K..is Not Your Average Girl

Almost There

2009-08-26T00:13:00.003-04:00

Today has been the first day I've made it through without crying. Pretty good considering that at one point I was so distressed that I kept throwing up everything I ate for two days straight. Sorry, that was disgusting, but it's true. I still have moments of nausea but not as much and I am eating now, whereas before it had been absolutely nothing – not on purpose, but because I couldn't hold anything down. I finally ate half of an egg for lunch and half of a waffle with peanut butter for dinner. I'm slowly working my way back to being able to eat and live my life again. Yes, I know I shouldn't be losing all those nutrients, but I'm not doing it on purpose and I am trying to get things down! This is not a healthy way to lose weight (although it is helping with the whole Freshman 15 thing).

My roommates are finally here. It's so different living with 3 other girls than it is living with my dad and brother. They are nice, but um two of them have different tastes than me as in two of them are lesbians and big partiers. Definitely not like me at all! They keep asking me if I'd like to get wasted and I feel dorkish, but I keep declining their invitation. I'm lucky to keep down water. One of the girls is very nice and is somewhat more like me (we both like men and she doesn't really party) but it's still a bit difficult learning to accept that people are not as clean as I am in the kitchen and that their friends will come over at all hours of the morning, even on school nights.

I am incredibly lucky to have my RA living next door to me though as I love her and she's been my first new friend. Her roommates are pretty awesome too. I've spent some nights over there watching TV and hanging out. My friend from home Lauren is also here, so she's been a huge help in helping me get adjusted and having a friend.

My classes are all pretty great – I love going and doing something to be around people. There is a huge amount of work that sort of seems to have been dumped on me, but that's why college classes have a huge amount of extra time for you to do things in between. I'm reading an average of 30 pages per book per class a night, plus I have math homework and other stuff that is all done on line. I think the library may be my new best friend. I also got to meet some new people in a few classes, so hopefully I'll become friends with them as well.

My dad and brother were here over the weekend and I spent the night with them at the hotel. I had a really good cry and told my dad what was going on and he was pretty understanding. If I really still hate it here by Christmas break, then I'll see what I can do about transferring to another college that is about an hour away from home. I would still live on campus and all that, but I would be closer and able to visit more often. I am starting to get used to it here though, so hopefully by December I won't want to be going anywhere.

Tomorrow is club recruitment week and I'll be signing up for a lot of things then. I'm excited as I can't wait to join clubs and everything! Thursday night I'm going to go have dinner with the people who are looking to hire me to watch their girls on the weekends. She knew that I was feeling homesick so she invited me to dinner for something to do. I feel very lucky to have such a kind offer, so of course I accepted! I will be watching the girls on Saturday during the day. I'm hoping that she'll be understanding that I am homesick right now and that I may have to do every other weekend instead of every weekend if I just need to go home and clear my head or whatever. I hate to do that to her, but it's just something that I need to know that I can do before I get into a work relationship.

So that's pretty much it. I'm still looking for things to stick on my wall as it looks pretty bare in here, so I'm hoping to find some cute stuff over the weekend. Oh and I did my laundry for the first time today. That's an experience for sure! There is no A/C in the room where the laundry is, so I sat there for an hour and a half sweating like a pig waiting for my clothes. I did sit outside because it was a little bit cooler and I tried to get my reading done for Fundamentals of Communications. I'm thinking that I'm going to try and hold off until Labor Day to do anymore laundry so that I can do it at home and not have to feel gross doing it!

Thank you all for your kind words and prayers, I really appreciate you all! And yes, I will get pictures of my dorm up eventually, but right now it still looks pretty bare and sad looking.

Missing you.

2009-08-20T23:37:00.002-04:00

So, here I am.

I've officially moved into my dorm and I'm alone for what feels like the first time in forever. At home when I was alone I loved it, I craved it, I needed it. Now I don't want to be alone. I'm the only one in my apartment so far and although under any other circumstances I would love it, I sort of wish someone else was here with me to take my mind off of things.

Saying goodbye to my dad was tough; much tougher than I expected actually. It's sort of like all the emotions that I hadn't been able to think about or come to terms with finally hit me today and just keep popping back up. I hate feeling like I'm going to cry every five seconds and although I am distracting myself for the most part with trips to Target, Best Buy and around the general area, I still have this feeling in the pit of my stomach like I just lost someone or something important to me.

When I was little when my brother and I fought, my dad would threaten to send us to boarding school – we both knew he would never do it, but it was his threat. Now I feel like I've gone off to my own boarding school voluntarily and it hurts. I miss my dad, I miss my brother, my friends, my routine, my normal and it sucks. I am not loving college like everyone says and never before have I been this homesick in my life. I suppose it will go away eventually, but a part of me really wants to jump in my car and speed the three hours back to my house and never leave it again.

I didn't think that I would get this homesick – I thought for sure with all the times that I've been away and whatnot that I would be okay, but I'm really not sure if I will be at this point. I mean yes, I'm sure I'll get there, but I really just wish that I would get there now. I really have never felt this way before and I don't like it.

And then there's the part of me that has to think that I'm doing this for me and for my future. I keep telling myself that it's only for a few months, weeks even until Thanksgiving and Christmas and then I'll be halfway there. Then I can go home and hopefully by then I won't want too. Maybe it would be easier if I knew someone over here that I could hug and feel not so alone.

I have met one new person – my RA who is lovely and kind and just happens to knock on my door every time I start to cry (which has only been twice today). She said she went through it too once and that it gets better. I know it will, just when.

I want to write more, I want to share pictures, I want to be thrilled that I've come all this way and have made it into college, but I just can't right now. I pray that tomorrow will be better once the other girls are here and that I'll start to feel like myself again.

My 12x11 Room Awaits Me.

2009-08-19T23:57:00.002-04:00

In a little less than 8 hours, I will officially be driving on my way to college. My emotions are all over the place and I'm not sure whether I want to be jumping up and down screaming, "I'M FREE" or sobbing hysterically that "I don't want to goooo". They keep switching back and forth and it's a little strange, I mean this is not what I expected. Honestly I expected to be a sobbing, shaking mess these past few days, but I haven't cried once. Then again, maybe it's because I've been up to my head in boxes (literally the stack of boxes was taller than me) and I already know the next date that I'll be back here.

We packed up the two cars tonight and even though EVERYONE that I showed my collection of boxes to said that, "they [wouldn't] fit", they did. As I was pointing this out a little too gleefully to my father he told me that they won't fit into my room. And that my friends is why Target is where I bought everything from and is right next to the school; although I am beyond positive it will all fit into my 12x12 cell room.

I also have to credit Madonna's new song "Celebration" with helping me to not break down into a crying mess every five minutes in the car. It's something about the lyrics and how stupid/silly sounding they are to me that helps me smile and laugh a bit. Guess what's going to be on repeat in my car tomorrow?

This is such a sporadic post with stuff everywhere, but I can't really form complete paragraphs right now. So excuse the awful writing. I'm tempted to make the rest into bullet points or something; the journalist side of me is cringing with the incomplete sentences and bad grammar usage.

I saw Alison last night for the last time til Thanksgiving/Christmas. We went to Barnes and Noble for a bit, ran into our friend Lauren (who will be going to school with me – she's a sophomore this year) and then came back to my house where Alison played around on my computer. I'm going to miss my friend – I hate that she's in a whole other state!

Today I saw one of my fave families that I've worked for all this summer for the last time. I got a few sweet smiles out of baby S, which is a HUGE change from the screams of wanting mommy she would give me when I first started! Little B turned 2 on Monday, so I got to give him his birthday gift today. He's too cute with his excitement over the littlest things. They promised me that they would send me care packages once they move into their new house. I'm so blessed and lucky that they clicked on my Criagslist post and hired me on the spot before they even had all of their stuff from Washington, DC here.

I thought a bit more about rushing last night. I was sure that I wanted to do it, but now I'm a little hesitant too. No one will give me a straight answer about meeting times, fees, what goes on, ect. I need to know that it won't take up all of my spare time and that I'll still be able to work and be on the newspaper staff, along with other things that I need to do. Rush week is the week before Labor day and clashes with my plans of coming home for a 5 day weekend (because I have Fridays off), so I really do have no idea what to do. Yes, I think that I would love to be part of a sorority, but I do not want to deal with the stupid cattiness or whatever else goes on when you get a ton of girls together. I'm hoping that I'll get to school and there will be SOMEONE there who will take a second to talk to me before I pay for rush week. All I've gotten as of now is people telling me to go check out the website- which I have, multiple times.

As far as this woman who had contacted me to watch her kids via Craigslist, I still have not heard a thing from her. Maybe she's waiting til I get to school to call me? She knows when I go.. It just sort of ticks me off that I've made this effort to contact me and I don't get a response back. The work side of me is dying to book a steady job and it's driving me insane that I haven't been able to do that yet. I know, it's pathetic, but I am extremely work driven – it's my type A personality or whatnot. Note to moms – keep in touch with your potential babysitters, we're humans with a life too!

That's pretty much it. I should go to sleep, but I'm too jumpy to sleep. Maybe I'll finish reading my summer reading? Oh yes, I'm still not done with at book yet – there's a reason that Oprah doesn't have it on her official book club selection. I do have to admit that I'm a tad interested in it as it's a biography and I can take ideas from it to apply to my own.

I've been doing a ton of praying over the last few days. It calms me and brings me back to my elementary school days where I was taught that God will provide once I put my trust in Him. That's exactly what I've done too – everything that scares me or worries me has been given to Him. It is with His protection and guiding hand that I go off to this new chapter in my life and as hard as it, I trust Him to make everything alright.

