New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year to all!

I hope 2008 treated everyone well and here's to 2009 treating you even better! :)

I was never real big into New Year's Resolutions but, I figured I'm always up to a challenge... so, why not?!

So, here are the resolutions. There are several, but some are short term, while others are a bit longer term.

1. Clean my room before I head back to EC in the middle of January. This would not only make my life a little easier... but, it would also make my mom very, very happy! :)
2. Increase my GPA this next semester. It's not the worst, but it could certainly use some improvement!
3. Lose some weight. Last year I lost a little over 45 pounds and since then I've put back on about 5 of those pounds. I would like to lose some more (about 15-20 pounds) and keep it off for 2009! When I head back to Eau Claire I plan on going back to Weight Watchers to help me with this goal.
4. And, here is a fun one! Go on a summer trip with Lucas before we head back to school. We'll be apart for a year again with school starting with Fall Semester of 2009, so we would like to spend some quality time together before school begins. :)

Those are all I have for now... I might think of some more down the road. I should probably work on those for now though! :)

Hello Goodbye

Goodness gracious, does time ever fly. It seems as though I was just saying "hello" to December and in a few days, it will be time to say "goodbye".

Highlights of the month:

• School being done!!!
• Being able to relax.
• Scrapbooking with Jessica. :)
• Jake and Morgan's Engagement
• Christmas of course

Tomorrow's blog will feature New Year's Resolutions...

Professional Bowler...

This weekend Lucas and I along with some friends went bowling. Usually, I'm not the world's best bowler, in fact, I'm never the best bowler... but, this weekend something must have gotten in to me, as I rocked the bowling alley (for me, a very average bowler)!! The first game Lucas and I tied with 101 but the second game I got a 149!!!! :) I even have the picture to prove it!

Teddy Bear

This is me and my Teddy Bear. :) He was Blue from Blue's Clues on Halloween, his dad was Steve! Teddy is the son of the Hall Director that I work for here at school. He is 20 months old and for the entire semester and the end of last semester, he comes out to the Front Desk every morning (Monday thru Friday) by 8am and watches Sesame Street with me. Lately, however he has been more into various things on YouTube including: all Beatles music videos (his current favorite is "Yellow Submarine"), Casper the Ghost (an episode with the Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf), Elephant (an elephant that paints a picture of an elephant--really!! and also an elephant jumping on a trampoline -- not real) and the usually Elmo/Sesame Street clips. I babysit him twice a week and am just simply attached. One weekend I went home to work and when I came back on Monday, Kirby taught him something new. When asked who is best firend is, he responds: "Heidi". :) It's the cutest thing ever.

Grand Avenue Cafe

Yesterday String and I went to Grand Avenue Cafe, a nice little coffee shop/cafe in Eau Claire. We hadn't really seen each other in a while even though we live right next door to each other!! Life is simply TOO busy!
But anyway, it was my first time going to this place and it was delicious! I got a Honey Latte and a Blueberry Muffin. The honey latte was really good and not too much honey.
The conversation was even better (as it always is when you can sit down with a great friend and catch up). So, cheers to delicious honey lattes and wonderful friends. :)

Happy Birthday Holly Ann!!

Happy Birthday Holly! :)
My big sister is turning 24 - again. I think she plans on being "24" for the rest of her life. So, in 3 years, I'll be 24 right along with her. She's the best big sister a girl could ever ask for.
Holly, I hope you have a WONDERFUL day. Sorry I can't make it home for your party. :(

E.L.F.

Any of you wear make up out there?

Well, I (thanks to my friend, String) found an AMAZING website for makeup! It's called Eyes Lips Face (hence, the acronym ELF). Almost every product is one dollar. That's right, ONE DOLLAR. And, the quality is great. I have lots of products and they are comparable to anything you would buy in a store, just a lot cheaper! Most of their mineral products (love them) are $3, but still, that is a steal if you compare it to brand name.

The website is www.eyeslipsface.com in case you are interested. :)

Yesterday I received my second order from ELF and was so excited so I had to share the awesome website. :)

I Know.

