{moves like jagger}

Let's be real....this song has been stuck in my head the past few days. Tonight I was humming it at work. I was humming it in the shower. I was humming it as I heated up my dinner when I got home from work at 10pm tonight. For realz...."Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera is my new jam. Get it on your iPods, stat. You need to listen to it. It's just so darn catchy.

Last night was fun...I went to my friend Olivia's mother's 50th birthday party. I love her parents! They are seriously some of the nicest and genuine people I have ever met. Her parents make you feel so welcome in their home and her dad loves to throw a good party. I mean, her graduation party was catered and we were being served drinks in the pool. This time, the caterer had watermelon shots (SOOOOO GOOD) and a full bar. I had myself a little fun. Originally I stopped drinking at like 11:30 so I could drink water and drive home in a few hours. Then, my friend Shannon and I ended up going in the pool with two of our friend's brother's friends.....til almost 5am!! I think I got home and it was 5:15-5:30. HOLY CRAP. I was doing a happy dance I did not have to be at work til 5. It was a lot of fun though.

Work was incredibly slow tonight. I mean, I have been at my job for almost a year now (wow, really?!) and most Saturday nights we're on a wait. Never went on a wait. It just got to the point at 7:30 were all the servers were like "Really? This is what this shift is like?" I am just thankful I do not have to go to work tomorrow. I normally work Sundays and the occasional random Sunday off is spectacular! I do have to work Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat nights and Sun morning in this upcoming week...but thats okay because two days later, I am off to DISNEY WORLD!!! :) I just realized when am I going to find time to pack? I also informed my mother to not make fun of the amount of clothes I bring...it's going to be SUPER hot in Florida...we're going in August...yeah. Awesome.

Also, I have this strange desire lately for one of my friends to get married...mainly because I either want to be in the wedding...or go to it! So odd. So many people I went to high school with are now engaged. A good friend from college (she was a senior & friends with the RA in my suite my freshman year) just got married yesterday. I just love weddings. PEOPLE - get married so I can attend/be in it.

And speaking of weddings, have you ever thought of who would be in yours? I am almost pretty set on who I would want to be in my wedding. The MOH (maid of honor, duh) would be a REALLY hard decision to make...so essentially it's April (BFF from home) and Steph (BFF from college). Joining them along in my imaginary wedding party line up are Shannon, Heather, Olivia, Amanda, my nieces as the flower girls (or at least the youngest one...the older one will probably be a junior bridesmaid by the time I get hitched! HAHA) and nephew as the ring bearer. Why do I know this? I don't know really. I am just fascinated with weddings. Hence, why you will usually find me watching "Say Yes to the Dress" "Four Weddings" "Bridezillas" or anything wedding related. My friends all think I'll be a bridezilla when I have my wedding.....oh on the contraire, I think not!

Also, people are just dumb. I do not understand who puts a dog in a bag and takes them out to a restaurant. Now, I am all for dogs. Love them. Want another. And hey, if you have a small dog you can put in a carrier or something, more power to ya! I just dont get why you would wanna bring it to a restaurant. I saw this couple tonight walk from across the street to the side where my job is at the mall. In the bag I saw a furry white creature...aka their dog. Next thing I know, the man comes into the restaurant from the patio and goes "My wife and I are two outside. We need a table cleaned." Well this loveeeeelyyyyy people decided to sit themselves on our patio. Hello, I'd be more than happy to put you out there...if you are a NORMAL human who comes inside and asks. And why on Earth would you sit down at a DIRTY table? I know they have a dog out there and you are not allowed to bring a dog into our restaurant unless it is a service animal. We've had this happen a couple of times. I send my manager out there because I know I'm right. And off they went to go somewhere else. I honestly don't get it. I see people bring their small animals to the mall all the time. What is up with that?

Also, I sat through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 on Thursday. For the second time. Why? Because my boyfriend wanted to see it. And it was in Imax3d. His end thoughts? "It was all right." It was awesome...and makes me want to actually read the books now. I tried to read the first one way back when but couldn't get into it. Now I need to read them all.

Jersey Shore season 4 premieres on Thursday. The one where they went to Italy. So MTV is playing reruns of all other episodes all weekend. I am addicted like its not funny. Snooki is such a moron but it's really funny to watch. Who remembers the beach arrest incident? Tune in for a laugh if necessary.

This was so random. And so long. I want to add a pretty picture to my header. Do I have ANY idea on how to do that? Nope. NONE. Clues/tips/hints? They'd be GREATLY appreciated!

Happy Sunday!

{friendship friday}

Since I am up at an ungodly hour (to me..because I am NOT a morning person), I need something to occupy my time. Ha ha. I could be productive (and I will as soon as I finish this and finish paying my bills for school). But this seems more fun!

I'm the type of person who loves quotes. I think quotes are a great symbol of things in life. My biggest motto in life/quote that I live by was in my senior quote in the yearbook..."There are no regrets in life, just lessons"-Jennifer Aniston. So I think it's pretty true! That being said, this is one of my favorite quotes that describes my friends & I:


"We all take different paths in life, but no matter where we go, we take a little bit of each other"-Tim McGraw

So, let me introduce you to some of my favorite people...the most awesome people....better than your friends...MY FRIENDS! :)

Closest friends from college when we went to surprise Heather.
{From L-R: Heather, Me, Olivia, Amanda, Shannon, Jade, Sarah}

My BFF Stephanie. She lives in Georgia. I miss her so much! We were roommates our sophomore year.

Loved nights out with them in college.
{Jess Lynn, Heather, Me, Shannon}


{Amanda & I out for her 24th birthday}

{Me & Shannon aka "My Fav Person EVA"...her contact name in my phone since she changed it almost 3 years ago!}

Jess Lynn & I


Jadeykins & I at fishbowl Thursday!

Amanda & I {Summer 2011}

Home friends!
{BFF April, Jeannette, Me, Amanda}

Me & Jamie

Freshmen year throwback!
{Jess Lynn, Shan, Me}

BFF April & I outside MOMA

Allison Jean & I {Summer 2010}

Me and Christina

Disney 2011- best week with friends!

Me and Allison Jean...aka my creeper

Shannon & I at Britney's circus tour!

