Trans Siberian Orchestra

Gooooood Morning Livejournal Land! It hit me this morning - good stuff always happens on the days I go to see the TSO! Last year, I got engaged. This year, I got the job to start my career. It's weird! I think that just means I'll have to keep going to see them every year for the rest of my life, just to make sure that one really great thing happens to me every year!
Anyway, the concert last night was AWESOME! I wish I was allowed to take pictures, but they said that you'd get thrown out if you were caught using a camera. Since we had floor seats, there was always someone from security or someone working there so I was afraid they would catch me. Granted, I wouldn't have used a flash (it wouldn't have reached the stage anyway), but I didn't want to risk missing the concert for one picture. But even so, it was great. If you look at my photos in my Yahoo! Photo's site from last years concert, you'll get the general gist of what this years was like, as it was the same people. The flashing lights were blinding and the laser show was awesome, not to mention, my personal favorite, the "snow" that falls while the group plays "First Snow." I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend everyone go see the TSO. There were people of all ages at the show, and that's always nice to see.
I wish I could think of more words to describe the show, but I can't. Amazing, fantastic, incredible... those are the only three that come to mind. Deafening, that's another one ^_^. It was still awesome though.
So tonight, John and I are hitting up First Night in Portsmouth. Should be a good time. We're going with Chris and Kim, so it'll definitely be fun.
I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year! Oh, and in case I don't see you - Good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

The Year 2005:
[P E O P L E]
1. Best friend? Probably my husband, John
2. Best boyfriend/girlfriend? I've only had one, so I'd have to say John
3. Lost any friends? I don't think so
4. Gained any friends? more so aquaintences
5. Met a new good friend? not really

[P L A C E S]
6. Went out of the country? To Canada
7. Moved? Yep
8. New school? graduated!
9. How many times on an airplane? Not this year

[Y O U]
10. Have you changed? Well, I'm married now. That's a big one. I also finished college, that's a big change too. Personality wise? I don't think so.
11. New look? Not really. Maybe soon though, to go with my new job.
12. Any new additions: Molly!!!
13. Biggest conflict this year? Either money or who should be on the wedding guest list...
14. Most depressed time this year? When I first thought I wasn't going to get a job with the state. That was probably a couple of months ago. Or when I really was having issues with my job at SOSMed.

[L O V E]
15. Did you fall in love? I keep falling in love...
16. Did you get heartbroken? Not this year!
17. Who was your summer love? John - it worked out well, since we got married in the summer!

[S E A S O N S]
18. Favorite Season? This year? Spring, probably.
19. Least favorite season? Winter
20. Good birthday? Yeah, I think so
21. Any snow this year? We had over a foot, but it's just about all gone
22. Highest temperature? I don't remember

[F I N A L Q U E S T I O N S]
23. Snuck out? Nope.
24. Met a person who will change your life? I didn't meet him this year, but John definitly changed my life this year.
25. Kept your resolution? No. I tried though.
26. Got arrested? Happily, no.
27. Had a first something? Yep.
28. Had a crush? Does John count? (I'm noticing a theme, here, by the way)
29. Liked someone who didn't like you? no
30. Lost a family member? no
31. Got bad grades? No, I did excellent in school this year.
32. Got suspended? nope
33. Moved states? No
34. Got a myspace? I did, just yesterday.
35. Done something you totally regret? Again, happily not.
36. Changed your view on things? Always.

[Coming in to 2006]
37. how old are you? 24 right now, I'll be 25 in '06 (duh)
38. who is your best friend? John
39. are you ready? Ready for what?
40. Have you ever been searched by the cops? No
41. Do you close your eyes on rollercoasters? Sometimes, but not usually.
42. When's the last time you went sleigh riding? A few years ago.
43. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone? Depends on the size of the bed.
44. Do you believe in ghosts? To a degree.
45. Do you consider yourself creative? Kind of.
46. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yes.
47. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Not a huge fan of either.
48. Can you honestly say you know anything about politics? Yeah.
49. Do you know how to play poker? I learned 5 card stud when I was in elementary school.
50. Have you even been awake for 48 hours straight? No.
51. Do you kill bugs that are in the house? There better not be any bugs in my house.
52. Have you ever cheated on a test? Not that I recall.
53. If you're driving in the middle of the night and no one is around, do you drive through red lights? No.
54. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? No.
55. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? Gee... do I REALLY need to answer that? RED SOX ALL THE WAY!!!
56. Have you ever ice skated? Yeah, but it's been a few years.
57. How often do you remember your dreams? Only when it's something I shouldn't be dreaming about (like the other night...)
58. When was the last time you laughed so hard you were crying? Not for a while, but it's definitely been in the last few months.
59. Can you name 5 songs by the Beatles? come together, yesterday, hard days night, yellow submarine, penny lane
60. Do you believe in love at first sight? Yeah.
61. Do you know who Ba-Ba- Booey is? Should I?
62. Do you alwyas wear your seatbelt? Just about always.
63. What talent do you wish you had? I wish I could whistle, you know, the really loud way like people do at sporting events.
64. Do you like sushi? Eww, no. (But at least I've tried it so I can answer that honestly.
65. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? Never been involved in a nearly fatal anything.
66. What do you wear to bed? Wouldn't you like to know... ;-)
67. Have you ever been caught stealing? No
68. Does size matter? What are we measuring?
69. Do you truely hate anyone? No, I don't think I could truely hate anyone if I wanted to.
70. Rock and Roll or Rap? Rock, I guess.
71. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? No one in particular.
72. Do you have a relative in prison? And again, happily no.
73. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror like your favorite singer? You mean people don't????
74. Do you know how to play chess? Yes, but I don't consider myself good at it.
75. What food do you find disgusting? Sushi, veal, venison, mushrooms.
76. Did you ever play "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" Nope.
77. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? Yes, but usually in a loving way
78. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? Yes.
79. Have you even been punched in the face? No.
80. When is the last time you threw up from drinking too much? Never.
81. Have you ever walked out on a movie at the theater? I drove out of one at the drive in.
82. Do you ever sit through a bad movie just to see how bad it can get? Yeah - remember that one John, Chris and Kim?
83. Have you ever met someone famous that you really wanted to? No
84. Have you ever been stood up? Yes, but not in the last two years.
85. When's the last time you screamed at the top of your lungs? A while ago, but there have been times I've wanted to.
86. Did you ever do something you didn't want to just to fit in? I try not to conform too much.
87. Do you consider yourself the biggest fan of something? Mike Previti's music.
88. What's your favorite holiday? Usually it's Christmas, but I couldn't make it feel like Christmas this year.
50. All is fair in love and war? Um.. no.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!

It was like DCYF didn't want me... I should write a song about that... "The DCYF Reject...do doo do doo..." Catchy tune, huh?Well, anyway, I had an interview in the DCYF in Portsmouth today, and I have to day, it went SOOOO well. In fact, I was almost shocked at how great it went! In fact, it went so great that I got a call about 2 hours later where they offered me the job! I'm so excited! I was starting to think maybe I didn't want to work for them, but now that this opportunity has come up and I really can't wait! I start January 9. That will give me next week to get situated and ready to go. Holy Crap I can't wait!

My life as I know it

Well, this is where I'm at so far:
I've been off this week, and let me tell you - I LOVE vacations! I haven't had one since my honeymoon, but this time it's nice too, because I've been home all week, which has allowed me to do a bunch of stuff around the apartment (like, say... clean it!) and just have some time to relax.
My Christmas was excellent and I got pretty much everything I asked for. That wasn't hard to do, because I didn't ask for much! John bought me a 512MB memory card for my camera, which was great. It'll be nice to have all of that room to take high quality photos. He also got me a gamepad for my computer, so now I can go back to playing all of those emulator games that I've stopped playing since I got a laptop. Let me tell you, Donkey Kong Country is just not the same when you're using your your "S" key to jump! I got a lot of clothes for Christmas too, and if it wasn't clothes then it was either a gift card to Old Navy, or something like lotion or shampoo. I think people are trying to tell me something! So I blew through my Old Navy gift cards this week, which was a ton of fun. I love having an excuse to buy new clothes! Hooray for new jeans! And lots of other things that I got from my parents.
Tonight, Kerry and Dave are coming over and we're going out to eat at Applebees. They should be here any minute, actually. John is watching the Final Fantasy XII demo that is on his DragonQuest 8 game. It's a playable demo, and it looks so crazy! Probably because it just throws you into a battle. I've been playing FF X and am waiting on IX to arrive here. I had to order that from EB online, so I didn't have a choice but to start X. At least I've played IX before.

Totally not related, I went to see my mom at her job today. Today is her birthday. My dad was happy to hear that I went to see her during her lunch break (it was actually just good timing on my part) because it forced her to take a lunch break. I guess she hasn't been taking one. There have been some problems at her work and she wants to make sure everyone knows it's not her who's been causing them. Oh, and while I was visiting her, she told me something really funny and kind of... not maddening, but you'll see what I mean. When I was in high school, I auditioned to get into this modeling school down in Boston. Sounds stupid, right? Well, I figured I didn't get in, because they operated on the "Don't call us, we'll call you" system, and if you didn't hear from them within a month from your audition, they didn't accept you. I figured I hadn't heard heard anything from them, so I didn't get in. Well, my mom told me today that apparently I had been accepted, but they didn't want me going to Boston every weekend by bus and staying for the weekend. I was so mad (for lack of a better word).

Tomorrow I have a job interview in Portsmouth. Ironic, huh? I quit my job and BOOM! Job interview. Right after I get myself set up to substitute in Laconia! Part of me almost just wants to blow the interview because of how mad I am at the state of NH right now because of this grant. I thought I was cool because I was smart enough to get it, but apparently the state doesn't seem to see it that way. So this time, I'm not pleading for love and happy thoughts at 11am tomorrow, because honestly, I don't really want it.