Weekend Update - Kelsey Style

2009-08-16T03:57:00.002-04:00

As I've been packing (and begging my local grocers for boxes) these past few days, I've come to the realization of a few things. I thought that I'd share them with you. For people who have moved before, I'm sure you've experienced this and it comes as no surprise to you, but for someone like myself who has never moved once this is all brand new.

Wow, I have a lot of stuff. Okay, seriously everyone thinks they have a lot of stuff and this may be a lesson in why cleaning out a closet should really be a every 6 month thing and not something you wait to do every 4 years. I found shirts in there that I had no idea I even had. Is it sad that I found my school uniform from 8^th grade?! I think so..which is why I'm cleaning this place out over Christmas break.
Begging for boxes is not becoming. Last week, was the week I had planned to go to the store and beg for boxes, so that I wouldn't be so desperate. Then I got sick and that whole wonderful idea just went out the window, so on my one free afternoon/night I went to my grocery store at 9 pm pretty much begging for boxes. Let's just say that I'm not above crying little alligator tears to get 3 men to empty out 6 Frosted Flakes boxes so that I could take them home with me. Also special Thanks to Kellogs, your boxes are helping me move all my stuff.
You don't get much done at Packing Parties. I had a lot of people who wanted to see me before I left and I had a lot of boxes that needed to be packed, so I combined the two with a packing party of course. The party was a success; the packing, not so much. It is not my fault that my friends may have been more interested in jumping into the ocean out back than helping me pack. I also did not encourage their craziness by taking pictures and suggesting different jumps they could try, because really I was all over the packing part of the night. I also didn't voluntarily give away 2 of my beloved boxes to someone because I thought that I didn't need them….um Kellogs, care to send more?
The Post Office has a website! Actually I'm pretty sure most businesses have a website or whatnot, but come on, how often do you visit the US Post Office's site? Obviously it's right up there with your daily Yahoo! Search. Anyway I just found out that in order to forward my mail, I must wait til I get to school since I don't have my address. Once I get my address I have to wait another two weeks til I'll be able to get my mail and I must change my address on all my magazines since they stop being forwarded after 60 days. For a girl who has quite a bit of subscriptions this may be a bit of a problem – mostly because I'm not sure who I'm still subscribing too and who I stopped paying the bill for. Guess we'll find out! That's why the post office gives 60 days, I suppose…
My clothes have gone missing. Well not really, but that's what it feels like! I packed most of them up yesterday along with all my shoes and important things, and it's sort of a pain not having a selection of things to wear. I feel like I'm on vacation in my house. For instance, I had to go to a funeral this morning (which I didn't know about when I packed my dresses) and I really did for once in my life not have anything to wear! I did find something that I didn't think would fit, in the back of my closet and wore that, but came really close to wearing jeans…at least it wasn't sweat pants! One girl told me to just unpack things from the boxes..I think I laughed at that one and then realized that maybe I should have labeled the boxes with something other than my last name. Just goes to show you that moving guru I am not!

That's pretty much it for the moving part. I have my guys coming over on Wednesday night to load up my car and my dad's so that we can drive over on Thursday. I'm hoping and praying that all this fits! I'm sort of excited to get to college, if nothing more than to unpack my boxes so that I can see my things again!

Last Thursday my wonderful friend Alison finally came home from college for the summer, so I got to spend the evening with her on Thursday. We went to Yard House and then hit up the mall where she insisted on buying me a graduation present from Tiffanys. I am now the owner of a pair of lovely silver ball earrings – something that will go with everything. We then went to a new store in the mall called Teavanna, and sampled the teas and they were absolutely delicious. I am a coffee girl, but I caved and bought some tea for college because the stuff was really that good! We then got locked out of the department store that we had parked out (we're looking at you Saks) and had the security guard drive us to the car so that we could go to Cheesecake Factory for dessert. I love my Alison time – I wish she would stay longer! Or actually in this case it's ME that's leaving! I'm hoping to get to see her a few more times before I leave this week.

Friday night was my packing party where I got almost nothing done, but we had fun and there was cake so it was all good. I'll miss those people.

Saturday morning I went to the funeral of one of my middle school teacher's husbands. The elementary/middle school that I went to is very close knit and the woman was my teacher for several years. Once I graduated I still kept in touch as she was my brother's teacher and then got promoted to principal. Anyway her husband, who I had gotten to know over the years, had battled cancer for a long time and finally passed away on August 12. The family did know that he had only had a few weeks left so they weren't in shock, but still it's very sad. I sat with my dad and held his hand and just prayed – in a way it was very calming.

Saturday night I was supposed to go out with Alison to Barnes and Noble for coffee, but my ear has been bothering me ever since I had that cold, so I stayed in for the night. It felt really great to not have to work! It's one of the only times that I've been able to do that in 4 years!

Tomorrow I'm supposed to be going to brunch with a friend before she leaves for college and then hopefully I'll go and see the twins one last time before I go. I was supposed to watch them last week and couldn't because of the flu, so I'm really hoping that they'll be awake so that I can see them! I imagine they've gotten so big since I saw them last.

Speaking of work, I had a woman e-mail me asking to set up an interview for the weekend that I move to school because she wants to use me the following Thursday night. We have spoken on the phone once before then and she sounded very nice. She emailed me about an interview and I emailed her back on Monday. Friday came around and she still hadn't emailed me back so I called her – it's now Saturday and I still have not heard anything from her. I'm wondering whether to keep trying to get in contact or whether to drop it? I would really love to work for them as they sound great, but this seems sort of strange that no one is calling back.. I'm praying that the perfect family just drops into my lap.

Also a few weeks ago I spoke with a woman on the phone who wanted to meet me once I got to school so that I could watch her kids. We spoke for a good 30 minutes as I was packing to go to my week long thing of watching the kids from Texas (which I told her about). We hung up the phone on the terms that I would call her once I got to school and that she would call me, ect. A few days ago I'm looking on Craigslist when I see her ad is up again. I go to check the date and time that I spoke with her thinking that she had posted this before I spoke with her, ect. She put this ad up again 15 minutes after I hung up with her! My mind is going "what the….?" And I'm sort of in shock. Not to be cocky or whatnot but I have had numerous moms tell me that they wish I was staying here because they wanted to meet me just based off of my resume! I find it sort of funny that the one woman who I was considering working for doesn't want me…. I have two other families that want to meet me (as I do them) and I am so grateful for that as this woman clearly has no interest in hiring me.

Anyway……

I won another giveaway this week! Thanks so much to Beth over at The Bear Bunch for the Kendall collection from Carolina Pad. I just won school supplies – how awesome is that?! Beth makes awesome crayons for kids that she sells on Etsy, so if you're looking for a unique gift, be sure to check her out. Her munchkins also bare a huge resemblance to my little Tuesday/Thursday munchkins so I had to do a double take to make sure I hadn't found my bosses blog!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend with your families and friends!

Kelsey

Stressed Out College Student Losing Sleep Due to Technological Advances

2009-08-13T00:56:00.002-04:00

I just read something that made me literally laugh out loud and then say "duh". I was reading my Yahoo! Updates and the headline was "Stressed out College Students Losing Sleep".

Why thank you good people at Health Day News for discovering this. Not only are we losing sleep, but we're also overeating, under eating, drinking, partying, smoking, and tattooing ourselves. Of course all of that didn't come from Health Day News, but I've seen those in other sources.

Perhaps they should have renamed the article "College Students Losing Sleep due to Facebook/Twitter/Yahoo Mail".

It's college, honestly who isn't stressed? And why must it be college students? I'm pretty sure that if I stopped someone on the street and asked them if they are stressed they would say "yes" and if I asked if they were getting the doctor recommend 8 hours of sleep they would say "no".

Honestly I didn't know I was supposed to get 8 hours of sleep - I thought it was 6. That may explain a lot.

Perhaps it's not because of stress that college students don't get 8 hours of sleep, but because of the internet and numerous other things that hold us back from enjoying the sweet lulls of sleep. It's 12:33 AM as a write this and I'm not up and worrying about my problems like the article suggests, instead I am on Facebook, Yahoo, Twitter, Blogger, and iTunes to name a few.

Of course it would make perfect sense to go to sleep since I am tired and I do have to wake up at 7:30 to go to work, but being part of the "now generation" means that I want to stay up and do things now. I can't go to sleep until I have read my e-mail and checked my Facebook. It's an addiction. I went to dinner tonight with a friend and I left my phone on my bed by accident and when I got home I had 10 new messages – all from within the past hour I had been gone.

The technological advances are hindering our sleep – not stress. When I'm extremely stressed I don't sleep because I'm up trying to console myself with other things that help me not to focus on my stress. There have been times when it's been two in the morning and I'm up watching movies on Hulu.com because it helps take my mind off other things and it allows me to relax. I owe some of my sanity to 30 Rock and Tina Fey. Sad, but true.

This week because of the stress of packing and moving, I've been doing nothing but making lists. List after list I find myself become less stressed and getting more done. My bathroom and bedding was packed up today and the only things left I have to pack are some miscellaneous items and my clothing – not too bad, but just enough to make me crazed until I have it done. In all reality I could totally get it all done tonight in the early hours of the morning, however my motivation isn't there and I'm distracted by my lovely laptop which in itself is a blessing and a curse.

Before I had a laptop (this time last year), I used to read every night before going to bed. I honestly have not been able to pick up a magazine or book and read it before bed in a little less than a year. Last night I did read my school require book before bed and it was torture because I had to wonder what e-mails I was missing and what Facebook updates were being unread. I find it sad that my ability to live without technology if only for a few hours has hindered what used to be something I love.

