Blonde Intellect

147

2010-07-22T11:25:00.003-05:00

Maybe there is hope for me afterall. Last night I attended my first TestMasters class here in Auburn. The schedule was suppose to run Monday and Wednesday nights from 6-10, with a few Saturdays sprinkled here or there to complete our diagnostic exams. (BTW, all material in this course are REAL LSAT questions and exams. Not something made up to be similar to the LSAT.) Anyways, so I took my first diagnostic last night which was the LSAT in June 2008...and I scored a 147! I was throughly pleased and actually very surprised. My goal is to score in the 160+ range. I am very happy and now completely motivated to crush the test come October

CHEAP

2010-07-16T13:28:00.004-05:00

I just got back from another SLAMDUNK at the grocery store! Today's store of choice was Publix.

I got everything pictured above for $8.97 (including tax)
Here's the breakdown:
1 Publix Milk - $2.99 (seriously, my most expensive item!)
1 box Cheerios - $1.99 - .50 coupon (doubled) = .99
1 Dannon Activia - $2 on sale - $1 coupon = $1
1 Fiber One Toaster Pastries - B1G1 Free $2.29 - Bought one @ $1.15 -.50 coupon (doubled)= FIFTEEN CENTS
1 Disposable Bic Razor 4pk - B1G1 Free $5.39 - Bought one @ $2.75 -$3 coupon = FREE plus overage
2 Olay Daily Cleansing Cloths - $5.99 on sale for $4.49 each - 2 $1 off peelies I found in store - B1G1 free coupon ($4.49 value) = $2.49 for TWO or $1.25 each...not to mention I am going to put these toward a $10 rebate I will qualify for!

Greg is bringing me the same coupons home today from work, hopefully four or five sets from the mail room and I am going to go back to Publix and repeat a bunch of these deals! YAY!

RANDOM

2010-07-13T13:27:00.002-05:00

Just a random post today. I am in Huntsville visiting Greg for the week. We worked out at the gym at his apartment yesterday, then grocery shopped at Publix together and came home and made breakfast tacos. YUMMY! I'll post the recipe below. Then after dinner, we wanted to bowling. We got all the way to the bowling alley and forgot it was closed on Mondays. OOPS! But atleast I got an ice cream sandwich on the way home. YUMMY again!

Today we are going to go to the workout room again when he gets home. Then I'll make some corn casserole and go bowling. Tomorrow night we might go see Toy Story 3 or just wait till this weekend. Last time I was up here we watched both Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on TV. They are such cute/funny/sweet/innocent movies. They make me laugh and cry!

Thursday night I am having a girl's night with Christy which I am so very excited about because I cannot remember the last time I saw her.

Greg and I are hoping for some nice pool weather this weekend and we plan to go to some of the downtown bars here. I'll head home Monday morning because my TestMaster class starts Monday night at 6 and I will have to run a bunch of errands all day Monday after being gone all week.

Next weekend is AquaPalooza on Lake Martin with Trotline! Can't wait! So far this summer has been great!

MASTER

2010-06-30T13:54:00.002-05:00

Did I tell you I am going to Law School? I graduate in December with my MBA and my plan is to enter the University of Alabama School of Law in August 2011. In order to accomplish this I need to master the LSAT. This is where TestMasters comes in. It's basically a super intense face to face LSAT prep course. It stats July 19 and we meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-10 at night. Then you are suppose to do between 15-20 hours of your "own" studying outside of the class, doing homework and being prepared for new lessons. I take my LSAT on October 9. My goal is to have my application into UofA before Thanksgiving. I might actually consider other law schools in the state, but for now, UofA is where it's at.

ZUMBA

2010-06-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

I am in love with Zumba! Oh my gosh! I went to a class last night at the Student Act for the first time and absolutely loved it. The class was an hour long, but it only felt like ten minutes! I loved the music/beats, the high energy of the instructor (and the participants) and I couldn't believe how good of a work out I was getting. I definitely had a good sweat going on! At first, I didn't know a lot of the moves and I was kind of looking like a goof ball trying to keep up and do the right thing at the right time. But by the end of the class I was getting along just fine. I am so excited to go back tonight. The Student Act offers the class Tuesdays at 5:15 for an hour and Wednesdays at 4:00 for 45 minutes. I am so happy to mix this into my half-marathon training. Twice a week I am suppose to engage in some sort of "cross training," basically just any other sort of cardio. My training suggest swimming, roller-blading, or biking, but I am sure Zumba will be a great addition! Not to mention I was reading some article online the other day that mentioned dancing is a great cardio because it works so many miniscule muscles that we cannot work/tone in other types of workouts. If you haven't tried Zumba, you definitely need to. I think it may change your life!

FREE PART TWO

2010-06-15T16:03:00.003-05:00

So I posted last week about some goodies I got completely for *FREE* (minus paying for taxes on the "value" of the items) and I just had to share more this week! Thanks to this sweet woman I signed up for a Kraft First Taste Account a few weeks ago. By doing so, I received six coupons for free products from Kraft! Pictured above I got the following:

1 Ritz Crackerfulls
1 Kool-Aid Fun Fizz
1 Digiorno Deep Dish Pizza
1 Kraft Colby Jack Cheese Snack Bites
1 Oscar Meyer Mesquite Chicken Deli Shaved Meat

And I still have a coupon for a *FREE* Kraft Homestyle Macaroni and Cheese. (The Publix I was shopping at did not carry the item.)

You will also notice a copy of the celebrity news and gossip magazine "OK Weekly" and I'm sure you're wondering...Did she get that for *FREE*, too?

You 'betcha!

