Day 05 through 11

Here are the photos from my 30 Day Photo Challenge:

Day 05: From a high angle

Day 06: From a low angle

Day 07: Fruit

Day 08: Bad habit

Day 09: Someone you love

Day 10: Childhood memory

Day 11: Something blue


As for my 31 Days to Clean, I have:

* Washed my window treatments in the kitchen
* Cleaned out and organized my kitchen cabinets
* Cleaned out and organized my pantry
* Cleaned out and organized the kitchen drawers
* Swept, vacuumed, and mopped the floors.
* Cleaned the window treatments in the living room
* Washed the walls and dusted the ceiling in the living room

Now I have to admit, I got backed up for a few days...but I'm all caught up now. Hopefully I can get these things accomplished by Halloween.

Day 04

31 Days to Clean:
Clean the microwave
and the oven.

30 Day Photo Challenge:
Something Green

31 days to clean; 30 day photo challenge; 6 weeks to Christmas

So. I'm starting to think I'm feeling the school void in the life because I am aiming to complete these three projects starting this month.

First: 31 Days to Clean.
Each day there is a short passage to read that is encouraging, uplifting, and positive, which is then followed by a challenge of spirit and a challenge of cleanliness. I am on day three (cleaning/polishing/dusting kitchen cabinets and top of the refrigerator). I am a big fan of lists and schedules (and cleanliness), so this challenge should go rather well.

Second: 30 Day Photo Challenge
My friend Megan (managingchaosanddinner.blogspot.com/) shared this with me and I decided to join in. Each day there is a topic of which you are to photograph. Again, on day three and the first three pictures are a self-portrait, what you wore, and clouds. I really would like to take more pictures everyday and not just on "special occasions". My only complaint so far is that I am supposed to be in quite a few of the photos. How can I take the picture if I'm in it? I guess that's the creativity challenge. I'll post the pictures on here (best I can) each day.

Third: 6 Weeks to Christmas
I think I am most excited about this plan. This website sends you daily emails about how to prepare for Christmas in six weeks, leaving you done and prepared just before the week before Christmas. :) I love Christmas and planning for it will not be a chore.

DIY {lately}

*Critter masks - Fox, Raccoon, Skunk
*Sun Jar
*Mason Jar Drinking Cups w/lid and steel straws
*Journal (in progress)

I've been in such letsmakesomething mood lately, but all of my craft stuff is so disorganized. I hope I get it into gear and actually create things on a much more regular basis. I have a sweater I have been "working on" for almost two years now. I really want to finish it because it will be adorable, but I hate picking up projects that have been on hold for so long. It's like starting completely over. My goal is to at least start on my journal project and pick up on my sweater before the end of September. I think that is giving myself way more time than I really should to get motivated on something fun.

Other than that exciting information, I will be completing my last college class ever in five days. Specifically I have one quiz and one exam left. I got some gifts for my parents and wrapped them today as a thank you for paying for college. I plan on giving them their presents next week, the day after I am done. I also fashioned my own college sweater by ordering a SDSU iron-on patch and buying a super cute cardigan in red. Much more retro, much cheaper, and much more wearable than the school store.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer and they have wonderful plans to celebrate the coming end of the season. Onward to fall please!

I love autumn and Christmas.

I know what you're thinking...it's August! I am just not a summer girl and I am so anxious to celebrate the holidays without being a student. Being a college student and trying to celebrate both Thanksgiving and Christmas is without a doubt difficult. I have loved this particular time of year since I was young, and now that I can decorate my own apartment and share this warm time of year with my wonderful fiancé is just thrilling.

Now...to get to the actual point:

I figured out what I can make for Thanksgiving this year. I have been vegetarian for five years now and any holiday dinner is difficult to create and/or contribute to while still complimenting the other entrees and sides. However, today I made quinoa stuffed peppers for lunch and they were delicious, filling, and friendly to even the stubbornest of meat eaters. So, I thought "I shall make quinoa stuffed acorn squash for this Thanksgiving". I think with the quinoa and the squash...already yummy...I will add dried cranberries, walnuts, and celery. I can season the quinoa with cumin and maybe some allspice. I can't wait!

Now, Christmas. I decided to hand make all of our Christmas cards this year. I started searching for inspiration a month or so ago, and today I started cutting and arranging some paper in a Christmas-y and crafty fashion. I hope they come out as cute as I am picturing them in my head.


