Thoughts Caught

28 Minutes

2011-10-12T20:19:00.003-04:00

I have set a goal for myself that I have to admit excites me and scares me at the same time.

On January 21st, 2012, I will be running the Seasons 52 5.2K. It will be the third time that I run this race but this time, I'm taking my training seriously. I know my goal would be easy for some but it would make me feel so accomplished.

I want to run the race in 28 minutes or less.

One of the great things about Track Shack races is that you can look up your race time history for any race you've run with them. Here is the history they have available for me:

1/24/2009 - Seasons 52 5.2K - 36:29
2/6/2010 - Lady Track Shack 5K - 33:45
4/24/2010 - Run for the Trees - 32:27
1/22/2011 - Seasons 52 5.2K - 32:58
4/23/2011 - Run for the Trees - 30:45

I was bummed because this last Run for the Trees, I really wanted to run it in less than 30 minutes. And I think I would have done it but I got a cramp about half way through. The only other time I can remember getting a cramp running was during the previous year's Run for the Trees. What is up with that?!

Regardless, I am proud that at least for these races that I have record of, my time is slowly getting better. So I have a plan in place that will hopefully get me to 28 minutes in January. I figured if I said it on here, it might as well be set in stone that I have to work towards this goal.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

**My favorite race memory - the Disney Princess Half Marathon with my mom!**

Potatoes, Eggs, or Coffee?

2011-09-29T09:29:00.003-04:00

I can't take credit for this story - I received it this morning from our Human Resources Manager and I loved it. Enjoy :)

Potatoes, Eggs, or Coffee?

Once upon a time, there was a young woman. Her life was full of tribulations and complications. She wanted to give up this constant struggle and spend a serene life. It seemed as one problem solved a new one arose. She went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed potatoes, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about 20 minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the potatoes out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the potatoes. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. She asked her mother in puzzlement, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg or a coffee bean?”

Now ask yourself: Are you the potato that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do you become soft and lose your strength?

Are you the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did you have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your shell look the same, but on the inside are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. Are you like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level?

If You Are Happy And You Know It...

2011-09-27T21:00:00.002-04:00

I fully admit that over the past few months (ok, actually, for quite a while), I have relied on my happiness coming from a place that clearly wasn't permanent. My joy and spirit slipped away. Tears became a daily occurrence. Frustration has built as I try to figure out why I'm not feeling better.

So I decided I needed to do something. Even if it was small. I've learned that I have a choice: either I need to change what I want or change what I'm doing. I needed to find a way to remind myself on a daily basis that I am blessed way more than I even deserve. I knew there were things that were happening in my life that made me smile on a daily basis. If I could find a way to celebrate those moments, perhaps I would begin to understand that I am the one in control of my perspective.

Hence, MyHappyMoment was born.

The premise is easy: focus on the good not the bad, the happy not the sad,
the positive not the negative.

Just once a day is easy enough for everyone.
I think a positive attitude is infectious and contagious.

What I love about this movement is that when I sit down to think of what "today's happy moment" is going to be, I have several to choose from. That is definitely not what I expected. I am very excited to see the affect this daily exercise has on my outlook on life. I hope it influences others as well. As I get more enthused about MyHappyMoment, I think of more and more ideas to infuse a little happiness into the lives of the people around me. So get on board!

There is nothing more important in life than sharing
a little joy with the people you love!

**Follow MyHappyMoment on Twitter and start sharing your daily happy moment!**

An Ode to Dog Owners

2011-09-18T20:37:00.007-04:00

I learned a very tough lesson...

Being a dog lover does not mean I am ready to be a dog owner.

Remember my post about learning things the hard way (or really, the only way)? Well, that was definitely the case this time.

I spent two weeks with the cutest, sweetest, and smartest puppy I have ever met. And even with all the joy she brought to my life, like greeting me with so much love when I walked in the door, I had to be honest with myself and realize that I'm not ready to have a puppy. This decision was not easy to come to at all. Even thinking about not having her caused me to cry. The type of crying where you can barely breathe. I do know that I tried everything to convince myself that we would be okay together. But at the end of the day, I didn't want to have to convince myself. For so many reasons, too many to even get into right now, I wasn't ready.

And to all of the dog owners reading this, I admire you.

You have to be caring because something is depending on you to survive.

You have to be selfless because inevitably you will have to
give some things up for your furry friend.

You have to be patient to train the puppy, even when you want to be
mad when you see a new wet spot on the carpet.

You have to be willing to get up in the
middle of the night when they have to potty.

You have to be responsible in making sure the dog gets enough
food, water, exercise, and quality time with you.

All in all, you have to be able to love with all of your heart.

I know one day, I will be able to be all of these things. But for now, I will cherish the memories I have of Lily and know that I tried to make a decision that was best for both of us.

...I miss you Lily girl...

"Mind-Reader-Itis"...Yikes!

2011-08-29T19:56:00.011-04:00

Every morning when I'm getting ready for work I listen to a local morning show. Many times their topics revolve around relationships and this morning was no different. They were talking about one of my favorite things:

The Chick Flick

Have you ever noticed the typical line up of programming on TV over the weekend? It's like a romantic comedy marathon. One weekend about three weeks ago, I found myself vegging out on my couch and I watched not one, not two, but FIVE chick flicks in a span of two days. They were:

The Proposal

Bride Wars

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

The Notebook

Sweet Home Alabama

I loved it and hated it at the same time. Ok, I admit, I loved it way more than I hated it. Nevertheless, while I love a romantic comedy as much as the next girl, I know they are unrealistic. I mean, would this ever really happen??

That scene just makes me smile. (side note: can I have a Ryan Gosling please?)

Ok one more of my favorite scenes (see - I already got side tracked from what I was talking about because I love this movie so much):

Researchers from a university in Scotland actually did a study on this (source) and found out that chick flicks can create unrealistic expectations for love and relationships, especially when it comes to communication (surprise surprise).

The study indicated that women develop "mind-reader-itis" which means that expect their partner to know what they want or how they are feeling without having to tell them. That all of sudden, they will know exactly what to do. I'm not going to lie - I know I've had unrealistic expectations. I want my own Noah and unfortunately, the chances of that are slim. I have to understand and know myself first before I can be successful in a relationship. I can't expect a guy to know more about me than what I know about myself. And if I want to be in a committed, loving relationship, I have to be able to communicate what I want, why I do what I do, and why I feel the way I do. And, of course, hope that my man will do the same in return.

So I need to move forward knowing that I will be watching romantic comedies simply for the entertainment value. But I think one important lesson can be learned from chick flicks: never settle for less than everything you want! I may not get Noah but I will find love!

When God Gives You A Quarter...

2011-08-27T11:27:00.001-04:00

Earlier this month I posted this on facebook:

I feel like this has been happening quite often for me lately. I find a quarter when I need it most. In a passing conversation, someone says something I've been needing to hear. Or they say something that answers a question that I haven't even asked out loud.

Like yesterday, I met with an amazing professor where I work. The purpose for our meeting was to talk about her programming in the halls. Somehow we started chatting about life and love. She said that falling in love happens when you least expect it. It is not something that can be forced. I know that is something that is said often but it speaks so clearly to what has been on my mind and it was such an unexpected conversation. I can only explain it by saying I must have been meant to hear that message yesterday.

She also said that we live in such a fast paced life and put so much pressure on ourselves to be always going going going. It is just as important to stop and breathe. And allowing for those silent moments will actually prepare you to be more present in your life and enjoy the fast paced moments instead of being overwhelmed by stress and pressure. This conversation happened the day after I spent some time talking with my mom about my habit of list making and how much anxiety it brings me to have to complete the list. So she was my cheerleader as I deleted all of my lists (yes, there were multiple). I already feel more free and the conversation with that professor just confirmed that I was moving in the right direction.

When you are going through a challenging time in life one thing that I know is bound to happen is your faith is tested. It's during these times that you really find out where your strength and foundation lie. I know it would be just as easy to explain it as coincidence. But being able to recognize these moments of confirmation allows me to stay strong and know that God is with me.

I'll Take The Hard Way...

2011-08-24T20:20:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard the expression
"I had to learn that the hard way"?

I've said it so many times until one day I stopped to think about what it means. Typically people use the expression about experiences that changed them or helped them grow or challenged them. Learning something the hard way implies there is an easy way to learn these important lessons. Now don't get me wrong, I do think we can gain knowledge through other people's lives or reading books and articles. But for something to sink in, you have to go through it yourself. I mean think about it. When someone was sharing with you a life lesson or giving advice, have they ever said "and I learned that the easy way!"? My guess would be no. I for sure haven't heard that. So my theory is that it's not the "hard way" but the "only way."

I know that expression isn't going away any time soon so bring on the "hard way." I want to continue learning and growing as much as I can. I welcome the situations that challenge me because while it may be uncomfortable in the moment, I'm a better, stronger person on the other side.

New Beginnings

2011-08-22T19:37:00.005-04:00

Wow - I've posted less than 10 ten times in over a year and a half. Honestly, I wish I had posted more because so much has happened. I began my first professional position in my career. I fell in love in a way that I hadn't yet experienced and created some amazing memories. I graduated with my second masters degree. I lost that love but learned more about myself and what I want than I ever expected because of that relationship. And now I'm picking up the pieces and starting a new chapter of my life.

For the first time since kindergarten, the school year started and I'm not a student. Being a "student" has been a part of my identity for so long that I'm still adjusting to life as only a professional. Learning what to do with my free time, setting goals to continue learning and growing outside of a classroom, and enjoying the freedom of having no homework! Another part of my identity for as long as I can remember is being "in a relationship." I don't think it comes as a surprise that I enjoy having someone by my side, supporting me, encouraging me, and just living life with me. Now I'm neither and honestly I'm scared. But I'm also proud to be a strong, intelligent, independent woman that has the world at her fingertips.

Everything that has happened to me has brought me to this exact moment. I'm confident in who I am but I'm ready to put me first for a change. I won't settle for less than everything I dream for in life. So here's to new beginnings: the path may not always be easy but all my experiences will be worth it in the end!

Thanks Mid-Back Pain...

2011-01-15T21:59:00.002-05:00

It's the perfect weather outside right now to go on a run!

But I'm hesitant, thanks to this horrible mid-back pain...

It started about a month ago when I was at Universal. I'm not sure what I did to aggravate it but the pain was there. After a few days, it slowly went away and hasn't been back...until two days ago...

I think it was the series of occurrences that re-aggravated it. On Wednesday, I ran and used the row-machine at the gym and that machine is killer on the back. Usually I would mean killer in a good way because I love rowing but in this case, I think it was bad. Then the next day, I decided to play interior decorator and helped Abby rearrange her office (i.e. move around HEAVY office furniture).

So my dilemma is: do I run through the pain? Maybe I should just stick to doing some yoga today?

The Biggest Loser, Not Just a TV Show!

2011-01-11T21:56:00.002-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but in order for me to make healthy eating and exercising an actual habit, I need some kind of incentive. Of course, it is great that I will be healthier and maybe even lose a few pounds but I need a little extra push. Up until this semester, my "little extra push" was that I had a great workout partner, Ingrid. If it wasn't for her making sure we were training and working out, I'm sure I wouldn't have been as consistent and I definitely wouldn't have run my second half marathon.

This leads me to my point: it is always easier to do something when you have a support group helping and encouraging you.

At the end of last semester, my boss was announcing that his New Year's Resolution would be to lose weight. And as bets started to be made about whether or not he could do it, an idea came to me. Let's have our own "The Biggest Loser"! From there, everyone agreed, we set the rules and the starting date.

Here are our rules:

Initial Weigh-In: January 3, 2011
Final Weigh-In: May 9, 2011

1. There is a one-time entry fee of $25 due on January 3rd at the initial weigh-in.
2. Heidi will serve as the competition referee, meaning she will administer the weigh-ins.
3. Weigh-ins will happen every Monday at the start of the work day.
4. If, for whatever reason, you must leave the competition, your $25 will stay in the pot.
5. At the final weigh-in, whoever has the largest percentage of weigh lost will win the entire pot ($100).
6. The usage of weight loss products is not allowed.
7. Eat healthy and exercise!
8. Have fun and encourage each other!

I created a poster to hang in our office (pardon the bad quality of the picture):

So far we've had two weigh-ins. I'm really sad to report that even with the work I put into improving my eating habits, I gained a pound between the first and second weigh-in. To be honest, it was like a slap in the face to see that one pound weight gain. I thought: Why should I even try? I'm doing the right thing and I gained weight! I didn't expect to lose a ton but maybe a pound or two would have been nice. Either way, after going through the initial emotions of gaining that pound, I know it's only week one and it's just more motivation to continue figuring out what works for me. I'll keep you updated on my progress and I encourage you to start a "Biggest Loser" in your office, with your friends, or with your family!!**

**If you would like a spreadsheet that easily calculates the percentage weight loss, email me and I would love to share it with you!**

Crock Pot = Not A Success (yet)

2011-01-09T21:54:00.002-05:00

When I got a crock pot for Christmas, I was so excited because all I had ever heard about them were that they were so easy and everything comes out great! So I was really looking forward to Sunday because I made plans to use it for the first time. I found a recipe in the book that was given with the crock pot for pot roast. It looked fairly simple so I decided to give it a try. The recipe called for me to put all the extras (sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms) in first and then place the seasoned meat on top. Then the beef broth was poured in afterwards. So it looked a little something like this:

My first instinct was to think that something was off and the meat should be in the beef broth to soak in all the moisture and flavor. But because I'm a rule follower, I went with what the recipe said and turned it on for slow cooking for 10 hours. I went to work and when I got home my apartment smelled wonderful. The meal looked like this:

I was still skeptical because I don't have the greatest confidence in my cooking abilities but I was hopeful. When it came time to eat, I cut pieces of the meat for Nelson and I and put some of the extras on our plates with the meat.

Final Result: The meat was dry and not very flavorful. But the extras were good! Probably because they were cooking in the broth all day...lesson learned.

But I'm not discouraged. I'm thinking it may take a couple tries before I get it right. I'm open to any recipes you all use!

Nothing Like A Beautiful Day

2011-01-08T21:45:00.003-05:00

The weather today was perfect! So lucky for me, I got to spend the whole day outside. The entire staff went to Canterbury Retreat Center to play games, do team builders, and participate in the high ropes course. I won't even go into how I felt about my eating habits today - sometimes you have to just go with what is provided. However, I still think there was some serious calorie-burning that balanced everything out. What was great was that, I didn't even feel like I was working out - which to me is the best kind of work out.

