chose the safe route: telling myself that with a business degree I would have so many more options; surely there would be ONE I would be passionate about. WRONG.

After 2 years in the business world, and one bachelor’s in business administration later, I have finally decided I detest everything about the business world: the lies, having to be so professional you can’t crack actual jokes, the rigid structure. I stuck around in this field for so long because I was scared of change.

Now it is time for me to kick change in the ass. I’ve done a lot of growing as a person over the past two years, and it is time my professional life reflects my personal life. I want to be passionate about my career. That’s just it - I want a career, not a job. So I explored many possibilities in the medical field such as dental hygiene, etc. Nursing seems to fit my likes, abilities and expectations the best. I’ve talked with family and friends and I’m super excited about it, y’all.

Since I have a business degree, I need to take some more prereq courses before I can apply for nursing school. I have also sent in an application to volunteer at 2 local hospitals. I’ve been sending a cover letter of intent to become a nurse and my resume to doctors’ offices all over the area in need of a front desk person (allows me to use the skills I have while also learning more about the medical field). I’m researching like crazy and really digging my heels in deep. Tonight I have an information session on a CNA training class. I hear super gross things about being a CNA and I understand that they get all of the bitch work, but I need to start somewhere, and if that is the only paying job I can get for the next year or so while I work on my prereqs then that is what I will take. Being a CNA will give me first hand experience with patients and great exposure to the nursing scene.

There are more information sessions for various schools/programs coming up next month, so my goal is to have a set plan by the end of September as to when I expect to be able to apply to nursing school and which degree I will pursue.

Since my life is going in so many different directions right now, I probably will stick to my sporadic posting. As for reading blogs, I just don’t have time anymore and I am SO sorry for that. I truly love reading blogs and keeping in touch with people I have gotten to know, but it isn’t realistic for me right now. I hope you all understand!

If you have any suggestions for my new career path, please do not hesitate to share!

Hey from Oklahoma!

2009-08-14T00:09:00.000-04:00

I've been to Arkansas and Oklahoma on this trip to visit my family.
And I must say it has been amazing. My moms side of the family is in
AR and we went there first. My moms sister remarried about 15 years
ago but I haven't connected with or accepted her new husband into the
family (in my eyes) until this trip. I'm so happy to say that I have
finally, 15 years later, I can call him "uncle". It feels great that I
have grown as a person and am now able to learn from him and love him
as a family member. It sounds cheesy-but true!

I am now in Tulsa and I feel like this is my second home. I love my
dads side of the family so much. They are honestly the nicest people I
know. I'm thinking of looking into moving here if my job search keeps
running dry back home...we'll see!

Just another tid bit - I learned how to shoot a gun on this trip. It's
fun. Haha. I'm def getting one if I ever live on my own. But I need
some practice!

Sent from my iPhone. - This explains the short, choppy message and any
spelling mistakes! I'll report more when I get back!

Blog Pimpin

2009-08-06T11:53:00.002-04:00

Hi there! I don't have much to update from my personal life...but I do want to help out a dear friend who has started her first blog! She is witty and fun and has started her blog to sort of expand on Twitter.

Go over to http://nottwitterblog.wordpress.com to check her out! Her posts will be straight forward, raw thoughts. It is great dry humor to give you more than a 140 character break in your day!

Oh and PS - I am traveling to Oklahoma soon to visit family so I hope to have some posts about my travels!

This One Goes Out to My Runners

2009-07-30T10:11:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm training for a 10k. I have always wanted to get my nutrition right but can't quite figure it out. Now that I'm training, I definitely want to make sure my body is getting what it needs. Does anyone out there know a good website (not mypyramid.gov) that can help me figure out the right nutrition for my body? Preferably without a fee...

Thanks!

Hello Loves

2009-07-29T12:10:00.002-04:00

Yes, I do realize I'm a terrible blogger but at this point in my life I'm not really motivated to change that. So I've decided to just be a sporadic poster until I can get creative and really do this thing right. Until then, I will post updates on the major changes in my life.

Job hunt: The position with the IT company didn't work out. Too bad because I was really excited for it (the $ to be quite frank) but I totally understand because they need a sales person, and I'm not really into that. I'm not bummed out about it either because I know everyting happens for a reason. I'm still sending out resumes and still hunting. I sent out 7 today! Hopefully I will hear back from at least 1!

Home life: I moved back in with my parents this weekend. It's not going too bad. That may be because my mom has been out of town and she is the one that I butt heads with the most. I like how so many thing are free now - that's the best part!

Current job: I'm still not doing much. I have, however, talked to both of my bosses now and they both know where I stand and are willing to help me find something else, I think. There has been no talk of me leaving for certain yet, so I hope to ride this out until I find something permanent.

Boys: Talked to Navy Boy last week about me being OK with him seeing other girls. I was forced to bring it up by The Dentist since The Dentist knows I'm kind of hanging out with another guy. It's all good though and me and Navy Boy are still friends and still talk. I really like him but it just isn't realistic for us to be building a relationship when he is 600 miles away. As for the other boy, my lips are still sealed. You don't know how hard this is for me not to gush on and on about this guy and what's going on. I would love to get y'alls advice on the situation, but I'm still testing out the blog-boy-jinx thing. I hope to find some solid ground with this guy in a month so maybe I'll be able to report back with good news then.

Other: I signed up to run a 10k with my sister in September. I'm nervous but excited and have been pretty dedicated to progressing as a runner this week. Today I hope to do my longest outdoor run yet - 3.65 miles. I know it's not much, but I have super bad shin splints so I have to SLOWLY increase my distance.

Until next time...have a great day!

Changing Jobs is Fun...NOTTTTT

2009-07-15T09:17:00.002-04:00

Ask and you shall receive - thanks for the feedback on that last post! I don't know what I'm doing with my life...but there has been some development since I updated last. I landed an interview with a great firm here in Raleigh. They do IT stuff, but I would be joining as a ‘marketing associate’. I met with the girl Friday who I would be working with and let me just say this: she kicks ass. Not only did she tell me she ‘works hard and plays hard’, but also dropped the F-bomb during the interview. She is only 2 years older than me and seems super fun and outgoing. We instantly clicked and she was relieved to have found someone similar to potentially work with. For this job, we would be going together to events, hosting lunches/dinners, and basically just networking and being the face of the company to drive in business.

So I had a follow up interview with the CEO and COO of the company yesterday. F-bomb girl was also there, which made me feel a little more comfortable. I stumbled over some of my words, and probably could have given better answers, but overall I feel pretty good about the interview. I felt really prepared going in, which also helped. Since F-bomb girl was so excited during our first meeting, I kind of expected to be hired right there on the spot, but I wasn’t, and that kind of disappointed me. They said they were considering a couple other people and they would be in touch (which doesn’t sound good to me). I’m not as confident about getting the job as I was before the interview, but still hopeful.

More on the job front…I had a discussion with one of my bosses yesterday about my ‘future’ and told him that I want to eventually go back to school so I need a job that would allow me to take care of myself financially while also saving up for school. We decided that there isn’t room for me to grow into a position that would allow that at my current company, so it is now known that I am looking for other jobs. My boss even mentioned some names to help me get started and, I think, is even planning on reaching out to some people himself to help me out. I didn’t expect him to do that, so I’m super grateful.

I’m in a weird place now though, because I need to talk to my other boss about it, which can be tough. It is also weird because when discussing with Boss #1, it was kind of implied that I document all of the processes I know then leave, I guess. I feel like that is what he wants because he asked how long he thought it would take for me to get everything documented. So I’m not really sure how long I’m supposed to stick around. I’ll bite the bullet today and talk to Boss #2 and hopefully get some more clarity.

For now, I guess I’ll just stick to looking for marketing jobs, and maybe take some classes at the community college to learn more about graphic design. I’ll keep y’all posted on whether I get offered the ‘marketing associate’ position at the IT firm – say a prayer for me, I REALLY want it!

In boy news, I’m still talking to Navy Boy a few times a week, but haven’t planned a trip down to visit him because of all this job stuff going on right now. There may be another potential boy in my life, but I don’t want to blog about him just yet. It seems like each time I blog about a boy it ends badly, so I’m going to try to wait this one out and see if it is some kind of blog curse. Ha.

Happy Hump Day!

The One Where I Want All of My Problems to be Solved by My Readers

2009-07-07T12:37:00.004-04:00

Readers, I need your help. I need someone to figure out what kind of job I would be happy in. These are some things I want from a job:

-ability to be creative
-lucrative (duh)
-not sit behind a desk all day
-interaction with other people

Is that SOOO much to ask for? Because, apparently it is. I have been dealing with a quiet nuisance that is now SCREAMING at me since graduation in May - I don't know what to do with my life. Do I really want to do marketing? No. Did I just waste 4 years of my life studying marketing? Maybe.

Shit.

I will be talking with my boss in the next couple of days about my future; more specifically, my future at the current company where I only work about 12 hours a week. I have a feeling that after this discussion, I will be without any kind of job (other than babysitting).

So, I realize that I will probably have to go back to school. But my greatest fear is that I will go back for something I don't like and will have wasted not only 4 years of school, but 5 or 6 at this point. What do I want to go back to school for?

Here are some career options I am tossing around in my head right now. I ask of you, readers, to give any feedback you have what-so-ever on these degrees/professions. I want to get as much information possible from as many sources possible before I go and make any more decisions on my future.

Pharmaceutical Rep
School for Advertising/Graphic Design - then a job in this field
School for Dental Hygienist - ditto above

Thoughts?

PS-Sorry I've been MIA lately, but this struggle I'm having with myself is really taking it out of me. I will try to do an update on Navy Boy shortly, and should be getting back to Foodie Friday this week. Thanks for sticking with me!

Navy Boy Update

2009-06-25T09:43:00.003-04:00

Hi! Sorry, I've been MIA. I really have no excuse...but I do have a Navy Boy update! This past weekend, we talked a lot! I cleared the air about how I feel about him, and we both came to the conclusion that we 'like' each other (I feel like I'm in middle school again HA!). But that is just about as far as the conversation went. We didn't discuss the future or anything. He still wants me to come visit, so I want to plan a trip down there in the 2nd half of July! I'm super excited, and I hope this trip actually happens.

Other than that, there isn't much going on in my life. I'm still half-heartedly looking for jobs. I'm looking in the event planning industry, or maybe the hospitality (resort, specifically) industry. Too bad those choices are both suffering in this economy. If any readers out there have some connections or suggestions for these industries, I would love the help!

Now I'm off to catch up on my reader...I'm scared to see how many there are.

Weekend Recap

2009-06-17T10:29:00.003-04:00

Navy Boy and I went down to the beach this past weekend! It was really really bitter-sweet. I really like him! But I wasn't sure how to act all weekend because he is leaving tomorrow to go to FL and probably won't be living back in NC anytime soon. We rode down to the beach together and had a great time. Then once we got there it was so childish. Neither one of us knew that the other liked them, so we kind of just acted all weird around each other. We did kiss though! Which makes me smile just thinking about it! HA! I feel like a little kid right now.

Here is the deal: The Dentist tells me that Navy Boy has 'no game'. Which he is definitely right about. Well, I'm one of those old fashioned southern girls that believes that the guy should make the first move and all of that good stuff. So I just kept waiting and playing off of how he was acting - which was shy. Ahh! I wish I just would have taken the plunge and flirted a little more to show him I was interested. Then maybe he would have felt more comfortable.

Whatever. I still believe that everything happens for a reason, and if we are meant to be together we will. Navy Boy mentioned several times that he would like for me to come visit, so I want to plan a trip ASAP. He told me the drive from NC to Pensacola was only 8 hours. Google Maps says it is almost 12 hours. I'm definitely leaning towards flying there. There is no way I could spend 12 hours in a car! The catch is, I may or may not feel weird going by myself...so I would need to talk The Dentist into coming as well, and maybe even my sister because she may feel weird if I'm taking a trip with her boyfriend without her. I should just get over feeling weird about going by myself and just do it. We'll have to see how things play out once Navy Boy gets down there and settled.

Any suggestions/comments!?

Foodie Friday.

2009-06-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have only been in the kitchen to make cereal, sandwiches and salads lately, so I don't have a crazy good recipe for you. But I have found, thanks to Dad, these great little peanut butter bars. I usually have one mid-morning to get over that hunger that sets in at about 11 AM. They are made by Nature Valley and are called Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars. The only flavor I have tried is the Peanut, but I think there is an Almond and maybe one or two others. If y'all are looking for a great little pick-me-up snack that has a reasonable amount of calories (170 to be exact), get these bars! Here is a picture to supplement your imagination:

JUNE 19.

2009-06-11T17:00:00.000-04:00

Will be the best day of my life, so far. I might be exaggerating, I don't know what has been the best day of my life so far...that is kind of depressing, but off topic. Back to the good stuff. On June 19 two of the greatest things will collide:

BRITNEY SPEARS IS COMING TO NORTH CAROLINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHMIGAHOHMIGAHOHMIGAHOHMIGAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! June 19 is the day the tickets for her additional North American tour dates go on sale!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to go see her super bad when she was in Atlanta, because that was the closest, but now she is coming to my home state! Only an hour away from where I live!!! I might jump up and down just thinking about it. (I know what you are thinking, "Britney Spears!? Whaaaa!?" Give me a break people, she is crazy but so am I, what of it?
June 19 the new iPhone comes out! What what! I'm super psyched because I have the first generation iPhone, thought about getting the 3G, but now I'm super glad I waited for the 3GS. It has a VIDEO CAMERA! and so many dank-ass features! I simply can not wait. And it is only $200!

Who's psyched? Who's psyched? Who's psyched? Who's psyched? MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I want it to be June 19 right NOW)

Jinxed.

2009-06-11T10:23:00.001-04:00

So this weekend isn’t looking so good anymore. I definitely jinxed myself by talking to everyone I know about going to the beach with Navy Boy. Here is the deal (I have to tell the story so I can stop fuming about it in my head): My sis and The Dentist (her boyfriend and Navy Boy’s best friend) are going down to The Dentist’s beach house this weekend. Well, as it turns out, his parents are also going down. That means there would be two couches available – one for me and one for Navy Boy. However, I’ve never met The Dentist’s parents and I’m 100% sure that would make for a super awkward weekend. My friend that I usually stay with has graduated from a college there and moved away so I am left with no place to rest my head at night.

All of a sudden what promised to be a great weekend turned into a shitty weekend. Most of my friends here in town will be gone too! Making weekend plans really stresses me out. Especially since this will be the only weekend Navy Boy is in town! Everything would be fine if my sis and The Dentist would be willing to just stay up here this weekend instead of going to the beach. SIGH.

OK now that I have ranted about that, I just have to wait for Navy Boy to call so we can figure all of this out. I’ll keep you posted.

Moms.

2009-06-10T17:00:00.000-04:00

I love my mom. OK, with that said, she is on my nerves lately. Big time. As you may or may not know, I have lived away from home for 4 years. Now that I have graduated college and don't have a solid job, I will be moving back into my parents house in August. The lease on my current apartment was a 14 month lease. Both of my parents knew this when they signed the lease and agreed to pay my rent. No one ever brought up the fact that I would be graduating 2 months before the lease ran out.

In the past few weeks my mom has been making snide remarks such as, "Well you can come up to our house and help out since we are paying your rent for the next two months." Every time I talk to her she slips something in, "Well we are paying your rent for you." Yesterday was the breaking point. I jokingly pointed out a ring that I wanted, knowing clear as day that I wouldn't be getting it, and she took off with it. Mom chose to say that she wouldn't even consider buying anything for me since she just 'took me on a very nice vacation' and 'is paying my rent'.

OH NO SHE DIDN'T.

The 'nice vacation' she was referring to? was a weekend trip 4 hours away from home. This 'vacation' was completely paid for by her company - it was work for her. I missed a wedding just to go on this 'vacation' because I didn't want to leave my dad high and dry while she worked.

And yes, Mom, you are paying my rent because YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD when we signed the lease.

Then she goes on to criticize me for lack of job-searching. I told her I have applied to about 10 different places in the past couple of weeks. She said, "Well maybe you should communicate better." No, MOM, I don't really want to communicate all of my failed attempts to find a job. It is rather embarrassing. I graduated with a 3.67, Magna Cum Laude and can't find a decent job. No, thanks, I don't want to communicate that.

GIANT SIGH.

Anyways, lets end on a happy note. Here is the ring I am in love with:

It is a John Hardy blue topaz ring that just happens to be on sale at Gilt for $325 when originally priced $650.

