Town Mouse in the Country

good things come to those who wait

2010-12-12T19:43:00.003-05:00

I'm really disappointed. I had been sort of planning a little elopement getaway to New Orleans with Cade, but I've had to put the brakes on that indefinitely. The reason isn't cold feet, or money problems, or any of those usual reasons to postpone a wedding. It's because of stupid health insurance... I need my dad's health insurance to pay for all the expensive medicine I take, and the day I get married, I'm dropped from the plan. As of right now, the insurance my work offers for part time people isn't any good and won't cover my medicine anyway, and I can't get enough hours to be considered full time. So, my only option for right now is to just use my dad's insurance, which I am so grateful that I have. I was just really hoping to get married. I know it's only a piece of paper, and that nothing will change afterwards, because we already live together, and yadda yadda, but it did mean a lot to me, and I'm upset we have to put it off because of that reason. But someday, I'll get my own health insurance, and then we will.

But we're going to still go to New Orleans and enjoy ourselves anyway :) Perhaps in February, for our 5 year anniversary? I think so!

Clear Crick Cottage Jewelry

2010-12-09T22:47:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone! I just wanted to take a minute to introduce you guys to a very good friend of mine, Ms. Sherilyn Koss. She has a great little etsy shop called Clear Crick Cottage, where she sells all handmade jewelry made out of all of the prettiest beads in the world.

Recently she made me a beautiful, completely custom made bracelet to wear for my engagement pictures (and my wedding... whenever that happens) and it is absolutely beautiful! This picture is of the bracelet she made for me:

I have some pictures of me wearing it, but I haven't gotten my engagement pictures back yet, so I will post those when I get them. But that picture was one of many that she sent me, showing me different arrangements of beads, colors and clasps. She will take tons of pictures to show you all of the work in progress, and nothing is final until the bracelet is exactly what you want. I wanted an elegant pearl bracelet that included my two favorite colors and a little heart charm. We ended up going with a circle clasp, but she put a heart charm on the bracelet just for me :) As a little added surprise she sent me a simple pearl bracelet that would go with just an every day outfit. I've worn this bracelet almost every single day since I got it because it's so cute and simple, and goes with everything. I get tons of compliments on it every time I wear it.

In addition to making custom jewelry, she also has some beautiful sets in her shop already. A lot of them have earrings, necklace and a bracelet together. I think one of these sets would be a perfect gift for any woman in your life! Here are a couple of her pieces that I am really liking:

You can find all 3 of these in her shop right now!

She has a 20% off coupon code available for the holidays for her blog followers. You can find her blog here.

If you're still doing some holiday gift shopping (or you haven't started at all like me... *cough cough*) go check out her shop! And get something for yourself, too! You deserve it!

i got a man to stick it out & make a home from a rented house

2010-12-02T13:30:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know of a good way to find houses for rent? We're coming up on the end of our apartment lease and I am ready to pack up and get the heck out of here. I looked online for hours the other night, but I could only find 1 house in the area for rent, but I know I've seen tons around. Does that mean you just have to drive around and find them? Or is there a better way?

I can't stand our neighbors, and I couldn't bear the thought of living next to them for another year. Ughhhh. I am hoping we can find something in town (otherwise we'll be out in the middle of nowhere... which could be kinda nice, on second thought) and for cheaper than we currently have.

Any advice?

engagement photos!

2010-11-25T22:30:00.005-05:00

(photo by Emily Stevens)

Go here to view a few of our engagement photos, taken by the lovely Emily Stevens.

I'll post more when we pick up the photo CD from her :) I am excited to see the rest, and I can't wait to meet up to take more pictures... yay!

invisible illness

2010-11-24T02:51:00.004-05:00

I don't normally talk very much about depressing or "bad" things going on in my life on this blog (okay, I don't normally talk very much, period), but I just needed to get some things off of my chest.

(image via weheartit)

I don't think I've ever mentioned it here before, but I have rheumatoid arthritis. I have had this disease since I was a little girl, and it sucks. Before you tell me, "My grandma has that!", let me explain something. Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are two different diseases. Osteoarthritis is the one you get when you're old, usually. It's just caused by the wear and tear of living life, and it wears out your joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease in which the immune system goes haywire and thinks that your joints aren't supposed to be there... so it attacks them and eats away at your cartilage constantly. It causes pain, stiffness, inflammation, fevers and fatigue, among other things. Imagine that you broke your ankle, and then just picture having that pain constantly, all day, every single day. Imagine someone kicking you in the knee, all day long. This isn't even describing half of the pain. Lately, it has been robbing me of a normal life.

I take 3 different medications to manage this disease.

Methotrexate: this is a chemotherapy drug. It was originally used to treat cancer, but it's been used for treatment of RA for a long time now. It has tons of scary side effects. Bloody stool, liver failure, miscarriage, extreme sensitivity to sunlight, fever, loss of appetite, body aches and flu-like symptoms. I take 6 tablets of this every week.
Voltaren: this is an anti-inflammatory medication that helps with pain. It doesn't really cause many problems with me, but it gives me heartburn and it makes me a little nauseous when I take it. I take this twice a day.
Humira: this is an injectable medication that suppresses my immune system. I run the risk of getting sick more often because this weakens my defenses, but it also stops my immune system from attacking my joints. You can't win, can you? I inject this into my stomach twice a month.

It's hard to explain this disease to someone who doesn't know me. Some days, you can't even tell I have it. On days where I've worked a long shift, though, I can't walk when I get home. Sometimes my ankles get so sore and swollen, I can't put any weight on them at all. I have to crawl on the floor to get to the bathroom, and Cade has to help me do everything. Sometimes I struggle so much to move only to the next room. It's frustrating. It makes me feel completely useless sometimes. I don't look like I have anything wrong with me, most of the time, so people don't usually know I have anything wrong with me. The most annoying and frustrating part that bothers me is when I am at work, and I am limping. Yes, I limp. All the time, basically. And I know this. It really pisses me off to be asked 1000 times a day "Did you hurt your foot?" "What's the matter with your leg?" etc. But the worst is when they just say, "You're limping!"... no. shit. Really? Thanks for pointing that out to me, I had no idea!

Another misunderstanding that people have gets on my nerves even more. Picture this:
Stranger: "Oh, did you hurt your foot?"
Me: "No, I have rheumatoid arthritis."
Stranger: "Ah, yeah... I have that in my knee." or "You're too young to have that."

Osteoarthritis is the one that you get usually when you're old. Rheumatoid arthritis strikes at any age, and it is a whole body disease. You don't just "get it" in your knee. I am in pain 24/7. I don't talk about it much because I don't want to be known as "That-Girl-That-Complains-All-The-Time". Or the crippled girl. You know, once last month, a customer actually asked me, "You crippled or somethin'?". What do you even say to that? Yeah, I didn't know either.

Some days, I can walk around just fine with a barely perceptible limp. You can tell by my hands that I have something wrong with me, and I hate showing my hands to people. My fingers show the tell-tale signs of RA. Other days, I can't move. I can't stand up at all. I have such horrible fatigue that I can sleep for 12 hours and still be exhausted. It's not fun.

A new, more recent frustration has been my medication. We had a change to our health insurance, and my Humira injections now cost $1,760. Per month. Yeah. I have applied for assistance throug the drug company, and they are covering $500 worth of the drug, but that only takes it down to $1,260. I spent 3 weeks trying to get assistance through another company only to be denied yesterday. I haven't had this medicine in 2 months almost. They did tell me to call if I needed help with anything else, though. How kind. Since I've been off of it for so long, I am having a horrible, painful flare up. When I get home from work at night, I can't move. I lay there trying not to cry and making Cade go back and forth bringing me drinks and reheating my heating pad in the microwave. I can't walk at all. Or crawl, because my knees hurt so bad. I have to wheel around the apartment in the wheely computer chair. There's honestly got to be something that can be done about this, but I am just so freaking mad and frustrated that I don't even know where to look first. It really burns me up that customers at my work (I am a pharmacy technician) can get this drug for $20 bucks. WHY CAN'T THAT BE ME? What did I do? What?

Finally, my mom broke down today and just charged the damn shots to a credit card, thankfully. So hopefully I'll be feeling better soon. I have had just about all I can take of this, that's for sure.

Normally, I don't really talk about this to other people. I keep the pain bottled up inside most of the time, and I don't let on that I just want to scream and cry and have my legs amputated. It seems like that would be preferable, most of the time. I don't like to complain or be treated like I'm diseased. I just wish people knew a little more about the struggle I am going through. I know it could be so much worse, and I could be dying of some horrible incurable disease. But at times, I do feel like I am dying of a horrible incurable disease. Right now there isn't a cure for RA, and it can take 10-15 years off of your life expectancy. It's hard to stay positive sometimes when your entire body is radiating with pain, but I am so grateful that I am at least alive.

So yeah... now you know, I'm crippled. It sucks. But I do have a handicapped parking tag, which comes in handy sometimes.

Thanks for reading, and please remember this info if you ever come across someone else that suffers from RA. They will love you for simply understanding their disease.

(THANK YOU, if you read all of this. I appreciate you!!!!)

hi, how are things?

2010-11-07T18:55:00.002-05:00

Bean got fixed on Thursday afternoon, poor little guy. He's all grown up!

I haven't really been keeping up with my blog that much lately (let's face it, I haven't been keeping up at all), but I'm not sure why. It's possibly because I haven't had much of interest going on in my life lately, but I always have things to say. I dunno. I guess I'm just kind of stuck in a rut. Going home to visit my family made me realize just how homesick I am, and that I sincerely can't wait to be able to move back up north as soon as we are able to. I miss the crisp autumn air that comes with September, that we are just now starting to see here in Louisiana. Where are all the colorful autumn leaves? I don't see any here. I miss my mom's cooking, and having talks over tea and House reruns. I miss the ability to pop over to Philly on any given afternoon, a city with endless things to do and see. I miss home.

One of my cousins, who lived around the corner from me, went off to college in Georgia. While I was visiting home, my uncle told me that he thinks he's lost her to the south and that she wouldn't ever move back up to Pennsylvania. He asked if I felt the same, and I can safely say that I couldn't picture myself here for any longer than necessary. I just don't fit in here. I like the way I didn't necessarily live in Philadelphia, but I could go there any time I wanted because it was so close. We don't really have anything like that within a reasonable distance. I enjoy the Southern hospitality I've seen, but I've also seen a lot of bigoted, racist and homophobic comments from people on a regular basis. And forget fitting in around here if you don't go to church. Obviously, that means you're the devil. Obviously. Do you have tattoos? Then you're probably a biker, or trash. Have gay friends? You must want to go to hell. Stuff like that. I don't like it. Don't want to live with it forever, end of story.

So no, I haven't been lost to the south. I'm just here temporarily.

hometown glory

2010-10-28T12:11:00.004-04:00

"Round my hometown

Memories are fresh
Round my hometown
Ooh the people I’ve met
Are the wonders of my world..."

Last week I flew up to Pennsylvania to visit my family. I've missed them so much. It felt so strange to go back to the house I lived in my whole life, sleep in the bed I have had since I was a kid, and be with my family again. It felt like I never left. It felt like home.

I loved eating my mom's cooking again (I can't cook to save my life). I spent a lot of time with her while I was there, and it was amazing. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I know I'll be back as soon as I can :)

While I was there, my mom and I went to get our hair done, and it was a huge treat because I haven't had the money to get my hair done for MONTHS and I needed it, bad. It felt great to just have time with her to talk and catch up on the things that you just don't remember to talk about over the phone.

just a quick update...

2010-09-26T17:05:00.002-04:00

Today I got to meet with Emily, the girl who is going to be taking our engagement photos for us. We met at Starbucks to have drinks and talk about the photo shoot. It was so much fun to spend time with another girl, since I haven't had a real girlfriend to talk to since... well, senior year of high school? I don't make friends well. But she was so nice! We talked non-stop for almost 2 hours and we barely even mentioned taking pictures!-- I think it's really great that we have things in common and an actual connection... I think that will make our photos extra great. She has a great vision in mind for our photos and her style is just what I like. I am so excited to have an amazingly talented photographer, and possibly even a new friend as well. I can't wait to show you the pictures when we have them done. I really wanted some special pictures to look back on since we're not having a big fancy wedding, so this is important to me :)

Check our her photography, here.

Tonight Cade and I are going on a little date, so I'm excited!

mi hermanita

2010-08-30T15:18:00.003-04:00

My little sister, Allison, was just here this past week to spend time with Cade & I. It was the first time I've seen anyone from my family since I've moved here... six months! It was great to see her, although I wish I would have been able to take her to someplace really cool or interesting. I just don't know of much to do around here in Lake Charles, besides eat, or go bowling (and we did both!).

Her 16th birthday is September 6th, but everyone always mistakes her for being my big sister :)

I miss you already, Allison!

workin' on my fitness

2010-08-02T12:57:00.002-04:00

I joined a gym here in Lake Charles on Thursday last week. I've gone every day so far, so I'm pretty proud of that. I stayed for at least an hour and a half each time. I'm trying to get healthy, and I want to lose a few pounds. I'm not sure how much I weigh because I don't own a scale, but I think I'll just take a picture of myself to compare it to later. I'd rather not know how much I weigh, really. I'm not going on a diet or anything, just cutting out unnecessary crap, like soda, excess treats, etc. I'm trying to drink more water, and start eating only when I'm hungry, not when I see food that looks good.

I took a Zumba class so far, and I'm planning on trying a few other classes in time. I'm looking forward to feeling better about myself, and feeling healthier. I love the feeling that I get after I leave the gym... I'm proud of myself for actually going on a regular basis, and I hope I can keep it up.

I'm not going to be talking about this too much on here because I'm not turning this into a fitness blog or anything. Just wanted to mention it :)

day 24 : make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs

2010-07-28T23:47:00.001-04:00

This playlist is just a bunch of trance/techno/etc music that I really love. It's some of my favorite music. It's not to anyone in particular. Children by Robert Miles is probably my favorite song of all time.

day 23 : something you wish you had done in your life

2010-07-28T23:40:00.002-04:00

I wish that I had planned ahead more when I was in high school, and really decided on a career that I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Something I am passionate about. I have some passions, but none of them seem plausible for a career. I would love to pursue photography someday, but I don't think it's a realistic goal right now. Someday I hope to return to school to do something, but I can't make my mind settle on one single path. I do know that I would love to do something creative, but beyond that, I am lost. It's frustrating to me that I graduated from high school 2 years ago, and I have not completed anything school-wise since then. I am proud of myself for becoming a nationally and state certified pharmacy technician, and I am making fairly decent money at the moment. I do know that this job will only be temporary for me, though, because I frankly do not find much enjoyment from it, and it doesn't stimulate me at all. I wish I could just pick something. I don't want to end up going back to school when I'm 90 years old.

day 22 : something you wish you hadn’t done in your life

2010-07-28T23:36:00.003-04:00

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I want to say that I wish I hadn't left Cade for the 5 month period that I did, but I do know that it was what was best for us at the time. I think I needed that time away from him to prove to myself that he really was what I wanted, and we both needed to do some growing up.

