Just Keep Swimming.

I doubled today, and in between shifts, a coworker of mine and myself went to the Tokyo Store (i.e. Japanese grocery store). I had never been there, and it's probably good I dont go back for a long time. haha. I ended up spending $34 total. $13 of it was spent on a greeting card for BF. Read: Beautiful. I didn't even write on it, I wrote my message on a scrap peice of paper and taped it to the plastic the card was in. haha. BF and I love Japanese decoration of all kinds, dishes, etc. He liked it quite a bit. It was set with a fan that had sumo wrestlers painted on it. I'll have to post a pic here soon. I also picked him up some Pockey (a favorite japanese snack) and some other little odds and ends. For me, I picked up an Ogura Mocchi cake (a small rice cake filled with sweet beans, for those who are unfamiliar) and a kid's magazine. I'm trying to learn a bit more Japanese, and not only was it adorable, but it was educational as well. And imported, so it was $10. Totally worth it, though, in my opinion.

So I spent $34, but part of it was gift-purchases. I've been doing good, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. As for tomorrow, I'll be making dinner and perhaps surprising BF with oatmeal cookies. I haven't decided on that one, as I got him sweets already and he's trying to lose some weight Nonetheless, I plan on celebrating in some way! I'll figure it out between now and tomorrow evening. He goes to school for a bit tomorrow, I'll have time to plan!

At any rate, I can hardly believe it's been 2 years already! It seems so much shorter and so much longer than that all at the same time. I guess that's a good thing? hehe. Nonetheless, I think he's sticking around! Not that he has any choice in the matter... Have a good night, everyone!

p.s. Vacation savings up to $442 already! Not bad...

I got a birthday card in the mail from my Grandma (complete with insurance cards... mom must have mailed it for her! She's been meaning to get those to me). And in it was a $15 check. Every little bit helps! Actually, it just about covered the parking money I gave to BF ($5) and my get-together with classmate. I spent $8 total- $2.39 for fries (Mmm), $2.50 for beer (Penn Pilsner. Mmm again), and a couple dollars for tip. By no means a no-spend day, but it was entirely worth it.

I made decent money today with the big party that came in. We're expecting the rest of the week to be busy as well. I hope we're right.

Oh! Other news: My anniversary is tomorrow (or I guess today, it is after midnight...)! 2 years BF and I have been together. Woo! And still going strong (a snag here and there, but hey, I love the kid. What can I say?). We're not really doing anything, as I have to work a double. I'll be gone all day. I guess that's cheaper anyway. I've got wednesday off, and I'm planning on making a nice dinner. We'll have to celebrate then. Perhaps I'll do something nice for him while he's at class. I could make him oatmeal cookies. He likes those quite a bit... We'll see... at any rate, everyone have a good night!

So I'm still attempting to eat all in my fridge without wasting or throwing anything out. I'm eating my stirfry for breakfast (yes, as BF would agree with you, anything very not-breakfasty for breakfast may not be orthodox, and to some slightly gross. It's all food to me, though, so I'll do it anyways. hehe). I still have enough for one meal, though.

I got a call yesterday from a classmate of mine I havent seen, well, since the semester ended. I was so excited to have heard from someone from school (once summer came about, it seems we all lose touch), and I'll be doing an early dinner with her pre-work at Primanti's (bar and grill, fantastic sandwiches). I'm alotting $15 including tip, for a sandwich and a beer. On second thought, I might just get a basket of fries. That'll knock the price down a couple bucks, I'll just eat something small before I go. I know I said I wasn't going to go out to eat until vacation, but I consider this more of an entertainment expense than a restaurant expense because I'm spending time with a friend.

Sooo. I'll be making White Bean and Sausage Soup with Peppers for lunch and saving the leftovers. This is another silver palate recipe, though I'll be doing some substitutes. I have a bag of mixed beans that I've had since before we moved. For some reason, I haven't found a recipe to try with them, so I figured to substitute the mixed beans for the white beans. It wont be the prettiest of colors, I'm sure (you puree the soup before adding the sausage and peppers), but I'm sure it will taste just fine.

Well, that's about it for today. I'll cook, I'll go to the bank downtown, and get dinner with my friend before work. Then work. We have a party of 35 coming in tonight, so it's going to be a busy night. Yay US open. Cross your fingers I earn some moo-lah!

Work last night was busy and a bit of a letdown. Sometimes just being a waitress is enough. It's not even the money, but the drop in morale one gets when they work thier butt off, and still end up with the bare minimum in tips. Why does anyone ever tip 10% if they are completely satisfied with the service?? Especially if it's a table of 7 very demanding people who see to it to interrupt one another every chance they get while a poor girl is trying to write down who wants what sushi and hey that guy over there changed his mind six times! I usually dont complain about my tips, ever, but there are just times that you wonder if you did something wrong. At any rate, enough of that rant.

I expect the rest of the week to be just as crazy, if not more so.

I went to the asian grocery store and trader joe's yesterday, to pick up the last few things needed for recipes I have planned for the week. Ended up spending $45 (I'm so bad at keeping on grocery budget, but at least I'm not eating at restaurants this week). I shouldn't have to shop again before vacation, however.

I did make a frugal choice or two last night. I took snacks to work to avoid a trip to the vending machine. I also decided against going to the bar after work (something I seemed to desparately want to do), and opted for a beer at home, in front of my laptop. I made a menu list for the rest of the week, and if I stick to it, I dont think anything will go bad in my fridge before I leave for vacation on the 20th.

Today I'll be cooking stir-fry, as I have bean sprouts and snap peas that will go bad if I dont cook them soon. I figure it'll leave me leftovers at least for one meal, if not two. That's lunch, as I have work at 4:00. Here's hoping I dont lose my mind! Or my feet dont fall off...

I've been posting so frequently in the last few days! Hope you all arent getting sick of me!

So I sat down and did a breakdown of my numbers currently, something I've been meaning to do for a while. I added up all the student debt I have right now. $14,964.81. AHHHHH!!!! Looking at that number makes me queasy, especially considering that's not where it ends! I still have more schooling! My measley EF right now is at $225, which is a dangerous low. My vacation savings, after you take away the rent check I'll have to pay and expenses that will be due either while I'm away or when I get back is at $95. hahaha. I'm sure this isn't funny, but the upside is that I still think I'll be okay. I've got this next week ahead of me, and I'm more than sure I'll have the alotted $500 or so I was planning on spending for the trip.

Now, some more number crunching. My estimated income for every month is around $1390. This is assuming I average $60 every night and $20 every lunch shift. Obviously, these averages are not always on the dot. Usually, I make more than this average. I added up my expenses: rent, electric, gas, cell, perscription, transportation, internet, life insurance, and groceries. That was $617 altogether. I added an extry $83 to round it off to $700 and account for things like eating at restaurants, entertainment, and clothes.

