They All Can't Be Good Days

Not all days can be good days. It's simply against the laws of nature. If there can be a good day, it is only understandable that there can be bad ones as well. Makes sense, right? Right. But if you ask me, nature epically fails when it comes to this little aspect of life. 

I hate bad days. I am lucky, and don't have many of them. They do, however, come around every once in a while and I truly dislike them all the same. They cause headaches, significant amounts of sleepless nights, and pathetic moments of self loathing. Totally unnecessary if you ask me. Yeah yeah yeah.... we've all heard it before. "Bad days make you appreciate the good ones even more." Well, I would appreciate the good things in life without having days that I avoid mirrors, my cell phone, and wish my brain had an off switch. I'm a very appreciative person in general. Bad days just make me miserable. Not all that appreciative. Maybe it's a lesson I have yet to learn.... but an unwilling student seldom absorbs much it seems. My bad...

You know what I've found to be a fairly effective cure to bad days? Cooking, Aleve, loud music, and enjoying a good hobby or two. Sure, friends and family can help too. But if ya'll are like me (which I'm sure you are more so than anyone would want to admit) you tend to want people to say only what you want them to say on your off days, and let's face it... they seldom do. So a little TLC can really do the trick. Get a pedicure, do your own nails, pluck your eye brows, sketch, jump on the bed and dance down the hallway.... crazy what simple things can do to turn your day around. 

I've also stuck to focusing on upcoming things as well. For instance, my birthday is on wednesday. My 21st birthday to be exact. And that is quite exciting if you ask me. Now if only all the people were here that I needed to really celebrate.... oh growing up. So bittersweet. 

The FSOT is coming up too. Kind of stressful actually. Quite possibly the biggest test of my life, and I would really not like to fail it. But if I do, the world won't end. Hopefully... haha. Luckily, Steveskies is taking it on the same day. WIN. Now is only we could study together and actually take it together. Teleportation device por favor??? 

Oh life. 

My ABC's of London

Hyde Park

Abbey Road

Abbey Road
Borough Market
Covent Garden
Downing Street
Eye
Fruilli's Strawberry Beer
Greenwich
Hyde Park
Ice Bar
Julian Putkowski
King's Road
Leicester Square

National Gallery

In the London Eye

Ice Bar

My Old Dutch
National Gallery

Greenwich

O'Neill's

My Old Dutch

Piccadilly Line
Queen Elizabeth
Ritz Hotel
South Kensington
Trafalgar Square
Union Jack

O'Neill's

Victoria & Albert Museum
Waga Mama
X-Factor
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Waga Mama

Zone One













Honorable Mentions: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, British Museum, Camden Market, Chelsea, Chelsea Dagger, Double Decker Busses, Euston Station, Fortnum and Mason, Gherkin, Green Park, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Lambeth Bridge, Notting Hill, Oxford Circus, Parliament, River Thames, Regents Park, SOHO, Spitalfields Market, SW3 6NA, Top Shop, Telephone Booths, Westminster Abby


London Love Forever.

Countdowns:
My 21st Birthday: 16 Days
Foreign Service Officer Test: 22 Days
Visit Home: 23 Days
Leave for Rwanda: 32 Days

May is already half over! Crazy stuff. I'm trying not to wish the rest of the month away, BUT I AM GETTING SO EXCITED ABOUT JUNE! It will be a month full of amazingness :) Can it get much better than turning 21, taking a huge step in the direction of my future career, and going to AFRICA all in the same month?! I don't think so ladies and gentlemen! I just don't think so...

Now that summer has started, I've been working non-stop. I have an amazing tan already, and the tan lines are fierce. I also just dyed my hair back blonde for the season! I've been growing it out too, so I'm officially a long blonde hair girl again :) AT LAST! Ever since I chopped my hair off and dyed it black, I have kept it short because i LOATHE medium length hair on me. But now, the wait and patience has paid off! I missed my long blonde hair! I feel fifteen again! Haha ok maybe I won't go THAT far...

My room is also complete!!! YAY! While all the furniture was wonderfully comfortably priced, putting it all together was not very fun. BUT, thanks to some manly men and myself, all furniture is now put together and perfecto! Since my room is officially finished, my apartment feels like home. I love it. So much perfection. Totally me. And totally on a budget. WIN! Poor College Student: 1, Economic Crisis: 0! Well, actually the economic crisis beats me ten fold usually, but not this time! Bahahaha! I am quite content. I also found a Febreeze scent that is called Sunflower and Sunshine. So naturally, my room now smells of sunflowers and sunshine. Fitting? I think so.

Having your own place is so much fun. Quite liberating as well. It's so nice to have a little place that you can truly make your own. And not just a semester. I wish I could live in this apartment longer than one year. But alas, San Antonio (while amazing) does not play much into my future plans. At least not 'til after the Foreign Service and the completion of a doctorate program. Speaking of the FS, I have that test coming up! AH! Everyone wish me luck. It's going to be INTENSE. I ordered the study guide and will spend the rest of my time studying until test day arrives on June 7th! This is an understatement, but I NEED to do well on this exam. NEED. It is a life or death kind of need. Well, that's being slightly dramatic, but ya'll get the idea...

ps: Be jealous of my closet

NEWS! NEWS! Read all about it!

