Springtime!

I love springtime in the city. I take that back, I love springtime anywhere. At least the feeling of spring, because being in the Midwest, you can never quite tell what the weather is going to be like for longer than a few days.

We haven't really had a bad winter at all though, only a few snowstorms and very few colder than 15 degrees. I call that a success in my book.

Anyway, beside the 9 hours of work yesterday, I've spent the majority of my weekend enjoying Chicago while my parents are out of town. I was asked to water plants while they were gone, so I decided to make the most of it. Yesterday evening I took the El and walked to Noodles & Company, today I walked to Panera then took the red line and then walked to Sprinkles cupcakes. I decided to walk part of the way back before getting back on the El to go the rest of the way. My legs are feeling the burn already, so I'm not looking forward to how they'll feel tomorrow!

I've also decided to give up drinking pop. Not entirely as I decided I'll drink some if the craving arises because I know that the more I resist the more I'll end up drinking in the long run. But regardless, I'm up to a week and a half without. Pretty impressive since I used to drink a 20 oz if not more every day! So there's that.

And as far as being back in the blogging with regular updates? We'll see. Right now I'm just writing when the mood arises.

On why I'm absolutely a nerd..

I'm not positive why my last post was dated October 1st, but I changed it to be the actual date I posted it.

Anyway, my Radiology meeting went pretty well last Monday. I found out that it might be better to wait another year to apply. I might try this year anyway, see if I can possibly make it happen but I don't have all the extra courses that are basically not required but helpful in actually getting accepted. And I hear they only accept 18 people so perhaps it IS best to wait and get everything in order prior to applying. At least this way, I'll have more time to show my horse next year as well and be able to get better grades in a few classes I goofed up on the first time around.

I managed to get to an actual bookstore the other night, instead of just stopping at Target. I've been reading Wicked for the past week or so and just finished it last night, so I got the second book in the series, Son of a Witch, and also the third book based on the Cowardly Lion, A Lion Among Men. I also have Julia & Julia to read, which I managed to already misplace. And I got The Vampire Diaries, the one not based off of the television series. Needless to say, I've got quite a few things to read. Maybe it'll keep me away from Twilight and Harry Potter for the time being.

I'm also super pumped for the return of Glee. I absolutely fell in love with the series last year and am looking forward to seeing what happens next. I can't wait until they do the Madonna songs, I saw the pre-order album on iTunes and it'll be fantastic to see the cast perform those.

Springtime seems to have finally sprung in Chicago-land as well, which definitely makes everything better. How was your weekend?

Dusting off my corner of the Internets..

Hellloooo Blogland! (hopefully I'm not hearing crickets over here as I dust of my lonely corner of the Blogosphere)

I've been thinking of picking this up again, though I don't know how much I'll be blogging. As the mood strikes I suppose.

So today I ended up going to Chicago with a few friends, for the weekly poetry slam held at the Green Mill. It was pretty intense, there were a lot of great poets that performed. If you are a Chicagoan, you should definitely check it out. Afterward, we got drinks and dinner at a nearby bar & grill. Well, I got a sandwich, my friend got tater tots, and the other friend just drank and ate popcorn. They had some pretty interesting things on the menu, including a Tater Tot pizza. I ended up choosing the PB & A, which was peanut butter, bacon, and apples on a toasted bread. I've got to say, it was DEFINITELY interesting. Very good, though the peanut butter overpowered the others. I think it would have been better with more bacon, but then again I also do love my bacon.

Anyways, it's off to bed for me. I've got work tomorrow, followed by a Radiology meeting at school, followed by horseback riding. So a long-ish day, though nothing happens until noon. Hopefully I'll be able to find out about whether or not I can take my Anatomy & Physiology class until the fall, even though applications for the radiology program are due the month of November. It's my very last pre-requisite though, so I'm crossing my fingers.

Happy Easter, bloggers!

A Letter to Google

Dear Google,

Thank you for making it nearly impossible to have to come to Blogger for anything besides typing my thoughts and posting things.

