What A Piece Of Shit!

I am playing this prank on Nick as we speak. He is not home. I can't wait until he is! Lil and I were standing in our bathroom making it and even Maddie was excited. We could tell because she was barking. Which I mean, yeah, she does that all the time anyways but this was a different type of bark. Anyways, we put it on his toilet seat. Hahaha. Now we are (not so) patiently waiting for him to come home.

1, 2, 3, Like A Bird I Sing

Know what's ironic? Being obsessed with bird decorations. Why's that ironic? Because I'm terrified of birds, that's why. But they just look so sweet as decorations. That's what is kind of taking over my room, slowly and surely. Aside from the grey and yellow color scheme.

I have a similar jewelry stand, in silver

I have wall art like this too, only in silver

I have this figurine in white

These decorations look surprisingly well with my yellow and grey colors! Not to brag or anything, but it's pretty much the cutest room ever. 

Budgeting.

I used to be so good at sticking to a budget. I had three bank accounts: one for bills, one for saving money (on top of my savings account), and then one for stuff for me. But now, all my bank accounts are empty except one and I use it for everything. And I'll be honest, I'll buy things I want and don't neccessarily need before I'll pay on my student loans. It's pretty bad. But I've sat down, and written out my new budget and hope to get back into the swing of things.

I think I'm going to start applying for a new job though. I need to buckle down and get serious. I need to figure stuff out. Like, do I really want to go back to school? Do I really want to go and get my RN? Or should I go to graduate school and get my masters in psychology? Can I find a  job in psychology with my bachelors and work my way up? These are all questions that I don't know the answer to, and have been stressing me out. I feel like I'm too old to be having these thoughts. I think I'd love being a nurse, but it's SO MUCH liability. I don't want to have to have a poor work schedule. I'm scared someday I'll be a nurse, have children, and then miss their first Christmas or something because I'd have to work. Are these legitimate concerns? Or what if I get my masters in psychology and then still can't find a job? I guess I don't understand why it's hard for me to find a job with the education I have.

Jacob was here earlier this week. It was nice having him here when I got home from work. Always put a smile on my face. Plus he fixed things around my room for me. He also fixed my computer! Here I thought it was being a P.O.S, when really I don't know what he did but it was acting amazing. Then he left and now my computer is messed up again. Literally two hours after he left. I told him that and he asked how I "fucked it up already". I had no answer for him. He just laughed and said he'd fix it again for me next time he sees me. He wasn't here too long, just two days. I worked both of those days as well, so really we only had two evenings together. One evening we just hung out me and him, watched movies all night and I attempted to make him supper. ATTEMPTED. After that embarrassment and a burnt smell throughout the apartment we went for chinese. The next night we met up with his best friend and spent a night on the town. He has the best friends! He really does. I think they talk to me just about as much as Jacob does.


I worked all weekend, so nothing too exciting about this weekend. I did learn however that my friend got a promotion at work! So we went out to supper to celebrate. Other than that my weekend consisted of...work. Exciting.

Young, Wild, and FREE!

 So what we get drunk?

So what we don't sleep?

(The real lyrics are "we smoke weed", but I don't...so radio edit!)

We're just havin' fun.
We don't care who sees.

So what we go out?

That's how it's supposed to be

Living young and wild and free!

A real weekend?! What's that! You mean those days when you have two days in a row off from work and don't have a mile long to do list? Whoa! I almost forgot those existed! If I had a "real weekend" what would I do? Probably some of this.

Friday.

Friday I would go out to eat at a Mexican restaurant downtown with Nick, Shawna, and Amanda. And by going out to eat I mean we would get guacamole and have margaritas. Good ones.  Strong ones. Blended. With sugar (because naturally I'd get the raspberry flavor). We would talk about things we have in common and laugh about all the stupid stuff we've done in our life. Once we've overstayed our welcome at that restaurant/bar, Nick and Shawna would probably want to go home since they have to work early on Saturday morning.

So then Amanda and I would probably walk to a nearby a low key bar for some martinis. I'd probably laugh at Amanda for making eyes across the bar all night at a certain guy. I'd probably laugh even harder when she accomplished her goal, the guy comes over to us (er, her really), and she realizes he's one of those dudes that looks better from a distance. So then she has to "go to the bathroom". By this time Amanda and I would be feeling pretty good and ready for the big league! REAL downtown bars!

We'd meet up with some more of our friends: Stephanie, Laura, Justin, and Chris and head to a busy bar with lots of   dancing. Justin, who loves dancing, would probably start taking off his shirt and dancing on top of a table. Laura and Stephanie would be tearing up the dance floor, and Chris, Amanda, and I (the non-dancers unless we are feeling EVEN better) would probably sit at a table and laugh at our dancing friends. During a bathroom break, we'd probably get lost by the poor layout of this particular bar and accidentally walk into the men's bathroom thinking it was a hallway to the bathrooms. They probably should put up signs or doors or something.

