Thursday, March 31, 2011

If I Were...

If I were a month, I would be May
If I were a day of the week, I would be a Friday Evening.
If I were a time of day, I would be 8 PM.
If I were a planet, I would be Pluto (I still count it).
If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a canopy bed.
 

If I were a sea animal, I would be a starfish.
If I were a direction, I would be east.
If I were a liquid, I would be Diet Coke with Strawberry and Vanilla (From Sonic).
If I were a tree, I would be a willow.
If I were a gemstone, I would be a sapphire.
 

If I were a tool, I would be a hammer. 
If I were a kind of weather, I would be a very sunny day.
If I were a musical instrument, I would be a piano.
If I were a color, I would be maroon.
If I were a flower, I would be a lily. 
 

If I were an emotion, I would be happiness.
If I were a sound, I would be rain on the roof.
If I were an element, I would be water.
If I were a car, I would be a salsa red VW converble (tan top). 
If I were a fruit, I would be watermelon!
 

If I were a food, I would be french fries.
If I were a material, I would be silk.
If I were a taste, I would be spicy.
If I were a scent, I would be Dior Pure Poison.
If I were a place, I would be a library filled with books and comfortable couches. 
 

If I were an object, I would be my bow ring.
If I were a body part, I would be hands.
If I were a facial expression, I would be a smile. 
If I were a pair of shoes, I would be sparkly flats. 
If I were a song, I would be Too Busy Being Fabulous by the Eagles.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Netflix, Travels, and Weddings

I feel like not a lot has been going on but really, that's a lie. The big things stay the same: I wake up, get dressed, go to work, come home, make/eat dinner, then spend time with Shadow until Boyfriend gets home. But in between, little things happen.

We got a Wii! Woo!

games.gearlive.com


Which means we spend most of our free time playing Mario Kart, Mario World, and Donkey Kong. I get so addicted, but they are fun games to play together. We both get really into it and it's fun to make it past a hard level together. Ahhh, 21st century bonding! :o)

This also means that we have four (yes, four) different ways to connect to our Netflix account. The PS3, the Xbox 360, the Wii, and the computer. It's incredible. Since I don't have cable, all I do is watch Netflix. I watch Jersey Shore, Greek, 30 Rock, The Office... and countless movies. I do miss cable, sometimes, when some shows don't come on Netflix (MTV, where are you?! I miss Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant!), but mostly, I like Netflix's ability to give me what I want when I want it (oh, baby). Plus, they have Say Yes to the Dress seasons on instant, too, and that keeps me busy (and Boyfriend nervous! lol).

What next, what next... oh! Travels! That is definitely something new. Boyfriend and I will, in about two weeks, head to Mesa, Arizona to watch The Black Keys. The concert is on a Thursday, so we're going to make it a little vacation and stay until Saturday afternoon, shopping and eating and going to museums or zoos or maybe a game if we can.

I'm really excited about it. We haven't had a real break since Boston in the middle of November, because Boyfriend works for a shipping company that gets VERY VERY BUSY around Christmas and he's not allowed to take vacations during December. Although we did have a mini break when we went to see Wicked in Albuquerque, but I don't think he counts that! :o)

Here's a little sample of their music. They have a great rock/jazz/bluesy tone to their songs that I just love. Plus, they look SUPER nerdy and that is my favorite! I have mini-crushes on both of them!

We also booked our hotel for our trip to Vegas for our two year anniversary in July. Thanks to an awesome deal on Priceline, we are staying at the one and only...

Caesar's Palace! Woo!

When we booked it, I asked Boyfriend if he thinks it'd be okay if I asked the concierge if their hotel is the real caesar's palace? Like, did he really live here?  Boyfriend laughed but said he thinks they get that all the time after The Hangover came out! Worth a shot, right?

Either way, I'm really excited to stay there. We had been looking at Paris, because I've always wanted to stay in that hotel on the strip, but CP was cheaper, surprisingly. July cannot come fast enough!

Vegas also brings me to my next title topic... Weddings! I have two friends getting married this year and I'm so excited for them (both are marrying guys named Chris... weird, right?). One of my oldest friends Christina is getting married at the end of the year in Vegas before joining the Navy, and another old close friend from high school is marrying her love at the end of the summer.

