Memorial Day Weekend

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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 ;)