A GREAT weekend!

This was the best weekend I've had in AGES!!

Friday was the filing deadline for corporations, so the first big deadline of busy season is behind us. I didn't think we'd make it on Monday, but we did!

After work, my friend, Sandy, and I went to our favorite nail salon for pedicures and then went next door for Moe's for dinner. I'm so lucky to have good friends at work that I enjoy spending time with. After dropping Sandy off, I went home, watched some DVR with a glass of wine and was in bed at 10:30. It was AH-MAZING!

Saturday morning, I worked for about four hours before hopping on 65-South to go home to Florence. I did have to swing back by my house for my medicine that I managed to forget when I packed. :(

After getting home, Dad and I went to Muscle Shoals for a few minutes before he dropped me off at Grandaddy's house. We visited for a while before Mom and I went to Sam's. I think everyone knows how much I dislike Wal-Mart, but I really like shopping at Sam's. After that, we ordered dinner and Dad and I waxed my car. Then I went over to Grandaddy's to visit with him and Mother before going back home for the night.

This morning, I slept through the start of early church, so I decided to only go to the late service instead of both. As I was getting ready, I discovered that I left all of my hair styling products in Nashville besides my hairspray. As a result, I ended up looking like a mess. For a while, I thought I'd also left my foundation. I luckily had it and could still go to church. There's no way I would have gone without it. I don't allow many people to see me without makeup, so there was no way I would stand up in front of the congregation to sing with a bare face! :)

I made it to church in one piece and got to visit and sing with good friends who have become like family over the years. It always makes me happy to have an opportunity to sing (and get the good gossip, too)!

I practically ran out of the Sanctuary to get to my hair appointment. It had been seven weeks and I was looking rough! I had the ombré look--and not in a good way! The sweet man that does my hair graciously offered to do my hair on Sunday since I work weekends during tax season and can't make it for my usual Saturday morning appointment. I know it sounds superficial, but I feel so much better when my hair looks good!

(On a hair note, for the first time EVER I needed my hair thinned out. Just in the side opposite my part because I bring so much over, but still. When I was sick, my hair was so fragile and thin. I've always envied people with thick hair, but apparently I'm one of them--even if my hair is baby fine. I'm so grateful that my body is confirming outwardly how good I feel!)

I went back to Grandaddy's afterwards and finally decided to drive home instead of leaving early tomorrow morning. I am NOT a morning person plus it looks like its going to storm, so I decided I was better safe than sorry.

All in all, a GREAT weekend. I'm ready to repeat parts of it in 13 days for Easter weekend!

Christmas #1

Uncle Mark came to Florence today, so Christmas #1 is officially in the books!

It was an absolutely crazy morning with wrapping gifts, cleaning and cooking (plus a migraine or really bad tension headache), but we managed to get all the essentials finished in time. We opted out of the traditional Christmas meal this year since there were only four of us today (and because I really don't like leftovers--like Grams). I planned to make Grams' cake with cooked chocolate icing in addition to banana pudding (Uncle Mark's favorite), but I didn't make the icing until after he left. More for us, I guess!!

We opened gifts and I was quite spoiled. I absolutely hate to iron, so I got a professional grade steamer. The girls at work won't let me by if I wear something not perfectly pressed anymore! I also got a stainless steel garbage can for my kitchen. I've wanted one since I moved in since I have to have it out in the open, but I never broke down to get it. My favorite gift has to be the 2012 Southern Living Annual Cookbook. I can't wait to make several things in the cookbook!

Since Uncle Mark was here, I decided to take advantage of his photography skills and Emma and I had a mini-photoshoot. Here are a few of my favorites...

There's no place like home!

After ten days away from my house, I am so happy to finally be back. There really is no place like home...except my other home in Florence! :)

Labor Day and a Weekend at Home

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm updating from my iPad now, so unfortunately I can't add any of my pictures from Labor Day. The fact that they are still on the card in my camera doesn't help, either!

Mom, Dad and I spent Labor Day weekend at our condo in Gatlinburg. I was able to get away a bit early on Friday and managed to beat a good bit of the traffic headed East. Saturday, Mother and Daddy went hiking with some good family friends while I kept Emma and our friends' new Westie. It was quite an adventure keeping Riley and Emma happy. At times, I had to hold both of them at the same time to keep everyone happy and under control.

