Touching base

So I've been a major slacker with this blog and my list lately. *slaps self on the wrist* But I have been accomplishing things! So here's an official update with newly checked off accomplishments:

1. Start a new career.

2. Move to a new city. 

3. Donate blood. I've done this twice now! Yay me!

4. Blog. 

5. Begin learning Spanish.

6. Take dance classes again. 

7. Get more stamps in my passport. So technically I didn't get a stamp but I DID travel out of the country to the Bahamas during December. Not sure what was up with that no stamp bs. But I'm counting it anyway bc I SHOULD have gotten a stamp!

8. Read more of the classics. Technically I can't cross this off yet, but I got a stack of classics for Christmas, so that strike through is coming soon!

9. Learn to cook new dishes. 

10. Complete the full 3 consecutive months of p90x.

11. Buy art. 

12. Do something completely out of character. Still having trouble deciding how to complete this one.

13. Make new friends. 

14. Keep in touch with old friends. 

15. Get SCUBA certified. 

16. Finally get the last tattoo I want...or decide I'm too old to get a new tattoo. 

17. Date more. 

18. Actually train my dog to do something. 

19. Kiss in the rain. 

20. Be an extra in another film.

21. Change someone's life for the better. 

22. Go horseback riding on the beach. 

23. Come to peace with last March, and all things from the past. 

24. Save a life. 

25. Kick a USF fan in the shins. I have to say that I am most happy to check this one off my list. But I will also say that I probably didn't make the best first impression with this person considering this was pretty much what I led with when I met them, haha. Oh well, it needed to be done! haha


So fourteen down, 11 to go! And I still have 6 months left. Not too shabby.


In other news...theres been a lot of fun to be had lately!! My roommates birthday was a week ago and we threw a whole nautical themed birthday extravaganza in Orlando complete with hotel rooms, Margaritaville, and City Walk. Then this past Saturday was my very first Gasparilla! One of my besties from childhood came down and I spent the day with her and some of her sorority sisters. The weather was breath-taking and I had so much fun seeing all the people dressed as pirates and catching beads. It was a blast and I can't wait til next year.


Other fun highlights...I've met a boy. I've been trying to be active in going out and meeting people and going on dates, but I've finally found someone that I get excited to talk to and want to spend most of my free time with. It's exciting to feel something again. It's still super early to determine anything, but I'm happy and right now that's all that matters. 


Well, I'm currently being distracted by my roommate and the Bachelor, so I'm going to give in to my trashy tv temptation. But never fear, I'll be back before another month goes by! 

1/1/11

Ah, my first post of the new year. Here's to ringing in 2011 with hope and optimism.

The holidays are officially over and I'm both sad and relieved at the same time. I always miss the season when its over but my calendar for December looked like a small child went finger painting and then threw up all over it so its nice to have some open space for awhile. Over the past three weeks I've only actually been in my apt for 4 days, 5 tops, so I'm looking forward to not living out of a suitcase for awhile.

Christmas at home was nice. I was actually able to get 5 days off in a row so it was good to have some downtime to eat too much food and watch a bunch of movies with the fam. I believe the most shocking moment was waking up on the 26th and walking outside to snow flurries. In north Florida. I can only think of one other time its snowed at home. I was maybe 5 and I don't even remember the experience. I really wanted to take a picture but I don't think it would've shown up on film.

I spent New Years Eve with some friends in Orlando. I worked the day of and was scheduled to work today as well so I planned on keeping it pretty low key but, while it could've been a lot worse, I don't think falling asleep in the night's clothes and makeup in someone else's bed at 3:30 and waking up 2 hours later for work much qualifies as low key. The bad news is I still had to drag myself into work, but the amazing news is that once I got there, they'd missed me on the schedule and didn't need an extra nurse so I got drive back to Tampa and spend some quality time in my bed for pretty much the rest of the day. Tomorrow is officially declared Lazy Roommate Day so the sloth will continue.

Worth a mention...both FSU and UCF won their bowl games yesterday! Yeah Gold!! (I figure that pretty much covers my bases for both teams)

In other exciting, and slightly startling news...I just found out one of my closest friends from childhood is pregnant! She and her husband of 4 years went on a cruise in Sep and she returned not feeling well, went to the doctor and Surprise! Another example of how yes, you can get pregnant on birth control pills. But they are super excited and I'm so happy for them. I've known plenty of people over the years who have had babies but so far its never been anyone who was more than a casual friend or acquaintance. But I've known Kristine since elementary school, grown up with her and was in her wedding...I can't believe that someone so integral to my life growing up has so far surpassed me in life experiences. It feels so foreign because most of my other close friends are either completely unattached like me or are in very early stages of relationships. But Kristine is going to be an amazing mother and I can't wait til she starts showing and finds out if its a boy or a girl!

Well, I feel I should post this before the clock hits midnight and my title becomes irrelevant so Happy New Year everyone and cheers to 2011!

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all, a good night!

