5 More Days...

Christmas Quiz! So fun!
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate with marshmallows!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? What would Christmas be without opening presents from Santa??? I actually think that a mixture of both is good, but most of the time they should be wrapped. I remember when I was about 12, Santa brought my brother and myself a Nintendo 64 (wow, it feels super ancient to say Nintendo 64). It was all set up and hooked up to the tv and it was turned on and all ready for us to pay Mario Kart. We walked into the living room and were overcome with excitement. I think I'll always remember that. So, I think Santa was always very good at knowing when to wrap and not wrap, depending on what he was presenting.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Either white icicle lights or blue single strand lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? When I happen to find it fresh at the store, I do. I don't like fake mistletoe.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually late, whenever we have time, but this year we did it the night before Thanksgiving. It was so nice to have them up for a whole month to enjoy!

6. What is your favorite holiday treat? I make banana bread every year to share and it is so so yummy.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? As a child we always got together with our entire family, with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. These days we're a bit too big to do that so we all break off into our smaller groups and celebrate that way. It was always a lot of fun having all of my cousins to play with. I also remember being about 12 and I got my very own boom box and the 5ive cd and the Bewitched cd (disney channel singing groups) and I was just on top of the world.I think the next year after that it was N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. Ha ha, good times.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly have no idea, I don't remember. But I do remember one year I found the presents stashed in the closet (that's probably how I found out Santa wasn't real ha ha) and every year after that it was like a witch hunt, hunting down those presents.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I lived with my madre she would have us open our pj's every year on Christmas Eve. I think I'll try to talk Dave into letting me open one this Christmas Eve ;)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With random ornaments that are meaningful. We're still in college and don't do the whole, let's go out and buy Christmas Decorations thing yet.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it but I also really really love summer and the warmth. I love snowboarding and skiing and traveling for Dave's competitions, so I love it.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Probably the ones I remember the most which would be my water baby, the gifts I talked about earlier in this post, Marc Jacobs perfume from my mom, and last year was awesome because Dave got me a helmet for skiing and his mom got me goggles. Now I'm all set up!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with my family. Getting them a gift I know they will love. I really enjoy time with my family, so holidays are a great excuse to just hang out.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I don't know of very many holiday desserts but I do love pumpkin pie and berry pie.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Going to my Aunt Robyn's house for Christmas. We have been doing Christmas Breakfast the past few years.

17. What tops your tree? A glittery red star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving! Because the buildup for the giving is so much greater. You start thinking in November what you should get everyone and then putting everything together, wrapping, and giving your gifts is just all very exciting.

19. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? Yuck.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Last year I saw A Christmas Story for the first time, thanks to Dave. I love that and I have always loved How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the real version and the cartoon version). I love love love Buddy the Elf. All of the classics are amazing, its just too hard to choose one!!

21. Saddest Christmas song? The Christmas Shoes song.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have always loved Greensleeves (What Child is This). It's awesome to play on the viola, so so pretty. I also love It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.

Babysitting

I wanted to find something I could do for some extra income before the holidays. I knew I would have a month off of school and I figured it would be perfect to fill my time up with a money making activity. At first I was thinking, "I could totally do the barista thing at Starbucks." But then I was thinking it would be a huge pain to be tied to a certain schedule. The schedule would probably conflict with my schedule at my full time job. Then my best friend Katie mentioned that she had been babysitting and the families in NYC were paying her up to $20 per hour (in UT I make about $12 per hour)! So I quickly jumped on that bandwagon and made myself an account on sittercity.com, the site she recommended. It took a little while but by early November I had a job with two different families, babysitting about twice per week. From then till now, I have made about $350 babysitting. It has paid for my family's Christmas presents and made the budget feel a little more comfortable. Last week family A gave me $20 extra and said "We gave you a little extra for Christmas and for being such a great babysitter!" Aww! I love that! Then last night family B gave me a card and when I opened it there was the sweetest message about how it has been so nice knowing someone great is watching their children so they can feel comfortable leaving on dates and such. There was also $40 in the card. These people are so sweet! Needless to say, it has been awesome babysitting. It's fun to go play hide and go seek and do puzzles and watch Beauty and the Beast and then I get to go home to my much quieter life when I'm done, with some extra money. I am meeting with a third family in January after they are back from holiday travels. We'll see what fun that brings!

