Thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving :

What I’m thankful for.

My amazing friends. You know those girls who snag the man of their dreams? Whose faces just glow and their eyes sparkle while they say : “I don’t know how I got so lucky” ? Well that’s honestly how I feel about my friends.
My job. OK, so I complain sometimes but now that I’m busy I’m enjoying it! Plus I’m just glad I have one. Because if I didn’t I’d still have a midnight curfew. Haha. But in all seriousness with an income I’ve been able to establish more independence than I’ve ever had before in my life; it’s very liberating.
Milo. It’s impossible to verbalize how the daily presence of an innocent creature adds happiness to your life, but it does. It’s non-stop entertainment.
My roommates. We’re all so different from each other. We’ve got the free spirit/hippie, the conservative organized one, and then me, who I guess is smack-dab in the middle of that somewhere. But we have yet to get sick of each other and have all agreed it will probably never happen. We are “those girls” who annoy people because we live with each other but hang out mostly with each other even in a room full of 50 people and laugh at things nobody else would think is funny. Plus I’ve never met girls who like eating as much as I do.
My apartment. Because it’s such a positive environment, I feel like regardless of life circumstances I’m always happy while I’m there. No matter how stressful the day or night walking into the front door of my apartment is like breathing a sigh of relief.

And now for the smaller, less important but fun stuff:

Hen House lunch menu: Seriously, where else can you get fresh soup or salad for under $5? If you’re looking for healthy, fresh and cheap this is the place to go. It’s saved me many dollars and a pounds.
My gym: Which, is actually, to clarify, a community center in Mission. It’s a big cedar lodge complete with every workout machine you can imagine, a pool, hot tub, water slide, lazy river and a hot tub and sauna (which I use every day to relieve any post-workout knots.) Not only is it a fun family-oriented environment but it’s $25 a month. Can you believe that? Neither can I . . .
Caffeine: because without this little invention I have no clue how I would get through my workdays.
Quick Trip: If you can ignore the crowded parking lot and the interesting characters that frequent its facilities this place is genius. There’s no way to make a faster or cheaper food or gas run, complete with a friendly staff that says “See you later!” each time you leave. I’m lucky enough to have Quick trips near my apartment and my workplace.
Quick Trip Kitchens: This deserves its own category. If you haven’t had a Quick Trip donut you haven’t lived. The advertisements about fresh food aren’t lying; my roomies and I had the privilege of trying fresh warm donuts straight from the Quick Trip Kitchens truck as it was unloading one lucky Saturday night at 3am. Our taxi driver was extremely impressed.
The plaza lights: The plaza is one of my favorite places in Kansas City and this added perk will just make it ten times better.
My free time: I’ve learned to cherish the fact that work stays at work and then I have every afternoon and weekend to do whatever I want. The accounting class I have to take next semester is looming over my head like a giant thundercloud because it will put an end to this relaxing freedom.
Shark Bar: is the shiznit. I’m not the biggest fan of Power and Light or its many obnoxious regulars but I haven’t had a bad night at Shark Bar yet. If you are looking for a place that plays tasteful (read: 80s and 90s) music that you can dance to and just have a blast this is your place.
Blue Bunny family-sized ice cream buckets: If you like this delicious dairy delight as much as I do there’s no better way to save money. If you have room in your freezer, that is.
Satellite radio: It’s like Christmas for compulsive channel changers like myself. 115 stations with everything from hip hop to show tunes to add onto the AM/FM stations I’ve already got programmed into my car. The catch? My free subscription expires December 1st. FML. I’ve already started burning some CDs to make this transition a little easier.
TV shows: I’m sure any of you working folk can relate to this one. When nothing too exciting is happening in your life, no happy hours are scheduled and your two roomies are being study bugs sometimes having a TV show to look forward to in the evenings can be the highlight of your day. My all-time favorite is Grey’s.
Mission, KS: It’s close to everything. By this I mean it’s an 8 minute hop to either downtown, Brookside, Westport, the plaza, my work, and KU med (which I will hopefully go to next year) . But it’s far enough away to be safe. I also mean this in a second sense, as in from my apartment it’s about 2 minutes to the grocery store, gas station, post office, gym, hair salon, every fast food place, ect. I could literally walk anywhere if I wanted to.
Lunch breaks: I look forward to them every day. And I’m going to leave because I’m about to go take mine now.

That’s it for my random ramblings of the day; hope everybody has a great Turkey Day!

Nerd Alert.

Right smack-dab in the middle of my whirlwind of a busy work week I had a startling realization about myself: Writing is more than my hobby, it’s my stress outlet.

I didn’t fully realize this until work started getting busy. The more stressful the day the more my fingers crave to fly on the keyboard. Mind you, not even to ventilate about work, just to write. Whether it be about general ideas/lessons/realizations relevant to concurrent situations in my life or topics as pointless and unexciting as “fortune cookies” (see entry below).
Nerdy? Maybe a little bit.

Why writing?

It challenges me to see the “bigger picture”.
Because I’m strongly averse to revealing my life details to the entire cyber world, I’m forced to think about my situations as lessons, ideas, realizations and generalizations that I wouldn’t mind the public seeing. In the process I end up learning my own lessons.

It gives me an outlet.
Pardon my language, but I’m fully aware of the fact that half the things I write about on here, nobody gives a shit about. My brain works about ten miles per minute and I have to have somewhere to put my pensive musings about life. Better on here than talking somebody’s ears off.

It’s forces me to be creative instead of complain.
For example: I would love to rant about my job I know that’s a huge no no. Using Face book to metaphorically describe how most newly-employed grads are just as bored at their jobs as I am I is a much more socially acceptable, job-saving, non-whiney way to portray this.

Which brings me to my next favorite hobby: Reading great writing. Especially writing that uses humor to describe everyday aspects of life. Writing that candidly puts it all out there on the table. We all are thinking it, but that person has the balls to actually say something about it. It’s refreshing, relatable, funny and usually true.

tickledbylife.com is one of them.
Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com (honestly, the person who wrote this is brilliant)

2 examples to check out on a rainy or boring day!

Til next time!

Fortune Cookies.

I used to be the girl who chucked my fortune cookies straight into the trashcan, or handed them off to a willing friend. Fact of the matter is, I didn’t like the taste of the unique wafers nor did I believe a word on the flimsy pieces of Panda Express paper.

Now reading fortune cookies brings a little highlight to my workday. Granted I don’t get Chinese food very often but when I do it’s an added perk. In fact, I have a section in my desk drawer where I save them all.

Todays: “Be Daring. Try Something New.”

I am going out tonight. So we’ll see what happens!

OK I’m kidding a little bit. Honestly, I think what I get most out of fortune cookies are just little one-liners of inspiration for the day. Think about it. Who gets a debby-downer fortune cookie? If they started making those then that would defeat the purpose and piss people off.

