Well everyone I know has got a reason to say, put the past away.

I was feeling quite nostalgic last night and starting reading some old blogs that I had from back in the day. I came across some entries about a guy I used to be friends with and out of curiosity I looked him up on facebook to see what he was up to. I checked out his wall and to my surprise there were a bunch of "rest in peace" messages. As I went down the wall I realized that he passed away. What a way to find out. His girlfriend left a message saying that he had commit suicide on October 28th. For some reason this really hit home to me and I spent the entire night dwelling on it. Reminiscing about the old times and listening to "our songs".

His name was Jay and we met on FaceTheJury.com, a prehistoric facebook per say. I don't even know if that is still around. He was from the next town over and for awhile we exchanged messages. We were young kids when we met, I'd say maybe in like 10th grade. We knew a lot of the same people. Because neither of us could drive yet, we used to have our friends pick us up to hang out. We became great friends but at the time it was nothing more. He ended up getting a girl pregnant and then decided to marry her and join the Navy to support the family. While he was away in boot camp, she cheated on him and drained his bank account. It was then that we decided to "cross the line" and we both confessed our feelings for each other. When he came home on leave for 2 weeks in the summer, we spent most of the time together. It was beautiful. We'd spend hours in my car just listening to music, talking, holding hands, driving around; any way that we could be together. All of those things you do when you're young and in love.

While home on his leave he got the news that he would be stationed in Norfolk, VA after he returned to boot camp. He gave me his dogtag and promised me he would send for me. Once he was gone, it was over. He disappeared for a good year. So I of course was broken hearted for quite some time. I finally heard from him about a year later when he apologized and after that our friendship was never the same again; he had also left the Navy and I never got the right story about what happened there. He told me he'd tell me someday. We grew apart after this and he met a new girl and moved to Michigan to be with her. Fast forward 4 years and here I am... mourning his death.

I guess I always thought our paths would cross again, as they usually have on and off throughout the years. I am trying to decide whether or not to go to his funeral services on this coming Tuesday. My friends say I should because I might regret it later if I don't. I don't know, I'm torn. I covered my shift at work so I have the option. I have a couple of days to decide. I don't know why I'm letting this bother me so much. I think it's because death is so final. Either way, I hope he rests in peace.

Revelation #8473: I'm going to (try) to lose weight! (again)

As another "fat" summer is about to end, I am embarking on a journey. One that I've tried before but ever so unsucessfully. I'm going to attempt to lose weight. I am so over the fact that the normal me is a fat girl and that it's so apparent to everyone. I know I'm big but when I see pictures I can't help but think "daaamn". Not to mention, my sister has just sweated off 85 pounds and I'm really never going to hear the end of that one. It's bad enough she's always been on my case to get my thyroid check because hyperactive thyroid runs in the family. She says that's why she lost weight. Could it be that she's living off of a one income and feeding three children? Maybe she's just not eating? I don't know. What I do know is I'm finally going to do this.

I've been big for a few years now. It started after high school when I didn't have to walk anywhere anymore because I got a car. And that car made easy access to fast food joint drive-thrus. I'd also like to blame the dollar menu at each and every one of those easy accessible fatty traps. I mean c'mon, they make it so alluring! Cheap food that tastes so sinfully fulfilling? No wonder America is so fat. It's not our fault we have no self control!

And that's exactly what it all boils down to. Self-Control. I'll be the first to admit that those words have rarely been in my vocabulary. Especially when it comes to food! I eat when I'm happy, when I'm sad, and when I have nothing else to do. Hell, even if I have something to do! It is how I reward myself. Well finally all of those pounds I have really packed on are really adding up.

I'm making a step in the right direction. Wednesday morning at 9am I will be attending a Weight Watchers meeting. I'm giving in. The funny part is, I know many people who have sucessfully lost a ton of weight from doing Weight Watchers. So why have I waited? Lack of Self-Control. Procrastionation. Laziness. I can come with a million excuses but they'll all just make me hungry so I'm going to stop there.

I'll keep you informed on how it goes. :)

Size 10 = Plus Size? I think not!

Being a full-figured woman, I am appalled hear that Crystal Renn is being considered a plus size model at a size 10! I hadn't even heard of her until just recently so searched for her on Google Images. While it's clear to me that she's fluctuated with her weight over the years, she certainly is not plus sized at the moment. There's a lot of media attention on the fact that she was photo-shopped to look like a size 2.