Anyway, I'm going to get going. Don't want to have to be finishing up an entry when Dave and Kerry arrive..

Bitter Sweet Goodbye

Well, today was my last day at Seacoast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. It was a really bitter sweet thing, though. I thought I was ready to leave and move on, and just when I decide to do that, things start going right again, and I realize how appreciated I was there. I even got a Christmas gift from a physical therapy office that I worked with! It was so nice! Today we had our office Christmas party, they gave us all bonuses this year, and then as people were getting ready to go, they gave us all fleece jackets with the logo embroidered on! They're really nice, very comfortable! I wore mine home. I actually started crying in the car when I left, because it was starting to hit me on the way home that I wasn't just gone for the long weekend, but that I was gone! Everyone kept telling me to come back and say hi and to stay in touch. John even said that if I wanted to go back to work their, they would probably take me back. I'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll hate substitute teaching and things with the state won't work out. I've only got 39 days left to get a job with them. If things don't work out... I don't know. I'll just have to start taking everything one day at a time.

On a much happier note - tomorrow is Christmas eve! I can't believe it! I'm excited for the holiday, but at the same time, I don't really feel it this year. Like, I know I've been hearing the music and shopping and wrapping and hearing the stories read at church, but for some reason, it's just not the same. I think part of it may be that John and I are going to a wedding tomorrow at 4pm, which should be lovely! It's Sarah's mom, who's my moms best friend, and we're really happy for her. I think what the problem is is that my parents forget that we're coming for Christmas too, not just for the wedding. Every time I talk to them, they're like "Oh, we'll see you in time for the wedding!" "Oh - [this] about the wedding" "Oh, [that] about the wedding!" And Sarah, I know you're going to see this, so I just want you to know, I'm REALLY not complaining about your moms wedding - I think it will be great and I'm so happy for her! I think what it is though, is that we're not having a Christmas dinner with the family, and my parents have forgotten that Sunday is Christmas.

ANYWAY... I digress. I guess that's about all I have to talk about - I'll update again after the holiday(s), and we'll go from there.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

One Week

I can't believe there is only one week left until Christmas! Holy cow! I'm excited. For a while, I was starting to feel like I had lost my Christmas spirit, but it is starting to catch up with me again. Yesterday, John and I had to go to Vermont for a family party with my dad's side of the family. It was nice to see everyone. We did a Yankee Swap, and I was #1, so that was great! If you're #1 in a Yankee Swap, you get to go around and look at all of the gifts after they've been unwrapped and pick whichever one you want, since you didn't have the chance to swap with anyone after opening a gift! That started to make it feel like Christmas again.
There is also only one week left for me at my job at Seacoast Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. That is going to be bitter sweet when I leave. My last day is Friday. On one hand, I'm really excited about not having to deal with a lot of the stuff (and one of the people) there, but I am going to kind of miss it. I've been there for about a year and 3 months, and with the turnover rate in the medical records department, that's a long time! On the up side though, I'll be starting a new adventure in substitute teaching. I'm trying to decide if working in a school is my calling, so what better way to find out?! I still have no job with the state and they've got 44 days left to find me one. I'm not getting my hopes up.
I heard back from UNH about why my diploma hadn't arrived yet. Well, apparently, one was ordered in my married name instead of in my maiden name. So they were going to have the printer make up a new one for me. I am glad I caught them ahead of time, because I had actually wanted one with my married name on it, for the sake of ease, and I told them not to have the printer make a new one, that I WANTED the one they had, and so to just send it to me! I'll be relieved to get it. I'm excited to have it and be officially done with that chapter of my life.
I guess that's about all for now. Life is pretty boring, but I'll be sure to keep everyone updated when I start subbing!

Your soul is bound to the Solitary Rose: The
Alone.

"When I wake up alone, the shades are still
drawn on the cold window pane so they cast
their lines on my bed and lines on my
face."

The Solitary Rose is associated with loneliness,
melancholy, and patience. It is governed by
the goddess Merope and its sign is The Sword,
or Unrequited Love.

As a Solitary Rose, you may be summed up as a
hopeless romantic. You desire love and have so
much love to give, but thing just never seem to
work out the way you want them to. In life,
you can be very optomistic, even when things
are gray and nothing works out to your
expectations.


What Rose Is Your Soul Bound To?
brought to you by Quizilla

Family is most important in your life. Having a high focus on family indicates that you are a loving and nurturing person. You want to have a nice big family of your own, and you are very close with your siblings and parents. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

I am 26% Video Game Addict.

I may play video games but they don’t rule my life. Good for me. But I should be careful not to fall in the grasp of the loving glow of the TV or monitor.

Take the
Video Game Addict Test
@ FualiDotCom

My "Holiday" Editorial

Okay, normally, I LOVE Christsmas. Love everything about Christmas, the snow, the songs, the trees, the food... all of it. BUT, this is really starting to get me irritated.

Christmas vs. Holiday.

What the hell is this all about anyway? Holiday trees? So, what, we put them up for the 4th of July too? Ooh, or maybe for Labor Day! Better yet, Arbor Day! Hey, they're holiday TREES, so why not use them to celebrate Arbor day? Like one of my coworkers said (and no offense meant to anyone who reads this and is Jewish), "We don't call a menorah 'Holiday candles.'" Or, as the woman said on CNN said, "Maybe we should stop calling Veterans Day Veterans Day because not everyone in the country is a veteran."
"The Boston Christmas tree situation is symbolic of what's happening ... around the country," said Mathew Staver, president and general counsel of Liberty Counsel. "Government officials, either because of misinformation, or private retailers, for politically correct reasons, are trying to secularize Christmas. "To rename a Christmas tree as a holiday tree is as offensive as renaming a Jewish menorah a candlestick," Mr. Staver said. (Taken from: http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20051129-120703-5977r.htm)

I told John the other day, this country has become so politically correct, it's offensive. Lowe's, the home improvement store, decided to advertise selling Holiday trees (see this referenced story here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47634), yet the banner on the front of the store said in Spanish that they were selling Christmas trees. Go figure. "The American Family Association says its supporters contacted Lowe's to express their displeasure. The company responded in a statement: 'To ensure consistency of our message and to avoid confusion among our customers, we are now referring to the trees only as 'Christmas Trees.' We have also removed a banner that read 'Holiday Trees' from the front of our stores.'"

"'It's good to know Lowe's is a company that listens to their customers, a rarity in today's politically correct retail marketplace,' [AFA President Tim Wildmon] said. Wildmon added, 'Since they can't take Christ out of Christmas, many national retailers are trying to simply do away with Christmas.'"

Can't take Christ out of Christmas? Why the heck would you WANT to?! Every holiday has it's basis in something. This one just happens to be based in the Christian faith!

In Boston, the furor of changing the name of the city's Christmas tree to a Holiday tree was intense. "The Nova Scotia logger who cut down the 48-foot (14-meter) tree was indignant and said he would not have donated the tree if he had known of the name change.

'I'd have cut it down and put it through the chipper,' Donnie Hatt told a Canadian newspaper. 'If they decide it should be a holiday tree, I'll tell them to send it back. If it was a holiday tree, you might as well put it up at Easter.'" (See the story here: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2005-11-25T225326Z_01_KRA582362_RTRUKOC_0_US-LIFE-TREE.xml&rpc=22) "Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said he would keep calling the Nova Scotia spruce a "Christmas tree" regardless of what it said on the city's official Web site. 'I grew up with a Christmas tree, I'm going to stay with a Christmas tree,' Menino told reporters on Thursday."

The following came from this website: http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20051129-120703-5977r.htm
Calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree has become a politically charged prospect in jurisdictions across the country -- from Boston to Sacramento and in dozens of communities in between.
"It's a growing problem," said Jared N. Leland, spokesman and legal counsel for the Becket Fund, a District-based legal and educational institute. "Celebrating the season with Christmas trees ... and leaving them named 'Christmas' is simply recognizing the religious nature of people. Christmas should be able to be called Christmas."

But enough from what the newspapers and online articles have to say about everything. Thanks to some guy on the raido Friday, I'm even over the use of X-mas instead of Christmas. Apparently the use of that came from the Greek, as the letter Chi (pronounced ki) is written looking like the letter X, and is equvalent to the letters "Ch" in English. Therefore, it was just shortened.
I know most of this stuff is about the difference between a Christmas tree and a holiday tree. That's probably because that's where most of the argument has been. But let me tell you what I believe:
I believe that everyone has the right to celebrate the holiday of their choosing without fear of offending someone else.
I believe that Christmas should (and will!) always remain Christmas, regardless of what people try to do with it.
I believe that people can put a wreath, or a Merry Christmas doormat or a menorah in a highly visible spot and not have to feel threatened by doing it.
I believe that people who see that wreath, the Merry Christmas doormat or a menorah have enough moral values to know they are a symbol of the holiday that the person they belong to choose to celebrate and will respect them.
I believe in Christ, therefore, I believe in Christmas and the spirit of Christmas.
And, I believe that Dave Barry put it best when he said "In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"

Life As We Know It

Okay, so I realized this morning that my graduation date from UNH was 14 weeks ago. I still haven't recieved my diploma, and I'm a little irritated about this. It's not like I NEED to have it, but it would be nice being officially done with them for now, and knowing that I actually have a degree. It's making me a little nervous that maybe something happened and I'm one credit away from actually having my degree. That would SUCK! Anyway, if any of you had this issue when you finished up at UNH, please let me know so I can know to not be that worried.
Next, I decided this weekend to quit my job. It's just time for me to move on. I'm going to give my notice tomorrow and my last day will be 12/23. That way, I can fully enjoy my Christmas, and then take some time to really enjoy my Christmas and New Years. Then, I'm going to start substitute teaching and if that doesn't work out, find a job somewhere else. The state has only 51 days left to get me a job (but who's counting, right?), so I'm not going to hold my breath much longer.
There really isn't much more for me to update, other than those two things... At least, I can't think of anything at the moment. I'm trying to figure out why all of a sudden I can't put images into my livejournal, so forgive me if all of a sudden my posts look weird. I guess that's it for now.