The point of my post is that we need to be honest with ourselves, and place blame on not sleeping not on stress, but on technology; technology which has created unnecessary stress and has kept us awake when we should be sleeping and trying to better ourselves. I don't fall exception to this rule and I probably never will as I am a tech geek. Perhaps someday I'll be able to stop the obsession of e-mailing, Facebooking and Twittering into the early hours of the morning – but for now it's my way of life and stressed or not, I doubt it will be a long time until I ever manage to get my 8 hours of sleep.

Doctor recommended indeed.

Last Full Week at home

2009-08-10T19:11:00.002-04:00

It's my last full week living in my house full time.

The reality of that has yet to hit, and perhaps that's a good thing. You see I love this house despite everything that I've been through in it. My first and only home in 18 years has seen a ton.

It was here that I first crawled, had my first birthday, had my first playdate, cooked for the first time, held my baby brother, stayed at home alone, lost my first tooth, got my SAT results, studied for my driver's license, and many other firsts. It was also the place where I learned my mother was leaving us; that my family fell apart, that I was raised by my dad and multiple nannies, that I endured pain and heartbreak that no one should ever have to, the place where I was forced to grow up faster than a 6 year old should.

Regardless, I'll miss it here. Maybe not so much my house, as it is only a house, but my family and my friends and my sense of security. The good news is memories come with you wherever you go.

This week is somewhat insane. Last week I became extremely sick with the flu and a throat and ear infection. I spent 4 days battling an unbreakable high fever and was ready to lose my mind by the time it was over. I guess it was a blessing as well as a curse because I needed the rest and the chance to just lie down and do nothing but watch TV. Anyway I couldn't do any of the things that I needed to do last week, so I have to cram it all in this week.

Today I was able to venture out of the house for the first time and made my way to the Post Office for my change of address form, Tiffanys for a Sweet 16 gift for my "little" (and I totally missed her party due to my superflu), Toys R US for a gift for the 2 yr old I watch for his bday, TJ Maxx for some last minute things, the grocery store to try and find boxes that they haven't compacted yet (apparently I have to be there first thing tomorrow morning), Steinmart to return a gift that someone gave me and Target to return a gift that someone gave me. I made it home in less than 4 hours and have managed to wash my new sheets for my new bed.

I've decided that I'm going to attempt to host a packing party on Friday night. I have a TON of stuff that needs to be packed and so many people that want to see me before I leave, that I'm just going to combine them into one. Hopefully this turns out okay and people will actually help me pack instead of just eat my food. I have a feeling I may turn into uber bitch under all the stress and may just chew someone out un-intentionally if I feel that they aren't doing anything!

This week will be crazed to the extreme. I also have to say goodbye to one of my favorite families that I've worked for this summer. They really were great to me and I loved the kids. I hope I'll be able to have contact with them throughout college! If I get married in the next few years the baby can be my flower girl – hah!

In other news I ordered my books for school last night. I had to buy them thru the school's bookstore because the date was so close and I didn't have enough time to research other sites. OMG those books were expensive – even though most of them were used!! Anyone know of any sites for books that has a huge discount?

Past two weeks.

2009-08-05T01:02:00.002-04:00

It's been such a whirlwind of the past two weeks! I feel like today has been the first day I've gotten a chance to breathe since I've gotten home. So here's what's been going on with me!

Three Mondays ago (June 20^th) I set off for my first road trip by myself. I went to go visit one of my great friends in St. Augustine for a week and I had a blast.

She has two daughters (4 and 3) so we were busy all the time. She sent the girls to school for two of the days so we did some outlet shopping and hit up Jacksonville. When the girls were with us we toured St. Augustine, went to a cupcake shop (OMG Best cupcake ever!), went to a park, went to the beach (awesome sand – so different from ours), and of course hung out and played. The girls were obsessed with dress up and "fashion show" so we got a lot of that done too! It was a little bit like working (I even watched them one morning), but I loved it and had a great time. She surprised me with news that she's pregnant with number 3, so I'll be going back again sometime during college for sure! Thanks again Michelle, Eric and girls! I had a wonderful time and look forward to coming back up to see you all and of course to watch awesome TV shows at night like Kendra, The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Fashion Show. Oh yes, you know you miss me!

The drive back was sort of awful. It took much longer than the 3.5 hours I had planned on due to really bad weather. I got stuck in a huge lightning and hail storm on the side of the interstate for a good half hour – I was terrified! I honestly thought my windshield was going to break and I had no idea where in Florida I was since my GPS had lost its signal.

Eric insisted on packing me pancakes from breakfast before I left so I was extremely grateful for those as I was sitting in the car and sort of starving waiting for the hail to pass.

I made a few stops on the way home to keep myself entertained and stopped at a Target next to Kennedy Space Center. I hadn't been there in years, so it was sort of cool to be able to drive thru there! Yes, I do realize that perhaps it's a little obsessive that I stopped at a Target out of all the places I could have stopped. What can I say? I love Target. Their Target was so much better than mine, so good job Titusville Target, you made me jealous!

I finally made it home after a long time of driving and singing by myself and went to work of course, because hello, I am devoted.

The next day (Sunday), I threw some new clothes into my suitcase and packed up again that afternoon to go work for the week at a newspaper/yearbook seminar. My job was to watch the three kids of the guest speakers Monday-Thursday all day long. Okay so moms I have to hand it to you – you have one of the hardest, exhausting jobs in the world. I had to watch the kids in the dorm (the convention was at a college so we had to stay in dorms) and it was pure exhaustion. The kids were 10, 6 and 2 so it was sort of hard to watch them in the dorms. Firstly they came here from Texas so they had no toys with them and the only entertainment they had were portable DVD players.

The first day we hit up the beach and they loved it. Well except for the little guy who HATED the water. It probably didn't help that his two older sisters tried to make him go swimming and kept splashing him with water. I felt so bad for him – mom forgot to get swim diapers so he had to wear his soggy diaper for the whole time. It was all good though and we finished up the day with a visit to the park and Sonic. Mom had also forgot to pack the stroller (I'm sorry, but I find strollers to be essential) so I had to scramble and find one as little guy was heavy! I called one of the people I work for and was able to borrow a double stroller for the week.

The second day we hit the zoo and fountains. All the kids loved the zoo and of course the highlight was the gift shop. What is it with kids and gift shops? They were even more thrilled with the fountains that our zoo had so they played in that for a while. I also learned how to change a diaper in a public restroom – oh yes, I am now ready for motherhood. Ha! Later I took them to eat at one of my favorite pizza places downtown and we went to more fountains. We went back to the dorm (which the kids kept calling "cabin") and chilled for a bit, but then the girls started getting crazy and my middle child (also known as my wild child) decided to jump off the bunk bed while I was in the bathroom and she landed on her neck. Scariest moment of my life. She was more than fine and didn't hit anything or bruise anything and was jumping around within 3 minutes. We packed up ourselves and I took them to one of my favorite wooden parks. That lasted for about 20 minutes because my oldest was complaining of the heat – welcome to Florida! Back to the dorm we went and as we were walking down the street we walked by the students – some of my former newspaper staff! I later had one girl tell me that she had no idea it was me and her first thoughts were, "aww, what a cute young mom". Um wow, my own staff can't even recognize me!?

The third day we hit the Science Museum and Turtle park. By this time my car is completely trashed in the back seat by my three kids and I have never seen it so dirty! Now I know why people put seat covers under the car seats – those things are messy! The kids weren't even eating in my car and somehow there were still crumbs. Anyways Science Museum was fun (yet exhausting and they all kept running around like mad people and I had to keep my eye on 3 kids) and they loved it. The Turtle Museum is a rescue center for Turtles so they loved seeing the Loggerheads and baby turtles up close. The third day was the longest day by far as I worked 13 hours straight. I had to put them to bed in the dorm and then sit by myself in the pitch black dark room while they slept. I was so relieved when mom and dad finally came back!

The fourth day I woke up feeling like absolute crap and discovered that I had caught a cold or something, so we packed up the room since they were leaving at 12. I got out of there by 12:30 and seriously bolted into my bed. I have never been so excited to see my bed!! The dorm mattress made me feel like I had a train run over me every night. I also had a roommate who loved waking up at 5:45 AM and being somewhat loud. I am so relieved that I am getting my own room in college, even if it is small!! I LOVE my privacy! I had an appointment at the Honda dealer to get my oil changed (since the light popped on during my first outing on Monday – great timing right?) but cancelled that til Friday.

Since then I worked Friday and Saturday night (two shifts – got home at 2 AM) and have just been relaxing on my couch trying to get better! I hate being sick and I have a ton left to do and pack before I go off to school! AGH! It's getting so close! My goal is to get out of the house tomorrow and get boxes from the grocery store to put my clothes in.

Also in my whirwind of two weeks I managed to win a few awesome contests! Thanks to Kristi at Orange Juice for my 30.00 gift certificate to Skin Free. I ordered the Lite Moisture for blemish prone skin and the Green Clay Mask for Blemish prone skin.

Also thanks to Tricia from 5 Little Monkeys for the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Gift Pack! I'm so excited to bake some GF treats!

So that's what I've been doing!

They're Not My Kids!

2009-07-20T03:26:00.002-04:00

I used to do MckMama's Not Me Monday's all the time, but when I saw this week's topic was "Not My Kids Monday" I had to share!