Thanks to this sweet lady I became a believer in the completely *FREE* magazine subscriptions! You just sign up from a special website, no trial, no credit card, and no weird surveys. This was actually my second OK to get in my mailbox, I got my first one last week and I think they come every Monday.

How exciting!

The total value of everything pictured above (including the magazine) is just over $20!

Now even though I do not each much processed food (if its in a bag, box or can, I stay away...) I can't beat *FREE*

YUMMY

2010-06-11T11:45:00.004-05:00

I would proudly like to announce I am taking baby steps to becoming more domesticated. And last night was a great one! I made a delicious corn casserole to compliment Greg and I's salads we were having for dinner. (Watch out, I'm making mini-sliders either tonight or tomorrow!) I just have to share this recipe with you all because it was SO SUPER EASY and so YUMMY. Here it is...

1 8oz package cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 can cream corn
1 can regular corn (drain 1/2 liquid)
1 box Jiffy cornbread

Microwave butter and cream cheese until butter is melted. Mix two cans corn and Jiffy in casserole dish and add in butter and cream cheese mixture. Mix well together. Make sure you grease the bottom of the dish first, too! Then bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. And voila!

P.S. I shopped at Publix for the ingredients and only spent $2.96! I love that this recipe is affordable as well. I think it's going to be my new *go to* dish for parties, pot-lucks, and Thanksgiving!

P.P.S. The photo is not mine. I forgot to take a picture of the dish last night so I just used Google Images to find one and I thought this one looked pretty close to the finished product!

FREE

2010-06-06T15:03:00.003-05:00

Everything pictured above only cost me .95! And it was all tax! Plus, since I used my Chase Credit Card at CVS and Kroger (where I did the two transactions) I get 5% back...so almost a whole nickel in cash back for a grand total of only .90!

So for the ninety cent grand total (everything was free, it was just all tax) I got the following:
8 Vitamin Waters - $1 each @ Kroger - used .50 manufacturer coupon which Kroger doubled - Final Price: FREE
1 Triple Cheese Easy Mac - $1 @ Kroger - used FREE Kraft coupon - Final Price: FREE
1 Life Savers Gummies - $1 @ Kroger - had $1 off "Cinderella Cellfire" e-coupon loaded to my Kroger card - Final Price: FREE
1 Scotch Tape - $2.19 at CVS - Used $1.99 worth of ECB's I had - Final Price: .20
1 Power Bar Energy Blasts (not pictured, I forgot and already put them away!) - $1.69 at CVS - used FREE Power Bar coupon - Final Price: FREE

Plus, while I was at CVS I got my Green Bag Tag scanned (only 3 more to go for me $1 ECB) so it's almost like I made .25 on that trip!

Gotta love FREE stuff!

PS. I needed the tape desperately to finish packing up and sending out my eBay packages! I sold a bunch of really random junk this past week and made almost $100 doing so!

TRAINING

2010-06-06T10:52:00.003-05:00

So today marks the "official" beginning of my half-marathon training! I am so excited to announce that me, my BFF Megan and my good friend Courtney, along with her good friend Lindsey are all going to be running in Disney World's Wine and Dine Half-Marathon in October. Megan is married and has a little 5 month old and lives in Colorado. She is training out there and then flying in to Alabama the week of the race. Then the four of us (and possibly more) are driving down to Orlando for the weekend race. Luckily, we have 17 weeks to prepare and today is the first step of my journey. I will begin today with my "long" run and do 4 miles. Then throughout the week I will do 2 shorter runs, a rest day, a stretch and strengthen day, and a couple days of cross-training (think Zumba, fast walking and random gym cardio/weights). I am so excited and will post more tidbits along the way!

GIRLFRIENDS

2010-05-29T13:49:00.004-05:00

I love these ladies! And they did NOT dissapoint last night, either! My mom and I went to see the new Sex and the City 2 and LOVED it! I mean, we were seriously in stiches the entire time. The movie was 2.5 hours but it flew by because it was so funny/sweet/cute/perfect/etc. I definitely recommend it. The costumes are to die for! It was so neat seeing everything they would put together and accessorize with. Both me and my mom loved the moving so much we want to go see it again! Nothing like a great excuse to get dressed up and drink a cosmo!

VACAY

2010-05-16T17:08:00.008-05:00

Last week Greg and I took a last minute vacay to South Florida! One of Greg's best friends from high school (they have known each other since they were six)Tyler, graduated from Georgia Tech and invited us to join him and his girlfriend, along with another couple(all Harrison High Class of 2006 alums btw) for a week at his Dad's place down in Ft. Lauderdale. We had such a blast! I can't remember the last time I had that much fun with such great people. We got to do a bunch of super fun things like lay and play on the beach, have nightly cookouts, eat Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast, go dancing at Lulu's and the Elbow Room, visit the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida and spend a day in South Beach, Miami! I seriously loved every minute of it. Getting to spend some quality time with Greg was great. And getting to know some of his high school friends was a blast, they were just so much fun! Here a few pics I snapped from our day in South Beach. Enjoy!

BAD

2010-04-20T19:26:00.006-05:00

So over the last few months I have finally grown tired of receiving horrible, rude, and just plain BAD service everywhere I go! Soooo...I finally started complaining. And not to managers who don't care or supervisors who are simply "warm bodies," but to CORPORATE! Check out what I have received for FREE in just the past few months:

*$30 gift card to Olive Garden
*$20 gift card to Chili's
*3,500 Delta Skymiles (This put me over the 25k limit to get my FREE award ticket!)