This brings me to my next newest addiction: Horoscopes. This was an initial hard-sell for me. My roommate and friends would start sending me forwards of my daily horoscopes and I honestly wouldn't even look at them. Until work got really, really boring. Like I said, it's amazing what you'll find yourself doing with 40 spare hours in a cubicle (although it's definitely no longer like that).

Then I realized how strikingly relevant the horoscopes were to my life. Do I plan my life according to what my celestial forecast has to say? Heck no. But I do subscribe to a daily horoscope e-mail sent to my phone. Because sometimes it's fun to see how a horoscope's words of wisdom align with my daily life. I'd be interested to hear who does the same.

I swear the longer I'm in the "real world" the more easily-amused I become.

College.

Ironic: I don’t think I understood the full impact of college until I got out of it.

The realization actually hit me at 2:30 am this past Friday morning when I was in town for the KU/ K-State game.

I was snuggled up on a friend’s loveseat, thrilled about the fact that scoring a couch meant a less exhaustion for following day’s tailgating shenanigans. I was just about to slip off into a slumber when the banging began. Then the laughing. The doorbell. It sounded like there were people outside trying their hardest to get in. I say trying their hardest because it took them about 20 tries to punch in the proper door code. I’m pretty sure somebody actually fell down trying.
I held my breath.

Please don’t get it. Please forget. Please just pass out on the doorstep. Go next door!

Dangit. Apparently their intoxication levels weren’t high enough to completely prevent entrance. As feet came thundering in I heard the words I was dreading the entire time:
“AFTER HOURS!”

…

You’ve GOT to be kidding me.

The tailgating begins at 8 am tomorrow morning and you want to do after hours!?
Even better: I managed to have staked my claim on the couch directly above the sub system downstairs. I may as well have just partaken in the festivities myself.

Instead I settled for listening to the intense conversation taking place on the top of the stairs. At first the banter was harmless but my ears perked up at this:
“Stoooooop!” I heard a whiney mouse-like voice say.
“Why should I ?” I heard a guy say, forcing his voice to drip with a deep (and if I do say so myself, failed) sexiness.
At this point curiosity killed me and I craned my neck to size this guy up.
Skinny, spiked hair, collared shirt, sunglasses (??REALLY?) , crocodile on the left breast pocket. Yep . Most likely a sophomore frat boy.
“Because!” the girl cooed, trying her hardest to stand up straight, “I have a boyfriend!”
And that’s where my eavesdropping stopped.
“EXCUSE ME!” I intervened. The girl seemed so startled she about took a straight tumble down the stairs. “Does one of you live here??”
“Yeah I do.” The guy said.
“How old are you??”
“A sophomore”. (a HA! I was right).

** Side note: why freshmen and sophomores who can’t even go to Aggieville need “after hours” is beyond me. If you guys can figure that one out, let me know.**

“Well just to let you know there are about 4 of us sleeping up here. We’re friends with your older roommates.”
That’s about all I said. As long as that chick didn’t cheat on her boyfriend I didn’t care much. After all, it is college. Let them have their fun.

One hour later, the sub music ceased.

Two hours later (This is now 6 am in the morning) the party resumed. Atleast they were our friends this time around. Due to my comatose state I can’t describe exactly what I saw to you, but I do remember watching a bunch of dudes parading around in a line clanging pots and pans, hearing Irish bagpipe music shake the entire house, and hearing the words “A screwdriver to start off the morning!”

It was that moment exactly when the epitome hit me.

How did I ever used to be able to do this??

Granted, no matter how gung-ho I was in college I never made it to after hours before an early morning tailgate, and “early” for me meant 8 am, not the crack of dawn. In fact, for most early morning games I hit the hay at midnight the previous night.

I guess that’s also a big difference between girls and guys. Watching guys get ready for games is probably one of the most entertaining things I have ever seen. They are like little kids anxiously waiting to go see what Santa brought them Christmas morning. The beer, the music, the food, the drinking, the “spiritwear” so to speak.
But that’s a whole other story.

So the tailgating began, we had a great day, and then the sleepiness started to set in. Luckily, we found another friend with an abundance fluffy couches to take our naps on.
Sweet.
Until half an hour later when about 15 people paraded in, turned on the music and began playing drinking games.
Well, there went that. Apparently a nap was not in the cards for us. If you can’t beat them, join them. (Although luckily I got to go visit a friend in Junction City instead.)


Don’t ask me how I survived an entire night at the bars afterward and still managed to have fun, because I don’t know. And just for the record, the whole weekend was a total blast and I’d do it all over again!

But I do know that it took me atleast 4 days of napping and chugging water to feel normal again. I literally had to strain my brain at work and double check everything I did because I was positive it wouldn’t be able to fully function after a weekend like that.

And to think that I used to be able to do this in college, wake up go to class, work, take tests, ect by Monday...

Drunk Texts

Drunk texting. If you aren't guilty of it, chances are you know somebody who is .

Check out this article = ) :

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/19/the-iphone-gets-a-new-weapon-in-the-war-on-drunk-dials/


I see this as three things.

1.) Hilarious. Seriously. I laughed outloud when I read it.

2.) Relevant.
Why else would "textsfromlastnight.com" become an instant hit? I think we can all relate to this situation to some extent. Sometimes all it takes is a single drink to convince us that texting an ex, a crush, or whomever is a wonderful idea.

If we haven't already experienced what I like to call a gigantic "texting fail" that we cringe at the next morning, we've atleast had to exert some serious self control to stop ourselves from doing so. All of us have at some point atleast been on the recieving end. My roomies and I last year had a great time swapping "texting fail" stories if we ever had any. Drunk dial fails too. (It's pretty funny, when it isn't happening to you!) If you haven't experienced either, well then congratulations; you're probably the minority = ) .

3.) Pathetic. Because no matter how useful or funny it is, is this what our world has really come to? Is it sad that most of us can read that article and immediately apply it to our lives or people we know and understand why this application might actually be useful? (no matter how hilarious it is).

Alcohol + keypad = trouble!

Way to go Apple for realizing that!

Responsibility.

Ironic:
Last week I was writing about how my midday boredom leads to face book usage.
This week I have so much to do I barely have time to go get lunch.

Don’t get me wrong; this drastic change is definitely a positive one.
Yesterday was a mile marker in my “Big Girl Job” world. For the first time, I was given a big responsibility.

My job? To take over the most high-maintenance sales rep team we’ve got here. Their team and accounts right now are in such a state of mess that I am not sure this is a compliment or a way to get me fired. I’m hoping it’s the first option.

Obviously I can’t go into detail on here. But I can say this. By 5:00 yesterday afternoon all I wanted to do was get an enormous amount of food, a large glass of wine and pass out.

Goodbye face book, goodbye day long g-chats with Emily = ) , good bye texting all day, good bye long essay-like blog posts. And good riddance. I won’t miss those days. About time I got paid be productive and do something with my life.

Now let’s just hope I survive it!

Til next time!

Facebook.

You’d think the craving would dissipate when you graduate.

