Some Much Needed Girl Time...and a New Addition

This week is passing far too slowly. On Thursday afternoon, James and I are leaving for New York and I'm very excited. However, everything between me and Thursday is moving like molasses. Tomorrow will be an especially long day with my internship and 4 clients on the agenda. Fortunately, I'm having dinner with Jamie tomorrow night so that gives me something to look forward to.

Hillary came to visit this weekend and it was really nice to spend some one-on-one time with her. This was the first chance we've had to do so in a long time. She arrived Saturday afternoon and I felt bad allowing my guest to just sit around the apartment so we went off to the mall. Now, Hillary is accustomed to Crabtree Valley Mall and our little mall hardly compares. But she was a good sport. And American Eagle was selling underwear for $1.95! After the mall, we had dinner at East Coast Wings which has become a favorite hangout of my MFT friends. I think the menu item that keeps bringing us back is the cookie skillet. You've probably had something similar - chocolate chip cookies on a skillet with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce - but you've NEVER had one like this. It's amazing. Happiness in your mouth. I could probably eat a whole one by myself but I wouldn't allow it...except maybe on my birthday. Or the day James deploys. I think Hillary enjoyed the delicious cookie skillet nearly as much as I did. Conveniently located by East Coast Wings is the movie theatre and we dropped in to see The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. It was SO good! I read in a magazine that the critics only gave it 2/4 stars but it usually turns out that I love the movies hated by critics. Perhaps that says something about my taste but oh well. I was a little worried that the funniest bits of the movie were the ones shown in the trailer but that wasn't the case at all. I recommend this movie if you're feeling romantic and in need of a laugh. After Hillary and I returned to my apartment, we watched Wedding Crashers (I saw a theme forming in our film choices...) and Hillary fell asleep on my couch, bringing an end to the night.
Sunday, we had lunch at the new Hibachi Japan near my apartment before going to pick up my kitty! We brought her home and she quickly began to explore her new environment. I realized that the flimsy litterbox she came with was just not going to cut it. So Hillary and I headed off to Target where I spent exorbitant amounts of money (not only on cat stuff but other things I just HAD to have) as I usually do in that store. On the way home, we grabbed smoothies at the wonderful Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Their smoothies are expensive but worth it because they're huge and last forever! Not to mention super tasty. We were lazy for the rest of the day, lounging around and watching Hairspray and Made of Honor (another wedding movie, hmm...). I was so glad to be able to spend this weekend with my best friend. Things just haven't been the same without having her right next door.

Since then, I've just been trying to adjust to life with a pet. I have to admit that I've gotten rather frustrated with Charlotte (that's what I named her...obviously) at times. I just have to keep reminding myself that she is only a kitten and will grow out of this rambunctiousness eventually. The biggest issue I have seems to be when I try to use the computer. She is attracted to electronics like no other and loves to walk all over the keyboard when I'm trying to type! If she keeps this up, I have no idea how I'll be able to write papers next semester. Any advice on how to stop this would be much appreciated. Otherwise, she's a very sweet cat. She follows me from room to room and even sits outside the tub when I'm showering! Today, she woke me up at 7am but that was actually okay because I needed to get up anyway. And I love when she curls up next to me on the couch and goes to sleep. :)

Until next time...happy Tuesday. =)

Time is Simultaneously Passing Too Quickly and Not Quickly Enough

I just returned from Buffalo Wild Wings a little bit ago. I suppose that's one good thing about being an adult...the ability to drop everything and go out with friends. Maybe not the most responsible thing but definitely the most fun. I left the restaurant, however, in a bit of a low mood and I'm not sure why. It was good to see my MFT friends. Since the summer began and we aren't with each other for 12 hours of classes per week, I feel like we hardly ever get the chance to catch up. We all have such busy schedules with our different clients, internships, and assistantships stretching us all over Greenville (and Snow Hill). Maybe I felt low because we had been talking about school. It's pretty much inevitable when we're together as that is the most obvious thing we all have in common but, sometimes, I just want to forget that I'm even in grad school. Then again, I suppose we all need some time to vent about things and who understands better than those who are in the same boat? We didn't stay too long but I enjoyed it. Another possible source of my low mood was that we talked a little bit about the deployment. It wasn't in detail but still, just thinking about it and verbalizing it made me blah. I wanted to call James after I left the restaurant but he has staff duty tonight and is, therefore, occupied. Fortunately, I had a good phone conversation with my mom and felt much more chipper afterward.

