Denver, here I come!

So, I took the Auditing portion of the CPA exam yesterday. Never can tell how I did... so I will just wait for the score. Now that the studying is out of the way, I should have some more time for blogging, but not this week, as I am shipping out for Denver, CO in the morning for the entire week for work. My plane gets back into Columbia on Friday around 5pm, but then I will be heading to Folly Beach with a whole group of friends for the weekend for our semi-annual weekend away! It is sure to be LOADS of fun. I cannot wait! From the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of South Carolina all in one day. Lots of traveling. Maybe I will get a chance to do some blogging from the hotel room. I have lots of updates to post. Til next time!

And happy late Halloween....

Sick of studying

So, I am studying. I have several blog updates that I need to post, but they will have to wait til after Halloween, as I am taking the Auditing part of the CPA exam on Saturday, October 31st. I have just over a week to get it all in my head. And, I am starting a new job with the Federal Highway Administration on Monday, October 26th. I have been off work this week and last week, and have had lots of things going on!!! Blog updates to come, I promise. Wish me luck as I finish studying for this exam over the next week. If I pass, I will be halfway there......

Taylor Swift singing George Strait

I LOVE this.

FINALLY!!!

I FINALLY found out my score on my first part of the CPA exam that I took back in August....

After a week of expecting my score, and it being delayed due to the website where they post the scores having IT issues, I found out tonight that I got an 81!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only needed 75 to pass, so yes, I passed!!!!!!!!!! I could not be happier.

However, this now means that the clock is ticking for me to pass the other three parts. I have 18 months from the date I passed this one (August 17th) to pass the rest. Next up, Auditing and Attestation. I hope to get this one taken by Thanksgiving. Here I go back into my study bubble.......

Wish me luck!!!!

Okay, okay...

Call me an obsessed fan, but....

Taylor Swift has set a Guiness World Record!

Click here!

Baby Will Player has arrived!

On Labor Day, since I was off from work, I made a trip up to Clover to see my friend, Jenny, and her new baby, Will! He was born on Friday, August 28th, shortly after 6 pm. He was 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and 20 3/4 inches long. And, HE IS ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS.

Congratulations, Jenny! Will is beautiful, and I love you both so much!

Halloween is Fast Approaching!

Alright everyone...

what should I be for Halloween this year?? Last year, I was a Rubik's cube (that I made myself), and it was a big hit! I won Best Costume at one party, and Most Original Costume at another! So, I need to try to top that!
This is Dusty with me at the Hampton Forest neighborhood Halloween party last year.

I am taking costume suggestions for just me, or for both Jake and me to go as a couple. What are your ideas?!?!

Taylor Swift's Fearless Tour 2009!

What can I say? The concerts were AMAZING! Friday night, Heather Ann and I drove to Greenville to see Taylor Swift (and Gloriana and Kellie Pickler) in concert there. Gloriana was good, Kellie Pickler was fun to watch as always, and Taylor was just plain awesome!!!!!!!

She played most of the songs from her Fearless album and her five singles from her first album. She had eight different costumes (nine at the Charlotte show because she came out in a Bobcats jersey), including one on-stage costume change, and she had an amazing set.

She did several songs on the main stage, then showed up in the back of the arena in the crowd playing "Hey Stephen" before she made her way to the center of the arena, hugging all the fans she passed along the way. Then, she made her way back to the main stage (again hugging all the fans she passed along the way), and she finished playing "Tim McGraw" there. After that song, the crowd stood and screamed for over three minutes both nights, while she stood there taking it all in. She removed her earpieces so she could hear the crowd, and then thanked the audience for that, saying she would never forget it. She then did her hit "Love Story" complete with costumed dancers, and a few other songs before leaving the stage.

She returned with an encore of "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" which is my favorite, and she brought out the members of Gloriana and Kellie Pickler to sing it with her. I loved that part! Her last song was "Should've Said No" where she ended up singing in the rain, like she did once on an awards show. It was so neat because she had words from the song appear in the rain as she sang. Here is a link to a video of her doing it on the awards show. You can skip to the end (around 3:00) to see the rain.



