Hey there stranger

Apparently I cannot juggle working and going to school and life well enough to tend to the blog since it's been over a month! Oh well, I'll have a bit of a break now that my first semester of certification is done and I really did enjoy it despite an occasional grumble. I made A's in both my classes (woo hoo!) and will have one more semester before I get out there and find an internship. One of our final lessons was "teaching" our colleagues as they pretended to be students of the assigned age group. I taught with two other ladies and we taught Spanish, Social Studies, and Math to second graders. Our lesson went very smoothly and we received really great observations.

Work has gotten busy now that Christmas is nearing, so I've been getting lots of hours which equals lots of money, ha ha. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to get home for Christmas with this rigorous retail scheduling, but here's hoping.

To celebrate the season we are engaged in a strenuous battle of the Christmas decorations with our neighbor. First place receives $100 off of next month's rent, and we are currently losing. AND they won last year, but the neighbors just keep adding MORE stuff!! In all seriousness though, we do adore our neighbors, they're super sweet, we just really want to get some cheaper rent. We can't beat them in quantity so we're going for style. So far this is what we have:And of course we bought a few more things today. This is the competition as of a few days ago and there has been even more added since this:

November WHAT?

First off, can I just say how on earth is it November already?? Who knew?! I see it's been awhile since my last post, but I refuse to apologize because I've noticed a trend wherein every post seems to start off with an apology/excuse for the lapse between posts. So there.

Things are just trucking along. My classes for the semester are almost done and with that brings relief and excitement that I will be one semester closer to being in the classroom. I have a research paper due next week for my english class that I have been procrastinating working on and its about to come back and bite me in the butt.

In other exciting news my dear friend Caitlin is getting married this weekend! I cannot believe it has already been a year since she was calling to tell me about her snazzy new piece of hardware and now it's time for the big day. I am so happy for her and Clayton and let me tell you this shindig is going to be crazy!

Halloween was fairly low-key at my house. Matt was out of town for a weekend's worth of shows so I took miss Mollie trick-or-treating at the dog bakery and the guys absolutely fawned over her in her little banana outfit. I got her some really cute treats for Halloween and then we came home and my friend Rachel and her dog, Abbi came over for pizza and movie night. We watched Hocus Pocus and some Food Network Halloween Cake Challenges. I had bought candy to pass out, but we had one trick-or-treater all night! At least I haven't eaten all the leftovers.

Moving to New England, BYE!

I want to go to there.

Customer Service is dead.

Now that I've been working out in the "real world" for over a year I've really started to notice how people treat customers. Remember the days of the customer is always right? They are long gone. I'm taking an online English course to supplement my bachelor's degree for teacher certification and was required to order a textbook from the dreaded on-campus bookstore. I looked everywhere else I could think of, but it's one of those obscure titles that the professor wrote so there was literally no other options. I went in and paid for said book August 31st and was told it should be in within 1 to 2 weeks. Not a problem right? wrong. 3 weeks go by and still no call from the bookstore so I give them a call. I'm asked to recite various numbers off of my receipt and am told it will be in the following week. I wait another week and a half before going in to retrieve my book and guess what, STILL not there. I'm told "we'll call you when we get it". Now I have an assignment due this Friday so bright and early Monday morning I ring up the bookstore and explain with urgency that I NEED this book. Now they need my order #. I read off various numbers on the receipt, wrong. I can give you my name and the name of the book, not good enough. I was supposed to receive a confirmation email, I can't access my school email account. The associate asks if I can call her back while I "figure it out". I'm not a happy camper here and after getting the email figured out I see my in-box holds no email from the bookstore. So I call back and tell that lovely associate this, and she says oh wait, she called and told me that they couldn't get that book and I needed to come in and get a refund ON SEPTEMBER 4TH! Who called and told me this I ask, this associate herself, she left me a phantom message that I never received. She tells me I can order the book through another campus 45 minutes away, click. Needless to say I was not very happy after that conversation. Luckily the other campus had a copy so I made my little road trip and spent this morning trying to get ahold of the bookstore's manager just to let her know about the lack of communication between her employees and customers. Even though she is working she has "stepped out" everytime I try to call. I tried reaching her three times over a couple of hours and then I get a missed call from them while I'm at work "in regards to my book". I plan on going in tomorrow for my refund and will hopefully be able to vent a little to the manager while I'm there. I guess I'm especially interested in what you think Sarah, since you worked at the MSC bookstore. I mean if I had been told it was unavailable the first time I called it would be a completely different story, but this has played out over a month now! Anyways, there's my rant for the day. I'm super excited about seeing some of my favorite Aggie girls this weekend! Just have to get through this week first. The end.

