“…In This Crazy Little Mixed Up World”

Well, after one really hard, long, drawn-out decision….it’s time to come home.  I say my final “goodbye” to the great state of New Mexico tomorrow at 7am.

This is my farewell to the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico) and to the City of Vision (Rio Rancho) and it goes a little something like this….

Is it weird that I don’t really know what to say or how to start this?
I could jabber on about my decision and why I’m doing this, but I feel most of you already know the answer to that from my previous posts.  Ultimately I just can’t handle being out here anymore.  I miss my family and friends too much.  I think it really says something when you sit at home on the weekends and find yourself starring at the walls and wishing it was a workday.  Wtf is my problem?…oh yeah, I have NO ONE out here.  So the time has come…I need my life back.  I’ve done all that I can to at least TRY to get happy, and I just feel like I am failing.  I just knew something wasn’t right when I started to cry every single day.

So instead of reflecting on my decision and why I’m doing this, I’m just going to write about my time in NM.  The Land of Enchantment has been so amazing.  I know it probably wasn’t my first pick of states to move to, but damn close enough.  My dream since I was a little girl was to move out west and to be able to ski in the Rockies every weekend.  I’m pretty sure I accomplished it, and I’m couldn’t be more proud of myself!  Moving out to NM was the best decision I have ever made.

New Mexico, although not the greatest place to live, is so amazing.  I think people underestimate its beauty.  Did you know a high percentage of Americans don’t even know the location of New Mexico, let alone it’s even a state in the US?  Kinda crazy, huh?  New Mexico is such a beautiful place, the weather is amazing, the views are breathtaking, there is a lot to do and see, and a lot to take in.  People usually think of NM is a barren desert and the only thing to do is chase rattlesnakes and play with the occasional cactus.  That’s not it at all.  Infact, one of the major quotes established with Albuquerque is “There’s a mountain here!” 
I would love to share with you every single experience, every single thing I’ve learned, and every single major thing that has happened over the last two years…but there aren’t enough words to describe it and I’m sure you don’t care anyway.

I certainly do not have one single regret about this move.  Sometimes I get the vibe that people think I absolutely hate it out here.  That’s not it at all.  I have no one to blame but myself for my actions and sometimes I only wish I would have done more to better my experience.  Yes, there are a few things I should have changed, but overall, no regrets…that’s my motto….and, well you know the rest.
I also think some of my reasons for not putting myself out there and changing things are some of my experiences.  I dealt with a shitty roommate who had our electric turned out twice and almost went to court with, I’ve been in a car wreck, I’ve had fraud and identity theft, the list goes on.  Right when I moved, I had such an amazing string of luck and just got so caught up in the moment of everything going so well.  That feeling slowly began to fade and now my luck has run dry.  I’m not blaming “luck” on my reasoning either…I’m just sick of things not going my way and I think it was becoming emotionally draining.  I also do not want people to think this was a quick last minute decision.  I still can remember the day back in September when I called my dad crying telling him how bad I wanted to come home.  This decision has been completely thought out and weighed in every direction seemingly possible.  I have written everything down numerous times, talked it over with the rents, and even got opinions from close friends.  In fact, I feel as if I’ve put way too much thought into this.  So in the end, this decision was not easy, it took some time, and I can only hope that I am making the right one.  If not, I’m in no mood to care right now.  What’s done is done.  I just want to be back home with the people who love me for who I am.

Not only has this move taught me so much about life, cultures, the west, work, and growing up…it has also taught me a lot about myself as a person.  Again, I could go on about all the things I have learned, but I don’t want to bore you with my new visions of life and how I’ve grown up over the last 2 years.  I will tell you this though…if you EVER come across the opportunity to do something this extravagant, please do it.  Don’t give it any thought, just do it.  Maybe you can see for yourself everything that I saw.  I only wish and hope that people will do what they enjoy. 

After this experience, I hate to see people take the easy way out and around things and only lead a mediocre life.  Strive to be the best you can be at anything you want.  Push yourself a little harder each day and do what is best for you.  I know sometimes it’s difficult, but don’t worry about what other people think.  Live life for yourself!  Most importantly, do what makes YOU happy.  It can tend to be a lot to overcome, but always look at the light at the end of the tunnel and ask yourself “what will be the best end result for me?”  Living this on/off lifestyle out here has taught me so much about finding who I am and doing this that will benefit me and only me.  I have completely stopped worrying about what other people think and have been doing things to benefit me and my results.  I have to do what makes me happy first and foremost. 

I also think a lot of times people look at their past and reflect on what they could have done better and why they didn’t change some of the things they did.  I came to realize that the past is in the past….let it be.  Sometimes you just have to let it go no matter what it takes.  When you dwell on the past, it tends to only make your decisions harder and more drawn out.  Look at the future and the now.  Do things that will benefit you now and in the future.  If you carry around the shadow of your past it can easily haunt you and cause you to make some wrong decisions.  Look at it as a growing tool.  I look my mistakes in the past as a healthy way to learn and grow.  If I were to sit here and be aggravated at the fact that I had my ID stolen, I would probably be a mess.  Instead I learned how to call the bank, talk to the correct people, takes things slow, understand and document everything, and get my money back in just a few simple steps.  I know some things may sound bigger than they are, but they only seem that way if you make it that way.  Get things taken care of while you can and you will learn and grow in ways you never thought were possible!  Take my word for it and just strive to be the best person you can possibly be….you only live one!

Not only have I learned so much as a person, but I have also learned so much about my field and being a Graphic Designer.  In all honesty…I think I have learned more at Bohannan Huston, than I did taking the dumb graphic courses at MSJ.  I just remember sitting out in the lobby watching Cosby on the big screen, “pretending” to do our projects while in class.  Yeah, who lets 3 girls sit out in the lobby instead of actually being in class?  That’s right.  I was so lucky working for BHI.  They really do take care of their employees like you wouldn’t even believe.  They are so updated on technology, software, and hardware.  Our computers were always being updated with the best of the best.  I am really sad to leave my job, and I asked my supervisor if I could just take my cubicle home and work from there, and he pretty much laughed at me.  I took that as a big fat “no.”  But oh well.  It was a great experience and I couldn’t be luckier.

I have made one outstanding friend here in New Mexico and I can’t even begin to thank him enough for everything he has done for me.  Adam, if you ever get the chance to read this…cheers, my friend!  I love you to death, you have been such a great friend throughout all of my experiences and I can only hope our friendship does not end here.  You have taught me so much about life and everything that comes with it.  I know we’ve had our share of ups and downs, but I greatly take everything you share with me and put it in my pocket.  I will never forget some of the amazing times we’ve shared such as skiing and boarding together, playing Wii (“nice on!”), watching every episode of Two and a Half Men, jamming to music, and just hanging out talking.  I’ve learned so much from you, it’s unbelievable.  I think I owe you a lot for having an impact on making me who I am today.  I can’t thank you enough.  You are such a great friend and I can’t wait for you to visit Cincinnati!

Well, this is it.  I’ve said my goodbyes, and I must move forward in my life.  New Mexico has been great and I’d be lying if I said I’m not going to miss it here.  I’ve learned so much about my life and about me personally and I definitely don’t take one single thing back.  I’ve been through so much over the last two years and I can only say I’ve grown from it all.  I look forward to coming home and having a life with my family and friends again.  I couldn’t be happier about my decision and am totally ready to BE BACK IN CINCINNATI!!

