update!

i dont mean to bore you with my many complaints about how hard nursing school is... BUT it just is!

i finally survived hell week and a day.

recap: last week - two lab validations - i passed!; 2 exams - 1 B, 1 C (not too happy about that C); 1 interview (to make sure i am ready for clinicals); 1 quiz (grade still tbd), and 2 exams today! (grades still tbd) and im free... well, till wednesday at least (i have yet another exam!)

so i think that pretty much sums it up. nursing school is occupying all of my time and i never really have a moment to not study. yes, i still go out, but studying is always on my mind.

so much, i am hoping/praying einstein will learn it and it will transfer through osmosis?? perhaps??

overwhelmed!

whoa nelly.

first week of nursing school down and it is no joke.

i really need to prioritize and get time management under control.

this first week we didnt have lab so i only had 1 or 2 classes for 2-3hrs a day. it was the life. i would get home, tune into abc family (i know, don't judge, but who doesn't like watching sabrina the teenage witch and full house reruns?!), and then spend my afternoon napping, followed by watching real housewives or jersey shore, maybe even more abc family.

last night, i was starting to feel a bit stressed. i was going over my syllabus for each class and making a list of what i needed to get done by next week, and its too much. silly me for not realizing earlier.

so, time to get organized. i cleaned out my laptop (hoping for optimal speed and to last for another 2 years), bought a printer (print all my articles/PPT slides ahead of time), and bought binders and other miscellaneous office supplies to get everything in order. i felt better already.

that is until tonight. for my pathopharm/physiology class, its 5 credits and is basically the toughest course in nursing school. before school even started, we were assigned to read over 100 pages!!! so in order to make sure we keep up with our readings, we have a quiz before the next lecture class. so i have this class monday and tuesday nights, and the quizzes are open from wed-fri. 1 quiz, 3 minutes. no retakes. no problem? yah, right. how am i supposed to read 100-200 pages in a two day span when i have other classes assigning me just as much work? im already drowning in work.

i was planning on working part-time while in school, so i can have extra money. but at this point, i dont think i will be able to work until i get a better grasp of school and settled in.

this weekend i hope to be more productive even though i am scheduled to work the next three days. thank goodness theyre only 4hr shifts each.

A new chapter has begun.

So much has happened in the past two weeks.

-          I said good-bye to my job

-          I witnessed a great friend get married

-          I visited my parents in sin city

-          I did nothing for days on end except , sleep, eat, and watch tv

-          I had my first ever travel catastrophe

-          I started nursing school

So.much. I think I’ve finally caught up on sleep and regulated my jet lag. I was quickly reminded yesterday how great it is to be back in school; all the free-time I now have! The stress-factor being solely focused on studying and learning the material of school. This is no easy feat but I’m ready.

almost to the end

my time here in corporate america is soon ending. farewell pencil skirts, silk blouses, and pointy toe heels. hello, scrubs!

im days away from bidding my final good-bye to my job and my happy hour is tonight. one of my co-workers won't be able to attend and had sent me this wonderful email:

Hi Pam,

I'm sorry that I'll miss your going away happy hour this afternoon. I thought I'd be able to make it, but my babysitter isn't available to stay late today :(
I wish I had been able to work with you longer - I love your sweet and cheerful personality, not to mention your gorgeous smile, and great sense of style.
I wish you all the luck in the world in nursing. I know the profession will be lucky to get you.

how absolutely lovely. :)

jack johnson. to the sea.

i went to the jack johnson concert this past weekend at merriweather.

amazeballs. we had great seats and he sounded great. g-love was pretty awesome too.

this weekend goes down in the books for one of the best nights!