Saturday night, we did it all again in Charlotte - this time including Amanda! Our seats were up sooooooooo high at the Time Warner Cable Arena, it was a little ridiculous. It made our upper deck seats at the Bi-Lo center in Greenville feel like the front row! I enjoyed every minute of my Taylor Swift weekend. Thanks to Heather Ann and Amanda for joining me!

On my way to see Taylor Swift!

A van we saw near the Bi-Lo center

Taylor's bus in front of the Bi-Lo center!

Heather Ann and I in our seats

KELLIE PICKLER!!!

The view from our seats in Greenville

"You Belong with Me" - Taylor's opening song!

That's Taylor's mom there in front of her behind the mic stand

Taylor and her whole band

Kellie Pickler singing "Red High Heels"

Taylor Swift singing "Our Song"

Taylor Swift singing "Fearless"

In other Taylor news, she was recently nominated for FOUR CMA awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Fearless), Music Video of the Year (Love Story), and ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR! She is the youngest artist ever to be nominated in that last category, and after seeing her on tour two nights in a row, I definitely think she should win it! Watch this video for her reaction to hearing all of her CMA nominations announced. Also, I bought a Flip Video Camera like Taylor uses to make those videos, so now I can get started making my own and check that off my list! And congrats to Taylor on her very first VMA win (and the first ever country artist to win one!)!!! I'm not even going to mention Kanye... TAYLOR SWIFT RULES!!!!

Ready for some football?!?!

Carolina football, that is! Football season has arrived! September 3rd was the Gamecocks' first game - away against NC State. One of the supervisors at work (Rick) had a few people over to his house to watch the game. He has a nice setup in his backyard... complete with pool, outdoor kitchen, a television, and SAND! Yes, that's right... his very own backyard beach! The Gamecocks managed to pull out a win for their first game with a score of 7-3. Thanks to Rick for having us over. It was a fun night!

Amanda and me

Some photos of Rick's backyard

This past Saturday was the Gamecocks' second game - away against Georgia. Dusty came over and joined Jake and me at the house to watch the game and have a lil bit of a party. It was a high-scoring game for both teams, but ultimately resulted in a loss for the Gamecocks at 41-37. We had a great time, despite the outcome of the game!

Also on Saturday, all my football tickets arrived in the mail! Now, I am all set to attend the first home game of the season this Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Can't wait to be back at Williams-Brice! GO GAMECOCKS!

Litchfield Beach!

So, later that day after we finished our 5k race, we met up with Jake's parents here in Columbia for a brunch of sorts at Waffle House before hitting the road to Litchfield Beach for the week! The beach was perfect. We had perfect weather the entire time until our last night there, when it finally thunderstormed. We spent our days on the beach, in the pool, in the hottub, visiting Myrtle Beach, shopping, eating, but mostly just relaxing. We spent our nights going out for dinner (usually AMAZING seafood - especially the conch fritters!!!) and hanging out in the condo and hottub with Jake's parents. It was a great time, and a very much needed vacation from work. I had not been to the beach for a week in forever, and definitely not since I started working! I definitely did not want to leave to come back home. And, on our last day there, I just happened to get stung by a jellyfish for the first time in my life! It hurt SO BADLY. I never did see the jellyfish, but I definitely felt it. Thanks to Jake for pouring some vinegar stuff on it to take the stinging away. And as a side note, a week after the sting, just when you think it is all okay and going away, it comes back ITCHING like nothing has ever ITCHED in my life. So, if you are ever stung, be prepared for that. But, I did get a fairly decent tan. And, a big thanks to Jake's parents for letting me join them on their family vacation! Here are some photo highlights from our week.

Jake and his dad

Jake and his mom

Jake and his parents

Me with my DELICIOUS conch fritters!

The worst part of my jellyfish ATTACK!

Me on our last day

Our caricature we had done at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach! I love it!

Do you think it looks like us?

Flying Saucer 5k Race!

