weekend in the wack

It's Monday again and that means that it's back to the grindstone. Work and school are not my ideal summer past times, but I have to make money ... and I can't be a 5th year student. So back to the grindstone it is.

This weekend was one of the first in a few weeks that I have actually been in Waco without any real obligations. Friday after I got off work (I only have class M-Th), Jennifer and I went apartment-decor hunting. We stopped at Starbucks first. Then went to Salvation Army ... and found a ton of great stuff. I got some more metal swirl candle holders (now I just need candles) and a really great vintage looking urban outfitters-esque light yellow lamp. The lamp doesn't actually work -it has some messed up wiring or something, but it was only $2! I had an extra white lamp shade from Ikea that I paired with it and put it on top of my book shelf. It was just the thing I needed to add a little more color to my room! I also got 3 really cute olive green tea cups for me and Vanessa and Jennifer. I don't actually drink tea, but they are a pretty good addition to the kitchen decor...which is rather dull and uneventful at the moment. Starbucks again.

Saturday I spent all day moving furniture and cleaning and decorating. My room is perfect now.

Sunday

meant to go to church, but that didn't quite work out. Woke up around noon, went to Aspen Heights pool with Lauren and Lindsay and Hannah and Ashley. It was over cast so it wasn't too horrible being in the sun ... I usually start drooling sweat. It's sexy. We were at the pool for 3 hours which is good because I was getting a little pasty. Now I am a little red. Lindsay got a heat rash which caused her already burnt from South Padre skin to start bubbling. Some of the bubbles even filled with water ... that's why man created sun screen.

We had a potluck dinner at Ashley and Hannah's house. I brought cupcakes. It's always interesting to hang out with people from Olney (okay this gets confusing...Hannah Lunn goes to Baylor and is from Olney ... Hannah Stewart is also from Olney also. Reese which is Hannah Stewart's cousin by marriage is friends with Hannah Lunn so he was over at Hannah Lunn's house). It is so weird how everyone knows everybody ... I guess it is sort of that way in Kerrville, but it's cool to know that I have actually been to Olney because it's such a small place and basically only the people that live in Olney and who have friends in Olney actually know what Olney is. There were some interesting stories shared about Olney experiences such as Will Stewart's grandpa giving bologna to Hannah Lunn and cheese to Reese when they would go into Stewart's Grocery. Oh man, to have grown up in Olney, Texas.

We saw The Ugly Truth after our potluck dinner of tacos and chips and queso and such. It was a pretty good movie. I would definitely recommend it to girls and guys alike. It's a "manly chick flick". there is plenty of vulgar humor for the boys to enjoy, as well as the cute romantic side that girls seem to enjoy. I personally prefer the vulgar humor, but that's just me.

I'm so excited for my mini vacation this weekend. New Mexico is going to be so fun and I'm excited to just lounge around ... and go to CARLSBAD CAVERNS where I have not been since I was 12!

I still stand by my assumption that Will Stewart is a dead ringer for Robert Pattinson's brother/twin.

small celebrations

The past couple of days I have been extremely tired and lethargic. I'm not sure if it's the combination of working until 4pm everyday then going to class from 5 to 9pm every evening with litte time in between that is finally catching up with me, but my yawns have not been inconspicuous. I was studying the wonderful text of Accounting today, just about to discover the appropriate use for the ridiculously riveting Operating Leverage Formula when suddenly all I could see was a blurry blend of contribution margins and sales and high low methods. My head hit the book and I took a good 5 minute power nap. at work. The humming consistency of printers served as a sweet lullaby.

I woke up approximately 5 minutes later to an unwelcomed voice asking me to unjam the printer. I obliged, only to realize that I'm not very technologically inclined, but can easily hit a printer and press buttons until it starts working again (something that the average person could do without waking me up from my slumber). I was still feeling pretty apathetic when I remembered that Jennifer said she might be bringing me a coffee home from Starbucks for my "break" in between work and school. Thinking of the coffee sitting in the fridge at home...just waiting for me... ah, the suspense.

HAPPY.

Jennifer Sterrett, you are my hero.

