Last But Not Least

I AM WRITING THIS FROM MY VERY OWN NEW MACBOOK!!

In other news:
-We had over 100 dogs check in today at the hotel.
-I have less <3 (that's less than three) weeks of work left.
-I still love days off.
-I'm still excited for Texas...even moreso now that I have my delicious Apple to take along
-Gabe is getting huge
-I love having Spencer here
-You need to watch Blades of Glory
-http://youtube.com/watch?v=EJJL5dxgVaM <----- I love this!

Not back to school

Things I currently miss very much:

• My roomies. Jamie, Nettie, Megan, Emma, Jill, Lauren, and Bianca
• Having a social life
• PITA PIT!!!
• Starbucks on 11th Ave
• Colorado and its TREMENDOUS dry air
• Other friends like Sara, Abbey, other Megan, Mandi, Suiter, etc.

I'm not having a bad week or anything like that. But talking to friends who are back at UNC this week has made me all the more aware of what I am missing out on. Of course, there are plenty of things I do not miss at all as well.

• CLASSES.
• Homework
• Beginning of the semester to-do list
• Buying books
• Finding your classes and going through the awkward first day where you walk in and everyone else looks at you and you try not to catch anyone's eye and just find a desk as quickly as possible. Or is that just me who feels that way about the first day of class?
• Being horrified by that one pesky professor every semester
• Being more broke than I currently am
• Never seeing my family

I am truly thankful that I have things that I miss, because it makes me realize how blessed I was in the first place to have those gifts in my life. And I am also thankful I no longer have to deal with the latter of the two lists because they were pretty much a drag. It is very strange not to be a student any more though, at least outside of the classes I will be taking this fall at Triple Crown. I am getting really excited to go down there! Finally find out what it's like to be there. And see if Gabe measures up as a student :)

Maybe then I will have more interesting things to share on my blog too! Yes, I have some pretty good stories from work that I would be more than happy to share with you all. But I think Annie's advice to never blog about your job is pretty wise. I might be the quiet, pleasant girl who works at the front desk but oh do I have observations. If this sparks your interest you can always ask me on your own time.

Mac Daddy

Mine is on its way. Need I say more?

Gosh though, first a blog, now a Macbook...am I a follower or what?

Well, I bet you've never gone to dog training school before. Or had a grasshopper farm. Or dressed up as a sheep and sang a solo for the church. Oh, wait. Jeremy, Annie, Sarah...pretty sure they all did that at some point in their lives. Spencer and Ashley?

H to the appy

I'm having a good day.

A. I had the day off from work. I love days off from work. Right now, I work at the front desk of a pet hotel. Yes, it's an exciting life, standing up for 8 hours straight, picking up an exasperatingly persistent phone, answering the same 8 questions 27 times per shift and mopping up various shapes and sizes of urine puddles from dogs who got just a little too excited. And I do it all while wearing the most attractive of uniforms - a PetSmart polo shirt (size adult medium) that hangs well past my arse when untucked and has sleeves that reach all the way to my elbows. I suppose it could be featured on a site such as www.wholesomewear.com , at least if you don't undo the buttons. Complete a typical day with customer complaints about medication fees, the number of coupons they are allowed to use, or the fact that their dog's vaccinations have expired and 'someone should have warned them' (I recommend talking to their vet about that one.) Add it all up and you've got yourself quite the uplifting experience. Needless to say, I drink in the days on which I don't have to be 'on', I can wear something that looks like a girl should be wearing, and generally just be selfish with my time. Today was no different.

B. I got my bangs trimmed. They were too long, mis-shapen and falling in my eyes. They are now tamed, under control and much more manageable. Simple joys.

C. In the past 24 hours, I have had two meaningful conversations with two very meaningful individuals. One was with my lovely sister in law Ashley at a random encounter in Starbucks last night. It is always so refreshing to talk to her and it was very nice to catch up. She gives GREAT advice, by the way, and I recommend talking to her. Also, hire her for all your photography needs. -----> www.ashleyparsons.com Shameless promotion...
The other conversation was with the boy I love, Spencer. This is his band's myspace, and you should go check them out. More shameless promotion. I kind of like it. And actually, expect more of it over the life of this blog. I looooooooove good conversations. Love them.

D. The aforementioned Spencer sent me roses today. And I, shocked and giddy as to why they had shown up asked him 'What is this about?' He said 'Babe, it's about you.' Swoon. Good job, boyfriend. The card attached was just as valuable if not more.

So. All in all I have had a very nice day with a lot of really great things included in it. And I know it is perfectly fine, more than fine to enjoy it all and even to bask in it. But I have to be honest that now and again, good days with good things can get me into trouble. There is no guarantee that I will be having a day like this in a year, 6 months from now, or even tomorrow. But something I am learning to work on is not to place my hope in anything other than Jesus Christ. Believe me, I fail miserably at it more days than not. But I'm trying. And growing. I listened to a very encouraging sermon by Matt Chandler today called 'Healing and Hope'. He spoke about laying our burdens on Jesus simply because He wants to help us along our way. We were not meant to make the journey of life all alone. Too often we make other things our god. A guy. A girl. Our paycheck or our abilities. All of those things make extremely lousy gods to serve. I cannot expect every day to provide me with such an easy go of things. But at least I serve the king who will hold my hand through it all. He'll even carry me. And for that, I am truly HAPPY.

Middlest

In many different ways, I am a middle-of-the-road kind of girl.

• I find it very hard to make decisions. If you want an opinion, don't ask me. There are other people available for that task.


• I'm a mediator. Both sides of an argument (for the most part) when discussed start to sound pretty relevant if I give it some thought.


• Some people find me endlessly aggravating because they cannot figure me out. I just won't be one extreme or another; I'm most often somewhere in between.


• I am the middle daughter in my family.

So, that being said, I've been sitting on the 'blog fence' for a while, trying to decide if it is worth it for me to start one. After all, I participated in, lived through, and then eventually left behind the Xanga era. And then Ashley, Annie, and Jeremy have gradually acquired blogs of their own. When I think about their blogs, my 'cyber insecurities' immediately go haywire. Ashley has beautiful pictures of sweet little boys to share with the world. Annie has words that could slay any writer, from Dear Abby to JK Rowling. And Jeremy has enough wit and humor to split your sides wide open. Don't believe me? Just check out their blogs, yo. My family gots talent. Furthermore, blogs require people to be open and vulnerable, things I am not famous for. Can't people just read my mind?



BUT. When I received the word that littlest Sarah got a blog of her very own last night, I got pushed over my blog fence. HER blog will be full of wise sayings and thoughts so deep they might sprain your brain. But hey. <------I have a dog. He's cute and I will use his face to make you like me more. And some people, if they can get past the sheer nerd that dwells within me, think I am kind of funny. I enjoy proper grammar and punctuation. So my thoughts might not be all that bad to read about.



This starts my blog. I put no promises behind it. But so far, it's kind of fun. :)