It's Friday, Friday.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? NO! It is a Glee-d version of that horrible "Friday" song. In honor of Friday, here it is... I personally like this version better, but no one will ever be able to pick the front seat or the back seat like Miss Rebecca Black.

Also for Friday, Here is a free "free compliment handout." Print it out. Post it on your fridge. Post it at the post office. Post is somewhere and lets spread a little smile this weekend!

Tonight, my amor and I will be hitting up FAMU Law School's Law Library (law libraries are where I spend all of my free time now thanks to this paralegal program I'm in) followed by a quick trip to the Apple store to check out iPad 2s. I'm pretty sure I'll have one of those sweet puppies by the end of the night! What are you and you're amor doing this Friday night?

Not Fishing.

* Disclaimer *

I am not posting this to fish for complements. I know any of my family members who read this will flood my comments section with things telling me I'm beautiful and people probably will think I'm crazy. I am aware of this. I promise I'm just being real here.

Lately, I have been feeling like crap concerning my body. At one time, I used to eat whatever I wanted and not suffer any repercussion. I was super active between soccer and the various other sports I did. Even the first few years after high school, when I wasn't nearly as active, I didn't ever really feel crappy about myself, because my weight stayed the same. Not anymore. My weight is something that I constantly think about... it is something I constantly worry about and it is something that absolutely is starting to depress me. I know I know I know, I am not fat. Clearly I am not, but I am 10 pounds heavier than I ever was. This isn't a big number and I guess I should consider myself lucky, but it freaks me out. Let me share my train of thought...

I'm gaining weight because I work full-time and go to school full-time, thus I have no time to work-out. I am commanded to take care of my body, so I should find the time... no excuses. Then finding the time for that makes me really depressed. When the heck am I going to sleep? Then I realize, that without exercise, I will become fat, and by becoming fat, I will be depressed and then be a horrible mother... Crazy... I know.

Basically, I am feeling like a lazy slob. I want to be fit and exercise, but trying to find the time depresses me and stresses me out. I don't want to be that person. I hated that person. I always thought those people were full of excuses. Anyone else feel this way?

I want to be this:

I should feel like this:

I don't.

T.U.E.S.D.A.Y.

Today I got the $1 an hour raise I really wanted. I really hope it helps me continue to be patient as I grow within this job and helps me be a little bit more pleasant.

Usually I dread coming to class, but not this one. It's hard, but the teacher actually teaches and I feel like I'm back to my nerdy, school loving self again. Knock on wood.

Every time I think about Ben I smile. He really makes me super happy. I'm lucky to have a man like him in my life. Every girl should want one.

Should I go abroad, or shouldn't I? That seems to be the question on my mind lately. I really want to and I think I would love it, except I would miss letter "E" too much.

Disney is where I spent my last weekend. Amber, her friend Alexis and Ben were with me and we managed to hit up three of the parks. My feet are still killing me.

All I want is for my professor to show up........ Where is she? Class was supposed to start 6 minutes ago....

Yes, I am a lucky girl. I love my life, and this Tuesday is turning out to be pretty swell after all.

Jane Austen, Life Lessons and some Ice Cream

Today is a good day. I woke up on time and without problem. I was able to not fall asleep in the shower like I normally do, so I had sufficient time to blow dry my hair (something that hasn't happened in the last two weeks). I arrived at work 5 minutes early as opposed to 5 minutes late and all of my work is caught up. My class tonight is supposed to be easy and I should get out early. Yes, today is indeed a good day. What could make it better? This, except it would be with my amor:

Who wouldn't want to go ride their bikes to eat some ice cream?

Another thought: I have been mildly obsessed with Jane Austen my entire life. Recently, through the magical world of the library, I have become even more obsessed with BBC and Masterpiece Theatre's renditions of her works. I find myself watching and re-watching these classics at least once a week. I happened upon an article with 12 Life Lessons Learned from Jane Austen. I completely agree with all of them.