Maybe it's my own laziness, but it's super nice to be able to catch up on what my favorite bloggers have been up to without truly leaving my iGoogle page. I can have my to-do lists, my barely used Twitter, and some random and inspirational quotes all on one page. You even provide me with a search engine to boot! Plus, if I were inclined to, I could check my Yahoo! mail on you as well.

However, you make it damn near impossible to want to go to Blogger for anything else. I can't make comments to my favorite posts from my Reader (unless I just haven't figured out how to) and I can't make a post from there. Most of what I wrote before came about because I had to come here to read my favorite people and saw how neglectful I really was to my blog.

You, dear Google, have made me a very neglectful Blogger. I know I shouldn't blame this on you, but had you not made an easy to use interface and a trustful Reader, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Sincerely,
Kate

Learning to Let Go

I've been looking up quotes lately, mostly for Facebook status updates and such. I came across this one and it made me think (scary, I know).

Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?
-- Mary Manin Morrissey

This quote got me thinking. How many times do I hold on to one thing after it happens? Some customer yells at me (which reminds me, a retail rant post is coming soon), I talk about it for days. A friend makes a mistake, I let it fester until I burst and have to say something. How long can I go on about a friend who made the ultimate mistake - said some horrible and awful things about me and what she said got back to me. I think with me, I don't let go of things easily enough. I let it become a bigger issue, when if I just say what needs to be said, I can get over it and move on.

I guess it's just about figuring when it's best to just let it GO (to an extent- there are things I feel that should be held on to, like morals and values and if someone really did something completely nasty. Forgiveness is a gift, but only if the party is deserving). I think letting go is important in moving on but unfortunately it's hard to let go without closure.

Two years ago, I had a very close friend who said some awful things about the clothes I were and just my general appearance. I had some pretty big self confidence issues growing up, and at that point in time was a complete tomboy. Hoodies, a tee, and jeans? Yes, please! What bothered me about this was that she couldn't say it to my face. Instead she opted to say it behind my back, to a mutual "friend" (read: frienemy) who later told me. I confronted her about it, she said she wasn't the only one saying it. Long story short, we had a falling out over this. I had a hard time getting past this, I remember, mostly because I couldn't totally get my opinion out.

Later that year, I ended up running into above friend at a concert. We had some words, I said what needed to be said. I don't know if I could have let it go without that closure. Now we see each other from time to time, and while we are not close friends, we can catch up and at the very least reminisce about the old days.

Which begs the question, when is it best to just let something go and when is it okay to make a big deal of it?

just an update

I have much to update every one on, so here we go...

My grandmother's surgery was yesterday. My uncle has been e-mailing the family regarding her progress. The surgery itself lasted six hours and has been successful. We won't know how extensive it is until the next few days, but my parents and sister will be headed down to visit tomorrow. I am sending a card with them to let her know I'm thinking of her. I'm not sure how long they'll be gone, but they're going to help my uncle and aunt with the visitation and care. She was moved from the ICU to a regular room and has been asking to be taken on walks and wants to go quite frequently. It's safe to say she's doing well, but only time will tell how far the cancer has progressed. Thank you Lilu and For the Love of Pictures for keeping her in your prayers! :)

I ended up going to dinner tonight with a few of my friends from the barn I used to board at. One of our friends' birthdays was today, so it was nice to go out and celebrate with them. She chose Hooters, which I actually haven't been to very often. I ate a grilled chicken salad, which turned out to be very good. It was a fun evening, we talked about horses and burns, and there were many "that's what she said" moments. After dinner, I ran over to Border's because it was right across the street. I haven't been book-shopping in awhile, so I was like a kid in a candy store. The real reason I went was because I had wanted to read The Time Traveler's Wife. I also picked out an F My Life (I absolutely love that site) and a book entitled Waiter Rant. I'm excited to read all of them. I really want to see The Time Traveler's Wife, which is why I picked the book up in the first place.