Pet Peeves

2009-06-10T10:20:00.003-04:00

OK I talked to Navy Boy yesterday for an HOUR on the phone...ah. I'm usually not a big phone person, but the boy can keep some conversation alive! I'm pretty sure we are going to be hanging out this weekend. We may even be going to the beach together. No solid plans yet though, so I don't want to jinx anything. BUT...if we were to go to the beach together, he would be picking me up and we would be in the car together for over 2 hours. So, I starting thinking last night of topics to discuss and get to know each other better during the drive. The only thing I came up with was pet peeves. I think this is a great topic because if the other person points out a trait that you have, then you can work to correct it before it gets on their nerves. GENIUS!

I've been trying to think of my top 3 pet peeves...but it is harder than I thought. A TON of things bother me, but I can't freely recall them. Here is what I have come up with (in order of biggest pet peeve to medium-sized pet peeve):

A mooch. You know that friend that always promises to buy the beers if you buy the shots? Or lets you over-draft on your bank account because they didn't pay their bills on time and doesn't apologize or pay extra? Or always eats your left overs? (If you are a loyal reader you may know who I am referring to here).
A nonsensical liar. This one may be confusing, but there is one person in my life that drives me crazy with her lies. This person will tell a blatant lie for no good reason. I understand white lies to make people feel better and what-not. But why tell someone you don't know, and will never see again, that you ran the NY Marathon when, in fact, you have never even run a half-marathon? WHY?
Bad drivers. I'm not referring to the ass-hats that cut you off on the freeway, but more the stupid women (sorry ladies) who don't use the clearly designated TURN LANE to turn. Instead these idiots choose to slow to a complete stop in the left lane (read: fast lane) and then proceed to turn. These drivers are also usually the ones going 30 in a 35, or fail to see the Speed Limit 55 sign and continue to go 45.

What is your biggest pet peeve? Do you have any other topics you think I should bring up if Navy Boy and I wind up going to the beach together?

Dreams and Navy Boy

2009-06-09T11:34:00.001-04:00

I had a dream last night that was unbelievably realistic. Most of my dreams are pretty realistic, but this one was out of control. I was dreaming that I had a boyfriend who loved me so much, and I felt the same about him. This is going to sound so cheesy and pathetic, but I could hold onto his arm when I was sacred, he would be super affectionate to me, and I just felt safe and happy.

Then I woke up and reality hit. I don’t have a boyfriend who is like this, turns out, I don’t have a boyfriend at all. And although I woke up and the feeling of having that person was gone, I was still in a good mood because I know, one day, I will find that person. There is a little part of me that is TERRIFIED of not ever finding someone, but most of the time I truly believe I will. I haven’t had a ‘real’ boyfriend in a year and a half. I have had spurts, i.e. Dru, but nothing solid. I really want to find someone who loves my company as much as I love theirs.

Maybe this is all on the heels of Navy Boy. He is supposed to get back into NC today. He graduated OCS on Friday and is now officially a Naval Officer! I’m super proud of him for getting through it all but I’m definitely nervous. He will be here for at least a week and a half, but could stay until June 29 (when he has to report to flight school in Pensacola). If he stays in NC all the way until then, he will have negative vacation days and have to work a ton to earn them back. When I talked to him Sunday it sounded like he wasn’t going to take the full amount of time.

Also, I’m nervous because we haven’t been talking as much as we have in the past weeks. I definitely understand that I was an emotional crutch going into this thing because I was a girl who he had a lot in common with right when he left. I was someone he could talk to for hours besides his parents and guy friends (who would probably give him hell for some of the things he said – haha). So yeah, I realize that, but I guess I’m hoping that we get along for better reasons than that. I was hoping we actually got along because we enjoyed each other.

I am kind of realizing now that he won’t be around for 3 months, so there isn’t really a great chance of this turning into anything. At most he will be here for 20 days then go off to Florida. Turning a friendship into a relationship from 725 miles away is virtually impossible. But I’m not completely ruling anything out. We haven’t set a definite time to get together while he is here, but I’m assuming something will work out. I am waiting until that happens to really determine what I think the future holds for us. If we hit it off and things go great, I will continue to have hope. If things are mediocre, I will understand that we are just meant to be friends and that will be that.

Also, I’m a big believer in the phrase ‘what is meant to be will be’ so I’m just going to let that carry me through this situation and not stress too much.

Vacation!

2009-06-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry kids, no Foodie Friday again. I'm on vacation! Well, a mini-vacation at least. I'm going to the Wild Dunes resort in South Carolina for the weekend! It will be a weekend full of relaxation, sun, the beach, fruity drinks, good food, and golf with Dad. I'm super excited!

Have a great weekend y'all!

MY Idea.

2009-06-04T11:57:00.003-04:00

Yesterday's post was about sale websites...so it got me thinking. There are tons of great sale websites that send you emails notifying you of the latest greatest sales. Some of the ones I am a member of are Gilt Groupe, Sale Mail Shop it to Me, and Rue La La. Sale Mail is the only one that allows you to tailor the notifications to your liking (shout out to Diana!). And they definitely let you tailor it. You can specify certain brands, sizes, types of clothing, etc. It really is great. But there are still TONS of results to search through each time an email comes in.

Here is my idea: have a website like Sale Mail, but allow it to be even more customizable. For instance, the first email they send you can contain exactly what I would normally get from Sale Mail - thousands of items. Next, you would go through these items and mark which ones you love, like, and dislike. You wouldn't have to put a preference for all of them, but just the ones you have a feeling towards. I mean, we all do it, right? You are scrolling down the page and you see a hideous dress and think, "Oh, ew. Who would wear that!?" or "Dangggg I would look goooood in that!"

So after a few emails, the database can get a feel for what you think is attractive and what you think is f-u-g-l-y. Then from there on out, you can still give preferences, but the emails don't come with thousands of items. And the things they send you are items you would generally favor.

GENIUS! If anyone out there knows some techies that are looking for a new adventure, direct them towards this post. I could definitely get behind this.

PS Let me know if you want to be invited to any of these sites. I think a couple are invite only.

Guilty.

2009-06-03T12:28:00.005-04:00

I am a member of this online sales thingy called Gilt Groupe. It is totally free and they basically just tell you when dank ass designer clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. are on sale. I haven't bought anything from them yet, but the Michael Kors shoes I came across today are REALLY REALLY REALLY tempting. At such great prices! AHHHH! Here are some of my faves:

The first one is called 'Beach' and is $98 on Gilt Groupe (originally $225)! The second is called 'Sage' in 'Gunmetal' and is $168 on Gilt Groupe (originally $375)!

I'm seriously debating the 'Beach' shoe. I'm super into wedges right now. But I don't have anything like the 'Sage'. Buttt 'Sage' is too expensive for what I would consider spending right now. I'll let you know if I get one of them.

PS If you aren't on Gilt Groupe (and yes, there is no 'U' in guilt for them) but want to be, just leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you an invite!

Back on the 'Book

2009-06-02T10:23:00.002-04:00

Back in October/November of '08 (why does that sound like so long ago?) I deactivated my Facebook account. I was definitely overusing the addictive social network and all it was causing was emotional distress. Sounds serious, right? Ha. I hate to admit it, but I mainly used it to keep tabs on people I don't even really like and people who aren't a part of my life anymore (i.e. ex-boyfriends). I put up tons of pictures because, in my mind, if I was looking at their pages so much, then they were looking at mine just as much. (What a stupid way of thinking).

It makes me cringe how much I relied on the stupid website to keep me updated on gossip and irrelevant information. And I must say, deactivating the account was the best thing that ever did happen to me (as far as internet dependency goes). Without an account, I realized I could live, much happier I might add, without knowing what and who everyone was doing.

Why did I reactivate it if I was so happy without Facebook? As it turns out, I am in the marketing field and you are expected to be on most if not all social networks to prove that you can use new media effectively in order to get a job. Joining Facebook again hasn't gotten me a job yet, but I'm hoping it will help in the long-run. I have set some ground rules for myself though, so I don't fall back into old habits:

No logging onto FB unless I get an email notification or need to research a potential employer
No adding photos (I took down all previous photos)
No browsing friends, updated sections, etc.
Took down 'Wall' and the ability for friends to write on it

I realize this makes my FB page super boring, but all I really want FB for is the ability to network (if I ever get around to doing so) and keeping in touch with friends since we are all splitting up. Oh, and of course, so I can tell potential employers that I am an internet-savvy, perfect candidate.

So if you are a reader of my blog, and want to see what I actually look like (since I keep my face hidden on this blog) send me an email (jyandbbatgmail.com) and I'll let you know how to find me on Facebook. I do want to be friends with the ones I trust!

Loss.

2009-05-30T15:00:00.000-04:00

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of a good friend's death. Ever since the first soccer practice of the season in 7th grade (8th grade for her) we were pretty good friends. I remember that day almost perfectly. We were on the far side of the field throwing chest bounces and headers to each other. Being the ridiculous little girls that we were, we decided to give each other nicknames. We each had our own, but over time we both called one another 'Fufu'. Fufu and I had a great time together...we got in trouble together then volunteered together, gossiped together and went to the beach together. I knew Fufu had some problems, such as depression and bulimia, but I never thought it affected her the way it obviously did.

While volunteering away our troubles at the soup kitchen one morning, we made plans to go to the county fair that night. When time rolled around for her to come pick me up and she didn't show, I called her, left messages, and to be honest became quite frantic. I couldn't get in touch with her and that was just unheard of. Later I found out that she had gotten into a mysterious car accident on a back road. No other cars were around when she crashed into a tree. She had not been drinking or anything, but claimed to have reached down to get a CD and made a mistake. I still wonder, to this day, if that was not just an accident.

I became increasingly distant from her since the start of college, but I knew I could always count on her if I needed anything. Going back to my hometown during the first Christmas of my college career, I saw Fufu for the first time in a long time. It was so great to see her but, she looked thin and I could tell she was doing drugs. I knew she had kind of gotten into some bad things in college, but I knew deep down she was still a great person. That night I promised her after the party we would get together for some quality time. She called me that night, many times, to take me up on the offer. I was with my boyfriend, asleep, and didn't see the calls until the next morning. I never called her back.

3 years ago today, Fufu commit suicide.

Why didn't I step in and try to help her when she obviously needed it? Why didn't I just call her back the next morning? The last time I saw her she was drugged-out at a party.

But that is not how I remember her.

I remember her on the green-brown grass of the soccer field, long, black, frizzy hair pulled back in a pony tail, red Umbro shorts with a red and white t-shirt giggling each time she said 'Fufu'.

I remember her frowning at me in disgust when we had to put on hairnets and latex gloves at the soup kitchen.

I remember her white jean skirt covered in rust from using it to open apple flavored Bacardi-O at the beach.

I remember her as a great friend and nothing less.

Fufu, I bet you aren't reading blogs up there in heaven, but if you are...I love and miss you every day!

Dude. I'm Boring.

2009-05-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

Yeah, sorry about the lack of posts. Nothing has been going on in my life. The Orlando job I referred to in this post? Probably not going to happen. They needed someone ASAP and it would have taken me 4-6 weeks to get down there. So, I'm back on the hunt. Good thing they didn't even offer it 'cause I got no help from my blog people. Ha...only kidding...I know it is my own fault I don't have readers. I blog sporadically and usually about nothing. Who wants to keep up with that?

I noticed recently that it is about time for my blog-o-versary? It will be one wonderful year on June 18!

In other news, Navy Boy gets back in about a week! I think he will have a week here in NC then have to go down to FL where flight school is, and then may or may not come back up here for a few months. Sigh. The military is so uncertain, it drives me crazy! I'll definitely have to blog about his return. I'm already a little nervous. What is the interaction going to be like? Awkward? Is he still going to like me as much as he did before he left?

No Foodie Friday today, people. I haven't been cooking that much because I'm trying to eat all healthy. And yes, I realize you can be creative and healthy, but I'm just not there yet. But I have been catching some DANK recipes on Food Network this week. If you didn't know, it was Grilling Week, so there has been burgers, ribs, and chicken galore! Hopefully I will try one of the recipes out next week and have a FF for you then.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Giveaway

2009-05-27T11:47:00.002-04:00

Y'all, on the real, go check out Diana at Our.City.Lights. Her blog is GREAT and her giveaway is superb as well.

I promise it is well worth it. Anyone who is willing to go out and buy a Marc Jacobs bag for her readers is a great asset to the blog world!

Trained

2009-05-22T09:59:00.003-04:00

I know myself. I know that when I go shopping on the internet, or anywhere for that matter, that when I spot something that is expensive or by a particular designer, I will like it much more than if it were a cheap, unknown brand. Shallow? Maybe. But that is just the way I am. I pretty much believe that the more money something costs, the better it must be.

Since I am getting kicked out on my butt by my parents, financially speaking, I can't live this way anymore. So I have adopted a method of looking at the picture of the piece of clothing/jewelery/handbag, etc. online BEFORE I look at the price. I thought this was a sure-fire way to discover what styles I liked without being influenced by price/designer.

Well, kids, as it turns out, apparently I have trained my eyes to only pick out the expensive stuff. As I scrolled through Nordstrom’s half-yearly sale, I looked at no prices, just pictures. The only things that stood out to me in the accessories section were all $1000+. I’m scared to even move on to the clothes. Does this happen to anyone else?!

Foodie Friday!

2009-05-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple more recipes from my Cinco de Mayo a couple of weeks ago:

Guacamole

Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
2 limes, juiced
1 sm-med tomato, seeded & diced
1 sm white or yellow onion, minced
1 sm jalapeno, seeded & minced
1 lg. clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
S&P

Method:
Remove flesh from avocados (let me know if you need a tip on this - but I think pretty much everyone has seen it done on Food Network), combine with lime juice, onion, jalapeno, garlic and S&P. Mash together with hand held potato masher, or put in food processor/blender if you don't like chunks. Fold in tomato and cilantro.

Grilled Corn Salsa (courtesy of Michael Chiarello)

Ingredients:
10 large ears corn, husked
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 vine-ripened tomatoes, about 1 pound total
1 cup diced red onion, 1/4-inch dice
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
1/2 cup julienne fresh basil leaves

Method:
Brush the corn liberally with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every few minutes, until light gold all over and cooked, about 12 minutes. Let cool and cut off the kernels. Discard the cobs.

Core the tomatoes and cut a small X on the bottom of each. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on the grill, X side down, away from direct heat. Cover the grill and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften but are not cooked all the way through (or they will melt through the grate!), about 15 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out the juice and the seeds through a sieve into a bowl. Reserve the juices and chop the flesh.

Put the onions in the non-reactive medium bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Let marinate until the color changes, about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, onions, basil, and 1/3 cup olive oil to the corn. Toss well. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper, and remaining vinegar.

Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos.

MY INPUT: I made this and used only 1/2 of the corn and only 1/2 of the tomatoes, and it still made a TON. The tomatoes put off a lot of juice, too, so based on how watery you want your salsa, you probably won't need it all. He says it is best eaten the same day, but we ate it for at least 2-3 days after we made it (refridgerated, of course). If you want it to keep longer, I would just suggest adding the basil as you go, rather than all at once to prevent it from browning.

ENJOY!

I Need Your Help!

2009-05-21T21:35:00.002-04:00

Ok, so as of this morning, nothing was going on in my life. That has changed. At 2 PM today, I had a preliminary phone interview. I'm going to try to outline most of the points and I really want to hear back from y'all and get some outside advice. Please please please!

Here goes...this job would be another internship that pays the same amount as my current internship. Except it is in Orlando, Florida. My parents have said they will be able to help me out financially, but I would still need to live pretty basic. It is a marketing internship with a prominent new hotel opening in the fall, but would be giving me more sales experience and not as much creative marketing experience as I had hoped. One big downside is that I would have to find a roommate and place to live. Also? If I get the job, I would need to start ASAP...meaning in 3-4 weeks. This is a problem because I will basically be paying rent for 2 apartments for a month.

As for the interview this afternoon, things went pretty well. I could have done better though. It is like I prepare for a few questions, but not the ones they ask. It's so frustrating because I get tongue-tied and wind up saying "uhhhhhh" the whole time. Anyways, when I wasn't saying "uhhh", I was busy trying to BS my answers. If only they could give me a heads up on which questions they will ask...like they do for the celebrities on talk shows!

Well at the end of the conversation, the guy tells me that I really need to research how hotels do most of their business. Meaning, how they market to big companies and associations to get them to bring their business meetings to this specific hotel. How in the world am I supposed to RESEARCH this?!