There are definitely things that could have been handled better, but all in all, I truly wouldn't change anything. I am content with how my life is playing out, and changing any aspect of it might make things turn out wrong. I honestly wouldn't change a thing.

day 21 : your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before... what do you do?

2010-07-27T23:28:00.002-04:00

I would rush to the hospital to be with them, to apologize, and to tell them that I am so happy that they are okay. If they did not survive, then I would feel guilty for the rest of my life, seriously.

I always try to say "I love you", or something nice to someone, when I am leaving because I know that there is always a possibility that I may never see them again. Cade and I usually make an effort never to go to bed angry, and we always kiss each other goodnight. I would never want to have my last memories of someone be a negative thing. I never want to leave a sour taste in anyone's mouth when they think of me.

day 20 : your views on drugs and alcohol

2010-07-25T16:09:00.002-04:00

I've never tried any illegal drugs in my life. I haven't ever really had the desire, and I wouldn't know where to get any even if I wanted to. I work in a pharmacy, so I also see every day what addictions to prescription drugs can do to people. I hate the idea of taking any kind of medication, so I usually avoid taking anything for headaches, or a cold, or simple little things like that. I hate the idea of taking medications for mood or anything emotional because I feel like those types of medications numb people so they can avoid dealing with their problems. I only take the medications that I need to for my arthritis, and I even dislike taking those, but without them I can hardly walk.

(during my first drinking experience in Venezuela)

I grew up with an alcoholic parent (he is 100% better now, sober for many years) so I have witnessed first-hand how things can get out of control with alcohol. I have only had drinks when I was in Venezuela (where I was of legal drinking age), if my mom gave them to me on a holiday, or at one party for New Years' Eve. I am a goody-two-shoes and I don't like to break the law, so I am staying away until I turn 21. I don't intend on drinking often because a) I am not supposed to drink while on the medication methotrexate (for rheumatoid arthritis) and b) I know that children of alcoholics are at a higher risk of becoming one themselves, and I will not let that happen. My dad struggled for a long time with this problem and I know he would never want to see me become a victim to it.

day 19 : what do you think of religion? or what do you think of politics?

2010-07-23T15:05:00.003-04:00

I went to Catholic school for 13 years, and learned all about Catholicism, but I have never been Catholic. The public school in my area wasn't the greatest, and private school offered a better education. I have never felt spiritual, or seen a need to be. I have no interest in being part of any religion at the moment, and I don't believe I ever will. I am very interested in world religions, however, and I have read extensively about many of them. Organized religion usually teaches people that anyone who doesn't agree with what they believe are wrong, and I don't like that.

I learned the 10 Commandments in elementary school, and I have always obeyed all of them except the ones about worshipping god and going to church. I think that any human being with decency toward others shouldn't have a problem obeying the 10 Commandments. They have little to do with Christianity, and a lot to do with simply being a good person. No one should lie, no one should murder people. It doesn't matter if they are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc. I treat people with respect because I expect to be treated with respect. I am nice to people because it makes me happy to be nice. It has nothing to do with religion.

I understand that some people need to believe that there is something more to life, and that they are working toward heaven. Some people rely on their belief in god to get through every single day, and they pray when things are hard. I respect the reasons some people depend on religion to live, but it's just not for me. I would much rather take comfort in the belief that I am self-sufficient, and I will always be able to overcome any hardships I come across in life. I have not needed to ask god for help in my life, and I am not about to start now. I am capable of doing things without believing that there is some big man in the sky helping me out.

(both photos by me)

I don't consider myself particularly spiritual. If I were to lean toward any sort of religion at all, it would definitely be some sort of pagan religion that focuses on the worship of nature. I do think that there is some sort of energy about the earth that is very sacred, but I don't really think it is any type of god being. I think that humanity is definitely connected in that we all need the same basic requirements to live, and we all have the right to live our lives in the way that we see fit. I do think that karma exists, and I think that you get back what you put out into the world. Doing good or bad won't determine what happens to you after you die. I believe that you only have one life, and that when you die, that's it-- you are dead. I find it strange that people focus so much time and energy worshiping a god so that they will have a perfect life after death. I think that my way of belief causes me to appreciate each day more, because I know that once I die, that will be it. I have to make the most of my life, because once it is gone, I won't have anything else. I don't believe in heaven or hell. I don't think that we will come back, or see our loved ones again.

As for politics-- I hate talking about politics because everyone always wants to argue about them. I tend to stay far away from discussing politics if at all possible. I will say that I do consider myself a liberal, I am pro-choice (in certain circumstances), I am for gay marriage, and I voted for Barack Obama. And that is all. No further discussion.

day 18 : your views on gay marriage

2010-07-21T23:32:00.006-04:00

Cade's at work until midnight tonight because they're doing inventory, so I'm bored alone at home (and posting tomorrow's truth tonight!) and trying not to be a scaredy-cat.

I am a huge, huge, huge supporter of the gay community. My best friend, Miguel, is gay. I have known many wonderful gay people in my life. I went to Catholic grade school and high school, so it was drilled into my head that being gay is evil and wrong, but I have never felt that way, for some reason. It just never made sense to me. Now that I live in the super-conservative, Christian south, I am shocked by how openly people seem to voice their ignorance-- be it racism, religious intolerance, or yes, even homophobia. It makes my blood boil when I hear someone spewing intolerant garbage about other people.

I have removed portions of this entry at the request of a reader.

(my high school classmate, Kevin)

My blood pressure goes up every time I recall that scenario, for sure. Even now, as I write this, I am seething. In the world that we live in today, hatred is SO prevalent. Love is a beautiful, beautiful thing and it is meant to be celebrated. If the way that someone chooses to celebrate their love is through marriage, then they should be allowed to do so. I think it is ridiculous for anyone to think that they have the right to stand in the way of any couple's right to get married. Maybe you don't agree with homosexuality, but it is never going to affect you, or your life. No one ever stood in front of a man and woman and told them that they shouldn't be allowed to get married for whatever reason, so it shouldn't happen to gay couples.

Love doesn't see a gender.

(my friends, Trent & Dustin)

day 17 : a book you’ve read that changed your views on something

2010-07-21T13:38:00.002-04:00

I first read The Diary of Anne Frank in 5th grade, and it has always stuck with me. If I ever feel down about my situation, or start wallowing in my own petty misery, I try to remember Anne Frank. She saw the ugliest side of human nature, and experienced the most horrible examples of mistreatment, and yet she still found a way to be happy, and see the beauty in life.

These are some of my favorite Anne Frank quotes:

Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.

I simply can't build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death... I think... peace and tranquility will return again.

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

(images via weheartit)

day 16 : someone or something you definitely could live without

2010-07-20T02:56:00.003-04:00

Unhealthy, chemical-laden, processed foods.

(image via chemical free skinny)

As soon as we make enough money to buy separate groceries, I fully intend on creating a healthy diet for myself that includes tons of organic produce, whole foods that don't come in plastic packaging and require the use of a microwave to cook them. Unfortunately, money is an issue (isn't it always?) and my Mister is the pickiest eater in all of the land. I've been trying to grab more healthy choices for myself when we go shopping, but we still end up buying a bunch of junk that no one should ever be eating. Cade refuses to try eating any vegetables or fruits because he insists he has already tried them all and they are disgusting, so I can't really spend all our grocery money on things that only one of us can eat. I can't wait to be able to afford to buy myself all the yummy healthy foods I want so that I can eat better and fuel my body with good things, not crap.

day 15 : something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it

2010-07-19T16:58:00.003-04:00

Cade. It's as simple as that. I know that despite any rough patches we go through in our relationship, we are always better when we are with each other. I learned that I do not need him in my life, but I want him in it. You should never need another person, it's unhealthy. But to want someone in your life, every moment of every day, because you feel that much more fulfilled when they are part of it, is the most amazing feeling in the world.

day 14 : a hero that has let you down

2010-07-19T16:52:00.002-04:00

I rarely stop to think about who I consider a hero. A hero is someone who can stand up for what is right, even if it isn't easy to do. They are a person who knows what to do in the most difficult situation, and they put others above themselves as often as possible. A true hero is someone that learns from their mistakes and grows beyond them. A hero, to me, can't let you down. That is what makes them a hero, because of their unrelenting ability to do good.

My mom is my biggest hero, and she has never let me down. We've had moments throughout my life where things weren't the greatest, but we have always come through them. I miss her so much and I can't wait to go home to visit her and the rest of my family as soon as possible.

/end cheese.

day 13 : a band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days

2010-07-19T16:39:00.002-04:00

I decided to take the weekend off from blogging, but I'm back to catch up on 3 entries for the 30 Days of Truth challenge :)

I thought for a long time about which band/artist I wanted to choose for this prompt, and it was so hard to come up with something. I definitely use music as therapy for hard times, and I love hearing lyrics that I identify with that speak directly about my situation. I can't say that I have one single band that I go for when I'm feeling down, but I definitely seem to listen to a lot of Nelly Furtado's music lately. She seems like such a strong individual who is sure of who she is as a person and what she wants. She isn't ashamed of who she is and I strive to be more like that every day.

Here are a few of her lyrics that I especially like:

I remember the days when I was so eager to satisfy you And be less then I was just to prove I could walk beside you Now that I�'ve flown away I see you�'ve chosen to stay behind me And still you curse the day I decided to stay true to myself
-- ...On the Radio

I can't believe you need me I never thought would be needed for anything I can't believe my shoulder would carry such important weight As your head and your tears I can't believe you chose me, in all my fragility, me It hurts so much when i love you, it makes me cry Every time You, you are, oh you are The little boy made for me in the stars In the stars, that's why I can't let you go The little boy made for me in the stars That's why I love you more the further I go And before this existence you were always there Waiting for me You are, you are the realest thing I know Hands down -- Childhood Dreams

No tengo armas para enfrentarte, pongo mis manos, manos al aire. Sólo me importa amarte, en cuerpo y alma, como era ayer.
-- Manos Al Aire

I look in the mirror, the picture's getting clearer
I wanna be myself but does the world really need her I ache for this earth I stopped going to church See god in the trees makes me fall to my knees My depression keeps building like a cup overfilling My heart so rigid I keep it in the fridge It hurts so bad that i can't dry my eyes 'cause they keep on refillin' with the tears that I cry
-- Te Busque

day 12 : something you never get compliments on

2010-07-16T18:39:00.003-04:00

My earlobes, my knees, my musical taste, my boyfriend**.

(**he gave me all of these answers)

spooky little girl

2010-07-15T16:59:00.004-04:00

The second book my mom sent me is Spooky Little Girl by Laurie Notaro. The story is about a girl named Lucy who returns from a girls-only vacation to find that her fiance has thrown all of her things out on the lawn, locked her out of their house and he won't answer her phone calls. She gets fired from her job, and then to top it all off, she gets hit by a bus and dies.

She wakes up in ghost school, where she needs to learn how to properly haunt, and all there is to know about being a supernatural entity. She desperately wants to find out why she was tossed out of her home without explanation and why she was wrongfully fired.

I thought that this book was hilarious. The author had a really funny conversational tone throughout the book, and it seemed like it was a friend telling the story. It had a lot of funny parts and some parts that were touching, they actually made me tear up a little bit. I'm looking forward to checking out some more books by Laurie Notaro, because I've read that a lot of people think she's funny (and I like funny books). Let me know if any of you have read any other books by her, or if you plan on checking this book out!

updates...

2010-07-15T16:41:00.003-04:00

Nothing really exciting going on over here, but a few things:

my raise finally went through at work!! I passed my national pharmacy technician exam back in February, but my raise hasn't been put through until now. I'm so relieved!!
I'm working on my hours to get my Louisiana technician's license. We didn't need to have a license in Pennsylvania, so it's really weird to me that we need to have one here. I have my permit and I have to get 600 hours under a pharmacist's watch before I have my license.
I finished reading the second book that my mom sent me last night, so I'll do a review on that later. I've been dying to read Eat, Pray, Love now that Chelsey recommended it to me. I read the excerpt on Amazon and now I need more! I am waiting for my mom to mail it to me (she owns it) but I am getting impatient!
I'm going to an estate sale tonight (my first one!) with Cade and my friend Trent and his boyfriend Dustin. I'm so excited! I doubt I'm going to buy anything, but it will be fun to check out what they have. I'll be sure to post pictures if I buy anything.

Oh, and does anyone have any recommendations for any really good books they've read lately? I'm on a reading kick and I'm almost out of books here. I couldn't bring my entire book collection with me when I moved, so I only brought the series I was reading at the time I moved (Sookie Stackhouse). I already finished all the Sookie Stackhouse books that are out :(

So, anything good?

day 11 : something people seem to compliment you the most on

2010-07-15T16:33:00.003-04:00

My eyes :)

day 10 : someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know

2010-07-14T13:49:00.003-04:00

(weheartit)

Honestly, I don't think I have someone for this prompt. I have tried to remove all the negative people from my life, and I am pretty sure they are all gone. It really feels good to surround yourself with positive people who are excited about life. It's important to me to remain optimistic in spite of anything bad that happens. Negativity breeds negativity, and I don't want to have anything to do with negative people.

Life is too short not to be happy :)

day 09 : someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted

2010-07-14T13:36:00.002-04:00

My best childhood friend, Mary. We were inseparable throughout elementary and middle school. We were different from the other girls in our class in so many ways, ways that brought us so close. Our passions were reading, writing and exploring the world. We loved to play with dolls and use our imaginations to create the worlds they lived in. We sewed clothes for our dolls, created furniture and notebooks for them. We cooked (well, mostly she cooked and I watched) and made movies. We dreamed about being best friends forever, until we lived in the same nursing home as old ladies.