We also went to see Brad Paisley last Friday night. The concert was an absolute blast, all three of the performers were amazing. Jimmy Wayne and Dierks Bentley opened the show. I've seen Brad but neither of the two openers, so it was fun watching them perform. Luckily, by the time the show began, the rain had stopped which was great. Afterward, we went out to Denny's and got to wait an hour for food. The Denny's we go to isn't very great when it's busy. They tend to forget things and burn poached eggs which is pretty damn near impossible.

I also am picking up a few extra shifts at work for good I hope. The downside is that it means I'll probably be working 6 days a week as well as having a 10 or 11 hour day once a week. I'll get paid what I do for pharmacy even though I'll be a cashier so it's all okay.

I believe that's it for tonight. I hope everyone is having a good week!

Say A Little Prayer..

Last week some time we found out that my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer of the duodenum, which is, according to WebMd and the pharmacist at work, the beginning part of the small intestine.

She has been going through tests and things because I guess her hemoglobin has been low lately. She was finally diagnosed as having cancer earlier this week.

We still are not sure how serious it is, or how far along it is. But apparently she's having surgery on Monday to remove the tumor and I suppose from there we'll see how much it's affected every where else and whether they've caught it early enough.

I'm not sure how I feel about all this. I'm sad, yes, because I know that "C" word is one you don't want to hear at any point in your life time. I think I'm in shock still, to be honest. I'm obviously hoping it hasn't spread yet. The one good thing (if anything is, this is it) about this is knowing friends and a stepfather of a friend who have been through some sort of cancer and have turned out okay.

At any rate, please keep my grandma in your prayers. Thank you :)

They Say Time Flies When You're Having Fun, But...

I can't believe it's already August. What happened to summer?? (Though I suppose since I'm taking a semester off, my summer just kind of keeps going all the way until January.)

More importantly, where does the time go? It seems like one minute you're dealing with something that causes so much pain that you're starting a blog to get it all out (like I did, last August), and the next it's already one year later and you're looking back as to when you started it. And it's funny now, because maybe it's not as big as it used to be. That hurt feeling isn't there anymore, and while I still wonder where that girl who wanted something so badly and fell flat on her face has gone, it makes me appreciate the fact that time heals everything.

A year ago, I thought I had a pretty good plan. I was talking to a guy, and although it was a long distance "relationship" (at the very least, it was complicated), there was a plan being set in motion. We would meet, and if things worked to plan, there would be moving of some sort somewhere. While I'm actually glad it didn't pan out (despite the horrible things that were said to me in the process) it did make me realize there is so much good still here for me.

And, it's fortunate that time heals everything. While there's still parts of me that misses that, the feeling of having a guy be interested in me for some point of time was fun, and though it didn't last, it makes me realize I'm not totally unlikable.

But, in any case, thank God for time. It's way too short to worry about certain things!

Back from Wordpress. For the time being..

Hello all!

I know I've moved, but sadly I misplaced my log in info for Wordpress, so for the time being, I'm back here for the day. Which honestly, doesn't bother me as much as it probably should. I hadn't fully figured out WP, though I haven't really given it enough of a chance either. And it was depressing looking at the page view stats. I'd rather not know no one is reading than know that they aren't.

Anyway, the past few weeks at a glance:

* I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I loved it, I'll admit it's probably the best so far. What's annoying though is that there were parts of the book that should have made it into the movie because it makes sense in the later books. All in all I thought it was well done.

* I questioned how someone can take a kitten and dump it on the side of the road. I rescued a kitten on the way home from the barn one day. We had it for a few days, and while I didn't expect it to survive the night, it actually brightened a lot and took to following me around the first floor of the house. It had a fractured hind leg, and when I took it to the vet a few days after I picked it up, it ended up having some paralysis problems as far as bladder and other internal organs go. So really, my only option was to put it to sleep. It just makes me wonder how people can do that to animals.

* We ended up trading my old horse to someone in Indiana, and picked up a 4 year old gelding (read: neutered male) as a result. He's super cute, and is way more talented than the mare I had before. I'm looking forward to working with him and showing him in later months. I know my main point is to totally sell, but I figure while the economy is as bad as it is, it's really better just to hang on to him. That's him hanging out on the side there.

