Some Good Lookin’ Numbers (Mixed with pictures of past few days):
1.$3,000 direct deposited for tax return today.
2. 1 month until my play. I go to rehearsals exhausted and somehow leave feeling excited and glowing. I’ve missed acting.
3. Eight days until hubby and I are in San Diego.
4. 10/10 on my first Mass Media History and Theory exam. I was happy about it but didn’t think too much of this grade until Monday. Professor announced something like, “So I think only one other person has ever made a perfect grade in my class. But one of your classmates made a 100% on this exam….” It took a second for me to register and when I did I gave a little gasp/clap without thinking. He meant me! Professor then smiled and pointed my way. “You obviously all know who that is now…” Class then gave me a round of applause. Embarrassingly proud moment in my life.
Firstly, let me just announce, I GOT A ROLE IN THE SCHOOL PLAY! I still can’t really believe it. I’ll be playing a bitchy/smart-ass waitress in one of the 5 ten-minute shorts Concordia is performing this semester. This may or may not have to do with the fact that I auditioned as a bitchy/smart-ass McDonald’s employee. This particular play involves a chick who has been sucked into an alternate reality where she can’t get anything she asks for. The entire play is in a restaurant setting. Needless to say, I have a bunch of fun/humorous lines and I probably would have picked this role if I could have myself. I’m excited beyond belief but also preparing to make some sacrifices. The first being that I can’t spend Valentines Day with my hubby due to rehearsals and that a lot of other free time will now be sucked away (Shit starts getting really real the week of my birthday.) But right now, I’m kind of on a natural high and have decided it will all be more than worth it. At the same time, I’m pretty tempted to fall asleep on my keyboard right now. Trying to take on the world is kind of tiring sometimes. But a good kind of tiring.
Secondly, husband’s birthday is today. He’s 29! My friends and I threw a little surprise party for him on Saturday. And when I say my friends and I, I mostly mean my friends. I spent the day with Robby’s family (Who spoiled us with cupcakes and stuff) and babysat that night, so I was short on time. Katie was more than happy to let me use her place, and Tessa bought cake and balloons (which she wouldn’t let me pay her back for.) Both of these dear girl friends prepared festivities and made everything look party-ready and perfect. They even wrote some of Robby’s token sayings all over the balloons. (IE; “F***ing A!”) Husband, being consistently late to everything (One of the reasons I may kill him before he’s 30…),showed up an hour late. My group of friends and I sat in the dark for 60 minutes, talking and giggling and once, accidentally surprising the wrong peeps. We had a blast waiting for my tardy dude to show up.
Last night, my friend Priscilla surprised me with a carton of ice-cream and we had a girl’s night of wine, dramatic tv shows and chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream.
Today at my nanny job, I accidentally fed the two year old artichoke dip. No chips included. I thought it was pasta. Afterward,I brought hubby home some presents, studied and did my 4 days a week ab-workout routine. The boy and I just got home from Mexican-food (His favorite) date night.
Life is really good. I need a nap. But naps can wait. Life cannot! Now excuse me, while I watch a movie with the birthday boy and hopefully do not drool on him whilst snoring.