This pretty much sums up why I love my friends!


It's not just the journey but the friends you meet along the way.

It's not those who are there when you need them. Its those who have been there the ENTIRE time.

Friendship is the glue that keeps our lives together, especially when it feels like everything else is falling apart.

Memories are only good as the friends you can laugh about them with.

You make the bad times good and the good times unforgettable.

The BEST memories come from the BEST of times which can only come from the BEST of friends.

I am so thankful for each one of you coming into my life & impacting it in a way that makes me so glad we're friends. We'd be lost without each other!

seriously....

I really love this link up. Who doesn't love a little vent session about things? Or speaking your mind about things that make you go SERIOUSLY?! Link up with Becky @ From Mrs. to Mama for Seriously Thursday!



Seriously?!....do people REALLY need to drive UP my butt when there's traffic in front of me? Maybe it is my visual perception problem but driving up my butt when I'm already speeding a bit {guilty of having a lead foot} and really can't move is NOT going to make me go any faster. In fact, you'll just tick me off and make me want to go slower. So deal. Also, people need to learn to drive in general....know when you need to make a turn! I can't tell you how many times today when I was paying attention while driving and the car in front of me slammed on its brakes causing me to because the one in front of it decided at the last minute to make a turn. PAY ATTENTION!

Seriously?!...you're asking me to cover your shift to go see a baby? I don't mind working for people if I don't have anything going on. Hence the reason why I picked up someone's shift Tuesday morning and worked from last Fri-last night. One of my coworkers asked if I would work her morning shift tomorrow {fri} and she'd work my night shift. That TOTALLY works out in my favor because I can go to my friend's mom's party I was invited to when it starts. Then I see I have a message from another coworker asking if I'd work sat morning instead of sat night so she can go see her cousin's baby. I'm sorry but no. May sound a little mean but you don't HAVE to be there when the baby is born...just go after. I just hate being the person everyone ALWAYS asks to work.

Seriously?!...thanks Apple for working your magic today and helping me fix my computer. Turns out my charger was ripping and needed a new one. Thanks for making me wait about 10 mins after my scheduled appt but seriously loving my charger was covered by my warranty.

Seriously?!...I still haven't paid the rest of my summer bill. WTF is my problem? Oh hey, August 1st my fall bill is due and my financial aid hasn't been submitted. Yeah no joke I am so far behind on the bandwagon this semester/summer it's not funny. Apparently I'm not the only one according to my friend Amanda. I really need to do it so I can get my diploma! I want that paper I earned!

Seriously?!....so excited to be going to my friend Ashley's wedding in Nov! I found out today she's inviting me and our friend Pedro so I can't wait! I have an idea of a dress I have at home from White House Black Market that I will wear if I can find a shawl or something to go over it. It's at a vineyard but indoors but i still wanna be cute while being warm. I love weddings. Can someone else I know and love get married?...aside from the people from hs who I don't like that keep getting hitched.

Seriously?!...i hope the next person who is "the bachelor" or "the bachelorette" has a more interesting show/season than this one of the bachelorette. it has been LAME-O central! and i used to be addicted to watching that. seriously?!

Seriously?!..only a few more days til the Britney Spears concert!! Then a week til vacation! HOLLA! I seriously need to get my tan on!

Seriously?!...I am over Amy Winehouse's death. Yeah it was sad. Was it coming? Yes. Before you know it, it's gonna happen to someone else, like LiLo. Get your lives together people.


Okay, for realz going to bed. I need to sleep in soon since I was going to tomorrow and now I am working at 11:30 so that'll happen....yeah on SUNDAY. Or maybe Saturday because tomorrow I am going to partaaaaaaayyyy with some friends.Sweet deal!

rain on my parade

Today felt like such a crappy day. I was in a great mood and then things just started mounting. I took my computer to the Apple Store to see if they could figure out why the charger was not holding a charge anymore. I was pretty sure it was because it was worn/torn a the top but I have a warranty, so why not have it checked out? My appointment at the "Genius Bar" was for 3:45.....the guy checking people in said they were running a little behind. Okay, i figure I'd try and wait since I didnt have work til 5. Well, 4:45 rolls around and I hadn't been called. So basically I wasted an hour today waiting and I have to go back tomorrow at 10am. Not thrilled. And people were just being pains in the butt, playing musical chairs. And I wanted my employee meal but I gave it to my brother (the one I complain about having to drive everywhere). And I was super cranky by the end of the night. I just came home and just had myself a nice scream because I was frustrated. Let's hope tomorrow is a better day!

ALSO, calling for major advice! Who has been on a cruise? Or on a tropical vacation? The farthest I have gone is Europe. And that was three years ago. I really would love to go someplace like Cancun, the Bahamas, a cruise that goes to several places, Dominican Republic, etc. If you have any advice, websites, tips or suggestions, please throw them out there!! I want to go next year since this is something my friends and I have been talking about for awhile.

I totally would buy this onesie for my future child(ren) because I think it is hilarious:
I also really like this quote:

Now that its 1:30am on my computer clock, and all, I need to get my bootay in bed so I can go to my 10am apple store appointment!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Greetings, everyone! It's Wednesday, aka the middle of the work week. Aka only two more days til Friday. It's time to link up with Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday!


I'm loving.....that August is right around the corner. I know, why wish July away? But so many fun things to look forward to! Britney Spears concert on Tuesday, Disney vacation, party for my friend. So excited.

I'm loving....I will be able to sleep in tomorrow. I do NOT plan on setting an alarm tomorrow like I have this week (aka today to actually get up and clean...because I actually put Post It notes on my mirror to remind me to clean my room and about my Genius Bar appointment at the Apple store today) and will be able to catch up on sleep. Super! I know it sounds lazy but sometimes you need a day to R&R after going crazy for a week +

I'm loving...the state of Georgia! Seriously, I do not know why I am so infatuated with the state. Maybe because I fell in love with the South the first time I visited when we were visiting Steph's family during our spring break sophomore year. Or the warm weather. But seriously, I really hope I can make it to move there in a few years. I may even consider getting a decal for my car window. :)

I'm loving...the new song by Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera. It's called "Moves Like Jagger." It's got a great beat to it that I think it's a good addition to add to a work out play list!

