Yet another free gift!!!

Believe it or not, Christmas is only 8 days away!!!

With that being said...here's another free present from me to you, with much holiday cheer!

Watch this video! You will laugh, or at the very least smile! It's well worth the 3 minutes and 30 seconds!

Enjoy! :)

I just don't know what to do with myself...

Imagine me singing that like Kimmy does in My Best Friend's Wedding! Don't know what I'm talking about?? Watch it on Hulu, for free!! Consider it an early holiday present from me to you! :)

Speaking of presents...

Call me Mr. Grinch!

I've bought zero gifts this year. A big fat zero. $0. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

It's not because I don't want to! I've got people I need to buy gifts for, but here's the problem...

For weeks now, WEEKS, I've tried to go shopping. Each time I go, I can't find anything that screams the recipients name at me.

Another question I've been pondering...what ever happened to the joy of the season and being merry??? Seriously! Why is it that to just get a parking spot, you must first sit in traffic for at least 15 minutes, get cut off by at least 5 other people, get cursed at for letting a car out that had lost all hope of ever getting out of the mall parking lot, and almost getting in about 3 car accidents?? Once you do find a parking spot, you have to run across the street because the "slow, pedestrians crossing" sign suddenly fails to exist or apply. Then, once you get into the mall, you must be pushed at least once per store.

Yeah, I left the mall in tears, without any gifts, running to dodge cars as I crossed the parking lot.

So, instead of using my hard earned money to buy gifts, I gave it all to the Lord today when the collection plate was passed my way. I have no problem giving my money to the work of the Church to teach the world the Truth, especially after my horrid shopping experiences! I'm all for saving some lost souls! Saving souls is what will count on Judgment Day, not worldly gifts.

I have one last free gift from me to you (just an fyi, keep your eyes out for more free gifts these next coming days)...

Go read The Simple Life blog. It will take 2 minutes max to read one post. And I promise you won't regret it!

Ready ... set ... GO!!!

What's that you say??

Have I heard correctly??

All of my work is turned in, and all of my finals are completed??

You mean, for the next 6 weeks, I won't have to look and live like this??:


Does that mean I get to do stuff for me now??

Wow... I haven't done stuff for me since...August...

What to do these next 6 weeks, what to do??

Hmm...

How about celebrate the twin's graduation from college!!

Followed by some good quality time at home:


And I think I'll finish it off with attending some holiday parties in the retro dress. Since I've already started the tradition of leaving every party sober, I think I might just continue doing that! Afterall, it's what we Christians do (choosing not to drink and remaining sober, that is)! ;)


Yep...I think that sounds like a great way to wind-down...

5 semesters down...2 to go...

Here's to completing yet another semester of college!!

P.S. Pictured above is a nice warm glass of chai tea latte! It contains zero caffeine!! And it's SUPER easy to make! Seriously, you should try it! It's FAR better for you than coffee, warms you up quick, and smells great, too! :)

November Run Down

I could write out what all I've been up to here lately (a lot!)... But, I'll spare you all from being bored to tears with having to read about it. See, I am looking out for you all!!

Instead of telling you all about it, I've decided to show you (and include some captions to help explain things)! How does that sound?? I know you're excited, you don't have to tell me! ;)

So, here goes nothing!!

I felt and looked like this...

When I tried to read, I felt like I was spinning in circles and this is what I saw...

Went to the doctor. Was told I had vertigo. Got taken off of work. Took some pills to help which knocked me out cold. Feeling MUCH better now. Moving on...

Road-tripped it to Ohio for Thanksgiving.

Got bored during the long car ride...

Accidentally knocked my dad's papertowels out of the car. He rescued them. Whatever would we have done without those 6 sheets?!? "My papertowels, Mere!!!"


Spent some great quality time with the twin including riding in different cars with different family members, laughing till I cried, my bed collapsing while the twin was making it, a movie, getting gas in the ghetto, having WAY too many inside jokes...

