When In Doubt

I've loved every minute of my move to SD to date, but there have been some moments of doubt.  I know I did the thing I wanted, but was it what God wanted?  I prayed about it for months and was positive that He'd said "Yes," but did I misinterpret a "No" or a "Not now"?  I hadn't let anyone know I was starting to have these doubts.  I wasn't sure myself what the correct answer was, but I knew so many people had put a lot into helping me prepare, move, and settle in that I didn't want to possibly say it might have been for nothing.  Why these doubts when I was so certain before?  Because I didn't have a job!

I don't have a very desirable job skill set (CNA's aren't known for their awesome pay-grade or cool job... duties...), but I have one that is always hiring and easy to get hired if you know what you are doing.  I know, trust me, I know!  I've been a CNA for seven years (two years longer than I swore I'd ever be one!).  I have learned tricks and tips from CNA's of 20+ years and with the love for people that God has given to me, I've always excelled in my work.  I have never been unemployed for more than two weeks.  In fact, usually I've interviewed, hired and started a job within two weeks.  I'm starting my fourth week in SD, with no job.

What a time of learning this has been!  Although I've never been one to worry excessively, I'm simply not patient enough to sit around not working.  I moved to a new (and exciting) area and I am not able to go out exploring as I would like since I have to watch my finances until I start work.  I'm closer to my family but even tho I took one spontaneous trip to visit at the beginning, I can't do it again until I have a set schedule.  I've been applying and inquiring after 4-5 jobs a day.  Not receiving any replies back or scheduling any interviews was causing me to seriously question this move.  Learning to wait upon the Lord (it feels like learning to wait while waiting- does that make sense?) is not easy for me.  I'm not used to waiting for anything.  I go through life very fast and the slow moments are usually because something is requiring a little more time than I anticipated.   Having a full three and a half weeks of waiting may not seem long, but it's definitely a test for me.  It's learning contentment in a new way, it's learning patience again and again and again, it's learning to wait in the Lord, for the Lord, wait while spending my time with Him, it's learning to take these disappointments to my Jesus and leave them piled at His feet, because when I take them all back, I start to doubt my following or His direction.  

I am positive I'm not done learning these lessons. I know I will need reminders quite often of what I've learned from this time.  You know that "chant" said at church sometimes?   "God is good. All the time.  All the time, God is good."  I think it needs a little tweaking.  God is most definitely good, and He is always good all the time, but I've learned that His timing is also always good.  Today I received a job offer from the one interview I had over two weeks ago.  I was slightly discouraged by the interview (it was a group interview, my first!).  They had said they would call with their decision but hadn't yet.  It was the job I wanted, a job that I could learn more from, a medical field I had yet to work in, and I was so disappointed to not have heard back from them.  So God is good, all the time, and God's timing is always good!  I start Monday for orientation and am so excited for this opportunity He's given me.  Once again, God is faithful!

Just Because

So, because I moved, and because I moved closer to family, I've already had multiple chances to see more of my family.  And because I'm still learning and trying to take better pictures, I take lots of pictures.  Also because I'm an obsessed Aunty, I take lots of pictures of my nieces.  Finally, because seeing pictures of my nieces makes me smile, I am now going to overload you with their cuteness.  Just because!

  

See?  SUPER CUTE, right?  Happiness is most definitely being an Aunty!

Adventures in San Diego!

One week after moving from SacTown to SD, my new roomie and I went exploring Balboa Park.  So.  Much.  Fun.  And so much to do!  In the time we were there, we pretty much traveled the world.  No, really!  We have pictures to prove it.

We went to England:

Yeah, we TOTALLY caught some Olympic action there.  They wanted to give us gold medals for the sport of being awesome, but we politely declined since we couldn't stay for the award ceremony.

We stopped by the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia...

And smelled some flowers...

And admired their beauty...

And pretended to be African monkeys hanging from a flower filled well...  Ok, so that was only me...

We danced with the Kirov (Mariinsky) Ballet...

and the Paris Opera Ballet...  (no, those are not white tights, those are my white legs)

We crashed a flower show in a foreign-Spanish-looking-place.

