10.11.2011

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.

10.04.2011

Day 04

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


30 Day Photo Challenge:
Something Green

10.03.2011

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.

8.12.2011

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!

8.06.2011

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.

7.30.2011

Suggestions?

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

7.16.2011

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!

7.07.2011

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!

5.24.2011

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.)

5.22.2011

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.

5.17.2011

Listening to Music = Studying.

I have two finals today. My finals today are in The History of Psychedelic Rock and the Sociology of Population and Its Problems. I don't really care about the SOC class. This class was completely dull and the professor wasn't very skilled at teaching. Knowledgeable woman, just couldn't teach her knowledge well. Anyway, I have a "C" in the class even if I don't take the final...taking it ensures my "B" or earns me an "A".

My music final however I am studying for, just to be sure I know the ins and outs of the music, producers, bands, and back-stories. Here is the playlist for my class:

The Byrds, “Eight Miles High” (1965)
The Charlatans, “Alabama Bound” (1965)
The Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit” (1967)
The Grateful Dead, “That’s It for the Other One” (1968)
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, “East-West” (1966)
The Steve Miller Band, “The Beauty of Time Is That It’s Snowing” (1968)
13th Floor Elevators, “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (1966)
Country Joe and the Fish, “Section 43” (1967)
Moby Grape, “Omaha” (1967)
Big Brother and the Holding Company, “Piece of My Heart” (1968)
Quicksilver Messenger Service, “Who Do You Love” (1969)
Fifty Foot Hose, “Red the Sign Post” (1967)
Red Crayola, “Parable of Arable Land” (1967)
The Electric Prunes, “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” (1966)
Love, “She Comes in Colors” (1967)
The Doors, “Break On Through” (1967)
Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Incense and Peppermints” (1967)
Spirit, “Mechanical World” (1968)
Iron Butterfly, “In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida” (1968)
Donovan, “Sunshine Superman” (1966)
The Incredible String Band, “The Mad Hatter’s Song” (1967)
The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows” (1966)
The Beatles, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (1967)
The Beatles, “A Day in the Life” (1967)
The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” (1967)
The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (1966)
Rolling Stones, “She’s a Rainbow” (1967)
Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” (1967)
The Soft Machine, “Joy of a Toy” (1968)
Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade of Pale” (1967)
Tomorrow, “My White Bicycle” (1968)
Arthur Brown, “Fire” (1968)
The Yardbirds, “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago” (1966)
Cream, “Sunshine of Your Love” (1967)
Traffic, “Paper Sun” (1967)
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Purple Haze” (1967)
Jimi Hendrix Experience, “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” (1968)
Eric Burdon and the Animals, “Monterey” (1967)
The Moody Blues, “Legend of a Mind” (1968)

The first half were on the midterm, those bolded and italicized are on the final. Studying has never sounded this good. :) Also, this is has been such a fantastic course. I am so thankful for my professor for teaching it. Happy Finals Week Everyone...let's have a drink when it's over.

5.15.2011

Save the Date

I am so excited to send out our save the dates! Our wonderful friend Crystal took our picture and I designed the save the dates using photoshop. We got them printed at a great online printer called Next Day Flyers. They were an excellent price and we got them just a week later. I will porobably spend today addressing them and maybe we can go pick out stamps. YAY!

5.03.2011

i want the power.

today in class, my professor said something that stuck with me. she mentioned that she is going to do her best to not contribute to any corporation that cut labor costs (layoffs, frozen wages, wage cuts, benefit cuts, etc.) and gained a profit in the same year. i really liked this idea, but i'm having a difficult time finding which companies have cut labor costs. it was easy to find who made what profits in 2010, but it is next to impossible to see who cut labor costs. if anyone has any idea where i could find information about which companies cut labor costs in 2010 or this year, i would really appreciate it. unfortunately, this task seems much more difficult than it should be.

we're supposed to be consumers, then let's use that power.

4.30.2011

to-dos and to-don'ts

I guess I haven't been keeping up with posting as I hoped I would. I think it comes down to the fact that I just haven't been all that thrilled with life lately. I seem to mostly just work and go to school. Andrew and I are still on opposite schedules for the most part. (Literally opposite, I pull into our alley at 3:30pm and he is usually leaving for work at that same time...it's depressing). By Thursdays (Andrew's only consistent day off) we are pretty much going on about how we haven't really seen each other all week. We spend much less time together now, than we did when we lived apart. I cannot wait until I'm through with school. I want free time! I miss going out with my friends, I miss having friends.

Last night, Andrew and I both had Friday night off (amazing). So we went out to dinner with Ty and Jordan ended up meeting us there. We went to Blind Lady Ale House. Andrew said he didn't really think the prices were worth it, but I really enjoyed this place. BLAH is family friendly and the food was yummy. I had Spring Vegetable Risotto. So delicious. After BLAH, we came back to the apartment and waited for Crystal, Kalen, Johanna, Andrea, and two other cousins of Crystal's to come over. We all walked down to U31 to celebrate Johanna's birthday. I had never been to U31, and it ended up being a better venue than I expected. Luckily, we got there before 10 pm so we didn't have to pay a cover. Seth, Ian, Danielle, Gerry, and Marco all joined us there. We enjoyed our night of dancing and drinking. The group all headed back to the apartment around 1:30 or so. Andrew made everyone enchilada's and we stayed up talking, playing music, and laughing until about 3:30 this morning. Andrew and I cleaned up the kitchen after everyone left and then we went to bed.