I started watching Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets online (I'm watching all of the Harry Potter movies for the first time and they are actually quite good) because I could not bear to find out the ugly truth about Operating Leverage: unless you are an accounting major, there really is no need for this in every day life. In fact, even if you are an accounting major, you will graduate only to find that what you learned has become obsolete anyway. Wow, Daniel Radcliffe's voice is already changing in the second HP movie. Interesting.

44 minutes and 38 seconds through Chamber of Secrets a cheerful-regardless-of-having-to-wake-up-at-four-thirty-in-the-morning Jennifer comes into the lab holding in her hand none other than Starbucks. Coffee Generosity=Glorious day. Being room mates with a Starbucks employee definitely has its perks. Not to mention sometimes I get to wear The Infamous Barista Apron. After "borrowing" jump drives from the lost and found of the computer lab area, Jennifer was on her way home to our humble abode for a well deserved nap. And I am much more awake now thanks to my coffee fix.

The little things are truly worth celebrating.

unnecessary blogging

Summer school starts for me tomorrow and that means that starting tomorrow, every Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday from 5pm to 9pm will be spent at MCC taking Managerial Accounting. Can i please just ramble about my disgust......because I am thoroughly disgusted.

I'm going to Ktizzle this weekend to get my bed/dresser/desk and other furniture items that the parentals deem worthy of my taking. I'M MOVING IN THIS WEEKEND. I am so incredibly excited to move into a new apartment and decorate! My previous apartment was all right, but we didn't really go all out in the decorating department or anything like that -there weren't even curtains on the balcony window. It was also a furnished apartment so we couldn't really expand in that category, but this new apartment (3 bedroom instead of 4) has serious design potential. Ha, I laugh as I say that about a 3 bedroom college apartment with a tiny kitchen and relatively small living room. But even so, I think that Jennifer and Vanessa and I can turn it into something wonderful. Worth showing off to our friends at least. And NO PENGUIN COLLECTIONS.

Brian visited me at work today. brought me a smoked peppercorn turkey on 7 grain toasted wheat bread with mustard. It was my second sandwich for the day. I had one for breakfast when I got to work (at 9am) so I figure that as long as I do the whole breakfast, lunch, dinner thing, i'm golden. I usually snack all day.

The lab is closed tomorrow AND Thursday so I get 2 days off to pack...and go to summer school in the evening. Ugh, why do I have to think about class in the summer?! I need boxes. boxes boxes boxes. My car is also already packed full of stuff I have been buying for the past month - throw pillows, the infamous thrift store lamp, kitchen canisters, mugs for my mug collection (i think im going to take pictures of it at some point and post them), some books, and much much more.

Today was Michael Jackson's memorial service. I just thought I should mention that because the death of such a well known icon has sent shockwaves across the world. not just America, but the world, people. I don't mean to sound like the million and one other people who seem to have known Michael Jackson personally, but to his family and close friends, God Bless you and the world mourns your loss today. MJ will be missed.

I haven't been to the humane society in about a month and I don't think Sally is there anymore :( Sally is the rottweiler that I had been visiting at the humane society quite frequently. Her name card/description had said that she "appeared depressed." I wanted to cry (and sometimes did) each time I left the humane society and had to leave Sally. If you weren't aware, I am a huge dog-lover...and I legitimately feel like I made a connection with Sally. Now I think she is gone. They don't practice euthanasia at the Waco Humane Society so I can only pray that she found a good home. I love rottweilers and I hate the bad rep that they have received because of so many cruel and inhumane owners who use them for dogfighting. If you research rotts, you will find that they are some of the most loyal, friendly, and eager to please dogs. It's years of people using them in dogfighting that has caused them to have that "mean" instinct.
On a happier note, I am baking a cake tonight. and it's also Taco Tuesday. :)

Life and Fireworks

"We anoint their fuses with a tiny amount of fire, and they come alive, playing out their life span in a matter of seconds. In those few seconds a crack in the universe is opened, giving us a glimpse of the energy locked within all matter." Bob Weaver

This was my first July 4th to be away from the parentals. I did miss my dad and brother as the "Master of Ceremonies" but it has been an amazing weekend!

Saturday:

I'm going to start the weekend fun off with Saturday since it was the actual 4th of July. The next day you will read is Thursday, then Friday. Please keep up. Things don't have to be ordered to be great.