Now, I haven't gotten all corporate-complaining happy and just complained about every last little thing just to get freebies, BUT, I have gone out of my way to notify Olive Garden, Chili's and Delta when they have had remarkably horrible service. I have realized the best way to contact a company and simply go to their website and find the "Contact Us" button and then send them a short e-mail. I usually get a response within 2-3 business days and voila!

What do you think? Have you ever complained and gotten anything for free? What methods work best for you?

LEGAL?

2010-04-19T14:39:00.002-05:00

LEGAL VS. ILLEGAL

You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Joe Illegal". Both families
have two parents, two children, and live in California .

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.

Joe Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number,and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".

Ready? Now pay attention...

Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or
$52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe
Legal now has $31,231.00.

Joe Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or
$31,200.00 per year. Joe Illegal pays no taxes. Joe Illegal now has
$31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031.00.

Joe Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Joe Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.

Joe Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Joe Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year.
Joe Legal now has $9,631.00.

Joe Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Joe
Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Joe
Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe
Legal now has $7,231.00.

Joe Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and he still
has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.

Joe Illegal has to make his $31,200.00 stretch to pay utilities,
gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.

Joe Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.

Joe Legal's and Joe Illegal's children both attend the same school.
Joe Legal pays for his childrens' lunches while Joe Illegal's children
get a government sponsored lunch. Joe Illegal's children have an
after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.

Joe Legal and Joe Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire
services, but Joe paid for them and Joe did not pay.

Do you get it, now?

If you vote for or support any politician who supports illegal
aliens...You are part of the problem!

It's way PAST time to take a stand for America and Americans!

What are you waiting for? Pass this on!

VOTE

2010-04-12T08:35:00.004-05:00

Help me win an $1,000 Kroger gift card by clicking here, (you then may have to click the KROGER symbol and the my bag should show up)saving it to your favorites and voting EVERY DAY for my bag! It would be so helpful to me and it seriously would only take about six or seven seconds of your time, every day. Thanks guys!

By the way, I think it's super cute and I can order one, so if you want one, let me know!

$2.39

2010-04-11T11:07:00.007-05:00

So I am still working at getting a good hang of this coupon and free thing. But I must admit I am getting quite good at it. Last Thursday I made a trip to CVS and here is what I came home with.

Transaction 1:
Listerine $3.99
- $1.00 manufacturer coupon
- $2 ECB
.99

Complete Solution $8.99
- $8.99 ECB
FREE

Stride Gum $.99
-$.99 ECB
FREE

Vitamin Water $1.69
- $1.69 manufacturer coupon
FREE

Skintimate Cream Shave $3.99
- $2 ECB
$1.99

Colgate Total $2.99
- $2 ECB
$.99

SpeedStick Stainguard $3.49
- $3 ECB
$.49

I paid for this transactions using a $25 CVS gift card I got for transferring my prescription.
My total OOP w/ tax: $.53

Transcaction 2:
Oil of Olay Lotion $8.99
- $8.99 "Quench for Clunkers" mail in rebate
FREE

Schick 3 Pro Razor $8.97
- $6 ECB
$2.97

CVS Paper Towels $1.29
- $1 off CVS paper product (machine in store produced this coupon)
$.29

CVS Apricot Travel Size Scrub $1.49
- $1 off CVS skincare item (machine in store produced this coupon)
$.49

CVS Disenfecting Wipes $2.99

2 Cover Girl Mascara $7.99
- B1G1 50% off
$11.98

Body Scrubber $2.99

- $4 CVS purchase of $20 or more
- All ECBs from first transaction
Total OOP: $17.73

BUT, I still have $6 ECB for next week and I mailed in my rebate form for the Oil of OLay for $8.99, combine that with the fact that my Chase Rewards Card pays me 5% for drug store purchases and when it is all said and done I only paid $2.39 for everything purchased and seen above!!! The funny part is I actually had two more manufacturer coupons I could have used but I goofed up and forgot and I could have done my ordering a little bit differently and saved even more. But all in all I am very, very pleased!

$17.73
-$8.99
-$6 ECB remaining
-$.88 (my 5% cash back from my Chase card)
+.53 OOP for first transaction
= $2.39

FAMOUS

2010-04-09T20:22:00.008-05:00

Well, not really. But it sounds nice doesn't it? Anyways, I do happen to be famous with Auburn University media and marketing! Back in my glory days, AKA sophomore year of college, I participated in an Auburn photo shoot. It was really fun and took place on picturesque places around campus like Cater Hall, Samford Lawn, and the pedestrian walking area down Thach. We never knew where, when, or even if our photos would ever be used but since then I have popped up all over the place.

Beginning in Summer of 2006 I have been featured on the pamphlet/flier/handout for "Summers @ Auburn." In case you've seen it, that's me in the turquoise Lacoste shirt sitting in front of Samford with my laptop.

Then, more recently I was fidgeting around online, I believe on the Auburn University Prospective Students page (don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you...although I think I was trying to figure out what tuition, etc. was going to be for next year) and I found myself right there on the homepage in the photo changing picture thing.

And then (so exciting!) today at bootcamp (yes, I'm doing that again) my instructor told me she saw me here under the "other" tab and sure enough there I was, 2004 SEC Champions shirt and all, pretending to talk on my cell phone, just as the photographer had asked as I walked down College Street one spring afternoon...

Auburn MBA Class of 2010

2010-02-01T16:35:00.002-06:00

Here we are...this is from September '09 btw. Can you find me?

GOOD MORNING!