Unfortunately, it only increases.

The culprit? Entry-level jobs. Thanks to face book I’ve discovered I’m definitely not the only one who sits at a cubicle with an unbearable amount of free time on my hands.

Now before you go judging me and thinking to yourself “man julie must have no life and a really crappy job” I am telling you that I am not alone. Don’t be fooled; people will never admit it, but I’ve begun noticing trends.

For instance:
-I feel guilty when I sign online at work, only to notice that almost every single one of my co-workers is also signed on.
-“Chat buddy” friendships evolve out of sheer convenience (I mean hey if your both bored at work then who honestly cares if you aren't best buds)
-Other working folk know an ample amount of information about you. Sometimes they’ll even slip the whole “I saw it on your face book”
-If they aren’t visibly “online”, they’ll send you a message, post something on your wall, or comment on your status. (a-HA! They are ashamed and hiding)
- My daytime newsfeed is clogged with status updates of other youngsters such as myself, bored at their jobs, either
a) discussing their boredom
b) commenting on other people’s newsfeeds
c) proclaiming other random pointless facts about their lives because they have nothing THAT interesting to talk about midday in a cubicle

Why Facebook?

Again, the trend changes after college. It’s no longer a stalker tool. It’s more of a social network.

Here’s why:
-A painfully slow day of work doesn’t seem so bad when you realize your face book chat scroll is filled with people who are in your exact same shoes.
-You are constantly entertained between 8 and 5 p.m. by status updates that you can usually relate to. Believe me, when people are stone-cold bored you’ll be amazed at the intellect that can come out in a status update (as well as the amount of funny entertaining websites)
-You feel connected to the world. It can get awfully lonely in a cubicle.
-If a friend sends a chat message your way it provides a great break from, say, reading the Wall Street Journal online or whatever other incredibly boring activity you’re doing to fill time.
-There’s an unexplainable combination of comfort and empathy that comes from seeing/hearing other people lament about their job situations. (aka it selfishly makes you feel better about your own situation)

Every once in a while, this concept backfires.
For example seeing status updates such as:
"Thirsty Thursdays!"
"What a beautiful day"
"I love sleeping in"
or "business trip to England!"
won't exactly boost your morale. Likewise, daytime stalking is best to avoid if you think you won't like what you see. Because let's face it, in a cubicle you don't have many positive distractions going on. And that clock will start moving slower than you ever though it could.

Also be fair, this definitely doesn’t apply to the whole newly-grad population.
The outliers:
Those lucky enough to stay busy and challenged at their first “grown-up” job
Those whose companies are smart enough to block face book
Those who remain students at grad school, law school, ect.

to the above people: I am very, very jealous of you : )

"Take Care"

Everybody says it but not everybody means it. That includes all the doctors and veterinarians out there. Between this awful marathon of my mongo Sinus Infection and Milo’s recent diagnosis of pneumonia it’s been a rough and expensive week for the sickly.

Ironically enough, my rapidly declining health conditions, failed doctor’s visits and my newly adopted financial frugality led me to a gold mine of “Quality of Care”: Walgreens.

How did I stumble across this hidden treasure? For the sole purpose of spiting my primary care physician, who failed to properly diagnose me the first time and left me with the option of either splurging for Friday night “Urgent Care” costs or suffering the entire weekend sans antibiotics.
To my own surprise, I had actually ended the angry phone call with:
“No thanks. I’d rather go to Walgreens.” *click*.

… Holy cow. Did I actually just say that?

Then, the light bulb went off in my head. What if I really did go to Walgreens?

And so it goes. After signing in the computer-automated system, getting my name on the electronic “list” (and Purelling my hands afterward) I resigned myself to a waiting seat alongside screaming babies and other individuals who sounded like they were hacking up their lungs. I grabbed a magazine in an effort to distract myself from eyeing the population next to me or from hearing their germs fly into my surrounding atmosphere. I came very close several times to giving in and going to the Urgent Care. Ironically enough, the tattooed individual next to me told me he just came from the place and there was a two hour wait. So I hung on to my faith and held tight.

Twenty minutes later, I was in. Twenty minutes later, I was out. With an antibiotic. Vwa-la! Now was it really that hard the first time Mr. Primary Care Physician?

Half the wait, a third of the price, and a fourth of the drive it would have taken to go to that Urgent Care. No need to take “time off” from work; they’re open til 7:30 p.m. every weekday. Complete with a follow-up “How are you feeling?” phone call two days later from the "Take-Care. Clinic" themselves. It’s brilliant! I would highly recommend it to anybody.

This particular Walgreens actually won some more brownie points in my book because they were the ones who enlightened me by telling me that a “medicine” my vet had recommended for Milo’s pneumonia was actually a human dietary supplement taken to manage weight control.

...Excuse me!?

What are doctor’s coming to, these days.

Money Money Money

Now that I am financially independent, it impacts almost everything I do.

I didn’t realize how true that was until yesterday at work, when I was sick as a dog. (I literally felt like a fat man was sitting on my lungs.) Under normal circumstances I would have dropped everything to drive to the nearest urgent care center. Instead, I signed online to my insurance to figure the cost and decide whether or not a doctor’s visit was worth it.

Because of my hypochondriac tendencies the fact that I pondered price versus doctor visit for an entire hour when I could hardly breathe speaks volumes. For the record, I did end up going. And it ended up only being a $20 copay.

Which brings me to the next part of my rant.
Copay. HMOs. 401k. PPOs. Claims. Point-of-Service Plans.
What the heck.
Is this an insurance website or a vocabulary quiz? I feel like I need to take a class. No wonder it took me that long to figure out how much a doctor visit would cost.

Needless to say, being financially independent can be very empowering but very daunting at the same time. Not only do I have trouble wrapping my mind around insurance, 401k, savings accounts, ect. but I’ve noticed I think about money more now than I have in my entire life.

Here are some examples. Enjoy!

You know you think about money a lot when…

-You’ll bear the cold ride home instead of turning on the car heater. Heat=gas.
-You spend 15 minutes peering into the Bluebell, Edy’s and Breyer’s ice cream freezer doors and trying to figure out the lowest price at which you can get the largest volume of ice cream.
-It feels like Christmas when coupons come in the mail.
-You’ll make sure the only lights on in your apartment are those of the room you’re currently in. -You feel like you’ve accomplished something by spending the weekend at your family’s because you ate for free, didn’t go out, and didn’t drive anywhere.
-You start judging other peoples’ spending habits. That man just spend $14 on a salad!?
-You call shops to make sure they’re having sales before you allow yourself to even look.
-You acquire an uncanny ability to recall every single dollar each one of your friends still owes you.
-You hoard the month’s receipts and double check every single one to the credit card statement you get in the mail. (I would actually recommend this; they mess up and overcharge you a lot.)
-You feel excessively happy when you have a relatively cheap grocery trip.
-You get irrationally angry when somebody steals some of your food. Especially restaurant leftovers.
-You second guess every single bill you get. Did we really use that much water this month?
-You start thinking about what to put on your Christmas and Birthday lists 7 months before either one is happening.
-You think about entering your cat in a photo contest to make some extra money. And you think I'm kidding.
-Your math skills improve. Example: If I make this meal, it is more expensive, but in the end it’s overall less money than this Lean Cuisine because it will make 4 meals instead of one.