1. You aren't nearly as special as you think. You may walk around like the heroine of your very own novel, but you're no better than any of the minor characters. You know--those dull, ordinary, conventional people you're forced to be surrounded by. Take a good look at them: that's you. (Emma)

2. Gossip is the highest form of wisdom. The most important things in life are the small, trivial, everyday events, the little moments of feeling, that people like to gab about. That's what the fabric of our years really consists of. That is what life is truly about. (Emma)

3. Humiliation is the fastest way of growing up. You're not as wonderful as your mama told you, and the way to grow up is to realize that. Growing up, in other words, means making mistakes. Only it's not enough to make mistakes: you have to feel them. Those moments of excruciating shame when you really screw up? Cherish them. (Pride and prejudice)

4. Your feelings are not necessarily right. Feelings are always about something, and that "something" is not itself a feeling. It's an idea, a perception of a situation. And because ideas can be wrong, the feelings that are based on them can also be wrong. So relax a little bit. (Pride and Prejudice)

5. Don't believe everything you think. We do not come to things with open minds, we come with all the ideas we've already acquired, and we can't wait to project them onto everything we encounter. Instead of discovering the truth, we end up with a very elaborate theory that bears no relationship to what's actually going on in front of us. (Northanger Abbey)

6. Keeping your eyes open is the best way of staying young. Forget Botox. Staying young means continuing to be open to the possibility that life can take you by surprise. Curiosity is the true source of joy. If you think you've already seen it all, you have. (Northanger Abbey)

7. Too much money makes you miserable. Being able to get whatever you want makes you awfully unhappy when you can't get what you want. And if everything is easy, then nothing really matters. The only people who can feel are those who have a sense of what it means to do without. (Mansfield Park)

8. Listening to people's stories is the nicest thing you can do for them. A person's story is the most personal thing about them, and paying attention to it is just about the most important thing you can do. Our stories are what make us human, and listening to someone else's stories--entering into their feelings, validating their experiences--is the highest way of acknowledging their humanity. (Mansfield Park)

9. Friends tell friends when they're screwing up. The true friend wants you to be happy, but being happy and feeling good about yourself are not the same thing. Being happy means becoming a better person, and becoming a better person means having your mistakes pointed out to you in a way you can't ignore. (Persuasion)

10. Men and women can be friends, because the sex thing doesn't always get in the way. Harry and Sally were wrong. Men and women can talk to each other, sympathize with each other, even share their intimate thoughts and feelings with each other, without having to be attracted to each other. Men and women can be equals, so men and women can be friends. (Persuasion)

11. Love is never at first sight. Lust at first sight, a whole train of fantasies and projections at first sight--sure. But to love someone, you have to get to know their character, not just their body, and that takes time. True love sneaks up on you. You never see it coming until it's already there. (Sense and Sensibility)

12. Arguing is the best thing about being married. If your spouse is already just like you, then neither one of you has anywhere to go. A friction-free relationship would be a desert. Conflict is good; disagreements are good; even fights can be good. Committing yourself to someone doesn't have to limit your growth: it can be the door to perpetual growth. (Sense and Sensibility)

I hope everyone else has a great day too and maybe gets lucky enough to ride bicycles with their amor for ice cream.

Feeling Generous?

Anyone feeling a little generous out there? If you do, why don't you get me something practical, yet stylish all at the same time? I am obsessed with etsy and I pinterested upon this little gem of a shop. Go ahead, buy me this little trinket:

My address is 247 West Ventris Avenue, Maitland, Florida 32751. Thanks, I really do appreciate it.

Happy Birthday

...to my favorite actress

Disney World.

Lindsey was in the hospital this weekend so I took Amber with me to Orlando to have some fun. Ben put it properly when I asked Amber if she was having more fun with me than at the hospital. He turned to me and said, "Who wouldn't have more fun hanging out with you in your cottage and at Disney than at the hospital." Okay its true; almost anything is more fun than hanging out in the hospital. Regardless, Amber got to go to Disney on Saturday with Ben and I. We used the passes mom and dad had and went on over to Magic Kingdom, which was closed due to Grad Night. Then we went over to EPCOT, which closed an hour later. It was fun though. We walked around the countries and rode the Nemo ride (all crammed together in an oyster shell). Amber got a henna tattoo (far too overpriced) and we got shut down numerous times when trying to get a churro as the park was closing. I really enjoyed having Amber around for the weekend and I hope she enjoyed being around too (I did not enjoy her punching me in the face in her sleep... not a fun way to wake up in the middle of the night).

