Schedule--Week of 9/19-9/25

MONDAY
6am-7am: Workout with Tiger Dancers
7am-4pm: Work (In-Shape)
4pm-4:45pm: Drive to Brentwood
5pm-9pm: Teach at Expressions Dance Academy
9pm-9:45pm: Drive home

TUESDAY
7:30am-4:30pm: Work (In-Shape)
7:30pm-10pm: Tiger Dancer practice

WEDNESDAY

6am-7am: Workout with Tiger Dancers

7am-4pm: Work (In-Shape)

6pm-9pm: Coach Tiger Dancers at Volleyball game

THURSDAY

7:30am-4:30pm: Work (In-Shape)

7:30pm-10pm: Tiger Dancer practice

FRIDAY

6am-7am: Workout with Tiger Dancers
7am-4pm: Work (In-Shape)
6pm-9pm: Coach Tiger Dancers at Volleyball game

SATURDAY
9:30am-12:15pm: Teach at Expressions Dance Academy
1pm-5pm: Tiger Dancer team orientation
6pm-?: Date night with Randi

SUNDAY
Clean the apartment, do laundry, make food for the week, see my hubby? Sleep?

How would I live without you? 

Sometimes I wonder what the hell I was thinking when I agreed to take on three jobs. Then I remember, I couldn't live without the Tiger Dancers, teaching at a studio is the best choice I've ever made and In-Shape pays the bills (and helps pay for the excessive caffeine I needed to make it through this week). As excited as I am that in less than two hours all I have left of my crazy week is dance related, I can't help but think that I miss my monster and I miss my hubby.

Only a few more days to get through, so: Hakuna Matata!

<3dollylu

Life of a Bride

Um. Wedding planning is hard. Like, really, really hard. Life would be perfect and fantastic and fun and wonderful if all I had to do was plan our wedding. But. Well, I have a job and I'm on a dance team and I'm prepping to coach a new dance season and... wedding planning is HARD.

Thirty-seven days to go and we still need to figure out our wedding ceremony, make sure it's legal for Bill to marry us, get our marriage license, get the ceremony programs, meet with the photographer, meet with the DJ, finalize our menu, finalize our flower order, buy the attendant gifts, buy our guest book, have a consultation with the make up artist, figure out our video coverage, have the bridesmaid dresses delivered and altered, have the guys fitted for their tuxes... we've done so much and, yet, the to-do list is still incredibly, unbearably long.

Bill, the secret wedding is sounding better every single day.

On the bright side, I had a wonderful bachelorette party with some of my best friends in the whole world (and with some FANTASTIC shoes).

And I had a beautiful bridal shower thanks to my wonderful family and friends (especially my Best Friend). 

I know it will all come together and everything will be wonderful, but I'm just ready to be done planning. I really, truly am. But, since I'm not, let's all just "ooo" and "ahh" at my adorable little co-pilot Monster: 

Until the next stressed out bridal post... <3 Dollylu

Mid-20s Crisis

I'm indecisive and not easily satisfied. I'm easily stressed and regularly overwhelmed. 

I admit all this openly and don't feel bad for it. However, I do feel bad and have a horrible time reconciling it when I am in debt to people. Between living expenses and planning a wedding, my debt is mounting on all sides. 

I hate to say it, since it's only been three months, but I'm actively pursuing a new job. For having a master's degree I shouldn't be getting paid less than I was as a student. Sorry, but I worked my ass off for...what? Being miserable on almost all sides on a daily basis? I. Don't. Think. So. 

Let's just say, if you have any ideas for me or know of any openings, feel free to send me some info because the pickings are slim out here in Stockton. 

MONSTER

I graduate this Saturday with my Master's Degree and while I know this is a big deal, that isn't at all what I'm happy about. What this Saturday marks for me is two years of being the happiest mom is the whole world. When I graduated with my Bachelor's Degree, my parents spent the entire day teasing me via text about what my "big present" was--could it be a trip to Hawaii or the puppy I'd been talking about non-stop for months?

As we all know, I found out I was getting my perfect, wonderful, adorable monster that day. I never thought I could love something so small as much as I do. She's the best cuddler, she loves to pretend she's about four times her size and she just can always put a smile on my face (ok, well, maybe not when I'm trying to give her a haircut, but that's a different story).

In short, no matter how big an accomplishment getting my M.A. may be, this graduation will pale in comparison to the day I found out I was going to get my little monster, Guinevere.

Pondering, Meandering, Thoughtfuling

I know I'm a stressy, highly active person who can't sit still for more than 10 minutes without needing something to do--or worrying about what I need to do--, but I sincerely wish I had the opportunity to focus on the things I love most more often.

On a higher level, while I am enjoying my new job, I still (and always will) wish I could open my own studio and just run the business and teach everyday. Or if coaching paid enough, I would make a living off of coaching competitive college dance--it is seriously the best job I've ever had. However, both of those options aren't as realistic or as near enough in the future as I'd like them to be.

To look at the entirely other end of the spectrum: I wish I were focused enough to have a theme for this blog. I wish I were talented/knowledgable/interested enough in one particular thing to write about it regularly. The few things I feel I could regularly write about, I feel plenty of other people would do a better job than I would, which is just discouraging.

On that note, 1. if you have any particular ideas for me, let me know and 2. while this may or may not have been a generally pointless post, it was nice to write again. Randi, remind me I need to do this more often--whether or not I actually have anything of importance to say.

All Appled Out

Today, I made a huge change in my life: I bought a MacBook Pro. Before today, I have only used Macs when it was the only option at school or if fiddling around on a friend's computer. I love my iPod and iPhone more than life half the time, but I never thought I'd forego my pretty pink PC for a Mac. However, it has only been about 5 hours since I got home with my newest purchase and, while it is definitely a huge adjustment, I'm a little obsessed.

The oddest aspect is that it is obscenely easy to navigate. Almost so easy that it confuses the hell out of me because I'm used to the much more complicated Windows 7. But, the ease at which I can transfer over all my iTunes music, photos and documents is just making my life happy. Best part: this computer hasn't overheated once--a concept with which I am vastly unfamiliar.

In any case, as I sit here letting my iTunes library repopulate I thought I'd throw in an excited little blog post. Every piece of technology I own (save for my camera) is now Mac-ified and I couldn't be happier.

Blog Prompt 7, 8, 9--The Lily Aldrin in Me

7. How I Shop
8. How I Choose to Spend My Money
9. I Wish I Spent Less Money on This


Let's get one thing straight: I love to shop. I love the rush of buying new things, I love trying on clothes and shoes (oh the shoes!) and I love love love buying gifts for others. So, trying to define how I shop might not be all that easy for me. I'm a compulsive shopper, I shop when I'm upset, I shop for fun. I shop often. 

I tend to spend my money, first, on what I need; second, on what I want--particularly shoes. I love shoes and I love having a collection of beautiful, wonderful, colorful shoes. This is where Lily Aldrin comes in. Her major debt due to designer clothes and shoes? Well. Let's just say I feel her pain/joy. Depends how you look at it. And on the amazing day when I own a pair of these beautiful shoes on the right...It will absolutely find joy in the whole situation. 


Despite the debt, I wouldn't change my spending habits on shoes and clothes and things. At least, it wouldn't be my first change. I wish I spent less on food, actually. Andrew and I buy good food and have plenty of things to make at home, but I always end up eating at Togo's or Whirlow's instead of eating the food we already have. 


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On a different note, YAY new layout! And yay for more friends with blogs now. Welcome, kids. Let's try to not forget about these within a week, shall we?