By this time Jacob's friends that also live here would probably start texting me asking me if I was downtown. Why, yes! Yes I would be! Stephanie, Laura, Justin, and Chris would probably decide to stay at their current bar while Amanda and I walked over to meet Matt and Luke. We'd probably get Jager and rootbeer shots. Matt and I always get those! They are SO good! Amanda would probably get a text from her man at this point telling her to meet him at another nearby bar downtown.

Matt, Luke, and I would probably then go to another nearby bar. It'd probably be a country bar. Matt would probably hate it while Luke and I would love it! Then Luke and I would probably country dance with the twirls and all! We'd dance and sing, and eventually Matt would too, until the lights came on.

Luke would decide to sleep in his car for the night, drunk driving is bad kids! Matt and I, being not tired would decide to head back to my place to make a pizza and watch movie. Not only would we make pizza but we would also make cheese balls! Then, Matt being Jacob's best friend and me being Jacob's girl, and us knowing Jacob's poor sleep schedule due to working night shift during the week would have the great idea to call Jacob. You know to remind him we miss him. We would also tell him to visit us on Tuesday. He'd probably agree. I'd probably be super giddy and smiley after that and Matt would probably make fun of me. :)

Saturday.

 Saturday morning I'd probably end up waking up unnaturally early for how late I was up. I'm guessing it'd be around 8 AM or so. Matt and his roommate Jake would probably start texting me about this restaurant that has bottomless mimosas for 7 dollars. I'm not a champ like Jacob's friends though and therefore turn down their offer. They'd call me a "fucking pussy", out of love of course.

Instead I'd go on a two mile hike with Amanda and share stories about our nights after we split up. Afterwards, I would decide it'd be a good time to bond with the roomie. So Lilly and I would go shopping, especially to Bath and Body works,  with our friend Val. We'd grab some supper and continue shopping.

Then Lilly and I would go on home and come home to Nick's cousin and her new baby. Oh my goodness, would that make me want one! Anybody who says "mommy fever" isn't a true thing is probably not a woman my age. Every time I see a baby I just want one. Bad, and soon.

Jake would then text me asking for advice with a girl he's having problems getting rid of.  I'd tell him in order to get rid of her, he needs to be nice to her. That's the only reason I'm bringing this up. Woman like men who are mean to them. I don't know why, but we do. Nice guys finish last? True. He says that sounds backwards and is going to continue being a douche to her. SURPRISE! It doesn't work. (Disclaimer: I am no longer one of those stupid women who go after douche bag guys, Jacob is legitimately a good guy, y'all!)

Since I would be running on 3 hours of sleep, I'd probably pass out around 11.


Sunday.

I would probably start feeling lazy and want to do something productive. So I'd clean the apartment. I'd take down the Christmas tree (don't even get me started on how annoying Christmas lights are and how they mysteriously get tangled even though you haven't touched them in a month! GRRR!). With my OCD tendencies, that would take up a majority of the day.  Then I'd go grab some supper with Lilly and Nick at Perkins and then go shopping for things to make my room look more "homey". It'd be looking pretty adorable by the end of the night, I'm positive. I'd promise to post pictures of my room since y'all haven't seen it since I painted!



And THATS what I would do if I had a whole real weekend. :)


So now it's Monday, meaning tomorrow is Tuesday, the day Jacob will be in town. Look at him driving almost four hours just to see me (and Matt) in the middle of the week. Aw, shucks.

Red Light

Just got done working out/going on a run. I can't wait until Zumba starts back up, I've been missing it!
 
Anyways, today I want to talk about my dream world. In it, I own two cars. My lovely Sulley, of course, along with this car that I was driving home next to. When I was car shopping I was so close to getting one of these, SO CLOSE, yet I went with the soul instead. I'm not saying I regret getting my car, because I don't at all, I'm just saying I love this car as well. Yesterday I got stopped at a red light next to one and I just kept staring. I love this car. So much. You are probably all thinking it's going to be some fancy  car. But nope. I am talking about the Scion tC. And not the newer models.I'm not as big of a fan of them as I am the older models.They have the cool circle tail lights, and not the newer "squared ones". I'm not even sure why I'm so obsessed with these cars, but I just am. I just LOVE them. I love how they look. I think I'd want a white one.

 

Love those tail lights!

Love the headlights too!

I also think it's sexy as hell when dudes drive pickups. Especially navy blue Chevys. But mainly trucks in general. The big ones, not the little ones. But not the "in your face" big trucks. I don't even care if they are all worn and rusted up and not  that shiny anymore. There's just "something bout a truck".  Thanks for that song by the way, Kip Moore. (Country music sure has a song for every thing I ever think and feel. Good job Nashville! Country music capitol of the world!)

Oh hello, sexy truck you got there

"EVERYBODY celebrates my birthday!!"

Just got home and unpacked for my trip up to Jacob's for his birthday/New Years Eve. And let me tell you what, it is windy as all hell outside. I was talking to my mom before I left his house to come back home and she told me it was really windy in Iowa too. So that means it must be windy everywhere. It was kinda scary how windy it was! I got a radar detector for Christmas, because apparently my mother thinks I've turned into a lead foot, and I didn't even get a chance to use it because it was so windy I was going under the speed limit!