Also, in current affairs, I thought this was fitting:

To read about Osama's death go here.

P.S. I am still obsessed with the Royal Wedding...

I swoon....

A Little Gem

In honor of my New York - Puerto Rico trip, enjoy this clip:

Orlando to NYC to Salt Lake, wait, I mean Puerto Rico?

DISCLAIMER* This could quite possibly be wordy. A lot happened in the short 36 hour vacation and I tend to ramble. Just an F.Y.I. Also, I might abruptly cut it short in some places, because I have told this story many times and I tend to want to give the short version. Just another F.Y.I.

Months and months ago I babysat for a couple of buddy passes. I love traveling and never can really afford it so this was a perfect bargain for me. I fantasized for months about where to go with them; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic or even Seattle, Washington. It seemed that every week I changed where I wanted to go, but every plan was foiled by expenses or timing. Finally, the festival of colors in Utah was coming up. PERFECT! Ben and I packed and planned and were on our way. Chad Meyerson, the awesome and amazing person who gave me his buddy passes, made it to where our layover from Orlando to Salt Lake would be in NYC and we could spend all day there. Chad told me that he would watch the flights because sometimes SLC to NYC and vice versa were tricky in getting on the flights, but we looked okay so far. He would email me before we left with an update. It was done. Ben and I would be in NYC all day Thursday and then SLC until Sunday night and would be back in Orlando by Monday afternoon. Thursday morning, I awoke bright and early and was probably wayyy to spunky for my traveling partner. In was stoked. I love traveling. Plane, train, car, boat, I'm down.

We boarded our flight to NYC no problem and let me tell you, JetBlue is legit. Ben hates flying because it is just not made for anyone over 5'8". JetBlue has "even more leg room" seats and they were not lying when they said even more leg room. We also had our own t.v.s with live Direct TV. Pretty sweet huh? Well after 2 1/2 hours we landed at JFK. Thank goodness Cousin Cathy lives in Manhattan and is an expert New Yorker. She helped us via phone, texting and facebook to get out of the airport and into the city. We had a hard time working our way through the airport to store our bags and actually finding the shuttle into the city, but we figured it out eventually. Our shuttle took us into the city and dropped us off at Grand Central Station where cousin Cathy was to met Ben and I. We had to wait a little but so we got to take a few pictures and roam around the station.

That place is magnificent! I cannot tell you how surreal it is to be in such a famous place. I couldn’t help but think almost the entire time in NYC of movies I had watched and famous scenes that were shot right were I was. Cousin Cathy wanted to make sure that Ben and I were really going to be able to get back to the airport, so after eating at a 3-story McDonalds, she taught us the Subway system. It’s not too tricky. You just have to make sure you don’t look like a tourist or that can mean danger.

Our wonderful tour guide took us to Rockefeller plaza (where she was proposed to) and we saw where the Today Show was filmed and the ice skating rink was up and running.

Next we headed up 5^th avenue where all of the fancy shops are (like Tiffany’s…. not only did I eel under dressed, but I wished Audrey was still alive to walk me through the place) and then we hit the Plaza Hotel and Central Park.

All of these places were more impressive that I would have imagined, not mentioning they all felt somewhat familiar. Once we made it through central park, we dropped Cousin Cathy off at her school and after repeating to her the directions on how to get back to the airport we left.

I am soooo grateful for her patience and loving help to get us through NYC. Once we left her school, Ben and I walked through Central Park, past the Tavern on the Green (I think it was closed or something; it looked rough) all the way to the American Museum of Natural History (you know, the Night at the Museum place?).

