[Un]Inspired

So once upon a time, last summer, I did a really awesome thing and lost some weight (close to 40 lbs.) Once upon a time, ever since then, I have not been doing so hot on the whole diet thing. I just paid for three months of Weight Watchers online because that's what really helped last time (I love tracking all of those little points) but so far, I decided I should've waited until January. So this blog post is a "Thank You" to all of those things that inspire me, and a "Get out of my life!" to all of those things that don't.

Biggest Loser inspires me. Oh, that show. I just love it so much. It is precious and probably the most inspiring television show I've ever watched. I didn't start out watching this season, but now I'm completely hooked and I want everybody to win because what they've done is incredible.

Eggnog does not. Oh. my. goodness. I love eggnog. I could chug an entire gallon if given the opportunity. I would probably throw up, but even then, I think it'd be worth it. It definitely does not inspire me to lose weight because it tastes so good and it does a really good job of making me forget what a diet is at all.

Weight Watchers inspires me. I love it. I love tracking my points and tracking my exercise, even tracking how much water I drink. I love to know that I have point left at the end of the day, even thought I'm not hungry. It really really makes me more conscious of every single bite of food I stuff in my mouth. It worked last time for a while, here's hoping it works again.

Holidays do not. Thanksgiving and Christmas are not so good for my little diet. Too many good foods, too much food in general, and wayyy too many parties. I have a Christmas party this weekend at church, a party next weekend at my house, and the weekend after that is Christmas and we spend Christmas Eve at my Aunt and Uncles house stuffing our faces with barbeque. See how this can present a problem? I definitely should've waited until January.

Zumba inspires me. Zumba is so much fun. I've done it several times in a class, and I'm super pumped because I'm getting the 8 DVD set for Christmas. Another reason January is a better time to start but oh well. I really love it though and I'm so excited to open it and dance around with my sister and cousins. We will have fun-time Zumba parties and all will be right in the world.

Packing lunches does not. As a teacher, I don't really get a "lunch break." I get 30 minutes in a teachers lounge before having to pick my students back up. No time to leave, so I have to bring my lunch. Well between Lean Cuisines and Turkey sandwiches, I start to hate my life pretty quickly. I have string cheese, yogurt, diet coke, and a turkey sandwich or lean cuisine five days a week and I get so sick of it.

Exercise inspires me. I was doing so good last week about jogging around the block every single day when I got home from school. I would drag our dogs with me and we would jog (-slash-walk) a mile and a half around the neighborhood.

Backaches do not. Saturday morning I woke up with pain in my lower back but I didn't think a whole lot about it. Well I went over to Nathan and Brandi's house to help them pack and by that night I was miserable. Sunday morning, I stayed home from church because I literally couldn't do anything but lay down. That's definitely not very inspiring and since it was hurting until today, I absolutely haven't exercised at all this week. Shame on me.

Pinterest inspires me. All of those before and after pictures, work-out routines, and healthy recipes make me believe I can do it

Pinterest does not. Yes, Pinterest is both naughty and nice. But for real though, Nutella everything, any kind of yummy casserole you can think of, colorful cakes, world's best cookies. I just want to eat! Never look at Pinterest when you're hungry because it will absolutely make you think you are a first-class chef and you will end up in all kinds of a mess in your kitchen. I love Pinterest. It both inspires me to get skinny, and convinces me it's worth it to be fat.

So, there you have it. Until January, I'm gonna do the best I can but not worry a whole lot about it. January, though, I'm gonna kick butt. So if you will, ask me how I'm doing and push me to do well. You guys are my friends, be an inspiration to me. I definitely need it :)

Scarred for life.

So my first substitute teaching experience happened today. As you can tell from the title, it will take a while to recover. I know that one day I am going to have the most perfectly decorated classroom, my kids will be angels, and I will get Teacher of the Year... Right? Okay, maybe not but I can promise you that today I did not see my future. At all.

I got a phone call at about 7:45 this morning wanting me to work a half-day. That means I can still sleep until 9:45 so score for me. So I went back to sleep for a little while, got up, got ready, and went to S.P. Livingston Elementary school (also known as hades). For real though.

Okay, so I'm already a little terrified because it's my absolute first day to substitute anywhere. Good thing I picked what I hope is the worst classroom in all of America (or the entire world). After signing in with the office and them showing me where the classroom was (noticing on the way there that the whole entire school was fenced in and locked), I walked into a room. I'm not even going to call it a classroom because it was the furthest thing from it. More than half the lights were burnt out, there were absolutely no decorations, and I all of a sudden felt depressed. I was in the classroom for five seconds and I was depressed.

It was a fifth grade ESE classroom and it was awful. There were nine students in the class, fortunately for me two of them had already been suspended so I only had seven. They have been taking FCAT all week so today was just a chill day for them. They played computer, chess, colored pictures, and got. on. my. nerves.