We went to different high schools and slowly we stopped talking often. Then we stopped talking at all. We made different friends and moved on with our lives. We haven't really spoken to each other since we were freshmen. I still regret it painfully to this day, because I know we are still the same wide-eyed girls hungry to learn about the world, and we could still be best friends.

I miss you, Mary.

day 08 : someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit

2010-07-12T21:39:00.003-04:00

(weheartit)

There was one person who fit this description, but she has since been removed from my life. She was my high school best friend, and we had a lot in common. One thing we didn't share, however, was the way that she seemed to breed negativity. If there wasn't something negative about a situation, she would find a way to create drama. She wasn't happy if she wasn't in a fight with someone, or causing some sort of conflict. I was constantly being dragged into things that were completely inane. Classmates would ask me, "Why are you friends with her?". I would defend her, saying "You guys just don't know her very well... she's not always like that." Until I saw for myself last fall just how nasty she really was. She treated me like crap when I went out of my way to make her birthday special for her, and from that day I vowed to never make excuses for her again, and to stay as far away from her as possible.

It wasn't a forceful removal, in that I declared my desire to no longer have contact with her, but it was a slow and gradual adjustment. I never really told her how I felt about her, because I don't like to cause drama. We just stopped talking. I went from having one best friend to having none in a matter of weeks. The texts and phone calls dwindled, the friendly chatting at work stopped and became all business, and hanging out ceased. My attitude and outlook on life have improved so much since I removed her negative influence from the picture. I am happier.

day 07 : someone who has made your life worth living for

2010-07-11T20:40:00.002-04:00

day 06 : something you hope you never have to do

2010-07-11T20:29:00.002-04:00

The answer I first wanted to say for this was "die". I never want to die, ever. It's my greatest fear. But I have no choice, and we all have to die some day, so I decided that I would choose something that I can actually control.

I hope I never have to have children. I've felt this way for as long as I can remember, and I have plenty of reasons for it. People always tell me that I'm going to change my mind, that I'd love being a mother, but I know that I wouldn't. I just know it's not for me, the same way some people know they are meant to be moms. I don't like kids. They annoy me to no end and I feel awkward around them. I've been told it's different when they're your own kids, but I don't think it really is. You either like kids, or you don't.

I want to have the freedom to travel without the hassle of children, I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck in debt all of my life because I'm paying for tons of groceries, school tuition, etc. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and I am afraid it would get worse with the weight I would gain when pregnant, and I would be in constant pain the entire time. I would be afraid that the child would have it, too. And finally, I am just too selfish to have a baby. I want to spend all my free time making my self happy, and I think having kids would get in the way of that.

So that's it. Now you know, I hate kids.

day 05 : something you hope to do in your life

2010-07-09T19:36:00.004-04:00

In one word? TRAVEL! There are so many places I would love to visit in this big beautiful world. Here are some of them:

San Francisco

Banff

Paris

Greece

Italy

New Orleans

Hawaii

Amsterdam

India

...and I would love to go to Venezuela, again!

There are more places, surely, but these are my main destinations of interest. I hope to make it to most of them before I die! :)

In addition to traveling I would also like to get a degree in something (anything, I don't care... when I figure out what I want to be when I grow up), go skydiving, become fluent in Spanish, get a half sleeve, learn to play piano, become good at cooking, and stay married to Cade forever and ever, amen.

day 04 : something you have to forgive someone for

2010-07-08T17:24:00.002-04:00

I have been wracking my brain for something to say for this prompt, and I really haven't been able to come up with a good response. Sure, I've been hurt by people many times. I don't try to dwell on these things. I used to think I was a person who held grudges, and to an extent I suppose that I still am, but for the life of me I can't think of a single grudge that I am holding right now.

If you hurt me bad enough, I guess I just stop caring, and let you go. I've had to do that with the girl who I thought was my best friend. I haven't spoken a word to her in almost a year, and life feels a lot better without her influence in it.

I guess I forgive her for being a shitty friend.
But I won't forget.

mazeltov!

2010-07-07T18:24:00.002-04:00

Today I crocheted Bean a little yarmulke to celebrate his Jewish heritage. Except he isn't Jewish. Maybe next time I can make him a poncho.

day 03 : something you have to forgive yourself for

2010-07-07T14:31:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of things that I have done in my life that I regret, in some way, but I wouldn't want to go back and change any of them. I know if anything changed, I may not be where I am right now. And even though where I am right now has its' ups and downs, I wouldn't want to have it any other way.

One thing, however, that I regret more than anything, is the time that I let another person get between me and Cade. I don't think I ever mentioned it on this blog, but two years ago, for about 3 months, Cade and I weren't together. Things in our relationship were not at their best. He was not listening to me when I asked him to stop playing video games so much, and he was making me miserable. I barely spoke to him at all while I was away over the summer in Venezuela, and then I broke up with him when I got back. I started dating another guy, and I was happy, until we broke up. I am extremely lucky that Cade was willing to take me back after what happened. I do believe that it was a big wake up call for us, to see exactly how our lives would be without each other. I would have regretted it forever if I hadn't tried to make things right between us, and I remember what happened every single day.

I still feel guilty for what happened, but it makes me value our relationship so much more, to know how fragile it really is.

delicious lemon bars

2010-07-06T23:31:00.003-04:00

On Sunday Cade, Bean and I went to Cade's mom's house to barbecue for the 4th of July. Even though Cade and I both had work that day, and we missed the fireworks (the first year in my life, ever!) it still turned out to be a pretty awesome day.

I have been wanting to make these vegan lemon bars that I saw on Chelsea's blog, Seablanket. I bought all the stuff to make them one week at Walmart (you know, the only store around here...) and they were out of lemons (the lady even went in the back to check for some)... so, into the cabinets everything went to never be seen again. I actually kind of forgot all about it until the other day. I don't cook much. Hah. But Cade's mom found me a couple of lemons (they must have been the only lemons in the entire state) and I tried to make these bars while Cade was grilling.

So here is Chelsea's recipe for vegan lemon bars:

Supplies Needed:

1 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter Substitute

2 Tablespoons Applesauce

1 Cup Sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 Tablespoon Grated Lemon Peel

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

(I shamlessly stole this picture from Chelsea)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar; cutting in melted butter substitute until crumbly. Press flour mixture into a 8 or 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour lemon mixture over your partially baked crust. Return to oven and bake for 20-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and if desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar and lemon peel. Cut into bars. Makes 24 Lemon Bars.

I didn't really know if it would matter if I used powdered sugar or regular sugar, and we didn't have any powdered sugar, so I just used regular. And it turned out great. I also didn't bother measuring anything, and I just kind of slopped it all around in the dish until it looked okay. Mine didn't turn out as delicious looking as Chelsea's, so I didn't bother taking a picture... but it was really, really good. I ate half the pan of them, and brought some back to the apartment. Cade wouldn't try them because he saw me using applesauce and he hates applesauce (that boy...).

But I just wanted to let you know that if you are inept at cooking (like me) you too can make a delicious, albeit ugly dessert to wow your family and possibly your fiance, too! (that is, if he likes applesauce...)

day 02 : something you love about yourself

2010-07-06T13:19:00.002-04:00

I love the fact that I am really friendly toward everyone, and that I make a point to remember everyone's names. To me, it always feels really special when you meet someone and they call you by name, and they actually remember it the next time you see them. Being friendly is a big deal to me, even though I don't have many friends.

I also love my sense of humor. I am really sarcastic and crazy. Although I may not come off that way through my writing, you can definitely tell the first time you have a conversation with me :)

trends

2010-07-05T21:37:00.005-04:00

Walking around the mall, and seeing what they sell in stores lately, I've come to realize that while I like many trends... most of them just confuse me.

You know what I mean, right? No? Okay, well here are a few examples of what I'm talking about...

Gladiator sandals: Let me just get this off my chest. Um, ew. I hate them. I hate everything about them, and they are hideous. Phew. I feel much better now. Can someone please explain to me why these are popular now? I don't want my feet to look like they are in little leather cages. I hope that these go out of style quickly because I am tired of looking at them. Ugh.

Plaid shirts: They are cute. I own two. But why on earth are they seriously like... the ONLY thing that I can find in any stores in the mall. I went into PacSun and it was pretty much, you either got a plaid button-up shirt or you got nothing. Same thing with Delias. Can we please pick another pattern?

Underwear disguised as shorts: Who wears these? these have like a 1/2 inch inseam! No one wants to see that much of anyone out in public...

Which calls to mind super short dresses: All the dresses I am seeing this year so sooo ridiculously short that I would feel uncomfortable going out in them in public without wearing shorts under them. What's up with that?

And just so I'm not a completely Negative Nancy:
I am loving the retro swimsuits, floral patterns and nautical themed items I am seeing everywhere :)

What do you think of these trends? Do you agree with me or am I just crazy and missing something totally awesome?

day 01 : something you hate about yourself

2010-07-05T21:00:00.002-04:00

I hate the fact that I am so self-conscious and I take everything personally. If I hear people whispering, I automatically assume they must be talking about me, and saying something mean about me. If I know that someone doesn't like me, it eats me up inside and drives me crazy. I can't stand knowing that I may have made a bad impression to another person. I am self-conscious and I always seek reassurance about my appearance, my talents, basically everything. I am slowly learning to accept myself more, trying to realize I'm quite awesome, and not as bad as I imagine others perceive me.

30 days of truths

2010-07-04T01:02:00.004-04:00

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

For the next 30 days I will post my response to the above prompts. Leave me a comment if you want to join in! :)

sarah's key

2010-07-03T12:56:00.003-04:00

Last week my mom sent me 3 (!!) packages in the mail, as sort of a "Happy Summer!" gift :) In one of the packages, she sent me 4 books that I hadn't heard much about, so I was really excited to get started on them right away. Last night I finished the first book, which was Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Without giving too much away, the story is told from two points of view throughout most of the book. One half is told about a little girl named Sarah living in occupied France during the 40's. She and her parents are taken to a concentration camp by the French police under German orders. She locks her little brother in a cupboard in their house to keep him safe and promises to come back for him later that day.
The other half of the story is set in modern time, and it's about a woman name Julie that finds out a secret connection that she has to Sarah, the little Jewish girl from the 40's.

I thought the book was really really good, and I couldn't put it down the whole time I was reading it. It did make me cry a couple of times, it was so sad. But I enjoyed it. If you liked the Diary of Anne Frank, or the Devil's Arithmetic, you will like this book a lot!

100th Post!!!

2010-06-30T12:07:00.003-04:00

I can't believe this is already my 100th post! I have come a long way from where I was when I first started this blog.... 1390 miles, to be exact. I can't thank my little group of followers enough for encouraging me, inspiring me and entertaining me throughout all of this time! :) I really have enjoyed this experience and I hope I can only continue to get to know all of you better!

I wish I had something cool to do for my 100th post, like a giveaway, but money is tight and I am not especially talented to make anything I'd feel comfortable giving away to anyone... so I promise I will have a giveaway as soon as I possibly can, keep your eyes peeled!

Today I'm doing a survey I was tagged for by the adorable Kaelah Bee
If you don't already read her blog, go and check it out! She's such a super sweet, genuinely kind person and she gives amazing advice! I am so glad I met her :)

And now, on to the survey...

1. If you could have a tea party and invite any 4 people, who would you invite and why?
Celebrities: Ellen DeGeneres, Nelly Furtado, Oprah and Charlaine Harris.
Non-Celebrities: My mom!!, Kaelah Bee, Alexz from Bird Trouble and Rachael from Talk2theTrees :)

2. What is one city you'd love to explore?
I'd really love to go traveling mostly anywhere. If I had to choose somewhere in the United States, I'd probably choose San Francisco or Salem, Massachusetts. I'd also really love to see the Greek Isles, maybe India.

3. Describe your perfect day!
Wake up in the morning (...feeling like P. Diddy... no, I'm joking) to cuddle with Cade for a while, then go and have a nice big breakfast with fruit. After that I'd love to go visit my family (even though they live sooo far away) and go to Cape May, NJ with them. We could all hang out on the beach and look at all the cute little shops there. After that, we could drive to Wildwood and go to the boardwalk to ride rides, and grab a slice of pizza from the Hot Spot and some Dip'n Dots. If it was Friday we could watch fireworks on the beach (they have fireworks every Friday night in Wildwood) and then we could all go home and go to bed :)

4. What are some of your guilty pleasures? (Music, food, movies, etc)
Music: I listen to a lot of stupid pop music, and rap, that isn't necessarily good music, but I enjoy dancing and singing along to it. I probably wouldn't admit any of the songs though...
Food: I love anything covered in cheese, especially pasta. I love macaroni and cheese, and I'd probably eat it every day if I could.
Television/Movies: I could (and have...) spend an entire day just watching tv or movies. I can't pull myself away sometimes. I hate to admit it, but I love stupid talk shows, reality tv and contest shows. The Tyra show, Ellen, Oprah, America's Next Top Model, America's Got Talent, American Idol, Last Comic Standing, Forensic Files, Operation Repo, to name a few...

5. What is your astrological sign and do you think you fit the description?
I was born on January 19th, the last day of being a Capricorn. Capricorns are described as

Personality Traits of a Capricorn:

Good organizational skills
Neat & tidy
Practical
Realistic
Strong work ethic
Materialistic tendencies
Conventional
Respects authority
Egotism
Cruel taskmaster
Servility
Excessive perfectionism

Likes...

Simple food
Antiques
History
Responsibility
Not being pressured
Unconditional love
Privacy
Elitism
Family

Dislikes...

Untidiness
Disorder
Being teased
Familiarity
Surprises
New ideas & paths
Loneliness
Being useless
Public embarrasment

I would say I feel as though I identify with most of these traits. The ones that do not describe me are liking elitism, disliking familiarity, egotistic and cruel taskmaster. Everything else sounds like me :)

6. When do you feel your prettiest?
When I've just gotten out of the shower and dressed in something cute, done my hair and makeup and everything looks perfect before it gets ruined for the day. I like it when Cade tells me I look cute, so I usually try to make myself cute every day =P

7. Do you keep a written journal or diary?
I have tried many times, but I would always forget to write in it for months and then start a new one. I really wish that I could stick with it. Maybe someday?

8. What is your main life goal?
I'm gonna go with the cheesy answer here and say: To be happy!! :)

what are you so afraid of?

2010-06-11T01:48:00.007-04:00

I feel like I have some strange phobias, so I decided I'd share some of them with you guys:

Fear of being late: I can't find an actual scientific name for this, but I am always paranoid/anxious about being late for things. I live 5 minutes away from my work, but I always leave at least 30 minutes before my shift starts because I'm afraid I'll get stuck in traffic/have to make a detour or something and I'll be late. I'm this way about everything, though, not just work. I'd rather be an hour early for something than a minute late.

