I'm SUCH a bad blogger

I'm excellent at following and reading others' blogs daily. More than daily in some cases. But, I am terrible at keeping up with my own blog. I can never think of anything that I could blog about that people would want to actually read. So, I just go on reading others' blogs. It's fun. I enjoy it. I want to have blog friends. But that's really hard when I NEVER BLOG. haha

Anyway, it's Friday at work, and I am about to move to a new cube... an upgrade, if you will. It comes complete with its own window to the outside world! And some really rad new shelves that my current cube doesn't have. It's gonna be AWESOME. So yeah, like I said, it's Friday at work. There are, like, 3 people here.

Happy Friday! Maybe you'll hear from me again soon if I don't fall off the face of the earth again.

What I had for Dinner Tonight...

And some pepper jack cheese toast. Mmm mmm!

Dude, Where's My Car?

My husband and I met at work. Since then, we've both gotten other jobs, but we still work just a couple blocks apart. Because it would cost about $60-$70 for a monthly pass to park in the parking garage across the street from my office, and it only costs Jake $10 a month for a designated spot at his office, we normally carpool to work. As in, he drives me and drops me off and then comes back and picks me up at the end of the day. It's really quite lovely, actually.

But sometimes, like this entire week, he works out of town. And then I have to drive myself. And since I don't have a fancy monthly parking garage pass, I pay for it on a daily basis on those rare occasions when I do have to park there. So, I suppose a number of folks actually have that pass and so the first three or so levels of the parking garage are all reserved spaces for them. So, I usually have to drive up to the 4th level to get to the General Parking section.

After work today, I walked out to the garage and took the elevator to the 4th floor and my car was gone. Without a trace. Straight up stolen. Or so I thought. What else could have happened to it??

Unable to recall anything about the drive into work and parking this morning, and not really knowing what else to do, I decided I'd walk down to the 3rd level and just see if I hadn't been paying attention and parked on that level by mistake. My car wasn't there. So, I walked up to the 5th level thinking how unlikely it was that I would have gone up too MANY levels. And I was right, the car wasn't there.

So, then I figured I should call Jake, who had actually gotten home already so he could 1) come pick me up, and 2) help me report my car stolen. As I dialed him up, I started walking back down so I could get out of the garage.

Our conversation went something like this:
Jake: "Hey"
Me: "My car is stolen."
Jake: Silence.
Me: "Oh, wait... is that my car?"

And it was. I had apparently parked on the 2nd level. Two levels below where I was supposed to be and where I usually do. Which is reserved. In a spot with a sign on the wall in front of the car that clearly stated, "Reserved, Towing Enforced".

Now, I know I don't often park in the garage because I'm usually fortunate to have the hubs' curb service, but I do park in there frequently enough to know I have to park on the 4th level. AND, I'd been doing it all week already. And, it didn't even register this morning when I only had to take the elevator down 1 level to head across the street into work. I still can't believe it. I wonder where my brain was this morning. I was literally convinced it'd been stolen right out of the parking garage from among allllll the other cars.

Has anyone else ever done something like this?

Cinnamon M&M's

If you know my husband, you know how much he LOVES his plain M&M's. In fact, they were the theme of his groom's cake I got for him for our wedding.

However, he really only likes the plain ones, though I have gotten him to where he will at least eat the pretzel ones with me. Needless to say, anytime we are in Target (which is all the time, but no less than once a week), we have to take a stroll down the candy aisle. If only just to look to see if they are on sale.

So, we were doing just that the other day, and I found these:

Cinnamon M&M's! I love trying all the different types/flavors that come out from time to time, so we picked up a bag of these for me. And they are pretty good. Not too cinnamony though. The first couple of them taste cinnamony, but then the taste kinda fades and they just taste like regular M&M's, which you can't really complain about. I must say they aren't as good as these Chocolate Trio Premium M&M's we tried back around Valentine's Day. Those were AMAZING.

Anyone else tried these cinnamon M&M's? Did yours taste cinnamony the whole time? Have you ever had the Chocolate Trio? So good!

Finally got DVR!

So, my husband and I have apparently been living in the Stone Ages and just recently upgraded to digital cable with DVR. We've had it ALMOST a month now, and so far I am LOVING it. Although, I wouldn't say we are huge TV watchers. Jake definitely isn't. I used to be, but while I was studying for the CPA exam, I kinda quit watching most shows, even those that were my favorites. That pretty much continued up until we got DVR.

I'd watch my regular summer favorite, Big Brother, but I had stopped with old favorites like Grey's Anatomy and Brothers and Sisters before it went off the air. It was just too hard to keep up with the plot lines of shows that continued like those series.

So, now that the CPA exam is well behind me and now that we have DVR, I am trying to get back into TV! I just need to figure out when shows come on so I can set up the DVR to record. Two shows that are new this fall that I actually caught up with using the OnDemand feature are Up All Night and Revenge. Jake and I have been watching Up All Night periodically, but I just started watching Revenge over the weekend. We both enjoy Up All Night... it is amazing when a show can actually make Jake laugh out loud. And I am HOOKED on Revenge! I think the episodes I was able to watch are 4-6, so I need to go back and start from the beginning to find out a little more of the background, but it is SUCH a good show!