Read this book and fell in love...


Pulled off the highway to come back to the apartment and Beamer freaked out. Haven't driven him since. Taking him to the repair shop Friday. Currently rocking out the Benz and missing Beamer... :(

And now it's time to get back to studying for finals...

Oh the life of a college kid!!

Stay tuned for life after finals!

Until then...

Who, me?!?

My lovely and beautiful twin called me late last night. I was quite surprised considering it was late (her timezone's an hour ahead of mine), and it was the middle of the week. Our calls are usually reserved for the weekends.

She told me she needed some encouragement. She was on her way to carry out a life-changing decision. I told her I loved her, I was there for her. And then I said, "If you do it, I'll buy you something cute and give it to you when I see you on Tuesday!"

Laughter from her end flooded my ear. "Are you bribing me???"

"No! I'm encouraging you, like you asked!! *insert chuckle here*"

After all was said and done, she called me and told me I better start shopping!

I then confessed, "Ok...so, maybe I did bribe you..."

Is it bad that I bribed my sister to follow through with that tough decision she made last night??

Why did I do it??

The answer is quite simple, because I love her.

She hasn't been her normal self here lately. She's been under a lot of stress. Graduation, less than 3 weeks of school left, filling out grad school applications, work, life. Last night, she made the decision to get rid of some unnecessary stress. When she called me back last night (at 1:30 am her time), I was surprised to hear her sound happy, relieved, laughing, cracking jokes, being her normal self. We talked for over an hour, a real sister heart-to-heart talk, something that hasn't happened in months.

Maybe it was wrong of me to bribe her (although I'm pretty sure the bribe didn't change her decision and was just an added bonus)...

Maybe I'm selfish...

But you know what??

I'm glad she's back!

And I'm especially glad she's happy again!

I've missed her...

My mama would be so proud!!!

I make a run to the pharmacy once a month to get my medications. This month, I ended up having to go at midnight. I picked it up, paid the normal (expensive) amount I pay each month, and headed home. When I got home, I realized they gave me a full dosage of one of my individually packaged medications instead of the quarter dose I was supposed to receive (a full dosage of the medication is too much for my body), and they only charged me for the quarter dose. Because it was one in the morning when I realized it, I decided to go to sleep and return to the pharmacy later in the week to give them back the extra amount.

I spoke with the pharmacist on duty today when I returned. I explained what happened to her, told her they have me a full dose but only charged me for a quarter, apologized for not coming in sooner, told her I had not messed with the extra packaged medicine they have given me, and gave it back to her. She checked my prescription and confirmed I was to only receive a quarter dose, checked to make sure the packaging was still sealed, and looked at me with a shocked/surprised look. She thanked me over and over again for returning it and being an honest person. She then made a comment about how great it was that there are still good and honest people out there, which made me smile!

What can I say? My mama taught me well!! :)

*** POLL TIME ***

Ok...I need your help! Yes, you!!

My hair has gotten long! How long, you ask? Well, my shortest layers have gone from 8 inches to 18. My longest layers are somewhere around 23 inches. (It's hard to measure the length of your own hair!)

Here's where you come in!! Please comment and let me know which way you like my hair better (both styles are very easy for me to do):

Straight...

(Sorry...that's the best recent picture I have of it straight)

OR

Curly...

(that picture's after letting the curls fall for 10 hours)

Thanks for your help!! You all are the best! :)

Alrighty, time for me to get back to studying some Economics so I can pass my exam tomorrow! My mom definitely won't be proud of me if I don't pass...

One of those days...

My twin got herself a blog over the weekend! It's quite cute! Check it out here!

Is it Thanksgiving yet?? I'm ready for a break from school! I have 5 projects, 3 exams, and at least 2 quizzes until break hits. I'm 75% finished with 2 of the projects, 25% finished with 2 other projects, and haven't even started the last project because I just haven't had the time. I'm going to be quite the busy bee these next couple of weeks...