Don't Kristen and I look super stylish in our harnesses?

Hopefully tomorrow will begin my regular working out. I will be starting Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and Monday I will begin training for my first race of the year!

Resolutions

2011-01-07T21:43:00.003-05:00

January is the month where everyone seems to be asking, "What is your New Year's resolution?"

According to Yahoo News, here are the top ten resolutions for 2011:

1. Lose weight
2. Be happy
3. Save money
4. Fall in love
5. Get a job
6. Read more
7. Eat, drink, try or learn something new
8. Quit smoking
9. Take a photo every day for a year
10. Run a marathon

Perhaps I will share all of my yearly goals in a later post, but one of them is to eat healthier and make a habit of working out.

So check back as I share more about my journey to eating healthier and making a habit of working out!

Midday

2010-01-11T15:13:00.004-05:00

So I have to admit that there are several blogs that I read on a regular basis. I have them all bookmarked so I can make sure I check in every once in a while. So if you need any good reading material, let me know! :)

There is one that I just discovered that is so fun. It is called Five Blondes. The blog is written by five sisters and they share about what is going on in their lives.

One of the sisters posted this cute poem:

The Masks of Love.

I come in from a walk
With you
And they ask me
If it is raining.

I didn’t notice
But I’ll have to give them
The right answer
Or they’ll think I’m crazy.

-Alden Nowland

Just a little midday inspiration to get me through this work day!

Successes and Goals

2010-01-07T15:22:00.006-05:00

Because of the amazing field I work in, I had also two weeks off (paid!) during the holidays. I made it a point to still be somewhat productive. I knew that I wanted to set goals (not resolutions...because goals just sound more legit lol). But after browsing around the blogosphere, I was inspired to come up with a list of successes to celebrate from 2009. What a positive way to start a new year! Although there were some pretty significant negatives about 2009, it was wonderful to look back and see how blessed I am and how proud I can be.

So with further ado, here it is:

March:

Traveled to Costa Rica and was awarded a scholarship to pay for the trip

Ran my first half marathon with my mom!

Won the SunTrust Distinguished Leader of Merit competition

April:

Began to get more involved at Discovery through DC Kids and helping them with Step Into Africa

May:

Graduated with Crummer to receive my MBA

Offered opportunity to stay on staff at Rollins as a Hall Director

June:

Celebrated my birthday in Siesta Key with friends - brought back amazing memories!

Was accepted into Higher Education master's program at UCF

July:

Witnessed my brother get married to his beautiful wife :)

October:

Won the Master's Case Challenge with Taylor

Promoted to Assistant Director of Living Learning Communities!

November:

Developed genuine friendships with my fellow HDs and my classmates

Bought a new car and am paying for it on my own!

December:

Achieved a 4.0 GPA in the Fall semester

Lost 15 pounds

Moved into an amazing new apartment

Overall, I had an amazing year with a lot of transitions and it just excites me for 2010. Along with my reflection, I set goals for the year and really thought through how I would accomplishment them. Spiritually, I would like to become more familiar with the Word, become more consistent in my walk, and continue to discern God's will for my life. Personally, I would like to increase my confidence and continue to nurture all the relationships in my life. Professionally, I would like to have a strong and successful first year full time in my field. Academically, I would like to continue to stay involved in my program and maintain the success I achieved in my first semester. I am motivated to achieve it all!

Palace fit for a princess...

2010-01-04T18:17:00.016-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, I received the keys to my new apartment. I knew packing and moving would be a lot of work but wow! Thankfully I didn't have to do it alone but it did take about 12 car loads.

This is what my apartment looked like when we finally got all my stuff in....

I had a couple weeks to get everything situated and when my parents came to visit for Christmas they brought some final touches. So it's time to start the tour...

As you walk in, you enter my living room:

Sharing the space with my living room is my desk/office area:

A bit further is the sun room that I have turned into my reading room. I highly suggest this chair to anyone looking for a comfortable lounging chair:

My dining room:

My kitchen:

My bathroom:

I now have a guest room that is open for anyone interested in visiting Winter Park :)

Lastly, my room, but more importantly my amazingly comfy bed!

I've had a great time moving in and finding the perfect place for all of my things. Of course, there are still projects I'd like to complete but it is really starting to feel like home.

Hello Sassy!

2010-01-01T12:08:00.001-05:00

Although she has big shoes to fill, she's been doing a good job so far!

And I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself that I'm in a place where I can pay for her all on my own :)

Meet Sassy!

Posts to come:

Tour of my apartment

Successes and celebrations from 2009

Goals for 2010

Bye Bye PT

2009-11-15T16:53:00.004-05:00

Dear PT,

It was hard watching you drive away today. We had a wonderful 4 and a 1/2 years together. I remember not being thrilled about you in the beginning but now I don't know if another car can fully take your place. I'll miss you!

Epiphanies

2009-11-11T22:10:00.005-05:00

Passing comments can really change your perspective on life. For the past couple of weeks, I've had some real epiphanies thanks to my friends. For so long the word "single" has had such a bad connotation to me. But why? Because I've always found myself in relationships, the word single was synonymous with "unwanted." The thought of being alone scared me. I've realized that I ground myself in my relationship. That was my source of security and stability. I was comfortable and knew what to expect. But looking back, it makes me wonder - was I losing myself in that process?

As insignificant as it may seem, I changed my facebook relationship status to single. I know some of you are thinking, "come on! it's just facebook!" And trust me, I know exactly where you are coming from. But I think another group of you understand the significance of declaring to everyone you know that you are now labeling yourself as "single." But it was the past couple weeks that I have accepted the greatness that comes along with being single, especially at this point in my life.

I found myself in a conversation about boys a few days ago (surprise surprise). We were talking about this very subject of being single. I declared, "Being single is exhausting!" In a relationship, I didn't have to worry about being engaging or interesting or flirty. By that I mean, attracting the opposite sex is not a priority. And I suppose I don't have to now but there is some pressure to show the best sides of you (inside and out) at all times. But I have to reframe my thinking from "single means searching for a relationship" to "single means searching for myself." My friend, Alexis, said something that was so poignant and I don't even think she realized it. She said something to the effect of, "I'm single and I'm okay with that because no one can make me as happy right now as I can." That comment hit me like a ton of bricks. It is so true - how can I expect someone else to make me happy, if I'm not the happiness I can be when I'm by myself?

I'm at a significant crossroads in life. I'm finally starting my professional career, I'm working towards financial independence, and I feel like a woman as silly as that sounds. It is equally as important for me right now to be looking inwards and be strong in who I am.

Being single isn't a bad thing - it is a powerful thing! Ingrid shared a fantastic quote with me from the ultimate single girl's source, Sex and the City: "Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you're pretty, sexy, and you're taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with." I will think of this quote any time I'm feeling a bit insecure and I'm sure it will perk me right up!

Dreading...

2009-11-01T23:18:00.005-05:00

I did something tonight that I've been dreading for quite some time. I finally took the leap and removed any physical memories of my past relationship. It sounds easy but my heart broke a little more each time I took a picture down. I didn't stop there though - I tried to put away anything that reminded me of him. I found that to be a little impossible without taking everything down. It seems that after two years, everything reminds me of him.

I have to look at the positives though. I realize this is a necessary step in this whole process called healing. And it became clear to me that I can't just expect I will move on without doing anything. I know the saying is that time will heal everything so I have to keep moving forward. Another good thing is that I won't see us everywhere I turn. Maybe I will eventually stop thinking "Where did it go wrong? Look how happy we were."

But the unfortunate thing is that even though the pictures aren't around anymore, my memories will be around for a long time. It's just hard to face the fact that certain people are leaving my life, that certain traditions will no longer happen, and new memories will start to take their place. I look forward to the time that my memories make me happy rather than sad and confused. Well, let me rephrase...I look forward to the time that my memories do not include the emotions: sad, confused, and lonely because many times I can look back and smile.

So I suppose it's obvious I have a long way to go in moving on, but I'm slowly but surely making my way. I'm sure I'll have more milestones to share with you soon...

Gentleman vs. Gingerbread man

2009-10-19T20:53:00.005-04:00

I just finished reading a fantastic book called "When God Writes Your Love Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy. I will share my insights from time to time as I reflect on the ideas that stood out to me.

The first insight to share:
"A dash of tenderness in the way you treat a man means the difference between being married to a gentle-man or a gingerbread-man. One is heroic and tender; the other is stale and cut out of the same mold as the rest of them."

I really liked that comparison because there have been countless times that myself and my friends have heard the line: "I'm not like other guys." And then what happens? They turn out to be like every other guy. I definitely want a gentle-man.

The book goes on to give some advice to us ladies:
• Crawl into a guy’s world and observe what in that world is important.
• Find opportunities to discuss these “fascinating” topics with him.
• Don’t try and change them to be more like a girl. Appreciate the qualities that make him a man.

Seems easy enough...

It's all in the genes...

2009-10-14T22:46:00.005-04:00

I've shared what I learned with a lot of my girlfriends and we all seemed to have reacted the same way so I'm curious about what you think.

I'm doing a paper for one of my classes about the sexual habits of undergraduate students. One of the articles I read described a survey that was done to determine what sexual values students agree with. There were three categories: absolutism (no sex until marriage), relativism (if in a relationship, sex is okay), and hedonism ("if it feels good, do it"). Most of the results were fairly expected. Men are more hedonistic; women are more relativistic. Students that have "hooked up" with someone or were in a "friends with benefits" type of situation were more hedonistic. You get the idea.

The findings that were most interesting to me were the conclusions that were drawn based on the differences between men and women. It said that the pleasure focused, hedonistic male, is seen as responding to his biological and genetic heritage. They are genetically wired to seek out numerous females to ensure that their own genes are reproduced and passed on. Then it goes on to say that women are genetically wired to be selective and prefer males who show an interest to stick around, provide economic resources, and help rear their offspring.

Now I know that got pretty technical, so I'm going to break it down. Basically this article said that it is natural for men to be with as many women as possible. And women get the short end of the stick because we tend to look for one man.

Does this really mean that there is no hope?? I mean, I guess I can see where the article is coming from a purely biological stand point. But, what about values or standards? what about self control? what about love? Aren't those things that must be considered too? I think so.

Love Love Love!

2009-10-11T20:53:00.003-04:00

I can't help but smile for so many reasons when I listen to and watch this video. Of course, one of those reasons is because my huge crush :)

New Beginnings

2009-10-10T13:22:00.007-04:00

I'm 24 and I've perpetually been in a relationship since I was 15...9 years! Today is October 10, 2009 and I am completely and totally single. Believe it or not, I'm okay. Anyone who knows me knows that I love being in a relationship, that's just who I am. But I've finally come to accept that I am in fact not in a relationship. This realization didn't come without tears, quite a few of them actually. But I woke up today feeling good.

You may be asking what is the difference between "single" and "completely and totally single." Well, during the last 9 years, at one point or another, I've been "single." But there was always someone there - either I had feelings for someone, and that someone was giving my glimpses of hope or someone had feelings for me so I was trying to figure out if I had feelings for them, the cycle goes on and on. So I find myself in uncharted territories. I'm in a place where all I have to worry about is me. I'll make my own decisions, plan my day according to what I want to do, make myself a priority and that is so refreshing.

Am I giving up on relationships? Nope. But there are two things I know for sure:

1) There is a lot of learning and growing that I have to do on my own. I have to learn how to be happy by myself.

2) I know that I will find the one eventually so I just have to be willing to go on the journey.

I think it will be fun to document my journey along the way. My hope is that all you ladies out there will be able to relate to the things I'm going through. I'll take you along for the ride through healing my heartbreak, learning to love myself and love again, and perhaps some dating adventures. This blog will be an ode to single ladies so please, share your stories and insights. Here's to new beginnings, I won't promise that I will always be this optimistic but I will always be hopeful :)

In Desperate Need...

2009-09-20T14:00:00.004-04:00

...to travel!

I've absolutely loved all the adventures I've been on so far but I now I have the "travel bug." I want to start planning my next big trip...anyone want to accompany me? :)

visited 15 states (30%)

visited 8 countries (3.55%)

Lackadaisical

2009-09-19T21:15:00.005-04:00

Main Entry: lack·a·dai·si·cal
Pronunciation: \ˌla-kə-ˈdā-zi-kəl\
Function: adjective
: lacking life, spirit, or zest :

I feel like that word describes me fairly well at this moment. Lately, my life has had glimmers of hope, snapshots of happy but I can't say that is a constant. I wish I could. But sometimes I need to remind myself of all the wonderful things in my life so keep me going. So here is list:

Meeting the other bridesmaids in Kim's wedding and really getting along with them

Building my friendships with the other hall directors

Being there to witness my best friend from high school getting married

My regular run around Lake Baldwin on Friday afternoons

Getting the courage to reconnect with old friends

Hearing God's whisper telling me that my purpose right now is to dream my own dreams, that He is in control, and He will provide for what I'm longing for when the time is right

Spending time with my Grandma and Aunt

Knowing my family supports me and is always there for me

My hope is that this list will continue to grow and that even when I'm down I will be able to recognize my blessings.

Giveaway at "Your wishcake."

2009-09-01T16:11:00.003-04:00

I've never participated in a giveaway or blogged about a giveaway - so there is no better time to start than now!

When I revamped my blog, I joined a community of bloggers call "20 somethings." Through that group I have been exposed to some fabulous blogs! One of them being Your wishcake. I always enjoy her posts :)

She posted a giveaway on her site yesterday. I encourage everyone to check it out because she is truly talented!

Virtual Car Wash

2009-08-30T16:07:00.005-04:00

On Friday, I had the privilege to meet and hear speak a man who started the largest gang intervention organization in the nation. His name is Father Greg Boyle. He is a Jesuit priest who lives in East LA who has been befriending and caring for gang members for nearly twenty years. He loving refers to them as homeys and homegirls. I first learned about him through a book written by Celeste Fremon called "G-Dog and the Homeboys." The book is about Father Greg's life and the lives of some of the gang members he has touched. When he spoke on Friday, he emphasized the idea of kinship and helping people rediscover the truth of who they are in God. Obviously that is a very condensed version of all the ideas he shared but it was very moving.

Father Greg is the Executive Director of Homeboy Industries. Part of his outreach to the gang members was to find them employment. So he opened the Homeboy Bakery. It's mission is "to create an environment that provided training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side." The organization now has five businesses: Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy Maintenance, Homeboy/HomegirlMerchandise, and HomegirlCafé. He shared with us that in order to raise money to continue operating, they created a Virtual Car Wash. All they are asking for is $10 to help raise money for all the wonderful things Father Greg and Homeboy Industries are trying to do.