New Year's Eve/Jacob's birthday was a lot of fun! My friend who is dating Jacob's best friend wasn't going to be there this weekend so it was just me and all his friends. I was a little sad because it would have been nice to have another girl around because when these guys get together they always get so rowdy, or try to start bar fights, but are always fun nonetheless. Anyways, so I left straight after work at 3:30 and got to his house around 7 PM. Then we met up with all of his friends in a town a few miles away to watch an ice hockey game (i know, weird right?! They like ice hockey too!).  We arrived to the game pretty late, and by that I mean we got there in time to watch them lose in overtime. Then the six of us went out to grab a bite to eat before we went out to the bars. At the bars we met up with many more of his friends and had a good time. Jacob danced of course, only this time he did not convince him to join me. Instead I sat up at the bar with a few of his friends and had a good time. Then another "what a small world!" moments happened. One of his friends, who I hadn't met prior to last night, came up to me and said

"So, Jake is always talking about you, so I was looking you up on facebook. It came up and said we had about 12 mutual friends. Most of them were Jake and his gang, but then two other names caught my eye. How do you know Corey and Alex?"

So I explain to him that I'm cousins with Corey, and that Alex and I have been friends for literally forever. Turns out he was originally from Iowa as well and went to Iraq with the both of them. See what I mean? Small world!

Then another one of his friends, who I had met before, were talking about jobs. And I didn't know this until last night, but he works with teenage criminals like I used to. We were talking about the different Mandt restraints we've had to use and the little stunts those kids pull and how we both have gotten beat up at work. The difference was that he still liked his job and I hated that job and quit. His friends are awesome and I love them all and before we left the bar they were already asking when they can all come visit me or the next time I'll be in town. Haha, they are so sweet.

The bars here are open til 3 instead of 2 like in Iowa. But I could not last til 3. Around...130 I was extremely tired. In my defense I'm used to going to bed around 10 because I have to work so early. Jacob on the other hand works night shift, so he's in his prime around that time. But being the perfect gentleman that he always is we left and went to bed. I fell asleep probably 5 seconds after I laid down. Jacob laid in bed awake until our alarm went off at 9. Why'd we have the alarm set?

And finally the big news. I thought this wouldn't happen because I've been putting it off. But I finally did it. I met the parents. Not gonna lie, I was so nervous because his friends are always telling me horror stories about them. But we met them at their house (which is HUGE and brick and beautiful...) and then went out to breakfast. Jacob and his dad ordered the exact same meal. You know how breakfast meals always have a million questions like : bacon or sausage? how do you want your eggs? want cheese on those? breakfast potatoes or hashbrowns? white, wheat, or rye toast? blah blah blah. Well, Jacob and his dad ordered the exact same meal. Down to the drink. It was pretty funny. We talked about our complete horror of roller coasters but how we both ride them anyways. We talked about how his mom and I were complete neat freaks. We talked about how his dad has two whole bedrooms in their house dedicated to his rock collection (which was actually really neat). 

No complaints from this girl about this weekend!

Gainin' Fast on Memphis

Welp I'm baaaack. Haven't written/blogged/whatever for awhile. It's because I've been busy. It was nice to see the family, and it wasn't cold or snowy over Christmas so that was a pleasant surprise. I had a good time seeing the family and eating good food.

Can you guys believe it's almost 2012? That means kids born in 2000 are almost teenagers. That shouldn't be allowed considering it was only yesterday. It means I've been out of high school for six years. It means I've been out of college for two. It means I'll be turning 25.

Tonight it's back to packing...again. I'm getting really good at packing lately since I've had to be doing it a lot more.  Anyways, short and sweet, but have a safe and happy new year! xoxo!

Pot Luck

I just want you all to know I'm baking. Right now. As in, with the oven. And not one thing has caught on fire. Yet. But things are looking good. I haven't even burnt anything yet. I've made rice krispies with fruity pebbles and now I'm making chex mix. In the oven. The right way.

I remember back around Thanksgiving last year when I worked with teenage criminal boys and one Friday night the boys and I made a special kind of chex mix. It was so delicious the boys flew through it so fast I had to sneak a bite from them when they weren't looking. It was called Pumpkin Pie chex mix. If any of you need to make something for a potluck and were thinking chex mix...try this! I don't even like pumpkin pie, but this was undeniable delicious. HERE is the link. If you play around on that website you'll find a lot more fun chex mix recipes. Considering chex mix is almost its own food group to me, I've kinda done a few of them.

I made the cheesy ranch one back in the days of me living in Cedar Rapids. The ex loved it, the roommate loved it, I hated it. So I will not be making that kind again. I think the next one on my "to do" list is the loaded baked potato one! I always go for the salty recipes because one of my pet peeves is when people mix sweet and salty. Another reason why I'm surprised I like the pumpkin pie one.

