Living the Dream

• Graduated from FSU April 25, 2008
• Started optometry school at SCO in Memphis, TN
• Got a pug puppy, Dinky (now 7 months old)
• Matt and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary
• Finished my first year of optometry school (3 more to go...)

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Read 1 Note -Make Notes

Seeing as how I haven't updated in about a bazillion years and there is no way I could possibly remember everything that happened between my last entry and now, I'll just give you a brief overview of some of the important things...

~I'm officially accepted to Southern College of Optometry and therefore will be going to Memphis next Fall.  Matt surprised me on my birthday by informing me that he too wanted to go to Memphis as long as I was ok with that.  I of course said yes. :-)

~I'm officially 22, which is not nearly as exciting as 21.  I have no more exciting birthdays to look forward to for awhile.

~Matt and I went to Nashville to visit Angela and Brandon.  While we were there, we went to Opryland, Opry Mills (the circle mall from hell), and the Grand Ole Opry where we saw Mel McDaniel (Louisiana Saturday NIght), Sawyer Brown, and various old people.  After the show we had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which was delicious and reasonably priced.  Sunday morning before we left Matt and I had brunch with his cousin Thomas.  Unfortunately I was too exhausted to do much socializing, but I'm sure we'll get to hang out with him again at some point.

~Veteran's Day Weekend was the annual Phi Sigma Pi hayride here in good ole Tallahassee.  Unfortunately I forgot my camera so there are no pictures, but just know that a good time was had by all even though it was ridiculously cold and I had no one to cuddle with.  Thank goodness for bonfires.

~I had my last home football game ever and got to "walk out of my shoes" after halftime, a Marching Chiefs tradition.  Needless to say my socks were very wet and dirty, but it was totally worth it.  My grandparents were able to make it to this game as well, which was very much appreciated indeed.  We spent Saturday night after the game playing Catch Phrase and chatting about random stuff.  Matt and his dad joined us for dinner as well.

~Thanksgiving Break was fabulous, but too short as usual since I had to be back Friday night for the game.  I did have a small girls night on Wednesday with Jennifer, Alina, and Sarah complete with hot tub and various tasty beverages.  Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, but as always way too much food.  My grandparents joined us for that as well.  We broke our tradition of going to see a movie at the theater owing to Mom's broken foot (fell off shoes walking out to camper lol) and watched "The Santa Clause" at home instead...on VHS...we're so old school haha.  Friday morning Sandy and I were up bright and early for shopping.  We arrived at JCPenney around 4:30 am where we found a couple gifts.  Overall it was a very productive shopping trip, especially considering I had to be at work at 10 am and left for Tallahassee around 6:30 pm.  Long, crazy day.  And to top it all off, the Gators pulverized us once again.  At my last regular season game ever! Sadness :-(

That's just about it.  Less than 2 weeks of classes left, then finals, then 3 weeks off!  So cannot wait!  I finally posted pictures from this semester as well, so enjoy! :-) Fall 2007 Pictures

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"Down South" means Key West.

"Panhandling" means going to Pensacola.

You think no one over 70 should be allowed to drive.

Flip-flops are everyday wear.

Shoes are for business meetings and church.

No, wait -- flip-flops are good for church, too, unless it's Easter or Christmas.

Sweet tea can be served at any meal.

An alligator once walked through your neighborhood.

You smirk when a game show's "Grand Prize" is a trip or cruise to Florida.

You measure distance in minutes.

You have a drawer full of bathing suits, and one sweatshirt.

You get annoyed at the tourists who feed seagulls.

All the local festivals are named after a fruit.

A mountain is any hill 100 feet above sea level.

You think everyone from a bigger city has a northern accent.

You know the four seasons really are: almost summer, summer, not summer but really hot, and Christmas.

It's not soda, cola, or pop -- it's coke, regardless of brand or flavor: "What kinda coke you want?"

Anything under 95 is just warm.

You've hosted a hurricane party.

You go to a theme park for an afternoon and know when to get on the best rides.

You pass on the right and honk at the elderly.

You understand the futility of exterminating cockroaches.

You can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee, and Withlacoochee.