2010-01-25T08:10:00.004-06:00

Curious as to why I never blog anymore? Check out my weekly schedule below:

M: 7:30-9:00 work, 9:30-10:45 class, 11:00-7:00 work
T: 8:00-10:45 class, 5-7:30 class
W: 7:30-9:00 work, 9:30-10:45 class, 11:00-7:00 work
TR: 8:00-10:45 class, 11:00-7:00 work
F: 8:30-6:00 work

Needless to say I do not have much free time, because by the time I get home and get off work I am either too tired to do literally anything, or I have homework/studying. I have my first exam this week (and we are only week 3 into this semester) I then have an exam every week after that for two more weeks. Followed by two papers and a presentation within those same weeks. So forgive me if I don't blog, don't text, don't email, or don't call you. I love all of you and miss you and trust me I CANNOT wait for this summer!

On a better note, I am leaving March 5 for China and South Korea. I'll be gone for ten days. I am super pumped! This trip is a part of our International experience with the program and I will be going with about 18 or 19 other students. It should be really fun...except for the flight, we are leaving Auburn at 3:30 in the morning to head to Atlanta. We then will be on an airplane for 18 hours, lucky me.

THANKSGIVING

2009-11-25T14:09:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to take a minute and wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Grad school has taken over my life the past 4 months, so blogging has been a thing of the past. Anyways, I am off work here in about two hours and then heading up to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with Greg and his family. Then we are turning around tomorrow evening (late) and coming back to Auburn for the Iron Bowl on Friday. THAT should be interesting. Then on Saturday we are heading to Atlanta to go to the Georgia Tech vs Georgia game with my Mom and her boyfriend. Another exciting rivlary! We are really looking forward to it. I hope all of you get to spend some quality time with those that mean the most to you. It's the most important thing of all, to have people in your life that you care about and who care about and love you!

WISDOM

2009-06-22T16:42:00.003-05:00

I got my wisdom teeth out on Friday (all three of them). I was really nervous going into it because I was going to be sedated with an IV. This scares me for two reasons, one being the fact that I hate needles and cry just by seeing one and, two, the fact that "going under" just scares me in general. So needless to say Thursday night I was an emotional train wreck trying to prepare for this "surgery". And Greg didn't really make me feel better either. Although he was trying to tell me exactly what was going to happen to prepare me, it was actually making me feel worse. And he had MAJOR issues when he got his out. Like he almost bled to death and his mom had to stuff a towel down his throat as they rushed him back to the ER...

So anyways, Friday morning came and I had written in my planner, my personal calendar and my work calendar that I had an appt with Dr. Martin at 11am. So Greg and I planned it perfect to get there at 10:45, which would give him enough time to go to class, a study session and grab lunch before my appt. Well, I got up early and ran some errands and went to the grocery store and got home about 10am. Around 10:30 I got a phone call from the Dr's office wondering where I was. I politely told them my appointment was at 11 and that I would be there at 10:45. The lady proceeded to get somewhat nasty with me and told me my appointment was actually at 10 and everyone was waiting on me.

So I call Greg and he rushes to my apartment and we rush over to the doctor's office. Everyone was then really nice and Dr. Martin told me I had nothing to worry about. He sedated me about 10:45 and got everything started and by 11:40 we were walking out the door to go home. It was sooo easy! I was really loopy and totally out of it from the sedation, but I couldn't get over how easy it was.

Greg took me home and tucked me into bed. I fell asleep immediately and he woke me up every hour to change the gauze in my mouth. He also woke me up to feed me icees. I have never been an icee person, but omigosh it felt so good on my mouth and throat! I could not get over how good it was.

I just slept all day Friday, and mostly Saturday too. I was on pain meds both days. Sunday I felt much better but was still very tired. I didn't need to take any of the OxyCotone though. And then today I came back to work. I did get some pretty bad pain in my mouth mid morning so I took a pain med and within an hour felt sooo much better!

So for any of you out there who need to get your wisdom teeth out...go for it! It was easy, mostly painless, and gives you a great excuse to sleep and lay on the couch for a few days.

WOF

2009-06-11T12:56:00.006-05:00

Okay, I am DYING to be on Wheel of Fortune. Seriously, I think I have been watching the show since I was about ten. I am sooo good at puzzle solving it should really be a full time job. I cannot tell you time after time after time I am solving the puzzle like five or six letter choices before these folks on TV. Now I understand watching from the comfort of my couch in my own home is A LOT different than being on a stage with lots of cameras and bright lights, but never the less, I think I would make a fantastic contestant. I would call a wide variety of constanants AND vowels, and I wouldn't be a dummy and keep spinning when I hit "Jackpot" on a "Jackpot Puzzle" nor would I waste anytime on the Prize Puzzels. And yes, I would always go for it on the 10K/Bankrupt bet.

Anyways, I am making it a new life goal to get on Wheel of Fortune so if you know of anyone who can help me acheive this, or if you have any tips, hints, ideas...no matter how crazy, I would appreciate it.

About two years ago I missed my window of opportunity when I went to work one day over Christmas break at Ann Taylor instead of ditching and driving 2.5 hours to Birmingham to try out for the show. But hopefully, sometime soon, I will get this opportunity again.

PS. Why does my "Upload Image" button/thing NEVER work??? Any one else having this problem, it is really starting to aggrivate me!

UPDATE

2009-06-07T15:42:00.005-05:00

Sorry I have been gone for so long, but I am simply so busy with life that I have not had time to blog recently. Here are some updates from the past few weeks.

