It's a little odd entering the fall/holiday season and not be living with Lisa. We had some pretty fantastic Thanksgiving and Christmases living together...
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| The first Christmas |
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| Amadeus - started out as a joke the first year and now a tradition |
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| The traditional Christmas socks. At least they aren't playing music or lighting up! |
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| We're pretty classy. I miss her...a lot. |
Today is my 28th birthday. Is it weird to say that I've actually felt like I have been 28 for the past six months now? It was a pretty low-key birthday. My students were quite excited about it and there was a rousing round of happy birthday in some of my classes. Today was a good day with my students. We didn't necessarily get through 100% of what I set out for us to accomplish, yet, we did have some fun. I feel like I've been lecturing them quite a bit lately and we've been bickering and the constant power struggle continues. But I felt like today we all let loose a little bit. I'm sure it won't last through tomorrow but I felt like I made some progress with many of my 'difficult' students. Maybe it is because I had a great weekend and I was still in a pretty good mood, and they just responded to my good mood. Either way, it was a good day, if not overly birthday-ey.
That's the only possible explanation, really. My to-do list seems to be getting shorter but the few things I've added lately are doozies! I was able to remove "find a job" (yay!) but I added "start new job" and "pack apartment" and "move to Layton" in its place. My mom is surely reading this and saying, "I told you to wait until after you graduate to move!" She's right. She did tell me that and she has a valid point. You see, I have this wonderful habit of moving at the worst possible moment. For example, I moved a week after having MAJOR surgery. This time last year I was moving during finals while sick AND planning a bridal shower for a dear friend. So it would seem par for the course that I would move while finishing my Masters and starting a new job...right?
I haven't updated all month and quite a bit has happened and continues to happen. Instead of an in-depth update you're getting the Kelly's Update List of Might and Wonder. Yes, you read that correctly... Kelly's Update List of Might and Wonder. It's exciting stuff. So, without further ado, here it is...
Who knew that actually having a social life and friends would make school so difficult? Well, I'm sure most of you already knew that but this is news to me. Thus far in my graduate career it has not been a problem. In fact, I often used my "studying" and "homework" as a way to get out of spending time with people that I didn't want to see. Granted, I did actually have homework and studying to do. Yet, I probably could have worked something out if I had really wanted to. It also helped that my last bedroom was a deep, dark hole that did not inspire one to get out and spend time with the world.
...that is the question. I've had some pretty great things happen in the past month or so. I've debated blogging about it but I'm just not sure I want to send it out into the interwebs just yet.
2011 is the year of the Classy Broad. We do classy things. We get dressed up to go out with the girls, we drink out of classy glasses, we take compliments with...you guessed it, class.
1. So glad the sunburn is fading...not peeling or pealing. Either would be gross and awkward.
1. Yogurt covered Raisins. My sister used to eat this when we were younger and I recently picked up a bag. Oh man...so tasty. HOWEVER, I do NOT recommend the Sunkist Vanilla flavored yogurt raisins. Bleh...
No not the fluffy sugar covered kind...the real life totally awesome people kind! I don't know if people check the side bar linky thing to other blogs (I know I sometimes forget) but I've added a few in the past little while that I think you all should check out for various reasons. This one (Sara) is my dear friend from college. She was the very, absolutely first friend I made when I went to Scripps. We bonded over sleeping on the hard tile floor the night before Outdoor Orientation. And then some more over lack of hygiene and puking in tents. Seriously, if you can make it through a week of the outdoors, no showers, hairy legs and vomit, you can make it through anything. Her blog is mostly about food. She makes some pretty tasty stuff. So all you foodies out there will want to check it out.
And this one (Dad) is my dad. I know, shocking, my father has joined the blogosphere...what has the world come to!? Last fall he bought some property up north and has been having this Out of Africa in Idaho experience. So the blog is just his thoughts and adventures up there. So all you outdoorsy folks will probably like it.
