Ohhhhhh summer!

I just love it so so so much. Even though I have always loved it this much, I always forget how absolutely incredible it is until its actually here. Its my time. I am the most like myself in the summertime. Its agrees with me.

I got a job at Quik Trip! I think I'll like it. I go in for orientation class next tuesday, then I start training. They're pretty seriously amazing. Nathan is actually applying there too, hope he gets it. Its gonna be a sweet job. I need to find some cheap khaki shorts....

Today, I'm working at my dad's store. He's off doing some business for the day and I'm holding up the fort. It feels so amazing to go home at night and to just be able to go to sleep or hang out by the pool. So many nights when I'm at school, I seriously slept with my Music Theory or Conducting book by my bed because I went to sleep studying and woke up studying the next morning. Pretty brutal - but worth it. Its such a blessed relief to have rest for awhile.

The VOLCANO TACO IS BACK! Actually, there's a whole volcano menu now at Taco Bell. I realize that taco bell is horrible for you, but I love it. Last night Nathan came over and we went there and have a volcanoliscious feast. We brought it back to my house and ate out by the pool. I just love that so much. We were going to go swimming, but decided to watch Motocrossed (we both have a deap and enduring love for the disney chanel movies of our childhood) instead.

Tonight is B's graduation. So exciting! I can't wait to have her at TU with us!

Its going to be a great summer... : )

: (

Nathan's gone this week. First week of our summer. He went on a fishing trip, and I miss him terribly already. I know he'll have a lot of fun, and guys need to do things like that. So I'll be alright, just have to keep myself busy. He gave me one of his shirts to wear to bed this week. It smells like him. Its on my lap right now. This is pathetic, I know.

I NEED a job. I've applied at Quik Trip, Summit Physical Therapy, and South Point Chevrolet. I have discovered that while South Point would hire me, the hours are horrible - 5 PM to 9 PM Monday- Friday. That would leave me nothing to do all day, and then I would have to go to work when everyone else was getting home. Lame. So then I applied at QT. This is my most promising prospect at this point. I know a guy who manages the quik trip in Verdigris and he's putting a call in for me. Hope that works out. I talked to the owner of Summit yesterday at church and he said he might be able to find something for me at one of their branches...and to leave my # at the Claremore office sometime this week. So I went today and did that. I just hope I find a really good job.

I have a "job" for Wednesdays. So when I get an actual job, I'll have to have that day off. BECAUSE, I am going to babysit for Anita Wyatt every wednesday in the summer, and she pays $16 an hour. Gee whiz. I couldn't turn that down. Oh gosh, I hope this gets solved. I don't want to be peniless! And I need to pay off my credit card. And save save save....

I love summer. You wouldn't be able to tell from today's blog, but I really enjoy the whole no homework thing. Its niiiiiice. Today I woke up late, went running, took a shower, ate some lunch, and then did some errands. I printed off a bunch of pictures for the picture frames I've gotten lately. I love picture. I love taking them and displaying them. Then I went to my sisters choir concert, and came home to watch The Hills. Now THATS a good show. (My reasoning for thinking this is that I believe everyone needs to be a little shallow sometimes - The Hills is my shallow outlet)

Tomorrow is the twin's state semi-final soccer game. I'm sad Nathan is missing it. When I told him it was going to be while he's gone, he was very disappointed. So I'm gonna go, and I'm sure he'll be there in spirit.

Lastly, I hate At The Beach with a buring passion. I won't go into detail about how they've screwed me over this time... but I would just like to tell the whole world: DON'T EVER GO THERE - THEY ARE CON ARTISTS.

There, now I can sleep tonight.

Summer list

1. Go to Big Splash

2. Go to the Drive-in

3. Go camping

4. Eat at an outdoor cafe

5. Pick a wild flower bouquet

6. Pay off credit card bill

7. Play in a sprinkler

8. Visit 4 states

9. Read a lot of books

10. Take a nap in a hammock/porch swing

11. Rollerblade at the lake

12. Play tennis

13. Go to garage sales

14. Catch a fish

15. Learn how to french braid

16. Pay for someone's food in a drive-through

17. Eat some watermelon

18. Carve our names into a tree

19. See a shooting star

20. Take a picture of a pretty sunset

And.........GO!

5k completed!

Last night I ran my first 5k. I didn't walk one step and I finished in 33 minutes. I've never done that before, not even in training. I was so surprised and proud. Now, I just have a week to finish the rest of the list. Not really hard, but I'm a little unmotivated now since I finished the really big thing. I just have things to do like, going swimming, climb a tree, watch a sunrise (oh dear, that means getting up early...) So, I'm almost done. I'm already making a new list for the summer. I've very excited about this. I might just keep a list going constantly. Its good for me. Gives me a reason to experience new and exciting things, and re-visit things I've loved all my life.