Click here to get your car virtually "washed."

Giving Away The Pen

2009-08-14T17:44:00.004-04:00

I have decided to give God the pen to my love story. He has given us His greatest love so why shouldn't I trust him to give me my perfect romance as long as I am faithful? My "forever" love story is being written by God even as we speak. I just have to surrender the pen that I for so long have tried to control.

I posted the following post originally on December 9, 2007 (I have tweaked it some for this post). I think it does a pretty good job explaining some of my emotions right now. I knew I wouldn't have been able to fully express myself, but I'm glad I was able to find something that was close enough for now:

I'm trying to be positive about everything but it is really hard. This week coming up is finals and I think it has knocked the Earth off of its normal rotation and is making EVERYTHING (and everyone) go a little kooky.

I thought that everything in my life was finally aligning. Ha...

I realized today that despite recent occurrences, I am worth it. Do I have places to grow and improve? Of course, everyone does. Do I believe that we all should be respectful and patient with people that are actually doing things to change? Absolutely.

I have also come to realize that I am ready for an unbreakable, unstoppable, head-over-heels, fight-for-each-other, do-anything-for kind of relationship. This is my public declaration: I will not settle until I have that kind of relationship. I haven't had one yet, but I have no doubt that it will be amazing.

Until then, I choose to be in love with God. Why? Because he romances me every day of my life. No matter how much I run from him, he does not let me leave. He has unending patience and love for me. This has been a struggle for me to come to this place because I feel really let down in a lot of areas of my life. I was at a place that I wanted to give up on my faith, but I know I need to trust that God knows my future. As long as I keep seeking him, He will lead me in the right direction.

I thank Ingrid for this verse:

"I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!"
Jeremiah 29: 11 - 13

I was at the point of saying, why believe in something that every time my prayers are "answered" I'm hurt? When I should be saying: I may not understand why things are working out this way, but I trust you and know that you would never hurt me. He is just preparing me for something more fulfilling than I can even fathom.

Romanced by God? What does that even mean? (Are you asking yourself that? I did at first too, but it makes complete sense.) Sunrises, Sunsets, Snow falling on Christmas, Fireflies at dusk, Light breeze on a sunny day, rays shining through the clouds. God romances us with the beauty of nature.

Can you believe the brilliance of the colors of the leaves? It was even more beautiful in person. We live in such a fast-paced world. Take the time to thank God for his creation. In the moments of utter beauty, when everything in the world seems to stop just so you can enjoy the moment, you are given a glimpse of Eden. The way the world was supposed to be. He loves us enough to show us that even when we are so undeserving, like I was when I doubted him.

Busy Worker Bee

2009-08-11T20:31:00.004-04:00

I'm taking a short hiatus from regular updating because this time of year is super hectic in the Residential Life realm of the world :) Training new staff members, nightly hall staff meetings, new residents moving in, etc. etc. = 9am to 9pm days!

Expect a post soon after the 24th!

Run Whitney Run

2009-08-05T18:42:00.003-04:00

I have decided to commit myself to a few events this semester. I figured if I put them on here I would be more likely to actually register and train for them. I hope my friends will be joining me on a few of these.

September 26 - Miracle Miles 5K
October 18 - U Can Finish 5 Miler
October 24 - Nike Human Race 10K Trail Race
November 14 - Fight for Air Climb 2009
November 25 - Gobble Gallop
December 13 - Elf Classic

And of course these will all slowly be helping me prepare for the Disney's Princess Half Marathon on March 7, 2010!

I will keep you updated on my progress and results!

Old Shirts? New Blanket!

2009-08-02T13:20:00.004-04:00

Somehow I tend to accumulate lots of t-shirts. I think most of the people I know have more than they know what to do with. I got to that point at the beginning of the summer when my t-shirts didn't fit into one dresser drawer. Sad...I know. I have to say that I don't know if what I did with them was exactly original but I love the result.

First, I had to figure out which shirts I was willing to give up. I had three main sections of shirts: Random, FSU, and Rollins. I couldn't think of anything I could do that would make sense for the Random shirts and I still work at Rollins so I wear those shirts very often. So that left the FSU group. I would never think of getting rid of my FSU shirts because they are full of memories. What better to show them off than to make them into a quilt!

I don't own a sewing machine and when I was younger I made several blankets by knotting. So that's what I decided to do. What a process this project was. Just to give you a run down: cut the shirt to separate the front and back, decide the size of the rectangle pattern, cut all of the shirts to that size, decide on a backing, determine how many rectangles across and down, cut half -inch slits around ALL edges, arrange the rectangles, and start knotting!

Here is the finished product:

Close up:

Shot of the backing I chose. Comfy gray fleece :)

I can't wait for the cooler weather to come! I imagine opening my back doors and enjoying the weather under my new fleece FSU blanket that was made with love!

StyleScope

2009-07-31T19:07:00.005-04:00

This post is a shout out to Simplify 101.

As an organization and design junky, I love learning about new ideas to declutter my home and make it beautiful. Therefore, one of my favorite websites is Simplify 101. It has tons of free resources (including monthly newsletters) that give you ideas for your home, office, or life in general. So of course, I follow the blog on the website. Yesterday, her blog was about figuring out your style. It immediately appealed to me because although I think my apartment is cute and homey, I wouldn't necessarily say it has a defined style. The post included a link to the Home Goods website, specifically to the StyleScope quiz.

Side note: My only criticism for this quiz is that it doesn't give you the options to see what all of the possibly results could be in case you wanted to compare and contrast. If I answer one question differently, it seems to give a new style so I think it would be interesting to see all the outcomes.

My style is: Country Classic.

I think it is pretty accurate. Here is what is says:

"You have a naturally refined sensibility with an appreciation for tradition and history. You value beauty, craftsmanship, and family heirlooms, but you like to open things up with pretty, easy-going pieces like painted wood or distressed furniture, lovely florals and other patterns, and bunches of fresh flowers that give your home a breezy, relaxed feeling. You love unique finds, have a thrifty, creative side, and can make these things work together.

You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect."

What's your style??

Home Sweet (New) Home

2009-07-30T16:56:00.008-04:00

My summer vacation ends tomorrow (cue violins).... But thankfully I was able to get one last vacation in before my hectic schedule begins. This past weekend I visited my parents in Nashville.

Well I flew into Nashville, but they live in Gallatin which is about 20 or 30 minutes outside of the city. Because my flight was late taking off, it wasn't until about 11 that we reached the house. This was my first time to my parents' new house so I was really excited. I had already seen some pictures but I hadn't seen it yet with their furniture and all the special touches that make it a home. So when my Dad and I got to the house, he gave me the grand tour. The house is so cozy - I really loved it! The neighborhood is a golf community and our house is right on the golf course so the scenery is also very nice. So that night (Thursday), we just chatted a bit, I loved on Sammy and then it was bedtime.

Friday morning I woke up and my Mom and I walked throughout the neighborhood. It was great exercise because it's rather hilly. But it was great catching up with her and just looking at all the beautiful houses. And of course, a trip to see my parents isn't complete unless my mom and I go shopping. This is what happens when you go in to Michaels just for fun:

Then we ventured to the mall and I used up my Macy's gift card. Speaking of shopping and bargain hunting, I bought a dress from Macy's for $20 that was originally $80. And my Mom and I both got scarves from American Eagle for $3 that were originally $20! I was proud of our purchases if I do say so myself.

That night when my Dad got home from work, we had a yummy dinner and then took Sam on a walk on the golf course. The sunset was amazing and it was fun taking some practice swings. Don't judge my form haha.

This may be a slight tangent but if there was ever such a thing as having a favorite bug, mine would be a firefly. I've never seen one in Orlando and the first time I saw one was in Tallahassee probably about 3 years ago and I was so awestruck by them. They appear during one of my favorite times of the day and I think they are magical. There were so many in the brush between our house and the golf course. It was such a treat for me to just watch them.

Saturday, my Mom and I went on another shopping adventure to a thrift store that a columnist called "Ms. Cheap" wrote about in the Nashville newspaper. They actually had beautiful wedding dresses for only $50. I don't believe I'll be getting married any time soon and I don't know how I feel about getting my wedding dress at a thrift shop, but I was intrigued enough to try one on! It was one of those "beautiful on the hanger, but not on me" types of situations. So I walked away with nothing. But nonetheless, it was fun! :) Then we went and saw The Ugly Truth. A little unnecessarily vulgar, but it was cute and we enjoyed it.

That night we met my Dad at his work and went downtown. What a great place to people watch! Ten times better than the airport haha. I was hoping for a celebrity spotting (according to my mom, Carrie Underwood was seen there the weekend before). But no such luck. Either way, we had a great dinner and a great time walking around and being in the hustle and bustle of downtown night life.

Poor baby...He looked so sad just laying there...

Sunday, I was able to sleep in which was nice. After a yummy breakfast made by my Dad, we all (yes, including Sam) made our way to the Harpeth River State Park. The directions I got weren't all that great but we finally reached our destination. It is spread out over several different places so we were able to get out walk around a bit and then drive a little more to see some other sights. We saw signs for canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, and zip lines so I know this will be a place that I will definitely go back to. It was so much fun spending quality time with my parents, watching Sam swim in the river, and seeing such a beautiful area.

Unfortunately, my visit was coming to an end. We went home and I got ready for my flight. The weekend seemed to go by so quickly but I'm grateful for being able to make the trip and I can't wait to go back!

Shopping for a Cause

2009-07-28T21:32:00.006-04:00

If you enjoy shopping, then we have one thing in common. If you enjoy a bargain, then we now have two things in common. I think one of the things that makes me most excited is finding a great sale and being able to tell people about it. The funny thing is, the items that I purchase that are the least expensive are what I get the most complements about. I love fashion magazines, but I could never stomach spending $400 on a pair of flip flops. That just doesn't make sense...

So I've been going on and on to say that when I find good bargains or a good website, I will share it with all of my wonderful readers. Today, I discovered Global Goods Partners. This website is dedicated to giving women artisans from Asia, Africa, and the Americas opportunities to sell their goods to consumers in the United States. You can browse the website for everything from jewelry to home goods to children's toys.

I will share just a few of my favorite items but I hope you will visit the website by clicking HERE!

How gorgeous are these bangles. They promote environmental sustainability because they are made of ankudu wood and vegetable lacquer. The best part: They are only $5.50!

The site has many beautiful scarves but I decided to feature the least inexpensive choice. These scarves are hand woven and I think that is so special.

Lastly, I thought these coasters were so unique. What I like most about this item is that the cost helps support advocates fighting for clean water for rural Swaziland.

I hope you enjoy the site as much as I do.

Taking Flight

2009-07-27T20:51:00.002-04:00

I took my first flight when I was around 15 and the appeal hasn't worn off yet. I feel like I'm partaking in a miracle. I understand there is science behind why a humongous steel machine can fly, but part of that must be a miracle.

I know airports and flying cause anxiety for some people but not for me. I love everything about the airport: the excitement of knowing that I am doing one of most favorite activities, traveling. Of course, there are reasons to not like the airport: overpriced food, delayed flights, long security lines. And I don't mind taking off my shoes but I do mind when other people have stinky feet. (Is that judgmental? Probably :/ but stinky feet is the worst.)

What a great place for people watching. I can't help but wonder what their destination is and why are they going there? Visiting friends, visiting family, spontaneous vacation, business...the options are endless. Side note to the couple fighting in the terminal: you have taught me a valuable lesson. Anger is not cute and not impressive. I understand everyone has unhappy moments, but like PDA, it is better left behind closed doors. Funny thing is, I saw this same couple in the terminal on the way home. They seemed happy this time so good for them :)

It's a good thing I like airports because my flight going and coming was delayed. But the trip was well worth it. Stay tuned for my next post because I will be sharing some photos from Nashville and the time I spent hanging with my Mom, my Dad, and Sammy!

Out of the Box

2009-07-24T23:23:00.013-04:00

This post is dedicated to my female readers. I think I might even advise my male readers to not go any further....

It is never too early to start thinking about the holidays and fun holiday crafts. The following craft is one of the best I've seen. And by "the best", I mean, out of the box. Too bad it wasn't something that I came up with. Here it is:

Can you figure out what it is? If you can't, click HERE to read more!

**Edit: Well that is a bummer...as of Saturday night, I can't get the webpage to open anymore. The ornaments are made out of tampons haha!**

**Edit 2: It's Monday night, and the link is working :) yay! Enjoy**

New Layout = Re-energized

2009-07-19T20:22:00.003-04:00

For the past few days, I have been updating my blog layout. I knew I wanted to start blogging again on a regular basis but I wanted to do an overhaul on my blog before I really got started. I hope you like it and I will be posting soon with an update on my life for the past 6 months. A few of the highlights being traveling to Costa Rica, graduating from my Master's program, and making the important decision to continue my schooling. I hope you will check back in a couple days to get all caught up!

Website Recommendation

2009-01-13T18:37:00.005-05:00

If any of you are like me, I like to check the weather in the morning to figure out what my outfit should be for the day. However, when it gets a little cooler outside, I never know exactly what would be the best to wear. For example, weather.com says it will be 64 degrees tomorrow. So do I need a sweater? or not? Well, my question is answered for me at cumul.us.

It suggests that tomorrow I should wear a long sleeve shirt, jeans, and sunglasses :) How fun!

The other cool thing about this website is that it gets its forecast from looking at a 5 different weather websites: Weather Underground, The Weather Channel, WeatherBug, National Weather Service, and AccuWeather. I think everyone should check it out!

You Can Vote However You Like

2008-11-05T21:34:00.003-05:00

It doesn't matter which way you voted...this is a great video :)

Here are the lyrics:
Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain is the man
Fought for us in Vietnam
You know if anyone can
Help our country he can
Taxes droppin low
Dont you know oils gonna flow
Drill it low
I'll show our economy will grow

McCain's the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They'll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama's new, he's younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He'll bring a change, he's got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq's a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes - you know Obama Won't
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS - You know McCain won't!
Have enough experience - you know that they don't
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won't

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you're going to have some drama
We need it
HE'LL BRING IT
He'll be it
YOU'LL SEE IT
We'll do it
GET TO IT
Let's move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I'm talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN'T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Pumpkin :)

2008-10-27T13:51:00.005-04:00

It has been a few years since I carved a pumpkin. So I felt like this year would be a perfect time to start carving again. Not only would I carve, I would bake the pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin turned out great... The seeds, not so much haha.