This one (Abode) is one of my favorite consignment shops in the valley. It's stuffed to the rafters with cool and random stuff. Clothes, furniture, decor, jewelry, books...they've got it all. Many of you already know about the store but I wasn't sure if you knew about the blog. I know I didn't until recently.
Enjoy!
I haven't really blogged much lately so I figured I'd give you all the rundown on what's been happening the past month...I seriously can't believe December is almost over. Only a matter of weeks before another year has come and gone...
1)Finished my second semester...woot! Official grades don't get posted until tomorrow but I'm fairly positive I did pretty well in each of my classes. As I was thinking back over the past two semesters I was somewhat surprised, not how easy it all was because it's definitely been a challenge, but how it all just seemed to click and make sense for me. It's been stressful and at times, emotional but I love what I'm learning and I love that it seems to come somewhat naturally for me.
2) Got two new Church Callings...bringing my grand total to THREE church callings. I am the Fellow shipping CoChair with the lovely Lisa, I teach Relief Society once a month and I am now one of two Stake YSA Reps. Add in my school/work schedule for next semester...I'll be a busy girl. My old ward was so massive that you (or at least I) felt more like just another nameless face in the crowd. My current ward is so tiny that it's impossible to be invisible. It's nice to feel needed and appreciated...like what I have to offer is worthwhile.
3) Had a fabulous Christmas party. It was sort of a celebration for me finishing up my semester too. Well, for me it was, I don't think anyone else had any idea. But it was nice to see some friends I hadn't seen in quite a while and get caught up on the goings on of their lives. It was also a chance for me to get my inner Martha on. I had fun decorating the house (with the help of the roommies) and setting a festive table. I am truly my mother's daughter. I love to set a pretty table and have everything look just so. I know most people don't really notice or care but I like doing it and I think it adds a little something extra to whatever the occasion.
4) To piggyback off of #3, I am hosting Christmas Eve at my apartment this week. I LOVE the Christmas Season and I love when all the family gathers around to celebrate. We sing carols and eat yummy food and just spend time together. It doesn't happen to often these days so it's nice when we can all get together.
5) I'm heading to Denver for New Year's! I'm super excited to get to see my adorable niece and nephew...their parent's aren't too bad either. :) I don't' know what we'll do but I am definitely excited to see them and spend some time with them.
6) Coolest.Roommate.Ever. For Christmas she bought me a beautiful copy of Wordsworth's poetry printed in the late 1800's. It's bound in beautiful blue leather, has gold leaf edges and a great frontispiece of Wordsworth's portrait. Best.Gift.Ever!
6.5) Actually, the legwarmers I'm wearing under my jeans today, are coming in a close second. It's cold and wet outside and just plain cold inside, they're keeping my legs nice and warm!
I guess that's all for now. I know, not the most riveting post ever but I felt the need to 'put it out there', as it were. Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Be safe!
....is all the separated me from three time Tony award winner Audra McDonald tonight. I got to see her perform at the Hale Theater in Orem in 110 Degrees in the Shade. A guy from my ward is in the cast and was able to get us some pretty sweet tickets (3rd row) for super cheap. I had never actually heard of this musical and didn't know much about it, but a.may.zing! Hale Theater is theater in the round and it's a tiny little theater so there really wasn't a bad seat in the house. BUT we were third row and I was right on the end so whenever they used those stairs for entrances and exits I could have reached out and touched them. Audra McDonald. She's amazing!
Being called darling, three times by the cashier at Zupas the other day.
Seeing a young dad teach his son how to ride a bike driving back from work.
A wonderful late night and waking up in a good mood despite the lack of sleep.
Turning in a paper that I actually had time to prepare for.
Finally having a washer/dryer at home and doing laundry at home.
The neighborhood cat that likes me the most for some inexplicable reason - especially considering I can't touch her due to allergies.
My adorable, almost three year old, niece dressed up as a ladybug for her first ever ballet recital.
Not feeling stressed and overwhelmed about school.