I woke up at 9am to get stuff together and do some last minute packing for the Lake. Lindsay and Lauren and I decided to go to Lake Whitney for the 4th of July. At first, the plan was to go camping in New Braunfels, but that kind of fell through, so there I was at 9am on the 4th of July, packing for a lake adventure.

Lake Whitney is only about 30 minutes from the Wack and therefore I'm not sure why I have never been there before. It is known as a hot spot for CLIFF JUMPING among college students. Although there have been a few reported injuries from this adrenaline rush, it is still a must-do for any young adult.

We packed sandwiches, water, sunscreen, tubes, towels, and our lake-ready bodies into Lindsay's Xterra...and were off. The 30 minute drive turned into a 1.5 hour offroading experience when we made a couple of wrong turns and ended up on a dirt road that lead to a cramped trailer park neighborhood. After asking a too-tanned woman for directions, we made it to our destination.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with some interesting characters. I would not like to judge these people, but they are the kind with floatation devices for each individual beer can and tattoos of Texas on their chests. The abundance of Tattoos only complemented the testicles that hung from the backs of their trucks. Nevertheless, we were determined to be risk takers that day.

We quickly made friends with these people and apparently became fast favorites because of our non-tattooed bodies and hesitance at jumping off 150 foot cliffs into who-knows-what water.

Finding the courage to jump off of these 150+ foot cliffs did not prove to be the biggest problem, however. The sting of foot then booty hitting the 70 degree water and the bathing suit checks while still underwater (there is no way to prevent the tots from escaping out of the swimsuit) did prove to be quite interesting feats.

The next obstacle was how to get out of the water and back onto dry land once having jumped into it. 10 year old boys seemed to have no problem with this, but as we soon found out, scaling rocks is a little more difficult for 20 year old girls. We literally had to crawl out of the water by hoisting ourselves onto algae-covered rocks and use all of our upper body strength to pull ourselves up. and that was just to get to the first little rock ledge. After that there was still about 75 feet that had to be climbed. It was a little daunting.

The second time I jumped in, I just decided that it would be easier to swim all the way to the part of the cliff that smooths out into the water, aka where people slide out onto kayaks or tubes. Flat rock. Okay, this didn't seem too hard at the time, but 10 minutes of constant swimming later I realized that I really do respect Michael Phelps, because swimming is hard work! If I would have stopped swimming I would have drowned and that was the funny part because I kept thinking "wow if I get a cramp or something, who is going to save me?" In reality, I had an unlimited supply of people who would have jumped in and saved me if I would have indeed got a cramp, but with water lapping into my face and the thought of fish and turtles at my toes, I considered myself alone in the water. I finally made it to the low part of the cliff and easily climbed out, water-logged and out of breath. And legitimately tired. As I sit at work writing today, I am sore! Amazing what happens to my muscles when new ones are used.

We drove back to Waco around 3pm, took naps, then got ready for a good night of fireworks and friends. Happy Independence Day!

Thursday:

got off work at 4. laid out by the pool. came back home, watched some trashy mtv (I'm ashamed to admit this is one of my guilty pleasures), and proceeded to take a nap that began at 7pm and ended 4 hours later. 11pm. My friend Kate was visiting Waco for the weekend. I didn't get to hang out with her that night because as soon as I woke up, I was greeted by Boyfriend at my door, with ingredients for homemade pizza. We made a delicious pizza: my half with grilled pineapple and 3 cheeses, his half with pepperoni and cheese. After devouring all of my half, I took a shower and went BACK to sleep. Apparently, I was sleep deprived.

Friday:

I woke up early. GASP.

I felt a little bloated from the previous midnight half of pizza then bed routine, so I ran around my apartment complex. Ran twice around, equivalent to 2+ miles. Then I lifted some weights. Let it be noted that that little workout has been the extent of my physical working out this summer. I noticed that I'm not as out of shape as I thought I was. happy.

After I sweated it out, I decided to go la piscina. Friday was a beautiful day. hot, but windy. perfect for pool time. I put on some sunscreen and Lindsay and Jennifer and margaritas joined me.

We all went to Buzzard Billy's for dinner that night to celebrate Kate's visitation. Cajun food. We had quite an interesting and energetic waiter. Here are some memorable quotes from him:

Lindsay asked him if she should get the Gator Fingers or the Boiled Crawfish.