Lunch was about 30 minutes after I got there and they were pretty good until then. After lunch? Not so much.

I have absolutely heard more cussing today than I have in the last 10 years of my life. If you ask them to stop or be quiet, they start cussing you out. I'm talking 11 year olds who should not know the meaning of the words they are saying cussing each other out to the point that more than half the words out of their mouth were cuss words. I was literally as shocked as I've ever been in a classroom.

Well the cussing turned into arguing and the arguing turned into shoving. We aren't allowed to touch the kids at all, so at first I just stood between the two kids who were about to fight. Then another one joined in and I decided that even though one of them was literally only three ft. tall, I was still outnumbered.

So on my very first day of substitute teaching, I had to buzz the office and get some help because a fight broke out between three of the seven students that I had.

I was only there for 3 1/2 hours but it felt like five years. I have to go back to the same school next week but luckily it's the little kids.

All I have to say is bless the teacher who spends every single day with those hoodlums, I promise they will be in jail by the age 17. One of them has already been in and out of a juvenile detention center and he is 11 years old.

Today broke my heart and made me incredibly sad. It also made me thankful for my tiny elementary school, my country high school, and my christian university.

Who even am I?

Yesterday, I started something. Well, once I start something, it's pretty much all I can think about until I finish it. I started organizing my iTunes. Like hardcore organizing it. I had dumb genre names and stupid playlists from years ago, and bands that I either HATE or have never heard of. How they got into my iTunes library, I'm still not sure.

So, yesterday when I started I had 5,249 songs in my itunes. That may be a bit ridiculous, I'm not entirely sure. The first thing I did is take the songs/ artists that I knew I liked and tagged them with a new genre, one that made sense (at least in my head.) Some of these genre names include: Alymily, Old School, Ghetto, and Rockish. Those are absolutely real names of the genres I chose. If you don't know what Alymily songs are, then shame on you! But for real, my best friend, Emily, and I have our very own genre of music and it is beautiful. Old School would include things like Spice Girls and N Sync because let's be real, I have it all. Ghetto is an assortment of Rap, R&B, and other songs that I don't really know which one they are. Rockish is like soft rock, I guess. Anyways, so that's what I did. I changed all the genres of my music so I would understand (in my own world) what kind of music I was listening to.

Next, I deleted songs and artists that I know I hate. K-Bye to Creed, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, tons of country artists and several others (including tons of bands that scream at me). I'm ashamed I had you in the first place.

Finally, the songs I didn't know I listened to and decided if I liked them or not. Once upon a time when I was a freshman in college, I used limewire wayy too much. I just downloaded all kinds of songs. I had soundtracks to tons of movies, almost every song that played on One Tree Hill, and I would sit on itunes listening to people I thought I liked and then proceed to download every song they've ever come out with. It just wasn't pretty. at. all.

So, now here I am with an itunes library of 4,216 songs. While this may still seem like way too much music for one person to ever listen to in their entire life, at least I cut it down by over 1,000. I know, I know. You are wayy impressed.

Sorry I suck for not blogging lately :( My life has been too filled with trips to the beach and Dawson's Creek. But really, I have no excuse and I'll try to do better. Also, I apologize if you think this post is boring. My whole life is boring so there isn't much to blog about.

Simply. Happy.

Ever had days you just felt happy? That's today for me. I love the feeling of being happy. I love to smile and I love to laugh and I've done a lot of that lately.

I'm happy because I finally have a job... at least until May. I am all set to start substitute teaching. Hopefully, I will sub tomorrow so that next Friday, I will have at least some money to live off of. If I don't start subbing until next week, then I have to wait until the following Friday... No Fun. Plus, I have a dentist appointment Monday, so I already can't work then. Whatever happens though, I feel like it's a step in the right direction. Sure, I was happy with my job as a nanny but it made me that much more sure of what I really wanted to do with my life. I have always known I wanted to be a teacher, and though being a nanny was working with kids, it just wasn't the same. So, even though it isn't my own classroom, it's still a classroom and that makes me super happy.

I'm happy because it is beautiful outside. I am so in love with this weather. The high is in the upper 80's all week and it is perfect beach weather. My summer wardrobe is in full swing- shorts, tank tops, and flip flops- and I have moved my winter clothes to my other closet. I hate winter. I hate snow, I hate jackets, I hate close-toed shoes. I do like scarves, but that's about it. Now though, I'm driving with my windows down and my music up (most likely the Beach Boys), and just enjoying the sunshine. I like sunshine :)

I'm happy because I have the best friends in the entire world. Tuesday night, I got to hang out with Courtney. It was just fun. I love that girl and I enjoy every minute that we get to hang out together. Yesterday, I got to go to lunch with two of my other best friends, Stacia and Jess. We had sushi (AMEN) and we just got to talk and catch up. It was so much fun. After that, Shannon came over and I hung out with her and Stacia more. We just sat around talking for a few hours about anything and everything. I am so lucky to have those girls. We are so close and have such a strong bond, and I love when I get to hang out with them.

