mindless

School is already stressing me out (19 credit hours is A LOT of work!) and not being at work for a few weeks because of my trip has got me bogged down with so much to do and so much to think about. So I'm gonna take a break for a minute and not think too hard while taking this survey...
1. My grandpa once: told me I could date my step-cousin because he wasn't blood related...yeah it was kinda weird lol

2. Never in my life have I: been on a cruise

3. When I was younger, I: use to make forts in the playroom with my brother all the time!

4. High school was: interesting and fun but I'd never do it again

5. When I'm nervous: my palms sweat like crazy lol

6. The last time I really cried was: umm probably a few weeks ago

7. If I were to get married right now: I would need a kick ass ring

8. My hair is: a copper-ish color with blonde highlights! I love it :))

9. My feet are: in kick ass high heels!

10. When I was 5: life was way easier...

11. Last Christmas: I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away...lol sorry couldn't help myself. Last Christmas was pretty good. We went to Charlotte to visit my uncle.

12. When I turn my head left: I see a wall

13. When I turn my head right: I see Veronica!

14. My life is not complete without: my kitties, high heels and hot chocolate

15. By this time next year: I'll be an official student teacher and only a few months away from graduating!! Crazy!

16. I have a hard time understanding: why guys make everything so damn complicated.

17. One time at a family gathering: I was hit in the side of the face with a football so I had to hold frozen peas on my face for half the day

18. Take my advice: I'm not a very good advice giver...but I'm a GREAT listener :)

19. My ideal breakfast is: french toast, chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon!

20. If you visit my hometown: right now, there is snow on the ground

21. My friends are: very important to me and I wouldn't survive without them.

22. If you spend the night at my house: my kitties will most likely try to sleep on you but I'd be happy to cuddle lol

23. I would stop my wedding if: I was having major second thoughts or if someone was dying.

24. The world could do without: creepy crawly scary things - such as snakes and cockroaches

25. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: eww nothing...you'd have to pay me a million dollars to do that.

26. The most recent thing I've bought myself is: a pair of heels!! (The one's I'm wearing today actually lol)

27. And, by the way: they were on sale. go me!

28. The last time I was high: was never...

29. In the past I shouldn't have been: so willing to give my heart away...to both friends and guys.

30. Once, at a bar/club: I WON ;) andit felt sooooo good!

31. Last night, I: had a few drinks with Elizabeth and watched the Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime lol

32. If I didn't have any obligations tomorrow: I would probably stay out late and then sleep all day

33. A better name for me would be: ...nothing, I like my name.

34. In the last 6 months: I've worked really hard and it's all paid off for once.

35. If I ever go back to school: it would be to get my Master's

36. I bet you didn't know: that I have a medical condition called selective immunoglobuin A deficiency, also known as an IgA deficiency...which is why I wear my medical bracelet.

37. I am: fun, outgoing, energetic, happy, loving, and caring ♥

38. I read: very little outside of school but when I have free time, I love reading Nicholas Sparks.

39. Every birthday: seems to turn out badly somehow, so I'm determined to make my 21st the best one yet!

40. I regret: nothing...I just take my experiences and learn from the mistakes I make.

UTAH!

It was freezing but beautiful. The views were breathtaking. I still can't believe it's already over. I'm not quite ready to get back to reality. I will remember this trip forever! Here are the highlights of each day on my adventure :)

Day 1: January 14
The day for travel. As soon as class was over, I rushed home to do my last minute packing. We flew out of Raleigh around 5pm and had a connection in Phoenix, Arizona. Then from Phoenix we flew to Salt Lake City, Utah. We landed around 11pm Mountain Time which means it was around 1am our time, so it was a long day. Once we landed, we got a shuttle to our condo in Park City, which was about a 40 minute drive from the airport. But once we arrived, I wasn't tired because I was just so excited to be there. The condo was awesome! It was right on Main Street and was located next to a ski lift. It was two stories - the first was a kitchen, living room, and dining room. The second story was two bedrooms and bathrooms. I wanted to explore right away. But I unpacked a little and then went to bed. I knew the next day was gonna be a long one.