I'm loving....that one of my fall classes does not begin until October! SWEET! I am only taking two fall classes, one on a Tuesday and one on a Thursday. And for some reason, one of them is a late start class. Whatever, works for me! That reminds me...I need to finish paying for my summer classes so I can get my diploma and actually pay for those fall classes....haha! OOPS! I never applied for financial aid...yeah, I'll have to do that after I post this as soon as I get my cup of coffee!

What are you loving today?!

Worth the money

Hands down I have to say, my Macbook Pro was the BEST money I EVER spent!! I had a Dell laptop in college and it was nothing but problems when it decided not to work. Three months after getting it, the video card broke. Two months later, my DVD drive crapped out. My fans blew after studying abroad (yes I had all the proper adapters/chargers while in Europe!). The screen display got messed up. Finally, the battery crapped out and I was not paying $300+ for a new one. Enter summer 2009, saved up a ton of $$ and bought myself a 13 inch macbook pro!

Only now, I noticed today, my charger is barely holding a charge. You're probably not suppose to keep it plugged into the computer while on it but um yeah, oops? The battery is currently at 86% thanks to my lovely screen information. I checked my warranty on Apple's website...low and behold, it is still in effect until September 8, 2012! Sooo glad i had extended it from a one year to a three year warranty. I work tomorrow 5-9 so I made an appointment for 3:45 at the Apple Store to have it checked out. I am pretty sure I just need a new charger but it never hurts to have them look at it at the Genius Bar. Plus, I see a lot of the Apple employees as they come into CPK all the time. Let's hope this is not a big deal....I LOVEEEEEEEE my computer.

I think I'm going to turn it off and give it a rest. Maybe it'll be nothing! I think I'll go lay in bed and read/watch "Dance Moms" (tune into Lifetime tomorrow night for a new episode...HILARIOUS!) so I can get up early to CLEAN/do my laundry for work.

la la la la la

Happy Tuesday, y'all! It is finally not 100+ degrees out. Seriously, that was SUPER gross last week. Now, I am all for summer and the beach, cute clothes and warm weather over freezing my butt off in the winter. But when you wake up and its 100 degrees at 9am, NOT COOL. After dropping my brother off at work on Friday, I went and got my nails done because I needed a manicure. PS - love the color of them {strawberry margaritas by OPI..a nice pink color!}. When I got in the car after having left my windows cracked open a bit, the thing in my car that has the temperature said it was 112 degrees! I know it was probably from sitting in the sun but still. NO ONE sat outside Friday night or Saturday at work. Awesome.

My dog had her surgery on Friday and the poor puppy kept whimpering the entire time after she got home. My mom wants me to take a picture of her bandaged paw. I felt so bad for her. Today she goes back to the vet to I guess have the dressing changed.

Okay, so there was a documentary made about the Taconic Parkway crash from July 2009. The Taconic is a major road in upstate New York. I used to drive by it when I was going to school though never drove on it because my SIL lived up in the area by where I went to school. It just so happened that the day this crash happened, I was driving back with three friends from school from a trip where we had surprised our friend Heather in Massachusetts/New Hampshire....and the original Mapquest directions I had printed out told us to take the Taconic Parkway home. Thankfully, we had my friend Shannon's Mom's GPS and it did not take us that route. But we were right by it around the time the crash happened. In the crash, 8 people died - 3 men in a SUV, one mother from Long Island with her 2 yr old daughter and her three nieces. It was so sad. The title of the documentary (which was on HBO last night) was "There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane." I recorded it because I was at work and did not realize it was on the HBO Latino channel....so there's subtitles in Spanish, ha ha. Gives me the opportunity to practice reading them! Overall, it's such a tragedy but I am thankful the GPS rerouted us that day!

I am going to be so thankful come tomorrow night. I usually only work Mon,Wed,Fri,Sat or Sun in my availability for the summer. I dont work every Wednesday (have only because of fundraisers or someone switched with me). So this week I was suppose to work Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat night. And Saturday by myself (which usually there are two hosts and they sent me home last Sat when I was "on call" because they did not think it was going to get busy and it did so I hope that doesn't happen Sat!). But one of the girls needs coverage today from 12-3 for her shift because she's going to a Lil Wayne concert. That makes 6 days in a row at work. Last Fri, Last Sat, Last Sun, last night, today, and tomorrow. Thursday off and then Fri & Sat. I don't technically mind but I cannot wait to sleep. I think I'll browse the mall a little today after work (need to go into Victoria's Secret to pay my bill as opposed to paying it online and adding $10 to it for the same day fee). And hey, another day at work means more play money for Disney. Holy bonkers, I leave two weeks from today! YAY! And thank the LORD we switched our flight from 6am to 1045am. What on EARTH was my brother thinking when he made that flight time? This chick does NOT function well in the am.

And also, I am a firm believer in good things will come to those who wait. I know my Prince Charming is out there somewhere...he's just lost and is too stubborn to ask for/find directions. And I am happy with my current boyfriend. But seriously, how many people my age are also getting married?! No joke! Seriously! Good for them...even though I may be a teeny jealous. But it makes me think back to high school/younger when I thought I'd at least be engaged by this age. Yep, I am only 24 yrs old so I don't need to rush things like this in life. But it would be nice to ya know, get married before I am 52348523 years old...HAHA!

Fill In The Blank

This came up in my blog reader from one of the blogs I follow. I thought this was a cute thing and also a great way to procrastinate getting anything done before work, ha ha!


1. One of my happiest moments ever was....probably the birth of my niece/goddaughter Sara. I was hoping it would be a girl and I could not wait to spoil the baby (regardless if it was a boy or a girl!) I had to work on a project at my bro & SIL's house because our printer wasn't working, went to the hospitak and waited until my brother came out and announced...it was a girl! It was solidified about 2 weeks later when my brother & SIL asked me to be her godmother on Christmas. Best Christmas gift ever!

My ham when she was 5 and a half.

