Picture Links!

I realized that I don't have very many pictures on here! And since I just went through & copied all of my wedding blog posts into this one, I thought I'd update other stuffs too!

These are all of the pictures that I have on Facebook.

~ WEDDING PICTURES ~
Engagement Pictures
Rehearsal
Getting Ready
Ceremony
Reception
Honeymoon

~ COLLEGE PICTURES ~
Fall 2005
Spring 2006
Dallas Formal 2006
Zahra's Birthday
Summer 2006
Fall 2006 (1)
Fall 2006 (2)
Snow Day 2006
Spring 2007

~ SPECIAL ALBUMS ~
Mommy
Monte
Feast 2006
High School

Grilling & Mourning

Monday afternoon I ran into Julie (literally) in Wal-Mart! She was buying brownie mix and I was renting a movie from redbox. I went to her apartment and we watched P.S. I Love You and made fun of the wanna be love interest for his "encroaching" on the main character's broken heart.

While there, I got a call from Benjamin. He & Patrick were leaving the gym, and he wanted to know if Patrick & Maya could come over & grill for dinner. I said that was fine, of course, but then made a mad dash home to make some sort of sanity out of the disheveled living room. I must have set a record. Between 6:10 and 6:50, I straightened up the living room, dusted, vacuumed, washed some dishes, swept, cleaned counters, emptied Chloe's litter box, took Monte outside, did the bare essentials of bathroom cleaning, put drinks in the little fridge, and hopped in the shower. I also put the cooler that Benjamin had taken to bridge the day before outside for him to empty (I can't tilt it on its side...sad, I know).

Then I joined them at the grill outside, where we chatted & played with Monte (he loves company). The husbands made comments about how sore they've been, while the wifes sat & watched the grilling. I must say, I'm glad hamburgers fit into this high-protein diet they've assimilated. Mmm, yummy! Then we ate by the pool & I had my much-anticipated margarita. Now, I've never gotten drunk, but that's probably the closest I've been. As soon as the guests left, I'm pretty sure I made some startling advances of a not-so-innocent nature...but I'm married so it's ok =P Whee!

BUT! We didn't bring in the ice chest before we went to bed, and the next morning it was still outside when I left. I remember thinking to myself, "We should put our name on that" but then I figured I'd just do it when I got home. Later I got a call from Benjamin asking if it was there when we left. Apparently someone stole the charcoal during the night, and then the ice chest! And we're 99% certain it was that dim-wit neighbor of ours who dinged Benjamin's new car & on whom we called the police for domestic violence. So today when his unlawful bag of trash blew over in front of our door, I left a passive-aggressive note on his door about the rudeness of allowing his trash to encroach on his neighbors' space.

I can't wait to get out of here. I've found 2 places I'm excited about checking out, but anything will be better than this - no more living on campus (though it was definitely a huge help with my overcrowded schedule), and tons more space!

I would like to go beat up that guy. But, Benjamin's not home to protect me if he decided to fight back...so I'll wait. Or more likely, I'll chicken out all together.

Girls Night

Last night I went out with Holly & Megan, while Benjamin went to a going away party for a church friend. First we went to a store with very unique shoes...I bought 2 pink pairs last year, and just recently found a dress to wear them with!

Then we went to a coffee shop called Buzz Brews, that is apparently Megan's favorite. She got a rotten new potato. I called it "stuffed"!

Then we took pictures of the semi-perverse cartoon speech bubbles outside.

Today Benjamin is in Arlington for work, to help someone move, and to build a computer. Since he is spending his day productively, I decided to do the same. So rather than exploding a computer or dropping someone's heavy furniture, I went to the gym. I haven't been in quite some time, but it makes me feel good about myself to have been a non-bum today.

School is over! However, I only have one grade. Sad :(

Orchestra: ?
Judicial Process: ?
Chamber: A
Medical Ethics: ?
Psychology: ?

Mom is having her 2nd hip replacement surgery tomorrow. She's done so great in physical therapy, that I don't think she'll have a very hard time with recovery, at least compared to the average. I won't be there for the surgery, but I'll go down to Houston on Wednesday evening.

Check out Mom's Medical Update Blog here!