I just love weddings and I'm getting to an age where they are starting to pop into my life more often. I love it! It's so nice to see my friends and family so happy and in love... and I'm definitely one of those girls that cries at most weddings. I'm sure I'll cry at my own... but mostly because I definitely cry when I'm really, really happy (and I know I will be, marrying Boyfriend!).

I'll get back to the cast of characters soon (in less time, I promise!). Take care! Have a good week!

Question of the Day: Where's your favorite place to stay in Las Vegas?



Friday, March 18, 2011

Starring...

In the effort to let people get to know me (and my life), I thought I'd give a list of characters that I mention on this blog, as well as a little bit of background. First, I'll start with Boyfriend. I'm sure he's starting to seem pretty familiar (since I talk about him all the time), but first, I thought I'd tell how we got together through the help of some really great friends :o)



Boyfriend is way cuter in person than he is in pictures (though I still think he's cute. Look at that big smile!). He and I met through his best friend Thomas, who is one of my close guys friends and one of the best guys I've ever met. I met Thomas through Mikey, who I worked with at Texas Roadhouse for years and years.


(Mikey is the one on the left, thomas is on the right. This is at 6 Flags in California on a roadtrip we took one summer. I think they were trying to look sexy, not borderline stoned.)

Mikey has been one of my best friends for a long, long time. We both pledged into the Greek life in 2006, our first year in college, and that same fall, we bonded when Pi Beta Phi and his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, went to homecoming together. This meant lots of time together, outside of work and inside of work, talking about our float.

By the next December, Valerie and I were spending every most nights at Mikey's house, which he shared with two other boys. We'd listen to Mikey play his guitar and talk all night long. During this time, Mikey's best friend Thomas became a good friend of ours. I could tell right away that he was someone I could really trust.

Mikey, Thomas, my best friend Val and I became a fierce foursome after that, going to movies every Sunday and spending most of our nights out together. We went bowling. We drank (a lot). We celebrated birthdays, holidays, school things, promotions. We went to Vegas for a Blink 182 concert and to California for roller coasters.


Here are the four of us in one of my ONLY group pictures (even though Mikey is uncooperative).

Anyway, Thomas and Boyfriend worked together and eventually, Thomas started bringing him to our Sunday night movie nights. We hit it off and the rest is history! We've been together for a year and a half now, but were friends before that for about a year.

Next, I'll talk about Boyfriend and then Val. Hasta!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

All Things Shadow

I talk about my dog a lot. He is adorable, but that's not the only reason I feel the need to talk about him in (nearly) every blog post. Beyond that, he is the closest thing I have to a child. So I thought I would expand a little more to show exactly why I baby this dog so much.

Shadow is a German Shepherd mix, my first dog on my own without Mom and Dad to help with the training and the feeding and the walking. Boyfriend and I got him after a year together, partly as a graduation present for me. He was so, so tiny when we first got him: about 10 lbs, which is small for a shepherd.

He was so scared when we picked him up from the pound that he was trembling when I carried him to the car. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, so much so that we didn't have a collar or leash or food for him at all. We took him straight to a pet store and I carried him through it while we picked things out, like new dishes, food, a bed, a crate, a collar, an ID tag, and a stuffed, squeaky duck that was almost as long as he was.

He didn't connect with us fully, right away, and we figure that's because he was adopted before, and quickly returned to the pound, but this time after all of his brothers and sisters had been adopted. The new owners thought he was sick (he was, although we didn't know at the time) so they just took him back. He was curious and happy, but not as bonded to us as we had hoped.

A little more than a month went by before we realized how sick he really was. At around 3 months, he was around 11 lbs below the normal weight for that age of his breed, and when the vet asked if we could feel his hip bones, I answered that we could clearly see his hip bones sticking out of his skin. He was all skin and bones, not eating, and getting more lethargic by the day.

The vet ruled out parvo and instead did tests for other things, finding two parasites. We treated him for the parasites, but I knew something more was wrong and I couldn't convince our vet that it was more than just a parasite. He would lay on the bed with me at night and cry, cry, cry so much that I recorded it on my phone to show the vet. He would only stop crying if he was lying on my chest (when he was small enough to do so), and I wasn't moving around too much.