A size 10 is definitely not even close to plus size. In fact a 10 is still on the "skinny" side of the store, if you're lucky enough to find a store that has "plus sizes". No wonder women have so many weight issues. Who decides what's plus size? The fashion world?  If it were up to them, we'd all have to be a size 2, 4 or *gasp* a 6!

All I want to know is if a 10 is fat than what the hell am I. Check out this this article to see just what I'm talking about. I think Crystal Renn is a beautiful woman and she looks beautiful no matter what her pant size is.

I love summer!!

I've totally been neglectful and I apologize if anyone bothers to follow me.

Things have been going pretty well. Just trying to keep cool, literally. This has been the hottest summer we've seen in a long time and I'm not complaining. I'm fortunate enough to have a pool at home and at work! It's awesome and I take full advantage of it. Work's going well. I've been doing alot of trainings such as CPR, CPI, etc. It's awesome to be able to put them on my resume.

I'm loving my new car! It's amazing. I put full coverage on it because I was so nervous driving it, especially in the summertime. I live in a very large tourist attraction area and I don't trust their driving.

Anyway, I'm just keeping things brief tonight. I'm off to pass out. Talk to you soon!

It's 8am and almost 80 out!

It's been quite some time since I last posted. Almost a month. I can't believe how neglectful I've been to my blog! I really need to get back to writing here. It's a great way for me to express my thoughts and reflect.

I'm still getting adjusted to working 2nd shift. I like it but it's different for me getting home sometimes as last as 11pm. It's nice to sleep in though. Work is going well. I'm definitely "fitting in" at the group home. We're short staffed so I've been working up to 50 hours a week. The guys have their ups and downs but overall I enjoy working with them and knowing I'm making a difference in their lives.

I finally got a new car yesterday! It's all legal and on the road. It's an 02 Chevy Monte Carlo. It's sexy! I'm gonna miss the little Sentra. That car was awesome to me for the last 3 years, especially since it was supposed to be "only temporary". It never left me on the side of the road though their were some very close calls! I'm up bright and early today because I can't wait to go out driving!

I got two wisdom teeth out last friday and this morning I have a follow-up. The gums hurt so bad where they were, I'm really hoping it's healing properly! I'm nervous about going because the Surgeon can be a real jerk. His bedside manners suck, I've noticed it and so has anyone else I know that has been to him.

Anyway, that was just a quick update. I will talk to you later!

Did you miss me?!

I can't believe I've went this long without writing. There's no excuse other than I forgot! Things have been going pretty well other than the fact that my grandfather died on May 28th. He was 82 years old. He had a heart attack and the whole thing was just devastating. He was an incredible man and I loved him very much. He was always there for me especially when I was a child. When I was having a bad day, Grandpa would come pick me up and I'd spent so much time with him which I consider myself lucky for. He actually beat cancer about a year ago as well. I had the honor of doing a reading at his funeral which I was nervous about but did it graciously. As much as I miss him, I'm glad to know he lead a full life.

Work has been going pretty well. I'm still getting to know the guys and their habits. They all seem to enjoy having me. I always try to make sure everyone's having a good time as well as getting their daily routine taken care of. They just love to test our patience. haha. I'm glad to have a job where I'm making a difference in the lives of other people. It is a very rewarding job. And I finally work for a company who actually takes care of their employees! Hallelujah! I was able to get paid for the days I missed when Grandpa died. That never happened at Friendly's even after all of the years I put it. I have to admit how amazing it feels to drive by that hell hole and know that I don't have to even so much as pull in the parking lot. The other day was free ice cream day and the guys wanted to go. I didn't even want to go there for that! No way! So second shift took them instead. LoL.
Anyway, I'm gonna go pass out as I am exhausted! Talk to ya soon!

I love days off.

So today I had my first day off in a long time. Sort of. I had to go to mandatory training for work. When you get hired by this agency, you have to through a series of training courses. There's a lot. The good part is you get paid to go. The bad? It's usually on your day off. So I had to go to "Core Curriculum" today. I learned a lot in four hours. The importance of hand washing. Always wear gloves when deal with sick consumers. All sorts of really boring, common sense stuff. At least the guy teaching it was a lot of fun, he made it less painful.