It took great strength to refrain from bringing back any flowers 'cause they were so pretty!

We found a secret entrance to Wonderland (take that Alice!).

And in Wonderland, we met this super friendly green dragon-snake-thingy.  (Mom, don't freak out, but we brought him home!)

Just in case you were wondering, I'm loving my new home.  I'll have to tell you more later, but right now there's more adventures waiting for me, so off into beautiful 80 degree weather I go!

The Big News (but not too big)

Wanna know something?  If you're friends with my older sister, you might already know (she can't keep her honest mouth shut).  I'm moving!  I'm finding that moving is an exciting prospect until it becomes time to start packing.  Then it's not so exciting, rather, it becomes an item on the list of things to avoid.  When cupboards start becoming empty and your apartment starts to show bare walls and floor spaces again, it's back to exciting.  Friends start to talk about the adventure of moving and the realization that these friends won't be near anymore makes moving once again undesirable.  The solution I've come up with is that I need to learn to teleport- then all my stuff could be moved without packing it and finding time or money to visit friends left behind won't be an issue!

ACK!  Sorry, had to kill a spider attempting to sneak across my arm...  ~shudder~

Back to the issue at hand: moving.  I've been wanting to move for years.  Originally, I wanted to move to a cooler climate (i.e.- Washington, i.e.- Seattle, i.e.- I like the Olympic Peninsula too), but my family is growing and I will be an auntie for the third time at the end of September (maybe beginning of October?).  The thought of living so far away while my nieces (and almost-here nephew) are so little is a depressing thought.  All I could think of is Miss Niece and Little Niece calling me "Buggy" when they see me (my little sister's nickname).  They've both done it (goes to show family resemblance is obvious in my family).  Every time I haven't visited for at least five months, I'm back to being the other Bug.  Not cool, especially when I LOVE being an auntie and want to watch them grow up.  Being the unknown aunt is just not acceptable.  So to make this long story short: because my little sister is having a baby, I'm moving south instead of north.  Yes, back to dreaded SoCal I go...  I'll admit, I'm still rather excited.

I'm not moving back to my hometown, not to incredibly hot L.A., or to the desert-I-would-DIE-in-known-as-Palm-Springs-where-most-of-my-siblings-live.  This cold-weather-loving gal is moving to the (I've been told and hope it's true) beachy, same-weather-most-of-the-year area of San Diego.  It is a new adventure that is filled with many perks:
-I get my own room again
-I get my own bathroom for the first time ever
-I get a new roommate/friend
-I will be only two hours away from most of my family (in the desert and L.A. area)
-I will be 30 min away from the beach
-There is a public library about a half-mile away from my new apartment
-The city park is less than a mile away (Big Sis- feel free to bring nieces weekly!)
-There's a Sprout's Farmer's Market store 1.3 miles away
-According to the world wide web, there are farmer's markets every day, all year long, not just seasonally
-San Diego is the second largest city in CA, there's going to be so much to do, see and explore!

The time I've spent here in SacTown has definitely seen me grow.  The people I've met and the things I've been able to do have shaped me into an independent individual who has learned the value of family and friends and how to fight to hold onto faith-based roots.  I am definitely going to miss many people here, yet I am certainly planning to embrace all the opportunities this move will bring.  A new place, new people, new things, same me...  For now.

Can You Spare Some Change?

Life is full of changes.  Can I get an "Amen"?  Usually, I try to plan these changes into my life so there will be a smoother transition.  It doesn't always work, especially when the "Changes" bring relatives like cousin "Unforeseen" or uncle "Didn't Even THINK About That".  I know the Bible talks about changes and well-known verses are often quoted regarding change (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).  You see in the Old Testament how often the Hebrews' circumstances change- from slavery to wilderness, from being led by judges to kings, from a divided kingdom back to slavery...  In each change, God's hand is there, either leading His people or being ignored by His people.