Today actually brought some exciting developments. Sam and I have decided to move in together for the next year and we think we found our apartment today. It has wood floors, a fireplace, a big balcony, a spacious kitchen and living room area, walk-in closets, and bedrooms that are nearly equal in size. What's even better is that I'll be paying less than I do at my current apartment for a nicer place. I'm very excited about living with Sam. I think we'll be able to help each other through the struggles that are to come in the next year. Also, with James leaving, it will be extremely helpful to come home to an apartment that isn't empty. Oh, and how good of a friend is Sam? She took off of work the day that James deploys (more on that later) so she can be with me. I don't know how I got so lucky when it comes to friends.

The other bit of exciting news is that I'm getting a kitten! Bryan's brother, Jeff, has a friend who found a kitten and is trying to get a home for her. Right now, Kristy has taken her in but can't keep her. I didn't think I'd be able to either (the pet fee at my current apartment is $350 - way too steep for me) but since I'm moving, it's perfect to get a pet! I need to figure out a name for her so suggestions are welcome. Hopefully, she will also help to alleviate my loneliness.

That was my day in a nutshell...now on to this past weekend...

It all began on Thursday. I arrived at my internship and actually had, what I felt to be, a very successful session with one of my clients. So, I was feeling pretty good...up until about 10am. I received a text message from James saying that he had found out when he would be deploying. He wanted to know if I'd like to hear it then or later. I thought about it. Either I learned of it then and it ruined my day or I worried about it for the next several hours and it ruined my day. It wasn't looking good. I asked to know then. As it turns out, he is in the advanced party and will be leaving July 27th, as opposed to early-mid August as we had expected. For the next 30 minutes, I just sat in my office, starring at the wall. Oh, and crying. It wasn't a proud moment for me but I didn't know what else to do. Eventually, Kasey came in (one of the counselors I work with, who also graduated from my MFT program) and the whole story came out. I was just waiting for someone to talk to. I felt a little better afterward but I still didn't think I would be useful at my internship so I left for a couple hours. It seemed too strange to just carry on with my daily activities given the recent news. For the rest of the day, I was in a bit of a daze and just grateful that I would be seeing James that night instead of having to wait for the next day.

The next day, I really just wanted to concentrate on having fun with James. We woke up very early (5am - ok, a little after...I didn't want to wake up) to get ready for his pro-ball tournament. Pro-ball is a cross between football and rugby and I'm pretty sure the Army created it. The major difference between pro-ball and those two sports is the lack of equipment - no helmets, no pads, no cup - just skin, bones, and blood (lots of blood, I came to find out). And let me tell you, they are SERIOUS about this game and they rarely play nice. I watched as a man was knocked unconscious. Others were walking around, covered in mud and blood. James was forced to bare his midrift as two of his shirts were completely ripped. Some of the other injuries we later learned of included a broken nose, broken collarbone, broken finger, and one guy is nondeployable because of this game! I asked James if he thought it was worth all of that and it didn't surprise me when he said it was, that it was fun. I have to admit that it was exciting to watch him play (he's good at it). However, every time they called for the medic, I got a little nervous, jumping up to make sure James was still on his feet. He managed to escape with some cuts and scrapes and at least two days of being very sore.

That night was the military ball. Actually, it was the SEND OFF ball. Hmm. I chose to have my hair professionally done for the night as I can never do much with it. I was a little scared about someone in Fayetteville doing my hair though, to be honest. Maybe it's wrong for me to feel that way but, I had basically closed my eyes and pointed at a place on the map. I didn't know what kind of sketchy sketch place I had to expect. I was lucky though and the woman I had did wonders with my hair. As a perk, she didn't try to make awkward conversation with me. I was almost too worn out from the tournament to be much of a conversational partner anyway.

The ball was certainly entertaining. As nice as it was to see James all dressed up, it also brought everything home for me. That feeling was intensified at the ball when the colonel spoke of the upcoming deployment and how much he appreciated the sacrifice families made watching their man go off to war. I was really glad when he just stopped talking. Overall though, I made it through the night (the ball, at least) without getting too emotional. Dinner was good and the comedian was much funnier than any of us expected. During his act, one man had to literally be thrown out because he was too drunk and couldn't keep his mouth shut. His poor wife (for more than one reason) was left in there by herself. I bet he slept on the couch that night.