This $700 in expenses should make up approx. 50% of what I make in a month, leaving me with an extra $700 to distribute. So why is it that I dont have $700 in my checking account at the end of every month? Well, I spend it. Erg. The goal? To live on that $700 a month. I'll dip into $50 more if necessary (our utilities aren't always on the dot either), but I think that should be more than enough.

I figure the remaining $700 can be alotted to both my EF and my debt, which though I am still in school and not REQUIRED to pay off now, scares the living something out of me, and needs to be taken care of while the interest is still piling high.

So, here are my financial goals:

1. Get my EF up to $1000 by the first of the new year. I dont think this should be difficult. Eventually I want it to reach $2100 (that's 3 months' expenses).

2. Keep track CONTINUALLY of my finances, to the penny, for the next year. I have a bad habit of trailing off every once in a while... that seems to be the periods when my spending gets a little out of hand.

3. Live on $750 a month. This of course means that my "pleasure spending" needs to be capped pretty tightly. It needs to remain in that $83 range.

4. Take all money that is not spent on my expenses (within the $750) or put into the EF and send it all to my debt.

Some shorter-term goals:

1. No eating at restaurants until I go on vacation (the 20th of this month).

2. No Starbucks for the rest of this month.

3. No buying clothes for the rest of this month.

4. Save up $500 by vacation.

I completely forgot to mention my [super] frugal picnic last night! BF and I decided to do dinner IN, rather than out. Well, we were certainly OUTside, but eating yummy things bought from Aldi about a week ago... We grilled brats and these chile lime chicken burgers from Trader Joes, and I boiled the corn with chives and it was quite good! And certainly cheaper than going to a restaurant! In light of my new camera (which was the best gift, EVER), I hope to be posting more pictures. Here are a few from our picnic last night:


A view of the pool outside my apartment building, the picnic area is right next to it.


A picnic table, and our cooler :P


Our bounty.


A dog done right.


The sun was setting on our lovely meal. So pretty!

Aside from the picnic, work was long (yet profitable). As it turns out, my schedule will be awfully hectic next week, what with the US open. I work 6 days, 3 of them doubles. :P This, while good for my wallet, will be incredibly tiresome. It'll be a long week. At any rate, I'm hoping the weather's nice tomorrow. I'm going to try and relax before work.

I need to continue working on my friend's surprise-- a scarf I'm crocheting for her! I'll have to post pictures! Yay! Night, all!

I've got my double ahead today, and I'm about to leave for work. Yesterday ended up being a no-spend day. I'm hoping today will be the same. I'm also hoping to make a decent amount of money, making up for the shortage early in the week. I finished the 6th Harry Potter book yesterday, and it almost left me in tears! I wont give away endings or anything, but for who anyone who has already read it, I want to convene and shout, "why?? whyyyyy???" Such a good man, afterall...

That's about it for today, everyone wish me luck!

So a couple of friends came over last night, we played the wii and drank a bit. Made sure to stay in. It ended up being much cheaper that way! This morning one of them was still here, so I made us breakfast to avoid heading out to get breakfast. Also a good choice. As for the rest of the day, I'm going to clean up the apartment a bit, then head outside and lay by the pool. It was a bit too chilly yesterday, unfortunately.

By the way, my artichoke came out pretty good yesterday, especially for a first-timer. I'm not sure if I'll make another anytime soon, as BF doesn't eat them, and eating an entire globe artichoke by myself constituted dinner. They're a bit of a pain to eat as well, it seems. But tasty! Tonight I think we'll grill, as BF will be home and we have brats and corn-on-the-cob.

Tomorrow it's back to work, which is both good and bad, I suppose. I enjoy my days off and tomorrow is my double, but the $$ coming in is always nice! I think it'll be a low-key night, perhaps I'll watch a movie later. At any rate, everyone have a good day!

p.s. On a final note, I canceled my world of warcraft subscription... $15 a month I'm saving. Yay! I dont think I'll miss it too much.

Ahh... my day off. What to do? I already slept in til noon The great abundence of odd, vivid dreams tells me I [finally] caught up on all that sleep I've been missing out on since the weekend. Either that, or I'm going crazy. Those dreams certainly were. At any rate, I'm planning the course of the day.

It's sunny, and supposed to remain that way, so I might go lay out by the pool for a while and read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I've started it, halfway through it, and love it. Cant wait til the 7th book comes out. I dont know what I'm going to do when the series ends, though. It'll be a shame. I'm always so sad when the books end.

Friends of ours may be coming over later, but we have enough alcohol leftover from the party to intoxicate an army, so there will be no need to buy more. We could easily barbecue using the food we have here. Come to think of it, we really should make that corn.

I was going to cook an artichoke, too. haha. I saw one in the store and realized that I haven't had one in YEARS. I honestly dont remember where I had one, either. It certainly wasn't with my parents. Either way, I intend on making one. Let's hope it comes out alright. We bought one at Trader joes, and it was quite big. I read in a cookbook that the medium-small size taste the best (after I bought them, of course), so I hope this one turns out okay. It's not huge by any means, but it is certainly on the larger side of medium. Cross your fingers!

After all that's been said, I think it's going to be another no-spend day. Yesterday was, save my bus fare. I finished off my pasta this afternoon as well, so I'm out of leftovers. Just the right time to get cooking again! I was thinking of baking cookies today as well. Mmm. Work last night ended up being better than expected. My focus is now on saving that money I've earned. I'm thinking of listing a couple things on amazon and taking a trip to the exchange. We'll see... Well, have a great day, everyone!

...I'm cracking down on this spending. For real. With vacation quickly approaching, I've realized that I should have MUCH more saved up than I do right now. I calculated out how much I'll need, approximately, and how much I'll make between now and then. It's a bit startling, but I also made my estimates based on lower income than usual. The restaurant's been doing very poorly for the last month. Lucky for me, the US open is coming up, and before vacation. I'm hoping this brings in quite a bit of traffic. The only downside is our big booming business is going to be majority foreign, so I cant expect booming tips (though if I do get them, I'll be VERY pleasantly surprised!).

My coworker has been teaching me some japanese here and there, I want to learn how to at least carry on a small conversation with my customers. Here's what I learned yesterday:

onomimono wa doonasai masuka?
(what would you like to drink?)

More will follow! It's been quite a while since my last japanese class, so the refreshment is nice. Work tonight, but it's all you can eat. erg. Not the best of nights, most of us servers dread it. Bad tips, noone really buys appetizers or desserts, and it's a total mess. More work, more I have to tip out to chefs... poo. But money is money, so I'll just have to look at things optimistically.

As for the time spent before work, I haven't decided. I bought the 6th Harry Potter book the other day (got 30% off because I'm friends with the guy at the bookstore). I believe I'll be reading that for the better part of the day. Now, where is the real question. BF has class at 2:45, and I usually ride with him downtown at that point. HOWEVER, I usually end up spending $10-15 when I do that because I'm sitting around downtown for 3 hours and the evil forces of Starbucks, etc draw me in. The other option is to take the bus. This would cost me $1.75, but that's a bit less than $10. Not to mention, I'd be able to eat dinner at home. I suppose I could pack my dinner to take with me, but I was going to eat leftovers.