You understand why it's better to have a friend with a boat than have a boat yourself.

Bumper stickers on the pickup in front of you include: various fish, NRA, and a confederate flag.

You were eight years old before you realized they made houses without pools.

You were 12 when you first met someone who couldn't swim.

You get angry when people say, "Florida isn't really part of the SOUTH."

You've worn shorts and used the A/C on Christmas.

You know what the "stingray shuffle" is and why it's important!

You recognize Miami-Dade as "Northern Cuba." The south ends in the Ocala/Gainesville area, and then North Cuba begins.

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Alabama 
 
*  It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while 
operating a vehicle. 
 
*  It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street 
as long as a lantern is attached to the front of your car. 
 
*  Driving barefoot is illegal. 
 
Alaska 
 
*  It is illegal to tie a dog to the roof of your car. 
 
Arkansas 
 
*  It is illegal for a person to blare the horn on a vehicle 
at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served 
after 9 p.m. 
 
California 
 
*  Any woman dressed in a housecoat is prohibited from 
driving a car. 
 
*  It is illegal in San Francisco to buff or dry your car 
with used underwear. 
 
*  No unoccupied vehicle may exceed 60 miles per hour. 
 
Florida 
 
*  If an elephant is tied to a parking meter, the owner or 
attendant must deposit money in the meter. 
 
Georgia 
 
*  State Assembly members are immune from being ticketed for 
speeding while the State Assembly is in session. 
 
*  In Marietta, Georgia, it is illegal to spit from a moving 
car or bus, but is okay from a moving truck. 
 
Illinois 
 
*  In Evanston, Illinois, it is unlawful to change clothes 
while inside a car with the curtains drawn, except during a 
fire. 
 
Kansas 
 
*  In Derby, Kansas, it is considered a misdemeanor to 
screech your tires while driving. 
 
Kentucky 
 
*  If you stop for ice cream while driving, be aware that it 
is considered unlawful to transport an ice cream cone in 
your back pocket. 
 
Massachusetts 
 
*  You will be ticketed if you drive with a gorilla in the 
backseat of your car. 
 
Michigan 
 
*  If you car breaks down in Detroit and you are waiting for 
assistance, be aware that sitting in the middle of the 
street to read a newspaper is illegal. 
 
Minnesota 
 
*  It is illegal to cross state lines, regardless if you are 
walking or driving, with a duck on your head. And, if you're 
crossing into Wisconsin, the law also applies to chickens. 
 
*  In Minnetonka, Minnesota, if you drive a truck that 
leaves mud, dirt, or sticky substances on any road, you will 
be considered a public nuisance who is harming the peace, 
safety, and general welfare of the town. 
 
*  You cannot ride a motorcycle without a shirt. 
 
Montana 
 
*  In Whitehall, Montana, vehicles are prohibited from 
driving with ice picks attached to the wheels. 
 
Nevada 
 
*  It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway. 
 
New Jersey 
 
*  Drivers are required to beep their car horns before 
passing another vehicle. 
 
*  If convicted of driving while intoxicated, you 
permanently lose the option of registering for a vanity 
license plate. 
 
North Carolina 
 
*  In Dunn, North Carolina, it is illegal to drive on a 
sidewalk. 
 
Ohio 
 
*  In Oxford, Ohio, authorities will ticket you if you 
consecutively drive around the town square more than 100 
times. 
 
*  Keep in mind that if your car breaks down and you phone 
for a cab, you will be ticketed if you opt to ride on the 
cab's roof. 
 
Oklahoma 
 
*  It is considered illegal to read a comic book while 
driving. 
 
Oregon 
 
*  You will be ticketed if you leave your car door open 
longer than is deemed necessary. 
 
*  You will be slapped with a Class A traffic violation if 
you use your car on an Oregon highway to prove your physical 
endurance. 
 
*  It is illegal to pump your own gas. 
 
Pennsylvania 
 
*  If you spy a team of approaching horses, you are required 
by law to pull to the side of the road and cover your car 
with a blanket or dust cover that has been painted or sewn 
to blend into the scenery. But, if the horses react skittish 
to your efforts, you are then required to disassemble your 
car and hide the parts in the nearby underbrush. 
 