“Here it is:  This is the whole thing, this little book, your life, your values are about you.  How you carry yourself, the sum of your beliefs that you strive to reach far beyond the norm and accomplish great deeds, are about living a life of true value.  It’s all about setting the tone for how you react, how you respond, how you lead in living YOUR life.”

I can officially say I have read an entire book in 4.5 hours.  Yes, this just proves how amazing my life is out here.  I went to Border’s on Saturday and bought a few books Whitney had requested I read.  I came home, sat down on the couch and didn’t get up till the first book was finished.  Needless to say, it was a pretty amazing book and my highlighter went CrAzY!  The title is “Moving Forward:  Taking the Lead in Your Life.”  I think every person who is either going through some difficult time, already went through a difficult time, or just wants to improve themselves, should pick up this book and give it a shot.  I was a little skeptical at first, because a lot of these so-called “self-improvement” books are just full of mumbo-gumbo and riff-raff that usually goes way over my head (Needless to say, I always think of Dr. Phil and his annoying voice, UGH!).  Not this one.  Dave Pelzer (the author) clearly goes past all the garbage and gets straight to the point.  He is also the author of the famous book “A Child Called IT” (I’m sure you’ve heard of it).  It’s the most famous child abuse case in America.  His mother abused him, didn’t let him eat, threw him down the basement stairs, made him sleep on a cot, and literally called him “IT.”  He was not a part of the family…until a teacher from his middle school finally intervened and made sure he was put into foster care.  Now, Dave is a public speaker and an author, and influences men and women all across the world about how to improve yourself, get rid of the garbage in your life, step up, and move on. 

I could take all day and point out the wonderful quotes from this book that I have highlighted, but I don’t feel the need.  You just have to read it for yourself.  Overcoming what he went though is an amazing story to me.  He points out that just because you hit a rough patch in life, doesn’t mean you have to mourn over it for years and years to come.  He brought up the fact that he met some lady at a book signing and she wanted him to help her.  She had been abused one time as a child, and now, 30 years later, she is still going to therapy and getting all worked up and emotional over a 10 minute act of abuse when she was just a little kid.  He tells her “to grow the hell up,” not in a mean way, but in a literal way.  He points out that people can’t depend on therapy for all of their problems.  Why waste your time and money preaching to some strange person?  He also mentions that you usually don’t open up to a therapist until the 4th or 5th session anyway.  Seems likes such a waste to me.  Ultimately, you have to put things in the past, you have to grow up and get over things yourself.  It’s not worth stressing about the little things in life.

Dave also talks about a few rough patches in his life.  In the chapter called “Stepping Up” he talks about going through his divorce.  He moves into a single-house summer cabin that’s at least two decades older than he is (mental picture…ew).  He is sitting on his front steps one day and says “I gave thanks for at least having a roof to provide me shelter and an air mattress to lie on.  I had more than others.  As pitiful as I felt and as alone as I was, I was grateful that at the very least, for a period of my life I had more than anyone could have ever dreamed of.”  I think sometimes people take for granted what they have and own.  I think sometimes people need to take a step back and wonder what would happen if everything they owned was all taken away.  This section makes me think of dad and “the junk house.”  Only a select few will get that.

I think my favorite chapter is called “You Gotta Believe.” 
“Your esteem, which for some, can change within a single beat of your heart, is displayed by how you carry yourself.”  Dave brings up the point that people will see you for how you carry yourself and for what you believe in.  You have to be strong about yourself and at least TRY!  The best quote from this section is “Doesn’t the experience make us a bit stronger or wiser, or, at the very least, provide us with some foundation, some form of a base to build upon?  It damn well should!”  I really enjoy how strongly he words things.  It makes me want to get up and scream “I AM ME AND I AM PROUD TO BE ME!!”

“Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way” he says in the chapter called “Stepping Up.”  He talks about having plans and following through.  Don’t say you’re going to do something and don’t.  That’s a huge no-no in life.  “The more you go for it, the more you succeed.”  He states that some people in the world will try to knock you down, but you being the person you are, the person with self-esteem, has to get back up on your high horse and do what you have to do to make yourself a happier person.  “That’s why you have a vision – you conceive it, you nurture it, and you strive to see it through.  No matter how overwhelming things may be, you hold fast.  No matter what others may say or do, no matter the doubt, you have to know in your heart what is true and why you do what you do.  And that should be enough.”

Okay, I know I said I wasn’t going to ruin this book by stating a bunch of quotes, but I just can’t help it.  Normally I’m not so goo-goo over a stupid little book, but seriously, you need to read this.  Even if you think your life is great and can’t get any better, well take another look around you.  I love helping people strive to be better.  I really want to see people live up to thier potential.  It kills me when people just sit around and do nothing to better themselves.  The least you can do is try.  If all else fails, pick yourself back up and try again.  “Continue to reach out beyond the norm to better yourself, as you grow, you’ll only become stronger.  You’ll only become all the wiser.  So you damn well should be able to take a few jabs along the way.  Come on, you can SO do this.”

“At the end of the day, if you can walk away from a bumpy landing, a not-so-good day at work, or a trying time with the family, well, I hope you can draw a positive experience from it, and make taking on that approach vector another day easier.”  Everytime you’re faced with a difficult challenge, you can at least walk away telling yourself you learned something.  Wether you get over it right away, or have to take baby-steps, either way, it will come.  Rise above and overcome.

This book is really helping me deal with my current situation and my struggles in life right now.  Sometimes I think I’m too hard on myself and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.  But I take a breath, step back and think I need to do this for me and no one else.  I need to make myself happy.  Dave states “If what you’re doing isn’t working for you, shouldn’t you do something different?  I believe you should be happy and achieve all that you desire.”  I think I read that quote everyday, multiple times.  Is that weird?  I just feel comfortable knowing that this is okay and that I will move on.  And yes, maybe this is a rocky, bumpy part in my life…but hey, at least I tried!

And I end by saying:
“Whenever I am faced with a challenge, especially the unexpected and overwhelming ones, I always seemed to reflect on where I came from and how fortunate my life has truly become.  I could think of no other person who was as lucky as myself.  Even with all the chaos, the wild rollercoaster-like highs and lows, and the absolute, petty, needless bullshit flung my way, at least my life was an adventure.  At least I had a purpose.  Even if I failed, at least I TRIED!”

OMG, I haven’t been in this great of a mood since I don’t know when.
I just feel like telling someone about it.

Granted, these last few weeks have been terrible for me…I’ve definitely hit rock bottom and I know things can’t possibly get worse for me.  I just know that I have to keep my head up and move on!

Let me start off by saying:

1.  I was in a wreck a few weekends ago:
A girl pulled right out in front of me and said “she didn’t see me.”  Tore up the passager side of my car and one of my wheel covers.
2.  Good thing she had insurance.  She was 100% at fault and I didn’t have to pay a single cent for anything.  Well except for gas in my rental car.
3.  The whole process took about a whole day.  By the time I called the insurace company 3 times, called the repair company, took my car in, and called to get a rental car….my whole day was shot.
4.  The next weekend – I found out I have fraud on my checking account.  Great.  Some website got a hold of my debit card info and charged about $600 worth of stuff to my checking account.
5.  What a nightmare.  Another day, shot.  One the phone with these websites, who couldn’t tell me a damn thing…not even a company name or her name.  Yes, she was foreign and I could hardly understand her.  Go figure.
6.  In and out of the bank about 4 different times trying to open a new account, close my old one, do paperwork, etc.  Thanks for the money dad.  I really appreciate it!
7.  Then being put on hold for at least 30 minutes just to claim fraud and answer a million questions that I didn’t have the answer to, only because these websites couldn’t tell me a damn thing about how they got my info.
8.  To top it off…I go to pick up my car at the shop…and they didn’t fix it all the way.  They totally looked over my wheel cover.  It was still cracked.  Good thing I caught it before I drove away.  They said “oops, we’ll fix it for you next week.”  Great, this means I have to take off work an hour early just to have them replace my wheel cover.

