School

From the first half of my first day of "real school" ever, I can already tell this: speech is going to kick my butt and I'm going to have problems with my math teacher.

Speech is going to be so hard, even though I have a cool teacher, because 1) I'm not a good public speaker, 2) I'm not very good at acting natural when I'm nervous as all get-out, 3) I'm not very good at thinking on my feet. Mr. Maguire is cool, he seems like a really nice guy. He's fairly strict and he's fair about it. This class is going to be hard for me. Heh. And I thought I put the easier class first.

Also I made a horrible first impression with Mr. Maguire - I was late this morning. I had planned on leaving the house 30 minutes before my first class - speech - so that I could find where all my classes were and be early and make a good impression. I left my house about 10 minutes late (no big deal - school's 5 minutes away and I'm fairly good with finding my way around buildings) and I was thinking I'd be fine. Then I came upon the traffic. I hit the traffic at 7:47 (I was expecting to be at school 5 minutes from then) and didn't make it to school until 8:05, 5 minutes after I was supposed to be in class. I had called my Mom while waiting in traffic to see if she could find out where my classes were supposed to be. Luckily, she knew. I wrote them down on my hand so I wouldn't forget them - I was in the car and couldn't grab the paper out of my backpack. So that's how my first day of school started.

After speech, I went 5 doors down to my biology class. Mrs. Decker is my teacher and from what other students (and her syllabus) were saying, she's a difficult teacher. On the exams, we cover at least 7 chapters each. This class should prove to be interesting.

What I can't wait for is biology lab. We'll get to disect all sorts of different things: a frog, a brain, a liver, and other fun nasty stuff like that. I think I'll like my lab class because I learn better by doing - plus it sticks in my head longer that way. My teacher seems ok, for the few minutes I saw her.

I went to the lab class because Mrs. Decker made it sound like we were all supposed to go today even though our lab was on a different day (mine's on Wednesday). I get in there and find out that I didn't need to be there - that was embarrassing. It's all good though. I wasn't too embarrassed.

I have english class at 2. I decided to go home for lunch since I didn't have any homework or anything like that to keep me occupied for 3 hours.

Oh, I ran into Heather Smith and Kayti Edwards today. I talked with Heather a little bit and I only said hi to Kayti in passing (she said hi first - I didn't recognize her). It was really great to see people I knew. I was starting to feel lonely and then Heather came up to me.

Well, I'd better go now. I'll update more later, tell you how my english class went. Tschüss!

New Car

So I have a new car now, thanks to my beloved boyfriend. I now own his old car (he got a new one obviously), a 1997 Chrysler Concord. It's a beautiful car, lots of fun to drive, although the only place I've driven it is from his house to mine - the very first time to drive it. It's such a nice car, very well taken care of and such good things like that. So yeah, that's my big news. Bonus - since I'm paying for it, it's MY car. Not the family's, not the "kid's," it's MINE. The only reason my parent's names are on the insurance card is because they have the insurance.

I'm starting to become financially independant now. I'm paying for my own cell phone bill, I'm making car payments, I'm paying for insurance (at least the difference of what my parents were paying and what they're paying now), I'm buying my own gas, I'm buying my own clothes and supplies like shampoo and deodorant, I'm paying for whenever I go out to eat, I'm saving money, AND I've payed for almost all of my tuition for the fall semester at school (I could have payed all of it by myself but my parents were able to help me out a little). Being financially independant and making it work is tough. It's a good experience and I'm learning from it. It's hard yet rewarding, as most things in life are.

*sigh* I have to work in the morning, so I'd better let you go. Just wanted to tell you all my exciting news about my new-to-me car!!! YAY!!! He he he.

Tschüss!

p.s.
someday I hope to speak fluent German. just wish I had a teacher...

Mini Update

We got the phone working, so that's good. I really like it - I think it's a good buy. As always there are things I don't like, but they're minor and nothing to complain about.

Today after work I'm going to Josh's parent's house and riding with them to Austin to see Josh and his presentation. I'm so excited to see what he's been working on all summer, but what I'm looking forward to most is seeing him. I can't wait to see him and give him a giant hug. You don't want to hear about it, so I won't tell you.

Water's boiling for my breakfast, so I'd better scoot. Talk to you all when I get back! Tschüss!