South Carolina 
 
*  In Hilton Head, South Carolina, you cannot leave trash in 
your vehicle out of fear of attracting rats. 
 
Tennessee 
 
*  It is illegal to fire a gun at any wild game other than 
whales from a moving car. 
 
West Virginia 
 
*  It is perfectly legal, for road maintenance purposes, to 
scavenge road kill.

Make Notes

 This isn't going to be all that long seeing as how it is late, but there are some important life updates I feel everyone should be informed about.  We'll start with the least exciting, meaning of course school.  Classes are still classes.  I've had tests in two of my classes and got an 86 on the Biochem test and 101 on the Genetics test.  I can't say I'm to terribly upset about that. ;-)  I had my first speech today, an informative speech on LASIK surgery.  I think it went pretty well, especially considering I've never actually done a speech before in my life.

Progressing on to more exciting things...my weekend at home was a lot of fun.  I worked with my sister on Saturday (she is now working at Cracker Barrel in retail), which was pretty much the greatest thing ever!  Saturday afternoon Matt came to Niceville for the big party that evening.  The party was quite entertaining.  It was nice to see all my parents friends and neighbors.  They're all really cool and I love talking to them.  It would have been somewhat more enjoyable if I hadn't been completely exhausted from working at 5:45 am, but I still enjoyed hanging out, playing Krud, and spending time with my family and my amazing boyfriend.

My trip to Memphis went pretty well after my car fiasco was settled.  I guess we'll start with that.  After I loaded all my stuff into my car, I started it and the overheat light came on immediately.  Long story short I ended up having to rent a car and left 2 hours later than I'd originally intended to leave putting me into Memphis around 12:30 am CST.  The interview overall went fine.  It was definitely a little more intimidating than my interview at UAB, but I actually liked it because it was more of a challenge.  It was great seeing the school again.  It just reinforced my thoughts that this was where I belonged.  And we got a free t-shirt!

After my interview I headed to Nashville to see the lovely newlyweds.  Friday night we just hung out around the house while Angela tried to study and I tried to convince her that it was Friday and we should do something else.  We ended up staying up until around midnight "solving all the world's problems and forgetting the answers by morning" as my dad would put it.  Saturday we headed to Opryland.  It was pretty neat looking, although way too expensive for me to ever consider staying there even when I do have money.  The cheap rooms were $250 a night and I'm going on a 4 night cruise for around $265 and that includes food.  We went shopping and got nothing of significant value, other than I got a cute casual dress from Aero.  The rest of Saturday was spent studying (boo!) and watching Gilmore Girls (yay!).  Then of course Sunday I drove home.  Driving 8 hours alone is not too much fun, but the audio book definitely helped.

Fast forwarding to the most exciting part of this entire entry...I got a call Friday afternoon saying that I was accepted to Southern College of Optometry, meaning that I will be going to Memphis next fall.  I am so ridiculously excited!!!!  Oh and I got the new Rascal Flatts CD and the new Nicholas Sparks book in the mail on Friday.  The CD is absolutely fabulous and I haven't read much of the book, but I have no doubts that it will be the same.

I went kind of countdown crazy this evening so I will leave you with what I have discovered using that:
9 days until my birthday
32 days until Nashville
73 days until Christmas Break
77 days until Cruise
207 days until Graduation
332 days until SCO Orientation

Boo for roommates getting showers at 12:30 and preventing getting ready for bed.  Good night all!

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My summer is quickly coming to an end, which is good and bad.  I'm really excited about seeing all my friends (especially Matt) and being back at Chiefs, but I still love every minute I get to spend with my family and then of course there is that whole class thing.  Not looking forward to the whole studying thing, but unfortunately it's a necessity.  I'm starting to get really excited about Optometry School, especially since UAB already called me for an interview.  That was surprising and extremely exciting although I will be much more excited when I get a call from SCO.