You see, in my line of work, I get to see it all. I get to have the cute baby laughs and endless hugs, but don't have to feel guilty when the kid is throwing an up the wall, I- want- to- pull- my- own- hair- out temper tantrum, because they're not mine! That's not to say that I don't enjoy all the kids I watch very much and yes, even though technically they're not mine, I love them as if they're my own.

Oh and those crazy tantrums that last for 20 minutes straight? The Best Birth Control on the Market and it's free.

So with that I bring you my version of Not The Kids I watch Monday. You can view the other entry's at MckMama's blog and even enter your own!

I've been watching a 5 month old and her brother (23 months) since May. When I started, little S would SCREAM bloody murder every time her momma left. For 3 whole hours and would only stop when I put her in her swing in fell asleep. Little Miss S, did Not decide 3 weeks ago that she would all of a sudden love me. She does not totally reach for me when I walk in the door and best of all, she does not smile and laugh at me. It only took 2.5 months!
Little Miss S did not decide to throw a cell phone at her poor big brother's head. He was not totally shocked as was I, and I did not sort of giggle at his reaction. [His mom said this was payback for him hitting her on the head.]
I did not let Little B (Little S's bro) play around in nothing but his diaper outside because it was so hot outside! He did not totally love this and try to take off his clothes later. In order to do this, he did not go to the bucket of water I had filled earlier and pour it all over him. I did not take pictures.
Little B also did not insist that he carry around a full gallon of "big milk" one day before lunch. Nor did I allow him too. Clearly Milk is not a toy.
B's favorite (and only) song is "Sherry Baby" from Jersey Boys. We do not listen to that CD an average of 3 times per day. I do not go home singing Broadway show tunes. I definitely did not download it onto my iPod and title it "B's song".
3 year old H did not get into my purse while I was in the bathroom and pull out all my makeup. She did not then proceed to put all 4 of my lipsticks and glosses all over her face and mouth. I did not come out of the bathroom and laugh hysterically.
4 year old A did not argue with me for 10 minutes about eating her sweet potatoes. Upon agreeing to eat them, she did not shovel them in her mouth at such a speed that she would choke. I did not tell her to slow down or that she would choke. Within 30 seconds of that, she did not than start to choke on the stupid sweet potatoes. I did not get to help the sweet potatoes out. Upon the release of said potatoes, she did not look up at me, start laughing and say, "hi". I did not almost have a heart attack. She did not totally weasel her way out of eating the sweet potatoes. Well played, kid, well played.
6 month old F did not roll over on her back from her stomach for me first. I did not totally forget to tell her mom until she did it again 4 days later and her mom was very excited. I did not say something like, "yeah, I know, she did it for me a few days ago..I thought she's been doing that."
I did not put a bow in 6 month old L's hair. L is F's twin brother. L does not have more hair than F, and I did not do this to see what F would look like with a bow in her hair.
6 month old L did not get me back later in the day by spitting some kind of food at me. It was not sort of disgusting. He also did not pee on me later. Fine, no more bows.
4 year old A did not ask me why my boobs are big. (They're C's for those of you who just HAD to know). I did not reply with, "They're a gift from God."

Can you see why I love my jobs? Oh and the baby kisses and smiles definitely cancel out the crazy tantrums. I think I'll wait a bit to have my own though, for now I'm perfectly content with borrowing!

Happy Monday!

We Have a Winner

2009-07-19T21:04:00.003-04:00

Thanks to all of you who participated in my first blog giveaway! Hopefully I'll have some more fun stuff to share with you all in the future. In the meantime, the winner of the Stoneyfield Farm Organic Oikos Yogurt giveaway is Wendy of the blog Pink Slippers.

I used the random number generator at Random.org and the number it gave me was 12, which was Wendy's comment. I would show you photographic proof, but I have no idea how to get a picture of that, so you guys will just have to trust me on this. If one of you knows how to do that for future reference, feel free to tell me.

Posting will be light this week as I will be on vacation, but I will be back!

I'd also like to ask something of you all who believe in prayer. I'm having a horribly tough time with the thought of not having a job in college. The other day I decided to post on Craigslist and I got an email from a family that sounds perfect. I am asking that you will pray that God does what He sees fit and if I'm meant to be with this family, then so be it and if not, than for an even better job offer to come along.

Enjoy your week and feel free to drop me a line on Twitter!

Technorati Code Tester.

2009-07-19T19:42:00.001-04:00

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I Heart The Beach

2009-07-18T16:47:00.003-04:00

I took up the advantage of being a Floridian and went to the beach today with one of my best friends in the world!

We spent 3 hours in the lovely warm ocean and although I laughed at her for saying it was "cold", she got me back by laughing at me when I swallowed sea water – numerous times. We're just good together like that.

I even managed to get an awesome tan without getting burnt, which for me is pretty much near impossible. It was a success, even if we did burn our feet on the sand, but that's what sandals are for.

Ahh, what a perfect day. It's times like this where I love my life.

Also if you haven't already, Don't forget to enter to win some Organic Yumminess! Contest Ends Sunday!

"And That's The Way It Is"

2009-07-17T23:26:00.004-04:00

As an aspiring journalist, Walter Cronkite was one of the first journalists that I researched in-depth. He was an amazing journalist and although I wasn't alive at the time, I do believe he really was "the Most Trusted Man in America" at one point.

Cronkite died today at the age of 92 after a battle with cerebrovascular disease.

Thank you, Mr. Cronkite for all of your ground breaking stories and hard journalistic work. You truly are an inspiration to the Journalism Community, may you rest in peace.

Photo from: newsroom-magazine.com

“Possibly Qualified”

2009-07-17T22:50:00.003-04:00

I got my Advanced Placement scores back today – my final reminder of high school. All I can say is I'm glad I don't have to give my money to that company anymore.

For those of you who have no idea what Advanced Placement classes are, they are basically college level classes that are taught in a high school classroom. At the end of the year, you are given an exam and if you are able to score a 3 or higher, you have the option to test yourself out of some college classes. Most kids will take 2 Advanced Placement exams during their high school career, but because I went to a magnet school, I had to take a boatload. I took a total of 5 (or it could be 6 and I'm so exhausted that I can't remember) thru my sophomore and senior years. I have always been confident and blessed in English and passing the AP English and Composition was a piece of cake. I don't think I even tried on that exam and was somewhat surprised when I got a letter stating that hey, I passed. I was somewhat mildly pissed that I had gotten a 2 on the AP American History exam, which I had studied for two months straight non stop.

I've been waiting patiently for these lovely scumbags people at The CollegeBoard (The company which produces the AP tests and yes, the SAT's) to send my scores back for the past 3 months. Yes, I understand that printing out a piece of paper on the computer is extremely taxing, but that's your job, so deal with it. Anyway I got my scores back today and to say that I was a little bit Furious and Confused would be an understatement.

You see, the lovely graders decided that for the category of Literature and Composition they would give me a 2. This wouldn't matter to me that much if I thought that I truly did deserve it, but I don't. I got straight A's year round in that class and it was taught by an ex AP grader. I knew the material inside and out and I wrote a damn good essay on that test. This also means that for college, instead of my original plan of passing through Comp 2, I now have to take it for my first semester. This means I have to read the summer reading, which I have failed to start yet. Good thing I read fast. Florida state colleges also have this cute rule where they require you to take 9 credits of summer classes on a state campus, the way you can disregard that however, is by passing the AP exams; since I have passed one already, I only have to take 6 credits during the summer. This in turn means that next year, instead of coming home from college for Summer A, I will be at school taking two classes. Are you completely confused yet? It basically means that I'll be spending more money and time than I would have necessarily have had to, had the CollegeBoard employed some credible graders.

And yes, I could be a little over dramatic here and a tad cocky in thinking that I do write well and that I should have gotten a better grade, but aren't we all? And I suppose that deep, deep down, I know that the uneducated graders did what they thought was best, but really, I paid you $80.00 so I could take your exam and this is what I get in return?

As I was fuming earlier, I wrote a few "letters" if you will to The CollegeBoard and thought that I would share them. Maybe someone who works there will read them and pass them on and decide that "oh, maybe the girl can write."

Letter #1-

Dear The CollegeBoard,

First of all I would like to thank you on your prompt grading of my material. To say that you have gone above and beyond the expectations would actually be an overstatement, so I'll save it for someone who does indeed deserve it, like your competitor – The ACT. In your grading guidelines you state that a 2 on the exam and having straight A's in the class means that I am "possibly qualified" for a college class. What exactly, would you suggest that I do than to help you decide? I believe that I just got straight A's in a COLLEGE Level class and then I turn around and take your 4 hour test which includes writing 4 essays in 90 minutes. I've been told that I'm also rather good at baking and watching children, so if it's one of those two that you need to test me on, well than let's do this thing.

You see The CollegeBoard (and you people tell me that I can't write? Who adds the word "The" to their company's name? Why don't I just start calling Cingular "The Cingular" or Target, "The Target. LETS LEARN SOME GRAMMAR!), I do happen to be incredibly educated and that's not just me bragging about myself. Two years ago, I started off as a staff reporter on the school newspaper and within 5 months, they made me News Editor. Within a year, our paper not only won "Best Overall" in a County Wide competition, but I was given the award of Second place in the News Writer category. We also won best News Section at another competition, but I'll stop impressing you. Essentially you just offended me with your grading of a two on what could be considered some award winning essays.

I am not asking for a reconsideration of a grade (because that would be like asking for a date with Josh Duhamel or Tim Tebow – SERIOUSLY, CALL ME), but rather I am asking for you to reconsider your grading system. Apparently, there's something wrong with it.

Love,

Kelsey

Letter # 2 is sort of crude so if you're offended easily, don't read.