A- Age: 24
B- Brother?: Brother in Law - Mike
C-Crush: John :-)
D- Dad's name: Christopher
E- Easiest person to talk to: John
F- Favorite ice cream: Probably have to say mint chocolate chip, but just about anything from Ben and Jerry's will do the trick.
G- Gummy worms or gummy bears?: Gummy worms
H- Hometown: Hancock, NH
I- Instruments: Alto Sax
J- Junior high: Great Brook
K- Kids: none
L- Longest car ride ever: It was either when my family drove to Washington DC, the distance from the airport in Milan to Florence or on our honeymoon when we drove to PEI
M- Mom's name: Diane
N- Nicknames: Missy, Mel, honey... that's about it.
O- One wish: I wish I had a career.
P- Phobia[s]: spiders
Q- Quote from you: "You better back off unless you want a bed through your windshield!" "Give me a Blue Yoshi, or give me death!"
R- Reason to smile: John and my cat Molly
S- Song you sang last: Some song on the TSO CD
T- Time you woke up today: 6 am
U- Unknown fact about me: I can pick things up with my toes.
V- Vegetable[s]: Carrots, peas, corn on the cob and potatos
W- Worst habit: I bite my cuticles
X- X-rays you've had: My left arm in second grade and my right index finger in 1999
Y - Years since you've been to a religious place: try 3 days.
Z- Zodiac sign: Leo

First best friend: John
First kiss: Jon Gallent, I was 13, and it was in the woods behind his house
First break-up: Jon Gallent
First screen name: melysa99
First self purchased .purchased what?
First funeral: Nana
First pets: Buffy and Sambo and Taffy
First piercing/tattoo: my ears, no tatoos
First credit card: I don't remember, I was a freshman in college - DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID!
First enemy: Lynn, Marie Noonan or Laurie Weaver - don't ask
First big trip: I went to Florida when I was 3, but I went overseas to Italy and France when I was 20
First musician you remember hearing in your house: Raffi

LASTS!!
Last cigarette: eww, never
Last car ride: if you count my ride home from work
Last beverage drank: the milk with my dinner
Last food consumed: rice pilaf
Last crush: John
Last phone call: John
Last time showered: this morning
Last shoes worn: my new sneakers
Last cd played: TSO
Last item bought: shredded cheese
Last annoyance: Laurie Weaver
Last time wanting to die: i was 21
Last Shirt Worn: My light purple one
Last website visited:Sarah Martin's livejournal (where I found this)

TEN people you enjoy spending time with (in no specific order):
1. John
2. Katie
3. Bonnie
4. Sarah L.
5. Sarah S.
6. Dave G.
7. Alison
8. Kim
9. Kerry
10. Dave T.
There are a bunch more, but the thing said to list only 10! Otherwise, Lyvie and Amanda would have been on there too!


NINE things I'm wearing:
1. Purple shirt
2. Gray sweatshirt
3. gray baggy pants
4. left sock
5. right sock
6. Engagement Ring
7. Wedding ring
8. Other ring on my right hand
9. watch

EIGHT things on my mind:
1. starting my career
2. I wish John would watch TV with me instead of playing his video game
3. getting out of my current job
4. This rice pilaf doesn't taste very good anymore
5. I'm thirsty
6. I'm sleepy
7. I wish it were Friday
8. I REALLY wish it were Friday

SEVEN items I touch everyday:
1. Keys
2. hairbrush
3. a pen
4. The remote
5. my toothbrush
6. the light string in my closet
7. my bathrobe

SIX things I do everyday:
1. wake up
2. shower
3. brush my teeth
4. Talk to John
5. feed my cat
6. talk to someone on the phone

FIVE things I want to do before I die:
1. Go back to Italy
2. Have kids
3. go to one school reunion
4. have a successful career
5. make sure the people in my life know every day that I love them

FOUR things I will never do:
1. cheat on my husband
2. do drugs
3. hit a child
4. Become a prostitue

THREE things I do when I wake up:
1. shut off the alarm
2. Look at the clock
3. push my cat off my head

TWO of your favorite foods:
1. Crab rangoons
2. That chocolate tort from the Gaspereau River Heritage Inn - Holy God was that good!

ONE person I love more than any other:
1. My husband :-)

Another Ranting Entry

So yesterday I get this call from the Manchester DCYF. "Hi Melissa? This is Marie Noonan. Is now a good time?" So I take the call in the conference room at work so that 1) I'm not tying up the shared phone in the medical records room and 2) So that if she's calling to offer me the job, I won't be all thrilled in front of everyone and if she's calling to turn me down for the job I won't burst into tears in front of everyone. So I get back on the phone and she's like "Well, I'm sorry to have to do this on a Friday and while you're at work..." so my next thought is "f*** you, call me at home on Thursday then." And she starts in about how they're not going to hire me because "despite having gone through 7 months of an internship and 13 core trainings, or whatever it was" - VER BATIM - they "didn't feel I had come to grasp what the mission of DCYF is" and so on and so forth. Then she goes on to tell me that part of it was because I didn't discuss safety for the children and safety plans and so on, which is bullshit because I KNOW I talked about safety and stuff - they DIRECTLY ASKED ME ABOUT IT! I'm so fed up with this whole thing. How in God's name can you give someone a grant to pay for all of their tuition and mandatory student fees and then, when the whole thing is over, be like "ha ha, we were just kidding, we didn't really thing you'd be good at child protective service work anyway." Like I told my mom, no wonder the Manchester office has such a high turn over rate - no one wants to deal with a supervisor that's going to talk to her co-workers that way.
I went on about this forever with John last night. I'm starting to develop a complex from all of this, starting to think that I really must be an awful social worker. I really do think that I must suck at it and I've totally missed my calling. Well, if that's the case, I don't know what the hell my calling was, because I didn't even hear the phone ring, let alone missed the call.
My mother just called me. I'm 24 years old and married. I think I know how to dress myself to go to a craft fair. She's like "So many people have been asking if you're going to be there today! You might want to wear something a little nicer than jeans!" And I'm like "Mom, I wear something nicer than jeans to work every day. I'm not wearing anything other THAN jeans to this thing today." You know, if I could take it back telling my mom that I was going to the craft fair at her church today, I would, and I would go over to the one at the Dover High School instead. Call up Bonnie - "Hey! What's on the agenda for today? Want to hit up a huge craft fair in Dover?" That would be much more fun. John's starting to get sick, but I hope he feels well enough to come to my parents this weekend, otherwise today is going to suck.
Anyway, I'm going to go lay down again. I've been up since 6, it's 7:48 now and it's SATURDAY. Holy crap do I need a vacation.

I Wish...

I wish I had something new and exciting to talk about this week. But alas, I do not. Still no jobs on the job front. I heard back on one of the 5 applications I had out to the state, it was one of those lovely form letters saying "sorry, but the position has been filled" letters that comes right from human resources. From the looks of the DHHS website, I can cross Nashua, Concord and Laconia off my list again, and I'm back to waiting to hear from Manchester on that interview I had two weeks ago. I even called them on Monday to see what the status was, and now it's Thursday night and I still haven't heard anything. So I'm still left in my job at the doctors office. I'm starting to look outside the state now though, I just want to do something I've studied for and something I'm good at. Granted, I'm good at filing, but 40 hours a week at this job I'm at now is killing me. It's killing everyone that works there, but that's a totally different story.
I called Sarah tonight. It was nice to hear about her honeymoon and catch up with her a bit. I miss her, so it was great to catch up with her. I've been trying to do that a lot more lately. Tonight I tracked down my old boyfriend Greg. He's the only one that I never really burned bridges with and still think about and wonder what he's been up to and stuff. I just found out where he's living and I'm happy to hear he's doing well. So if anyone out there is reading this and wants to catch up some, please feel free to e-mail me (either mcardin@alumni.unh.edu or melissa.cardin@gmail.com) and let me know what you're up to these days.
I'm going to go off and start job hunting again and then watch some CSI before calling it a night. Catch y'all on the flip side!

More of my life

Wednesday I had a job interview in the Manchester DCYF. I don't know when I'll hear anything though, because they couldn't give me a rough estimate. I technically interviewed for two positions, so I need to submit my application and stuff for the other one. One position is in family service (essentially - case management) and the other is in assessment (which is the investigation part of it). I applied for the family service postion, because that's what opened first, so I need to send stuff in for the assessment postion, especially since that's the job I REALLY want. So when I finish this entry, I've got to print out another copy of my resume so I can get it all in the mail today.
I think the interview went pretty well, but It's hard to say. It's like I've been telling people, I didn't get any warm fuzzies, but I didn't leave feeling like they hated me either. So I just have to wait. Again. This is the suckiest part of interviewing. That, and the "So why do you want to work in THIS office?" question. But they have to hire me on somewhere, right? Right??
This weekend should be a nice an mellow one, after the last few busy (but fun) weekends we've had. Last weekend was supposed to be my sister in laws wedding, but she up and postponed it two weeks before hand. I mentioned that in my last entry though. I do still feel bad for her, but if Jen and Steve are going to have issues, it's good they get them worked out now, rather than AFTER getting married. Not that I wish them anything bad, I just hope they figure out what's right for them. So instead we went to John's parents house and then went shopping that night. John and I each got some new jeans (much needed!), a couple of "new-to-us" movies (how could we go wrong when used movies at Game Stop were two for $10?!), and I found the game Myst at EB for only 2 bucks! So I've been working on that, but I'm pretty close to finishing it this time. The last time I played it I was like... 15 and couldn't figure it out to save my life. I'll probably make some pumpkin bread this weekend and carve the pumpkin my parents brought John, Molly and I last weekend when they came over for dinner.
Anyway, I'm going to go take care of that whole resume printing thing now. Have a great weekend everyone!
Oh, and Sarah SKILLIN, (hehehe!) I'm glad to see you made it home safe and sound from your honemoon! Your wedding was fun!