I just got back a couple days ago from a week long trip to Troy, IL and Minnetonka, MN with Jeni.  It was nice to have a little break, even though I still had to finish my admissions essays and work on my audition music while I was on vacation.  I'm hoping that next summer I won't have to think as much.  We left Wednesday and our first stop was Troy to stay with our Uncle Joel, Aunt Vicky, and cousins Sarah and Mason.  We pretty much just relaxed around the house the two days we were there since it was over 100 degrees outside and crazy humid, but that was such a relief after working 7 days in a row.  While we were there I fell in love with their foot/calf massage machine.  I miss it already. :-(  They also taught us to play Three Dragon Ante, which is a card game by the Dungeons and Dragons people.  It was pretty much awesome, so I had to buy it when we got to Minnesota.  Steve stopped by for lunch one day on his way to South Dakota and never left.  Jeni and I can be pretty persuasive when it comes to members of the opposite sex. ;-)  Actually we just found it kind of ridiculous for him to drive all the way to South Dakota just to empty his car and then drive back to Minnesota.  What a waste of time and gas...

Saturday we drove to MN to stay with Jeni's family.  The drive wasn't all that exciting, partially owing to the fact that Iowa has absolutely no food stops and Steve and I were starving.  But luckily when we arrived at the house Uncle Bill had Burgers and other various items of yumminess waiting to be ingested.  The weather in Minnesota was absolutely gorgeous.  One day we were there the high was only 85 and every night it got down to around 70, sometimes lower.  Steve brought *The Bourne Identity* and *The Bourne Supremacy* so we could catch up before we went to see *The Bourne Ultimatum*.  I got a lot of work done on my cross stitch, which was exciting.  I'd missed working on it most of the summer with all the studying and work.  Tuesday we went to the Mall of America where I found some cute tops, my new favorite pair of jeans (with buttoning pockets!!!!), and of course almost a pound of the greatest candy on the planet: Jelly Bellies.  We also did one race at the Nascar Speedway.  I got 14th, but I didn't lose so that's pretty impressive for me haha.  I even beat Steve!  Wednesday before I left we went to see *The Bourne Ultimatum*, which can only be described as absolutely incredible.  If you get the chance you should definitely go see it, but make sure you've seen the other two first.

The past couple days I've mostly been running errands and taking care of appointments before I head back to school.  Yesterday I had a haircut in the morning, eye appointment in the afternoon, and then Sandy, Mom, and I went to the new Carrabba's for dinner.  It was absolutely delicious, as usual.  After dinner Mom and I headed to Cracker Barrel, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, and Bed, Bath & Beyond for various items.  Today I mostly just ran errands: renewed my driver's license, picked up prescriptions, and more last minute items such as the super awesome duster I found.  But the most exciting part of the trip today was that I finally found a necklace with red stones.  It's similar to Sorrelli and it's in FSU colors, which makes it even more awesome!  The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, working on my audition music, and packing.  I finally had time to relax after dessert and I got some more cross stitching done.  My mom and I tried the alcoholic popsicles that Alina, Elizabeth, Jeni, and I made before I left last week but forgot to eat and they were actually really good, although they don't freeze as well as normal popsicles.  That's to be expected though.  I'm sure the people who designed the mold figured that into their calculations when they came up with the ratios.  I can't believe I'm already headed back to school tomorrow.  My how time flies, but at least my dad is coming home tomorrow morning so I get to see him before I leave.  Busy day tomorrow...boat, sax, ribs, driving...craziness!  Unfortunately I won't really have any time to relax until next Saturday when preseason training is over, but oh well.  I love Chiefs way too much to be upset about that.  Alright it's off to bed now.  Hope all is well!

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Make Notes

It appears that I am extremely behind as far as updates go.  July has definitely been the craziest month so far with traveling, work, admissions essays and applications.  Actually scratch that, this entire summer has been completely insane.  I can't remember another summer with as little free time as I've had during this one.  Let's hope next summer I actually get a break from all the craziness, or at least all the school-related craziness.  The rest is ok with me. :-)