* I've been going out a little bit more too. It's been mostly with some coworkers of mine, but I'm really happy about it. The people I work with are extremely fun, and while we range in age, it's still very much a blast. Actually, we plan on heading out tomorrow, which makes me extremely happy!

Anyway, so that's what I've been up to for the past few weeks. Have a good weekend!!

Blog Relocation

Soon you will all be able to read me from a different place. I hope.

I'm trying to iron out the kinks but am considering a move over to Wordpress. I've been exploring moving there for awhile now but haven't had time to do so, until today. After importing all my blog posts over, the only thing left is to figure out how to subscribe to blogs, but I'll be keeping my Blogger account because I'm having difficulty doing so. And since I don't always use g-mail, it just seems easier to keep both so that way I can log into Blogger to read my favorite blogs.

You can find my new blog here: http://mypapertrail84.wordpress.com. Just excuse the dust as I try to figure it all out :).

4th of July (ie the most unimaginative blog title ever)

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Currently I am waiting for some friends to get here to finish helping me get everything ready for the party I was throwing tonight. Unfortunately, only about 7 can make it total (so far) but it will be nice to have people over. However, it's been a whirlwind cleaning spree, since I was supposed to start that yesterday but ended up going into work at 1 instead of 4. Which is still a bonus, considering it means extra hours for my paycheck on Thursday!

So I've been trading off cleaning and watching movies. The backyard is technically useless now anyway, because it's been raining since early this morning. Also good because the lawn mower is currently useless too, and since my dad isn't home to fix it, I have no way of mowing the lawn.

This may be the least prepared I've ever been for a party.

On a side note, everything is getting watered because of this rain, which is a bonus.

Anyway, since most of my cleaning is done, the last 20 minutes have been extremely productive. I set up coolers for water and pop, which are now inside thanks to this *awesome* weather. I also made a salad (by "made" I mean I put a bag of already-made salad and added cheese and garlic croutons) and this awesome fruit dip, which consists of marshmallow fluff and cream cheese. I also bought some cute tiki torch things for the backyard for some more light, but it looks like they won't be necessary today.

Hope you all enjoy your holiday!

Weekend Update

This weekend's update is going to be slightly jam-packed, which is good because it means I was busy. Also, it means I actually did more than just run around and do errands. Thirdly, I had an array of cute outfits to wear this weekend, with options to spare, which really makes me happy. I had another point, but I forget what that was. Anyway, on with the show..

Friday was pretty normal, between going to ride in the morning and having work in the evening. After work, however, we went to a bar and grill to attend a goodbye party for one of the managers who was transferred to another store. The bar was a lot of fun, I had 5 amaretto stone sours and drank my weight in water, but the company was great. It's definitely nice to see how different people are once they're out of uniform and in a bar. We closed down the bar at 2 in the morning and then went to one of the most disgusting bathrooms I've been to in my entire life and ate McDonald's at 3 am. Definitely a great night!

Saturday was pretty much the same, though I slept til noon and was feeling a bit hungover. I ended up going to a graduation party last minute, which was pretty great. I got to see some people I haven't seen in forever. I ate dinner there and hung out until I had to go pick up a friend. We played some Rock Band that night, which was okay.

Sunday I woke up super early and headed to my friend's house to go to Chicago for the day. We went to the Pride parade which was fun. I ended up getting about 15 strands of beads from the parade, which was funny in its own right, because the boys kept asking me how I did that. I also, sadly, got a water bottle chucked at me which hit me right in the chest. And a water bottle, though it was a small one, thrown from a float with speed tends to hurt. The guy who threw it and the guy next to me both asked if I was okay, and gave me the bottle. It was interesting.

