Brainshambles

It is Tuesday evening and I am finally wound down from work. Kyle is also at basketball, so I have a little time to myself. I’ve done all my normal after-work activities: cat litter, dishes, vacuuming and some clothes folding. Work is going well and although I am insanely busy, I’m really liking the routine. (Or deviation from routine–depends on the day!). On the wedding front: I ordered my invitations, finalized the guest list, and officially took off a week in August for our honeymoon. Now we just have to figure out where we will go! I’m really pushing for Costa Rica, England or South America. If the price is right I might get lucky with one of those locations, but with my luck we’ll probably end up just doing another Caribbean cruise. Which is fine really, because by August a vacation will be much appreciated regardless of destination!

Time to move along. A few photos as per usual:

A quick photo post before I drive in the freezing rain to work. Because it’s Friday, sure why not?

(Still my favorite photo of Lohan ever)

Hello friends. I am exhausted, but feel like I should post a little something to keep brainshambles relevant. What a lovely time for some bullet points.

-I love my job. I love my job. My job is intense. I hope I keep loving it.
-I am tired, and have had the most amazing sleep these past four days.
-Does anyone else know how amazing it feels to actually sleep through a whole night after years of intense insomnia? Hope it sticks around!
-Today is technically my 4 year anniversary of dating Kyle. I didn’t realize until just now. But I sort of feel like anniversaries are different now that I am engaged…
-Wedding, OH YEAH, almost forgot I’m supposed to be planning a wedding all while getting accustomed to my new full time corporate life.
-Going to bed now, I don’t think I have ever appreciated a weekend as much as this coming. Maybe I’ll find time to take some new photos.
-Oh, yes…we’ve had about 5 days of blizzard/freezing rain weather conditions. Makes for AWESOME 40 minute drives to work. In my little tiny car. O-H-I-O

1. I survived my first day at the new workplace. I didn’t do much more than stare and wander and look at documents and files in awe…but considering this is all so very new to me I am feeling positive and eager to learn. Oh yeah–how about driving on your first day to the new job in a BLIZZARD. There is a reason I am neurotic and over-plan. See? I still arrived 10 minutes early.

2. Came across this gem today. A lovely piece (the Marilyn, not the diamond) that I thought I’d share. Whoever this girl is, I like her style. In tattoos and shoes.

Let me preface this post with a quick statement regarding my feelings on resolutions. I like to make them, and always break them. But I still keep making them because I enjoy setting goals (whether abstract or concrete). Much like I enjoy making daily lists on yellow post-its and crossing off items with PURPOSE. So anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say here, after having just spent all day eating pasta, chocolate, bread, and peanut butter while laying on the couch with my dogs…is that I want to make some resolutions. Because it’s trendy, because I like the idea of change and fresh starts, even if by next year I haven’t been a total success. Why not try, eh? So here is my resolution “to-do” list in no particular order. And perhaps unconventionally, I plan on starting all of this TOMORROW (that would be January 2nd) considering today was sort of a day of loafing limbo.

1. Do at least 20 minutes of pilates or cardio 3 times weekly (not including weekly riding lesson).
2. Eat when hungry, and only when hungry.
3. Find and then exude confidence.
4. Enjoy my engagement and not turn into a true bridezilla.
5. Be a devoted and patient fiancee (or wife, come August).
6. Stay focused, positive and driven as I begin my new career.
7. Learn how to budget and manage school loan/credit debt.
8. Make more art.
9. Help my miniature dachshunds lose weight so they don’t develop horrible and expensive back conditions.
10. Make more meals instead of eating sandwiches or lean cuisines for dinner.

Reading them back to myself they don’t really look like resolutions. But to each his own. Those are just a few things I plan to work on in 2010. Life is about to change quite a bit for me starting Monday, so we’ll see how it goes! I will now get back to watching football (gag) with my fiance and the wieners (cute). Happy New Year!

I want to write a big long post about what has changed so tremendously for me in 2009, and what changes are still to come in 2010. But to be honest, I have to go brush my teeth and get ready for some shopping and a manicure-pedicure with my trainer/friend Jeannine. So, tomorrow you will get the good juicy post with all of my accomplishments and maybe some resolutions. But for today, I decided to whip up a little collage to showcase some of the highlights of this year. So much has happened, there isn’t enough room (or pictures) to really sum it all up. But for now, this will have to suffice.

I’m sure I will be writing a similar reflective post after the New Year, but I really feel like today marked the close of holiday madness and the beginning of a fresh start. Today was my last day at Rainbow Veterinary Clinic. I could write for days about the lessons I learned working there, I could tell you crazy stories you’d never believe, I could make you laugh and make you cry. But instead, I guess the best way to sum it all up is to say that Rainbow Vet Clinic gave me 5.5 years of truly AWESOME experience. I left today with minimal tears and a quick hug from the boss lady. Almost as if I’m just going on vacation…as if I’ll be back next week. It feels good to be sent off by a group of people who I know are rooting for me, who have given me invaluable resources to succeed in my next position. Speaking of that next position…I now have one week to purchase a new wardrobe and get psyched. I am nervous but excited and truly looking forward to overcoming obstacles and pressing forward. I am ready to hit the ground running in 2010. Confidence and positive thinking are my two focal points for this coming year.