Long Time, No Post

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because of the end-of-semester madness that comes a couple of times each year. Here are some of the things that I remember:

My violin recital went quite well. I got to wear a pretty dress, and there were no major mess-ups! Somehow, I think the fact that the hall was full actually made me less nervous. Strange how that works... But Benjamin & my dad gave me some really pretty flowers, that I've been able to arrange nicely in a vase. It's a pretty mix of dark & light pink gerber daisies (duh), pink calla lilies, and pink gladiolas. Benjamin's family, grandparents, and cousin came, along with my parents & Juliane, Julie & Derek, and Zahra & Neil. I feel I was well supported :)

I was not, however, well supported by my teacher from last semester. I got a B+ in one of my literature classes in the fall, and decided to contest the grade and request an A-. I have gone all semester under the impression that I had until finals to start the process, but really I only had 8 weeks. I met with the professor anyway, and she didn't want to change the grade. I understand that teachers have the final authority on these issues, but I feel like I should not have made an "A/B" (whatever that is) on my paper and a B- on my exam. Especially when her only complaints were things like "don't phrase it that way" and crossing out "their native country" and scribbling in "Czechoslovakia." And really especially when I speak English fluently, and...well...

I have 1 more exam tomorrow, and then I'll be finished!

This summer I'm taking 5 classes:
> Statistics (CCCC)
> Advanced Composition
> World Music
> Intro to Criminal Justice
> US History

And then I'll be finished-finished! I don't know if I'm relieved-excited or scared-excited. Luckily I don't have to decide right now...I just need to get to the point where I do.

Last night Benjamin let Chloe sleep in the bedroom instead of in her kennel in the living room. I didn't notice until I got up to get some water at 4am. So I guess she behaved herself rather well, or maybe I was just tired & didn't notice her walking on me.

It's only 4:40 and I'm ready for a nap.

I'd like to find out what I need to do to get teacher-certified without having to take classes here.

I had a yummy margarita last night, and it was yummy. I want another one today :)

Home Sweet Home

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

Well, sort of =P

It's been forever since I've written on this thing, so I don't really even know where to start! Benjamin and I had a beautiful wedding, made complete by our family and friends who shared it with us. I can't believe that I wanted an outdoor reception, though. It was hot! Mom & I checked the forecast the day before the wedding, and all was supposed to be sunny and dry. On Saturday, though, we realized that Benjamin didn't have the vest to his tuxedo, so we made an emergency trip out. It was nice though...we were so busy that neither of us had an opportunity to really get nervous!

Ok, well I'm getting ahead of myself lol. Julie & I went to Houston on Tuesday, and Tuesday night Megan, Jill and Veronica threw my bachelorette party. It was lots of fun...they even had a Disney princess tablecloth! (though there were some "inappropriate" paraphernalia drawn on it hehe). I got a little loopy and ended up falling asleep. I was partially awake again when they had a slightly-dressed guy burst through the front door and run through the living room.

Benjamin was supposed to work all day on Thursday and then drive to Houston on Thursday night. However, the little sucker (ok, sweet and sexy babe) left work without telling me and showed up at my parents' house in the very early evening!

On Friday night we had the official rehearsal. However, it didn't really count, because Julie was in Georgia for a convention, Amanda was on her way to Houston, Jason was at training for his new job, the flower girl was en route, and the minister was at church camp in Ohio. Benjamin & I went to get manicures & pedicures, and were a little late. The "wedding coordinator" (aka meany-poopy-head) was a total snot, and started treating me like a little kid. She was telling Benjamin's parents to do the wrong things, and trying to completely take over myyyyyy wedding!

Wedding Coordinator: come on!
Benjamin's mom: I think we weren't supposed to walk in during this song.
Wedding Coordinator: It doesn't matter, it's fine.
Me: *nicely* Hey, could we try that again, with the other song?
Wedding Coordinator: You want to do it again?!
Me: *slightly less nice* Well, they weren't supposed to come in to this song.
Wedding Coordinator: *huff*

Later...
Wedding Coordinator: You need to do the unity candle now.
Me: *listening to the minister/Benjamin/etc* *notice she's yapping, so I look at her*
Wedding Coordinator: *really snotty look* Can we take this seriously please?
Me: Sure. *hand on hip, 4th grade girl rebellious look*...(hey, it was my wedding)
Wedding Coordinator: Fine! I'll just let you do it your way.
(keep in mind, we didn't want her there in the first place...she wasn't "coordinating" anything)
Me: *sweet tone* Thank you!
Wedding Coordinator: Uh! *snatches our candles & walks off to get her purse*
Wedding Coordinator: *to my dad* It doesn't look like you'll be needing my services here any more this evening.
Dad: Oh, ok! Bye!

