#TBT College Program Edition

I'm soaking up the last few days of my vacation here, spending lots of time watching TV, crocheting randomness, and cleaning/organizing the boxes I still haven't unpacked (we moved in Sept. Oops?)

A very darling friend of mine is getting ready to head East for his Walt Disney World College Program and I am SO excited for him! My program was absolutely fantastic and I just know he will have a wonderful time too. Since it's Thursday, here's a little throwback from my CP days back in Spring of 2003:

Meredith, thank you for this adorable frame!

Buzz is a blast if you don't spend too much time with him

The graduates

St. Patty's day, probably at Bennigans

We were so bad...

Our pretty pretty princess

He makes me look small, I like it

We were those people, asking for photos with random children

Aside from the wonderful friends and treasured memories, my college program also showed me that the job I had dreamed of as a little girl really was as magical as I had imagined and I ended up going back to FL not long after for 8 years. 

Thanks friends for the fun and laughter, I'll never drink OJ + Vanilla vodka without thinking of you!

Looking Forward

I'm really terrible at keeping New Year's resolution, but I make them every year anyway. This year, I'm trying to keep it simple:

Courtesy of Thirty Handmade Days

I want to get in shape (who doesn't?) and I think I have a do-able plan this year as well as a goal, subjective though it may be. In April I'll be on stage wearing a very skimpy costume in front of many friends, family, and strangers. I used to do that daily but it has been a while and since I quit dancing for a living, my body has changed drastically. So, instead of setting a number of pounds I want to lose or a weight I want to lift, my goal is just to be in shape so that I can feel confident in whatever the costuming team throws my way.

I want to be more responsible with my money (again, who doesn't?). Working part time and living off financial aid has been a unique challenge. I have a summer trip to FL planned and I need to be very mindful this semester of where my money goes otherwise I'll never make it. In the next few days I'm planning to sit down and draw up a budget for myself and see where I can save. Any tips you have to share are most welcome!

I want to share my time this year. I don't know if I'm selfish or lazy or introverted but I'm a master at getting out of social obligations and I think it's unhealthy for my relationships. This year, I want to give more time to the important people in my life so that they can know they are loved and respected as I hope they love and respect me.

I want to succeed at running my Etsy shop. I really, truly love making and giving gifts - blankets, scarves, hats, whatever - and it makes me so happy and proud when other people are interested in the things I'm making. I want to share my skills, my time, and my passion with anybody out there and Etsy seems to be a great platform for it. The extra income will certainly be a blessing too! Defining success is difficult but I'd like to aim for a sale a month to be conservative, we'll see if that's attainable...

As for my one word, confidence is something I need in all areas of my life and I think it will be my one word for a long time to come. I need to be confident in my body, confident in my talents, confident in my relationships... but most of all I struggle with confidence in my decisions. I chose to leave Florida a year and a half ago and return to school. I wonder daily if I made the right choice. While my friends are getting married and having babies, getting promotions, traveling the world, and chasing their dreams, I'm going to class with kids 10-15 years younger than myself, working part-time just to pay the bills, getting deeper in debt, and worrying if I've been left behind. I try not to dwell on it, I try to look on the bright side but what I really need to do is let go and commit. I made a choice because I thought it was the best one for my future. I need to give up on fear and jealousy and have confidence in my decision, confidence in my path, and confidence in myself. I'm playing a long game right now, it'll be a while before I graduate, a long while before I get a job I love, and a very long while before I get out of debt, but I want to have confidence in the future I'm pursuing so I can enjoy the present!

I hope you have all had a wonderful year and that the next will be even better. Whether I know you offline or only on, you have been a blessing and I'm so very grateful! Happy New Year!

The Final Final #42daysofvacation

Had my last final of the semester this morning. It went much better than expected… I think. I won't know for sure until grades are posted but I'm optomistic.

I spent most of the day yesterday studying and getting notes gathered - it was an open note, open book, open internet exam - which meant no need to get dressed.

I'm all about comfort in fashion and PJ's are the most comfortable clothes (if your PJ's aren't comfy, you're doing it wrong!) Also, those handmade little slippers are one of my favorite things ever. In fact, my toes were so happy, they inspired me to start another pair:

I think these ones will get bows instead of buttons. No reason why comfy can't also be cute, right?!

I also made another square for my "in it for the long haul" afghan:

I started this a while ago, someday it will be a giant blanket fit for a king (sized bed) but I love that it's a project I can work on little by little without having to worry about losing my place or anything. I just chose a yarn and colors that I love and scoured the internet for various granny square patterns and when I have a good stack, I'll start stitching them together. I thought it would be a fun group project, so if any of you crochet or are looking for a reason to learn, let me know! I can provide you with links to tips, tricks, and patterns and give you the info on the yarn I'm using and if you live near me, we can crochet together over a pot of tea! I just think it would be so amazing to someday sit around with my kids/nieces and nephews and tell them stories about all the friends and family represented in my afghan… OK, that sounds more like something you torture your grandkids with, but you get the idea!

So now that I'm officially on vacation it's time to wrap some gifts and get ready to head home for the holidays!

Hoofers or Heifers? #42daysofvacation

Today was sortof kindof a vacation day. I spent the morning writing my last dance concert review of the semester. They are the bane of my existence, I don't know why I but I really hate having to write these things! And it's not that I don't love the excuse to go see a dance performance, but having to take notes during and BS a bunch of junk about my feelings afterward is literally painful for me.

I also had my final for Tap today. I'm actually sad it's over. Beside all the warm and fuzzy memories of the last time I took this class, I just think tap is awesome and fun and calorie-torching. I meant to video our routine for y'all but totally blanked on that til after class, so sorry… but we were dancing on the University Theatre stage and I have to admit, it got me a little more psyched about Gypsy next spring!