"Well you girls all look really nice tonight and I wouldnt s'pose you would want to spill any of that juice on your shirts from the boiled crawfish. Don't know where y'all are goin' tonight but i don't s'pose you want to show up and explain stains on your nice dresses."

We have a friend who works at the bar there and we asked him if she worked that night.

"Nah, she is one of the lucky ones who got the entire weekend off. She and I are pretty good drinkin' buddies though, so anything you gals would want from her, I can get you just as easily. I don't mind puttin' some alcohol in y'all."

After dinner, Linds and I went to walmart to get tubes/floats for the lake on Saturday. $4 tubes! We went to the Sugar Shack (Lauren and Ashleigh's house in Aspen Heights) and ended up eating a second dinner of pork chops, potatoes, and some really delicious chocolate reeses something or other that Ash made. She is so domestic.

We shot some fireworks that night to get us pumped for the 4th the next day. Lauren is terrified of the noise.

The thing is, fireworks aren't allowed in Aspen Heights, so every time we would shoot one, we would run inside and start laughing hysterically. About 5 or 10 minutes later, we would go back outside, check for cops or security, and shoot something else. The sparklers were duds. But the Roman Candles were not. Let it be noted that the smell of sulfur (the smell left over after fireworks have been shot...the smoke and whatnot that makes it go BOOM) smells horrid. And somehow that smell was stuck inside. mmm, the smell of rotten sewer in the evening.

Ten of those reeses something or others and 5 rounds of water bp later, Brian showed up. with Whataburger. I stole many of his fries. He helped (when I say helped, I mean WATCHED) the painting of the candy apple red table. We went hot tubbing after we left the Ware's and didn't get to bed until 2am. 7 hours later I would be waking up for Lake Whitney and Cliff Jumping!

Good Stuff

Life is truly a blessing.

I have settled comfortably into a career path that doesn't make me want to vomit (dental school just wasn't how I wanted to spend my 20's). I have always wanted to do something involving writing but I have always known that if I chose that, very little money would be involved. Call me crazy, but I prefer to see myself in the future as a financially stable individual. Up until this year, I thought I would wind up being the girl who spent her parents' money on an over rated education, graduated with a Bachelor's of something or other, and ended up back in 'rent's home telling them that $100,000 later maybe I just wasn't cut out for college.

I am a double major of Marketing and Business Journalism and I'm crossing my fingers that my parents will not have to answer the door to my sobs of failure in 2 years. I actually enjoy my classes - that's a first. Back when I thought Biology and Chemistry were my calling, I dreaded going to lab and I dreaded studying and I dreaded tests and as much as I loved the science building, I dreaded it too. Because I knew what was there: Bio Lab and test tubes and rats to dissect... and Dr. David Young.

I did have happy times in Bio lab with Jennifer Sterrett though. We enjoyed our small little asian lab assistant, Han Li, a little too much. I'm pretty sure that I had a crush on him, but I was never able to capitalize on that longing because he went back to Homeland.

Friends have been such a large part of my life lately. I have become closer to my 2 best high school friends and I have become so much closer to my sisters in Theta. I used to think that I didn't really need friends. I have always had a serious boyfriend and I think that I may have had the tendency of replacing girlfriend time with boyfriend time. all the time.

I'm still dating the same wonderful boy but I have allowed friendship to come into my life as well. I have become a lot closer with my 2 best high school friends both of whom have gratefully become college friends. Aim dates and facebook posts and now the newfound blog extravaganza exist as our means of communication, but I enjoy it immensely.

When I first joined Theta, I wasn't sure if greek life was right for me. Sure, I did join a sorority for the constant and unyielding social life and I did want to meet new people, but I also wanted to have a group of girlfriends no matter what. I felt like rushing would be a good and relatively easy way to discover that group. It took me about a year to form connections that I felt were more than just superficial "hey i know you we are in the same sorority but I don't really know more about you than your home town, dorm number, and last name" bonds. I am so so so grateful to say that I now have those girlfriends that I was afraid of finding.

I am so fortunate to know each and every one of the people in my life right now. There is something strangely comforting about singing karaoke at the top of your lungs and dancing with your friends in front of a bar full of people who are just as drunkenly happy as you are.

God is good. As is life.

ps.

check out http://www.laurendukoff.com/

very good photographer