I got the Silver Palate cookbook for my birthday (thanks Gram and Gramps!) and I tried a recipe yesterday: Pasta Primavera Gregory. I cut it in half and still ended up with tons of leftovers. Not that I'm complaining I love leftovers. I did, though, have to buy bags of things (produce), so I'm going to be scouring my cookbooks for recipes to use the excess before it goes bad. I hate wasting, afterall...

Speaking of wasting, it's been bothering me quite badly lately. I'm trying to be much more eco-friendly and conservationistic. I bought 2 canvas bags at trader joe's for my groceries and started trying to recycle my paper products and such. But I keep noticing all the foodwaste that goes on here in the US. I work at a restaurant, and we put veggies and potatoes and such on the plate with our eentres. 70% of the time, those veggies go untouched and get thrown away. Same with rice. Same with fruit on the plate with icecream. I went to Chipotle when I was in Ohio. I told the boy I wanted a veggie burrito, so he heated up my tortilla and slid it to the next boy down, who put beef on it. When the first boy told the second that I wanted only veggies, he threw it in the trash! A bit heap of rice, beans, and chicken! I would have told him I would still eat it, but he threw it away before I had the chance. It kills me all the wasting that is done in restaurants when there are so many starving all over the world. There are days that I want to load up syrofoam containers with the untouched food that my restaurant is throwing out, and hand it out to the homeless! Or take it home... haha. Our veggies are pretty good, you know

Either way, sorry for the superlong post. Everyone have a great day!

So it's been a little while since my last entry. I have quite a bit of updating. My birthday was last week. I'm now 21 and a bit poorer because of it. I went out with friends on tuesday night, then had a party saturday night. Both were ridiculously fun. I got to celebrate both in Pittsburgh and Akron, so the tour de 21st was complete. I got to see a friend of mine that has been away for the last 3 years, about 30 people came to my party in Ohio, and me and my best friend from highschool talked about the wedding thing and all is well. I'll be making a speech at the reception

Other than that, the only exciting news is that I went to trader joes for the first time today. I dont think I'll ever shop anywhere else. I bought an array of things, all very decently priced, and far healthier than the crap I've been eating lately. We did buy quite a bit, though, so BF and I have decided that we will not go out to eat for at least the next two weeks. We need to keep saving for vacation anyways. It's so soon!

As for my birthday, I made out quite well for gifts. I was entirely unsuspecting, but I was a delightful surprise for sure! Included were: subway cookies, a homemade apple pie, sparklers, fun noodles, a videogame, earrings from italy, wine, vodka, the Silver Palate cookbook (fantastic), a dress, a shirt, a necklace, and BF got me a new camera (eep!) so I took PLENTY of pictures... here are a few! Enjoy!


BF and moi. We're quite the silly pair...


And again...


With a friend of mine at the bar...


My best friend is in the middle (Wesley) and my other good friend on the left (Melissa)


These are all my gals.


Drunken sparklers were a great idea...hehe.

So I've for the most part gotten to the point that I'm okay with my friend and her aforementioned actions... I dont think I'm going to say anything. I've never been one to have the balls to fess up to being angry with good friends.

I do want to mention, however, that this is not the first time in recent history that she has brushed me off. And that is more why I was upset than anything. I've been blown off and for the most part ingnored for quite some time. It was a frustrating situation even before the wedding ordeal, it just really hit home, if you know what I mean.

Aside from that, it was a no-spend day. I played my game for a while, then went outside and read. Worked and made barely any money. It was a relaxing night, however, and my coworkers all seeemed to be in great moods, so I have no reason to complain. I'm hoping to get to the grocery store tomorrow. I made out a list today. I also need to stop by the post office and pick up 2-cent stamps (I forgot who confirmed my suspicions that postage rates increased, but thanks!) to mail off my bills. Other than that, I think more reading is in my future. And more work. hehe. Hopefully I'll make more than $22 tomorrow!

At any rate, everyone have a great day/night!

It seems bad news doesn't stop coming my way! So here's the deal...

My best friend from high school is getting married in July. We've grown apart due to the distance and the busy-ness our lives lead post graduation and all that fun stuff. She's marrying my other dear friend that I introduced her to a couple years ago. So.

She asked me to be a bridesmaid. I was excited, she lead me through the selection process of dresses, etc. Her cousin was supposed to be one too, but she said that she had to bail due to insufficient cost to buy the dress ($63 didn't seem all that much to me...), etc. Whatever. So I haven't ordered my dress yet, I need to get my measurements as I have to order it online and I really dont feel like paying for tailoring.

I get a call tonight from my friend. She asked me if I ordered the dress yet, and I told her I was ordering it this week. Then she told me very apologetically that her cousin came up with the money and wanted to participate and she really thought that her cousin should be in the wedding and would it be okay if I stepped out so that her cousin could be a bridesmaid?

Of course I told her no problem, it's cool, no big deal, that's fine, etc, etc, etc. After I got off the phone, I started crying. My best friend from high school, the one I giggled with the first time we got drunk, when we went to prom together, the million concerts we moshed in, confiding in one another when we had relationship problems, scooping the first time we each lost our virginity, nights of watching Johnny Depp movies, or chick flicks, or making mixed tapes, or dancing around to silly 80's songs and singing into wooden spoons, choosing majors, staying at eachothers houses when family problems arose, taking her home from school every single day senior year, visiting on Christmas. I went to see this girl twice a day (the only visiting hours available) for the 2 weeks she was in ICU (a super rare something or other I dont even want to get into). I cried my eyes out and promised her any vital organ she ever needed. Ever. If it meant she'd get better, because she was the best thing that ever happened to me. And she was.

If it wasn't for me, she would have never met her fiance. And it isn't like I dislike her cousin, and it's not that I think she's being malicious. I'm just really hurt that I wont be up there when she ties the knot. Afterall, I was there the rest of the time. All the milestones, I was there. I'll still be at the wedding, but I'll be in the "pretty good friends" section, not the "Absolutely-inseparable-totally-best-friends-forever" section

There's a girl my friend didn't even ask to be a bridesmaid that is one. My friend was one in her wedding, so she invited herself to be one in my friends'. My friend told me she didn't even want her to be a bridesmaid, but felt obligated, especially after this girl assumed... Still, I'm the one that's been ousted. I dont want to be angry, and I dont want to be catty, it's just so hard to not get upset and pissed, because what the hell? What do I mean to her anymore? It's enough that she blows me off when I try to hang out with her the few times I'm in town, but really. I never doubted that she would be in the running for my wedding, and I would never invite someone to be a bridesmaid and then take it back. Personally, I find it rude.