2. Summer is wedding season and weddings are....wonderful! I love weddings! I have been in so many (my brother's, two cousins and my godmother's). I cannot wait to get married. A girl that was best friends with my RA freshmen year of college who I became friends with that year is getting married a week from today! I hope she has the wedding of her dreams!! :) I wish some of my friends would get married already, ha ha!

3. This summer...has been a scorcher! Today when I got in my car after getting my nails done, my car said it was 112 degrees out! HOLY COW!! But it has definitely been better than last summer. I am SO glad I do not work where I did last summer.

4. My summer food of choice has been...probably hot dogs. I feel they are most appropriate to eat in the summer because they taste the best on a grill!

5. My summer uniform has been...a mix of things...either black cami/black button down/black pants/black socks (or the 2 week promo shirt) for work and shorts/tanks/flip flops otherwise! Anything light and cool for this nasty heat.

6. If I could spend the entire summer in one location I would choose....probably the Bahamas. The water there looks so beautiful! And of course I would want all my fantastic friends with me to hang out.

7. My summer anthem is...oh heavens, it's a bunch! Definitely "Party Rock" by LMFAO because it is stuck in my head. And "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears. Plus Colbie Caillat's new CD is fantastic. If you have not listened to it, you need to!

Head over here to link up at The Little Things We Do. :)

Oy vey

My poor dog! She knew the jig was up this morning when she refused to walk outside. I had to carry her to my car (after making sure the AC was on) and she sat in the passenger seat. She shook the whole way to the vets and the entire time we waited. She has a lump or something on her toe on her front right paw. Today, they're doing surgery to remove it and they have to amputate that toe!! :( I feel so bad for her. I told my mom to not laugh at her when she picks her up later. Say a prayer for my doggie!!

Seriously Thursday

This is one of my favorite link ups. It's time for Seriously?! Thursday with Becky @ From Mrs to Mama. Go check it out and link up!


Seriously?! Lindsay Lohan states she can't afford to pay for her court-appointed psychological treatment?! What on Earth did you do with all your money, girlfriend? Maybe if you were not so busy partying your butt off and could gather your life together, you would have it! I love how the judge was not letting her off easy and basically told her to find someone to pay for it. Girl, go buy yourself a clue!

Seriously?! Why is Teen Mom so addicting?! If I hear Amber scream/say "I'm done!" one more time to Gary, I wanna throw the remote at the TV. A)Gary's dumb for taking her back all those times. B) Amber is a psycho-path. She constantly tells Gary she is done and its really all HER fault for smacking him and being completely stupid. She's crying about the possibility of losing her daughter and maybe it'll have to be that to teach her a lesson. And Jenelle from the second one violated her probation. Girl, stop hanging out with LiLo and fix your life!

Seriously?! The dance teacher on the show "Dance Moms" is psycho! I would take my child out of that school pronto for the way she talks to the parents. I am so thankful I went to a dance studio growing up where our director NEVER acted like that. He was awesome. And I promise this whole post won't be about reality TV.

Seriously?! I am such a klutz. I went to Citi Field, home of the NY Mets, for a game today with my boy. I am in no way a Mets Fan (he is)....I'm a Yankees girl. At one point I climbed over the seats to go to the bathroom and my right inner thigh scraped on one of them....causing a nice bruise that will be nice & purple in a few hours. How awesome.....not!

Seriously?! One of my Facebook friends had their status that NSYNC was suppose to be doing a reunion tour. GET OUT OF TOWN!!! I texted this to my BFFs Shannon & Olivia (we all share a love of Justin Timberlake) and if this does end up being true (right now we think it's a rumor), we are totally going!

Seriously?! Hello Mother Nature. I love summer and all. But you can stop with this nasty hot & humid weather. No thanks! I know I'll be complaining in 5 months that I can't wait for it to be summer but holy bananas!

Wordy Wednesday

I have a LOT of stuff I need to accomplish. So I ask myself, Why am I such a slacker at times?! Lord knows I like to procrastinate! I wrote my first cover letter ever....and apparently it SUCKED. HAHA. My mom's friend tweeked it for me but it is still blah (aka not finished). I was convinced you were suppose to make it more generic for things like a substitute position and more specific, for an ACTUAL position (say for a middle school Spanish position). Basically, I left the public library feeling like I had something accomplished, yet frustrated at the same time.

So, I went to my brother's house to give him something and asked his opinion because he is a teacher. He called his friend that's a principal and put me on the phone. I got to talk to him for a bit and he said I can be specific. My mom's friend was having me elaborate on working with the student I tutored and all and my brother's friend said to definitely incorporate it because the more I make myself stand out, the more marketable I make myself. He even mentioned BOCES (which is something we have in NY for Education) and how I should contact them to see what it would take to get my French certification. Or even ESL. AHH!! Decisions, decisions! I think I am going to google the phone number for BOCES or e-mail address and contact them about seeing someone to speak to about this. According to both my brother and my SIL, this is the "lull" time right now for districts and most of the interviewing would be in mid-late August. Or even later. So we shall see. Keep ya fingers crossed! This girl needs all the advice & help she can get!

I can't find a happy medium with my AC! I am too hot if I turn it off, yet too cold if I turn it on. Even at the low part, I'm freezing! My legs look like they are starting to get goosebumps. Not cool at all.

I saw this on Pinterest yesterday and cracked up. I DEFINITELY caught a bunch of my students in my first student teaching placement doing this:
I also love this by Taylor Swift:

Words to live by! PS Incase I have not mentioned it yet, although I probably have 2058293203631336 times, I am SUPER excited to see Ms.T-Swift in November with Shannon! YAY! And yes, I'll be 25 by then and I will buy a shirt at the concert. Don't judge! :)

I am so glad I took an actual look at my diploma and realized I put the wrong degree on my resume. HA HA! I put a Bachelor's of Science when I got a Bachelor's of Arts. Smart move on my part. At least I did not send it out to any districts yet, hehe!

Well this has been one of the most random/odd and long posts I feel. I'm going to go work on my cover letter some more...so I feel not as "OMG I HATE BEING AN ADULT" as I did today.

It's Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday, y'all! It's time to link up with Jamie to show What you're loving this week!