It was after the ball that things got really interesting. When we got back to James's apartment, a lot was on my mind and I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I lost it. I just sat on the edge of his bed, still in my dress and shoes, and bawled into my knees. I don't think he quite knew what to do with me. I just felt ANGRY. I was angry about his leaving, about having to continue in this grad program knowing how insane I'm going to be and how I'm going to have to do it without his support, which I've gotten used to. He handled my outburst very well and even said some really wise things (though I think they just made me more angry at the time). He said that what happens to us has more to do with our attitudes than any external events. That's when I realized how bad my attitude has been (maybe his calling me out on it is what made me angry - but I needed to hear it). And so, to follow James's advice, I'm going to start being more conscious about my attitude and how it affects my day.

I think that outpouring of emotion was exactly what I needed and the rest of the weekend went well. We had dinner Saturday night at a Japanese restaurant and watched a scary movie (The Uninvited - I recommend it) and just relaxed on Sunday, watching another movie (Role Models - better than I expected). It's ALWAYS so hard to leave him but he was heading home that afternoon and I had work to do so I felt it best that I return to Greenville earlier than I might have liked.

So, there it is, friends. It's funny how things tend to turn out so differently than how we planned.

Taste of Summer

Good evening, ya'll :). I had promised to update with more regularity so here is what's on my mind tonight...

Have you ever seen Legends of the Fall? I watched it for the first time this weekend with James and it had a pretty profound effect on me...I've been thinking about it for the last couple days. It's probably one of the saddest movies I've ever seen. There's death, war, betrayal, violence, unrequited love. I think it was the war that got to me the most, especially since I was watching it with James. The movie begins in 1914 so, naturally, the war scenes were very different from what you would see today but it was still difficult to watch. In one part, Brad Pitt's character watches his little brother bombarded with bullets against a barbwire fence. After he dies, Brad Pitt cuts out his heart to take back to their family. Talk about devastating. All I kept thinking about was James's heart coming back to the States in a box. Sorry - gruesome, I know. But you can see why this scene would be upsetting to me. Just so much tragedy befell this one family. And where did it start? The war. I just have a very hard time imagining my boyfriend doing what those men were doing. Again, it was 1914, I know...but it's no less terrifying today. Maybe even more so. Anyway, if you do decide to view this movie...bring the tissues. It's powerful.

Fortunately, not my entire weekend was depressing. On Friday evening, I headed into Raleigh to meet up with James. We didn't do much but, after the week we both had, it was nice to just relax with each other. On Saturday afternoon, I left James to spend time with his brother and joined Jamie, Kristy, and Will for tailgating before the Brad Paisley concert. I had never actually tailgated before but it ended up being a really good time. I felt like I hadn't spent much time with my MFT friends lately so it was nice to catch up with a couple of them. We managed to avoid talking about school for most of the night which is usually difficult when we get together. Our seats for the concert were on the lawn and we had the opportunity to see some very interesting things while we were there...mostly drunk people behaving badly. For instance, one very drunk man practically rolled down the hill all over Jamie. She was okay and probably took it better than I would have. Later, an older woman got all huffy because she was worried that Kristy was going to spill her drink on her. Okay, look, when you get seat on the lawn, you have to keep in mind that stuff is going to happen. You will probably be stepped on, rolled over, or splashed with beer at some point. You may even be inappropriately groped on the way to the bathroom. It hasn't happened to me but it does happen. The concert was great and Brad Paisley is a very talented performer. Later that evening, I was supposed to meet up with James at his brother Michael's house. I should have known I was going to have a difficult time getting back. I somehow ended up in Garner but I suppose I'm becoming accustomed to getting lost because I set myself straight again without too much trouble. When I finally made it to Michael's house, I was able to meet his girlfriend, Janice, as well as his roommates. We sat around a fire in the backyard for a bit before calling it a night.

Sundays are always a bit depressing for James and me...for a couple reasons. First of all, neither of us particularly enjoy what we're doing right now and Sunday means that Monday is just right around the corner. Secondly, it means that another week stands between us being able to see one another again. So, we both tend to be in a lower mood on Sunday. However, we didn't have a bad day at all. On Sunday afternoon, we ended up back at Michael's house. That is where we watched the previously mentioned Legends of the Fall (and I cried my eyes out). Usually, I'm very concerned about the time and getting back to Greenville in order to organize myself for the week but this time...I just didn't CARE. I wanted to soak up as much time with James as possible. It was nice to pretend it was just the summer and I could do whatever I pleased. I knew I would probably pay for it the next day but that didn't seem to matter much. Instead, we had a cookout with Michael and his friends. For a few moments, it truly felt like summer vacation...until we had to return to reality and head home. Overall though...really good weekend.