1. I am going to have jaw surgery sometime within probably the next year, I will also be getting braces again during this time frame. Yes, I have already had braces, but I was a dummy and didn't wear my retainer. And yes, I am vain and want a perfect smile. So alas, jaw surgery and braces here I come! (Note, apparently my jaw is at a 51 degree angle, which makes it difficult for me to close my mouth properly, breath properly, and chew food properly. The normal jaw angle is 32 degrees, so by having this done not only will my mouth be normal and my smile be pretty, I will also have a better quality of life, yay!)
2. I am having my wisdom teeth out in two weeks. I am nervous.
3. Spent Memorial Day weekend with Greg and pretty much his entire family for his little sister's high school graduation. I had a little too much fun at a Grad Party on Friday night and got so sick I almost missed Christine's ceremony. Not my best moment. But enjoyed the weekend with him, caught a Brave's game, went extreme Go-Karting and refrained from any form of PDA with him for a full 72 hours. DANG!
4. Greg's Dad won a free trip to Savannah through is work and his parents are taking us with them. Not sure when, but I am so excited for mini vacay to somewhere I have never been!
5. I got a promotion at work after 10 months on the job, I am now a Senior Credit Manager.
6. That's about it.

ADMITTED!

2009-05-04T17:19:00.003-05:00

I found out Friday that I have been accepted into the Auburn University MBA program! I AM THRILLED! I cannot believe I did it! I start classes this August and will graduate in December 2010. I am going to work full time and go to school full time, can you believe it?!

Oh Happy Day!

PS. Twenty bucks says I am the youngest person in my class! :)

DILEMMA

2009-04-24T14:39:00.005-05:00

Well at 8am today I suppose to take the GMAT for the second time in order to get a better score. But, I ditched it! Last night before I went to bed I was so dreading the GMAT this morning I could barely stand it. I woke up at 6 this morning and just realized that I had no motivation, no drive, and not an ounce of determination to take the exam. Even though I already shoved out $250 for the exam and $89 for an online prep class, I realized that I wasn't going to drive an hour, sit through a grueling exam and then rush back to get to work. I know I wouldn't have raised my score much at all, seeing how much I didn't want to take it.

So my MBA decision is now in the hands of the Admissions Council. Whats meant to be is meant to be. Simple as that, no worries. If I am accept into the program, great! If not, then I simply need to just keep doing what I'm doing, which by the way, I am very happy with!

So instead this morning, I slept in until almost 11:30 and ate cereal in bed. It was glorious! I wish I could do that every Friday. The best part about this situation is that I don't have any regrets (Nobody is perfect!), I just never want to hear about a darn GMAT exam ever again. That's how much I depise this exam!

TGIF!

TIFFANY'S

2009-04-13T12:43:00.006-05:00

It happened! For the first time in my entire life I opened a perfect little robin's egg blue Tiffany & Co box with a perfect white ribbon enclosing it. And I couldn't be any more thrilled about it.

This past Saturday Greg and I celebrated our one year anniversary together. Our real anniversay was yesterday, April 12, but with that falling on Easter Sunday we decided to celebrate Saturday together. Both of us were working Saturday but we had dinner reservations at 8:00 at In Italy. It was quiet and romantic and although Greg was "not too impressed" with the intimate ristorante, I thought it was nice and the food was amazing. The ambiance left something to be desired but the dishes were superb!

Anyways, on to the exciting part...Greg and I knew we would be exchanging special gifts. He had hinted at some things I wanted like a David Yurman bracelet or a Louis Vuitton Speedy Bag. But in the end, he surprised me with a gorgeous sterling silver bracelet from Tiffany and Co. We just have to exchange it because he got me a 7' because the salesmen told him only someone with "extremely petite wrists" should do the 6.5'. Too bad he didn't know I am one of those "extremely petite wrist" people. Nevertheless it is gorgeous, classy, and unique. Greg knows me so well! It is simple and elegant, yet something I can still wear everyday (which I have been!)

If you're reading this baby, thank you for being so thoughtful and I love you!

BEACH

2009-04-09T12:57:00.003-05:00

One week from today I will be at the beach with a couple of my favorite co-workers. We are going to Dustin Thursday-Sunday and staying at a co-worker's condo. I am so excited. Hopefully we will get some good weather out of it. But either way, I am looking forward to some relaxing time away from the office and the hustle and bustle of our work!

Happy Thursday!

CUTE

2009-03-30T10:30:00.003-05:00

I found these pictures from last summer with Greg. We went to the Braves game on Fourth of July with his parents.I love how bright the colors are and I can just feel summer coming around the corner just by looking at them. I know, I'm so corny and nerby but I just wanted to post because they were so cute and I hadn't seen/found them until now!

P90X

2009-03-29T15:12:00.002-05:00

I gave in and ordered from an infomericial. BUT...I am so excited about it! For about $150 and change I got the complete P90X training system. I already had a yoga mat, and some 5lb dumbbells but I did have to add some resistance bands so a trip to Wal-Mart supplied those for about $8.

For those of you who don't know what P90X is, it's a 90 day in home training program that completely transforms your body. A lady I know lost 12 lbs in the first four weeks and was absolutely loving it. She swore by the program (and pretty much every guy and a few girls I know through work) and LOVES it so I figured I'd give it a try.

I am going to follow the nutrition program to a tee (or as best as I can given my schedule and lifestyle) and I can't wait to see the results!!! June 29th here I come!