(weheartit)
Venephobia: One with venephobia usually can't stand looking at their own wrists, hands, or neck, fearing of seeing their own veins and arteries. No one ever understands this fear of mine, and I can't explain it. I hate seeing my own, or anyone elses', veins or inner elbows. I freak out if I see someone touching their inner elbow, and I break into a cold sweat if someone touches my arm there. I literally avoid looking at that part of my arm because it grosses me out so badly. I have to get bloodwork done often because of the medication I'm on and I have anxiety days before the time I have to do it. Strangely enough, though, I don't mind tattoo needles ;P

(sorry, can't bear to look at any visuals for this one)
Lygophobia: Fear of darkness. I am a lot better about this than I used to be. I used to need a nightlight to sleep, but now I am okay with the subtle glow of the street lamp across the road shining in our bedroom window at night. Cade likes to take advantage of my fear all the time. He will turn off the bedroom light before bed, and he sneaks around the room because I can't see him, then he grabs me. It still scares the crap out of me, even though I know it's him.

(weheartit)
Entomophobia: Fear of insects. Yep. All of them. Butterflies are okay, but I would still probably freak out if one landed on me. Something about all of the legs.

I took this photo when I was in Venezuela. It's the biggest bug I've ever seen in my life. I had to take a picture of it, but it moved and I screamed and ran away.
Aquaphobia: fear of drowning. I wouldn't call this a HUGE fear, but I always think about it when I'm swimming, and it would definitely be the worst way to die (in my opinion). I get the willies when I watch the part of Titanic when the people are drowning. I almost drowned the summer I was in Venezuela because my friends and I got pulled out in the rip current and we couldn't swim back to the shore. Luckily some people were able to come out and get us. We were really lucky because there aren't any lifeguards on the beaches there, it was just random passersby.

(weheartit)

So, tell me 5 things you are afraid of!! Leave a link in the comments :)

me... domesticated?

2010-06-09T00:19:00.006-04:00

Today was Laundry Day here in our little apartment. Because we are poor freeloaders, we packed up our dirty laundry and hauled it to Cade's moms' house to spend the afternoon washing clothes.

While we were waiting for our clothes to finish, Cade treated me to my first hair cut since December! I had major anxiety about this for the past week because I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to just trim my hair, or chop it all off. I'd been going to the same girl to get my hair done for the past 4 years or so, and I have only had bad experiences the few times I've strayed from her. I am sooo pleased with the way my hair turned out! I decided to get it short, because I can barely stand the heat here as it is, and everyone keeps telling me it's only gonna get hotter... so off with my hair!

Some random brand of hair dye was on sale at my work (CVS) last week so I dyed my hair dark dark brown. You can't really see much of a difference in the photos, but it's got less yucky random shades of blonde in it now. I like it!

I decided I'm going to try to make some real, honest homecooked meals more often, so I tried to make meatloaf for dinner tonight. I found a recipe online for bacon wrapped meatloaf, and I figured anything with bacon would be right up Cade's alley. Cade is the pickiest eater in the ENTIRE world, I swear to you. He does not like any fruits or vegetables at all. You can see where my frustration comes from. I used ground turkey to make the meatloaf in an effort to counteract the artery-clogging properties of the bacon. It turned out sooo good-- and Cade wanted seconds! I would have taken a picture, but it fell apart a little bit when I sliced it up and it didn't look very appetizing, but it was, I promise!
I adapted ours from this recipe, here.

After dinner I gave little Bean a bath. He loves getting baths, he just pretends to hate it :)
Is it bad that that the whole time I'm bathing him I am humming this song?

Here's a little video I made of Cade and Bean playing together yesterday:

summer playlist

2010-06-06T18:14:00.001-04:00

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

wedding bells

2010-06-06T15:13:00.005-04:00

If you recall, back in March Cade proposed to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about when we're going to get married, and how the day in general is going to go. We already know it's going to be a simple day, just us, getting married at the Justice of the Peace. But I still want some special (inexpensive) touches to make the day magical :)

This is the dress that I have my eye on:
It's under $40 from Delia's!

And these cute little peep-toe flats from Blowfish:

Some cute little undies from Aerie to match my dress (because I am weird like that):

I want to go out to a nice lunch or dinner after we get married, but I don't know where to yet. Maybe we'll just decide that day! Who knows?

I've been trying to find somewhere cheap, close-by, but romantic to have a little weekend getaway for our "honeymoon". I found this charming little Bed & Breakfast called Ashton's in New Orleans and it looks absolutely adorable and perfect. It has like 300 reviews on Google and they are all 5-stars... the owners are apparently very sweet, the breakfast is to-die-for and it's only a few blocks away from the French Quarter, where we can do some sight-seeing. I'm hoping we can spend a few days here...

I want to stay in the Bourbon Street room (it's room 7 on the website) I'd post a picture, but the site is using flash player so I can't copy the photo... but check it out, seriously! The room is gorgeous! :)

Since it's just going to be Cade and I that day, I want to send out some cute little customized wedding announcements to our family and friends. We're planning on doing a big family wedding after Cade finishes school and we have more money to do it.

I'm hoping that maybe sometime near the end of the summer we can make all of this happen!~
I am so excited!!! :)

school days, school days...

2010-06-05T21:54:00.005-04:00

Hey, everyone! I promise I'm not becoming one of those bloggers who does nothing but post surveys. I'll write something with substance eventually... when it happens!

I got this survey from Jamie over at Inspired Mess :)

1. Where did you grow up?
Aston, Pennsylvania. It's super close to the city-- Philadelphia, about an hour away from the Jersey shore and minutes away from tax-free shopping in Delaware. Perfect!

2. Do you consider your childhood a happy one?
Oh, definitely. Sure, things happened that I wasn't happy about, but all in all, I was so happy all the time mostly.

3. Do you have any siblings?
I have a little sister, Allison, who is going to be 16 in September (so we are like 4.5 years apart). We weren't very close when we were younger (I'm talking knock-down, drag-out fights) but we got a little closer over the past year and I'm glad.

4. Who did you think was the smartest person in the world?
I really admired my classmate, David. He always got a perfect score on every single assignment and he NEVER studied (or so he said). I was JEALOUS!

5. Did you ever run away from home?
I walked out the door with nothing but my cellphone when I was like, 14 or so? I walked around the block and hid behind someones trees in their yard as it started to get dark and sat there texting for a few hours. My mom drove by in her car, looking for me, and demanded that I come home immediately.

6. What about being a child do you miss the most?
Really fun family vacations to New Jersey. We went to Wildwood almost every single year of my childhood for a week or two during the summer. I love the rides, the food, the beach and spending time with my family there.

7. Where did your family go on vacation?
I actually just said that for number 6 =P

8. What is something you really wish you hadn't started earlier in life?
Eating meat. I would LOVE to become a vegetarian, but I have eaten meat for 20 years and I really do like the taste of it. I don't think I could ever stop eating it now. If I had been raised not eating it, then things would be different.

9. Did you have any serious accidents or illnesses as a child?
I was born with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, I had/have a milder case of scoliosis, and I broke my collarbone falling off a horse when I was in 9th grade.

10. Did you have any nicknames?
Em, Embo, Emily-Squared (in highschool when I was with my friend Emily)... that's really all.

11. Name 5 school days accomplishments.

I was one word away from winning the spelling bee that would take me to the Scripp's National Spelling Bee (yeah, that's the one they show on ESPN. Kinda glad I didn't make it, now that I think about it).

(don't these kids at the Scripp's National Spelling Bee look EXCITED about SPELLING?!)

2. I was the "president" of the Poetry club in high school. I loved reading/writing poetry, and I adored the teacher in charge of the club-- Mr. Brown was the most unique man I have ever met in my life!

3. I won a "Light Up Christ in Christmas" art contest in elementary school for a drawing I did of the manger, and I think it was put on a greeting card or a stamp or something like that.

4. I made honor roll almost all of the time... ish.

5. I only got called to the principal's office twice in my entire life. Once for making faces at someone, and the other time for possibly casually stating that I wanted to kill someone.

12. What stories have been told about yourself as a baby?
I used to cry all day unless my mom put my in the jumper thing that hung from the ceiling. I recall my dad pretending I was like a tetherball and batting me around in circles around the room.

13. Did religion/church play a part in your childhood social activities?
I went to Catholic elementary school, but my family isn't Catholic (my mom just sent me to the same school she had gone to). I begged her to let me go to Catholic high school because I was a little goody-goody and I feared that the "bad" kids in public school would eat me alive. I wish I'd actually gone to public school, now, but I did enjoy my high school. But no, I never was and never will be a religious person. Just not my cup o' tea.

14. What objects do you remember from your childhood?
A toy I really liked was my Kitty Kitty Kitten, which was a stuffed cat with some kind of marbles (??) inside of it and it purred when you shook it (Ah yes, encourage the children to shake small animals!)

15. What was the number of students in your graduating class?
8th grade class was 19, high school was 400-something.

16. What is one thing that you never did in high school that you wish you would have done?
Actually try to do well in my classes, instead of just doing enough to scrape by with a passing grade.

17. Did you go to college and what was your major?
I did one semester at community college as an Undecided. Then I did 8 months of Dental Assisting at a trade school (but didn't finish my externship). Now I am a self-made nationally certified, licensed Pharmacy Technician. I obviously don't know what I want to do.

18. What was the funniest thing someone wrote in your yearbook?
I left my yearbook at my parents house, but I remember there were some pretty awesome doodles and stuff in there.

19. How has your hometown changed since you were a kid?
Some new stores/restaurants/etc. were built, but not very much has changed. Nothing got worse, that's for sure. I loved the new Wawa (don't make fun of Wawa-- if you don't know what it is, that's your loss!!)

Where else can you get cheap-ass gas,
a DELICIOUS breakfast sandwich, a hoagie
and an icee all in one trip? Nowhere, that's where!

20. If you could go back and tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
Find something you LOVE to do and go to college for it! You will end up a 20-year old with no passions in life and no direction! Also, stop being such a drama queen.

I want to tag a few people for this, because I'm particularly interested in seeing their responses, but if you do this, leave me a comment and I'll read it, too!

Hayley because she grew up semi-close to where I lived as a child.
Alexz because she lived in the area for a little while.
Rachael because we are a lot alike.
Chelseybell because we have similar interests.
Kaelah because she grew up in the south.

mi casa

2010-05-31T13:23:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! You aren't seeing things... yes, it's been a whole month since I've last made a peep! I'm not going to make any excuses for my absence, there's not really any specific reason. I've been reading everyone else's blogs and keeping up with things, but I just haven't felt motivated or inspired to do any posting of my own. Life goes on and I felt as though I had nothing interesting to say. I'll try to make a better effort, though!

Here's a survey I've seen floating around in the blogosphere lately...

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 74 degrees

B- My BEDROOM theme is: "we can't afford to have a bedroom theme"-theme.

C- The CAR in the driveway is: actually, I don't have a driveway. The car parked in the apartment parking lot is a white '98 Kia Sportage with a nasty dent on the drivers' side.

D- My DESK looks: very messy.

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: dependent on the time that I have work, or what plans I have for the day. If I don't have a reason to get up early, I generally don't!

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: hair.

G- My GARAGE is filled with: nothing, because I don't have one!

H- My HOME is: not finished yet. Maybe when I become rich!

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bathroom you’d see: my makeup all over the counter and towels all over the floor.

J- My favorite JUICE is: any kind of juice... that's all I really want to drink, ever.

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: plenty of cabinets and counter space.

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: Gage and Jordan came over yesterday to play xbox with Cade.

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: my Louisiana Pharmacy Technician permit.

N- My NEIGHBORS think I’m: nothing... they got kicked out.

O- If you OPENED my fridge you’d see: not much. Guess we need to go shopping!

P- My last house PARTY was: my 18th birthday!

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: breakfast for dinner.

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: all of them, really.

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: Pantene for volume, or the teatree mint shampoo by organix.

T- My largest TELEVISION is: the only one we have, in the living room. It's a 40-something inch flat screen. It's amazing. Cade's mom got it for us for Christmas... thanks, Miss Wanda!!!

U- UNDER my bed you will find: the things that Bean has stolen and taken under there.... socks, underwear, empty water bottles.

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: last weekend.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: the neighbors across the property.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: windows in the apartment, preferably one in the bathroom and in the kitchen.

Y- My YARD is: non-existant.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: whenever I fall asleep, generally between 12-1 am.

say hello to Bean!

2010-04-30T13:46:00.003-04:00

Bean is the surprise I was telling you guys about :) If you remember the puppy I mentioned in this post, then you should probably recognize him. He got so big!! He is 8 weeks old now.

I drove the 3 hours to meet Karen of Lonestar Chihuahuas yesterday so I could pick him up. All of her dogs were so cute, and she was such a sweet lady! I am so happy with my puppy!

He hasn't seemed to have any trouble adjusting to the move, thankfully. He slept all through the night, he's running and playing around and he is eating a little bit.

Isn't he so cute? :)

curious tuesday

2010-04-27T13:32:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone! I don't know if any of you read Gala Darling's blog, but I do! I think she is so interesting, and she always posts really great articles. You should definitely check her out, if you don't already read her blog! This "Curious Tuesday" is a new little meme she started up! Leave me a comment if you answer the questions, too... I want to read :)

Curious Tuesday 001

1. What is the strangest compliment you’ve ever received?

I don't really take this as a compliment... but last night when I was working the following exchange occured:

Customer (to me): "Are you pregnant?"
Me: "What? Um, no... I'm not..." *continues ringing her up*
Customer: "Oh, you're not? Oh. Okay."
Me: "Your total is $45.87."
Customer: "You are glowing, that is why I said it. That's why."
Me: "Yeah. Thanks."

This has happened to me a few times, lately. I carry all of my weight in my stomach, and none in the rest of my body (well, my butt) so I suppose I could look pregnant. But I am not. It really makes me upset and pissed off when people ask me if I am. Grr.

2. What’s your little-known talent?

I can make lots of things with origami, I am a master persuader and I can always get my way, and I can keep my eyes crossed while talking to someone and it freaks them out. What can I say? I am a woman of many talents. Oh, and I can also read, understand and speak quite a bit of Spanish. I wouldn't say I am fluent, but I can definitely hold a conversation, and get by.