As happy as I am lately, I’ve also sort of been a little stressed. School is sucking away a good amount of my time, Husband and I are planning an upcoming vacation, money is more or less nonexistent right now, and my theatre class, as much as I love it, is really pushing me a bit outside of my comfort zone. (And I have a pretty wide comfort zone!) I had nearly forgotten both the thrill and the terror of performing in front of a group of people. It’s especially intense going into class never knowing what or how exactly I’ll be performing. (Example: The other day I volunteered and was told I was to act as if I was at a laundromat. I had to fold laundry while simultaneously flirting and attempting to get the attention of a dude classmate. And I couldn’t talk. I’ve been married for over 2 years now. It’s been a while since I’ve purposely batted my eyelashes, and my attempting probably looked more like twitching. Hopefully sexy twitching?) The experience is in general exhilarating and I can feel that I’m growing from it. But mixed with the hustle and bustle of life already, I approached this weekend feeling pretty drained and ready for a break. For me, the perfect idea of relaxing is spending lots of quality time with my pals and my hubby. Lucky for me, I received plenty of this. Two girls nights, a couple’s date night (At Applebees ((Told you I’m broke)), which is now called ‘Club Apple’ and has strobe lights after 9pm. I can’t stress to you enough how much this tickles me.) AND I got to help one of my closest friends unpack a little. We’re both pretty excited that she just moved three miles away from me and within walking distance from the house I nanny at. Side note: How weird would it be if my boss unknowingly saw me cruising through her neighborhood on one of my off days? I texted her beforehand so she’d know I wasn’t stalking her family for fun on the weekends. Well y’all, this has been Christina’s word vomit of the day. See below for a few pictures of a fabulous weekend AND a video project a couple of girly friends and I are quite proud of. Ahem:So. Tessa, Melody and I decided to humor ourselves (and hopefully a few others) and make one of those “Shit Girls Say” parody videos. We spent hours last night making it, and I stayed up later than I should have to edit the clips. We had a blast making and writing it and I don’t think the final product is all too shabby either. So. Without further ado, I present to you, “Shit Girls Say (To Make Themselves Feel Better)” :
It’s official! Husband and I are going on vacation at the very beginning of March! As we’re on an extremely tight budget, I’ve been scoping out the best deals online for about a week now. By this I mean I’ve been obsessively searching for (practically page refreshing, but not quite) airline tickets on the internet. I didn’t really care where we went, as long as we found ticket prices under 200 dollars a pop. I actually loved the spontaneity and excitement of knowing we were going somewhere together soon, but not yet knowing where. Last night I finally made a decision when I found a deal I just couldn’t pass up. So Guess what, Guess what, Guess what? March 1st, I fulfill an eight year long dream of visiting California. I can’t put into words how giddy I am. But I shall try. Right now. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! <<< There you go. That’s a tiny part of my giddiness put onto a computer. I feel like a kid on Christmas right now (Or really, just me on Christmas.) San Diego, here we come!
Other giddy moments lately:
Finding and blowing/wishing on dandelions with the littles ones I nanny. Being around kids so much really helps keep in tact the magic of life.
Date night with my boy.
A fellow classmate/new friend did the sweetest thing for me yesterday. She knew I hadn’t bought my book yet and that we have an upcoming test. I planned on just studying notes and googling terms. Last night after class, she walked up to me and handed me her book. I was confused. “Won’t you need this to study?” She responded with a shrug, said she already studied and I could give it back to her on Tuesday. I gave her a hug and left the classroom feeling heart-warmed and relieved. No googling terms for me this weekend!
My friend Becca and I share a class together, and have taken to writing one another notes this week. Above you can see the page we filled up with random doodles and words. I love sharing a class with this chick. Not only does she make the time fly faster, but she has taken to bringing me random treats to class. Candy, Girl-Scout cookies and once even a whole meal. I have sweet friends.
The above picture is me trying on a pair of size 5′s. That were too big for me. I did a happy dance in the dressing room. I haven’t been in the size 3 arena since I was a teenager. I’m doing another little happy dance right now, just thinking about it.
I really like life right now. Life seems to really like me right now too. Hopefully that doesn’t change anytime soon.
A couple of weeks back, a guy friend of mine posted this on my facebook:
“Your effing neverending happiness could power New York City for 24 whole hours in the event of a blackout.”
I’m not sure how I was supposed to take this, but I was both tickled and pleased. I love that friends know all too well and can tease me about my freakish amounts of joy. It’s something I’m proud of, because I feel I choose it. To be happy. To see the good over the bad. To love the rain. To plan trips when broke, knowing the memories will one day compensate for said brokeness. To take a long run when I’m feeling extra stressed. To catch some of the silly things I fuss about–A bad hair day, too much homework, a messy house–and know that this is what others would kill to complain about. To be thankful for my youth, knowing it’ll probably go by faster than I want it to. To laugh as much as possible. To focus on the little details that make life spectacular: The smell of a new book, Hour long talks with girl friends, Hot showers, Pretty skies, The first sip of my glass of merlot, The taste of a fresh-baked, Husband-made cookie, Holding hands with someone I love, The candy a friend brings me to class, Hearing my dog snoring, Long kisses, Sweet words, Random treats, The gift cards left over from Christmas that support date night on a really,really,really tight budget. It’s things like this that give me the potential to power New York City in the event of a black-out. (Ha-ha.)