I asked Ethan if he had gotten it all on tape, and he said yes. I can't wait to see it. She was sooo mad hehe.

The day of the wedding went smoothly for the most part. I was a little worried that something major would be forgotten, but it was all great. I remember making Julie go out & take pictures from the balcony so I could make sure enough people were there to start. (I didn't want everyone having to be in the balcony!) When Dad & I came in, I hardly noticed anyone in the audience. I didn't realize beforehand that I wouldn't see the audience at all until we were presented Mr. and Mrs. The main things about the ceremony that were "funny" I suppose, were that I couldn't blow out my candle after lighting the unity candle because my veil blocked it, so Benjamin had to blow it out. Then, when Benjamin was allowed to "kiss the bride," we kissed for what I guess was a long time. People started laughing, and the minister kind of cleared his throat a little. At the reception, Jill, Veronica & Matthew commented that it was quite passionate. Jill said she accidentally pinched Matthew, and Veronica said, "I'm told that if you begin a marriage with a lot of passion, it'll continue that way. So, I think you'll have a passionate marriage!"

When I tossed the bouquet, Julie & Amanda had a little tustle. I have a picture of them both going for it, and another one where Amanda has a "ha!" look on her face, and Julie has her fists clinched and seems to be charging. It's awesome =P

Juliane & Ryan gave their speeches, and both were so heartfelt. I know that Benjamin and I love our siblings dearly, and were so glad to be able to share the first wedding for both families with them.

I rode all the way to Galveston in my wedding dress. This was not the best idea, for 2 reasons. One, it can feel somewhat comfy while you're standing up, but when it's late and you're tired, and the bra is digging into your boobies and bruising your sternum, it's not quite so comfortable. Two, we didn't really think ahead about how we were going to fit my giant dress in our luggage for the cruise. But, I wanted Benny to be able to take it off of me, so I suppose it was worth it. And since he doesn't pack much stuff, there was room in his suitcase :)

We spent Saturday night and Sunday night in Galveston. Sunday we walked around a little bit, went to the grocery store, and got a pizza from Dominos. Or Pizza Hut. One of those places lol. Monday we took a taxi to the port. Benjamin wanted to make sure we were there "on time," so we ended up getting there before anyone else. We were wearing our "Bride" and "Groom" shirts, so everyone we talked to thought we were part of a wedding party. Of course, that meant that they sent us up to the waiting room with the actual wedding party, which was apparently preparing of an on-board wedding. Other than them we were the first ones on the boat! We had opted to carry most of our luggage on, a decision that we remedied getting off the boat. (If you take a cruise, don't carry your stuff. It's a long walk.) Going through security, one of my bags set off the alarm, and when we saw which one, I freaked. (You don't need to know the details.) To make a long story short, we had crashed Benjamin's bachelor party the week before, and his mom had gotten some handcuffs for me to put on him during our raid. I had stuck them in my bag and forgotten about them, and, well...apparently they don't allow handcuffs on cruise ships. Oops!

On the boat, we lugged all of our luggage (is that why they call it luggage?) to go eat lunch before the rooms were ready. Benjamin called our parents to tell them we had made it, and his mom told him a funny story. It totally made our day. Everyone, including Mrs. Wedding Coordinator, had been asked not to wear perfume to the wedding, because of allergies. She showed up about 10 minutes before the wedding:
Ryan: Do you have the candles for lighting the unity candle?
Wedding Coordinator: I don't know! I thought you didn't need me!
Ryan: *really nice voice* We don't...we just need the candles.
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I may have some in my car. I'll check.
Later...
Aaron (usher): *doesn't know who she is* Are you friend or family?
Wedding Coordinator: Well, I'm not family!
Aaron: *smells perfume on her* Ok, well I'm going to need you to sit up here.
Wedding Coordinator: *epitome of ticked off*

My parents and Benjamin's parents had gone to lunch on Monday, so they got to hear the story before we did. The cruise was awesome! I wasn't scared at all, and I didn't get seasick! More about that later, perhaps. Our room steward learned our names, and would always come in our room while we were gone & make cool towel animals to put on the bed. He even arranged my pink pillow on the bed with the others =P

We stopped in Progresso and Cozumel. In Progresso, I got sick from the cigarette smoke and the heat, so we just bought some tequila and got back on the boat. In Cozumel, we did some shopping. Benjamin wanted to rent a motorcycle thing, but I forgot about the fact that we could go all over the island. Instead, we bought more tequila (he brought back a ton of tequila), and took lots of pictures. It sprinked a bit, and we were ready to go in, so we got back on the boat and drank a margarita. On the last day, we needed 4 more cups to complete our "4 yellow, 4 pink" collection, so we had to get started early. We split our first pina colada around 10 am. And I don't hold liquor very well, so needless to say I was a little wobbly for the rest of the day.