One more final to go, I'll be spending lots of time tomorrow prepping, this is the one I'm most nervous about. Thursday, after our final finals, I'm going drinking with a friend - who of course is graduating, dangit! - and then I get to put away all the notebooks, syllabi, and textbooks and start wrapping Christmas presents!

42 Days of Christmas (Vacation)

The end of the semester is finally here and I'm about to be completely free for 42 wonderful days! No classes, no work - one of the many perks of working on campus - and no plans whatsoever. Technically my break doesn't start for a few days, I do have one final tomorrow - tap dance, so more fun than final - and one on Thursday. I was just so excited though, I couldn't wait to start being a bum. I've pretty much been in my PJ's since Friday night and have done almost nothing productive since then.

What have I been doing, you ask? Playing video games, watching Netflix, and napping with my dog, duh! I have lots and lots of lazy/fun stuff planned and decided to photograph it all because I know how much you all look forward to such things. So, here's Day 1 of my 42 days of Vacation:

Started some fingerless gloves (pattern here). It has been silly cold lately and my poor hands do not like it. These beauties will let me keep warm while still becoming a Wii master or pressing next as I watch an entire season of British TV in one sitting!

Discovered Amazon's Subscribe & Save program. You can order certain household items and have them shipped monthly at a discounted price. I spent the entire morning researching the dog foods they offer and price comparing to what Stella eats now. I found a way to save $0.50 per lb so I'm calling this very productive!

As for future plans, I'm hoping to hang some art and posters, finally post my Wine & Dine marathon review, bake dog treats for Stella and her friends, and make and list some more items in my new Etsy shop, CalifornianCozy - I love custom orders BTW so let me know if you have something in mind! I also intend to yarn bomb my new-ish bed frame (and get better at photo collages): 

So stay tuned for the shenanigans!

Bad News is Better Than No News

Today I was finally able to see a doctor about my knee pain/problems! Can I say how fortunate I am to be at a school with such an awesome health and wellness program, so very thankful for that.

I met with the doctor first, we talked and she examined. It has been a really long time since my last doctor appointment, and even longer since I had an appointment that wasn't a pap smear so I was a little nervous. Luckily, the doctor I met with was amazing! Part of that may be that I'm older and wiser and less self-consious, but mostly it had to do with her fantastic bedside manner. She put me at ease right away and I never felt talked down to or unheard. Anyway, she sent me downstairs for x-rays - unfortunately the school doesn't have an MRI machine (fun fact: I totally Googled that to see if it should be 'an MRI' or 'a MRI' #grammarnerd).

So the good news is that there is nothing wrong with the bones in my knees, no fractures or dislocation. The bad news is that I have patellofemoral pain syndrome (runners knee) and probably have a meniscal tear in the left knee. Without the MRI she couldn't confirm it but is quite sure and I believe it because that's what all my research has led to as well. The PFPS is caused by wearing of the cartilage behind the knee and inflammation of the bursa, and I'm lucky enough to have symptoms in both knees.

I'll be totally honest with you, I cried a little bit when she told me. It's such a relief to have a diagnosis, to have a doctor tell me I'm not imagining it, that there is something actually wrong but it has a name and a treatment. Don't laugh, I know knee pain is such a minor problem in the grand scheme of things but I have been frustrated and frightened by it for such a long time that it has become a major obstacle in my daily life and I felt so good doing something about it!

What now? Well, for the long run I'm in pretty good shape actually. She gave me some rehab exercises to do, set an appointment reminder for an MRI early next year (once my health insurance kicks in - thanks Obama!), and put my name on their list for physical therapy. Apparently the school used to offer it, they lost funding last spring but will be able to start again this coming February.

As for the short term... I don't expect I'll be running much of this Wine & Dine half. I'll start doing my exercises right away but the run is only 2 weeks away and I can't expect miracles. I don't mind jog/walking the whole thing and I'll send my friends off without me if I'm too slow for them but it takes a bit of the fun out of the whole event, doesn't it? And I really want to enjoy this race as it will probably be my last, at least for a while... Oh well, woe is me! I guess I'll have to drown my sorrows at the Food & Wine Festival, right?!

On a totally unrelated note: hug your pets extra tight tonight and send some loving vibes out to my wonderful friends who had to say goodbye to their kitty today. 

"... what we have enjoyed, we can never lose ... all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

--- Helen Keller

A Post About Running for Once!

I'm running a half marathon in about three weeks! I had intended to be writing all about my training, the miles I'm logging, maybe even a goal time for the race. Instead, I'm praying the pain killers kick in soon so I don't go mad and saw off my legs. Clearly I used the term running loosely...

My knees have been absolutely killing me lately. I tried to get in a short jog yesterday and almost fell on my face when my right knee gave out on me. I've been taping them both almost every day for the last two weeks but that's just to make it through my day and doesn't help to fix anything of course.

A classmate today told me maybe I should sit out and not dance for a bit, I didn't know how to respond. This isn't a problem that's going away any time soon and I feel like giving in if I sit out. Is that crazy? I'm honestly afraid that if I stop now, I'll never start again... never dance again, never run again... and where does that leave me?

So while I whine and feel sorry for myself, here's something a little happier for you to enjoy. In celebration of the 15th 'birthday' of Fantasmic, my old home at Disney World, I dug up a few of my favorite photos to share. Enjoy!

Standby's of '07 demonstrating what not to do

Witches get stuff done!

One big happy family

I can't even...

Our spoons were always full of rum punch