.... And to think I used to agonize over deciding between the expensive Express jeans or the half priced Kohl's ones. What I would do to go back to those days!!

Thus goes the transition of going from having Mom and Dad as backup to being completely kicked out of the nest, so to speak. I imagine it would be the same reaction whether I were to make $500 per year or $100,000. Rich or poor, being on your own truly forces you to appreciate the value of a dollar.

So I thought I'd share! I'm sure some of you can relate : -)

BRRRR...

Saturday morning was definitely one of those mornings. The ones where you wake up and realize the only heat available is that under the cocoon of blankets you’ve been sleeping in all night. One of those mornings where it doesn’t matter how hungry you are or how badly you have to pee, you will do anything to avoid confronting the cold.

On this particular morning as I chattered my way to the thermostat I realized that not only had our heat failed to turn on but the maintenance man was out on Saturdays. So I headed to the gym for the sole purpose of sitting in the sauna to restore warmth to my frigid bones.

As I sat in there feeling extremely sorry for myself I thought about how much I struggle with cold weather. Last year, it effectively made me think twice about going to class, running errands, going out, going to the gym or even making a grocery store run.

My goal for this year? To prevent the winter from impeding on my everyday life. In an effort to do this I’m going to list out all the positive things about the season change in order to amp up my optimism. So here we go:

Things I like about winter:
Candles: Nothing beats coming home to the smell of Pumpkin Spice.
Scarves: My favorite way to accessorize. I already have 11 different colors but I’m still looking to add to my collection.
Laziness: Because sitting on your butt watching movies all day curled in blankets doesn’t give you the same guilt trip that doing so on a warm summer day does.
Soup: One of my favorite meals. Cheap, delicious and easy to switch up. Although I’ll gladly savor a selection from my giant Campbell’s collection any day doing so in the winter tastes good AND keeps you warm, making it that much better.
The plaza lights: They truly capture the essence of the holiday season.
Cookies: Because it’s more fun to bake when it’s cold out.
Christmas: OK so it’s months away but it definitely adds some cheer to the chill
Star 102: Plays Christmas music for two months which makes car rides more enjoyable
Pumpkin Patches: Hay rides, pumpkins, mazes and , most importantly, homemade donuts… Need I say more?
Milo: Because I can’t WAIT to pose him in pictures with a little Santa hat.
The Nutcracker: One of my favorites.
Football season: Ironic, because I don't even care about football. But something about having a game on in the background on Sundays cheers me up. Tailgating does, too : ) .
Winter Break: Oh wait, I don’t have one anymore.

Oops! before I start getting sarcastic I better end my short list. Hey, atleast it’s a start right?
I would greatly appreciate any ideas as to what YOU guys look forward to about winter, because it will help me stay positive! Thoughts?

A day in the life.

Throughout the past couple months I’ve discovered a new hobby: learning about other people’s lives. I don’t mean it in the sense that I’ve become the “busybody” that knows all and tells all, likewise it isn’t because of the lack of excitement present in my own life; my motivations are purely to satiate my curiosity.

Let’s face it, we are all in transitional phases of our lives. Married, kids, jobs, different cities, schools, ect. Each lifestyle vastly differs from the next thus making it both intriguing and enlightening to see what life’s like on the other side of the fence, so to speak.

In having conversations with people post-graduation it’s very easy to quickly discover what they’re all about. It’s no longer about who they’re friends are, what Greek house they’re in, what bars they frequent, what their major is, and what other mundane differences they might have. Conversations nowadays divulge all sorts of fun interesting facts like what their passions are, what they want to be, who they live with and where, what their job is like, what they do in their free time, what they’re studying at school and why. There’s more meat to it. Granted, I still love to have fun and just relax and hang out, but I’ll never grow tired of an enlightening conversation .

Sometimes it doesn’t take a convo to efficiently portray a lifestyle.

For instance, I went to a loft downtown. I was completely content just visualizing how different daily life downtown would be.
Parallel parking on the traffic street. Keying in a passcode to get in. Passing the security guard. Taking the elevator up to the 5th floor. Watching TV that continuously echoes and reverberates off the cement walls. Sleeping in the same room as the kitchen. Watching the constant chaos of Power and Light District from your window. Where would you even go grocery shopping?
I guess you could say I’m easily amused.

I guess you could also say it’s a sign of maturity, as my thoughts of “different” people have transitioned from judgemental to open-minded. After all, it’s what keep things interesting and exciting!

Blogs are another great way to keep tabs on the ins and outs of peoples' lives. In fact, Megan’s post on marriage inspired me to write this.

So keep the good entries coming!

When Enough is Enough.

http://consumerist.com/5369759/homeless-american-girl-doll-costs-95

This article explains the specifics of American Girl Doll's newest release: The "Homeless" girl.

Call me crazy but I think this entire ordeal is mildly disturbing. In the absence of any philanthropic purpose what is the point of promoting this kind of activity? Think about the irony of the entire situation. The $95 item is far beyond what a homeless person could afford for their little one to make them feel loved and included in this world. Nor does the profit from the pockets of those who can afford it for their little ones make its way into any sort of homeless organization.

So does this really achieve the goal of benefitting the homeless portion of our population or does it merely rub salt into their open wounds?

Think back to those days when you were a little girl. I don't know about you all, but when I was little i wanted to BE barbie. I wanted to BE Felicity Merryweather (for those of you who don't know she was the American Girl who grew up in colonial times). I wouldn't have gotten the doll if I hadn't idolized her.

So does this mean that some little girl is going to try to BE homeless? Instead of playing "House" or "Indians" or "Mermaids" or (insert your favorite childhood activity here), will it be : "Mommy, mommy, i'm living in a box!" ?

I'd be interested to hear any opinions on this one.

Transitions

Good news for my faithful reader. The fog is finally starting to clear.

This translates into normal life updates in lieu of the incredibly deep life-pondering thoughts that dominated all my previous posts. So you might actually get to know what’s going on in my life instead of sitting there trying to decipher the meaning behind all my heavy thoughts.

In my defense, in talking with other newly grads in my situation I’ve learned that the post-graduation, newly-employed shock is 100% normal. Good to know I’m not alone. It’s basically like going through the five stages of grief. Don’t laugh. If you loved your college experience, it’s gonna happen to you too.
(Although I also had some other factors going into this that made it worse).

