If I Believe It, There's Nothing to It

It has been a month!! We made it a moonnntthhhh! I'm excited for February since it means one extra blog post for the year (one extra day of fun things!!). This next month will see group therapy experiences, a Valentine's Day with a significant other, my sisters birthday, and other interesting things. Yayyyyy!! 

Everybody, yeah. Rock Your Body, yeah

ONE IF THE FLOATS PLAYED THAT SONG DURING THE PARADE AND IT WAS SO FUNNNNNN. 

ANYWAYS, Lots of beads, pictures, and a sunburn later I must go to sleep. 

I'm so Excited, and I Just Can't Hide It

Gasparilla tomorrow!!! Tampa tradition!! Ahhhhh!!!! 

Ilysa and I met with our group site supervisor and we're actually pretty excited about what is to come. Also I finished all of my paper work from my sessions yesterday, AND  I did some laundry AND I got donuts! 

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye! I'm Late! I'm Late! I'm Late!

I missed a daaayyyyyyy ughhhhh. I knew it would happen but I was hoping it would be after January. Oh well. 0 days without incident. 

Anyway, prac went well yesterday and my supervisor liked my outfit so that made me happy. Then it was time for Disney Quest with Ilana and Peter! It was a fun little time. Disney Quest isn't exactly an awesome thing anymore but it is entertaining. 

Tonight We are Victorious

I survived my 9 hour shift! Practicum tomorrow and all of my paper work is done! That is all.

Just Whistle While You Work

I'm drawing a thing and it was going okay until I got to Snow White's face/neck. This is just a practice run for bigger things and I am SUPER proud of the Evil Queen. 

You Can Set Yourself on Fire

And I did just that today in the motivation department! That long shift that I talked about yesterday started today at 7 in the morning which meant that I had to be awake and functioning enough to pack lunch by 5:30. FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING! There was FROST on my windshield. The whole thing was ridiculous. 

Anyway, I managed to wake myself up and get out the door on time (this is an amazing feat for me) so I'm proud of that. At work I got to work as a pair with another castmember (Adam, his name is Adam) so that we could sign the whole store and make sure everything was right. AND WE DID THAT TOO! LOOK AT US! 

I folllowed work up with a two hour nap and then sat through class. Class was not interesting and all I wanted to do was go home and nap. But as the fates would have it, I got home and immediately wasn't tired. Instead of sleeping, I made some food, did some laundry, and went over what I accomplished last week (Pictures one) versus what I need to accomlish this week (Picture 2). Lets just say  need to work on actually finishing the things I write down. 

High Ho

I have an an early work day tomorrow so in a nut shell:

Shift at work, bought some chocolate, Matt and I went to help Ilysa calm her nerves about her clients tomorrow, and now my tummy hurts. Cool 

Lose My Mind

An 8 hour shift at work dragged on to feel like ten but the day wasn't as awful as it could have been. I was surprised to see financial aid show up in my bank account today so that made the day better. Budgeting and grocery shopping made it a little less better (as did all of the doors being locked to the clinic) BUT burgers were on sale at Publix!! And so were my rice sides! 

*update! Peter has ruined the day by getting crumbs in my bed 

Take It Easy

Progress notes! Disney! Tired! 

When Your Fantasies Become Your Legacy

I HAD CLIENTS AND I DIDN'T DIE AND THE PEOPLE WATCHING SAID I DID GOOD!!! 

I walked into the building this morning totally confident and calm and then it was time to see client number 1 and suddenly nervous. Once I sat down, it melted away only to return the second I walked out of the room to let said client read some things. BUT I DID IT!! Now, how in the world do I do it again AND be useful!?!?!

You Better Work B****h

And I did! Well, kinda. I did some assignments, looked into the budget, and sent out emails. Ilysa and I pretty much have our group finalized which is awesome sauce. Super props to her for being the liaison of that whole thing. I did some laundry and picked up the supplies for prac tomorrow. First day of clients!!! 

And then Danielle and I went to the gym and it was painful but good. And now I'm actually at work! Look at that.