I also kept saying that Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear (one of my favorite shows) would probably have had a heart attack in seeing what some people were wearing. After the parade, we went to a friend's apartment to hang out, eat, and sleep before going out for the evening. By the time we actually went out, we were all exhausted so it was an early evening (well, if you consider getting home at 2 am early). We drank some Peach Bombs (well, it was Bacardi Peach with Red Bull) which were amazing. Also, we pregamed with Apple Pie shots (everclear, apple juice, apple cider, and cinnamon) and some really delicious wine that they picked up in Oklahoma City a few weekends back.

All in all, it was a successful weekend I think. I may need a few more days to recover though!

Home again...

So I'm finally back. With some great photos, great memories, and a few bruised ribs (don't ask).

I guess everything can't be perfect, ha.

And I really want to go back on vacation. Returning to work today was definitely not very fun, but so it goes....

We got to explore OKC on the last day, which was very pretty.

St Louis from the truck..

The End of the Countdown

So I'm off to Oklahoma City for the week. Well, as of Sunday, but I'll be computer-less until then anyways, so I'll be on a brief hiatus as far as posting goes. In lieu of an actual post today, I'm going to show off more pictures. Have a good week everyone!

Part of my NYC 2002 group of photos. It's a weird angle but I actually really liked how it turned out.

Hawaii, Spring '01. Okay, this came out a little dark, but it's a cool sunset pic.

Also Hawaii, Spring of 2001. It's not of the best quality, mostly because it's actually a picture of a picture taken on a crappy pre-Digital camera. The real version reminds me of a Wish You Were Here postcard, though..

My To-Do List

Because I lose everything, I decided it may be a solid plan to put my to-do list up here so I don't have a chance of losing it. And I actually check my blog a few times a day, even though I don't post often anyway. I don't really know why I'm trying to argue my position on this, seeing as it's my blog... Anyways.. So here is all the crap I have to get done by Thursday or Friday morning, because I don't plan on being home after Friday around 4.

1. Finish tax form & mail it out by Saturday.
2. Do a shitload of laundry. (There's stuff in the basement I haven't worn in years, so I figure I may just do a mass wash and take care of it now too. Plus there's money involved.)
3. Sort laundry - for vacation, stuff that just needs a home in my room, and to give away.
4. Make sure I have everything necessary for the horse show: Show clothes, hats, etc.
5. PACK. I need enough jeans, shirts, underwear, and socks to last me 12 days, including: stuff to potentially sweat in since it's going to be 90 degrees in Oklahoma, as well as stuff to get dressed up in since we'll be going out for birthday dinner (though my birthday isn't actually until the 9th) as well as just OUT for my birthday.
6. Find & pack my toiletries, like shampoo and conditioner for 12 days, plus toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and my apricot acne wash (this stuff is amazing).
7. Put everything that's coming with me in my car by Friday around 4.

So there's my list of shit to do. I'm exhausted already just thinking about it but I'm excited all the same. Tomorrow is my last day of work for 12 days, so I'm technically 7 hours away from vacation time!

An Early Weekend Update

This weekend has already been slightly hectic, if you don't count Sunday as part of it. Which is to say, Friday and Saturday were hectic but today I slept until noon and spent the day watching an America's Next Top Model marathon and doing random computer things. I haven't even touched much of the laundry that needs to be done by Thursday, or my stupid tax thing from 2008 (the deal with that is I got a letter regarding something that didn't end up on my taxes last year, because I hadn't received a 1099 for it. So now, if I don't do the paperwork, I owe the government over 500 dollars.)

So, onto my lovely weekend.

Friday was insanely busy, what with the horse show I was competing in on Saturday. The show is just a warm-up show for next week, when I'm competing against the big guys. Basically, it's just a chance for me to get my horse into the show pen and fix the stuff that will prevent me from doing well next week, if that clarifies anything. It's a bit confusing, I suppose. Anyway, so Friday I went to the barn solely to spend money, since we ended up going to the tack store and I spent a lot of money for some show stuff. Which actually, is becoming my birthday present which means I'm getting refunded for a lot of it from my parental unit. After the barn, I drove back home to go to work for a few hours. Once work was done, I went back to the barn to ride and further get ready for the show. I spent the night there on Friday since we had to get up super early.