Resolution 2011

I find it interesting how, even after 25 years, people never cease to surprise me. Our ability to forgive and our ability to hold grudges. Our ability to be sweet in person and then talk about each other behind our backs. How the people we love disappoint us and the people who we almost never gave a chance to can change our world. Our ability to completely disregard and discard others. In the past year I've been discarded by someone who was supposed to love me, degraded behind my back by those who would never say those words to my face, and been told by a close friend that my efforts at continuing our friendship make her feel "guilty." And during the same year, I've had acquaintances reach out to me during the darkest time in my last 5 years, friends make me laugh when I'm sure I was depression personified, and strangers try to console me during a loss. I've been on both sides, good and bad, giver and receiver, and I've decided to make this my New Years Resolution. Yes, I know its a few weeks early for this, but its my blog and I can do what I want. Besides, the upcoming weeks are going to require me to utilize these skills, so it can be practice for the New Year. In 2011 I am going to: forgive more easily, be more transparent, be more appreciative of those who have been there for me, and most importantly, move on from the past. Because the moral of the story is...holding grudges doesn't do anything except hold me back.

Giving Thanks

This is what my life has consisted of lately: work, lack of sleep, being lonely, missing my family, driving long hours, putting my cat to sleep, wishing I had a guy in my life that inspired butterflies, and my roommate being out of town for basically the last month.

But considering its Thanksgiving weekend I thought I'd take the time to put all that aside and make a list of all the incredible things in my life that I'm grateful for. It's always good to remind ourselves how lucky we are...

1. having a good relationship with my family

2. my health and the health of those I care about

3. being employed

4. actually enjoying my job

5. Peanut and Percy

6. the fact that Prancer was only in pain for a brief time before his death

7. my roommate Meagan, who has basically become my rock and without whom I probably couldn't have made it thru these last few months

8. my two oldest and best friends Alyson and Diana...having coffee with them today was the highlight of my month and I'm so grateful to know they'll always be in my life

9. all my other amazing friends and the great girls I met during nursing school

10. to have found love in my life, even if it didn't last

11. to be financially stable enough to afford a nice apt, a nice car, to live comfortably and to be able to donate to causes I feel passionately about

12. having an optimistic outlook for the future

13. the ability to travel

14. my faith in God

15. and all the trivial pleasures in life I am lucky enough to partake in...good food, good wine, good books, my big bed, my dvr, a good laugh, etc

There are so many more blessings I'm thankful for, but I think those are the most important to me right now.

In Memory of Prancer

Today, I had to put Prancer, my first pet who was truly "mine", to rest. Only 2 weeks ago the vet discovered a tumor wrapped around the base of his tongue. One week ago he had a biopsy, and today he's gone. I never realized things could happen this fast.

I have three fuzzy kids but Prancer was my first and therefore always had a special place in my heart. He always let all the other cats push him around at Pets Ahoy but all he ever wanted was some attention and some extra scratches and I knew I couldn't leave him there when I left. He was such a lover, always wanting to be around people and to see what was going on. Sometimes he could be a little pushy, but now that he's gone I miss him walking all over me, and tapping me in the face when it was time to wake up in the morning, his incessant purring and little squeaky meow. Every time I'd pick him up from the vet, all the techs would come out and tell me about all the 'stories' he told them and how sweet he was. No one was immune to Prancer's charms. And now without him the apartment seems so empty. He was such a small cat, but his personality could fill 10 rooms. I'll never be able to say enough about how amazing he was and how much I miss him.

Goodbye Prancer-butt. You were so so loved and will never be forgotten.

A Tribute to Taylor

So obviously I've been MIA from my blog for a few weeks, and this evening won't be much of a change considering I have to wake up for work in 5.5 hours, but I thoughts I'd devote at least a few minutes of my time to releasing some pent-up angst I've developed thanks to one of my favorite artists.

I love Taylor Swift. I do. I totally adore her. And since her new album, Speak Now, hit stores two weeks ago, I've been unable to put anything else in my CD player. Most of her songs are about nothing original...finding love and losing it later...but I believe she is so amazingly talented at expressing emotion in song and I defy anyone to not be able to relate to at least one of her songs. The fact that she is gorgeous and comes off as one of the sweetest, most genuine people alive doesn't make me love her any less either.

There's just one problem. Taylor's songs never cease to remind me of The Ex. It's like a curse. I get so elated listening to her music and yet torn down by memories at the same time. I'd hoped it would end
with her last album because "Forever and Always" was impossible to listen to without thinking of him.

"You said Forever and Always...you didn't mean it baby"

But now Speak Now is out and there's a whole new list of songs that hurl me unwillingly down memory lane. From "Enchanted" that haunts me with thoughts of how I felt after our first date:

"This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home.
I'll spend forever, wondering if you knew
I was Enchanted to meet you"

To the endless lines of lyrics that remind me of the End and the Now:

"Stood there and watched you walk away from everything we had
But I still mean every word I say to you.
He will try and take away my pain, and he just might make me smile
But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead."


"All that I know is I don't know
How to be something you miss..."


"So I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep
And I'll feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe"

Oh Taylor, its painful how much I love you and how much you hurt me all at the same time. But all I can do is continue to listen to your CD on repeat, shout the lyrics alone in my car, and wait until the song I identify with most is "Sparks Fly."