That's my response when people tell me how good my cookie recipe is. I'm not one to boast; but, they are just plain good.

For about two years now, Orpha (a WONDERFUL lady who resides where I work) and I have mastered our "Secret Cookie Recipe." Every weekend I go home to work, we have to make at least one batch. This past weekend it was two, and she was requesting another!

Last night, I made a batch in the apartment and shared some with my roommates who told me they were the best cookies they have ever had. My response: I know! :)

Well, today is your lucky day because something this good simply needs to be shared. Here is the recipe (in layman's terms because it isn't something I have written down, just know it by heart).

Pudding Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks of butter
some vanilla extract
2 eggs
a box of dry pudding mix
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cup flour
chocolate chips

Combine all ingredients and bake until lightly browned. :)

Some variations that are fun:
I usually use vanilla pudding mix but have used chocolate, banana, butterscotch, etc.
Also, sometimes I use M&Ms instead of or in addition to chocolate chips. Peanut butter chips are really good when you use chocolate pudding mix.

It's a fun recipe because you can make it a little different each time and every time they are still amazingly good! :)

Happy Baking!

Where oh where have I been?!

Wow. It has been a LONG time. All summer to be exact. My summer was busy, but nice. I played quite a bit of softball, Lucas and I coached T-Ball; I worked and volunteered.

This summer our softball team did really well. We played in three tournaments, taking 1st in two out of the three. "ThunderLube" is our team name.

Lucas and I had QUITE the T-Ball team this year. Very hyper and very active. It was challenge but also tons of fun. We look forward to coaching again next season!

I had a great summer working at Miller Country Care. I got full time hours and was promoted to Manager in July. MCC is truly one of my homes away from home. I came up with the idea to have a Summer Picnic for family of employees and residents, so Dave and Kathy put me in charge of that. It was surprisingly a huge success and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. It was decided that it was our "First Annual Family Picnic". I'm sure I'll be planning the next one next summer. Leaving MCC this summer was really hard for me, as it was my last "full summer" of working there. Next August I will be starting my Practicum. I will be really sad on my last day, but will always go back to visit and am so grateful for all the knowledge I have attained.

Lastly, this summer I volunteered (or, as Holly would say, kissed ass) at Three Oaks in Marshfield. I wanted to do my practicum there and thought volunteering would help me get my foot in the door as well as familiarize myself with the building, people and overall atmosphere.
Well, it did work, I will "unofficiall" (at the time being) be doing my Practicum at Three Oaks. Bridget, the Executive Director told me I would be her first choice (out of a total of 3 students) and she will be mine!

I am now back at school; going to class, working at the front desk, babysitting Teddy, working at home every third weekend and just plain old trying to have some fun in between.

A Pause for Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!
If it weren't for you I would be a completely different person headed in a completely different direction. I would not have the confidence to be here at school doing what I am doing. I would not have the loving support back home. I would not know how to cook or bake on my own. I would have no work ethic. I wouldn't know how to clean (even though I don't always use that knowledge). If it weren't for you setting a good example for how to treat others, especially those you care about, I wouldn't have so many loving people in my life. Thank you for teaching me to have a sense of humor, it has taken me far in life. Thank you for making me do my homework and follow your sometimes strict rules. I am a better person because you were tough on me and always expected the best. Thanks for putting up with me when I am sassy or crabby or a just a plain pain. Thanks for carting my butt around year after year for sports and various activities.
Thanks for being you! Happy Mother's Day! I love you! :)

These are a Few of My Favorite Things... About Spring!

Here is a short list of favorite things about Spring...Baseball! Mostly the Brewers. We went to a game last season and it was lots of fun. I'm hoping to go to at least one again this season.