I got a coupon for my absolute favorite store, Soma, today. I can't use it until Thursday, but I've already gone through and picked out what I want to get! For the ladies, if you struggle with finding undergarments that fit (like I did for years), try Soma! I will never again waste my money on other store's cheap garments that cost an arm and a leg but last maybe 6 months. And, yes, I am one of those annoying people that goes into the store and raves to the workers about how awesome their products are! :)

I have to go out and buy new khaki pants this week. The nice pair I got last month got ruined - not happy about that. They crocked in spots, badly.

I suppose I better hit the hay since it's half past 2 in the morning here. And I've got a full day ahead of me between school and work (leave home at 7:30 am, get home at 8:30 pm).

Have a wonderful week! Only 14 more days till break!!

P.S. Friday marks one year since I was cleared from having any type of cancer despite the fact the doctors were 99% sure I had some form of it. I can't believe it's already been a year!! I think I just might have to go out and celebrate! I'm looking forward to April when I can celebrate a year of being healthy and pain free!! :)


I voted (for the first time)!!!

And all I have to say about the results is that, despite what Americans think, God is letting us know He is in control! That's all I have to say about that...

Only 20 days until I'm back into the arms of those I love the most here on this earth! Needless to say, I'm excited!! Yay for Thanksgiving! It's definitely a much need break!

For my minor, a well know clothing company sent a bunch of their products for us to try out and evaluate. All I have to say is that I am not a fan of their products. The undergarments they sent are made of 100% nylon. Seriously?? Nylon?? Really?? I mean, I know we're trying to produce at low cost to sell at a low price, but nylon?? Needless to say, I did my job of rating for comfort and threw them away! Ladies, please, if you are wearing any garment made of 100% nylon, help your skin out and quit!

I'm going to Nashville tonight! And I'm incredibly excited!! I'm normally not one to make trips in the middle of the week. But, since we didn't have classes yesterday due to the election (apparently, around here, they never have school on election days), I don't have any homework due tomorrow! So, Nashville here I come! Hopefully, it will be the fix to my awful craving for the city...

In other news, I miss my twin... Only 20 more days...

A Halloween to Remember

I volunteered to work, on this Halloween night, a high school football game. How did it go? Well, it was a nightmare (fitting for Halloween!). I got lost. Took an hour for me to be found. I lost my phone. Praise the Lord for cops; one found my phone and got it back to me! Saw WAY too many immodestly dressed girls. Turned into a frozen popsicle. Went to Starbucks to reward myself for surviving the night and ended up freaking out the girl behind the counter. Good times... I always knew there was a reason why the good Lord made me a blonde!!

Mr. Garrison has left me for the next week and a half to go elk hunting in Colorado. Yes, you read right, elk hunting...in Colorado. Oh how I miss him! I wore his favorite outfit of mine tonight complete with hair down, subtle make-up and curled eyelashes. My phone has been too quiet since he left, eerie quiet. I can't wait to hear him laugh at me when I tell him about my night! Oh how he'll laugh!

So, as I sit here sipping my chai tea latte (thank you, Starbucks!), thawing out from the game, laughing at how tonight could only happen to me, I can't help but think how blessed I am.

Tonight, I finally realized...everything's going to be alright.

And, just in case another curve ball gets thrown at me, I've always got eternity in Heaven to look forward to!

Mrs. Dogg Anyone???

In our system at work, we have fake clients. It's for training purposes, but my supervisor likes to play jokes on people and add the fake clients to our check lists. It's pretty obvious who the fake clients are just by looking at their names, but it has tripped up a few people.

While sitting at my desk the other day, I heard the following conversation take place from across the room.

"You don't have that account number in your system? Hmm... Alright, well, the name is kinda weird, but the last name is Dogg, D-O-G-G. First name? Well, um...it's Puggsly. Yeah, that's right, Puggsly, P-U-G-G-S-L-Y. I think it's an odd name, too. I'm not really sure who would name their kid that... The companion to this account is named Muttly Dogg. Yeah, this is one weird account..."