Practiced our song for Sunday and we sound pretty good (now just need to write a talk).
The flowers I planted in pots outside my backdoor are not only still alive, but thriving.
Highland Games on Saturday - real men wear kilts, or at least they'd like you to think so.
It's reality check in the Buie household...hard core reality check time. I've been in school a mere three weeks and oh my heavens, it is kicking my butt. I am still loving everything about it, well almost everything, but it's so much harder than anything I've ever had to do before. To kind of put things in perspective, in order to be considered a full time student at the graduate level one must take 9 credit hours. Full time for my particular program is 18 or 19 credits - almost double. I am taking 9 this term and I'll be taking the same number next term in addition to field placements in actual classrooms to be followed by student teaching shortly thereafter. I was planing to do all of this while still working full time. I mean, who really needs sleep these days? Well, apparently I do. I also would like to have some semblance of a social life and try to maintain my sanity. I didn't think this was too much to ask. Again, apparently it was.
So lets rewind a week, shall we? After a wonderful and deliciously relaxing Memorial Day weekend, I went to class rejuvenated and excited to get back to work then Wednesday rolls around...I got my first paper back on Wednesday. Umm...... Not so bueno. Turns out grad school is hard, really hard. From there the week turned into a downward spiral of stress, extreme anti social behavior and on several occasions almost breaking down into tears. So what am I going to do about it, you may ask? After doing the research and thinking and praying about it all, I do have a solution. One that I am not going to talk about right now for logistical reasons. However, if all goes according to plan, and you're all good little children, I may be able to tell you all by the end of the week.
In other news, I had another pretty fantastic weekend. I woke up early on Saturday and played tennis with Lisa. Hey! I play tennis! Or at least, I try to play tennis. I took lessons when I was a wee young thing and haven't played in over a decade but it's still fun. Showered, ran some errands with the mum, came home worked on my paper and had a few hours to kill. I then went on a picnic up Big Cottonwood Canyon. Now, when I first proposed a picnic I was envisioning a park or something and playing Frisbee and what not. I, accordingly, wore shorts, a tshirt and flip flops. Did you know there is still snow on the ground up at Brighton in June? Well there is. We still had fun, though. I should probably learn to pack a spare pair of shoes and socks and a sweater..possibly gloves and a hat....and maybe snow boots. But really it was a fun night.
Next week Lisa, Shannon and I are all speaking and singing in church. We haven't been in the ward a month yet and they've already put us to work. The ward is pretty small, probably 40 or 50 that come regularly, so it's no surprise there. They wanted us to speak over Memorial Day but thankfully Lisa and Shannon were out of town. So between writing another paper this week and field placements and class, I get to write a talk...without being given a topic. I've got a couple ideas mulling around in my head but nothing too concrete so I'm open to suggestions!
We're going to ignore the fact that I am breaking out like a 16 year old and declare today a good day for the following reasons:
1) BOTH my state and federal tax refunds hit my account today - I can finally pay off my medical bills. Let's all say it together...YAY!
2) At our department meeting today I was declared the "Records Rockstar". This meant that me putting in insane hours lately has not gone unnoticed and unappreciated, $10 gift card to Harmon's (I get lunch there frequently) and - the best part - a pretty rockin' sign to hang in my cube.
3) Went to Hatch's Chocolate and had Hot chocolate instead of dinner...and it was worth every single calorie.
4) Finished cataloging all DVDs in the apartment - 354...to be exact, including TV shows (at least they aren't all mine).
5) Received a phone call from my recruiter from Westminster and she let me know that all my application materials had arrived and my application was being reviewed by the committee. Turns out they actually call you when a decision has been made. Yikes! I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm used to the impersonal, somewhat less humiliating anonymity of a letter. I'm not sure how I'll react with a rejection from a live person. That's a conversation to look forward to. But the good news it I should know soon. She said the next couple of days but seeing as how we're going into a long weekend, I imagine it should be next week sometime. Now I just have to not think about it for the next week...
