Gotta love productive days!

Can I offer a piece of advice to all you single ladies? Do not re-sign up for Match.com and then watch The Craigslist Killer later that day. Not a good idea. Just not good.

I realize I am not advertising sexual favors via Craigslist that ultimately attract psychos that will want to kill me, but it still had me all kinds of freaked out.

Ugh, but back to the obvious. Yes. I joined Match again. I honestly don't know why I put myself through this. It's mainly for my mother. This way when she asks if I am seeing anyone I can say I am trying. I really am. ;)

I'm actually quite content and very happy with where my life is going right now, so I figure if I do at least a little work it will all fall together. Great plan, right? I thought so.

Today was an awesome, productive day. One of those days where everything just fell together and a ton of errands got accomplished. I started the day with a trip downtown to turn in my stuff for my subbing license, get my fingerprints and background check started. Now, I am just waiting on my transcripts from ISU. (come one ISU, what's the dealio?!)

After that was squared away (clean record, quick trip) my sister and I grabbed some sushi for lunch at my favorite sushi place downtown, Miyabi 9. Seriously, in love with that place.

Then, we picked up one of my textbooks. The only book that was cheaper at the University Bookstore rather than online. Then we hit the mall. I've been meaning to hit up the semi-annual sale at Victoria's Secret for quite awhile so I stocked up. I really needed some new unmentionables.

Then, we headed about 20 minutes west of Des Moines to my grandmother's house to drop of five pairs of my dress pants that needed hemmed. You see, I am not short enough to require the "short" length, but I am not tall enough to handle the "regular" length so I have to have all my pants tailored. Literally, all of them. I hate it, but if I don't do it I will never wear the pants.

So, that was my day. Productive, yet fun and very relaxing. I love days like this.

What do you tend to do on your days off? Do you save all your errands for your day off or would you rather have a day with absolutely nothing on the to-do list?

Ten on Tuesday

I am snowed in! It's not as bad as some of the storms we had last year, but I would say 8 inches in 24 hours is a pretty significant storm. I was keeping an eye on the schools though and was curious if WDSM or DSM would cancel, and they didn't. My teacher friends on Facebook did not sound happy.

Nonetheless, I am enjoying my time. I am relaxing, sleeping in, drinking coffee and cuddling with my boys. You know, Chico and Zeke. :)

So, to make this Ten on Tuesday as authentic as possible I have only read one other blog that participates because I always end up having to steal someone else's answer and I hate that, but once I've read theirs I can't think of anything original! I hate that!

1. Is there a band/artist that you HATE?

I loathe The Beastie Boys. I don't know what it is about their voices... I just cannot stand them. I have to change the station when they come on the radio.

2. What do you do when you get a gift that you do not like? How do you react?

Rack my brain to try and remember what the return policy is. I would always react with gratitude because it is the thought that counts!

3. How is your work office/cubicle decorated?

I don't have an office or cube! I have a corner of the dining room where I have fashioned a mini study area though! It's pretty boring... it's just got all my office supplies, printer, school stuff, laptop... etc. I would love, love, love a third bedroom for a study room/office but... we don't have that. We're thinking about moving in the spring, but still not sure.

4. Do you use all of your vacation every year?

Absolutely! I don't let any of that stuff go wasted. EVER! Why would you?! My old boss (ha! feels good to say that) used to brag how she never used all of her sick time because she just doesn't get sick. Every time she did that I wanted to snap and say you're an idiot. That is benefit time that you EARN. Use it! I don't get sick often, but you can bet on it that if I have a bad headache or migraine like I tend to do once a month, I'm using my sick time.

5. Did you have a real or fake Christmas tree?

Fake. It's an old hand me down from my parents! It's a fiber optic tree that I think looks so pretty and reminds me of when I was younger. (yeah, it's old...)

6. If you could have anything for dinner tonight, what would it be?

Ok, this one I have to steal from Kara (the only blog I've read so far this morning!). She chose king crab legs and I have to do so too! I looooooooove crab legs. Love them! It's such a fun meal to have with friends and it's so good and actually good for you! (unless you slather it in butter....)