That was the excitement of my day. I went shopping (wouldn't be a day off for me if I didn't!) and now I'm going to relax and watch a movie. Going first thing in the AM for a much needed mani/pedi to get ready for this weekends shenanigans. I have a Bachelorette party to go to! We're going to the City, getting a hotel room, and romping around the city. The whole 9. It's gonna be amazing. I'll tell you all about it. :)

Relaxing...

So it's been a couple of days. Not a whole lot is going on. Just the typical stuff, such as work. Finished my paper yesterday and dropped it off to my teacher. This whole working second shift thing is screwing up my sleeping patterns! I'm not necessarily complaining because apposed to getting up @ 5:30am everyday, it's a beautiful thing. But now I sleep until God only knows when. Like today. Getting up at 11am isn't really acceptable so I have to stop this now before it gets too comfortable.

I've been in a Spring cleaning mood so I think it's time to start a pot of coffee and get it done before I leave for work. I leave you now with a pic of this amazing candle that I am addicted to at the moment.

Yankee Candle is simply the best! I got Shortbread Cookie for my birthday from my boyfriend's mom who works at a YC retail store. I always know what my presents gonna be from her, I love it! hehehe

School's out for the summer!

And alas, summer is finally here! (almost..) Well I took my last final exam today and have a paper due on Tuesday. Then I'm done until the Fall. I'm still considering a Summer class but most likely will opt out for that because of pure laziness. lol.
I tried selling my textbooks back today at the school store, very unsuccessfully I might add. So I'm going to try Amazon.com because that's what people have been telling me to do. I just like the instant gratification of cash on the spot! Oh well. Because of my little mishap on Tuesday with my laptop, I'm picking my new Netbook tomorrow. Call me crazy. My laptop hasn't acted up today but it doesn't mean it won't. Plus I got a really good deal on the Netbook so I'm gonna try it out. The fact that it can fit right in my purse really intrigues me.
I'm going to go enjoy a cold beer and enjoy the sun while we have it. The weather has been hectic with rain on and off so who knows what tomorrow will bring. See ya later!

Life is good.

Good evening. My laptop is like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. Well that's how I feel about it ever since I dropped it on pavement yesterday. I was at school and stopped by car to unload a couple of books from my very heavy backpack. Apparently after I took some books out, I never zipped it back up fully because the minute I put it on my back, my laptop fell out. I couldn't do anything but laugh. That nervous, pissed off, mad laugh. What else was I gonna do? The damage (literally) had already been done. I went inside, took a deep breath and pushed the on button. It actually turned on. I couldn't believe it. But now, unfortunately, it has a bunch of weird quirks. It buzzes loudly, turns off randomly, gets really hot, etc.. So like I said, it's like a time bomb and could fail at any time..  So like the tech fiend that I am, I went and ordered a Netbook today. I'll be picking it up either tomorrow or Friday. I just want to try it out. That way if this bad boy decides to shit the bed, I'll have a backup. No way am I going back to the desktop.
Other than that little mishap, this has been a good week so far. I finished my employment @ Friendly's on Sunday. Of course not without great catastrophe. I got a muscle crap in my lower back around 12:30pm so I stopped taking tables and went to the hospital. The pain was excruciating and I was scared. The doctor said it was nothing major but I do have a follow-up on Friday just to make sure everything is okay. They gave me some good meds to deal with the pain though which was very helpful.
It is so weird not going to Friendly hell every morning. It's so odd that I can sleep in until pretty much anytime that I feel like crawling out of bed. I'm not going to get too comfortable doing that only because I can't just sleep and work. I have to get other stuff done in the meantime. I want to get into a routine, maybe squeeze in the gym bright and early. We'll see. I love my new job. I had my first shift on my own tonight, no training. It went really well. Next week I start full-time and also have trainings which will be great in the paycheck. Speaking of, I get my first direct deposit on Friday. I'm psyched. I'm gonna miss the cash everyday, I have to admit. But I'll adjust.

Okay, enough procrastinating. Off to write a paper I go, and finish studying for my Marketing final tomorrow. Goodnight!

Killin' Time.