I plan to say something, I just want to cool down first. I'm not out to hurt anyone, regardless of what's been done to me. I just wish she would have thought about how I would feel. Of course it was convenient for me to be the one to step down, I hadn't ordered my dress. But what's really important here? I'm just not sure anymore.

I had 2 no-spend days in a row, only to be broken by getting breakfast this morning wtih friends. Ended up spending $15, but it wasn't too bad considering I spent no money last night on booze. BF brought a bottle of wine from home with us to the party, and the hosts provided otherwise. We had a great time, and it's the most we've been social in a while. We ended up staying the night because everyone got a little too drunk to drive. Some just a little too drunk period. I was pleasantly so and dont feel too bad today, especially after such a yummy breakfast. I do, however, have to work in a couple hours. Hopefully it'll be a little busier than last night (I didn't make all that much money at all). I'll top my night off with perhaps more videogames!

I signed checks and whatnot today, but need to mail off my bills tomorrow. Did the postage rate change yet?? I forgot... I still have a bunch of stamps... perhaps I'll stop by the post office tomorrow while I'm downtown and buy some 1 cent-ers. I need to stop by the bank tomorrow as well. I think I might stop by the grocery store as well. Aldi's, here I come. Woo! Gotta make a list... either way, everyone have a wonderful day!

Well. Yesterday was my first no-spend day in a while. woo! I worked a double, which may seem to my benefit, but the evil empire of Starbucks tempts me both in the morning and on my break. I overcame the dark forces and drank iced green tea from work (better for me anyway). I made great money ($161) for the day, though my feet (and my legs, and my back...) hurt VERY badly when I left. Tonight I dont work such long hours (13, to be exact for yesterday...), so I'm hoping my feet wont be torn to shreds so brutally.

BF bought me my game!! woo! The birthday present has come early! Civilization IV. I'm cancelling my WoW subscription, as this game is quite involved. I did the tutorial last night, so I'm pumped to actually start a game today. That'll keep me busy until later when I go to work. I'm thinking today is going to be a no-spend day as well.

Got the electric bill the other day, and it is not what I expected, rather bad, actually I told BF we need to start turning our computers off at night, and not using the A/C as much. Actually, I wanted to just turn the thermostat off, but he refuses because he likes the airflow that it gives. He's unrelenting. I hate it. So I'm taking extra effort to make sure I unplug things like chargers that generate electricity even when they are off, and make sure that all of the lights are turned off before we go to bed. He has a habit of leaving all the lights on all the time. Drives me up a wall... how wasteful it is! urgh. Either way, I'm gonna get going. Talk to y'all later!

I went to dinner with a friend tonight. Ended up spending $24. Of course, I came home with an entire other meal... I guess that's the great thing about Bucca Di Beppo-- they have family sized meals, so we shared a meal, garlic mashed potatoes, and the tiramisu (which I also brought a chunk of home). I even brought the rest of the bread in the basked back (it's too good to waste, afterall!). So though I spent a bit of money, I ended up with mucho leftovers and caught up with my friend. We've decided to make this a monthly tradition, rather than a sporadic one. hehe.

Other than that, the day was quite uneventful. I played WoW for a bit, though I think once I get my copy of Civilization for my B-day, I'm going to cancel my subscription. It'll save me $15 a month, and we just got a wii not too long ago, so I'll have plenty to keep me busy when I'm not out slaying gnomes and the like

Tomorrow is my long day, and I'm hoping it is accompanied by large tips I may even put on some makeup to see if I make more money. hehe. As a waitress, I should probably do this every time I work, I just get so lazy about it. heh.

I think once I get done with all this vacation hooplah that i'm going to rebuild my EF. I had a decent amount of money saved up, but then stuff started happening and this and that and bleh. I should have a good EF. I'll make that a goal. I need to work on my goals... I'm just so wrapped up in vacation. Perhaps tonight I'll put something together. erg. So much money to be spent. I guess that's why birthdays are both bad and good. Bleh. Later guys!

So after much, much talk, BF and I have decided to go the roadtrip on our own, just the two of us. He told me yesterday to decide what I wanted to do with my vacation. I had considered doing something without him, and thought about it all day. I considered my options, my budget, etc. I was considering going to london for a while, but when I couldn't get myself to call my friend, I accepted that it just wasn't the time. BF came home from class and we laid around for a bit, and I realized just how much I wanted to go somewhere with just him, and I asked him where he would want to go.

At this point he kissed me a lot (haha) and told me how much he loved me and all that wonderful stuff. I think he was really bummed that I might want to do something on my own. I think he really wanted me to go with him (though he expected me to be all-flexible). So we talked about where to go, and decided that we would go through with the roadtrip afterall. No planes.

Now, in lieu of this, it was rather essential for him to teach me to drive a manual, because his car is. So we went to the chinese restaurant for dinner (I shouldn't have spent the money, but I've been so frustrated over the last couple days, I needed a treat), then went to a parking lot not far from our apartment. I think I did pretty well though I was dreadfully nervous. I did stall the car at least 8 or 9 times. But by the end of it all, he said, "Okay. Drive us home." I gave him a look of horror, convinced that I would kill us both in the process, but I managed to get home and only stall the car once. haha. We made it back alive. I think the reason I stalled was more or less because I was incredibly nervous. BF is a fantastic driver, and I feel so examined when I'm driving with him in the car. Cars are, afterall, his "thing."

So that's that. We sat down at the restaurant and tried to pull together a tenative itinerary for the trip, and it will be a total of 16 days. I have to start getting ready, planning what food we'll bring (we're taking a cooler with sandwiches and other goodies for the car ride), and figure the sleeping situation. BF wants to buy an air matress, as none of our friends have extra beds for us to stay in. I was a little weary at first, not wanting to spend any money I dont have to. But when I think about all the driving we'll be doing, it's probably best we get the best sleep we can when we get it! haha.

There'll be one night we sleep in the car-- on the way from Missouri to the grand canyon. But I think one night of sleeping in the car wont be too terrible. So yay on BF and I sorting through our problems. Yay for me for taking things a bit differently, and yay for the roadtrip. I'm finally excited again! Now I just have to work on that tan and exercise! Oh, and save up a little more for gas and food and whatnot. Either way, I'm happy again!

Well. As many had suggested, long talk wtih BF did ensue, and then ensued again. I even had him talk with my boss (heh. We're really good friends, this isn't as out of the ordinary as some might think). Basically, he says that he has talked to his friends, and he's decided that driving isn't the best option to take, and we're going to fly out for only one week. I tell him to do whatever it is that he wants, because I'm planning a vacation of my own. Then he gets all defensive and tells me that he wants me to be a part of it yadda yadda yadda. I tell him whatever, just let me know and he can string me along (with heavy sarcasm, of course). I felt awful all day, taken for granted (as another pointed out), and basically was asking myself if it's really the right point in my life to be putting someone else's needs before mine. I'm still young! I should be doing what I want!