I hardly ever put the nuts in my chex mix. I tend to substitute them with cheetos, usually the BBQ ones. I also only do corn chex because I'm not a huge fan of wheat chex, and the rice chex taste too similar to the corn chex once all the seasoning is baked in to buy a separate box for the same taste.  How do all of you make your chex mixes? Seriously, tell me. I'm addicted and am always thinking of new ideas for it!

Grrr.

Hi, my name's Joella...and I'm a winter accessories-aholic.

You know how the stereotypical woman is addicted to shoes? Well, that's me. Only not with shoes. I'm really not even a big fan of shoes. Winter coats, scaves, gloves, and beanies though? My weakness. Have I even needed them yet this year? Nope. Not even close. I guess technically winter hasn't started, but there's usually been a few days where I've had to pick and choose between one of my many winter coats. This year, nope. 

Today, I was at target and I bought a green scarf and glove set. There was no more reasoning behind it than I thought it was cute and it was on sale. Heavens knows I don't actually need any more. Oh but I did. I needed it. 

Then the other day I was buying one of my friends this cute little beanie, and ended up getting one for myself as well. Can you blame me though, look at it!

Ok, well, I don't know why it's sideways. Because every time I open it not on blogger it's going the right way. So whatever. Technology hates me, I'm telling you. Anyways, just tilt your head to the side to get the full effect.

Do you notice how my unnaturally stubborn straight hair is kinda wavy? Yeup. Learned how to do that with a straightener. Don't ask me why I straight my already straight hair. I don't have a real answer for you, minus it makes me feel prettier.

I was going to write a little more on here today but I'm thoroughly annoyed with that picture and it being sideways. So I'm not going to. 

Drink To That

Three Things:

1. Jeremiah Sweet Tea and Water (A friend I have called me a "douche" for drinking this! So good!)

2. UV Cake and Cream Soda (Birthday Cake shots are also delicious with UV Cake)

3. Bacardi Grape and Lemonade (Jolly Ranchers, anybody?)

All three are a guaranteed good time. All three are delicious. Yuum. That's what Nick and I did after he got home from work. However, based off my typing skills, you can tell I only had small servings of each. I also want to try the Gummy Pinnacle. Or the cotton candy one! Right now there is a bottle of Pepper SoCo floating around in my trunk. I found it the other day because every time I took a turn I'd hear something rattling around. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was because theres never anything in my car. Well it finally pissed my off enough that I wanted to figure it out. That crap has been in there since the last time Guy was here. His friend kept talking about how good it was, so we went to the store and bought some. He did one shot then said "oh, it tasted a lot better when I was already drunk" then the next morning when we all left another friends house to go back to my apartment he left it in my trunk. I told him to come get it, but he told me to keep it. Thanks, lol. I couldn't even get past the smell of it. It was so gross I don't know how he was able to do a whole shot of it.

Now that I sound like an alcoholic, let's talk about a healthier subject. I'm sore everywhere right now. I had the bright idea to do Zumba last night, then get up and run this morning, and then workout/work on toning immediately after that. My body loves me and hates me right now. It's a good pain, and means I'm getting healthier, so really I shouldn't be complaining. But my poor legs hurt so bad, and I have Zumba again tomorrow. I'm thinking no running tomorrow, just Zumba. Nick just signed up for Kosama, and those are expensive but I've heard it's completely worth it and I'm excited for him. I've been thinking about picking up P90X, anybody know anything about it? I heard it's intense. But I'll probably stick with Zumba. Next month I'll be doing Zumba and Zumba toning.

Began making plans for New Years Eve today. I work that morning, but I have the 1st off, so possibilities are endless. I could get off work and drive up there, or I could stay here.  New Years Eve is also His birthday. The big 2-6. So I may go up to his city with his friends that live in my city. But they told me that he's came here for the past 3 years....so thats what they've been assuming. I think I'd rather go up there though. Get away from this city for a day or so. It's his birthday though, so ultimately it's all up to him. So that's how far I've gotten at planning. I need to get stuff figured out. Next thing you know it will be Christmas, and not too long after that...NYE/his birthday, and then 2012! Especially with all the days I work thrown in there, these last few days are guaranteed to fly by!

Tomorrow I have plans with Val. She hasn't finished her Christmas shopping, so we may hit up some of the malls (it's nice having four REAL malls to choose from!). Then she wants to do her holiday cooking. Um, hi Val, do you remember when we tried to bake a cake from a mix?  Here's my blog from that day. She sent me a list of like four or five different things she thinks we are baking tomorrow. I better take my camera for sure! Buuut, if we do start baking I want to make Oatmeal scotchies. Seriously, ever had them? Delicious. They make them in break and bake, but my boss just made them and left them in our documentation room, and they had cherry frosting on top. They were so good I wanted to die! Mmmm.

People always make fun of me for my grandma characteristics. Well, screw you guys because there are two movies I want to see and both are at the other end of the spectrum. Alvin and the Chipmunks-Chipwrecked and Despicable Me 2. I have seen the earlier version(s) of these movies and they were so adorable. I'm actually pretty excited for these. That's saying a lot because usually I just fall asleep during movies or my attention span wont last me the whole thing through. These ones? I think I could!