Denial: Happened during the summertime, and ended when my roommates and friends returned to school. Oh wait, this isn’t just a summer job, this is going to be my life.
Anger: I would actually say jealousy would be better for my situation. At my roommates (not at them; at the situation) for not being able to hang out anymore, for getting to be around people their age still and for being in an environment more conducive to making new friends. (They’re both in med schools) To experience new exciting changes while my life slowed down and leveled off.
Bargaining: Maybe I’m not in the right city. I just need a different job. Anybody else in my situation would feel the same way. Maybe I need to start grad school earlier so that I can meet people, too.
Depression: Set in when I realized my life for the next year would be mundane. That I really wasn’t going to move back to Manhattan and see all my friends again. That I would never live with that many girls again and have somebody to hang out with and talk to 24/7.That my life was turning into a giant routine. That I really did have to sit in a cubicle for 40 hours a week. I wasn’t making new friends and everybody else was. I wasn’t doing what I was passionate about, ect.
Acceptance: Finding the positives, realizing I was lucky in many aspects, and picking up and moving on. It is the way it is, so I can either be reactive about it or proactive about it.

Grief cycle finally completed. So, my life has picked back up again. And life post-college is good and fun : ). All it took is a little effort.

So now for my normal updates:
After looking at grad schools online I’ve come to the conclusion that KU Med is actually one of my best options. Not only is it nationally ranked but it’s closer, cheaper, and puts me in the network of every single KC hospital. I went in and talked to the lady there/had an interview and she said about 30 people go through the program each year, all from different backgrounds. Med students who decided halfway through it wasn’t for them. Students who got their undergrads in pre-med but changed their minds. Or people like me, with a communications background. It’s literally an 8 minute hop on the highway from my apartment.
The bad news?
Only 1/3 of the applicants get accepted.
I have to take Accounting and Statistics next semester at JoCo (me and math don't get along)
Alongside my job I would basically have no free time and it would take 4 years to complete (2 years if I didn’t have a job).

Can’t hurt to apply so I’m working on doing that and completing other applications to places like Chicago and Texas as well.

It’s funny because the more I realize how busy I’m going to be in the future the more I’m enjoying the fact that what I do at work stays at work and I have the entire evenings and weekends to do whatever I want. I definitely don’t want to take this for granted!

Til next time,
~Julie

Thoughts.

The reason for the recent absence of posts is none other than the fact that I have had so much happen to me in the past two weeks that I’m not quite sure where to even begin. I’ve sat here numerous times trying to write about a topic only to be interrupted by my brain, which takes me millions of places at once. So in an effort to accommodate the multitude of randomness running through my head I decided to write short blurbs about my recent realizations.

Enjoy.

It’s true that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, but it’s also true that you don’t know what you’ve been missing until it arrives.
One of my favorite quotes ever. If I could sum up all of these little blurbs into one life lesson, (especially one i've learned recently) this quote would do it.

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.
Living with regrets gets you nowhere. I’ve learned that letting go of the past instead of looking back on it is empowering.

The key to change is to let go of fear.
Fearing change equals no progression. Trying new things instead of shying away from them allows you to experience positive changes in your life.

Good things happen when you least expect them to.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse… they get better. I’m a walking talking example of it. I like to think of it as God’s way of giving you encouragement.

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
There are different kinds of friends. The ones you can talk to and complain to until the cows come home. The ones who make you laugh in spite of your mood. The ones who force you to go out when you don’t feel like it (and you end up, to your surprise, having fun). The ones who are a walking, talking entertainment show. (haha) The ones who ask you questions that lead you to your own answers. The ones who know what you’re thinking and when to say things at the right time. The ones who share your same brain. The ones who comfort you by their mere presence. I’ve learned that I am fortunate to have, hands down, the best friends a girl could ask for. I could go on for days about this one.

Strangers are friends waiting to happen.
Long story made short: making friends and meeting new people is my new hobby.

Intelligence is refreshing
The most interesting conversations come from those with somebody who is intelligent. They leave you with different perspectives to think about. They keep you on your toes. At the risk of sounding ridiculous, I love talking with smart people.


My apologies for the cryptic post.I've heard "I read it in your blog" one too many times this week from one too many strangers in regards to my life details. I guess that's what happens when friends of friends get bored and start clicking around on people's facebook walls : ) .
My bad.
Til Next time!

A step outside of my box

Joining a sorority is like having 50 friends with similar interests, lifestyles, goals and values presented to you on a platter. You may not like everybody but are bound to find some lifelong friendships and a full-time support system throughout college.

Maybe that’s why I found myself wondering what to do with myself when my roomies, due to their demanding schedules, started staying in to study on weekends. Not one weekend, every weekend.

Don’t get me wrong, it’d be one thing if I had a book I could bury my face into, but seeing as how I’m not in school and have no outside work, I truly have no reason to be sitting around on Friday and Saturday nights, especially when they can’t even socialize.

After some thought I realized it’s because of habits I formed in college. When you’re living with 80 (and even seven) girls it’s not a matter of finding something to do, it’s choosing which activity you’d like to do, with which friends. You don’t have to go looking for opportunities, they present themselves to you. And quite frankly, you get lazy.

The real world is different.

Of course there are factors that are affecting my situation. Before you go thinking "Wow, Julie's a loser" , I need to defend myself and say I've found things to do every weekend. It's just harder to find. Or perhaps I crave it more. After sitting in a cubicle all day doing a job I'm not particularly passionate about it's nice to have something to look forward to at the end of the week.
Some other factors: I work in an office full of seven people all 30 years or older. My roommates are both hardcore studiers in med school. My friends are scattered all over Kansas. (Yes, I consider you OPers “scattered” because it’s still 25 minutes away which seems so far!)

In other words, you can no longer have the luxury of waiting for the night’s plans to formulate and fall into your lap.
College is officially over.

However, I’ve chosen to look at this as a positive opportunity for me to grow.

Long story made short, making friends without the “college cushion” requires confidence, effort and an open-mind. And after being forced to find things to do and meet new people I feel like I’ve grown a lot in this area.

This week I’ve joined/looked into various area “young professionals” type societies/ organizations having to do with career goals, philanthropy, ect., which I explain in more detail later. Gulp. That means that before I make the friends and build the network I’m hoping to make (and I’d be lying if I were to say it’s not a resume builder as well) , I will be attending these dinners/ lectures/ luncheons/ ....alone.
Alone? With 27 and 28 year olds?! Eek.

But, at the same time, it's about time.
So I'm doing it. Updates to follow later.

BOYS.

You either love them or you hate them.

They can bring a smile to your face, butterflies to your stomach or an extra bounce to your step.
Or they can just bring on the tears.
This weekend, after having come to grips with certain boy problems of my own I was ready to relax and have fun. Ironically enough, my friends too were in situations that caused them to share my intense hate for the male race, thus making it difficult to distract myself.

“He hasn’t called me in two weeks. What should I do?”
“He won’t hang out with my friends.”
“I tell him I miss him and he replies: ‘I’m drunk’.”
“Is it bad that it’s been 3 hours and he hasn’t texted me back?”