Let the Good Times Roll

First, to recap:
My fun weekend has come and gone and I figure I should post some pictures of the good times. Friday, Matt and I celebrated our FIVE year anniversary and made our first big purchase together, a 37" flat screen LCD high-definition t.v. and various other lingo that I still don't quite understand. Let me just say, everything IS better in high-def. I highly recommend it. Of course now I have twice as many channels to remember...
We went to Lomonte's Italian Restaurant for our anniversary dinner and it was delicious. We had crab-stuffed mushrooms and for entree's I had Ravioli Dolce and Matt had Shrimp Florenza. After dinner, our waiter brought us out a slice of Italian Cream Cake with candles melted to the plate and it tasted amazing! I can't believe we've been together for five years now, and still love him more than ever. And finally, I headed to Waco for Caitlin's Bridal Shower in the morning where we drank mimosas and kibitzed. And then in the evening we had a Fiesta at the Phoenix Balllroom in Waco, which I didn't even know existed. In my defense it's fairly new, but with a rustic feel to it and we had lots of margaritas and some yummy mexican food. The wedding is coming up in a little over a month and I can tell that Caitlin and Clayton are so excited and I'm so happy for them!

Is It the Weekend Yet?

I had today off from work which has given me the opportunity to finish up my school work for class this evening. Unfortunately, tonight's class involves a group project and I have one member who is so irresponsible and I am sitting here at the eleventh hour waiting for her to finish her work. grrr. My class runs from 6:00-9:45 and completely ruins any plans of eating dinner. I've tried eating before hand, but then I'm hungry after class. I've tried taking a snack with me, but sometimes we don't take a break and it's never filling enough to cover dinner. Alright, complaints aside, I really am enjoying this class and feel like I have learned a lot.

I am super excited about this weekend. Matt and I are celebrating our five year anniversary on Friday! We're going to go have dinner at a local Italian restaurant that has some rave reviews online so I'll let you know how that goes. And rather than get each other the same old gifts we decided to go in together on a brand new flat screen t.v.

Saturday I'm heading up to Waco very early for a bridal shower in the morning and then a fiesta in the evening. I made the cutest gift for the shower if I do say so myself and I know she'll love it. I'm thinking I might go get a new dress for the fiesta since I've lost another five pounds bringing me down twenty pounds total! whoop.

That's all for now. :)

Cinnabark Brown

Since I didn't have to work or go to class today it was a very relaxing Labor Day free of labor. I was scanning through some of my old posts and realized that I never posted a picture of the living room paint job, so here you go. We just did the back wall and I love how it makes the couch stand out. The color carries over to one wall of the dining area, but the table is currently covered in scrapbooking paraphernalia so that photo will have to wait.

I haven't gotten to the accent wall in the bedroom yet due to time and monetary constraints, and I still have to pick the right red. The sample I had picked out was way too pink and I'm looking for a deeper red, without bridging over into maroon, because haven't we all got plenty of maroon in our lives :)

Busy Bee

I know it's been awhile, but between getting a job and starting my teacher certification classes I haven't had near as much free time, not that I'm complaining mind you. I'm now on my second week for both school and work and both are going really well. Working at Pier 1 is nice because I get to be surrounded by all this great design, the people are nice, and honestly, the work is easy. I mean it doesn't take much to run a cash register. Teacher certification classes have been interesting, I'm learning a great deal about how much work it takes to be a teacher. I truly admire all my friends who are already in the classroom and living it day by day. I really need to buckle down and start studying for the two exams I'll need to take to become certified, and I also need to take a substitute course so I can go ahead and get in the classroom. Hopefully I will be able to go home this weekend for our Labor Day celebration, but I'll have to wait until Friday to see if I'm needed at work. Okay, that's all for now. Time for bed!

"Things Are Finally Looking Up for Old Lara Luksis"

First off, I FINALLY got offered a job! I will be working part-time at Pier 1 while taking two classes and it is such a relief to have finally gotten all that figured out. My new boss, Sonya, is really nice and chill and I'm excited to work at a store that has such cool stuff. AND 40% discount, so expect Christmas to be courtesy of Pier 1 Imports. Next week I'll start one of my classes and work so no more sitting at home for Lara!! I went back out to the school today and got registered for an online English class, British Literature, yay! It should be interesting to take an English class again, I didn't need to take one at A&M because I brought in enough AP hours from High School, but I always enjoyed English in High School.

I also have cleaned enough junk off my computer that I could load some new pictures so first off we have Mollie's birthday. I got her a super cute bone from the dog bakery and we let her open up her presents. She loves ripping up the paper :) And don't worry, I didn't let her eat the whole thing; she's been getting pieces every few nights. She hasn't completely destroyed any of her new toys yet so that's good. I cannot believe that she is one year-old now. It seems like just yesterday that I saw her online and made up my mind that I was getting a dog. She started off a little 2lb squirt with cute little ears flopped over and now she's almost 19lbs with the ears of a jack rabbit. We still have some behavior issues to work on, but overall I am so glad that I have this sweet little girl in my life.


ADULT CONTENT!!!!



And finally here's a snapshot of some of the cookies I made for Caitlin's Bachelorette Party in Austin. They were a huge hit and despite all the work involved in making them and decorating them and transporting them I'm really glad that I made them because Caitlin loved them. Also if you're ever in Austin, I highly recommend seeing the comedy show, Esther's Follies. It's on 6th Street and it's absolutely hilarious. I can't wait to go back and see what they come up with.

Can't Get Enough Can We?

RULES - Copy, paste, & fill out

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Floss and water when I brushed my teeth

Last person you rode in a car with under the age of 20?
Hmm...I would guess one of my cousins, a long time ago.

How do you feel about Dr. Pepper?
I like it every once in awhile

Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew?
Why yes I have, how random.

Where was your facebook/myspace profile picture taken?
At an Astros game

Can you play guitar hero?
I only have played once, but thought I did alright

Name someone that made you laugh today?
The aforementioned Matthew

How late did you stay up last night and why?
1:30AM because I was reading the seventh Harry Potter and had to force myself to put it down and go to bed.

If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Well, I dream of the cooler climates of Colorado, but if that happens it won't be for awhile

Ever been kissed under fireworks?
Yeppers :)

Which of your friends lives closest to you?
That would be miss Rachael who lives in the Woodlands

Do you believe ex's can be friends?
I think it depends on the people.

Calling or texting?
Calling, texting takes too long and is dangerous while driving.

When was the last time you cried really hard?
Two nights ago, watched the saddest episode of Intervention I have ever seen

Where are you right now?
Sprawled on the living room floor of my apartment. My wireless router hasn't worked in months.

What bed did you sleep in last night?
My bed, the most comfiest bed in the world.

What was the last thing someone bought for you?
Matthew bought me lunch this afternoon :) Thanks Matt!

Who took your profile picture?
Matt has mastered the art of taking pictures of the two of us. Must be those long arms.

Was yesterday better than today?
Eh, they were about the same actually. I guess today was better because I did some shopping.

Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Well as someone in a very happy loving relationship, uh yeah duh.

Are you a bad influence?
Well jeez I hope not.

Night out or night in?
Nights in with the occasional night out.

What items could you not go without during the day?
My phone, if I forget it at home I feel naked.

What does the last text message in your inbox say?
Jeans are on sale at Old Navy for $19. It's not September yet :)
Text to my mom telling her about the awesome bargain I found and the reminder that she can't spend money in September or October per orders from my Dad.

How do you feel about your life right now?
Optimistic

Do you hate anyone?
no

If we were to look in your facebook inbox, what would we find?
messages... duh

Can you easily tell if someone’s fake?
I'd like to think I can read people fairly accurately.

Has anyone ever called you perfect before?
Yes and it's rather irritating.

Has anyone ever called you a perfectionist?
Yes, though that one I don't mind as much

Can you whistle?
Yes

Do you sleep on your side, stomach, or back?
My side

When is the next time you will see the person you like?
"Like" huh? I suspect in about 8 hours when he gets off of work

What song is stuck in your head?
I got a feelin' - The Black Eyed Peas <3 it!

Someone knocks on your window at 2am, who do you want it to be?
Good lord, no one, that would be terrifying.

Who was the last person to tell you that they love you.
Aunt Vicky

Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50?
Nope.

Name something you have to do tomorrow.
Feed the dog.

Do you think too much or too little?
Way too much

Do you smile a lot?
Yes, its contagious :)

Who was your last missed call on your Cellphone?
My health insurance agent. Need to call him back.

What was the last book you read?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

What book are you currently reading?
The Girls from Aimes

Is there something you always wear?
My fighting Texas Aggie Ring

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Looking through old pictures on facebook

Did you have an exciting weekend last weekend?
Yep, is there such a thing as a not exciting Bachelorette Party? And in Austin.

Have you ever crawled through a window?
Um only on construction sites.

Have you ever dyed your hair?
No, my mother would kill me.

Are you wearing a necklace?
No

Are you an emotional person?
Yes, very much

Can you handle the truth?
I'd like to think so.

What's something that can always make you feel better?
A hug

Will this weekend be a good one?
Well, its already almost half over, but yes it has been good.

What do you want right now?
To go to bed.

Are you mad about anything?
No

When was the last time you were disappointed and why?
Not hearing back from jobs fast enough.

Would you share a drink with a stranger?
You mean like take a drink and give it to someone and then take it back, no.

Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
Grandma Dorothy, years ago

How many times have you been pulled over by the police?
Pulled over twice, one ticket.

Have you ever worn the opposite sex's clothing?
Um, a tie for tie day in high school

Have you ever worked in a food place?
Yes, a cafe one summer in high school, not fun.

Where is your biological father right now?
Probably working the night shift up in Pittsburgh, PA

Look behind you, what do you see?
Whoa, that's kind of scary, like someone is going to be there. Nope, just the coffee table covered in puzzle pieces.

Can you live a day without TV?
Yes

Does anyone know your facebook password?
Yeah, but I don't consider it a breach of national security standards

Would you like some cake?
Had a tiny slice of cheesecake for dessert so I'm set. Thanks though.

Hope you had fun... now it's your turn...

Do you sell containers for puzzles?

I had another interview on Thursday at the Container Store and this was the first "group interview" I've ever been to. Now while I would love to work at the Container Store I have to say that this "interview" seemed like the biggest waste of time. The only information that the store gleaned from the six applicants was whether we wanted part-time or full-time positions and what hours we were available. Other than that it was two hours!! of listening to why the Container Store is a great place to work (which I wholeheartedly believe) and watching an informational movie about the history of the Container Store and their philosophies. I was definitely the youngest applicant, the entire group was female and most of the women had full time jobs and are looking to supplement their incomes. Now without sounding petty how can I put this, can I PLEASE be hired over these women so I can quit mooching off of my parents. I mean, I know everyone is struggling financially in this economy, but as someone who is unemployed why can't I get priority over these older women who just want a job to make a little extra spending money?? Okay, rant over, so I'm supposed to hear back from them in a week, which apparently means two to three weeks in the world of hiring people. So again, we'll see.

Matt and I went and got a puzzle a few nights ago, it's 2000 pieces and so far Mollie has only gotten ahold of four of them. This is only because we are using the coffee table which is the only surface the monstrosity will fit on. Unfortunately Mollie has a propensity for getting anything and everything off of the coffee table. We are making progress, but it will probably take us a week to finish the thing. I guess I've been harboring under the impression that I am better at puzzles than I actually am.

I'm still waiting on some pictures from this past weekend, the bachelorette party in Austin and Mollie turning one. I also need to clear up some space on my C drive apparently, so that's fun.

Todays Achievements

1. Paint accent wall cinnabark brown in living room. check
2. Bake and decorate three dozen sugar cookies for bachelorette party. check
3. Wash miscellaneous clothes without knowing what to wear this weekend. check
4. Walk for 35 minutes with dog while talking to mom, aunt and friend. not all at once. check
5. Dinner with Matthew. check

Okay so that's all so far and it's 1am, but I still need to pack for myself and mollie and figure out how to dress up this cake box. and maybe find/make some cake boards to display aforementioned cookies. and make a cute little card. This might spill into tomorrow.

New Prospects on the Horizon

Well after weeks of not hearing from any of the places I filled out applications with I have suddenly received a deluge of interest in me, okay maybe not a deluge, but more than I was expecting. I've had three interviews already and have another one scheduled for next week and all of them have seemed to go very well. Apparently these things just take longer than I think they should. I haven't gotten any official offers yet which is kind of a good thing because I have a busy weekend coming up, but am excited at the prospect of finally getting back to work.

I also got some exciting news that I have been officially accepted into the Teacher Certification Program at Lone Star College. Yay! The only subject area I was short hours in was English so I'll need to take one more English class or maybe even test out of those hours like I did in college. I'm so ready to start off on this new adventure and I know there will be good days and bad, but hey that's life for you.

This weekend I'm headed to Austin for my dear friend, Caitlin's bachelorette party and I have three dozen cookies to bake and decorate, so that will be my project for the week. I've gotten some ideas off of cakecentral.com and am aiming to make: corsets, martini glasses, lips and of course, some male members. I actually found a design that makes them look downright cute so we'll see how they turn out. Okay, that's all for now!

Singing in the Rain

I'm keeping it short and sweet today cause not that much has gone on as of late. Matt is out of town for the weekend so that will give me some time to get a lot of cleaning and a little shopping done. Before he headed north we ate lunch at this local Mexican restaurant called Gringos, they have a delicious item on their lunch menu known as the Amazon Wrap. I don't even know what all is on it, but this thing is delicious. I limit myself to only eating half of it, but it's grilled chicken and pico and tortilla chip strips on an avocado tortilla. Mexican goodness.
After lunch I wandered through Target, always dangerous I know, and then Mollie and I went for our daily walk in the park. I don't if it's because it's Friday or because of the recent rain, but we had the trails all to ourselves and let me tell you that walking in 80 degree weather with the smell of wet pine trees, the chirp of the birds and the occasional drip falling on my head was the most relaxing and enjoyable walk ever. Too bad tomorrow's supposed to be back in the upper 90s with no chance of rain, but that's what that handy gym membership is for right?

Catch-Up Time

It's been awhile so I have lots of catching up to do. First off, we took Mollie to the dog park last Saturday in the middle of the afternoon and we thought she had fun running around and swimming and whatnot, but when we got home we noticed that the pads of her front paws her peeling back. Of course the vet had just closed and to take her to the emergency clinic was going to be $100! We took her to PETCO and asked the groomers their opinion and they said since her paws weren't bleeding if we just put some antiseptic and bandaged them until we could get her in to see her vet. She was a trooper and only managed to slip out of her bandages a few times. When I got her in to see the vet she said that Mollie's paws probably blistered from the hot concrete, who knew? She was as good as new the next day, though I'll have to figure out when I can take her for walks and to play without her feet getting burned.

Wednesday, Matt finally had a day off and we used his birthday present from my parents to go see the Astros play the Cardinals. I really haven't gone downtown very much, but I really would like to go down there and just walk around and sightsee. Maybe one weekend soon. Anyways, the game was so exciting! The Astros tied it up in the 8th inning and then got the go ahead run in the bottom of the 9th to win the game! We had a great time and hopefully will get to go to another game before the season ends.

I'm still looking for a part-time job and after two weeks of not hearing back from anyone I finally got two call backs, one for Thursday at Michaels which I think went really well and now tomorrow one with Pier 1 so I may have a decision to make. Thursday, I drove up to Dallas, dropped Mollie off at the boarders and then drove to Lucas for a Scrapbooking Retreat. We stayed at a lady's house out in the "country" and she had it set up sort of like a bed&breakfast with an entire building set up with tables for scrapping. Her pool was absolutely gorgeous with a waterfall and grotto. All the pictures are on my mom's camera so I'll have to get those from her and post them later. My mom, aunt and my mom's friend Pat and I drove up on Thursday to go ahead and get our stuff set up. I got almost an entire album done, but was definitely getting tired of scrapbooking by Sunday. I think next time I'd take a second project to work on, like cards or gifts. If anyone is interested in coming to scrapbooking events just let me know because I got a little tired of being the only one under the age of forty. :)

Whew! Okay so that's the past week and a half in a nutshell.
Much love,
Lara

"It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right.”

The Rules:
1. Tell your readers 10 things that are true that they might not know.
2. Tag 10 other bloggers to do the same. (Or in this case none)

The Ten:
1. Up until very recently I despised seafood, but I'm growing up and trying to branch out a little more and have discovered that I really like crab and shrimp.

2. Okay this isn't just about me, but Matt and I like to read aloud to each other. We started it on a car trip out to California one year and have been doing it ever since. It's a great way to pass the time while driving and recently we've been re-reading the Harry Potter series to each other.

3. I've lost 15 pounds!

4. I fell in love with a city I have never visited merely by reading about it on the internet and looking up houses in the area. It's Fort Collins, Colorado and it is now my dream to move there.

5. I have no musical talents whatsoever and can barely even pick out "twinkle twinkle" on the piano. Hopefully my kids will get those talents from someone else I know.

6. I read trashy romance novels. I know it's sad, but if you ever want to try them Nora Roberts is the best. She actually has great characters and a believable plot, often hard to find in the genre.

7. I hate doing dishes, but since Matt cooks it's only fair.

8. I'm scared of birds.

9. I would love to be a professional scrapbooker, but I guess I should finish scrapping my life before I tackle someone else's memories.

10. I love wedding stuff, the knot is one of my favorite websites and I really love all the details and thought that goes into it. Also I find Bridezilla to be absolutely hilarious.

Apparently I have some catching up to do...

Laraologies:

FOODOLOGY:

What is your salad dressing of choice? Fat-free Raspberry Walnut

What is your favorite sit down restaurant? Cheesecake Factory or PF Changs

What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-a. I could eat it everyday

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? The aforementioned, a good turkey sandwich, and of course dessert.

What are your pizza toppings of choice? Supreme

How many televisions are in your house? 2, only one has cable so the other is for movie watching only

What color cell phone do you have? Silver and Black Blackberry with a Black cover

BODYOLOGY
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right-handed

Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Wisdom teeth

What is the last heavy item you lifted? Mollie in her crate, she about broke my back

BULLCRAPOLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? Absolutely not

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Growing up, I used to hate my name because no one could say it correctly. Since then I've gotten over it and I love my name because it's different

How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? Off the top of my head, I'll guess 7

Last person you talked to? Matthew

Last person you hugged? Mollie

FAVORITOLOGY

Season? Fall
Holiday? Christmas!

Day of the week? Saturday, my day to sleep late

Month? December

CURRENTOLOGY

Missing someone? My friends

Mood? Sneezy, I need to go take my allergy medicine

What are you listening to? Brick House

Watching? Muppets in Space

Worrying about? Being accepted into teaching program. Getting a job.

First place you went this morning? For my walk

What's the last movie you saw? In theaters, the Hangover. HILARIOUS

Do you smile often? I hope so

MEOLOGY

If you could change your eye color what would it be? I think my eyes are fine

What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I don't usually add

Do you own a digital camera? Yes but I have serious camera envy for a nice Canon

What's on your wish list for your birthday? That's a ways off for me so nothing on that list yet

Can you do push ups? Multiple? If I do them girly style

Can you do a chin up? I haven't tried since elementary school so I probably don't want to start now. Ditto

Does the future make you more nervous or excited? Hmm both right now

Car wreck? A little fender bender once

Do you have an accent? I don't think I do, but I'm sure my relatives up north would say differnt

When was the last time you cried? Yesterday

Plans tonight? None yet.

Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Fortunately no

Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Groceries for dinner, an iced tea on the drive home and that was all!

Have you ever been given roses? Yes, the men in my life are very sweet

Met someone who changed your life? Of course

How did you bring in the New Year? Watching fireworks on t.v. and sipping champagne and nibbling chocolate covered strawberries with Matty

Name three people who might complete this? Well, everyone else already has

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I agree it would be fun to live in a different era, a simpler time if you will. I like the 50's

Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? It'll be five in September!

Does anyone love you? Yes :)

What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever is stuck in my head

Do you like to cuddle? Who doesn't?

Have you held hands with anyone today? Not yet, I'll rectify that later

Who was the last person you took a picture of? My cousin at her Sweet Sixteen Party

Are most of the friends in your life new or old? A few oldies and most within the past few years

Do you like pulpy orange juice? No pulp!

What is something your friends make fun of you for? Matt probably has a list

What is the last time you ate peanut butter and jelly? Don't recall

What were you doing 12 AM last night? Watching t.v.

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? What is that noise?! Neighbor was getting their carpets steam-cleaned

Fireworks and Fertility ?

Friday I drove around and submitted my huge stack of applications. Matt and I went to Wal-Mart to pick out our new patio set which I had found online and when we got there guess what it was on sale half-off! Yes, it was meant to be and we promptly scooped it up and brought it home for construction. It was an hour long process, but between the two of us we finally got it put together and out on the patio. Ta Da! Of course we had to go get something to grill and some beers so that we could porch in style. The chairs are comfy but I think we need an ottoman and Matt votes for a fire-pit or chiminea for the winter. To celebrate our success we went to this new frozen yogurt shop called Tutti Frutti. It's a self-serve frozen yogurt place with about twelve different flavors that you can add all different kinds of toppings to and then they charge you by the ounce. It was delicious. Matt had some pomegranate, mango and Tutti Frutti. I went for the death by chocolate, cookies and cream and pistachio. For the two of us it was $6.00 and since it's frozen yogurt it's not near as bad as the Coldstone ice-cream I would normally have gone for. The day was a success :)

To celebrate the Fourth of July we went over to Matt's uncle's house where they had grilled all kinds of yummy stuff. We hung out eating and socializing at Eduardo and Candies'. They raise and board horses and there were all these little colts running around the pastures, so picturesque. Since Matt had worked that morning he was exhausted so we came home so he could catch a nap and Mollie could run around a little. We drove back over to his mom's house and we all drove over to an area called Towne Lake for a fireworks display. The fireworks were really great even though the finale took all of ten seconds. After the fireworks were done there was a small fire that quickly spread to a slightly larger brushfire so then we stayed to watch the firefighters put it out. I think the firefighters were probably secretly excited to see some action. Overall it was a happy holiday.

And finally the BIG news from the weekend, my Dad called to tell me that I'm going to be an AUNT! Yes, my younger brother and his girlfriend are expecting a little bundle of joy in February. Unexpected, yes. They have a lot of details to work out: finishing school, insurance, planning a wedding, how to be parents, but I'm excited to be an aunt and very thankful I'm not a mom :)

Paperwork and Paint Chips

My week so far:

Monday morning I was supposed to meet with the teacher certification program coordinator because I still had a few questions but low and behold when I arrived I was told by her helpful receptionist that she had just left. Grrrr. I came home and wrote a polite but slightly miffed email asking if I could reschedule and she quickly called me and apologized profusely. Apparently her calendar at home didn't update her work calendar like it's supposed to and having missed all kinds of things myself I quickly forgave her. She was really nice over the phone, addressed all of my questions and even gave me an extension since I'm still waiting on Blinn to send over a transcript from summer school courses.

Today, my mission was to pick up applications from every place I would remotely enjoy working at. I ended up with nine apps including a few I'll do online. Some of my favorite contenders are: The Container Store, Sur la Table, Pier 1 and Michaels. Of course I had to pick up a few things while I was there. So out of the nine I've gotten through two of them and I'm already sick of writing the same information over and over again. I'll tackle some more tomorrow.

The other day Matt unwisely brought up something I hadn't thought about. He mentioned that I could probably paint my apartment as long as I paint it back to white before moving out and sure enough I can do just that. Little does he know he will be enlisted to help in this endeavor. I'm not going to go crazy and paint every surface, just do an accent wall in the living room (chocolate brown) and another in the bedroom (red). I can't wait! I'll be renewing my lease in September for either a year or nine months so that I can stay here while I'm doing my certification and internships. The rent is so reasonable that I really can't justify moving just because I'd like a bigger kitchen, newer appliances and most of all a yard for Mollie. I mean who can resist this face?

I took her with me on my walk yesterday and we found a new trail that's a little more off road. I really like the dirt paths better than the paved ones; I feel more like I'm going for a hike in the woods instead of a walk around the block. Well, that's all for now.

love,
lara

Wacky Waco

I'm home! A little weekend recap for you, I went to Waco for the weekend to watch the dogs/laundromats for mom and dad. My mom's friend, Pat and her husband Mike were in town from Ohio. Mom and Pat go way back, they were in the army together and they are full of incriminating stories from back in the day. Friday night we took them out to Rudy's for some barbeque, which is a little sacrilege but there really aren't any authentic barbeque places in Waco. They loved it and then we went back to the house and had a late night swim to cool off. I got Mollie to swim! She was so cute with her little doggie paddle. Saturday morning we got up at 6:00AM and drove down to Bremond, Texas for the Polish Pickle Festival and 5K Run. We walked very briskly and including a quick pit stop finished in under an hour. It was nice to have some time to catch up with mom on our walk. Afterwards we got a free Polish beer and some watermelon. We looked around at the tents that were set up, there was a sad lack of things Polish but we did manage to snag the last seven Perogis. After the run there was a raffle, first prize was a heifer or $500, the guy that one took the money. We drove back home and Dad took me on the afternoon round of the laundries trying to help me distinguish between the numerous sets of keys. Once we were done, everyone else headed down to Lake Belton and I took a nap with the doggies. I went to do the last check of the day at 5:00 and the first one I walk into one of the triple load washers has soap suds pouring out of the top of it. So I calmly call Dad and ask what to do and he tells me to grab a mop. I went in the back to get it and by the time I come back out three of the machines have soap spilling out of them! I frantically started mopping and the owner of the clothes came in and saw the mess. He spoke no English but come to find out he used three cups instead of 3/4 cup. He felt bad so I couldn't be too mad at him, but he did set me behind. Luckily the other two laundries had no issues and I was soon on my way to have dinner with my friend, Caitlin. We had a great time catching up and I got to hear all about her wedding plans, which I love to hear about. She's getting married in November, but she's so on top of everything. I stayed over at her house until 11:00 and by the time I got home everyone was asleep. Sunday, I slept in and then went for a swim. Mom brought us lunch and we ate out on the patio. It was super hot, but I miss my pool so I had to soak up some sun. Then it was time for me to get back on the road cause I missed my Matty.

Busy Busy Busy

It's amazing how much stuff I have to accomplish despite being unemployed, so that's my excuse for my recent absence and I'm sticking to it. I've been to the post office at least four times in the past two days. I'm getting all of my paperwork together for my certification application, say that five times fast. I have my daily walk/gym workout and then random grocery shopping. I went to the Texas Workforce the other day to ask about financial aid for schooling and it broke my heart how many people were there. All races, all ages, toting kids along; at least I'm at a stage in my life where my unemployment isn't earth shattering and can be rebounded from. I really am lucky. My biggest complaint besides being bored out of my mind is the lack of funds for all these neat things I have found. First off, a patio set so Matthew and I can "porch" in comfort. We grill at least once a week and right now are using a set of folding A&M chairs one of which is broken. The price is right, only $98, I just need to scrounge up half the cost. Of course then I'll want some outdoor pillows, citronella candles and the plants could definitely use some new additions. One day, I want to be able to grow my own herbs, but we'll save that for later. Secondly, since I have so much free time on my hands I have unwisely been looking at Etsy, aka the best site on Earth. There are so many amazing things out there for me to buy. First off, I'd like to know someone having a baby because there are so many sweet baby things that I could bestow on some lucky friend. Things like this cute little darling, which I happen to already own. So the race is on, whoever has the first baby gets this adorable handmade elephant. Any takers? He doesn't really fit my decor, but since he was going to my ex-boss I decided he was much too cute to handover. Then, Matt and I have a big anniversary coming up in September, five years! We've already decided instead of getting each other presents we want to go in together on a new tv. So, I really need to go ahead and find a good part-time job so that I can start contributing to my life again. And lastly there's the next trip. We figured out that we want to head to Destin, Florida for our next vacation, whenever that might be. Again unwisely, I went ahead and looked into the hotels and inns there and found THE cutest bed&breakfast called the Henderson Place Inn (thought you might like that Lauren). It's been voted the best inn in Destin; every room has balconies ocean-side and amazing views of the ocean. The only problem is there prices are pretty steep so this trip will definitely require some saving up. And on that note, can I just say that I am seriously considering murdering Samantha Brown and stealing her job? I mean she gets to travel around the world soaking up culture, eating fabulous food and wearing really cute clothes. So in closing, you better watch it Samantha.

Fab Friends and Margaritas!

So yesterday was busy busy. First I had an over the phone hearing about my unemployment and whether or not I would be receiving any money. Apparently if you're a student worker your wages don't count; so without my wages from KAMU I didn't make enough money to receive any money. On the bright side I can go get a part-time job now and will no longer be bored out of my mind everyday. After that fun start to the day, Matt took me to the movies to cheer me up. We saw "The Hangover" which was hilarious and featured Matt's favorite comedian, Zach Galifinakis (sp?) If you haven't seen it I definitely recommend, but most of the world probably has seen it. I also resisted the siren call of buttery popcorn so, point Lara. After the movie we ran by the grocery store and then home for a quick change before my girls' night dinner with Chelsea, her mom and Rachael. We ate at Lupe' Tortillas, this amazing Mexican restaurant with happy hour and homemade tortillas, will I be back, heck yes. It was so nice to see Chelsea again, they're on their way to Prague for a family trip but I was so glad that they were able to swing through. We sat and caught up for a couple hours and I'll get to see her again July 6th when they come back through, yay! Overall, it was a great day!

Happy Father's Day!

What day is today? Today is Father's Day! I don't know what that's from, but Matt is always singing it. So it is Father's Day and I'm being bad and am not in Waco with my Daddio, but I'm going up next weekend to house/laundry sit while the rents are going out of town. Of course the card I sent did not arrive on time so he won't even have a card from me to open today, but he'll get a call in a little while. I really am very blessed to have grown up with my amazing step-dad. Every memory that I have growing up it was Brett who was there supporting or lecturing whatever the case may be. I do have the very best dad a girl can ask for and now I need to go give him a call and tell him so :)

I'm new I'm new I don't know what to do!

Well, I've officially hopped on the bandwagon. Since I'm not working at the moment I decided I might as well take some time to "work" on me.
First off is my future employment; I attended an informational meeting Wednesday night that helped me to solidify my decision to become a teacher. To some this may seem out of left field, but I have always had teaching on the back-burner as something to do later in life, but with the way the economy is right now it just makes sense to go ahead and take the plunge. I am lucky to be in an area surrounded by very good and very large school districts so relocating shouldn't be an issue. The program itself will take a year and a half and with classes twice a week in the evening I'll need to hunt up a part-time job to make some money.
Secondly, I need to address the big w. My weight has gotten so out of hand and I'm really ashamed of how I've let it get so out of hand. My mom started weight watchers back in May and is so jazzed about it, but she's driving me crazy. I'm happy for her that she's found something that works... for her. I know I should give it a try, but I want to make a lifestyle change, not sign up for another diet program. Every year for the past four years we (mom and I) have done a different program. Whether it was Dr. Phil or the Flat Belly Diet we would stick to it for a month or two and then slowly wean ourselves off of it and back into our old habits. She's doing great on it, but the incessant counting and cataloging doesn't appeal to me at all. Back in March I signed up for a gym a few minutes down the road and started out going three times a week, but slowly slacked off from that. I lost ten pounds but gained five back after a month of going every now and then. So now I need to get real about this or I'll end up with the diabetes that seems so prevalent in my family. I'm proud to say that for the past two weeks I've finally taken charge of my life. I'm walking or doing the elliptical machine for thirty minutes six days a week. I'm substituting pizza and sandwiches with salads and lean meats. I will not bake unless there is an occasion and I've switched my sodas out for tea and diet soda. I'm back down ten pounds and I know it's a small step, but I'm determined to stick to something for once. These will be my motivation. Man, what I would give to be that size again. I know it'll take work but maybe if I actually hold myself accountable I will stick to it. Okay, that's enough for a first post I think.
Much love,
lara