There really isn't a whole lot new going on in my life right now. My sister-in-law called my mother-in-law last week to let her know that her wedding (which was October 15th) has been postponed. No one really has an idea why, but it was. I feel bad for her, but at the same time, John and I are asking each other "What about all the money they spent on it?!" Having just had our own, we know all about non-refundable deposits and so on, so we feel bad if they lost all the money they spent on it!
Still no job for me yet. I'm meeting with Kim Kelsey on Friday to talk to her about some other options. I found out that my 6 months actually started right after I finished school, so I only have 4 months (well, like 3.5 now) to get a job. Oh well. I'm trying not to stress about it at this point!
Anyway, Chris and Kim just arrived, so I'm going to go hang out with them!
Catch up with you all later!

Yay Sarah and Chad!

Sarah and Chad's wedding was so great! It was nice to see everyone at the wedding, and Sarah looked so happy! Pyper was adorable, so it was so fun seeing them all dance together during Sarah and Chads dance was so wonderful! I'm so happy for them! Weddings are so much fun! My sister-in-laws wedding is coming up in just under 2 weeks, I wonder if she's flipping out yet... Sarah, if you read this - everything went so smoothly and you looked wonderful! I hope you're happy with the way the day went! Can you believe we're old married women now? =) Call me or e-mail me when you get home for your honeymoon. I hope you had a great time!
Anyway, things here with me? Same old, same old. I'm going to post pictures from Sarah and Chads wedding tonight, so people will have to check out my photos thing: http://pg.yahoo.photos.com/ph/mcardin81/my_photos. But there really isn't anything much for me to write about unless people want me to gush on about how great weddings are and stuff like that. Oh! John and I went apple picking today. That was fun, since the weather was so nice.
Anyway, we're going to church tonight, so I suppose I should take care of unpacking and what-not... Talk to you all later!

Screw Laconia and Rochester!!!!

Funny how when you're waiting to hear back from job interviews the all get back to you on the same day with the same answer. "Hi Melissa? This is ____________ from DCYF Laconia. I was just calling to let you know that the position has been filled, but we're going to keep your resume and application on file for...." blah blah blah. My favorite was "The Letter" I got from Rochester "Dear Ms. Cardin, Thank you for interviewing for the Child Protective Service Worker assessment position in the Rochester District Office on September 1, 2005. This letter is to advise you that you have not been seleted for the position. Although you possess skills and knowledge applicable to the postion, the candidate selected was better able to articulate their understanding of the role of the CPSW assessment postion. If you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to contact me." That is such bullshit. You're "advising" me the postion has been filled? Couldn't you "notify" me, or "inform" me? And whats this crap about the other person being "better able to articulate their understanding of the role" ??? Evidentally I don't speak clearly enough for you. Or perhaps I just didn't learn enough while I was an intern in YOUR office?! This is crap.
So here I am again starting from square one. I guess I'll have to start applying in offices that are farther away than I wanted, but fine. I'm sick of my job at the doctors office anyway. We've had two people quit in the last two weeks, then we hired someone on and we're pretty sure she's going to quit too, because she hasn't shown up for her first two full days of work. She came in for one day last week and that was the last anyone's seen of her. She called out sick yesterday, and today she just didn't show up. She didn't call, didn't come in, nothing.
I was just really hoping for one of these to work out. Especially Rochester. I REALLY, really, really wanted that job. More so than, I think, I let on before, and more than even John knew. It's weird... not getting this job was like... getting dumped almost! It really hurt. It's kind of a crappy analogy, but it's the best I can come up with for the way I feel about it.
Anyway, that's all for now. I have a headache and need to put away laundry. Then I'm eating ice cream and watching an episode of Law and Order:SVU.

Just for the heck of it

I got this e-mailed to me today. They always make life fun! Thanks Sarah L.!
1. What is your full name? Melissa Streeter Cardin
2. What color pants are you wearing? Black, and they're my wicked comfy pajama bottoms
3. What are you listening to right now? The Ventrillo chat with him and his buddies on his computer
4. What was the last thing you ate? Some ranch flavored crackers
5. Do you wish on stars? Of course!
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Macaroni and Cheese (Hey, it's an actual color made by Crayola!)
7. How is the weather right now? Hot, but sunny
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? John, when I called after work.
9. Do you like the person that sent this to you? Of course I do, and even if I didn't, do you think I would admit it?! :-P
10. Coffee or hot chocolate? Usually hot chocolate, but sometimes coffee
11. Favorite sport? for me to play? Tennis, I guess, but I like to swim also. To watch, its either Red Sox baseball, Patriots/UNH football or UNH hockey
12. Hair color? brown
13. Siblings? One sister, One brother-in-law and one sister-in-law
14. Favorite month? any of the fall months – it's not snowing, and it's not hot – but I can wear a sweatshirt and be comfortable - I agree with Sarah on this one
15. Favorite food? Italian, Chinese, Mexican... anything that's not American
16. What was the last movie you saw? I watched Corrina Corrina on TV last weekend, but the last thing I saw in the theater was Star Wars III
17. Favorite day of the year? Saturday. Just about any of them. As well as April 16, July 30, Aug. 19 and Christmas.
18. What do you do to vent anger? yell, and cry … - me too
19. What was your favorite toy as a child? My Care Bear cousin, Gentle Heart Lamb
20. Summer or winter? Fall. =)
21. Hugs or kisses? both
22. Chocolate or vanilla? CHOCOLATE
23. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? yes
24. Who is most likely to respond? No one
25. Who is least likely to respond? No one =)
26. When was the last time you cried? Last night
27. What is under your bed? Extra blankets.
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Sarah Cass
29. What did you do last night? Watched CSI
31. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? Mostly buttered, lightly salted
33. Favorite flower? Sunflowers and Stearling Roses
34. Number of keys on your key ring? 5
35. How many years at your current job? 11 months
36. Favorite day of the week? Friday because it's the first day of my weekend
37. What did you do on your last birthday? Had an eye exam. Then went out to Sampan for really good Chinese =)
38. How many states have you lived in? one – New Hampshire
39. How many cities have you lived in? Technically two, Concord and Somersworth. But I've lived in Hancock, Durham, Bennington, Somersworth and Concord.

Such a quiet day

Today must qualify as one of the most boring days ever in my life! There isn't a whole lot to report right now. I'm still waiting to hear from DCYF. I was told I would hear from Rochester the beginning of last week. So much for that happening. Oh well. I do hope I hear from them soon, because otherwise, I'm going to go crazy this week. I need to be able to tell something to the job I'm at, because I found out the other day they're already interviewing for my job. That's fine with me, except for that I could be there as long as until March, and it's not fair to anyone to be interviewing for a job that isn't even open yet.
Yesterday I went shopping and bought a new outfit to wear to Sarah's wedding and Jen's wedding (gasp! Yes I fully intend to wear the same outfit to both weddings, despite them only being 2 weeks apart). That was pretty fun. Friday night John and I went out to dinner, so that was nice too. Today, however, was so boring! John played on his computer most of the day, and I "played" on my computer most of the day. I put played in quotes because I can only stand to play computer games for so long before I feel like my brain is being fried. However, I played Bust-A-Move today, in honor of my former roommate, Kerry, whom I miss very much. She and I were great at that game, and it two days, I've made it to round 48. We always played that game when we were angry about something because it's hard to stay upset when you hear the music for the game. It gets a bit repetitive after a while, but even still...
Let's see... Well, like I said, it was a very dull day. I need to try to connect with friends and stuff better, but I don't always know how to get a hold of people. Sarah C., I'm sorry I didn't come to your Mary Kay party, but I didn't really have the extra money this month to spend on make-up (or gas, for that matter). I really want to get together with you, but I know you're crazy busy with wedding plans, so sometime after you get all settled back in afterwards. Kerry, well, it's a little difficult to get together on a regular basis, but I just want to try staying in touch better. I miss you! I miss all of my old roommates, and it was so great to finally at least see everyone face to face at my wedding. Now I just want to get together with everyone for real!
John is well. He started teaching again last week, and so far the kids are good. So far. =) We'll see how long that lasts.
I guess that's about it for now. I could probably go off on a few good rants, but it's nothing that I want to post online. =)
Take care everyone!

1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?
My Forehead, I think

2. How much cash do you have on you?
$10

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?
Pest

4. Favorite plant?
My favorite flowers are sterling roses and sunflowers

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell?
I don't know, I've recieved the last 10 calls on my phone

6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?
"Continental"

7. What shirt are you wearing?
A gray Nike shirt I got from my dad

8. Do you "label" yourself?
I try not to labely anything but containers of food.

9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?
I'm wearing nothing on my feet except my toes.


10. Bright or Dark Room?
Usually light, but John prefers dark, so I'm lucky if I get to keep the light on.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
I know nothing about them, I found this on a friends friends journal.