How could things possibly get worse for me?
I have grown up so much over the past 3 weeks, it’s unbeliebable.  I can’t even describe how much I’ve learned.
And you’re wondering why I’m in such a great mood? 

* Whitney is coming to visit this weekend and we are skiing at Angel Fire, NM.
We already have our hotel room booked right there at the resort (ski in/ski out).  Twin Tip Nation will be there this weekend too, so I’ll be able to ski for free!!  This will probably be my last skiing adventure out here so I want to make it fun!  I’m trying to talk her into dying her hair red again.  Who’s with me???

Angel Fire is one of my most favorite places to ski out here!  The people are great, the snow is perfect, and have I mentioned they have a short bus in the terain park?  They even have animal cut-outs on the trees!!  Yeah, it’s awesome!  I think I love it so much because it’s owned and operated by Texans…NOT New Mexicans.  Is that mean?  I don’t care.

* Ryan is coming out to visit on Feb. 12th.  We don’t really have any plans and I love it.  We’ll probably do a hike, go to dinner, maybe do the tram, etc.  I think I’m going to start packing that weekend too!  Yay!!  Dad – I might even take him to Turtle Mountain.  We’ll see if he likes it as much as you guys did!

* Have I mentioned I’m moving home?!?!?!

* I got a call about a Graphic Design job from an International company!  It sounds great and I’m so excited to see what he has to say about it.  The guy who called me is also moving (from Chicago to Cincinnati), so he is familiar with my situation and would like to talk on the phone with me either later this week, or early next week.

I can’t wait to be home!

Well,  I have finally come to a final decision:
I’m moving home.|

My dad and I have been corresponding via email for the past few days about my whole situation and weighing the options.
I, personally, have decided this is the best thing to do right now.  So as of March 1st, 2009…I will officially become a resident of Ohio again…and I couldn’t be more excited!
Although the job market isn’t at it’s best right now, I am willing to take any job that will pay the bills just so I can be home with my friends and family. 
I am beginning to breakdown mentally and physically out here and not a day goes by where I don’t cry my eyes out…sometimes for no reason at all…simply just because I hate it out here.

I’d like to start off by saying living out here in Albuquerque, NM has been so amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!!  I have grown up so much and have come to realize I’m not the shy teenager I used to be.  I’m no longer afraid to make dreaded phone calls to people I don’t know, I’m no longer afraid to ask questions at work, I’m no longer afraid to go places by myself, and I’m definitely no longer afraid to stand up for myself.  If you get the opportunity to move away from home…even if it’s for just a short period of time…DO IT.  You will learn so much about yourself and your surroundings.  I couldn’t be more proud of myself.  I never knew living on my own, 1300 miles away, would be so difficult.  But now that I’ve done it…I feel like I can accomplish anything on my own now…and I love that feeling!  There are so many things you don’t even think of….shopping for car insurance, hooking up wireless Internet, ordering cable tv, putting together all of your furniture, buying your first bed, repairing broken appliances, etc.  I never thought I would be able to do it…but it feels great to say that I am 25 years old and I have lived across the country for a full 2 years!!  What have you done today?

I very much appreciate everything my parents have done for me over the last two years.  They have stood by my side and supported me through everything!   I feel so blessed to have them in my life.  They have taught me so much, and if it weren’t for them…there would be no way I could have done this on my own.  I know they miss me as much as I miss them, but they are constantly telling me everything will be okay and I will get through this.  But the time has come, and I simply can’t get through it anymore.  This is why I love them…they are supporting me in whatever I decide to do.  It’s so great to know that I have parents who support my decisions 100%. 

I have been sitting on this decision since August when I called my dad crying on my way home from work telling him to drop everything and come get me.  I hadn’t thought it through completely and decided it wasn’t the right thing to do and that I was going to try to make it through one more ski season.  Well, the time has come, and I’m still in that same position.  I’m ready to come home.  Nothing has changed between then and now…and I think 4 months of feeling like that is a pretty good sign that it’s time for a change. 

One more important thing I’ve learned over the past 2 years….I am absolutely miserable without my friends and family.   I cannot function without the constant annoyance of my family.  I love them!  I miss not being there watching my twin sisters grow up.  I miss not being there for the birth of Peyton.  I miss not being there to see my sister graduate college.  I miss not being able to go to Wild Mike’s with mom every Wednesday. I miss Friday dinners at dad’s.  I miss not being able to call my friends and hang out whenever I want.  I miss Bengals games (sad to say).  I miss not being around for the building of my dad’s new house.  I miss crashing at the Strohman’s pool in the summer.  I miss Kcubed!  I’ve missed so much over the last two years and I’m simply done with it.  I have to be there, it’s a necessity in my life.

I think the hardest part in this whole decision making process is the possibility of being looked at as a failure.  At times, I feel like I should be stronger and stick this out as long as I can.  But I’m at the end of the road.  I just can’t take it anymore.  I’m to the point where I don’t care what people have to say about it anymore.  You cannot persuade me either way.  Although I don’t want to lets me parents down, I want them to be proud of me, but I also want them to realize how hard it is to be away from home for so long.  Moving away has definitely made me respect my home more than ever! 

I have laid out a budget of my money and my income and have come to realize that I can no longer afford to live out here anymore.  The money I was able to save living rent-free for the first 3 months I was here is now catching up to me.  I feel like a poor person saying this but I have learned to wash my dishes by hand, cut back on shampooing my hair, eating breakfast, not doing my laundry as often….all because I want my soaps, detergents, food, etc. to last me as long as possible.  I have even stooped down to buying a few articles of clothing at Wal-Mart, yes, Wal-Mart.  I HATE Wal-Mart!!  I’m not blaming anyone but myself for this bad mistake of handling my money poorly.  I was selfish last winter and went skiing almost every weekend not thinking of where I would end up a year later.  It was a mistake, I’m admitting it, and I’ve learned from this.  I need to manage my money better, and I think by moving home it will help.  I will not be paying $500 in rent every month, I will not be going on ski trips every weekend, I will not have to fly home to visit anymore, etc.  Just thinking about it changes my attitude and I couldn’t be more excited to start saving up for the more important things in life.

The lifestyle out here is definitely not for me.  This was a learning experience, and as I said before I have absolutely not one single regret about moving out here.  But I know now that I do not want to spend my life out here.  I most certainly do not want to start a family here, buy a house here, grow up here, or even buy my next car here.  My only tie to home has been my Ohio drivers license…as I refused to even get a New Mexico license.  Although I did manage to get New Mexico party plates that read “SKIBUM3.”  I’m done with the lifestyle here…Cincinnati called and wants me back.