It's been a beautiful month of May so far. The weather has been grand. I've been to the beach twice this week already! The life changes I've been making have also been strengthening my mood and outlook. It's sweet relief to know that I'm not going to be a waitress for the rest of my life. That's the way things were looking until now. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's what you want to do, but it's not for me. I've gotten to the point where I have 2 more days left and I don't even want to go. I do need the cash though. I'm in a great mood at work and everyone knows why. If someone wants to be pissed at me because I can't get their burger medium rare for them, it's okay. (stupid company policy if you ask me anyway) I'm not worried about negative customer surveys being sent into corporate anymore for fear that my hours may be cut. I never got a negative response in 6 years. Maybe I should try? Haha. Maybe not. I can finally unsubscribe from all of those spam emails I receive from CareerBuilders and SnagAJob, thank god because they fill up my inbox like you wouldn't believe.
My new job is going great so far. I'm getting to know everyone pretty well and we're starting to feel comfortable with each other. My official job title is a Direct Support Professional. That's the fancy name for it anyway. In a nutshell, I work in a group home with individuals with disabilities who need 24 support. There's only 3 of them so it's not hard to handle, and there's always 2 staff on at all times unless you do overnights. I just can't believe I'm getting paid to go for walks, take trips, go to the playground, etc! It's more involved than that, of course but those are a couple of the things we get to do on the clock. I love it. I'm so happy to be able to make a difference in the life of someone else.
Right now I am procrastinating. I'm in the library at school and should really be working on my Marketing project and/or my essay for English since finals are next week. I'm looking forward to having a 3 month break from school. It's coming at a good time. I guess I shouldn't waste anymore time and get going on those things. See ya later!

I have some wonderful news!

I'm such a bad blogger. Maybe that's why I don't have many followers. Or maybe I don't blog much because of that reason. I'd say it's a good mixture of the two. Life has been super hectic lately. Believe it or not, days go by where I don't even turn on my laptop which is not like me at all.
I got a new job! Yes, finally. As of this coming Sunday, Mother's Day, it will be my last day. Thank god. This has been long awaited. I got a full-time (with excellent benefits!) at a center for people with special needs. I now work at a 24 hour support group home. I began last monday and it's been great! I've been spending a lot of time getting to know the people and my new coworkers. Last night we had a picnic at a park and played on the playground. And I got paid for doing it! I just can't believe that's work! I'll take it. I've spent too long working a job where I had to work my ass off just to get by. This job has all of the perks. On top of benefits, I accrue sick time and vacation time! 3 weeks a year! Isn't that amazing? haha. I'm still so flabbergasted by the whole thing. If I could afford to, I would just take this whole week off but that's just not in the numbers for me. But it's okay. I'll be able to say goodbye to all of my customers.
Next week are finals at school. Because of that, I think everything will transition quite nicely. I will finish out the semester and be able to put 100% into my new job. That way when the Fall semester starts, I will be adjusted.  Well anyway, I'm gonna go and work on my assignments. Talk to you soon!

Thoughts of the day.

 I don't have a lot to say today but I have to marvel at the fact that I love being carded, especially when it's to buy cough syrup. Note that their is no sarcasm in my tone but shear excitement since you have to be 18 to buy cough syrup and the cashier asked for my ID! It made me feel an inch better about being 25. haha.

In other news, this cough/sore throat needs to go away, pronto. It's driving me nuts! I'm also annoyed with my "enter" button that won't snap back into the keyboard on my laptop since I took it out to clean underneath. It's so annoying!

Okay, that's all for today! xoxo

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I'm not feeling so hot so I'm pretty much spending the day watching movies and catching up on my homework.

So my hometown just made through a very devastating time. We had a few straight days of rain that flooded the area. It's been named the 100 Year Flood. I've never seen anything like it, and hope I never do again. I am thankful to have made it through without any major damage. The aftermath I have seen is absolutely heartbreaking. Luckily, we have had great weather ever since, so the water has had the chance to begin to subside. Most parts of town are still a mess; roads and bridges are destroyed, not to mention homes and businesses. The emergency response has been tremendous. Everyone has really come together as a community to get through this.

I was very nervous for a couple of days that my family's business, an auto repair shop, would get flooded but by the grace of God, it's remained unharmed. The river across the street over ran the road. The homes next door were flooded, the business behind it was flooded by at least 4 feet. They even evacuated the neighborhood for a short as a precaution. I'll never forget the fear that we had of losing the one thing that keeps my parents sane; that garage is everything to them. They've worked too hard to lose it. I'm thinking the elevation that the shop sits on had a lot to do with it. Maybe our Guardian Angel had a part. Just a thought.