Two weeks after my excursion to Tallahassee and Tampa, my oh so amazing boyfriend came back to Niceville to visit and hopefully accomplish some of the things we had wanted to do the last time he was here,but couldn't because of all the wedding craziness.  Since I had already asked off for two weekends in July I ended up having to work Saturday morning, but Matt was definitely kept entertained with my dad taking him flying and then learning to water ski in the afternoon.  I came and met everyone on the boat after I got off work at 2:30, but unfortunately was only there about 15 minutes owing to the fact that Matt had been seasick for the past hour or so.  That was somewhat dissapointing, not so much because I couldn't be out on the boat with everyone else, but I hated the fact that Matt had driven all the way up here and was sick on the first day.  He was much better after we got home though, and we went swimming in he pool instead.  Saturday night we went out to the Red Bar with Jeni and Steve, but unfortunately that was somewhat of a dissapointment as well.  Matt was completely exhausted from the events of earlier that day and I had horrible charlie horses in my legs for no particular reason.  It definitely wasn't the most exciting trip to the Red Bar I've ever had, but Matt felt a little better after dinner and was able to drive home for me and my legs were feeling better after much ibuprofen and finishing season one of 24.  Sunday we pretty much just chilled meaning sleeping in late and swimming in the pool.  For dinner we had fondue since Matt had never had it before.  We had cheddar and swiss cheese fondues, steak, chicken, shrimp, and chocalate marshmallow almond dessert fondue.  It was all in all a very delightful dinner.  After dinner Matt, Jeni, Steve, and I went to see *I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry*.  Absolutely hilarious!  Not a good movie if you're a homophobe, but we all found it highly entertaining, especially the scene with Astroglide in the background lol.  Yay Blue Collar Comedy Tour!  Monday morning we were supposed to go out in the boat again, but I woke up with a throbbing headache so Matt and I stayed home.  However before everyone else went out in the boat, Dad took Matt driving in the Humbug and riding on the motorcycle.  I wouldn't say it was the best weekend we've spent together, but there was still a lot of good times had in between all the badness.

The weekend after that I headed down to Tampa again, not because I'm a pathetic loser who can't stand to be away from her boyfriend for more than a few days, but I had already planned that trip before Matt decided to come to Niceville so I figured I would go anyway.  It was one of my favorite weekends because after all the craziness of this summer, I finally got to relax.  Friday night we just chilled as usual since he'd been working all day and I'd been driving.  I've decided I'm a huge fan of the audio book, at least as far as long road trips by myself go.  Saturday morning, Matt took me to visit his sister.  I thought it was going to be really weird at first, but it actually wasn't that weird at all.  I was really happy I got to meet her, even though she probably doesn't remember I was there.  It meant a lot to me that he wanted to share that part of his life with me.  After that we headed to Nick's baseball game, but we didn't stay long because it poured down rain and after it stopped it was ridiculously hot and humid.  So we stayed for a couple innings and then came home and jumped in the pool to cool off.  Saturday night we headed to Funlan Drive-In to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix since Matt had never been to a drive-in before.  Other than the fact that Matt's radio wasn't working too well it was a lot of fun.  We just rolled down the windows and listened to our redneck neighbors on either side haha.  Sunday we mostly just chilled in the morning/afternoon then headed over to the mall for a little while.  We didn't really find anything interesting except for candy though.  That evening we went with his family to the Mellow Mushroom since his mom hadn't been there and it was absolutely delicious.  I freaking love that place. :-)  Then sadly enough I once again had to head home on Monday since Matt had work that afternoon and I had work the next morning.

The next seven days were spent working entirely too early (4 days I opened...bleh), finishing up my admissions essays, and spending time with my family and friends.  Elizabeth came back home for a couple weeks so we went to dinner Saturday night.  Alina came over Monday night to watch a cheesy chick flick and drink tasty beverages.  Tuesday afternoon Jeni, Steve, and I went to lunch at Olive Garden then Jeni and I met Alina and Elizabeth for shopping.  I definitely didn't buy anything of necessity, but it was still fun!  I got sunglasses, a new sleeping mask, alcoholic popsicle makers, a pink shirt, and various other essentially useless but very fun items.  I can't believe it's almost the end of the summer, but I am so ready to get back to school.  I miss all my college friends and especially Matt.  But I definitely plan to enjoy my last few days of freedom. :-)

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