This is where I learned to speak Spanish:

VENEZUELA!

3. What do you obsessively search for on eBay?

I've never ever bought something on eBay. I am too afraid the thing that I buy will be bad quality, or that the person will just not send me anything and rip me off. I don't trust people very much, and it's sad. I have bought things from Etsy, but they were from people whose blogs I have read and I felt like I "knew" them.

4. When you were a child, who did you worship & want to be like?

My mom... even if I didn't show it. She was, and still is, the perfect example of the type of person I would like to become when I grow up. She is so hard-working and never asks for anything from anyone. I admire her to no end.

I miss you mom!!!

5. What was your palate band? Otherwise known as the first band you heard that made you realise the world of music was larger than whatever the Top 20 singles were! (The idea for this one came from here!)

Probably Bob Marley, because my mom used to listen to him in the car when I was younger. I forgot all about him until I was older, and then I heard him again. I now count him in one of my favorite artists, and reggae is now one my favorite genres of music.

Bob Marley and the pregnant lady are from WeHeartIt.

fill in the blank friday... on saturday!

2010-04-25T00:19:00.003-04:00

I've been seeing Fill-in-the-Blank Friday floating around in blogland a lot lately, and I want to play now :) Here are my answers for this weeks prompts:

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus. I had the biggest obsession with that song when I was a little kid, and my grandmom bought me his CD when I was about 4 years old. I swore I was going to marry him. And the funniest part is, I don't know a single other song by him... does he even have any other songs??

2. My first concert ever was Hanson, in 4th grade. I actually thought that they were girls, but I loved their music! I didn't find out that they were guys until a few months after the concert... oops!

3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: Bon Iver, Lady Gaga, Kings of Leon, Iron & Wine, Lights, Agalloch and maybe a guest appearance from Michael Jackson.

4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is White Mystery by Minus the Bear... and also, When We Escape by Minus the Bear. Their music is just that kind of mood.

5. The best concert I've ever been to was definitely Kings of Leon. Amazing.

6. A memorable musical moment for me was when they played Revelry at the Kings of Leon concert. That song gives me goosebumps and makes me want to cry. I love it so much. It was even better live.

7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is Alejandro by Lady Gaga... you know that I love you boy, hot like Mexico... REJOICE! Alejandro, Alejandro... Ale-Ale-jandrooo...

2010-04-23T17:38:00.002-04:00

I took this photo for my senior digital photography class. It's my dad. I didn't really have any particular reason for posting this except that I am bored, and it's cool :)

tag, you're it!

2010-04-23T13:06:00.003-04:00

The beautiful Rachael from Talk2theTrees tagged me in this :)
You just have to show the 6th picture you ever posted on your blog, and this is mine... a purple bathroom, haha. I was writing a post about interior designs that I liked!

I tag:
Lindsay
Sandra
Deb
Nicole
Chelsey

i'm far too tired to fall asleep

2010-04-22T21:17:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I've been really busy with work, so I haven't been able to post in a bit. I have been spending this evening catching up on blogs, tea and good music :)

On Friday night Cade and I drove to Houston to see Owl City and Lights at the Verizon Wireless Center. Now, listen to this... I rarely ever drove in Philadelphia when I lived in Pennsylvania because driving in the city terrifies me. There are one way streets, busy crosswalks, confusing grid system streets... not my cup of tea. I love driving on the highway, but not in busy cities. I was pretty sure Houston couldn't be a really "big city". I am in the South now. The country. I figured there would be cows grazing in the middle of Houston, and farms. Let me tell you, I was so so wrong. It's a big big city, just like Philly. I was so lost, panicking and driving while crying/shutting my eyes. I am a big baby. But we did make it to the concert in one piece!

I mostly wanted to go to the concert to see Lights but I also enjoy Owl City. The opening band was called Paper Route, and they were from Tennessee. Everything was really awesome, and I had a great time. I haven't been to a concert since almost last summer, when I went to see Kings of Leon, so I was craving some live music! I really loved the lighting used during the Owl City portion of the show... and I loved the fact that he had a violinist and a cellist. I wasn't expecting that!

On Saturday, Cade and I went to his mom's house because we were going to all meet up at the park for a barbecue. His mom and sister went on a last minute shopping trip to the store for some supplies. An hour passed, and Cade, Aaron and I were still waiting for his mom and sister to get there. By this time, it was already 7 o'clock and the park closed at 9. We finally made it to the park by 7:30 and started to unpack the car. We realized then that we didn't have a lighter. Cade, Aaron and I got in Aaron's truck to go to a convenience store at the corner. Once we bought the cigarette lighter, we realized it would be nearly impossible to light coals with it, and we needed lighter fluid. We drove the rest of the way back to his mom's house to get the grill lighter and the lighter fluid. By the time we got back to the park, it was dark outside, and the mosquitoes were coming out for dinner. This was the point we decided to pack it up and just go back home... bummer! But we did get to grill back at the house, which tasted just as good. I was just hoping to have some fun outside, now that it's almost summer. We're going to try again soon... only better prepared!

If you remember the exciting news I mentioned about a month ago, and you are still curious about what it is... you will find out on Thursday, one week from today! :)

(images via google... :( I didn't bring a camera!)

let me introduce myself...

2010-04-09T18:08:00.005-04:00

I just got home from grocery shopping and work, so I am really exhausted (what can I say? I lead a hard life...). I wanted to make an introductory post with some little facts about myself as inspired by Alexz, my bloggy bff.

So here goes...

My name is Emilie (it's actually Emily, but I prefer it to be spelled with an 'ie' so I usually write it that way unless it's for something legal) and I currently live in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I just moved to Louisiana a little over a month ago and I am living in an apartment with my fiance, Cade.

Here is a photo of us from my senior prom a few years ago....

I work as a pharmacy technician at CVS. It's exciting stuff, let me tell ya. I won't even go into anymore detail about that...

And here are just a few random little facts about me:

I am obsessed with anything that has to do with the Spanish language. I get really excited when we have customers come into work from Mexico. I can hear them jabbering in Spanish and I say "HOLA!!!!" and try to ring them up while speaking in Spanish. They usually look at me like I am insane.
I really like to watch reality tv. Or any tv for that matter. My current favorite shows are Trueblood, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Forensic Files, American Idol, Operation Repo, Wife Swap, Supernanny, 16 & Pregnant. I was watching America's Best Dance Crew but it ended last night... my favorite crew (Poreotix) won! They are so cool. Want proof?

See? Now you believe me :)

My favorite colors are purple, teal and brown. Especially when together. This is why:

(I'm not a big fan of green though...)

I really love music... and I'm pretty sure everyone says that. I love all kinds of music (some more than others) but I can pretty much listen to anything. Here are a couple of my favorite songs today...

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Tell me if you like any of them!!! :D

I read approximately 10,000 blogs every day. And I keep adding more to my list. Tell me if you have a blog that I don't know about... I'll read that, too!
I love pineapples. I could eat them 24/7.
I love sweet tea. It's pretty much all I have had to drink since arriving in the south. I'm pretty sure I bleed sweet tea by now.
I am scared to be home alone. Or really, anywhere alone. I hate going to the store by myself, or to get gas. Gives me the willies.
I love animals!!! If you let me pet one I will be happy forever :)
I don't really talk to anyone I am friends with on facebook. I mostly just stalk them, look through their pictures and see who they are dating. I especially like to look back at all the people who were jerks to me in high school. It's nice to see how the mighty have fallen.
I like to do repetitious things, like making 12354124346 origami stars, or crocheting, or coloring a page with different shades of the same color. I probably need to be medicated.
Speaking of medicated... I take lots of medications. They're all for rheumatoid arthritis. I was born with it. Some days it sucks, some days it doesn't. It's a crappy disease, but I like to think I have it better than a lot of people. If you ever see my hands, you can definitely tell I have it, because they are all gnarled. Don't stare at them, it makes me self-conscious. I also really really hate it when people ask me why I am limping. I have started to tell people I was wounded in WWII, or that I have leprosy. They stop asking.

Hmmmm... well, this was longer than I thought it was gonna be :) If you have any questions, leave a comment!!!

Love,
Emilie

you ain't nothin' but a (catahoula) hound dog!

2010-04-02T19:33:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone! This has been a really nice week for Cade and I because he's off for spring break. He goes back to school on Monday, so our fun time is drawing to a close.... but fear not! He is off for the summer in only 4 short weeks :) I can't wait. And, on the 16th we go to the Owl City/Lights concert in Houston!

On Tuesday night we went to my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, and I got eggplant parmesan (my favorite!) and Cade had fettucini alfredo. After our dinner we went to see She's Out of My League, which was really really funny. The movie actually made me think about myself, and the way that I often view my appearance. I thought that the message of the movie was really good... so go see it! :)

These lizards are always crawling all over Cade's mom's house.
I can never catch them!

Yesterday Cade and I went fishing with his mom and his little sister Kari. I have only gone fishing a few times in my life, so it was kind of fun and different. I was excited because I caught 2 sunnies and 3 catfish! I am not a big fan of seafood, at all, but I wanted to try them since his mom was frying some for dinner. Unfortunately, I am still not a fan. There is something about the after taste of fish that just grosses me out. But I am proud that I tried something new.

This is the first catfish I caught. Cade had to take the hooks out
of their mouths while holding them with pliers because they have whiskers
that can paralyze you if you touch them-- scary!

These worms grossed me out so much. I felt sick every time I had to touch one.
Tomboy, I am not.

Today at work my boss got 7 pounds (!!!!) of crawfish for lunch. He wanted me to try one, so I obliged. It was SPICY! I couldn't taste anything fishy at all, all I could taste was the spices. My lips were bright red and burning for an hour after I tasted it. They kind of looked like little lobsters. They weren't bad, but they were way too spicy for my taste.

This is Cade's sister's cat. I love her because she
reminds me of my cat back at home, Blue.

This little guy lived at the catfish farm.
He's a catahoula hound dog, which is a dog breed that originated in Louisiana.
I think they are so cute because they usually have one blue eye
and one brown eye, and they have spots like a dalmatian :)

thank you, deb!!!

2010-03-26T16:47:00.004-04:00

I received my happy spring goodies package from Deb last night and it made my whole weekend!!! :)

Reese's Pieces are my favorite candy!!

Thank you for putting so much happiness into this for me, Deb, it was so much fun to receive this! You are the best :)

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, some Peeps were harmed in the making of this post!

me & cade

2010-03-25T18:37:00.003-04:00

I didn't do anything today, so there's not much to talk about... but I felt like updating with something. So, I borrowed this survey from Jen of Little Gold Lemons (check out her blog, it's really cute!)

♥ What are your middle names?

Lynne and Cade.

Cade's real name is actually Thomas!!! Bet you didn't know that :)

♥ How long have you been together?

Almost 5 years!

♥ How did you meet?

We met while playing an online game when we were in grade school.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?

A few years.

♥ Who asked who out?

Cade asked me out :)

♥ How old are each of you?

I'm 20 and he's 19.

♥ Do you have any children together?

No, thank goodness!!

♥ What about pets?

We're getting one soon, maybe ;)

♥ Did you go to the same school?

Never.

♥ Are you from the same home town?

Nope, we lived half way across the country from each other!

♥ Who is the smartest?

I'm more smart in a reading/writing/crafty way, and Cade is smarter in a science/mathy/logical way.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?

Definitely me!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?

So far it's been Dairy Barn... we're high class, people!

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

We drove to Boston once (from my home in Pennsylvania) to visit a college.

♥ Who has the worst temper?

Wow, it's pretty hard to say. We both have bad tempers.

♥ Who does the cooking?

I think it's usually pretty even. I would love to cook more often, but I am really sucky at it. Practice makes perfect I guess!

♥ Who is more social?

Me, I think... Cade is pretty shy.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?

No one. We have to force ourselves to clean up.

♥ Who is the more stubborn?

Me... wow, I am making myself sound bad!

♥ Who hogs the bed?

I guess that would have to be me, too. But Cade always throws the blankets off the bed in the middle of the night and leaves me there to die of frostbite.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?

I naturally wake up first if there isn't an alarm, but Cade gets up earlier than I do when he has class.

♥ Where was your first date?

Well, we didn't really have a first "date" so to speak. But our first kiss was on the couch in my parents house!

♥ Who has the bigger family?

Cade has 2 brothers and a sister, and I have one sister. I guess his is bigger.

♥ Favorite memories?

My favorite memories are the ones we are making right now.

♥ Do you get flowers often?

I got them for Valentine's day!

♥ How do you spend the holidays?

We haven't gotten to spend a holiday together yet!!

♥ Who is more jealous?

For sure, me.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?

Well, we didn't start "going out" until a few years after we met.

♥ Who eats more?

I think I eat more... but I eat more healthy food than he does... Mr. I-weigh-110-pounds.

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?

We just did it together. I ironed, he folded.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?

He is for sure. I am horrible at keeping them from blowing up.

♥ Who drives when you are together?

Whoever. It depends on whether we need to carry anything (groceries, etc) because he has a little mustang and I have an SUV, so I can actually fit stuff in my car. I prefer to drive because I think that I am far superior in skills, but I let him drive me around more here because I don't know where everything is yet.

♥ Who plays an instrument?

Neither of us, really. I can fake my way through a few songs on the piano.

♥ Do you share the same taste in music?

Not so much anymore, but we used to. My tastes have changed a lot.

♥ Who exercises more?

I used to. Now neither of us does. Ugh.

♥ Who eats better?

Me!

♥ Who's more romantic?

I think I am :) *HINT HINT*

♥ Who wears the pants in the relationship?

I think I wear them pretty often, but I lend them to him sometimes.

♥ Who snores loudest?

Me... :(

♥ Is there anything you both share/enjoy?

Our time together.

♥ Who takes more pictures?

Me. Cade never takes pictures!

♥ Who cries the most?

That would be me.

2010-03-21T13:32:00.005-04:00

I am sorry I didn't post all this week... I was a working fiend! I have the day off today, though, so I am relaxing and catching up on all my blogs ;)

Lets see... what did I do all week besides work?

Tuesday was Cade's little sister Kari's 16th birthday, so Cade, Kari, their mom and I went out to dinner and then we went to see Alice in Wonderland. It was so cool! Especially since we went at almost 9pm on a weeknight, so we were the only people in the theater... I love when that happens! I thought the movie was really really beautiful, and I especially loved Alice's clothes (who didn't?). I was never a fan of Walt Disney's version, so I was surprised that I liked this one. I am kind of picky when it comes to cartoons and I much prefer live action movies, I suppose. I have never read the book, but I am sort of thinking that I would like to go get it now.