I'm currently going through a season of change.  Much more change than I would have thought possible at one time.  I admit, I did "plan" one of the changes, but the rest were not anywhere on my radar.  They came as shocks to my neatly laid out and stable life.  I was trying to balance all this and plan how to work the change back into a manageable life when I realized I was ignoring God's hand.  It was not as if I was worrying or trying to take back anything I had put at His feet.  Actually, I never put it at His feet like I should have.  I didn't take the time to pray and seek His direction. Someday (far, far, far in the future) I might permanently learn this lesson, instead of temporarily (i.e.- until the "next time").

Having taken that step back (although some days I take a half-step forward, still working on this) I'm seeing God work, and it's amazing.  His direction is so much more "stable" than anything I tried.  His answers to the prayers I never took the time to utter astound me and make me feel blessed.  Even if I wasn't worried or concerned before, now I'm also at peace.  He's taken these changes that I thought of as "shocks" and turned them into adventures of meeting new people, learning more about Him, and being excited for the next change (because they're still coming).

So here's to change:  the changing of my heart to be more like His, the changing of my will to reflect His, and the changes in my life to carry out His work.

What Have You Known God To Be?

"What have you known God to be?"  A friend texted me that question yesterday.  I usually don't reply to his texts as they're "mass texts" he sends to a lot of people.  I still didn't reply, but I definitely have an answer.  I was kind of amazed at my answer because it came so fast.  I didn't take time to ponder and think it over, it was just there when I finished reading the text.  What was my answer? What have I known God to be? Faithful.

He's always been faithful.  I think this amazed me so much because you always hear of others claiming they can't feel Him with them, or He's not answering or being silent in times of great need or whatever.  I can't say I've ever thought these things, but I guess I just assumed I could relate, that it was probably like that once or twice.  I'm so grateful to know it hasn't been.  He's always been there, just like He promised, He's always faithful!

There has been many times when I've looked at the world and I've looked at God, at Christ, and was unappreciative of what He's done for me.  Because even though I have salvation, even though I experience amazing love and mercy and grace, I didn't have what the world offers.  There's no fancy clothes or cars or cash floating around.  I didn't go to parties that were wild or get drunk every weekend.  My friends had boyfriends or fiance's or husbands for companions and I have a torn family that I moved far away from.  I'm working my way through school and paying all my bills on my own while my classmates have everything handed to them from their parents.  For some odd reason, at different points in time, I've thought such things would be better than what I already had and have in God.  I've not been faithful in my walk with Christ, yet He's still faithful to me, never leaving my side.

John 10:27-30 is a Bible passage I learned in a children's church program called AWANA (which stands for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed, taken from 2 Timothy 2:15- an amazing program!).  I had to recite these verses many times over the years I was in the program and really came to appreciate them and the significance they have on my life and my salvation.  I'm getting to appreciate all over again these verses as they show how truly faithful God is: " My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and My Father are one."

I cannot be snatched out of His hand.  He is greater than all.  He is so freaking powerful that His hand cannot be forced open, because this is the same hand that created the universe, the hand that formed man out of the dust of the ground, the hand that is constantly protecting me, sheltering me, guiding me, holding me.  I know this to be true because of my life.  The things I've gone through in my short years are not even ordinary events in a long life, but God was always faithful.  Through my close friend's brush with death and the scare that gives a teenager, He was faithful.  Through my parents separation and later divorce, He was faithful.  Through my brother's bike accident and the horrible things that could have happened because of it, He was faithful. Through having my heart broken and everything I thought was concrete shatter, He was faithful.  Through a broken relationship with my father, He was faithful.  Through moving so far away and having every opportunity present to walk away from the faith I was raised on, He was faithful.  Through my best friend being extremely ill and I was the only person near to try and help, He was faithful.  Through spiritual battles and long periods away from the church, He was faithful. Through all this and MUCH more, He's been faithful.  He IS faithful!

What about you?  What have you known God to be?  Good or bad, I'd like to know!  I might just text back my friend and let him know that answer to his question so he can know my answer.  I'm so grateful that He's been faithful!  I'll leave you with another verse.  A promise I hope I never forget!