The only thing that I’m really going to have to get used to about the initial move is moving back in with my parents and getting used to the crazy lifestyle again.  As much as I love my parents…I am dreading the move back in.  I’ve been so used to doing things to my leasure everyday of my life for 2 years…it will definitely almost be a culture shock.  I will also have to take it slow getting back into the lifestyle of my friends.  Just thinking about it is causing headaches.  Dinner, hanging out, going out, chatting and gossip, the drama, concerts, etc.  I have become so used to not having people around me on a daily basis.  I go to work, go to the gym, go home, and go to bed….just to do it all again the very next day.  I never really interact with people much out here…other than an occasional conversation at work or a chat with Adam at home.  I could easily go for 2 or 3 days straight without saying a single word to anyone.  I know it’s crazy, but it’s the truth.  I don’t want to live this life anymore!

I plan on putting in my two weeks notice on Thursday, Feb. 12.  Hopefully to be home by Sunday, March 1st…depending on dad’s schedule.  I am first going to ask my company if they will allow me to work from home via remote-desktop.  My company is very up-to-date with technology and will provide any kind of software and hardware to you to make your job easier.  But with the economy slowing, work has been scarce, and we have been slow.  Over the last 6 months we have lost almost 15-20 employees, the owners and co-owners have taken a 10% pay cut, we are no longer allowed to work over-time, and all travel budgets have been put to a stop.  With there only being 3 designers company-wide, I feel they should definitely allow me to work from home.  I will even take a pay-cut.  For the most part, I like what I do, and see no reason why I wouldn’t be able to do the same projects I do here in the office…at home, as long as I have the correct software and are able to connect via remote-desktop.  Half the time I sit here and read books or do Photoshop Tutorials anyway.

In the end, I have to do this for ME.  I have to do what makes myself happy.  Money and a good job doesn’t define “happiness,” and I can no longer go on living my life like this.  I have learned so much from my experience and would NEVER take any of it back.  It was the most exciting 2 years of my life and I’m ready to be back home because home is where the heart is.

I owe everything to my parents from putting up with my whining, to always being there when I have a question, to teaching me day to day things, for supporting my every decision, and most of all, for understanding who I am and making me who I am today!  I love you!  Just the thought of being back in the comfort of my own home brings tears to my eyes.  Bring on March, 1st!!!

I just want to move home.
Someone help me find a job.
I hate it here.
I’m out of money and can’t afford this lifestyle.
I cry everyday.
I miss my family, friends, and boyfriend.
People here are so different.
I think I’m mentally breaking down.
Someone help.
My job sucks.  I haven’t done a damn thing all week…besides read Twilight.
I just wanna hide under a rock and forget life for a while.
I’m not happy anymore.
Help.

Thought it was about time for a little update.

I decided not to write about the Thanksgiving/Birthday/Pirate week…just like I probably won’t write too much about Christmas and New Years, simply because it was just too eventful and I believe the pictures (whether seen on Facebook or Myspace) can pretty much tell the story for you.  Apologies.

Anyhoozies – Winter is upon us.  Adam and I went out for our first real ski weekend on December 5-7.  Good times were had by all.  I originally did not plan on going, as I am watching my money….especially since Christmas is coming.  But needless to say…Peer-pressure is a BI*CH.  Adam comes home from work on Friday the 5th and says “Okay, so you ready to go?”  I played dumb and said “Go where?”  One thing led to another, and we were out the door.  Rollin in the new BMW up to Taos.
The Abominable Snowmansion – What a name for a hostile at $25/night.  It’s definitely “abominable”.  This wasn’t the first time we  had stayed there.  Luckily enough…we got a room in the main building with a private bathroom.  As for the last time, we slept in a 5’x5′ cabin (a.k.a. box), with no heat, and plywood for a mattress, and a few blankets.  Comfy, you say?  Heck no.  Our new room consisted of a bathroom/shower room, one queen size bed, and about 7 sets of bunk beds.  That’s it.  Not even a TV.  But it was better than “the box.”   Adam was even scared to walk around barefoot.
Skiing was awesome, even though they only had about 7 runs open.  It was still manageable.  I forgot how much I love Taos…not only do they have trailersthat come around to your car to give you a ride up to the mountain, but the people up there are so great and love to help you out in any way possible.  Withthat said, we quit early on Saturday so we could watch the Florida Gators game (they won), and I ended up hanging at the bar with the head of ski patrol (who was hammered), but bought me two shots of SoCo and Lime.  Sweet!  Adam and I also killed about 3 or 4 beers each.  It was a pretty fun day, but I was sleepy and was in bed by 10pm.
Sunday I had a headache all day (for obvious reasons), but managed to ski a full day without complaining.  The skiing was great, but got icy later because the temp was dropping.  We rolled out of there around 3 and we were home by 6:30.  I was damn tired, unpacked, and crashed out!

Friday the 12th rolled around and I get a random text from my friend Zach.  He informed me he just got laid off from his job and was saving money to go to the Orange Bowl in Miami for New Years.  He had a pretty decent amount saved up thus far, but the trip was turning out to be a little pricier than expected….so he asked what I was up to this week.  “NOTHING!!”  Next thing you know, he was on a plane out of Indy at 7am on Saturday the 13th.  This is what I love about Zach.  Not only is he my little brother I never had, but he’s so random about everything (like me).  If he wants to pack up and go somewhere, he’s gone! 

I picked him up from the airport at 2 on Saturday afternoon, we went home, and decided what to do for the night.  I had totally forgotten about my office dinner party at my bosses house, so I kinda had to go to that.  Zach came with me, met everyone from my department, we ate dinner, did a White Elephant exchange, and we got outta there.  I wasn’t really in a mood to torture Zach with a “work party,” we we got out of there and went home.  He was tired from the jet-lag, so we put in a movie and went to bed.

Sunday, we were well rested and went up into the mountains to do some hiking.  We were gone all afternoon checking out the hot springs and playing in the snow.  It was a great day, a little chilly, but very relaxing to just hang out withMother Nature.  After a few hours of hiking, we headed home to catch some of the last football games of the day.    Zach was nice enough to go to the store to buy food and cook dinner too!  He made spaghetti withhomemade sauce with sausage chunks.  It was absolutely delish.

Ah, Monday, back to work.  We had heard snow was on the way, but I hardly thought anything of it because they are usually wrong anyway.  Not this time.  Zach stayed at my house all day and applied for jobs and got his resume together, while I slaved away at work…well until 4pm when the “white death” hit.  I told a few people I was gonna cut out early before things got worse.  Well, it still took me 2.5 hours to get home.  UGH!  By the time I got home, I was in a crabby mood from sitting in traffic, but ready to make some cocktails and pretend work was cancelled the next day.  Adam was home, Scott was sitting in traffic still, and Zach was cooking breakfast for dinner.  I poured a Jack and Coke and sat on the couch to catch my breath and relax.  One thing led to another, the snow kept falling, so it was time to play.  The four of us tore open more Jack and Cokes, put on our winter clothes, and tossed a football in the street till about 10pm.  Adam being from Florida, doesn’t own a sled…but he definitely owns a boogie board.  And living in the desert…we don’t have too many hills to sled down.  But it’s a good thing the boogie board has a strap.  We took turns dragging each other around on the board in the middle of the street.  Fun times, but it was getting late, and we were all getting kinda drunk and waking up the neighbors.