At the same time, I won’t lie and say that the extra goodness life throws my way doesn’t maybe help out said happiness. This weekend for example. Chilling downtown and cruising in a Hummer limo with my best friend and other cool peeps. Neat, unforgettable experiences like this may indeed aid in some extra boosts of happy power. Ahem:Not to mention, the calmer joy of catching up with loved ones I haven’t seen in much too long….
I definitely have my occasional grumpy days. My sad days. My mad days. But more than all of these combined, I have good days. Great days. Loved,bright, wonderful days. And the bad days I do have are me being blessed and spoiled enough to complain about my silly first world problems. The fact is, life is good, and I’d be stupid not to choose happiness. I know that my positive feelings probably never will be enough to power any sort of city in case of black-out, but that’s okay. Right now, I’m watching the sun set from my window and I’m about to go get all fancied up for gift-card date night with the husband. And I couldn’t be happier.
Life has been getting hectic again lately. A happy hectic, but still hectic. School is back in full swing, my hours at work have gone up since last semester, and lots of fun plans,projects and adventures are already in the works for this year. Husband and I are planning a vacation for somewhere between our two birthdays (February and March), my friend Becca and I are planning a trip for May (We just made it final by virtually pinky promising) and I’m introducing husband to a slew of northern states while simultaneously visiting my best friend sometime in July. That’s three vacations in 6 months time! My friends love to tease me and inform me that I’m always going on a new vacation, but I can’t help it. I get major ants in my pants after three or more months of no traveling. I’m going on a little over three months now, and the antsy-ness has officially arrived. So I’m excited, super excited, but also a bit overwhelmed trying to get finances together while also readjusting myself to a busy day-to-day schedule. Luckily, I have a lot of lovelies in my life who melt away any little bit of stress I may have.
There is not much I adore more in this world than time with my girls. They are a constant source of inspiration, laughter, love, relaxation and joy. This past weekend was no exception. I was able to see a few of my favorite ladies for four days straight. Hot-tubbing and a sleepover at Jenn’s place. Sharing a bed with and cuddling up to my best friend Tessa, who also was sweet enough to buy me brunch the next day. (Cuddling and free food the next morning? Wouldn’t she make a perfect boyfriend?) Listening to live music, strolling through quaint book-stores and making fun of ugly ducks at the park with Melody and, again, my best friend Tessa. Drinks and giggles with Brooke and Emily for happy hour. A pizza buffet and retail therapy with my Little (of Big Brothers Big Sisters), who is growing up too fast and doing so quite gracefully. What I’m getting at is….Oh thank goodness for the ladies in my life. Sometimes I just break into smile thinking about them, our memories and how lucky I am to have stumbled across some of the most amazing chicks on the planet. How cool is it that I get to journey through life and explore the world with the greatest girls in the world?
Pictures help the words come to life:
Tessa and I were talking on Sunday, and I mentioned that I’ve always liked being an adult better than I liked being a kid. I had a really sheltered childhood, and I’ve always loved and have been completely exhilarated by the freedom of adulthood. Later that same day, my best friend wrapped my thoughts up perfectly by saying something like, “We can do whatever we want. We can do anything.” That,in a nutshell, is exactly what I find absolutely spectacular about being a grown-up.The excitement of making new experiences, meeting new people and doing these things whenever I want to. The beauty and wonder and spontaneity of endless possibilities. The fact that I get to explore these endless possibilities with amazing people by my side just makes life that much more beautiful.
The past few weeks have been near perfect. I just feel so alive and young and loved and ready for anything and everything. I’ve been kind of permanently excited lately, and sometimes for no particular reason. I guess it’s just because I’m living. Because I can use all my senses. Because I have the ability to walk and talk and breathe and love. It’s a beautiful thing, no?