I sat there in disbelief for a minute thinking to myself, "Surely he knows that's a fake client! He's just joking around with us. He's not really calling on this account...is he!?" I could only imagine what the woman on the other end was saying (and thinking)!

I hopped up out of my chair, ran across the room, and tried my best to tell him to get off the phone. He kept looking at me like I was crazy. A few other people joined in. He still wasn't catching on.

Finally, he noticed the social for the client, 123-4567-89. He puts two and two together and suddenly it all makes sense.

How did he get out of the awkward situation? By saying the following:

"You know what...I just realized this is a closed account. I'm sorry to bug you with it, but I don't need any information on it since it's closed. Yes, I'm sure. Oh, no, don't worry about it. Please don't waste your time trying to find it. Here, if I do need information on this account, I'll call you back. Thank you for your time! I appreciate it!" *click*

We all bust out into laughter, falling on the floor, holding our stomachs, crying, gasping for breath laughter.

And then he turns to us... "Why didn't any of you tell me it was a fake!?!?"

"Well...we kinda figured the name gave it away. I mean, come on, Puggsly Dogg! Really?? Do you think anyone would really name their kid that?? By the way, that was a really smooth and smart way to get out of it!"

Oh the joys of work...and fake clients!

Just Another Weekend...

As the weekend comes to a close, here's a list of what I accomplished this past ordinary Kentucky college student weekend.

1. Woke up to a good morning text! Love those!
   
   
2. Went to the humane society for communications class community service. Found out I'm allergic to cats. Not really surprised by that one considering it runs in the family.
   
   
3. Didn't clean like I needed to all because my mom told me not to.
   
   
4. Forgot to take an online exam. Luckily I was reminded of that shortly before the cut off time on the exam.
   
   
5. Chatted with the lady at Talbot's about their new merchandise, layout, sales, and fall colors. Love their fall line!! They've put a spring twist to the traditional fall colors. And they've got some of the cutest jeans ever in there! Along with a bunch of sales!
   
   
6. Had to clear out my text message inbox because it was full...again... Along with that, had to charge my phone twice because of all the phone calls, texts, and awesome chats with middle school friends!
   
   
7. West End Group 6 potluck. Laughed so hard I cried and forgot to breathe!!
   
   
8. Made a yummy salad after receiving the dressing sent in the mail from home.
   
   
9. Caught up on laundry.
   
   
10. Broke down and put the flannel sheets on the bed. Couldn't stand the cold bed any longer!
    
    
11. Planned a date.
    
    
12. Heard an amazing sermon over pro-life that moved me to tears. Incredibly powerful words were spoken.
    
    
13. Recharged my spiritual batteries with the goal of letting my light shine bright this week!
    
    
14. Finished filling out my absentee ballot (i.e. I voted)!!!
    
    
15. Decided not to fight the natural curls in my hair and leave them be for once along with wearing hot pink to spice up the fall day (picture of proof can be seen below).
    

I hope you all had a wonderful and productive weekend! Enjoy this upcoming week (which is also the last week of October)!

WKU Life

I suppose I should start off with some introductions. Let's see...

I'm a junior at Western Kentucky University majoring in Business Administration. Basically, that means I'm getting a general business degree. Fun? Not so much. Practical? Goodness yes!

I've got one of the coolest minors ever, Design, Merchandising, and Textiles. Yep, I get to go peruse the mall, study fabrics and their properties, and sew. And I get graded for it!

I am always on the go! Between classes, having my nose in textbooks, work, and spending time with the Lord, my days are pretty full. Which is why I've decided to start this blog , a reminder to slow down and enjoy life!

The current plan is to *try* to blog about the everyday happenings of a college student. Both the good and the bad (hopefully more good than bad)!

Please feel free to ask questions or make blog requests! Since I'm new at this, I have a feeling I'm going to need a bit of inspiration to get me going...