My Christmas was really busy and I ate myself into oblivion. For someone who generally eats very well, I overdid it to the point of making myself physically ill. My poor little body has been shocked. Once all of this leftover cake is gone…I swear. Back to all whole grains, fruits and veggies and lean protein. I promise.

I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I received more than I could have ever asked for this year…some of the highlights:

-Engagement ring (As if that alone wouldn’t be enough!)
-Victoria’s Secret Sweatsuit
-A Snuggie, yes…really
-Macy’s gift card for new work clothes
-TWO gift cards to my hair salon (convenient, as I have an appt. next week)
-Handmade quilt
-Clothes, gloves, scarf, etc.
-Money
-Custom Hunt Coat (for my Horse Showing–all you non-equestrians)
-Steam cleaner (you know you’re getting old when you ask for these sorts of things)

And there were many more great gifts, great dinners, great desserts and the always interesting family interactions. I am so thankful for my decent health, amazing fiance (who has shown me true dedication and love over these past few hectic weeks), happy animals and warm home. I do believe it’s time for bed now. But as mentioned previously, I am off for an entire week starting today so I do hope to update a little more. On Monday my mother and I are going fabric shopping for my wedding dress, then there will be lots of random cleaning, shopping, reading, and hopefully a little art making before my new job starts on January 4th.

So I graduated. Became engaged. Got the job. All within literally 72 hours. Now, I am finishing my final days at Rainbow Veterinary Clinic, preparing myself for the corporate world and have become a bridezilla. The wedding date is August 7th 2010, so I have about 7 months to pull this all together. We moved the date up a whole year for a variety of mostly boring reasons and I am happy. I love my fiance to pieces and I am so excited to start writing this new chapter of our lives. It’s only slightly more difficult than I would expect to be normal because we’ve both just made huge career changes and all of the madness occurred right before/during the holiday season. Next week I have a few days off before I start working at my new location. During this 5-6 day period I plan on brushing up on my computer skills, purchasing an entire new wardrobe (no more scrubs…ahhhh! Business suit mania!), and figuring out a few of the priority tasks on my wedding list.

So far I know for sure that my bridesmaids are wearing a rich purple-ish color called “Sangria” and that my dress is going to be a serious piece of artwork. I am so thankful to have a talented mother who makes her living by designing and making wonderful costumes and clothing. I can also tell you that my invitations are adorable. I can’t wait until we sign the contract for the venue (hopefully next week) so I can just ORDER them already!

Oh yes, Kyle took me to the jeweler this past weekend to pick out my wedding band. It’s white gold like my engagement ring with a single row of small, sparkly white diamonds going across the band. For his, he had actually purchased a really great diamond and gold ring in Puerto Rico years and years ago. We had it sized and polished so it fits his left ring finger now instead of his pinky. I will post pictures some day when I am not a zombie. As we both have acquired new shiny office jobs, Kyle also bought us each a nice watch while we were waiting for the jewelery to be cleaned/sized, etc. They are Eco-driven, meaning they require no batteries, only exposure to light. Sort of neat, hooray for saving the earth.

Off to let the dogs out and get to bed. Today was insane at work and tomorrow will likely be a repeat. Good night!

We set the date…moved it up a whole year. Reserved the venue today, August 7th, 2010. My life has been drastically changed (for the better!) in the last 4 days. Graduation. Engagement. And I received the job offer for the position I prepared so tediously for. Maybe someone somewhere really is looking out for me and decided it was time for a little sprinkle of luck and good fortune. Or maybe I am who I am, involved in a randomly occuring series of events which are starting to get better and more fun (albeit challenging) with each day. Regardless, I am thankful. So thankful for all the love shown by my family and friends and all of the wonderful opportunities coming my way. I do have a bit of a 5-6 day lull coming next week, and in between shopping for essentially an ENTIRELY new wardrobe for work, I plan on making some new art for you to ogle. Perhaps snap a few photos, hit the shutter if it’s not too frigid outside. I feel little bursts of creativity coming back to me as I embark on a new chapter of my life. I am welcoming it cautiously but with open arms. I want to succeed, continue to make others proud, and foster my blossoming relationship.

Before I leave you, here is one of my new favorite photos of Marilyn Monroe. I particulary enjoy this one, because it’s said that at this very moment in the photo shoot she simply “switched”. She was done…no longer Marilyn Monroe. Simply Norma Jean. A human being, living, suffering, enduring.

Just a quick update here, it has been quite a long and emotional day! I graduated (pictures to come) with my Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies this afternoon, enjoyed some good food with family, and then when I got home….

Kyle proposed to me!