WEEKEND

2009-03-22T13:26:00.003-05:00

So this weekend has been great. Although I am now working Saturdays at Slender Solutions I am still able to find some time for myself, friends, family and of course, Greg. This weekend I worked at the Auburn store and got in at 8:30 in the morning, I was off by 4:00 and headed home for a quick change and shower to get ready for my Mom and Steve. They were going to pick me up at 5:00 and head to the baseball game. (Note, Steve is my mom's boyfriend.) Greg had to work until seven so we stayed until the very end of the baseball game and then met him at Mellow Mushroom.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day! I am happy that I am able to work and be productive during the morning and still have time at night for some socializing and what not. Greg met us at Mellow at about 7:30 and we had a great meal. Mellow is one of our favorite places! We each had a calzone and a few beers. After that Mom and Steve went home and Greg and I were going to go see Knowing, the new Nicholas Cage movie, but were both too tired from the day! So we headed home to relax and watch some basketball before calling it a night.

Today I am busy getting some things done. I have to complete my GMAT prep assignments for this week, go grocery shopping, pick up a couple goodies at Bath and Body Works, go tanning, take a run, and make dinner. I am cooking Sherpard's Pie with rolls and a salad. And...I've been checking some things off of my list for Greg and I's one year anniversary. I know we are going to do gifts and as always I wanted to get him something special that he will really enjoy. I am afraid to post it on here because I do know that when he's REALLY bored he reads my blog. So for fear of runing that surprise it will have to wait until April 12, 2009 to be posted. But it's sooooo good!

That's all for now, hope ya'll have a great week to come.

MADNESS

2009-03-19T15:41:00.001-05:00

So who's ready for some March Madness? I completed my bracket the other day and I am excited to see how many I pick right. A couple years ago I did pretty well and finished close to 86% or so! I picked Duke to win the tournament this year and I really didn't have too much upsets. Hope everyone is having a great Thursday. It is so warm and sunny and beautiful out. I can't wait to leave work at 5:30 and go for a run.

WORK

2009-03-11T12:45:00.002-05:00

So I have not posted now in almost two weeks because I have just been so busy with work, which is definitely a good thing! Last week we debuted our new mortgage product... we can now originate FHA home loans! They are backed by the US Gov't so they offer rates at 4.75% and pretty much everyone qualifies. So if you know anyone interested in refinancing, now is the time to do so!

Anyways,I have been meeting with so many clients and working up so many deals that last Thursday I was in the office until 9:30 at night. Then I just started my new part time job last Saturday. So I was doing that from 9-4. I am working for my friend Deanna's body wrap salon, Slender Solutions. There is a store in Auburn and Montgomery and I am just wrapping for her on Saturdays to earn some extra cash. Since I had so many deals from last week that I had to get faxed up on Monday I came into the office on Sunday and worked for about four hours or so. I ended up putting in almost a 60 hour work week between everything.

This week has been better, but I have been coming in at 8am instead of 830 just to get extra work done. I am so glad to be busy, because not only am I getting overtime, but once these deals close in a couple months it will mean really nice bonuses!

And great news for Greg! He started his new job with Sam's Club last Friday. He is working in the Tire and Battery Department. And he loves it. Did you know you can get a Sam's membership for only $35 for a full year? And, if you buy your tires from Sam's you get free rotate and balance for life.

Hope everyone has a Happy Hump Day!

MY BOYFRIEND

2009-02-27T12:53:00.001-06:00

I'm gonna go ahead and steal this from another blog. It's Friday at work and only me and one other employee are in the office because of all the FHA Training going on (we attended yesterday). So I'm bored and in need of some entertainment. Enjoy and try it out for yourself! I think I'm gonna print it out and go over it with Greg to see how many I get right! :)

How well do you know your boyfriend?

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Either the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, or Fox News

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ouch! Toughie! I don't know.

3. What's one food he doesn't like? He's very picky about food. I know he doesn't like butter on his bagels.

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What does he order? Water usually. Or else a beer on draft.

5. Where did he go to high school? Harrison High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? Maybe a ten or eleven, I don't know. Sad!

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Either a grilled cheese or a PB and J.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Jimmy John's or a Hungry Howies Pepperoni with Cajun Crust

10. What is his favorite cereal? He really doesn't eat that much cereal, so I have no idea. I would guess Cheerios.

11. What would he never wear? He can push the envelope, but I'd say leather pants or spandex.

12. What is his favorite sports team? Texas Longhorns (besides Auburn)

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who is his best friend? David Reich

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Breathe with my open at all times.

16. What is his heritage? Aryan, as he would say. But really, German.

17. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? White cake with white icing, his favorite.

18. Did he play sports in high school? Varsity Football

19. What could he spend hours doing? As nerdy as it sounds, playing video/computer games.

20. What is one unique talent he has? He knows everything about everything. Just ask him.

RANDOM

2009-02-24T09:12:00.001-06:00

Why does everything cost so much money? Seriously! I mean I know I'm "out on my own" for the first time and yes, I'm getting used to paying the rent, the power, the water, the cable, the cell phone, the credit card...AND THE LIST JUST KEEPS GOING! But really, it's all just about to get a tad bit ridiculous on how expensive everything else is. For example, I went grocery shopping last Tuesday night at Kroger (a new favorite of mine, seeing as its on my way home from work and their prices are pretty fair, even in comparison with Wal-Mart, which I used to swear by) and I spent over $100. I almost fell over when I rang up, because although I did do a good "stock up" of a lot of staple items and splurge on a few things (Frozen Potato Skins and a bag of Hershey Bliss) pretty much almost everything I bought was either a) on sale (a gallon of milk for $2.56) or b) I used a coupon and Kroger doubles the value of manufacturer coupons. So I just told myself no more grocery shopping for a minimum until next payday, and I am going to try to stretch it as much as possible. Plus, I told myself I'm going to be really good about not eating out at all since I spent so much on groceries.