While we are talking about movies, I've only watched Elf two times so far. Thats a record for me. Usually it's around 15 by now. I'm obsessed, what can I say.

I Can Do It!

I want to get my RN. Bad. I want to help people. I get a thrill knowing I'm helping people live their lives easier, happier and healthier. I want to learn more about the human body and how it works. It's the only thing on this planet that every single person has in common, and that fascinates me. I like the fast-paced environment, I'm good at working lots of hours, and truth be told, I like wearing scrubs everyday as well.

I want to work in an emergency room. I think I figured this out at work today when I answered a page and walked in on a poor lady who was covered in blood gushing from her face. I want the excitement and unpredictability of that, but still have the joys of helping people. I really think I'd enjoy that.

Or maybe I'll want to work in a nursing home, so that I can build up relationships with the people I work with. I seem to enjoy it now, and so I'll probably like it in the future too. 

Or maybe I'll want to be a psych nurse since I have a psych degree. I've heard most people who do that kind of nursing hate their job though.

Let's be honest. I have no idea. I'm sure once I get started with the actual schooling though I'll figure it out. I always seem to figure out what I want eventually..

The other day the guy was telling me how he got to assist in a surgery in the ICU. I was so jealous. He was telling me what all he got to do and how he can't wait to get back into school as well so he can "move on to bigger and better things than monitoring heart rhythms".  It's really motivating me to want to get back to school and makes my dreams a reality. They are so close, I can feel them!

Watch Out For Those Silver Civics!!

It's difficult for me to type right this moment. Madison felt the need to sit on my lap and when I tried to pick her up off of me she growled. Sooo, here she sits. She's the boss afterall. She's been mad at me ever since I gave her a bath last week, and as a punishment she has taken a shit on my new rug, dumped over my bathroom's trashcan, and ate my stash of candy corns then threw up right outside my bedroom door. Gotta love Maddie and I's love/hate relationship.

Last night Nick and I went and had some IHOP for supper. Nick was still hungover for a Christmas party the night before. I know, what a champ right? Anyways, everybody knows the best thing for a hangover is McDonalds breakfast hashbrowns, but like I said it was for supper and McDonalds doesn't serve breakfast at that time. Although, if they did I'm sure they'd make lots of money. So then afterwards we drove around and looked at all the Christmas lights downtown. This city does a beautiful job decorating for the holidays. The skywalks are all outlined in red lights, the trees that line the sidewalks are all alternating with either blue or green lights. Instead of having regular lights to light up the buildings they had blue. They were just really pretty, especially when you got to the top and could just look over the beautifully lit city. This was a nice little bonding adventure for Nick and I. Except for the fact that him and I had had a  water drinking contest at supper and my bladder was getting pretty full. Luckily we live pretty close to downtown so the ride home shouldn't take long. Key word there: sholdn't. Downtown streets get pretty messed up with the one ways and all the streets that for no reason other than to confuse you don't run parallel and twist and turn and meet in random places. There's this one random street that we take to get home from downtown (which has the best bars, btw)  that merges onto another street, like you would merge onto an interstate. Only it's not an interstate, but that's not really important. Anyways, traffic is stopped. On the three lane. Making merging impossible. Making it more impossible is that the cars were bumper to bumper and refusing to make any sort of gap so we could get in. I kid you not we sat in the same spot for 10 minutes waiting for the 4th car in front of us to be able to get in. NOBODY was letting us in. That car kept creeping into that lane and the fuckers WENT.AROUND.HIM still bumper to bumper. Because heaven forbid they let one car in front of them. They may get to their destination a minute or two later! OH NO! This was not good for my bladder which was starting to burn I had to go soooo bad. So I did what any woman who was about to explode would do. I laid on my horn. Wrong thing to do. The bitch in front of me in a silver civic puts half of her body out her window, literally, half her body and starts screaming and flipping me off.  Not just a simple "fuck off" and a flip of the bird. Nope. With all the flailing of her arms and the intensity of her screaming it almost seemed as if she was getting hardcore into a good song or something. She just kept on going.

"Why the hell would I honk at you? You can't fucking go anywhere! I'm honking at all the douches who won't let us in!!" 

But she was too busy yelling at me/jamming out to god knows what to understand . After my little honking fit we continued to sit there for another good 5 minutes, and by that time we only had 3 more cars in front of us! So that first car had pushed his way in far enough that they couldn't get around him anymore. 

I don't know what I did at that point but the bitch got out of her car and started yelling at me and flipping me off AGAIN! I told Nick I should just go piss on her. Psycho bitch.

Sorry for all the cursing, it was a very angry time in my day. IHOP however was delicious, and yes I won the water drinking contest.

Elf

I've been hearing a lot about this "Elf on the Shelf" lately. So, naturally, I did what anyone of my generation would do. I googled it. It led me here. Or, this may easier.

ave you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf – A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa know who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year. 

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot!  While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families.

On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy. 