Santa Baby

I have been looking and looking and looking at things I want online for the past 6 months...but I am such a budget freak that I refuse to buy pretty much anything unless it's a necessity. Like black leggings, those are a necessity mmk? Here is my list to santa this year...

Pink ear buds I saw at Wal Mart

This purse I fell in love with at the Fashion Place Mall (the kiosk right outside of Macy's in case Santa wants to know)

This Black & Decker food processor

These black leggings that Bodyc won't let me copy the picture of


This super cute sweater dress in medium

This cardigan in size medium (black)

These boots that I have been wanting for a long time in chesnut, size 8.5

and last but not least....

See, that's not a very long list! Just things I have been wanting for a while. Now here I go sending my list off to santa in the north pole.....=)

I am thankful!!!

So, pretty much I love to read blogs but I don't always love to write in mine and update. Today, however, people have started to post things they are thankful for on Facebook and on their blogs. Not only do I miss posting in my blog, but I feel like I have so much to be thankful for that it would be a waste not to write about it. Even if no one reads it. I can't guarantee I will do a post every day, but I will try to post about something I'm thankful for as often as I can this month. We really shouldn't be doing it just this month though! Today I would like to tell everyone that I am thankful to be an American. I have been really negative about things going on in our country and how our leadership, I feel, is failing us. On the flip side I would like to tell you what I think of when I think of America...
.Beautiful Washington DC. I went to Washington DC for my first time when I was 20. It was amazing!!! I can't even describe how I felt to finally be in our nation's capital. I think ever American should be required to visit this awesome place. I love the monuments and the museums. It definitely feels like a city that gets things done. It's just a great feeling to be there.
.Together we stand. I know that right after 9-11 people started to spread this slogan, but I do feel it often even now, 10 years after the collapse of the twin towers. I feel it when I attend fund raising runs like the Susan G. Komen run or the Food Bank run. I feel it when I see someone helping someone they don't know. I feel it when some stranger turns in an ipad they found to the lost and found (that happened to someone I know just today).
. I'm free. I'm so thankful to be free to think and do things. I can disagree with the president and I won't get thrown in jail. I'm glad to be able to form my own opinion on anything and everything.

I also love singing our nation's anthem and reciting the pledge of allegiance. There are more reasons but it's almost time for me to catch TRAX so I better stop now. Have a good night everyone!!!

This week=work your ass off week!

It's crunch time. My final for Financial Accounting II is on Thursday night. I am totally pumped. I have the front of my notes/cheat sheet written out. I wrote in microscopic writing, I hope I'll be able to read it when test time comes. I have been willing myself to do my homework and study with reminders of the freedom I will have for the next, short, three weeks. I keep daydreaming about watching Teen Mom, The Rivalry, and having RedBox nights. I am excited to take Photography I this fall. Hopefully I will actually learn how to use my nice SLR. I am not so excited to take Business Stats. My third class will be a communications class with Dave online. Then.......spring semester will be my last semester of my Associate's Degree!!! Oh man I am so excited. I might have to take classes at SLCC beyond that, so I can't totally wave goodbye to the community college just yet. I just can't believe after years of this, that I'm finally almost halfway done! It feels good. I plan to go back to school full time when I start at the U. Maybe not right away, but as soon as I feel comfortable financially. I wanna get this over with, baby! Here's to the next three nights of jam-packed studying and homework. Hooray!!!