Now we're back (duh, Adriane), and getting into the swing of things. The apartment still isn't organized, but at least we've opened all the presents, and the ones we need to take back are filling up the back seat of my car. I still have a ton of thank you notes to write, but I'm dreading that. I think it's the sheer volume of notes that is stressing, not the act itself. If I do like 20 a day, it shouldn't take too long.

What's that?!? An update?!? Why, yes, I believe it is!

(Original post at www.abforever.blogspot.com)

Though I've been terribly busy, my laziness in regard to blogging was recently brought to my attention by dear 'ole Zahra. Indeed, this page is in desperate need of an update :)

As previously mentioned, the wedding date is Saturday, August 4. That's right at 7 1/2 weeks from now! Obviously, I'm quite excited, and I'm continuously counting the days.

We're still working on finishing up the invitations. They have been something of a project, and I'm thankful to have had a lot of help. I hope to have them mailed out early next week, but as with everything, I need to be flexible.

My parents have done a ton of work on the guest list, and making arrangements with the church at which the ceremony will be held. They've made calls and ordered my dress, and been more than supportive of mine and Benjamin's goals. Benjamin's mom and sister worked with us on the invitations well into the night a couple of weekends ago, helping us to put a huge dent in the amount of work. Nana is addressing envelopes this week, and I'm glad she's being patient with my ever-changing list of addresses. Megan has volunteered her expertise to design the jewelry for the wedding. Julie and Amanda have worked their schedules around mine, and taken time out to search for the perfect bridesmaid dresses. I can't wait to see how they look on all of the girls!

My fiance (whee!) has been nothing but helpful over the past couple of weeks. Along with putting in overtime at work, he has been making frequent trips to Houston on the weekends (we've gone 3 times in a month!), making plans for our honeymoon, gathering addresses, and cooperating with my sometimes-emotional nature. He's even been spending his evenings gluing bows and paper cakes onto invitations. He has had such a willing attitude, that I feel much more at ease and less worried that I'm going to forget something or run out of time to get things done. Benjamin has made it clear that he does not want to view the planning from the sidelines, and I can't thank him enough for all of his involvement.

Well, last night we (hopefully) finished our Target registry! We have a few more things to add at Macy's, but I think that's going to wait until the weekend. We have some pieces of furniture picked out, and I think we'll be very happy with our decisions. We're still excited about our ducky-themed bathroom!

Haha, I just realized that I keep typing "we"...I can't wait to be "Mr. and Mrs." <3

Yesterday I got a call from the bridal store saying that my dress & veil & petticoat and all that fun stuff have come in! I need to go in to get everything finalized, and then I'll get to bring my wedding dress home & hang it in the closet where I can look at it every day. I can just see myself walking around in athletic pants eating ice cream & staring at my dress. That reminds me of a conversation I had right after I moved to college in August 2005...

Zahra was reading me excerpts from "The Complete Handbook for College Women" & came across a section on eating disorders.
Me: *eats a peanut M&M*
Zahra: Accept & appreciate your body in its natural state
Me: *sits & thinks*
Me: *eats another M&M"
Zahra: Reward yourself for accomplishing tasks...
Zahra: ...For example, treat yourself to a night at the movies, a call to a friend, or a couple of your favorite jelly donuts
Zahra: "So then you can get fat & love your body in its natural state"

Tonight, Benjamin came over and I bought my first alcohol. Of course, given the hobbies of my company, it was beer =P I tried to drink it with a straw, but Benjamin put a stop to that. Apparently "you don't drink beer with a straw." Who knew? =P

I should probably get to bed...I'm blinking to stay awake lol. It's been a tough couple of weeks, and I think it's time for a pre-midnight bedtime :)

Dinner in a Movie

Julie & I just had a nice evening out :D Here's the play-by-play...

6:30 - discuss the possibility of watching a movie at home
7:15 - discuss the possibility of going to the dollar theater & Wendy's
7:36 - decide to see Because I Said So (at 7:50) & go to Wendy's
7:38 - run out to car in the freezing coldness
7:39 - I remember that I need my coat, so I take Julie's keys & return with coat & blanket
7:40 - Julie makes fun of me for the blanket & talks to Lindsey on the phone about going to Jack in the Box
7:45 - arrive at Wendy's
7:48 - leave Wendy's
7:53 - arrive at movie theater

We made it from home to the movie in 23 minutes...What can I say? I'm a vivacious driver.