I'm happy because I'm playing tennis again. Sunday night, after church, my brothers, sister-in-law, and I went to play tennis. I completely forgot how much I loved it. We played until we got kicked out of the park at 10:00 and it was so incredibly fun. I can actually still return the ball, thought I lost that ability, and I can't wait to play again. Nathan busted his strings on his last serve so I'll have to wait for him to get his racquet restrung before we can play again, but I hope it's soon.

I'm so happy, that I made this post in rainbow colors :) I know I'm not happy all the time, but on days that I am truly happy, I try to take full advantage of it. I want to drive somewhere just to drive, I want to enjoy this beautiful weather with my beautiful friends and I want to wish happiness to everyone that is reading this :)

Meet Helga

I'm going to tell you all about a special friend today. My special friend's name is Helga. Helga is a little self-conscious so I really had to beg her to post some videos for you all today. Whatever you do, do NOT make fun of Helga or she will never come back to my blog. Ever. Helga was born on April 1 and she would like to share her very first video at this time...

Helga has several videos but today, you will only see 3. Perhaps, if you're lucky, she will share more in the future.

Next up, we have Helga enjoying some home-made blueberry icecream. Don't judge her.

Finally, Helga would like to apologize to Susan Kopel. They have been best friends for a long time and she is so ashamed of what she has done. Helga is truly sorry.

I hope y'all get to know Helga even better in the future. As long as you're nice to her, I'm sure you will. Helga loves you all. Helga says goodbye.

Picture Time :)

Well, this is supposed to be a "30 day photo challenge," but I don't want to waste 30 days of your life, so I'll do it all in one day. Also, some of them are just lame so I took it upon myself to remove them from the list... Probably, because I can. I don't have a picture of dumb things such as "my biggest insecurity." Who even came up with something like that? Judge them.

1. A picture of yourself with ten facts.

1. The beach is my favorite place in the entire world.

2. I HATE snow.

3. I miss Freed-Hardeman but I don't miss classes.

4. I miss my long hair.

5. I don't wanna turn 24, because then I will feel old.

6. I love being the youngest of all my friends.

7. I have OCD. It's bad.

8. I can't wait to have my own classroom

9. I am going to marry Tim Tebow. You'll see.

10. I don't wanna grow up.

2. A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest.

Katelyn.

Since I've known this girl since she was born, I'm gonna go with her. She is my first cousin and my best friend and I feel so blessed to have her in my life. I hate that she is going to school in Arkansas because that means I have to share her with other people. But she is amazing and incredible and I don't know what I would do without her. I miss this girl like CRAZY.

3. A picture of the cast from your favorite television show.

One Tree Hill.

Simply the best show on television. I didn't start watching it until it was on season 4, but since then I have been completely hooked. If you don't watch it, shame on you.

4. A picture of your day.

Dawson's Creek.

I am currently watching the first episode of Season 3. Abby Morgan has died, Andi McPhee has gone crazy, and Pacey Whitter has stolen my heart. Again. It's just fabulous.

5. A picture of your favorite memory.

Paris.

That weekend with Shane and Emily completely changed my life. It was the best weekend ever, and I gained a best friend. Before then, Emily and I were "acquaintances." I knew her from Makin' Music but I didn't really know her. Somehow, I'm not even sure why, she invited me to go to Paris with her for her birthday weekend. It was probably because she needed another person because we weren't supposed to go with only two people, but whatever the reason, I'm glad she did. From wrong trains to meals of nothing but Nutella, from the Eiffel tower at night to Hairspray videos on an overnight train. Hands down, favorite memory of my entire life. Thank you, Shane and Emily, for a trip I will never forget.

6. A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.

Kat Von D.

I don't care what you think, this girl is cool. Also, she is beautiful. I want to spend a day of my life covered in tattoos and tattooing other people. I know my parents read this blog and I also know they hate tattoos. Oh well. I like them and I'm fascinated by them and if I was artistic at all, I think I would wanna be a tattoo artist. So there ya go, Being Kat Von D would be fun times (but only for a day).

7. A picture that makes you laugh.

Tail Bone Breakage.

That whole Spring Break trip makes me laugh. I'm so glad this moment got caught on camera. NOT. But it does make me laugh. It makes me laugh cause I'm a big ole dumb that tried to climb a tree in a skirt and flip flops. I'm amazed that I still have friends.

8. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.

Shannon.