7. Do you bite your fingernails?

I used to, but not anymore! I love to paint my nails every few days and biting them would just make my manicure look ugly!

8. How many cups of coffee do you drink each day?

Probably 2-4... The mug I use holds 2 cups, and I usually have at least one of those a day.

9. Do you have a nervous tick?

Yup, my eye twitches when I'm really, really stressed out. I absolutely hate it and it makes me crazy. Funny, my job in retail made my eye twitch all the time. I learned to control it, but sometimes that is impossible!

10. How often do you vacuum?

Every other day or so. I love to vacuum (I know, I'm weird) and we have three dogs and a cat so we vacuum a lot. :)

What's your Ten on Tuesday? Are you snowed in today?

Book review: There's Cake in my Future

Goooood morning! Happy Monday!

Wondering why I'm in such a good mood? Are you really? You should know the answer to that...

I'm off work this week. And next week. I'm off work indefinitely until I decide I want to go back. (we all know I will probably work as much as I can after I have been lazy for two weeks)

Ok, I'll stop because if I were you I would want to hit me right now. I'm not bragging. I swear! :)

One thing I do plan to try and do a lot of while off work is read. Last night I finished There's Cake in my Future by Kim Gruenenfelder. A few years ago I read her first novel, A Total Waste Of Makeup and loved it. When I saw that she had a new chick lit novel coming out I knew I would want to read it, then when I saw the cover I knew I had to read it right away!

It was really good, but you have to be in the mood for cheesy chick lit. It is your typical, fluffy and light romance book that makes single women believe in fairy tales. Maybe it's the cynic in me. Maybe it's because I'm getting older. I'm not sure, but it's getting harder and harder not to roll my eyes at this stuff.

Don't get me wrong, I think Gruenenfelder is a fantastic and very clever writer. I think that I am not in the right place in my life to enjoy books like these. It leaves me feeling like I will get a fairy tale someday and leaves me holding out for something that is unlikely to happen. At least, unlikely to happen like it does in the book!

Instead of flying through this book like I usually do with chick lit, it took me quite a while to finish it because I kept getting distracted. It didn't really hold my attention for long, mainly because I knew what was coming. We all know how predictable chick lit and romantic comedies can be!

Next up is a book I have been wanting to read for quite awhile, The Help. It is the first book I purchased and am reading with my new Nook. I have read the first 20 pages, and I can't wait to see how I like reading an entire book on an eReader. It might be a little pitiful, but I am disappointed that I won't have a shiny new book to add to my bookshelf. But, if I love my Nook as much as everyone says I will I'm sure I'll get over it quick. I can always go out and re-buy my favorites as they come in at Half Price Books or something. Afterall, I'm determined to have a house with a "library" in it one. I've gotta have books to fill it up!

Do you read chick lit? Do you go through phases with it like I do? I tend to read more of it in the summer.

Literally, nothing to do.

I kind of feel like a bored little kid. You know, when you're bored out of your mind and have nothing to do? That's me right now.

It hasn't quite sunk in yet that I do not have to go to work... and it's a very strange feeling! I feel like there are things I should be doing, but there really isn't anything to do until Wednesday. Wednesday I go downtown and turn in all my stuff for my subbing license. It seems like it's taking forever to get the components of this thing nailed, because IT IS taking forever! Sheesh!

At this rate I won't be subbing until the end of the month. Once I get the license I have to actually go to the school districts and apply and who knows how long that's going to take. Fingers crossed I can get everything checked off on my end by the end of the week.

On a more positive note I got to looking at my class schedule and realized that I only have night class on Mondays, so I can sub Mondays as well. Wait, did I tell you all that a few days ago? Oh well, I'm telling you again. I'm just that excited! Ha ha! :)

Anyway, back to being done with WORK. I know, I know I'm not actually done working. I'm not really just a college student. I'm going to be working four days a week. It's just weird that that store isn't mine anymore. I am no longer responsible for 2 million dollars in sales, a 2000 square ft store and 30 employees.