Here are a few pictures just to give you an idea of what it looked like the day after at my family's business.

Despite the fact that our town is still a mess, and you can't go anywhere without encountering a detour, we are lucky to be safe. It could have been worse.

A bunch of thoughts.

What a long week it's been already and it's only Thursday. Right now I am in the library at school. I really should be studying and doing my Algebra home work but I still have 2 hours before my next class. I'm at a crossroads with Algebra right now. I am not doing well at all in the class. I have failed a few quizzes (thank god for extra credit though I don't really know how much it's going to help me) and took a midterm on Tuesday that I wasn't ready for. I'm pretty sure if I failed that, which is worth 25% of my grade, that I should probably drop the class and do it again this summer. I thought at the time that I might have done okay but reflecting on it now, I'm not so sure. I'll know at 4pm. If I have to do the class again, it would suck because right now financial aid is paying for it. If I withdraw from it, I'll have to pay for it next time. But it's vital to pass it because I still have one more prerequisite before I can move onto Accounting 1 & 2 which I need to get my Associates in Marketing. I think I'm doing fairly well in my other classes, on the up side of things.

I went for my second interview yesterday for my prospectively new job. The job is working with people with disabilities, which is something I have always wanted to do. A friend of mine has been working for the organization for almost 10 years and let me use her name as my reference. Both interviews went very well. We are now just reviewing my options to see which program I will fit best in. It looks like right now they will be able to start me out with about 20 hours but in April there is a chance I could pick up a full-time position. The woman I interviewed with yesterday said something that brightened my day. If I take the full-time position, it would include the best benefits around. Blue Cross for medical. Paid Holidays, Sick Time, Vacation, Overtime. All things I've never had before because I've been waitressing since high school. She also told me it'd be my chance to tell the shitty restaurant I work for to "go pound sand". Sounds like an amazing idea to me.

I sat down with my boss on Monday when I went to pick up my check. He apologized for cutting my hours. He gave me a hug, told me to keep on his ass to make sure he gave me enough hours. I know he's got a lot going on but is it my responsibility to hold his hand while he writes the schedule? If I'm so "important" then why can't he remember to do this on his own. I don't know. Things around there are so shady. I got a call back on another waitress job but I'm hesitant on returning the call. But maybe I should just do it, just to check things out. It couldn't hurt. I just really want that other job and say goodbye to serving. Speaking of, I pulled a double yesterday. They were super short handed and I need the money. Plus I thought it'd look good for my case. It was good money but 13 hours at that place is far too much.

Anyway, guess it's time for me to get to studying. Ciao for now!

Birthday Rant. Happy 25th. Sincerely, your shitty job.

Today was the perfect day to turn 25. The sun was shining, the weather high in the 60s. I thoroughly enjoyed this weekend and was ready to go back to work tomorrow morning all refreshed. When I asked for my new schedule I was told I've been scheduled only two days. Happy Fucking Birthday from everybody's favorite chain restaurant.

I have taken this blow in a couple of different ways. My first reaction of course is to freak out and have this instantaneous sensation to march my ass down to the store and give this poor excuse for a manager a piece of my mind. But unfortunately, it's not going to solve anything and plus, it is my birthday afterall. The second way to deal? Oh good, I only have to go there two days this week. This is what I get for all of my hard work and dedication.

I haven't called out in over two years. I am always on time, do my job to corporate "standard" and I think I do a damn good job. And how do they repay me? By giving me two shifts? And guess where my shifts have gone. To the girl who calls out after being out at the bar all night and has a baby who stays with her cousin all weekends so she can have a good time. So automatically because she has a child and I don't, I should suffer? I have bills to pay. I am seriously at my wits end with this low life excuse for a job. I have given this place 6 years of my life. And here I am, not knowing what's going to happen. When I go to pick up my check tomorrow, I will be sitting down with my manager. I am going to be as calm, mature and professional as I possibly can.

I have a feeling of where this is stemming from. This place has been run so lackluster and half-ass for so long, and with the economy in the shape it's in, corporate is breathing down the necks of the higher management and telling them to straighten these places out or else. If it means hiring ALL new staff and getting rid of the old, so be it. We are just a number, after all. Thank god I am in college. Thank god I know that this is not the end of the road for me and better things are coming. I just need to exercise all of my options. I really am counting on this job I interviewed for. Hopefully they will be calling me the minute they get the results of my background check. Maybe monday morning? It would be too perfect since I don't have to work anyway.