For dinner on Saturday night, I made pizza using dough and sauce made in my food processor. I'll post the recipes later this week. I'm so glad I have friends that share recipes with me! I think I impressed my family and our friends--especially considering the small amount of leftovers at the end of the night.

Sunday was quite possibly the best day of the trip. I'd worked many extra hours that week and was feeling quite stressed. Without planning it, I slept for most of the day until I had to get ready for dinner. I must have really needed the rest considering I had no difficulties sleeping that night!! I'm starting to think I have narcolepsy again, though!!

Monday meant driving back to Nashville and getting ready for another busy week.

This past Friday, I decided I could escape for the weekend and didn't have to work. I may regret it tomorrow morning, but I'm glad I got to have some fun and helped Mother with things at home. Saturday, I cleaned house (I really like Mom's Dyson, by the way) and visited Grandaddy before another narcolepsy-induced nap. Sunday, I sang in the choir with my friends at church before going to lunch with my self-proclaimed surrogate aunt. Before I knew it, we'd been talking for two hours and it was time to check on Grandaddy again!! After visiting him, it was time to go back to Nashville. The drive passed much faster since I talked to my Grad School BFF the entire way!!

Now, I'm home and have to get ready for another busy week at work. I'm worried about a big project I've yet to start that is due in a week, but it will get done eventually. Somehow, these things always do!

I'll be back soon to share my recipes and the best cooking blog that was recently pointed out to me.

Florence Fun

I spent the weekend in Florence again visiting with my family and trying to help Mom.  It's always good to go back home and visit with friends and family.  Even though I'm always quite tired from getting home late, I'm so glad every time I get the chance to go home.  Sorry, but no pictures during this trip.  The only picture-worthy moment was when I was alone with Grandaddy and I'm not very good at self-portraits.  To be honest, my camera was the last thing on my mind during those precious moments.

It's funny how confused I make people when I say I'm going home.  Home has multiple meanings to me--my house here in Brentwood, Florence and specifically my parent's house.  I've taken to saying I'm going "home to Alabama" when I'm at work because so many people were confused and didn't understand that I was going home to Florence instead of home to Brentwood.  This probably makes no sense--oh, well...

Friday, traffic was awful, as per usual especially on a Friday night.  There was a wreck at my exit, so I had to get off the interstate two exits early and work my way through a few neighborhoods to get home.  Once I finally got there, I had to get my things together and get Emma ready for a car ride.  I don't know how a "child" (yes, she's my fur child) of mine can hate to ride in the car so much.  It's not that I love it, but I'm in the car so much that I've learned to accept is as a necessary evil--and a two hour drive is SO much better than the 4+ hour drive to Auburn.  Emma, however, hates any and all car rides with a passion.  She shakes and whines every time (except for a few very nerve-wracking times when Daddy lets her sit beside him instead of in her crate).  Also, as I was loading the car, my 7 year old neighbor wanted to play with Emma.  She's not too fond of this little boy, but I didn't want to be rude, so I let her play for a minute before finally getting to leave Nashville.  By this point, it was after 7PM.  I spent a good bit of the drive talking to my good friend Molly and, before I knew it, I was in Florence.  I watched some TV with Daddy while we waited for Mother to get home from putting Grandaddy to bed.  Not long after, we all went back to the bedrooms and I read for a while before going to sleep.

Saturday, Emma decided she needed to visit Mother and Daddy sometime between 3 and 5 o'clock (I couldn't see the clock from the bed without my glasses) in the morning.  After fussing at her for a while, I finally put her in bed with Mother and went back to sleep.  When I did decided to get up, it was time to start the laundry and do a few other things around the house.  I also ran to Muscle Shoals to our Vet to get Emma her "special" food.  She's delicate, so she needs "special" food---actually, it's just something that she will eat!! After that, I visited with Grandaddy and fed him lunch.  In between sitting with him in the living room and the den, I made him shave.  Sometimes, I'm the only one that he will listen to.  It was so nice to have some quality time with him, though.  Grams and I were/are hand holders, so it's nice to sit with him and hold his hand like she and I used to do.  I went home for a while before coming back to tuck him in to bed.  It about broke my heart when he said he couldn't go to bed because he didn't know where Grams was.  Thankfully, I got him to sleep without many more questions and Mother and I were able to go back home.