On Saturday, August 22nd, Jake, Dusty, and I ran in the Flying Saucer 5k. The race began at 8:30 am, and we got there just in time to get signed in and ready to run! Pictures from the race are HERE. Dustin is pictured on the far left in photo #30 at the beginning of the race, and pictures numbered 31 - 33 are of Jake and me at the beginning of the race. In #32, that is my old roommate, Amy, and her dog in front of us. A funny sequence of photos begins with #94 with a guy pushing a stroller crossing the finish line. In the verrrrry back of that picture is Dustin in a grey shirt and blue shorts. That's right, he was passed on the last stretch of the race by a guy pushing a stroller. hahaha You can see Dusty's race to the finish line through picture #105. He finished #37 overall in 21:48. Amy and her dog are seen finishing the race in picture #191. You can see Jake and me approaching and crossing the finish line in pictures numbered 281 - 283. Warning: these are HORRIBLE pictures of the both of us. hahahaha We finished the race in 37:06 and 37:07 (I beat Jake by a second). At the end of the race, the Flying Saucer provided beer, water, apples, bananas, and brats, which were all delicious and very well received by the runners. Here is a link to the results. We were worn out at the end of it, to say the least, but we were very proud of ourselves for actually getting up that early on a Saturday morning and running this race. Now, we can check one more thing off of our lists! And I was actually impressed with our time, as I thought it was going to be around 45 minutes. Next year, we hope to improve our time! Who wants to join us then??

Time for a study break!

I have not really been able to blog much lately due to my increased amount of study time. I was off work this past Friday, so I had three full days of study time right before my exam. Jake surprised me with some more orange roses and enough Diet Cokes to last me through the weekend, and he was nice enough to leave me alone most of the time so I could study. We did manage to have Dustin over for some good times on Friday night, and we were able to meet Mandy, Stephen, Nicole, and Jason for dinner last night before they head off on their cruise, but other than that, the weekend was mostly filled with studying. And whining about studying, I'm not gonna lie. But, I am happy to announce that today at 1:17 pm, I finished my first part of the CPA exam (Business Environment and Concepts)! Now, the rest of this week I can focus on helping Jake finish moving his stuff over here and get ready for our beach vacation! But first, we are going to a movie this afternoon! I am trying to decide between the following: The Hangover, Julie & Julia, The Proposal, The Time Traveler's Wife, and The Ugly Truth.

Here's to hoping I passed the exam!

I love Taylor Swift

She is so hilarious!
Click here!

For a good laugh, click....

Hilarious!

Weekend update

This weekend was:

*helping Jake pack
*picking up my vacuum cleaner from the repair shop
*studying
*Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Hinder, and Nickelback concert in Charlotte with Jake, Crystal, Crystal's dad, and Crystal's friend, Julia
*hot tub with Jake and Crystal
*more studying
*helping Jake move
*lunch with Jake and his parents
*more studying
*phone calls catching up with Erin and Jenny
*trying a new wine
*knitting
*cleaning
*more studying
*updating my resume
*applying for a new job
*updating my blog

and finally,

MORE studying!

Unfortunately, there were no pictures taken of any of the above activities this weekend. Sorry for the lack of visual aids on this post.

Hope everyone's weekend was great, and here's to a great week ahead of studying!

Resumes

I just finished updating my resume, and I have to tell you - writing an objective for a resume is one of the hardest things ever to do. I mean, really - everyone's objective could read "To obtain a position which maximizes my happiness and financial situation while minimizing my work load." Anything other than that is just fluff.

Jobs

Well, I am just sitting here contemplating work and my job, and I want to know....

What do you love most about your job?

AND

What do you hate most about your job?


For me, I probably love my flexible schedule the most. You really cannot beat every other Friday off and every OTHER Friday working til 12 or so. Also, the fact that they don't block many internet sites here absolutely rules. The things I probably hate the most are my supervisor and the many, many, MANY inefficiencies and lack of sensical things that go on around here.


Please comment.

Taylor Swift's new video

Here is Taylor Swift's newest video blog! I love these things.

If you haven't seen any of them before, click here for a link to her other ones.

This is the kinda video I want to make one day. It would be soooo fun! Any ideas as to what song I should set my video clips to?