Grilling Out!! It has become tradition to grill out each Spring with my friends at school. It usually ends up being quite the event and it gets larger every year! This years best tasting item on the grill was Caribbean Jerk marinated chicken. Also a favorite was of course my chocolate caramel bars!
Maple Syrup Making. This has always been a favorite of mine. I don't get to witness or help with it as much anymore now that I am away at school, but when we were little we were back in the Sap Woods just about every night! Right after school we would race back there with our bikes and help collect the sap from the day. My favorite job was to skim the top of the syrup when we cooked it down. This year the trees ran okay. Not the best, but not the worst. I can't wait to try this years syrup! :)

Tomorrows Blog: My job at Miller Country Care. :)

Memory Loss

I'm back to blogging after a short break.
I forgot my sign in name as well as my password which posed a problem! Sometimes, I think memory loss is contagious, as I work with many elderly people who have dementia/Alzheimer's. Or, I just have too many sign in names and passwords to remember.

Tonight my to do list is a lengthy one, so I will make my post short.

Check back tomorrow for a post about my favorite things about Spring because it seems to have arrived again after a short disappearance. :)

Spring's Arrival

Spring has finally sprung, as "they" say. Who exactly does "they" refer to? I've always wondered. Today was an absolutely gorgeous day, a little windy, but I'll take it! I went for a jog/walk on the Putnam Trail tonight, it made me miss home and long for summer, but both wishes will come soon enough I tell myself. Holly reminded me of the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins the other day so I have been trying to enjoy the moment. Big sisters... they always think they know what they are talking about (it may very well be because they usually do I suppose!) :) Anyway I'm excited for Spring to progress and for more green to pop up. I have a feeling I'll be traveling the Putnam Trail more often then with my camera of course. Thats when "working out" turns into less of a "work out" and more of a "leisurely stroll with the camera"! :) What can I say, I'm obsessed with pictures, just ask Lucas.

One Fine Day

Today has been nothing but great so far. I was able to sleep in (which is rather rare for me). I didn't have any strict timed agendas to follow. I woke up, worked out, showered, cleaned, worked on some homework and then went out to lunch with String. Everything was done at a leisurely pace and was simply relaxing. String and I went to a coffee shop in Eau Claire called Coffee Traders. It was a cute little place (as we find most coffee shops to be). We ordered a panini (which we shared because it was huge) and a side salad as well as fun little coffee drinks. Coffee shops are so much fun. I have set a new goal: go to every coffee shop in Eau Claire before I graduate! :) (I should be able to... I have two years to go, although one year I will not be in EC).

And now, I will return to homework so I can stay ahead of the game for the week so I am maybe able to relax throughout the week as well.

My Future

Last night I attended the annual ACHCA/CHASE/HCAD Banquet (for those in the Health Care Administration field). I had more fun than I thought I would. I was able to catch up with some of my HCAD friends who I don't see at all because I am not in any HCAD classes this semester (per se) but more importantly, I was able to talk with several people about my future practicum. I am hoping to work at Three Oaks with Bridget as my preceptor. Three Oaks is ran by Golden Living. I talked to Bridget last night about my interest as well as the current student who is in her practicum there currently, Amanda. I told Amanda I would send her an email to set up a time for a tour and to set up some volunteering. I just spoke with her last night at the banquet, is it okay to email her already today? Or, should I wait until next week sometime? Any suggestions? I thought there was an unwritten rule on that, but I'm not certain.
I'm excited for this change of scenery (although it is still a year away). I didn't realize we start applying so soon (deadline for interviews is September). Anyway, that was the highlight of my day yesterday (and probably the highlight of my week). I just really love the career I am pursuing and cannot wait to be able to work more in the field.

Also, what is the deal with this weather? I realize I live in Wisconsin and it maybe shouldn't have been a surprise, but seriously... where is spring? The only convenient thing about it being terrible out is that yesterday I had a reason to wear my ADORABLE new winter coat that I bought on clearance at Target for only $13!!!! :)

Test

So, this is my first blog ever. I can't get it to look quite like I want it to, but maybe in time it will get there. I'm hoping so anyway.
I can't believe it's Thursday already. These days just seem to fly by faster and faster each day. I am just trying to keep my head above the water. I'm staying in EC this weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to get caught up with my cleaning, reading, sleep, etc. I have a long to do list. And this blog will probably be just one more distraction to take me away from those things that need to be done. But, you'll have that.