Sunday, I went to choir practice and church.  I also managed to get a lesson on pie crusts aided by napkins and reading glasses!!  It was pretty funny, but an effective lesson nonetheless!  I'll have to try out my new skills this weekend and report back on my progress.  I'm always so glad to get the opportunity to sing with my choir friends.  I'm already looking forward to learning this year's Christmas Cantata.  I also heard that the Back-to-Choir party might be hoppin' this year--I think I'll need to take off early for that party! :)

After lunch, it was back to Grandaddy's house.  I'm sure he doesn't remember it now, but it was so peaceful to sit on the sofa with him, hold his hand and rest my head on his shoulder.  Definitely a memory to cherish!

I needed a little Sunday afternoon nap before heading back to Nashville.  Emma is getting a haircut, so I made the return trip alone.  If I didn't think I had OCD before, it was confirmed when I couldn't sleep because I hadn't completely unpacked.  Once I unpacked (and scrubbed my kitchen with Clorox wipes), it was time for bed.  I think I checked four times that I'd turned my alarm back on (I did), but it always worries me after a weekend.

This weekend was over much too soon!  I'm so looking forward for Labor Day Weekend and an extra day off from work!

Weekend in Florence

My family had a bit of excitement with Grandaddy last week, so Mom and I didn't get to go to Gatlinburg with Daddy. Instead, I still took Friday off, but went to Florence to help Mama. Although I wish we could have gone to the mountains, it's more important to help Mama and spend time with Grandaddy while he remembers me. I'm so afraid I'll come in one day and he won't remember that I'm his "first baby"--for some reason he skips Mama and her sister and goes straight to me!

I got there late Thursday night and picked up Emma from Grandaddy's house. She was most displeased when I couldn't sleep and did all of our laundry instead.

Friday, I spent most of the day with Grandaddy. Mama and I cleaned out a closet so Grandaddy's clothes could all be upstairs instead of leaving some in the basement. It wasn't nearly as sad as I expected giving away most of Grams' everyday clothes. I actually enjoyed reminiscing about some of her favorite outfits. We definitely kept a few things for sentimental reasons, but there were bags and bags of things we gave away.

Saturday, I went back to Grandaddy's house and spent most of the day with him before going to Casa for my favorite Mexican food. The menu may be the same in other places, but the food is certainly not the same.

Today, I woke up early, but still managed to be late for the first church service. I spent some time with my choir friends and then sang in the second service. I certainly wish I could join then tomorrow night for the Handy concert, but it just won't work logistically.

Now, I'm back home and getting ready for the work week. I had a long weekend, but I do wish for another day off. Wouldn't anyone?

This week shouldn't be too bad and I'm planning on a trip to Memphis next weekend, so that's definitely something to look forward to. After that, I'm back to Florence the next weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday--geez, that sounds old!

Here to Stay

I'm back in Auburn to stay...for a little while at least. I haven't been here for the weekend since the second week of June. Yep, that's five weekends of driving and about 2,500 miles on my car...yuck. The visits here and there were all pretty good though. I was home four of the five weekends and visited with family and even got to see a dear friend from high school get married. She was beautiful, as always. The other weekend, I stood by another dear, dear friend who married her very own Prince Charming.

It's so weird that people I went to school with are getting married and having babies. Kinda makes me feel like I'm still a little kid in a grown up world. But, on the other hand, I cannot imagine being married at this point in my life. I definitely want to finish school and hopefully have passed the CPA exam before tying the knot. I think, for me, following my parent's example and being a little older before getting married is the right way to go. That being said, there's still a little bit of the green monster of jealousy when I see my friends and seemingly everyone around me finding someone to spend the rest of their lives with

Enough of the marriage talk. I have the Charter people coming tomorrow afternoon (or night!) to install digital cable and high-speed internet. I also having a group coming over tomorrow, so I need to unpack and do a little spot cleaning before I have people coming over.

My parents are also coming this weekend! They haven't been down in quite a while and I'm excited to take my Dad to Sno Biz. It's an old treat from my childhood and the place here tastes just like home. Sorry to the one at McFarland Park...you're better than the waterpark shaved ice place, but not the shaved ice of my memories!

