Frankenstorm!

We're really feeling the threat of Hurricane Sandy here in central Ohio- crazy rumors are flying around (like that we will get up to 2 feet of snow)! We are under flood watches and wind advisories right now.

What's really nuts is that it was 80 degrees just 3 days ago! I guess that's what I get for living in Ohio!

All I want right now...

... is a kitten! I've been asking and asking Husband to buy me one, but our apartment lease says "NO PETS!"

I've begged. Pleaded. Cried.

(Well, crying was not my fault.)

One night, we were coming home from Walmart and Husband was driving. We were stopped at a red light and he was texting, so he didn't see the light turn green. The car behind us honked and Husband snapped back to reality, but the other car pulled up next to us on the road. Husband didn't want to be next to him at the next stop light, so he pulled into the closest parking lot... which was the pet store parking lot.

I, of course, had not been paying any attention to any of this and only noticed when we pulled into the pet store. I immediately asked, "What are we doing here?!" to which Husband replied, "Just trying to get away from that jerk," and pulled out of the parking lot. I managed to say, "Oh... I thought..." before bursting into tears.

Needless to say, Husband felt terrible... but not terrible enough to turn around and get me a kitten.

I'm not giving up home yet... Christmas is coming!

(This is from my arsenal of cute pictures to make Husband secretly want a kitty, too!)

Centipede HORROR

Yesterday, I experienced the horror of all horrors...

There was a centipede in my bathroom.

I am fully aware that this doesn't sound like a huge deal. Unfortunately, it really was. 

(Here is where I was going to post a Google centipede picture, but I almost threw up when I searched for a picture and I will NOT put one on my blog!)

It all started when I woke up in the morning. My first stop is always the bathroom, and I'm usually stumbling around half-awake until after my shower. When I went into the bathroom, there was something brown scurrying all over the floor! I shoved on my glasses and SCREAMED. Husband (who had just been sound asleep) came running in, but by that time the demon had escaped to under the bathroom sink.

Yes, the bathroom sink, in front of which I spend 85% of my morning.

Husband was trying to assure me that it was gone for good, that it was probably more scared than me, that they are completely harmless, etc. (By the way, I don't think any of those things are true!)

I wore his shoes for the rest of the morning.

Last night when we were going to bed, I asked Husband, "What if it comes into bed with us?!" To which he replied, "Don't worry... I think I killed it earlier." (Yeah... right.) I didn't believe him and made me go out to the living room to show me exactly where he killed it. He picked his socks up off of the living room floor (typical) and showed me the bottom of one of them... which had a bunch of little legs on it.

GOOD.

Unfortunately, now everything I see is a centipede. Every dust bunny, scrap piece of paper, and crumb looks like one, and I'm seriously terrified. I really think that I may have a new phobia... but we'll see. For now, though, I'll just keep jumping at everything and scanning each room before I walk into it.

My 2012 Bucket List

I've decided to make some changes around here.

As is obvious from reading some of my previous blog entries, I have not been a happy camper lately. I've been blaming everyone and everything, but not taking any responsibility myself. That's about to change.

I've come up with a list of short-term goals I want to accomplish by the end of this year. Doing this, I think, will help inspire me to not be such a drag all the time. It certainly isn't all-inclusive, and I'm sure I'll add to it, but these are definitely things I want to accomplish by 11:59PM on December 31!

1. Graduate from college!

2. Receive my teaching license.

3. Develop my very own recipe for... something.

4. Run a mile without stopping.

5. Throw a party- a real one, not just a friend get-together!

6. Pay off my credit card.

7. Work my way up to 100 blog posts... eek!

8. Be able to do a split. (Why not?)

So there is it... my first list! I'll keep adding to it, promise!

Here's my first blog post...

from my own living room!

I convinced Husband to get an internet connection in our apartment!

Here's a tip- make him think it's his idea, and you're golden.

See you tomorrow!

Blessings.

Sometimes, I'm a jerk.

Unfortunately, I've been a jerk an awful lot lately. I've pinpointed the reasons below. (I promise it's not all complaints! There is a point to this post... just keep reading!)

School is killing me! Last week I had midterms, and this week I had 2 big projects due, on top of my normal homework load. The lack of internet at home is really starting to wear on me (and not just because I often neglect this blog)!

Earlier this week, Husband and I were denied food stamps. I'm not embarrassed to say that we applied- we're both full-time students and part-time workers. We're very tight on money, and a little extra help would've been great! Apparently, though, college students have to be working a minimum of 20 hours/week to be eligible. (If I was working 20 hours/week, I wouldn't need food stamps! Duh!)  So we are ineligible. We aren't starving or anything, but it was a huge disappointment and very upsetting.

Lastly, I'm very homesick. I haven't seen my family since the middle of August, and don't know when I'll see them again. Since I work on Sundays, it's impractical for me to drive 3 hours on Friday to see them, just to drive 3 hours back on Saturday. Plus, gas is outrageously expensive (like I really needed to remind you, right?), and the minivan we drive is a total gas hog.

Ready for the good news?

Here's a little back-story: Because I have severe asthma, I get a scholarship from the state of West Virginia. The money pays for my books and about $3,000 in tuition. And, since I got married this summer, I was eligible for a ton of scholarships and grants. My tuition was basically covered.

So... the school is giving me my excess scholarship! On Monday, I will get a direct deposit of around $1,800 in my bank account.

ARE YOU KIDDING?!

This is such an unexpected blessing. My university is notorious for not giving students their excess money- it's usually just sent back or used for another semester.