Ze Weekend

...was spiffy :) Benjamin & I had a fun double-date with Jill & Matthew...we found a really good sushi place, we watched a couple of really ridiculous movies (Is it just me, or have movies gotten dumber since I stopped watching so many?), and the guys surprised us with flowers <3

Now Monte is falling asleep in my lap. He is probably rather tired, as he could not get over the fact that he had company over yesterday. He went virtually crazy as he demanded & received lots of attention. The consensus is that he is quite a cutie :-p

Mourning the Fishy

Yesterday, Benjamin's white fish (name unknown) died. He will not be flushed immediately, though, as a proper mourning period is in order. He was a good fish, and we are sad to see him go.

On a slightly more hilarious note, we watched a video in Ed Psych last night, which elaborated on Kohlberg's 6 steps in moral development. In the video, a doctor was conducting an experiment which involved giving electric shocks to a student (the "learner") when he answered questions incorrectly, as asked by the "teacher."
Doctor: When you get a question wrong, you will be punished with an electric shock.
Learner: Are you sure this isn't dangerous?
Doctor: Although the shocks may be extremely painful, there will be no permanent tissue damage.
Class: *partially laughing, partially dumbfounded*
Time passes
Teacher: That's wrong...15 volts. Excuse me, sir...how long do I hold the lever down?
Doctor: That's for you to decide...you're the teacher.
Teacher: Wrong...30 volts.
Time passes.
Teacher: Wrong...120 volts.
Learner: Aaaah!!!
As it turned out, the guy wasn't really getting shocked...Kirsten was able to tell me this about 5 seconds into it. Ergo, I was able to laugh along with the unintended humor of the low-budget video without feeling like a terrible person. The experiment was really on the teacher-dude :-p How's that for a twist?

Aaaaand, today was my first day of tutoring 3rd grade! All in all, I think it will be a positive experience...a little crazy at first, but I'll soon settle in. Hopefully I'll have my own class in about 2 1/2 years! Wow, that'll be nuts :)

Tomorrow (errr, today) we'll have breakfast with Megan & her boyfriend, and then dinner and stuff with Jill & her boyfriend. Should be fun!

Crap Crap Hooray!

Yesterday was soooooo terrible. Until I got off work, the high point of the day was when Tito and his "cootie catcher" told Justin that he was going to die by being eaten alive by army ants.

But then, I got a prime example of why I have the absolute best friends & boyfriend in the entire world. Kirsten picked me up after work, and we went to the mall. After a while, I was feeling much better. Then we picked out 2 shirts that I love (they'll make me look like an "authority figure" when I go to my tutoring job), and I called Benjamin to tell him:
Benjamin: Where did you find them?
Me: New York Company or something.
moments pass
Me: *at the check-out* Ok, I really have to go now *hang up*
lady rings me up and I pay...all things behind me I fail to notice
Benjamin: *walks up behind me & gives Kirsten the "shhh" signal...pulls out his driver's license to show her who he is, and calls again*
Me: Ugh, I told him I can't talk! *silences phone*
Sales Lady: Maybe you should answer that...
Me: No, he knows I can't talk.
Finish checking out
Me: *turns around to leave*...Kirsten, you ready? What?
Sales Ladies & Kirsten giggling
Me: *turn around* Oh my goodness!
Clearly, my darling had come to see me :)

I love him.

I suspect Julie of having a secret breakfast date...

I was in the kitchen & she came in all dressed for an outdoor excursion. After talking for a few minutes, she proceeded to walk to the door to leave. Being as it was only 8:30 am, I questioned her motives, to which she replied:
Julie: *innocent voice* I'm going to get some food.
Me: *questioning look* We have food here.
Julie: *rushes for door* *annoyed tone* Clearly I'm running away to Mexico to get married.
Me: *excited* Oooo! Can I be the flower girl?!!
Julie: *excited* Really?!
Me: Yeah!
Julie: Ok :)

The Strip

As I was leaving work today, Chad & Jake (Christian's interesting roommates) yelled at me from across the road:
Chad: Hey Adriane!
Me: *turns to look*
Chad: Want a show?
Chad & Jake: *open up their coats as though they're flashing someone (but they weren't, of course)*
Lady on the sidewalk: *laughs & shakes head*

Julie & Zahra were in the Pub today while I was working. I told Zahra about the dream I had, where she called me & told me she was engaged (she's not...I don't think hehe) and I almost had a wreck or something...don't quite remember. She showed me her ring...very pretty :) I think the dream was birthed from Julie's evil attempt to convince me that Zahra was engaged, when really she's not. Ergo, I blame Julie for the wreck I had in my dream :-p

Last night I went to a Peer Adviser information session, and today is a First Year Leader information session. As you can see, I'm becoming quite informed this week.