Another example, yesterday I spent my entire lunch break in line at the Lee County Courthouse to register my new car and tag and title it. I was expecting about $125-$175 at MOST. After all, to retag my 01 BMW in Elmore County was $131, so I figured it would be somewhere around this amount. WRONG! To register my 08 4 runner was $300!!! And the lady who saw me even did something tricky so she could save me $50. I could NOT believe it. It's the Ad Valorem tax that kills you...seriously, I already paid a pretty penny in sales tax on the car and now your taxing me AGAIN? I mean, really, enough is enough. The sweet lady in the office who was working with me reminded me that I could write it off on my federal taxes next year, but I don't itemize (why would I?) because it is much more valuable for me to simply take the standard deduction, considering I don't have kids or a mortgage to write off.

Any thoughts on this?

25

2009-02-19T15:33:00.002-06:00

1. I was the first baby born in 1986 in Minot, North Dakota and in Ward County, North Dakota. My parents got a bunch of freebies and I was on the news.

2. I have never had a boyfriend on Valentine's Day my entire life, up until this year. :)

3. Two days ago I bought a 2008 Toyota 4 Runner all on my own and I am obsessed with it. Everyone should drive a Toyota!

4. I can't leave the house without making my bed everyday, it drives me nuts.

5. I have lived in 6 different states and went to two different high schools.

6. I drink anywhere from 5-10 16oz bottles of water a day!

7. I was a Rodeo Queen when I was 12 years old. I had a huge crown, tons of outfits, boots, hats, jewelry, etc. I was in a parade almost every weekend and also did various speaking engagements and appearances. It was a lot of fun!

8. I love monogramming anything and everything. I even have a shower curtain that has my monogram on it.

9. I want to get a Toy Maltese and name her Molly. I'm hoping to do this in the next couple of years.

10. I mispronounce words all the time, and no matter how hard I try I continue to look like a retard.

11. I love to clean and bake. I love doing laundry, vaccumming, and even dusting and cleaning the bathroom.

12. The last three times I have tried to bake brownies I've misread the recipe and did 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 2/3 cup of water...the recipe is actually the exact opposite.

13. My favorite places to shop are Ann Taylor, Dillard's, Banana Republic, and Target. I love window shopping at Williams Sonoma, Tiffany, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton.

14. I have traveled to 37 out of the 50 states, as well as Spain, Portugal, The Cayman Islands, Mexico, England, France, and Italy.

15. I am an extremely naturally happy and positive person.

16. I am fairly conservative, old fashioned, traditional, hopeless romantic.

17. I love reading. Specifically biographies, autobiographies and business related books.

18. I have a subscription to Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Business Week.

19. My senior year of college I had a subscription to the Wall Street Journal and read it religiously every day. (I know, I'm a loser.)

20. In high school I was a Varsity Cheerleader, an Editor on the Newspaper (I even had my own column), and President of DECA (An Association of Marketing Students).

21. In high school I had a bunch of jobs! I actually held three jobs at one time, and then cut back to two. I started at Fazoli's (fast food Italian), then went to JCPenney Outlet (they closed) so I went to Outback Steakhouse and Old Navy and was even a telemarketer for a few months to earn extra cash for a spring break trip.

22. My favorite season is autumn. But I love summer too!

23. I love Jon and Kate Plus 8, 17 Kids and Counting (the Duggars), and all those trashy "pageants and babies" shows.

24. I used to collect postcards, but have since stopped. I still have a whole bunch tucked away in a "memory box" somewhere.

25. On the very last night of finals my senior year at Auburn I was arrested and put in jail for Driving Under the Influence.

The End.

V-DAY

2009-02-18T15:00:00.001-06:00

I love Greg. Gosh, he is so great! We decided to exchange our Valentines pressies on Thursday night since we were going to be in New Orleans Friday through Sunday for Pike Formal and we didn't want to have to lug extra stuff in the car and what not. So Thursday night after I got my body wrap, he came over and showed up at my door with a handwritten poem on a posterboard with candy words. For some reason I cannot get the add image button to work on my blog, so instead of a picture ya'll will just get the text:

To my "Sweetarts",
Please don't "Snickers", but I love you to the "Milky Way" and back. The "Starburst" and my heart sings like a "Symphony" when I think of our "Good and Plenty" life together. I would never tell a "Whopper" and I feel like "100 Grand" when I'm with you.

Love you "Mounds"
Greg

I never knew he was so creative! I had a few tears when he gave this to me because I could tell how much effort, thought and love he put into it. It might seem simple, but it meant so much to me. Much more than flowers or a teddy bear.

On the receiving end, he got a pair of heart boxers from Old Navy, a Men's Shaving and Lotion Kit from Neutrogena and some candy with two funny and cute Shoebox cards. A perfect first Valentine's together with many more to come.

NEW CAR!

2009-02-04T11:46:00.001-06:00

I bought a new car and did it all by myself! I am pretty happy with the outcome. I got a brand new 2008 Toyota 4 runner in Driftwood Pearl. It is a light champgane beige color on the exterior and a beige cloth interior. I love it! I feel like I got a fair deal, they gave me above trade in value for my BMW, I got over a 4K rebate, AND I got a bunch of upgrades on it! The 4 Runner only has 150 miles on it and that's because they had to get it from a dealer in Enterprise, AL on Saturday. I am just so happy it all worked out and I hope to keep this car for a long time. I've got a 5 year warranty on it too.

Some of the specs of the car: sunroof, power everything, cargo net in back, special floormats, leather wrapped steering wheel, etc...