Cubbie loved watching me :)

My Masterpiece

Cubbie!

2008-10-12T21:10:00.005-04:00

Stefano visited Tampa today to meet a puppy that he was thinking about getting. He ended up coming home with the sweetest, smartest puppy who is now named Cubbie (because of his love for the Chicago Cubs).

We all had a great day together! Tonight the three of us went to Kelly's for a barbeque. Cubbie met her new best friend, Emmy. Here are some pictures of her enjoying first day with us.

Just Relaxing :)

She loves the camera :)

Me and Cubbie

New Best Friends!

Honda

2008-09-12T16:51:00.002-04:00

The previous trick shots posts made me think of this famous ad. Enjoy!

Do you like trick shots??

2008-09-12T16:48:00.003-04:00

One Year Ago

2008-08-03T08:46:00.003-04:00

One year ago my life changed drastically. Within a matter of months, I moved from Tallahassee back to Windermere then to Burlington, NC then back to Winter Park. In the midst of this, I was starting a new chapter in my life that included working for Rollins and pursuing my masters degree.

Relationships were ending. Well not all of them. Some were just changing. Like those with all of my girlfriends in Tallahassee. We went from seeing and talking to each other every day to communicating mostly over facebook. I may sound like I'm complaining and in a way, I am. I miss being around them and I miss all the fun times we had together. Sometimes I wish I could go back just to have that again. But, all of us have grown so much since then! I'm proud of all my friends and so excited to see where our lives take us.

I've listened to a significantly smaller amount of country music this year compared to years past when I wouldn't listen to anything else. I know that sounds funny and thats not saying that I enjoy it any less, I've just developed a subconscious fear about it. A fear that if I turn the country station on a song charged with memories and emotions will be playing. The memories, I can deal with. However, the emotions associated with the memories are what I'm afraid to face. But its getting better. I'm coming to terms with the fact that some things, like all of my questions and analyzations of the situation, are better left in the past.

In the past year, I've learned what it means to live on my own. I've seen snow falling for the first time. Which means I made my first snowman, had my first snowball fight, and went sledding for the first time. I've become more self aware. I've traveled the world (well, a small portion of it). I've worked in a company that teaches its culture and that culture is actually apparent when I went into work each day. Every employee (or STAR as Gaylord likes to call us) is passionate about what they do. That is very rare so its hard to describe and explain. And now I'm getting ready to start my second year of working for Rollins and pursuing my masters degree. I can't believe I'm already half way through! I have a clearer picture of what I want my future to look like - what my career will be, the type of person I want to be and the type of person I want to be with. Having this picture in clearer focus makes life a little more comfortable.

Through all of this, a few things have remained constant. My relationship with God. Every day, I try to find ways to grow closer to God and have Him be the center of my life. By no means am I perfect, I never will be. But I do know that I will try my hardest to use God's word as my guide. My family. I've realized now more than ever, how lucky I am. My parents and my brother will be there for me no matter what and will always have my best interest in their hearts. I am so grateful for that. Stefano. I met Stefano one year ago today. What started out as a genuine friendship evolved into an amazing relationship. He keeps me grounded and he is my best friend. He's not afraid to be open and honest with me, even if its not exactly what I want to hear. And most of all, he loves me just the way I am. I don't think I could ask for anything more.

The most important thing I've learned this year is that I am truly blessed. Even with all the things I think I want or need, it will never compare to what I already have. I'm enjoying my journey and I know this year will bring just as many changes as the last year. I hope you continue checking up on me!

July 4th

2008-07-20T09:05:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post about July 4th :)

It was one of the greatest weekends I've had in Winter Park since I came down a year ago!

My parents and Sammy drove down to visit me for the weekend. They stayed with me in my apartment (which they loved :) and pictures will be coming soon!). For the 4th, we drove to Leesburg for a baseball game between the Leesburg Lighting and the US Military All Stars. The opening ceremony was touching and the game was very entertaining. And believe it or not, the fireworks show after was one of the best shows I've seen. The best thing about the whole day was that I was able to spend it with my parents and Stefano.

Here are a few pictures:

March 2009!

2008-06-24T13:19:00.009-04:00

I know that is a long time from now but today I have registered my mom and I for the Disney Princess Half Marathon! It will be our first half marathon and I'm so excited to share this experience with her.

We have a very detailed schedule to start training in December. But for now, I need the motivation to start running regularly again :)

I'm really excited and wish us luck!

European Adventure

2008-05-23T13:12:00.006-04:00

So here it is! The long awaited posting about my trip to Europe. It was amazing, eye-opening, educational, full of laughter and new friendships. I spent in a week in Prague with everyone from my class. That was interesting because we were learning all about Eastern European culture as well as business practices. So a lot of what we did that week were company visits, presentations, and working on our consulting projects. It was unbelievable that there were so many differences between the way that businesses work in the US compared to how they operate in the Czech Republic.

Prague during the walking tour

The figures on this clock moved when the clock strikes each hour

Prague Castle

We spent a day in Dresden, Germany and it was surprisingly very different from Prague! It was nice to see another city in Eastern Europe. Our tour guide, Sylvia, was awesome! She was so knowledgeable about the history of the town and it was amazing to see Communist buildings in the middle of such ornate architecture. For lunch, we had beer and bratwurst lol. It was the best brat I've ever had! Also, we stopped at the VW plant in Dresden. They had a place where you can test drive the Phaeton which is VW's most expensive car. It was almost like a virtual test drive. I actually drove the car but the car didn't move. It was like driving a really intense arcade game.

These photos were taken during our walking tour in Dresden

Communist building amongst all of the beauty

Our presentation at Emco went very well so I ended up being nervous for nothing. We were able to interact with the CEO and top management of the company so it was great international experience. And Emco's products (organic cereals and trail mixes) were amazing! Along with all of the business things we did, we had a lot of time to explore Prague.

(Side note: my only complaint with Prague was that people can smoke anywhere, even inside the hotel lobby. My eyes were constantly red from all of the smoke.)

Some fun facts about differences in Prague:
-It is really hard to buy something when the tag says "200" but that is only about $12.
-The toilets don't hold water like we are used to. You go to the bathroom and then when you flush, water comes gushing out.
-When ordering water at a restaurant, you have to specify "with gas" or "without gas" - which means carbonated or not.
-There are no shower curtains - just half a door so water tends to go everywhere!
-I ate the best Chinese food I've ever had across the street from my hotel!

A view of the Alps from the plane to Venice

After Prague, it was time to go to Venice. What a fantastic city! No cars, motorcycles, or bikes...just boats! The options for transportation are walking or taking a boat. There weren't too many tourist attractions but just seeing the city was enough because it is so unique. We spent our time walking around, shopping, taking pictures, and, of course, feeding the pigeons.

Traveling to Rome was an adventure in itself. We took a train but we had several train changes. Suggestion: when traveling by train in Italy, only bring small luggage because there is no where to put big bags! There was no where to put our bags and the ticket lady was getting irritated with us! Anyway haha, when we were making our second train change, we were rushing because our train was running behind so we thought we would miss our next train. Thankfully, we got on with all of our luggage and were on our way. The train was packed and we ended up standing for most of the time. After about two and half hours, when we realized we should be getting to our next stop, we figure out that we are on the wrong train! Oops!

But that was a blessing in disguise because the train that we finally booked (that was definitely going to Rome) traveled down the coast of Italy and it was absolutely gorgeous! I think that train ride was actually one of the favorite memories. The girls and I had a small room that we didn't have to share with anyone else and were surrounded by windows so we were just able to take in the scenery.

We finally make it to Rome and it was a very different city from Venice. It was more like New York City but with ruins in the middle of it. I saw so many places that up until now I have only read about, like the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Forum, Vatican City, Patheon, Trevi Fountain, etc. I think the one thing that I am grateful for is that we took organized tours of most of these places. They are extraordinary buildings to see but it is nice to know what you are actually looking at.

Colosseum with all of my travel buddies :)

Palatine Hill

Trevi Fountain

Water fountains like this are throughout the city!

Pantheon

We were not supposed to take pictures inside of the Sistine Chapel but I couldn't resist. I can't even begin to find the words to explain how magnificent it was.

St. Peters Basilica and Vatican City

Three-wheeled car!

This was the last dinner that the eight of us would have together before we all went separate ways. Some of us went home, some went to Paris, and my group went to London. Our waiter was too cute to not photograph :)

Now its time for London! First of all, I won't go into details, but never, NEVER fly with Ryan Air haha. We didn't have much time in London, only about two days total. So I took advantage of every second. The first night I went with Jen to see Parliament, Big Ben, London Tower, and Tower Bridge. Also, some of you may know of my fear of heights. Well I tried to forget my fears and go on to the London Eye. I'm so glad that I did because although I was terrified, it was a very cool experience.

Parliament and Big Ben

Me and Jen

Views from the London Eye

Tower Bridge (often mistaken as the London Bridge)

The next day we saw Buckingham Palace which was gorgeous. We then walked over to take pictures with the guards that remain still no matter what. While we were over there, the police came and told everyone to clear the road. We knew someone was coming out of the property but we had no idea who. Out drives two cars and the man standing next to us said it was Charles and Camilla! I can't confirm that is true because I didn't take pictures but it was awesome nonetheless. That afternoon I went to see the London Aquarium which was fun and I was able to pet a sting ray :) That night I had fish and chips! But, they tasted just as the do here haha.

Buckingham Palace

So I put some highlighted pictures in this blog but if you are interested in seeing all of the pictures I took (and there are some great ones!) just let me know and I'll send you a link to check them all out!

That is the end of my journey. The trip was incredible and I feel completely blessed for being given the opportunity to travel Europe but as funny as it sounds:

There is no place like HOME! :)

I'm Leaving...

2008-04-14T23:43:00.003-04:00

...On A Jet Plane!

I'll be back on May 1st.

Keep me in your thoughts for safe travels :)

Getting Excited :)

2008-03-28T10:28:00.001-04:00

18 days until Europe!!!!

Crosslites Scholarship

2008-03-28T10:21:00.003-04:00

I won 2nd place!

$500 for me :)

I Need Your Help!

2008-02-16T11:25:00.004-05:00

I am trying to win a scholarship and it depends on votes!

All you have to do is click on the link below, vote for my essay, and give it a 5!

You can vote twice a day so visit the site as often as possible. I will be so thankful to win so please, please, please take the time to vote!!

CLICK HERE!

Once a VIP, Always a VIP :)

2008-02-10T12:39:00.002-05:00

Going to Crummer definitely has its perks. We get an email Tuesday night from one of our professors saying that we have been invited by NASA to view the shuttle launch from the VIP section. The launch is on Thursday so of course it is kind of hectic trying to figure out who is going and how we are going to get there. They secured a bus and everyone signed up. If you lived in Florida long enough, you know that it is pretty rare for the shuttle to go up when they say it will, so everyone was skeptical. Thursday morning I woke up and it was gloomy and gray outside with only a 30% chance of liftoff. I thought for sure it wasn't going to happen. I called my Aunt who works with NASA and she told me that it was beautiful there. And of course both of my parents were saying that I had to go, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. So I decided to go, still with only a 30% chance of liftoff. And I am so glad I did! We were only 3.2 miles away from the launch pad, the closest anyone can be. At 2:45pm, the shuttle Atlantis rocketed into the sky. It was absolutely amazing! Here are a few pictures that definitely don't do the experience justice:

Needless to say, if you ever get the opportunity to watch a shuttle launch, take it! Especially since there are only 12 more launches scheduled for the shuttles. As our tour guide said, we "were a part of history." And I feel blessed.

P.S. If you are friends with me on facebook, there is a video of the launch tagged to me. Check it out!

Awww! :)

2008-02-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

This is the cutest thing I've seen in a really long time :)

Click Here :)

Enjoy!

Still Alive

2008-02-02T17:29:00.001-05:00

I promise I'm still around!!

The beginning of the semester is always hectic - trying to get back on schedule, getting used to homework again, etc. I hope everyone is enjoying 2008 so far!

I promise I will be back soon. Well...as soon as I have something to write about other than school :)

World Traveler

2008-01-07T22:16:00.002-05:00

In April, I will be traveling to Prague with everyone in my class at school. We are going there for an international consulting project. The school gave us the option of traveling independently. After waiting until the last minute to decide, I will be traveling independently so that I can stay in Europe an extra 7 to 10 days!

This is thrilling to me because I've never been overseas! I will be visiting Istanbul, Rome and London (tentatively) with my friend, Jen, from the program.

So I will be accepting any traveling tips from now until April 15th!

Here are some pictures of Prague for your viewing pleasure:

Dear Santa...

2007-12-24T23:45:00.001-05:00

December 25, 2007
The North Pole

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! I remember the days when I used to try to spot you in the sky on Christmas Eve. My parents had me convinced that you made a special stop at our house to drop off one gift while we were driving around looking a Christmas lights. I could have sworn I heard you and your reindeer on my roof one night. Thank you for all the memories that you are a part of from my childhood :) This season always reminds me of such wonderful times!

There are just a few things I want this Christmas:

-Good times with my friends and family
-Love and Laughter
-Safe travels
-A special New Year's kiss
-Happiness in 2008

I've been a good girl :) I think I deserve it. Please bring any gifts that my friends and family want as well - they mean everything to me!

Love,

Whitney

P.S. Merry Christmas to everyone who reads my blog! I hope you all have a wonderful day that is full of delicious food, new memories, and good cheer. I'll write again in 2008!

My Favorite First Wedding Dance!

2007-12-19T09:47:00.001-05:00

So I'm not sure how original this dance is to have as your first wedding dance but I love it! Kudos to the bride and groom :)

The Perfect Couple

2007-12-15T09:44:00.001-05:00

Sorry you'll have to copy and paste, I couldn't figure out how to make it a link haha.

http://www.flashfunpages.com/couple.swf

Ugh...men ::rolling my eyes:: lol!

Logan

2007-12-13T09:17:00.001-05:00

This is a video of a phone call made by a 13-year-old boy who lives on a ranch in a very small town in Nebraska. Logan listens to Christian Radio station 89.3FM KSBJ which broadcasts from Houston, TX. If only all children, and all people for that matter, were like him. Maybe the world would be more peaceful. I am amazed at his wisdom...

Why Be In A Relationship?

2007-12-09T14:51:00.001-05:00

Quite a bit has changed within the time that I last posted "My Weekend Recap". I'm trying to be positive about everything but it is really hard. This week coming up is finals and I think it has knocked the Earth off of its normal rotation and is making EVERYTHING (and everyone) go a little kooky.