This girl is just amazing. Best Friends since second grade and I wouldn't have it any other way. I would be lost without her and I'm pretty sure she knows it. I call her " Mr. Miagi" because she gives the best advice known to man and she calls me "Young Grasshopper" because she knows I need it. She is straight-up and honest and it's hard to hear sometime but I never doubt her. I love this girl.

9. A picture of the person you do the craziest things with.

Courtney.

Gah, I love this girl. She is fun, and crazy, and just like me and I love her for it. We have personalities more alike than any other of my friends and we get along perfectly. We're both laid back but we're also both kinda crazy. Trouble seems to follow us but life is fun that way. I've known Court since 8th grade and I would do absolutely anything in the world for her. And I know she'd do the same for me.

10. A picture of something you hate.

Tomatoes.

Just go ahead and gag me.

11. A picture of something you love.

My Gators.

I love college football. It is the absolute best thing about fall and I miss it right now. Just like every other team, we have our ups and down, but at least you know I'm not a fair-weather fan.

12. A picture of your favorite band or artist.

The Beatles.

Duh.

13. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Emily.

My best friend. This girl completely changed my life when it needed to be changed. She has taught me so much and I love her more than anything. She was my makin' music director, then my friend, then my best friend, then my roommate and we will continue to be best friends for our entire lives. I am so sure of that.

14. A picture of someone who inspires you.

My Girls.

Theses four girls are my backbone. We have all been best friends for as long as I remember. We have been through so much together and they inspire me so much. They are some of the best people I've ever met and I'm so lucky to have them and for us to be so close, even almost 5 years after High School graduation. I love my girls.

15. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

Graduating.

Now I'm a big girl living in the real world. I have to find a big girl job and make big girl money so I can pay my big girl student loans back (YUCK!) So far, the real world has gone easy on me, but check back in August when I have to start paying back $267/ month for my stupid college career.

16. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Australia.

There are tons of places I want to visit, but for now Australia is number one on my list. I want to go back to Europe, as well as many other countries and many places in the U.S.

17. A picture of something you wish you were better at.

Surfing.

One day, I will be good at it.

18. A picture of your favorite book.

Twilight.

If you're judging me, sorry 'bout it. Don't care. The books are good.

19. A picture of yourself and a family member.

Seester.

I am just so glad my brother chose to marry someone that I love. Brandi has been such a blessing to this family and she fits in so well, almost too well. Her and my mother have a relationship closer than any mother and daughter-in-law should but I guess that's a good thing. I love Brandi and I am so glad she chose to marry my brother and become the sister I never wanted :)

20. A picture of someone you miss.

Emily.

I live in Jacksonville, Florida. My best friend lives in Huntsville, Alabama... See the problem? Not happy about it.

21. A picture that can always make you smile

Mexican Cruise.

Any picture from this cruise can make me smile. It was so fun and crazy and one of the best weekends of my life. I will never forget it.

Five. Years. Old.

When I was at the beach the other day with the best friend, we were burying her sister-in-law and niece in the sand and making them mermaids. Naturally, I started singing Little Mermaid songs. My best friend proceeded to tell me I was five years old and all I could do was agree. I know I mentioned it before but I feel like it is an appropriate blog post idea. So, here we go.

The List (I know you're all surprised)...

I Love to Color. I know I mentioned this in previously but I couldn't leave it off this list. I love coloring books. I love markers, crayons and paint. Just fun. I doodle all the time. On anything and everything. In church today, I was actually coloring the inside of my Bible cover. That's a true story.

My DVD Collection. I have the DVD collection of a small child. I have tons of Disney movies, Pixar movies, and other kid's movies. I just love them. Recently I added Ramona and Beezus to my collection (soo cute. soo good.) Granted not all of my movies are for kids, but a lot of them? Oh yes. And I enjoy them. If you ever need a movie to show children, I'm your girl.

Disney Songs. I know them all. I love them all. I had a disney karaoke CD and I know all of the words to most of the songs. I own all of the Classic Disney CD's and I have them on my Ipod (and listen to them a lot.) There's nothing like driving down the road with the windows down, screaming A Whole New World at the top of your lungs. You know you want to... Just do it.

I like playing with five year olds better than with adults. I want to teach kindergarten. I teach 4 and 5 year olds at church. I'm always the counselor for the youngest girls at camp. I just get along better with them. Sometimes, I feel like I relate more to five year olds than to people of my own age. Now I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing or not but it's a true thing. I love children, they are just so excited about life and I feel happy when I'm around them.

I love children's books. My collection of children's books is kinda out of control. My excuse is that I'll be able to use them in my classroom today, which is true, but I honestly just love them. I loved reading when I was little and I still love to read (sometimes) but children's books are just so fun. My favorite's are McSpot's Hidden Spots, Agatha's Feather Bed, and Mrs. Gigglebelly is coming for tea. Fantastic books. I can quote almost half of McSpot's Hidden Spots and it is a long book. I also love Amelia Bedilia books cause they're just fun times.