Heeeeeeyyyyyy Sexy Lady

Today starts the second week of class and I have already given up on the little game I was playing with my self  about looking nice and put together at school. Maybe I should have made it publicly known instead of keeping it to myself. You would think that I learned that about myself from doing this the first time but no. Maybe I'll integrate the blog posts and Instagram to hold myself accountable (where have I heard this before? Hmmmm...) it is just finding the time and motivation to actually put effort into what I'm wearing.  I REALLY admire beauty bloggers/vloggers who can dedicate all of this time and effort into putting themselves together just to tell other people about how they did it. My life is in shambles compared to the level of put-together-ness those people must possess.

I just want to find or acquire the ability to be that person. I know it will take self effort and determination... I just know how to start that... Ugh. But!! I do have a killer selfie from yesterday that I am proud of ^_^  

Peter might hate this one but I think we both look cool (minus the guy in the corner). I'm really proud of my blending abilities in my eyeshadow though. Anyway, things to work on going forward .

This is Exactly What Has to be Done

(Those are obscure lyrics from a Hollywood Undead song btw.) 

I don't have any big announcement that coincides with my title, those lyrics just happen to speak to me.

I'm very tired A., and B., I am overwhelmed. Today started with work followed by a trip to Universal (where I looked hella cute representing Slytherin house) and then apartment research. This doesn't seem like a terrible day right? I just realized so many things about  my financial status and future responsibilities throughout today that I just kind of want to be done with life. I would like to check out of adulthood now, where are my crayons? 

Song 2

Today has been hard. Unexpected surprises, driving back from Tampa, and a long shift at work are not my favorite things to have happen in one day. But they did. I arrived home from work around 9:55 and I have been planning Disney things ever since. I decided to give Peter's mom a day at Disney for her birthday so he and I have been working on getting all of those details ironed out.

Long days throw me off kilter. I just don't know how to do them anymore. I was the champion at staying awake (waking up, not so much) and I was pretty good at being constantly on the go but I just feel so drained. The next few weeks probably aren't going to help that at all. Cue the extra dose of worry and stress? 

Hit Me Baby One More Time

With playing cards that is! After my grandmothers party I played some games with my nephew and then I walked the dog. Catherine had a game night tonight and I was able to join her for some card games and that is about where we're at.

How Wonderful it is to Know You

My handwriting is terrible so I chose to type my grandmother's birthday present rather than hand write it as recommended. Like most grandmothers, mine has been here for my whole life. She was there when I was little as a babysitter, a helper, a friend, and a visitor. She's been there as a matriarch, a mentor, and a story teller. She's here now as a gift giver, a teacher, and someone who loves to give hugs and kisses ( and chocolate!!) to her many grandchildren. My grandmother is a special person to me and I am so excited to dedicate this post to her.

Today was her actual birthday but tomorrow she will be surrounded by nearly 40 individuals (family and church friends) who love her dearly. All she asked for to celebrate the monumental occasion is for us to recap our fondest memories with her. When my aunt relayed that message, I was a little stuck. I wasn't entirely sure what to recount as my fondest memory of my grandmother and I; they're all amazing! I can remember going to her house and (badly) playing the piano or singing and dancing or showing her my gymnastics skills. I remember her coming to every single grandparents day during elementary school and eating the gross breakfast my school would give her. I remember her teaching me how to blow kisses and give bear hugs. I remember going to her house with my mom and then getting to stay and watch Benji (and then beg her to let me borrow it for the rest of the week). I have so many fond memories of being with my grandmother. The first one that I thought of though was a day when my mother and I were grocery shopping and I found my grandmother in the store. My mother had sent me to grab something so I turned the corner to head down the freezer isle and there was Gran! I was so excited to see her and for some reason the concept of "Gran is in the grocery store while I am in the grocery store and we didn't drive here together" was just too much for my little brain to compute. I begged her and my mother to let me go home with her and after a little convincing, they said yes. I got to check out with my grandmother and help her put the groceries in the. I couldn't tell you what we did once we got back to her house but I can guarantee that it was awesome :)

Happy Birthday Gran, love you!