Florence, Here I Come!

This is where I'm going this weekend! Over my four years at Auburn, I have really learned to appreciate Florence and all the good things there.

First and foremost, the majority of my family is there. Mom and Dad, Grams and Grandaddy, and my as-close-to-family-but-not are all there or close-by. I am so grateful for every minute I get to spend with them--especially with Grandaddy in light of the events of the past few months.

There's also my church family. They are a big part of my life that has been missing while I have been in Auburn. It's just not the same here and I have never felt like I really belonged. Maybe because I knew it was only temporary, but my church home is at 415 N. Seminary Street in Downtown Florence. I know when I'm there, I will be welcomed home with open arms and pulled down to the choir room to sing and gossip, of course!

I'm a little ashamed to mention this, but I love coming home and planning my meals! Mom has always asked me if I'm thinking of food all day. I do admit to planning dinner sometimes during breakfast! I love Saturday lunch at my Grandparents' house--always something good and always accompanied by ice cold tea. I can't remember when we started going over there for lunch, but I also can't remember what we did before the days of Saturday lunch. I love summer at Gram and Grandaddy's house because Grandaddy and I would sneak off and cut a watermelon. That's always been our thing. We would share if there were other people around, but it was really just for us. I know to look in the basement refrigerator to see if we have a treat for later that day! At trip to Florence is not complete without a visit to Casa Mexicana or Ricatoni's either! You just can't beat the food you grew up on!

Lastly, I can't wait to sleep in my bed. My bed has such special memories. Before it was in my bedroom at my house, it was in my bedroom at my Aunt's house. It actually belonged to my Great-Grandma Almond and was passed down to my Aunt and then to me. I slept in this bed at my Aunt's house for most of my childhood and it was what I wanted most from her house after she died. I guess I felt like bringing this bed home with me would keep a part of her with me always. I have other silly things with me all the time--the ring from her keys has been on my keyring for years--but seeing this bed when I walk into my room still makes me smile and remember good times of weekends past.

Another good thing about Florence is Emma is there! She's been with Mom and Daddy for two weeks since I was so busy last week with school and I was out of town at Tiffany and Will's wedding this weekend. I miss her like crazy! I hope she's excited to see me and will cuddle up to me so we can make up for lost time!

Well, I'm off to pack so I can get home to Florence faster. I'm leaving as soon as my class gets out at 11:15. I'm so grateful for only having classes four days a week this minimester. I'm looking forward to being in Florence alot during July!

Home For A While

Emma and I went on a little "vacation" this weekend. We went home to Florence for the long weekend. It was quite strange because Mom and Dad were out of town and Emma and I were home alone. I knew that before going home though and intended to spend my time with Gram and Grandaddy before school became too overwhelming.

We came back to Auburn this afternoon after dropping Emma's cousin Heidi (a dachshund) off with my Uncle. We drove through periods of rain especially after Birmingham, but nothing too bad.

This week should be like normal classes and not really too much of the "getting-into-the-swing-of-things" days in class. I still have a little bit of work to do before bedtime.

Mom might also be coming this week to check into some new flooring for my condo. I personally want some kind of hardwood, but anything would be better than the weird carpet that was newly-installed in the condo when we bought it. None of us have ever been wild about it. We (well, really my parents) will have to discuss it after getting some pricing information. I would love to have Mom come down to entertain Emma during my long days at school. I really do usually love spending time with my parents and look forward to visiting with them either here or at home. I'm really sorry that Daddy probably can't come this weekend. Maybe next weekend?

I need to unpack some, clean up a little, and finish my schoolwork for tomorrow. I will try to be more consistent with my blogging in the future!

I'll close with a couple of cute pictures of Emma from a while back!

The End of Summer

Today marks the end of my summer, my next-to-last one before joining the adult world. As my Mom said, "I just get used to [her] being home when it's time to leave again." I didn't want to leave today, but I had to collect myself and just get moving. There was neither time nor energy for long extended goodbyes for my parents or I. We were all going in our separate directions--even though my Dad and I drove to the airport together--we just had to be quick and then move on.