Happenings

I switched my cell service to Cingular yesterday and got a new phone to boot! It's a flip phone, has a camera, voice to text dialing and text messaging, and all sorts of fun stuff. It's black and shiny and feels like liquid in my hands. It's got such a cool feel to it!

The only problem is, I'm not getting any calls to it. It should have worked by now. We called Cingular and they tried to fix it, sent several test calls, and they said that cell phones can't quite connect yet because the process hasn't completely registered yet. They said wait for an hour or two and try it again and if it doesn't work, then we should call them back and they'll try something else. I'm sure the problem will be resolved soon enough. I have faith in them.

I've been working an awful lot lately. I'm not so engh about it as I thought I'd be. I thought I'd be more tired, whiny, complaining, grumpy, but I'm not. That's a good thing, too! I'm actually not minding going back to work. Tomorrow is my only kenneling day for the entire month (hooray!!!) and I work all day, which means I will most likely miss church. I can't go out after that because I have to work all day Monday too, so that stinks. I missed the last two Bible studies and now I'm missing church - these people will think I'm a pagan! Lol. Anyhoo, work has been going really well. I got rather frustrated with one of the doctors today, but otherwise all is well.

I bought some new clothes with the Target gift cards I got for graduation. I needed new jeans for school, so I thought, "Hey, we'll see what Target has!" It turns out, I really like these jeans and may go back for another pair! He he he. These jeans make me feel so good.

I'm counting the days until I travel with Josh's parents to go see him on Wednesday evening and his presentation on Thursday morning. I can't wait for the trip there, I'm sure I'll talk with his parents the entire way. I can't wait to get there, to see Josh again, to give him lots of hugs and kisses. I can't wait to go to the presentation, to see the project that Josh has built the past few months while interning. I can't wait to see Nana and Paw again - they're so kind and generous. I can't wait to ride home with Josh, talking to him and singing with him and laughing with (and at) him.

I have to go to dinner now. I'll talk to you all later. Thanks for the comments!!! Tschüss!

It's Funny

Something that's been on my mind lately, why is it that when you need your friends, mostly the ones that tell you they're always there for you, they aren't there? I seriously needed some companionship, someone to talk to Sunday night and no one was there. One wanted to play volleyball, one wanted to eat, the other just didn't care to hang around. I don't know why, but it always seems to be that way. Even though I was surrounded by people on Sunday, I was alone. I did manage to be cheered up by the last person I ever thought could do that; and all he did was talk to me about random stuff. It was an off and on conversation at that! Funny how life works, isn't it? So a question for all of you: What do you do if someone comes up to you with a tear-stained face and asks for a hug? What do you do after they tell you what's wrong?

The Weekend

Oh, this weekend was great! Friday night after work I went shopping for chips and cookies for Saturday's lunch and to kill time before Josh got home. I went and picked up some orange Lilies for him and took them to his house when he got home and surprised him with them. I hung out there for an hour or two, then I went home.

Saturday I picked Josh up, then went to Lara's house to pick up her and John. Then we went to McDonald's for breakfast and WalMart for a sandwich to pack. We got the sandwich and headed South to Hawaiian Falls. We got there just as it opened, claimed our spot and went on almost every ride. We ate lunch, swam in the "wave pool" (it didn't have many waves) and layed out to dry off. It was so hot we left at 1:30. I dropped Lara and John off at her apartment and Josh and I went back to his house. His Mom had gone to run errands and Austin and Lindsey weren't at home and Josh forgot his keys. We sat at the house in the truck for a while, then we went to CompUSA and ran into a friend of Josh's who worked there. We talked to him for a bit, he helped us look for laptop backpacks, then we left and went back to Josh's. His Mom was home, so we went upstairs and watched The Count of Monte Cristo, a fantastic movie. After the movie, we went to Chili's for dinner and had excellent steak, then we went back to his house so I could go home for the night.

Sunday I went to the 9 o'clock service with Josh, then met him at his house. We went to Mazatlan for lunch, then to Grapevine Mills to watch The March of the Penguins. After that we went back to his house so he could grab his stuff, then we said goodbye. His Mom was kicking him out of the house and I was trying to get him to stay - it was interesting. We went outside so his Mom was happy and we could take our time saying goodbye. We said goodbye and he left. I cried all the way from his house to the Farney's, where the end of summer pool party was going on, and still sat there for about 10 minutes crying. I told my friends what was wrong, but I guess none of them cared enough because they didn't hang out with me and give me the company I was longing for. So after showing my laptop to Chris, I decided to write how I was feeling in essay form. It helped me feel a little better and I managed to cheer myself up until I left. I had Josh's shirt with me all the time, except for when I was in the hot tub, and that helped too.