I am not exaggerating any of these.

Between listening to girls’ attempts to decipher the meaning behind these actions, watching them stay IN to avoid possible run-ins with their exes and even waking up on my friend’s couch to hear her roommate bawling on the phone, telling the EXACT same boy story with THREE different friends, I had an epiphany. Actually several. Here are realizations I have made in just the past week.

1.) It is pointless to “crack the male code”.
Because there is no male code to crack. Boys are simple. They either like us or they don’t.
Why do girls bemoan their situations? Because deep down they know that the guy isn’t interested but they’d like to think they are the exception and want to hear their friends affirm this. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit to doing this. I didn’t truly realize how pathetic/ stupid I must sound at times until I heard some of the things these girls were saying. If he tells you he loves you and never shows it, don’t be fooled. As an objective listener it became very clear to me. Some of these girls were 27 years old. 27. And still haven’t learned.
….. “He hasn’t called me in two weeks. What should I do?” (..uh…… DUH?)

2.) People don’t change.
Can they learn? Yes. The inexperienced ones will inevitably stumble through the first part of their first serious relationships and deserve some leeway. But a person’s character will never change. Likewise, a person who dumped you isn’t going to wake up one day and realize you’re the one. They might for a while but they will inevitably return to their original state of mind. Trust me. I have learned this one the very, very hard way and am currently kicking myself in the butt because of it. (However, I have also learned that there are exceptions to this too. Depends on the situation). You see the good in them. You know they have it in there. They are a better person because of you. Maybe he’ll grow out of… Maybe he’ll realize...If only he didn’t do… He’d be so perfect if… Red flags.
Because I don’t wish to share my relationship details with the entire cyber world, the best way I can explain this is in a hypothetical situation. If you date a binge drinker who stops drinking because of you, you will feel exceptionally great. He loves you so much that he gave up his passion. Hate to break it to you, but you will eventually get dumped because he will eventually go back to binge drinking and will eventually marry somebody who is either ok with it or a binge drinker themselves. Wow, what a lucky girl. Do you really want that to be you?

3.) Just because he’s a good guy doesn’t mean he’s good for you.
This one’s simple. I believe there are officially 5 different ways people like to receive and show affection. (Megan are you the one who told me about this?). It’s true. It is very possible that somebody is showing you affection in a way different than you’d like to receive it. I.e.: If you’re a talker and need to vent your feelings don’t be with somebody who can’t handle hearing them. If you like to cuddle don’t date somebody who doesn’t. Find the person who can.

4.) You are in control of your emotions.
Not boys. Believe it or not. Stop blaming them for all your problems. Because ultimately you have the power to get rid of them. (I literally just learned this one)

5.) You can use the time you otherwise would have spent obsessing over a boy to focus on YOU.
It’s a great feeling. To wake up every morning and be in control of your mood that day. To not wonder if he’s going to call, going to text, is going to want to hang out, is going to be mad at you for hanging out with your friends, whether he likes other girls better, what his mood is going to be like, whether or not you'll say something that will set them off or turn off their feelings toward you. To not have your blackberry parked by your side at all times, waiting and wondering why it decided to stop working all of a sudden. (yeah, right.) Trust me, being stone cold alone is light years better than the anxiety associated with this. Why live your life tiptoeing around on eggshells? You can use the time to rekindle friendships, try new things, meet new people, all with a more positive carefree attitude on life. I have come to the realization that it’s very freeing and empowering.

6.) By being with somebody who isn’t into you and/or is “wishy-washy” and/or isn’t right for you, you are one step closer to being with your soul mate.
Pretty simple. Staying with somebody just to have a boyfriend is preventing you from finding that perfect person. It’s a process and plan God has in store for us that will come when it is supposed to. In 10 days, 10 weeks or 10 years. Looking for it won’t speed up the process. Enjoying your life and living it to the fullest can certainly make it go by faster, though : )

I think remembering the things I listed above has shortened my recovery period. So I thought I would share.
(Wow…Sorry for the long post! )

Essay or blog post?

Thanks be to Bridget when she asked me the other day: "Do you sit there and edit your blogs? Because it sure seems like it."
The answer, ladies and gents is YES. I've even gone so far as looking up a word in the online Thesaurus. ("Quintessence" in case you were really curious). Dont' worry, it's not a regular thing but the word was on the tip of my fingers/tongue and I just couldn't think of it.
The next big question: WHY? Is it a roundabout way to try and impress my readers? (all 3 of you haha) ? Lack of having a life? Chronic boredom? Nerdiness?
Unfortunately I can't tell you the answer because I want to keep bringing in the dough. soorryyyyy!! haha. but I can tell you that I love writing, I miss it, and writing in my blog is a way to keep my brain going and stimulated during the day if you know what I mean. Forces me to think about things and utilize my brain.
Which brings me to my next topic. I miss being busy. I miss having a bajillion things to do, going from here to there, feeling like I had an impact on other people's lives or organizations, being challenged to add my own flare to whatever I chose to become involved in. I miss looking forward to going to my internships everyday. I miss living in a constant chaos of activites and school and having as much fun as I could in between. Life's slowing down a little bit too much for me and I'm not used to it. It's all routine: work, come home, work out, eat, find something to do. On a lucky day I'll catch my roomies while they aren't shut in their rooms buried in books. (Maybe that explains the earlier blog post about how obsessed I am with my cat?? haha) Getting them to go out on weekends is like pulling teeth. And I'm used to being the one having mine pulled, so to speak.
So, in defense of my deep thougthful blog posts: It's very hard not to be insightful about life when you have so much time to think about it all! And why not keep up the writing? I love it and I hope to someday be able to utilize it in my career.
So pardon my rant, but here comes another one. I've been thinking about it all. Listening to friends who have landed amazing jobs that they love (congrats because some of them are you!) have plans to move to the cities of their dreams (which maybe I will do that too who knows) and I've decided, who's to stop me from getting involved and continuing to be impactful and do things I love even if I have graduated? So that's what I'm going to do. I'll keep you updated as to how it goes. :-)

What women want?

We found this on the internet. I really, SINCERELY hope this is not what guys are thinking. What is the world coming to nowadays. It's so wrong and twisted it's almost humorous. 

What I've Learned About Women **


GET A HOBBY:

Join a gym, learn to play a guitar, whatever... just don't let your
life revolve around women.


SHUT UP:

The less women know about you, the more they want to know. Keep your
problems (every kind of problem) to yourself, stop whining and
b!tching about everything, have a positive outlook on everything,
don't be a pessimist.


WHAT TO TALK about:

Go with the flow... the conversation has to be about 70% her and 30%
you. Talk about her favorite subject--herself. Ask open-ended
questions (why, how, etc.).


LISTEN:

Listen to what she has to say but never change your beliefs for a
girl. Pay attention to what she says, she'll drop hints as to what
she wants to talk about. NEVER give a girl a direct answer, unless
the answer is no. Let her work to deserve the information you
gradually reveal about yourself. Immediately direct the conversation
towards her when you don't want to answer more of her annoying
questions... bust on her by saying something like: "Come on, you can
do better than that... let's leave those questions for when we are
married."