#1
I'm loving that my brother was able to help me obtain a credit voucher. He went to the same school as I did for my Masters and you can pay your way using credit vouchers. These typically come from teachers. You pay them at some price and you use it to pay your tuition. In reality, you may spend $500, but it saves you a lot in loans! Thanks big bro Mark!
(It also makes me sad to realize how expensive it is living at home and how I NEED a teaching job to make $!)

#2
I'm loving this cutie patootie:
That's Emma Grace, my youngest niece! Such a doll.

#3
I'm loving that this time in three weeks I'll be on vacation at the happiest place on Earth....DISNEY! I feel like July is kinda dragging and I'm just ready to go relax. Best part of going on vacation? I am only responsible for paying for my souvenirs...nothing else. Thanks Mom!

#4
I'm loving the fact that Amazon is now offering textbook rental on the Kindle this fall! You can save up to 80% on the books. I would LOVE to simply rent them on my Kindle rather than buying from the bookstore (ripoff!) or something. This is fantastic news! Check it out here.

#5
I'm loving the new show "Dance Moms" on Lifetime. Last Wednesday was the first show and let me just say, this lady is one crazy fool!! She took the girls to a competition and wants to teach them a new dance in a week. INSANE. And OMG one of the moms went insane because her daugter was kicked out of class because she was wearing sweats and socks in acro. I did dance for 13 yrs including acro and um, yeah, that's not the smartest move. If you're curious, check it out tonight at 10pm EST on Lifetime!

#6
I'm loving my friends. Always there no matter what!
(Just a small view of some of my favs!)

{poor doggie}

If anyone knows me, I am a big animal lover. Specifically dogs, because that is all I have grown up with. I've had three dogs in the span of my 24 yrs on this Earth. They have all been cocker spaniels. We had Harper when I was little. But we had to give him to my mom's friend's neighbor because he was biting EVERYTHING. He bit one of my babysitters (a daughter of another friend of my mom) from her wrist to her elbow. He bit my mom over a piece of steak. When the dog lunged for my face, that was it (I was really young...like 4 or 5). He eventually went to live on a farm.

Then, when I was in second grade, our next door neighbor's son (my brother's best friend) found a dog in a kennel on the side of our house one night in the middle of November. The dog was covered in pee and everything. So he took it into his garage for the night. His mom called mine the next day and I remember my mom saying "I need another dog like I need another hole in my head!" Clearly, this dog won my mom over because after putting him in the pound incase the original owners tried to claim him,she called up and put her name on the list to adopt him the very next day. The original owners never claimed him so we got him! His name was Rusty, because the color of his fur was like a rust color. He was such a SWEET dog. He pretty much came house trained.He LOVED tennis balls and we took him swimming in our pool. I dont even have any pictures of him on my computer. :( When I was in 10th grade, we had to put him to sleep. The area around his heart kept filling up with fluid and they could take a needle and remove it, but it would probably just fill up again. So, to take him out of his misery, we put him to sleep. I think I cried for a week because I loved that dog. I had him for so long. And to top it off, my dog HATED the song "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (who knows why)..and that was playing in the car on the way home from the vets. Good thing we only live around the corner!

Enter dog #3. I pretty much convinced my mom we needed another dog. My brother Eric was in school and Brian was entering college that fall. I got home first and HATED coming home to an empty house. We searched everywhere for a cocker spaniel and eventually found one in an ad in the newspaper. The lady was super weird on the phone and all. And when she brought the dog back to our house to see if she liked it here, she said she'd call the next day...she never did! So essentially she abandoned it. Good thing I liked her! She was a black cocker spaniel named Honey (for real?!) so I changed it to Shadow because she kept following me around the whole day. We've had her 8 years this August. Wanna see her cute face?
Well, she was suppose to have surgery today for her paw. There's a lump on it that has to be removed...only her temperature was 105.5! Apparently 102 is normal for a dog. So I had to take her home and bring her back on Friday. Poor dog, she knew something was up when I had to chase her around the front yard this morning and had to carry her to the car. Hopefully after she gets this removed her paw won't hurt her as much and she'll feel better!

Well, it's OFF to go clean this room. Seriously, it looks like Hurriane "I Drop Crap Here" came through.

{rain rain go away}

Holy downpour today! It has been nasty hot & humid in NY lately. We were overdue for some rain. Well, we got it! I walked into work and it was still hot out and in about 45 mins-an hour later, it DOWNPOURED. I mean, like it was raining cats & dogs. So, we ended up being busy which is good because I need $$ like there's no tomorrow.

My brother is starting to get on my nerves. His car has been broke for what feels like an ETERNITY so he wants to have it repaired & sell it. Therefore, he is carless and depending upon other people for rides & a car to borrow every now and then. I dont mind driving him to work if I'm going to work because its about 5-10 (at max with traffic) from my job. But this is getting to be ridiculous! I feel like he is using me for my car. I just let him borrow it to go pick someone up and screamed at him if he did not put gas in my car (because I only filled it up friday, it's already almost at 1/4 a tank left), I would punch him. Normally, I am not a violent person but this is getting to be ridiculous. Why should a 29-yr-old have to depend upon a 24-yr-old sibling? I know I know, you should help your siblings out and believe me, I HAVE. I just tend to have a short fuse when I feel like I am getting used for things. Considering gas is getting to be almost $4.00+ a gallon in NY, I am not filling my car up so my brother can go pick up his basketball people and drive them to & from Timbucktoo. Part of me wishes I lived in another state at this point, haha (kidding). I am praying to GOD he gets his car/a new one SOON. When I go to Florida, I plan on taking my car keys so he can figure out his own way of getting around. Sorry, I'm just getting tired of feeling like a taxi service. /end of rant/vent now.

Saturday was my CST test. I had to be there at 745am....which required me waking up at 6am. On a Saturday. Not my cup of tea! I got to the building....except I was in the wrong one. Guess I should have looked at my admission ticket a little closer. Oh well. I got there and then we had to wait. Went in, went to the room and oh hey, waited some more! The CST for Spanish had a listening, reading, writing & speaking part. You technically have 4 hrs for the exam. So we started at 8:30 and could have til 12:20 to do the listening (well they only did that once), reading and writing. They said to allow for 10 minutes for the speaking. The listening section was not that bad. The reading consisted of grammar questions along with culture. Well, let's just say the culture probably brutalized me! AWESOME...NOT! My speaking task was about a broken plate which was not too bad. Overall, most people were on their second or third time taking it so I don't expect that I passed. Hopefully I can just learn from this and move on.