In other news:
* I will be finished with my BA on the 17th of this month. (beyond thrilled)
* I have about six projects (craft) going on at once. (feels great to have leisure time again)
* Andrew and I went to Borders yesterday to take advantage of their "GoingOutOfBusinessSale" and I found the Ender's Game series on sale! (If you haven't read Ender's Game I highly recommend it, don't let the Sci-fi genre turn you off)


I hope everyone is having a beautiful summer and has brilliant plans for the fall.

Suggestions?

Does anyone know of a great stationary company that does formal wedding invitations?

Playing Catch-up

Well, so much for blogging regularly. I suppose I can blame too much school, too much work, and so on. To catch you up, I have taken sixteen courses in the past eleven months, while working, moving twice, planning a wedding, and attempting to have a social life. Here is an overview of the past year:

August 2010

• I started my first semester at San Diego State University.
• Registered for 15 units.
• Added a class, making it 18 units.

September 2010:

• Moved out of my parents' house, to North Park, with Ty and Andrew.

October 2010:

• Not much happened this month, (I'm sure it was because I was buried with school), so here is a picture of our carved pumpkin.

November 2010:

• I turned 23.
• Andrew proposed!

December 2010:

• Andrew turned 24.
• Andrew performed in his final African Drumming Performance.

• I completed my first semester at SDSU with a 3.5 GPA
• We got a Keurig for Christmas!

January 2011:

• Rang in the New Year at Kalen's house.

• Began my second semester at SDSU.
• Took a trip to Washington, D.C. with my parents.
  

February 2011:

• Asked my bridesmaids to be in the wedding.

Jude and I jumped on the bed.March 2011:

• Crystal took Andrew and my Save the Date pictures.

April 2011:

• Easter.
• My Easter basket:

May 2011:

• Andrew finally took a picture with Mortimer Mouse.

• Celebrated my dad's birthday.

• I completed my second semester at SDSU with a 3.75 gpa
• Made the Dean's List at SDSU

June 2011:

• Andrew and I moved two doors down, into our own apartment.
• Started my third and final semester at SDSU (summer session, two six week sessions)
• Accidentally registered for three courses for the first six weeks.
• Jude (and I) made a sheep.

• Jude painted.

July 2011:

• Built a play structure at my parents' house.
• Completed summer session I with a 3.33 GPA
• Began summer session II.
• PAID OFF MY CAR!!!
  

So many things have happened over the past year and I cannot believe all of the good that has occurred. I am truly blessed to have my family, Andrew, and my friends supporting me. They have helped me get through school, tolerate work, celebrate occasions, and entertain me. Such a wonderful/difficult/exciting/neverreallywanttodothatagain kind of year.

Now, you may ask...what's next? Well, I will tell you. I will finish my last course in the middle of August. I plan to enjoy having free time. I plan to be creative, clean, organize, laugh, drink, eat, exercise, shop, travel, listen, watch, and love. Andrew and I have a lot of planning for the wedding to do as well. I want to completely enjoy my engagement and my wedding. After that, I want to enjoy being married and go to Europe for our honeymoon. I just want to enjoy being young, being married, and enjoy not being a student!

Hot diggity dog, I'm having a good year!

This is me back when I was 17 and bought my first car. It was quite difficult making those $300 payments every month for six years on a minimum wage income, but I made it through.

Today is the day I have paid off my car in full and it belongs to meeee! I am so excited. This is truly a great feeling and I just keep thinking that the good feeling train is still headed my way.

Today is also the day I finish my Summer School Session I. This was a really difficult school year for me overall. Taking 18 units (six courses) in both the fall and the spring, and then piling on the courses in the summer so I could finish. I took three courses in six weeks. I do not recommend this. I was miserable for six weeks and certainly had no social life. But today, I will take my final exam at 10 am and then I will be done with this awful schedule. Next session (which begins on Wednesday), I will only be taking one course. This one course will be completely online and IT WILL BE MY LAST UNDERGRAD COURSE EVER! Hooray! I will be completing my degree in six weeks. Whew. Good year for me. Let's review the wonderfulness that is this year:

• Engaged to the most wonderful man.
• Making the Dean's List in the Spring of 2011 (Even though I was taking waaaay too many classes)
• Earning my bachelors degree in sociology
• Paid off my car
• Got a raise at work (working for a school, you don't expect that)
• Andrew got a raise
• Made top ten scores on Astro Blasters at Disneyland.


So much wonderfulness!

Six Weeks.

For six weeks I will probably not be writing any posts. I will be struggling through summer school session one. (Where I accidentally registered for three courses instead of two. I thought I registered to two course my first session and two for my second session, but no.)

SOC 410 is going to kill me.

I really hope the syllabus is just intimidating and once I get going it won't be a big deal.