Deuteronomy 31:6- "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you.  He will not leave you nor forsake you."

5 Thoughts From Today

I think alot.  I don't always think about intelligent things and I try to avoid thinking while doing homework, but I still think alot!  Most of the time, my thoughts are connected... not at all.  They jump from subject to subject in an attempt to lose me (or make me lose my mind) but I always manage to keep up.  So here's some of my most interesting random thoughts.

Random Thought #1:

It's February.  Did you know that?  It's February and this is what I see outside:

Trees are budding and some trees never even lost their leaves during "fall"...

 This tree will have white flowers all over it very soon (and that bench makes me want to sit and read a book!)...

The daffodils are blooming.  The DAFFODILS are blooming...  The daffodils are BLOOMING!



These cute little garden hogs flowers are blooming like crazy all over...

Is it really February, or am I that gullible?  The weather has been in the 70's, much to everyone's delight (and my dismay...  I love winter!).  I'm going to have to retire my sweaters and fur-lined boots incredibly early.  At this point, I'm quite scared for summer.  For those who do not know: I'm made of sugar and the heat simply "caramelizes" me (forget "melting"), I become a hot mess!  I just can't stand the heat, it's one of the main reasons winter is my favorite season.  Enjoy this weather while you can, cause the moment it hits above 80, I'm heading for Alaska (oh, how I wish).

Interesting Thought #2:

I'm in love.  I might just have an affair.  I've found the most amazing partner and I think I'm ready to finally commit... 

Chocolate...  and banana... and orange... and chocolate...  Is there anything better?  I think I'm finally ready to admit this is my favorite recipe.  I feel like I'm betraying all the other desserts I've created and enjoyed, but this little number is all I dream of baking and eating and devouring these days.  Do you see the chocolate?  How it's all melty and gooey?  It stays like that, even when it's not hot, it's still melted and gooey and simply wonderful!  Believe it or not, this is actually a bread, not a cake, but a loaf pan seems too mundane for it, so a bunt pan it is and should always be.  Are you in love yet?  I can share if needed...  Maybe...  Actually, I don't think I can, sorry!

Last Intelligent Thought Ever #3:

I have awesome co-workers.  They always make me laugh and we get along very well.  A job is always an awesome thing when you get to hang out with a friend all day!  I have 3 co-workers, but I only work with 2...  Does that make sense?  P'rolly not, but it'd take too long to explain.  Anyway, to prove the awesomeness of my co-workers, I shall have to show a picture full of personality.  We're re-naming this particular co-worker to "Daffodil".  I forget why, but we had a whole conversation about this and laughed at the end of it.  So, without further ado, Daffodil:

See how much fun we have?  Seriously, you just can't beat how much fun we have at work...  Or outside of work...  Ok, yeah, I admit, I think I have more fun than everyone else does...  Or maybe I just laugh louder, it's a possibility...

I changed my mind and here's another Thought #4:

I just watched a commercial with a little girl in a bikini.  Can I just say I don't appreciate little girls in bikinis...  I don't think it's cute or appropriate.  Little girls are little girls, not teenagers or little adults.  What's wrong with one-piece swimsuits or even tankinis?  Warning to my sister: Though you haven't yet, don't put my nieces in bikinis!  OK, done with the ranting now!


Facts Thought #5:

I've hit the backspace so many dang times in this post
I've spelled "thought" wrong every time I wrote it, including this time
I like the commercials that have funky-beat music
I have a new "friend" I've named Roxanne, but you'll meet her and hear her story another day
I have so many hobbies that I've no time for them, with the exception of eating
I just got home from visiting a dear friend and now the countdown to see my nieces has begun
Countdown till the nieces: 37 days!