(also at the age of 25, i can now say that i've tailgated and used a port a potty!)

all things vera bradley.

growing up in jacksonville, i was surrounded by friends and their mothers who had at least one vera bradley item, whether it was a wallet, tote, or duffel bag. i never understood why they wanted something that looked like something a grandmother had hand quilted. but secretly, i longed for a paisley, floral, bright colored fabric bag of my own. and up until last year, i finally fulfilled my need. and now i am hooked. so hooked, i went to a vera bradley launch party yesterday morning and waited in line. GASP. i know. over the past year, i have started my own little vera bradley collection. i have this wonderful duffel tote, the perfect beach vacay bag, a gifted coin purse, and i won this ID case yesterday. i am so beyond hooked. its so fun and girly. i love it.

the new fall colors

weekend recap

i feel like i have finally caught up from the weekend. i finished a book, slept (a lot) and spent most of the weekend in DC. after 3 years of living in DC, i finally saw the fireworks on the mall. they were wonderful and i was overcome with pride for being an american and celebrating our freedom in the nation's capital. after the fireworks, the crowds quickly cleared and we walked along constitution to the lincoln memorial. we sat on the steps and just took in the view of the city. it was such a calm, peaceful moment.

today is the day.

i just came back from a wonderful caribbean vacation to key west and the bahamas. the seas were calm, the sun was shining, the food was delicious. and i got to spend it all with my family, cousins and little cousins included. i felt so spoiled on the cruise and highly recommend going on a cruise. everything you would ever need is available at your fingertips!

so im back at work and today is the day ive been dreading since november. ive been harboring this secret since then and today is the day i tell my job im quitting. im all kinds of nervous and sick to my stomach. i really like my job. i knew going in, that i was never going to stay, but as months passed, i got so comfortable and have made some great friends. i found my routine and got settled. but alas, i have to put on a brave face and just get it off my chest.

wish me luck.

*edit: so i did it. ripped off like a band aid and i couldnt be happier. :)

on sale, size 7? yes, please!

Tory Burch flats. I have coveted for what it seems like a lifetime. I finally bought a pair (on sale!) at Nordstrom’s half yearly sale. The sales associate brought out all TB shoes on sale, in my size. Then, I nearly died when my eyes landed on these platinum beauties.

I didn’t care how much they were, I had to have them. They were mine. I finally owned a pair. I wore them to work as soon as I got the chance. AND ouch. They kind of pinch and are not so comfy, but hey, it’s the first day, I probably have to break them in. So today, I am trying again, and I can’t help but stare at them. They look so good.

These are the times I’m supposed to be living it up.

And living it up I am. I can’t even remember a weekend where I have had nothing to do and just vegged out. And you know what, I don’t really miss it. Sure, I am exhausted on Sunday nights and throughout the week, but its all so worth it. This weekend started with happy hour promptly starting at 5PM, soon to be followed with all night drinking. Saturday, up early – I blame the doggies, and headed down to Dupont to meet Stacey and her mom who was visiting from Jax. We walked from Dupont to Georgetown and had lunch at the waterfront, munching on the most delicious crab dip I had ever tasted. We walked around Georgetown a bit then found ourselves in line at Georgetown Cupcakes. The cupcakes are so yummy and decadent, I don’t mind the wait! I then met up with my sister and bro-in-law to do a Georgetown walking tour of the various movie sites filmed there. We even walked down the Exorcist stairs! We then rushed over to the Capital to catch the remainder of the Asian Festival. We had sticky rice with cut up mangoes. It was so tasty, we had to go back and get another.

I rested for a bit at home before I headed back out into the city. I met up with Stacey and as soon as we emerged from the hotel, we were quickly flattered by two guys walking past us. It was going to be a good night. We went to Lucky Bar and boy, how things have not changed. We got our drinks and soon found ourselves dancing and screaming “I love this song” to every song that played. We danced and danced up until the point where it became the hour of the night when it becomes the creepy “lets see who I can grind on” moment came and left and went to Town. We met up with the boys and danced on stage and kept dancing till our feet hurt. We did some quality bonding time in the car as we waited an hour for McDonalds only to be told they only take cash (where we had none) and were stuck in the longest line ever and couldn’t get out. Haha, this was quite the funniest moment of the night. I guess its one of those “you had to be there moments”. I didn’t get home till 5AM, only to awake four hours later to head to the mall to open the store. I was not a happy kid. All things that could go wrong when opening the store happened (power outage the night before screwing up the computer system, no other employees there to open the store) and lets just say I was so happy to be going home at the end of the day.

