Tuesday, December 29, 2009

An achievement that was a long time coming

I can't help but announce it....for the first time EVER, I got all A's! Not a single A-, AB, B, or other wacky grade getting between me and a perfect 4.0. I am extremely excited, especially since my courses were difficult and I worked really hard at a university known for being difficult to achieve this!


Yes!!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

On Love

Whenever I watch a romantic movie, I can't help but reflect on how wonderfully lucky I am to have met Ronnie. In this case, I just finished watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (a Christmas gift from Mom and Dad!).

It is sometimes hard to take a step back and really appreciate everything that we have, especially when we are fortunate enough to see each other for several days at a time, such as it is now. He is an incredible man and even though we have been together for more than 6 1/2 years, there are always things he says and does that surprise me. I sincerely hope that in the near future we will see each other more often than once or twice a month, since Ronnie works only weekends and I work during the week. It is worth the wait to see him every time I come back home. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything, and I can only hope that we will be able to spend even more of our lives together. I think that few people are lucky enough to find themselves so much in love.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

My Silly Family

I'm not sure if elsewhere in this blog I have taken the time to mention how hilarious my family can be. If I haven't yet, surely my family's idea of how the holidays should be celebrated will.

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, is typically filled with tradition: wake up early and open one present each, stay in for most of the day and be lazy, and have a nice dinner at home. This year, however, my parents have decided that we should go out for a nice dinner. Plus, I don't think my mom wants to cook since everyone here is picky. Knowing that my dad is a "meat n' potatoes" kind of guy, and that my mom secretly always wants the family to go out for Mexican food, I had a good feeling that like always, despite individual tastes, we would head over to our normal fish fry Friday place in Racine, Chart Room Charlie's, or that we would order in pizza, etc. from DeRango's. However, I was mistaken. I could just about imagine the chicken tenders and the large serving of fries which accompany them at Charlie's when my dad said, "Why don't we go to the Golden Corral?" I looked at my mom, sure that she would laugh with me, since the "Corral" is not formal at all, and seems ridiculous replacement for an at-home meal with its buffet-style dining. Instead, she agreed wholeheartedly that it would be perfect. In no way do I mean to make fun of my family, but seriously, it is outright silly to think that the Golden Corral beat out The Olive Garden, DeRango's, DiCarlo's, Outback, and every other restaurant that Milwaukee County has to offer. Gosh I love my parents for being okay with dining at 1pm because, due to the holiday, the Corral closes at 4pm and we need to make sure we are all packed full of various types of meat and potato products before we even think about leaving.


Additionally, less weird, but still funny is the Christmas tradition of going to see a movie as a family (probably the one event everyone is here for each year). This year, though, instead of doing a fancy dinner as usual, we will be full from popcorn and other snacks at the theater, and will come home to consume an ice cream cake. Haha I fit in well with this family: popcorn = delicious, ice cream cake = omg super delicious.

Additionally, let it be known that I got an "A" in Latin! Only three more grades to receive...and my professor for my Peru Class told me that my paper was well-written (this was the 20-pager from hell...). Woo-Hoo!!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

My Christmas List

This is a copy of the list I'm sending to my mom to help with ideas :)

The end of fall semester

Wow. I cannot believe that I am only a five page paper and a Latin final away from being done with my final fall semester here at UW. In a little less than two weeks, Beth will be moving away to Chicago and Katie E might be moving in sooner than the date we had initially planned (January 15th). Caitlyn is also back from studying abroad and will be moving back in soon, which also means that Allison, perhaps the best subletter ever, will be leaving us. It is crazy to think that Beth is moving on to the real world in less than a month - I am really happy for her since it sounds like she got a job she wanted and will have her housing situation worked out soon!

As for me, I'm going home for break on Saturday and will return on January 3rd so that I can begin work as Sales and Marketing Manager for Mirabel and Muir Heights Apartments! I will have two full weeks of work before school starts, which will definitely help pay the bills :)

Only one semester left!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

My last day being 21 years old

Today has been filled with ups and downs. Most of the downs are related to the awful weather which is set to outdo even last year's blizzard on my birthday.

9:30: Got ready and left for class. Of course, I made it to Latin only to find out that I couldn't find the translation I had written out for homework :(
11:30: Began work. There were a ton of postings, so it went by quickly. Rather than eating a junk food snack, I made a point to bring a healthy snack which is good!
2:00: Caught the 85 to class. It wasn't my favorite driver, but he was nice nonetheless. Also, overheard a girl complaining that her professor was making her exam a take-home essay due Dec 21st. She was saying that she was going to refuse to take it because it wasn't multiple choice. Ridiculous!
2:30: Went to Sami class. We finally did course evaluations, and the professor asked all of the seniors graduating in December to stand up and be recognized. What a nice guy; I'm going to miss this class! We watched a movie that we will finish Thursday. Yes!!!
3:40: Got our papers back...I got an AB! Not bad for a paper I hated writing.
4:45: Met up with Trent and saw 2012. We were about the only people crazy enough to be on the road. Apparently at Star Cinema you get free refills on any-sized popcorn! What a deal! lol I love things like this!
8:00: Went to Macy's and bought new snow boots and a cute sweater dress to wear out for my birthday. Unsurprisingly, I was the only person shopping at Macy's. Apparently they don't close until midnight, which is unfortunate for all of the employees since the weather is so awful.
9:00: Made it home, realized that the woman gave me the wrong pair of boots. Guess I have to go back tomorrow :(
10:00: Ticketed cars in the underground garage. Came back to find people throwing snowballs in the courtyard - most of which have been hitting the windows since. Kind of annoying :/

Let me say it now...If this year's birthday is a repeat of last year's....I will be really hurt. I only asked some of my closest friends to come to dinner (not even drinks), but it looks like since school was canceled tomorrow (for the first time that I can remember), this birthday may have similar results. I pray that at least my roommates can come. What a yucky day for a birthday...again.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Causes for Smiling

  • The sound of rain
  • Freshly-baked bread - both the smell and the taste!
  • The scratchy feeling when a cat licks your hand
  • Naughty Latin poems
  • The sound of a chapstick cap being removed
  • Christmas music
  • Faux fur blankets
  • Cream puffs
  • Candles that smell like ginger, apples, and cinnamon
  • The smell of old books
  • Nighttime in the city - all of the lights!
  • Apple cider
  • Puppies and when they cuddle
  • Towns that have little shops on streets with old fashioned street lamps
  • Reflecting on childhood things once loved 
  • Sitting by a fire
  • Feeling grown up
Most especially:
  • Having someone in my life that truly understands me and my quirkiness, and loves me no matter how silly I am
  • My friends - they are amazing and I will be sad when everyone moves away
  • My parents - no matter how goofy they are, I know they love me and will always be there for me

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The new photo atop my blog and the yellow background make me happy. :) Te gustan?