For those of you that may be a little new to ALPITC I have been in retail managing my own store for approximately six years now. I got really lucky right after college, where I majored in Fashion Merchandising and Design, and got a job as a store manager six short months after being the assistant manager. I say lucky, because most people have to work as an assistant for much longer. So, I was able to move up to higher volume stores at a pretty young age. The store I just left is one of the highest volume stores in my region (2nd highest out of 110 stores to be exact) and is a powerhouse! It is busy all the time and the amount of stuff in that store is just insane. Insane and completely overwhelming.

Well, the layout of my management stuff is pretty simple. There's me, then I have my two full time assistants and one part time assistant. One of my FT assistants has been with me two years and the other one is new and only been there a couple of months. The newer one has been making my life hell.

It's not her fault (well, not really) she's the type of personality that just stresses me out. Every time I see her name pop up on my phone my blood pressure starts to rise and I feel on edge and can't focus. She's just ... I can't even explain it. There's just something about her personality that I can't stand. She freaks out about everything and she doesn't listen. She doesn't listen to direction at all. It makes me crazy. She doesn't read direction either.

Sometimes I think home office spells everything out so completely that I think, gosh, do they think we're in kindergarten or something? No, it's for people like her. But then again, it's not for people like her because she doesn't even read it!

It makes me nuts.

Well, this morning she texted me because one of the drawers was short last night. At first I thought I should ignore this. I am no longer getting paid to answer these questions! But, then again I was there yesterday and I don't want money missing on my last day. So, I did what I could to help. I really hope they find it. It makes me nervous.

She still makes my blood boil though. I honestly think I would have started to get high blood pressure if I continued to work there with her. She make me that crazy, and she's only been there a couple of months. I'm sure you all have worked with people like that. Some personalities just clash, I guess! I've always taken pride in the fact that I can work with so many different personality types but as I'm getting older I'm getting more and more set in my ways and unwilling to change, cause I just feel like I don't need to change! I'm the boss... right? (errr, was the boss)

Tonight their setting our their first spring floorset and it's a huge one. Basically, three walls, 10-15 feet long, get switched around. Imagine rearranging your entire closet, but multiply that closet by like 20. It is not fun. Some people love it though. I don't.

I didn't plan for my last day to be the day before this floorset. When I turned in my notice six weeks ago I had no idea the floorset would be scheduled for January 9th. I feel a little bad, but if my boss had asked me to stay an extra day I totally would have. But, she didn't ask! (and I didn't offer)

So, I'm a little antsy at having literally nothing to do but I'm trying hard to embrace it. I need to bury myself in bed or on the couch with my Nook and finish some good books! I'm having a hard time sitting down long enough to finish There's Cake in my Future so that I can really dig into The Help!

I'm seriously considering ordering my textbooks early (I really should get them ordered now anyway) and getting started on the first chapters. When did I become such a nerd?!

What are you guys up to this snowy, cold Sunday? Do you get nervous when you have nothing on the to-do list? Does that ever even happen to you??

Resolutions '12

Hellooooo, January 6, 2011. Where did you come from? What happened to 2010? 2009? 2008? Well, I've debated and debated and fretted and fretted over resolutions and have finally decided it's a new year and a new decade and I have to start it off right. I have to have something to work on (besides the usual of work and school).

So, I've been thinking about this for awhile and here is what I am going to (try to) do to make myself a better person in 2011!

Volunteer - Since my college sorority days I have barely done any volunteer work and that should change. Whether it be tutoring through the education program at Drake or getting involved in charities. I need to give back to my community. I'm hoping I can help my aunt out more with the dogs she rescues in southern Missouri. I would also really love to look into getting involved in Big Brother, Big Sister.

Blog - This one is pretty simple. I have made this resolution several times. I know. When I don't blog, I miss it. When I do blog, I feel good. You guys make my heart swell up with all your positivity and encouragement! So, I vow to blog more and I vow to comment more. I can be quite the lazy commenter and every time I don't comment I'm reminded of Amber's comment from a very long time ago about how it doesn't take much to click out of your reader and make a comment!