Friends

This post is going to be very honest...I am surprised how much I am willing to open up in this blog, but why not? This blog is a journal to me. So I have been thinking about friendship a lot lately. I have had a few friendships in my life that I have decided for one reason or another, had to go. It took me a while to figure out who I was. In elementary school I tried to fit in with the cool kids, which didn't always work. The popular boy in the class (who was honestly fat and not attractive) would make fun of me one week and then was my boyfriend the next. In junior high I started carpooling with a group of girls who I would spend every weekend with. They were so much fun. Our group of 5 was friends with pretty much everyone at school. This continued into high school. We were popular, I would say. We would eat lunch every day together, but there were a few girls at the table who had joined us who would constantly gossip. I was no saint, I made up a few lies in junior high and smoked pot and drank a little in high school, behind my best friends' backs. I ended up feeling so bad about all of these things that I told them all about it. Still, I did them. I don't regret doing this, I have definitely learned from everything I've done. I'm happy to say that I am now one of the most honest people I know. Honesty seems to get more and more rare all the time. Side note, the kid who tried to make my life hell in elementary school came back some time in junior high and again in high school, begging for me to pay him attention. He told me how pretty I was and how sorry he was for all the dumb things he did when we were kids. Figures, right? The girl with gaps in her teeth who you picked on in grade school grows up to be pretty and you suddenly want her. Anyway, between the ages of about 19 and 22, I did some things I am not proud of but not ashamed of either. I waited until I was 21 to sleep with anyone, which I am proud of. I was in my party girl stage, newly 21 (not like I'm super old or like it was forever ago). The girls I was spending time with were obsessed with their looks, clothes, getting drunk, and guys. Shortly after this party phase began, I started seeing someone and I think my priorities changed. Not that my priorities changed from my friends to my new boyfriend, because I didn'tneed a guy to tell me when I could and couldn't go out with my friends. But the phase that I was at in life changed. I was exhausted after talking only about clothes and telling them they weren't fat. This is when I really started to grow up I think. I also had a little falling out with my mom. We didn't speak for about 2 months because I felt like she had disrespected me (we did make up after I felt like she finally understood me and the boundaries I was putting up and have a better than ever relationship now). I wasn't having it anymore. I decided I was at the age where I needed to take control and decide who to keep in my life and who to weed out. I realized I had the power to create the kind of life I wanted for myself. I went back to school. I got a new job. I really started to see that you have to create happiness for yourself. I feel like I move more in that direction every day. I have the power to decide who (and what) in my life is making it better, and who is not. If you are not, you need to go. So how do I know who is a true friend? Sadly, sometimes it takes a while to realize it when someone is not a good friend. When all you have to offer a conversation is the latest celeb gossip, what clothes you just bought, or how cute some guy is, I don't think you are a real friend. When you don't respect my opinion on something and just want to argue, I don't think you are a real friend. When you tell me I'm no fun because I have a boyfriend. When you tell me you will be at something that is important to me and you don't show because you feel like staying home. When you don't stick up for me. When you say you are there for me no matter what but soon prove that to be untrue. It really is rare to find true friends but when you keep only those who are true friends, you will be so much happier.
It might sound like all of the above is me me me (I'm mostly just venting), but I do know that a friendship is 50/50. You have to put effort into every relationship, especially a friendship. Trust me, I am the most loyal of loyal friends. The same things I expect from a friend, I give wholeheartedly. People who know me tell me all the time that I am a great friend but sometimes I give too much. Sometimes I get my feelings hurt because someone isn't willing to give as much as I am. I have a few friendships that are amazing. There are people in my life that help me grow, make me laugh, email regularly from far away, respect me, call for advice, understand me, accept that we are different (and even embrace it), never put a wall up to me no matter what they may be going through in life, treat me like I am family, and love me. I am so thankful for the relationships I have chosen to keep. These are the relationships that make my life a better place. They are rare and all the more special. Thank you to every one of you who belongs in this category =)

My Best Friend Katie!

Katie did a post on her blog about me for my birthday in May. I know it's cheesy, but I am doing sort of the same thing. Mine won't be as cool because I don't have all of my pictures here at work with me. I mostly wanted to tell everyone about my friend, a little bragging time to remind her how great she is and to wish her a happy bday =) My friend Katie is from MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota. She is very smart and is finally living in Manhattan, something she has always wanted to do. She is a huge fan of Sex in the City, go figure. lol. We met when we were both nannies in Ridgewood, NJ about 4 years ago. Wow, time flies! We have gone on quite a few trips together in that 4 years. NY, Jersey Shore, Philly, Washington DC, Maine, Cali, UT, AZ, and MN to see her home state. I know that Katie and I will stay friends forever. We keep as healthy of a relationship as we can without being able to see eachother. I always know I can call her when I need advice or when I just need a best girlfriend to console me. She is so funny. We laugh about everything together. She made my nanny time in NJ amazing. She was there when I ventured to NYC for the first time ever. She was there when a bum threw up next to me on our way to Philly. She got called Charley's Angels with me. She had sudoku races with me. We experienced our first Bar Mitzvah together. She was open enough to come to church with me (I feel really bad for putting her through that). She broke down in the middle of nowhere with me and Ashley and had to stay on an indian reservation. She sat with me as we took in the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon. Katie is my very favorite tennis partner. I went with katie to my first and only Yankee's game. She's the queen of quotes. She loves pink. I look forward to her emails and blog posts and chatting with her on the phone. She is brave and ambitious and very independent. She's also gorgeous! I have definitely seen her grow leaps and bounds as a person in the past 4 years. She is a great listener and knows how to give good insight. I miss her so much and wish every day that we lived near eachother so we could go grab lunch or play tennis any time! Katie is a friend that means a heck of a lot to me. Love you katie!! =) Here's to your birthday! I'm forever glad you were born.