BE DIRECT:

Don't beat around the bush. If you call a girl to ask her out, do it
immediately after she answers; the longer you wait, the harder it will
be. And never use the phrase "would you like to", that's begging.
Instead use "let's." "Let's go to the lake next weekend" 
sounds
better than "Would you like to go to the lake next weekend?" The
first one is more a command than a question.


ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN:

There's nothing worse than calling a girl to ask her out and then
asking her to decide on what to do. You are the man, therefore you
are the one who has to take charge and decide what the two of you will
be doing for the date. Make it interesting and different -- bowling,
miniature golf, pool, foosball, jogging -- anything physical is a
great idea because you won't have to do as much talking and therefore
will have less opportunities to mess up with something that you say.


5 THINGS IN YOUR POCKETS:

1) Gum for nice breath
2) Chap Stick for nice "kissable" lips
3) A pen
4) Paper
5) Your wallet

* Always have condoms somewhere in your vehicle and house.


LESS IS MORE:

When dealing with women, less is better than more. Compliment them
less (only sparingly and when they have been nice enough to deserve
one), call them less (once a week), stay on the phone less (5-10 mins,
max), see them less (once or twice a week, max), less gifts (only once
in a while, if she's been nice).


DATE MORE THAN ONE AT THE SAME TIME:

You will be happier and avoid a lot of headaches if you are dating
more than one girl. If one blows you off, you go to the next one.


MOVE ON:

This is one of the most important things to learn -- don't be clingy
and move on to the next one if a girl is giving you problems or just
blows you off. You have a better chance of getting her back by moving
on than by being a wuss who can't live without her.


ON THEIR THOUGHTS:

Forget about what women want and all that other bullsh!t. Women don't
even know what they want themselves, so it is your duty as a man to
make her believe that you are what she wants. You do this by being a
challenge and by not taking their sh!t. Treat women's thoughts as
non-existent.


YOU ARE NUMBER 1:

Always put yourself first... protect your heart at all times and
think from the "I" perspective when making decisions. Most women are
selfish, so should you. Build a pedestal for yourself instead of
building one for her.


DON'T JUST BE YOURSELF:

Read a post by Allen Thompson on this topic, it is a fascinating
article.

http://www.sosuave.com/articles/whynot.htm


PASS THEIR TESTS:

Women will test you to see how much you will let them get away with.
It can be something as insignificant as whining about the type of
music that you listen to, and asking you to change the station. This
is where you put your foot down, and say something like: "Now that you
are whining about it, that's all that I will listen to". Pay
attention to these little tests, if passed, the women are yours from
then on because they have found a MAN.


BE A CHALLENGE:

I have covered this topic above in "less is more" ... end dates
first, hang up first when on the phone with her, etc. Always have
doubts about your relationship to her. She'll get the hint that you
are probably seeing other girls.


BE A GOOD LOVER:

Study books or articles on becoming the best lover she's ever had. If
done right the first time, they'll keep coming back for more.
Practice and become a good kisser as well, women love it.


DON'T LET THEM GET TO YOU:

Be calm and don't show anger when it comes to interacting with women.
Don't give them the pleasure of seeing how they can affect you so
easily. Walk away if you need to. It is not the end of the world.
Take arguments calmly and hear her side of the story first, that's the
easiest way to win any argument. Realize that most of the time,
she'll say that she's pissed about something and it will be something
totally different. It is your job to find out what it is that she's
pissed about.


HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR:

Make fun of them as often as possible... don't take life too
seriously. Women go out on dates to have fun, not to be bored. Be
funny every chance you get.


HAVE FUN:

After all is done, at least you will remember the good times you had,
even if she was playing games with you. At least you had fun while
she played stupid games.


YOU ARE BETTER OFF:

Being alone is better than being with the wrong girl -- you'll be
happier.


LOVE:

Love and relationships are for women only... they made this stuff up
while men were building and making the world what it is today. As far
as a man is concerned, love is just another word. After all, there's
no universal meaning of the word love.

Pets...

The quintessence of unconditional love.
Think about it. These innocent furballs exemplify a unique form of steadfast loyalty.
I learned firsthand with my little one that their companionship provides you with more than any friend, relative or boyfriend can offer. Pets don’t care how stressed out you are, how much you feel like talking or what you feel like doing. They are your company that never disagrees with you. Let’s face it, you could wake up with a fro and a pizza face and these creatures would still adore everything about you.

After living with little Milo I realized I’ve never seen any living being so fascinated with every aspect of a daily routine. I’ve grown accustomed to the early wake-up call of a purring furball parading across my face , to the inevitable thud of my phone falling from my nightstand to the floor as he pounces my vibrating alarm clock. To him trotting around around as my little follower, watching me put on makeup, patiently waiting outside my shower and meowing when he thinks I’ve been in there too long, catching spare food particles that fall on the floor while I’m cooking dinner. To having him on my chest while I watch tv and staring at me inquisitively (although when Tom and Jerry is on he actually watches it. True story). To him rousing himself from a deep sleep when I arrive home from work and stumbling towards me with his eyes half closed because he’s excited to see me. To finding jewelry, receipts, pen caps and other paraphernalia hidden in random spots in my apartment where he’s hidden them.

Having a little follower that needed constant entertainment used to stress me out. As he’s grown older and more self-amused I’ve learned to love it. (In case you haven’t already noticed.) It’s the curiousness and innocence about them that brightens my mood daily.

Props to all of you and your daily pet updates. They motivated me to write this!

Decisions.

Decisions.
For the sure minded: Empowering
For the indecisive: Foreboding

Decisive people associate the word with opportunity. People like me immediately think of regret.
Regret is the slap in the face that lets you know you made the wrong decision.

Everybody goes through it in one form or another, for instance picking the wrong major, the wrong friends, the wrong sorority, ect. Realizing your ex was a catch after you see him with his new sweetheart, or realizing the guy you went back to indeed hadn’t changed.

For me, picking a college was the most impactful decision I’ve made in my life. Hello, it builds the framework for the rest of your life. I’ll never forget the day I sat by my phone at 3:59 p.m. a minute before the decision deadline still unsure of where I wanted to go.

This is why I went to move Lori into Wake Forest with a lump in my throat. “Awesome”, I thought. I get to go see the life I would have had if I’d taken the other pathway. That’s like my worst nightmare.

The good news is, I went there and realized that although yes, it would have been a great experience, I don’t regret my college experience at K-State. So many great things happened to me there. I discovered a more laid-back easygoing side of me I never knew I had. I met some of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. It allowed me the space and supportive environment I needed to fumble around a bit if you will to discover who I was, who I wanted to be, who I wanted to surround myself with and what my values were.