12. Ever "spilled the beans"?
Not that I can recall

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
I was very much asleep

14. What did your last text message you recieved on your cell phone say?
I don't use the text messaging on my cell phone

15. Do you ever click on "Pop Ups" or Banners?
Eeew, no!

16. What's a saying that you say a lot?
I've suddenly started saying "Shocking" and "I know, right?" a lot

17. Who told you they loved you last?
My husband, I think.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
My kitten, Molly!!!! She's so cute!

19. How many hours a week do you work?
32 at the moment. I'm hoping that will change soon.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
None anymore, since I got a digital camera for my birthday

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
23, but that's because I graduated college and got married when I was 23.

22. Your worst enemy?
I don't have any

23. What is your current desk top picture?
A picture of a tea rose I took in Ogunquit

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"What?"

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to erase all of your regrets, what would you choose?
The money, hands down!

So, Hows Married Life Treating you

That is the most God-aweful question in the whole universe! Every answer you give to it is wrong! If you say that things are great, people tell you to just wait, that'll all change. And of course, you don't want to say it sucks if it doesn't, and even if it did at the moment they asked you that, either 1) you're not going to tell them that, or 2) They're going to say "Oh, you haven't been married long enough to be having issues yet." And if you say "So far, so good" They'll say "Oh, what, you're expecting it to get bad???" So from here on in, no one is allowed to ask me how married life is treating me (if you're married - if you're single it's okay to ask). And if you do ask, I'm going to either plead the fifth or ignore the question entirely.
There, now that we've had that little conversation, moving right along...
Things are going well here, for the most part. I had my interview in Rochester, which I already wrote about, and then on the 2nd, I had an interview in Laconia. I think that one went awful. I should have an answer from Rochester the beginning of this week, Francine (the supervisor there) thought, and Laconia said I won't get an answer for the next couple of weeks. I'm up against two other UNH people for the Rochester job (at least I'm pretty sure I am) and I'm up against a UNH IV-E student, a Plymouth State IV-E student and Lord knows how many other people. I'm a nervous wreck about this. I'm really hoping for Rochester, so everyone please keep your fingers crossed, and know that as soon as I hear anything I will have a new entry up.
Anyway, I'm going to go eat an ice cream sandwich and sit outside for a bit. Catch up with everyone later!

Time for another update

Today I had an interview at the DCYF in Rochester. I'm really hoping for that job. There was only 3 people that applied for the job and I should know about that one on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Tomorrow I interview in Laconia. I'm nervous about that, but it would also be a really great place to get a job. I'm hoping that one of these two pan out. I'm more pulling for Rochester, only because there are people I know and feel comfortable working with there, since that's where I interned. Laconia would be a little closer of a commute and John and I could carpool now and then, which would also be nice, but on the down side, I would run the risk of breaching professional confidentiality by having clients that are also students of Johns. So we'll see what happens. I'm not going to tell the Laconia supervisor that John teaches in Laconia, I'm just going to stick to the questions they ask and make small talk, but that's about it.
It's been weird, since UNH started classes on Monday, I'm starting to realize that I'm a full fledged adult with a job and a husband and stuff. I can stay up late during the week and not spend time doing homework and such. It's a very bizar realization. As much as I like the free time, I am really looking forward to taking up some new hobbies and such. If anyone knows of any good yoga studios in the Concord area, please let me know. Also, I really want to take up pottery lessons, so I'm looking for a place that I can do that. I'm thinking the studio in Northwood if I get the job in Rochester. They have an 8 week session I can do, but I would like to something that isn't as expensive.
Anyway, I guess that's about the highlight of my life right now. I'll keep everyone updated with my job search!

1. Grab the nearest book.

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal...along with these instructions.

5. Don't search around and look for the "coolest" book you can find. Do what's actually next to you.


"Langdon nodded, vaguely recalling that before conclave the cardinals spent two hours in the Sistine Chapel in quiet reflection and visitation with their fellow cardinals from around the globe." ANGELS & DEMONS by Dan Brown

Okay, so the closest book was some video game book of Johns, but there is only 101 pages in that, so I had to grab the first thing I could off the nearest bookshelf!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, as of today I'm a 24 year old married college graduate. (For those of you keeping track, that would make today my 24th birthday.) It really wasn't a super eventful day, I had an eye doctor appointment this morning at 7:45, in an office an hour away from Concord. So at 10 of 6 I had to get up and get ready to go. John came with me, and it was a good thing, because the eye doctor dialated my eyes, so I couldn't see for a while, so he drove back home afterwards. While I was there though, he and my mom (who works at my eye doctors office) gave me my birthday gift - they got me the digital camera I wanted! That was very exciting and I got to start using it today! After my appointment, we went to my parents house for an hour. No one was home though, so we just vegged. Then we went to see my dad who was working up on the land my parents own, so we visited with him for a couple minutes. Then, around 11, John took me out to lunch at the Sampan, my favorite Chinese restaurant that is between Concord and my parents house. The food was SO good. Good Chinese food is good. =)
This afternoon I had to take my car for an oil change, and I was at the stupid dealership that I bought my car at for an hour and a half. For an OIL CHANGE! Fortunately, part of the reason it took so long was because they handwash the car and vacuum the inside, so that pretty much made it worth it. At least I had a book with me. Then I bought some rechargeable batteries for my new digital camera =) and came home to charge them and eat some dinner, because John had a concert with Carter Mountain Brass in New London. The concert was good, and it was outside at the bandstand in New London, which are always fun types of concerts anyway.
Very exciting news on the wedding photo front - we got back our photos from the photographer yesterday, and they came out SOOOOO great! I'm thrilled with how they came out. There are some that I cannot wait to get enlarged and frame, so I am just thrilled to get them back! Hopefully (emphasize strongly the word hopefully here) John and I will be getting a scanner soon (emphasize soon too) so that we can get them scanned in and uploaded to share with the world!!!
Last night I just spent the evening getting all the pictures into albums and everything, so that was a lot of fun. John was at a rehearsal and dealing with photos is really my thing anyway, so I had a blast (when Molly wasn't trying to attack the album or pictures or my hand or my foot or... or... or...)I got to talk to Sarah Cass which was really nice, because she and I haven't had the chance to really connect since we... graduated high school. It was good to catch up and hear about all of her wedding plans and stuff. I miss her - she's my big sister! I've got to try to keep in touch with her better! Sarah, if you're reading this - I miss you!!!!
I wish I had other exciting news to report, but I really don't. Married life is still treating me well, although it's been an adjustment for both of us. But we've been communicating openly and working through everything so I really can't have any complaints about it at all! =) With out a doubt, this has been the best thing in my life thus far, and I know with time everything will get easier and we won't have the awkwardness of what everything was like at the start of our marriage...