My favorite picture ever of the two of us...

=D

Oh my word! I have been so overwhelmed with happiness lately. I think a big part of it is that Dave and I just celebrated our first year together. It has been a year that I cannot put into words. I can try, by using words like exciting, warm, fun, adventerous, new, best, perfect, or simply..........right. Who knew that after a year of dating, it was possible to have had hardly three disagreements (we call them miscommunications. lol), and to become a stronger couple every day? Well, I definitely didn't think it was possible. I thought briefly the other day about my last relationship. Oh boy. At one year we had already broken up once and gotten back together (I caved because I felt so bad for him). We were just so rude to eachother all the time. There was no respect or concern for the other person. It was a very selfish relationship both ways. I will admit I did play a part in it. I think certain people bring out certain things and qualities in others. If you are respectful, you will get respect in return. I can now say that I live that philosophy. I show Dave respect and make sure he is taken care of every single day and he does the same for me in return. He is so loving and caring and I really appreciate it. We are always making sure the other person is comfortable and happy. He means everything to me and I am so happy to spend every single day on this earth with him. We have so many adventures and so many more plans for future adventures. He feeds my fun-seeking, new experience-seeking fire. He means so much to me. It feels so silly trying to type it because it can't even come close to describing my feelings. People can read it, but no on can truly understand that he means the world and more to me.

Dave and I had a few more adventures a couple weekends ago. We went to one of our favorite summer-time places, Miller Motorsports Park to watch the bike races. They had a concert after the races, Credence Clearwater Revisited. OMG. I. Love. CCR. ok? It was so so much fun. It was so fun to be there with Dave, we seriously had a blast in our ponchos and wet shoes. Ha ha. Here are some pictures...

I'm not sure if the video above works but I hope, for your enjoyment, that it does! I will post pictures as soon as I can from our 1-year celebration. For our anniversary, I made a reservation to rent a canoe but forgot the place wasn't open on Sundays. Oopsie. Lol. So we thought about what else we could do and it didn't take us long to decide on golfing! I had never been but had been wanting to try it. We had a friggin blast. We almost went for 18 holes but after the 9th I decided my hands would be much happier if we stopped. Next time I think we'll do 18, I just needed to be broken in. I loved it. Then we went home and rested for a while and went to see Super 8 (an interesting movie is all I will say). The next day, on our anniversary night, we cooked salmon and potatoes on the grill. That's our very favorite home-made dinner. I remember when we first started dating, that's what Dave made for me to try and impress me. Ha ha. I think it worked ;) Our 1 year anniversary was a success and we are now looking forward to Flaming Gorge this weekend......a long weekend at that! Yahoo!

ABC's Survey. Fun!