Dear The Douchebags who work at The CollegeBoard,

What the Hell. Seriously. Firstly, please explain to me how hard it is to print out a piece of paper with some scores on it and send it in the mail? Honestly, the 2 year old I watch could probably do it. OMG LOOK I JUST DID IT RIGHT NOW. I Pushed "PRINT" on my computer and LOOK the paper came out of the printer. Now, let me get this PRE-ADDRESSED envelope (that you have your interns make you), stick it in the mailbox and put the flag up. IT TOOK 5 MINUTES. Better yet, to save paper, why not E-MAIL me my scores? Now There's an idea! Come on people, you create college entry exams for a living, can you use your street smarts for once in your lifetime!?

Since you have an issue with my writing, I've found it somewhat appropriate that I send you a letter in great detail explaining exactly how you may remove the 2 pound stick that I shoved up your ass with my freshly manicured foot. I even used everything you asked for on the exam: diction, tone and symbolism.

Although I am only "possibly qualified" to enter college, I did somehow manage to get into every single one that I applied to, except for one, and that's probably because they were giving admittance to star football players like Tim Tebow and such. They, unlike your company, are forgiven. Just thought you should know.

Ironic as it is, my career path is to be a writer. I'll remember to thank you for determining that I am "possibly qualified" when I get on the NYT Bestsellers List or win an Emmy for scriptwriting. As Kathy Griffin would say, Suck it bitches.

I'm done. And yes, number 2 is meant in fun although, I am serious about portions of it. And I'm done with this subject, so no more ranting about it! As far as my Dad goes, when I told him about the scores, he laughed at me. Yes, the man laughed at me and goes, "better start reading that book." He won't be laughing when he realizes that I have to stay a summer semester! Jokes on you now, Dad!

I did go to get a pedicure today with my friend (who got the same exact scores on her AP exams!) at Wal-Mart of all places. They charge about the same as my much nicer and cleaner nail salon, so I think I'll be sticking with the nicer one for now. Actually I think Wal-Mart was more expensive. I got my eyebrows done while I was there too and because my skin is crazy sensitive I've looked like a lobster all day. It's a very cute look if you haven't seen it. It's not so cute however, that it needs to go on the internet! It was a tad bit scary though, when tonight my entire body got completely overheated and the waxing spot started burning. It happened while I was watching a movie, so I'm not sure what is going on. I better Not be getting sick!!

Hope Everyone has an awesome weekend! Mine's going to be a lazy one with lots of sleep and packing so that I can leave to go on vacation on Monday! When I get home, I'm working 4 12 hour days at a high school newspaper convention that I attended last year! This time around though, I'm watching the guest speaker's kids. There are 3 of them and I have no idea their genders or ages. Guess it will be a surprise come the following Sunday! I do hope they're easy and well behaved though!

Oh and quick question to you mommy bloggers out there or my fellow nannies. I have to get the girls I'm visiting this week a small gift as a thank you. They are 3 and 4 and I have NO idea what kind of thing to get them. Mom tells me they are in to princesses, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, ect. Um, help? Apparently I'm not good at the whole gift buying thing! Also the little guy I watch will be 2 in a few weeks and have to get him something. He loves cars and the outdoors – any suggestions?

So you’ve had a bad day – the favorite things edition.

2009-07-17T01:23:00.003-04:00

Every once in a while, I like to share with you guys what some of my favorite things of the moment are. I was having a pretty tough time tonight and just needed one of those nights where you curl up in front of the TV and watch some really great show with a pint of ice cream. Or Frozen Yogurt. Or in my case ice cubes, because I had none of the previous two and for some reason frozen food (items?) is comforting to me, go figure.

So I've compiled a list of some of my favorite comfort items. Enjoy and use often.

-Nap cuddle Blanket by Brookstone. If you guys have never felt one of these, do yourselves a favor and just go into the store and feel it! I LOVE this thing and it is so warm and comfy. I will definitely be taking this to college with me. My dad got it for me as a gift two Christmas' ago and it's perfect for long car rides or even camping out at Best Buy on Black Friday, because trust me, I would know.

-30 Rock (NBC/Universal) – Tina Fey is a comic genius. I loved her on Saturday Night Live (Sarah Palin anyone?) and I love her even more as writer Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. The comedy is sharp and witty and ads in a few current event type jokes so all the more reason for me to love it. You can watch re-runs on Thursday nights on NBC during the summer or buy the seasons on DVD on iTunes or your local store. I actually watch them thru my laptop! NBC.com does this thing where they show full episodes online for free for some of their shows and 30 Rock happens to be one of them. I also use this to catch up on The Office and Parks and Recreation. I knew there was a reason I want to eventually work for this company.

-Music. I turn on my iTunes to shuffle and let my favorite songs play. As of the moment I am currently obsessed (you think I'm kidding; I wish I was) with The Black Eyed Peas (this is not sad), some older Madonna songs (this is somewhat sad) and I'm a little ashamed to admit this but, Michael Jackson's dang catalog (this is beyond sad. One should NOT need to stop a conversation in the dentist's office, to start singing along to Beat It.) I should be back to my regular Britney Spears singing self in a few weeks. You know, as soon as Billie Jean decides to stop playing in my head nonstop.

-Hot Chocolate. It was 92 degrees out tonight, but that didn't stop me from curling up with my mug of hot chocolate. It's soothing and chocolate, which is what I wanted. And since my other options of beverages were water or nothing, hot chocolate it was. (Yes, I do need to go to the store…I've been busy giving myself panic attacks, when I'm done with those I'll get around to it.)

-Law and Order:SVU (NBC/Universal) – Christopher Meloni is a hot detective capturing bad guys. Need I say more?

-Frozen Yogurt – I don't have a favorite brand, I sort of love them all. If I could live on one food alone, frozen yogurt would be it. My favorite flavor is Mint Chocolate Chip and yes, I will fight you for it. Enough said.

-Bubble Baths – One of my favorite shower gels that I use to make my bubble bath is by Kiss My Face. Their Anti- stress shower and bath gel is wonderful as is their peaceful patchouli shower and bath gel. I have super sensitive skin and because this stuff has olive oil in it, it doesn't dry out my skin. That means I can soak for hours…

-Marie Claire (Hearst Communication), Cosmopolitan (Hearst Communication) and Entertainment Weekly – I love magazines and I can get lost in my own little world, reading them for hours. They take my mind off of everything that is going on and sometimes even educate me on things that I didn't know (and I am NOT just talking about Cosmo! I love the news section of Marie Claire). I read a ton of magazines, but those are the ones that are stacked on my nightstand.

-Shopping. – I used to enjoy it, and then I realized that if I'd like to be able to eat and drive home while in college, it's not necessarily something I can afford to do. But you guys enjoy it for me. J. Crew, Banana Republic, Target and Sephora are some of my favorites.

-Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC/Universal)- Have you guys seen this show?! Once again this is another favorite comedian of mine from Saturday Night Live and because his show comes on at 12:30 AM EST, I usually YouTube segments.

-Manicures/Pedicures –I love pedicures. I've heard rumors that Wal-Mart does both. I have an invitation to go tomorrow. We'll see….

I've probably forgotten a ton of things that I wanted to put on here, but this is good enough for now. Feel free to tell me what your favorite comfort items are!

Also just a reminder, if you want a chance to win delicious organic yogurt, don't forget to enter my giveaway. Giveaway ends on Sunday!

Giveaway Time!

2009-07-15T20:24:00.003-04:00

When I first started working as a nanny 4 years ago, the family introduced me to the concept of Organic food and Organic Living. In the past four years I've gotten to try and use a ton of Organic products and I must admit that I do LOVE the majority of them, although the "rock deodorant" and I don't mix. I try to choose Organic food when possible because I know that there are no added hormones, strange ingredients or yucky pesticides. Plus, it just tastes better.

One of the things that keeps me from buying everything organic however, is the cost. I tend to buy my fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy organic and go natural with the rest. That's why I was extremely excited when I found out today that I won a month's supply of yogurt through Stoneyfield Farms Organic! I am not a big yogurt eater, but it is the ONLY yogurt I will eat and I do it because it tastes good, plus it's packed with Probiotics, which help to boost your immunity and digestive health.

During the school year when I'm on the run (because I like to sleep in til the last possible minute), I need something that's easy to eat in the car, but will also provide me with a ton of protein. I searched my local grocery store and found the Oikos Greek Yogurt line by Stoneyfield Farms. With just 90 calories, no fat, low carbs and twice the amount of protein as regular yogurt, it was perfect for me! Plus it tastes delicious. The 5.3 ounce comes in Blueberry, Honey, Vanilla and Plain while the 16 ounce comes in either Vanilla or plain.

I'm a fan of the Blueberry and at times I'll add strawberries to the Vanilla and it's delicious. On other mornings when I'm not running behind on schedule I'll add in some granola to the mix as well. I have tried every single flavor of this yogurt and you cannot go wrong with whatever you try. Even my dad who is the world's pickiest, health- conscious eater has been known to steal mine or eat half of the 16 ounce container straight from the jar, when he comes home from work. He enjoys his with apple slices, which I can't say I've ever tried.

Which brings me to my exciting news!

Because I love My Oikos yogurt, I wanted to introduce it to you guys too! Therefore, the awesome people at Stoneyfield Farms have graciously offered One of my blog readers the chance to receive this great prize package!!

The winner will receive Two (2) free 16 ounce coupons from the Oikos Greek Yogurt line as well as Four (4) free 5.3 ounce Oikos coupons and a Stoneyfield Farms reusable shopping bag!