Crafting Creativity

Growing up with four kids in one family causes a mother to get creative.  When a mother gets creative, she inspires her kids to be creative as well, if only to spare her household budget the tiniest bit.  We had a very crafty (in a good way) mom, sewing clothes for the dress code at school (before uniforms), teaching us how to make our own birthday gifts for friends' parties, pulling out odds and ends when we were bored and running all over the place...  I'm pretty sure she's the reason we kids have a artsy/creative streak.  My older sister knits things that would make my hands cramp for weeks (I await each Christmas eagerly for whatever she's made me, it's always so cute!).  My brother is incredibly talented at drawing, pottery, sculpting, painting, you name it, he's good at it!  My little sister has the best dance moves and can (literally) shake her hips anyway she wants; she also can dabble in just about anything she wants, cooking, sewing, music, etc...  I love to cook and see (and taste) art in food.  I'm finding more and more a love for sewing and making my own patterns.  Then there's these little wooden boxes you can get at any craft store and I have such fun painting them all kinds of different ways!  So today, I'm sharing some of my creative-doings!  I enjoyed making all of these and I have alot more currently in progress or waiting to be started.  FYI, I had cute "Titles" for each photo collage, but I'm not very technologically... adept.  In other words, I've no idea why they're not there!

See? Painted boxes!  I've made so many, starting from when my mom gave me one to paint for a gift for a friend when I was 12.  Since that one turned out so well, I  remember I wanted to make a box for the next three or four friends' birthdays.  The blue "lacy" one with the fabric lining is my most recent.  I made it for my ASL (American Sign Language) teacher last semester.  I really liked the class and adored the teacher, I can't wait to learn from her again!  On the inside of the lid I'd painted, "The Beautiful Song of ASL".  The yellow and blue striped one I made just for fun, no other reason.  Ramen Girl ended up liking it so much I gave it to her.  The pink one was for a girl in the youth group I used to help teach.  I have more already finished in my closet, I just don't know what to do with them...  Anyone want a painted box?

Hi, I'm Nicole, and I'm a food addict...  I love to cook.  I LOVE to bake.  I love Love LOVE to eat!  One of the great things about being a vegetarian is I eat very often (veggies don't keep you full terribly long), so I get to have wonderful food all day long.  The awesome thing about cooking is there aren't really any rules.  As for baking, as long as you understand the food science and what ratios are needed, recipes can be altered or discarded completely!  Excuse me for a second, I think this has made me hungry...

My mom taught me how to sew when I was younger, but I could never read a pattern well enough to actually make clothes.  Most of my sewing was patchwork pillows and other small things I could make without a pattern.  Having adorable nieces has made me want to actually make them something besides pillows, so I tried my hand at clothes without a pattern.  Actually, I made my own patterns.  I may dislike math, but I seem to enjoy working with measurements and figuring out how the pieces should fit together like a puzzle.  I'm not technical with my sewing at all, but I have alot of fun!  My older niece seems to be living in that purple dress, I never thought it would be that popular!  I couldn't find a laptop bag I liked, so I made my own.  Those pants are the first I've ever made and were intended for my younger niece, but I think they might be just a tad to small for her so I'm making another pair slightly bigger.  So now I have a pair of pants that I'll never wear...  I'm thinking I have a friend somewhere that has a daughter that these would fit!  I admit, I used a pattern for the blue dress, and I still have to sew the zipper (currently pinned in), but I added some details I wanted and changed a few things to make it more "me"!  Sigh, can't I just sew instead of doing homework?

I could have included this apron with the other pictures, but then you all would've been denied my cute older niece!  While sewing this apron, I discovered I LOVE the look of ruffles more than I thought I did (which was already a substantial "like").  Miss Niece loves pink and girly stuff, so she had fun in this little number, particularly since she got to make cookies while wearing it.  She was so cute!  She rolled out and cut those cookies on her own and frosted them in a myriad of colors her Aunt Buggy helped her mix. 

If I had time to do any of this alot more often, I don't think I'd have room in my apartment for Ramen Girl and The Ginger, but you know I'd be incredibly happy!!!  Next on the to-do list: finish the coordinated pink outfits for Miss Niece and Little Niece, make a long sleeved dress out of this delicious red wool recently acquired, work on the Nieces Easter dresses, sew The Ginger a black skirt for her performances, and more!!!!  Let the fun begin...