I will be going home again Friday afternoon/evening, but it won't be the same. My parents will be vacationing in Houston and I will be home alone. Well, really I will just be sleeping at home, while spending my time at my Grandparents'. I do wish Mom and Dad would be home though. Mom may get to come visit next week though, so I'll just hope that will happen and continue to mark off days on my mental calendar.

This 5-week term, I won't be going home much or doing much of anything to be honest. I have three classes at 8AM, 11:30AM, and 3PM. There's really not enough time to go home in between, so I will have quite long days in the Business Building. Poor Emma will spend a lot of time alone too. I will just have to get my work done during my long breaks and make sure to play with her as much as possible at night and on the weekend.

The second 5-week term, which starts in July, should be much easier. I will only have one class that meets only MTWR, or four days a week! Fridays off, hooray!! I hope to go home for several weekends during July.

I've got some unpacking to do before repacking tomorrow night. I also need to get a good night's sleep since tomorrow's going to be a doozy! I might even have an extra class meeting from 5-6:30 tomorrow night. It's supposed to meet each Thursday, but I don't know about the first day yet!

Procrastination

So, I've been back in the world of Academia for three whole days. I can't say I'm liking it. I would much rather be back with my friends and coworkers at Pearce Bevill. I wonder if Chase, the guy Morgan and I shared an office with, is missing us or is relieved to have his office back to normal without girl talk and stupid questions. I bet he's happily back into his world of being productive and listening to his earbuds all day.

Emma and I are bonding more and more each day. She's going to hate me soon though because I have to put her in "EmmaCare" twice a day at the least--when I go to each class. Some days, like today, I went to dinner at Firehouse Subs with a friend who is in the Accounting program too and will be starting the MAc program this summer. I've really missed her this semester since we have only seen each other like three times and last Fall, we spent two days a week side-by-side in Audit class. She's become a really good friend who I know I can count on when the going gets tough! The best thing about her starting MAc in the summer is she'll know all about my classes a semester before I take them! haha

I'm so happy to report that my Grandaddy seems to be doing better! Apparently, he is tentatively set for discharge a week from tomorrow. I personally think that's a little premature since he has only been at the rehab for eight days. I know he is getting stronger physically, but I am worried about the quality of speech therapy he would receive as an outpatient. Frankly, I'm worried about the quality of the speech therapy he is currently receiving. I guess that just comes with the territory when you are not able to witness the rehab and can only visit during set visiting hours--the therapists and workers can do whatever they want during the non-visiting hours, I guess. I won't even get started about how I feel about ECM and some new information I learned today. All I can say is, "How frustrating..."

Emma and I have a S Corp tax return to complete, so I guess we should sign off for now and become productive for a change. It's so pretty outside and it's hard to stay inside and study. Especially since I need to get some form of color on my skin for Tiffany's wedding on June 27. This girl is not going to wear black without some semblance of color. And if you currently saw my legs and arms, you would know that I'm not very good at self tanner, even the Jergen's natural glow. I can't have fake tan lines when I'm going to be photographed with the Wedding Party for posterity!

Now on to schoolwork...

Almost Over / Please Pray

I'm feeling quite ambivalent tonight. My internship is almost over and it's almost time to move back to Auburn.

Although I have enjoyed my work more than I thought I would, I will be happy to have Emma back with me and to be able to take naps during the day again. I really like coming home and not having any homework to do, but I don't really like waking up at 5:30 every day. I even wake up around 5:30 on the weekends, although I don't actually get out of bed.

It's been a long week so far as we near the end of tax season. I've worked until 9 the past two nights and I don't quite remember the times I left on Monday or Tuesday. I know it was much later than 5PM though. I don't want to work until 9 tomorrow, but I will if that's what gets me finished earlier on Saturday. After work, I'm going home to Florence to see Grandaddy and celebrate Easter with my family.

Please pray for my Grandaddy tomorrow as we hope he will finally be able to get his feeding tube placed. He's been in the hospital for nearly two weeks and has been waiting for his blood thinner levels to drop enough for surgery since Monday. He just really needs something to go his way. I so want him to be able to be discharged to the rehab facility. That will be a big step toward his finally getting to come home and live a normal life again. He's so special to me and I love him so much--I just can't stand to see him suffer like he has been lately. I wish I could fix everything for him, but he is such a strong person and will bounce back from all of this, I'm sure. Not to hurt anyone else's feelings, but I think I look up to him and want to make him proud of me more than anyone else in my family. I love you Grandaddy.