Age: 24. I just read in The Help, that 24 is the best age. I didn't think so before, but I'm slowly being convinced.
Bed size: King. Dave and I could sleep just fine on a twin, we sleep snuggled up, nice and tight.
Chore that you hate: Dishes, when the sink is completely full and the nasty food on them has been chillin for days.
Dogs: Little ones. We have a lab, Dave's dog. He is sweet but big dogs are just so...BIG. And hairy. And harder to take care of than a cute little doggie that could sit in your bicycle's basket. Or in your purse.
Essential start to your day: Makeup, hair, oatmeal with sliced up banana in it, and kisses from Mr. David.
Favorite color: Pink!
Gold or Silver: BOTH!
Height: 5’8″
Instruments you play: Viola. The recorder in elementary school. Ha ha! I have always wanted to learn the Cello.
Job title: Receptionist Extroardinaire.
Kids: One day! After Dave and I decide we're so over our free time, staying up late and sleeping in, and traveling. Lol. Jk, I'm excited to have kids one day, but we are waiting.
Live: As much as you can, while you can!!
Mother’s name: Mary.
Nicknames: Jess, Messy, Jessie Beans.
Overnight hospital stays: Nope. Knock on this post.
Pet peeve: Drivers in the fast lane who aren't going faster than I am. People who are rude for no reason other than they are just miserable.
Quote from a movie: "I will fight for you until your heart stops beating." LMAO. Not my favorite ever, but I do love Twilight. I don't care what your fat face says about it.
Right or left handed: Right.
Siblings: Jake. I love him so much!!!
Time you wake up: 5:15 =(
Underwear: Thong da dong! Lol.
Vegetable you hate: Olives. So bad!
What makes you run late: Taking hours to get ready. I'm the worst! I take forever.
X-Rays you’ve had: One of my lungs.
Yummy food that you make: Dave says his favorite thing I make is breaded chicken and rice and the boys I nannied for loved my tacos. My favorite thing I make might be taco chili, my mom's recipe. I love food.
Zoo animal: Penguins for sure!

I'm back!

Whew! I haven't posted in a few weeks. We had a lot of fun in CO. Dave got 5th in all of his competitions which he was pretty happy with. I was a nervous pacing girlfriend during the races, waiting to hear the results. We played beer pong, went to a few bars, ate LOTS of good food and had a pretty good drive. I'm just relieved there were no truck problems. I have had the WORST luck with road trips. I always break down.


I am going to skip some of the lists from this list thing that I'm doing. Some of them I wouldn't have much of a list for. This next one is what's in my purse...here's a list of things you can ALWAYS find in my purse...

.Mace...I think ever girl should carry it, but also know how to use it. If you are not careful it can be taken from you when you need it most and used against you.
.An extra set of keys...I count on losing my keys at least once a day.
.My Victoria's Secret makeup bag my best friend Ashley got me for my birthday I think two years ago...yeah I think it's time for a new one. =>
.My ipod and iphone...must haves.
.Lay it on thick lotion from B&B Works...mmmmm =) my favorite

I am also proud to announce that I will be graduating in the Spring of 2012 with my Bachelors of Science in Business. =D =D =D see these smiles? This makes me very very happy. But also nervous. When I get this degree, I think I will be quitting work and going back to school full time to the U of U for Accounting. If I'm accepted that is... It is all very exciting but to know that in less than 5 months I will be filling out a graduation application....that just makes me wanna do somethin crayzay. Ha ha. I guess our cruise next year will be a bit of a graduation celebration. =) More to come...

Weekend Goals

Today's list is weekend goals...here are mine. Not exactly exciting but I am looking forward to them =)

Today's playlist...

Today's list is a list of songs that I have listened to throughout the day today. Just so everyone knows....my Pandora KICKS EFFING ASS. Ok, I'm glad we have that cleared up. I always find myself singing along in my little fish bowl of a lobby that I sit in for 8 hours M-F. Not quietly, either. I have been babying this Pandora playlist for at least the past year. Thumbs up or thumbs down-ing about every song that comes on. My Pandora knows me like no one else does. From oldies to 80's butt-rock to finding out today that I enjoy music by Judas Priset, my lovely Pandora knows how to make me feel oh so good. Ha ha. This is slowly turning into an adult novel...

.Music by Madonna

.Mercy by Duffy

.Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani

.I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett

.Hurt so Good by John Mellencamp

.For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield

.The Stroke by Billy Squier

.Hooked on a Feeling by BJ Thomas

.When the Lights Go Out by 5ive

And that's only a small sample of my Pandora's awesomeness. Have a great weekend!!!

I am looking forward to...

Today's list......Things I am looking forward to.

.Dave and I will be in the Souther Caribbean in February of 2012. I am REALLY looking forward to this =) I have never been out of the country! I can just see us now, on this beach in Barbados. Ahhhh.

.Since I have never been out of the country, I do not have a passport. I am so excited to get my passport and slowly fill it with stamps from different countries!!!

.In two weeks from tomorrow, Dave and I will be on our way to Colorado for his National competition for snowboarding. I am so proud of him and looking forward to that trip very much!!!

.I'm looking forward to the future....graduating, getting married, and having kids. In no particular order ;)

.In the more immediate future, I'm looking forward to tonight. We are having a few people over for St. Patty's Day! Mmmm, corned beef and cabbage!!!