I tried the new cherry limeade chiller at Sonic and it was probably the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. I love cherry limeade from Sonic, I wish I could drink it every single day. I could, but I wouldn't want to spend the money every day.

On Friday night I made "chicken and dumplings" for dinner using this recipe that my mom gave me. It's chicken and dumplings for lazy people... just my kind of recipe. It is so delicious, and it is so easy to make, even I can do it. Here is how you do it:

3 cans of cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. onions, diced
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 and 3/4 c. water
3 12oz. tubes of refrigerated biscuits, quartered
chicken broth as needed

Pour the soup into a slow cooker. Add the onion and the chicken (I cut the chicken up into little pieces first). Pour enough water in to cover the chicken (I didn't really know why this was in there, but I did it anyway). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on the high setting for 4-6 hours (I cooked it on high because I didn't have a lot of time). About 35-40 minutes before serving, drop the biscuit quarters into the slow cooker, stir well (I used a lot more biscuits than the recipe calls for because they are my favorite part... haha). Replace lid and cook for about 35 minutes, or until the biscuits are fully cooked.

This is supposed to serve 6. I think me and Cade almost ate all of it ourselves, though. Depends on if you family is fully of fatties like us!

I should have taken a picture of it, but I didn't :( Tell me if you try this!!!

Cade's spring break is next week, so we are going to enjoy some time hanging out together (he works and goes to school all the time, so we don't get to hang out much) and we are going to go fishing with his mom and sister. I like fishing, aside from the worms, and the fish. And I don't like eating fish. So it will be fun! =P

Oh yeah, and I also have some very very exciting news that I can't wait to share with you guys, but I am actually going to try to keep it a secret as long as I possibly can! You will have to wait until the end of April... unless I can't keep my mouth shut that long! :)

hooray!!!

2010-03-21T13:12:00.003-04:00

I won my very first giveaway ever!!! I am so excited :D

Thank you to the beautiful and creative Deb of Paper Turtle for the super cute little bunny! :)

I'll show you guys what he looks like on my table when he gets here!

noisy neighbors!

2010-03-16T18:37:00.002-04:00

I wanted to ask advice from any of my blog buddies who have lived in an apartment.

Our next-door neighbors are LOUD. It didn't get on my nerves that much when I first got here because I could usually ignore them. Now, it's starting to get to a point where I consider saying something to them. The husband is kind of creepy, and he scares me, so I don't want to talk to him. I'm not sure about the wife, because I never see her-- I only hear her. They have 3 kids (that I have seen) who are all at least 10 years old, but they are constantly running back and forth, banging on the walls, screaming and throwing things. I knocked back on the wall at them once and they seemed to shut up for a while, but it always kicks up again. Last night the kids were up screaming until like 1am when I could go to sleep.

I don't really want to say anything to them because I don't want to create an awkward situation. Should I leave an anonymous note on their door or something? I really feel bad for whoever lives below them. I should be grateful!!!

So, any ideas? :)

these are my confessions...

2010-03-15T14:30:00.006-04:00

Inspired by the lovely Lindsay, I decided to post a few confessions of my own. They can be kind of embarrassing, but at least they are 100% truthful.

1. I like really good music, by really talented musicians... but most of the time I would rather listen to manufactured, glossy pop music. I like all the disgusting, demeaning horrible rap music on the radio, and I love to listen to it when I am driving. It's so much fun to dance to!

(google image search)

2. As much as I would like to eat all vegan, organic and healthy food... I can't do it. I love hamburgers, pizza and milkshakes. I love putting cheese on everything. I eat whipped cream straight out of a can. It's no secret why I'm the size I am. I'm surprised I'm not bigger.

3. I am bad when it comes to gossip. I love to listen to it, but I rarely add to it. It can be gossip about celebrities, or people I know. But you can rest assured, if someone ever talks about you in front of me, I will definitely let you know.

4. I'm banned from my high school. After we graduated high school, a friend and I figured out the home address of a teacher we didn't like. We egged his house. My friend's boyfriend worked with this teacher, and he told her boyfriend to let us know that if we ever set foot in the school again he would call the police. Woops.

5. Sometimes when I sneeze, I pee my pants. Once when I was in a Halloween haunted corn maze, I got scared so badly that I peed myself. I obviously have a problem.

6. I have a handicapped tag for my car because I have arthritis. Except, I only really use it if I go to the mall and there isn't a space open. I take a handicapped spot. Technically I am allowed, but sometimes I feel fine and I don't need it and I do it anyway.

7. I love buying/collecting underwear and bras. I own way more pairs of underwear than any sane person should. I wear specific pairs of underwear with certain clothes and I have a special set of black underwear for that week. I also hatehatehate the word panties. I won't say it.

8. I also hate saying the word fiance. I never knew I was going to to have this problem until I became a fiance. It sounds so snobby, I hate to say it. I don't know what my problem is. When I was opening my bank account the other day, the bank man said "What brings you to Louisiana?" and I said "My b-iance. Well, my boyfriend... fiance. Not Beyonce. Even though she is a really good singer." He must have thought I was an IDIOT!

(google image search)

9. I can't leave the house without makeup on. I have been this way since I started wearing makeup in middle school. I won't even get the mail or go to the grocery store without makeup on. I don't wear a lot, but I like to at least make my face evened out and not have red spots all over the place.

10. I can't watch tv or listen to music if the volume is on an odd number. If it's on an odd number it bothers me and I have to turn it up or down to make it right.

enjoying life

2010-03-12T13:08:00.005-05:00

I've really been starting to feel at home now. I still miss my family (mom, dad and little sister) a lot, but I try to call them a few times a week to keep in touch.

So far I am really enjoying my job, and my new coworkers. It's not the same as my old store, but I am starting to get more comfortable. The customers here are a LOT nicer than the ones at my old store, that is for certain. It's that "Southern Hospitality" I always heard about, I'm sure!

This is one of my favorite little places to get lunch, and it's right around the corner from our apartment. They have yummy onion rings and awesome milkshakes... horrible for your waistline and nourishing for the soul!

Cade looooves video games. Sometimes I think maybe a little too much, but I have been trying to get a little more into them so we can play together. It's the least I can do, after forcing him to sit through the never ending episodes of 16 and Pregnant, Forensic Files and American Idol... what can I say? I love watching tv! We have been playing Gears of War, and I'm getting pretty good at it. The game actually kind of scares me sometimes!!!

Cade doesn't even mind when I make fun of him wearing his little headset and call him a nerd!

Cade's best friend Aaron came over this week and we all played World of Warcraft together. Now that is a videogame that I like! We are so close to reaching level 80 on our characters, and we can't wait until the new expansion, Cataclysm comes out.

Here are all of our computers, fired up and ready to play!

I have been dying to get a puppy for months and months now, and I think we are really close to getting one. I've gotten in touch with a breeder not too far away in Texas, and she has my little dream puppy-- he's a "blue" chihuahua. I have to talk to Cade tonight about it, but if he's okay with everything, I'm going to make my deposit. The puppy was just born in the end of February, so he won't be ready to come home until the middle of April, so that gives us plenty of time to save up some more money and to gather some puppy things... (I won't lie... maybe I already started buying puppy things... 5 MONTHS ago! Yeah, I already have toys for a puppy I don't even own yet!)

If all goes according to plan, in just a few weeks that little cutie above will be mine, all mine :) I need help choosing a name for him!! Anyone have any good ideas?

turn around, you'll see me

2010-03-12T13:01:00.002-05:00

I have really been identifying with this song lately, so I wanted to share it. It's "Can't Go Back Now" by the Weepies.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Yesterday, when you were young,
Everything you needed done was done for you.
Now you do it on your own
But you find you're all alone,
What can you do?

You and me walk on
'cause you can't go back now.

You know there will be days when you're so tired that you can't take another step,
The night will have no stars and you'll think you've gone as far as you will ever get

But you and me walk on
'cause you can't go back now
And yeah, yeah, go where you want to go
Be what you want to be,
If you ever turn around, you'll see me.

I can't really say why everybody wishes they were somewhere else
But in the end, the only steps that matter are the ones you take all by yourself

And you and me walk on
Yeah you and me walk on
'cause you can't go back now
Walk on, walk on, walk on
You can't go back now

lazy sunday

2010-03-07T16:11:00.003-05:00

I just made a new lil blog banner. I think maybe I like it, but I'm not sure. I'm not too fond of the colors, because it doesn't seem to match the rest of the blog, so it will probably change soon. I just wanted a change. I'm not very good at editing things, and I don't have photoshop anymore, so the most advanced program I currently have is Picnik =P

I hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday!!

**EDIT: I changed the banner to black&white and now I like it much more! Yay :)

a few photos...

2010-03-03T14:57:00.001-05:00

I tried to post these in my previous post, but my camera was being stupid. So here's a picture of me (since I haven't posted a good self-portrait recently), my old promise ring, and my engagement ring (where the ring is actually in focus!)

Thank you guys for your super sweet comments!! :)

the proposal

2010-03-03T12:17:00.002-05:00

Since a few of you asked me, I decided I would tell you guys how Cade proposed to me :)

Last night after I finished work, and Cade got home from school, we were sitting on the couch eating dinner and watching American Idol. When one of the commercials came on, he started playing with my hand, and he took off my promise ring. He gave me that ring about 3 years ago, and I've been wearing it since. "Hey, how about you practice proposing to me!!" I told him. I got up off the couch and pointed to the floor. "Here, kneel right here and I'll pretend to be surprised!!" He laughed at me and said, "Okay, go in the bedroom and turn off the light and shut the door."

I went in the room and did as he said. I could hear him rummaging around for something out in the other room. "Close your eyes, okay?" he said from the other side of the door. "You're going to try to scare me or something... stop it!" I yelled at him, "but I'm closing my eyes!"

Then he came in, and I could feel him put a ring on my finger. I opened my eyes and he was kneeling down on one knee, and he said "Will you marry me?" and I told him "Yes, yes of course!" Then I looked at my hand and realized that he didn't put my promise ring back on, but it was an engagement ring.

I got this stupid goofy smile on my face and I thought it must be some kind of joke, but he promised me it was serious. I started crying, and I was really happy.

And that's how it happened :)

guess what!

2010-03-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

Cade proposed to me tonight!!!!

hello, my name is ma'am

2010-02-24T11:52:00.004-05:00

Every time Cade would come up to Pennsylvania to visit my family he sir-ed and ma'am-ed my parents to death! My parents found it hilarious every time he called them by those titles and they acted jokingly pompous at being extended these 'regal' titles. Cade told me that it was considered a great disrespect down in the south if you didn't address everyone as sir or ma'am, and as a child you would be smacked if you didn't remember to do so. I'm not sure if it's just me, but up north I don't think anyone ever calls anyone by these titles unless they are at least 20 years your senior. I actually often got scolded by female customers at my work if I called them ma'am because they consider anyone that can go by that title to be "old".

Tuesday night was my first night at my new job, and the pharmacist (Tasha) and the two girls (Summer and Chanoa) I worked with were really nice! I was sooo shocked to see that their definition of busy was laughable compared to what I used to deal with in my old store. Unfortunately, however, the laws in Louisiana are so much stricter than Pennsylvania. In addition to being nationally certified as a pharmacy technician, you must also be state licensed. I need to apply for a license and I need to work for 600 hours under a pharmacist before I can so much as refill a prescription or count a single pill! So for now I am just a cashier, which really stinks because I used to do all the duties at my old store (I worked there for almost 2 years!) and now I'm like a peon :( I'm still going to be paid the same amount, so that is okay. I just wish I was more... useful?

Almost every customer I rung up called me ma'am and it was extremely strange to me. I'm 20 years old, I'm not a ma'am! Even women who were in their 60s were calling me ma'am. That would never happen back at home. I was practicing trying to call everyone ma'am and sir, but it felt so awkward to me. Not to mention the fact that every customer had some kind of crazy-hard-to-pronounce French last name. I did take French for 4 years in high school, but the 2 years and the addition of Spanish vocabulary have pretty much shoved all recollection of French out of my head. Redoirpoix... Voidrideux... Goudret... AAAAAAHHHH!!

Last night I attempted to make my first big-girl dinner since I've been here. I made chicken parmesan for Cade, and eggplant parmesan for me (Cade doesn't eat anything that rhymes with vegetable). It actually turned out really really delicious, if I do say so myself. I was really surprised because I usually can't cook to save my life! I always follow recipes to the 'T' and they always turn out horribly wrong. This time I didn't really follow a recipe, I just kind of winged it, and it came out alright! Yeah!! :)

Sorry for the boring post and the lack of pictures! I promise I will charge my camera and make a point to take pictures around here this week!

Oh, and I almost forgot... here is the little video tour of the apartment I made:

Tour of the Apartment from Emilie Briggs on Vimeo.

I'm not wearing any make-up and I sound really nasally... ugh. Just pretend it's better! ;)

My mom helped me get a new lil iPod since my old one got stolen.
And yes, I am listening to Michael Jackson. What of it?

catching up...

2010-02-22T11:49:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all the sweet comments on my last post! It makes me really glad to know that all of you are just as excited as I am :)

I started driving on Friday morning at around 6am. I usually like driving far, so I thought it was going to be sooo fun driving to Louisiana. It wasn't!! I drove from Pennsylvania to Maryland, to Virginia, to West Virginia to Tennesse. I didn't get to Tennessee until around 6:30pm and I was exhausted. I checked into my room at the hotel in Chattanooga and I sat in bed watching crappy tv until I fell asleep.

I got up early at 5am and I was out on the road by 5:30. I hit the time change to Central Time about an hour later, so it was about 4 something in the morning. I crossed into Alabama, then through Mississippi, until I finally reached Louisiana. By this time I had already listened to every song on my ipod 15 times and I was bored witless. I decided to put on Trueblood season 1. I listened to the episodes since I couldn't really watch them (I was driving, duh).

I arrived in Lake Charles around 2pm and Cade was on his way home from work to meet me at the apartment. He brought my favorite Louisiana delicacy for me for lunch-- boudin balls! I have no idea what is in those things, but they are sooo good!

We unpacked a little bit and then we called Cade's best friend Aaron to come over and hang out. We were going to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner (my favorite!) but there was a line from the door all the way to Philadelphia, so we went to Sonic instead. Most people don't understand my love for Sonic, but that is because the closest Sonic to my old home was about 2 hours away. I love their cherry limeades... and their tater tots... and mozzarella sticks. I should stop, I am making myself hungry.