Life as a married college graduate

Well, first off, the wedding went so smoothly! I couldn't believe we didn't have a single problem the whole day! Everything went fine, everyone showed up when they were suposed to, we ended up with really good food at the reception, and we got rave reviews about our DJ! All of the pictures are up on http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/mcardin81/my_photos and just follow the one that says wedding. As soon as we get some back from the photograper and can get them scanned in, I'll upload some of the great professional ones too.
Our honeymoon was fantastic also! We drove to Searsport, ME, and stayed for two nights, then on to Port Elgin, New Brunswick for two nights, then on to Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. While in Searsport, we ventured up to Bar Harbor, took a trolley tour of Acadia, which was really nice, and got a lot of great pictures. We did a small amount of shopping while we were there, too. Neither of us had ever been to Bar Harbor, so it was nice to visit. The next day we drove up to New Brunswick to stay in this REALLY nice place in Port Elgin, which is about 1/2 an hour north of Moncton, and maybe 45 minutes from Fundy National Park. This inn was AMAZING. They had the best food and the suite we stayed in was so nice! There are some pictures of it in the Honeymoon part one photo album at the same website. While we were in NB, we went to Magnetic Hill, which is a hill that you drive down, get into the left lane, put the car in reverse and then get "pulled" back up the hill! Want to know how it works? You won't hear it from me! =) It is an optical illusion though, but still cool none the less. Then we went to Fundy National Park for the afternoon, which was also great. The weather was nice while we were there, for the most part (we got some rain just as we were getting ready to head back out of the park), and we did a lot of hiking around in the woods. We went to see a waterfall and got some nice views while we were there. The park is about 80 miles, give or take, so there was a TON we didn't get to see, which was kind of sad. It would be very easy to spend a couple of days or a week exploring it. John and I both got tee-shirts at the visitors center, so that was a fun way to commemorate our trip there.
After Fundy, we went to see the Hopewell Rocks, which are these rocks that, when the tide is out, you can go explore the caves and crevices of them, but when the tide comes in, look out! It rises about 20-30 feet, and you can go kayaking around the rocks instead! There are some great pictures of them on in our photos. We made it back to the inn an hour late for dinner, but the innkeepers were great about it.
The last phase of our trip included Prince Edward Island. So, when we left Port Elgin, we stopped at Cape Jourimain, which had a lighthouse we could hike out too, plus some really nice pictures of the Confederation bridge, which is the 8 mile bridge that crosses into P.E.I. We hiked around there for a bit, then hopped back in the car and crossed over the bridge into P.E.I. Our first stop there was at Gateway Village, which has a tourist center for people coming into P.E.I., plus lots of little shops. We picked up some brochures, then drove around that part of the island to Charlottetown. After lunch and exploring Charlottetown for a bit, we headed up to the place we stayed in Cavendish. That place was really nice too. The suite we had was great and had this HUGE whirlpool tub in it. We went out to dinner in New Glasgow that night, to a really fancy restaurant. I tried muscles for the first time, and John had salmon that was cooked on a piece of cedar wood. The dinner was good. The next day we saw the Green Gables house, from the Anne of Green Gables books (NOT the one from the movie - not to be confused, this was not that house) and hiked through the "haunted" forest. That was cool. Then we moved on to Avonlea. This was the town from the Anne of Green Gables books and they have people that dress up like all of the characters and play the roles of them there. Every 15 minutes or so they do another skit somewhere around the town, so that was kind of neat. Next we went to the Cavendish Boardwalk. There are a bunch of little shops there, and John got a "Red Dirt Shirt" there, and I got a PEI Dirt Visor. They're dyed with the red dirt and mud in PEI. Then it was lunch time for us, and then we headed to the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum. There was some really cool stuff there! After that, we drove to Kensington to go to Woodleigh Replicas, a place that has all scale replicas of medieval castles and chapels and houses and such. Some were large enough to go into, some were only like up to our waists, but they were all really cool. After that we went back to Cavendish and went to the beach. We have some beautiful pictures of Cavendish beach up on the photo site, so check those out. All of the dirt, more or less, is red, so a lot of the beach is red. The sand was brown, like normal beach sand, but the beach itself was just gorgeous. After that, it was dinner at Rachel's Restaurante, and then we went out to the Boardwalk again so I could get a visor for my sister and some chocolates for my parents.
When we went home the next day, we made a couple of stops so that the drive didn't feel as long. We went to the reversing falls in St. John New Brunswick, then we stopped in St. Andrews for lunch, then it was on to Bangor, ME to get gas, then on to Dover to swing by John's parents house to pick up our wedding gifts, and finally home by 10:30 that night. It was such a great trip though, we got to see and do so much by driving! I'm so glad we did it that way. Maybe next year we'll take the Scotia Prince up to Nova Scotia to get to see that part of the Maritime Provinces.
So this week I've just been dealing with name change stuff and let me tell you: that has been the biggest hassle! Since I wanted my name to be Melissa Streeter Cardin, I figured I would just go to the social security office to change it. Well, apparently I can't just change my middle name, I have to go to probate court to do that. Not to mention, we (me and the woman that works at social security) discovered that social security and the IRS had my date of birth as September 19 instead of August 19, so that alone has caused enough problems. So for two days I was walking around with a legal name of Melissa Marion Cardin, and since my date of birth was wrong, they have to verify from the state (even though I had my birth certificate there) that I was really born Aug. 19. So it's going to take like a month to get the new card. So today I went to probate court and had my name legally changed from Melissa Marion Cardin to Melissa Streeter Cardin, and then I went back to the social security office, and waited two hours to have it changed again. Then she told me that they would put it in the computer, but since they still had to wait for D.O.B. verification, I probably won't get my new card for like a month. SOOOOO if I get hired on by the state, I'm going to have to bring like... my old SS card, my form from them stating my name was change to Melissa M. Cardin, my marriage certificate, and the court order that my name was changed to Melissa S. Cardin. But most of the major stuff is done anyway... not much more I can change. I just need to mail the stuff to the bank for my car loan and UNH and my student loan company. Then when I register my car, I'll have to take care of the name change there.
So, that's how I've been spending my time as a college graduate... still looking for my DCYF job, but I called the Rochester office and they said there should be two openings waived next week. That means that everyone HAS to start praying really hard about that =)
Okay, I'm going to wrap this up, my fingers are sore, and I've been working on this entry for about 40 minutes now. I'll catch up with everyone in due time! Oh, and in case you didn't know - mcardin81 on AIM!

All at once

Holy cow! So yesterday John and I had our new little kitten arrive at our apartment. Molly is her name and she's adorable! Anyone who wants to see pictures, just drop me an e-mail (mcardin@comcast.net) and let me know, and I'll send you the link to them online. She is such a riot, but she doesn't do very well sleeping at night... we're still working on that one. It is very fun having her around though.
Today we went to Kerry's for her graduation party. It was fun, and it was great to see a bunch of friends from UNH that I never get to spend enough time with! I love having that quality time with them to really relax and have fun. I don't think I have a greater social circle than the people I got to hang out with today, and I mean that! So all of you that are reading this that I saw today, remember that I love you all to bits and I miss each of you terribly! (Well, I don't miss John, as I see him every day - and that's NOT a bad thing at all!!!)
Tomorrow I work a full day at SOSMed, then Tuesday I have my LAST COLLEGE SEMINAR EVER!!!!! As of 11:01am on Tuesday, I can put the letters BASW after my name! That is so exciting! Then on Tuesday afternoon, I'm working from 12:00-4:30 at SOSMed. Wednesday I have to put in my last 8 hours at my internship by going to a training. Fortunately, that doesn't require me driving very far, just to the other side of Concord. Since Friday was my last day in the office in Rochester, the coworkers there threw me a little party. It was a lot of fun! They bought a cake and some ice cream and it was great! I almost started to cry when I was getting ready to leave the office. Hopefully the week after our honeymoon I'll be able to go back for a job interview, as there are 2 positions opening up there. We'll see... :-/
And finally, last but certainly not least, the WEDDING IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY!!!!!!!!!!! Holy cow, I can't believe it! I am SOOOOO excited and so happy!
I can't believe how everything is coming at once though. But you know, at least it's all good things that have been happening to make this month feel even better!
So, since I probably won't post again until after the honeymoon, I'll catch y'all on the flip side!

The beginning of an end

It really is, isn't it? Between finishing college and ending my life as a single person? In a couple of weeks though, it will be changing to the end of a beginning... Strange how that works...
In two seminars (just under two weeks) I'll be able to put the letters BASW after my name. That's so exciting! I can't wait for that, to finally be done with my bachelors degree. Albeit a couple years later than I had originally intended, but better late than never, right? I'm really excited about being done with school, but I'm still really nervous about finding a job... I really am nervous about where I'm going to work because I can't seem to find an open position in an office that is even remotely close to where I live now!
In just over two weeks, I'll be able to put a new last name before the BASW, which I'm INCREDIBLY excited about! The planning is pretty much done, and that's a relief. I'm mostly just nervous about everything coming together alright. But surprisingly, I'm not at all nervous about marrying John. In fact, I've never been so sure about anything in my life! He has been such a positive influence on my life and I am eternally grateful to God for letting us find each other... Just for everyone's reference, my name will be Melissa Cardin after July 30th, and my e-mail address as of right now is mcardin@alumni.unh.edu
Time to feed Chuck (my guinea pig) and change into my PJ's... night all!

Happy 4th of July!

Okay, so I know my subject is a day early, but I probably won't post tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I wished everyone a happy 4th of July!
I don't really have a whole lot to report today, but I figured I'd check in and let everyone know what I'm up to.
The wedding is only 27 days away! I can't believe how fast it's coming, and I am SO excited! John and I are just about all set, which is good - we've just about wrapped up the honeymoon plans, which was the biggest thing we still had to do. Next Saturday we meet with Sweet Meadows (the florist) and Christine at the Rochester Country Club to finalize all of those details. We need to work on our list of "definitely play" and "definitely do not play" songs for the dj and e-mail that to him, and I go to pick up my dress from the seamstress on the 15th! That's really exciting!!! It's going to look awesome!!!
Hmm, what else? Oh, I told everyone at my internship that I was leaving on the 22nd, and that I'm only in the office 4 more times before I'm done with my internship! That's CRAZY! But exciting, that means I'm almost done and that is THRILLING!!!!! I've worked really hard for this, and I can't wait to be done! Now I just have to finish writing up my process recording, and that means that the last major thing I have to do is a 15 minute presentation on testifying in court - right up my ally, huh? :)
Plans for the 4th? Well, today John and I have church, then we're going over to my parents for a cookout and to see the fireworks in Hancock. Then tomorrow we're coming back and Theresa and Chris are coming over to see our apartment for the first time and go to the fireworks here in Concord. It should be a good time. Theresa's bringing over the favors for the wedding, which is good. I'm excited to see how they came out!
I guess that's really about it for today. I've got to go eat some breakfast and finish writing up my process recording. Believe me, I will NOT miss these when I'm done!
Be safe and have a happy weekend!

Stuff 'n' stuff

I got an e-mail today from the district office supervisor at the DCYF in Manchester. I was so looking forward to getting to interview for an one of the three open positions I had heard they had there. In her e-mail, though, she said that they had one open position. "Okay," I think to myself, "that's fine. I'm a IV-E intern, they have to place me somewhere..." So I continue reading. "We need to have this position filled ASAP, so I cannot offer you an interview as you have not completed your degree. We are hoping to hire someone by the end of the week." Crap. So I sent back a very polite "screw you" e-mail, using the southern tradition of killing them with kindness.
Anyway, thats where I'm at with that right now. Wedding plans are coming along well, so that's good. John and I are going to get our marriage license tomorrow, which is good. That will make it feel somewhat official. For some reason I keep feeling like I'm overlooking something major, but there's not much else I can do at this point, other than go to the appointments with the reception hall, florist and then on the 23rd, the hairdresser. I still need to pick up my dress from the seamstress - it will be ready on the 15th.
If anyone out there in LiveJournal land has gotten married and can think of anything I might be missing, please e-mail me and let me know what you think. It would be much appreciated!
Tomorrow my seminar is at the Browne Center. I am so glad that I am almost done with this, and that I really only have about 4 weeks left of my seminar! As much as I usually enjoy ropes courses, I don't really want to do that tomorrow. Because now I'm going to do that, get all hot, sweaty and gross, then not be able to shower because I have to go get the marriage license and then go to work!
Anyway, it's really hot over in the corner with my computer, so I think I'm going to wrap this post up, and head into the bedroom, call my mom and try to cool down. John's playing Jedi Knight tonight, so I don't have much to do other than either sit outside or sit in the bedroom...

New Car Blues are Over!

