i can't believe i'm doing this

Yep. My new year's resolutions...or something. The thing with stuff like this is that I never actually do it and it just makes me feel like I can't accomplish anything. Which is so far from the truth!! But I will give it another shot. Here goes...

*Come up with more creative ways to get people talking about themselves
*Start something new
*Love others better
*Learn a seemingly useless skill
*Learn a skill that is actually useful
*Read, play, eat, travel, decorate, blog, and create---outside the box
*Make ONE plan for after college. Just one. There are so many things to decide, but if I could just figure out ONE I might actually survive the transition to graduate life...

Most of these are rather vague. I did this intentionally because if I make specific little goals...well, we've been through this already. It becomes another "thing to do" if I'm specific about it, and with all of the ambiguity I am more likely to stumble upon the completion of each goal. I much prefer the "stumble upon" method!

I hereby proclaim that the above stated goals/resolutions are complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge, and I intend to attempt each one during the year 2008. X Me

Peace

after-Christmas sales, anyone? the worst segue of all time

I love them! They're so great! I was at Target just now and I bought four packages of recycled-paper Christmas cards and a container of 82 (count 'em, 82!) ornaments for the apartment next year. How much did I spend? Just over TEN DOLLARS! It was $10.31 or something like that. AMAZING!!

This is a really horrible segue, but shopping for next year led me to think about next year and what will happen then (and this summer)...


APARTMENT!

Yes, indeed, folks. Our very own kitchen, a living room (my personal favorite), and three bedrooms for the five of us. Giant walk-in pantry, a dining room, and only one bathroom but it doesn't even matter because all of us shower at different times anyway. My mom bought me this great cookbook for Christmas that contains recipes for dishes containing three, four, or five ingredients. My vegetarian friend has three vegetarian cookbooks. Furniture is heading our way, and everything looks like it's going to work out well roommate-wise. YES!

I think about it nearly every day. I imagine us inviting friends over for dinner or movies or just to hang out. I know it won't always be perfect, and obviously we really won't see each other very often [let's see, I will live with a pre-med, a fellow music major (also pre-med), a music ed major, and a lit major (also pre-med)...] but that's fine with me.

And this summer will be SO fantastic. I won't have to work at Quizno's (I know, I just said I love the place, but another summer there would eat what's left of my tolerance for it), I will be living with my friends, and I will be in my beloved city. It's not that I don't love my family. I just don't love Plainfield, and there are so many more opportunities in the city for singing and many more places to hang out. And more work. Anywho, one of my roommates is taking physics (woo-hoo) and the other will probably work. Like moi.

Girls, if you're reading this, know that I love you. Y'all are the best bunch of people I could ever have hoped to meet and have the chance to live with. Here's to happy times and to figuring out who's responsible for groceries!! =)

Peace

i'm so thankful for Quizno's

Yes, I said it. Quizno's has saved me. Why?

Funny you should ask...

...I

am

so

bored!!

Out of respect for my family, I would like to say that it is not their fault. I am fully responsible for my own lack of plans as I am certainly old enough to make my own. I love them all and I think they're wonderfully interesting (?) people who complete me.

However, when one spends all of one's time with only three people, one begins to lose one's mind...case in point. Which is why I am so thankful for Quizno's, or as we call it affectionately, "the Q." I am currently working at said "Q" where I have worked faithfully for two and half years (when I wasn't at school). I'm only working about twenty hours a week, but that should pick up soon when two of my coworkers leave for vacation! I know how to do everything, the regular customers recognise me, and my boss adores me. It's not the best job ever created--I come home with the smell of onions all over my hands (which lingers for about a week) and the scent of dirty dish rag on my clothes--but I'm not just sitting on my kiester and I get a little cash. Granted, this cash will most assuredly be spent on textbooks for next semester, but at least I'm not dipping into my savings...

But I forgot to mention the best part! I get to spend my day (or five hours of it) with my fantastic coworkers! It's been great getting to know them. It's a whole new crew now than when I started--I have been at my location the longest, longer even than my employer, and only one other person, Nate, remains from before the change in regime--and they're fantastic. We actually had a little Christmas party last Sunday at Red Robin, and it was a spankin' good time! Lot's of funny stories and laughter, and we even made a list of all of the people that were hired during the year that did not make it to the party...twenty-one in all! (our humor is slightly less than proper...)

Without Quizno's, I would truly be at a loss for what to do with myself. I can only take so much reading and piano playing and singing, and only so much quality time with the fam. I need variety, and the Q DEFINITELY satisfies that need.

It's amazing what a random bunch of people can do.

Peace

merry...whatever!

To: my faithful readers =)
From: ME

Dear People,

I hope you have a marvelous day spending time with the special people in your life, and that you take time to remember and ponder the eschatological significance of Jesus' birth!

Peace

my other baby

In case anyone was wondering, this is what my other dog looks like. Isn't she beautiful? (just ignore the ugly red dates at the bottom) We got her at an animal shelter on a very shady street in a small town outside St. Louis about 4yrs ago. They had named her Trinity, and we just loved it. She is so serene and very very intelligent. She knows the names of everyone in my family and we just talk to her like she's a person and she understands us (these things are evidenced by her actions). I love her! Mostly because she likes to listen to me play piano...

PS--we got Rowdy at a lady's house in southern Illinois this past summer. Both of the dogs were rather ragged, smelly, and skinny when we rescued them, but they're GEORGOUS now!

Peace

poor baby!

My little puppy had surgery today! I know it doesn't sound very traumatic, but he is quite distressed. And he's not really a puppy. But his knee was giving him some trouble--here's the story...

He was born with a bad leg--his right hind leg is a little crooked, but that certainly doesn't stop him from being ADORABLE. Anyway, he is quite rowdy....FUNNY! That's his name!...and he plays around with our other dog, Trinity (I tried to get my mom and my lil' sis to name him Neo--Dad and I thought that would be awesome, you know, Trinity and Neo, and they're both black...) and he would limp every once in awhile after a particularly trying scuffle in the backyard.

Well, a few weeks ago, he started limping more frequently. We took him to the vet and found out that the space where the kneecap goes (I know nothing about anatomical terminology in canines) was too shallow for his kneecap so it kept popping out of place.

Long story short (ish!), he had surgery today to scrape out some of the bone to make more room for his kneecap. There will be over twelve weeks of recovery and physical therapy, and a few weeks of heavy medication, but he'll be fine. He's quite drugged up right now, and I wish I had a picture, but his shaved and stapled leg would probably frighten most. It sure freaked me out.

Best wishes to Rowdy for a happy, Elizabethan collar-free recovery!

Peace

rockin' readin' for winter break

Here is a list of books I am planning to read before I return to the hustle and bustle of university life:
*The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
*Orthodoxy by Chesterton
*The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer by Renee Fleming
*Germ by Robert Liparulo
*I've forgotten the title, but its by Dean Koontz

Yay! I really shouldn't complain about being bored since I have so much to read, but sometimes it's difficult to just sit. Especially for me! Anyway, I should get started.

I think I'm writing too many lists--more real posts later.

Peace