Joy, Time, and Possibly Randomness

I feel as if I have no time to post anything these days!  If I have time to write a blog post, I feel I should be working on my ten-page essay for English instead or do a chapter of Psychology homework or start studying for the next Biology test, even if I just took the last one...  The few times I pulled out the computer to blog, I blanked out...  It's not that I have nothing I'm doing or to talk about, I just keep thinking, "Oh, as soon as I get some pictures, I'll put that post up," or "I can't write about that yet because it'll be so much better after it actually happens." Meaning: I have a trip coming up next week that I'm super excited about, but I want to blog about it with all the juicy details. Also meaning: I have a craft-ie-y-ish post just waiting on pictures of the actual crafts (which I think are SUPER cute). I'm also toying with a post about my nieces cause I can never get enough of them (proud and obsessed Auntie right here) and I think a blog post full of their pictures would make me smile for a week! Oh, AND, I have a clean room... And a re-organized room... And a clean room... And my laundry's done... And a clean room! I know you all don't believe me about my clean room (I like saying that) and I did promise my mom to post the "after" pictures (apparently the "before" were that bad...) so that's on the list as well. I'm finding my biggest problem is time. Time and I are always just missing each other, kind of like Sleep and I are doing... No time, no sleep, but homework and I are becoming... very acquainted.  So now what? How 'bout this:

I love life! I'm not sure how many people are aware of that fact, but I do!  Even when my schedule consists of only work, school, and homework (as many BUSY weeks do!) I still find myself laughing constantly and taking joy in little things.  I have so much to look forward to, I feel it would be easy to rush through today hoping to get to tomorrow faster.  I'm so glad I don't tho.  Joys from today: Laughing with my co-worker over thoroughly silly and random subjects, making and enjoying a new recipe (Lemon Olive Oil Banana Bread with a Lemon/Brown Sugar glaze= SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!), a delicious vegetable lasagna for dinner, a totally unexpected picture and text from dear friend that had me trying not to laugh (dang, Nolly!)...  What am I looking forward to? ALOT!

Besides the upcoming trip (seriously excited!!!!!!!), I feel I have a jam-packed, well, year! I have a Valentine's Day "date", kinda, sorta, ok, not really...  A co-worker and I made plans to go see "The Vow" the Tuesday after it came out, not knowing that would be V-Day.  Neither of us have or anticipate other plans, so we decided to keep our "date", we're even adding lunch to the movie.  Honestly, it's just a "Girl's Day Out" to us, so it'll be alot of fun.  For Spring Break, my older sister and brother-in-law and NIECES are coming up to stay for the week.  I'm quite excited, ecstatic, happy, delirious with joy over having family come to visit me for a week!  In June, I get to go see "Wicked" again with The Ginger (our Christmas/birthday gifts to each other).  In July, I'm going to San Francisco with Ramen Girl to go see "Les Miserable" (my first time seeing it, happiness!).  I get my nieces for two weeks this summer (both this time).  I apply for PTA programs in March and get responses in May.  If I get accepted, I start the program in August.  The most exciting thing to look forward to?  Drum roll please: In September, I become an Aunty for the third time!  :-D I think being an Aunty is the perfect job for me, I love being the crazy, eccentric Aunty and I adore my nieces (and possibly nephew?) sooooooo much!!!!

My goodness!  See why it's important to remember to enjoy today with so many wonderful things to look forward to?  And now I think I see why I have a hard time FINDING time!

My First Week Of... School

• The first week of school has come and gone and I'll never get back those 14 hours again it wasn't so bad. 
• I think my classes this semester will be the most homework-laden ever! challenging yet.
• My teachers seem determined to drive me to an early death to be passionate about what they're teaching, which always makes class not quite so boring a bit more fun.

• I was able to get my books quickly but they cost me an arm and a leg plus my firstborn so I can start on my homework now but I still have to get the rest out of my car.
• My classes are getting more ridiculously impossible advanced now, like the continuation of anatomy and physiology also known as death by memorization and sign language 2 which I know is going to be the only class I really prepare for my favorite class.