So I beg of you...any and all advice! Do you think I should take the job (if it is even offered)? Do you know anything about hotel marketing or anyone you think I could learn from/read about? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Life and stuff.

2009-05-21T10:47:00.002-04:00

I haven't been blogging much, because there is nothing going on in my life. I'm still working the same job that I have been working for 2 years. I am out looking for other opportunities, but as it turns out, the first thing companies get rid of in an economic downturn is the marketing activities. I just graduated with a marketing degree. Yay me.

Navy boy is still in Rhode Island, but comes home in like 2 weeks! He just told me that when he gets home, he will be here for a week then have to go down to Pensacola where he will eventually start flight school. Depending on if flight school is back-logged, he could come back home for a couple of months.

The thing that bothers me most about the military is how uncertain everything is. There is never really a long-term plan because they can just up and surprise you and say, "Hey you. It's time to go here." Oh well, I've decided to not get too emotionally invested unless he finds out he can definitely come home for a few months.

Hopefully, I will get a sweet job somewhere (preferably in another city/state) so I can start a new life and start moving forward. I feel like if I stay here, there are not that many opportunities, and I will just be doing the same thing over and over and hanging out with the same people over and over. I'm ready to meet new people and have new experiences. So I guess that is my goal.

Anyways, I wish I had more exciting things to write about, but I don't. I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend!

Foodie Friday!

2009-05-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

One recipe from Cinco de Mayo (others will follow next week):

Chicken Enchiladas (original recipe thanks to Rachel Ray, but I've tweaked it somewhat)

Ingredients:
4 c. chicken broth
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
1 spring fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
1 large onion, chopped
1 sm. can tomato paste (6 oz I think?)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 c mexican blend shredded cheese
Pkg. small corn tortillas
Salt & Pepper (if needed)

Sauce:
4 c. tomato sauce
1 tsp. ground cayenne
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. chili powder

Method:
Bring chicken broth to a boil and add onion, oregano, bay then chicken. Cook about 10-12 mins. or until chicken is cooked through. Bring chicken to cutting board and let cool. Remove onion from broth (with slotted spoon or strainer-but save some of the liquid!) and place in a separate bowl and add tomato paste, chili powder, cumin. Use two forks to shred chicken and place in bowl with other ingredients. Add some of cooking liquid if mixture is dry (I usually use about 1 c). Season with S&P, if needed.

While chicken is cooking, combine all sauce ingredients in small sauce pot and warm through. Place tortillas (I usually need 8-12) in paper towel and warm in microwave.

Preheat broiler. Spoon about 2-3 tbl. chicken mixture in each tortilla and place seam side down in large casserole dish. Repeat until chicken mixture is gone. Pour sauce mixture over entire dish and then cover with cheese. Put under broiler for about 5 mins. or until cheese is melted.

ENJOY!

How am I Still Alive?

2009-05-14T11:52:00.003-04:00

Graduation went well, and I was successfully drunk for about a week straight. The festivities began on Cinco de Mayo when Roommie and I threw a small dinner party for some friends. I made Chicken Enchiladas, Guacamole, and this dank grilled corn salsa (I will post all of these recipes for Foodie Friday tomorrow). We basically had a great time, great food, and of course, some wonderful margaritas. Long story short, we started hanging out with a friend (we will call him “Tuck” for the purposes of this blog) that we hadn’t seen in a while. He also brought over one of his friends. I need to think of a nickname for this kid, but nothing comes to mind except he has a funny laugh – and does it all the time. But that is kind of hard to put into a nickname, so for now he will just be “Tuck’s Friend”…let me know if you come up with something better.

Tuck’s Friend had just broken up with his girlfriend of 4 years about a couple of days into our party bonanza. It may or may not have had anything to do with the fact that he was hanging out at our apartment for days on end. But nothing scandalous happened! I promise!! He is so not my type. So of course, this event just propelled more and more partying then graduation came and that didn’t stop anyone.

Finally Wednesday of this week rolled around and we figured we should probably clean up our act. There was no going out last night, but I can’t say the same for tonight. The local trendy outdoor mall here hosts a beach music night every Thursday. It is fun to go see all the pretty dresses (90% of which are Lilly Pullitzer), dance and drink.

I’m super psyched about hanging out with Tuck and Tuck’s Friend so much. They are funny and nice southern boys who like to have a good time. And they respect Roomie and I so it won’t get all weird like some girl/boy friendships do. Yay for new friends! Ha.

Anyways, got to get back to work. But I did talk to Navy boy a couple of times this weekend, and he should be done with the hard part of OCS this week and be able to have his phone and go out on the weekends from now on. Woo! Less than a month till he is done! I hope he gets to come back to NC so I can actually spend some face-time with him!

Tomorrow!

2009-05-08T12:23:00.002-04:00

I've been MIA mostly because I've been partying for the past few days in a drawn out celebration of the end of college. Tomorrow is graduation, so the partying continues when I leave work today for another 3 or so days. Ah. My body is getting worn out. But I can't stop! I've got friends coming in town and plans here and plans there. Got. to. push. through.

In other news, nothing is going on in my life. I haven't heard back about a job that I REALLY WANT, and Navy Boy is still up in Rhode Island but gets done in less than a month!

Have a great weekend y'all!

Graduation Countdown

2009-05-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

It is officially 7 days away now. But I feel like that doesn't even matter. I had my last exams Thursday, so I am actually done with college. It felt really weird. Bittersweet is definitely the perfect term for the situation. Bitter because it means I have to be a real adult now and can't use the 'oh I'm a college student' excuse. And sweet because that means NO MORE TESTS AND GROUP PROJECTS!

Some things I will strangely (or not so strangely) miss about college:

The Library - although the reason for going there always sucks, once I get there it is like a little adventure. Me and my friends always become giddy...throwing paper and whispering. Also, at my library coffee shop, they serve these things called Tiger Brownies. They are TO DIE FOR. I need to find a recipe, but it is like chocolate chip cookie and brownie in alternating columns on top of a coconut crust. I'm salivating just thinking about it.
The parties, duh.
The extremely HOT boy in most of my business classes.

Some things I will NOT miss about college:

The school work, duh.
The hideous smell of manure when they put new soil all over campus twice a year.
Trying to look busy as you walk to class to avoid talking to random acquaintances.

I found a graduation dress this past week. It is Lilly Pulitzer, and even though I said I was disappointed with her collection, I must say that this dress is not on her website (and I can't find a picture of it anywhere). But I'll keep looking and post it as soon as I have something. In the meantime, this weak description will have to do: pink and white design, with white boat neck collar and a key hole near the collar in the front and back.

Foodie Friday

2009-05-01T11:04:00.002-04:00

Foodie Friday! Woo! And y'all...I LOVE this one. It is Ina Garten's BBQ sauce that she uses to put on Chicken. But I guess you could really put it on anything you would normally put BBQ sauce on (pork chops, tenderloin, ribs, etc). I make a big batch and use it throughout the week since I am only cooking for one.

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste (10 ounces)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Method:
In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

FYI: I took this right from foodnetwork.com. But I just had to spread the word because it is DELICIOUS!

I Know I'm Not Supposed To Do This:

2009-04-28T10:38:00.002-04:00

Talk about my job on my blog. Beware, there is profanity. I don't even care. I'm fucking fed up. Yes, I am an intern, but NO I do not deserve to be treated like shit after busting my ass for this company for 2 years. I've done almost everything under the sun, from organizing events to lugging 30 lbs of paper up two flights of stairs while the 6' 11" Boss man #2 sits surfing the internet all day in his office. Offer some help to the 5'1" GIRL LUGGING YOUR FREAKING PAPER UP THE STAIRS?!?! NO. He wouldn't do that, because that would be lowering himself to my level.

Let me recall a particular event that probably occurred 6 or so months ago. Yes, it bothered me at the time, but I didn't let it get to me - until now.

Setting: my office (main reception room with 5 cubicles) Boss man #2 is holding a box full of brochures or something as he talks with an acquaintance in the reception area. I'm sitting in my cubicle unable to see the two men.

As they talk, I hear the box rip and fall to the floor, the contents spilling. Laughing ensues, and Boss man #2 actually says this exact statement then says goodbye to the acquaintance, and walks into his office, "HAHA Don't worry about it the intern will get it." Then calls my name.

Let me break this down for those of you confused by my shitting writing when I'm mad: my boss actually spilled the contents of a box onto the floor, laughed about it, DIDN'T PICK IT UP, degraded me in front of a complete stranger, then assumed because he is the boss he doesn't have to bend at the waist. WELL SCREW HIM.

I wasn't really sure what was going on so I never responded to him. A few minutes later, I heard my colleague picking something up off of the floor. Apparently, Boss man #2 actually left the shit there expecting someone else to pick it up! I felt bad my colleague was having to do that, but I was just so stunned that I couldn't even move!

That was the most memorable thing to happen to me in terms of feeling like shit here at this company. 'Company' is a strong word actually...there are a grand total of 4 of us working here, which includes the two owners, the other two of us are interns. Another time Boss man #2 pissed me off was when he asked me to do his daughter's homework. I'm not even going to get into that.

Today, set. me. off. I am always professional in front of my bosses, so today I waited until he left and came straight here to rant. My boss today, asks me to locate ceiling tiles to replace some damaged ones. I realize the other two events seem much more degrading and drastic, but this little shitty request was the final jenga block pull that made the tower fall.

Let me just brag on myself real quick to give you an idea of WHY I should not have to endure these base requests:

I am graduating in 11 days with a degree in Business Management - Marketing (what part of locating ceiling tiles is related in any form or fashion to marketing?)
I am graduating in 11 days with a degree in Business Management - Marketing MAGNA FUCKING CUM LAUDE. Yes, blog readers, I am smart, and my bosses either don't care to see it or don't want to acknowledge it.
I have worked here for 2 years, without so much as a performance review, don't even begin to think raise.
I expressed to Boss man #1 how much I intend on focusing on advertising/PR/design marketing once graduation is done (Yeah let me get some good ad campaigns going after I get these CEILING TILES)

So, I've come to a conclusion. If you can recall, I blogged about the possibility of growing here at this company. Well, kids, I'm throwing that one out the window. I in no way want to continue to be a part of this company any longer than necessary. I realize that even if I do get promoted to marketing coordinator, they will still always see me as an intern and I will more than likely be doing the same base jobs PLUS intense marketing campaigns.

It's time to hit the job trail hard. Wish me luck! And thanks for listening to my rant. There is so much more I have to say on the topic, but I realize this post is super long so I'll save it for another day.

Graduation Countdown

2009-04-23T10:22:00.005-04:00

There are officially 16 days until I am a college graduate. I have no solid job to rely on when I'm done with school. But guess what? I'm not even worried! My mom met a guy on a plane a couple of days ago who had a marketing internship position I could apply for. That is a huge stretch. And it is Orlando...so I don't know. It would be a cool job, but I don't want to get my hopes up. I definitely want to get out of this city though.

If any readers know of marketing/PR/advertising firms anywhere with a good reputation just drop a comment, I'll check anything out!

Oh and apparently companies are offering tons of internships now because hiring/firing costs are serious. So I know it sucks to have an internship after college, but I might have no other choice.

Moving on, I am in need of a graduation dress. Apparently dress makers across America banned together and said "Let's make a bunch of dresses that Sarah Elizabeth will hate." I just sifted through over 700 dresses at Nordstrom and came out with 3...THREE...that I liked (in order from least favorite to favorite):

PS I am outraged by Lilly Pulitzer's current selection of dresses. Normally, I can find at least 20 dresses I'm in love with on her site, but today, I found 3 or 4 that I would consider trying on.

Well I'm off to search for other dresses floating around. But first, check out my pretty new nail polish! Ah! So springy!

In Response to Bitter Sweet Sunday Post

2009-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

I have actively started doing small things to help out in the community and possibly influence other people after my revelation Sunday. I have sent an email blast to friends and family to recruit a team of at least 10 people to run with me in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It is here in Raleigh at Meredith College, and if any of you readers out there know people in the area who would be interested, pass my information along! I would love to get as many people as possible to join the team!

I plan on going to donate blood again sometime this week or next. The Red Cross has been calling a lot lately, which means they are pretty hard up for some good blood - I'll just have to give it to them! After my experience last time, I will definitely be taking someone with me!

Finally, I've been looking into helping out at the SPCA. I am an animal lover, particularly dogs. I think helping at the SPCA would be a great volunteer activity for me. I am a little worried, however, that I will become attached to some of the animals, so this one isn't definite just yet. I need to go visit the facilities and really see what it is all about before I make any promises.

What are your community involvement activities? Any suggestions?

A Post About Nothing...Something?

2009-04-21T11:42:00.004-04:00

I have nothing to post about today. My mind isn't working well. I woke up to a sunny beautiful day, but I didn't want to get out of bed. I was dreaming about a really hot guy from my personal selling class. Sigh. But here I am at work, bored, like most days.

I had a phone interview for a job I'm pretty sure I don't want yesterday. It went well, I think. I wonder if he could tell I wasn't that interested? Oh well...bragging about yourself and not feeling bad about it is always fun.

Oh...I know what I can talk about! I had a really weird Friday night this past weekend. Remember The Neighbor? Well, after meeting Navy Boy, I kind of told him that there would be no more nights spent together. After I informed him of this, we only saw each other maybe a couple of times until this past weekend. And each time Rommie and I hung out with him and his friends, The Neighbor always seemed to be in a really bad mood.

So...he texts me towards the end of last week, wanting to hang out (not necessarily just the two of us, but do something). Friday night, however, it did wind up being just the two of us. He came over, we had a drink, then we went to a place called Frankie’s Fun Park. It is the greatest! Probably made more for the 6-14 crowd, we were definitely out of place. But it was fun, and we played games and won prizes and the whole lot. The Neighbor insists that we pool all of our tickets together for a birthday present from him to me. A nice gesture, but weird at the same time. As we leave he says, “You are an expensive date.” Of course he was kidding, but it was just kind of awkward.

We get back to my apartment and start downing drinks. We even play drinking games, just the two of us. At one point he moves closer to me and sits with me on the small ass couch in my living room. I was feeling really weird, but didn’t kick him off. Finally, without any further events, he decides that he should get going. I was relieved. I really got the feel that he was trying to make it like some weird date night. Oh well. I am definitely focused on Navy Boy right now, so that makes me happy. And for the record, I do not ever want to hook up with The Neighbor. Just friends from here on out, please.

Bitter Sweet Sunday

2009-04-20T00:20:00.002-04:00

I cried today. A lot. For a man who I hardly know. An old headmaster of mine died this past week. I didn't even know he was sick. My sister used to babysit for him and his wife. They have the most beautiful children. I cried so much. I'm crying writing this. I don't know why. I haven't seen or even thought about this man in probably 6 years. He had testicular cancer that no one found until it had spread to his lungs. I hate cancer. I want it to go away and not hurt anymore wonderful people. I'm scared it will affect me. I'm scared I will loose someone I love. I hate death. It is permanent and takes so much away. That sounds stupid, but it is just so scary. The closest person to me to die was a good friend who commit suicide almost 3 years ago. That was hard. I miss her. I don't want to have to miss anyone else I love.

His wife kept a blog throughout his journey (3 years). I read it today after I heard the news. It is pure, raw emotion. She discusses the emotional journey - even the worst parts. She expresses how angry she was at him for having cancer. And how angry the kids were at him for having cancer. She explained (without sparing any detail) how she felt at every step. I cried hardest when she described a moment between her son and husband. The son was angry at the father for being sick. The son was scared. She described how the father talked with the son and how the son cried so hard his body convulsed. The son is probably 10 years old. I was so sad. I haven't been this sad in a long time.

I knew him as a headmaster, and not much more. But through her blog I have learned what a magnificent person he was. I am relieved for his wife that the long struggle is over, but I am incredibly sad for the family as well. He was a man committed to making education a better institution and I am sad that he is gone. It surprises me how much I am moved by this particular event. Reading her words and how he responded to the cancer, makes me want to live life for every moment.

I want to make my life great.

I want to positively impact as many people as I can.

I want to stop living this materialistic, shallow life.

What can I do? How do I change my life?

I'll end this post with a positive...Navy Boy called today. We got to talk for 40 minutes and I could hear him much better because he used a different phone. He wants me to come visit! I want to visit. I'll have to work on the details for that. I'll keep you posted.

Live everyday like it is your last. Love anyone and everyone. I'm going to make a change and it feels great.