In other news, my birthday was pretty damn good. I visited with close family and friends and tried to enjoy my day. Now it's time for me to go catch up on homework and study for my Algebra Midterm on tuesday.

Revisiting an old feeling.

In celebration of my 25th birthday tomorrow, I took the weekend off from work which is something I never do. So to get the weekend started off right, I drank with a few of my closest friends. It was a fantastic evening and I got quite inebriated.

Around 3am when we were good and buzzed, me, Kayla, and Aimee sat down at the table in Kayla and Ryan's apartment and had a deep conversation on life. Kayla exposed some deep stuff about her life that I never knew about her. We got to talking about her fears about her brother being in Iraq and she told me how much she admired my ability to be strong after the loss of my brother. My brother was killed in a car crash on April 9, 2007; it's going to be a 3 years next month. In our conversation, she said admired how I dealt with my life after losing him and how strong I have been ever since. But what a lot of people will never understand is that I didn't have a choice. There was no other way for me to deal than to be strong for my family. My brother and I were very close and I never really talked about some of the things I revealed last night about our past and just how much I really miss him. It's true, I never ever talk about it. I don't have anyone close enough to me that would ever care to listen. Well that was until last night. I feel so much better knowing that she's there for me, and I am there for her. We all really need that in life. That deep personal connection to share with a friend because let's face it, we all have a story. We all need that outlet and I haven't had that in years with anyone. I never realized how much I missed it.

I am a strong person. I feel like I am finally doing things the way I should be. I am going to school. Not only for my own personal gain, but to make my parents proud. They struggled their whole lives to give us everything they possibly could. I owe it to them to do something with my life. I also keep a positive attitude towards everything in life. Sometimes too positive, but I don't see anything wrong with that.

And on that note, I am going to go lay down and watch Knocked Up. I love this movie! Come tomorrow I will be 25. It's such a weird concept to be halfway through my twenties.

Happy St Patty's Day!!

I'm at work right now and haven't had a customer yet. I'm so bored! I really hope to make a few bucks today so I have money to go out with this weekend to celebrate my birthday! I turn 25 on Sunday and am in no hurry. haha.
I called the lady back about the job interview and we set one up for this afternoon at 3. I am really looking forward to this. The job is working with people with disabilities, something I have always wanted to do. Not to mention it's a great job with benefits! It is also a state job so that means I'd get holidays off!! I am having way too much fun entertaining this idea. Hopefully I will have good news soon!

I must run. Hope I get a table soon so I don't get sent home early! Cheers to the next 4 days off!! (minus school tomorrow including my Marketing midterm which will be a piece of cake!)

Happy St Pattys Day! I might try cornbeef and cabbage for the first time to go with my green beer!

Rain, rain, go away.

We've been having some awful weather this past week. Since Friday it's done nothing but rain and it's now Monday night! Hopefully the sun will make an appearance soon because this weather is so gloomy.

Work has been draining, to say the least. The new management is going crazy with all of these new changes and "corporate standards". Working for a chain, of course there is the Corporate way of doing things, and then the normal way. When those big shots make these rules and "standards", I'm willing to bet most of them have never been at the bottom of the totem pole, or if they have, they've completely forgotten what it's like. To run a shift, they do not allow us to even have something or someone so simple as a Dishwasher. I understand it's not in the budget but how can we build sales if us servers have to wash dishes, wait on tables, prep desserts/entrees, etc etc. It takes away from our service and ultimately hurts our tips.

However, I have been looking for a new job more aggressively in the past week. I got a callback today on the one I want the most so I am setting up an interview in the morning. I really hope it goes well. My goal is to make this new job my priority and have serving as a second income, as opposed to my primary. Especially in these uncertain times. How I will juggle two jobs, school, and a relationship could be a challenge but it is one I am willing to take on.

Speaking of school, I did not so much as open a book during spring break last week and I have class tomorrow morning so I must go now to finish my essay that's due first period. See ya later!

My new obsession? Lush!

So I went shopping for like 8 hours yesterday! It was so fun and just an all around amazing day with one of my best friends but let me get to what I consider the best part of the whole day. We were leaving the food court after lunch and I spotted the store Lush across the way. I've always been curious as to what Lush was and so my friend and I decided to stop in and check it out.