I have some exciting events coming up... This Friday is the military ball. I've never been to one and, honestly, I didn't think I'd have another chance to really dress up (until my wedding?) after graduating from Meredith. So I'm quite excited. The following weekend, Hillary is coming to visit me in Greenville for the first time and I'll be showing her the sights (hardy har har). And the weekend after that...I'm off to New York for the first time ever! Look for pictures in the weeks to come! =)

Better Late Than Never

I'm nearly a month overdue on when I said I would write a new entry but, as my title suggests, it's better late than never. I guess I had been under the impression that I would have loads of free time after classes ended but that has hardly been the case. My days are still filled. Not with the most interesting stuff, albeit, but still filled. When I haven't written in a while, my dilemma is trying to remember everything that has happened. And a lot has happened. Unfortunately, my blogs won't be quite as fun to read as Sara's and Molly's who are in Italy and Iceland, respectively. I'm jealous...I'll be the first to admit that. I'm in Greenville, NC, for goodness sakes. Speaking of which, over these last couple weeks, I've been absolutely itching to get out of the country. I think it's because all my friends are rendezvousing through Europe this summer. It's been far too long since I did the same. My favorite teacher from high school, Ms. Coleman (though she has recently allowed me to call her my her first name, Season) recently joined Facebook and she mentioned a trip to Spain that is coming up in summer 2010. I'm seriously considering making this trip a reality for me. I've never been to Spain and it would be a great graduation gift (that my parents don't know about yet). I long to travel the world!

Ok, so...on to my life update. I will try to be as brief as possible, for your sake. ;)

I finished my first year of grad school. It's difficult to wrap my mind around, especially since we don't have an official break for the summer...so I feel like the year is just continuing (which, technically, I suppose it is). So let me rephrase that. I completed my second semester of graduate school. And can I just tell you that second semester was, to be blunt, HELL. I've never had a more difficult semester in all my school years. On the same day, we started our internships and began seeing clients on our own. Simultaneously, we were trying to wrap up our classes (a.k.a. we had papers, exams, and presentations to make it through) and most of us were completing the last of our assistantships. Some of us (me) were also starting new assistantships with Greene County Healthcare and trying to make time to shadow MFTs at those locations. It was RIDICULOUS. We were losing sleep (I pulled on all-nighter at the clinic with Sam on my 23rd birthday...I should NOT know that the cleaning lady comes at 5am...but I do and how I found out makes for a funny story - ask me sometime), not eating well, and not getting much exercise. I can't speak for anyone else but I had really let myself go and I'm paying now for the bad habits I acquired during those weeks (i.e. eating when I get stressed, which is often, and passing on the gym for a nap - hey, you gotta do what you gotta do). Let's just say that a huge sigh of relief was heard among the MFTs on May 7th when the semester was officially over. For the first time in about a month, we didn't have 10 million tasks hanging over our heads. It was nice. And to celebrate, I headed home for the weekend.

Before I proceed to the next part of my update, I should note that I've started dating someone. His name is James and we met at the Hibernian in Raleigh during my Spring Break. It was a totally unexpected meeting, believe me. I'll explain. The night of Laura's bachelorette party, I arrived back at Meredith and Molly let me in the dorm (darn outdated CamCard). As it was, she and her friend Rasika (who I ended up liking very much) were going downtown to the Hibernian and asked if I wanted to go. I had driven to Raleigh from home that day and had been going ever since. I was exhausted and disheveled...in no shape to hit the bars. But it was my Spring Break and I didn't want to pass up an opportunity for fun. Well, after we arrived at the Hibernian, I began regretting my decision. The three of us were descended upon by a very drunk, very obnoxious man from Boston who was watching the basketball game and being quite vocal about which team he wanted to win. As irritating as he was, he was also entertaining...but as soon as he learned that Molly was from Boston, Rasika and I no longer existed. I was bored and my glass was empty. Crisis. To make a long story short, James and two of his friends, Tadd and Kendall, ended up rescuing us from the drunk Bostonian and inviting us to sit at their table for a bit...which we did until 2am. We saw them the next night (this time with Hillary) and the next night (with Ashley). James and I have been together ever since (though it didn't become official until April 24th). Coincidentally, Molly ended up dating James's friend, Kendall...which works out nicely for double dates and whatnot. :) So, there's the backstory.