Some happy pieces lately:
All red and pink in my package of Dots! If that isn’t a reason for excitement, I don’t know what is.
School started up again this week. I really love my classes this semester. Probably me favorite is ‘Theatrical Performance.’ It’s just started and already I’m falling in love. Though yesterday was a little strange. We were practicing relaxing and focusing, a couple of qualities which obviously help on stage. To practice these things, we partnered up and practiced moving each other’s limbs around. Head, legs, arms, the works. I thought I was relaxed, but my partner kept shaking my body parts and telling me to, “Let go.” I apparently do not know how to let go. Control freak problems. The instructor noticed this and used me as one of the guinea pigs next time around. Next thing I know, five people are moving around different parts of my body, whilst I lay on the ground giggling nervously. I kept my limb-movers laughing and amused by saying things such as, “Watch out for the stubble.” and “I think this is the most awkward moment of my life.”, but I never did learn how to be totally limp and trusting. Maybe next time I find my body being simultaneously maneuvered around in odd places by five almost (albeit kind) strangers, I’ll be better. Practice makes perfect!
My friend Becca has just started training at the Cheesecake Factory. Yesterday, being the wonderful and thoughtful person that she is, she brought me a box full of yumminess to class.
As I opened my take-out box of goodness, she took the time to write me out a menu. It read:
“The grilled chicken is ‘skinnylicious BBQ chicken’
And the crusted one is Idk
And the pasta is tomato basil pasta with cheese.”
The crusted one, whatever the hell that was, was my favorite.
During my week, I have about a 35 minute break between work and school. Instead of lounging or eating, I’ve started to take this time to work out at my school gym. I’ve been running on the treadmill and have started lifting light weights (A New Years resolution!) I’m also doing ab work-outs three times a week and am starting to see traces of a 4-pack. I’ve cut out all fast food (even my beloved Chipolte) and soda from my diet. I feel awesome and constantly energized and I’m currently in the best shape of my life. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long!
Tuesdays and Thursdays are my long days. I leave for work at 8:45 and don’t get back home from school until around 7:30. Last night I came home,exhausted, to the aroma of a home-cooked dinner. Hubby had made me chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy. Later, he made chocolate chip cookies. I put the picture of him slaving away in the kitchen up on my facebook. A couple of my favorite comments:
Girl Friend: “What a sweet ol’ house husband.”
Dude Friend: “Look at that piece of meat! Also the steaks look pretty good…”
My best girl friend has been begging me to get a Twitter for some time now. I usually just blatantly ignore her requests. I am extremely slow and hesitant when it comes to being comfortable with different social networking devices. It took me a good year, maybe even two, to transfer over to Facebook after everyone else had. The same best friend finally convinced me, and even helped me register and uploaded most of my pictures to Facebook. I still didn’t use it until almost everybody had left Myspace. Even knowing how stubborn and reluctant I am, Meggie is quite persistent. She asks me or tells me about once a week to get a Twitter. Last night, she resorted to bribery. I said something on a blog comment that she found quotable (“I’m sure if men ever ‘fixed’ women, they’d be quite bored anyway.”) and then she informed me, “I’m quoting you, Tina. But I’m doing it on Twitter so….you should get one.” Sigh. I’m still not convinced. But she is slowly but surely wearing me down.
I mentioned last week that I was a promotional model for an event in San Antonio. I also mentioned how completely amazing the people I met were. I miss them so much already. Morgan, one of the girls that I miss dearly, left a comment on the rest of our little group’s facebooks that wrapped up our time together pretty perfectly :, “Sooo yeah I already miss yall so much. I miss our long hours of goofing off, eating lollipops, changing our hair every hour, singing, taking as many breaks as we can to walk around, and long talks about boys. Let’s PLEASE reunite soooon. Y’all are so great “ I never went to summer camp as a child, but from watching movies and stuff, I feel like these are the kind of bonds that I missed out on back then.
While I was working this event in San Antonio, I came upon an older man with the last name, ”Wagemaker.” How neat is that?! I informed him that I loved his last name and he informed me that if I was a bit older I could have married him and had that last name too. Christina Wagemaker. I like. But Christina Boudreaux is pretty nice too, I suppose.