Most importantly, I had the time and confidence to be involved in activities that I probably wouldn’t have considered if I had been going to a competitive school with a demanding academic schedule. Those activities have led me to my career goal (which I am, surprisingly, decisive about).

But I do sit here and wonder (as I read blogs of some of you who have bravely moved, ready to take on the world and do amazing things J ) : Do I want to stay in Kansas? I’ve had a great experience here. But maybe I am ready for something else. Many of you (uh, or like all 4 of you maybe?) haha know that my plan has been to go to UMKC to pursue a graduate degree in Health Administration. But after my trip to Wake Forest and hearing about different post-college plans I’ve started to ponder the idea of looking elsewhere for that degree. After all, it is what I want to do so why not go to the best program for that I can while I experience and new place with new people? I could kill two birds with one stone.

I’m so happy here in Kansas. I love being around my friends and having things to do constantly. And I actually have discovered that KU Med here has a nationally-ranked program. So I’m not making any promises here. But, for the first time in my life I feel confident enough to go out on a limb and actually consider moving somewhere else in the U.S. This is a huge, huge step for me.

Next step: Retake the GRE, raise that score and start applying!

College.

Things I miss:
Living with a bunch of girls
Homework parties
Thursday nights
Knowing half the people you see in a bar
Bachelorette/Greys TV-watching parties
Walking to class
The K-State Student Union
Sitting in the back of PR class doing nothing but talking
Going on kitchen raids/ binge eating after a fun night at the bars (oh wait, we still do that)
My big, fat, fluffy double bed
Late night study breaks
Wearing sweats 24/7 except to go out
Being involved
My friends (although some of you are still here )
Not having to pay my own bills
Ballet class
Waking up at 10 a.m. every morning



What I don’t miss:
Job searching and everything that’s involved
College boys (Emily I’m with you they have to be older!)
Having millions of different things to think about instead of one job
Having to do homework at night
Microwave dinners
Hang overs (I can’t lie they still happen sometimes)
Lugging my laptop to class
Being around younger people

Weddings...

Hello again,

Today’s topic: Weddings.
Four down, two more to go during this summer alone. So it comes as no surprise to me that the topic has been on my mind.

I think I differ from a lot of girls. I get the vibe from many that the trend is to start planning the basics of your wedding at age 4: whether that be deciding the details of Prince Charming or the design of your wedding gown. It progresses from there until college girls are saying “When I get married I’m going to have these colors” or “these will probably be my bridesmaids.”

The engagements or marriages of close friends and acquaintances probably stirred these conversations, as well as made me realize how far behind I am in even thinking about my wedding. I told my roomie Adrienne Molstad (an interior designer) that she was in charge of picking colors and planning mine, but to leave the groom and bridesmaids up to me. Please and thanks and I’d rather not waste the time.

However...

After seeing different weddings, being in one and even going to a bridal convention with Lindsey I realized why it is important how you celebrate your special day. And after seeing a bridal fashion show I even have my wedding dress picked out. (Although it ‘s highly unlikely it will be in style by the time I get married).

Which brings me to the next, more important thing: the groom.

How do you know if you’ve picked the right person? I found my answer this weekend at Cassie’s wedding. Incredible. They were calm and smiley alllll day. After seven years of dating. I was more stressed out than Cassie was. I asked her as she was waiting to go into the church: “Are you nervous at all?” She just looked at me and point blank said: “No. Not at all. I am completely calm because I have nodoubt in my mind that this is the perfect person for me. I am so excited to celebrate it tonight!” And after watching her and Chad (who had told Ben the exact same thing) all day, I figured it out. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and that’s how you know.

I would presume that the tricky part is not letting the planning and hype of it all get in the way of cherishing the night with your special one.

Enough of the deep talk. On a lighter note, I am excited to go to my cousin’s wedding this weekend in Roanoke, Virginia. It’s my Mom’s side of the family. My cousin’s fiancé actually works as a Sales Associate for DePuy (Johnson and Johnson) which is one of Zimmer’s biggest competitors! Small world! Bet we’ll have some interesting conversations. Lori is getting moved back in to Wake Forest. (Where has the summer gone?) I have officially moved into my cubicle (which is by far the most decorated one in this entire place and I’m not hearing the end of it) and well that’s about it as far as new and exciting news is concerned!

Til next time!

what to do with this thing?

Well, I'm back.
Last time I blogged I was giving the play-by-play of girl sleepovers, TPing wars and the latest on who's asking who to prom (and more importantly, how). Xanga anybody?

Where to start.
First of all, I'm getting old. If anything, staring at this blank piece of screen forces me to reflect on new and exciting events in my life and quite frankly folks, there aren't many.

My life is quite simple. Get up at 7:15. Go to work. Try to cram as much information in my brain as I can. Drive home in traffic at 5. Work out. Dinner. Do whatever errands or cleaning I need to do. Get home and veg out if I have time. Bond with the roomies if they don't have schoolwork. And of course, play with Milo.

But I've also realized that having a job and being on my own has brought a lot of change into my life. Here are some of the random things about myself I've started to notice! Enjoy.

- I have become organized. No, I'm not playing a joke on any of you. In fact, I'm starting to scare myself a little bit. I've gone from untidy and scatterbrained to OCD. Examples of this include:
-I made a budget that requires me to religiously record every single payment I make. With this comes a receipt envelope and a red pen used to remind/punish myself everytime I go over my allowed expenditure for each category.
-I do laundry twice a week. My hamper no longer overflows.
-I have become incapable of doing anything until our kitchen is sparkling clean.
-I haven't even moved into my office cube yet nor have I offiically taken over my accounts but already have about 25 labelled folders, supplies, pictures, a plant and meticulously organized file folders waiting for my arrival. I also go through about 50 post-it notes a day.


-I cook. A LOT. Between daydreaming about dinner at work, wandering around Hy-Vee til I find perfect deals and meals, and figuring out how to cook I spend a decent amount of my day thinking about food. I have always been a fatty at heart, so I guess some things never change.

-I now know where the saying "I live for the weekends" comes into play. (Turns out that Jenni's Xanga name was very insightful. ) Because never before have I lived for the weekends until I got a job. But the most ironic thing about the phrase is that once the weekend comes around I'm pretty much too tired to do anything. But somehow I still find the energy atleast once a week :)

-I've started thinking about the weather more. I like it to be sunny during my few hours of free time, and I like it to rain during work so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

-I have a kitty. I never thought having another being depend on you could be such a rewarding fulfilling feeling. Milo has taught me this firsthand.

-Aggieville is just not the same anymore. It's only taken me one Manhattan visit to realize that I was over that scene a semester ago.

-I watch the news. And the discovery channel, and the history channel. I also set up alerts for these on my Blackberry. Shark week or hurricane week anybody? Need I say more....

-I've started appreciating my parents more. Big time step for me!

Time to go. I can't promise many interesting posts but what a great way to keep in touch. Props to Rach for starting this thing up :) Bye til next time!