Countdowns:
Finish My Junior Year: 2 Days
Move out of Dorms: 2 Days
Summer 2011 Finally Begins: 2 Days (can you tell Tuesday night is very much anticipated??)
My 21st Birthday: 23 Days
Leave for Rwanda: 40 Days

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! Granted, I might still hit a few bumps on the way to the ever closer ending (aka two more finals) but I'm convinced I will at least survive the journey that is the spring semester of my junior year! Success.

So my lease started on the apartment friday. And guess what? The AC broke. That day. What. The. Hell?! I already have a blossoming bond with the apartment maintenance men after only 12 hours of ownership. Very kind gentlemen, but telling me the part needed to fix the AC won't be available until monday morning almost made me throw a famed Rachel Rant and hissy fit. Luckily, I refrained, because they were full of remorse and assured me the problem would be fixed first thing monday morning. Let's hope they weren't fibbing...

Other than the AC mishap, the apartment is coming along nicely. The kitchen is practically complete. I bought the happiest kitchen accessories. I think it may be my favorite room in the house. Green and yellow and just so plum smiley! I have an amazing blender equipped with a food processor so I've already made a handful of icy margaritas and batches of salsa. YUM. Oh the simple pleasures in life...

I'm glad to be cooking again. It is such a wonderful way to turn your brain off and focus on a rewarding craft. I never thought I'd enjoy cooking even a little bit, but after my semester in London I love it to the utmost. Such a perfect start, middle, and end to the day if you ask me. I think I've gotten quite good at it as well, and I always love refining my skills :)

Last night we had an Apartment Warming Party. It was nice, small, and fun (minus the fact that it was freakin hot). Luckily for everyone who attended, I had an ingenious idea to make hand fans out of the card board boxes I had around the house. They really came in handy. How poor college kid can you get? Sitting and hanging out in an empty apartment lacking air conditioning and using card board fans to cool yourself while drinking? So hilariously stereotypical. It was a colleg-y good time, and I have no complaints about it at all.

Today I bought my flight to Rwanda! I am SO excited. It is going to be the trip of a lifetime. I may never come back... haha! I'm going to be playing "Waka Waka" the South African World Cup song by Shakira the whole length of the flight over! Seriously. "It's time for Africa!"

I also got some amazing news the other day. I have been granted permission to take the Foreign Service Test! They don't just let anyone take it so I've officially made it past the first round of cuts! I take the exam June 7th at 2pm! Everyone be thinking about me that day, because I wanna knock this one out of the park! I don't know if I've ever wanted something this bad in my life. If I become an FSO right after I graduate from undergrad, I'd probably be the happiest person on earth. No joke. My future would be set, and I know I'd enjoy my job for the rest of my life. I'd be one of the lucky few who wakes up everyday loving the job I do and the life I lead :) SO EXCITING. I appreciate all the prayers and thoughts ya'll always send my way!

xoxo

I love my friends...

Countdowns:

Get Cable in the Apartment: 2 Days

Finish Junior Year: 6 Days

My 21st Birthday: 27 Days

Leave for Rwanda: 43 Days 

Bring It On is on television right now... YES! Oh Kirsten Dunst, back when playing characters with a body weight under 100lbs was acceptable for her age... Now, not so much.

This week is finals week, and IT SUCKS. I want my life back... not like I did much before finals, but still. I just want to play in my apartment. All the time. And not do anything productive or educational. For the rest of my life. Asking too much? Yeah maybe, at least until I graduate haha! 

I'm thoroughly broke now after furnishing my apartment. My furniture comes in tomorrow though, and that is SO exciting! I will now have a real house with furniture. I'm a big kid! Yay! Next on the list? Cable/internet guy comes on friday. However, the time frame he will arrive is between 1pm and 5pm. That is unacceptable. Who has four hours to wait around for a cable guy? Hopefully he comes sooner rather than later, but let's be honest, he'll probably show up at 4:45. Fail.

I really don't like waiting around for people. In any form. Remember my lack of patience? Well, lately it has been tested. A lot. Don't you wish you knew the appropriate amount of time to wait on certain things before it's been too long? Yeah, I'm not talking about cable guys anymore... haha 

My Twin Loves Me. BEST COOKIES EVER.

To make a long story short, I'm just ready for summer. I thank God for my friends. Without them, I wouldn't make it through all this stuff that's going on. My best friend from home sent me surprise cookies with a message in icing saying i can do it! It made me so happy. Yeah, and maybe I cried in public because I found it so touching. What of it? Then my bff Jessica has been helping me SO much with my apartment. She went shopping with me, helped me put things away, and now she's going to help me move my furniture in and put it together! I have no idea what I would do without her! I'm really lucky when it comes to friends. When you have great friends and family, what else could you possibly need? Nothing, that's what. So blessed.

Wish me luck with the rest of finals! Imma need it!