What a lovely weekend it was, and now memorial weekend is a few days away, where a BBQ is happening and I get to see my bestie and her lovely family! Hello, summer!

Savannah, on my mind.

18 years of living only 120miles away from Savannah, I curse myself for never paying it a visit until now. My weekend started a little rough with flight delays caused by a random hail storm. I didn’t get into Jacksonville till late Friday night and was exhausted from the work week. Mary and I sat on her couch both trying to stay energized and keep conversation going, but an hour into it, we threw in the towel, and went to bed, only to get up 5 hours later for our drive to Savannah.

The drive was a little less than 2.5 hours with a stop at Chik-fil-A to consume their so good spicy chicken biscuit breakfast. If you have yet to try it, find the closest Chik-fil-A and get to it! The drive was smooth and we passed many little bridges over marsh land along the way. We drove right to Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady and Sons, and saw the line was already wrapped around the block and it was only a little after 9AM. We quick parked the car and hurried to the line. The website had said the reservations for lunch and dinner for the day start at 9:30, but the hostess must’ve started earlier because by 9:30 we were at the hostess stand and had our choice on what time we wanted to eat lunch. We put our names down and scurried off like giddy school girls, posing for pictures in front of the restaurant and off we went to explore Savannah. We walked all over the historic district, and without meaning to, walked in a really huge circle around the historic district. We walked down cobble streets, to the river, through many squares, taking in the charming beauty of the tree and hanging moss-lined streets of Savannah.

By the time we saw all that we wanted to see, it was time for lunch. We got back to the restaurant and were seated promptly. We both opted for the buffet and sweet tea and we could hardly wait to dive right into the food. We were first served with a cheese biscuit and a ho’cake (fancy name for a pancake if you ask me). Now, onto the buffet! For only $13 we had many options: fried chicken, roasted chicken, riblets, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, collard greens (the best I have ever tasted), green bean, sweet corn, and sweet potatoes. There was also a salad bar, but puh-lease. Really? Salad? Who would go to Paula’s and eat a salad. Load me up on fried, “budder” goodness please! For dessert, they brought out a tray and we chose banana bread pudding and one of her “budder” gooey cakes.

After lunch, we headed down to Paula’s store and bought shirts and I bought a frying pan magnet bottle opener! We soon headed back on the road and back to Jacksonville. We spent a few hours laying on the couch before we had to get ready for dinner and a graduation party. We ate dinner at Yo Sushi – hands down best sushi ever. I have dreams about their Helen roll – which has cooked spicy crabmeat on top of the sushi rolls. Mary so kindly sent me a picture message of this yesterday. I wanted to punch her I was so jealous :) . See picture below.

We then went to a graduation party in San Marco where I was reunited with some high school friends I haven’t seen since high school graduation – seven years ago. It was nuts!! We drank many beers, swayed along to live music, and spent the night outside. One thing I don’t miss ahout Florida are the mosquitoes. I have ten bites on my legs that are red and itchy like no other. Grrr.

Sunday quickly came and it was time for me to go, but not without surprising my family first. I spoke to one of my cousins Friday to see what my family had planned that weekend. It was my aunt and uncle’s wedding anniversary and they were going to have lunch at one of our favorite after church eating places, Piccadilly. Mmmm. Mary and I got their early and slowly, my cousins trickled in, each shocked to see me! The best was as I was walking to the table, my aunt and uncle happened to walk in and couldn’t believe I was there! I then received death threats from my aunt who got upset that I didn’t call her when I first came into town.

Lunch was wonderful and I was really happy to be able to see my family and still do all the things we wanted to do this weekend. I miss Jacksonville a lot. It was a nice weekend to see my family and friends that I grew up with. It’s a special bond that I don’t quite have up here in DC. Well, minus living with my sister. I don’t know how more special our bond could be. Haha.