Finally...

I wanted to start out with this picture of the beautiful amaryllis that is blooming in my house right now. I love having flowering plants in the house! I'm currently trying to grow lavender, but so far, all I have are a few tiny, and I mean TINY, leaves! On with the main post...

I'm so sorry for my lack of blog posts lately. I've been working during the week and either traveling or doing things in town with friends nearly every weekend since I've been here. I think I have only stayed in Birmingham three weekends since I've been here. Only one of those have I truly laid around the house and vegged out. My intentions are to vegetate all evening Friday and all day Saturday. I believe I am having dinner with my parents Sunday night after they go to a meeting in Birmingham that afternoon. Another reason for my neglect of my blog has been that my computer would not connect to the wireless network at my Uncle's house. No matter what any of us would do, it would show connected but then display an error message when I opened Firefox. For some reason when I turned on my computer today to do some work on my research paper for school, it connected. I just hope it lasts! It's been really hard to function without internet at home. Thank goodness for BlackBerries! :)

I really am enjoying my internship. I'm working pretty hard mainly doing individual returns. I've only done a few returns for other entities, but so far I really do prefer individuals to corporations or partnerships. I like being able to work on one person or couple for a few hours or maybe even a few days and then be done with them. I'm not sure I could get used to working on the same corporation, partnership, or trust for days on end. It's such a good feeling to turn in completed work and I wouldn't want to diminish the frequency of that feeling. I also liked Individual Income Tax much better in school than Income Tax II, which is entity taxation. I can also work on individual returns independently, so it makes sense that I am mainly assigned this kind of work. Enough about work...

I went bridesmaid dress shopping with my best friend, Tiffany, a few weekends ago. She had already picked out some dresses with two of the other girls who lived in Atlanta, but we ended up picking out a dress they had never seen before, falling in love with it, and by the end of the next week, ordered it for the soon-to-be June wedding.

I've been to Florence the last two weekends. I really miss Emma and can't wait until she can come back to Auburn with me. I'm so grateful to my parents for taking such good care of her, but it's still not the same as her Mommie taking care of her. Grandaddy has been sick too, and I wanted to lay eyes on him to know for myself that he's okay. Mom and Gram can tell me he's much better, but I don't fully believe it until I see for myself.

I've got to work on my research paper for my internship credit, so I better go while the internet is working. I'll leave you with some recent pictures of Emma.

Sleepy time in her little girl bed

Chewing her yummy bone...thank goodness for bones she can't destroy!

Playing fetch with her "get-it"

"Aren't I cute??"

That's all for now. If the internet holds out, I'll try to get back to posting on a regular basis!

I'm Here!!

I moved to Birmingham (well, really Springville) yesterday! Mom and Daddy came down to Auburn late Thursday night and they packed on Friday while I studied for my last test until April. Around 6PM, I was finally finished and the cars were packed, so we set off on our way to my new home for the next few months.

We arrived around 8:30, which is really good considering we take back roads and we also stopped to get some dinner. Then, we had to unpack the two cars and get everything up to the second floor from the basement. I think I'm really going to realize that living in a one level house is quite a nice thing. However, I only have to go to the first floor or basement to go to the kitchen or go to the garage or go outside. I've pretty much got my own apartment upstairs--just without a kitchen and a door to the outside. I'm so lucky my Uncle was willing to let me encroach on his life until the middle of April. I've got the best family! :)

Last night and today, we (especially my Mom) unpacked and organized and generally got things settled so there's not really anything left for me to do. I went to Wal-Mart after Mom and Dad left late this afternoon and then came home and have either been talking to my Uncle or on the computer since I got home. We ate a late lunch, so I'm getting pretty hungry now and am going to go make some fast dinner before I go to bed.

I'll let you all know how my first week goes as soon as I can!

Update Since Christmas

Sorry that I haven't been writing anything lately. With final preparations for Christmas, Christmas activities, and a nasty bug that I have had since the day after Christmas, I really haven't felt like doing anything besides laying in bed for the last few days.