Tuesday, our roads were still a mess.  Apparently we don’t get snow plowing service in my neighborhood.  And after driving 2.5 hours to get home last night, there was no way I was about to drive in it again.  Adam took the day off too.  So we just sat around allll day day watching TV.  It was the greatest thing ever!  Later that day  the snow had completely melted away and was definitely driveable again.  Zach and I went out to a very nice Chophouse called Monticello’s Chophouse.  I think our bill was easily over $100, but he didn’t let me see it.  What a nice guy.  This was Zach’s last night, so we just came home, he packed up, and we went to bed.  I took him to the airport at 5:30am on Wednesday and said Goodbye!  I love surprise visitors!!!!

Now, today is my last day at work till 2009.  Tomorrow I head back to Cincy for the holidays.  I can’t wait to see everyone!!

Holy cow, what a weekend.  I didn’t even have time to think this weekend.  I arrived in Indy on Friday, Oct. 31^st around 2 in the afternoon where Ryan met me at baggage claim.  I was so excited to see him and hang out all weekend.  The ride home went quick.  We chatted about everything but we were extremely excited for the weekend and all the crazy events that were to come.  We stopped by my mom’s house to drop off her Halloween costume that I made and printed at work.  She assembled it while me, Ryan, and Whit went to my dad’s to visit.  We played with Taylor and Madison, cracked open a bottle of wine, and a few beers, and ordered some pizza.  We hung out outside for a little while (because who’da thought it would be 70 degrees at the end of October?).  After a little bonding and taking pictures, it was time for Taylor and Madison to go trick or treating…so we left.  We got back to mom’s around 6 and started getting ready for the Halloween party.  Ryan and I were Indians, Whit was Sarah Palin, and mom was a box of wine.  We pre-gamed a little, Kim and Nick showed up, and we left.  Kim and I always get the shaft when it comes to riding in mom’s car.  But it’s all good.  We can always count on sitting in the back now.  We got down to Mariner’s Inn a little after 9 and busted out the beer bong in the parking lot while we waited for Mike and Sarah to show up.  A few people bonged (I didn’t, because I don’t know how).  The party was a hit.  I hate to say it, but we should just declare Nick’s party every year as a Taylor High School reunion, plus more.  It was so awesome to see everyone!!  I think Joe Curry was a little too happy to see me…either that, or he was just really drunk.  Jeremy and some of his gang came, and even Aim-boo was there!  It was Cherry Ridge all over again.  Tim Kyde had, by far, the BEST Joker costume!  By the end of the night, things started to get a little blurry and even Kyle showed up, so it was time to go home and crash!

Saturday morning rolled around way to quick and it was time to get up and start all over again.  This time, it was off to MSJ for tailgating.  Another k-cubed reunion…consisted of corn hole, flip cup, and being typical k-cubed.  Time sure doe go fast when you’re having fun.  Dan was bugging the crap out of me to come to Maloney’s…so by third quarter we packed up and took the party to Maloney’s (we also ran the generator out of gas, so no more music…it was a good excuse to leave anyway).  Whiteness and his gang beat us there, already saddling up to the bar, 3 beers ahead of us.  But we caught up in no time.  Someone kept ordering too many shots, Dan and I compared shoe sizes (clearly he won), we messed around with touch tunes, smoked candy cigarettes (who brought those??), Mike got a hold of my camera, took pictures under the table, and needless to say, the end of the night looked like this.  Yeah.  Oops.  Good times were had by all, and I’m glad the boys showed up!  For some odd reason Ryan and I left with Mike to go hang out at Tom’s house then walk to the bars in Cheviot.  It was one of those “it sounded good at the time” kinda things.  We got to the bar in Cheviot and wondered why we were here.  So mom came to get us and we went home.  It was way past bedtime anyway.

Sunday was a disaster trying to get out of bed at 6:30am.  Ouch.  But Sundays call for Bengals tailgating.  Where Dey?  I have no idea…luckily they won though…because I was there, DUH!  We had a good girl’s gang and a good guy’s gang down there, although none of us went into the game.  Instead, we stood around and watched Justin get absolutely smashed…by himself.  By the end of the day…I’m pretty sure he couldn’t stand up straight.  After the game, Ryan and I went to my dads and watched a movie while I fell asleep on the couch.  It was a crazy long weekend and I was sleepy!!!

Monday I had an interview with a head hunting company who, keep your fingers crossed, could possibly find me a job.  After that, Ryan and I went to lunch at Chipotle (YAY!), went to see Jessica’s new baby, Riley, then went to check out his River Camp on Brower Rd.  We hung out there for a little bit, and then it was off to Indy again.  Man, weekends sure do go quick when you have fun. 

What an insane weekend, but it was such a good time!!  I’m glad I got to see all of my friends.

Now I can’t wait till Friday!!!!  I’m heading to Nashville for GIRLS WEEKNEN…then to Cincy for the WHOLE week!  I can’t wait.  So much is going on, and I can’t wait to see everyone again!

Signing off.

It’s been a few weeks since anything exciting has happened, so I guess I’ll provide a mini update on life.

First things first…
I’m moving home.  Not sure when exactly, but I am.  I’m officially unhappy here and I need my life back.  I’m not emotional about it, I’m not letting people persuade me either way, and I’m not making this a big deal.  It just needs to be done.  I’m over it.  I have absolutely no life here and it’s taking a huge toll on me.  I sleep, go to work, and go to the gym…that’s it.  Weekends consist of an occasional outing with Adam, sleep, cleaning, working out, watching TV, etc.  That’s about it.  I can’t believe I’ve actually lasted as long as I have.  I’m extremely proud of myself and have absolutely no regrets about moving here.  My time has come, and I need my family and friends back.  As soon as I find a job back in Cincinnati, I’m out of here.  What’s done is done and I can’t take being here anymore.  I look forward to getting home and having my normal life back!

On top of that…I have a new beau.  His name is Ryan and he went to MSJ with me (also in Graphic Design).  He is such an amazing guy and everyday I learn something new from him.  We met in class and I’ve always had a “thing” for him…but nothing ever too serious, just a stupid college crush.  Who has crushes in college?  Haha!  He was basically the typical “college guy.”  Starting center on the football team, popular, smart, shy, easy-going, and always knew where the good football parties were.  Luckily…nothing’s changed (except for the football thing – it was time to graduate).  But it all started sophomore year of college when I decided to throw a party at my house.  He showed up with his gang and I was so excited (even though I had a boyfriend at the time).  Yes, this sounds like the dumbest story ever written, but I was just a girl with a crush.    Now look where it landed us!!  We have so much in common it scares me sometimes…and I tell him this.  It’s creepy.  Sometimes that can be good and bad.  But luckily we are different so we can learn from each other as well.  Even though we are 1300 miles apart, we talk everyday and grow closer.  I keep telling him it will be worth the wait and things will only be that much better when I come home.  The one thing that impressed me most about him is that he pulled my mom aside and said he has nothing but good intentions.  We have been talking about this for probably close to a year now…so this has been a long time coming and the distance isn’t even a factor anymore.  We both knew this was coming I’m so happy it finally happened!

Whit is finally all moved and settled in Nashvegas.  She seems to love her job and even got to talk with Bob Barker on the phone!  She seems happy in her quiet apartment and living her normal grown-up life.  I think she made a great decision in life and I’m so happy for her (especially since she’s happy).  She just realized grad school wasn’t getting her anywhere and with or without it, she would have landed the same kind of job.  Fortunately she landed a perfect job in a city she loves.  Things could not have worked out better and I’m extremely proud of her!  Congrats on everything Whit!  You are such a smart girl and I know you will go very far in life!