I thought that everything in my life was finally aligning. Ha...

I realized today that despite recent occurrences, I am worth it. Do I have places to grow and improve? Of course, everyone does. Do I believe that we all should be respectful and patient with people that are actually doing things to change? Absolutely.

I have also come to realize that I am ready for an unbreakable, unstoppable, head-over-heels, fight-for-each-other, do-anything-for kind of relationship. That may freak out quite a few guys that read this, mainly the ones that have a phobia against commitments. This is my public declaration: I will not settle until I have that kind of relationship. I haven't had one yet, but I have no doubt that it will be amazing.

Until then, I choose to be in love with God. Why? Because he romances me every day of my life. No matter how much I run from him, he does not let me leave. He has unending patience and love for me. This has been a struggle for me to come to this place because I feel really let down in a lot of areas of my life. I was at a place that I wanted to give up on my faith, but I know I need to trust that God knows my future. As long as I keep seeking him, He will lead me in the right direction.

I thank Ingrid for this verse:

"I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me!"

Jeremiah 29: 11 - 13

I was at the point of saying, why believe in something that every time my prayers are "answered" I'm hurt? When I should be saying: I may not understand why things are working out this way, but I trust you and know that you would never hurt me. He is just preparing me for something more fulfilling than I can even fathom.

Romanced by God? What does that even mean? (Are you asking yourself that? I did at first too, but it makes complete sense.) Sunrises, Sunsets, Snow falling on Christmas (I haven't experienced this, but I'm sure it's beautiful), Fireflies at dusk, Light breeze on a sunny day, rays shining through the clouds. God romances us with the beauty of nature.

Can you believe the brilliance of the colors of the leaves? It was even more beautiful in person. We live in such a fast-paced world. Take the time to thank God for his creation. In the moments of utter beauty, when everything in the world seems to stop just so you can enjoy the moment, you are given a glimpse of Eden. The way the world was supposed to be. He loves us enough to show us that even when we are so undeserving, like I was when I doubted him.

Thanks for listening :) Time to start studying for finals...I'll write again soon!

Grad School....

2007-12-06T07:31:00.001-05:00

....is A LOT of work!

I'll be back soon!

Classes end on the 14th and I have a month off :)

Get ready for some blogging.

(That sounded like flogging - I like Shrek lol)

My Weekend Recap :)

2007-10-28T19:34:00.002-04:00

Friday night I went on a date with Lindsay :) We ate at Macaroni Grill and then saw Dan in Real Life. Everyone should see that movie! It was so cute :) Maybe a bit of a girly movie but I think most guys would enjoy it (even if they don't want to admit it lol). Good company, good movie, good night...:)

Halloween Howl was this weekend at Rollins. It is an event that all of Greater Orlando is invited to for kids to come and play games, win prizes and candy, and jump in bounce houses. And for the older kids there are haunted houses in the fraternity houses and other buildings on campus. It just proved to me how much of a scaredy cat I am. We had to do walk-throughs of the haunted houses to make sure everything was okay - which means none of the characters jump out to scare you - and I still had to hold Ingrid's hand for her to pull me through haha.

Although the end of the event got rained out, there were some of the cutest kids there which was the best part of volunteering - getting to see all of the adorable costumes :) Here are two of my favorites!

The cutest pumpkin in the patch :)

Abby, my bosses daughter :)

It was so nice to have a girls day today even though it was short because I had school work :( If any of the HDs are reading this, we have to do it again :)

Tonight, we had our hall-wide Halloween initiative - "Pumpkin Party." We bought all sorts of pumpkin-flavored goodies and watched Saw 3. Lots of our residents came for the food but only a few stayed to watch the movie. Let me just say this - I am going to have nightmares for a very long time. And to top it off, my RAs want our next staff development to be going to see Saw 4...what?! I don't know about all that...

Just thought I would write an update of my weekend since it was overall pretty good. Oh side note: I've also learned this weekend that a woman's intuition is always right. I don't want to say too much - but I know now to always trust my gut instinct. I think I could have saved myself a lot of heartache if I just opened my eyes to what was right in front of me. Although, I feel like I always knew, I just wanted to believe it wasn't true. I wish you luck and happiness...I do...

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! Keep checking back for more updates :)

Ferris Wheel!

2007-10-21T17:04:00.001-04:00

I finally rode one for the first time in my life!! (Sad I know...)

I was soooo scared - but if I had to do it again, I would ;)

What's Your Love Language?

2007-10-07T21:19:00.001-04:00

I had an epiphany today! At our in-service we learned about the five love languages. And as I sat there listening to the different groups present their love language, my past was flashing before my eyes haha. When we have a significant other, we need to be conscious of how they like to be loved and how they show love, among other things. I believe if we could figure this out while we are in a relationship so many problems would be eliminated. To truly understand this, here are the five love languages:

#1 Words of Affirmation: You need to hear praise to know you are loved and you may also prefer to express your affection verbally. Negative comments cut right to the bone. You want to hear that you're loved and how much and why. This could be done in the form of compliments, kind words of recognition, thank you notes, "just because" notes, cards, etc.

#2 Gifts: You are moved by presents and physical tokens of affection. It's the fact that someone is thinking about you enough to give you something that moves you. You also like to give personalized gifts to show your love for someone. The monetary value is not important, only the sentiment with which they were intended.

#3 Touch: You want to give and/or receive affection physically. This would be someone who loves to hug, hold hands, high five, etc.

#4 Acts of Service: You prefer to show your love through favors and chores and doing things for others. You feel put-upon and unappreciated when your efforts are taken for granted.

#5 Quality Time: This can be expressed either through those intimate tete-a-tete discussions or just by doing things together. You enjoy spending time with the people you love and it is very important for you to feel included.

So now that you know maybe you can fit yourself into one of these categories. Obviously these descriptions are just skimming the surface, but you get the jist of what they mean. If you are a "words of affirmation" person in a relationship with an "acts of service" person and you don't know it, issues could arise. The "acts of service" person may be doing wonderful things for you but you aren't appreciating them because you aren't recognizing that that is how they show love. And since you aren't thanking them for all of the help they are giving, they feel like what they did was pointless. And on the same token, the "acts of service" person isn't realizing that the "words of affirmation" person is just looking for a simple compliment or for their significant other to tell them how much they love them. So I leave you with this challenge: continue learning about the people in your life - your family, your friends, your boyfriend or girlfriend, and most importantly yourself. Find out what your love language is and what their love languages are. Then use that new knowledge to your advantage and start showing love the way that particular person best feels it. Your relationships will grow stronger because of it. Apply this knowledge to past relationships: I guarantee it will answer some questions and you will be better off in future relationships. When I think about the people in my life, it is rather easy to fit them into their love language. I have a new found appreciation to those who may have a different love language than me. Not only will I be able to show love, I will be able to acknowledge and be grateful when I am being shown love in a way outside of my language.

Go now and take the quiz! Let me know your result so I can show you some love ;)

Oh I forgot!

2007-10-04T14:14:00.001-04:00

I wanted to add this to the last post...

Get the Rascal Flatts CD!! :)

One of my favorite songs on the CD:

"No Reins"

She left that loser in a dust cloud
Heart in his hand, chin on the ground
Cried her last tear for that clown
She can see a little clearer now
She said, "Oh, oh, I gotta go and find me"
Oh, oh she found the strength to break free

Like a painted wild mustang
Flyin' out across the open range
Finally gets to live her life that way
No fear, no fences, nobody-no reins

No reins

All she's ever felt is held back
She says, "It's kinda nice to hear myself laugh"
She's gonna do a lot more of that
She's makin' plans and makin' tracks
She said, "Oh, oh I gotta go and find me"
Oh, oh she found the strength to break free

Oh, oh she's learnin' how to let go
Oh, oh whichever way the wind blows
Oh, oh she's learnin' how to let go

No reins

It is so inspiring. I know you are thinking, "It's just a Rascal Flatts song." But as a woman continually trying to find out more about myself and find what makes me happy, this song gives me strength. It is okay to be selfish sometimes. Life is an "open range" for me and that is exciting that I have the world at my fingertips. I have to learn not to let my schedule hinder me from living my life.

Easier said than done...

Lessons Learned

2007-10-04T12:03:00.001-04:00

There are quite a few things I have learned these past fews weeks:

1. Facebook is the devil. I don't think I have to say much else about that. No matter how much I wish I could erase my account and never look back, I know I couldn't, which makes me sad.

2. Baseball is not as boring to watch as I thought it was. Watch a game with someone who loves the sport and you will understand.

3. Working full time and going to school full time is really tough.

4. After realizing #3, I know now the value of relaxing and having free time. Those two things are taken advantage of so whenever you are bored, think of me, I'm probably off somewhere wishing I could have five minutes to sit down.

5. If I try to look at the last two months of my life from an outsiders point-of-view, it is so clear that there was definite plan with what happened. I didn't know that at the time, but certain people were coming and certain people were leaving for a reason. No matter how much I still wish I could go back, I know the situation was not in my hands - the outcome would have been the same. At least, that is what I'm choosing to believe, and that is comforting.

6. Back to #3 - I need more time for friends and family.

7. My hair grows slower than I thought - I'm waiting very slowly for those inches to come back :)

8. Getting up at 6am to run is refreshing.

9. It is okay to say no every once in a while.

I was hoping to think of more lessons, but I am exhausted and excited :) My mom is staying with me tonight. I'm looking forward to that, because although we talk every day, it may only be for a few minutes of a time. I am excited to go shopping and finish decorating my apartment :) My dad comes into town tomorrow as well. It has been way too long since I have seen him. Andrea and Kyle come in tomorrow also. Being that my Grandma's 80th birthday party is this Saturday means it will be a weekend full of family :)

Next week is my mini-vacation to Chicago! We didn't get tickets to the Cubs game but I know we will still have an amazing time. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share with you, but if you know me, you know I'm not the best at taking pictures. I will force myself :) According to weather.com, it will be in the 60s as the high. Brr :)

Side note: Giving laptops to students to bring to class is the easiest way to encourage us to not pay attention.

Time to learn about statistics...:)

Very Cool!

2007-09-27T23:07:00.001-04:00

I signed up for a very cool website tonight! Once I get more into all the features of the website, I'm sure I'll have more to write but until then...

This is from my brothers blog (about the website)....

YouVersion is a website run by a LiveChurch.TV development team...they've developed an online bible that has become an interactive community, it really takes the bible and injects it into the viral video/myspace/facebook age. When you sign up you'll get a email kind of like this, explaining what it's all about....

-----
Dear Kyle,

Welcome to YouVersion.com. You're now part of a revolutionary online community! Whether you've been studying the Bible for years or are simply curious about its claims, YouVersion will allow you to read, share, ask questions, and learn from others in an exciting and interactive new way.

Now that you're signed up and ready to go, let's explore some areas of YouVersion you'll want to check out.

Discover
Easily find a passage in one of many translations. Search by reference or use the Table of Contents to locate a specific scripture.

Contribute
Share what God's Spirit is showing you, and read how He is moving in the lives of others. Contribute images, video, text or links to passages, or email something meaningful to a friend.

Reflect
You can journal about what you're reading, as you're reading it. And even better, what you write is linked directly to what you are reading so you can easily reference back to those special passages.

Remember
Mark references with tags that make sense to you, and find what you want, when you want. It's like your own personal concordance. Or you can star anything you'd like to remember.

We hope you'll take some time and explore YouVersion today. We believe that this tool is going to create a whole new way of uniting relevant media and web content with scripture, community and collaboration. And we couldn't do it without you.

Sincerely,
The YouVersion Development Team
-----

For me, this is going to revolutionize the way I read the bible...it's now more than ever the living word of God.

Go check it out...

www.youversion.com

Let me know what you think!!
(Thanks Kyle for the blog)

Taking a Moment to Breathe...

2007-09-20T17:49:00.003-04:00

Wow - I am sitting here on my couch not stressing about school or work for the first time in three weeks. Don't get me wrong...next week I have three quizzes, a presentation, and a ten-page paper due. So there is plenty that I could be doing. But it is my weekend from classes now and I am going to take advantage of these few minutes that I can just sit here (and watch my new 32" LCD HDTV haha).

Graduate school is a lot different than undergraduate school. This is something that I have been told but I don't know if I really believed it. I'm good at school...I may not be great at anything but I know for sure that I'm good at being in school. But my classes, I would say for the first time in my life, are hard. Not necessarily because of the content but because of the amount of work that is required outside of classes. It has caused me to wonder if I made the right decision in going back to school. But I think I did - everything fell into place too easily before I got here. And I know that it will be a great accomplishment when I am done and it will help me achieve what I am put on this earth for. I have an idea of where I want to go with my life but I won't put it on here because I want the flexibility to change my mind ;)

My main goal this weekend is to finish the decorations in my apartment. My mom comes to Florida next week and I am determined to have pictures hung and curtain rods hung and everything. And I'm tired of having all the decorations in my room in a pile (well...a neat pile haha). And if it continues to rain all weekend (which I hope it does - it has been so peaceful sleeping to the sound of the rain), it will be a perfect time to get it done.

This past weekend I went to the beach for the first time in such a long time! It was so nice to be out in the sun - I had kinda secluded myself because of everything that happened back in April. Rollins took a bunch of students to Playa Linda for a beach clean-up and then a group of us went to Jetty Park over by Cape Canaveral. The water was absolutely gorgeous. Usually I'm not a fan of actually swimming in the ocean but that is where we spent most of our time. One of the people in the group had a jet-ski so we got to play around on that too...so much fun!!

Monday is when I'm starting to run again. I've seen all the lacrosse girls around campus and it has made me miss playing and working out so much. I'm thinking about helping out the coach on Saturdays. But I have to decide if I'm that committed because that is my only day to sleep in and I would be taking that away from myself haha. But it will be nice to start my day with an early morning run.

Hmmm....well I guess that's it! It's been nice to share my thoughts again :)

...Good Song...