Rain

It is raining right now - my favorite kind of rain!

The sun is out, and there are realllly huuuuuuge raindrops. I love love LOVE it. I can hear it hitting my office window behind me, and I love it. I am sitting here wishing I could go out and run in it. I love doing that.

Yarn contest!

In order to get an entry in this contest for some great yarn, one requirement is to post a link to it somewhere. Any knitters out there who are interested, it ends tomorrow night, so enter fast!

Click here for the link!

Just a lil reminder...

I got this in an email today and was reminded that life is short. Sometimes it is easy to forget that, but it is completely true, so I am sharing this lil reminder today with anyone who reads it.

Life is short!
Break the rules!
Forgive quickly!
Kiss slowly!
Love truly,
Laugh uncontrollably,
Pray without ceasing,
and never regret anything that made you smile.

Has everyone seen this???

This is the funniest thing ever.

Run, run, run, run, run!

Today, Jake, Dusty, and I all registered online for the Flying Saucer 5k! It's a done deal. Based on my poll, those who said to run the race definitely outnumbered the one who voted to head straight for the beach. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Anyone want to join us?

Tornado Dreams

Twice now I have dreamt of tornadoes. The first time was a couple months ago maybe, and I dreamt one came and tore up my house. Yesterday afternoon, I was in the middle of an amaaaazing nap until I began dreaming of being stuck in the middle of a storm with about 30 tornadoes. The weird thing about both of these dreams was how well I was able to remember them. Even still.

You know how sometimes when you dream, you might be in your house, but it isn't really your house? That is what happened in the first tornado dream. In the dream, it was MY house that was being destructed by the tornado, but it wasn't MY real house in real life. Anyway, I survived that one unscathed, and that was pretty much the extent of it. It came and tore up my house, and then I woke up.

Yesterday's dream took place in Lake Wylie. And Beth Funderburk was in it. For those of you who don't know her, she is a girl I went to school with since elementary school. We were never really friends, but we were always in the same classes together all through high school. Anyway, she was driving me from my dad's house to my mom's, and as soon as we got out on the main road, there were no cars on the road. Instead, they were all in the ditch along the side of the road, bumper to bumper. I was so confused as to why the cars weren't driving on the road and naturally instructed her to just drive down the road, when she pointed out that there was a tornado behind us. Soon after that, we noticed one in front of us as well. It was then that I decided we better stop and get out. So we did. We pulled off the side of the road and laid on the ground. It soon became apparent that the only reason I wasn't blowing away was because Beth was holding me down. I then got the bright idea that we should roll across the ground and be blocked from the "wind" by an old Volkswagen Beetle which was nearby. So we did. Then, Beth started yelling about how she wished the car would be lifted up by one of the many tornadoes that kept coming up, all the while holding me down to keep ME from blowing away. Nice of her, I suppose. Now, I had a bag with us containing stuff belonging to both Beth and me. Of course it all got blown out of the bag, but naturally didn't blow away. So, at one point, we thought the storms were over, and Beth disappeared, leaving me to gather up our things and put them back in the bag. Then, I started walking down the road and realized that the tornadoes were still coming, so I ducked into a house, where lo and behold, there was Beth. With Lori Baird. For those of you who don't know her, she also went to high school with me. The three of us were "safe" and watching the tornadoes continue out a large window in the front room of this house when I woke up. So bizarre.

I don't know about any of you, but I am really fascinated by dreams. Most of the time, I don't remember mine.... but I definitely think they all have some kind of meaning. So, those of you who know me well know that I google EVERYTHING. Naturally, then, I looked up online dream dictionaries. See below for what I found about tornadoes.

From http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary:
To see a tornado in your dream suggests that you are experiencing some extreme emotional outbursts and temper tantrums. Is there a situation or relationship in your life that may be potentially destructive? To dream that you are in a tornado, signifies that you are feeling overwhelmed and out of control. You will be met with a series of disappointments for the next week or so. Your plans will be filled with complications. To see several tornadoes in your dream, represent people around you who are prone to violent outbursts and shifting mood swings. It may also symbolize a volatile situation or relationship.