After we ate, we went to the movies and saw Avatar. I didn't really want to see Avatar because it looked like an action movie (not my thing), but it was actually really really interesting and quite good! I wouldn't mind seeing it again. The movie reminded me of a mix between Pocahontas and Michael Jackson's music video for Earth Song. I swear I kept hearing that in my head throughout the whole movie! Haha.

Yesterday we slept in until noon and then got ready to go to the store for groceries and a few other little odds and ends. When we got back home we cleaned up and Cade made breakfast for dinner! After dinner we watched Forrest Gump on AMC and then some awful MTV shows. We went to sleep because he had to be up for class this morning.

Now, I'm just hanging out here until Cade comes home from class for lunch.

I still feel like I'm in a hotel or something, on a vacation. It's going to take a while for it to sink in that I actually live here! I am enjoying it so much so far, but I really miss my family. I wish that I didn't have to move so far away, but I know that I will see them again soon, and I won't be so far away from them forever. It was really hard to leave, but I know it would have been hard no matter if I left now or 5 years from now.

Sorry for the long, boring post! I just wanted to write down everything!
I hope everyone is having a great Monday :) I have my first night at my new job tonight and I am really nervous! Aaaah!

PS - I am trying to upload a video tour of the apartment, so I will post that later! :)

i'm here!!!!

2010-02-21T14:49:00.000-05:00

I'll write a proper post later, but I wanted to let you all know I made it alive.

... I am so happy! :)

YESSSSSSSSSS!

2010-02-13T12:57:00.004-05:00

I PASSED MY PHARMACY TECHNICIAN EXAM!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited I almost peed my pants. When I stood up from my computer, after it said PASS on the screen, I almost fainted. I am so happy :)

I got a package in the mail from Cade today! He made a heart shaped box and filled it with little paper "chocolates" that all say sweet things on them. I love it when he makes me cute little things... it's so much more special to me than a store-bought card, to know that he really spent time to create something unique that I can cherish forever.

I also wanted to thank everyone who sent me a Happy Mail birthday card! I received the package the other day, and I was so happy!!! It really made my day!

Oh, and in crappy news: Someone from my class stole my ipod yesterday. I was really upset, and I actually cried... several times. I never knew I was so attached to a material object, which makes me feel kind of stupid. It's not even the fact that it was expensive... I could easily buy another ipod, but I had music on that ipod dating back to 9th grade. There is hardly any music on my computer now, since I reformatted it. I'll never remember which 8,000 songs I had on there :( The security at my school is going to try to see if they can figure out who was going through my purse, but I am not getting my hopes up about it. My mom says I should offer a reward to anyone that can return it to me, but I'm not sure how much to offer. I'd pay pretty much anything, I think, as long as all my music was still on it. I can't believe someone would do this to me, especially since everyone in my class is really nice to me, and I trusted all of them. Now I don't know who to trust... Sigh.

I just hope that I can get it back!

happy anniversary, cade!!

2010-02-12T00:00:00.004-05:00

Today is me and Cade's 4 year anniversary :)

Cade,
In just one week I will be on my way to Louisiana. I can't wait to see you again... I haven't had one of your amazing hugs since August, and I'm long overdue. I can't believe that these 6 months have already passed by, when I thought that they would never end. You are everything to me and I can't wait to start our life together. I know that things are going to be difficult, but I am more than ready to take on this challenge with you by my side. You never give up on anything and you are the most encouraging person I know. Thank you for being the most wonderful person I've met in my life. I love you!

duckface

2010-02-11T14:01:00.003-05:00

Stop Making That Duck Face!

I spent a long while cracking up at this website, and I hope that you enjoy it as well!

And for your viewing pleasure, I found a picture of yours truly making my very own duckface:

Oh, the shame.

cardigans?

2010-02-11T13:54:00.002-05:00

I am on the hunt for a nice, 3/4 length sleeve cardigan to wear over shirts and dresses, but I am having problems finding the perfect one. I really like this cardigan shown above, from J. Crew, but I am having problems convincing myself that $62 is worth it for a little sweater. Does anyone know where I can find a cardigan like this one, preferably for a little bit cheaper? I am hoping to get it in a couple of colors so I can wear them with many outfits... too bad I'm not a kabillionaire...

no more snow!!!

2010-02-10T10:58:00.003-05:00

I was snowed out of class today, so I was sitting here... and then I got a phone call saying my pharmacy exam for tonight is canceled as well. Gee, thanks. It's rescheduled for Saturday morning now. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep your little fingers and toes crossed that I can actually go and TAKE THIS TEST.... ughhhhhh... okay, enough grumbling.

Alexz had the idea to post a picture that was tagged of you on Facebook that you didn't know was being taken... Here's a funny one of me:

I tag everyone! Leave me a comment if you post a picture, I wanna see :)

sooner than later, i need a savior...

2010-02-06T22:14:00.006-05:00

So, guess what I just bought?

Tickets to see Owl City and Lights together in Houston on April 16th!!!!
I am totally excited! I love their music so much :)

I got tickets for me and Cade. It's not really his taste in music, but he's kind enough to go with me anyway!!

Also, it snowed for a million hours today... we have approximately 10 feet of snow (give or take) outside. Needless to say, my Pharmacy Technician Exam was cancelled. I rescheduled it for Wednesday night, but I heard it it supposed to snow again... sigh. So I guess we'll see what is going to happen. I guess it's good that I have a few more days to study... but I am soooo anxious to get this over with and have the worry off my shoulders. So, whoever controls the weather... please be nice to me!!!

Oh, and I also made a formspring. Ask me something?

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

love songs

2010-02-03T19:25:00.006-05:00

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

In honor of Valentine's Day coming up, I made a little playlist of my very favorite lovey songs :) Leave a comment and tell me which song you like the best!

just 2 weeks left!!

2010-01-31T15:32:00.005-05:00

I'm sorry I've been such a terrible blogger!! I keep meaning to update, but I have been so stressed out keeping up with all the loose ends I need to tie up in these last two weeks before I move. I'm going to feel so much better when I get down to Louisiana and leave all the stress up here (hopefully!). I've never moved in my life... I never realized how much work it really is! I majorly feel for people that have to move frequently because of their jobs, or whatever reason.

I just wanted to pop in to let you guys know that I am still alive and kicking, and I promise I will update with better and more interesting news very very soon! :) Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, also... so far being 20 seems like it's going to be the best year I've had yet.

I'll leave you with a couple of sneak peeks of our apartment that Cade sent me:

This is the view from the front door when you walk into the apartment... Cade's friend Michael trying to make the bar look good!! :P

This is the kitchen, obviously, which is behind the bar.

This is the bathroom sink. It has a nice big counter, perfect for me to clutter up with all of my junk!

This is the shower/tub. And Michael sitting on the toilet. There's another photo of that, but I figured I'd spare you all.
Okay, so I lied!!!This is the tv that Cade's mom gave us for Christmas, and the tv stand. I see he's already started breaking it in with video games.

This is the view of the living room and front door. We still need a coffee table or some sort of end tables.
And this is our bed, with the blankets I chose and sent to Cade.

I can't wait to see it in person! I am so excited!! Cade has been living there for a few weeks now, and he says it's really lonely and he can't wait for me to get there :)

I hope that you all had a beautiful weekend...

2010-01-14T22:51:00.002-05:00

First off- We got the apartment!!!! I am so excited!!

I found out that in Louisiana you need to be a nationally certified pharmacy technician to work in a pharmacy, which is not the case in Pennsylvania. So now I need to take the national exam. If I pass, I get a raise. If I fail, well... I don't have a job when I get there. So much pressure! I have scheduled my exam date for February 6th. I just hope that I can pass it... I swear I am going to get a stomach ulcer from all the worrying I have been doing lately. I am such a worrier.

My birthday is on Tuesday!!! Woo!

sorry!

2010-01-09T12:48:00.002-05:00

I apologize for being such a bad bloggy friend lately! I have been up to my ears in stress, and planning to make everything ready for the move (which is a month away!!!! I can't believe it!) so that is why I haven't been popping around much!

I just wanted to let you guys know that Cade is putting in the application for the apartment we have our heart set on this Monday. It is a little more expensive than we had hoped, but it is perfect for us! His mom agreed to help us with rent (if we need it) until my externship is over and I can start working full time.

The apartment was just completely redone, and Cade told me it's really really nice. He is going to take pictures of it on Monday so I can see it, too :) We now have a bed, sheets, pillowcases and a comforter (but no mattress!), a tv, a desk, two couches, two bookcases, a microwave, cooking utensils etc, towels, some small decorations and a few other things I am forgetting about. What I am mainly still hoping to get is: a mattress, obviously, and then a little table for the dining area. And a tv stand, but that can wait.

And in final news, I found a job at a CVS in Lake Charles, so I can start working as soon as I get there!! That is a huge weight off my shoulders, knowing that I won't have to start a job search as soon as I get there. Hurry up, February! I am ready!!

so little time, so much to do!

2010-01-04T16:15:00.004-05:00

January is crunch time for me to get ready to move out... Cade is going to look at apartments this week so he can move in hopefully sometime before the end of the month. In the meantime, I need to:

Compile a list of dentist's phone numbers for my teacher to call.
Get the 3rd and final Hepatitis B vaccine on February 11th.
Get my doctor's records of my Tetanus vaccine.
Get a TB test.
Fax my form and registration fee for the Radiology exam.
See all of my doctors for one more time.
Finish up and make copies of my resume.
Cancel all autopayments on my debit card.
Cancel my bank account.
"Quit" my job on or about February 10th, and have my boss transfer me to a CVS in Louisiana.

Ahhhhh so much to do... I am going to go crazy.

But my birthday is on the 19th, so I am excited about that!!!

I bought a few really awesome things for our apartment, but I had them mailed to Cade's house. I'll let you guys know what it is when he gets it, because I know he reads this and I don't want to spoil the surprise :)

My dad also gave us a $200 giftcard to Walmart so we have a little money to buy groceries when we get there! Thank you, dad!

Hope you guys all had a great Monday!!

oh, hello 2010.

2010-01-01T18:43:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! :)

(from notebook doodles)

Wow! I can't believe I can say I've been alive for 2 whole decades. That sounds like such a long time to me! 2010 is going to be one of the biggest years of my life because a) I'm finishing school b) I'm moving out and c)...I might be getting engaged... shhh... no one has officially asked me (you know, with the ring and the one knee and all?) but I am pretty sure a little birdy told me that it's gonna happen!!

I know everyone is blogging about their goals for the new year, and I am not going to be the one to stop the trend, so here are a few of my goals for 2010:

-Eat healthier: I am going to be moving out of my parents' house, so I will have no excuse not to cook the healthiest meals I can, and to not buy a lot of unhealthy foods for my home.
-Finish school and start a career: School only has 2 months left and then I'm going out to the real world... I am so nervous, but I am so ready to start working full time again.
-Decorate the apartment: I have so many DIY decoration projects in mind for when I get my apartment and I can't wait to get started on them.
-Get better at crocheting: I just learned how to crochet a few months ago, and I think I'm pretty okay at it for a beginner, but I am ready to learn how to make some more challenging things, like gloves or a hat maybe?
-Make more friends: The only friends I currently have are either in my class (who I never see outside of school) or live over 1000 miles away. When I move to Louisiana, I hope to make and keep some real life friends that I can hang out with. And I hope to meet some of YOU guys, too!!
-Be more creative: The past few months have been a great awakening in my creativity. I used to do all kinds of crafts when I was younger, and then I stopped while I was in my teens (too cool for it, I guess? =P ) Now I am crazy about making things all over again!
-Drink more water: I am not a big soda drinker, but I do drink way way way too much fruit punch and it isn't exactly the healthiest drink. I am going to try to limit my sugary drink intake and up the h20!
-Remove negative people from my life: I've been working on this for a while now, and it is definitely challenging to do. Sometimes you hold onto a friend for far longer than you should just because you think it will be easier than letting them go. I've learned that my outlook on life can be so much happier when I let go of the people with rotten attitudes and bad personalities. I'm going to try to keep negative people out of my life because it improves me as a person.
-Save more money: I have saved almost every penny I could of the money I have earned since this summer, and I couldn't be happier. I have a nice stash of money for my apartment, and I want to keep saving up to make sure I can afford to buy everything we will need.
-Read more: I've not been reading as much as I used to lately, and that's simply because I have way too many other things on my plate. When I get out of school, I hope to spend a lot more time hitting the books for pleasure, rather than for study.
-Join a gym: I desperately need to get back into shape, and I won't have the excuse of not having any time once I get out of school. I fully intend on getting rid of all the unwanted jiggly bits and building some muscle!
-Become more independent: this isn't really an option, but more of a requirement. Moving out of my parents house is going to be challenging and scary, but I hope to handle everything maturely and gracefully, no matter what happens.

I hope you are all having a great day! I just got home from 8 hours at work (on a holiday! I know!!!) so I am tireddd. Have a nice weekend! :)

2009-12-31T11:51:00.005-05:00

Get to know a little more about me, and fill this out yourself!
Leave a comment and tell me if you do this, please!!

1. What is your name and whats your blog name if you have one?

Emilie Briggs of Town Mouse in the Country.

2. Where do you live? City, State? if you could live anywhere where would it be?
Right now I live in Aston, a suburb outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
I'll be moving to Lake Charles, Louisiana in February.
I'm not sure where I want to live eventually... maybe San Francisco, or rural Pennsylvania.
Definitely somewhere that has cooler weather than Louisiana!

3. Where do you work? whats your job title? Do you love your Job?
I work at CVS right now, as Pharmacy technician. I like my job most of the time, but I do not like the customers. People can be so rude, nasty and inconsiderate to us, or anyone working in retail. Seriously... *I* did not make up the price of your medication, okay? Your insurance company did. Yelling at me about it is not going to do you any good. Get out of my face...

4. If you could work anywhere or do anything what would it be?
I would love to do some sort of job involving animals... like maybe a dogsitter or working at an animal shelter. I'd love to be able to work from home someday!!

5. What are you reading right now?
I'm reading the 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Dead to the World, by Charlaine Harris.

(amazon.com)

6. What are you listening to?
Bella by Angus and Julia Stone. I kind of am in love with this song and I would LOVE to have it at my wedding.