What a wonderful idea it was.
As we entered the place, the smell alone was a little overbearing but I was willing to give it a chance. My curiosity really overtook me on this one. The giant bars of soap with different labels. The funky descriptions and writing everywhere. As my friend was asking me what this place was, I didn't even have an answer. One of the girls working there invited us to join in on a hand therapy session. Of course we said yes! It involved different creams and this amazing bar named Buffy which was an exfoliater and that alone was worth it. Our hands were so baby smooth after this demo that I just had to know more. We tried so many different samples and demos and such and continued to browse for about an hour.

We both, oddly enough, spent about $45 in this fabulous store. I'm addicted. I want to go back already. The products they carry, such as bath fizz, hand soap, moisturizers, facial masks, massaging bars, shampoo, etc.. are quite pricey. I consider myself pretty thrifty, it that's the right word, when it comes to shopping. I rarely splurge on such things but I figured I would give Lush a chance.

So I leave you now to go exfoliate, moisturize, and cleanse with all of my new sweet smelling goodies. More on those later. xoxo

PS- If you have no idea what the hell Lush is, check out their site @ http://www.lushusa.com

It's been awhile.

I disappeared again! What do ya know? haha.

Things have been quite hectic lately. I'm actively trying to balance school, work and a social life. Such is life though right? I have to admit, ever since I moved in with my boyfriend almost 2 years ago, my social life was DOA. Now I'm trying to nurture it back to life and slowly but surely I'm getting there. I've been reconciling old friendships and trying to maintain new ones. I don't like being a hermit!

School's going pretty well. I love my Marketing class, and I might as well since it is my major. I met with a 4 year college yesterday to make sure my credits will transfer over after I earn my Associate's. So far, so good. I'm still struggling in Algebra. I always have but I want so badly to master it and move on.

Work's the same. We have a new General Manager, here we go again. He actually seems like a fairly decent guy. New to the company and willing to work with everyone's schedules which is good. I do have an interview next week but I'm not getting my hopes up. Tips have been fair, weekends are still the cash cow. Cash cow, look at me using my Marketing vocab. My professor would be proud.

Anyway, I must run. I am headed to the greatest mall ever with my friend and tons of great coupons to use. I am addicted to coupons. haha. See ya soon!

Oh look, an update!

The greatest stress on my shoulders right now is the fact that I cannot get ahold of ticket(s) to see John Mayer! He's coming to town in a couple of weeks and I've been looking on Craigslist and eBay daily. Everytime I get close, the person sells them. But come Monday, I will have my refund and I will buy those damn tickets! Someone in my town has a set of two so I'm hoping I can just get the tickets from them and be done with it. I must go! He's one of my favorites and I've never seen him live!

In other notes, I had a great week. I've been busy with school and work. Such is life nowadays. I really like my Marketing class if I haven't said so already. Good thing since it's my major, huh?

Every Friday, my boyfriend and I have the day off together. It's the one day we both share and I'm always trying to get him to do something with me. I started off by trying to bribe him to go to the Coach Outlet with me because I have a 20% off coupon that expires on Sunday. No such luck. But he did offer to go shopping elsewhere so I took him up on the offer. Overall it was a great day! We went to Savers, one of my fave spots, and Barnes & Noble. I was still able to get my hands on a Peppermint Mocha which made my day because today was so incredibly cold. The wind was strong and it was just plain freezing out.

Alright well I'm off to watch the newest Teen Mom. Shush, it's one of my guilty pleasures!

I'm baaack.

I did it again. You know, that disappearing magic trick that I'm so infamous for?

Things have been hectic with work and school and life. I started school last thursday. What an adventure that was. This is my second semester at college. Last semester I took night classes and now I am doing days. I go twice a week and take 3 classes on each of those days which consumes my since the school is about 45min away. I don't mind it one bit. I'd rather be at school than at work anyway. Packed parking lot, busy hallways, the rush & the buzz.

Work has been the same. Had a good weekend for money. Today however was wicked slow. I'm assuming the downpour kept people inside today, can't blame 'em. I filed my taxes this weekend! Will probably be getting my refund in about a weekend and a half. Oh man I cannot wait. Coach Outlet here I come!!! Can you believe I've never been before? I'm looking forward to it so much.