So come later tonight, after a long (awful) work shift. My co-worker asks me for the dates I'll be gone because she may be filling in for me and it's good info to have. Well, I tell her the two weeks we've been shooting for. When I tell BF he gets all flustered and says things about people still getting together when they're going to be able to go and this and that and I basically bite his head off because it's so awfully NOT courteous to be waiting this long to tell work, and he can shove it up his @$$ because I needed the dates. Now. This is when the argument started for the second time today, and that's when I put him on the phone with my boss, because I didn't feel it should be my responsibility to explain the situation. Luckily, my boss is a very cool and flexible guy who happens to be buddies with my boyfriend as well as myself. He's willing to work with us, which further "proves that I am the only one who is really bothered by the dates not being set in stone." Well, yeah. I'm one of the few, but really, does it matter if it's just me or me and a thousand others? I think not.

So. More argument ensued on the way home, and basically I told him that it's too young for me to put his needs before my own, I have, afterall, just become able to put my own first. When I lived at home, I had to do what my parents told me. Now that I live with him, even if he doesn't flat out tell me, I take his word like it's my parents, and I dont. He pointed out that this is my decision, and I said yes, it is, and I'm going to change it.

He suggested to not worry about California, and to plan a vacation for just the two of us during the weeks I had told my co-worker, and I told him I wanted to spend one of the two weeks at home with my parents for the 4th of July. He said he wanted to go to Missouri one of the weeks >_< . Basically I suggested that maybe we take separate vacations. Especially after he mentioned he needed time away from me. I agreed. I do want to spend the 4th with him. He was in Missouri last year, so I didn't get to watch the fireworks with him. Maybe I dont though. Maybe I want the fun weekend with my mom and best girlfriend. Who knows. I basically need to decide what it is that I want. It just stinks that I have to do it in a month or so. Ugh.

Let me say that I do not plan to break up with him. He's a really great guy and loves me very much. I really think I need to take our relationship differently, however. He is not my mom. I need to stop treating him that way. If I want to go study abroad, I will (and plan to). I'm tired of limiting myself. I feel like I've been untrue to myself. He's the one that got me to stand up to my parents, and it seems I've just got someone else to stand up to now.

I dont even know where I want to go, as I really only ever want to go to Europe. We decided on California because we wanted to take a roadtrip and we knew people throughout the country. I'm not sure I even want to go now, especially considering all the fuss the trip has brought on. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a better idea, or at least be able to think things through a little better. I'm so tired. Work was long and I haven't had a day off since last thursday. I'm overdue. Perhaps some online research will be done with a fresh start in the morning. Yeah, that sounds good. Later then.

My boyfriend is sweet, caring, and incredibly, incredibly inconsiderate at the moment. Urgh. Let me preface this entry by saying that I haven't taken a vacation in years, I've never seen the west coast, and he blew me off to go on vacation with his friends 2 years in a row because my schedule didn't *fit* with thier plans...

That being said, we decided about 6 months ago that we were going to take a roadtrip across the country. I was super excited to go because the furthest west I've been is Indiana, and I didn't even get to really see it. We decided ultimately to make some stops along the way, to see friends in Missouri, Arizona, and San Diego. That way we could maximize seeing people we dont get to see often, and have free places to crash. Thus, we have a few more schedules to accomodate to because so and so has summer classes and so and so has this or that. Now. BF has 3 weeks break between his summer quarters. 6 months ago I told him that it didn't matter which 2 of the 3 weeks we went on vacation, as long as I know well in advance to take those weeks off work.

Well. A month prior to vacation is NOT well in advance. He tells me for the last few months that it'll "probably be the last week in june and the first week in July." So this is what I tell my boss, because he obviously wants to know when I'll be across the country, and not serving food in the restaurant. My boss is cool with these dates, given that they are not during the US open, which is taking place in Pittsburgh this year (we'll be swamped). Let me also point out that my boss gives me MUCH slack in taking days off during the summer. He let me take my dad's b-day party, the saturday after my birthday, coming up in a couple weeks, my best friend from high school's wedding, and a few days off in the beginning of august to go to florida. When he tells me I need to be there for the US Open, I sure as h3!! need to be there for the US Open.

I'm talking to my boyfriend yesterday about vacation, and he says the dates have been changed once again. We're leaving on the 16th. This is when I politely tell him that no, we will not be leaving on the 16th because my boss told me I HAD to be in town that weekend. He goes into some stupid rant about how I told him that I could go any time during his break, and I pointed out to him that I said that GIVEN THAT HE GIVES ME THE DATES WELL IN ADVANCE, which he most certainly failed to do.

Then he gets angry because his friend wanted to go, and if we couldn't go those dates he couldn't go yadda yadda yadda. Dont get me wrong, this is a mutual friend of ours, and I would love him to go, but I am not taking off days that my boss says I cant. My job means more to me than that. Then my BF suggests me flying out to meet them later in the week, and I am totally flying off the handle at this point, because it seems that my needs are being considered LAST. I dont think it would have been as bad if it were the first time something like this is happening, but for the last 2 years it's happened. We were supposed to go to Canada with a friend of his the first year we dated. I was excited as I had just turned 19, but they scheduled it for a week I had to work, and I couldn't go. Last year, he went to Missouri without me because he went during a week I had class.

It seems no matter what, the vacation is never "ours." It is always "everybody's." And whereas yes, I am being a bit selfish, I dont feel like changing my schedule around for everyone else. He told me last night that my scheduling conflict was just like everyone elses, that we are all "on a level playing field." I told him to shove the playing field where the sun doesn't shine, because as his girlfriend and the one who wanted to travel in the first place, I feel my position should be at first fiddle.

I've been making considerations for his friends for a long time, and up until this point, I've just gotten over it. I dont feel I should have to buy a plane ticket and fly out when they're driving. It's the drive out that I was looking forward to, not the drive back. I wanted it to be at least in part MY vacation, but it never seems so with him. I told him that if I had to fly out to Arizona (where the one friend of mine we were going to visit lives), that I didn't want to see him the entire 2 weeks. And if I have to fly somewhere, I'd rather just go back home for the 2 weeks and spend it with my friends and family, or travel somewhere else. If I had known he was going to pull this crap, I would have gotten a passport and gone to london or something. I have a friend and a cousin that live there.

Ugh. I just dont get how someone I love so much can be so obnoxious sometimes. Traveling is the one thing that I get really excited for. Mostly because I never get to and I always want to. I've wanted to travel abroad since highschool, and failed to do it because he thought me going to europe for a semester would break us up. I'm just so frustrated. I thought it was going to be a great vacation, and now I dont even know if I'm going. :P Oh well, I'll work something out.

So I'm starting a new book today, but I still have to figure out which one I want to read, as there is a huge stack ready and waiting for me. At any rate...

Yesterday's trip to Aldi's was a success. I ended up spending $20 after BF reimbursed me for his "half" of the groceries (we keep groceries separate still, but we split the cost of any items we will both use). After grocery shopping, BF and I grilled out. We made cheddar bratwursts and grilled corn. Mmm. And each had a beer, of course After that I went on to work, where it was quite slow despite Mother's day, and then went home and watched a movie ("mirrormask"-- fantastic) with BF.

