Officially a College Graduate

I'm all done! The whole school thing? Over!

Here are some pictures from graduation on May 9th. I'll start from the top: My school, me in front avoiding putting on the cap, waiting in line for my name to be called, after receiving the diploma case*, after graduation with my parents, back at the party with my grandparents who funded the whole school ordeal, with my uncle who played bartender for the party, with Andrew's aunt and uncle who initially introduced us 5 years ago, a picture Andrew took of me, me with both Andrew and his twin brother**, just Andrew and I, me apparently not knowing what to open next after most everyone had gone, the cake with raspberry filling(!), a shot of my leis and lastly them hanging.

The weather was gorgeous and I am so, so glad we had the party that day as it was the only sunny day of the week. Lots of people were able to come and I think everyone had a good time. So, I am now officially a college graduate. Scary! My major is business administration with an economics minor and a management concentration. I'm on the search for a job now so keep your fingers crossed about that!

I must say though, the gown did me no justice at all. I really am not as huge as it makes me look! Sorry I haven't posted lately, but I was really overwhelmed at the thought of posting graduation photos without editing them, but oh well. You all are getting what I have ready now and that's about it! Hope all has been well with you!

*They'll mail be the actual thing soon.

**They really are twins, I promise. Just look nothing alike.

To Cut or Not to Cut

Okay, I need your help. Here is my dilemma: I can't decide if I should cut my hair off again or not. Andrew really likes it short, but I am just not getting to the point where I can french braid it and put it in a real ponytail. So, I am posting some photos to help you help me make a decision. This is how Andrew really likes my hair:

It looks long, but it's cut up in the back. You can see it a bit in this photo:

It had grown out a bit, but was cut up as high as my hair would allow in the back. I really don't mind it like that, but I love my hair long. At least I am able to pull it up on the sides because it's left long there.
This next picture I hated. It was WAY too short. It was cut like this the end of August and I am just now (APRIL!) able to have a full ponytail. That's how short it was. Awful.
This was taken at Christmas and it had had a chance to grow out a bit. It was kind of the in between stage so wasn't too bad. I was just happy it was growing.

And this last picture was taken Saturday. Now, it doesn't look too great because it was raining, but it shows the length. (And my handsome boy.) As you can tell I tend to change color quite often... It will stay blonde for a while as I'm graduating (26 days!) and want to look like myself. You know?

Anyways, I need your help! Here are my dilemmas:

1. I like it long.

2. Andrew likes it short.

3. It takes less time to handle when it's short.

4. Short will be better in Hawaii as it will dry faster and be easier for getting in and out of the water.

5. Andrew made the point that when in Hawaii I'd be able to put it in a ponytail if I don't cut it.

6. Either way I'll be able to pull it up, even if I do cut it.

7. I really like the look when it's cut up in the back.

8. The shorter in the back the more access for Andrew to kiss my neck (swoon).

9. This is kind of my biggest reason...We have an intended wedding date of July 23, 2011. If I cut it now I can let it grow out from here. Because I know if I don't do it now I'm going to want to do it later then I will be really pissed if it's not as long as I want it by our wedding date.

I know that last reason sounds pretty dumb, but that's the way I think!

So, what would you do? Would you cut it and get a really cute haircut (and really make your boyfriend happy), or let it continue to grow?

I need your help!

Um, excuse me please.

I've mentioned that I'm doing my Second Attempt at the 30 Day Shred and well, excuse me? I weighed myself Monday morning at home, then just for nothing I stepped on the scale I have down here at school last night and apparently I'd gained 4 pounds. How the hell? Jillian Michaels, you are on my list! I do realize that there is probably a bit of difference between the two which I will figure out this weekend, but 4 pounds! THEN, I was a tad irritated this morning so stepped on again and it said I had magically lost 3.2 of those 4 pounds overnight. Yeah, I'm not buying it either.

It's a fairly new scale for heavens sake! I've only had it for a year and a half and put a new battery in it two weeks ago.

So what would you do? Just forget about the scale and meausre any weight loss by how my clothes fit? I do like that idea, but at the same time I like numbers. Seeing them go down that is!

Second Attempt

I am restarting Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred. It is my second attempt. The last time I began I went two days, skipped a day, and then that led to just plain stopping. So, I'm starting again. Day 1 of the Second Attempt was yesterday and to be honest I was quite surprised at myself. I had only done it for two days in during the First Attempt and was dying afterwords for the remainder of the week, but today am not sore at all. Another surprise: I was able to do 5 push ups. I know, that's nothing, but I have never been able to do them. My inspiration is this:

(Picture from Victoria's Secret website.)

I am going to fit my damn ass into a bikini come hell or high water. There are also a few other things I plan to fit into by the time we leave for Hawaii, if you know what I mean. I have 3.5 months. It's possible, right? I mean, if reality all I need to do is lose 25-30 pounds. That is totally do-able, even for me, in 3.5 months. Granted, I won't look quite like her, it is my goal to be able to wear it proudly on the beach and for Andrew to think I look damn good.

In addition to re-starting the Shred, I also got a belly dancing workout dvd from Barnes and Noble that I'm pretty excited about. So, I'm hoping that between Jillian kicking my ass, the belly dance workout and 1 mile on each the treadmill and bike 4-5 days a week and eating well that I should be able to get rid of some flab and become bikini ready. Keep your fingers crossed.

Do any of you have tips or suggestions for losing a good amount of weight fairly quickly?

Post 96: Drawing at post 100 open to anyone who leaves a comment with a valid email address (only so I can email you if you win) for a $10 Starbucks giftcard.