Saturday was even crazier. We woke up at 6:30, got to the show by 8. I did a few classes, one that I've just learned how to do so it was nice to get a chance to show in it before next week. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, a little warm. It ended up being 80 with no rain. No breeze either, which made it a LOT hotter to deal with. I didn't show until 4 pm after that, and ended up getting a first out of 16 horses which was great -- and I ended up making 21 dollars from it. I had to leave there at 5 to go to one of my friend's houses to shower and get ready to go to George Strait.

George Strait ended up being a blast. We got there surprisingly earlier, which is odd because with us, we're really running late. But we arrived about 30 minutes before the show even started so we had time to go to the bathroom and get drinks and find a place to sit since we had lawn. The concert ended up being pretty crowded. Julianne Hough and Blake Shelton opened up for him. Both acts were really good, Julianne can really SING and Blake is always fun to watch. He ended up singing that song from the Free Credit Report commercials which was hilarious. George was good, he only sang for an hour and 15 minutes but it was fun watching everyone dance to it. The older ladies a few people in front of us kept roping in the younger guys which was funny.

After George performed, we had heard that Julianne would be signing autographs at the concert. We ended up being the last few people in line and waited about a half hour. I never realized how short she is (she's my height) and she was really cool, super nice and everything. I'm pretty sure my friends all nearly wet their pants. And I'm pretty sure all I said was "my name is Kate." Couldn't think of anything good to say, lol. So we got autographs and a picture with her. From now on, I really need to remember my camera because everytime something like this happens, I don't have it with me.

Julianne Hough & I. It's not great quality
because it was taken on a camera phone..

Afterward, we stopped at the bathroom and then walked back to the truck, which was a lot easier to find since the parking lot was nearly totally empty. On the way out, we hear, "Goodbye C!" and we turn to see no other but Julianne in her car being driven out of the parking lot. (C, by the way, is one of my friends.) We all just about die, and yell good night in response. Definitely a great end to an amazing night.

After the concert, we headed to B-dub's (Buffalo Wild Wings) for some food after the concert, where I found out that eating boneless wings, even if they're only Parmesan Garlic, is not good with chapped lips. (Sad!) It's really hard ending a story involving meeting a celebrity, by the way. Because everything now seems so lame!

Anyways, it may be awhile - I have a busy week ahead of me and will be trying to get laundry done, the tax thing done, and have everything packed and ready by Thursday some time. So I will try to post again, but if not I'll be back June 9th (which also happens to be my birthday) with more tales of amazingness. We officially leave almost exactly 6 days from now, at 3 am or something equally ridiculously early in the morning. Now, it's time to get back to Hitch..

The One With Keith Urban

So Keith Urban definitely was AH MAZING!! Still one of the best performers I've gotten to see live, because the concert was definitely two hours long. It's kind of nice waking up in the morning feeling sore from dancing too much. Better than being bored, I'd say! So, in honor of my second favorite male celebrity, here's a few pictures from the concert.

I'd like to point out that this guy left the stage, walked THROUGH the crowd, in order to end up on a box about 75 feet away. It's good being the 15th row sometimes, even if it's not on the floor!

Mmm.. lol. I love the lighting on this

This was when we were "15th row" from the box. Ahh!

Gotta love those big screens. I kinda really like this though..

So there you go. I won't bore you too much, especially if you're not a country fan. But I DID finally upload more of my shots from other places, plus some new horse stuff, so look forward to that if you please. And now, a bullet list of how my night went yesterday.

• Spent quite a bit of time freaking out over going to Keith Urban, which you all saw from yesterday's post. I didn't actually think I was going to go, but thanks to a shift switch and me not actually saying I couldn't, the ticket was still mine.
• The hilarious-ness of hanging out with people I don't get to see very often anymore. They make me laugh a lot, which is definitely a respectable thing to be able to do.
• The guy digging for gold in the car next to us. I kid you not, it was snot-tastic!
• The snarky comments between all of us. Multiple "burns" and jokes. I wish I could remember them all. (there were a lot of "that's what she said!")
  