*the living room in our condo with a fireplace...which we used a lot*

Day 2: January 15
The first full day in Utah! We slept in because of our long day of traveling the day before. When Elizabeth and I woke up, we put on our snow gear and headed out for my first lesson. It was scheduled for 1pm but we had to be fitted for skis so we left the condo around 11am. Ski boots are NOT very comfortable, I discovered. Once we were all fitted, we hit the slopes! It was a pretty successful day. I mastered the lift, figured out how to stop, and didn't even fall once! I was exhausted after only two hours though and my boot was cutting off my circulation because there was a wrinkle in my sock. I couldn't feel my toes after a while! After skiing, we all got ready and made our way to a restaurant. It was a little hole in the wall but it was really good. And it was a really pretty walk. It sure was cold though! Then it was to bed early because we were exhausted and our lesson for the next day was early in the morning.

*first time skiing!* *after dinner in town*

Day 3: January 16
Today was an epic fail on the skiing side. Our lesson was at 9am. I was already sore so I was not looking forward to putting the ski boots back on. But I did and I was ready for another day! It was a private lesson, so it was just Elizabeth and me. Our instructor wanted to first see how I was, so we went on the "first time lift" and went down the "first time slope" to show him how I was doing. It went ok...I was a little uneasy because it was the first run of the day but I didn't fall and I went a little faster than I was comfortable with, but all in all, I was proud of myself. But then the instructor wanted to go on the bigger slope which really intimidated me. I felt like I needed more practice on the first time slope because I still wasn't even really comfortable there. After I told him I wasn't ready, he was convinced I was. So I went with it. We made it to the top of the mountain, and I was ready to take on the slope. The first part went well because we would go down part, and then stop to discuss something to work on or a new skill. But then when we didn't stop as often, I found myself speeding up way more than I wanted and I couldn't figure out how to control myself and slow myself down, let alone stop. So i psyched myself out. Then there was at one point where we had to make a sharp turn down the slope onto a narrower run...well I started to speed up so fast and then couldn't slow down because I was afraid I would get to close to the trees or the ledge, so I finally just gave up and fell. After that, I was done. I couldn't breath because I got so scared. We got down half way and ended up at another chair lift and the instructor wanted to go up the mountain again but there was no way I was gonna make it down the mountain again, so I just finished going down the rest of the mountain and I was done with skiing for the trip. Kind of disappointing since the whole point was to go on a ski trip, but oh well.

*my second day of skiing*

The rest of the day we went to lunch, lounged around the condo, took a nap, and then went to dinner. We went to this place called Zoom which is Robert Redford's restaurant, the founder of the Sundance film festival. It was a really nice restaurant and it was cool because there was pictures from many previous Sundance events.

Day 4: January 17
This was my favorite day! Ryan (Elizabeth's brother) has a friend who lives in Salt Lake City, so he and his wife came and picked us up and brought us to a place called Oakley, which was about 20 minutes outside Park City. A friend of theirs has a cabin there, so we spent the day with their friends at the cabin and went snowmobiling and tubing all day! It was so much fun! I had never been on a snowmobile before, so it was an exciting new first. And the tubing was fun too! It's a little different than lake tubing, which I had done before, but I think snow tubing is way more fun. It was cold, but it was definitely worth bearing it. I wish we got more snow in NC because I never knew how much fun snow could be!!

*riding on the snowmobile*


*the cabin we stayed at for the day*

Here is a video I took of the view from the field where we went snowmobiling and tubing. It was absolutely beautiful!

After the full day of snowmobiling and tubing, we all got dressed and decided to go to dinner on Main Street. It was at a little hole in the wall pizza place but it was really cool because all of the walls were covered with old beer cans. And when I mean covered, literally all covered. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to spend some time with their friends, who were all really nice.