Two weeks from tomorrow I will be seeing Ms.Britney Spears in concert and I am super excited! I could careless about Nicki Minaj opening for her, which by the way I think is the ODDEST opener for her ever. I mean, last time I saw her perform, Jordin Sparks opened...muc better!

I'm also planning a surprise party for my friend Shannon. She's the one coming with me to Britney Spears. Her actual birthday is August 21st but I'm doing it the night before. She does not read this blog so she has no idea. :) Her boyfriend is helping me orchestrate this and I am SUPER excited to see her reaction. I will cry my eyes out if I don't get my request off for that. I will be away the 9th-16th but said I could work AM&PM shifts the 17th-19th & 21st plus the am of the 20th. I have honestly never been denied an RO off from work.

{a little prayer request..}

I don't know why but I am SUPER nervous about my Spanish CST (Content Specialty Test) tomorrow. It's one of three state tests New York State makes you take in the process of obtaining your certification. The other two are the LAST (Liberal Arts & Sciences Test) and ATS-W (Assessment of Teaching Skills Written) both of which I already took & passed! I did those as an undergrad. There are a lot of parts to this test tomorrow, including a speaking, and I'm REALLY scared. Basically, if I pass this, I am done..DONE and will have my certification. If I don't, I have to retake it. Here's the kicker...you don't find out your scores until like right before the next test. POOP.

So say a little prayer everything goes okay. I am getting up at 6am (need to get off the internet) and leaving my house hopefully by 630! I am so over cautious considering I dont have to be there til 745 (check in time) but I'd rather be there by 715, 730 if there's traffic! Okay, off to bed I go!

{Good things come to those who wait}

So remember how I was blabbing about being a teacher? Well, I wake up to a text message from my lovely brother Mark who is a teacher. He taught second grade for a bunch of years and then a few years ago, switched to 5th grade. He went to the same school as I did for his Masters (he already had his teaching degree before he went and got his masters). Well, one of his co-workers has credits that you can sell and use towards tuition. Even if she wants $700 for them, it saves me a buttload in paying back in loans! :-D And my brother said once I have my resume tweeked, he'll look at it because he has a book of school addresses where I can send my resume. YAY! There is a GOD watching out for me! :)

Speaking of the resume, I know who I would ask for references. My cooperating teachers from my two field placements from student teaching (one of whom is my brother's friend), my field supervisor, possibly my part-time cooperating teacher and the field supervisor from that placement, my mom's friend already said she would write me one (you can have a personal reference). And probably one of my professors that I had for two semesters in grad school and worked with in regards to the tutoring program. But here is my question...On my actual resume, I have "references available upon request" at the bottom....but do I just make a page of who the references ARE & their contact information...or do I need letters?

Tonight & tomorrow are going to be loooonnnngggg days. I am working tonight 5-10 which means I'll get home anywhere between 1030 & 1045. Eat my dinner and then go to bed. Because I need to get up at the BUTT CRACK of dawn tomorrow for my CST test. It's at least 45 minutes away. My admission ticket is for 745am and I have roughly four hours to take a test. Then I drive 45 minutes home and go work 330-10. I am not a morning person by any means so this is going to be a test of my character, ha! Plus, I feel so inadequately prepared for this test but at the same time, my friend Pedro who I talked to last night, told me you really can't study for it. If I pass it, I pass it. If I don't, I learn and retake it in September.

I had a dream the other night one of my friends {not sure who} had twins! Ha ha! I have wedding and baby fever. SOMEONE needs to get engaged or have a kid. I do have one friend from grad school getting married in November but holy cow, I just want someone to have a baby. I seriously would sometimes rather browse the baby clothes at Kohl's then the section for myself! What is wrong with me?! HA HA!

And Harry Potter....I need to see it. It is the end of childhood as the people of my generation know it!

teacher teacher

Okay, so here we are almost two months after graduating grad school. Score, right? It was probably the hardest 1.5 years of my life. Whoever said it was a breeze....you're a fool! I was super thrilled to be done. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you, I was knocked down more times than necessary for someone who wants to be a teacher.

My friend Shannon said it was like when I applied to undergrad, they saw my application and was like "Okay, we're gonna mess around with her." Mind you, I maintained upwards of a 3.9 GPA (it was usually around a 3.8something) in my education curriculum. And I had placed into a 300 level Spanish class my first semester in college. Smarty pants, yes. I always got the best grades in my Spanish classes (I think the lowest was a B and thats because it was an advanced lit class). And my undergrad school required all foreign language education majors for secondary education (not elementary education) to take a departmental assessment test that was on grammar, literary analysis and culture. You had to get an 84 or better on each section....PLUS pass a $150 over the phone interview in order for them to let you student teach. Oh, wanna hear the kicker? You were not allowed to do this until the semester before you were to student teach. So I was suppose to student teach January-May 2009. So I did it fall semester of my senior year. Apparently what was on the test is NOT what we were being taught because NO ONE in my methods class passed. Like no one. That really says something.