I didn't realize how much I missed my friends. I rarely see them anymore and I usually make excuses not to go out because I am tired from my hectic schedule. But I really need to push myself to go out more and see them. I love them. They really brighten my mood and lift my spirits. Luckily, I'll be going out with them next week for the baseball game.

Staying up so late last night really threw me off today. I woke up late, ran some errands with Andrew, took a nap after Andrew went to work, and then kind of just did nothing the rest of the evening. I really wanted to get through all of my assignments today, but I just wasn't motivated. I did do my MUSIC 106 assignment though. I guess I got something done. Here is my home stretch to-do list for approaching Finals!

MUSIC 106:
• Assignment #3: Due May 9th
• Discussion Board: Due May 9th
• Concert Review: Due May 14th I think.

SOC 408:
• Read and Code fieldnotes
• Write research paper: Due May 10th

SOC 433:
• Extra Credit Paper (topic-Obama's Policies): Due May 5th
• Extra Credit Documentary Summary: Due May 19th?
• Complete any reading I haven't yet
• 1 Pop Quiz left
• Online Final

MUSIC 351C:
• 1 Quiz left
• Final

SOC 403:
• Finish my Klein paper (1 - 1 1/2 page more): Due May 5th
• Study for Final: May 5th

SOC 350:
• Final: May 17th

I also need to register for summer classes on the 10th of May, come up with some ideas for Mother's Day, Andrew's mom's birthday is this month, my dad's birthday is this month, and I need to remember to sleep, eat, and breath this month. I really don't have too much school work left, I'm just so completely over it.

Well, Andrew should be home from work soon. I really need to be entertained.

4.26.2011

SDSU Jazz Combo

So.

Today is a new day, and this new day just won't end. I have been on campus since 8:30 am this morning and will not be home until about 8 pm tonight. Tuesdays are normally my long day, but I had to attend a jazz concert after my last class. Luckily, I like music. So, I suppose it's a nice way to end the day.

As for ending this semester...? I'm swamped. I have quite a few pages to read and quite a few papers to write by next week. More than one of my professors thought it was a good decision to push the last day of class up. Good that we end early, bad I have so much to do.

Can it be august? Can I be on a vacation somewhere?

4.25.2011

Work work work.

Today, I left work two hours early so I could come home and do more work. I've been working on homework for hours. I finished everything due tomorrow, but now I'm working on next weeks assignments. Odds are Andrew will come home to me asleep with my book next me. I'll be at school tomorrow from 9:30 am until 7ish pm. Sigh. I'll write more tomorrow.

4.20.2011

What I wore.

I've been trying to lay out an outfit the night before work (and sometimes school), so I have more time to the morning to sleep. Here is what I wore to work today (better pictures in the future, sorry):




Skirt - ModCloth
Button-up - New York & Co./Hand-me-down
Cardigan - not sure what store it's from, it's a long story how I got this cardigan
Tights - Target
Pointed Flats - JCPenney
Owl Necklace - Forever 21

I really love this skirt, and ModCloth for that matter. I got the skirt on sale for just $10! It's really well made too. Lined, nice weight to the material, and POCKETS! I adore any dress or skirt that includes pockets. I really wish ModCloth had a store front because they would be my go to store. If you have never shopped on their website, I highly recommend it. Where is you favorite place to shop to clothes?

4.19.2011

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

(I do not blog much, but today I start)

This semester, my music class is what keeps me sane and actually excited to learn. Now, the irony of this sanity-keeper is that my music class is psychedelic rock of the 1960s (oh yeah!). To quote my professor, "I'm afraid if a Psychedelic Rock class is 'keeping you sane', you are probably well beyond all hopes of sanity." He is right, I left the idea of sanity long ago when I decided six classes and working and planning a wedding was in my realm of do-able. More on that later...

Last Tuesday, I didn't go to school because I woke up with what was the worst headache I have ever experienced. I tragically realized the following day that I missed the lecture in my music class about Arthur Brown! Needless to say, I was heartbroken. If you are unfamiliar with Arthur Brown, He is the God of hell fire and he brings you FIRE!

The Backstory
I had never heard of Arthur Brown until this class. At the beginning of the semester, I was listening to our class playlist with my mom, Nichole, and Andrew and we got to Arthur Brown's Fire. My mom stopped talking (mid-sentence) to began saying "I am the God of hell fire...and I bring you..." She then began dancing whimsically around the room to the music. It was great and strange. Since then, Andrew started looking into Arthur Brown and we saw he definitely was the God of hell fire (referencing the image of him with his head on fire). We luckily found The Crazy World of Arthur Brown on vinyl at our local record store and bought it.

Now remember, I have been looking forward to this lecture all semester. Andrew and my mom have asked me continually "when do you learn about Arthur Brown?" We had a little obsession. So, missing this lecture was devastating. However, I decided to approach my professor after class and request extra information about this Arthur Brown. He said he had some fantastic videos to share with me and just to send him an email. So I did...the moment I left class. I explained our obsession and he agreed further knowledge was certainly necessary. Here are those videos for you all to enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5hs3IDETcg
"dig the poor, lost soul who wanders into the picture at 1:35" -Professor Simgel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFI3aY4lKCc&feature=related
"great interview in which Brown discusses some of the challenges to donning a fire helmet" - Professor Smigel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uq_HLfzEaM&feature=related
"photo documentation of an inevitable costume mishap" -Professor Smigel

I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I will! (I haven't watched them yet, I'm saving them for after my last class today.)

4.16.2011

uggggggh

four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months
four more months


I am really over school.

2.06.2011

Three hundred and sixty-three days away.

Andrew and I have finally set a date for the wedding. I'm so excited! Look for those save the dates...in like a month or so. =)