• I have so much dang homework already enough assignments due Monday that I thought a two-sided checklist might remind me why I want to finish as quickly as possible be helpful each week.
• The only thing carrying me through most exciting thing about this semester is I get to finally apply for PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) programs and I killed myself finished my PreReq's and GenEd faster than the applicants who still have a life most other applicants!

~The end of my life for another semester End!

To My Wonderful Mother!

There's this woman I've known all my life and today is her birthday!  Happy Birthday, Mommy!  I want to share a little about my wonderful mother with you all:

She has taken on fears and challenges and come out on top!

She cherishes her family and her sisters are her best friends.

She gave up everything that got in the way of raising four children from young...

To grown ups (mostly...). Even to this day, we know she'd give us everything she is able to and work to get us more.

She's a wonderful grandma, not just once...

But twice!

She's encouraged our dreams from day one, never saying it's impossible or we couldn't do it.

She rests only after she knows everyone else is resting too.

To my wonderful mother, a beautiful woman full of love, encouragement and one of the most selfless persons I know: Happy Birthday! I love you!

A Quarter of a Century...

My birthday is officially over! I know, I sound like I'm rejoicing... Turning a quarter of a century is draining (just on the pride tho), particularly when I think back on where "teenager" Nicole thought "current" Nicole would be in life. Funny how it's NEVER the way we plan, huh? (I do believe there's a Bible verse about that...)

My day was very relaxed and I appreciate that particular aspect of it. I stayed up to greet my birthday the night before, so I slept in till noon (with the exception of my mom, aunt, and grandma calling to serenade me in the morning). My roommate had to wake me up (cause she was feeling guilty for sleeping so late as well) and we lazily got dressed as I went back and forth in my decision for which restaurant I wanted lunch at. I had a marvelous vegetarian sushi roll (I don't care that there was no fish- it was at least sushi-"styled") that I had been waiting almost a whole year to taste again. That alone made me very happy! Just when I thought we were done ans waiting on the check, two spoons and a dessert were brought out with birthday wishes. I honestly had not expected The Ginger (as she shall be fondly known) to tell on me, so I was mildly shocked until the deliciousness of the dessert made it all ok. There was many vintage shops in mid-town that we would've loved to explore, but The Ginger only had five quarters for the parking meter, so we had an hour total to get back to the car or else... We did have time to go to the vintage store right next door where I scored an amazingly awesome teal-ish waist belt for about $8. The Ginger has already informed me she's stealing it... Another friend dropped by after we got home and watched as The Ginger (I'm really enjoying calling her that...) and I cleaned some more of our room (still a work in progress, but oh-so-close!).

My other roommate (I shall call her Ramen Girl since she just might be obsessed with... ramen) arrived home after The Ginger and my other friend left. I was back to relaxing on the couch trying to figure out how to change the look of this blog (do you like the new look?) when she announced we had to go somewhere for my birthday. I was starting to thing people were conspiring against me staying home for my birthday like I actually wanted (The Ginger had originally planned to take me to San Fransisco, fun but I wanted to stay home), but they must've known better than me because I had more fun than I thought I'd have today. We ended up going to Color Me Mine.  I had never been before, but Ramen Girl had (I'm already plotting to go again, it's that awesome... for me...). It's a place where you can pick out a ceramic and paint it, they glaze it and fire it, then it's yours to keep, give away, lose, destroy, etc... I picked out a little plate that has a cupcake in the center, it's super cute and I think I did a marvelous job making it cuter (but you have to wait till I get it back to see the truth of my words since I didn't take any pictures at all today). Ramen Girl chose a mug that she painted these cute little characters on (from TokiDoki if anyone else besides her knows what that is). I finally figured out as we were driving home that she might be sneakier than I give her credit for since I concentrate more than I talk when I'm painting... Lucky her! We got home and had strawberry shortcake (delicious!) and watched totally ridiculous (but hilarious) videos on YouTube.