I’m coming home in 17 days!
(Oct. 31 – Nov. 1)
Ryan is picking me up from the airport and we are going straight to my dad’s house to see the twins in their costumes and to eat dinner.  After that…it’s on to Nick’s annual Halloween Bash!  Ryan and I are going as Indians.  Our costumes are pretty much awesome and I’m sure lots of pictures will be taken.  Nick’s party is always one of the highlights of the year.  Its $15/all you can drink (or usually until they run out), you must be 21, and he usually gets either a DJ or a band.  Last time I checked the event on Facebook…over 300 people had been invited.  The party is always such a good time, especially for me because I get to see a lot of my friends all in one night!!  So excited!!!!
Saturday is usually a day for recovery….but who recovers when MSJ has a home football game at 1:00 in the afternoon?  Not I.  Saturday is a day of Kcubed bonding (plus Manny and the boys) in MSJ’s parking lot with a mixed CD of tailgate music and a purple beer bong.  We’re usually the first people in the lot and we don’t even go into the game.  This tradition started when MSJ would go 15-0 and the games would be pointless to watch.  We would absolutely kill the visiting team, so we thought it was more important to hang out in the parking lot and get tanked…then stumble to the bar during the 4th quarter and wait for the team to arrive.  It was the start of what I like to call “Kcubed trying to play darts and owning TouchTunes.”  I guess you have to be there.  Anyway….after Maloney’s we’ll probably head home and crash for the night.  Bengals home game on Sunday!
Sunday – Up at the ass-crack of dawn so we can leave at 7:30am to go tailgate downtown.  You think that’s early?  We’re usually not the first people to pull into the lot either!  Sunday and tailgating calls for too many Whiskey Sours, Bloody Mary’s (disgusting), Corona’s, and “Welcome to the Jungle” blaring so loud you can’t even hear yourself think.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Hopefully this year we won’t get so drunk we fall into holes and play on cement walls.  But bad decisions and Kcubed goes hand in hand, right?  None of us will probably get tickets for the game either.  Beer is cheaper in the parking lot and who wants to sit though Bengal torture?  Usually we bring a TV and hook it up to the generator, but in the past we’ve run the generator out of gas.  Oops.  So we’ll stick to Jeremy’s beer pong table and corn hole to keep us occupied.  You can always tell if the Bengals start losing early…people will start to trickle back into the parking lot and start drinking again.  It’s all a good time even though they are the crappy Bengals.  We always have the best time!  Sunday night we will crash early and it will be off the airport the next day.  Boo!

I’m also in the beginning stages of planning my annual Birthday Bash.  This year will be the 5th year in a row for the Party Bus/Trolley (probably the last year).  This year will be a Pirate Theme and I’m so excited to see what everyone comes up with.  I’ve been hearing that this will probably be the best year so far.  I’m still up in the air about the date.  It will either be the night before Thanksgiving (biggest bar night of the year, which I normally have it on), or Friday after Thanksgiving.  I’m still getting opinions, but will hopefully have it figured out soon enough.  This year I am getting a bus.  It holds more people and it’s cheaper.  The bus holds 36, but that didn’t stop us from having 42 people climb on board last year.  I remember at one point I was sitting on a cooler.  No biggie.  200 Jello-shots will be gone by the first bar, people will walk out of the bar with food still on the plate, someone will steal shot glasses, people will be face down on the pavement somewhere, and someone WILL puke by the end of the night.  It’s tradish.  Jeff will make his annual speech that will be way too long, he will be the loudest person there, he will provide the annual “Puke Patrol” poster, and he could even possibly hand out prizes…you never know!  But it’s always an amazing time.

That is all I can think of so far.  Just concentrating on getting home and finding a job.  Anyone know of any graphic design jobs or people I could talk to?  K. Thanks!

(Pics in Blue!) 

So a few Fridays ago I was sitting at work…in a surprisingly good mood…just minding my own business and going about my normal 4 hour Friday.  I decided it would be fun to look at plane tickets just to see what kind of deal I could dig up.  I came across a decent priced flight for the next day (Saturday) to Monday.  So I grabbed it before the price went up.  This was probably the best decision I have made in a long time!!  Not only did I decide to surprise mom and dad…but I surprised the rest of my friends and family.  Only 4 people knew I was coming home.  I even had Kim (bless her heart) come up to Indy to pick my sorry ass up.  This was probably the best weekend I have had in a long time!!  So many things were going on, I got to see so many people, and I even scored an interview at the last minute.

Saturday morning rolled around and I was so glad to get the heck out of ABQ!!!  I patiently waited for Kim and Nick to pick me up at Indy’s airport…she was running a little late.  On the way home we chatted and caught up on all the dumb stuff Kim and I talk about (old days at Phi Kap, The Menus, etc.).  We were also making plans for that night….the biggest hillbilly fest of the year….AKA Farm Fest 2008!!  We were trying to hide the fact that I was home and Kim was on the road picking me up.  We made up stories, told lies, and basically said anything to hide the fact that I was home and making plans to go to Farm Fest.  We pulled in my drive-way around 4:30 and surprised the CRAP out of my mom.  She had no clue at all I was coming home!!!  She immediately cancelled her dinner plans, cancelled plans to go see the Menus, and in no time at all we were on our way to Aroura, Indiana for Farm Fest.  BEST. NIGHT. EVER

Farm Fest is the annual benefit party the Bucher family has every year.  It’s always such a blast and the whole world goes…even Willy Cunningham.  If you live in Cincy and know someone…who knows someone…who knows someone…who knows the Buchers…you were probably at Farm Fest!!  They have fireworks with a local radio station broadcasting synchronizing music, all the food you can dream of, 4 bands, blow up jumping toys and slides for kids, a lake, a beer truck, etc.  It’s usually the best night of summer and definitely goes out with a bang.  Here’s the low-down:  Donald and Nick were Frick and Frack.  They didn’t leave each others side all night.  The high school boys made a showing and so did Sandi!  Jeremy and his whole gang was there to support Rob and Backseat Romeo (Rob’s band), Dan (Whitey) and his entire clan was there dressed in full-force redneck gear.  Steph was there being crazy tall and wild as always!  Susie was an absolute mess and decided to swim in the lake at 5am.  The kids, Ryan and Lance were there…and I still can’t believe they are old enough to drink now!  Even the neighborhood parents decided to make a showing!  Some dude passed out in a folding chair.  And at the end of the night (right before they ran out of beer) the boys had a dance-off.   Not too sure who won…but it’s looking like Spud did.  We enven scored a picture of the Nashville gang…minus some.  The ride home consisted of jamming to the mix that we use for MSJ football tailgating.  I’m sure we were obnoxious.  We took Nick home first then proceeded to stop at The Scoreboard…not too sure why we made this stop.  It was definitely unnecessary.  Ryan and I had an amazing chat about our status and the only thing I can say is that things would be very different between us if I lived in Cincy.  It was a good conversation and it needed to be talked about.  Last call at the bar…they took our beers…and we headed home.  By the time we got home…we were starving!!!  Kim ate a whole bowl of meat that you would typically put in stew and I munched on chips.  Okay, it’s late.  Time to go to bed.

