The one with...the military jacket.

Whomever invented Nordstorm deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award. Seriously. After spending a fabulous fun day with Julie-Kate at the Tanger Outlets and not really finding a lot, we moseyed on over to the Southpoint area. And in the haven that is Nordstrom Rack, I found this gem:


A black military jacket for twenty bucks? Yes, please! And I am totally planning on wearing this tomorrow. Speaking of...tomorrow I'm going to Rex Hospital where I'm getting a camera put in my stomach so doctors can see what's going on in the insides of Kiki. While I'm a little nervous, I am quite comforted in the fact that at least I'm going into this little procedure with style :)

Eaaaaarly Mornin' Musings

Why in the name of Starbucks am I up at 6:02 a.m. writing? It's not because I have Starbucks, that's for sure. I dozed off at about two but was awakened at about four with my throat screaming in agony. The culprit? Temperature changes. I don't sleep like a normal person to begin with...does that ever happen to you? When you just lay there with all of these random thoughts in your head? Mine range from, "What am I going to do after class?" to "I wonder what Zac Efron is doing...like this very second," to "Where's my third grade yearbook?" Sheesh. But you know what? I've been sitting in my bed, wide awake since four, and I've been watching the world slowly wake up; and I have to say, it's been pretty cool. My apartment overlooks our section of parking so it's been nice to observe the woman whose dog yapped once and caused her to scream, "It is five freaking thirty, Chloe! You're going to wake people up!"; the gym addict who dropped a sock while flying out the door (it's still there, by the white Honda); and the mama and maybe-nine-year-old daughter taking a quiet stroll. I guess I could say that I'm lucky after witnessing a rather sweet, albeit sorta loud, awakening.

I've made a new friend this week. We started our bond yesterday:

Yes, I have started the thirty day shred. Twenty minutes of, well, right now pure pain but really when you're lying in bed (not knowing you're going to be up in a matter of hours with a burning throat), you feel pretty damn good about yourself. No lie, there are moments when I want to maim Jillian because of her constant, "These abs don't come for free!" This I know, J. This I know.

While I have a new buddy, I also lost a dear part of my daily life: the Ipod crashed. Like died. No recovery possible. I told my mom that I felt like I had lost a child and without even looking up from her book she goes, "I really hope you don't have children. For a long time." Hahahahahaha. I have a funny family.

(Un)expected Hearts

Hearts were found in unexpected places on Valentines Day:



On Coke cans.

On Starbucks cups.


But I think a lot of heart was found in the ladies of the Meredith College theatre department, as we said goodbye to Ashley.



Heart has been all around this February, from getting through rehearsals, saying "see you soon's", to campaigning for elections, and to even slogging through the first biology exam of the season (I will reward myself later). Love really is all around.

This is what I have to look forward to on Friday:


Lovely lady Kellie knows how to tap into her other Kelly-Kelly Clarkson, that is. Friday Karaoke at Brickhouse can make any day a fabulous one. And I fully intend to Cupid Shuffle my way over there to celebrate an incredibly hectic week with some of the people who have a huge place in my heart.

Off-to-on days

I started off my morning with a fall. It was fifty degrees and sunny so I thought I was safe wearing my Sperry shoes, but alas, I was so wrong. I went down my apartment steps, slid a little bit into the other set of stairs and it all went downhill from there (literally). I was a ping-pong ball and ricocheted off of an old tan colored van and landed on my back on a little still-icy hill. Um, ow. I lay on my back, my books splayed to the side, my backpack jabbing at my back, contemplating granny-crawling up the stairs and back into bed. I took it as a sign that this just was not the best day. But I didn't want to be absent from class this early in the game (I had to think about the days in the next couple months that I would need a true-blue mental health day), so I got up and hobbled to my car, still sliding, holding onto my books (and what was left of my dignity) for dear life.

You know the day where suddenly it seems like fifty million things are being thrown at you? That was today. A take-home exam, an exam on Monday, a couple papers, and an election candidate card? I thought I was going to pass out. However, I was saved by my lovely, lovely friends who have THE BEST senses of humor. In my math class, which I was slowly dying in, my professor announced that we had an exam. Sheryl (you should read about her below!) transferred to my class today and was sitting beside me (yaaaay). After prof announced that we would have a test (noooo), Sheryl scribbled in her notebook:

"Test on Monday-die before then."

I just about wet myself laughing, partly because it was very, very funny but also because in that moment I realized how lucky I was to have friends who, even when I may be having an off day, can never fail to make me laugh. So amidst seemingly-endless rehearsals, exams, and cups of coffee, I am starting to see that these "off" days can be righted and turned to an "on" day in a heartbeat.

Thursday Blues? Not so much.

It's rainy today and I'm feeling a tad dreary today myself. However, the positives do outweigh the negatives:

+It's Thursday which means all my shows are coming on (I'll have to watch them tomorrow...rehearsal)
+Since I only had bio this morning, after library work I am going to treat myself to Starbucks
+I had the best talk with Brittany during biology, so it made the class all the more lively

Sometimes it really is the little things.

P.S. Thanks for the picture, Kellie Lynne :)