Finding Your Passion

I'm always fascinated by people who have found their passion early in life. My passion, clearly, is writing. I've always loved to write (and read, which I think goes hand in hand with writing), and I've always known I've wanted to do something with writing. So knowing how I feel about writing, I love coming across other people that have found their own passion in life.

I think everyone has a passion; it just depends whether you've found it yet. One of my friends, Kaitlyn, has always had a passion for animals. You can see it in her eyes when she is around her dogs or even when she meets a new animal. She talks about her horse like it's a human. Other friends have passions in fashion or in art or in history, but it's always so apparent... it's when people find something that they know they can do for the rest of their lives happily. It's when it doesn't matter if you get paid, you're going to do it anyway.

I'm currently watching Grizzly Man, a documentary about a man named Tim Treadwell who loved bears so much that he spent months studying them and being around them. He did, eventually, get killed by a bear (one that he was wary of), but you can just tell by his video diaries that he loved those bears. How amazing, isn't it, that he found such a strange passion? Not strange in that bears are strange, but his passion was in being near the bears, not just studying them. He loved them.

One of my favorite things about Boyfriend is his passion for film. He knows so much about movies and movie making and he's not pretentious about it. He'll watch my silly girl movies and if he likes it, he'll say he likes it. He enjoys all types of movies, even though he is really a movie snob at heart. I love that smile he gets when he talks about Godfather II or Taxi Driver. I love how much he knows about Martin Scorsese.

On a side note... here are some quotes from Grizzly Man to end this blog. Enjoy.

(When a fox stole his hat)
"If I find that hat in your den, I'm going to F-ing explode!"
"He's guarding the tent. Do your thing."
"You're a bad bear. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I love you."

Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend has been awesome so far and we're only one day in. Yesterday, Boyfriend and I spent the day playing Lego Batman on Wii (so much fun) and eating pizza. Then we took Shadow on a walk and started to get ready for a night out with our friends watching the UFC fights.

We headed to The Game (a sportsbar in my hometown) and started the evening with some beer (Blue Moon for me, Dos Equis for him) and watching the prelims. Mikey, Thomas and Thomas's sister Vanessa showed up and we had such a good time! We drank, we watched the fights, and we made plans for our Sunday Night Movie Night tonight for Hangover 2... hopefully it's funny! I've heard conflicting reviews from other friends.

Today, my parents are having a Memorial Day barbecue. They do it every year because they have a huuuuge yard, so we invite my pseudo-aunts and our family over for some food and then some charades. We're bringing Shadow over to spend time with my parents' pitbull Lula Mae.

I love summer. I thought the love for summer would fade after I got a real job and my summer vacations with nothing to do faded away, but nope. Summer is definitely my favorite season, even in super hot New Mexico. I love the bbqs, I love the heat, I love pool parties and the beautiful summer evenings (which are PERFECT in NM). I love not having to weat 4 layers if I want to go check the mail. I love summer sundresses. I love the feeling of the air conditioner and fans. I love, love love summer foods (nectarines, watermelons, cherries).

Next weekend, Boyfriend and I are heading back to Phoenix to see our favorite comedian, Kevin Hart. He is so, so hilarious and we are really excited. Phoenix is a place that we might want to end up once Boyfriend graduates and I get my masters. We love the sprawling city and all the things to do. We had thought about moving to the east coast (like Boston, my favorite city) but once we felt a hint of the cold, we 86'd that idea. Phoenix has everything we want: sports team, plenty of music shows, it's close to other cities (like LA or Vegas), and we know we can handle the heat!

You can tell we can't get enough of Phoenix because two weeks after we go to Phoenix to see Kevin, we're going back with our families. My parents, Boyfriend's parents and Boyfriend and I are going to Phoenix to see a D-Back game and enjoy a little time away from home. We're staying at a resort that I love, that might be a wedding location for us, so it's a good excuse to go and see the resort and see what our families think of the place.

THEN Boyfriend and I are heading back to Vegas for our two year anniversary in July... our relationship started in Vegas (over the phone, while I was there with Mikey, Thomas, and Val for a concert) and then we spent our one year anniversary seeing O. I love Vegas and I think it's really nice that we can go back and see our favorite things (like the lions :o)

I'm excited to have such a fun, busy summer! Question of the Day: What's your favorite vacation spot?

The Life of a Homemaker

Let me be clear... I am not a stay at home girlfriend. In my relationship with Boyfriend, I'm the current breadwinner of the family since I'm a cougar and older than Boyfriend and graduated first. He's still going to school but is only a few weeks away from a great promotion at his current job which would give him 40+ hours a week (and like, an extra $10 bucks an hour. Yeah.). But until then, I work 40+ hours a week and Boyfriend takes care of a lot of the home-making in our apartment.

Don't get me wrong... Boyfriend goes to school and works part time, but with me being gone most of the day, a lot of the housework ends up on his shoulders. Boyfriend takes care of Shadow (feeding, walking, brushing, etc.) and also vaccuums, does dishes, straightens up, cleans the shower and toilets, and makes sure all bills are paid and that all repairs are made. I, on the other hand, have promised to do laundry and mop floor (which he hates to do).

I used to be super great at staying busy while Boyfriend was at work in the evenings. I'd do dishes and work out and walk Shadow and make dinner and clean up and usually do one big cleaning thing a day (like laundry or mop the floors or dust).

Then... Boyfriend and I got a new mattress.

Let me rephrase.

A wonderful, thick, pillowtop mattress that replaced my 10 year old mattress that was literally like sleeping on springs.

It's heaven. When I picture heaven, I picture my bed. Only with more french fries.

Unfortunately, this new mattress delivery coincided with my realization that watching 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and True Life on the laptop is just as much fun as watching it on TV. And lately, I've been pretty much worthless after Boyfriend goes to work. I sit in bed for hours, watching MTV on my computer, playing Spider Solitaire.

This bedrest has introduced me to one of my favorite new True Life episodes: True Life, I'm a Newlywed. One couple, Brett and Laura Beth (my favorites, so cute), led a very southern lifestyle... Brett became an engineer and Laura Beth, at 22, became a homemaker. She stayed busy with making dinner, keeping house, cleaning, and making sure Brett's life was easier.

I could never be like LB.

Case in point: The past two weeks of my life.

I complain about my job often, usually when I wake up (before the sun rises) and have to leave my new awesome bed and my awesome Boyfriend to head off to work. I usually say, "I don't want to work! I want to stay home". Boyfriend is always so supportive and tells me he loves me and that he's sorry I'm so sad.

Once I'm away from my love (my bed... okay and Boyfriend, too), I'm completely fine. I like my job and I like my coworkers. I like being an active part of society. I like earning my own money. Boyfriend would be fine with me staying home once he's working, but as I've seen lately, I can't be trusted with all this time. I need a schedule to get me up and get me moving or I become a TV-watching, Solitaire-obsessed zombie.

Someday, I'd love to stay home (probably at the end of my pregancy and when raising our children), but I know that being a stay at home mom is nothing like just staying home. You have a job as a stay at home mom. You have a rough schedule, sometimes, early mornings and late nights and a lot of responsibilities. But for now, working is definitely the best thing for me.

(Also, I feel that it is only fair that I tell you that I wrote this blog post in order to avoid cleaning. I need help.)

Good Friends

Good friends, the kind you can always rely on, are truly irreplaceable. I realized that this weekend, starting with a party for my good friend Thomas. Thomas, as I've mentioned before, introduced Boyfriend and me almost three years ago and is Boyfriend's best friend. The party was at my friend Mikey's house and we spent hours drinking Dos Equis, playing beer pong, and singing along to music from our college years.

I had such a good time and I am so thankful for the guys in my life that have taught me about men. Boyfriend's cousin Jeremy said (later on, over some green chile cheese friends at village inn) to the table in general that he had never heard me say anything "dumb", which I guess he meant in the typical girl way. The guys were amazed that for Boyfriend and my anniversary, I'm buying him six video games that he wants. They love that when they say, "hey guys, come over and we'll play some beer pong", I simply reply, "Boyfriend, you go. I have to work in the morning. You might as well have some fun while I'm sleeping." Jeremy also said he was going to send over his girls to "learn" from me lol. :o)

The truth is, Mikey, Thomas, and Boyfriend (before he was Boyfriend) have taught me so much about men and women. I saw the inner circle of guys and how they talk about girls, which girls earn their respect, and what type of girls are what they call "keepers". It's not just about looks... a lot of it is about how they act around their friends (if the girl is too high maintenance, she becomes annoying, but if she's too 'one of the guys', she's just a bro). I'm really thankful for the guidance these guys gave me before I was dating Boyfriend. They really taught me that in order to find the right guy, I just had to relax. Girls worry so much about being feminine, about being friendly, about being girly enough but not too girly, about establishing a good relationship and the balance between power and mutual respect.

I was lucky enough to be around some of the most decent guys around. Thomas is a great friend and will make a great boyfriend... a lot of girls flirt but I know he's picky. Mikey is sweet and flirty but has a good heart. And Boyfriend... Boyfriend is definitely a diamond in the rough. I'm so happy to be with them and I'm happy they let me in their inner circle.

The next day, I went to a baby shower for my good friend Blairre. It's so exciting to see her stomach get bigger and to imagine that little baby Carson will soon be out in the real world. I'm so excited for her. Blairre and I have been friends since high school and we've been through so much together... breakups, break-downs, concerts, schennanigans, fights, football games, parties, and weddings. She will be a great mom and I can't believe how far we've come since we became friends when I was 17!

Right after the baby shower, I headed to my friend Dani's graduation party. Danielle and I have been friends since at least kindergarten, so we're going on 19 years or so. I can't believe that we've stayed friends all these years (we were even college roommates... it's very rare to find two girls that can live together and still be friends afterward! lol). She's really helped me be more social and to embrace my quirky side. She's definitely someone I believe I will be friends with for the rest of my life.

And Sunday, I spent time with Boyfriend. We get so busy (graduations, baby showers, birthday parties, etc) that sometimes it's nice to just spend a day playing MarioKart on the Wii and eat pizza in our pajamas. I'm so happy that he's my boyfriend and my best friend at the same time... he always makes me laugh and we are usually on the same wave-length (at least three or four times this weekend, we'd say random things at the same exact times... like "there's a snake in my boot!" lol). And he's so, so good to me... which brings me to my next exciting news:

I don't know if you spotted them right away but it's my anniversary present from Boyfriend... diamond earrings! I get my present early because Boyfriend gets his first game tonight at midnight :o) Aren't they beautiful?

Tonight I'm counting my blessings. Hope you are, too.

Good night!

Welcome, My Friends, to Life

I graduated high school in 2006. I vividly remember that day (being the commencement speaker in 110 degree New Mexico heat outside on the football field) and the awesome feeling I experienced as I walked across the stage, hearing my family and friends yell for me, and happily tossed my tassel to the other side. Then I went and partied with my fam.

Because I knew what I wanted to study from day 1 at NMSU, I managed to get through college in four years, a feat that is damn near impossible UNLESS you never change your major, you declare early, and you have a degree that can be done in four years. I happened to have all three criteria met so I graduated, on time, in May 2010.

Since then, I have been happily living in the real world (sometimes, happily, sometimes, really pout-ily. Is that a word?). I have Boyfriend and Shadow and a cute house and money (which is awesome). I get paid vacations and paid holidays. I go to meetings. It's all so grown up. (I may have negated the grown up-ness by calling it "grown up". Whatev)

But next week, a huge bunch of my friends will be graduating from NMSU after taking the five year route. I'm so, so proud of them- my first college roommate (Danielle, holla girl), my sorority roommate (Kelsey), another sorority sister (Trish!), and another good friend (Ellie) will be joining me in the real world (or going to grad school!).

I'm so excited to see my friends enter life after undergraduate studies. It's a great experience and although I miss having summers off, I love the feeling of doing something valuable for my community with my job. I might not be the most important person in my company, but I'm gaining experience for myself and I really feel like I'm a contributing member of society.

In honor of my friends graduating, I've decided to make a list of advice I wish I had been given before graduating college with my undergrad degree:

•  Do not take yourself too seriously. Nobody else will.
• Start a 401(k) IMMEDIATELY, before you get used to the extra money.
• Don't think that you can still go out every night of the week and still look professional to your boss. You can't. Nobody can.
• Evaluations do matter.
• You HAVE to brush your hair/look presentable/stop wearing hoodies/stop wearing pajamas. You're an adult.
• It is not a crime to use your accrued vacation.
• Experience is as valuable as a master's. A master's is as valuable as experience. Neither is more important. If you have both, that's the best.
• Study the things you want to study. It's never too late to get a master's in something you like.
• When you have your own place, get a pet. Get a fish, get a cat, get a puppy... but get something that depends on you. Shadow keeps me on a schedule.

     Good luck, Class of 2011! I'm so proud of you!