• Watching Keith perform for the 4th time. He seriously deserves Entertainer of the Year, his shows are long and FUN.
  
• Waiting by the fence at the end of the concert for a Keith Urban sighting, only to be shoo'd away by the coppers. boo!
• Denny's afterwards. It's a tradition of sorts, but instead of my normal Grand Slam, I opted for the Grand Slamwich, which is basically the same thing. Basically ham, sausage, egg, and cheese all sandwiched in between potato bread (which is kinda like hash browns, only in bread form). Excellent!
• Finally going to bed at 3, only to wake up at 8:45. Such a worthy loss of sleep!

Have a Happy Sunday everyone!

* Insert Squeals Here*

Just a quick post before I finish making myself all cute for tonight (not like I need to do all that much*, but you know).

I'M GOING TO SEE KEITH URBAN TONIGHT!

Whoops, sorry for yelling, but I wasn't totally sure if I could go and now I am. And if you all thought I enjoyed Zachary Quinto as much as I do, my celeb crush on Keith is so much better (or worse, if you will). Actually, now that I typed that, I'm realizing Keith is now number two. Sorry, dude!

But still, Keith is one of the most amazing country performers on this planet so I'm super excited to go see him..

Of course, it means instead of my nice little 4-hour shift I had tonight is now being replaced by an 8-hour shift tomorrow, but you know what... Not sure if you know this, but more hours = more moneyz so it's a welcome trade off.

9 in the morning, however, is probably going to come far too early.

So Happy Friday everyone! Hopefully I'll remember my camera and get some bangin'** Keith Urban pictures.

* By this, I'm totally joking, I totally need to do more. Currently only my hair is done and my jeans are on. I'm so lazy.. and excited.
** I'm really not sure why I felt the need to type "bangin'" in my post. I don't use that word often. Actually, I take that back. It's kind of fun.

Why Moms Rock

Yes, this may be considered a late Mother's Day appreciation post but hey, it's here.

Delayed, yes. Just as meaningful? That's also a yes.

In the past few years, my mom has been super helpful with things, monetary and otherwise. She's been supportive in absolutely everything, from my decision to not continue my education until next Spring, and not charging me rent even though I should be long gone by now.

Also, she's been funding my build some better teeth stuff - because I didn't do a hot job of taking care of my teeth when I was younger. I just found out she paid the entire bill. From what she told me, she wants me to be successful in life and appearance speaks loudly to some.

She also is attending my horse show in Oklahoma early next month. Seriously? She's coming for 2 or 3 days, and excitingly is footing the bill for my new show shirt (which is my birthday present).

Something tells me this post is making me sound spoiled, but for real... I don't ask for much. I buy my own clothes, put gas in the car, and buy my own groceries.

Anyways, I'm super thankful to have the mom that I do have. I don't think I would be the same person I am without her.

A Rant... sigh

I'm kind of disappointed.

I just finished watching the America's Next Top Model finale (yes I'm a nerd, and yes I'll admit that I'm sort of addicted to this show). I totally disagreed with who won, because it seemed like in the final challenge, the runway show, Allison totally had the best walk and looked the best.

I was rooting for Fo for awhile because her personality is amazing but once she got the boot, I was rooting for Allison.

By the way, I realize it's absolutely pointless to rant about this sort of thing because I can't change it, but still.

Anyways, I'm finally done with my theater class for the semester. I managed to get an 88 on my last test, which is great. We didn't have a cumulative final, which was great. My only downfall is that I didn't totally complete all the assignments (there's that I just don't care stuff) so while I could have had a better grade, I just didn't try hard enough. But all in all, it means summer vacation is finally here!

And there's only 14 days left until my vacation. Fun and horse showing in the Oklahoma sun is just around the corner! Happy Thursday* everyone!


* So the first time I typed this, I had put Happy Friday on here. I'm apparently forgetting Thursday altogether in my excitement to leave I guess...