.I never have time to work on my hobbies since I have school. I 'm looking forward to graduating mostly because it will give me more time to do what I want!

.Summer is almost here. I'm looking forward to boating, wake boarding, gardening, tubing, hiking, hanging out at the pool, tennis, sun dresses, and all that summer brings!

Things I'm good at

Today's list is things I'm good at. Here goes...

.Giving advice

.Cooking. Breaded chicken is my specialty.

.Being messy. I'm really working on this in my 20's, I don't want to be messy!!

.Procrastinating doing homework

.Crafting

.My job

.Diffusing panic situations. I have been in so many situations where something big happens and people freak out. Like completely lose their minds. I'm really good at being the one to say ok, this is what we do first...then this...now this. All done!

.Math & Chemistry. I always hated math growing up, but now that I'm in college I have found that I'm good at it and enjoy it. I have always been good at Chemistry. Don't ask me about Biology or Psychology though!!

.Letting people know how much I care about them. The relationships in my life are the most important thing to me. I try to let my loved ones know how much I care about them as often as possible.

Just a picture that's making me happy today =)

A few things about Jessie

My friend Amy has a great blog that I read regularly. She's taking a blogging challenge that I thought I would enjoy doing as well, so I'm stealing the idea =) Check out Amy's blog. Here are a few things about Jessie...

I cannot live without fruits and veggies for more than a few hours. I love them so much. When I don't get enough of them, I actually feel physically sick. I get a headache and have no energy.

My music of choice when working out is hip-hop. The dirtier the better.

I love gardening and watching things grow. Especially when it is something I have put a lot of time and effort into.

I hate wearing jeans with no socks. It feels so un-natural.

I'm going to the Carribean with my boyfriend Dave and my family in Jan. of 2012. I'm really really hoping the world doesn't end before we get to go.

I'm a very optimistic person and can't stand people who are pessimistic.

I want to have kids the second I'm done with school.

This will be fun! =)

This video is hilarious but sad at the same time...





That mama is so flustered! Lol. This video has 7 and a half million views! Holy crap!

Wow again!

So after all of my thinking about and appreciating life yesterday, I read my Runner's World daily quote and I loved it. It says "It is wonderful that life continues to challenge and define us, great that there is always more to strive for and assuring that we will always grow from these experiences so the future will be better still." I'm going to choose to believe that this quote was written for me. Lol. I love life!!! =)

PS-Is there anyone out there that would walk around their house naked if they lived alone? Like, is that something people like to do? I personally prefer clothes. Lol. So random!

Wow.

My horoscope for today: (and yes I do believe in these things) Taking it easy and letting things happen will let opportunities continue to grow that are already underway. Situations beginning now will be cooperative and helpful to you as they progress. A general atmosphere of getting along together prevails and will continue to if you just go with the energy at hand.

Some days our horoscopes don't make much sense and aren't very deep but sometimes, for some people, they bring tears.

I don't know if anyone will even read this, and if no one does, then that's fine because I felt strongly enough to post this. It was only for me really, anyway.

I am finding as I grow up, that I have a lot changing to do and a lot of room to grow. This is a happy thing for me. If we are not changing, we are staying the same and trust me, we all could use a little change. Or a lot. It's an amazing feeling to wake up one day and realize why things are the way they are. Amazing. It's even more amazing to wake up one day and realize you are growing as a person. It makes me feel more alive, more a part of the universe, more a part of this CRAZY thing we call life. I love life. I feel like I am living it more now than I ever have. But I also feel that I have no idea yet, what's to come. I feel that great things are ahead. I am so thankful that I know what is best for me. I am so thankful that I show those around me as much love as I can. This is something I will never regret. How can you? What you regret is when you don't give others as much as you should or can. That, my friends, is cause for regret. I am thankful that I see when things I am doing and things I am thinking are unhealthy and when they are my problem and when they are not. Or, I am glad I can realize when to reach out. When I can't make sense of everything on my own. I am thankful.

