I made Spring Break plans, Ronnie is on his way to visit, Katie asked me to be a bridesmaid....I couldn't be happier!

The past few days have seemed incredibly busy at work with tons of showings and trying to catch up on the zillions of Craigslist ads I previously posted and change them to reflect the changes in our rent specials!

Yesterday marked the first time Liz, Cait, Katie, and I were all here! We went over to Steph's place and watched the Bachelor (big surprise, lol) with Ashley H, Amy, April, and Mitch. It was a lot of fun and we ordered pizza for cheap! For those who don't know, you can sign up to receive online coupons from Toppers and immediately you'll get a $5 coupon, applicable to other discounts. So Katie, Cait, and I ordered a large cheese pizza and triple order of Toppers' Sticks on sale for $15, and with the $5 coupon, we only paid $10! Love it!

Thursday is our Board Game Night at Mirabel...I think it will be a huge hit since we are also buying pizza and refreshments for everyone! Ronnie will be able to come, which will be fun since I now know that he loves playing games (even though I'm not sure he's a huge fan of Clue or Monopoly like I am).

On to the more exciting news...

I am officially going to San Francisco for Spring Break! Of course, Mark lives out there and Beth will be visiting him and then leaving only days before I arrive! So it goes. I will be visiting Lauren, who I met while in Pylos, Greece. Hopefully her, Kelli, Amira, and I will be able to get together - but at this point it's just me heading out. I already bought my plane ticket, and was shocked that it was almost $100 cheaper to fly out of Milwaukee than Chicago. It set me back only $219, but it would have been $368 out of O'Hare! No thank you. She promised that we could do all of the touristy things as well as go out and have fun. She already warned me that the beaches would be a little cold, but they really couldn't be any colder than the beaches here! I am SUPER excited to go - this is the first time I have ever made Spring Break plans...ever!

Ronnie is coming out sometime today! He will be spending a majority of his time studying for the CPA Exam during the day while I'm working, but gosh, it will be so nice to see him!! He is such a wonderful person and I miss his company. There may even be a possibility of a double- or triple-date with Cait and Alex or Liz and Josh. Fun! I am sooo very excited to see him!

Also, I am very honored to be a part of Katie K's wedding! Her and Chris will be married August 14th at the Botanical Gardens - it will be be beautiful, but also very hot! As far as I know, Heather, Erica, and Chris's cousin will also be bridesmaids. Not having been in a wedding before, I am grateful to have Emily Post's Etiquette which Ronnie bought me for my birthday! I will have to work the next morning because August 14th and 15th, as an Madison student will tell you, are extremely busy days due to turnover. On the 15th I will need to be checking-in new residents and handling situations that arise. It will be nice to see the whole JSM staff in one place, but again, it will be extremely busy and EARLY!

I love my job!

I have never regretted taking this position at JSM (rather than applying for a job elsewhere once I graduate). Yesterday was the best day I've had yet!

We have been really pushing one of our properties because it had more vacants than we were comfortable with, and after many ads on craigslist and 4 unsuccessful applications, we finally got three that were accepted! I am so happy! These folks will love living with us :) Steve told Lisa and I to go have lunch on the company! So we went to Panera and enjoyed a nice break from the office. What a great day!

Liz and I then met at Dave and Bridgette's house where Katie was taking care of Wyatt and Finn. It was so good to see her and the boys. I wish that there was a way for her to live with Liz and I next year since she is such a great friend. I think I will ask at work whether or not this is an option. At the least, she is moving in this weekend before school starts :)

How busy life seems!

I can't help but feel a bit more busy now that I am beginning my real-life job tomorrow! I just finished bringing all of my things from home inside, and have spent the last half hour or so reorganizing my food in the pantry. Ha this is proving to be a very exciting night! Here are the things I hope to get done this week:

1. Take out garbage
2. Throw out things I don't use
3. Take keyboard tray off of desk
4. Vacuum room
5. Send books out to Kelli
6. Bring binder back to downtown office
7. Bring books back to professor
8. Return library books
9. Buy black shoes for work
10. Send card to Beth
11. Buy address book
12. Put holiday decorations away
13. Pick up prescription

I cannot wait until tomorrow! I have my outfit picked out already. I feel very lucky to work with Lisa - she is amazing! I have to admit though, sitting here by myself, I really miss Katie E. and Cait a lot! We were fortunate enough to have Katie stop by for a bit, but I haven't seen Keke since August. Beth is gone too, having graduated last month, but I know for sure that I will be seeing her in March (when I go to the MUSE concert!). I thought Liz would be home tonight, but I guess I'll have to see her and Allison sometime tomorrow.

Last night I was invited to Erica's 22nd birthday party, and I am really glad I went! It was nice to see her, Erika, Dianah, and Jenny in a non-awkward situation. I say that because the last few times we have gotten together, I haven't been able to feel comfortable. It is too bad that Katie doesn't get along with Jenny, because last night was a ton of fun and relaxed - I didn't feel like an outsider and spent the whole time dancing, laughing, and having a few drinks with some old friends. I had to bring an old school camera last night so the pictures will have to be taken in and put on a CD before I can upload them. :) Ronnie was a sweetheart and picked me up so that I wouldn't have to drive home. Whenever I return to Madison, I realize how much I miss having him around. He is so wonderful - I love him and always look forward to the next time we can see each other.