2007-09-09T07:44:00.001-04:00

"Who Knew"

You took my hand
You showed me how
You promised me you'd be around
Uh huh
That's right
I took your words
And I believed
In everything
You said to me
Yeah huh
That's right

If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong
I know better
Cause you said forever
And ever
Who knew

Remember when we were such fools
And so convinced and just too cool
Oh no
No no
I wish I could touch you again
I wish I could still call you friend
I'd give anything

When someone said count your blessings now
'fore they're long gone
I guess I just didn't know how
I was all wrong
They knew better
Still you said forever
And ever
Who knew

Yeah yeah
I'll keep you locked in my head
Until we meet again
Until we
Until we meet again
And I won't forget you my friend
What happened

If someone said three years from now
You'd be long gone
I'd stand up and punch them out
Cause they're all wrong and
That last kiss
I'll cherish
Until we meet again
And time makes
It harder
I wish I could remember
But I keep
Your memory
You visit me in my sleep
My darling
Who knew
My darling
My darling
Who knew
My darling
I miss you
My darling
Who knew
Who knew

FSU Football!!!

2007-09-02T11:53:00.001-04:00

It starts Monday night! I will celebrating the start of the season with many fellow FSU fans at Buffalo Wild Wings! :)

I'm putting the schedule up here - more for my own good so I can keep track of the games. But feel free to check in to see when the Noles will be playing!

09/03/07 at Clemson
09/08/07 vs. UAB
09/15/07 at Colorado
09/29/07 vs. Alabama
10/06/07 vs. NC State
10/11/07 at Wake Forest
10/20/07 vs. Miami
10/27/07 vs. Duke
11/03/07 at Boston College
11/10/07 at Virginia Tech
11/17/07 vs. Maryland
11/24/07 at Florida

Quick Fact

2007-09-02T08:35:00.001-04:00

I've had 1,000 visits to my page!
I hope those of you that are regulars enjoy it! :)

Oh By The Way...

2007-08-30T08:07:00.001-04:00

Living on campus = filling my gas tank once a month :)

Just thought I would share!

Sunday :)

2007-08-26T22:26:00.001-04:00

Sunday...my only day off...

And yet, I still have no time to relax. Tomorrow I start orientation! I feel like I've been here forever and finally I will be able to get into a routine. I think that is what I'm most excited about - gotta love schedules :)

There was so much stuff I wanted to blog about tonight but I didn't get everything I needed done today. I did a ton of shopping for the majority of the rest of the decorations so I thought I would finally be ready to take pictures and let you all see my beautiful apartment. But the stuff I bought was basically all stuff that needs to be hung and I amazingly have concrete walls (slight sarcasm). Any suggestions on how to hang things on a concrete wall...please let me know!!

So hmmm...some updates on life? I'm still really busy with work. Yesterday was returning students check-in so that means another 8am to 5pm day of sitting in the lobby handing out keys. As I'm sitting here thinking about the past week or so it all relates to work haha. Its a good thing that I like my job and the people I work with :)

Oh! Many of you that are reading this are probably my friends on facebook (hi everyone lol) so you know this news. Well I was told a few weeks ago that scholarships for school were given based on GMAT score only. I was 40 points away from a $20,000 scholarship. The minute I found that out, I signed up to take the GMAT for a second time. I procrastinated big time on studying and crammed the last two days. Probably not the smartest thing - and to be honest, I didn't really expect much. I took the test on Thursday. I nearly jumped for joy when my score came up on the screen. I got the score I needed and got the scholarship!! Thanks to everyone who congratulated me :)

I am so excited that I have found a wonderful church. I still miss Genesis so I stay connected by listening to the podcasts (if you have iTunes, you should subscribe to them! Pastor Brian is awesome!) but I wanted to find a place that I feel comfortable at here in Orlando too. I started going to Discovery Church last weekend and I love it. I'm looking forward to continuing my journey there and learning more about myself and the path God wants me on. Thankfully, I have connected with an amazing woman that I know I will learn so much from this year. I'm not sure if she reads this blog, but if you are reading....Your advice is priceless to me. I feel blessed to have you in my life as a mentor because you are such a strong Christian woman that I really look up too.

On a completely different note - I read my horoscope every day. Usually just for fun, but lately the horoscopes seem to be more relevant than usually. One caught my eye so I wanted to share it with all of you:

When you are riding the tides of life today, be very mindful of the
undercurrents - because they are what will actually lead you to your
destination. There's not much you can do to change the direction
you're traveling in, so just relax and enjoy the ride. Its full of
surprises, as well as twists and turns that will leave you feeling
exhilarated, albeit a tad bit confused. But "confused" is just
another word for "excited" if you look at things with a positive
attitude.

The funny thing is two pieces of advice in this horoscope have been given to me before so this really hit home for me. Confusion is an emotion that I have become familiar with lately but after reading this horoscope and reading the advice I had already been told, I am excited about everything now. I am in this exact moment for a reason. I have amazing people in my life and great things are happening to me. I could easily see things in a negative light but I choose to see everything positively. Along with that goes accepting and letting go of past emotions and looking only into the future. I am ready for what He has in store for me.

Well its time to iron my clothes for tomorrow and finally get to bed. Be thinking about me tomorrow on my first day of graduate school!

Quick Morning Thoughts

2007-08-18T08:20:00.001-04:00

I thought my time at Rollins would be my chance to grow in a stronger relationship preparing for our lives together while getting my degree. It was an adventure that I was excited about more than anything. I knew it would be hard and it would require a lot of communication and honesty but most importantly love. That dynamic has already shifted. Although I am fully aware now what it means to truly appreciate and love someone with all of my heart, that feeling can't be enjoyed on a one-way street. God has something bigger planned for me. He has revealed to me in the past few days more than I could have ever expected. And I know that my next relationship, no matter when or who it may be with, it will be beyond amazing. I feel in my heart that God is telling me that He knows that this is hard for me but he would never put something in my path that I can't work through and become stronger because of it. He is amazing in the fact that He knows what is truly right for every person and if we aren't strong enough or ready to do what is He knows is right, He will take that on. This is an exciting road that I am on because I am putting all of my trust in Him knowing that no matter what I want, His will for my life will be done.

These were just some thoughts I had this morning so I decided to share them. And like I've said in the past few posts, in time pictures of my apartment will come haha. I'm hoping to finish the decorations before classes start (which is the 27th).

Have a good weekend everyone!!

Ugh...

2007-08-07T22:37:00.001-04:00

I hope I will be able to update with pictures soon. I planned on posting some tonight but I just don't have much free time anymore. I'm settling into my apartment at Rollins, training for the Graduate Assistant/Hall Director position, and trying to prepare for school.

The good thing about training is that I have met so many great new friends. I find myself laughing all day long which definitely helps make it easier for me to adapt. And it really seems like everyone will be there to support me since I am new to Residential Life. My apartment is coming together. There is a little more decorating to be done. For a select few, you will have the pleasure of watching my "video diary" of the stages of moving in.

I still have some hesitations about everything I have taken on because I really don't want to fail but I am trying to stay positive. It's overwhelming to go into a completely new situation and new surroundings when I've had such a comfort zone for the past four years.

I have decided to retake the GMAT which has opened up a new can of stress. I found out that if I raise my score slightly (only by 40 points) I can receive a minimum of $20,000 in scholarships! How crazy is that?! I would have been so upset if I found out too late. I wish I knew in the beginning of the summer that way I could have studied a lot more. But I can't complain because at least I have the chance and I can't regret not trying. Wish me luck!

I'm sorry for not being witty or funny in this post. I promise I will be back to my old self soon once I get my routine in place. If you know me, you know I like having a routine and a schedule. Thank you to everyone that has been there for me to keep me sane :)

Until next time...

Don't Mess With Me!

2007-07-27T11:10:00.001-04:00

This 5 second video has cracked me up every time I've seen it. Trust me - I know how stupid it is but you have to admit, it's pretty funny :)

Don't forget to scroll down and read my "Just Checking In" entry!

Just Checking In

2007-07-26T21:34:00.003-04:00

I know that my entries during the summer have been few and far between but I promise I haven't forgotten about this lovely blog. My days have included exploring and enjoying North Carolina, hanging out with Mom and Sam, and of course watching my favorite summer shows (Big Brother 8 and So You Think You Can Dance!). I've had a lot of time to discover things about myself - about what is important to me, about what I want out of my life, and about certain things that I need to change in order to make what I want happen. That's all I really want to say about that - I just want everyone to know that I've used my alone time for good :)

So I will be leaving North Carolina on Sunday and that comes with a lot of emotion. I'm anxious because I've gotten used to my lazy, relaxed way of life for the past couple of months and everything will change when I get back to Florida. I will be living on my own and I have to get ready to go back to school. It will be close to 9 months since I've been in school. I know that is not that long but I think it will take a bit of time to get back in my routine of studying and homework and blah blah blah. I'm excited because I will finally be in the same town as Eric - we've been waiting over 2 years for this. That will definitely be different - hopefully we don't kill each other ;) j/k! I'm sad because it is nice having my Mom so close when I need her. When I decided on Rollins I thought I would be moving to a place closer to my family. I will miss them more than I can explain. I'm scared because I'm still not convinced that I have chosen the right path to go to graduate school. I know it will be something that will only benefit me but I don't want to fail and I don't want to find out I made a mistake. I don't want to fail in the MBA program and I don't want to fail in my job. I know I will have a lot of responsibility which is something that I have always said that I want out of a job so I guess this is my time to prove to myself that I have what it takes to be successful. I've never been a quitter and don't plan on starting to be one now. Just pray for me that things will go smoothly - although, I have come to realize in life, nothing can go exactly the way that you want it to but in those situations are where a person grows and becomes stronger.

When the semester starts I plan on blogging more frequently and I know you all are waiting by your computers in anticipation for the next entry. Until then I will leave you with a few pictures from my adventures with my Mom, Eric and Sam in North Carolina.

He is such a character!

Beautiful North Carolina Sunset!

Kayaking on Lake Mackintosh

My view from the kayak :)

Stopped at a viewing area on the side of the highway - Do you see the mountain?! :) I was excited! lol

See? Excited! haha!

We saw that the state line was only 10 miles away so we just kept driving!

We stopped at Pilot Mountain on the way back (the mountain in the picture with my Mom) - gorgeous!

Eric tried to be an artistic photographer. I must say, I kinda like this picture :)

He is the King of the Mountain! :) He just liked scaring me by getting as close to the edge as possible.

OH! And the bugs are definitely interesting around here. Well interesting may not be the right word...but they are different. I have a Black Widow living outside of my window with an egg ready to hatch in a week or so. And to my surprise I woke up a couple days ago and realized she decided to lay another egg! Geez! She has been busy ;) Here she is with her first egg. And yes - she is as big as she looks...gross...

And here is a short video of a bug I have never encountered before. I think he was doing some kind of tail wagging mating call to the same kind of bug that was a little higher on my window :) Oh bug love - how cute haha. (Just disregard the TV commercial noise in the background lol)

Thats just a peek into my hiatus from blog writing. Talk to you soon!!

Coincidence

2007-07-05T16:20:00.002-04:00

I'm sitting at Panera Bread because that is about the only place that I will get internet for a while. So forgive me if it takes me awhile to get back to you. I'm finally in Burlington and getting settled into my new house. I have made a friend which makes it not so boring. I've also been trying to find a new church to attend will I am up here. I went to a place called Integrity Church this past weekend. It was nice, nothing wrong with it at all, it just didn't fit with what I wanted.

So my mom gave me a newspaper article on a church called Pine Ridge Church. By the looks of the article, it seems like it will be a lot like Genesis Church which obviously makes me want to check it out. The church is so new that they are only having preview services right now. So I will only be able to go to one before I head back to Florida.

So anyways, the article gave a website so I had it down on my "things to look up" when I finally got internet again. So I'm in Panera (Like 20 minutes ago) and I remember to look up this church. I looked on the website and was just clicking around when a guy walked up to my table and says "I don't mean to look at your computer and what you are looking at, but that is my church - I am the lead pastor" I was shocked! So of course I shake his hand, introduce myself and tell him I'll be there on the 22nd for their next preview service.

Their leadership team was having their meeting at Panera at the same time I am there - coincidence? Maybe, but still pretty cool!!

Anyways, thats the most excited thing that has happened since I've been here - thought I would share :)

Road Trip!

2007-06-28T20:16:00.001-04:00

We made it! :) The drive was longer (longer than needed but we'll talk about that later) but the scenary was beautiful. My parents moved to Burlington, North Carolina (about ten minutes from Greensboro). And I've decided the most entertaining way to describe the ride will be in pictures.

Disclaimer: Just click on the picture to see it more close up :)

My Mom and I woke up Wednesday morning at 5am to get ready to drive. Here my old house as we drive away:

Driving through Florida (flat lol):

Georgia:

South Carolina:

Then the ride got interesting. Just as a little background, the night before we left I programmed my Mom's navigation with the address to the hotel we are staying at until our house is ready. Well apparently I didn't pay attention to the fact that it gave me the shortest distance instead of fastest route. So we were very confused when it took us off of the interstate. We through a lot of small towns and areas with no cell phone reception (a bit scary haha). But it was a beautiful ride, even if it took us a bit longer than if we had stayed on the interstate for the whole ride.

Here are the corn fields that we were surrounded by when we didn't know where we were:

Although it was beautiful

I was a bit nervous :)

But we made it to my new home state!

And now a little album of pictures of my new neighborhood:
The Entrance

The Clubhouse

My House :)

Views from my house!

So this is the house to our left. Does it remind you of the house from The Notebook?? :)

Isn't it all amazing?? But here is the real question. I have to pick which bedroom I want by Monday. Here are the choices:

Bedroom 1:
Pros: A higher ceiling (called a dormer ceiling, amazing walk in closet, and attached to a bathroom that also has a door into the hallway
Cons: Not as good of a view. Here is a picture from the window:

Bedroom 2:
Pros: View of the Lake
Cons: Smaller Closet, No bathroom attached to the room
Here is the view:

So I have no idea what to do!

Comment please and let me know what you think!! I hope you enjoyed my picture story :)

Sammy!

2007-06-22T21:15:00.002-04:00

Just thought you would like a glimpse into my life with the best dog ever! :)

Since I've Been Back

2007-06-19T15:55:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it has been so long. Its been about sixteen days since moving back from Tallahassee. I'm still waiting for the day that I have to drive back. It is an unusual feeling knowing that I'm not. I do feel that I have been in Orlando longer than sixteen days though. I feel so unproductive. I didn't do much at my job but at least I was doing something.

I've done a little bit of everything since I've been back. I was able to spend time with my Grandma and Aunt which is always nice. I hadn't been to her house since Christmas - that is way too long!

I discovered a new favorite clothing line. Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker. (My brother is thinking to himself right now - she looks like a witch! haha) But it is cute, comfy and cheap! Check it out :)

Eric took me out for my birthday on Friday the 8th. We went to the Starlight Dinner Theater and had a wonderful dinner and watched Bye Bye Birdie. It was a nice throwback to high school.