I got a check in the mail yesterday as well, for a poetry contest I won. $50 for submitting a poem to the contest (it was run through my university). Not bad, if you ask me

BF wants to go work out in a little bit, so I'll be joining him. Then it's back to reading in the sun This summer sure is turning out to be wonderful. Work tonight at 6, but I'll enjoy myself until then! At any rate, everyone, have a great day!

So in light of the summer, I went, well, a bit spending crazy. Of course, mostly at restaurants. But I'm getting myself in gear once again. Today I was going to run the race for the cure, but my feet hurt when I woke up and I was quite tired. I guess that saves me $35, but I still wanted to do it... either way. I still have yet to call my mom today, though I gave her her gift last weekend (a hoodie representing my university... she specifically asked for one). That was $40.

I finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. LOVED it. I read straight through it in 3 days, mind you, that's not a short book... cant wait to buy the 6th, but I'm holding off because I just bought a book, and have a whole pile I'm still waiting to read. As for books, I bought a Barnes and Noble membership. While most will tell me that buying books off of amazon is cheaper (and be entirely correct), I'm a sucker for bookstores. I love going in and feeling the books, and smelling them, and all that creepy stuff that goes along with being a true book lover. If I cant handle the book, I'd rather not buy it... with the exception of obscure psychology books-- which Barnes and Noble are suspiciously short of. I'll leave those to amazon. At any rate, I get 10% off anything in the store, including the cafe. I get 20% off all hardcovers, and40% off all hardcover bestsellers. The clerk also told me they send me great coupons and I can order my textbooks through B&N and get my discount on them as well. Sweeet.

Today I need to hit the grocery store, if not for any reason but I need a reason to not go to a restaurant. Grr. I believe I'll be hitting Aldi. We'll see how it goes... later then!

I'm a woman on a mission this summer. I'm doing a great deal of pleasure reading before the fall. Yesterday I finished Prozac Nation, which was excellent. Not quite what I expected, but it was very good. Then last night I started Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, i.e. the 5th book. I decided it was a good idea to read it before I went to see the movie. The beginning is a bit slow, the reason I ended up trailing away from it the first time I tried to read it, but I have faith that it will pick up and be wonderful

Yesterday I spent $6 at Aldi's. BF was at class all day, so I took a walk to the bank and then to said grocery store. It was a nice long walk, in the beautiful weather. I bought another bag of salad mix: $1.99 because it's the mixed baby greens that I like, I also bought butter ($1.99), and a tub of asiago cheese ($1.99). Not bad. I forgot that Aldi's has a produce department (I'm not sure why, I read about it all over here! hehe). So next time I'm going to buy produce, I'm going there instead of Giant Eagle. Though at this point it seems I'll be shopping there for just about everything!

I did stop on the way home at this custard stand. Partly to see what it was all about, and mostly because I was hot (84 degree weather'll do that to ya!). They're a bit pricey ($3.89 for a small waffle cone), but it was gooood. Twisted mint and chocolate soft serve custard. Mmm. I'll have to keep away for my own good! Apparently, though, they're opening a mediterranean restaurant next month (eep!), so I'm pretty excited.

We went to Dick's, and found zero selection for roller blades, so I'm holding off for now.

My application with the KEYS program is currently "under review." Everyone cross thier fingers for me!

I'm off again today, so more reading and sunbathing will ensue! Perhaps I'll cook again tonight. yay!

...end up buying 5. I guess that's how clothing stores go. I needed a new tie for work. Bad. I went to Burlington Coat Factory, because that's where I like to find cheap ties (that are also very cute!), and I left with not only a tie, but a new bathing suit (I needed a longer top), a pair of shorts (I only own one pair), and a new teeshirt (something a little more spring-like). I forbid myself from spending any more money on clothes this month, I dont care if my birthday IS coming up. Usually I'm not one to go hog-wild on clothes (I usually break the bank in restaurants), but this nice weather has me buying all sorts of stuff, especially with vacation coming up next month (Eek!). I regret no purchase made today, but I'm putting a cap on the clothes spending for the month.

As for work, it was rather slow. I walked out with about $50, which really isn't bad considering we didn't have a whole lot of customers. I'm off for the next two days, and I'm still deciding what to do. Because I'm on summer vacation, I have no papers to write, no textbooks to read. I'm positively excited. I think I'll sit outside, read a book, and sip on wine all day. Then make dinner for BF and I. I'm going to make spaghetti with mushrooms, zuchinni, chicken, and broccoli. Perhaps I'll do a butter and parmesan topping as opposed to a tomato sauce, make it a little more summer-y.

Thursday I believe BF and I will be buying roller-blades. This is a purchase I've thought about quite a bit. I think I'll ask my parents to reimburse me for them for my birthday, but we'll see. Regardless, I want a nice pair. I love to skate and haven't on a regular basis for years, but it's excellent exercise, something I can do about anywhere, and after the cost of the skates, it's free! I'm not talking those crazy stunt skating gigs, just in the park when it's nice type of deal, and there are surprisingly a couple paths downtown for bikers and skaters, so it's something I could do leisurely downtown as well. I'm imagining picnics at one of the nice parks by our apartment, then skating on warm afternoons. Mmm.

Aside from all that, just more reading and such. And working out. I've been doing a great job keeping up with this exercise routine. Hopefully we'll start seeing some great results! Eating better helps as well! heh. At any rate, I'll update again soon (perhaps when I stop in for another glass of Pinot Gregio tomorrow afternoon amidst Prozac Nation). Later everyone!

So it was a monday night and I thought work would be slow. It was for the first couple hours, but then got a really nice rush, and I ended up making $97 tonight. woo! I'm working on getting my finances and savings plan down once again. With the travelling I'll be doing a little later in the summer, I have much to save for. Especially considering I may be quitting my job in the fall.

What, you say? Why, you say?

Well. Quite frankly, I'm tired of serving disrespectful jerks thier food, but beyond that, I'm trying to get into this program here in the city. It's run by Americorps, and it basically is a program that hires people to go to schools and runs afterschool programs helping innercity children in the classroom, with homework, or doing activities. In the summer they run a day camp and things of the same nature. They pay enough to cover my bills, but not much more than that. It would be 20 hours a week, not too much. They also give an education award after the program is finished, so it seems like a great setup to me. Besides, I would be doing something meaningful rather than menial. I've been too busy for the last few years to really give back to the community, so I'm excited for an opportunity that I could embrace. My mom thinks I should keep the gig with the restaurant regardless, even if I only work one night a week. I might do that, but I'll be carrying an 18 credit semester next fall, and I really wont have too much time. Eh. I'll figure it out.