To Enter:

To receive one entry, just leave a comment below, but make sure that I have a way of contacting you if you win! You do NOT have to have a blog to comment or win, just simply leave your e-mail address.

To receive additional entries you can do the following:

- Follow me and leave a separate comment telling me that you did so. (One entry)

- Post about it on your blog, with a link back to mine and leave a separate comment telling me that you did so. (One Entry)

- Tweet about it with the link and leave a comment telling me that you did so. (One Entry).

Contest will End on Sunday July 19^th at 8:00 PM EST. If I cannot get in touch with you via e-mail, I will not hunt you down (I'm going on vacation the next day, I don't have that much time on my hands!) and I will move on to the next winner.

-Once I have alerted you that you won through e-mail, you have 2 days to respond to me. After 2 days, you forfeit the prize and I select another winner. The winner will be chosen randomly by a random number generator.

-Stoneyfield Farms Organic is not paying me to endorse or write about this product.

Ready, set, Enter!

The Truth about Laser Hair Removal, or Why if I Can Do It, Anyone Can.

2009-07-14T20:57:00.004-04:00

"The idea is to have short legs, with very dark hair." It was those words, straight out of last month's Marie Claire that intrigued me with the laser hair removal process. Writer Lisa Carver goes on to share her experience calling the procedure, "positively excruciating", but I managed to put that into the back of my mind. I researched the topic some more and found out that I was the perfect candidate to try the procedure. Being a 5'3 female with fair skin and dark hair, was what the laser technicians had in mind when they created the procedure.

My dad's side has a ton of hair, and while I love my thick wavy brunette locks, it doesn't look so cute on my legs in a little black dress. Let's be honest, shaving day after day is a pain, and if I could skip it all together I would. I have friends who are able to go 3 days and not have to shave, while I need to shave again by the next day. If I get cold the minute I get out of the shower, I get chills and the hair grows right back again. (Another reason why I don't live in the North.) Combine that with my super sensitive skin, and by bedtime my legs are an ugly mess of blotchy red bumps.

Then a few weeks ago on the fourth of July, I took the little girl I was watching, outside to watch the fireworks. Due to my stupidity, I forgot to spray bug spray on myself and ended up getting bit all over my body; mainly my legs and feet. These bites were awful and not going away anytime soon, which meant I needed to forgo shaving for a few days or so. I think it was on day 4 of not shaving and opting for jeans in the hot Florida sun, when I finally caved in and called my dad's office to make an appointment.

[Let me make myself clear, I went through his office, but in no way was seen by him or had him "operate" on me. Apparently that's frowned upon in the medical community. And no, I'm not being paid to promote this or anything like that; he doesn't even know I have a blog. ]

In the days leading up to my freedom from the razor, I decided to Google "Laser Hair removal procedure pain" and see what popped up. For someone who cannot stand to get her blood taken and cries when she stubs her toe, to see the words, "It hurt worse than Childbirth" next to some woman's post almost made me want to run to CVS and stock up on Venus cartridges.

I then read what people suggested for the pain. "Pop a Valium before you go, just don't tell your doctor.", was beyond the funniest one I read, and also make me question if what I was doing, really worth it. I read on and decided to try the pain free solution of taking a Motrin 30 minutes before the procedure and once arriving at the destination, icing my legs so that they would be entirely numb.

Yeah, no such luck.

In my genius plan of "no pain hair removal", I seemed to forget that in between taking care of the 5 and 22 month olds and then running to the office, would there be No Time for me to pop my Motrin and Ice my legs. I had already fought the parking garage from hell at that point, so I forged on. If anything my dad's office manager would personally kill me if I missed my appointment. You haven't met her; she's more terrifying than laser.

I had barely gotten the words of, "I hate pain" out, when the nice laser technician put the laser on my leg and zapped away. By some type of miracle, I didn't feel a thing. As she moved down toward my shin, I did start to feel pain, but it was nothing I couldn't handle and if you really want to feel what it's like, I suggest going and getting a rubber band, attaching a sewing needle to it and then flick it at yourself. Yes, it does hurt the most around wherever your bones are, so if you are incredibly bony or anorexic, this procedure is not for you.

It also helps to concentrate on breathing or singing a song in your head (Electric City by The Black Eyed Peas, anyone?). I can honestly say that when I flipped over so that she could get to the back of my legs, I occupied myself by finding bits of dried squash on my arm that my 5 month old munchkin had managed to throw at me earlier that day. Disgusting, yet distracting. If I had had my phone, I probably would have Tweeted.

I didn't scream once, nor did I yelp a word other than "ouch." When I questioned Technician McWonderful as to why these other ladies who had written in on the internet had such pain, she told me that the reason was probably because their technician didn't use the right kind of laser or that the technician who did it wasn't trained to do it correctly.

I'll have to go back to do it all over again in another month to slow down the hair growth progressively and up to a year if I want to remain hair free. I'll most likely do it again in a month, but for the other 10 times out of the year? I'll have to take it as it goes. For right now, I'm enjoying my silky smooth legs and the freedom of wearing a dress without having to worry if I missed a spot.

Photo Courtesy of www.lisashea.com

My Fan Club Awaits

2009-07-13T23:13:00.003-04:00

I got absolutely nothing done today, but it felt awesome to just lounge around in my pajamas all day long. Actually I did manage to get two loads of laundry done, go through one of my magazines, and clean out some things in my room that I can't take with me to college (which may be beneficial to some of you in a future post…).

Next Monday I'll be making my way to North Florida to go visit a longtime friend! I've known Michelle since I was in 5^th grade (which makes me feel, well, old). She was the guidance counselor at my small Christian school and fresh out of college. I got to know her on my Washington DC safety patrol trip, when she acted as an older sister when I was terribly homesick. She stayed at the school until a year after I graduated and was always the fun chaperon to travel with on school trips. I was in a handbell choir in 7^th and 8^th grade and we traveled everywhere, so I think I've traveled with this woman more than I have some of my best friends!

[Yes, that is me in Disney World with my fellow handbellers. The girl in the pink was my middle school best friend. Just so you know, I no longer wear visors.]

I watched her oldest daughter who is now 4, when I was in 8^th grade and she was a baby. Then when I was in 9^th grade she moved upstate and had another baby, who on my first meeting with her, proceeded to throw up her entire bottle onto me. I joke that she prepared me for my future jobs where I have gotten thrown up on a lot (for those of you who are new to this, I was a nanny for the past four years and I've done tons of babysitting and despite the gross bodily fluids, I love it).

About a month ago Michelle and her girls where down my way for a wedding so I went and spent a lovely morning with them. We had always talked about me coming up to visit sometime and I figured why not now!? I haven't been to where they live since I was a little girl and ironically enough, I used to spend my summers there.

Michelle sent this to me yesterday on Facebook and it was too cute to not share!

"I just told the kids you were coming. They are currently dancing and jumping around. Emma said three cheers for Kelsey and Elizabeth said THANK YOU MOMMY! LOL...your fan club awaits!"

Apparently I'm loved! I'll be staying for a week and can't wait to spend time with this awesome family. As soon as I get home it will be four 12 hour work days in a row for kids coming with their parents from Texas for a seminar. It's wonderful to be busy!

Tomorrow I'm getting laser hair removal on my legs and underarms. I hate pain. Seriously I can't stand getting my finger pricked and would rather eat sand than do something that would cause me physical pain. I'm planning on applying tons of ice and numbing cream before hand, so if you have any tips or suggestions on how to make this process virtually painless, it would be much appreciated!

And yes, there will be a blog post on this, because you know this has got to be interesting. I did the underarms last year (only one treatment, which is why I'm doing it again) and I think I called my dad a few choice words (he was the one operating the laser, which is why I'm doing this in the first place, because no way would I be able to afford this!). What I remember was the awful smell of singed hair and the pain of a sharp needle or rubber band type thing flicking against me….why am I doing this again?

I’ve got an Announcement

2009-07-13T01:16:00.002-04:00

For those of you who are still reading this lovely little blog, yes, there are changes being made to it!

I made a mistake of not blogging for a while and I did lose a lot of my followers. I'm not going to lie; I like every other blogger out there LOVES it when we get comments from people and the posts that got me multiple comments made me absolutely giddy with glee. Not so much for popularity, but because your comments encouraged me to write more and believe it not, they still encourage me. A lot.

When I was going through the application process I had a majorly hard time. As dorky as it is, whenever I got a meaningful comment or something that cheered me right up or made me laugh, I saved it. Yes, I had and still have a file on my computer devoted to comments from people all across the world. A ton of them inspired me, but one of them sticks out in my mind for a big reason.

When I would write posts about my senior high school life, such as prom shopping or finals or whatever else it may have been, there were always some of you who would comment and tell me that they loved reading my blog because they were "re-living [their] high school days through [me]." Some of you never got to experience some of the events I did and even lived the event "vicariously through [me]". Those were the types of comments that kept me blogging. And thinking. Which leads me to something that's been on my mind for a while.

Ready?

I want to try and write a book. Not just any book, but a book about my life, my very own memoir. And it's your comments that inspired me to do so. And now you're thinking, "that's great, but what the heck do I care about that for?....where's the contest?" Sorry guys, none of those for right now, but you do get the satisfaction of being the first people to hear about this. Read on if you wish.

Without giving too much of my idea away, because I've searched and No One has written a book like this before, I'd like to use my blog as a basis for the book. It will be sort of like if you took Bridget Jones and put her in college, while also throwing in the spectacles that come with learning to live on your own and with strangers. It may even bring back memories of Your College Days (or it may not, after all it is me we're talking about here and I can pretty much assure you that I will be doing some things that you never even thought of doing before; like locking your laptop to your bedpost or planning to steal borrow my dad's drill to use on my dorm walls that strictly forbid making holes…What?! I need somewhere to hang the TV! Space is limited!) See what I mean?