Well, that's all I got for you today. I am already running out of blog ideas so unless you want me to start stealing ideas from Emily, you should give me some more.

My job is the bestest :)

Okay, I know what you're all thinking... How can my job be the bestest when I don't have one?

Well, I feel inspired today, friends. I feel inspired today because now I am going to start substitute teaching. I went to my first meeting for it last Wednesday, and I went back today for orientation. They are still waiting on my background check to come through so as long as I've covered up that first degree murder well enough, I should be in the clear next week. After that, I just get to do what I love and get paid for it.

On my way home today, though, I got to thinking (Scary! I know.) I was thinking how much I think, actually know, I will love my career. I know that I'm not actually a teacher yet and I don't have my own classroom, but when I think about my future, I just get excited. I think of some of my close friends and roommates from college and how they have no idea what they want to do with their lives. Well even though it isn't me, I get stressed out about it. If I was almost 23 years old and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, I would probably just crawl up in a ball and cry. The good thing it, I do know exactly what I want to do. Now it's just the "getting there" part that's difficult.

Well since I'm OCD and a compulsive list maker, I have compiled yet another list for you kiddos today.

Reasons why my job is the bestest (hence the title)

1. I am a 5 year old. I love crayons, markers, paint, colored pencils, stamps, children's books, games, chalkboards, bright colors, glitter... I love it all. I always have. I am 22 years old and use little people (as in young people, not as in midgets) as an excuse to color. I get stressed out when I am coloring a page and they want to "help." Scribbling on my perfectly colored page is not helping!!! My nerves actually get upset at this. I also love projects. It doesn't matter what kind of project, it could be simply making a card or it could be a huge drawn out science fair project (let's be honest-- my mother is the only reason I won in 5th grade). But I love projects, they are just so fun. Since I love projects so much, don't you think I'll make a good teacher. (Here is where you either agree, or leave my blog at once.)

2. My favorite thing when I was little was "playing school". This is so true. I had a chalkboard and a desk and I was never the student. That was my brothers' job. I taught them their alphabet before I knew it myself and I taught them multiplication and division before I could add. As long as I got to write on the chalk board, and they had to listen to me, my life was complete. They really were good big brothers (most of the time). My mom bought me old textbooks from a yard sale and I would line up my stuffed animals and read to them all the time. I played school more than I played house, barbies, or anything else combined. Playing school was by far my favorite. What makes this so cool is that I get to play school for the rest of my life. HOW EXCITING IS THAT?!? (Please be excited. If not for yourself, at least for me)

3. Let's take a look at my grades in college. No lie. I am actually looking at my college transcripts...

College Algebra- D

American History- C

American Government- C

Principles of Biology- C

Real Number System (GAG ME)- D

Not pretty, huh? Well let's look at a few more...

Intro. to Education- A

Child Development- A

Physical Activities for Children- A

Teaching Reading in Elementary School- A

Technology in the Classroom- A

Educational Psychology- A

Teaching Strategies- A

Children's Literature- A

Classroom Management- A

Educational Strategies- A

Student Teaching Elementary- A

Do we see some sort of trend? Every single class that was an "education" class, I made and A. I know good and well that I could have, if I wanted to, done better in some of those other classes, but the point is... they did not interest me. Not one bit. It took all I had to study for 10 minutes before a test. But my education classes? EASY. It just came naturally to me. Now I am not going into teaching because it's easy (that's just a perk) but it does make me pretty excited about it.

4. My Student Teaching Experience. I loved every single day with my Kindergartners and 99% of the days with my sixth graders. I will say this, loud and clear... Sixth grade teachers should get paid wayyyyy more than Kindergarten teachers. Every day that I walked into the Kindergarten classroom, I would have little tiny arms wrapped all around me, hugging me, and telling me good morning. I loved every second of every day spent with them and I still miss them more than I ever thought possible. I loved every single one of them and yes, I had my favorite (shout out to Tristan) but I looked forward to seeing them every single day. I would come home from student teaching, completely worn out, but by the next morning I'd be ready to do it all over again. I would even miss them on the weekends. I had come to this conclusion last semester: If I can work 40 hours a week teaching, not get paid for it, and still look forward to going in every day??? How awesome is my life gonna be! Okay, so sixth grade was a little harder to get excited about it, but I still loved it, enjoyed it, and miss it.

I'm just so excited to have my own classroom, my own students. and my own "big girl teacher desk". I can't wait to inspire students, teach them, and watch them grow. Just excited about my life and needed to share. Hope you enjoyed (if not, why'd you read the whole thing?)

It's the small things...