The weekend after classes ended, James and I both went home (our homes are about 45 minutes or so from each other) and met each other's families. I got off easy on this one. I met his parents and two brothers (Jason who is older and Michael who is younger). Everyone was very nice. Well, I assume Jason is nice. He'd just woken from a nap and, like me, he isn't very conversational after just waking up. I understood though. James, however, had the pleasure of attending my Grandma's surprise 75th birthday party and met about 50 members of my family at once (that may be a bit of an exaggeration but there were lots of people). I think he had a good time and everyone seemed to like him, especially that he's a bit of a country boy. My family is big on that sort of thing. And he had the opportunity to see me dance, which is pretty rare. Below is a picture of when my Grandma realized she had just walked into her surprise party. I love her face.

The next day was Mother's Day and graduation at Meredith, which I attended with my own mother. It was absolutely surreal to be watching the Class of 2009 graduate. I could not (and still cannot) believe that a year has passed since I graduated from college. So much has happened in this last year! I was super jealous too. Class of 2009 was able to have Class Day and graduation in the gorgeous Meredith amphitheatre whereas my graduation was rained out. Meredith students dream of graduating there and I didn't get the chance to. Clearly, I'm still bitter about it. Even so, it was good to see Hillary graduate there. I'm quite proud of her.

So, what's happened since that eventful weekend? I've been seeing clients on my own for nearly 2 months now (also hard to believe) and it's had its ups and downs. I've also started doing integrated care as a Medical Family Therapist at two medical centers in Snow Hill, NC. I have to admit that integrated care has not been my favorite. However, I'm trying to have a more positive attitude about my assistantship. Being negative only makes my days longer. And if the positivity starts to fade, it will all be over July 31st. :) Team began a couple weeks ago. Team consists of watching a live therapy session through the two-way mirror. Damon is my supervisor and I have a great team - Jodi, Kristy, Sam, Jamie, and Marina. Even so, I'm nervous about having my turn in front of them. I don't have a client yet who is willing to do team but I know it's only a matter of time. When that time does come, I will surely be scared out of my mind. I don't like being watched - it makes me so nervous - but I guess it's something I will have to get past. So far, it's been an enjoyable experience. It's just funny to me because, when I first heard of team, it seemed so far away...

Molly stayed with me in Greenville until she left for Iceland last Friday. I was really excited about her visit and it ended up being a great time. It made me realize that I would like a roommate. It was refreshing to have someone to come home to, to talk to at night, to vent to when I had a bad day, and to have dinner with. I'd forgotten how nice that was because I've been living in solitude for so long! She was a great roomie...especially when she cooked dinner or baked cookies (love ya, Molly). The day she left, she woke up to tell me goodbye before I took off for the clinic and it didn't hit me until I was in the car that I was quite sad to see her go. I almost wanted to cry a little bit. But she'll only be abroad for a month and I think I can handle that.

I've been trying to spend as much time with James as possible which, unfortunately, is limited to the weekends due to our schedules. What I failed to mention earlier is that James is in the Army and will be deploying at the end of the summer. I'm sure it just became a bit clearer as to why I'm desperate to spend time with him. I won't delve too much into how unfair this all is and how we're hardly able to be together before we're ripped apart for a year. Nope, I'm just going to say that I'm taking it the best I can. I don't want to think about August. I'm a little bit in denial. I saw him in his uniform last weekend for the first time and it made everything more real for me. Anyway, enough of that for now.

Memorial Day weekend, James and I, along with Molly and Kendall and a friend of the boys', Jesse and his girlfriend, Janna, went to Carolina Beach for a mini-vacation that we all needed. We ate at some really good restaurants, spent a beautiful day in the sun, and just enjoyed being carefree with each other. It was VERY hard to return to Greenville. Summer means the beach for me and I definitely want to go back...soon.

That's the gist of my last several weeks. I will attempt to update with more regularity in the future so as not to write a novel!

I've Missed Blogging

Therefore, I will be back with an update very, very soon (think May 7ish). My life has changed quite a bit over the last several weeks. Some changes were expected, some not. I look forward to writing all about it :).

Mini Update

Is it really March? How is that possible? How is it possible that I will start doing therapy - real therapy - in a little over a month? Do I sound nervous? Am I asking too many questions? Ok, I'll stop that for now.

But really, 2009 is flying by. This is both a good and bad thing. Lord knows I'm ready to be done with school BUT I'm not entirely ready for all the changes on the horizon. On April 15th, we are able to start seeing clients. Ahh! AND (as if that were not enough) we start our internships. Mine will be at the Family Violence Program of Pitt County. It was my first choice so I'm quite excited about that but also slightly terrified. Domestic violence is not a light subject, after all. It will be a challenge and I think I have my work cut out for me. We're currently on Spring Break and that's hard for me to believe. Last semester, I felt like I was waiting and waiting for Fall Break and this semester - boom - Spring Break. I was supposed to be in Orlando right now but alas, that fell through...for a couple different reasons. I think I made the right choice on that front though, in retrospect. Oh well...I hope my friends have had a good time.

