July... already?!?

Happy July 1st! (already?!?)

It is a perfect morning for updating my blog... I'm sitting here drinking my coffee, watching two bunnies hop around outside, and listening to the silence (minus the distant sound of my mom typing upstairs, lol)...

I woke up at 6 today.. which seems funny because I don't have to work today. Lately I have been waking up between 7 and 7:30 (even on days I don't have to work) but this morning was extra early for some reason. That's alright with me though. I leave for Florida in the morning so I'm sure I will need the extra hour or so to get a few more things checked off my to-do-list! :)

My mom and I are going to Panama City.. along with my Aunt/Uncle/3 cousins and my Aunt/cousin... for July 4th weekend and coming back home on Monday night. I'm excited to spend the weekend with them. We all usually get along really great but sometimes it takes a little work first. (HA!) I'm hoping this weekend is fun! :)

Quick update since last time: The cruise was wonderful! I enjoyed Key West the most I believe.. Coco Cay was fun and relaxing.. and Nassau was just alright. My mom and I had a blast the entire time though and took lots of pictures. :)

What else? hmm.. I'm still trying to keep up with my walking (not sure if I even mentioned that in my previous posts or not? lol) but it has been SO hot lately. I'm doing the best I can and I still enjoy it each time. I love the feeling and I love when I stop walking and feel 9893834 times better than I did when I started! It pays off too... I have lost about 35 lbs since March. This week I have been a little bit of a slacker though. I'm telling myself that I will get back into it after this weekend... An "off week" is okay every now and then, right?! lol :)

Oh, I received my diploma in the mail yesterday! That's a little exciting! I feel more like a graduate now. Now, I just need to get serious about this future thing! I need to update my resume (like today!) and continue looking for a job. I found a few openings at a place in Kennesaw that I feel would be a great opportunity. It is called Devereux... I actually need to apply today as well! yikes! (Maybe that's why my body woke me up at 6 am!) Also, I am still considering and looking into the Child Life Specialist position. I read about the requirements and found out that I will need 480 hours working with a certified Child life specialist before I register for the test. So, after finding that out, I read more about the hours and realized I won't be able to just volunteer... I will have to apply for an internship because only Internship hours are accepted. I checked into the internship programs at CHOA and found out that the applications are due in September for the Internship that starts in January. I want to complete the application soon and I guess just wait and see if I get to come in for an interview. Meanwhile, I will be looking at other options....

Anyway, I have started rambling and I keep pausing and it is drawing out this entire thing... I should just end here! :)

I'm back! :)

So, I had every intention of posting at least once a week... it is now two days from a month since my last (and first) update! I will do better... :)

Okay, let's see... The entire month of May is almost over! Crazy, crazy!

My birthday/Mother's Day has passed. The day before that my mom and I had a fantastic lunch and went to see the bodies exhibit. It was an overall great day! On my birthday I went to a concert. I didn't exactly want to go when it was almost time but I went anyway... It ended up being such a fun time and I'm so happy I went. :)

Then, Friday the 14th, Gypsy and I went to my birthday/graduation present! lol.. We ate at Verde and then went to The Fox to see Mary Poppins! It was absolutely perfect! The Fox is beautiful! It was so great to see Gypsy so excited (she thinks Mary Poppins is real!) ;)

The next day was my graduation... It was pretty good. There were a few bumps in the day but it was balanced out by a few surprises and good times. My grandma was able to come to my graduation and that made my day. My aunt and uncle, on the other hand, didn't make it. All in all, it was a memorable experience... And I was exhausted by the time I got home at 8:00. lol

So, today is the 24th... My mom and I have been in Fort Lauderdale since Saturday the 22nd and we will leave from Miami on our cruise ship today. I'm excited! I know we are going to have a great time... :)

I'm currently enjoying a cup of coffee and just relaxing... It feels good to just sit and do that this morning. It is a good time to just write too.. (it is taking me a little longer than usual though because I'm using my iPhone instead of a computer.. lol) Anyway, I updated... And I will again soon! :)

Here I go...

