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!!!!

In a Funk

I have been in such a funk lately and I don't know why. I have not been sleeping well and when I do finally fall asleep, I am wide awake at 6!!! I am a person who needs as least 8-9 hours of sleep per night to feel my best and I am definitely not getting that! Plus, my neighbor feels the need to talk VERY loudly on the phone in his kitchen on a nightly basis (my bedroom is on the other side of the wall in his kitchen). Last night, I could hear his TV in his living room! Good thing Jill wasn't home, she would have been mad if that had kept her up since her room is on the other side of his living room. I have never had this problem before with any previous neighbors. I really want to talk to him, the problem is he will talk my ear off about nothing and I don't have time to listen to someone talk just to hear them self talk.

I had an okay weekend. Friday night I went to Firebirds for dinner to celebrate Melissa's 30th birthday! The food was great and I had a blast catching up with friends I have not seen in awhile. Then we had dessert at Ben and Jerry's, it was yummy:) I worked at Padoodles on Saturday, wasn't busy it was a long day. Then I went and saw the Proposal last night with my friend Meda. It was sooo funny and it definitely got me out of my funk for a little bit. Of course, I am super tired again today because of lack of sleep, I am definitely going to be in bed early tonight and hopefully tomorrow I will feel like myself again! I hate being in a bad mood and not feeling like my normally chipper self... Good news is that I am on vacation next week, can't wait to relax and catch up on some sleep!!!!!

Lazy weekend

What a great lazy weekend! I cannot tell you the last time I had a free weekend. It was awesome! After work on Friday, I went shopping for my sis's birthday present (her birthday is today!) and came home with a new pair of sneakers! On Saturday, I stayed home all day and did stuff around the house. I even took a 3 hours nap on Saturday afternoon. Ahh bliss! Sunday was family day since we celebrated my sister's birthday last night with dinner and chocolate cake. We played badminton and I have to say it has been at least 11 years since I played last. We played it in gym and I was never very good but I always liked playing. I have definitely improved since then, maybe its because I am not as klutzy as I was then. Actually I still am a klutz but I am definitely more coordinated now. All in all it was a great weekend!

Next weekend is another busy one!!!

One Year Already

I can hardly believe that it has been a year since my friend, Brandon died. In some ways it seems like yesterday and other days it seems longer. The first year was hard and I thought a lot about his family especially around the holidays and his birthday and they are in my thoughts and prayers today as well. I am sure it has been a difficult day for them and I hope God gives them peace. The first year is always difficult and hopefully it will get easier as time goes on. When I went to see Zach over Memorial Day, it brought back memories of Brandon because that was the last time I saw him before the accident last year. At least now I can remember the good times without crying and I will cherish that always.

When I found out Brandon had died, all I kept thinking was unfair it was to lose a friend, that is not how its supposed to happen at my age. I never thought I would have to experience that again but unfortunately, 9 months later I did. It has only been 3 months since Chris died and I still feel like it was yesterday. I can now honestly say I know exactly how Zach felt when Brandon died, they were close like Chris and I were. Zach told me the first 6 months were the hardest for him and it has gotten easier, I hope he is right. I know my first trip to NY will be very difficult. I am not looking forward to that and I am putting it off as long as possible but I know I can't avoid it forever. Friends and family are having a memorial baseball tournament for him in August and I want to go but I don't know if my heart can handle it. But I will do it for Chris because that is what he would have done for me. I do believe that Chris is in Heaven and he is watching over me. I was really upset recently and asked him to give me a sign that he was ok and all of a sudden I could feel his presence in my room. I know it sounds crazy but it is true. I felt at peace as soon as I felt him and it made me realize he is okay and he is my angel watching over me from heaven.

To Brandon and Chris-I miss you guys but you're both always in my heart, see you again someday:)