So that's my big announcement. I intend on blogging on a daily basis again because if I want to pull off this book proposal I will need to have my faithful readers with me. It would look really great if I could show a publisher that people already enjoy my writing!

Once again, I thank you all who have been reading for the last year (yes, it's been a year now!) and I love reading your blogs as well. It's funny to think that I'm almost exactly back to where I started, just in a different place and a different time.

Truth.

2009-07-12T02:21:00.003-04:00

It's 2:30 in the morning and I can't sleep.
I've got the "writing bug" as I like to call it, and it wants nothing more than for me to spend the night writing away. As the move to college gets closer and closer, I become more panicked and panicked. I want to tell someone, but who? My close friends are staying here for college - they have no idea what it's like to be moving and leaving everything they've ever known. My other close friends are going into their second year of college. They've already done this and even though they try, they can't possibly remember every butterfly nerve that they had in the weeks leading up to the big day. I have never felt so alone in my life.

What the heck is wrong with me!? I should be excited and ready and jumping for joy at the fact that I'm leaving home in 5 weeks, but I'm not. I can't even bring myself to buy a damn TV for my room, because that would only solidify the fact that I am, actually leaving.

I've had so many of my bosses tell me, "we wish you were staying here for college, but we know you'll love it and we're excited for you!" And I have to think about that for a second because in all reality, this sucks. What kind of person gives up Everything they've ever known and Everything that's going well for them? It's sort of like being in an airplane with no parachute. There is nothing wrong with the plane and you're in first class, so hello, the seats are comfy, but then you decide to jump. JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE. At least give me a parachute.

It's not so much the fact of leaving home and my friends that makes me start to panic; it's the uncertainty. I am a very Type A person and I like to be in charge of things, especially things dealing with my life. Right now, my life is "perfect". I have plenty of amazing jobs with people constantly calling me and asking me if I have openings, I have my lovely friends that I can go see whenever I want, I have my house where I can come home to at 2 AM and be in my room with no one disturbing me. I have my own bathroom, I don't have to worry that someone's going to walk in on me in the shower. I can come and go from here as I like and not have to worry that my stuff will be snooped through or that when I come home, my living room will look like a scene from American Pie.

It's not so much the things that I'm going to hate leaving though, it's my security. A thousand times a day the same thoughts go through my head, "in a few months, will I have a job? Will I have friends? Will I be broke? Will I be able to afford X,Y, and Z??? Will I be the typical college student? Will I learn to be okay with not being in control of everything anymore?"

Yes, I know I'll have friends eventually and I know that eventually I will become an all American college student (or not..), but one of the things that worries me the most is money. I have worked since my freshman year of high school. I was extremely lucky - if I wanted something, I went out and bought it for myself. It's been a long time since my dad has bought my groceries, clothes, or anything really. Everything that's been purchased for college thus far has been by me and I'm starting to see all these dollar signs add up. I'm used to working and not knowing whether or not I will have a job in college terrifies me.
I would love to be a nanny again because 1) the pay is awesome and 2) I really do love working with kids, but the place I'm moving to is not known for having a ton of nanny jobs. I've looked on Craigslist and other websites for the last few months and there is nothing, and that's not just me being picky. My dad expects me to have a job in the first month of college and I am again terrified that I am not going to find anything. Hopefully I'll be able to look back at this and laugh at myself for worrying, as I've done before with everything else on this ridiculous college journey thus far. I'm trying to put this on the back burner for right now and save every penny from the jobs that I have right now.

As much as I let my head get filled with this negative and crazed thinking, I somehow manage to forget that millions of kids go to college each year and simply love it. In fact I know some of them and they can't wait to get back to school. If they all do in fact love it, than there must be something good that's going on there. I must admit that when I was there for orientation (except for the time when I was by myself and I hated it) I was pretty excited. I plan on joining the Student Entertainment Committee and of course, I'll be back to reporting for the newspaper staff again. The Editors that I met made me feel welcomed and it seemed like FUN. Sure, staying up til 3 in the morning perfecting a story, may not be a ride in the park for everyone, but for me, that sounds just great, wonderful actually.

It's now 3 in the morning and I feel a tad bit better. I've been able to get some of this stuff out of my head and hopefully now I won't have a crying meltdown in the middle of TJ Maxx while trying to buy a rug. I just have to keep reminding myself that I've come all this way, I wrote all those essays and filled out application after application and I am not going to turn back now. It's okay to cry, it's okay to panic (a little), and it's okay to go into this with baby steps. One sun-tanned foot at a time.

The "K" Report

2009-07-11T23:42:00.004-04:00

I don't know if you guys have ever read Entertainment Weekly, but one of my favorite things to browse at is something that they do called, "The Shaw Report". For those of you that haven't seen it, it's one reporter's views on what's hot and what's not.

So because I feel like it I thought I would do my own version. I'm going to take headlines from the news and give them either the rating of "disturbing", "Not Surprising", "Funny", "Umm" or "WTF" - for those of you who don't know what the last one means, I suggest you search it on Urbandictionary.com. Now you've learned a new phrase and you're cool with the kids - you're welcome. I do after all aim to please.

(Before I start, these are Just the headlines. The stories can be read by clicking on the link. I have not read the story, just the headline. Ratings are only based on headlines.)

News According to K

Boston Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals - disturbing/ WTF!?

Teen Falls Into Open Manhole - Not surprising

Girl Splits up Same - Sex Penguin couple - Umm

Razor Blades Found in Sand- Disturbing/ Not surprising.

No Stork Involved, but Mom and Dad Had Help- Umm/Funny

And that's our Nation's News for Sunday, July 12. Maybe next time I'll do one where I add a sentence of commentary. Because that would totally be so much more fun.

R.I.P Michael Jackson.

2009-07-07T23:22:00.006-04:00

I was not a Michael Jackson fan. I thought the man was wierd and pretty much a freak, and I admit, I judged him. I thought he was a wacko who dyed his skin white, made his kids wear masks and preyed on little boys. I wasn't alive during the whole Michael Jackson era, and I had never really listend to his music. It actaully wasn't until last year at camp that I had heard "Thriller" for the first time.
I remember Michael Jackson as the man who sounded like a female and was charged with molestation charges. I fell into the trap of believing what the media portrayed him to be. I was one of the people who made the "Wacko Jacko" jokes and made guesses on how real his nose was. Even today in the early parts of the memorial I was sort of hoping for him to jump out of the casket and yell, "HAHA GOT YOU!" and do the moon walk again. Because seriously, that would have been the best prank ever.

After watching his funeral today, perhaps I have changed my mind.

Seeing all these fans come out to support him got me interested. Who was this man that the people loved? Surely the public couldn't love a freak this much.

The first thing I did was go to iTunes and listen to clips of his songs, and then I Youtubed the videos. And for a week now, "Billie Jean" has been playing in my head nonstop.

I now realize why people cared so much about this man and his death. He really was an idol for these people and I could finally understand why he was mourned all over the world. The Michael I thought I knew, was really not him at all.

Apparently Michael Jackson was a person who had a huge heart and wanted the best for children. He may have been a freak, but he wanted to change the world for the better.

The moment that really made me realize the enormity of his death was at the end of his memorial when his 11 year old daughter Paris took the mic. I had seen it coming when his brother was speaking. I thought to myself, "surely this little girl won't speak about her father with all these people watching", but she amazed me and she did. And when she cried, I cried with her. I felt her pain and I just wanted to reach through the TV and give her a hug. Like her, I only have a dad, and like her my daddy is also the best in the world. I can't imagine how much pain those kids must be going though. Michael Jackson's children didn't care what color his skin was or whether or not his nose was real. He was their father and they loved him.

In a few days, or possibly weeks, the media will start to die down with the coverage of Michael Jackson's death. Tabloids will go back to covering Jon and Kate and CNN will no longer be giving constant coverage of the details surrounding this circus.
But for Michael Jackson's children, this tragedy in their lives will last forever. They are the ones who are really affected and need our thoughts and prayers more than ever.

For their sake, I honestly hope that Michael Jackson will finally be able to rest in peace.

The (dorm) shopping continues.

2009-07-06T01:08:00.005-04:00

Today I spent the day shopping. With my dad. At THREE different stores.
People, you have no idea how big of an improvement that is. My father is one of those men that detest shopping and if he could, would skip it altogether. I shop for the Christmas presents (including my own..always have..not fun that way) and he reimburses me.
When we do manage to get to a store together, he gives me a time limit (which I used to laugh at, until one time he actually left me at the store to prove he was serious) and I rush my butt to get in and out of the store. Basically it's not fun for either of us, and once I got my car, we haven't shopped together since. Which means that I pay for almost everything of mine now (responsible?).
Anyways.

So today we hit up Wal-Mart, Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had my list of things needed for college, and my dad had his wallet. We were ready to go (Except for his running commentary about how I'm going to look like a "rich bitch" because I have a lamp....did I mention I'm going to miss this guy?) and go we did.

I've been shopping for college for a while now, stocking up on things here and there, but I thought I'd show you all some of the things that I've bought, just so you guys get an idea. And someday I'll take pictures of my room and how I have no floor space left because I'm basically packing my new room into my old one. Thank you storage boxes!

So here is my Comforter. This is probably the most expensive item I've bought and when I did buy it, it was on sale at Macy's. I figure I'll have this comforter for the next 4 years, so I may as well splurge on it. Plus it's my bed, I need to be comfy and cozy since I'll be spending time in it. Also? It's my main piece of furniture.