Such a silly, abnormal day for me, but I have to give a big thank you to both Ramen Girl and The Ginger for making this "turning a quarter of a century" thing not as bad as I had envisioned it'd be. Seriously, I just have amazing friends, what can I say? So, what are my plans for year 25? Besides more work and school and homework? I have grand plans!!! I just can't get enough of my friends and family, so seeing them and laughing with them and cherishing them more is so on my To-Do list, and growing closer to the One who cherishes me the most!

P.S-Just want you all to know I'm going to be tired tomorrow, especially since I have to get up in five hours...  That's what happens when you sleep till noon, even on your birthday!

P.P.S.- Although the room's not done yet, seriously MUCH better tho, I'll get pics up when we get everything rearranged (which is taking some serious math skills!). My mom is a true mother and wants to make sure I actually cleaned my room :-P I love you Mommy! :-D -THE END-

If Only You Had Children Like ME!

As I'm very good at procrastinating once I'm given the opportunity, I thought I'd share my plans for this week! The plans I'm currently not doing since I'm procrastinating... Thursday is my birthday and I wanted to give myself a nice gift since I'll only turn 25 once. I really thought long and hard about what I could use or what I needed. No matter how I looked at it, I really needed this one thing... Those who know me well might laugh since I'm sure they've heard this before, but I NEED and WANT: a clean room. Yep, one organized and one I can walk in and one that I want to be in instead of just sleep in! I was planning on taking pictures when I got home from work this morning, but one of my wonderful roommates actually de-messed the room... a little. She put together my new craft table as a much appreciated surprise and in doing so, the room already looks a little better since there's no 5-foot-long garish and huge table taking up a whole wall and floor space.

Do you want to see the pictures I DO have? They might be a little scary, please shield young or impressionable (or parental) eyes!


Yep... That's my room... See the huge table leaning against the wall, in between the closet and sewing machine? I'm starting to think that taking an axe to it might be fun... Anyone have an axe I can borrow?


These are some of the craft supplies I'm in the process of organizing... Remember the tornado known as "Nicole's craft mess"? Yeah, these are part of the culprits. They're actually pretty compressed into those bins right now...


My bathroom's not terrible, but could use some picking up, particularly my jewelry, which happens to currently be in a bowl... in my school bags... in my luggage... in my car... NOT in the jewelry box... Oops... Oh, I also have new pictures I need to find room for on that sink!


Ignoring the mess this time, I'm planning to not only clean but rearrange. I need a bigger bookcase as my bookcase is two books deep on each shelf and I currently use my car, closet and living room for extra shelves... Although you might not be able to see it, there are two beds there, the oak day bed and another bed on the floor with all the... junk... on it. I want to move each bed to it's own wall so there's walking space on the floor. That would be amazing!


Still ignoring the mess and also ignoring the bright light, I want to move the dressers, the (hopefully new) bookshelf and the craft table (seen in the very first pic and in this one from a side view) to one wall. The beauty of the craft table is it's on wheels and the part holding my sewing machine folds down so it becomes just a set of drawers! Genius, right? I'm also looking at new storage for the closet, which is where most of my craft stuff is kept. I currently have a dresser in there which is bulky and hard to access and not very space efficient, so Ikea and I just might be good friends this week. :-P

I know, I know, you're not thinking "how are you going to accomplish such a huge feat?" or "you've got a big job ahead of you!"... I know you're really thinking (especially my mom) "WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT LAUNDRY?!?!?!?" Yeah, I might get to that too...

So, now that you all know I am not embarrassed to put my messy room on the Internet, I'm going to stop my procrastination and get back to cleaning. My objectives for tonight is to finish getting the craft stuff sorted and tackle the monster...err..mess under my bed! Hopefully reason will return to me in the morning and I'll have to finish my room just to put up pictures of a clean and orderly room, like any 25 year old should responsibly have... (I'm trying not to laugh right now...) Have wonderful dreams tonight about your children growing up to own messy rooms! :-D