Now, we don't need food stamps. We have plenty of money for groceries for months. I can visit my family in a few weeks (when I have a Sunday off) without worrying about the gas money. And... maybe I can convince Husband to get a cheap internet plan. :)

God is good and faithful...

and that's all I have to say about that.

Visit my home!

I promised I would be more consistent with this blog at the worst possible time to promise such a thing- right before midterm break! Because we don't have the internet at home, it's impossible for me to post unless I leave my house. And, let's face it, I wasn't going anywhere during break.

It was definitely a relaxing time- just what we needed! I was able to catch up on all of my cleaning, laundry, and homework, which is such an accomplishment! (How do people with kids keep up with their laundry?! I only have Husband, and I'm already scrambling to get it all done!)

Now we're back to school, and this coming Monday marks the very middle of the semester- my last semester of college! I couldn't be more excited! I love my school and the community in it, but I'm ready to be out in the real world.

Since I'm so close to being a real, certified grown-up, I've been thinking a lot about how I want my house to look. Husband and I currently live in an apartment owned by our university. We don't pay rent out-of-pocket; it's included in our tuition. (It is such a blessing!) It's definitely an improvement from where we lived over the summer- in a church Evangelist room. It was tiny, cramped, and miserable! We lived there only because it was free (!!!) and because Husband was interning at the church.

Our apartment now is so much more roomy and cozy! (Sorry for blurry pictures- my Droid is sub-par.)

Next week, I'll be posting Pins of my dream home! (What a perfect excuse to be on Pinterest!)

Have a lovely Thursday!

My poor, neglected blog...

What. A. Week.

This week is midterms week at my university. I am completely in denial about one particular test that I'm taking tomorrow... I haven't been keeping up with the reading for the class at all and I know I won't do well. I'm actually trying to decide whether I should even crack the book open now. If I don't know it now, I won't know it tomorrow... right?

I've also been fighting a losing battle with a sinus infection this week. Sinus infections are awful alone, but pair them with severe asthma and you have a dynamic duo that is sure to cripple anyone! Ugh!

And nosebleeds. Let's not forget nosebleeds.

(My body falls apart every fall... nothing to be concerned about!)

The great news is that we're in full Autumn glory here in Ohio! The weather is crisp, the trees are beautiful, and there is frost on the grass in the morning! Eek!

(Picture was taken from my Droid X on my University campus.) 

In other news, I'm graduating. Soon. Like, in 60 days. I'm definitely beginning to freak out a little bit. How do I make a portfolio?! Where will I get interview clothes?! And, last but certainly not least, who wants to hire a teacher in December?! 

(breathe)

I'm happy. I'm excited. I can do this... right?

Chocolate-chip Pumpkin Muffins

Today was a sick day for me. I was up half the night coughing and wheezing (thanks, Asthma!) and I was completely exhausted this morning. I stayed home from classes and rested all day.

Obviously, though, I had to do something. I decided that I needed to bake. I just bought groceries yesterday, so I pulled some things out of the cabinet and got to work. I decided on chocolate-chip pumpkin muffins.

Holy. Cow.

They were so good and moist, and only 3 ingredients. (Can you guess where I'm going with this?)

Here is what I did/my recipe! Enjoy!

Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (I used Pillsbury Traditional Yellow)

1 can pumpkin

2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions:

Add cake mix and pumpkin together in a mixing bowl and mix on medium for about 2 minutes. Mixture will be very think. (My mixture was SUPER thick, so I added about 1/4 cup of Sprite and mixed it in.) Dump chocolate chips in bowl and mix until evenly distributed. Put in muffin tin and bake at 350 for 19 minutes.

I was able to get 16 muffins out of this recipe.

"So, how's married life?"

When you get married, you gain so many things:

1. A lifelong partner.
2. The assurance that someone will always be there for you, whether or not you want them to me.
3. At least twice the laundry and dishes that you used to have.

However, you also lose some things:

1. Privacy.
2. Privacy.
3. Privacy.

Not only are you sharing all of your space with another person, but people seem to think that it is acceptable to ask you about your marriage, sex life, and home business. After you get married, people stop asking, "Hey! How are you?" Instead, they'll ask, "Hey! How's married life?" I love answering that question... but it's so hard to answer when someone is rushing down the hallway or across the campus yard.

I've also found that lots of people don't actually want to know the real answer. They want to hear, "It's great! So fun! Cupcakes and rainbows and puppies."

Marriage is not cupcakes and rainbows and puppies.

I've thought and thought about how to describe marriage, but I can't.

Fortunately, Someecards has been able to describe marriage perfectly. I'll stop rambling now and leave you with a few snippets of real marriage.

Senioritis

You know, I just haven't been feeling like myself lately. I'm tired, grumpy, and I don't want to drag myself out of bed in the mornings. I don't want to go to class, and I'd rather pull out my front teeth than read another textbook. I was really concerned about this sudden change for a few days, until I realized exactly what my problem is.

I have Senioritis.

For those of you who don't already know, Senioritis can be defined as-

noun. A crippling disease that strikes high school [or college!] seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation.

I feel so much better now that I have a (self) diagnosis! I'm so ready to graduate from college. Tomorrow, I visit my university registrar to have my final degree audit and sign my intent to graduate form! I couldn't be more excited! In addition, I gave up my most annoying work shift today, which put me in a wonderful mood. :)

Despite my recent apathetic attitude, I was a total machine yesterday. I made a to-do list in the morning...

AND I FINISHED IT!

I also went to work for 3ish hours. Now, I'm off to work again. (I'm trying so hard to buy Husband a great Christmas gift, and I need every paid minute I can get!)

Happy Monday! (If there is such a thing!)