*see I told you, covered!!*

Day 5: January 18
Our last full day in Park City. It was snowing!! Elizabeth and I spent the day walking around town and shopping. There was a lot to do and a lot to see. We wanted to go exploring. I wore the big furry boots my mom got from my dad the first year they were married. Ryan wouldn't let me wear them because they are pretty embarrassing but I finally wore them out around the town. I got many stairs and even a few dogs to follow me. It was quite entertaining. But then they broke just as we were walking back to the condo...the sole completely fell off. They were very old so I can understand but Ryan was very happy because then I couldn't wear them to dinner that night. For our last dinner, we went to this little resturant on Main Street called Purple Sage and it was another really good one. The best part was dessert though...a mini bunt cake with vanilla ice cream. So simple yet soooo good! It was sad to walk down Main Street for the last time. It was back to Raleigh the next day. But at least it snowed, and it was beautiful to walk around.

*sitting next to a statue in town with my furry boots!*


*snowww!*

Day 6: January 19
Time to leave...our flight was at 7:15am but our ride was coming to pick us up at 4am, so it was an early morning for us. We had to wake up at 3:30am! Ekk! It was rough and sad to know that it was the day we were leaving. There was around 4 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. We were leaving so early in the morning that the snow plows still hadn't come to clean off the roads. By the time we got to Salt Lake City, the snow had stopped. We boarded the plane and headed to Atlanta. From Atlanta, our layover was only half an hour so as soon as we got off the plane, we boarded our next plane to Raleigh. We landed around 3pm and then it was back to reality...oh this moment came too fast.

This trip was so awesome and so worth it. I had so much fun and it was unforgettable. I had so much fun and so many stories to tell. It was a great experience. And maybe I'll give skiing another try...but not for a while ;)

rockin' the ol' prom dress

senior year. prom dress: long. pink. sparkly. i loved it.

here i was then:

granted, prom night was not all that great. but i did love my dress and i have always wished i had another reason to wear it again. well i got my opportunity last night. a friend of mine had a "hollywood red carpet" themed party so i dusted off the ol' prom dress and rocked it.

here i was:

i don't think it looked too much different since the first time i wore it...except my chest filled it out a little more lol and i had blonde hair now . but my lovely date was awesome. he was a real trooper. we had a lot of fun. and it was a great theme idea. i think a lot of girls felt the same way as me - glad to have an excuse to wear it. man, now i want to wear it again!! hmm, i'll have to think of another excuse soon lol

they love me

I hate leaving my babies when I go out of town, but they usually behave themselves. They don't leave too much of a mess...mostly just food scattered all over the kitchen floor and Piper pulls out my drawers then takes all the clothes out of them and puts them on the floor. Could be way worse.

But my favorite part about coming home after leaving them?? They are soo cuddly and just want to be around me. I love cuddling with them. And they follow me around the apartment everywhere I go as if they are saying "Mommy, please don't leave again!" Not kidding, they will even sit in the bathroom with me while I go lol So while I was unpacking (my least favorite thing to do, by the way), Kobie was climbing in and out of my closet. So I snapped a few pictures. Isn't she adroable?! I ♥ her. These pictures kind of remind me of when she was just a kitten. She always had big ears...we use to call them her bat ears. I thought she grew into them but this second picture makes me think again. She definitely still has her cute big ears :)

PS: I think another new goal for this new year is to include more pictures in my blog. Who doesn't love looking at pictures?!

2009 in pictures

Wow, it's already 2010!! Can you believe it? Alright so now the debate is...do you say 20-10 or 2 thousand 10?? lol

Ringing in the new year with my friends in Charlotte was a blast. I had a lot of fun. It wasn't anything big either...we just went to a small party at a friend of a friend's but I have to say that this has been my best new year's eve to date. Now I can only hope that 2010 will be just as good as ringing it in.