I can't wait until I have my own little kiddos so I can do fun things like this for them! It's such a cute tradition. I think the hardest part would be figuring out a bunch of different ideas of what the elf could have been doing the night before. My favorite ideas that I've seen are riding around in a remote control car, sitting with Barbie, dying the toilet water green, playing board games with action figures, etc. I guess that would be half the fun. Here are some other cute pictures I've found of Elf.

Is that not the cutest tradition you've ever seen? I can't wait!

Heartfelt Sorrow

I shouldn't be sitting here crying. Never has my life seemed so clear to me. I may not have a lot of friends, but the handful that I do have are of the best quality. I may not have a job that pays out of this world, but I can say I go to work and enjoy my time there. I may not know exactly where my life is going, but I have my goals in place and work at them a little every day.  I may not have had a fairy tale ending with him, but I'm currently being treated the way every woman deserves to be treated plus some.

Yet it's a Friday night and I'm sitting here on the living room couch home alone listening to sad country songs. I've accomplished so much in the past few months and have grown so much as an adult and am becoming the person I've always wanted to be. So why am I sitting here with tears running down my face?

Why? Because it hurts. That's why. It hurts in ways so bad that I cannot even describe it, even though I may try.  It hurts to have loved him so incredibly much. I'll be honest here, I loved his stupid sense of humor and the way he walked too slow on our hikes. I loved driving around his dented up Hunter. I loved movie nights and eating way too much junk food. I loved swimming with those stupid goggles in the ocean. I love the way we wasted a day of vacation because we were too stupid to wear sunscreen. There wasn't much I didn't love about him. And those are all memories that I'll forever hold deep within my heart.  But I honestly felt like he was two men in one. It was as if I woke up one day and he had been replaced during the night with a complete stranger. I protected myself and removed myself from the situation. However, my heart still yearned for him. Then one day he was back. Right at my doorstep, almost literally. That day meant more to me than the day I ran down the stairs and tried to rip open a truck door that hadn't even yet been unlocked. I promised myself I would let my guard down one last time, but if it had ever gone back to previous problems...I was done. My brain would win over my heart. It was inevitable, and for that we both should have known. He was my first true love. What hurts is looking back and not knowing if the whole thing was a lie. Was my first love really four years with a man who I'm not even convinced loved me? I can't even convince myself that he liked me for that matter.

Then today came what I've been waiting for quite some time. An apology. I believe it to be sincere. I hope it was sincere. It was like a piece of closure I had been missing. He thought and cared about me enough that he needed to tell me he was sorry for the pain he hqe caused. It was the first time I felt that my feelings had been thought about. It's amazing how much power the words "I'm sorry" can have on a person and I'm so thankful to have heard them.

But I'm scared.  What if I put my all into this new one? Am I only setting myself up to be hurt? Does he honestly mean half of the sweet nothings he tells me? For that matter, how do I know he doesn't have a hidden life that I know nothing about? I'm such a skeptic over love. I'm positive I can feel it, and I know that I can fall, and I can fall harder than should be humanly possible. But I've been in two long term relationships. Nine years with two guys. Both ended with me asking the same questions.  I'm sure this more recent one will someday be like the first and  eventually not cause neither pain nor happiness when thought about. But what I'm not sure about is whether or not it's possible for somebody to love me in return. Nine years. Nine years where I was easily disregarded as a piece of trash and not worthy. And that hurts.

So now there's him. The guy every woman dreams of. Now, don't be getting the wrong idea. I'm not saying I'm in love this this guy, because heavens knows I'm going to take my sweet time from now on. All I'm saying is I recognize the qualities in him that are rare in men these days.

Not only did he stand out in the rain with me but he held my hair as I threw up from motion sickness in the parking lot of a fancy restaurant. He wants to cook for me. He lets me sing along with him...karaoke style...at a bar. That's brave because I can't sing well. He tries to surprise me, even though I always know I'll wake up to a sweet "good morning, beautiful" text message. He calls me "darling" and "beautiful". He told me he can't sleep on weekends we are together because he gets distracted by how peaceful I look when I'm asleep. He runs towards me, picks me up, and spins me in a circle when he sees me, like something straight out of a movie. He has his mother already asking when she gets to meet me (yikes!). Sounds pretty perfect right? I know it's not fair to hold other men against him (especially when he's been told the whole story, my side anyways and has been so completely understanding) but I do. Not necessarily hold them against him, but just against people in general. I know I kinda hurt his feelings the other day when I flinched when he play punched me. I know I hurt him when I woke up and said "I just had to make sure you were still here". I know he was upset when I misheard what he said and thought he was calling me a mean name. Each time he tells me he understands and gives me a big hug. I'm worried someday it will finally get to him and my past relationships will ruin this one. I'm worried that maybe he's too good to be true and somebody once I'm totally smitten his true colors will show though. Then I worry that i'm thinking that this and putting too much pressure on it and setting it up for disaster, which brings it back full circle. I'm hoping this isn't the case. His friends assure me he's not a player or closet douche bag. So I really am hoping that I can learn to relax and let my walls down. Be as carefree with him as I am with my new friends and life.