I made a video blog! It’s been too long. Unfortunately, my computer is having all kinds of technical difficulties. The colors are very off and at the end my voice distorts to sound like one of those creepy phone callers from horror movies. I’m trying to work through kinks because a couple of girl friends and I are about to start a project with said web cam. Thought I’d might as well show y’all what I came up with:
One more class until my weekend begins! I have lots of lovely plans with buddies this weekend, including exploring and hot-tubs. All the more reason to be excited and happy.
“Follow me and everything is all right, I’ll be the one to tuck you in at night; And if you wanna leave, I can guarantee, you won’t find nobody else like me.”
Hello there and Happy New Year! I had a wonderful,safe,fun and slightly crazy night spent with friends at a local bar and later back at my very own house. My friends like my house. I like that my friends like my house. Because I like my friends and my house. (And the alchoholic goodies that friends bring along to my house.) You know those moments when you just feel completely wrapped up in happiness? And, you kind of just think to yourself, “This is perfect. I am happy.” I had one of those moments. Friends and I were sitting right next to a live band at the bar, and we were all drinking, laughing and singing along to a great rendition of Uncle Kracker’s, “Follow me.” I’m young and alive and surrounded by sexy,wonderful people who love me. I’m starting a new year with a new dress, splendid folks and so many great plans and ideas already in mind. To top it all off and as luck would have it, I had just found a sparkly New Years hat to celebrate with. I just looked at all of the faces around me, and mixed with the music and the atmosphere and life in general, I just felt like jumping up and down out of pure joy. But sitting there basking in the glow and taking it all in was just as great.
Pictures of a, as my friend Melody put it, “crazy fun time.”
As most of you probably gather, my friends mean the world to me. One of my resolutions (That list coming soon) for 2012 is to be as good to my loved ones as they are to me. My best friend Tessa left me feeling like I’m off to a pretty good start a couple of days ago. She blog-commented,
“And Christina, you’re absolutely beautiful. I love that you’re my best friend. My mom said the other day, “you really found a rare one with Christina. She seems to be a really good friend”. Indeed!”
If I was more of a crier, I would have cried. Instead, I just felt really heart-warmed and blessed. Ringing in the New Year with her and so many other of my closest friends seems to be a good sign for the rest of 2012. I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me.
I’ve been procrastinating on starting my 2011 review just because it’s been such an amazing, eventful year and my organizational skills are crap. I wasn’t sure how I’d put it all together. I did a lot of debating and decided to do a monthly review, whilst ending each month with the new years resolutions I accomplished in that time frame. As I had to do this mostly by going through old blogs, I ended up feeling overwhelmingly grateful. This year has been so great,and this is mostly due to the opportunities and wonderful people I’ve been blessed with. I can only hope 2012 lives up to what my 2011 has been. The way things are looking so far and as long as the world doesn’t end (Fingers crossed!) looks like it’ll be quite the competition. I’m thankful for this year and beyond excited for the next. Well. Without further ado, here is my 2011:
January:
-Went to Louisiana for the first time. Gambled and had a romantic time with the hubby.
-Went kite-flying for the first time since childhood with a couple of my close girl-friends. Had a blast.
-Went to my first hockey game.
-Rode a mechanical bull
Resolutions accomplished:
Ride a mechanical bull,Travel,Try more outdoor activities, Discover/ Do at least 15 new things in Austin.
February:
-Had a photo shoot with my on campus radio show, Un Poco De Todo
-Played in (Texas!) snow
-Auditioned online for a country radio show I’ve listened to since childhood. Had my radio audition played on air and was told the dj’s really liked me. Amusingly enough, I was only aware of all of this because other people heard me on the radio and informed me of it.
-Hubby, as usual, made my Valentines Day very special.
-A friend made a pasta meal for me at my house, and days later a dude coworker made me pasta and brought it to work. I felt the noodle love.
Resolutions accomplished:
-Maintain and better on campus radio show, Discover/Do at least 15 new places/things in Austin
March:
-Friend Crystal brought Ferrero Roches to my work on the same night I came home to a giant Twix bar from the hubby. I felt the chocolate love.
