Lots going on!!

Last week was a busy week! I had my comprehensive exam for East Carolina and it was not as bad as I thought it would be. It was the exact same exam with 2 less questions and I was given a rubric this time so I know exactly how they will grade the exam. So I basically copied and pasted my answers from the first exam and made a few corrections. I made sure I answered all the questions that were asked and that was about it. My week was a lot less stressful than I anticipated it to be! I better pass this time! I really want to be 100% finished with grad school!!!
I also got my hair cut, oil changed and a gift for a baby shower that I have tomorrow night so I have been very productive. My pantry and freezer are full and laundry is done!!

I went out on Saturday night to celebrate my friend Susan's 30th birthday and I had a lot of fun. We went to Shaba Shabu for dinner and had our own VIP room, which was nice. Then we went out and hung out at Tir Na Nog. It was tons of fun and I can't wait to do it again!!

This week should be nice and hopefully relaxed. Ben, one of the 2 kids that I nanny for is in camp this week from 1-4 and that happens to be the time his sister Claire takes her nap so I will have very quiet afternoons this week. Today has been great and I look forward to the rest of the week!!

Busy, Busy!

July has been super busy for me with birthdays and baby showers and August will be even crazier. This was my first week back to work from my vacation and it was a super long and tiring week. The kids I nanny for were super cranky and really testing me this week, I was glad for it to be Friday, hopefully next week will be better even though my stress level will be a little high next week. On Monday, I will receive my comprehensive exam from ECU and attempt to pass it the second time even though I only missed passing by 2 tenths of a point! Yup you read right, 2 tenths of a point! It is a six essay question exam that focuses on the 4 main objectives of Health Education. There are three readers who grade you on the content and a average score is taken of each objective. You must receive a 3.0 on every objective in order to pass. Needless to say, I received a 3.4, 3.6, and 3.7 on three of them and a 2.8 on the last one. I am still angry about it and in my eyes I passed but I must pass this time and believe me I will!

July 4th

I hope everyone had an awesome July 4th!! Can you believe that I have lived here for over 5 years and last night was the first time I have ever went and watched the fireworks at the fairgrounds? Well, we didn't exactly go to the fairgrounds, we actually parked off 440 near the Hillsborough Street exit and watched them from there! We put a blanket on Anna's car and sat there and enjoyed the show:) Then we headed downtown to eat dinner at Tir Na Nog and enjoy company of friends. It was a great and relaxing night and a perfect end to my vacation:)

Anna and I waiting for the Fireworks to start

Anna and Todd

Fireworks-it was hard to get a good picture:(

Vacation

Sorry it has been awhile but I have been super busy!!! I have been on vacation since June 27 and I intended to get tons of stuff done at home but it definitely didn't work out that way!! I went and saw The Hangover with my friend Meda lat Sunday and it was hilarious! I have never laughed so hard in my life!!! Definitely a great movie!!! On Monday, the 29th, I picked my nieces up from school and hung out with them so my sister and brother in law could celebrate their 12 year wedding anniversary. The girls had swim practice so I took them to that and they requested that I make my famous homemade mac and cheese for them for dinner. I love every moment I spend with my nieces and when they tell me I am their fave aunt, it makes me realize that I am one lucky girl to have such wonderful and awesome nieces!! I helped my sis do some stuff at her house on Tuesday, went to Anna's to help her sis move out and then I went to my nieces' swim meet! It was very exciting to see them compete and have a huge smile on their face after each heat. I am so proud of them:) On Wednesday, I took them to Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh and they had a blast! Once again, I love spending time with them and its hard to believe how fast they are growing up! On Thursday, I met my friend Melissa at her house in North Raleigh and we headed to Wake Forest to try out the new Mellow Mushroom, it was yummy! I ate an entire calzone and it was worth every bite!! Then I headed to Padoodles to work for a few hours to help my sis out and it never hurts to have extra $$$!! I headed to the Farmer's Market today with Jill. There were lots of people there so we got what we wanted and headed home. I bought some blackberries which are good but not as good as the ones I pick at my parents' house in NY!! I also decided to buy a personal watermelon. Typically, I am not a huge watermelon fan but I decided to try something new. And the rest of the day, I have done nothing and it has felt great!! I took a nice 2 hour nap and now I am catching up on my blogging. If I continue to feel motivated, I might just do some stuff around the house. Not sure what my plans are for tomorrow but either way, I'll be happy doing what ever:)

So I go back to work Monday but it won't be so bad, I am on vacation again in 5 weeks when my parents come to visit:) That vacation will be full of family and fun. My nieces will be spending about 10 days with my parents in NY as they do every year and my parents are bringing them back in mid August-on their way back to NC they are taking the girls to Kings Dominion and I am going to to drive up and there and meet them. Then we will all head back to NC and hang out on the boat! My dad wants to learn to water ski!!! Can't wait:) Happy 4th everyone!!!!