7. Guilty pleasure?
Lately, it's been watching True Blood. I bought Season 1 off of iTunes and I watched every episode in a row!

(google images)

8. Name your TV shows:
I really don't watch any tv shows regularly, because I'm always at work when the good shows are on. I used to like America's Got Talent, and Operation Repo.

9. What is one thing you do everyday?
Call my boyfriend every day before I leave for school to say good morning :)

10. What do you like to do for fun?
Read books, listen to music, go to concerts when I can, crochet, doodle, go for walks, watch movies, daydream, shop, look at pictures of cute animals, read blogs, take pictures, play World of Warcraft with my boyfriend.

11. do you have twitter? lets be twitter friends!
I sure do! But I don't tweet much.. I mostly just read other people's tweets. Find me here.

12. What was your favorite gift that you gave or received this year?
This jacket from my boyfriend... it's so pretty!

13. Whats on your bed side table?
A lamp, my iHome alarm clock/iPod dock, lotion, a book, chapstick, a empty glass.

I got this survey from the lovely Lindsay of Her Sunday Dress :)

I'll be back later with some New Years resolutions and goals to share!!

**all photos by me unless otherwise noted**

and the boys

2009-12-30T16:03:00.002-05:00

Angus and Julia Stone's new single 'And the Boys'. Their new album is due out in March :)

I love the video!!

i'm back!

2009-12-30T14:12:00.004-05:00

Cate Blanchett in a granny square dress

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't popped in an said anything for a while! I've been sooo caught up in relaxing over break, and I never want it to end... but it's back to class bright and early on Monday morning for me :(

I've been catching up on everyone's blogs over the past couple of days (soo much to read!!!) and I promise I'll get back to commenting and writing as soon as possible! I also just wanted to say THANK YOU to Jamie for the wonderful Happy Mail that I received!! And thank you to everyone who sent me a sweet Christmas card! I love them all!!

miguelito <3

2009-12-21T21:49:00.007-05:00

I am really really excited because tomorrow, my best friend in the entire world, Miguel, is coming to America. I haven't seen him in person since August of 2008. I have sooo much to tell him about that we just haven't been able to get to via webcam and Facebook. This reunion is long overdue, and I can't wait to see him :)

We met my senior year of high school in my math class. He was an exchange student from Venezeuela, and my teacher was really bad at speaking English (she was from Malaysia), so they had the worst time communicating. She asked me to explain to him the supplies we needed for class. I got his phone number and invited him out to pizza that weekend. We were inseparable the entire time he was here. I went to Venezuela with him the following summer... and as they say, the rest is history.

He's bringing his friend Gabriela, who I met last summer when I was there, and I'm so excited to show her some American things, because she's never been here before! I am just sooo head over heels thrilled about all of it. Miguel's boyfriend was supposed to come, and I really wanted to meet him, but he wasn't able to afford the ticket this time (understandable... my ticket to Venezuela last summer was over $1000 and took me an entire year to pay for!!). I hope he gets to come next year!

Miguel is not like any other person I've ever met. He's the perfect compliment to my personality, and I feel completely blessed to have had the opportunity to meet him.

woo!!!

2009-12-19T12:35:00.000-05:00

I love snow!!!!!

to be with you

2009-12-19T10:35:00.005-05:00

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

(I am not sure why it has New Moon in the video, because this song wasn't in that movie... thankfully...)

I have been mildly obsessed with Becky Filip since I discovered her on myspace in 8th grade. She's such a beautiful, ethereal talented lady, and I love her style. I wish I had half the talent in her pinky toe. Above is a song by her band, the Honey Trees. It's my favorite song by the band, and it is such a sweet, calming song.

Not only is she a great singer and musician, but she also does all the artwork for the band herself. Check out the prettiness on the website and see for yourself. I love it!!

Here are a few of her other artworks that she sells in her etsy shop:

Aren't they magical? I especially love the ones that don't have faces, for some reason... they seem so mysterious... and different. Probably because they don't have a face... but I like them =P

She also did the artwork for the band Lydia, for their album Illuminate.

Aaaaand, to finish off my creepy obsessive post, I'll end with:
She is GORGEOUS. Don't believe me? Look for yourself...

Hope you enjoy her as much as I do :)

As for me, I am snowed in for the day, so I believe there is a certain book calling my name... and a certain bed... and a certain cup of tea <3 See you later!!

predicament

2009-12-18T12:32:00.002-05:00

Okay, so my mom ordered a package from online. It was delivered by Fedex, according to her website, but we didn't have anything on our porch. We called them, and they told us that it had been delivered, so someone must have stolen it. The woman at Fedex said that she would call the driver and ask him exactly where he put the package when he left it at our house. It turns out, one day later when they finally returned our call, that he dropped it off at someone's house on the other side of the road, a few houses down. My mom went over to his house to kindly inquire about the package, and the man said he did remember receiving a package that wasn't addressed to their family, but it wasn't there. He told us that his wife had taken it to work with her that day, so he couldn't give it to us. But he would call us when she brought it home, surely.

He hasn't called us yet, so I am wondering if I should still go over there. If he has opened the package I am sure he will realize it's nothing he would be interested in... it's a Christmas gift for my 15 year old sister. It's necklaces made out of guitar picks... not worth a lot of money, and not something he should really be trying to steal from us. Should I mention to him that withholding and opening mail not addressed to you is a felony?

What should I do?

happy mail!

2009-12-14T21:56:00.002-05:00

Thanks for the super sweet card, Jamie!!

I'm sooo lucky! My Happy Mail buddy was Jamie, the creator of Happy Mail! If you aren't a part of this, go to the Happy Mail blog to learn all about it and join in for next month. It's so fun and such a nice way to make someone else's day :)

in fact...

2009-12-14T16:25:00.003-05:00

(weheartit)

This used to be something that was really popular on Facebook/Myspace a while back, and I really love reading other peoples' facts. All you do is write 6 (or however many you can think of) random or little known facts about yourself. So, here I go:

I am super emotional... to the point where I will cry if I see the SPCA commercials, or if I see a little old man eating alone in a restaurant. It doesn't take much to get me going. And not only that, but I can recall something sad I saw months before, and start bawling my eyes out suddenly for no reason. It's special.
I have the worst road rage in the world. If you are driving around me, chances are, I hate you and want you to get the heck out of my way. I can't obey the speed limit, and I don't like it when people drive slowly in front of me. Most of the time I am also yelling at the other cars. I drive my little Kia like it's a sports car (which it most certainly is NOT!).
Thinking about the concept of outerspace really freaks me out. I don't like to fathom the fact that the universe just goes on forever and ever, and that our planet is just a speck out there. I get really confused and worried when I think too much about the fact that our planet isn't being held up by anything.
I really wish that I was good at something. I am decent at certain things, but I can't say that there is anything that I am known for being good at. I hope some day I will be known (in a good way!) for being really talented at doing something. I don't care what it is.
Money is a constant source of worry and anxiety for me. Every dollar I spend sends me into this spiraling guilt trip. I used to spend money like nobody's business. I just can't find a happy medium, I guess.
It really bothers me when people are intolerant of other peoples' lifestyle choices or beliefs. I get so angry and opinionated when I talk to people about this subject, but I am so horrible at arguing my views. I usually just don't say a word.

Whew, that was fun!! Now it's your turn :)

I tag everyone who reads this :)

feeling naive

2009-12-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

The more time I am increasingly spending with "adults" lately, I am finding that I am such a terribly, terribly naive person. I feel like I haven't experienced anything yet. There are ladies in my class, my mom's age, and closer to mine, who tell these stories that just SHOCK me.

There are girls younger than me who are having babies. Some of them don't even know who the father is. There are people who have had felony drug and violence charges. Some of them were in jail for a long time. Girls who prostitute on the weekend... and get caught for it. Some of them go out every single night and get drunk, high and who knows what else. It is just so startling to me to see that this is the norm for so many people. I don't know how people can live like this.

I am so truly glad that I have never experienced any of these things. I have always been a goody-two-shoes for my entire life. It wasn't out of force, though, this is just the way that I am. Doing "bad" things always scared me, and felt uncomfortable to me. I guess I have just been very lucky.

giveaway madness!

2009-12-13T19:31:00.002-05:00

These are two giveaways I am now participating in. I loooove entering these, however I have never won one! Humm :(

But...

Go here to Danielle's blog, Sometimes Sweet, to enter her giveaway. It ends tonight at 8pm Arizona time, so hurry up and enter before it's too late!!

And go here, to Lindsay's blog, to enter her huge giveaway, which ends on Sunday, December 20th. There are several ways to enter, so be sure to do a couple of them!

I have been thinking that I would like to do a giveaway sometime soon, since I've gotten quite a few new followers :) I think maybe I will do a New Years giveaway soon, so keep your eyes open!!

Now I am off to have some hot chocolate and read a book <3

christmas creations

2009-12-12T13:30:00.003-05:00

I am in love with this repurposed old ornaments Silje made!

I think this is an excellent idea for those old, cracked and ugly ornaments I have laying in my attic. I don't think I'm going to do it this year, but I am definitely keeping it in mind for when I have my own Christmas tree next year!!

Another tutorial I loved was for how to make these darling little Christmas trees out of styrofoam cones...

I think they would look great as a table centerpiece, or on top of a bookshelf or fireplace. I have a bunch of cute ideas of for decorations for one, as well.

I am trying to see if I can figure out how Elsie made this pretty little yarn wreath! I am in love <3 I think it would look beautiful on the wall in my room!

I adore this wreath that Lindsay made this weekend. It turned out amazing, and I would love to try making one myself.

Also, Lindsay is having a HUGE giveaway right now, so hurry over to her blog to enter!

This crocheted garland from Emalie's blog is sooo beautiful. I love everything about this photo. I wish I could kidnap this room and have it in my house.

I actually did make this cute gingerbread man ornament that Katja blogged about, but it turned out ugly as sin. I am just not good at sewing!!! Hers, however, are adorable!

I hope these cute creations inspired you as much as they inspired me <3

pretties

2009-12-12T13:09:00.002-05:00

So, as promised here are a few photos of the little crocheted iphone cozy I whipped up last night...

I think it turned out pretty cute! I like the color of yarn that I made it with. I think I might add some buttons or something onto it to embellish it a little bit. What do you think?

This is my attempt at a finger-knitted garland. It turned out okay, but I think I need some chunky yarn to make it really cute. And of course, I couldn't leave out the little crocheted stars I've been making like a madwoman. Can you say obsessed?

Also, here is a sneaky peek of a couple of the Christmas cards I have ready to be sent out to some lovely ladies...

If you want a Christmas card, please send me an email with your address in it to misfitemilie@aim.com. I'll be sending them out on Monday, most likely, but I can send some later than that if I have to!!

I hope everyone is staying warm on this freeeezing Saturday!!

lazy day

2009-12-11T22:21:00.003-05:00

Today I went to the Minute Clinic and got the second vaccination in the Hepatitis B series, and that was the only time I ventured out of my house! It is soooooo cold outside!!

Tonight I spent some quality time in front of the TV, crocheting a cute iphone cozy, and attempting to make a finger-knitted garland a la this tutorial. At first the garland was making me really frustrated, because my hands weren't cooperating, but I got it eventually. Because of my arthritis, my hands and fingers are bent strangely, and they can't be straightened. It took a while to get it to work with my stupid hands. I'd like to buy some chunky yarn to try out for it next time. I'll post pictures of both things tomorrow!

(image via weheartit)

I hope everyone is having a beautiful night :)

thank you!

2009-12-09T16:14:00.003-05:00

(I want to be wherever this is! I hope it snows again soon!!)

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who gave me advice and encouraging words on my last post. It means so much to me to know that you guys all care about me, and you understand what I'm going through! I know I can handle it, it's just a lot to focus on at one time!!!

But, in other news... I've been working on making my Christmas cards this past weekend, and they are turning out really pretty! I'm excited to start sending them out to everyone :D If you want to exchange Christmas cards with me, and I haven't already gotten your address, please email it to me!! My email address is misfitemilie@aim.com

I hope you all are having a fabulous Wednesday! :)

(images from weheartit)

thoughts

2009-12-07T12:12:00.004-05:00

Today was my last day of the radiology portion of my classes! I am sooo relieved I made it through this in one piece... it was DIFFICULT! I can't wait to be finished school (my last day is February 15th!!) and start working.

I've never been really enthusiastic about school (shame on me). I do love learning new things, but I'm more of an independent learner, I think. I have always done very well in my classes, but I was the kid that was looking out the window constantly wishing they were elsewhere. I'm not sure why that is.

As I realize my last day of school is drawing closer and closer, I'm becoming increasingly anxious about a number of things...

For those of you who didn't read my blog from the beginning, I am moving to Louisiana to be with my boyfriend until he finishes school.
Am I going to like living in Louisiana? It is HOT there. And humid... *shudder*... But it's completely different from anything I've ever known. I am both intrigued and excited by this. I'm looking forward to experiencing a new way of life! Hopefull not a homeless life!!

How am I going to afford it? I begin my externship working for a dental office when I am done my classes. The hiring dentist has the option to make it a paid externship, but they do not have to pay me. This will be for about 4 months. If I am not paid, then obviously I will have to have another job... you know? A paying one.

Will I be able to handle working two jobs if I have to? I already work part time and go to class every day, so I think I will be okay. I am just crossing my fingers and hoping that I will have the good fortune to have a dentist who will actually pay me for my externship.

What am I going to do about health insurance? I was born with rheumatoid arthritis, and I am on several very expensive medications that keep it in check. My parents insurance carrier will drop my coverage the day I am finished school. I will only be working part time for a while, until I finish my externship, so I will inevitably be without my insurance. One of my medications costs $1200 out of pocket. I need to find out if there is some sort of governmental type of health insurance available in Louisiana to people like myself. Maybe Lindsay knows?? If you do, email me about it! Pleaaase.

Will I be homesick all the time and miss living with my family? I've never lived outside of my parents home before, and I'm excited to be moving out on my own. I know I will be sad, too. After all, this is the only home I've ever known. It will be so hard to live far away from my parents, because I really do love them. It won't be for forever, though, so I will just keep in mind that I can always come home to visit, and I'll move back to this area when Cade is finished school.

That is just the tip of the iceberg of the things that I am stressing about lately... but I have to believe that everything is going to be okay. After all, no matter what happens, I will still have Cade there right by my side to experience everything with me.

iphone photo dump!

2009-12-05T11:12:00.001-05:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone