I am alive!!!

Well, I am alive. I had a WONDERFUL vacation in South Carolina with my family. We did lots of touristy things and spent time with my aunt and cousin. We had a two hour delay in Atlanta on the way home, but still made it home safely around 5ish on Christmas Eve.

Everything else has been doing fairly well. My dad has his partial knee replacement today and is in the hospital until Sunday or Monday. He is doing well, just really tired and pretty sore. They have him on morphine so that is helping!

Tomorrow is the moving day. We leave my parents house at 7:30am and can get the truck at 9am. Then it's moving back to my parent's garage (my storage unit for about 2 weeks!) So it's been hectic around here. What's new with you guys out there?

A Much Needed Break!

Well, tomorrow is the first day of my life! Tomorrow is graduation--apparently I am now a Master! Then bright and early on Monday, I fly out to South Carolina for a week vacation. I fly back on Christmas eve day, drive up to my parent's house and then celebrate Christmas! Then coming back down to my place on the 26th to finish packing. My dad has a partial knee replacement on the 28th, and I come back down and officially move on the 29th. Then I start my new job on January 2nd and I move into my apartment on January 11th.

What an upcoming month huh? I will extend the contest until I get back. I am going to give a HUGE tip: POST A LINK TO THE CONTEST ON YOUR BLOG IF YOU WANT TO WIN! (Was that blunt enough?) Haha!

Have a great holiday--whatever you choose to celebrate! Enjoy the season (and the snow if you have any!)

CONTEST: Name that puppy! *Sticky Post* *UPDATED and scroll down for new entries!*

Okay, so my parents are getting a new puppy after Christmas. Here is the problem: what the heck do we name her? So far my parents have Peanut and Carmel (and lost Cashew under 2 years ago). So...the names need to go together, but doesn't have to be a nut :)

So I am holding a contest. Submit your suggestion(s) for a puppy name (only one suggestion per comment, but you can put more than one comment--up to 5) and from the list, we will hopefully find a winner. Please have your submissions in by December 10th.

If you want to enter here is what you do:

--leave a comment (up to 5) with your suggestion

--post about this contest on your website with a link back to here! *Make sure to do this in order for your suggestion to be considered and to win the prize!

That's it. The winner will be picked soon after December 10th and will be contacted about the prize (which is a surprise!). Here is a picture of the new puppy to help:

My Last Week

Well, here we are, my last week of work. I am ecstatic as I think about what is coming up. I graduate in 6 days (I can't believe I will have my Masters in less than a week!) and then a week from today I leave for vacation!

I will start the new job on Jan. 2nd which is perfect as my dad has a partial knee replacement on Dec. 28th and I move all my stuff on Dec. 29th. So it's going to be a hectic month. I can't believe how fast everything is moving.

I am not decorating for Christmas this year as I'll be gone and moving. It's kind of sad. I didn't decorate last year for personal reasons and this year I was very excited about it. I also, just don't have time to make out Christmas cards. I really wanted to, but with lack of time, just really haven't been able to get them done.

Just a reminder...if you are participating in the contest above, you MUST have a link to the contest on your blog in order to be eligible to win :) Just a friendly reminder!

What do you call it when you can breathe again? Oh yes, R-E-L-I-E-F

Well, I was offered a job tonight. I asked for the night to think about it, but I am just so da*n excited about it that I don't know if I can wait until the morning to accept. It is the job that I wanted out of the two that I interviewed for. The job I was offered was the one that I interviewed for on FRIDAY. Yes, that would be only 3 business days ago and I already heard that they want me. WOOHOO!! I am VERY excited (as I'm sure you can tell!)


So it just makes me have a huge sigh of relief. It's just very nice that my quitting my job was validated. In the interview on Friday, we laughed, joked, and I felt very at ease. My profession is not an easy one so any time you can take to joke and laugh is precious time!


And for this to occur today, of all days, makes it even better. One year ago today my ex and I broke up. I was distraught and honestly didn't know if I would be able to wake up the next morning. My entire world had changed and I was unsure of even the next second. This morning didn't start out the greatest and I was nervous about the rest of the day. So when my phone rang as I was driving home, I was not expecting much. Then...a job offer!


Today will no longer be remembered because it was the day my life was shattered. Today will be remembered as a day that I started a new chapter in my life...one towards making ME happy. That is the greatest feeling in the world!

Thursday Thirteen: How Amy got her groove back!

Thirteen Things that I have learned in the past year!

1. I can't believe it's been almost a year since my engagement broke off.

2. I am definitely a stronger person for having gone through that.

3. I have learned that I can be on my own, and be okay and content with this. I am okay with silence and can sleep without worrying about being alone.

4. I have learned that I have some amazing friends who have stuck with me through the good and the bad!

5. I have learned that I can make it on my own--but I still need my mommy sometimes!

6. I have learned that I can manage all the bills, do the cooking and the cleaning, and even clean the toilet!

7. I have learned that a man does not define me and that I am my own individual person. It's also okay if I do not agree with everyone--I should have my own opinion.

8. I have learned that I deserve to be treated with respect and the love that I deserve. I also deserve to have someone who cares about me and thinks about me all day long :)

9. I have learned that I am strong enough to make major life decisions without someone else and that I am proud of who I have become.

10. I have learned that I am a pretty great person who any man would be lucky to have.

11. I have learned not to waste my time on people who don't treat me with respect.

12. I have learned that I can cry when I spill milk, have days that I don't want to get out of bed, and watch movies all day if I want.

13. I have learned that after 1 year, I will have gotten my masters, quit my job and moved, and become a pretty independent person.

This year has gone by fast (even though I didn't believe so at first!) I appreciate you guys sticking with me through the good and the bad. I hope that some day I can blog about finding a guy who fits descriptions above and understands me and cares about me for me. Stay tuned for that day :) Also, thanks to Goofy girl for the personalized banner!

Black Friday

Well, today is a day of rest! Yesterday was quite the day. I LOVE Black Friday. I started the tradition a few years ago with my mom and still do it. The outlet mall that is 30 min. away opened at midnight on Friday. So, yes, I was one of the crazies that was there. I went to Carter's to get some baby clothes (at 70% off!) and then went to Harry and David's and got an extra 25% off my entire purchase. Not too bad!

Then it was back home to sleep for a couple hours. Then up at 3am to get ready to attempt Kohl's. I think I may have single handedly brought the US out of debt. I got everything I wanted (and then some) and because I stood in line for over an hour with my dad, I found even more (he stood in line and I continued to shop!) I am now done with Christmas shopping though. That is what I love about Black Friday. I shop for only one day and poof I'm done.

Does anyone else venture out on Black Friday? If so, what were you looking for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope you eat lots of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie and whatever else you make to celebrate!

Have a great day!

A giveaway

So, stop over here Michelle my belle and check out the awesome giveaway. It's a party bird who holds different things in his hands based on the season. Go leave her a comment and promote her giveaway and be entered to win :) Who doesn't like to win stuff?

Job Interview! **UPDATED**

I have a job interview in less than an hour. WISH ME LUCK!!!

I'll update and let you all know how it goes (I'm crossing my fingers that I can report that it went well!)

**UPDATE**
The interview went well. There were 3 pages of questions from 3 women and then a writing sample after the interview. The whole thing lasted approximately 90 minutes. They said I should hear from them the week after Thanksgiving (they have a few more applicants to interview).

I also got a call and email today to set up another interview for another position that I applied for. So YAY :) I am just happy to be having interviews. Every interview helps get me closer to a job!!! Keep those fingers crossed!!!!

Falling into Place

Well, things seem to (cross your fingers!) be falling into place. I did give my notice at work and my last day is ONE MONTH from today!!!!! As you can tell, I am extremely excited about that! I have an interview on Friday for a job and I'm hoping the interview goes well. I haven't interviewed in a while so this will be a change for me!

I also went to look at apartments yesterday and found one that I fell in love with! I applied for it and should hear back soon about whether or not I got it. I'm crossing my fingers about that as well. Other than that, nothing much is new.

I'll keep you guys posted!

(Oh and Amy if you read this post, I'm not able to get into your blog anymore!)

A little bit country...

Yeah, I know! Most of you readers don't like country....but congrats to Kenny Chesney for taking home the "Entertainer of the Year" award for the 2nd year in a row!

Moment of silence

Let's just have a moment of silence for just how beautiful this man is....

Stunning! Halle Berry!

I'm sure Halle Berry is used to being called beautiful, but she looks just stunning in this photo. It's nice to see an actress who is paid to be beautiful (and skinny) let herself gain the normal pregnancy weight without trying to hide it or be ashamed of it. I am impressed and happy for her and her boyfriend!

What to do?

***UPDATE ON BOTTOM***

So I have a dilemma. I dislike my job. I want to move. I'm not happy where I am.

BUT....

I don't know that I can afford to quit my job in order to move and then find employment. Here is the issue: I have been getting frequent migraines, feeling ill and just all-around crabby. I have a feeling it's from the stress of my job (I won't get into the details of the reasons behind the stress).

I'm contemplating whether it's worth feeling better, not getting migraines and hopefully being happier for having to pinch pennies for a while.

What would you do?

***I should put a discloser on here to say that it is NOT, I repeat, is NOT due to the actual work that I do. I truly enjoy the actual "hands on" portion of the job. It is other things pertaining to the work environment that I do not like. I hope that makes things as clear as mud :)

You WILL miss me...

I am gone from Tuesday afternoon until Monday at a conference (and celebrating my dad's birthday on Saturday!) So until then...I leave you with memories of how tiny and cute Carmel was to now!

Dumbledore is gay...

J.K. Rowling announced this at a book signing (I believe that's what it was). People seemed shocked and also wondered why she didn't make this a part of the book (actually come out and say he was gay). What do you guys think about this?

I, myself, don't really care if he was straight, gay, purple, orange, he was a wonderful wizard who cared so deeply for Harry and the people at Hogwarts. He fought for what was good and because of those things, he is a hero. It doesn't matter what his sexual orientation was. A good man isn't based on if he likes boys or girls. But I am curious to know what you think. Feel free to leave the comment anonymous if you want.

Really? Nobody?

So I guess nobody (besides my mom) took the time to follow all of the instructions for the last post. Did anyone watch the video? My mom did and really liked it!

Today is homework day (or as it's turned out to be: day of procrastinating against homework). I have gotten my work bag cleaned out, shred lots of papers and killed a spider. I would say the day is a success.

I have lots to do before Tuesday. I leave Tuesday afternoon for a conference that runs from Wednesday morning until Friday. Then Friday I go to my parent's as my dad's birthday is Saturday. Then back here on Monday in time to get home, unpack and head to class. Whew, I'm tired just thinking about it!

Any big plans for you this week?

You Tube It

So, I've been trying (unsuccessfully) for the past two days to post a video from You Tube and it just won't let me. I don't understand the logistics, but whatever.

So.

Go to You Tube and type in "Tim McGraw If You're Reading This"

Then watch the video. (Go Ahead, I'll wait. Just come back to read the rest)

Then post a comment on what you think. I really love this video (from the CMA awards), but I also love the words and the meaning of the song. We've been in this damn war for too long (I won't even start on my opinion of even getting into this "war"), but the heros who have fought and lost their lives deserve this song (and a little recognition!)

What....you miss me?

Well, this weekend has been a fun one! It started early when I came up to my parent's to have some relaxing time. No homework, no work, no phone calls :) YAY! I ran the rummage sale for one last time today and we did fairly well. I was just glad to get some of the stuff to leave my parent's garage. Now, I have to go through the stuff tomorrow to make sure I really want to give all the rest to charity. At least it will all go to a good cause.

So tomorrow I had back home...to the homework, my office (with all my work patiently waiting for me), and my phone calls to find me. I have enjoyed this "technology free" weekend (except for TV and this blog posting!) and it's been really nice.

I graduate on December 16th (you can all send the presents early if you want!) and I really can't wait. I have started looking for jobs in the area that I'm from and so far, I haven't found anything that's really popped out at me, but I'm not going to get down (I still have a while!).

So how was your weekend? Any fun plans?