Customs! Beware!

Julie & I are going to pick up Jessica from Love Field this afternoon.

Julie: I can drive. I just need you to be there to say, "hey Julie, you can't go in there. Look at all the signs that say DANGER." And I'll say, "but look, this is customs!"
Me: Julie! We're not even going thru customs!
Julie: *with irritation* I don't know any airport terms! The only ones I know are "customs" and "beware"!

And I just killed a fly. By myself. Yes, I'm proud.

Zahra may have to be one of the cutest people in the world. I love you more than I miss you too, sweety!

Julie & I are disappointed by the number of bugs in our apartment. We have both found Roley Poley Cemeteries in various areas. "Sad days."

Tool Box

Julie just got here. I have been crowned her assistant in organizing her room & putting together the gigantic bookshelf that she "didn't know [she] had to actualy put together."

Julie: Ok. So, first off, we may need...tools of some kind
Me: *looks* Oh no!!! *runs to room to blog*
Julie: Where are you going?! To get tools?
Me: Yes. They're stashed away in my giant tool box.
Julie: Well you do have tools. I saw them.
Me: *blogging on the other side of the U"
Julie: Adriane! You're not copping out on me! *minute passes* Oh! They're labled! We can be successful on our venture!

I heart Julie.

Aaaaaaaah so long!!!!!!!!!

So, Zahra says it's time for an update...and I must say I agree. Much has happened since my last update, and though I shant elaborate on everything (it's been like 3 weeks!) I will give some highlights. In addition, I promise to relapse into my previous blog-aholic ways once I move & school commences.

~ July 22-25 --> went back to Dallas, stayed in the apartment with Jessica, hung out with Benjamin mucho, went to Studio Movie Grill with Zahra & Julie for Julie's birthday, had tons of fun
~ I'm dating darling Benjamin, and he makes me smile :D I can't wait until Saturday when I get to see him again after 3 weeks of being in Houston!
~ Quit my job at Ben & Jerry's quite impulsively. While being impulsive is not in my nature, neither is being verbally attacked by my coworkers. Nuff said.
~ I registered for another class! Something's gotta give...
~ I got permission from Julie to buy the frivolous pink chair for my room. She says it might cost me a fuzzy poster though.
~ Attended my cousin's bridal shower & rehearsal dinner & wedding. I've decided that unless my mommy will do "yardguard" throughout the area, I will be unable to have the outdoor wedding reception of my dreams because mosquitos have an evil plan to eat me at every opportunity. I could ask them to be nice since it's my wedding and everything, but I'm not sure they'd cooperate, being that they're mosquitos and all.
~ Met my cousin's boyfriend, whom I have never met but everyone else has.

Ok, another update is promised soon! Should be before I move...less than 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Funny Facebook

Here's a clip from a Facebook message from Ian:
You know what I've realized? I talk to you everyday on facebook and you live within a stone throw away. Ok, that's bad.

Let's all hope that Adriane feels better in the morning, and can thus go to work. :)

Dallas Trip-o

Well, 'tis kindof late, but I believe an update of my WEEKEND OFF (yes!) is in order :)

Megan & I left Sunday morning at about 5 am. We both wore the clothes we slept in, and took church clothes with us as it was Pentecost. We stopped for coffee & then again to walk around a bit. At that point we bought a map of "Dallas and Surrounding Areas"...partially for amusement, but we were certainly glad to have it later.

About 2 miles from the hotel at which services took place, we heard an awful noise coming from my car. As we had to turn into a gas station lot anyway to go the other way, we stopped & opened the hood (well, I popped it & Megan found the latch). Behold: smoke! Dad said to keep going & we called him when we got to church. However, as I turned the car back on, the alarm went off (for no reason) and I had to jump out to unlock the door with the key or something. I believe we made quite a scene. After finding church, we went to find a place to change, and just happened to turn into the same gas station! It's like a magnet lol.