Today, Emma and I went to see Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It was pretty good, and extremely unrealistic which kind of killed it a little bit for us. But mostly, it was good and I had a sweet message. I would watch it again if it were on TV, maybe. We also did some shopping. I got some stuff for my mom for Mother's Day, and some stuff from Dollar Tree (I had no idea how absolutely incredible that store was - EVERYTHING really is only $1), and then we went to get some home decor (our very favorite thing). I told Emma that I'm going to go to the Havverhill Institute for Home Staging when I "grow up" and she didn't believe me, but I am. Besides teaching music, thats what I want to do most as a profession. Who says I can't do both?

Summer is ALMOST here.

So close, and so far...

Today I'm in Claremore working at my dad's store. My dad owns a store - Steve's Saturday Store. A wonderful little store downtown. Its pretty adorable. Stop in sometime if you're in town. Anyway, I'm working because my dad went to my sister's soccer tournament in Norman. And I love this day.

Nathan and I got together last night after we got off work. We watched the new episode of the office (I am amazed at Michael's business savvy in this episode, absolutely unprecidented, literally) and then we watched Vegas Vacation (which we rented for free with my blockbuster rewards coupon, that felt good). I had never see Vegas Vacation. My National Lampoon's knowledge was limited to the original and Christmas vacation. But this one was SO good! Loved it.

We also shared stories of how dissapointed we were in ourselves for eating absolutely terribly in the last 24-36 hours. We vowed not to eat fast food for at least a week, and to go to Subway for lunch today, which we both did, albeit seperately, because I had to go to Claremore and he was staying in Tulsa.

Tonight we get to go to the opera! I am so excited. We're going to se La lixer d'amore (The Elixer of Love). A quite famous opera, really. We're going to get dressed up and have an absolutely marvelous time. I literally can't wait.

Right now, sitting in my dad's store, making sure people don't steal anything and trying to get started on a report I have due Monday about "Manipulability in voting systems." I couldn't be less enthusiastic.

"For every 30 minutes of exercise you do, you add 2 years to your life expectancy." fact or crap?

So today I did the 2009 Tulsa Heart Walk. My mom and sisters did it with me. It was a lot of fun. All along the walk route there were these depressing signs about how many people in a year die from heart disease and stroke. There were at least 4 negative ones about how unhealthy Americans are and then there was one that said, "For every 30 minutes of exercise you do, you add 2 years to your life expectancy." Ok, this just can't be true. I would live to be like 200+ if that were true. That statistic doesn't even make sense because the ratio of time spent to work done is not always comparable. So basically that is ridiculous, but I'm sure that most people probably just read it and thought, "Oh cool, I'm gonna exercise more!" I hope I'm not becoming too cynical. Haha.

So the 5k is 2 weeks from yesterday. The heart walk I did today is exactly the route of the 5k (one of my selfish reasons for doing it) It was sort scary because there are some steep hills. I think I'm going to go run it a couple times this week, maybe with Rachael Getter (Nathan's future sister-in-law) Its nice to run with a buddy.

List Update (items in bold have not been completed)

1. Run a 5k 2. get rollerblades 3. fly a kite 4. go on a picnic 5. get a pet 6. visit my family each week 7. give honest compliments 8. Take a dance class 9. hot air balloon ride (probably not gonna happen) 10. Watch Denis the Menice 11. lose 10-15 lbs. 12. sew a piece of clothing and wear it in public 13. read Bible every day 14. go swimming 15. climb a tree 16. make a difference 17. watch a sunrise 18. record a song with Nathan 20. give selfless gift.

The stories attached to the things I've already done are magical and well-worth every minute. I have loved doing this list. I can't wait to run the 5k. If I can do that, I can finish the whole thing. And the semester's almost over. Summer is going to be absolutely incredible. Need to find a job.

There's just enough light at the end of the tunnel to keep me going. 20 days until summer.

To err is human, to forgive divine.

Just some fun pictures.

Hard week. I'm glad its over. But looking back on it, I got quite a lot done, so I'm proud of myself. I just got out of a quiz over 12 tone rows and matrixes (I think the plural form of that word is actually matrices, but I could be wrong). It was Hell. But the professor looked at it when I turned it in and told me that I got everything right, inculding the bonus question. I wanted to be like, "F yeah, I did!" Haha, but I didn't. Instead I asked him a question about our Anthology due Monday.

Its funny. I always keep a "to do" list on the marker board in my kitchen. Lately, each time I erase something, I replace it with something else. Pretty depressing, really. The list never gets smaller. My mom made a valid point though, at least its not getting bigger. The only way you can get underwhelmed (opposite of overwhelmed) is to get your stuff done. Then you feel good. I just wish I didn't have so much stuff. Upside to this is that I have been sleeping FABulously. And really, things are not as bad as they seem.

I'm really very blessed. I have my health, a wonderful family, the best man in the world, as many friends as I need, a good school, a nice place to live, clothes, food, faith...etc. What more does a person really need? I feel bad when I start to think that my life is bad. There are so many people who don't have enough...and I have an abundance. I am humbled by this.

This week wasn't as hard as I thought.