And what goes with a pink and green comforter (that can be reversed to be pink and white)? Why, Pink and Green palm tree sheets of course! (Sheets also by Tommy Hilfiger).

So that's my bed. I'm also making it comfy by adding a mattress pad and a fiberbed to the dorm mattress.

For the kitchen, I've gotten some of the things as gifts. For my graduation some friends gave me muffin pans, bowls, storage containers and adorable Lily Pulitzer Cups and Coasters that I wanted for awhile. At Target today I got a 8 piece pot and pan set by Chefmate and a 51 piece gadget set also by Chefmate.

I'm still pretty excited about those cups though!

Ever the doctor's daughter, I also purchased a Johnson and Johnson First Aid Kit from Wal-Mart for $8.00. You never know when you could need that stuff...It IS college after all.
And in addition to all that I've gotten a Swiffer, dust pan, HP Printer, Clorox toilet wand, paper towel holder, pillows, coffee maker, blender, bedside holder, whiteboard, Clorox wipes (my new best friends), printer paper, bug spray (actually THAT may be my new best friend.), towels, bath rug, shower curtain, trash can, floor lamp, desk lamp, and huggable hangers. That's only some of the stuff, the list keeps going and is honestly pretty overwhelming!

My favorite item of my new room? A beautiful Pink, white and green ribbon board that my friend and I made!! I am not crafty in the least (and those of you who say that I am, are sweet), so for the two of us to make two of these large ribbon boards and have them come out looking professional is AMAZING! I LOVE it and will have to take a picture of it soon.

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and enjoyed the fireworks! I spent the night working (of course) and watched an adorable 3 year old who went through my purse and decided to put on all 5 of my lipglosses and lipsticks. It was pretty cute. We then went outside and watched a TON of fireworks, until it was 9:15 and what I deemed as "bedtime" (um, apparently she doesn't have one? The mom is only a few years older than me..which is scary because I am definitley not old enough to have my own kid). I enjoyed myself though and would do it again.

Update

2009-06-29T01:14:00.003-04:00

I'm amazed with how I'm starting to feel a little bit like my old blogging self again! I do miss writing, but I find myself constantly doing other things that are occupying my time and just don't leave me with enough energy. Like Packing for college.

I leave August 20th, so why am I packing now? Because I'm an OCD freak that's why. I want to have things organized and ready to go and I hate that coffee makers/clorox wipes/comforters/sheet sets/pillows/pans/cups/plates/ECT have been laying around my floor in all the corners of my room. So this weekend I got down the huge plastic boxes I bought last year when they were on sale for this very ocassion. You would think that 5 rather large storage containers would fit all this ~~crap~~ stuff. It doesn't and I'm out of boxes and I'm not even HALFWAY done with purchasing things for my new home yet!!

I'm not living in a traditional "dorm" like many college kids do. Nope, not me. Because my college is only 10 years old, when they built it, they made all the dorms apartment or suite style. The suites are brand new and resemble your typical hotel suite. Two rooms and two bathrooms. I stayed in them for orientation and I felt like I was staying at the Marriot.

But, I'm not staying in those either. I was lucky enough to get an apartment style dorm. It's exactly how it sounds too. I have 3 roomates and we all have our own room. We share 2 bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen. And this is where the somewhat complicated/more expensive part comes in. Because I am now the 1/4 owner of a kitchen, I am responsible for bringing my own plates/cups/silverware/blender/coffee maker/dish towels/ sponges and everything else you would have with a kitchen. As much as I LOVE shopping for this stuff, lets not forget that I live with a male (my father) who can not understand why on earth I need a dish towel. Therefore the budget is very limited, which makes it somewhat hard, but gamelike too. The object of this game? To see how much stuff I can get for very cheap. Cue Target and Wal Mart or what have you.

Every Sunday Morning I get my paper and open up to the sales package and browse. Seriously. For instance I got a pack of 3 pans at Macy's for $11.99 one weekend. The next was 4 pack of cups at Target for $2.00. Same for the bowls and plates. In my opinion, I'm doing a pretty good job!

And on a totally unrelated note, I've been working my butt off. This summer I've been working every Tues and Thursday morning with a 21 month old boy and his 5 month old sister. I love it, it keeps me busy and let me just say that I totally have a newfound respect for parents with children that close in age! Wow, you guys never get a break!
This past two weeks I've been with my now 6 month old twins. The same twins that I first watched when they were 7 weeks old. And yes, the same twins that I panicked over never seeing again when I lost my steady Thursday job with them to their new nanny. Their nanny had vacation time these two weeks so momma called me in. I have been seeing them on the weekends from time to time and boy have they grown! No longer are these babies tiny little guys who hated being on their tummies. Now they are both averaging about 20 pounds (yes, they are large for twins) and scooting around fighting eachother for toys! They no longer need to be held while drinking their bottles (except for at bedtime, which I still love) and can jump all day long in their jumparoos. I worked 20 hours in 2 days, needless to say, I'm exhausted.

This past Friday, I visited a dear friend who was down from northern Fl for a wedding in Boca. I finally got to see her and her sweet little girls, who I hadn't seen since the youngest one had been born 3 years ago! I had a blast seeing them and am planning on going to North Florida in July to spend a week with them. I met M when I was in 5th grade and she was a guidance counselor at my school who was fresh out of college. She was a chaperone on my 5th grade Washington, DC trip and I went to her crying the first night! Since then, she helped me out with my french my 8th grade year and managed to make sure I got into the right high school for me, while I in turn would watch little 7 month old E after school. She moved to N. Florida my first year of high school, but we've kept in touch and she's sort of like that older, wiser sister that I never had! God does work in mysterious ways.

I hope you all are having fabulous summers with your loved ones and friends! Enjoy the beach and please remember to cover up in sunscreen!

Time of my life

2009-06-28T00:58:00.003-04:00

In the summer of 2007, what would be the summer before I entered my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to go to a workshop type program that was what I fondly remember as one of the best times of my life. It was called "National Student Leadership Conference" and I was selected to participate in their first year Journalism and Communications program at American University in Washington, DC. Basically you stay at American University's dorms for 2 weeks, take some classes, listen to lectures and go all over DC. Exciting right?

I was thrilled and excited and happy and nervous. I had never been away from home for that long before and I was terrified. What if the people wouldn't like me? What if I hated it? What if, what if, what if?? I remember crying on the plane ride there, but I was also bursting with excitement. The moment I got there I loved it. I found people who were just like me and I made some awesome friends. I got the whole college experience of staying up late, living in a dorm, having a bathroom for the whole floor to share, waking up at 3 AM just so you could take a shower (only to find that even at 3 AM, they were still filled), ordering Chinese food for the floor and having dance parties. I am forever thankful to that experience.

Recently I noticed that a girl who goes to my high school was also at the NSLC program. I wrote her saying that she would have the best time of her life. She continually updates her facebook with pictures and I constantly find myself thinking, "oh, I remember when I was there!" and "wow, they found the secret coffee shop too". I took a glance at all 500 + of my pictures from those two weeks and I noticed something prevelant in all of the pictures - I looked Happy. I am beaming in some of these pictures and you can tell that I am totally in love with the experience. Happy to have made friends, happy to be somewhere new and exciting, happy to be exploring such a cool city, but most of all, happy to be living my life.

The pictures give me comfort as I get closer and closer to starting college. All my classes are chosen, the boxes have started to accumulate on my bedroom floor and there is a whole corner in my bedroom that is devoted to what I fondly call "college crap" that will be loaded up and driven to school with me come August 20th. I'm ready and yet I am not. I'm excited and nervous and happy and scared and all those other feelings that come along with starting something new. But than I think back to the summer of 2007 and I remember having those exact same feelings before I left home. And then I see the pictures. The pictures of me being silly with people who became my friend within a day. The pictures of me sitting under a huge tree on campus. The pictures of our dorm room that I lovingly called a "jail cell" and I know that in no time at all, these feelings will fade and I'll being having the time of my life once again.

Does this look like the face of a graduate?

2009-05-24T00:38:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that I finally walked the stage and got my diploma!!! Of course, none of this is documented on film as 1) my father being a man, does not own a camera (seriously) and 2) he totally MISSED my graduation! Yes, he was there, but he missed me walk in and thought that I had missed my own graduation. Than when I was on stage and they announced my name, he heard it, but couldn't see me. So inadvertently my dad missed me getting my diploma! He does claim that he pointed me out to my grandma and brother though, so we'll let it slide....for now! He did get me Tiffany's as a graduation present, so he's forgiven :)

There was some drama in the day of course as when we graduated the school only gave us binders for the diploma, not the actual thing. We were all wearing shawls that said what magnet program we were in and those were checked out by the school, not the gown company. Long story short, I almost did not receive my diploma because I accidentally turned my shawl into the wrong people! It was a big ordeal and I sobbed my little eyes out, but finally after searching and communication back and forth, we found the missing shawl and I was declared a graduate after all. THANK GOD. I couldn't end my high school career without something happening, right?

Diploma is inside the blue binder. I was going to post a picture of it, but since it has my full name in it, I was hesitant as someone stealing my identity would NOT be good. Too bad, I'm so proud of it! It's currently being displayed in my front foyer!

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And in other exciting news, I've decided to keep on blogging. Sparingly yes, but keeping on regardless! I'm going to go through so many huge changes in my life in a few months, I'm going to need somewhere to write where I can keep sane! Who knows, maybe my big break will be my blog...how funny/amazingly awesome would that be?