Exercise - The job I have been doing for the past several years requires me to be on my feet for several hours a day. I know I don't burn a ton of calories, but I burn a heck of a lot more than I would if I was sitting at a desk all day. So, I know that is the main reason why I don't gain a ton of weight. Since today and tomorrow are my last days in this career (omg!) I need to get a plan for exercise in place. (which, I have the plan in place... I just need to follow through. So, maybe this resolution should be... follow through?)

Travel - I have a couple trips in the works right now, one being a family vacay that I am very much looking forward to! I will spill the deets later though... Besides that I just want to get outta Des Moines at least once a month. Whether it be to see Lesli in Minneapolis or down to Kansas City to see family. It's so nice to have a trip or mini getaway to look forward to.

School - This is another, well duh! resolutions, but I want to try my hardest to achieve all A's in my classes. For the spring semester I am taking 4 classes, in summer I am taking 2 and in the fall I am taking 5 (ouch...). After the fall semester it's 5 classes for the rest of my Master's program and I'm worried it's going to be hard (ok, I'm not worried. I know!). All I can do is try my hardest and it CAN be done, so I'm gonna do it. :)

Study Abroad - Ok, so I don't think this is going to happen in 2011, but I want to start working on making this happen at some point during my time in graduate school. I regret not studying abroad during undergrad so I feel like I have a second chance to make this happen. I would love to teach somewhere else. I think it would be an awesome experience and even more wonderful for someone like me that is going for her ESL endorsement. Remember my friend Rachel? She lives in Scotland, so I would love to be near her... we'll see, we'll see...

Save - Save money. 2011 is the year to save. Save, save, save. Someone needs to hammer that into my head. My parents were wonderful, fantastic, amazing parents but they did not teach us to save very well. This semester I am able to substitute teach 4 days a week, which will earn me $130 a day in the DSM district and $126 a day in the WDSM district. Other semester will not be like that and I might not be able to sub more than one day. I am going to need to be prepared and save my dough! So, I'm officially on a shopping diet. The Nook was my last splurge...

I've loved reading all of your resolutions this week! It's kept the wheels in my head turning and I'm happy that I've set some resolutions of my own. I can't imagine coming back to these at the beginning of 2012 to recap... because, well... I can't imagine it being 2012! Yikes....

Do you volunteer? What's your favorite charity to get involved in? Have you ever studied abroad? How was your experience?

Gettin' stuff done!

I have gotten so much done today and it feels awesome! Don't you just love that feeling? I do!

We started the morning taking Chico and Zeke to the vet for their annuals (Chico is my sisters chihuahua). Zeke needed three shots and Chico needed one. They did so good, we were proud mamas!

The Zekester

Chico, the chihuahua

Then we grabbed some lunch at Red Robin - which I am still so full from! I dropped my sister off at work then I got home and got to work. I have cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. Taken down the Christmas tree and all the decorations. Cleaned all the floors and did the laundry while I was at it (there wasn't much). Then I sat down and paid my growing stack of bills. I had a dentist bill that I kept forgetting about. I needed to renew my tags for my car. I had to pay a ticket that I got in the mail (I ran a red light! There was a video online and there's no denying it. I RAN THE LIGHT. Oops.). I needed to send in my stuff for sub license. I needed to go to the post office to mail a ton of stuff. Lots of busy, seemingly tiny errands that really start to add up!

Now, I'm relaxin' on the couch waiting to pick up my sister from work. We ended up running out of time this morning so instead of heading home so she could get her car I just dropped her off at work.

In other shopping news I made my last big splurge before my "shopping diet" begins. I bought a NOOK last night! I was up until 1 am reading last night and I can already tell I am going to love it! I only searched bn.com for eBooks but I know you can get them other places. Does anyone know where else I can buy them? Thank you all so much for your advice!! It was so helpful and I loved what you guys loved about your Kindle or Nook!

The first book I purchased was The Help and so far I am loving it!

Have you read any good books lately?

Kindle vs. Nook

Ok guys, I am definitely getting a Nook or Kindle for my birthday but am on the fence about which one...

So, in the comments tell me which one you like best! I am not getting the Nook Color, I'm getting just a plain e-reader. I don't need internet or any bells and whistles really... I will literally just read books on it. Probably mostly at the gym.

Can't wait to hear what you guys think!