When you spend three months of your life in a foreign country, with the same 40 people, it changes you. I miss Europe every single day of my life. I don't think a single day has gone by where something doesn't remind me of my trip, or some form of a memory doesn't start flooding my mind. If given the opportunity, I would leave right now and do it all over again. Granted, I would switch a few people out (namely one) but if that wasn't an option, I'd even take them.

Sure, I miss the scenery, the ancient cities, the foreign voices, and the piles of ruins but what I seem to think about most often is the small things.

This whole blog post was inspired by one tiny little memory... Goleadors. For those of you who are uneducated, I will give you a picture and a description...

Goleadors are the best 10 euro cent money could buy. They were just little gummy sticks but they were harder than gummy worms. I said I would try to explain them, but I lied. You just can't, they must be eaten to get the full extent of just how wonderful they were. I was taking Renaissance and Baroque Art with Dr. Gardner and it was the latest class of the day, right before dinner. I care absolutely nothing about art so I had to find something that would help me make it through this class. That's when goleadors came into my life. I would buy at least 5, more likely 10 of them every day before his class, and I would make them last the entire 80 minutes. Thank you, Goleadors, for being my life saver. I want a goleador and I want it now.

Cola Light- I do not miss Cola Light for the same reason that I miss goleadors. I miss Cola Light because it makes me thankful for Diet Coke. Cola Light is identity theft. It claims to be the same as Diet Coke but it is not. Diet Coke is nectar from the gods and Cola Light is just not. I made do while I was over there, but when we hit London and they had Diet Coke, real Diet Coke, I could've cried with excitement. Though it still didn't taste like Diet coke from the U.S., it was better than the intruder. But I would live without diet coke again if it meant I could go back to Europe (I would just drink Fanta :) )

Meal times- They were wonderful. I remember being curious about what type of pasta we were having that day. Pizza nights were awesome because they put random things that looked like sliced hot dogs on their pizza, and on pizza night we got cola light :) I miss fighting for the regular water because the fizzy water was just gross and tricking people into drinking it. I DON'T miss having ketchup smeared all over my face and arms by Justin and Ryan but even that torture, I would endure again, if it meant I could go back.

Reading- Reading is just way better when you're sitting out on the terrace over looking Italy. Not to mention, at the time I was reading Twilight (magical) and after I read about Volterra, I visited there (P.S. There is no clock tower. Disappointed.) But I just miss sitting out at the tables after class and reading, sometimes for hours.

Citerna- I miss this precious little town so much. I miss the bar that gave us gelato, sneaking out with Kelli and Shane to play on the playground, and Roscoe, the city dog, that did nothing but sleep. It was such a quaint little town, taken right out of a movie set and I miss it. I miss everything about Citerna.

Trains- I prefer trains to cars any day. One night on a train could get you to a different country. America just sucks sometimes. They need a train system. My first overnight train, I was in a car off 5 other people and no beds. I was absolutely miserable. It is not very comfortable trying to sleep, sitting straight up, crammed in a tiny room with six people. On my second free travel, however, I was spoiled. Alyssa meet Sleeping cars, Sleeping cars meet Alyssa. Yea, me and sleeping cars were best friends after that. Sleeping cars have six fold-out beds, three on each wall. It included a blanket and small pillow and sometimes it seemed better than a 5-star hotel. You could even lock yourselves in and make music videos all night, singing songs from Hairspray. It was awesome to be able to fall asleep in Italy and wake up in Paris. Just cool. I liked trains.

Lack of a cell phone- Not much to say about this other than I miss not being attached to my cell phone like it's part of my hand. I love my phone. I do. But I also miss not having a phone. I miss people not knowing every single thing I was doing and where I was at all the time. I know that if I wanted to, I could go without my cell phone here, but it's just different. Here, I feel like I need a cell phone, there I was more worried about having a camera in my hands (that is, until I lost it.)

My Yellow Backpack- That thing became a part of me. That big, huge, bulky, yellow backpack. I would cram a weeks worth of clothes in it and come home wearing half of them because on the way home, souvenirs took up all the room. I was heavy and annoying but I never minded carrying it. I was backpacking through Europe (while staying in hostels along the way) and I just didn't mind.

I just miss it.

My living quarters

I love my room. That is probably extremely weird but it is the only thing that is truly, completely, 100% me. Yes, I still live with my parents but I have my own house. I have to walk outside to get to their house so it really is a pretty good deal. I get my privacy without paying rent. It's a REALLY good deal when you don't have a job.

I'm sure everyone has things that they love about their own bedroom, but because it's my blog and I can, I'm going to share things (with pictures) that are my absolute favorite parts of my living space.

My Beatles Paraphernalia.

I am so in love with the Beatles, it's unhealthy. I feel like if you do not know this fact about me, we aren't really friends and you no longer exist to me. Moving on. I am just so fascinated by them.. Their life stories, their songs, the stories behind their songs... all of it. I have LOTS of Beatles stuff and I love it all. I have posters, quotes, books, even glasses that have the Beatles, and they are probably my absolute favorite part of my room.