So now, I leave you with a few pictures I took of our mini road trip to Savannah:

one of the many little bridges we crossed

right after we put our names down for lunch

reynold's square - the first sqaure we happened upon

one of the many beautiful scenes we encountered - hanging moss, cobble streets

the river and the bridge i saw in so many savannah google image searches :)

i think this is river street

we took a picture at all the fountains we saw in each of the parks we went to

forsyth park - hands down prettiest park i have ever seen

fountain @ forsyth park

every street in savannah looked like this. gorgeous.

after successfully stuffing our faces at paula's

HELEN ROLL. nuff said.

friday, you're finally here!

what a long week it has been. ive been so exhausted these past few days. i fly to jacksonville tonight. i havent been back since thanksgiving. i get to see one of my all-time favorite besties, mary, right before she gets hitched! we have plans to get up early tomorrow, and by early, i mean 5-6ish and get on the road to savannah. as close as it is to jax, i have never been. ive always wanted to go but whenever im in jax. its always filled with family outtings. so off to savannah we go and straight to paula deen's restaurant, where we will anxiously wait in line before we load up on fried, "budder" goodness. i can't wait. maybe i shouldve fasted this week... hmmm. i return back to DC sunday afternoon. what a whirlwind weekend this will be and im ready for it!

fiesta, ole!

Everyone needs a little fiesta to brighten up their lives.

Over the weekend, I hosted my very first party – fiesta themed. I was up till the wee hours Friday night making sure the house was in order and that the tub margaritas had a decent amount of tequila. I woke up early Saturday, partly due to the dogs whining to be let outside and with waves of nerves/anxiety. It was fiesta day! AHH! I went to the grocery store to pick up supplies for tacos, guacamole and a few snacks. I got back to my place and made my very first batch of guacamole and it was quite tasty. I had to put it away or I would’ve eaten the whole thing before the guests arrived. The next hour went by quickly and before I knew it, I had the makings of fiesta all complete. Tacos – check! Tub margaritas – check! Tequila in freezer – check! Limes cut – check! Guacamole – check! Corn on the cob – check! I even had the time to salt the margarita glasses and bought paper umbrellas to stick in them. Now it was time for fiesta!

Most of the guests arrived around 2PM and the fiesta lasted till 1:30AM! We drank and consumed everything in sight, we played games, we sat outside, we passed out, we played chat roulette – omg, this was quite the experience, and im going to leave it at that – we even watched betty white on SNL. It was a fun day/night and I can’t wait to do it again!

jp and shaun made this cookie cake for mother's day, i mean, cinco on the ocho.

recap.

Ah, quarter century aged and loving it.

I had a lovely visit with my parents and their stay included eating, shopping, and lots of sleep. There was some quality bonding and cuddle time with their grandpups, Penny and Einstein too. Some highlights included, an at home crab feast at midnight that lasted till 3AM, where I was wished Happy Birthday during the wee hours of my special day. A delectable dinner at Poste, where we feasted on truffle fries, steak tartare, shrimp escargot, beef bourguignon, and many more items that simply melted in your mouth. Shopping at the outlets, where a birthday present included a new Coach back-to-school bag. The last day of their visit, we went to the Kennedy Center to watch Shear Madness. It was a nice mini-break and I am glad I was able to celebrate mine and my mom’s birthday.

The past few weeks, I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things. I’m trying to get back into a workout routine, and tried running 2x but my knee instantly started to cramp up. I am actually thinking about cycling. This would prove quite challenging to me since I never learned how to ride a bike. I tried last summer, but failed. I was too aware of losing my balance and falling on the ground. Maybe this summer, I will try again and for once, ride on two wheels!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! (one of my favorite celebrations) Margaritas + tequila = fun times ahead! I am throwing a fiesta this weekend and am super excited. I love hosting/throwing parties, esp. when the main ingredient involves tequila. So cheers to you and looking forward to the weekend.

belted

i love the belted look. i always have my sister guess what outfit im going to wear when i go out and she always says so and so cardigan and belted. it becomes this running joke because it is so true. no matter what, i always seem to belt my outfits. i think it gives it a more polished look and helps define and minimize your waistline. so when i got this anthropologie email, the subject line read : an outfit's always better belted. i completely agree!

reflection.

I am turning twenty five tomorrow. Twenty five.