Sunday we woke up still drunk…and hating our lives.  I felt like I got hit by a bus…but I guess that’s the price you pay for drinking from 5pm – 2am.  Oops.  But it was worth it!!  We slowly got out of bed and I took a shower while mom ran to the store.  Kim didn’t move…but that’s typical.  She could have slept till 4 in the afternoon if I left her lay there.  After my shower I felt 100% better and ready to drink again at the Lancaster’s tailgate party!  Kim took me to Lancaster’s then went home.  I was the first one to arrive at the tailgate party and immediately poured myself a mimosa.  Yum!  The Bucher’s, Lampe’s, and Browe’s struggled in about an hour later…most of them hurting from Farm Fest still.  Ellen showed up in her same outfit…Nicki and Susie were no-shows, Craig had already started drinking again, and Joe and Caitlin also arrive in their same outfits.  It was one hell of a morning…but for the most part…everyone started drinking again.  Tailgating in the backyard was fun!!  Uncle skip grilled breakfast…eggs, goetta, bacon, pancakes, etc.  It was delish!!  After breakfast we proceeded inside to watch the Bengals get stomped on.  Everyone was in a bad mood…but we had golfing to look forward to.  We headed to the golf course for our 4:30 tee time, watched the rest of the Bengals game at the bar, then divided into teams.  We did 5 girls and 5 guys…easy enough.  And Susie even graced us with her presence…AND started drinking again.  We all played like shit…probably because we all felt like shit.  But it brightened our day when the golf bag fell off the back of the cart…not only once, but twice.   And we got yelled at for not staying on the path.  Needless to say…I was by far the worst on the team…but still managed to bust the shit out of a ball or two…beginners luck I like to call it.  The guys were so far ahead of us, we had to skip 2 holes and they still kicked our ass.  In the end…I don’t even think we bothered to trade scores. 

After golf Wild Mikes was calling our name!!  We were starving.  I called Ryan and he met mom and I at Shady Lane Wild Mikes for some wings and more unneeded beers.  Wings were delish.  After dinner I went back to Ryan’s house to hang out for a little while.  We watched some football and continued our conversation from the night before.  We both know where we stand and that our relationship status would be different if I lived in Cincy.  After the game he took me home and I crashed out!!!!  It had been long weekend.

Monday morning rolled around and it was time for my interview.  10am, Black Dog Graphics, Eight Mile Rd.  I met with a very nice lady named Sarah.  She told me about the company, looked thru my portfolio, asked me questions, etc.  It went pretty well, but there were a lot of unanswered questions because the owner and the main graphic designer were both out on vacation.  She then gave me an assignment to come up with a new design for their website, and that was it.  Very small company but very friendly people.  I’m not so sure they are going to offer me enough money though.  I am also unsure if this is a full-time position.  I hope a lot of these questions are answered in the near future.  After my interview I took mom’s car back to her at the Mount and she took me to dad’s house.  He picked me up and we went to lunch and talked about the weekend, family, jobs, etc.  I couldn’t wait to get back to the house and surprise Taylor and Madison!!!  They were shocked to see me laying on the couch.  We played for a little while then, sadly, I had to head to the airport.  Oh how I love American Airlines…

I check in, go thru security, find a seat at the gate…and not 2 minutes later the lady gets on the intercom and informs us if we have a layover in Dallas to please check in.  So I immediately jump up and get right in line.  She informs me that the plane getting into Indy is late and that I was going to miss my layover in Dallas.  That’s not the worst part.  She then tells me there are no other flights going to ABQ tonight.  So I was either stuck in Indy for the night…or stuck in Dallas for the night.  Ughhh!!  Two times in a row.  Gotta love American Airlines!  I do.  So I called dad as quickly as I could and told him to turn around.  They re-booked me out of Cincinnati for the next day.  Whatever.  I should just expect delays and mishaps from now on when flying with American.  I was frustrated, but glad I got to spend another night with dad and fam!!!

Tuesday rolled around and it was time to do this all over again…only we just had to go to Cincy…thank GOD!!  Everything went smooth and I was off to ABQ.  Bye bye home.

This past week I was in Orlando, Florida re-connecting with my amazing friend Justin Brugger.  We have been friends since freshman year of college at good ole’ MSJ and I haven’t seen him since.  Somehow I believe we have become better friends over the years…if that’s possible.  Justin is the coolest left-handed 24 year old guy I know with the worst road rage ever!…He is a great friend, quiet…but funny, we share a lot of interests, and get along great!  Although he has had a massive string of bad luck…he is staying strong and putting the past behind him.  I can only wish him the best of luck, and I keep telling him that he is bound to run into some amazing luck in the near future.  With that said…I had an absolute blast visiting him and I was sad to leave.

I arrived Thursday, September 4 at 6pm.  The flight was perfect and Justin was right on time to pick me up outside.  The second I stepped out of the airport I immediately felt the ickiness of humidity and forgot what that was like.  Ew.  I’ve been so used to the 20% humidity and the dry desert air.  After he picked me up, we went back to his apartment to change clothes and drop off my stuff.  He showed me around; we sat down for a second, and then decided to go get food.  His first choice was a place called the Ale House, but the only way we were going to be able to eat there was if we parked in a pond or jumped the curb to make our own parking space.  The place was packed.  So we went across the street to Friendly Confines.  It’s a Chicago style bar…even the sign was in the form of the Wrigley Field sign.  Pretty cool place, lots of action, and about 1,204 TV’s. (Reminded me of Champion’s in Western Hills).  We ate dinner, watched some sports, and drank a few beers.  Somehow we ended up sitting in the booth next to “Mr. Hurricane.”  He proceeded to tell us everything about the hurricanes that were coming.  Annoying.  After finally ignoring him…we continued to have good conversation about family, school, work, etc.  About 4 beers later…we called it a night and went home.  He had class at 5am on Friday (I know…5am?  What the hell?).

Friday – I slept while he went to class.  We didn’t do too much during the day.  He got home from class around 1 and we pretty much just laid around, talked, and watched TV for most of the day…lazy bums.  Finally 4:00 rolled around and we were getting hungry.  He decided to go to a real authentic Irish Pub called Fiddler’s Green.  This place was really neat!!  They were playing really cool Irish music (even some Flogging Molly), lots of Irish beers to choose from, and definitely an Irish atmosphere.  He had Sheppard’s pie and I had Hen in a pot…both were amazing, but filling.  After a few blueberry beers and Guinness’s…it was time to go put-putting!!!  The place was called Congo River and it was the typical Florida put-put joint.  Neat scenery, waterfalls, fake airplanes, baby gators, caves, etc.  We even had a fan club!  A few little kids quickly became obsessed with Justin and I.  Not too sure why.  In the end…Justin won, 52-54 (I think he cheats! – Shhh).  After put-putting, the trip to Best Buy was cancelled, and we just went home.  He had another class on Saturday at 5am.  This class thing was beginning to be a little ridiculous.  Haha!!