BABY

2009-01-21T16:51:00.001-06:00

Yay! I am so excited! I have my first babysitting gig tomorrow night. I love kids and this is the first time in a very long time I have had the opportunity and chance to watch someone's precious little angels. I am going to be watching, Jayden, a 14 month old. I met his mom, Deanna, at Slender Solutions here in Auburn. (I know, try and hold back your laughs!) I have gotten a bunch of bodywraps there, which are amazing by the way, and she is the owner. We got to talking and she offered to give me free wraps if I can watch him every once in a while. Tomorrow night her and her husband are going to go to the movies, so I'm going to watch little Jayden from 7-10 or so. I am also watching Jayden on January 31st from 8 in the morning until 5 at night. I think she has to run the store that. Plus her store in Montgomery is having an open house and she needs someone to do a sample body wrap, so I told her I'd be the model and I am going to get a free wrap from that too. So that's great! If you have ever wanted to even try a body wrap, I highly reccomend Slender Solutions. They are NON dehydrating, infact, they're really good for you. Not only do you lose inches each time, it gets a bunch of nasty toxins out of your body and leaves your skin soft and supple. They are fabulous. If you ever want to get one done, call Deanna and let her know I referred you. I'm sure she'd be happy to give you a nice discount. :)

FIRED

2009-01-20T15:37:00.002-06:00

I don't know what happened, but Greg got fired from his job today. Can you believe that?! He called me at work about 11ish and told me he had been fired. Apparently yesterday he was yelled at twice. Once for putting his hands in his pockets. (He works outside in the freezing cold and doesn't have any gloves.) And once for sitting down on the job. He told me last night it was pointless, meaningless work and he really didn't like it. They had him moving concrete and other materials all day from Point A to Point B, back over to Point A and then to Point C, etc. You get the idea. He said he started doing that today, but him and some other crew men finished moving everything they were suppose to. Then a labor manager tells gives him a list of parts to go find. I have no idea what this means. But Greg said he could not find any of the parts, and looked numerous times and finally went to the labor manager. The labor manager got mad and said to keep looking and after more work Greg said he still could not locate them anywhere. Then the labor manager remembered none of those parts were here and nevermind about it, he then sent Greg to "the office." It was at this time (only a day and a half on the job) that his boss fired him, telling him he wasn't working hard enough and they would have to let him go. I felt so bad for him! He said that Zebra is way overstaffed and that plenty of the men were just wandering around pretty much doing nothing and that they probably realized that and then just fired him since he was low man on the totem pole. So now he has to start a job search and hopefully he can find something meaningful to do for this semester. I guess we'll see.

APOLOGY

2009-01-19T14:53:00.001-06:00

I am sorry. I have finally come to the realization that I am horrible blogger. I am going to try and attempt a new year's resolution to blog more, in order to document my daily life a little bit better. So I just found out that Greg's fraternity formal is Feburary 13,14 and 15th in New Orleans. The big night is of course, Valentine's Day. Figures. For the first time in my ENTIRE life I will have a boyfriend on Valentine's Day. Needless to say partying at a bar, full of frat boys, on Bourbon Street is not exactly how I envisioned Greg and I's first Valentine's Day together. I guess I am a hopeless romantic who was hoping for a candlelit dinner, with roses and chocalates in tow. Maybe next year?

On another note I have been attempting to study for the GMAT an hour a night and for two hours on Sunday. So far, haven't been all that successful but I looked at my countdown today and I only have 5 weeks until the exam so I have got to get going. March 1st is the application deadline, I am hoping to hear sometime in mid March to early April whether or not I am accepted. I just love school and love learning and I am really hoping I get the opportunity go back.

And before I go, I'll share that Greg started his job with Zebra Construction today on Auburn's campus. He has already completed all of his pre-BSCI coursework, so he doesn't have any classes left until he starts the Building Science Program in May. So he decided to take the semester off and get some work experience. He is so cute in his hard hat and insulated overalls and steel toe boots he wears to work. I begged him to get a picture and he said I could once he came home tonight! I'm hoping this will be a good opportunity for him to stay busy and earn a good bit of money to stash away.

I hope everyone has a great week! Lots of love!

VETERANS

2008-11-11T15:56:00.001-06:00

So I am sitting here at work and I have been SWAMPED all day. Finally though I've had a break for a good hour or so, so I thought I'd blog. After all, Greg mentioned to me the other day "You have written in your blog in a while, have you?" I laughed, because I couldn't believe he was actually reading it. So I thought I'd write a little message today. As you may (or may not) know today is Veteran's Day. A day to be thankful for the countless men and women who serve this country unselfishly and protect our nation. Please thank someone if you know they are a current active duty member or a veteran.

That's about it. I made a bonus last month at work because I did so well, so that was exciting. And two weeks from tomorrow I will be heading to Atlanta to spend Thanksgiving with Greg and his family (Mom, Dad, Sister and his Mimi and Pappy) I can't wait!

MERGER

2008-10-03T13:47:00.002-05:00

So this morning I found out that Wells Fargo bought out Wachovia. After rounds of rumors, it finally came true! This is a very exciting time to be a Wells employee and the office was just buzzing with excitment today. Not only does this mean we are going to acquire a lot more business, but more upward opportunities will be available. Plus, I bank with Wachovia so now I will be banking with the company I work for. I am just estatic!

Here is a link that covers the story if you're interested: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hwYCkGafcH6aRR0rgldWlJ3Ub7IAD93J1I980

FIRST

2008-10-02T14:55:00.001-05:00

Hello all...after randomly reading friends and families blogs I realized its a pretty neat way to keep you all up to date on my new life as a college grad as well as share in the struggles and joys I face out here in the real world. Please bare with me as I get this thing set up properly. Have a great day!