At church we talked a bit, and then went to Saltgrass with Scott for lunch. There was quite a bit of time left before the second service, so Scott taught me how to drive a stick shift!!! It was awesome! Someone asked him if it was he who had been driving around in circles in an empty parking lot lol. I wasn't very good at it, and apparently I was burning the clutch the whole time, but it was super fun. We stuck around for about an hour after the second service, and then went to Kaitlyn's house. Oh yeah, I honked at a car (for like the first time ever)...Megan was proud.

We had a "piggy night"...eating pie, popcorn & candy (chocolate...oops :P) while watching Rumor Has It. I, of course, fell asleep, but I got the jist of it. Kaitlyn was so nice to let us stay with her...thanks Kait!

I asked Dad to check my work schedule because even though I had requested off on Monday, I had a feeling my boss would schedule me. And, of course, he did. So I got a call at 6:30 am from my dad saying I'm scheduled at 10 am. At 8 I called my boss & told him the situation. Apparently, though, he allowed my coworkers to think me simply irresponsible, as several asked me about it yesterday. Argh.

Monday morning Megan (ha! consonance!) had to be at her advisor's office at 9 am. We made it! Of course it was in Founders North & navigation was tricky...but I totally saved the day (just kidding). During that time I went to return my apartment keys at the leasing office, where I was also going to talk to them about our room assignments for next year. But, they don't open till 10 am, so I sat there. Then Megan, Kaitlyn & I walked around, met Nicole & Zahra in the Pub, and Nicole brought our Freshman Convocation Planning Committee (FCPC) shirts...whee!

We went to Cici's for lunch...Megan kept going into a "reserved" section to get stuff out of the toy machines. Eventually, the party of kids got there & swooped in on her! Then I wanted a pink ring so I ventured down there myself :P

We got lost several times on the way home...not "lost" I guess, but I was glad that we had the map. I-45 was closed for several miles, and we were in stopped traffic for about 45 minutes. An 18-wheeler had burned to the ground...it looked bad. After getting off, we took a side street where, stopped at a light:
Megan: eww, that man is smiling at us!
Me: what man?
Megan: the one who is looking at us over there
Me: eww *turned head & wished we had one of those screens people put in the front window when parked*
Megan: *reading map* Oh! *puts huge map against her window*
Me: yes!

We got home before dark, and I took my new phone to get it programmed at the Verizon store. But, they didn't do everything they had said they would, so it ended up being pretty much a wasted trip. Oh well...I probably would have goofed it up had I tried to activate it myself. Then I promptly went to bed early, as I was majorly tired. Time to go to work!

Like a little girl again :)

I went to QuikTrip on the way to church and was blatantly hit on by a guy there. He held the door when I went inside, and when I came out he was waiting by my car. He smoked. 'Nuff said.

Then I found out that Ohio (where QuikTrip is) turns into Hillcrest (the road I take to church). I was, needless to say, quite happy. Yay, QuikTrip!

After church, I was looking for Mardel & found an estate sale instead. I like estate sales, because most of the people who die & actually have estates to sell are old. And I like old people. And they often have interesting stuff.

I couldn't find it, though, so I stopped at the intersection of Spring Valley & Coit to ask how to get to Mardel. I think I was in the "bad" part of town...or at least the bad intersection in town. People were creepy. I left quickly.

Tonight I went to Target looking for new pajamas (Julie wants me to get rid of my aged cheeky monkey ones) and jogging suits for Mom's physical therapy & rehab. I didn't find jogging suits I liked, but I did get some pajamas from the little girls' section :D They're pink :D

I discovered an invitation to my cousin's wedding last night. Apparently it's been sitting on the counter in my apartment for a couple of weeks. It's on my birthday. I need to mail the response on Monday. It's addressed to "Adriane & Escort" and Julie offered to be my escort :P

I'm taking home the rest of my stuff tomorrow. Joy...more packing. (Catch the sarcasm?)

Whee Dallas Trip!

Though I originally hoped to leave at 4:30 Friday morning, I didn't really leave until about 8:30. Sleep = important! I filled up with gas and, as per Dad's request, stopped every hour-ish. The trip was peaceful, and by the time I hit Huntsville (about an hour) I had run out of coffee and tired of the whole putting-your-foot-on-the-gas thing (those 2 things are not related). Thanks, Dad, for exposing me to the beauty that is cruise control :)

I had been doing quite well and was confident in my innate ability to navigate from Houston to Dallas. Perhaps I became too sure of myself, because while on the phone with Dad I suddenly realized that I was no longer on I-45. No sir, I was headed to Ft Worth!
Me: blah blah blah wait! Dad I'm on I-20 headed to Ft Worth!
Dad: *patronizingly* I dont think you want to do that
Me: well it's either that or Shreveport!
It's ok. Thanks to said navigating instincts (ha, right) I found my way home.