Good Morning! One of the blogs I always read is So the Fish Said written by Beth. Her blog is written well and generally very funny and quite honestly I get a kick out of reading about her days with her kids. Today when her post came up on my reader I opened it and was surprised to find a meme of sorts. Yesterday she said that the first 10 people who commented on her post would be sent interview questions. Since there were way over 10 by the time I read, I didn't comment. So today she took pity on all of us who came after the first 10 posts and posted questions for everyone.

So, as she directed, I'm posting the rules:

The rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying you want to be interviewed. (I'll take the first ten or so.)
2. I'll email you five questions of my choosing.
3. You update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions. They will answer these questions. If they don't, you can post naked pictures of them on the internet. (I can help with the Photoshopping.)

Here are the questions and my answers:

1. Remember the movie Brewster's Millions? That happens to you, except on a smaller scale. You receive a million dollars that you must spend in 30 days. However, you cannot have any assets to show for the money at the end of the month (and you can't buy something and then destroy it), you cannot waste the money, you cannot give it away, and you cannot tell anyone what you are doing. How do you ditch the dough in a month or less?
I've actually never seen it, or heard it to be honest. Am I missing something good? Should I rent it?

2. You are locked in a toy store overnight, with no way out until it reopens in the morning. What do you play with all night?
Hmmm, I'd probably start with the play dough. It's just fun to play with! Then move on to anything big and electric, you know like the ride in jeeps or something like that. Not that I'd be able to fit in it, but you know. Let's see, after that maybe some of the video game things. Are there even video games in a toy store? I haven't been in one in years. I actually can't remember that last time.

3. If you could have a dinner party with any three famous people, living or dead, you would be wasting your supernatural powers on hosting dinner parties. What would you do instead?
First, I'll have to pick the people. Let's see...I think I'm going to go with just some famous everyday people: Jennifer Aniston, Jillian Michaels and George Strait. Why these people? Jennifer Aniston because I absolutely adore her and she's my favorite actress. Jillian Michaels because I started the 30 Day Shread yesterday (I'll talk about it tomorrow) and she's kicking my ass. George Strait because my mom loves him and I know she would just die if she was able to meet him.

4. What's the best thing since sliced bread? Now, sliced bread ain't all that impressive, so what's the best mediocre, hum-drum improvement or advancement that has made modern life just ever so slightly more convenient for humanity, along the lines of saving yourself five seconds every time you want a piece of bread.
I'm going to go techy on you: my blackberry. I love it. I love being able to get my email RIGHTNOW rather than waiting until I'm back at my computer. I love being able to send Andrew an email right when I want. I love having the games for something to do when I'm waiting for class, stuck in traffic and all that. It's just so convenient!

5. What's your best quality? The response to this question must be a simple declarative statement. You may elaborate on that statement, provided that your elaboration does not include the words "but," "however," or "although," or any other hedging, equivocating, back-sliding, gerrymandering (which is not at all appropriate in this context, but I think it should be, don't you?) or any other type of backing down from the simple declarative statement with which you began your response.
Gosh, my best quality. Without any backtracking? Sheesh. I don't know. I guess just being genuinely thoughtful. I enjoy doing things for people to make them happy or help them out. For instance, when it's Andrew's finals week, I send him a big padded envelope full of things to wish him luck: lucky boxers to wear on the day of his most difficult exam, some chocolate, a bag of sour patch kids (his favorite candy), a card, some powdered straws to put in his water to give them some flavor, and a few other miscellaneous things. I usually send him a card every week or so up at school, just to give him something to smile about that day. And if we'd done anything recently and I'd had pictures printed I include some of those. I just like to do special things for people when I know they need and appreciate them.

Okay, you're turn...leave me a comment (first you'll be put into the drawing and second you'll get some questions!).

Sick, oh my gosh sick

My goodness, I woke up very early this morning incredibly sick. I had the urge that anything I'd eaten yesterday was going to come up. Right now. When I got into the bathroom, that feeling subsided and my stomach decided that it still needed to come out one way or another so it did. And did. And did.
Have you ever had that feeling when your stomach isn't feeling well and you don't know which end things want to come out? Well, that was it. One minute one thing, the next the other.
Oh my gosh it was horrible. Makes you re-think anything you want to eat after you've seen it in reverse.
Anyways, now that I've shared probably way too much information that you didn't want to know, I'm going to head to class.
Hope you all have a good day and that I'm finished with this stomach business.

I am...

Part 1
..afraid of spiders, snakes and rats.
..the girl who never lost her love for horses.
..an only child.
..craving a brownie - again.
..smarter than I let myself believe.
..learning how to believe in myself.
..in love with the most amazing man I've ever met.
..creative.
..thoughtful.
..sercetly planning my wedding (shhh...don't tell anyone!).
..going to be a college graduate on May 9, 2009.
..really trying to be good and exercise in anticipation of our vacation, but it's REALLY hard.
..going on vacation in 6 weeks.
..not a big fan of water.
..however, a big fan of dolphins.
..intimidated by someone prettier than me.
..not one to ever let anyone know that.
..addicted to ebay.
..not always sure what to blog about.
..not a lover of coffee, but still like to go to Starbucks.
..waiting until 11:50 to leave for class.
..thinking about what I want for lunch: sandwich or brownie.
..thinking I'll probably opt for the sandwich, my hips are thanking me already.
..waiting to hear from the most amazing man I've ever met.
..hoping he's not upset with me.
..excited for Friday.
..hoping we do something fun this weekend.
..listening to the wind blow outside.
..finished.