It was so heartbreaking, hearing my little puppy crying and so sad and confused. During this time, we had to give him two pills in the morning, two at night, then a syringe of horrible smelling liquid medicine that we had to shove down his throat. He was such a patient, trusting puppy no matter how often we took him to the vet and he got poked and prodded and given more medicine than his little body knew what to do with.

We found out a few months and over $1,000 later that he had distemper during this time, something only 3 of 10 dogs live through, in addition to his two parasites attacking his stomach. He was such a trooper. He really started trusting us after that, and really became attached to Boyfriend as his playmate dad and me as his cuddle-buddy mama.

Then, disaster struck again when Shadow was just four months old. Shadow had an unfortunate fall and (we think) ruptured a disc in his back. This is a pretty big deal. Often, dogs with ruptured back discs never fully recover, even with super expensive surgeries to repair the disc.

When the vet told us that we could send us to a specialist that would charge about a grand just to do an examination, Boyfriend and I exchanged looks of worry. Then Boyfriend said, "I'm sorry... we just don't have the money for that." In just over two months, we had already gone through a grand just getting him past distemper and two parasites, medicine, plus his shots and checkups (which became mandatory every week... every week, another 40 bucks for the visit).

The vets were great; they didn't make us feel like bad dog owners for not having an extra $5,000 for his back. They offered us a slim chance with steroids and muscle relaxers, but they made us clear it was a long shot and would be a "miracle" if he recovered fully.

I cried, a lot, about this, but there was nothing else we could do. I had a full time job, but Boyfriend is still in school and working just part-time. My salary barely covered the rent, my car, insurance, bills, and gas. In the meantime, Shadow couldn't move his back legs at all. He would drag them behind him, hobbling if he could, so he was on strict crate-rest. If we wanted to have him near us, we'd have to carry him. At this point, he was almost 40 lbs, and I struggled with it. Keep in mind also that we live on the second floor in our apartment building... so Boyfriend carried him down every single time Shadow needed to use the restroom.

When he finally started recovering, the muscle relaxers made it hard for him to warn us about needing to go potty, so we had a lot of accidents. He had only had one accident as a puppy (potty training was a breeze, because he's so smart!), so he was constantly embarrassed and kept putting his ears down in shame after an accident. The steroids made him thirsty, so he'd literally drink so much that the water would upset his stomach and he'd throw up.

We went through about two full months of this, maybe a little longer, of more steroids and pills and vet visits, but then... he started to walk. Just for a few minutes at a time before his back legs would give, but it was a huge improvement. Even the vet called it a miracle recovery.

Now, Shadow can run and walk and play like a normal puppy. He does have some signs of hip displasia and if another dog pins him too hard by pressing on his back, he yelps and cries, and comes to me for some reassurance before he goes out to play again. The other day, during obedience school, he slipped on a freshly waxed floor and his back legs splayed out as he fell. He cried so loudly that everyone in the store looked over. Boyfriend helped him stand up and, after a little bit of petting, he went on his way.

We'll always have to be careful with Shadow's hips, legs, and back, but by now, he's such an integral part of our little family that I can't imagine our life without him. For almost 8 months, taking care of Shadow has been a full-time job, and he has repaid us in unconditional love. I think it's a fair trade :o)

Monday, March 7, 2011

In Growing Up...

WHEN do people decide to grow up? Is it a choice at all, or does it just happen naturally, like puberty or something hormonal and normal when aging? I can't decide what is more depressing... knowing that people don't accept responsibility as a choice or as some kind of intelligent design.

But I'm not really trying to get into "nature vs. nurture" (a very interesting topic in my opinion) right now. I'm trying to decide why certain people act the way they do.

I've been hanging out with someone new, and I thought she could become a friend. Once I finally found money to go out with my friend Danielle (in the Broke post night where I listened to a potential hookup for far too long for a 23-year-old girl on a Friday night), she texted me and asked to come along.

Sure, I said, why not.

Bad. Idea.

By the time I got to her house, she had "pregamed" herself into near drunkenness. Plus, she was wearing a high heel and a sock. For a moment, I was struck by the choices she had made that night. Beyond taking about six shots in ten minutes to "catch up" to me (even though I hadn't even started drinking), what could have possessed her to make that kind of fashion choice? Which direction was she heading? Toward the sock or toward the high heel? Was she going to wear socks with her high heels?

I got it together; I had bigger things to deal with. Since we were "new friends", I had no idea what kind of boundaries I needed to keep. Could I wash her face for her? Should I get her a glass of water? Was there a polite way to leave without her?

She got herself together (high heels, not socks, in case you were wondering which direction), though she still had those red eyes that come with drunkenness and an unstable walk. She insisted we swing by her ATM so she could pull out gas money for me even though I told her it was no problem.

Against all odds, we make it to the bar... late, of course, but there. I let go of her arm for ONE SECOND to text my friend Danielle to get a location to meet and what does Drunky McAlcohol do? FALL ON HER FACE IN FRONT OF A SECURITY GUARD BECAUSE SHE WENT WITH THE HIGH HEELS INSTEAD OF THE SOCKS!

And what does the security guard do? Look at me and go, almost apologetically, "You can't bring her in here."

Back to square one.

This girl is mid-20s. She is off and on going to school, but she has a job and a boyfriend and a life. And yet, she couldn't even keep it together one night without having to rely on a new friend to take care of her.

Now, I'm no angel. I have distinct memories of having a night out at a formal with my friends and taking one too many car bombs. After hurling my life away in the bathroom, my sorority sisters passed me like a torch. Kaiti took me out of the bathroom, Trish made sure I had all of my stuff (keys, phone, etc.), my little Brittany picked me up and brought me home, and she and Kaitlyn took pictures of me laying on the bathroom floor in a hazy fog.

It was the worst, but at least I had good friends that I trusted to take care of me. I never got so drunk that I had to rely on a person that I'd known for not even a few weeks.

I think I should send her a bill for babysitting. Too soon?

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Getting to Know Me

In the interest of introducing myself to those who may not know me (and might be reading my blog), I've decided to post a survey, true Myspace style! Woo!

A. Age: 23!


B. Bed size: Full, which I actually love. Boyfriend is a heater and i like to steal his heat when my feet get cold. If we are in a bigger bed, i chase him across it in the middle of the night while sleeping.

C. Chore you dislike: The shower. I hate cleaning the shower.

D. Dogs: Love them! I have a German Shepherd mix named Shadow who is my love.

E. Essential start to your day: A good morning snuggle with Shadow. Every morning, even when I have to wake up early for work, he sleepily walks over to my side of the bed and puts his ears down and wags his tail and leans against me, yawning, to say good morning. Once I say good morning, he feels free to go back to his crate for more sleep. He's so good.

F. Favorite color: Pink! also I love Maroon.

G. Gold or silver: Silver for sure.

H. Height: 5'5" ish

I. Instruments you play(ed): I grew up playing the piano (like 10 years) and then picked up the viola and violin. Wish I still played.

J. Job title: Officially, Technical Writer/Editor. But someday, either Public Relations Manager or Author.

K. Kids: Not yet, but someday for sure!

L. Live: in a small New Mexican town with lots of sky and lots of Mexican food.

M. Mom’s name: Janet,

N. Nicknames: Jenna-Belle was big in high school. Jenna-Face from Blairre. Emma from my sister. Jenna to everyone else :o)

O. Overnight hospital stays: None that I can think of.

P. Pet peeves: Bad grammar. I HATE bad grammar. My biggest peeve is when people use the wrong you're/your. Didn't you pass elementary school?

Q. Quote from a movie:  "With the whole world crumbling, we pick this time to fall in love". Casablanca. Classic.

R. Righty or lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: I have one older sister, Jessica.

T. Time you wake up: I have to leave for work by 6:45 so I wake up around 6:30. I know, I'm so lazy, I get everything ready the night before (shower, lay out my clothes, make my lunch...) so that in the morning, all i have to do is brush my teeth, wash my face, and throw on some clothes. I wear very little makeup so that takes about one minute. All to be more lazy.

U. Underwear: Boyshorts

V. Vegetables you don't like: Celery. Such a weird texture.

W. What makes you run late: When little Shadow has to go down. He takes his sweet time when he needs to go to the bathroom.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Just everything. My ankle, my toes, my wrist, my elbow, my shoulder, and my teeth.

Y. Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy foods! But I think my best dish is my salmon. I make a mean salmon. Or my green chile enchiladas.

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I love the giraffes, the big cats, and the elephants!