I was finally able to hang out with Brittnee! We went to SAK Comedy Club (thanks to her Dad!) and Cowboys. It has been so fun hanging out with her :) It really makes you realize how big Orlando is. It's not as easy as Tallahassee to see everyone you want to spend time with.

My mom took me to the Ritz Carlton Spa on Sunday as a celebration for my birthday. How relaxing :) Well other than the fact that I got to see the fully nude back of a woman who should have been clothed haha!

I turned 22 last Monday! I don't feel any older - thank goodness. Actually this brought up an interesting point while shopping with Brittnee. We are 22 but we feel like children in an adult world. Although I had a full time job working with all adults, I still felt like I was dispensable - which I probably was. But I didn't feel like I was treated like a college graduate. I wish I could say "I am intelligent - I am a woman." I believe it but sometimes I don't think other people do. Maybe after my next degree I will prove myself and people will see it haha.

Guess what? I got the job at Rollins! I will be the Hall Director at Elizabeth Hall on campus at Rollins. I am so excited! Out of the people I have met so far they are all great people and I can't wait to start working with them. They seem fun and outgoing and it will be a good group of people to spend time with since I don't know anyone at Rollins. My apartment is super cute so that makes it a good deal too. Its a one bedroom apartment with a kitchen, living room, dining room, walk in closet! I have a few ideas of how I will decorate. Pictures will come when I move in and get everything situated :)

So now Eric is on a cruise to Cozumel, Belize and somewhere in the Bahamas I think (yes I'm jealous!). So I'm just hanging out with my mom and shopping - which is something I don't need to be doing haha. I need him to come back to keep me occupied :)

In high school, my all-time favorite show was Dawson's Creek. This statement may seem random but lucky for me, Dawsons Creek still comes on every morning. The day I realized that it came on, they were showing the finale. The show was on from when I was in sixth grade until my senior year. And I cried my eyes out when it ended because I felt like I basically grew up with this show. Well there is a scene that will always stick out in my mind when I think of that show. It is was Jen was making a video for her baby daugther because she was close to passing away and knew that she wouldn't be around to watch her grow up. I'll leave it here for a little food for thought:

"Hi, Amy, it's mom. Well, by the time you see this, I won't be here anymore, and I know how much that sucks, for both of us. So seeing as how I won't be around to thoroughly annoy you, I thought I would give you a little list of the things that I wish for you. Well, there's the obvious. An education. Family. Friends. And a life that is full of the unexpected. Be sure to make mistakes. Make a lot of them, because there's no better way to learn and to grow, all right? And, um, I want you to spend a lot of time at the ocean, because the ocean forces you to dream, and I insist that you, my girl, be a dreamer. God. I've never really believed in God. In fact, I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to disprove that God exists. But I hope that you are able to believe in God, because the thing that I've come to realize, sweetheart... is that it just doesn't matter if God exists or not. The important thing is for you to believe in something, because I promise you that that belief will keep you warm at night, and I want you to feel safe always. And then there's love. I want you to love to the tips of your fingers, and when you find that love, wherever you find it, whoever you choose, don't run away from it. But you don't have to chase after it either. You just be patient, and it'll come to you, I promise, and when you least expect it, like you, like spending the best year of my life with the sweetest and the smartest and the most beautiful baby girl in the world. You don't be afraid, sweetheart. And remember, to love is to live."

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and I will try to update more often :)

Oh! Everyone needs to see Blood Diamond - great and informative movie! (And Leonardo DiCaprio is hot!)

Love is to Live :)

Tallahassee

2007-06-01T13:04:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe that after almost four years of living in Tallahassee, the time has come. I move back to Orlando this weekend. It brings a mix of emotions. I’m excited about starting the next phase of my life but I am sad to be leaving. I don’t know the person that I would be had I not come to school here. I have had so many experiences and have grown so much while being here.

Moving away from my parents for the first time was hard. But it taught me to be more independent and strong.

My dorm freshman year brings a lot of good memories and some bad as well. The roommate situation could have been better but it helped me learn that people aren’t always going to get along but you have to learn how to deal with it. And I had all of my close friends from high school with me – we had so much fun.

I remember walking around campus before my first day of college classes with my little map, making notes of where the buildings were. Looking back on it now, I can’t believe I know the campus like the back of my hand. I thought I would never get used to it.

My freshman year brought a change of heart. I went to FSU for the meteorology program. I decided that wasn’t the path I wanted to go. I sometimes regret that decision but I know that God has a path for me and I don’t think He would lead me away from my true passion (although I don’t know what that is yet).

My sophomore year was the year of change.

My two best friends decided they didn’t want to be my friend anymore. That caused good and bad changes in my life. Of course, I was confused and hurt. My life would, without a doubt, be completely different if we stayed friends. And if it wasn’t for my roommates, Emily and Lindsay, I would have been lost.

Back in the Day!

I was able to experience college life and meet an enormous amount of people because of Emily and Lindsay, they brought me out of my shell. And we have been friends (and with Emily, roommates) ever since. I’m excited that all of us will be in Orlando together.

That year, I gave up an old love and gained a new one. I met Eric. My boyfriend – my best friend. It would take me pages to explain how much he means in my life.

First Picture of Me and Eric

My junior year was full of fun.

I finally lived off campus with great friends. So many memories, so much drama. My life would be boring without these girls. And if they are reading this right now, only they will know the craziness of that year. I love each of them for different reasons – they have contributed to my life and I am grateful for that.

306 the beginning

I got involved on campus by joining CHICS. Caring and Helping In Community Service. I was able to volunteer and meet some of the greatest girls I've met while at FSU. I smile every time I think of spending time with this group. Lots of laughs and lots of fun :)

Great Girls!

My brother moved to Tallahassee that year. He has always been my brother but I don’t know if I would have considered him a “friend.” I am so happy to say that now he is one of my best friends who happens to also be my brother.

Me and Kyle

He introduced me to Life Church, now Genesis Church. When I leave Tallahassee, this is one of the biggest aspects of my life that I will miss. I don’t know if I will ever have a pastor who is so passionate about making church relevant and trying to reach people like Pastor Brian is. He has taught me that the Bible does relate to my every day life and through all of his messages has shown me how to walk in Jesus’ path. I will never forget my time at Genesis Church. I can feel the difference from when I first started going there until now. I just hope that I can continue growing.

My senior year (only one semester) can be described as the semester of Bullwinkles. In the midst of finishing college and interviewing for jobs, we found a new place to go. It reminds me of our sophomore year and Stetsons. Both places were always a good time (and of course, this was when we were first introduced to Tom Sartori haha – I will always remember that night).

Tom Sartori!

My last semester was a roller coaster of emotions. Excitement, nervousness, scared, happy, sad, mad – I felt it all. I was trying to figure out the rest of my life. And I was dealing with rejection after rejection in job interviews. Not knowing what I was doing wrong or why things weren’t working out. If I didn’t have my friends and family, I would have been going crazy.

I love them!

Graduation day went by so quickly. All of my efforts during my time as a student at FSU were wrapped up in that one day. Why did I wear those red shoes? haha :)

My sublease not working out forced me to stay in Tallahassee. Yesterday was the last day of my first job. I’ll remember the day I was offered the job forever. I was so excited, and I thought I was going to be such an integral part of my department. I spent a lot of my time bored at my job (and if you have talked to me during that time, you know my frustration very well). But it helped me develop as a person – just as every other experience has. I learned what I wanted and needed out of a career – to be around people, to be busy and have responsibilities, basically everything that job wasn’t. But I met some incredibly nice people – and I wish them all of the success.

And now I have come full circle and I’m going back to school. I may regret my decision when I have tests to take and papers to write and projects to do but I am getting my masters. I should feel blessed that I have this opportunity. And I am – I’m excited for everything that could happen to me as a result of being a part of Rollins.

I will miss the football games. I will miss driving up the hill on Tharpe because that always brought a good feeling knowing that I was almost home. I will miss Frisbee golf and One Stir Fry. I will miss my brother and watching him sing. I will miss church. I will miss my apartment. I will miss my roommates.

I will miss Tallahassee.

But through everything, I had and will always have my friends and family. My parents have always been there for me through all of my emotions, supporting me and loving me. Thank you – I love you both more than I can explain.

There are so many more memories I can talk about. And they will be the reason why leaving on Sunday will be so hard. But they come with me - I will always have my memories.

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-30T10:08:00.001-04:00

At the beginning of last week, I didn't know that I would be going home this weekend. My mom came up with the great idea for me to catch a ride home with my brother. And I am so glad I did - it was the greateat weekend that I've had in a while. Friends, Family, Fun - it can't get much better.

It started off with taking the afternoon off of work on Friday which is always fun. The drive home was long (as usual). I originally thought we were going to see Pirates that night but we went putt-putt golfing instead. Eric won - even after I bragged about how good I was. And I was doing good - I fell apart at the end! After that we came back and watched The Family Stone - one of my favorite movies. Side note: that movie makes me want to have a big family, so I can have crazy holidays like that haha :)

Saturday me, Eric, Kyle and Andrea spent the day at Universal. And I am sad to say after five years, they finally took my ID. I am no longer employed there :( Thank goodness I brought an extra comp pass just in case. We had so much fun. The lines surprisingly were not long even though it was a holiday weekend. We spent most of our time in Universal. This led to two of the highlights of the day - Boris and Herbert the Dronkey!

Sunday we went to church at First Baptist. The service was commemorating those that have died fighting for our country. It really made me appreciate the fact that I am blessed to be an American. I loved learning about what each fold of the flag represents when it is represented to the family members of a fallen soldier at funerals. For those that may be unfamiliar, here is what the 13 folds mean:

The 1st fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The 2nd fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The 4th fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

The 5th fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.

The 6th fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The 7th fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust."

After the service, each member of the congregation received a flag that had a label with the name of a soldier who has died attached to it. We were directed to a field to place our flags in the ground so that when people drive by they will see that "we remember."

Then we went to lunch and the Florida Mall for Andrea to buy her new MacBook. Now she is a part of the cool club! :)

And my Dad came home! Which when I originally decided to come home, I didn't know he would be there as well so it was a wonderful surprise and it was so great to spend time with him. So we all went out to dinner on Sunday night and hung out and cooked out on Monday.

I would have to say that is a pretty amazing weekend!

I would like to thank Kyle of being the picture taker and documenting the whole weekend :)

I Wish I Could Update

2007-05-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

There is nothing really too exciting going on that is blog-worthy. I just didn't want you to think I forgot about you ;) As soon as something comes up, you will be the first to know!

Side Note: I applied for my passport today! So if there are any aspiring world travelers, please let me know. I want to plan a trip :)

Alone

2007-05-18T21:51:00.001-04:00

I went by myself to the movies tonight. And it was fun. I was surprised by that because I had never been to the movies by myself before. I was fearing that I would feel pathetic or lonely because I didn't have a companion. But it felt great that I could just be in my own company and feel comfortable with that.

It made me realize how many other people were there by themselves. What was their story? Were they alone because they wanted to be or because they had to be? I'm not sure.

It probably helped that the movie that I saw was really good. Georgia Rule. Yes, the movie with Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan. I didn't really know what to expect from the movie. I had a vague idea of what it was about - it was chick flick - that is enough information for me to go see it :) I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to movies but I felt that the story and the acting were really good. Go check it out :)

So I'm having a pretty good night :)

Quick Thought

2007-05-17T19:37:00.001-04:00

Nostalgic moments.
Deja vu.
Those are two feelings that I look forward to. They are always pleasantly unexpected. It's usually something simple. Like today in the Publix parking lot, I was brought back to Friday nights in high school, getting ready for a football game. I'm not sure why, but this is a memory that comes back often. I think it had something to do with the way the sun was setting.

I hope these feelings never go away.

Sometimes I feel like deja vu is a way to know that you are on the right track. Its quick. But its a feeling that I have been in that exact situation and said those exact things before. A moment like that excites me. Where did that feeling come from? How is it triggered? Maybe I'll never know.

I'm not sure why I wanted to share this but I hope that you all experience sweet memories randomly throughout your week. They make me smile.
So if you were in my past, most likely you are still in my present because some happening in my day brings you back to my mind.

I Got In!

2007-05-16T14:42:00.001-04:00

It is been a while since I have posted because I have been trying to finish applying to Rollins. It has been so nerve-wracking! Yesterday was the last step - a phone interview with the admissions people for the MBA program. Fortunately, it went really well. They asked me questions I had answered before (I think after all my interviews, there isn't a question I don't have an answer to haha). But I was still nervous - there was nothing else I could do to help myself get in. I just had to wait...

Thankfully, they have something called "Decision in a Day" so I knew that I would know within 24 hours. Well, I got a call today at 2:30 exactly 24 hours from my interview yesterday.

I GOT IN!!

I have been telling everyone because I just can't believe that after all this time something is actually working out for me. I was prepared to just get an email saying that they had filled all the spots. That would have been expected. But, it was the opposite and I couldn't been happier. It just lets me know that I do have something to offer despite all of my rejection that I've had within the last six or seven months.

So I want to say thank you for everyone who has helped me and motivated me to continue trying. There have been times that I have wanted to quit but you have pushed me and encouraged me. Thank you and I love you all!

TGIF

2007-05-11T12:07:00.001-04:00

One interview stands between me and grad school. I can't believe that is all I have left to do. I have been on such a roller coaster of emotions since I decided to go back to school. On one hand, I know this is the right move for me. But then on the other hand, I think, what if this isn't the right time? Is it possible to make yourself sick from stress? I'm feeling a slight sore throat coming on lol...

I am so thankful that it is Friday. It is finally the weekend and Eric is coming to Tallahassee! I was just informed by my brother that we are either going to Stetsons for some line dancing or going contra dancing (which is a folk dance that you stand in two lines - don't worry, I've never heard of it either). So either one we do will sure mean that it will be a hilarious night!

And then tomorrow is either the beach or Wakulla Springs. I'm not gonna lie - I'm a little scared of Wakulla Springs. I really don't want to end up with a tick, or multiple ticks. But maybe if we don't go treking in the woods we will be okay haha.