Vince and Brynna got married yesterday morning in the Manti Temple. Their reception was at Talon's Cove in Saratoga Springs. Yesterday was entirely devoted to wedding activities. Lauren and I got our hair done by Frank (seriously love him!) at 11. We then came back to my apartment got a few last minute items together and then headed south. We had to stop at South Town Mall to get jewelry. We had a difficult time deciding what we wanted. I really didn't care too much but Lauren really wanted pearls and couldn't find anything that she really liked. We went to Macy's, JC Penny, bought some earrings at Dillards then went back to Macy's to buy different necklaces. We weren't matchy matchy they way Lauren wanted but we were both happy with out purchases. My necklace was $40 but i paid $9! Love sales! We then grabbed some lunch at the food court and then headed out to Talon's Cove to get the reception ready.
When we got to the reception site the tables were set up with chairs but that was it. We had to put all the rented table clothes, runners, chair covers, bows, centerpieces, candles, gift table, sign in etc. in a couple of hours. It turned out pretty well actually. I was pretty proud of us. Brynna and Vince were late to the reception, which i was pretty sure would happen. But they were happy and loved how everything looked so it all worked out in the end. I spent most of my evening making sure the bride and groom were happy and had everything they needed and making sure everything went smoothly. I surprisingly had a very good time. I didn't know many people there but I hung out with Lauren and a guy name Dru. He used to be in our ward but has since moved on. AND my sister's sister-in-law was there too. Random, no? She was there with a guy that knew Brynna. We did the bouquet toss (Lauren literally shoved me out of the way) and after Lindsey came up and said hi. So random. Nicki was there too. It was good to see her.
All in all it was a good night. Probably because I was sort of in charge...if i hadn't had something to do I probably would have been pretty bored. I even got asked to dance and really, what girl doesn't like that? I'm happy for the couple and I'm glad that it went as well as it did. Everything looked good, even if the cake didn't really match anything else. It was still a beautiful event. CONGRATS Brynna and Vince!
The year is coming to an end and it is generally a time people look back on the previous year and reflect. These are some things that have happened this year, a la Lisa.
All in all, it's been a pretty good year. 2007 was a difficult year for me, so I'm very grateful that I had this time to regroup, heal (mentally/emotionally and physically) and move on. I feel really good about where I am in my life and the plans I have for the future. It's a really good place to be. I don't think I've ever been there before and it's good. So Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends! Last night I got to talk on the phone with Nicki for an hour and a half. She is off in Iowa pursuing what she calls, "Professional Training". Really she's starting her MLS (Master of Library Science). I don't get to talk to her nearly as often as I would like but that just makes it so much better when I do get to talk to her. Last night was one of those conversations that is long overdue and we just spill out everything that has been building up for past several weeks. It was so great to talk to someone that is so solidly in "my corner" and yet will call me on my crap as needed. She is such a wonderful friend and example for me. I LOVE YOU NICKI!!!
I also have been very blessed to meet several new friends and kindred spirits. Lisa and Christine are so much fun and are quickly becoming my favorite people. They get my sense of humor and allow me to be silly and goofy. I hung out with Lisa this weekend (Christine was in Logan doing wedding stuff). We went to antique stores on Saturday, random - I know. We walked all over downtown and went into all those shops that you drive by a million times and say you want to go in but never do. We went to the Rare Book Store on 200 East and 300 South. You could smell the books before you even walked in the door. I found a 5 volume set of Louisa May Alcott books printed in 1911 for $30! $30!!!! And she let me wander around the store and didn't laugh at me when I got giddy about the books.
We joke sometimes about finding your happy place when something has gone wrong or you have to do something unpleasant. I joked that these books were my happy place...and they are. But really, my friends are my happy place. They are truly wonderful, beautiful, amazing people and I am truly blessed to have them in my life. My Patriarchal blessing says something about how I will be able to make and maintain meaningful friendships and relationships throughout my life that will uplift and support me in times of trouble. I have been blessed.
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