We had a very nice Christmas both at home and at my Grandparent's house. We went to Christmas Eve Communion at our church and for the first time in several years, I sat with my family in the congregation rather than singing in the choir. For some reason, I just wanted to sit with my family this year and it was a nice change.

After church, we had Almond family Christmas. It was just my parents, my Uncle, and me, so it sounds a little silly to call it "Almond family Christmas", but that's what it was. I received many wonderful gifts including quite a few surprises I was not expecting. Everything was wonderful, but I would have to say the highlights are my new professional-like digital camera, a flat screen TV for my bedroom, and the Martha Stewart Cooking School cookbook. I can say for sure that I am quite spoiled. I also got some wonderful kitchen gadgets like a sandwich press that I'm sure will be used for so much more as well as some Pyrex that I really needed as well as wanted. My Mom sure does a good job in listening to my wants and needs and remembering them. And she claims to not have a good memory!!

Christmas morning, we went to my Grandparents and opened our gifts there and our stockings. I got some very nice clothes for work and I'm quite excited to get all the alterations completed so I can start wearing all my pretty new things. We also had a huge lunch where I ate way too much. I guess my body knew I was starting to get sick and made me eat up while I was still feeling like eating! : )

One of my best friends was in town Christmas afternoon, so we got to visit before she and her Mom had to head home to Tennessee. It's so sad that I have seen her more in the past month than in the year preceding that. We'll only be living 45 minutes away for much of the Spring semester, so I'm hoping we can continue our trend of seeing each other more often. We have been friends since middle school, it seems like forever really, and have somehow been able to maintain our friendship through phone calls all through college. She's done and planning her wedding, and I'll admit I'm a bit jealous, but I'm happy that I'm able to offer advice and be a part of her special day!

Since then, I haven't done anything interesting at all. My family went to Haleyville for our family Christmas there, but I stayed behind in bed with Emma. That's pretty much all I did yesterday too. Today, I migrated to my parents bedroom where we have On Demand movies, so I'm keeping myself occupied with that. The House marathons are over, so On Demand is all I have, I guess.

Both of my parents have had to leave the house today, but will both be home by late afternoon. I don't really need anything since I have Miss Emma to be my nurse-maid. She's so very content to simply lay in bed with me and sleep. That's the only way she can get her 23 hours of sleep per day, I'm afraid!

I'll try to post some of the pictures I took of Christmas with my new camera soon. I think Emma is going to become the most photographed puppy in history if I keep up like this. I'm just making up for the nearly four months of her life I didn't have a camera that could capture any of her features! : )

If I don't write again before Thursday, I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Home for the Holidays

I've been home for a week now, but it seems like just yesterday. We've been quite busy with Christmas shopping and other Holiday activities.

Emma went to the groomer on Wednesday and the V.E.T. (you have to spell it) for her little operation on Thursday, so she had a rough couple of days, but got plenty of pampering to make up for any inconvenience. She got her very own Christmas stocking today that my Grandmother and my Mom made for her. It's pink satin with lace and ruffles along the top. Very Emma-like!!

Yesterday was my Grandparent's 63 Wedding Anniversary, so I made dinner to celebrate the occasion. I made lasagna for the first time and besides taking longer than planned to cook, I think it turned out well! I guess we'll have a second chance to pass judgement tonight since that's what we're having for dinner.

Oh, I got my grades in for the semester...I got a 4.0! I'm really glad to have made Dean's List for the third semester in a row! Just two more to go to finish undergrad out with a bang!

I'm really excited about starting my j0b in Birmingham, but I have to go back to Auburn for a little less than a month for classes first. It will be good to get the majority of my Advanced Accounting Topics and Taxation II classes out of the way before I leave. I'm hoping I will have some time to see old friends in Birmingham since we all seem to be migrating there! It'll be so nice to reconnect and get to see good friends much more frequently!

Well, I need to go wrap some gifts. No, we haven't got them all safely nestled under the tree yet. They probably won't even be finished tonight, but they always get done.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

We're Home

Emma and I made it home around 5:30 today! Yay!!

I'm really ready to go to bed, but I have to wait until after Grey's Anatomy is over--it's a new episode, so I don't want to miss it. Also, my Dad is on his way back home from a business trip and I'd like to welcome him home before I go to bed.