I'm still enjoying my hair cut. Usually when I do something drastic, I end up regretting it the next day, but this time things worked out pretty well. Everyone has seemed to like it so far - or at least they are saying they like it to my face haha! I haven't decided if I will keep it this way or grow it like my original plan. We'll see :)

So all in all, my life is slowing down again to a reasonable pace. There were a few weeks there that I was holding on by just my pinky finger. So now it's time for me to figure out what goal I have next for myself. I'm thinking I will go for my real estate license. But studying for another test just isn't high on my "that sounds like fun" list. Again, we'll see!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer time so far :)

Viewer Discretion is Advised

2007-05-09T20:30:00.001-04:00

Skin Cancer...That is a scary thought. If you know me, you know that ever since my sophomore year of college, I have been addicted to the tanning bed. I choose my words wisely because it is an addiction. It becomes an image booster when you hit that point where you have to be tan to feel good about yourself. That is such a selfish act on my part knowing what my mom has been through for as long as I have been around. I had been hearing for a while that I needed to stop tanning because it is extremely bad for me for the obvious reasons and given my family history. But honestly it was going in one ear and out the other for a long time. The last time I went to the tanning bed was early this year. And only due to the fact that I was busy all the time with work did I stop going. It wasn't until I went home one weekend about a month ago after my mom had a skin doctor visit. She had several visible spots on her hands and her face that skin cancer had been taken off. This has been something she has dealt with twice a year for a very very long time. But for some reason, it hit me differently this time. I made a promise to her and Eric that I would never go in the tanning bed again. I also decided that I needed to know about my own skin. So I went to the doctor hoping everything would be fine. I'm young, nothing like cancer could happen to me, right? Well, I guess I was wrong. I had to get two biopsys that day, on my stomach and my ear, with the instructions that I would know the results in about a week. I heard back from the doctor and they let me know I had to come back in to have more removed from my ear because it came back pre-cancerous and they wanted to make sure it was all gone. So, not exactly skin cancer (thank God!) but enough to scare me. Enough to make me more aware of the spots on my body so I can continue to monitor them throughout the year and start to wear sunscreen on a daily basis. I may feel less positive about my body image, but that will change over time. I am just happy to know that I am healthy, and I could have added years to my life by changing my ways.

Here is a picture of my wound...

Viewer Discretion is Advised ;)

Its Official!

2007-05-08T14:31:00.000-04:00

I will know in exactly one week from tomorrow whether or not I will be attending Rollins in the Fall.

I have the GMAT on Thursday morning...

...the second interview for the GA job on Thursday afternoon...

...an interview to get into the program Tuesday afternoon...

And then I will know on Wednesday the 16th!!

I just want to keep everyone updated!

Wish me luck!

Results!

2007-05-07T20:43:00.001-04:00

Got my hair cut :) What do you think??

Hair! Help!

2007-05-06T19:18:00.001-04:00

Ok so I have quite a few pictures of hair styles that I am considering. They are all pretty different so any opinions would be greatly appreciated! So comment away!!

If any of you girls out there have any suggestions of something I don't have here, let me know!! Thanks :)

Change

2007-05-05T21:38:00.001-04:00

Sometimes change seems like such a big deal whether it is life changing or you are just changing your hairstyle. People deal with change in different ways and other people just try to avoid it. I know people with a range of reactions to change. For me, I'm scared of it, but I try to embrace it anyways. Right now in my life, a lot of things are changing. I feel like I have mentioned change too many times in my blog but it is just something that is so in my face right now I can't get away from it and I don't really feel like I have an unbiased person to talk to about it.

What my biggest hope is is that people would be sensitive to other peoples tolerance to change. Whether that means letting someone who is very scared to talk openly about it without judgement or ridicule or that may mean someone who is excited for change to share their enthusiasm with someone who may be hesitant. Whatever the situation may be, each person should know that things will work out the way they were supposed to all along no matter how much you pull for things to stay the same or pull for things to drastically change. It takes compromise and communication.

I hate this feeling that I have. It is hard to explain without going into unneccesary detail. It causes a lot of negativity on my part and thats why it hurts but it causes a strong desire for me to wish with all of my heart that I could go back to being a little kid. Back to a time when I didn't really know a lot that was going on with the world. And when I say world, I mean the people around me, because when we are little, that is our world. I want to pull the wool over my eyes and act like I don't see the world. All I had to worry about was who was going to be able to play after school that day. That was nice...

I know this post may have a different tone than most but I can't help how I feel. I try to be supportive and I try to handle all the change that is going on - but I don't know if I can do it anymore. It is important to me for me and the people I love to be happy - but it is easy to feel when they are not happy, no matter if they are saying it or not. I hope this blog causes some people to think. Or perhaps, if you are reading this and I don't know that you read my blog, you may be going through some changes too. And I want to put it out there now that I am thinking about you - whoever you are. I hope that your changes go smoothly and that you realize everything happens for a reason. There is that phrase again - I mentioned it in my first post. It is something that a lot of people easily say - but when it comes to their own life, for some reason to them, the phrase doesn't count.

Well I just want to say - it does count. Everything does happen for a reason. Everything happens so that you can grow as a person no matter if you are 6 years old or 60 years old. There are still experiences left to happen in the world. It will be scary and it definitely will be out of your comfort zone. But that is why you have people around you that enjoy the change that are there to balance you out. They are there to be your comfort zone while everything around you may seem to be spinning out of control.

I really feel like I could go on and on about this. But I hope I've gotten one thing across - I know that all that matters is that we have the ones we love around us. No matter if they are next door or a few states away. Love doesn't know distance. And if you are afraid of change, that's okay - just know that keeping a positive outlook will help. That is what I'm doing when it comes to graduate school. Orlando is my home town but moving back there is scary to me. But I know that it is just a stepping stone in life and if it doesn't work out there I will just look forward to the next step after that. Life is full of lessons and what is the point of it all and what lessons will I learn if I don't take any risks. And if you are someone who thrives on change, then be there to comfort those who aren't. Help them to see the adventure and the positive aspects of the change without making them feel bad for the way they feel. It is about support.

I guess thats long enough for now...

I'm On My Way!

2007-05-05T12:02:00.001-04:00

Well...i did it! Like promised, I submitted my application last night. My emotions have been up and down about graduate school for the past month when I finally decided that is what I want to do. On one hand, I'm so very excited to continue school and move down to Orlando. I am looking forward to learning more about myself and hopefully figuring out what it is exactly that I want to do. So many of my friends (and of course Eric) will be in Orlando, so that is definitely another plus.

On a side note: I think my parents are relocating to North Carolina. I'm really excited for them because I know all of the positives that will come from this move. But I am sad that they will be so far away, especially when I finally have the chance to move back to Orlando. But I know everything will turn out the way it was meant to. I am just not the best with change so it will definitely take some adapting but this is a life lesson that I am guaranteed to learn a lot from.

I'm hesitant about going to school because what if I go back to school and go through the two years of the program and at the end I still not know what I want to do. That is a big fear of mine. One of the essays I had to write for my application asked me to explain why I wanted to get my MBA now and how it fit into my ultimate career goals. Honestly, that was the hardest essay for me to write. So many people my age know exactly what they want to do and know the steps they have to take in order to get there. But! I also know a lot of people don't know exactly what they want to do - and that makes me feel better. I know that going to school will be a growing experience and I will be a stronger woman for going. But change is always scary, so there is that thought in the back of my mind of wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

I also found out yesterday that I am officially on the roster to play lacrosse for Rollins! There were a lot of hoops to jump through with NCAA but because of all the time the coach put into finding out if I could play, I am clear to definitely play my first year and hopefully my second year as well. I need to start practicing now - it has been over a year since I have even picked up my stick but I don't want to look like it when we start practice in the fall.

I also heard back from the interview I had for a job on campus as a Graduate Assistant (basically a Hall Director of one of the dorms). I have a second phone interview this week! Its for the other GAs to get to know me and let me know more in depth what they do. So I think thats a good thing! woo! :)

So like I said - I'm all applied so I decided to take this day and just do whatever I feel like doing, whenever I feel like doing it. Right now is 12:15 and I'm still in my PJs and I'm loving it! :)

Clever :)

2007-05-04T15:19:00.001-04:00

So I was just (very randomly) thinking...

Do you find it ironic that the word "verb" is a noun?

:)

Anyways, so I think I'm submitting my Rollins application tonight and I'll be home free to just study for my GMAT.

I will know a week from today if I will be attending Rollins! Wish me luck!

MIA

2007-05-01T10:40:00.000-04:00

Don't worry, I haven't forgot about you!

I just have to focus all of my writing abilities on my grad school essays. I have to finish them today or tomorrow so I can stop worrying about them!

So until then - keep me in your thoughts that I am getting motivation to finish them!

And when I do - I'll be bloggin' again :)

ATO "Informal"

2007-04-29T21:04:00.000-04:00

I've been to three formals in my time and I have to say that this year's formal was the best! Not only was I at the beach, I was able to spend the weekend with Eric (although it was too short - and too much driving!). I forgot how much I love everything about the coast. The sand, the seashells, the crashing waves, the amazing sand castles and of course the pelicans! ;) I even tried playing a little beach volleyball - granted I wasn't that good, it is the effort that counts :) I'm usually a little hesitant going somewhere with Eric when I won't know anyone else. I've come to find that most of the time people already have their groups of friends and aren't as open to letting in "the new girl" - which is usually fine with me. But for some reason I went into formal this year hoping to meet some new people and not feel so dependant on Eric. And I succeeded :) Of course, I stuck by Eric most of the time (ok, I'll be honest - the whole time) but I could tell that I was being more social and it worked out because I think I left this weekend with a few new friends and I'm very excited about that. So all-in-all other than the food being cold and the steak being chewy like rubber (haha!), formal was a success. Being around fun people dancing to 80's music by the tiki bar under the stars was a perfect way to spend the weekend (thank you Eric!).

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure....

With the Good, Comes the Bad

2007-04-26T12:46:00.001-04:00

I am having so much fun having my parents in Tallahassee. Last night we ate at Food, Glorious Food - sooo good by the way! I don't know if the people in the restaurant thought we were just plain crazy or just having a really good time. First off, we had Sam with us. We almost got kicked out by someone who I knew by association (huge attitude!). But it was fine because the other waiter chimed in and put him in his place - dogs are allowed! lol. So we sit down and wait for Kyle and Andrea. It was her first time meeting the parents and I think it went really well. The conversation flowed, everyone was cracking up, we were having a great time! This story sounds like it should some embarrassing or bad situation happen and it didn't at all - we all just genuinely were having fun, so it was awesome. It kinda made me forget how nervous I was for today...

I had an interview this morning that was pretty huge. If I get this job, it will be great experience and take a huge load off of the financial burden that comes along with grad school. I don't want to talk about it too much but all I will say is this - I hope I didn't screw it up. I was nervous, and was blabbering and just talking - I'm not even sure I could tell you everything I said. I was really prepared and I had thoroughly thought through the job qualifications and I had great answers in my mind. They asked the questions I was expecting to hear and yet I still was jumbling up words and stuff. But oh well - I'm hoping it came across better than I think it did. I won't know until the end of May - so from now until then I will be nervous - but if there is karma in this world, I hope something goes well for me once. Let's hope...

So now I'm sitting here at work - it's 12:54 and I have absolutely nothing to do. I know I complain a lot to the people around me that I have nothing to do and that's mostly true. But throughout the day, I usually have things going on. Definitely not enough to fill a whole day but enough to spread out throughout the day and get it all done and not be completely bored. Well today is different. The only thing on the agenda is taking the mail bag over at 2:30. Hopefully I can accomplish that without too much difficulty (insert me rolling my eyes).

I'm stuck reliving my interview. Don't worry - my pity party will only go on for today. I will soon enough be okay with how it went. I know that I did everything I could - and they just have to expect that people are going to be a bit nervous...especially when it is a 4-on-1 interview. Okay okay, enough about that...

It is now 12:58...

I should be out looking at houses with my parents - I contemplated asking my boss if I could take the last half of the day off, but I think this is too late of notice. Not that they would really know if I left anyways haha.

Ok - I just took a chance and asked her if I could leave...

She said yes!!!!!!

Gotta go :)

Morning Commentary

2007-04-24T10:13:00.001-04:00

Don't be misled by the title of this blog. I had every intention of writing this in the morning - but it turns out I actually had something to do at work! Ha! :)

Anyways, speaking of work, I've had my fair share of rejections when it comes to interviews. I'm not sure why, because I think I have been a good candidate for every job I have applied for - but that would be a whole other blog, let's save it for another time. Well in January, I traveled to Chicago for a second interview with LaSalle Bank (on their expense of course). Well I found out yesterday morning that ABN AMRO (the parent company of LaSalle Bank) sold LaSalle. To whom, you ask? Bank of America! Ha! I have to admit, I found it rather funny and ironic (kinda). Maybe if they had hired me, they wouldn't have been sold. Okay okay, I know that is not true, but I still can't help but feel pride for being a Bank of America associate. Maybe everything does happen for a reason...

I received a rather exciting voicemail last night from my new coach. Yes, thats right, Coach! If all goes well and I get accepted to Rollins for the fall, I will playing lacrosse again! I am thrilled because I have missed playing so much. And! It is a division 2 team so that means that practicing and all that good stuff will actually be taken seriously. I have to start training now so I don't look like the old fogey to all the freshman haha!

One of my favorite shows came on last night - The Bachelor. That should tell you a little about me: 1) I watch a lot of reality TV and 2) I actually hope that people can still fall in love this day in age. But it got me thinking (I know, brace yourselves, I had another thought). When we are single (and by that I mean, not married) we uncounter thousands of people, and for some people that number may be in the millions, every day. And for most people, you reach a certain age and you get concerned with meeting "the one." The one. Out of all those thousands or millions of people, we are up against the challenge of finding one person that suits us. Which makes sense that there are still people that grow old and never get married, or get married and then realize that person wasn't the one for them. I couldn't figure out if I think these girls that go on the Bachelor are hopeful or stupid. Could they really be that lucky that they don't have to be like everyone else? They don't have to put themselves out there and hope for the best. ABC found their perfect man and he is waiting in a half a million dollar car and a multimillion dollar mansion just for her. Oh but wait, there is a catch. This same man is "the one" for 24 other women. Now I know you are thinking - it's not that serious, its just a TV show...good wholesome entertainment haha. And I get that - I just thought maybe this is the downfall of romance these days. Women are now expecting amazing "one-on-one" dates in exotic locations with seemingly perfect guys. And that may be what some people want to wait for (and they will be waiting for a loooong time). But what ever happened to courtship? I don't see romance as competing for a guy's attention while he is making out with another woman. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I would rather meet a guy (check), get to know him (check), form a friendship (check), and grow together into a fun, loving relationship (check). Trust me, it can happen :)

Thats my two cents...