No Foodie Friday Here

2009-04-17T15:12:00.004-04:00

If you look forward to Foodie Friday, you will most likely have to wait until next week. I've got nothing. But I did wear my pretty new suit to a presentation yesterday...it went well, I guess. This week has been hell - lots to do. But next week is 'dead week' then exams, then it is all over. Yuh. College is O.V.E.R. What!? Where did the past 4 years go? And what the hell was I doing all of this time?

And what am I supposed to do May 11th (the first Monday as a real person)? I haven't been going on interviews or looking for jobs. Yeah, slacker, huh? Ever since my boss told me there was possibility of me growing here, I have kind of taken that for granted. I should be creating a marketing plan for him, but I haven't had time. I should be looking into continuing education or other jobs...but I don't have time, and the only jobs out there are sales. I would honestly be the WORST sales person.

So, I guess I kind of don't know what to do now, and the funny thing is? I'm not even stressed about it. Maybe I should be, oh well.

I didn't workout the past two days and it is killing me. I must workout today when I get home from work. It grosses me out just sitting at this desk feeling like I could be doing something productive with my body.

Well that is it for my random thought process. Have a great weekend everyone!

Growing Up Sucks

2009-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

I got my first ever REAL suit this past weekend. I have only purchased one 'suit' before this, and it was a POS from JCPenny when I was 17. I needed it to go to court for a drinking ticket. Oh me. This time, I stepped it up a notch, or two. I got this wonderful JCrew number.

I got this 'Super 120 2-button jacket'. It is lightweight and comfy. I can move around and it doesn't make me look like a man (my #1 fear with suits).

These are the 'City-fit Super 120 Classic Trouser' that I got to go with the jacket. Just as light and comfy as the jacket.

Thanks to JCrew's student discount, which I plan to use far after I actually graduate, I got the whole number for right around $320! This made me super happy because the only other suit in the WHOLE MALL that I liked was going to run me close to $700! My jacket and pants are at the tailor right now being sewn to perfection. I will be picking it up today, and wearing it out for the first time tomorrow for a big presentation at school. I'm super nervous already - but at least I'll be looking hot!

Bday Weekend Recap

2009-04-14T11:15:00.004-04:00

Well, it was my birthday this past weekend (as if you didn't know from the last post - ha). I had a good birthday, but I can say I have had better. I guess it was because I didn't go out at all to celebrate with friends, I kind of felt like this birthday sucked. In reality, it didn't. I'm just being a big, selfish baby. All of my friends were at home because of Easter, so the only one left to go out with was my sister, and she was being lame (she really had a migraine, but hey - get over it! ha). For some reason, I felt really lonely this past weekend. I’m sure it had to do with the fact I didn’t see friends, but I’m getting tired of being the only one without a significant other. I love spending time with my sister and The Dentist because they remind me of Navy Boy, but it also makes me jealous. I want Navy Boy to be here and BE MINE! Ha…I’m sounding like a crazed person. There is only so much couple-ness I can handle.

OK enough of the sad pity party, I do actually have some GREAT news regarding this past weekend. NAVY BOY CALLED! On my birthday! It was bitter-sweet, because we got to talk for a good amount of time, but he was also calling from a pay phone so I could only hear about 50% of what he was saying (it was all muffled and static-y). He told me that the letters I have sent help, especially on the days he wakes up thinking, “What the hell am I doing here?” He has written two letters back to me, but hasn’t been able to send them because he doesn’t have stamps. I asked if I could send him anything (pictures, stamps, etc.), but in his muffled response, I think he said that they weren’t allowed to be sent anything but letters. He told me a lot more about what is going on and all…some of it I heard, some I didn’t…but I was just happy to talk to him and learn that my letters were helping and not coming off as creepy! Haha! Nothing is definite, but he said he would try to call again this Sunday. I hope he does! I hope I can hear him better and get a chance to ask some more questions!

That call really made my birthday 100% better. Now, if he would just come home…please?

OH! And Saturday night I went to eat at McCormick & Schmick’s (a seafood chain) and check it out…!

A happy birthday wish to me ON THE MENU! Woo! I’m famous…!

Remember the Recipe Journal I posted about? I got it for my birthday! I've been a mad woman trying to fill out recipe cards. I have already ordered more because it only comes with 24! I love this thing.

OH YEAH! I almost forgot to say....THANK YOU for the birthday wishes! :) Y'all's comments and Navy Boy's call were the highlights of the weekend!

HAPPY SARAH ELIZABETH DAY!

2009-04-12T11:14:00.000-04:00

22 years ago and this exact time (11:14 AM) I was brought into this wonderful place.

Oh yeah, and HAPPY EASTER, TOO!

No News is Bad News

2009-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

In this case, it is true. I STILL haven't heard from Navy Boy and it has been over 2 weeks since I sent my first letter! For the past few days, I have been freaking out thinking that my letters creeped him out or something. Or maybe he realized what a dork I am and decided not to be interested in me anymore. Well I know this is crazy and a silly way to think, considering what he is going through. I just didn't want to be one of those girls who is totally oblivious to a guy that doesn't like her (thanks, 'He's Just Not That Into You' for getting all up in my head). However, 'He's Just Not...' didn't write a chapter about being with a guy in the Navy.

So I've turned to other resources to figure out if a) anyone thinks my letters actually help and b) why it is taking so long to hear from him. I know a girl who has a boyfriend that is thinking about doing what Navy Boy is doing. He has been accepted into the program and everything. He was able to give me some insight as to what Navy Boy might be going through and the whole situation. Apparently, they try to 'break' you. They do this by letting you have VERY LITTLE, if any communication with loved ones. He also told me that he may have written a letter, but the officers in charge may not have let him send it yet. These officers in charge are apparently ASSHOLES, because the same source told me they sometimes keep the letters that people send to the candidates (Navy Boy) and don't let them have them for a while!

Well shit! I'm writing these letters to make things easier on him, and if he isn't getting them, well that pisses me off! If I find out that some little jackass is holding my letters, I'm going to have to go up there and show these kids what 'break' really means. Ha. I crack myself up. But really, I mean give them a break...I just hope he is getting them. I'm going to keep writing them, because if he is getting them and they do give him something to look forward to, that is all I can do, right?

If any of y'all know anything about this stuff let me know! I have 2985734956278 questions! Well I'm off...tomorrow is my birthday (and Easter) so we are going out to a dank seafood restaurant to celebrate tonight!

Foodie Friday

2009-04-10T12:02:00.004-04:00

I forgot to write the recipe down before I came to work, but I made some kick-ass homemade Cesar salad dressing this weekend. I'll give it a stab and make an update announcement if it changes once I look at the recipe again:

Cesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 tsp. anchovy paste
4 tbl. lemon juice
1 lg. clove garlic
4 tbl. EVOO
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire
1 tsp. dijon mustard
S&P

Method:
In a double boiler, mix the egg, anchovy paste, garlic and Worcestershire. Keep mixing it or else the egg will scramble. Leave it over the double boiler for a couple of mins to cook the egg enough and melt the anchovy paste. Take off and let cool before adding the lemon juice and EVOO.

I put this over some fresh romaine, grated Parmesan, homemade garlic croutons and boiled shrimp:

Boiled Shrimp

Ingredients:
1 lb (usually makes 3 salads for me) of med-large raw, easy-peel shrimp
Old Bay seasoning

Method:
Boil water in a large pot. Throw in a few tbl. Old Bay and shrimp. Cook shrimp until pink and curled into a C. Drain, and put on a tbl. or two more of Old Bay. Peel and add to your salad or enjoy plain with some cocktail sauce and coleslaw or other side.

Garlic Croutons

Ingredients:
Loaf country white bread
2 cloves garlic (cut in half)
EVOO

Method:
Preheat broiler. Slice bread into 1 in. slices and drizzle EVOO on each side. Broil until golden brown (watch out, they burn super fast) and then rub the garlic halves (WHILE THE BREAD IS STILL HOT) over each piece. Cut into 1 in. cubes. YUM.

UPDATE: See added ingredient to cesar dressing!

Blog Pimpin

2009-04-03T09:00:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Muffy over at My Friends Are Sluts, I discovered Mich. She is great and her blogs read like a story. I can't wait to hear more about her new man, Tattoo. GO CHECK HER OUT! You could be rewarded for doing so!

UPDATE: I'm a terrible person and spelled Mich 'Mitch' the first time around. Forgive me, I'm not very observant! :)

Foodie Friday

2009-04-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Well I haven't been very creative since the last Foodie Friday and have no new recipes for y'all but I thought I point out this instead:

It is a 'Personalized Recipe & Entertaining Journal' from Williams-Sonoma. This thing is SWEET! You can put recipe cards, print out, menus, notes, clippings, and whatever else in this book! There are labels, envelopes and best of all you can PUT YOUR MONOGRAM ON IT! I'm a huge fan of monogramming anything and everything, so this little diddy is on my top 3 most wanted things for my birthday. I really hope I get this from my parents, but if not, I'm just going to go buy it for myself! It is only $60 and would be so worth it. Right now, I have recipes strewn all over the place: in cook books, drawers and in my head. This book is just what I need to get organized and start recording timeless recipes that I don't want to forget.

Here is a link in case you want to read up on it a little more (or buy it for my birthday HAHA!):

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fn466/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C16%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cpersonalized%20recipe%20journal&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

Have a great weekend y'all!

I Hate Thinking of Titles

2009-04-02T09:41:00.003-04:00

On days like today when I just want to throw a bunch of random thoughts into a post, I can never think of a creative title. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm too tired to create a coherent post, let alone a title...so I'm lazy and do ones like this. The tiredness? I don't know what to contribute it to...very few nights do I actually get a good nights sleep. More often than not, I lay awake thinking and thinking and thinking and am not sure if I ever really fall into a deep sleep. Last night was one of those nights.

I am leaving to go to the beach today (YAY!) so of course, last night I was all thinking about what to wear and pack and what all I need to get done today in order to leave tomorrow. Some things I wanted to do but will not have time: go shopping (for anything but mainly a new bathing suit), tan and workout. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I generally only have 1 hour to myself in between work and school. It is exhausting. Also, I have a big test today which I am unprepared for. Sigh.

But hey, I'm not going to let this day get me down. Promptly at 5:45 PM I will be in my car, with my best friend (Roommie), jammin to some dank ass music on my way to the beach for a weekend full of beautiful weather, boating, and of course probably a drink or two...or three...oh who is counting?!

I'm super excited for this weekend because I get to spend more time with my sister and her boyfriend (his name from here out will be The Dentist - because yeah, he is in dental school). You may or may not recall that Navy Boy is The Dentist's best friend (that is how we met). So I have been hanging out with Sis and The Dentist as much as I can because he reminds me of Navy Boy oh so much. The Dentist tells me stories about him and does impressions of him and I just love it! I also get to meet The Dentist's brother this weekend...which excites me because I love The Dentist so much that I bet his brother is equally as great. Sis and The Dentist have only been dating for 5 or so months, but I have already, repeatedly, told him that he must be a part of the family. He is great for Sis and a perfect fit into the family.

In a related topic, I expected to get a letter from Navy Boy yesterday because Roommie and I had calculated how long we thought it would take for my first letter to get to him, and then what day we thought they were allowed to send letters, and then how long it would take for his letter to get here. And all of those IF'S, I thought, pointed to me receiving a letter yesterday. But no. Now of course, we could have been off on our estimate of any of the above, so I'm waiting it out until today. If I don't get one today, I'm going to be nervous I have the wrong address, or he is some how not getting my letters. Ah! But no worries just yet...I'm going to wait this one out.

I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend! And thank you to those of you who were worried for my blog retreat...I honestly didn't mean to do it to pull you out of the wood works, I'm just really bad at pulling pranks and that was the best I could come up with!

APRIL FOOLS

2009-04-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

I WAS JUST KIDDING! I'm not taking down my blog anytime soon, that I am aware of. Although my reader following has declined, from what I can tell, and I do have a job search to think of, I just can't give up this free place to go and write whatever I want, whenever I want. I depend on this blog like a best friend. I know I can always come here and express whatever is on my mind and not be judged for it. Well, probably judged for it, but silently haha.

And the few readers left? I appreciate the hell out of you and could never leave you.

I realize this wasn't the greatest April Fools' joke, but hey it's all I got for now. Happy April everyone, my birthday is in 11 days (on Easter)!

Good-Bye Jacks, Yurman and Bobbi Brown

2009-04-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'm taking down my blog. Here are my reasons:

Sharp decline in readers/commenters
Job search coming up

That is it. So I've decided it will happen, I'm just not sure when. I still depend on it to pass the time/dump my thoughts on the world.

Finally Some New Clothes!

2009-04-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

In honor of my recent weight loss, I have gone a tiny tiny tiny shopping spree. I had to keep it tiny because my finances aren't where they need to be right now. Anyways, I went to Old Navy and stocked up on some great v-neck t-shirts for the coming warm weather and a long dress.

I got this shirt in 5 colors (Light Gray, Dark Gray, Black, Navy and Emerald Green)

This dress, I got in solid black...no horizontal stripes, thank you.

And the creme de la creme: NEW JEANS! AH!

These are my beautiful new Citizen's. I can no longer fit comfortably into my jean collection...going for one size smaller! This is good because I'm thinner, but bad because I have now have well over $1000 in jeans currently sitting idle in my closet.

Anyone else doing a little shopping now that it's spring!?

Skinny Bitch! That's Me!

2009-03-31T11:23:00.003-04:00

I have been pretty focused on exercising lately and even more so on decreasing my caloric intake. I have the livestrong app. on my iPhone which tells me how many calories I need to be taking in in order to achieve a goal. They do this by taking my weight, age and height and comparing it to my activity level. The app. tells me I should be in taking about 1600 calories in order to loose a pound a week. I'm not overweight by any stretch of the imagination but I want to loose the 5-8 lbs. I put on when I came to college.

This past weekend I hopped on the scale to find I have lost 5 lbs!!!! Yay!!! Go me!!! Here is what I do:
Breakfast-multi grain cheerios with skim milk and sliced strawberries
Lunch-usually a turkey sandwich on multi-grain bread
Dinner-Ellie Krieger’s egg salad wrap or other low cal recipe
Snacks: none (unless really needed, in that case I do the walnuts and cherries)
Caveat: I usually consume less than the advised calories and then do exercise to burn more...just to be sure

Exercise:Monday and Wednesdays I have a Pilates class for 50 mins. Also, 3-5 times a week I do Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred video. It is a quick but intense workout that incorporates strength, cardio and abs. I'm on level 2 now, but once I finish level 3 I'm going to buy her No More Trouble Zones because it is an hour long workout that focuses on a lot of places all of us ladies worry about.

Generally on the weekends I let go and drink and eat a lot. But I’m ok with that...if I didn't reward myself I would go crazy trying to eat/exercise perfectly all of the time. And I'm fairly certain my method is working for me - the proof is on the scale! I'm happy about the discipline I have incorporated into my life and the results I have seen, but I still have a ways to go. I have more goals to reach before being completely satisfied with my body.

Oh PS - no word from Navy Boy yet...expecting a letter this week though. If anyone has any thoughts on what to write to him about, please help me out!

Foodie Friday

2009-03-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

I stole this one from Rachael Ray, but it is DA BOMB. Is that not cool anymore? Oh...shit.

Inside-Out Bacon Cheeseburgers

Ingredients:
1 1/3 lb. ground beef
2 tbl. steak seasoning (McCormick's Montreal is my fave)
5 pieces of bacon, cooked & chopped
1/3 c shredded cheese
2 tbl. Worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns
*and any other ingredients you normally like on your burgers (lettuce, tomato, onion, etc.)

Method:
Mix the beef with the steak seasoning and Worcestershire and let rest. Cook the bacon until crisp and chop then mix it with the cheese (add more cheese depending on how you like your bacon:cheese ratio). Heat your grill or grill pan to medium high (or high - I mean I'm sure you have made burgers before, whatever works for you). Pat out the patties into 4 discs and make sort of a well in the center of each (put the patty in your hand and form it around a cupped hand). Pile about 1-2 tbl of the bacon/cheese mixture in the middle and then form the rest of the patty around it. Make sure none of the cheese/bacon is coming out of the sides (it should be completely surrounded by the beef). Grill those bad boys up to your desired done-ness (it usually takes mine 15-20 mins, I like them well done).

