The Real World: Phoenix

I wish I was back in San Diego on Vacation!

It's hard to believe I start work on Monday! I know everyone else entered into the real world a long time ago, but I was able to push this off as long as possible with grad school. Every day, all day? It's going to be a big change!

I'm really looking forward to it, but I am very nervous. There are so many things you don't know until you gain some experience. Everyone says to just have confidence and don't act like you are lost! I think the first month is going to be some long hours and a great deal of learning!

Well girls, good thing we got our butts off the beach. It's time to get to work!

QotD: Weekend Wrap-up

What was the highlight of this past weekend?

This past weekend rocked. It was filled with good company, awesome food, lots of fun, and perfect weather!

Paul and I spent the weekend with my parents in San Diego. We visited an awesome little town called Cariff by the Sea and ate at a little surf shack called Pipes, which made amazing cheeseburgers! We also had fun in Little Italy with Matt and Drew where I did the unexpected and ordered a cannoli for dinner! It was yummy! The boys saw Clerks 2, the girls saw The Devil Wears Prada. We perfected our tans. And we fell asleep to the ocean waves crashing. Paradise!

And the highlight of the weekend? I got to watch my boy learn how to surf! It was so much fun! We hit the beach in Encinitas and Paul mastered the waves. What a blast!

QotD: Sugar, Sugar

What was your favorite candy when you were a kid? How does that compare to now?

Whatchamacallit! I don't know if it was because I loved the taste that much, or if part of it was that I thought the name was so cool as a kid, but I'd say about 70% of the time I'd pick a whatchamacallit. 15% of the time: Kit Kat. 15% of the time: 3 Musketeers.

QotD: Dream a little Dream

What's the most recent vivid dream or nightmare that you remember?

I had this dream a couple of nights ago. It was so vivid that when I woke up, I was kind of in a bad mood, not really knowing why. This funk continued until I received a phone call from my aunt Kim, who just had a baby (Luke). In asking her on the phone how Luke was doing, I instantly recalled my dream, and realized that it was the dream in the back of my mind that had put me in the bad mood I was in.

In my dream, my old roomie Jenn was coming home from NY to visit. She said she had some news to share. I was excited to see her, and couldn't wait to hear her news. I was sure that it related somehow to being offered a cool new internship or job in the fashion industry or perhaps meeting a boy she really liked. She had been in NY for about 6 months, and she was kicking butt at Parson's and always looking to meet new people.

Well, to my surprise, the doorbell rang, and when I opened it, there as Jenn, standing in front of me, dressed in all black clothes, 6 months pregnant! I was horrified! I burst into tears, and cried out, "What happened?" She was really matter of fact about the whole thing, and acted like it was kind of a pain in the butt, but not a huge deal. She didn't really know the father, he would not be in the picture, she was going to keep the baby, but was concerned that it might impede upon her schooling at Parson's. Because of this, she was going to move in with her cousins that lived in NY, and they would take care of the baby, while she was at school. She had an attitude of, yeah, no big deal. They'll watch it. I'll need to get on with my life!

I tried to convince her to move home, but she said that she really liked NY and she would not move home. At this, she dug into her purse, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, lit up a cigarette, and started puffing away. I was like, "What? You smoke? You can't! You're pregnant!" To which she replied, "Oh yeah, I picked up that habit, too. I'm addicted."

And then I woke up.

After remembering the dream, I immediately called Jenn. I asked her if she was pregnant, and she assured me that she was not. I asked her if she had started smoking, and she again reassured me she had not. THANK GOODNESS! I told Jenn about my dream, and we had a good laugh about it. I guess in the back of my mind I was worried about her surviving the craziness of NYC and coming back as sweet as she left! I know she will. I just wonder when she'll get back!

The guy behind it all!

Yup, this is him! It's becoming a little bit more of a reality lately that in 10 months I am going to be Paul's wife! Mrs. Parent! Crazy! And awesome! That's the amazing part of it. You get wrapped up in wedding planning for a bit, and all of a sudden you become clear that all of this wedding planning is for the day that begins the rest of your married life! And when I think about that, I get a huge smile on my face. It's like, wedding planning goes from super fun, to a little expensive, to the best bonding time Mom and I could wish for, to kind of stressful, to fun tastings with Paul, etc. But marriage, that's something that's all positive and all exciting! Yes, of course there are always bumps in the road, and difficult times, and quirks, and bad habits, and nagging, and all that that I hear and know comes along with marriage. But...bring them on! I want to experience them with Paul! I can't wait to marry this man and spend the rest of my life with him!

I love his constant mexican food cravings, I love the way he treats me like a princess, I love his ambition and drive, I love his sense of humor, I love his compassion and honesty, I love his spontaneity, and I love the fun we have together! He is definitely my other half, and I can't imagine living the rest of my life without him!