Speaking of this program, I have to get my application in soon. Perhaps I'll finish it tomorrow. I had to get my second reference's contact information. I also need to get a move on my FAFSA. I know I was supposed to get it in a bit ago, but my parents are never quite on the ball with these things (I dont think they've filed thier taxes on time in years).

I also need to buy a new tie for work tomorrow. The one I've been wearing is pretty gross as of late. That's the trouble with wearing a tie at work. Food gets all over them. Luckily, Burlington Coat Factory sells cute ties that are pretty cheap. At any rate, I better get going. Sleep might be a good idea.

Well. The semester is OVER. I am free until the fall. wooooo!!!! I celebrated this weekend by celebrating my dad's birthday back home. Big party, much boozing and dancing. BF and I had a blast. The big problem? Every time we go back to Ohio we spend so much money! So I'm poor again, though I had quite a chunk of change in my checking account not too long ago. Eh. That being said, I'm back in PA and going cheap.

BF and I dine out waaaaay too much. I thought the main reason we did it here at home was because we really dont have anything to eat. So we went grocery shopping last week, and only bought food that was healthy, so I'm hoping that will drastically improve my eating habits-- that have gone to crap over the last few months of school. I'm going to get back into my workout routine as well. We have that fitness room in our apartment building, may as well take advantage of it.

And books. I have a whole stack of them to read this summer, and I'm so excited about it. So that's what I'll be doing following this post. Eat, workout, and then read in the sun because it is BEAUTIFUL outside. Alrighty then, later!

So I always forget what a huge ripoff the movie theatre is. BF and I go rarely, for things we REALLY want to see. Otherwise we wait until it comes out on video and either buy it or get it from the library, or watch it at someone else's house. We saw TMNT (both children of the 90's, we couldn't resist), but we went with BF's sister, and it was his grandparent's treat. Today, we went, and even with a student discount we paid $8 a person. THEN, of course, came the popcorn. Usually I dont spring $4 for a SMALL bag of popcorn, but it's like going to a baseball game, you just HAVE to get a hotdog. So I did. But I planned ahead and snuck a bottle of water in my purse... along with trailmix I bought for much cheaper than the candy I would have bought there. So it was no cheap trip, but in the end I still saved money (because I am that adamant about having my popcorn, darn it!).

The other trip we took was to the Exchange, well, to exchange. We traded in a few games my dad gave us that we didn't like too much for a couple that we knew we would like. The Sonic the Hedgehog complete set and Soul Caliber were on that list. Woo! And a couple CD's. I spent no money on that trip. We're eating dinner at home, though I could rightfully say that popcorn and trailmix constitute a meal... I'm so full.

By the way, the movie was good if you like the show. Really, the movie was just like a long episode of the show. It takes a specific kind of person to actually ENJOY Aquateen, though Back to school tomorrow... I have the last half of my exam on Jung. Woo! Tonight I think BF and I are going to do some laundry. And perhaps play some new videogames... woo hoo!

For the last year or two I've somehow forgotten that going to the thrift store is actually really great. I've been paying $50 for a pair of jeans at American Eagle here, or throwing down $70 for a dress at Express. I did, however, read an article in my university's newspaper, and they were talking about the thrift stores in the area, and how it's such a great idea for us college students (who OBVIOUSLY have no money, we spend it all on booze anyhow!) to shop at said places to save on cash. WELL, I did venture with BF to our local Goodwill, and boy did I feel like I hit the jackpot. My bounty:
3 Dresses, all adorable and spring-like, one of which is from Express (go figure!). Each at $4.99.
1 pair of bootcut stretch jeans, Gap. $5.99.
1 Shirt by American Eagle, $4.99
1 bath/beauty set (cucumber eye thingy), $0.99

My grand total was $23.51. Only that little bit for 3 dresses, a pair of jeans, and a shirt. I strongly doubt I'll go shopping ever again without first hitting the thrift store. I'm amazed. Really. BF wasn't able to find anything... that has more to do with the fact that he wears a funky size (he's a pretty small guy). Unfortunately, he's not small enough to fit into these awesome orange pants we found... haha. There were a few things that we both really liked that we just weren't the right size for. But I still feel like I won the lottery in the clothes dept. Especially since I really needed new jeans.

That, unfortunately, was not the only spending done today. We hit applebees and I got my favorite santa fe chicken salad (the half portion, of course). BF got mashed potatoes and a dreamscicle-booze-drink of some sort because he got his wisdom teeth pulled thursday morning. That was $26 total because I decided to try the apple chimicheesecake... bad idea because it was DELICIOUS. Remind me to stop trying new desserts. The ones I love already are bad enough

I've known for a while that dining out is my weakness. I really need to put a cap on it, though. It gets out of control when I dont monitor. I just realized that I blew a ridiculous amount of money at restaurants just in the last week, though. It's kind of a downer :/

Tomorrow me and BF are going to the exchange to trade in some of the Xbox games my dad gave us for ones we'll actually play. Did I mention my dad gave us an Xbox and a good 15 games for it a few weeks back? He bought the Xbox 360 and I guess had no use for it anymore... Cha-Ching! I think that's pretty sweet. We would never have bought one otherwise, but it's cool that we have one now, and didn't have to pay for a thing. Besides, we have the Sims (woot)!

We're also hitting the movie theatre to see the new Aquateen Hungerforce movie (yay!). HOWEVER, I already mentioned to him that we will NOT be eating at a restaurant tomorrow, which he seemed just fine with because he cant eat anything solid anyway... Ah, speaking of wisdom teeth, I guess it was drysockets I had after mine were pulled... which would explain the awful pain I endured for a couple weeks afterward. Yay. BF was researching it online, and the information he found said it's much more likely for women to get drysockets than men, and it's likely that women who are on birthcontrol will get it. Go me. I'm just happy I'm no longer waking up every night at 4 am. I'm also happy I'm no longer taking narcotics to get myself back to sleep when that happens. Ah, the joy that was my wisdom teeth...

I think that's it for tonight.

Oh wait, no. I got my security deposit in the mail from the old apartment. That's exciting! Woo! Now I'm done...

So last night was the first night I stayed at home alone since the mugging incident. And I'm still alive! haha. I was having serious panic attacks last month... rather unhealthy. I think the fact that we're in a new community helps, and that deadbolt too. That helped. Granted, I did have to put my headphones in and fall asleep to music (I have a habit of listening and getting freaked out by EVERY little noise that goes on in my apartment when I'm alone). And though I was still on edge, I managed to fall asleep fairly well considering. Go me!

Yesterday was nice, staying at home with nothing in particular to do (except that pile of reading for papers that I didn't even care to acknowledge). I enjoyed myself... worked out, painted my nails (and toenails!), watched a movie, worked a little more on the scarf I'm crocheting for my friend who is coming home from studying in Italy next month! I cant wait to see her (and not only because she's bringing me something back)!

Today I work. Actually, I'm currently at work. I had to take the bus becuase BF is out of town. It was actually a rather pleasant experience. I'll have to keep it in mind. But I clock in at 10:30, so I better get going. I double. Let's hope I bring home the bacon! (sorry piggy!)