Rachael also suggests you make a roasted green onion mayo. It is delicious, take about 5 green onions and roast them on the grill for a couple of mins. while the burgers are cooking. Bring them in and combine with about 1/2-3/4 c. mayo and a teaspoon of cumin. Process in the food processor or blender. Use this as a spread for your burgers or any sandwich during the week.

ENJOY!

Are We STILL In High School?

2009-03-27T13:19:00.002-04:00

An event occurred last night that really upset me. I went to a bar to have drinks and dinner with a couple of friends after a long day (including two tests). After dinner we wound up sticking around for a while and some of my friends from home showed up. One used to be my BEST friend, but he is now married and I don't see or talk to him that often. The other was Gary (my ex) and his new girlfriend. And one other guy, but he is insignificant in the story. Anyways, we are sitting there catching up and I thought everyone was having a good time. I'm sure it was a little weird for Gary's new girl and maybe for Gary, but it wasn't for me. Roommie and I got up to go to the bathroom, and when we got back they were all walking out the door. They didn't even say bye. We all had tabs, so it's apparent that they called the waitress over paid really quickly and left. Roommie and I weren't even gone 5 minutes.

I just can't believe the immaturity of the situation. I understand if they felt weird, but for my BEST friend (back in the day) to not even say bye when I haven't seen him in 6 months? I mean, really!? It upset me because I feel like I have come a long way in being a nicer person to everyone. But when these people (who I've known for over 10 years) did that to me, it made me feel like shit. I have to admit, I was a bitch back then, but the person I was then isn't the person I am now...at all.

Now that I look back on it today, I'm so happy I'm not friends with them anymore. That is really a sad thing for me to say, but it's true. If I was going to be that kind of person around them, then I am better off without them.

The weirdness just kept coming when I got home and got a call from an ex of mine who has been in a relationship for 1 1/2 years. He was apparently drunk, but cried to me for an HOUR about how he isn't happy in his relationship. I was happy to give him the best advice I could, and happy that he felt good enough to call me and talk to me about it. I love to help out people when they need it, because I know I sure have cashed in my fair share on the receiving end.

I wrote another letter to Navy Boy last night and dropped it in the mailbox. I was under the influence of one of two beers, so I hope the letter makes as much sense to him as it did to me. I'm hoping my first letter gets to him tomorrow and that I get one back from him by the middle of next week. I can't wait to hear how things are going up there and get more details on when I can see him! Any advice on what to write in my next letter would be greatly appreciated...all I can think of right now is to keep him updated on the NCAA tournament!

I GOT THE ADDRESS!

2009-03-25T20:23:00.002-04:00

I finally got the address to send Navy Boy letters! My heart was breaking knowing that he was up there in 'hell' and I couldn't do anything about it. I'm going to write and send a letter everyday and hope that helps him through it. I'm sure I will run out of things to write to him about (like I do on this blog) so if anyone has any ideas please let me know!!

Dancing, Washing Machines and Beetles

2009-03-25T15:37:00.004-04:00

I had the strangest dream last night. I was involved in some dancing competition for school, which I was to be graded on. I didn't prepare any kind of dance for the 'test'. So I went home right before I was to do my dance to make something up. When I got home, I noticed a beetle crawling on my bed (AH GROSS!) so I killed it. The beetle that I killed was weird looking with a bright green stripe. As I enter the laundry room to put something in the wash (why am I not making up my dance yet?), I find my friend IN THE WASHING MACHINE, while it is going! And apparently in this dream, that was perfectly acceptable.

The particular friend that I found in the washing machine actually does have a mom who is a genius on animal facts, so I figured he would know something about the beetle. He proceeds to tell me it is seriously poisonous and to avoid any others that I see. As I go back to my room, I see one trying to come in the sliding glass door, except this one is 100 times bigger and red. My attempt to keep it outside was unsuccessful and the little shit bit me on the lip! My lip got huge and awkward and I couldn't speak correctly. This particular event scared the bejesus out of me, but at the same time I was psyched that I could use this excuse to get out of my dance test. Too bad by the time I got back to the school, the swelling had gone down and I was left without an excuse.

I don't know what happened next, but there were many other strange elements to the dream which I keep remembering bits and pieces of, but I've given you the gist of it all. Good luck interpreting that one.

Navy Boy News

2009-03-22T14:31:00.003-04:00

I heard from Navy Boy!!!! I am so excited. It was only a text, and it said: "Get my address from my parents and write me a letter. This place is hell." I feel SOO bad for him! But I'm working on getting the address. Since I don't know his parents, I'm having his best friend (my sister's boyfriend) call them. I hope he does it sooner rather than later. I texted him back, but didn't hear anything else so I guess he just got one small chance to get away. Woo! I'm just so happy I heard from him!!

Foodie Friday

2009-03-20T16:13:00.003-04:00

I've been incredibly MIA on these posts, so I'll give you two today:

1) My favorite snack (and healthy, too!):

Ingredients:
Toasted walnuts
Dried cherries

Method:
I usually like to eat two walnut halves with one dried cherry, so depending on how much you want to make, just do a 2:1 ratio (walnuts to cherries). Toast the walnuts in a pan on low-medium low until you can just smell them. Mix up in a bag with the cherries and ENJOY!

This particular combination is my favorite, but you can substitute any nut/dried fruit...be creative!

2) My new favorite easy dinner or lunch: Egg Salad Wrap (1 serving)

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped with one yolk removed
1 1/2 teaspoons mayo
1/2 teaspoon mustard (any kind)
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1-2 thin slices red onion
1 large leaf romaine, torn into large pieces
1 9-inch whole wheat wrap
S&P

Method:
I generally find the best way to boil eggs is cover them with water, cover, bring to a boil, turn the heat off, but leave on the burner and wait 15 mins. While you are waiting, combine the mayo, mustard, chives and S&P in a small bowl - refrigerate. Chop the onion, bell pepper and lettuce. Microwave wrap for 30 seconds and then stack the veggies on the wrap. Once the eggs are done, peel, discard one yolk, chop the rest and combine with mayo mixture. Put on top of veggies, wrap it up and ENJOY!

I got this egg salad idea from Ellie Kreiger's cookbook. I think it is around 235 calories and has tons of good stuff in it!

Have a great weekend y'all!

New Hope for the Future

2009-03-19T12:40:00.002-04:00

I just spoke with one of my bosses about my future here at this company when I graduate in May. I was totally nervous to do it, but I bit the bullet and brought it up. I was so nervous because just about a month and a half ago a guy that worked here (and had been here longer than me) was let go. We are a really small company, so when he was fired that took us down to 4 total. He told me that our bosses said due to the economy, they couldn't afford to keep him on, and if things kept going the way they were going they would probably just have it be the two of them (meaning they would let me and one other guy go too). As you probably know, I've been nervous about graduating because of the terrible job market and the fact that my parents are cutting me off, basically.

There are no solid promises, but the conversation I had with my boss led me to believe there is some sort of growth for me here (when I had previously had the notion there wasn't). He mentioned even being able to foot the bill for continuing education if he thought it would benefit the company. Basically, I need to tell him what field I want to be in (investment banking, marketing/graphic design, etc.) and see how well that aligns with what the company needs. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, because I still have to come up with some kind of guidelines for what I want (position, money, benefits) but I was SOOO happy to hear that they were willing and open to letting me grow here.

Soooo excited about that.

Anyways, I thought I'd let y'all in on a little thing I've been working on for the past few weeks: Twitter! I joined a little less than a year ago when I started writing this blog. Since then, I didn't know much about it or think it was worthwhile. However, recently a lot of my friends have joined and I discovered you can follow celebrities! Woo hoo! So I'm in full force and trying to tweet more often...feel free to follow me 'selizabeth' or leave a comment with your name so I can follow you!

Have a great day y'all!

Boring Week

2009-03-17T12:37:00.002-04:00

I had an uneventful week. I was sick and lazy. I hate being lazy. I walked around all of Sunday feeling like my brain was completely dysfunctional. While walking up the steps to the library on campus, I actually found myself thinking: "I hope I don't fall down these stairs because I'm not sure I know how to climb them." It was crazy, I honestly felt like I couldn't function. Weird.

Well those feelings are gone now and I'm being more productive. Woo hoo! But Navy Boy didn't call this weekend (which would make one week of him being there). He said he thought he could call in one week, but I had a feeling he wouldn't be able to. I'm still trying to figure out how to send him mail but I've had no developments thus far.

I have a feeling things will stay pretty boring until I hear from him or something else exciting goes on in my life. HAPPY ST. PATTYS DAY!

In the Navy

2009-03-10T11:58:00.003-04:00

There is a new boy in my life! Well he was in it for a short while, then 682 miles away from it. What is my fascination with men who are far away!? Y'all are going to think I'm crazy, but I don't care...this guy is totally worth it!

My sister has a boyfriend who is super great and they have been trying to introduce me to his best friend, Navy Boy, for a couple of months now. Finally, the weekend before I left for Oklahoma he was going to be visiting my sister and her bf so I went up to hang out for the night. The minute I saw this guy I knew I wanted to get to know him better. He is probably 6'3" with brown hair and a great athletic body. GORGEOUS! As I got to know him better, I realized he is genuine, caring and best of all hilarious. He told stories that most people would be embarrassed to tell and it had me cracking up the whole time.

I learned upon meeting him that he had applied for and been accepted into Officer Candidate School for the Navy. He was leaving in 8 days. This was always in the back of my mind, but I still wanted to get to know him. So I jet off to Oklahoma thinking I will get to spend some time with him when I get back - right before he leaves. Wrong. I get a call from him while I'm away in which he tells me he has to leave Thursday instead of Sunday, like originally planned...meaning I wouldn't be able to see him again.

From the minute I got home from OK to the minute he drove up to OCS, we talked on the phone. It is amazing, I've never met a guy who enjoyed talking to me as much as this kid. I know it sounds hard to believe, but we got to know each other pretty well (or as well as you can via phone) over those 4 days. I know about his family, his religious views, likes/dislikes, etc. (and he knows those things about me too). We talked about writing to each other while he is gone (3 months!) and doing the whole hokey movie scene where the war veteran writes in the muddy tent, then the girl writes back and sprays perfume on the paper and smacks her lip print on the bottom...soooo cheesy. I know. We talked about things we would do together when he gets back (meet his parents, take salsa lessons, etc.), and he even offered to fly me up to visit one weekend when he has liberty on the weekend!

I have the privilege of knowing his best friend (sis' bf) so I talked to him to figure out some things about Navy Boy I didn't already know. He is actually a good guy, y'all. I'm so excited to have met him. I don't know how realistic this visit to Newport is, but I hope it happens. Since we didn't have a chance to talk about it more, I don't know all of the details and how this thing really works. He told me he expected to be able to call me in a week, but from the things I have read (navy.com message boards) it isn't that soon. In all of the fuss, I forgot to give him my address, so he can't write...I want to write him though. I'm going to have to figure out a way to do that...

Although this situation is so convoluted, I'm really excited about this guy! If anyone out there has gone through a similar situation or knows someone that has, please be in touch! I want to know as much as possible about this, and the best ways to go about making his time there as pleasant as possible!

OOOOOkklahoma....

2009-03-04T00:47:00.002-05:00

I'm in the great state of Oklahoma and I couldn't be happier. I love being here with my family. It is my dad's side of the family, and they are just the sweetest people ever. My aunt and uncle are quite possibly the happiest people I know. They are still madly in love with each other and are both well into their 60's. I hope I marry someone who I still love that much for that long! My aunt is one of the nicest people I know, she is caring and never speaks a bad word about anyone. I wish I had more of her characteristics. She and my uncle both have an amazing outlook on life. I idolize them in many ways, they are caring people, involved in the community, still very much in touch with high school friends, giving, healthy and fun.

I also got to meet my cousin's first born for the first time Sunday. He is ADORABLE!! He has the biggest eyes and the roundest head. My cousin, the father, had been in Iraq for most of his wife's pregnancy, which I'm sure was incredibly hard. He was able to come back for the birth, but had to go back to Iraq for a couple of weeks before he could come home for good. When he is not serving in the National Guard, my cousin is a police officer. I was lucky enough to go on a 'ride along' with him last night. His shift starts at 9:15 PM and doesn't end until 7 AM! I only stayed until 1 AM, though. We had one burglary, a wandering drunk guy, and pulled one person over. I guess cold Tuesday nights don't bring too much crime. It was really cool to see and I definitely will do it again next time I visit. Although, I hope I don't take his driving habits back with me (running red lights, speeding, etc)!

Spending time with my grandmother (who is 87, I think) has been the best part of the trip. I look up to my grandmother in so many ways. When she was young, she was the poster child for high society. She bought the best clothes, had the best manners and went to the best parties. She fell about 10 years ago, and has not been able to live the same life since, but she is still the most respectable person I know. My aunt took me to her house that she still owns but does not live in, and I got to look through all of her vintage clothes. AMAZING. I'm under the impression that I can have anything that I love and can fit into, but I'm not ready to take her things. It makes me feel like she has passed or something. I cannot say enough to justify the wonderful woman my grandmother is, and it kills me to see her unable to live like she used to (post to come soon on this topic).

Being here with my family makes me think of all of the great things that I could do in the future. The question, "What are you going to do in May?" has come up countless times, and each time my response inches closer and closer to finding a future here. Who knows...maybe I'll return to my roots after all. I need to do some investigating first.

Hope everyone is having a great week! I'll be back with more details from the trip soon!

Get into Shape

2009-02-27T16:03:00.004-05:00

The summer is approaching quickly, and since I have no idea if I will be employed, I need to be bathing suit ready in case I'm not and have to spend a bunch of time at the beach to pass the time. So I'm doing the 20 SB Biggest Loser thing like I mentioned, and the Jillian stuff AND I got this cool new app. for my iPhone. If you have an iPhone, you totally have to get it. It is called Nike Training.

You don't have to have an iPhone to reap the benefits though. Basically, you go online (Nike Women) and create a profile. You even get to make a little dudette and tell them what your focus is (cardio/core/strength) and how many times you will work out a week. Then it becomes kind of a competition. You can invite friends and there is a leader board and everything. It also gives you specific workouts to do each day and tracks your progress.

So if anyone wants to join me, post a comment here letting me know and I'll invite you to my competition! It will be a fun way to get into shape and support each other while we do so!

In and Out

2009-02-26T10:58:00.001-05:00

Real quick, I wanted to write a post to say hi and I forgot to tell everyone that I'm doing the 20 SB Biggest Loser and I'm on the Green Team. Go Green! Woo! That works in two different ways. OK I'm officially out of my mind. I have two tests this afternoon that I am not at all prepared for. Shit. So I will be studying and trying to work for the next couple hours. I just thought I would mention the 20 SB thing because I recently started reading my team member's blogs and they are great. I really must explore different blogs more often.

If only I had more time. Anyways, I will be done with school work for the week today at 6, and then off to Oklahoma Sunday so I will have some free time to blog and comment and all of that jazz. Have a great day everyone!

Taking Advice From A Movie

2009-02-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

I have so much to do this week! I spent all weekend doing work. And I literally mean ALL weekend. I even did work into the night. I have two tests on Thursday and I'm not prepared for them even though those are the classes I focused on this weekend. I'm on track to graduate Magna Cum Laude in May so I really want to keep my grades up and finish college with some kick-ass grades. Thankfully, next week is spring break and I will get somewhat of a break from school. However, I have two mid-terms and a test the week I get back, so I have a feeling I will be using the break to study for them. Wow...I complain a lot. I really do love school for the fact that it prevents me from having to get a full-time job though.

In other non-school news...there is this boy. We will call him The Neighbor, because, well, he lives in the same building. Now before I get into it, I know I said I was going to try to stay boy-free and set my mind right (i.e. learn to live without depending on a boy for happiness) but well...I can't seem to break that habit. I do feel like I have broken the dependency habit for the most part, but there is just something about the adoration of a guy to make me feel special. Whatever. I'll tell you about him now.

I've know The Neighbor (through a friend) for a while, but he just moved into our apartment complex in December. Roomie and I immediately started hanging out with him, his roommate and some of their friends. Since December 1, we haven't spent that many weekends without them. I always considered The Neighbor to be a really good friend. I used to talk to him about Dru and felt really comfortable around him. In my drunken state on New Years I went around and kissed one of my friends who had no one to kiss and then I kissed The Neighbor because he, too, was without a date. These were harmless kisses...the type of kiss I would give my mom or dad. I guess The Neighbor took it to mean more and found me later to continue the action.