2009 was a busy but overall good year. So I decided to take a look back and compile a picture for each month to kind of sum up that month or a major event that happened. Now, I can't take all the credit for the idea...I saw it on someone else's blog but I really liked it. So I decided I wanted to do it too. Here are my pictures of 2009!

January
1.20.09
Let it snow! We finally got our first "big snow" in six years. It was all of 6 inches, but it was fun! This picture was taken right after one of the branches on the tree I was standing next to got top heavy and all the snow fell on my head. lol

February
2.21.09

This was my main group of girl friends at this point in my life at a party I threw. Nikki, Melinda, Emma, and Annie. Unfortunately, Annie is the only one I still hang out with. But none the less, they were still an important part of my life. I learned something from every one of them.

March
3.13.09
Some of spring break was spent in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with Emma and my friends from Charlotte. They invited us to come and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so we went. It was a blast. The view was breathtaking and the experience was unforgettable. Here is our farewell picture. It was taken minutes before we parted ways.

April
4.14.09
I turned 20 this month. No longer a teenager. This was at my birthday dinner with some of my friends. We went to Mellow Mushroom and the waiter found out it was my birthday so he made me this out of pizza crust drizzled with cinnamon and honey. It says "Happy B-day" and it sure was yummy!!

May
5.7.09
This was a sand "castle" built at the mall in Raleigh in honor of the Carolina Hurricanes making it to the Stanley Cup finals. I really enjoy watching hockey and was able to go to a few games over the season including a few of the playoff games. The atmosphere is just awesome. They lost, unfortunately, but they put up a good fight! Go Canes!!

June
6.26.09
My little monster turned one year old this month. I couldn't believe it. She is still my baby even though she's growing fast. This is one of my favorite pictures of her. It makes me laugh. She brightens each and every day of my life now. I really don't know what I would do without her.

July
7.17.09
Piper becomes part of my family. This was one of the first pictures I took of her. I was laying on the ground trying to get a picture of her and she came and tried to chew on the camera. The angle makes her look a lot bigger than she actually was. But she's grown fast, just like Kobie. She is such a joy and I'm really happy I decided to keep her. Kobie loves her as well. I think she's happy to have her around too.

August
8.16.09
This month was full of changes. Starting junior year. Moving into a new apartment. It was all good things though. My roommates and I clicked from the beginning and as a bonding experience we decided to go to the beach. It was a great way to get to know each other and kick off the school year. Here is our first ever roommate picture from the beach trip!

September
9.3.09
My favorite time of year. Fall and football season begins!! This picture was taken at our first home football game. All the roomies went and it was a lot of fun. We lost. And we didn't have a very good season overall, but I still support my boys. Go Pack!!

October
10.24.09
The weekend before Halloween, Olivia and I went to Charlotte to see the Backstreet Boys play at the Grave Diggers Ball, an annual concert where you dress up for Halloween. After the concert, we went to Khaboose's costume party. Here is my favorite picture from the night. It reminds me of a crazy family Christmas picture. lol every time I look at it, it makes me smile.

November
11.20.09
Elizabeth turned 21 this month!! In honor of her 21st birthday, we threw a Roaring 20s themed party. She was a flapper and I was her "date" so I dressed up as a gangster. It was a crazy night and even included a drink named after her. I think she really enjoyed it. I sure did!

December
12.4.09Raleigh had a Winterfest with festivities for Christmas including a tree lighting and outdoor ice skating so I took my sister along with Veronica and Tyler. It was really nice to spend some quality time with my sister, since I don't get to do that very often. She really enjoyed it. Here is a picture of the two of us by the Raleigh Christmas tree.

I wonder what my pictures for 2010 are going to be?? I will leave you with the first picture of the new year (and new decade as Adam kept reminding people today) though. It was taken at the party and it's my favorite of the night...

January
1.1.10

Adam and I were about to take a picture when he stuck a glow stick in my face so this was me trying to get back at him lol

Wishing you all the best in 2010...a year filled with love, happiness, and smiles :))