I have been having mixed feelings about this. I love birthdays. I love having a whole day to feel special and dedicated to you, but I can’t fight off this apprehension I have of becoming one more year older.

Twenty four was an amazing year. It was actually golden. I found the courage to quit my job, seriously entertained the idea of going back to school, witnessed my sister getting married, travelled sans parents overseas, got accepted to nursing school, and trained for a half marathon. I really transitioned from lost, post college girl into becoming comfortable with who and where I am in my life.

However, with my last day at twenty four, I am uneasy. This may sound silly, but twenty four was so great and I got everything I wanted, I don’t know how twenty five could top that.

I sadly will not be running my half marathon. I blame it on genetics, literally. I have been having pains in my knees the farther I ran. I thought it was because of the distance, but its because I was running on incline or up hills. I have misaligned knee caps which make my knees stiff and buckle whenever I run on incline. This was truly sad news for me. I have never been a runner and just four months ago I could barely run a mile. I was so proud to have dedicated my time and truly stuck with my training schedule.

So, I guess with that news, I am not off to a good start to twenty five. I wanted to accomplish something big and running a half marathon was a huge challenge for me. I know to not dwell on this and that I do have many exciting things happening in the year. I have a few trips and mini vacations planned out in the next few months that I am really looking forward to, especially my weekend getaway to Jax/Savannah with one of my favs and long-time childhood friend, Mary :)

I am starting another chapter in my life. I go back to school full-time in August which I am over the moon thrilled for. I am going to become a nurse, just like my mama! Speaking of which, my parents come to visit this weekend. I haven’t seen them since November and they rarely come to visit, so I am glad to be spending my actual birthday with them. We will also be celebrating my mom’s birthday which happens to be three days after mine!

Okay, I think I am ready for this. Quarter century age, bring it on.

My early twenty birthdays:

twenty

twenty one

twenty two

twenty three

twenty four

i heart brunch.

since the weather has been warming up, outdoor dining and brunch have been at the top of my must-do-list once the weekend rolls around. bottomless mimosas, good weather, and great company make for an exceptional weekend.

adios pale skin and bulky winter coats.

totally in love with this weather. it is a bit torturous sitting at my desk looking out the windows when all i want to do is lay in the grass, better yet, the beach with a margarita in hand. sigh. soon, cruise countdown is at 79 days.


90 degrees tomorrow. holy cow!!! it seems like its going to drop to 60 on friday.. im hoping not and it'll remain this hot and steamy at least through the weekend.

this past saturday was beautiful. i spent the entire day outside and i think i got some color on my face and arms. i was at the dentist this morning, and it was a new dentist and upon meeting me she extended her hand, and exclaimed : "hello!! wow, where are you from? you are so tan."  so, i guess this is the start of my summer skin. hola!

random thoughts

is it weird that when people i havent talked to in awhile ask me how im doing, i automatically catch them up from the day i graduated college till now? its as if my life started as soon as i graduated. and then i realize wow, ive just caught them up on the past 3 years of my life and then its a shocker because im like HOLY CRAP ive been out of college for 3 years?!

whenever someone asks how old i am, i am inclined to say 22 as my first thought. then i have to ask myself, wait a second, how old am i again? and i think its weird because at 22 i was graduating college. i feel like theres some meaning here. maybe internally ill always feel like im 22 and starting anew.

---

we have been on a very nice sunny/warm streak here in the DC metro area. im loving it. this weekend i have plans for brunch and bottomless mimosas! im also going to run 8miles tomorrow. im getting anxious about it. yesterday afternoon during my run, it was 80 degrees and the heat definitely took my breath away. i plan on running first thing when i wake up tomorrow. i have two routes mapped out and not sure which one i want to do. the first one is just run along one of the main roads for 4miles and come back. the second one is run along the main road then run through one of the neighborhoods and come back. im leaning more towards the second option because i think itll be a bit safer running through a neighborhood than along a main road.

everywhere i drive, ive noticed more and more cars with either a 13.1 or 26.2 sticker. and you know what, i feel like these bumper stickers are more and more inspiration for my runs.

hello yellow.

how wonderful is this weather forecast?