I'm buying a car! I'm buying a car! I got the official yes from the dealership about 5 minutes ago! Whoopie!!!!! :-D

New Car

So I spent all weekend looking at new cars. I made an offer on a couple of them too, but was turned down on a couple of them, which was kind of disappointing on one of them. But I think today I'm going to be signing on a 2003 Hyundai Elantra GT 4 door Hatchback. It's cute! The name of the color is Chianti Red, which is like a dark red, it has dark gray leather interior, and lots of cargo space. John and I are going to take it out again this afternoon and then sign all of the paperwork. John keeps asking me if I like this car, and he's right to, because this is the first major purchase we've done together, but I still do really like it. Everyone please just keep your fingers crossed that it all works out!

Two entries in a row!

Here I am, back again, because I have pretty much nothing better to do. I won't have any answers about my car until at least Friday, but John and I may go out to look at some new cars tonight. My dad seems pretty confidant that the insurance companies are going to total my car, so we'll just have to wait and see. It's so frustrating not having my car. You really don't realize just how much you rely on vehicle transportation until you don't have any all of a sudden. So if anyone knows of a relatively new (1997 and newer) car with decently low miles, let me know! It would just be nice if I knew if they were going to total the car or not so that I could get the money to use as a down payment.
So today I couldn't go to my internship, no way to get there, but it's okay, because Kendra was out sick today. At least my grandfather can bring me to my training which is on the other side of Concord, so not all is lost. I talked to Lee at DCYF and let her know what's going on. She was glad I called, because no one knew where I was.
This has definitely been a learning experience though. I've realized I'm a lot more mature than I used to be, and though I am very upset about the car, I'm more grateful that no one was injured or anything. But it is just very frustrating.

First a bit of fun, then some seriousness

First job: Mailbox Video in Hancock
First funeral: My Nana
First pet: Taffy, my golden retriever
First piercing/tattoo: Ears, no tattoos that I'm aware of
First credit card: Visa, most likely, and boy I wish that never happened
First real kiss: Jonathan Gallant, I was 13.
First enemy: I don't think I have any enemies, just people I choose not to spend time with
First favorite band/song: Mike Previti (though he's a solo artist)/Something You
Last car ride: This morning... I wish I hadn't stopped for gas, because I may have avoided the car accident I got into otherwise
last cd bought: Umm... hmm... it's been a while
last library book checked out: Do books for school count? If so then it was probably something on Play Therapy
Last movie watched: Dark City
Last beverage drank: Milk
Last food consumed: Oreos
Last time showered: This morning
Last CD played: my workout CD
Last website visited: Livejournal, duh
NOW:
Single or Taken: taken
Crush: my fiancé :)
Birthday: August 19, 1981 (y'all better remember that!)
Sign: Leo
Hair color: Dark brown
Eye color: Brown
Shoe Size: Depends on the shoe, but anywhere between an 8 and a 9
Height: 5'6"

RIGHT NOW WHAT ARE YOU:
Wearing: Gray pj bottoms, a green sweatshirt that's miles to big
Thinking about: how much my ankle hurts and how I can't wait to hear back from the insurance appraisers
Listening to: John's Jedi Academny free-for-all he's playing against Chris and Andrew

F A V O R I T E S:
Favorite song: I don't have a clue
Favorite movie: Strictly Ballroom, The 10th Kingdom, LOTR movies, Star Wars movies (I guess)
Favorite show(s): Law & Order: SVU, CSI (the Vegas one)
Favorite word(s): depends on where I am and who I'm talking to
Favorite holiday: Christmas - I'm the Christmas fairy, didn't you know? :)

RANDOM:
What are you going to do after this: Make dinner, probably

Okay, I figured since I decided to share a bit of fun, I figured I would actually update my live journal now. I don't have too much new to share. Kim and Kerry came to see John and I on Sunday, which was wicked fun. It was so great to hang out with them again! It's funny how you never really realize how much you miss the people you used to see all the time until you don't see them for a long time, and then get to spend a bunch of time with them. We went out to this Chinese/Japanese/American/Mexican buffet place for dinner, and it was alright. Some of the food was pretty good, some of it was not so hot, but I guess you're going to get that at any buffet place you go. At least now we've tried it and know that we'll probably not go back there again.
This morning I was on my way to school and I was at the Lee traffic circle when I got into a car accident with a Jeep Cherokee. It was so scary, but according to the police report, it's not my fault, so now it's up to the insurance appraisers and all of them. I've called all of the insurance companies (all 2) and told them what was going on. The soonest they can get anyone out to look at my car (which is sitting at a place in Lee that doesn't even work on cars) is Friday, and I'm wicked pissed about it. But no one was injured, which is the most important thing. I'm hoping they'll declare my car totaled, but I doubt I'm that lucky. So I'm really hoping that both insurance companies find the other driver at fault. She was pulling out of a parking lot across traffic and that's how I hit her. I was so mad. Fortunately, John was able to come and pick me up and he took the rest of the day off from work. I have such a wonderful fiancé, don't I? :) Now I'm just a little sore, and I think I still have marks from my seatbelt on my neck, but again, like I said, the most important thing is that everyone is okay. I'm just grateful that I have someone like John to help me with all of this. I really am a lucky girl.

Life or something like it

Things around here have been so busy, but generally in a good way. John and I are all settled into our new apartment. We have a couch (albeit very ugly - but yay for supervisors at internships who just happen to have couch slip covers in the back seats of their cars!), and a pretty decent apartment for the two of us. I've enjoyed being here in Concord, it's nice having everything sooo close by - we can walk to Shaw's! Granted, we do our grocery shopping at the other end of the street, but it's nice KNOWING we can walk to Shaws if we need anything. We haven't had any major fights since moving in, which has been a big relief, since Theresa told me that all she and Chris did when they moved in together was fight. I was really nervous about it! But John and I have been getting along fine, and it's been really nice knowing that no matter how long or crazy our day has been, we'll still get to see each other at the end of it.
The month of May was just an over all crazy month. We didn't have any free weekends anywhere, so we were pretty much dead by the time Memorial Day weekend rolled around. And even that was busy on Saturday!
I had my college graduation (FINALLY) on the 21st, which went alright. It didn't rain, so I guess that was a huge good thing. It was cold, though, but I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too. I have no idea why though! :-) So as of right now I have 8 weeks of school left until I can be granted my bachelors degree. Now I am just frantically trying to find a job either in the Rochester DCYF, the Concord DCYF or the Laconia DCYF. Heck, I may even say Manchester too, but I've heard crazy things about that office.
We haven't really done any major wedding planning lately, but we are getting back the response cards pretty regularly now. I'm starting to think about how I'm going to wear my hair, what the flowers are going to look like, and other stuff like that. We need to book the honeymoon too. Oops :-)! So we're going to work on that at some point this weekend. I need to call the florist and the hairdressers and set up appointments and all of that good stuff. I'm going to get my dress altered on the 21st, so that will be good too.
This weekend we're heading to my parents to have lunch, so I suppose I need to wrap this up and head out. I'm going to try to be better about updating now that I have more free time - like... lots more :-D

Packing and stuff

I'm so excited about getting into our new apartment, but I'm so sick of packing! I was telling John on the phone last night that it always amazes me how much stuff I have that I don't even realize I have until I have to pack it all! It's rediculous! So every time I pack I always try to weed stuff out that I can get rid of or whatever, but I hardly ever find anything! It's more difficult too, this time, but I have to absolutely have everything out. It's not like moving out of my parents house where I can leave some of it and get it when I want to. At least we can do two or three runs back and forth between Concord and here Friday night. I would like to be able to get it all over to Concord Friday night, then we can have Saturday to unpack (for most of the day), and some of Sunday. It would be nice if we could get a lot of our unpacking done this weekend too. Fortunately for me, I unpack a lot faster than I pack, because I like to get it all up and done. Again I'll put out my plea for help Friday night. We still have our recruit Chris and John's parents have said they would come over and help, but it would great if we could get at least one more person. Actually, what would be great would be if U-Hauls weren't so expensive!!!
Anyway, I suppose I should start getting ready for my day. I so don't want to go work for 8 hours today. I wish I could call in dead today and tomorrow so I could finish packing and stuff.

Dude!

John and I found an apartment today!!! We're moving to Concord on the 13th! I'm so excited! So if anyone wants to help us move, Friday night's the big moving party! We're looking for all the help we can get, especially getting me out of my apartment. At least with Johns stuff we have a little more time to get his stuff out of his parents house. So far we have one recruit, thanks Chris!
I can't wait!!! :-D

Holy Cow

Okay, it's been well over a month since my last update. My apologies to those who look forward to their monthly dose of my ramblings. Things have been so busy lately, and are just now starting to wind down. I'm actually taking a break from a take home final I've been working on this afternoon. It's the only final I have this semester! WOO-HOO!!!! Can I just tell you how happy that makes me?
Overall, things have been going well. I'm not doing poorly in school, even though I thought at times this semester I was going to fail for certain. Plans for the wedding are coming along very smoothly, which makes me happy. I'm trying not to stress about that though. I just keep telling myself that if something doesn't go right, the only people that will know will be the members of the wedding party and my and Johns families. That thought has been keeping me sane for a lot of it.
Tomorrow I have an interview at the Rochester District Office for the possibility of getting a job there. It's not a formal interview, but it's just a chance for me to talk to the people there, say "this is what I'm interested in" and for them to say "this is what you'd be doing" and things like that. Then I have another interview in Concord on Friday. That one is going to be very fast though, because it's going to be during the lunch break of a training I'll be at that day. I'm a little nervous, but I think they'll go fine. I hope they will anyway. I need to make sure I print off copies of my résumé by tomorrow though.
I can't believe mothers day is this weekend already! I am going to mail my mom a card, because I can't get home this weekend to see her, but fortunately, since my Aunt Donna is coming home that weekend, we're going to get together and do something with my grandmother that day, since Mothers day is Sunday, my dads birthday is next Tuesday, and my grandmothers birthday is the Tuesday after that, we're just going to have a big party or something that day. I have to figure out what John and I are going to do as far as going home that weekend-it was another poor planning for me weekend. I'm going to be in Concord, then I'd have to go back to Dover, then back through Concord to get home that night. I guess I'll have to, since I think we're going to have to go home Friday night. My sister is going to the prom that night, so I may call Chris and Theresa and see if they want to get together with John and I.
Anywho - I need to get back to work on this final now, I suppose. Less than one week of classes left!!!