Last weekend was Tiffany's bachelorette party and it was a pretty wild night. Tiffany is married now! That's hard to wrap my mind around. Actually, it's hard to imagine any of my friends getting married. Am I really old enough to be getting married? Well, obviously, I'm not getting married but to have friends who are is a bit of a reality check. Tiffany was my RA freshmen year and that's how we met. Then, she became my feminist role model of sorts. We lost touch for a bit last year but we've since reconnected. Unfortunately, she and her new hubby are moving to Canada in the spring. Hopefully, we'll stay in touch via Facebook and e-mail. I'll miss her.

Speaking of weddings, Laura and Aaron's wedding is this Saturday. Again, hard to believe. This will surely be the highlight of my Spring Break. I'm quite excited to be a bridesmaid and to have a part in their big day. They're a great couple. I hope someday to meet someone who I mesh with as well as they do. Ah, I can dream...

Death to Cupid...Or Maybe Not ;)

There are just never enough hours in the day...never. And you know, I've been so much better at getting up early than I ever was in undergrad but I don't feel like I get that much more accomplished. 2009 has been a busy year so far but what's more is that it's actually been...fun. Who would have thought?

I feel like I've gotten so much closer to the members of my cohort. It's as though something transformed over Christmas break. Not that I didn't enjoy them last semester...I did. It just feels different now. I think these are people who I will definitely stay in contact with beyond graduation. This Thursday, there will be a meshing of my Raleigh/Greenville friends. Several of the MFTs (and a couple boyfriends) are going with me to see The Vagina Monologues at Meredith. It will be the first time any of them have met. I'm excited but also a little nervous. I hope everyone gets along. Not that they'll have a whole lot of time to not get along that evening. I'm wondering how I will feel about watching the VMs as opposed to being in them. I really do miss that. Being a part of the VMs is such a bonding and empowering experience. I'm not sure that, had I done them at ECU this year, it would have been the same. There's just something about being backstage with your best friends, dressed in red and black, and talking about vaginas. You can't beat it. I am looking forward to my Greenville friends seeing this Meredith place I'm always going on about.

Speaking of which, I was at Meredith this weekend. I had the opportunity to see Schoolgirl Figure, starring none other than my Lil Sis, Sara. It was a comedy about high school girls with eating disorders. They compete to see who will be the skinniest and whoever is, wins "The Bradley". You might be wondering how a play about eating disorders could possibly be a comedy...I had wondered that myself. But it was so FUNNY. The writer took something serious and made it humorous. I can't even describe how she did it. Throughout the play, I kept thinking, "Should I be laughing at this?" I almost felt guilty. It was a great show, though, and Sara was hilarious as usual. She really has a knack for comedy. Aside from seeing the play, I had cupcakes with Hillary and Molly and was able to meet up with Tiffany for dinner. This Raleigh experience was much better than the last one I had.

The next day was Laura and Aaron's wedding shower. It was going to take place in Cary and I just KNEW I would get lost on the way there. Sure enough...I got extremely lost. I literally had no idea where I was. That made getting directions from Aaron a bit more difficult. Somehow, I finally made it there...and only 45 minutes late! The shower ended up being a lot of fun though. It was nice to meet Laura and Aaron's families and it made the reality of the wedding sink it. I can't believe it's in less than a month! Laura is my first close friend to get married. Next comes Tiffany, Ashley, Jamie, and Rasheeka. Wow. It's no wonder I have this fear that all my friends are going to get married and leave me behind. I really am happy for Laura and Aaron though. They are fantastic people who happen to be great for each other. I am really blessed to have them as friends.

Back in Greenville, it was time for Kristy's birthday dinner. I wasn't in the best of moods when getting ready to go out that night. First of all, it was Valentine's Day...the first in 5 or 6 years that I didn't have a boyfriend. It was a little strange, a little sad, for me. I had been looking forward to meeting a friend of Jamie and Will's who was coming to the party. I thought that might brighten my V-Day a bit. Well, that is, until I found out he wasn't coming. Apparently, he was having car issues. Of course he was. Anyway, I didn't want that to ruin my evening. So I put on my cute new dress and went out. I ended up having a really good time too. Valentine's Day turned out to be much better than I had expected...even without a Valentine of my own.