Since then, we've had a few drunken hook-ups but have still remained pretty good friends. We hang out pretty regularly and talk often. Sunday night was our first sober sleepover. I don't know what to think about it. Things went so well that night but the next morning when he left we didn't hug or kiss goodbye, like I had expected based on the previous night's events.

On Valentines Day Roomie and I went to see "He's Just Not That Into You," so of course, now I'm second guessing everything. I base all of The Neighbors actions on the movie and try to figure out if he is really interested based on the guidelines Justin Long gives Ginnifer Goodwin. Silly right? Ohhh my lifee.....

It has seemed, recently, that The Neighbor is interested in more than just a hook-up but there is no way for me to tell for sure. The friend I know The Neighbor through is one of my closest friends from high school and also happens to be The Neighbor's best friend. I think my plan is to talk to my friend about it and try to get a better insight. I really don't want to just be a booty call...but I wouldn't know how to put a stop to it without hurting The Neighbor's feelings or ruining the friendship. Well that is just a problem for another day.

Any thoughts or comments are always welcome! Happy Tuesday!

Apologies.

2009-02-17T12:48:00.002-05:00

I'm a freaking terrible blogger. I suck. I keep saying I'm going to get better, but I don't. There is nothing going on in my life that I think to blog about. Someone at my work just got laid off and I have no idea if I'm going to be next. I hope not because the extra drinking money each month really has enhanced my college experience.

Speaking of college, I have a test this week and 2 or 3 next week. I will be scarce once again. After next week will be spring break so I'll have time and topics to discuss. I'm going to visit family in Oklahoma and apparently they are scheming to set me up with a soccer player...we'll see how that goes. My family is known for putting people in awkward situations.

No other news on the boy front. Things are pretty boring around here. Hope all is well and I'm not loosing too many readers to my sucky-ness.

Ladies Beware - Update

2009-02-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'm full of updates! But remember this post where I was approach by the fake lawyer? Well I was telling a friend about it and she has heard of women being tricked by similar approaches. She said that men give out business cards with a chemical that makes a person pass out when enclosed in a small space with the card (i.e. the car). I don't know how true this is or how it works, but apparently the men follow you to your car hoping that it will take effect and that gives them the opportunity to hurt or rob you.

So all of you ladies out there...watch out for the chemical cards!!

DRU UPDATE!

2009-02-10T12:47:00.003-05:00

As I have mentioned, I've been Facebook free for about 3+ months now. Today I was creating an email campaign for my company and my boss asked me to send it out to a bunch of my friends too. Well the easiest way to get a bunch of email addresses that I don't have stored is Facebook. So I activated my account again and was looking people up when all of a sudden the stalkerish tendencies we all get on Facebook overwhelmed me. I went to Dru's page and noticed a bunch of new pictures posted. They are of him, his brother, another guy and three girls (hunting pictures). There are a ton of him and one particular girl. The two of them look alike, so at first I thought they were related...until I got to a picture that clearly indicated they are NOT related.

It relieves me to know the split (if you can call it that) wasn't because of something I did, but because he found someone that suited him better. I have mixed emotions about it all. This is so superficial and conceited (please don't judge - I realize how shallow I'm about to sound), but she is wayyyy less cute than me. And there was even a picture of her with deer guts all over her! And when I think about it, I would be super jealous if she was cuter than me, but it makes me mad to know that my looks didn't pull through on this one (still shallow - I know). I will even go as deep as to say it is an insult to my personality. But roommie was super-smart enough to point out that if he was looking for someone to clean his deer for him, then he was totally barking up the wrong tree with me. I don't do that shit. Nor do I ever want to.

One of the biggest things that upset me when I first lost touch with Dru was the fact that I thought he was the 'perfect' guy. I'd never had a boyfriend like that, and frankly didn't think they existed. I was pissed that I let that go, but now I realize that I should be happy to have experienced it at all. Had Dru not treated me that way, I still wouldn't know what it feels like to have hope for the lesser sex (HA...still a little bitter). But seriously, I just had an epiphany and honestly do appreciate having him in my life, even for such a short time.

I'm on to find another Dru...who isn't so keen on killing animals.

PS - I'm super behind on my reader. School is kicking my ass and I'm actually doing work at work! Imagine that...But I promise I'll be back commenting soon!

Games Are Fun

2009-02-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

I ganked this cute idea from Tasha at Biology Gal to whom I owe a big one since my creative juices are lacking this week...

The Game:

Make a list of things you can see without getting up: My computer screen, obvi. The things on my desk: phone, stapler, boring stuff.

What were you like when you were five? I was (and always have been) silly around my family and friends but kind of stand-offish to those I don't know (due to my lack of confidence).

What are you wearing now? Black flats, black tights, a black skirt, a black shirt and a red jacket (it sounds goth, but it's really cute!)

What is one thing people don’t know about you that you would like to share? I wish I had more close friends.

What’s the last thing you read/are currently reading? A book for my history class on the Medieval times. BORING!

Do you nap a lot? No, there is too much to do (like watch TV).

Who was the last person you hugged? My dad.

What was the last thing you ate today? Cocoa Puffs!

What was the last thing you said aloud? "Bye." After hanging up with roomie. She had called to probe my mind about shortcuts on Macs - she just got one for Christmas.

What websites do you always visit when you go online? Email, my reader, people.com, school stuff.

What was the last thing you bought? A suitcase for my dad's birthday present.

What are you listening to right now? The normal sounds of the office...and cars passing outside.

What is the best piece of advice you have received recently? Interview advice from my mom.

If you could have any super power, what would it be? To be able to read people's minds...I realize it could offend me or get me in trouble but it would also help me be prepared and there is nothing I hate more than not being prepared.

What is your favorite weather, and why? Sunshine and not too hot so I can leave the windows and doors open.

What time do you usually get up? 7:30AM.

What is your most challenging goal right now? Motivating myself to workout.

Say something to the person who tagged you: Tasha is refreshing and a wonderful southern girl!

If you could have a house–totally paid for, fully furnished–anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be? Somewhere tropical and somewhat secluded...Fiji!?

Favorite vacation spot? Anywhere with a beach.

What is your favorite children’s book? The name escapes me right now, but it was about a monster doing something good. Vague, I know. My aunt used to read it to my sister and me each time we would visit.

Name one thing you just can’t resist no matter how bad it is for you: CHEESE!!

If you could meet anyone famous - dead or alive - who would it be? Britney Spears...haha I can't help it, I love the girl!

What is your favorite restaurant? Ruth's Chris

What do you do to motivate yourself? I don't really...it's usually just one of those days or it's not.

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

Step 2: tag—eight other un-tagged people will be tagged (I'm not much for tagging so please feel free to do this at your own convenience!)

Award Time!

2009-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

This is quite a bit late but...the wonderful Tasha over at Biology Gal tagged me for the Honest Scrap award!

Rules:

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design and show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." (since I'm so late most of the people who I would give this to have already gotten one so I'm going to skip this part)

2) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

These are somewhat embarrassing, but hey why not go for the gold here...I'm going to be completely honest.

I still sleep with my childhood blanket and a Build-A-Bear Gary gave me 3 years ago.

If my morning routine gets disturbed it puts a damper on my whole day.

I eat lasagna sauce and bread for lunch most days.

As much as I like to pretend my body hasn't changed...it has (for the worse).

Lack of determination is my biggest weakness.

I didn't get my sister a birthday present this year.

I feel like I need a man to be happy (working on changing this - little progress so far).

I believe the human race evolved from apes way back when.

My dad is by far my favorite parent.

I've now been Facebook-free for almost 3 months! Yayyy go meeee!!

Ladies: BEWARE!

2009-02-05T18:21:00.004-05:00

I was walking down a side street to my car from class this evening. It is a fairly populated street so I generally feel safe. But today something odd happened. I see a small green car coming towards me slowly. It wasn't a good car...like an old green P.O.S. The guy has his window down and leans out. He isn't dressed nice and well...looks like a Hispanic thug to put it frankly. The back of the driver's seat was leaned back too - wayyy back. So I thought well, it is still light out so I'll just hear what he has to say (thinking he was going to ask for directions or something). Instead he asks, "Do you know of anyone that needs a lawyer right now?" To which I of course say no and then he tries to hand me what looks like his business card. I said no thanks and didn't get anywhere near his car.

I always get all of these emails about how women are abducted and this guy just didn't seem right. There was no way in hell I was going to actually refer HIM as a lawyer. I don't believe he was actually a lawyer but if he really wanted to convince some people he could have tried a little harder.

I'm proud of myself for not taking the card from him because he could have attacked me in some way. So I just wanted to tell all the ladies to beware. These jackasses are getting crafty.

Help Needed!

2009-02-05T10:10:00.004-05:00

I'm sure all of you already read Dana's blog Just Talk, but if not...go read it now!

Anyways, a good friend of hers is in some trouble. He is in dire need of a kidney and is hoping anyone, even a complete stranger, will be willing to help! If you or someone you know would be willing to help out a great person (and the cutest couple!) please go to this website I Need A Kidney Now and get in touch with Garrett. If you aren't ready to give a kidney up at least send some prayers and good thoughts his way!

Foodie Friday (on Wednesday)

2009-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite wintertime meals is, of course, a big bowl of steamy-hot soup. Rachael Ray brought me this little pot of heaven:

Chicken in A Pot, No Pie (I've made a few minor changes to the recipe on Food Network based on what I like)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 starchy potatoes, skin left on and diced (think relatively small dice - it has to fit on your spoon!)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery with leafy green tops, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, chopped
1 small bunch pencil asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas

Method:
Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Melt butter into oil then add the potatoes, onions, celery and carrots, adding them to the pot as you chop them. Add bay leaf and season veggies with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, cook 5 to 6 minutes to soften them a bit. Add flour and cook another minute then add stock and put a lid on the pot and raise heat to bring to a quick boil. Slide in chicken and cook 5 minutes. Stir in asparagus and cook 3 minutes more. Turn off heat and add the peas. Stir to combine and adjust salt and pepper, to your taste.

Enjoy!

Brain Fry

2009-02-03T09:51:00.002-05:00

School/work/my future is frying my brain right now so you'll have to excuse my lack of creative writing. I have one class this semester that will most definitely prove to be my most intense and hardest class during my college career. I am not caught up in that class and I have a test in 2 days. Not to mention I also have a test right before that and one the next day.

I worked on updating my resume this weekend and that was quite an ordeal. My mom is a great help and I'm actually kind of pleased with it so far. I sound super smart and qualified. The stress of having to find a 'real' job in May is freaking me out. Come on Obama...fix this place before May...PUHLEASEEE!

I keep having dreams about Dru and it is pissing me off. He is physically and emotionally out of my life but he keeps sneaking in at night...WTF?! Can't I just get rid of him already? It is so frustrating.

Oh and I'm trying to pay down my bills so I am currently not shopping. That always adds to my stress level. But enough of my stresses. I am happy to be alive and healthy so I can't ask for too much more I guess. I will try to post some more creative things sometime this week but it's going to be incredibly busy so don't get your hopes up...but I do have a great recipe coming up tomorrow since I missed last Friday.

Have a good week y'all!

TV On The Real

2009-01-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have indulged in some trashy shows recently but I'M IN LOVE. If you haven't seen these, you have to check them out.

For some hilarious reality TV check out Tool Academy on Vh1 and Bromance on MTV. I realize these shows are actually terrible, but the people on them make them oh. so. funny. On Tool Academy a bunch of guys (tools) were told they were going to be on a show called 'Mr. Awesome' so of course when they showed up they were amping up their tool-ness 100%. Then the tables turned and they realized they were actually on a show because their girlfriends were tired of being treated like shit due to their tool behavior. These guys are out of control. They are the typical gel-heads with big muscles and tight shirts. It makes me wonder what type of girls out there are actually attracted to this type of asshole?

As for Bromance, it isn't quite as funny or astonishing, but there will be no point in time during which I would refuse to look at Brody Jenner. The show makes roomie and me laugh because...well it is bromance. They try to act all manly and like they want to be Brody's friend, but honestly the writers and producers have made it seem like Brody is looking for a little more than friendship. Which we all know isn't true...just entertaining.

For serious drama outside of the nighttime soaps (i.e. Greys, Private Practice, Lost), tune into The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo. I understand that I may be behind the curve on this one because my city just recently added Bravo (reason #29385 why Time Warner BLOWS)...but I can't get enough of this show! The women act like they are back in high school! Over the past 4 years I have noticed some of this type of behavior still hasn't retreated in my friends; but for the most part, we have matured greatly compared to the housewives. These women have no mature friends. They all talk shit behind each other's backs and are never able to give helpful advice. It truly is shocking. Don't get me wrong, I envy the money, power and fashion these women have but I'm not quite sure about selling my maturity for it all.

More comedy but not trash? OK. Have 30 Rock on NBC. Tina Fey is a genius. I'm a huge fan of Tina and Tracy Morgan (whose character is pee-in-your-pants-funny). Alec Baldwin hasn't always struck me as a great person/actor, but I love him in the show. I think the perfect word to describe the show is goofy. Seriously...go to blockbuster and rent the first two seasons. Then, set your DVR to record the remaining shows in this season. When this season is over and they put it on DVD...go get it to see the ones you have already missed. I promise it is worth every penny and minute.

OHMIGOSH! I almost forgot Scrubs. It is back! Although I still have hope, the first few episodes weren't as great as I expected. This is the last season, so I'm still recommending it assuming that the funny will come out sooner rather than later. If you haven't seen this show, it too is a great one to rent and watch all of (or DVR the old episodes that come on many different channels like Comedy Central).

Speaking of Comedy Central, I just watched Katt Williams' stand up routine called Pimpin' Pimpin' or something like that. This dude talks a lot about racism which gets repetitive, but overall he was so incredibly funny. Definitely look him up or DVR it next time it shows up on Comedy Central.

One last thing...I'm obsessed with A&E. The shows I record habitually are Intervention, The First 48 and Manhunters. Record them now. Do it.

I'm A Guest Blogger!

2009-01-27T10:31:00.003-05:00

Hey y'all jump on over to It's as simple as putting the biscuit in the basket to see my guest post! Taqueer is doing NaBloPoMo and decided to do 7Pi7D...7 posts in 7 days (written by guest bloggers) about change. And all of you regular readers know that I have some serious change issues and many changes that lie ahead. So I unloaded on someone elses blog this time!

Run on over there and get your dose of change for the day/week whatever. There are tons of great posts! OH! And if you happen to be the 500th comment on Taqueer's blog...you get a PRIZE!!!

Dru is Haunting My Dreams...and A Confession

2009-01-24T11:36:00.004-05:00

For the past few weeks I have had multiple dreams about Dru and I. In most of them we are back together doing normal things. Here goes the one from last night: my mom, sister and I were in B-ham for some organization she was a member of. They were having a dinner/function of sorts. First thing's first...we get a glass of wine. As we are heading over to the nearest table, Dru, his brother and mom walk up to the same table. We exchange pleasantries (the moms meet) and I'm cracking joke after joke. It was really a fun time, until Dru and I decided to go away from the group and talk. I sat him down and asked him why he disappeared without a word...

Apparently on some paperwork I had filled out there was a question that said, "Who are you currently dating?" (What kind of paperwork is this!?) I filled in the sheet with Dru's name...but put Gary's name out to the side. (Let me remind you here that Gary is the guy I dated for 5 years but broke up with 1.5 years ago) Dru pointed this out to me and said I had also called him Gary before. I explained to him that I have a horrible habit of calling people by the wrong name (this is true) and that I accidentally put Gary's name on the paperwork because I just wasn't thinking. Clearly Gary was a big part of my life and it was just a silly mistake that meant nothing.

As the conversation looked like it was going nowhere and Dru looked genuinely hurt, I told him that I had started to fall in love with him while we were seeing each other, which totally took him by surprise. The conversation continued and we wound up back together. End dream.

Now, I have to make a shameful confession. I haven't told the blog world about this because...well a lot of reasons, but #1 being I am ashamed of my actions. Here goes...sometime after Dru didn't come to visit in November I slept over at Gary's. It was definitely drunk-induced and I regret it for many reasons. Here is my side of the story (even though I know I shouldn't have done it): at the time Dru had just stood me up and was making no visible effort to reschedule, we never did discuss 'what we were' and I not too long before had someone asked him "Is that your girlfriend?" to which he responded "Sometimes" (he didn't know I heard). So obviously, to my credit, we had not discussed being exclusive. However, I see his side as well and know it was wrong.