My Grandmother and I are going shopping for my Christmas gifts tomorrow morning after her weekly hair appointment, so I won't really get to sleep too late, but it's for the best since I'll get to pick out my things before everything is picked over in the post-Thanksgiving sales.

I've got to go so I can keep my eye on Miss Emma...she doesn't know what to do with all the extra space she is given in our house!

Four Days

Just four more days until I get to go home! Luckily, my Friday class is canceled for this week, so I can leave Thursday afternoon! I really have only been home three times this semester and that's really just not enough in my opinion! I'm so looking forward to seeing family and friends and just having a break from Auburn and college life for a little while! Don't get me wrong, Auburn is great, but it's nothing like home!

I don't have too much going on this week. No tests or projects due, but I need to be as prepared as possible for finals before I leave. I know I won't get anything done while I'm home. I really need to start working on my graduate school application. The application itself is not too long or hard, but I also have to refine my resume with new grades, etc. for the semester, prepare a purpose statement, fill out the general business and School of Accountancy scholarship applications, and apply for a Graduate Research Assistantship. It won't be too bad, but I need to get going on all of it. The hardest part will be the essays that go with the scholarship and assistantship applications and the purpose statement. Maybe I can knock the purpose statement out this week! I also need to ask professors for letters of recommendation. I need three and I know two people I want to ask for sure, but still need to decide between a few other professors for the last recommendation.

Also, on Tuesday I will be initiated into Beta Alpha Psi, a professional honorary accounting organization. We have initiation and then a meet and greet with an accounting firm followed by our final meeting of the semester. All of this will take a few hours, so my Tuesday will be pretty busy with classes from 8 to 2 and then having to be back on campus around 4:30. I have a feeling I won't accomplish anything after I get home that night besides falling into bed!

I've also got to start thinking about Christmas gifts! I won't be home until about 10 days before Christmas, so I need to get also accomplished over Thanksgiving week. Maybe I'll brave some Black Friday sales...or not!

Well, I'm going to go and get my things ready for classes tomorrow. I'm definitely going to take advantage of being able to go to bed early tonight! : )

What I'm thinking about today...

As you can see, my mind is on sitting in front of a roaring fire either at my house or my Grandparent's house in Florence. My parents went and got a load of wood for our house yesterday, so now we can have a fire whenever we want one. I just wish I was there to enjoy it, but I will be before I know it.

Sitting in front of a burning fire really signals the beginning of the Holiday season to me. There's just something about that crackling sound and the slight smoky sound to the air that tells me it's fall and Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

My Grandmother always keeps a good fire going during the winter. Her sewing room is off of the downstairs den where the wood-burning fireplace is (they have a gas one upstairs that's really just for looks), so she's always walking by the fireplace to go anywhere else in the house. Much to my Grandaddy's dismay, she's always throwing random trash or sewing scraps into the fire as kindling instead of using the fire starter or real kindling he provides. I guess she thinks she's creating less trash for landfills if she burns it! : )

Our fireplace at my house is good, but not near as much fun to sit in front of. Ours is a traditional-type fireplace and I just don't think it produces as much heat as my Grandparent's cast iron (I think) fireplace insert. It will do though! I like to turn one of the wing backs in front of the fireplace where I will be able to feel the heat or just simply sit on the hearth in front of it.

Instead of "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas", it's "I'm dreaming of a warm fireplace". haha

Back in Auburn

Emma and I made it back safely to Auburn around lunchtime today. I was sad to leave Florence, but just got in the car and sucked it up. Since I was leaving at the same time my parents were going to early church, there wasn't much time for extended, teary goodbyes. I guess that's best. I'll see them again in either two or three weeks depending on if I go home after the GMAT or stay in Birmingham.

I have to write another WSJ opinion-type thingy tonight. This should be my last one as long as I earn full credit. It's only 200 words, so not a big deal, and I've already picked out my article. I just have to break down and write the thing. I don't know why this one seems so much harder than the past two, but I just can't seem to get something coherent going.

I don't think I have too much going on this week. I have a test on Friday that I need to start studying for along with the usual classwork. I do intend to go to bed at a reasonable time every night as long as I am productive during the day. Hopefully, this will be enough motivation to get my work done during the daylight hours!

Time to figure out what to eat for dinner! Yum!!