When I arrived at the apartment, Zahra was here to greet me. Julie was out with a boy, much to my disapproval. Julie, darling, no dating. You're married, remember? Zahra & I considered 2 restaurants for dinner (Cabbi-somthing's and Maggiano's). As you can probably tell from my inability tor recal the first, we chose Maggiano's "Little Italy" (so cute!) Zahra called & made reservations...the only time available was 5:45!!! I insisted that she make the reservation for "Jasmine" (her princess). Then we went to QuikTrip (whee!!) and my slushie gave me a tummy ache. Julie got home & we weren't here. When we did arrive, she was in the bathroom so we did a really crummy job of hiding between her dresser & closet.
Julie: *coming out of bathroom* Zahra? Adriane?
Zahra & Me: *silence + quiet giggling*
Julie: *goes into living room & starts singing*
We decided she didn't care about us! (jk Julie)

I was not a vivacious enough driver, so we were about 15 minutes late for our reservation. We got virgin Miami vices with lots of cherries (we told Guam, our name for all waiters, that we needed them to be very pretty & worthy of our picture-taking). Zahra ordered the marlin (or as Julie says, maaaaahlin) and it was tiny. False advertising on Guam's part. Julie & I both got the chicken & spinach manicotti and it was huge. However, we both noted with a sad sigh the absence of vegatables.

Due to our forced early reservation, we were finished with dinner before it even started to get dark. But this gave us an opportunity to do what we do best when we venture out of our apartment - PICTURES!!!! The outdoor architecture & landscaping was beautiful. Oh, and my dress kept trying ot fly up...once it actually did! And we pretended to be the valets while they were gone. Then Julie sneaked a not-so-subtle picture of them upon their return.

Yesterday, Julie & I went to see She's The Man at the dollar theater. Great movie! Cheesy, but hilarious. We stopped at Sonic to get drinks first, and Julie put them in her purse :) After the movie, we walked out of the theater & I smoothly put my cup in the trash can. Julie, however, continued sipping from her's as we walked through the halls, proudly (but unconsciously) sporting the huge Sonic logo.
Me: *whispering* Julie! Your cup says Sonic really big!
Julie: *jolt! looks around! puts cup down around her knees!*
Me: *uncontrolable laughter that catches the attention of our fellow movie-goers*

So, I would like to publicly proclaim:
Happy Birthday Zahra!!!

Orchestra Revisited

I went to the Klein Orchestra concert tonight. It was awesome...even though Klein has become somewhat ghetto/slackerish, the performance was awesome. Chamber (whee!) played a Finzi piece (whom Jennifer has stated that she hates lol). The combined Symphony played pieces by Shostakovich, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky (The 1812). Of course, the other 2 orchs played things too. The "finale" was Phantom of the Opera. It was great, but the lighting was cheesy. Jill said that she was sure the Phantom himself was actually "in" the Centrum!

Jill, Brit, Katie Z, Amanda & I went to IHOP after the concert. Jennifer was a pooper & skipped out, using an early work day as her lame excuse. Ha!

Speaking of which, I'm using tomorrow to apply for lots & lots of jobs. I don't mean that I'm going to actually work at lots & lots of jobs. In fact, I think one will suffice. But I'm applying everywhere.

So, I sink it's about time for bed. I should probably try to look nice tomorrow. Tonight was the first time I've straightened my hair in 2 weeks. I've worn it curly every day except yesterday, when I went full-fledged lazy & put my wet hair in a ponytail. Yes, I am a college bum. Actually, I'm worse than a college bum...I'm a college bum home on break. Yeah, this is the life... Eventually, reality will set in, and I will be a college bum home on break who is working & taking summer classes against her will. Thaaaat should be interesting.

Today's Random Fact: I've realized tonight that I've been asking everyone (in orchestra) if I could transfer to their schools. Everyone has a better orchestra than UTD. Everyone has also given me permission to transfer. Don't worry, UTD friends...I'm not leaving. I love it there...but...orchestra...:( Me = very sad about this situation, and I look forward to its timely fix (aka find private teacher or a community orchestra).