Life is Great

Wow, so much is going on! I feel like I only blog when I finally feel like my brain is overflowing with thoughts. So, to give an update, Dave and I both started Spring 2011 semester a couple weeks ago and everything is going well. We both enjoy our classes so far. Dave is so cute, he like lives for school. Can you say nerd?? Ha ha. I love it. He was going to DeVry but quickly realized that might not be the best place to graduate from. He is now going to SLCC and planning to transfer to the U and earn a Computer Science Degree. I think I finally have a plan as well. It feels great! I am taking Intro. to Radiology and planning to get put on the Radiology Tech. list as soon as I'm done with my last two pre-requisites, Biology classes. While I'm on the waiting list for that, I will finish my Associate of Business degree. I only have 6 classes left to take for that. The scary thing is that when I start the Rad Tech program, it will be full time during the day. Do you know what this means?? This means leaving the comfort of an 8-5, M-F schedule. It is so comfy too! Almost like a warm bed at 6 am. Leaving it would be like jumping out of that warm bed in only your undies and tank top, just to hop in the shower and realize your roomate used all the hot water! I hope everyone realizes my strong feelings on the matter now. Lol. It is SO nice to know every other Friday, you will get paid this much and to have a budget written out of how much goes to savings, the car, car insurance, etc. I hate the idea of working as a waitress a few nights a week and hoping that I'll make enough to cover the necessities and still have time to get all of my homework done and study hard enough to do well on my tests. AHHHHH! That sounds scary! I guess I should think of it this way instead.....I am currently working 40 hours/week and taking 9 credit hours of school which is 49 hours/week. I will most likely have 14 credit hours of school in the Rad Tech program and if I work maybe even four 6 hour shifts at a restaurant every week, that will be about 38 hours/week. I can do this!?!? I think I should stop worrying so much. I guess not having great medical benefits, or possibly none at all, worries me. The idea of such a stressfull job and coming home not being able to get to sleep forever since I am wound up from waitressing, also worries me. I think at a nice restaurant I can make per hour what I'm making now, but I will be working less hours so I will be able to pay the bills but might not be saving as much money as i am now and won't have as much freedom as I have now. Which sucks, but it is do-able. Wow, that was a lot of thinking out loud. I needed it though. It's just stressful to leave the comfort of an office job when this is what I have known for the past, geez, 4 years? Anyway, I know it will be well worth it and I won't have a car payment anymore hopefully in about a year, so that will help a lot too! I can do this!
So, school is hilarious. I have realized a few things the past FIVE YEARS I have been at SLCC. The first day of class, you go in, the teacher tries to scare you as badly as they can by telling you how hard the class will be and how much they will expect of you and how there will be NO EXCEPTIONS for late work and yada yada. This is a scheme to get people to drop the class. It works. Second day of class, you go in and there are about HALF as many people. It is so funny. You also start out the semester studying really hard and doing your homework that isn't due for another week, right away. As the semester continues, you realize a few things. The instructor has let you know that the homework you are doing online, you have three tries for each section's quiz. Three tries! Lol. I thought you were only supposed to get one chance when taking a quiz but OK. They tell you that you can bring ONE page of notes to the final with you. So you write super tiny and fit pretty much everything you need to know for the test on the one piece of paper. The teacher also tells you that he will have the exam the class before the final and will read the actual questions to you, directly from the final exam, as a way to review for the final. As I'm saying this, the headline on MSNBC is "46% of College Students Aren't learning Anything." Lol. Hmmmm. I may say this is partly correct. I know that I will have a TON to learn when I get to my Radiology classes, but for now I do feel a bit like I'm wasting time. Anyway, just thought I would let people know what college is like if they haven't been. It's comical.
I was worried winter life wouldn't be as fun and exciting as summer life this year. Dave and I had a BLAST last summer. We had an adventure every single weekend. Well, I was wrong. This is my first year with a season ski pass and it has been so much fun! Dave taught me how to snowboard a few weeks ago as well, it was an adventure to say the least. His sister has been coming to our place with her husband, they are so much fun. They were with us, learning to snowboard as well. Dave's 30th birthday party was a blast, I haven't partied that hard in forever! We have some snowboard competition trips coming up for Dave, which I am excited for. We will be in Sun Valley, Idaho Feb. 3rd-5th. Even though it's Idaho, I'm excited because I haven't been on a vacation in FOREVER! Lol. Not having to work and going somewhere even hardly foreign, will do as a vacation for now! =) When I get my tax return this year, the big decision will be where to go for a REAL vacation. Woot woot! The choices are, possibly a cruise with my family, or NY! Ahhh. i could really go for either one!