So, I have been thinking about starting a blog for some time now. I think it will be a great way to keep up with my thoughts and life in general. I don't think I'm that exciting though! I enjoy reading Gypsy's blog and she always has nice, interesting updates. I'm sure mine will be a bit boring. But, nevertheless, here I am trying it out.

I was thinking of making the title of my blog "Dear Gypsy" and that way I could write specifically to Mrs. Savage. :) I think it is a neat idea and that may be happening soon...

Until then, let's see... should I tell about my day? Probably not. I wouldn't want to put anyone to sleep (well, the only person who would read this)! I would like to say that I am excited/nervous about the month on May. Somehow it is already at the very end of April. May will be here in a few days. My birthday is May 9th and this year it falls on Mother's Day. I'm actually really glad it's all on the same day because I actually don't like when it's my birthday. I love other people's birthdays but there is something about mine... I don't know. Like last year, Gypsy, I'm SO glad it was your graduation! :) My mom and I are planning to go see The Bodies Exhibition either on my birthday/Mother's Day or the day before (Saturday) and then have dinner for the occasion(s). We have both been wanting to see the exhibition for a while now and hopefully it's as great as I've imagined.

I graduate the Saturday after my birthday. That will be interesting. I have no idea who is even coming to my graduation but I'm just happy to be finally graduating! My Grandma told me yesterday, actually, that if they don't go, they could just see the pictures. That was a little upsetting but at the same time I understand that my grandfather hasn't been feeling 100% lately and their attendance depends a lot on his health. We will see... that's all I can say as of now. I addressed the envelopes last night and I think I did a pretty good job with them considering I hand wrote them. Anyway, that's graduation so far... I guess I still need to think about something to wear that day. ha! Also, I wanted to invite whoever goes to my graduation to dinner somewhere afterwards. But, my problem is I can't decide on a restaurant. It will be a Saturday afternoon which is the busiest time ever but I like the idea of just dinner somewhere instead of a graduation party (probably for the same reason I'm glad to share my birthday with other special occasions). So, we'll see...

On May 22nd, my mom and I are flying to Ft. Lauderdale to visit her longtime friend for almost two days before our cruise. Then, on the 24th, they are driving us down to Miami and we will board our cruise ship. I'm really excited because this will be the first cruise I've ever been on. We will be going to Key West, Coco Cay, and Nassau. We will return on the 28th and Tonya will pick us up in Miami. We are staying 2 more days in Ft. Lauderdale and then flying home on the 30th. I know I will be taking hundreds of pictures throughout this vacation. I can't wait!

So, that basically sums up May. I wonder how long it will take after graduation for me to feel like I'm actually out of school and not just on some sort of break? I have been in school for nearly 18 years straight! That is so weird to think about. I really need to figure out what I want to do. I have enjoyed working at the police department for nearly three years and my other job has had its ups and downs for almost a year now but I know I'm going to have a different outlook after graduation. I don't want to be stuck doing something that I'm not happy with and I know the sooner I make the changes, the better it will be for me. I know that I would love to work with children. I have researched many different careers lately that could be potential options for me. I'm also wondering if I should continue on and get my Masters (not right away, of course). I would like to discover, or at least narrow down, what my future has in store for me and then go for my Masters.....

Goodness, I can't even finish... It is now way past the time I needed to go to bed and I'm sitting here rambling on and on. Poor Gypsy, don't read this mess! The blog was a lot easier once I started typing though... I could totally do this! But, again, we'll see...

I am taking Drawing I as one of my electives this semester and it is by far one of the greatest classes I have ever taken. I wish I wasn't a senior because I would definitely take at least another art class of some kind before I graduate.

We had to decide what we are doing for our "final drawing" today. We will have 3 weeks to work on it before we have our critique.

I am the worst at coming up with ideas all on my own. Usually I have to draw something that is right in front of me because I can't pull something out of my brain and put it onto the paper.

With my teacher's help, I decided that I would use a scratch board and do a self-portrait of some sort. I'm thinking I will do one of me as a child.

I'm really excited about this project and can't wait to work on it. :)