I cant believe it! There is only a month left in the semester!!! Ahhh!!! Too many papers to write and finals to study for, in my opinion

So I should probably update. It's been a while *blushing*. First thing's first. BF and I are doing wonderfully. We hit some rocks a couple weeks ago (something I would call my own personal existential crisis), but after communicating very effectively and sorting through what it was that we both want, we've become stronger and happier with eachother. After all that was sorted through, I felt comfortable moving into our SECOND APARTMENT together. Woo! Really, BF did all the moving considering I was out of commission. I had my wisdom teeth pulled 5 days before we moved, and I'm not one to take pain in any easy way. I was really out of commission for about a week and a half, missed a week of school and work because of it, and was quite irritated that I had to pay $400 to miss that much class.

The apartment is great though. Previously we were paying $650 + electric (with electric heat), now we pay $650 + gas+ electric, but at the same time, our heat WORKS (a nice plus!) and is far cheaper, not to mention we have a FITNESS CENTER, complete with treadmills and bike machines, and a little outdoor POOL for laying out in the summer reading. I feel much safer living in a complex anyways, and there are all of these sweet little old people. They're the friendliest neighbors I've ever had. AND I've been utilizing the fitness room every other day for the last week. So things are looking up!

I got my fed tax return a while ago, $810 like I said. I wish I could still be excited about it, but the fact of the matter is all of it is gone. $400 to the oral surgeon and $371 on an iPod for BF. He bought me a ring (more of a promise ring than an engagement ring, but it really is quite pretty!) and I bought him an iPod. The 80-gig. He transports files to and from school with it and overfilled his last one with song files, so he had been wanting one for a long while. I really wanted to get it for him, and I haven't bought him anything really expensive the entire time we've been dating, so I just did. And I got to keep his old iPod! Woo! haha.

I'm just kind of sad that all the money I got back is gone. That's a lot of money. And somehow I'm still trying to save for a car. Despite the trips to IKEA to fill our much larger apartment. BF has all these ideas... he wants a new bookcase, he wants a new bedframe, he wants he wants he wants. I want a new bookcase for sure. We have piles of books lying ALL OVER the living room because they have no home. At the same time, he wants to buy 2 $200 chairs (leather, of course) and I not only do not have the money, but dont see them as a neccesity. Same with the bedframe.

I keep reminding him that while yes, that IS a good price for what it is, I still dont have the money for it. I'm tryng to SAVE FOR A CAR. We live further outside the city now, and if he ever wants to stop carting my ass to school and work, he better give up on the furniture Not to say I dont have my own vices (ahem, food), but it's still a bit difficult...

For anyone who was wondering, the biscotti thing has kind of hit a brick wall for the moment. I've just been too busy to bake. Work and school are kicking my butt.

I cant WAIT for the summer. I have so much to look forward to. Like I said, next month is it. Finals, and then I'm free for the summer. But even better, next month is my BIRTHDAY. woo hoo! Tara will finally be 21! I have to say, I haven't been as excited about it as I have been this month. It's just getting so close! And not to say I'll be out every weekend once the magical day arrives, but it will be quite useful on VACATION at the end of June. That's right, road trip across the country! 2 weeks. We're hitting Missouri (BF has a friend there), Arizona (I have a friend there), then the Grand Canyon, and then onto San Diego (our friend moved there a few months back). I'm really excited. I've never been that far away from home, and I've never seen that side of the US. I think there are 3 of us going, so we'll drive in shifts. I'm thinking of packing coolers with food and whatnot for on the way. We'll have a place to crash everywhere we go, so there will be no need to stay in hotels. It works out BEAUTIFULLY. yay!

Aside from vacation, my summer will be spent working, exercising, and reading by the pool Oh, and cooking. When I have the time I will do so much cooking for me and BF... I cant wait!

p.s. Today is a no-spend day!

Once again it seems that I have fallen off the face of the planet. March has been a busy and stressful month. I was hoping that spring break would be relaxing at home... working nonchalantly on papers and such. But then my grandfather died. Before the "I'm sorry's" roll in, he was a wonderful man and struggled for a LONG time, so quite honestly, I was relieved to see him go. Everyone took it fairly well, and we had a nice get together after the service that put a happier end to it all. I'm a person that believes our loved ones should not be mourned, rather celebrated for the wonderful people they are.

So after that school started back up and I had the remainder of my midterms. I'm happy to say that my scores, as I know thus are: 93%, 100%, and 106%. I'm waiting on the score of my final midterm now. I have no worries that it will be anything horrible, though I'm quite pleased with my scores!

For more happy news, me and BF (specifically ME) were approved to move into the new apartment. My credit miraculously came through for me, and the apartment is solely in my name! I suppose that's exciting from the standpoint that I've had nothing substantial to improve my credit thus far. We sign the lease tuesday and get the keys. We'll be moving for the better part of next week... despite the fact that we haven't started packing yet. Urgh.

As of right now I'm in Ohio at my parents'. I got my wisdom teeth pulled yesterday, and I woke up feeling like a truck hit me in the face. Luckily all I've had to take are over the counter painkillers. Haven't felt the need to dive into the narcotics prescribed to me by my oral surgeon. I'm also proud of myself for doing semi-okay before the procedure. I did tell the nurse, however, when she called me in that my mother was indeed my representative and would be going in my stead. It wasn't really the procedure itself, but the IV that they had to hook me up to that bothered me. I dont do well with needles. At all. I was numb all yesterday, but my mom has been great at taking care of me, and I feel rather okay today. I've been on the computer all morning, and though I cant eat a whole lot (I was eating the same cup of yogurt for 3 hours and still didn't finish it), my grandma is bringing me homemade broccoli cheese soup! Mmm. Mom bought me my favorite Coffee Haagendasz icecream too! (thank goodness icecream is a soft food).

Financially, thing have gone rather haywire. We've still been eating out a bunch, and I've decided to wait until after the move to do any amount of grocery shopping. It just makes sense. We're not really at home to cook. BF did just buy me a promise ring That was nice. I offered to buy him one, but he opted for a new iPod. I guess we both spent about the same amount considering I owed him some money for utilities last month. But this oral surgery cost me a nice chunk... $400 downpayment. I'm still not sure how much of it my insurance is going to cover. Let's cross our fingers! I guess I'm lucky, then, that the complex we're moving into is running a special... first month free if you sign a 13 month lease. oooo yeah. We jumped on that one. Not to mention, we should be getting our safety deposit back from the apartment we're living in now. So there will be some funds freed up (thankfully! I've taken so much time off this month for funerals and surgery... not good).

So that's the rather long update. I guess pain and excitement and stress all balled up into one big puffy me right now. I've got a paper to write before class on wednesday, and I'm hoping to find the motivation soon. I'm just feeling so icky. At any rate, I better get going!