From http://www.sleeps.com/dictionary:
If you dream that you are caught up in a tornado, or see other people in one, or you are in danger from a tornado, then you will find all your well laid business plans come to naught and failure will dog your footsteps until you do something to change your chances of success; more education, better training or so forth.

From http://www.thecuriousdreamer.com/dreamdictionary:
-An overwhelming or destructive situation in real life, most likely out of the dreamer's control.
-A feeling or fear of being taken advantage of or victimized, especially suddenly or in an unpredictable way.

From http://www.newagedirectory.com/dream/dictionary.htm:
Being overwhelmed by work or circumstances. You are stressed out. If you are overtaken: Things are out of control in your life. If you escape from or avoid it: You are stressed but can handle the situation.

From http://www.dreamloverinc.com/dictionary1.htm:
Tornado is a violent storm in nature, and it may represent violent emotional storms in your dreams. If you have reoccuring tornado dreams, consider the emotional changes in your life and also the amount of anger and rage that you may be currently experiencing. Tornadoes could also represent disruptions and upsets in your immediate environment and specific or current issues that may be overwhelming.


So, based on this research, I conclude that work is stressing me out and causing me to dream about tornadoes. That or the CPA exam.... but I think it is changes at work more likely.

Do you ever have crazy dreams? Ever dream about the same thing more than once? How often do you remember your dreams? Ever dreamt of tornadoes? Please comment. I am fascinated.

Curious orange kitties!

This post is brought to you by the letter L...

Back in May, my mom emailed me a link to this blog post. It is by a woman who has decorated one wall in her house with the letter L. (And, I just realized that I chose the same title for this post as she did for hers. Oh well, I am not changing it now.) She has since updated her blog about her L wall. Anyway, I thought the idea was sooo cute as soon as I saw it, and I began my lookout for the letter L wherever I went. I have found none... until today. I stopped into Hobby Lobby, and found all these! And the best part is that they were all 50% off.

So far, mine are not looking near as bright and exciting as I hope they will. I may have to make some adjustments to them, but I am just excited to have found some. Now, I just need to decide which wall to put them on while I continue my search! The blogger I am copying did mention someone with an etsy shop selling letters - and you can get 20% off by mentioning "Artsy" in your notes to seller! However, I checked and didn't see an L for sale.......

Here is another example of a letter wall using the letter H.

I just think they are so cute!

Mom's visit!

My sweet Mama came down to visit me and spend the night last Friday night. Jake treated us to a delicious dinner at Za's, and we spent some time in Barnes and Noble on Friday night. Saturday, we got up and went to the Farmer's Market, and I got some peaches and a cantaloupe. Mmmm yummy! Then, we had lunch at Lizard's Thicket and made a trip to Walmart to get something to hang up my quilted Palmetto wallhanging that my mom made me for my office. Then, we went down to the office and hung it up! It is soooo beautiful, and all my coworkers are definitely jealous. Here is the only pic I took during her visit.

And I'd like to say a very big thanks to Mom for all your help cleaning up my house! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier post, last week was Steve's birthday! Jake and I met up with him and some of his friends, as well as Robert and his girlfriend, Jessica, at the baseball game. It was such a treat to watch Steve's heckling skills of the opposing team, especially number one-seven, from about 5 rows behind their dugout. It was so fun, we hardly noticed the rain falling on us. Funny, it rained last year while we were there celebrating Steve's birthday, too. And it was so great to see Robert and meet Jessica! After the baseball game, we headed on over to the Flying Saucer where we were served by a Beer Goddess. Wish I had gotten a pic of Steve with her. Haha fun times!

Here are some pics!

Just like old times...

The birthday boy and me!

Jake and me

Had to include this one just because of Steve!

Robert and Jessica

Now, these pics below are of #one-seven and Steve with the ball that #17 threw to him after much heckling.

Yes, it does say "To Shrek"

My Columbia Blowfish cozy that Robert bought for me! I love these things!

And finally, a couple pics from Flying Saucer...