My Europe shrine.

That's right, I have a shrine. My biggest regret from Europe is not getting more souvenirs. I want a beer stein from Germany, wooden shoes from Holland, and a $3,000 cuckoo clock from Switzerland (maybe not so much on the clock). I didn't buy enough. Probably, because I was running low on the cash flow (living in a foreign country isn't exactly cheap) but I just wish I could go back and buy more. But what I do have, which is pictures, a few souvenirs, and my passport full of stamps, is proudly displayed for anyone who goes in my room to see. And I love that I got the opportunity to go to Europe so I could build a shrine.

My Map.

This kinda goes along with Europe, but not really. My map has tacks in all the places I have been. When I look at it, I simply feel blessed. I feel blessed to have visited Washington D.C. last summer with my family, I feel blessed that I got to go on a cruise to Mexico with two of my absolute best friends, I feel blessed to have been able to visit my favorite U.S. City (New York) twice, and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to live in Europe for three months with people who started out as strangers and now are some of my best friends and favorite people in the entire world. It may look like my map doesn't have many tacks on it, but I'm only 22. This summer, I will hopefully be adding Nicaragua and who knows beyond that. I love to travel. I'm obsessed with seeing the most beautiful places. Perhaps another day, I will write about my wish list of places to see. That will definitely be a long blog post.

My Turtle.

His name is Amadeus and he is awesome! I've wanted a turtle for a long time and I finally got one for Christmas last year. He eats a lot and he poops a lot but he makes me incredibly happy and I can sit on my floor and watch him for a very long time. (I am well aware that I have no life. You do not have to remind me.)

My Book Nook.

I have recently fallen in love with books. I just got done reading the latest Nicholas Sparks, Safe Haven (highly recommend- LOVE HIM) and since I have read all of his to date, I had to find a new author. Her name is Cecelia Ahern and she is wonderful. Her first novel was P.S. I Love You and she has several more out. I figured since the movie was incredible, so was she... and I was right. Go out and find one, read it, and love it. I have a whole list of books I plan on reading. Next up is the Harry Potter series. I am finally caving. I want to be a Harry Potter nerd. There, I said it. I figured if soo many people are obsessed with it, then there must be something wonderful about it, right? Anyways, I love my little place to read. This is also the very site where I composed this blog. I know, you're impressed.

My DVD Collection.

All 143 of them, not including seasons of TV shows. They are in alphabetical order (OCD) and I have a list of them on my computer in case someone borrows one and forgets to give it back. I love my movies though, and I watch them a lot. Right now I'm more into TV shows but I love to sit down and watch a movie. You will find pretty much any genre, except scary ones (gag me!) and I just love them. I think after I'm done writing, I will go watch a movie :)

My Monkey Breath.

DO NOT JUDGE HIM. He can't help that he is ugly. Do not call him Reggie or whatever Emily used to call him (RUDE) and do not call him Banana Butt. His name is Monkey Breath and he is my friend. He has also traveled the world with me (Yes, I took him to Europe. No, I am not ashamed) I've had him since I was in elementary school and he was a gift from my Grans, she bought him at Universal Studios after I rode King Kong for the first time. I think he's beautiful

My "cool hats and other random things" Collection.

I have my guitar and maraca from Mexico, my cheese head from Wisconsin, my Statue of Liberty crown from New York, my red wig from homecoming senior year, my 2009 glasses and New Years hat from New York, my mickey ears from Disney World, the moose my mom got me from Alaska, and my mortarboards from both High School and College. Just fun times. I like it. You don't have to. This proves, once again, that I love to travel.

This blog is probably more interesting to me than all of you readers put together, but no worries... I don't care. I like my room. I like the things in my room. And I just wanted to share my room with you today.

Peace Out :)

Why I need a job...

I don't have a job. I need a job. It really doesn't get much more simple than that. See, once upon a time I was a full-time nanny. I loved my job! I got paid just over $400/ week to watch two kids. I took them to school, picked them up, helped them with their homework, cleaned up after them. You know, no big deal. And though $400/ week may not seem like a lot to you rich folk out there, I simply thought I had won the lottery. I never had to worry about gas money because I had it. I never had to ask my parents for money because I had it. I never had to say no to my friends when they wanted to go out because I had money. I miss money. That may sound superficial, but without money I live a boring life. Well, after one short month of my "daycaring" the kids (that's what Sophie called it), the mother decided she didn't like going back to work. This left poor me without a job. Poor me does not like not having a job...

So, for your viewing and reading pleasure, I have compiled a list. A list of reasons I NEED a job.