Here is where it bothers me, during one of my first visits to B-ham Dru mentioned that if a girlfriend of his ever cheated on him that he would never talk to her again no matter what. And well, that is exactly what happened with us. But I wasn't his 'girlfriend' or if I was, he didn't let me know and...this is a big AND...he knows NONE of my friends except rommie. It is out of the question...in no way shape or form would I think she contacted him to tell him that. It is not a possibility so get it out of your head.

So I've come to the conclusion that it would be highly unlikely for him to know about me and Gary. Obviously, for over a month now I have been racking my brain as to what happened. Last night I had an epiphany. We met at a wedding, hooked up and developed a relationship from there. Sooooo....I'm thinking, if he did that with me then he probably had done something similar before and likely to do it again. Which, in turn, would mean that he totally fooled me into thinking he was a great guy.

Enough rant for today...what do you think?

In Light of this Week's Snow

2009-01-23T09:52:00.000-05:00

This recipe is totally fabricated and I made it up after a day of drinking and playing in the snow...but somehow it turned out DELICIOUS!

Snow Cream

Ingredients:
8 cups snow
2 tbl. vanilla extract
2-3 c milk
1/2 c powdered sugar

Method:
Throw it all in a big pot and stir.

Obviously, these measurements are very questionable because I didn't measure anything...but this is how we made snow cream work for us with the limited ingredients in our bare refrigerator!

Enjoy!

Snow Day!

2009-01-22T09:48:00.002-05:00

We got snow on Tuesday! This is a pretty big deal because we haven't had a big snow in 5 years! Monday night through Tuesday at noon it snowed almost a total of 6 inches and it was oh so pretty! School was cancelled Tuesday and I didn't want to attempt to make it into work, so my roommate and I played in the snow, had a few beers and went sledding. It was a blast. We made snowladies and dressed them up like us. Mine wore an apron and had spatulas for arms and roommie's was a fashionista...

Aren't they adorable!? Her snowlady had shoes too, but they got cut out of this picture.

Our friends had some sleds so we went sledding that night on a huge hill nearby. It had been overrun during the day so there weren't that many good patches left, but we made it work. I ate it hard a couple of times and was sore all day yesterday. It is always sad when the snow starts to melt the next few days...I guess I'll just have to hope for more!

But it is back to work and school as of now...and it sucks. Having so much time off over the past few months really spoiled me. I have no motivation to work out or want to go to school. Boo.

Anyways, I have some Google Reader to catch-up on, but look for a super yummy recipe tomorrow!

LASIK anyone?

2009-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've been having eye issues for the past 4 or so months. I have been wearing contacts since I was a junior in high school and LOVE them. I never really had a good pair of glasses for the first couple of years, but then I bought some Versace ones about 2 1/2 years ago and have been wearing them more often. Still, I didn't like wearing glasses and definitely wore my contacts too much. I would sleep in them often and didn't throw them away for months. I realize, now, that I should have listened to the doctors when they said to take proper care of them...but they are so darn expensive that I didn't want to just throw them away after 2 weeks!

One morning in October I woke up and noticed a red ring around my iris (where the contact sits) and the rest of my eye was bloodshot as well. Obviously, I didn't wear my contacts for a few days and things seemed to get better. The next time I put my contacts in the same thing happened. So I visited my eye doctor and he said to give my eyes a week to breathe then try my contacts again. Didn't work. I got drops and stopped wearing them for 6 weeks. Things were better. I could wear them for a few hours with minimal irritation and redness. I have kind of worked my way up to wearing them for longer periods but I still have redness, a swollen feeling and general discomfort after a day of wearing my contacts. I have been to my doctor multiple times but he seems to have no solution for me.

So my mom got the name of a different doctor and I plan on making an appointment with him ASAP. I have heard before that you can get to the point where you just aren't able to wear contacts anymore. I hope I am not there, but if I am I want to explore LASIK eye surgery as my graduation present. I've done some preliminary research on the internet and talked to one friend who had it done, but I don't have that much to go on. Have any of you had experience with it or known someone with a story to tell?

Follow Through

2009-01-16T15:31:00.003-05:00

It is easy to make a plan. Or come up with a goal. But the follow through is the hardest part, right? I usually find excuses to not follow through with my goals, but last night I succeeded! I did a good thing! Yay me!

There is this guy that I used to be friendly with before Dru, I'm going to call him Frat Guy. There was no relationship which was good because neither of us wanted one. I've known him probably for 2 or 3 years now and had always thought he was cute. So we would occasionally hook-up (but never did during the Dru era). I've heard from him every weekend for the past few weeks but haven't seen him. Last night I saw him.

In my reformation, one of my main goals is to eliminate the negative influence of guys in my life. The relationship or lack-thereof with Frat Guy is probably not a positive thing because, let's face it, I'm not strong enough to handle that. So I told roommie that under no circumstances did I want him to come home with me. He and the alcohol tried very very hard to get me to change my mind but I stuck to my guns and had a peaceful night of sleep. Although I know what I'm missing out on, and let me tell you - it is great, I am happy with my decision.

I would be more than happy to explore a relationship with Frat Guy but I don't think that is what he is looking for. Roommie and I took him home from the bar and he kissed me in the car when he got out...with roommie in the passenger seat...weird. Then he called when I got home and attempted to make plans for the weekend after next. I'm confused by him, but I'm not letting it bother me. If he does want a relationship I think I'll be able to tell soon. If not, I'm crossing him off of the list.

Happy Friday everyone! (PS I realize I'm not doing a good job with my 'Foodie Fridays' but don't worry, I just got a new cookbook and I'll report back as soon as I make one of the recipes)

Blog Change

2009-01-15T11:00:00.001-05:00

I just made some changes to my comment thingy after I have decided on what I do/don't like about commenting on other blogs.

-Instead of refreshing the page I chose a pop-up comment section. This is because often, I don't keep up with my reader and like to go back and read oldest to newest. So with a pop-up comment section I don't loose my place.
-No word verification anymore! I finally realized that is more for the blogs with high traffic, and I'm not quite there.

Puhleaseeeee let me know if these changes are bad. I'm not that tech-savvy so I'm not sure how pop-up blocker affects everyone, but if it will keep you from posting comments let me know because I honestly love them and wouldn't write if it wasn't for your opinions and advice. I hope these changes positively affect you experience here at Jacks, Yurman and Bobbi Brown!

The Bad Economy Affects Sarah Elizabeth...

2009-01-15T10:15:00.003-05:00

I'll be graduating in May.

That's pretty much all that needs to be said. Ok, fine...I'll elaborate. There are no loans to be had to continue school and pretty much no one is hiring. These are the only two paths I see for myself come May. That or moving back in with my parents.

NOOOOO!!!!!

I have been lucky enough to be on my own with a LOT of help from my parents since I became a college student. But May is the cut-off. We haven't discussed specifics yet, but my parents have notified me that they will no longer pay my rent and utilities among other things once I graduate. The shitty economy couldn't have come at a worse time.

I was very fortunate as a child (well I still am) and always assumed when I graduated I would be able to live the same way. WRONG. I have credit card debt that I can't get my dad to help me with and an impending date by which I have to make a life decision. Ok, I realize I am being dramatic there, but I just can't fathom living with my parents again. I'm a total daddy's girl and love spending time with him. But my mom on the other hand is pretty much intolerable. She is a wonderful woman and has taught me so many things, but our personalities tend to clash and the more time we spend together the more she gets on my nerves. I honestly do love and appreciate her for everything she has done for me, but it just isn't as easy as it is with my dad. I envy girls who are best friends with their mom, but oh well.

The economy also sucks for me right now because of said credit card debt. I have a job, but it pays a measly $10/hour and I'm only working 12 hours/week due to school. How am I supposed to pay off the credit card debt I have dug myself into with this tiny pay check? Well I get it. Everyone is screaming....JUST STOP SPENDING. I guess that is where I run into a problem. I love to look good...this means taking care of my skin, body and fashion. How am I supposed to do that on a budget!? Ugh. Blah. Boo. Frick.

Will someone please tell the economy to check itself? Because it isn't listening to me.

To be or not to be...

2009-01-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Warning: This post is about religion. I may/may not offend you. Please don't hate me if I have said things you disagree with. I'm just working my way through the situation and chose to post about it. I in no way judge other people's religious beliefs, so please do not judge mine.

My roommate (and best friend) has always been very religious. Since college, she doesn't go to church 3 nights a week but is still very God-fearing. I, on the other hand, went to church occasionally as a child. I never read the Bible or studied the religion. I only know the main stories that the general public knows and I don't actively attend or practice any sort of religion. I pray occasionally but I feel like I shouldn't since I don't do any other religious activities.

This past Sunday I attended my first service in over 3 years with my roommate at her church here in town. I liked it because there was a band and the service wasn't the boring monotonous droning that I remember from childhood. It was upbeat, lively and geared toward a younger generation.

I want to go back because the sermon and message was therapeutic, but I feel guilty going because I'm not sold on the whole story. I consider myself a Christian and believe in God, but I don't believe everything. So maybe I shouldn't consider myself a Christian? I don't believe that women came from a rib in Adam's chest. And I have trouble believing that one of my best friends from high school who commit suicide almost 3 years ago is in hell for doing so.

There is so much I don't understand about religion, Christianity to be specific, but I haven't given up on it yet. I will continue to go to church with rommie and hope that it helps me become a better person. Whether or not I will ever fully believe is still up in the air.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Don't tear me a new one though...

Change is in the air

2009-01-13T11:25:00.002-05:00

School, work and the requisite first week or so of partying each semester has kept me away from the wonderful blog world once again. But I'm here now and ready to fill you in on my life. I'm doing better with the Dru situation. I'm not nearly as depressed and am able to sleep better at night these days. I still miss him and wonder everyday why he stopped contacting me. But I am taking some steps to make some major changes in my life. I wouldn't exactly say that they are resolutions, but it just happened to come at the same time.

One of the biggest things I need to overcome is the want for a man in my life. Ever since I was 15 I have had a boyfriend, or some other type of guy friend who I would use to make me feel needed and loved. Gary (the ex I dated for 5 years) occasionally calls me at 2 AM after a night at the bar, and I hate to admit it, but sometimes I would go over there to spend the night. I entertained the thought that he still loved me and this is what kept me coming back. I have vowed not to do that anymore. I will not be the girl he uses for late night and who uses him for a false sense of hope. Gary is out of my life for good now, and I refuse to let him in or hope to let him in as anything more than a friend.

With the exception of Gary, all of my other relationships began with the drunk hook-up that turned into...'oh I might actually like this person'. Well, not anymore. I want to be in a relationship that starts with a date, not a late night. I think this will go a long way in helping me find the right person.

My biggest and probably most important underlying problem is self-confidence. Although I was voted most attractive and best dressed junior and senior year in high school, I still feel like I could always look better. Not only does my self-confidence suffer in appearance, but also in the personality department. I can define all of my friends with one word that describes their passion. I have mentioned this before, but I can't do that for myself. Not having a true passion and vision for my future really affects my lack of self-confidence. I would love to work on this aspect of myself by trying new things and finding something that I am good at and can call my passion.

My final fault that I will be working on is my lack of motivation or determination. This affects my life in many different ways (i.e. exercise, nutrition, activities with friends, work). I have become so averse to change that it affects this determination. My fear of the unknown grows everyday and I realize this is something I need to get under control before it seriously affects me.

I'm taking a personal wellness class (I have mentioned before) and with the tools I learn there and the right mindset, I hopefully will be able to work on all of these faults. Being able to write them down and organize my thoughts is really helpful and will also help me to stick to my commitment. I believe that you can't change until you want to change, and I definitely do. I am hopeful and optimistic about the ways my life will improve as I conquer these hurdles.

PS Tonight is the season premiere of American Idol! Ahhh! And Scrubs is on! Wooo!

Yay for Sleep! and School?

2009-01-08T11:49:00.004-05:00

I finally was able to fall asleep easily and got a good rest last night! The previous night (when I wrote the last post) was hell. I know I fell asleep at some point because I had a dream, but I know I was only asleep for max. 3 hours. And of course my dream was about Dru. We were happy and together and things were all good. Then reality hit when it was time to wake up and go to school.

On a happier note, the first day back yesterday was surprisingly pleasant! I had three classes yesterday: the first was a class that teaches how to live better (nutrition, behavior, exercise), the second is Product Management with one of my favorite teachers, and finally Pilates. I am so excited about this particular class because I have always been interested in getting into Yoga and/or Pilates. I used to take a class at my gym, but since I quit last spring I haven't been doing much. Also, I have the same teacher for my well-being class as my pilates class and she is AWESOME! Today I have two classes this afternoon, both which I expect to be incredibly boring.

I'm very happy the new semester (and my last semester) got off to such a great start. Although things aren't going smoothly in my love life, I'm grateful to have something to look forward to. I've also been staying pretty busy to keep my mind off of things. With school and work each day, I really need to plan out my time to get as much done as possible. We also have some friends that moved into our apartment complex in the beginning of December that have been amazing over the past month or so. They are sweet guys who are always up for doing something fun (a definite plus in taking my mind off of Dru).

Tonight is the college football national championship and we have rented the theater room at our apartment complex to watch the game with our friends. I'm excited because my dad went to OU and is still a hardcore fan. He is so happy when their team does well, so I really hope they win tonight. I think I may be the only OU fan in attendance, but oh well...I'm the loudest screamer so it should be about equal on that front.

Another thing going on in my life: a job hunt. More on that later though...I want you to see what my grandma gave me for Christmas. It's oh so pretty! It is a bracelet with genuine turquoise stones by a jewelry designer named Lia Sophia. Check her out...she has a wide variety of styles!

Yes it is 1:30 AM

2009-01-07T01:31:00.001-05:00

I'm laying in my bed writing this post because I can't sleep. I
haven't been able to sleep since things went bad with Dru. Not only is
my sleep suffering, but I haven't been eating as well. The only times
I can actually fall asleep is when I've been drinking. I know that
sounds bad but don't worry y'all...no intervention needed yet.

Here I am on the night before the start of my last semester as a
college student and I can't do anything but think about him. It is
honestly like this every night. I watch tv until I feel tired, shut it
off, turn on my fan for noise, say my prayers and then it sets in.
Whatever I try to think of that specifically has nothing to do with
Dru always ends up leading back to him somehow. I try not thinking of
anything (which NEVER works-who suggests that?) and I even try
counting sheep. Last time I did that it led me to think of farm
animals then to think of the weekend his farm caught fire which was
also the weekend he was supposed to come visit. It is an endless
vicious cycle that I can not escape.

It is driving me crazy. The lack of sleep is affecting my skin, my
attitude and basically my overall wellbeing. I could go to the store
and get some over the counter sleep aids, but I'm not a big fan of
medicine and I know that is just a short term solution to a much
deeper problem. No matter how much I sleep, the hurt will still be
there when I wake up.

I realize this is the "gettig over it" part of all break ups but I
feel like it shouldn't take this long. With everyday that goes by and
I continue to be depressed, I hate him more and more for it. For not
ever responding or giving me closure. I don't want to hate him but I
do. I wanted to believe he was a good person but now his actions (or
lack thereof) make me doubt my judgement.

Well it feels better to talk about it. Hopefully it will clear my mind
and lead to a peaceful sleep (highly unlikely). If anyone has sleep
suggestions I would love to hear them!

Sleep tight!

First Post in 09

2009-01-06T10:14:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! I have been on a somewhat of a hiatus due to the holidays and my Dru-induced depression. I hate to be a debbie-downer, but the situation between the two of us caused me to be incredibly sad. I have to say it was the worst Christmas that I can remember. I'm not asking for pity, but I like to use this blog to express things I wouldn't normally say out loud. So I never heard from Dru after the email, and don't expect to. I've said it before, and you are probably tired of hearing about this, but I JUST DON'T GET WHY!? I honestly didn't think he was that type of person. But whatever, I am putting it behind me and moving on (ha...easier said than done). I won't bother y'all with my Dru issues anymore because it is the same over and over again (that is a goal - not a promise).

It is a new year, and I probably should have made some resolutions, but I was too busy sitting on the couch crying for the past two weeks. But last night I couldn't sleep and decided I would spend my time trying to figure out how I was going to make myself a better person this year. I want to get motivated to find a job (since May is getting here a LOT faster than I suspected), I need to find a passion or a hobby (so I don't rely on a man to make me happy), and I'm swearing off bad relationship habits. My biggest relationship habit that will take some work is communication. I've learned my lesson there!