Christmas Shopping, Kinda

My day off was today. I'm not very good at being unproductive, except last weekend, then I was great at it. But usually? Unproductive and I aren't really the best of friends. So usually I make myself a to-do list for the day, to make sure I get everything done. I started the day out pretty well. I woke up, went running, cleaned up the apartment, and then called Val so we could do some Christmas shopping. That's where being productive ended. That's where accomplishing anything else on my to do list ended. And you know what? I'm really bad at buying presents for other people. I'm just bad at it no matter how much I know the person. But buying for myself I'm really good at. So I came home with two more people on my list finished, and more things for me.

Here's what I would have bought myself today if my budget was unlimited.

AE Live

 

Victoria's Secret Vikings Yoga Pants

Tis The Season Candle from Bath and Body Works

Reebok RealFlex Shoes

White NorthFace Fleece Jacket

Bling Cover for My Phone

Food For Thought: 

I read this on a friend's facebook page today. It made me feel like I was reading my life story from a few months ago. It made me thankful for what I've finally found.

They do the wrong, you have the proof and yet they still look at you like its your fault and are pissed off at you instead of themselves. Well life wont treat you too well if thats how u will be. Life is too short and I'm learning first hand you need to grow up and face facts, love and be true cus someday you life will be cut shorter of what you dreamed of. Dont blame others when its your own fault, step up be a adult and admit you screwed up even if it means hurting the people u "care" for.

 

Percy, The Puny Poinsettia

Today's story of the day is brought to you by my job. Because that job seems to be my life. Wake up, Work, Workout, Eat, Shower, Sleep, Repeat. I see my stats for how many people read this thing and am always impressed by myself. My life is interesting enough to that many people? Maybe a camera crew should follow me around! I mean if teen moms and jersey shore guidos can get their own show then by golly, I should have no problem getting one. So anyways, back to my story. They always do some kind of entertainment after lunch. Usually it's Bingo, and they can win big money. Like a quarter. These people pay around 5000 a month to live here, but they sure are serious about winning those quarters. They get vicious! I once made the mistake of talking to a resident during BINGO time and got yelled at. "Hey, Ella, shut the hell up! I'm hard of hearing enough without trying to hear over your yappy voice as well!". I laughed at that one. I don't think that's the reaction he wanted. Anyways, what was I saying? Oh right, entertainment. So today they didn't do Bingo (dangit!) and instead they brought in a one man band thing. Only the band was background on his computer while he played an accordion and sang to it.  I don't know what that's called so I just called it a one man band. Today he was playing Christmas songs. My pager had finally calmed down a little and I was able to go into the room where he was preforming. I saw in the back row the sweetest lady, and I know she loves to dance. LOVES IT! So I went up next to her, grabbed her hand and danced with her. She loved it. Then she started singing along. Everybody turned around and started giving her dirty looks like "bitch why you be singing over the singer?!" (I tell ya, they are vicious sometimes!). But I didn't want her to stop singing because i could tell she was having a great time! So I sang with her. I thought it would help a little if there were two of us singing. Power in numbers, right? Nope. False. So I left her danving and walked around to a few other ladies who I knew loved to dance. I pulled them out of their chairs and danced with them too. They had fun, I could tell. But as soon as I left somebody to get somebody else up and dancing, the one I had just left would sit back down. So that didn't go as planned. But more people did start singing. I think maybe they gave up on us stoping singing so they just gave in. Peer pressure works. Everybody did leave with smiles at the end of the show. :) They even caught it all on video. Me and my dancing with the residents. I'd post it, but you know that whole "privacy" thing. I'm not a fan of breaking these people's rights, so I don't and won't. Sorry folks. I can assure you it is adorable though.

Sleeping Beauty

So, this weekend I did absolutely nothing. Legit. I went to the doctor Friday after work and am on two meds right now. It didn't say anything about making me drowsy, but I popped them at 9 and was asleep, in my clothes with full makeup on, by 915. And then I didn't even wake up until 1030 the next morning. Then I ate breakfast, ran some errands then did the majority of my Christmas shopping. I did it mission style. I knew exactly what I was getting everybody on my list and got most of it all bought and checked out an hour later. CHAMP! Then I came home and napped. No joke. More sleeping. Then I woke up and watched animated chidren's christmas movies and fell asleep early again. Sunday I did laundry, and slept. And slept. On the bright side, I'm feeling much better!

But needless to say, I couldn't sleep Sunday night and was up all night, wide awake. Just lying there in bed playing "Hanging with Friends" with the guy and becoming more and more frustrated with each hour that went by. Then I finally get to sleep and am awakened by a loud noise. I'm convinced there's a murderer in the apartment. So I go exploring. It's Maddie. She's decided tonight is the night she needs to snoop through the trash and find goodies. So it's all over the kitchen, drug down the hallway, and into the dining room. Oh, I was MAD! I threw her in Nick's room and shut the door. Then I fall back asleep. Then I'm woken up AGAIN because our apartment is scorching. I'm not complaining about having free heat, but hot damn....it was 78 in my room. I know this because my clock has a thermometer on it. So I opened my room window. Oh my goodness, I think I slept 3 hours last night, so I'm glad I slept a lot this weekend!