Saturday – Justin got up for class at 5am but got home around 9am.  I was up and ready to go.  We headed out to Cocoa beach around 10:30am.  It took about 45 minutes and lots of tolls.  We arrived at Cocoa a little after 11 and had to make a pit-stop at the grocery for sunscreen, beer, ice, and cups (the essentials).  Then we headed across the street to Ron Jon’s surf shop for beach towels…because who lives in Florida and doesn’t own beach towels?!?  I kid.  We finally made it to the beach, found a perfect spot and proceeded to get fried.  Needless to say…no hurricanes were in sight.  The sky was clear blue with only a few clouds.  It was a little hazy way out over the ocean and the water was a little rough and muddy, but it was a near perfect day to be at the beach.  The topic of conversation for a while was based on the nice Asian chick push-up show that was taking place right in front of us…we also saw a cruise ship leave Cape Canaveral.  It made for an interesting and fun day, but after a 12-pack of Miller Chill and no food, we headed out around 5ish.  It had been a while since I stood up last and Justin felt the need to pull me out of traffic.  I guess I almost got hit by a car or something?!?  Oops.  We came home and laid down for a second then took showers and cleaned all the sand out of our suits.  We tried to go to the Ale House for a second time…still too crowded, so we settled to classy Perkin’s.  It was prime-time Saturday night…and everywhere was too crowded.  Perkin’s draws an interesting crowd….a kid who had the hiccups the entire time we were there, and some dude listening to am radio from a headphone that was clearly up way too loud.  I think there were only 7 people in the entire restaurant.  After Perkin’s we picked up Justin’s friend Tucker and headed to Friendly Confines for some beers.  The UF and Miami game was on…so the place was a little too crowded for comfort…we decided to find someplace else to go.  After driving around for a little bit, we pulled into “PUB.”  It was the same atmosphere as Marty’s.  Hole in the wall place where everyone feels the need to stare at you when you walk in.  I’ve never understood that.  We ordered a pitcher of Harp and found out the bartender was from Cincinnati also.  Small world.  The three of us headed outside and sat at a round concrete table and had good conversation about art, graphics, and they talked about school.  Tucker is a very interesting person to talk to an extremely friendly.  He’s the typical guy with dreads who doesn’t care what he is doing or where he is just so long as he is having fun!  I had a great time with those two guys!!  We came to a decision that it would be cheaper to just drink at Justin’s apartment.  This called for a stop at the liquor store of course.  After a few hours of drinking at Justin’s and watching the comedian Gerry Dee…Justin took Tucker home and we went to bed.  Long day at Universal Studios on Sunday!!!

Sunday – Justin’s phone rang around 10am to Tucker asking if we were up and ready to go!!  No Tucker…need sleep!!!  We finally decided to get up and get going and headed out around 10:30am.  As soon as we picked up Tucker, he informs us that he stayed up till 7am drinking (….and he was the one waking us up this morning?!?  I don’t get it).  He said “well I just had to take a little nap.”  He’s hilarious.  We pulled into Universal Studios a little after 11 and grabbed lunch along the walk into the park.  The waitress (Jess) informed Tucker to “order something fattening.”  You would understand if you knew him…he’s a twig.  While we waited for our food, the boys found it amusing to make up stories about the fake balcony inside the restaurant….I guess you had to be there.  After getting a bit of an attitude from the waitress about splitting up the check…we were finally out of there and onto better things.  Oh yeah…it was after noon already and the park closes at 6.  Great.  First, we jumped on the Spiderman ride because we didn’t want Tucker to be left out right away (he can’t ride many rides because of a neck injury from a car wreck 10 years ago).  Spiderman was fun…it was a 3-d movie simulator ride.  Pretty cool actually!!  After that we got in line for The Hulk rollercoaster.  The lines went surprisingly quick.  After The Hulk we got on the Jurassic Park water ride….which was hardly a water ride.  You sit in a boat and it takes you thru “Jurassic Park” then ends with a drop down and a big splash that barely gets you wet.  Oh well.  Next was Dueling Dragons (Fire and Ice) rollercoaster.  We picked ‘Fire’ and accidently got in the line for the very front car.  Even though it took some extra time, it was totally worth it.  I really liked that ride!!  By then it was getting real close to closing time and we hadn’t even made it to Universal Studios yet…we were just in Island of Adventure.  We decided it was time to haul ass through Woo-Ville and over to Universal and get in line for the Simpsons ride before the park closed.  The Simpsons ride was the longest wait of the day, but definitely well worth it.  It was another movie simulator ride.  It was a huge I-max theater with moving seats that corresponded with the movements of the movie to make you feel like you were actually a part of it.  After the Simpsons ride…the park started clearing out but we had time to walk around a little more.  We checked out the Back to the Future car, the fake streets, and fake city.  Justin mentioned that we had looked like a photography club because of all the pictures we were snapping, and the necessary O-H-I-O pose.  At the very last minute we tried to jump on the Twister ride, but didn’t make it in time.  On the way out, we checked out the Rock Shop at the Hard Rock Café, and then called it a day.  We were all dragging (Tucker even had his shoes off), and starving!  Pizza sounded delish, so we stopped and grubbed on a Philly Cheese steak pizza.  We dropped Tucker and Tony off at their apartments, and Justin and I headed back to his place.  Justin had class…again…at 5am on Monday, so we put in a movie and crashed.  We were tired and sunburned. 

Monday – I slept till Justin got home from class at noon.  He had an amazing idea to get Chipotle for lunch and I was all about it!!  The chicken burrito bowl was calling my name!!  Lunch was good, the weather was hot, and we were still so tired.  We came home from Chipotle and watched TV…I packed and took a shower…then he took me to the airport.  As I was sitting at my gate, I noticed the pilots kept getting on and off the plane and talking to people on two-way radios.  Everything was being put on hold and they were now 10 minutes late from our scheduled boarding time.  I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I wasn’t too concerned either.  After about 20 minutes, I started to get frustrated not only because we weren’t boarding, but because they hadn’t even come on the loud speaker and told us what was going on.  And I was definitely not the only one concerned at this point.  Finally, they told us the plane was having maintenance issues and they were not sure when it would be fixed.  The next flight wasn’t scheduled to come in till 10:10pm and we could only be put on standby.  By 8:00 I was getting really frustrated and went to the desk to ask her if I could switch my flight to the next day.  She said “yes, for $150.”  Or she said I could go out to the main desk and talk to them.  So I did that.  The ladies there were rude, but helpful.  They kept asking me “Why would you want to stay an extra day…the hurricane is coming and you may never get out of here.”  First of all…no, the hurricane wasn’t coming, and second of all…who are you to tell me what to do?  She ended up switching my flight to Tuesday for free and Justin was on his way back to the airport to pick me up.  Yess!!  Another day in Orlando!!  We went home, made Shells and Cheese, I drank some Coronas, watched Justin study, and we put in a movie and fell asleep.

Tuesday – Justin had class at 5am again.  I slept in (my plane didn’t leave till 3:10).  Justin got home around 12:30, we watched a few episodes of I Love Lucy and we were off to the airport…again.  I made it to my gate right as they were calling my group number for my flight.  Perfect timing!!  We taxied on the runway for 20 minutes and people were starting to get frustrated again.  Turns out the computers on the plane wouldn’t boot up and they had no idea when it was going to be fixed.  This was beginning to be a pain in the ass and I was convinced that I was never going to make it back to Albuquerque.  They eventually started letting people off the plane to stretch, switch flights, get drinks, and they even started showing a movie on the plane.  This was ridiculous.  I’m half-tempted to write a bitch-fest letter to American Airlines.  Maybe I’ll score some free miles or something.  I was not only pissed about the delays two days in a row…but American Airlines employees are totally unfriendly.  I easily spoke to 4 or 5 different employees within the last 2 days and not one of them was friendly to me.  One of my biggest pet peeves are un-apologetic people…so I really pay attention to how and when people apologize  It really aggravated me that the American Airlines stewardess and captain did not apologize after the 1.5 hour delay out on the runway.  I was not a happy person and wasn’t looking forward to getting back to Albuquerque.  But I made it.  Adam pulled up right as I walked outside…and everything was back to normal.  He was in an awesome mood and we joked and poked fun at each other (like normal) the whole ride home.  Overall, Florida was amazing!