So to give it another shot, I took a semester of pointless classes (really it was only to get credits because I had finished my Spanish concentration the year before in Spain). I took Sign Language, Deaf Culture & Heritage, Sociolinguistics, a Spanish Class and Child Psych (incase I ever wanted to teach an elementary level). Well, I only took those to be able to be at school to take the test again. Again, took it and I got like a 96 on the culture section but between the other two sections, I needed 16 points. And I had hit the same level again on the phone interview. So, what were my options? Basically I was told that if I did not pass the two other sections a third time taking the departmental test, that was it. Essentially four years of work OUT THE WINDOW! They said three times was the max and basically I felt like they were telling me "You're just not meant to be a teacher." I literally broke down in tears in front of my friends. I essentially was faced with the decision try again in the fall...or drop my education major all together. I did the second, which hurt so bad. And guess what? Because of all of this, the school said they couldn't "confer" my degree on time and I was not allowed to walk at graduation with my friends. My friends just felt so bad for me yet I remained with them to celebrate our graduation weekend because just the fact that I didn't walk with them, doesn't mean we did not have the right to celebrate four years of friendship. Here we all are:

(L-R: Emily, Jess, Heather, Heather's sister, Sarah, Me, Shannon, Sarah W, Jade, Olivia)

But I did not let this stop me. After taking a semester in a way off from life to figure out what I wanted to do, I applied to grad schools and started in January 2010. I was probably the only freakshow who took four classes a semester in grad school but hey. I finished in a year and a half. In that time, I was able despite feeling I couldn't do it at times to achieve my degree. My program was to certify me to teach Spanish in grades 7-12, with a middle childhood extension for grades 5 & 6. Ideally, I want to teach in a middle school. You all probably think I'm NUTS but I love that age! And, that is the age/grade level when I fell in love with languages. :)

So where does this all leave me now? Hello job search! I have a resume from student teaching that I can tweek. But I need to write a cover letter. Does this girl have a clue how to write a cover letter or what to put in it? NOPE! Technically most of the jobs I have looked at on OLAS (what NYS uses for teaching jobs) require the proper certification and I am taking my last test for it on Saturday (*prayers I pass!!*). As much as I feel like I'll be "rejected" because of not having it yet, it does not hurt to put my resume out there. I finally realized it's time to become an adult, ha ha. So here's to looking over my resume for any typos, asking for letters of reference (three different cooperating teachers [one part-time student teaching, two full-time], field supervisor, etc) that hopefully I can get, and onward to hopefully getting on a sub list. I won't give up my restaurant job but ANY extra $$ I can make will be well worth it.

Any advice from anyone about cover letters or other teachers who are embarking on their career or have been teaching is GREATLY appreciated!!

a belated WILW

I am late in linking up to the traditional Wednesday link up with Jamie. I pretty much was a bum all day in bed since I did not feel good but now I feel like I'll share what I'm loving this week.


I'm loving that Teen Mom has been back on! Call me crazy but I enjoy my "trashy" tv if you will. There's nothing like watching psycho Amber to make you got "What on Earth?" Seriously, I'm 24 and my favorite shows are Teen Mom and Toddlers and Tiaras....because they're so bad. Haha. Go ahead, make fun.

I'm loving that I went to the beach again Monday. Seriously. There's something about napping out in the sun that is so relaxing! You know what I'm also loving about this? My new sunscreen! Because I DID NOT BURN and only had to reapply it twice! Thank you Neutrogena! You are my new biffle.

I'm loving I will be meeting up with Olivia on Saturday for some D&F...drinks & fun! Ha ha. I have to get up SO EARLY on Saturday morning to go drive 45 minutes to take a 4 hour test in which it is almost impossible to study for and then got work 6.5 hours until 10pm. Needless to say, it's going to be a LONG day and I'll need it!

I'm loving that Colbie Caillat had a new album come out on Tuesday! I was in a need for new music and it sounds good so far!

I'm loving that my BFF Stephy should be coming up to New York in October for a long weekend visit! I would love it if Brett, her boyfriend, came too since he is the greatest guy ever. I just want her to book her plane ticket already!


What are you loving today?!

every day i'm shuff-aling.

Okay, I am probably a major procrastinator. Let's face it...what person would leave a 10 page final paper to write until the night before it was due? Yeah, that was me (and well my roommate Steph since we were in the same class) when I took Developing Adolescent Psych in college. So I pretty much rock at procrastinating. Today, it changed.

I finally put my sweaters away that have been sitting on the floor forever! It looks and feels nice to be able to view my DVR box head on without having to look over a mountain of clothes. I took out more summer clothes and filled up four bags of stuff I wanted to get rid of. In doing that, I felt a sense of relief because I got rid of stuff either too big or that I haven't worn in years. Like I got rid of a skirt that I remember wearing at my SIL's bridal shower...eleven years ago! However, there is a big pile of jeans on my floor in front of my closet that I need to try on...some are the size I wore almost a year ago and then the next size down...and I don't wanna donate all the big ones incase I have a "fat" day or something. Ha Ha. Tomorrow I will try those on. There's also some stuff inbetween my bed and my dresser that I need to finish putting away but right now, I'm wiped! I actually need to get my sheets out of the dryer so I can make my bed so I can go off to dream land tomorrow.

Is it only me or does it take anyone else hours to clean their room? I usually get distracted. I want to go to bed after I watch Teen Mom and get up early to finish since I need to study for my CST on Saturday. I was pretty impressed with the way my closet looks now! Can't wait to see my end result tomorrow!

I think I have way too many pairs of jeans as I stare at the pile. In about a year, I lost 30lbs, which I attribute to leaving my old job. As a result, I dropped pants sizes yet I still want to keep those pants incase I have a fat day (a la bloated feeling). But that means way too many to store! Ahhh!! I need a bigger closet. Preferably a HUGE walk in one.

All of today I have craved tositos with queso, which was my downfall in college haha. I will probably end up driving to the store tomorrow to buy the chips because we already have the queso dip in the fridge!

...rolling in the deep.....trouble

rolling in the deep...trouble. i almost typed poop pile, then realized that was inappropriate. and a ll gross.

can i just say that i hate/detest/despise growing up? seriously, it seems like adults have all the perks according to little kids. yet, that is somewhat far from reality! i mean sure, you look forward to the day you can legally drink at 21, drive a car, gamble, move out of your parent's house, etc. i have done pretty much only the first two (i don't gamble and i haven't moved out of my house...yet).

but seriously, i don't like it. i am the type of person that likes to pay my credit card bills all off in full, every month. sure, there have been some months where i'm like "crappppp, i forgot!" and then i get a late fee. boo. my "motto" has usually been i only charge it if i know i have the $$ to pay it off. i really only like to dip into my savings in emergencies. i thought i'd really be saving some $$ by living at home. and hey, it's not bad. i just wish i could live at home for free. i mean, if i only have to pay for my car insurance and my phone, that's fine. but if i had to pay for more than that, i might as well go move down south because i in no way make THAT much $$ to do so. my mom and i need to have a talk tomorrow and see if we can come to an agreement on me giving her money considered as "rent." $200 seems fine to me. $600...not so much. i might have to like win the lottery, plan a way to accrue 5820350293234543624 trillion dollars or get myself a sugar daddy, ha ha! say a prayer i can figure this all out. i know it sounds somewhat childish and STUPID to be whining about this, but i don't like owing $$ and i'm just frustrated.