-Was completely and ridiculously spoiled by friends and hubby and coworkers for the entire week of my 22nd birthday. Mimosas, breakfast, chocolate-covered strawberries, flowers, clothes,cookies, cakes, birthday songs,etc….The works. Felt very loved. On birthday weekend, had reserved seating at a fabulous rooftop lounge in downtown Austin.
Resolutions accomplished:
Focus less on cultivating new relationships and more on maintaining the ones I already have.
April:
-Went to hubby’s cousin’s wedding. My first wedding to go to in adulthood besides my own. Drank too much. Danced with the in-laws. Had an amazing night.
-Left my job at Starbucks (of two+ years) to become a nanny. Had mixed feelings about this. Excited to start a new chapter. Sad to leave behind my beloved coworker buddies.
- Had a blast and made an A in my Martial Arts Class.
-Arguably took part in the most insanely amazing bowling league to ever exist.
Resolutions accomplished:
-Look into finding a better paying job, Improve skills in bowling league, Learn/Have fun in upcoming Martial Arts class.
May:
-Traveled all over New Mexico with my friend Katie. Met Indians, saw the wonder that is White Sands, played with snow in May, ate a burger with an egg on top, and visited about 343242 other places I will never ever forget. Had the time of my life and barely had to pay anything for it at all. (Thanks to amazing Katie and her wonderful grandma!)
-Made this Youtube video on my trip to New Mexico, which is by far my favorite of any video I’ve ever made. Perfectly captured the magic of said trip.:
-Hosted a jewelry party.
-Went from dark brown to light blonde and shoulder length to chin length. Loved it.
Resolutions Accomplished:
Travel, Go on a road trip.
June:
-Started nannying. Loved it even more than I thought I would.
-Parasailed
-Made sushi for the first time. It looked horrible but tasted amazing.
-Went tubing with buddies.
-Met my blogging friend (now in real life friend!) Jenny.
-Changed my blog domain and had blog ‘business’ cards made.
-Participated in a charity bikini car wash.
Resolutions Accomplished:
Help the community in multiple and creative ways, Try more outdoor activities.
July:
-Family reunioned it up in Colorado.
-Went horseback riding in the Rocky Mountains.
-Wore flip-flops while climbing up a mountain and played in the snow whilst wearing a dress. Fun? Yes. Recommended? No.
-Best friend Tessa bought me milk and cookies.
-Went and participated in my first ever nude lake. Felt brave and free and exhilarated.
-Went to Louisiana with my boy again.
Resolutions Accomplished:
Travel, Do something absolutely, spontaneously crazy.
August:
-Bought cute, matching journals with my Little (of Big Brothers Big Sisters.) This could be considered a small celebration of our one year match.
-Friend Jennifer treated me to a free sushi date.
- Received a heart-melting scrapbook and letters at the end of my summer nannying job.
- During a stressful and grumpy week of mine, Husband surprised me with a flower-filled glass swan, a new computer mouse and a sweet card. He put all of this inside a brown paper bag which he drew a bat and poop on. Inside the card he wrote, “I love you,even if you’re bat-shit crazy!”
-My best friend, who lives up north, came to visit me.
-My brother and two best girly friends took a mini-road trip and vacation to the beach.
-Rain-danced on a baseball field. It didn’t rain, but it was a pretty neat experience.
-Friend Kimber and I had a sleepover. She cooked me blueberry muffins and I found out she has a very comfy bed.
- The best dude friend and I went to our first deaf football game.
-Decided I needed to lose weight and started that journey. Three+ months later, I’ve lost almost 30 pounds.
-Partook in my first 5k. Loved it.
Resolutions Accomplished:
Help the community in multiple, creative ways; Focus less on cultivating new relationships and more on maintaining the ones I already have, Try more outdoor activities.
October:
-Husband and I celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary.
-Bonded with my girlies at Chelsea’s awesome bachelorette party. Wore a very sparkly dress.
-Went on a field trip with my Intro to Counseling class and discovered the benefits of Equinox (horse) therapy.