Well that is all for now. I'm going to lay in bed and watch the Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime. I've been trying to watch it for 3 days now and always end up passing out either before or early into the movie! Heard it was good though so I will try again!

Talk to ya's soon. <3

My favorite thing about Sundays are PostSecret.

Sorry for the lack of updates. Overall I really don't have any bitching to do because this weekend went fairly well. I made pretty good money and everyone was super nice which is rare. I had a few generous customers which I definitely appreciated!

The job search is forever ongoing. There really are no jobs. I have been keeping my eyes peeled searching the papers, indeed.com, craigslist, monster, etc etc but to no avail. Guess I'll just keep playing the Powerball. lol.

I did have a strange dream last night about work though. It was a normal morning of waiting for customers and bitching & complaining with the cook about management/staff/customers/life. The lights started to flicker and the grill shut off. The cook tried resetting the breaker. Soon after that, the lights went dim. So I'm at a table serving food and come back to the service aisle when the lights went completely out. I remember everyone shuffling to get out of the building but I was searching for my purse in the dark. I started getting light headed and everyone was calling for me to get out. So finally I find my bag and head outside here I find everyone else sitting on the sidewalk and the cook tells me we've been exposed to carbon monoxide. So we're all sitting there waiting for the ambulances and fire trucks to arrive and people are telling me I need to get checked out because I don't look good. I remember the fear, it was so strong. I remembered how people say that carbon monoxide is a silent killer so I started to panic and kept saying "I should've quit this hellhole. OMG I hate this place". Then I woke up. Isn't that strange?

Totally relative to the dream, I do hate the place. I need to get out. I can't help but feel like I'm missing out on better experiences by staying. The job is so redundant and mindless and I need something more stimulating. I wish opportunity would knock soon! The search continues.

And with that said, I just remembered that it's Sunday and time to head over to PostSecret! One of my favorite things about Sundays!

Living Oprah?

So I am browsing around the Forbes.com website to familiarize myself with it because my Marketing Professor aka my advisor has suggested doing so to prepare for our class that starts in two weeks. While doing so, I stumbled upon an article about a woman who decided for a whole year that she would live by standards suggested by the "queen of media" aka Oprah. The woman stresses the fact that the suggestions Oprah made for living made me her sad and at times inadequate. I wonder why?

Don't get me wrong, I like Oprah. I can't hate on her for doing what she does and have watched her show once or twice but to "Live Oprah" for a whole year seems a little foolish. First of all, the woman has billions of dollars. This means there are no limits on what she can do. She may have been living on less at some time or another but it was years and years ago and she hasn't the slightest clue on what it's like to live in the middle or shall I say, lower class in today's economy. And not only that, she's giving relationship and sex advice! She's not even married. I'm just going to take a wild guess and say this "Living Oprah" lifestyle isn't exactly coming from Oprah herself, if you know what I mean. The writers of her show develop these ways in which they're telling you (or shall I say suggesting) you to live. And from what this poor woman says in the article, don't waste your valuable time.

Here's a link to the article. Living Oprah For A Year

Am I Living it Right?

So it's been awhile. I have the tendency of doing just that.. leaving you hanging. Not that anyone reads this silly little blog anyway.

Today I started a workout routine and a half-ass diet. Really what I'm trying to do is eat healthier. I feel any kind of effort has got to be better that what I've been doing which is a whole not of nothing. I need to lose so much weight. I don't know how I got this big. I hate it.

I just got my first semester grades in. I passed! I only took two classes to get started. I got an A in English and a C in Math. I'm very excited to have passed the math because I did struggle with it. I'm actually looking forward to next semester which starts in two weeks.

I'm glad that it's 2010. It's a whole new year and decade. I've been quite nostalgic lately though. I had the weirdest dream last night about two people in my life that I miss the most. I dreamed about my brother who passed away in 2007 and my friend Maryrose who I haven't talked to in over a year and a half. I don't know where she is or even if she is okay. I know what I need to do. All I have to do is work up enough courage to stop by her mom's house and ask her to give Mary my number. You see, Mary's always on the go. She never stays in one place or has one phone number for longer than a month or two. But maybe she's changed? I don't know. I just know that I've changed my number and moved so she wouldn't be able to find me either. I don't know why they were both in the same dream though. Very strange. But damn do I miss her so much. And needless to say, I'll forever miss my brother Mike. Rest in Peace buddy. <3