and on top of that, i got a letter today saying that my student loans were granted another deferrment until 2018. i had myself a nice little laugh...since i graduated undergrad in 2009 and grad school this year. and did i apply for this? nope. i originally did when i went to grad school but i guess the schook told them i graduate in 2018. um, that's about 6.5 years away (now since we're already into july!) and i hope to have a dent in paying them off by then. maybe defer them for another year.....or two. ;)

oh! and how about that 16 lb BABY born in texas?! the mom apparently had gestational diabetes, which can result in babies being born weighing more than normal but holy cow! that's huge! it's like a toddler. i hope that none of my future children ever weigh that when they're born...quite ridiculous.

okay, time to go to bed. i know the time stamp will mess up on this but its 1232am on my computer clock and i'm wiped. i didn't go to bed until 2am this morning, got up at 730, went to zumba @ the gym, the beach and then swam and went to work. i'm WIPED.

{grand slam, baby!}

And in other news, in case you were stuck inside or nowhere near the TV/internet, or don't follow baseball at all, Derek Jeter got his 3,000th hit! And on a home run, no less! Plus, the fan that caught it (a friend of a girl I went to school with) actually gave it back to Jeter, which I think is awesome.It's history! I wish I was watching the game, instead of browsing K-Mart with my darling mother to find a birthday gift for my cousin's daughter. Or better yet, AT the actual game. I really wanna go to a Yankee Game one of these days. I'm like the outcast in a family of all Mets fans...and I'm dating a Met fan. I secretly wanna wear my Yankees gear the day he takes me to a Mets game. Is that bad? Haha.

I mean, I think Derek Jeter is one fineeeeeee human being! I mean, look at how hot he is (and how awesome/happy his teammates are for him):



And if I could look like this when I hit 40, I'd really love it. God, are you listening?! How gorgeous is she? I'd kill for her physique:

And I know the blog time that will be stamped when this is posted will be in correct but its 130am and I need to go to bed!

It's Summertime.....

and the living's easssssyyyyy....seriously, I just love summer! Sometimes I wish my birthday was in the summer instead of November. Why? I'm not quite sure. But I think summer clothes are so much fun and easier to wear.

I just got a thing in the mail for savings at Kohls. Let's face it, Kohl's is always having a sale. Even my BFF Shannon that works there says that. Well sometimes they send you coupons for 15% off, 20% off or 30% off your purchase. My mom and I both have cards and usually only like to use it when its 30% off...sometimes 20% off. Something I noticed on the side of the thing was New York State sales tax exemption on apparel and footwear items costing less than $55 is now valid through 3/31/2012, based on current law. Might not seem like a lot but when the sales tax is like 8.25%, anything is considered a big deal!

My niece did an awesome job at the recital the other night. She did two numbers this year. A ballet number to "Michelle" by the Beatles and tap to "Twistin the Night Away." Her studio's theme was Playlists tributing the iPod. It was really cute. I gave her a necklace that said her name, Sara, with a Mickey Mouse on it from Disney. And when I gave it to her, she informed me next year I'll have to bring two gifts...one for her and one for her sister Emma. Haha, she's a smart cookie that one. Here's me and the munchkin after her tap number:

(She looks like she could be my daughter! There's something about my goddaughter that just makes you laugh. She's a hoot.)

There are a lot of good movies coming out this summer. I've already seen Bad Teacher and it was hysterical! I want to see the 7th Harry Potter movie (well part two). I never really read any of the books (I know, shame on me!) but maybe now that there are no more movies, I'll do that. Plus I wanna see Horrible Bosses, Friends with Benefits and a few others. I feel like the best movies come out in the summer. My friends and I made a list of the ones we need to see.

Boo for my schedule next weekend. I mean, yay I am happy to work (especially since my mother is nagging me about money for rent and let's just say that conversation did not make me happy yesterday/I don't make enough to afford it....part of the reason why I want my own adult job and move out!). But I don't wanna close, ha ha. I'm working 5-10 Friday, 3:30-10 Saturday, and 5-9 Sunday. I am also taking my CST test Saturday morning so I'm literally coming home Friday night, eating & going to bed and waking up at like the crack of dawn. Eww. Oh well.

And please say a prayer for my Grandma. Apparently she had somewhat of a mild stroke yesterday. She called my mom at work to ask her how to cook some type of noodle or something and was going to play a card game with a friend. Must have happened inbetween then. She was being kept overnight in the hospital for observation but still. I hope she's okay.

Maybe I'll go make myself a pot....yes a POT...of coffee and clean my room. I'd like to be able to remember what color my rug is, ha ha!

My Confessions!

I came across Friday Confessional through another blog I follow and thought well, why not confess everything?! I have no shame...usually, ha ha.



I confess I am completely procrastinating on cleaning my room. I have let it slide forever (usually it drives me nuts) but I don't care!

I confess that no matter how tired I am, I still stay up late at night. What is my problem?! I love to sleep as much as a newborn baby.

I confess that I might be one of the worst people to drive with because I hate bad drivers. Driving home from my niece's recital was pure torture the other night. And to the person that was making an ILLEGAL turn around my car while trying to cut me off while waiting for the cars to finish being done going straight (I was turning left), you're a MORON! I swear it's dumb people that'll cause me to get into a car accident.

I confess I want one of my friends to get married. And someone else close to me to have a baby. I've got like a case of baby fever and I'm not ready to have kids of my own, ha ha! But seriously, I just love weddings and babies. And I want all little girls because little girls clothes are more fun to shop for, he he!

I confess that I'd rather shop but um with my bills to pay, that is not going to happen. I do not like being an adult. Not. one. darn. bit.

I confess I have not done anything on my cover letters....why is it so hard for me to get my butt moving?

What are your confessions today?!