-Road-tripped it to Little Rock,Arkansas with the husband. Stayed at my first Bed and Breakfast, and was pleasantly surprised at what an incredible,beautiful state Arkansas turned out to be.
-Attended Chelsea and Jake’s wedding, which was also my first ever open-bar wedding. Had a wonderful night celebrating love and happiness and tipsiness with some of my closest friends.
-Discovered the joy and therapy of soup-making.
-The best girlfriend and I went to the Gypsy Picnic, a scrumptious food-trailer festival in downtown Austin. Ate and Hula-Hooped. Fun and Yum.
-Celebrated a great Halloween with some of the amigos.
Resolutions Accomplished:
Travel, Go to at least 3 Austin events (I’m pretty sure I ended up way surpassing this one),Discover/Do at least 15 new places/things in Austin.(and that one)
November:
- With a couple of tech-savvy dude friends, started up a project for my first ever web show (Coming in 2012) & finished the video intro.
-Met my first celebrity, the twelve year old Chandler Riggs of The Walking Dead. Was completely starstruck and acted like a ten year old girl.
-Hung out with a monkey in my sign language class.
-My friend Samm spoiled me by bringing me cookies and Starbucks in the same week.
-Spent Thanksgiving with my in-laws. Wasn’t prepared for the all day drinking and had a little too much fun. (Puked in the in-laws toilet)
Resolutions Accomplished:
Meet a famous person,Discover/Do at least 15 new places/things in Austin.
December:
-Met two of the members of the youtube sensation, Dude Perfect.
-Tried moonshine for the first time.
-Had a great semester at school. Four A’s, and one B, which brought my overall gpa to 3.55.
-Was video-taped while role-playing a counseling session in Intro to Counseling. Reviewing myself later kind of reaffirmed that I should really consider counseling as a future profession.
-Went on a train ride with the in-laws and Santa.
-Went to a fabulous Christmas party and had a small,cozy one of my own.
-Caught up with friends and family and felt spoiled with lots of gifts and love and giggles.
-Speaking of giggles. Yesterday my best guy friend came over and he started cracking me up with his dance moves. Between my fits of laughter, he informed me, “I don’t show anyone else this. That’s how comfortable I am around you.” Awesome.
Among the 5 that I didn’t accomplish, I’m probably most irked with the, “Be more financially responsible.” (Just a total fail on my part) and the “Make only A’s and B’s (I made one C . In Old Testament. A required course at my university that I really just didn’t care about. Grumble. Still, over a year period I’ve made 6 A’s, 3 B’s and one C. I suppose I’m still okay with that.) Among the 19 that I did accomplish, I’m probably most amazed that I didn’t break my phone. I never thought I’d accomplish that one. I break everything I touch. Of course, I still have a couple of days to go on this one….
More than anything, I am just blown away by what a near perfect year this has been. I knew it had been a great one, but upon review, it is still amazing all that’s been accomplished and how spoiled with love I am. At the end of 2011, I’m feeling grateful and proud and content. 2012 is already promising to be another wonderful year with so many projects, opportunities and adventures in the works. Not to mention the people who have helped make this year so splendid are following me over into the next one too. Still, 2012 has a hell of a lot to live up to.
2011, I love you. 2012….You’re looking good over there.
Lookit all my goodies, y’all. An adorable little bracelet from the four year old dude I nanny. A nice bottle of sparkling moscato from his parents. Lotion, cookies (that melt in my mouth, I must add) and a Target gift-card from my lovely Katie. Leftover cupcakes from Sunday’s festivities. 18 white roses from my hubby dude. And all this before it was even Christmas week! I think I might be kinda spoiled. Not just by presents but also by the presence of so many wonderful peeps I have around me. Since my Christmas break started, I’ve been able to bask in all of the happiness and joy my loved ones and other people in general bring to my life. To further explain, here’s an outline of my past few days:
Thursday night:
I was studying for my last final when I got a text from my best girlfriend asking if she could come over for a bit. Well,duh. We tested out her mom’s Christmas gift, watched a marathon of The Biggest Loser and she asked me how to make meatballs. I don’t think I’ve ever taught anyone how to cook anything before, so the fact that she trusted me even on one of the easiest of recipes is still quite a big deal. We also decided we should have weekly get together’s involving marathons of The Biggest Loser. It felt pretty perfect doing absolutely nothing with my best friend.
Friday afternoon:
I went to my friend Emily’s, and she had homemade baked macaroni and cheese waiting for me. (See? Spoiled.) She also let me delve into her scrap booking supplies, and we were both tickled at how horrible I was at being crafty. Below, you can probably see where some of our giggle fits came from:
If you’re still confused by my air-headed ways, I was attempting to spell “friends.” The stamps confused me, so it came out, “Frienbs.”
Friday evening:
Husband brought home my beautiful roses and we had a date night at the most delicious hole-in-the-wall restaurant. I’m usually not a fan of Mexican food, but Jardin Corona is on par with Italian and sushi for me. This is a big deal.
Friday night:
Tessa and I decided last minute to go to my friend Becca’s Christmas party. I’m so glad we did. The whole night,or what I recall of it, was a blast. Highlights:
Being lost in the parking lot for 30 minutes with Tessa. We were cold and jogging around awkwardly and climbing on gates and cracking up laughing and, as always, having a blast together.
Becca, who was tipsy when we arrived, introducing me to everyone as, “This is Christina. She’s lost 30 pounds.” Later on in the night, Becca and a friend of hers were talking about another girl who got jealous easily. Becca responded with something along the lines of, “That’s stupid. I go places with Christina and she knows everyone, and that doesn’t make me mad.” Ha. Despite our many happy hours, I rarely see this girl intoxicated. It was fun.
Some random dude hitting on me by telling me I was too young to be married and that I should instead be with him. When I rejected him, he told me I could inform my husband that he had a good girl. Basically he was telling me that anyone who had the will-power to reject him was obviously a keeper. I found this more amusing than annoying. Douche bags are entertaining.
Cynthia, who I’ve met once before, telling me I looked like I weighed 100 pounds. I do not weigh 100 pounds. But I still thoroughly enjoyed the compliment.
Meeting new,exciting, fun people who made me laugh hysterically all night.
Being surrounded by a couple of the ladies who I love the most in this world.
Saturday night:
This past summer, I went out on a whim and posted an ad on craiglist looking for a nannying job. The family I found turned out to be so much more amazing than I ever hoped for, and they’ve turned into much more than just a summer nanny job. They feel more like family to me now. I’m visiting them this week and the plan is to nanny for them again this summer. (Because I have another permanent job right now, I’m going to speak to both mommies and attempt to combine the two. Five kids+One me= Taking on a new adventure?) In the meantime, Gwen and her family have definitely helped open doors for convenient, heart-warming and fun part-time jobs. I was hired for my current job because of Gwen talking me up on the phone for over half an hour. Saturday night, I babysat for a 6 month old little dude who is the son of one of Gwen’s friends. This is the same night that both ladies were at a work Christmas party. When I got home from babysitting, I was tickled to have received these new comments on facebook:
The frequent babysitter card deal actually isn’t such a bad idea….
Sunday night:
Shannon hosted a small tacky-Christmas sweater party at my house. A few friends and family members came over and enjoyed a game of perverted Apples to Apples, alcoholic eggnog, ugly clothes and lots of laughs and holiday cheerfulness. As excited as I am for the new year and all of the opportunities and adventures I already see in store, I am definitely soaking up the rest of an already amazing 2011. This partly means enjoying the heck out of all of this/these happiness, food, festivities, excitement, adventures, fun and frienbs. Er….I mean friends.
2. 1 month until my play. I go to rehearsals exhausted and somehow leave feeling excited and glowing. I’ve missed acting.
6. One really sexy husband.
“ I never went to summer camp as a child, but from watching movies and stuff, I feel like these are the kind of bonds that I missed out on back then.
Being lost in the parking lot for 30 minutes with Tessa. We were cold and jogging around awkwardly and climbing on gates and cracking up laughing and, as always, having a blast together.