These are more long-term goals than resolutions but I guess that makes them more important. What were your resolutions?

PS - Sorry if my posts lack spunk...I'm honestly not completely on the happy side yet. Bare with me though, I'm getting there slowly but surely.

Just an update

2008-12-30T12:58:00.000-05:00

Well I sent the email to Dru. And he didn't respond. What is going
on?!?!

Depression at Christmas

2008-12-26T12:49:00.001-05:00

Hi! I hope everyone had a wonderful
Christmas! I never heard from Dru. No Merry Christmas text or
anything. So now I'm worried he is mad at me for some reason. But I
honestly can't imagine why that would be the case.

But whatever it is doesn't matter. It's over no matter what. I'm just
so bothered by the fact that there was no closure or reason why things
ended.

Some of my family and friends have suggested that if I'm still feeling
this way after the new year I should send him an email wishing him
well for the new year and subtly hint at the fact I don't understand
what happened. What do y'all think? And if you have any suggestions
for getting my mind off of this and out of this depression slump I
would love to hear them!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Christmas. There better not be any bloggers out there who got coal... :)

Merry Christmas to everyone, may you and your families be safe, happy and healthy!

Yay for Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

I love Christmas Eve. Almost as much as I love Christmas day. All of the family traditions come out on Christmas Eve. The best tradition we have (and is somewhat embarrassing) is before going to bed, the whole family piles on the couch and my dad reads The Polar Express we each have our own bell, and at the end we all ring them to make sure we can still hear it (like in the end of the story). Other traditions include preparing the meal for the next day, my sister and I STILL sleep together on that night. This isn't weird I swear - it started out so that one of us wouldn't see all the goods before the other and now it has turned into a bonding time for us to catch up on each other's lives and just talk in general. My sister and I also open each other's presents that night, and I generally always make fudge (recipe to come soon!).

However, this year things will be different. My sister will be working at the hospital all day today, tomorrow and the next day. So we won't be having a traditional Christmas meal tomorrow and opening of the presents. Instead, we are eating tonight and doing presents tonight as well. Things will be very different this year, but I am thankful we will all still be together. I will still get the joy of new gifts tomorrow because we will be going to my cousin's house. She has 3 small children (ages 17 months, 7, and 10). I can't wait to see the joy on their faces and spend time playing with them and all of their new toys.

What are your traditions around the holidays?

The 'Dru Era' has come to a close

2008-12-23T11:34:00.002-05:00

I'm officially throwing in the towel. As you probably know, I've been having some issues with Dru lately. But here is the run-down: It has been two weeks since I have heard his voice. There have been a few texts in which he has explained his MIA-ness. For example, Thursday I texted to see if he was alive to which he responded saying how hard he is working. His company just signed a $10 million deal and apparently he is in charge of it (on top of being the project manager for a $160 million hospital his company is building). He said he would call later, but hasn't. Friday night (after many hours of Christmas partying) I texted that I had a bone to pick with him. His response was at 5:20 the next morning saying "Come on and pick it...at the farm headed to the woods" (going hunting). So I figure all is well and he has just been honestly busy. When Sunday at 11PM rolls around and there is still no call - I'm pissed. I called him all ready to lay things out on the line and get some answers.

Phone rings 3 times. It sounds like there was a pick-up and hang-up. The reason I say this is because it rang three times then nothing happened. No voicemail or anything. No call back. So I text, "Hey give me a call when you get a chance." I haven't heard from him.

I took all of his numbers out of my phone and deleted any remnant of him from it so I don't relapse and cave in to every aspect of me that wants answers. I honestly do think he is incredibly busy, but probably has some other reason he is not calling me. I know it is not another girl for reasons I won't go into detail about now, so I can't fathom what went wrong. I haven't acted differently...so what is it? What made him loose interest? I want answers and I think it would be mature of him to give them to me.

What made this boy who confessed his love to me, suggested marriage multiple times, introduced me to family, friends and co-workers, and flat out requested I move to Alabama all of a sudden drop it all? Two weeks ago today I asked if we were spending New Year's together to which he replied, "I would like to. We can go anywhere you want. You pick." Obviously, we haven't made solid plans and I'm realizing now, just over one week away, that it probably isn't going to happen. What changed?

It breaks my heart to give up on him because he is everything I ever wanted in a guy. I could honestly see myself marrying him. He is passionate about his goals, has a career, a life plan, is determined, a complete gentleman (held every door open, literally - even the car door), paid for everything and is just a fun person to be around (there are more great qualities but I'll spare you ALL of the details ha). Dru made me want to be a better person and I've never met anyone like him.

I realize, now, that he has flaws that accompany his attributes and no one is perfect. I know what I have to do - not contact him and just wait to see what happens. In the mean time, I'm putting myself back out there. I won't put my life on hold due to the lack of consideration from someone else.

Fear of Computer Failure

2008-12-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Whew. I have had a full week of catching up on my reader and loving every minute of it. It's like reading short books when you have a bunch of one person's posts to catch up on. But one thing I have noticed is that many of my blog-friends have lost their computers due to technical difficulties over the past few months. So I was starting to think, maybe I should save the most important things somewhere other than my computer. First thought: USB drive - too expensive for the amount of space I need.

The one thing that I would be devastated over loosing if my computer crashed is my picture collection. Since I got my computer a little over 3 years ago, all of the pictures from my college days have been stored on it, and I don't know what I would do without them. Sure many of them are on Facebook or have been printed, but the ones that aren't are great too!

Do y'all know of any way to upload all of my pictures somewhere online (where they would be private)? Or another simple way of storing them somewhere else in case of a 'technical difficulty'? (Keep in mind there are thousands of photos)

Foodie Friday

2008-12-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

Today's post is dedicated to my favorite breakfast casserole. This is great to make for breakfast or a brunch. You make it in advance and just pop it in the oven the morning you want to serve it...delicious!

Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole:

Ingredients:

1 lb. hot pork sausage

10 eggs, beaten

8 oz. container sliced mushrooms

1 large onion, diced

1 can cream of mushroom soup

6 slices wheat bread, cubed

3 c milk

2 tsp. dry mustard

3 c shredded cheddar cheese

S&P

Method:

Brown sausage completely. While sausage browns, combine all other ingredients except bread and 1/2 of the cheese. In the bottom of a large casserole dish spread the bread cubes into one layer, top with the cooked sausage, then pour the egg mixture over the layers. Top with the remaining cheese and set in the refrigerator overnight (up to 24 hours).

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Oh - one more quick thing. I am in LOVE with the broccoli and cheddar soup at Panera. I have tried similar soups all over the place and can not find one as good as theirs. If anyone has a good cheddar/broccoli soup recipe please let me know!

My Christmas List!

2008-12-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

I'll get to the list...but first I wanted to give a little update. Roomie and I are fine now, Player said he wasn't ready for another relationship right now so I guess that is good. She is happy to know exactly how he feels, so that is all well and dandy. On the other hand, I STILL haven't heard from Dru. This is the longest we have gone without talking since August...so I was worried and checked his local newspaper to make sure the worst hadn't happened. I saw no mention of his name, so I assume he is alive. I'll keep you posted.

In true holiday spirit, I made a Christmas list and sent it to my family, complete with links to the specific websites, colors, prices and sizes. Now I enjoy giving a gift that someone will love, but I understand the hassle of not knowing what to get people, so I make a very available, detailed list for my family members each year. I thought I would share some of the things on my list with all of you!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1. Longchamp 'Le Pliage' Tote Bag
2. BCBG Max Azria Ruffled Faux Two Piece Dress
3. Eliza J Ruffle Wrap Dress
4. Nicole Miller Printed Shift Dress
5. Linea Paolo 'Mira' Mary Jane
6. Via Spiga 'Ramble' Oxford
7. Patagonia Classic Retro-X Jacket

In addition to the pictured items, I asked for:

monogrammed stationary
Tervis Tumblers with pink monogram
Pop 5 Cranium (a SICK board game - you have to try it out!)
The Dark Knight (!eee!)
Purity face wash by Philosophy
and various other clothes/shoes/accessories!

What do you want for Christmas?

Girls...

2008-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

I don't have many girlfriends because basically, I don't like girls. The gossiping and backstabbing that you are supposed to leave behind in junior high never gets left behind with most girls. The fake-ness really bothers me too...so generally, I steer clear of getting too buddy-buddy with most girls. Except my roomie, and best friend. We are VERY similar in many ways so it actually works out perfectly. There are things here and there that bother me about her but, overall she is a great person and the best friend. I am very lucky to have such a loyal and trustworthy friend in my life.

But lately there are some things bothering me that I just can't seem to forget. Here is the thing: I pay the bills...all of them. Then she repays me. For the past couple of months she has been up to 3 weeks late paying me for them. And come on people, I'm a college girl with a shopping problem...paying me late doesn't really bode well for my financials. I know that she doesn't really have that much money, and her parents don't help her out as much as mine do, so I try to be slack with her. But when it starts to affect me, I need to take action. SO from here on out, I'm going to put up the payments well in advance and give her a specific date by which she needs to get the money to me.

Also, she has been talking with this guy, we are going to call him Player (not because he is one...but that is actually a part of his name). He lives in our apartment complex and we met him through mutual friends about 2 months ago. Player is nice (for the most part) and dresses well and all but I still don't like him. Something about him just ticks me off, he seems rude sometimes and says things that just don't need to be said. The main thing that I hate about this is, I can't say anything to her about him because I think she really likes him. Or likes the attention...I'm not sure yet.

Most of all, it irritates me that she blew me off to hang out with him this past weekend. She has never done anything like that and it actually really bothered me. I pulled a pretty shitty friend move when I went to see Dru over Halloween and blew off our plans to go see New Kids on the Block, but I see that as a totally different situation. Dru and I were actually something. Not just starting out. And lots of other little details I won't get into. (Don't get me wrong - I know I shouldn't have blown her off) But it is just different. I asked and asked and checked and checked with her before I went to visit Dru, but this weekend when she blew me off...she didn't ask or see if it bothered me or anything.

So I'm going to let it go as payback for my earlier fault. But if things keep up like this with her dissing me for this loser dude, then I'm going to have to speak up.

It's A Sad Day...

2008-12-16T20:34:00.004-05:00

I'm throwing in the towel with Dru. Basically, we only talked on the phone last week once (Tuesday), then just a few quick texts on Thursday. He has mentioned maybe being able to come visit this weekend, but hasn't booked a flight or anything. It seems we have talked less and less since I last visited. I waited around last night for a phone call and never got one. So I figured I would man-up and call him tonight. As I left the gym around 6:45PM I called, got no answer and decided not to leave a message.

I haven't heard from him and quite frankly, I don't expect to. I don't understand. When I visit him, he asks me to marry him (jokingly, but with a weird serious undertone), tells me he is in love with me and we just have a great time. I was nervous for a little while that he thought I didn't feel as strongly as he did, but recently I have tried to make my feelings a little more apparent (I sent one text saying I missed him, I called him once last week, and now once this week).

When we spoke last week we discussed spending New Years together and he told me I could pick wherever I wanted to go. Then he doesn't call for a week and hasn't returned my phone call!? I don't get it. I understand he is super-busy. He works probably 10 hours a day, has great friends that he spends a lot of time with and he is very involved in his family. But I still don't get why he doesn't call but says all of these other things to me and pays for me to fly down there?

One part of the situation is the fact that he has only been in one relationship in his 25 years of existence that only lasted a year. So, roomie and I have thrown around the idea that he just doesn't know how to act, especially in our situation (being so far away). Now, I am kind of fed up. I hate waiting around for him and it is driving me crazy. I know everyone is screaming TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT! But it isn't that easy. When we are on the phone everything seems better than fine, so bringing up such a daunting topic is extremely hard.

I don't want to give him an ultimatum, but if things don't pick up I'm going to have to drop it/him to keep from getting hurt more. It is just a matter of me conveying that to him when/if he calls. I really don't want to give up on him because he is, honestly, the best guy I have ever even sort of dated.

Christmas Break!

2008-12-16T11:03:00.007-05:00

I'm finally on Christmas break! I only had two exams, so the past couple of weeks actually haven't been that stressful, but I have been sick as well and that didn't help. But I'm back and ready to read/write blogs! Exams went well, I guess...grades haven't come back yet, but I expect to do just as well as I have in the past - Dean's List every semester since freshman year, thank you.

In other news, Dru and I haven't talked much over the past week, but I expect to talk to him to tonight. Ever since he bailed on me about a month ago, he has been saying this coming weekend will be the first weekend he would be able to visit. So, I'm waiting to hear if he wants to come - but I doubt he actually will. I have a Christmas party to go to on Friday and would love to take him to meet some of my friends, but we'll just have to see.

OH! I went shopping a couple of weekends ago and saved SO MUCH MONEY! My dad works for one of the best department stores in the area, so normally I get 20% off anything. Well they have special employee discount days where employees get 40% off! On top of all of the holiday discounts, I was able to get tons of stuff for a tiny part of the original price. Here is a run-down:

This Michael Kohrs Astor Tote originally $348.00, I got it for $110.00!

BCBG Max Azria Flat Boot originally $550.00, I got it for $206.00!!

This French Connection Smock Skirt was originally $168...I got it for $12.95!

*And I can wear it as a shirt too...multitasker!

I also got my sister a BCBG Max Azria top for Christmas that was originally $152 for only $32!

So, basically, I rocked. I realize that most of the stuff was for me, but at prices like that how could I resist!? It will take me a while of strict discipline to pay off the credit card, but I know I can do it.

How is your Christmas shopping going? Have you found any incredible deals?

Exam Week

2008-12-11T14:09:00.002-05:00

I've been MIA for the past few days for a couple of reasons: 1. I've been sick 2. It is exam week. I have tons of posts to catch up on my reader and I've been so slack about posting on my own blog. My life has been so boring recently that even if it were a normal week, I doubt I would have anything of importance to write about anyways.

One small thing - Dru got into a car wreck this weekend. Apparently some guy crossed a few lanes of traffic and 't-boned' him. His truck is all messed up so he is having to drive his old Tahoe. No one in the car got hurt, which is good. Except, he is complaining a little about his elbow. There is still no set date for him to visit, which has me pulling out hairs. But we did talk about spending New Years together, which calmed me a little.

Anyways, I better get back to studying/working. Have a great weekend everyone, I'll be back in full-force next week!

More Food!

2008-12-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

I am writing this post on Thursday, and therefore do not yet have solid plans for Saturday...but I'm hoping to have friends over to watch the Alabama game and the Oklahoma game. If I can work this out, I will most likely make at least 3 dishes for people to snack on:

Taco Dip

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. can refried beans
1 package taco seasoning (on the Mexican foods isle)
1 16 oz.(? - not the really small one and not the big one, but the medium size container) sour cream
1 8oz. can chopped black olives
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 large tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped
1 heart of romaine, shredded
1 package shredded Mexican blend cheese
Bag of Doritos Scoops (or whatever chip you like)

Method:
Combine beans and 1/2 package taco seasoning. Spread mixture in even layer on large platter. Put platter in freezer while you prepare other ingredients. Once beans have had time to chill, and you have chopped all other veggies, smear sour cream over bean layer. On top of sour cream layer olives, green onions, tomatoes, 1/2 cheese, lettuce and remaining cheese on top. Use scoops to ENJOY!

Baked Hot Wings (because baked is SO much healthier than fried!)

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken wings
Big container of Texas Pete (32 oz?) - or your favorite hot sauce
2 garlic cloves, cracked
1 lb. butter, melted
S&P

Method:
Wash & dry wings. Place into gallon-sized zip-top bag (place bag in casserole dish in case it leaks). Pour in hot sauce, butter, S&P, and garlic. Marinate overnight. Line baking sheet with foil & spray with cooking spray. Cook in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, turning 1/2 way through. ENJOY!

Cheese Dip - this one is SO easy & I think it can even be found on the back of the Rotel can...

Ingredients:
1 16oz. can Rotel (on the canned tomato isle)
1 block of Mexican Velveeta cheese (if your store doesn't have Mexican, regular will do)
1 bag Doritos Scoops

Method:
Cut about 2 inches of the Mexican cheese block into cubes. Pour out some (but not all) of the Rotel liquid. Combine in bowl. Microwave for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cheese is completely melted. ENJOY with Doritos Scoops!

I have also heard of people adding sausage to this recipe...but I haven't tried it (let me know if you do)!

If these recipes aren't used Saturday maybe I'll make them for Monday Night Football!

GO SOONERS & ROLL TIDE!