What are some other good shows, new this season or otherwise? Tell me what you're watching! Anyone else new to DVR? No? Just us then. Let me know!

Love this article!

Check it out!

63 Reasons Why Bradley Cooper Definitely Isn't The Sexiest Man Alive

Reason #1:

I also like this related article.

*Sigh*

My favorite time of year is here! HOLIDAY SEASON! Too bad I am still stuck studying every free minute for that pesky CPA exam. Hoping to finish by the end of February. Anyway, I am feeling bummed in this moment because apparently, for the wedding they did right after ours, my wedding photographers started doing videos, too. For not only a wedding, but also for engagement sessions. And they are so cool. You can check them out here and here. HOW MUCH WOULD I HAVE LOVED ONE OF THEIR VIDEOS? A lot. That's how much. And I, too, love editing videos together like they are doing, so I could do the same thing myself. If I had the video footage. Of course, I can't film myself. So, I am sad about that.

The other reason being, of course, that I am busy studying. :( I cannot wait to be done with this stupid exam forever! I feel the need to create. Or decorate - but that is for another post. I want a cool, fancy camera so I can take really awesome photos, and I want to learn to use Photoshop, so I can edit them. And, I want to take movies and edit them into videos like Landon Jacob Productions is now doing.

And how Taylor Swift has been doing for a long time. :)

And, since I can't film myself, I'd need some willing subjects, too. I tend to think they are hard to come by. I feel like a lot of people hate being filmed or having their picture made. I love it, and I've always loved it. And I don't understand people that don't. At least Jake loves it, too. But, I can't just film him and take his picture all the time.

Anyway, back to the books.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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.

A lil limerick for you all

So, one of my assigned tasks this week to accomplish was to write a limerick. Well, first I had to research what exactly a limerick is. It sounded familiar from some long ago English class, but I certainly had forgotten. I found out it is a five line poem with an A-A-B-B-A rhyme scheme. I had actually written a five line poem last week with that rhyme scheme without even knowing it was a limerick! Anyway, here is this week's limerick. I must say, I love what I came up with.

I once had a very large cat.
He was large because he was fat.
He was fat because he loved to eat.
His favorite thing was a treat.
And all day long, there he sat.

Hope you all enjoy it, too!

My Favorite Poem

My favorite poem is Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.


I always feel like I have miles to go before I sleep. Every single day. I struggle to make myself get in bed at night. What are these things that I feel cannot wait til the next day, so that I may just get in bed and fall asleep? When I think about it, there is usually nothing that can't wait. At the end of the day, what I need to have gotten accomplished usually has gotten done. The things that keep me up later than I should be are things like checking email/facebook, reading blogs (tonight - it is actually writing this post for my own blog), watching tv shows online, catching up with friends over the phone, AIM, facebook, etc.

I know everyone feels like there are not enough hours in the day, but I really want to improve my time management skills so that I can get more done than just what needs to be done but still be able to get myself in bed at a reasonable hour with a clear head - without that feeling like I've been completely unproductive. I think this is what usually causes my feeling of dread on a Sunday evening for the week ahead. I always feel like my weekend was fun, but I could have done more! Maybe this week I will really take note of things I'd like to do each day that either get put off for whatever reason, or that get done in exchange for sleep time. That sounds like a good first step.

Here is a link I just found by googling "getting more done".....
So once I make note of the things I want to be able to do... I can make a list and follow the subsequent steps in that article.

I am kind of amused right now because my boyfriend, Jake, is always making lists... and last week, his idea was to start making lists for each other. I could do a whole post on those alone (and maybe I will later), but anyway, one of the things on his list for last week was to read 50 pages in the book of his choice from this list. Reading those books is something he's been wanting to do, but since he isn't a huge fan of reading, he hadn't gotten around to it until it was on his list. So, what book did he choose out of the 95 on the list? Getting Things Done by David Allen. So, Jake, hopefully this post of mine has made you proud.... =)

And everyone: What things do you feel you want to do but don't have/make enough time for?

Summertime

Of all the seasons, fall is absolutely hands-down my favorite. I just LOVE everything about it. From the leaves changing and all the pretty colors (especially in the mountains!), the blue skies, the return of Gamecock football to Williams-Brice, and the cooler weather (though not so much present in Columbia ever), it all just makes me so happy. After fall, spring and winter probably tie for my second favorite season. I love winter because it is cold, and you can bundle up in warm winter coats and very cute handknits! And I like spring for its pretty flowers. Last of all, though, my least favorite season is summer. I have never been a huge fan of summer. It is always just soooooo HOT. Especially in Columbia. I hate hot weather. I like the beach, but am not a fan of all that sand! It just gets everywhere. I love being at the pool, but unless I am able to spend all my time there (which I'm not), I just do not like hot weather. However, there are some things about summertime that I can get a little excited about. After all, I try to find some things to appreciate about it. Here they are in no particular order:

- afternoon thunderstorms
- front porches
- a glass of wine
- a good book to read by the pool
- longer days
- friends
- summer concerts outdoors
- fireflies
- popsicles
- big, heavy raindrops
- cold drinks
- the 4th of July!
- grilling out
- rocking chairs
- pleasant evenings

What is your favorite season? Why? What do you like about summertime?