Today, Zumba. My legs hurt. We always do a song of just lunges and abs.  It's to the song "Shots". I now hate that song. Just so you all know. I hear it and my legs start screaming "please, NOO!" haha.

Motivation: ME

Zumba kicked Val and I's ass tonight. Which I guess is kinda the point. Plus I've ran...oh you know 0 miles this week. Annnd my healthy eating has gone out the window. I've usually ran anywhere between 9 and 21 miles by now...and 9 is a slow week. Then last night I ate a whole pack, yes you heard me right, A WHOLE EFFING PACK of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. I didn't even bother baking them. Nope, I just ate the dough raw. It says right on the package not to do that. But it's just...SO GOOD! So anyways, tomorrow...zumba. And back to eating right. No more of this slacking stuff. I feel gross. I'm seriously falling in love with this eating healthy, working out thing. My boss at work must agree. He wants me on the directors board for the wellness committee he's making for work. So that's pretty awesome, and I was flattered. I really gotta step up my game now. I'm going to find the zumba workout videos of the songs we do work on them.(Like this one) I want to be good, no, one of the best! in that class.

Then i came home and played with Maddie. I think it drives Nick crazy when I do that. I've figured that out because he always says "No wonder she's aggressive when you play with her like that" or "Oh my god, you are going to kill her". Hey it's not my fault she's one of those dogs that thinks it's fun to be pushed around. 

See, Mads loves me! (Note her spray collar)

As of tomorrow, I'm on overtime  for the week. It's been a busy few weeks for me lately. But I'm liking it. A lot. It helps when you wake up to such sweet nothings like I do everyday, can't complain there. I don't want to brag...BUT! he's one of a kind. Females always say they want to be treated like a queen, well, he sure knows how to treat a lady. He also knows how to do it without losing his sarcasm (which I didn't even know somebody could rival me for it...). He knows how to keep me in line without being rude about it. He works at a hospital, monitoring the heart rhythms of patients in the intensive care unit. You know what I told him? Warning: it's pretty corny. I told him he could watch over my heart too. He said "I'll be sure to be extra careful with yours and watch over it like a hawk, darlin". Awww, my favorite is when he threw in "darlin'". I don't really know why.

Did I ever tell you guys the story the morning after Halloween? No? Well, I was a ninja. So I had my hair all teased, extremely done eye make up, and those black stripes football players wear under their eyes. That night we stayed on his best friend's living room couch, and a bunch of other people stayed there as well. So we wake up in the morning, and this is the first thing he said to me:

"Joella, you took up the whole couch, you hogged all the blankets, and you snored. Your hair is a hot mess, your eye  makeup is everywhere including all over the pillow. And you are still in the clothes you put on yesterday. You haven't washed your face or brushed your teeth or hair... "

At this point I was pretty embarrassed, felt disgusting and ugly and  was thinking I had blown it.

Then he grabbed my face in his hands and finished with:

"But you are still the most beautiful woman I've ever known"

and kissed me.

Awww, shucks.

Red Solo Cup

You may be wondering to yourself: why has this woman not written in days/weeks!? Well, the answer is simple. I've been a workin' woman! I've been wo rking, running, going to Zumba, and checking stuff off of my to do list. One thing that has not gotten checked off that to do list yet is finish Christmas shopping. You know what else hasn't gotten checked off yet? START Christmas shopping. Whoops.  Luckily I have this weekend off and I'm NOT traveling to guy's town, and he's NOT coming here. Which is good because I've learned I can't take him shopping with me. I've made the mistake of doing that before. It was him, me, and his best friend and his girlfriend (who happens to be one of my best friends, convenient, yes!). Anyways, it was a nightmare. We tried so hard to lose them in the store so we could try on clothes, look at home decor, try on shoes, look at jewelry, window shop, etc. The guys just didn't understand. After about 10 minutes at the FIRST store they were complaining of us taking too long. So anyways, hopefully I'll get to go shopping, and HOPEFULLY with Lisa or Sarah or Pamela or Val or Nathalie or Lilly or maybe even Nick!!

Tonight Glee sang Red Solo Cup. I about shit my pants, it was so funny! I never would have imagined them singing that. And then New Girl...ohhh jeez that shows amazing. Nick even set it so our TiVo records it so I can watch it over and over. He has to set it because I haven't figured out how to yet. Let's be honest, I can barely turn on the TV with all the crap that's connected to it. That whole me and technology thing again.

Want a good laugh? Check out my board of funny stuff that I've spent too much time on lately. HERE!
 Can you tell I've been incredibly happy for the past two weeks? I have been! 

A Few More

This website is so frustrating sometimes. I don't understand how people put pictures and writing on here. Because all my computer seems to do is freeze up.

She makes work bearable!

Naughty or Nice Santa Hats.

Yeup, def shoulda bought this from Target.

So yeah, if you can't tell, I had a pretty fun weekend. Here's to hoping I have a pretty good rest of my week too. It should be, I do have Zumba on Wednesday! Excited!!