All Kinds of Stuff

Wow, I'm so behind in this thing! Oh well. I've been super busy with school and everything lately that I really haven't had time to update my journal.
School is going well, for the most part. Despite my several near-breakdowns, I've been handling things pretty well. I just finished up my first paper, and I still have two more to write. If I can make it through April 16th, I'll be all set. The rest of this semester will be pretty much all downhill from there. Classes are going pretty well, and I still (kind of) like my internship. It can be stressful, or there are days that I don't have anything to do. Since I can't carry my own case load, I pretty much just do whatever other people have me do. Monday, though, I'm interviewing Detective Harrington from the Dover P.D. to see how they work in conjunction with DCYF. Then I'm spending the rest of the afternoon working on paper #2. I'm feeling much more optimistic than I was a week to a week and a half ago. Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that I just took brownies out of the oven, and some of it has to do with the fact that it is beautiful outside, but either way, I'm still feeling good.
Wedding plans are going smoothly too. We've gotten all of the big stuff situated, so now the rest is just details. That makes me happy! John and the guys still need to get their tuxes though, but I think that's the last major thing for anyone. After that it will just be picking flowers, table arrangements, and so on.
Anyway, I guess I really only have one last thing to say - CONGRATULATIONS KERRY AND DAVE!!!! I'm so happy for you guys!
Alright, I need to get going. I have a ton of work to get done between now and 3pm. Catch you all later!

Stuff and stuff

I love Saturdays! I swear, Saturday has to be the most perfect day of the week! I don't have to get up early, I don't have to go anywhere, don't have to worry about classes or work or internships... it's just a wonderful day! It's nice to have a day in the week where you don't have to do anything at all. I spent a good chunk of the morning in my pj's and in bed, then I went to the gym to get buff, then John and I went to his house and I typed up part of a paper for my seminar.
School is going well so far this semester. I haven't had much of anything to get graded on yet. I had to write a learning contract for my internship and field seminar. I got a 93 on that. I had a quiz in my human behavior class. That didn't go so well, but oh well. I had a presentation for that class too, and hopefully I did well enough on it to pull the grade up a bit. I'll just have to study much harder for the next one. I need to do well in my classes this semester! It's amazing how concerned I am with my grades now. Did I tell you all that I made the deans list last semester? That's never happened before! EVER! I'm GOING to do well though. I've been working really hard this semester too.
I love my internship too. I love getting to go there. I'm starting to feel like I know whats going on, so that's good. I just started writing an agency analysis for my seminar, and that has actually been kind of fun, because it has allowed me to learn so much about my agency, and talk to people I haven't gotten to talk to much there.
I'm kind of sick of my actual job though. It pays well and all, but I'm so sick of the job! Not much I can do about that though. I keep telling myself that it's only until August, then I can officially start with the state.
I joined Planet Fitness this week. I've gone every day since Tuesday, so that's been fun. I forgot how much I enjoy going to the gym. It would be nice if there were someone there that I knew, or that would go with me, but I kind of like being able to work out at my own pace too. I get up and go before work in the morning, I'm usually there around 6am or so. I've been doing both cardio and weight training. It's helped me feel quite a bit better about myself.
But, things over all are going pretty well. The wedding plans are coming along, so thats fun. We're working on the photographer and florist still, but we're making headway on both. I just can't wait until August!

Valentines Day

You know, it's strange what being an a really, really good relationship can do to one's opinion about Valentine's day. I started off the whole "Valentine's Season" by telling John that I think it's a pointless holiday, blah blah blah, and now that it's here, I kind of like it a lot! John and I celebrated Valentine's last night, because I have to work all day then have class tonight. We made a romantic candlelight dinner last night, then just spent the night being a couple... it was so nice!
I wish we could have the day together today too, but unfortunately that doesn't work out so well. Next year at this time though, we'll be able to see each other on Valentine's day!
Anyway, I need to finish getting ready for work - I'm running so behind this morning!

Ready to graduate

Oh my goodness, things are so busy!!! My semester is going pretty well, but I'm just so tired of having to be on the go all the time. It seems like no matter where I am, I'm getting ready to go somewhere else. I'm also tired of being broke! My classes are more or less interesting, which is nice. I'm taking SW 623 (Practice II), SW 551 (Human Development II), SW 640 and 640 A (Internship and Seminar). My days look kind of like this: Monday - Work 8-5, class from 6-9. Tuesday - Work from 8-10, Class from 11-12:30, Work from 1-5. Wednesdays - Seminar from 8:40-either 10 or 11 depending on if I have supervision that week, internship from 12-4:30. Thursday - Work from 8-10, class from 11-12:30, internship from 1-4:30, RCIA from 7-9. Friday - intern all day. By the time I get home at night, I'm exhausted. But, it makes the weekends that much nicer when they come. But when I say that I'm ready to graduate, I mean that it'll be great to be able to come home from work, not have to do homework, and be involved in other things without feeling like I should be somewhere else.
There are definitely some good things going on though. I still get to see John on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which is REALLY nice. Monday and Tuesday days make me so ready for Tuesday nights by the time I get there! I will become officially Catholic in just over a month, which is really exciting. It doesn't seem like it would be that big a deal to most people, but this is a very big thing for me, and I'm very excited about it! Also, spring break is also just over a month away, which will be a much needed spring break. I was going to take the week off from work, but I think instead I'm going to just take off Wednesday all together so I can schedule a doctors appointment and a dentist appointment and an appointment to have a dress altered for my friend Theresas wedding.
ALSO, the wedding plans (speaking of weddings) are going really well! I picked up my dress on Saturday :-D and I didn't want to take it off when I tried it on that night! I'm going crazy not being able to show John, but it will be so much fun that day! I feel like a princess with it on!
Okay, I need to go shower so I can start the day. At least I'm feeling pretty good today, which makes a huge difference!
People start dropping me e-mails! I miss everyone!

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Back to school

I can't believe classes start up again tomorrow... oh well - it's the last spring semester for me! The countdown is... 7 weeks to spring break, 17 school weeks until commencement, and 27 school weeks total until I'm done with my bachelors!!!!!!!! I'm sure everyone I know that's graduated already knows exactly how I feel right now - anxious, excited, and stuck with the biggest case of senioritis E-V-E-R!!!!
It's strange to think, too, that I will be getting married in 28 weeks! It really doesn't seem all that long when I look at it that way... but it's true - 194 days!!! I'm soooooo excited! I cannot wait to be married!!! I went dress shopping this weekend and got my dress. It had to be ordered and it will be arriving in about 6 weeks. 2 of my bridesmaids and my maid of honor and my mom were all there, so we were able to pick out the bridesmaid dresses too! That was nice. Then today, John and I went shopping and got our toasting flutes and cake knife and stuff. I got my garter yesterday too. It's been pretty stressful, but now we've got the church, the reception site, the dress, and the bridesmaid dresses. We're working on a DJ and a photographer now, and we've got to get our engagement in the papers, but after that, it's all just details, so that's good.
I should probably finish unpacking from the weekend too, I've got stuff all over my bed. I was hoping to get in some yoga tonight, but I don't think I'm going to, so maybe in the morning.

Stuff

Things have been going pretty well lately! I've been working a lot, which has been good. I started trainings for DCYF last Wednesday. I have another one coming up this Wednesday. I'm not overly excited, but I have to do 8 of them while I'm an intern, so I'm glad to get a jump on them.
This weekend was pretty good. Saturday was nice and relaxing, John and I spend a good chunk of the day just kicking around the apartment in our pajamas, and making pancakes for breakfast. We spent the rest of the afternoon at his house, and then at 4, we went to mass, because we knew we wouldn't make it to mass on Sunday.
After that, we had dinner at his house, then came back here and did various things, and watched Back To The Future on tv.
Sunday we had to get up early, because my parents, my sister and my cousin Bonnie were all coming at 9 am to go meet with a reception site at 10. We went and looked at Cottage By The Bay, and I think that's going to work out, if we can get to have a little bit of flexibility with the menu for the buffet. We're waiting to hear back from our contact person for there. I really like that facility, so I REALLY hope it works out. At 11, we headed over to Durham to go to the bridal show at the New England Center. That went well - we had some definite ideas come from there. We talked to a DJ and stuff, and they seemed pretty good. After that, we went out to lunch at La Festa in Dover. Then we took everyone to see the church John and I are getting married in. They thought it was really nice, so we were happy to hear that. Tonight, we're meeting with Father Cole to get started on paperwork and everything. Anyway, after seeing St. Josephs, we went to Great Bay Gallery & Catering to meet with them about a reception. They were pretty good, and it was good to know that I wouldn't mind using them if the other place falls through, but I didn't really like them as much. They're catering menu looked pretty good, so Mom wants us to see about trying to get something similar at the Cottage.
We've also changed the day from August 20th to July 30th, so as of today, it's 201 days!!!
Anyway, I've got to get ready for work. Ugh. Can it be Friday again yet?