That place is HUGE! We only had about an hour in there, but we managed to see all of the big stuff (when I say big stuff, I mean things like a big dinosaur or a big mammoth, you know, the usual).

From there, we hopped on the subway stop under the museum and rode it to Times Square which was just starting to get busy and light up, for us I think.

Ben really wanted a slice of pizza that New York was famous for… after much walking, we finally found one.

Then it was about time to head back to our bus to take us back to JFK. On the way to the bus, we found another pizza shop…. Ben and I couldn’t resist. We bought another piece for the ride back.

Okay, now we’re back at JFK and we get to the JetBlue terminal and our gate. What do we see? TONS of people. I immediately start to freak. Literally, a full-blow breakdown. It turned into an over-full-blow breakdown when I went up to the desk and they told me that we weren’t getting on the flight to Salt Lake. That breakdown turned into a really really huge breakdown when I went to the help desk and they told met that no only was I not getting on the flight to Salt Lake City (there is only one NYC to SLC flight every 24 hrs!), but that I wouldn’t make it onto any flight to any airport in Florida. Basically, Ben and I were stuck spending the night in the JetBlue terminal of JFK. Luckily, Chad, who was in Costa Rica, was able to figure a way for us to get back home. Fly to Puerto Rico from JFK at 1 am and then fly back into Orlando from Puerto Rico at 9pm. I jumped on that opportunity. Too bad we packed for freezing cold Salt Lake.

That night Ben slept a bit (I couldn’t) and then at 1 am we flew to Puerto Rico!

We landed at 4 am and slept in that airport for a few hours. Then we headed to Old San Juan. Let’s just say that I felt way safer without a seat belt on in that cab than I did the entire time in NYC. They drive crazy, but they do it day in and out and they are so friendly that you can’t help but feel safe. Kind of. When we got to Old San Juan it was around 9:30 am and it was deserted. Everything was closed and no one was in the streets. Ben and I walked over (I more like drugged over… my feet were tired and I was tired as well as hot because I had on jeans and a ¾ length sleeves) to one of the 2 forts in the city.

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It was huge! Ben and I are total history buffs so we eat that garbage up.

When we walked out of the fort where were probably a thousand students in the field flying kites! It was amazing.

At this point, I was dying of heat exhaustion (and I’m pretty sure Ben wanted to kill me for all of my complaining. What could he do? He can’t make it colder for me… poor guy). We ended up going into a Marshalls that was in the middle of the town and I bought a dress and Ben grabbed some shorts. We were then off to a restaurant that Ben’s dad and step-mother recommended. It was delicious and pretty authentic.

I had mofongo and some milk mixed with orange juice concoction. We walked to another fort and this one was even bigger!

Seriously, the fort in St. Augustine could have fit in it two or maybe three times. There were hidden passageways and dungeons and WWII additions.

It was crazy. The island is beautiful and we only got to see one tiny piece of it. I must MUST must go back to get the whole experience. I was so grateful for Ben and his amazing Spanish. I think he really enjoyed translating for me and getting to use it and I thought it was super hot. Our few hours in Puerto Rico have made me want to move to a Spanish speaking country.

I really hope Ben and I will be able to do that one day. It would be great for a couple of years and it would totally help with my Spanish. I was so angry with myself for not speaking up when I actually knew what to say. For instance, our cab driver asked Ben how many hours it took for us to fly to JFK from Orlando. I knew how to say “dos horas y media” (2 ½ hours), but I was scared and let Ben say it for me. I’m still kicking myself over that. Also, if you was to say excuse me (as in you want to pass through somewhere) you say, “permisso,” and if you want to excuse some one you say, “pardon.” I got those mixed up…. No wonder I got weird looks in Marshalls.

Basically that was the most eventful 36 hours of traveling. It was hectic and fun. It was wonderful and irreplaceable. It was fantastic. I don’t think I’ll ever have the opportunity to leave Orlando, Fl at 7 am to go to NYC and arrive back at 9 pm the next night from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Sorry for the long post, I’m just trying to archive memories here.