Work has been great. I'm not scheduled for kennels at all this month and that makes me overjoyed! Thank you God for solving my problem! Can you say, answer to prayer??? My schedule was made to fit around my school schedule, even though I don't start school until the 27th.

I'm excited about school starting. It'll be the first time I've ever done the whole school thing. I need to get supplies, but I'm not quite sure what to buy though. I have pens, a couple of notebooks and a calculator at home, but I'm not sure if that's all I'll need. I'll get my book list the first day of class, so I don't have to worry about that until then. I have to have the entire semester's payment to NCTC by the 16th, so that's a bit of a pressure, but I have more than half of it and my Mom thinks they'll be able to cover the rest of it. I sure hope so, or else I'll have to pull a loan. My Mom made it sound like that's what we were going to do anyway and when I mentioned it a few weeks ago, she was all shocked at the idea and was so against it it wasn't even funny. Anyhoo, I'm rambling. Cost of classes is pretty much taken care of - I think.

I'm going to Austin from the 17-19 to watch Josh's presentation for work. He's been working on a project all this time and he'll present his finished work on the 18th. I'm going down with his parents and driving back with him - the first time I've gone to Austin accompanied - it'll be great. I can't wait to see what he's been working on!

Well I'd better go. I've got lunch for the boys and I in the microwave and it just beeped. Oh, one more thing. I'm switching to Cingular so that I can have mobile-to-mobile with Josh because I'm talking to him more than I am anyone else and we don't have enough minutes with T-Mobile to cover it. I'll be paying for it, so that'll be an adventure. Yeah, so, just thought I'd let you know that...don't know why. Lol. Tschüss!

Long Awaited Update

My apologies for not getting to this sooner, I was having troubles with the internet connection to my laptop and truth be told, blogging was the last thing on my mind.

I took the Compass test (the same test as the THEA only on the computer) on the 29th. That was a great day. I took the Compass, did orientation, met with an advisor and registered for my classes all in three and a half hours. Heh. That was fun. I made a 38 on the math section (I needed a 39 to pass) so I have to take a developmental math class, but other than that, I passed the reading and writing sections with a 97 in each and got a 6 (a passing grade) on the first essay that I have ever written in my entire life! I was very proud of that essay, I wish I could have had a copy of it.

My laptop arrived Thursday sometime, I got it after I got home from work. After much complication, we finally have internet to the laptop through a wireless router and an external wireless card. It took a while, but I'm glad we finally got it done.

Saturday I got mauled by a cat at work. This cat flipped out the instant I touched her and she put up a nasty fight, but I won at last and now realize one of the main reasons why I prefer dogs over cats. She left multiple skin abrasions on my hands, arms and wrists, and a hefty slash in the muscle just under my thumb. Yesterday the gash started looking infected so I scrubbed it with Betadine and rinsed it off with hydrogen peroxide (I was at work) and it looks a little better. I'm not sure if it would better help get rid of the infection to leave the wound alone and let it scab over or to keep the wound open and clean. Anyhoo, the wounds are healing and I'll live, although I'll never look at this cat the same way again.

Josh is coming down this weekend and he, Lara, John (Lara's boyfriend) and I are going to Hawaiian Falls for a double-date. I'm so pumped about it - it's going to be so much fun!

I'm trying to think of anything else...oh! Work is going well. Dr. Roberts is back from Iraq and his first day back in the office was Monday. I was his VA yesterday. He had three appointments all day, and the first one was at 6:10pm. Heh. We sat around almost all day - everyone was slow. Dr. Hunsberger had only a few appointment, Dr. Strauch had a few appointments in the morning, then surgery, then he left. Dr. McCullough only worked from 9-1 and left an hour early because he didn't have anymore appointments. To make a long story boring, we weren't very busy yesterday, so things were easy.

Stephen, the new kennel guy, just happened to be scheduled by himself yestreday evening, and I was the one elected to help him finish. That, and someone had to stay because he didn't have a passcode for the alarm system yet. It wasn't that bad, I clocked out at 9:10 last night.

Well, I suppose I'll that's all I have to say. I'll talk to you all later!

Tschüss!