5. My room cannot possibly get any more clean- I have not one piece of laundry in my dirty clothes bin, both of my beds are made, and my turtle's tank is spotless. My room is clean, vacuumed, and Febreezed (something you need to know- I am obsessed with Febreeze. I think it's wonderful.) You see, in my spare time I sometimes get in a cleaning mood. That happened yesterday. After lunch, I cleaned my entire room and washed all my dirty clothes. Today, when I woke up, I was bored after 3 episodes of Dawson's Creek (which will be discussed later) and there was simply nothing to clean. I was sad. So very sad. Since I have nothing left to clean, I need a job.

4. TV Overload- There has never been a truer statement. My days have been filled with Dawson's Creek, Gilmore Girls, The O.C., Friends, and my newest found love, Greek. Netflix has become my best friend and I feel absolutely ashamed of this. I watch TV all day long. Sometimes I have to switch up my shows because I get bored with one show, so I move on to something different. When I'm sick of Joey Potter and her oh-so-annoying smile, I switch over and fall in love with Joey Tribiani for the 17 billionth time. See how this can get tiring? I need a job.

3. I am going to get skin cancer- Where is a free place to go when you have no job and no money? The beach. Where does Alyssa go at least 3-4 days a week? The beach. I am almost African American. That is 100% truth. I feel like I am more tan in March than I was last year in August. If I keep going to the beach and getting darker, I will get skin cancer by age 24 and die. I don't want to die. Therefore, I need a job.

2. I currently have 34 cents to my name- Once again with the money talk, I know. But like I said... without money, there isn't a whole lot you can do. I like things. I like to buy things. I like places. I like to go places. Without money, that really isn't possible. While my parents have been beyond wonderful, it still would be nice to have my own money. All of my friends have jobs and they like to go out a lot. I remember once upon a time, a few weeks ago, when I could afford to go out with them. We had fun times. I can no longer afford fun times. Now the only fun times I am having are at the beach which will give me skin cancer and I will die. See how this proves that I need a job.

I know you've been waiting on my number one answer... well here we go

1. I spent $93,740,586,438 for my degree- Simply put, it should get me a job. I think a job should be GUARANTEED when you spend as much as I did on a bachelor's degree. Granted, I did graduate in the middle of the school year which is not ideal for someone trying to be a teacher. But still, a job should be part of the deal. We sell them our souls, they give us a job. I'll have to talk to good ole FHU about that one. I have to start paying back student loans soon. Very soon. How am I going to pay back student loans when I am only worth 34 cents? Because I spent more than a large fortune on 4 1/2 years of college and now have to start paying that money back... I NEED A JOB.

I think my reasons are valid. I think they are fair and they make since. So why don't I have a job? That is my question of the day. Why doesn't Alyssa have a job?

Lucky for me, I have orientation on Thursday to be a substitute teacher here in Jacksonville. While this is wonderful, it also ends at the end of May. Who would like to tell me how I am going to have a job this summer when students don't need teachers. I should have titled this blog "Why I need a job all year." Yeah, that would've been better.

So, there you have it. Until I have a job, I will continue to clean, get skin cancer, and fall in love with fictitious TV characters, and no one is gonna stop me (unless they offer me a job.)

The thing I thought I'd never miss

Makin' Music.

When I graduated in December, I swore I would never care about coming back for Makin' Music. I would never miss the tacky costumes, five pounds of make-up, two hours of sleep, or the make-me-wanna-scream-and-cuss weekend they call retreat.

Well, less than 3 months later here I am... missing it.

It happened on Friday... A normal day in my life-- jobless and beach-full and I got on facebook like I do on average 836402 times a day. EVERYBODY and their mother's status was about Makin' Music retreat. Every status and/or tweet said something along the lines of how they will never survive the weekend, how their cast is the greatest, or how they can't wait to bring home a trophy. All of a sudden, out of completely nowhere, I wanted, more than anything, to be back at Freed. The place I was so ready to leave when I walked across the stage with my degree on December 17 now was the place I would give anything to go back to. I literally never thought this would happen to me.

I did Makin' Music for three years at Freed and even though I didn't participate in it my senior year, I still got to go and watch what hundreds of students had been putting all of their time and energy in to for months.

Here's a little trip down memory lane for all two of you that are probably reading this...

Freshman Year- Chi Beta Chi (Rockin' on the Subway)

Sophomore Year- Gamma Tau Omega (Online Love Connection)

Junior Year- Gamma Tau Omega (Something about lunch ladies)

If I had more than 34 pennies to my name right now, I would pack up my little Saturn and make the 24 hour round-trip drive to Freed, and I wouldn't think twice about it. Unfortunately for me, 34 cents in gas might would get me to the end of my driveway. (Let's be honest-- probably not even half-way)

Makin' Music is the most exhausting, frustrating, emotional, intense, incredible time of the school year and I just miss it right now. A lot.

I never thought my very first blog post would be about Makin' Music, but here it is.