I am Machine, I Never Sleep

Well that's not true but since I took a nap yesterday as soon as I came home from work I ended up not going to bed until 4:30am. What time did I have to be up to get ready to for practicum? The answer we're looking for is 8:30 am. My makeup was on fleek but the lightening was not so no picture exists to prove that. 

So it's been a long day. No sleep followed by five hours of getting to know the practicum set up and then it was time for date night. We ended up at the outlet malls and just wandered around for four hours. We're so boring. 

Ain't Nothing Ring

If I am being honest, I have no inspiration. I went to work. I took a four hour nap. I have practicum tomorrow. Till tomorrow?

Right or Wrong, We'll Write Our Own Storyline

The second day of class has been completed, Ilysa and I heard back from another potential group site, my hair cooperated this morning, and Peter gave me a card for absolutely no reason other than he wanted to ^_^

I also won a free smal plate as part of Carabbas 1 million meals giveaway. Is this a sign that I should play the powerball? I'll think about it some more tomorrow while I'm at work. What is interesting about today is that there has been lots that's gone well. I know that sounds odd to find that interesting but it's true. Things don't usually go well all day and they have and I am grateful for that.  Now I just need to get back to the goals I wrote in my planner and survive practicum on Thursday. We got this

Now, I should probably explain why I chose today's song lyrics. I'm a firm believer in choice and you get what give. Today reminds me of that in some ways. For instance, I gave a homeless man a cookie and he was thankful; I'm thankful for today being a good day. The lyrics don't fit 110% but I feel like Mr. Hayes' words remind us that no matter what choice we make, it is making the choice that counts. I choose to have the rest of the week be a good one. 

Double, Double, Toil, and Trouble

So, Peter and I are going through the Harry Potter series and today we finished Prisoner of Azkaban. He really liked the first one and he seemed to enjoy this one as well. Today was also the first day of multicultural which was interesting. The assignments for that class will end up as blog posts so that's nice. OH! Ilysa and I heard back from a potential group site!

This is a wonderful advancement and I am very excited to pursue it even if it is with a population niether of us really want to work with. 

Flower Gleam and Glow

I cut my haiiiirrr. It's really short now and I'm not sure how to feel about the left side of it but all of its healing powers are gone now. I'm kidding. My hair will grow back and I'm sure it will be fine. It is better than when I went in before seeing as it is no longer a fluffy, shapeless mess.

The haircut was a necessity seeing as school starts tomorrow and professionalism is part of our grade. I also got to work on some of my counseling skills with some of my cohort today ^_^ A group of us got together to practice some of the interactions were are expected to do come next week and I think it was helpful. Si se puede! 

You Give and You Take, You Come and You Go

I thought that using those lyrics as my title would result in me figuring out how to talk about my job and school starting back up (will I survive?!) but inspiration did not strike. As Monday draws near, the realization that this is going to be a stressful semester starts to sink in. It is kind of like being surrounded by that dark void in Kingdom Hearts as Sora falls and the theme song plays? You just have no idea what's going on and you can't get out of it? Yeah, that. Obviously I'm not attempting something really hard like parenting or working 40 hours a week on top of school but for me, my plate is still full. Juggling day practicum, running a group, normal course work, working 19-23 hours a week, self care, and being involved with other humans on a semi-normal basis just... 

also, My blog decided to delete this original post so I had to rewrite it. I hate times being wrong -_-

I Just Want You to Know

That A) that was the first song that played when I opened the music app and B) I have discovered a way to spend 11 dollars a day at Publix for breakfast and lunch. 

I'm not sure if this goes against my whole "eating things I cook" but I don't count it as fast food for going out to eat so in counting it as progress. 

Celebrate a World Filled with Magic

It is not a secret that "Celebrate the Magic" and "Wishes" are my two favorite things that Disney has to offer. There is something about these two shows and all of the people watching them being completely transfixed on the magic happening in front of them that just makes me happy. 

Originally, this Disney day was going to be spent with my old roommate Danielle but her job hates us so she couldn't come. Peter and I decided to use the fastpasses I originally planned for her and I making this the third day we have visited a theme park. Three date nights in row? What?! Hopefully these helped to make up for some of the date nights that the holidays interrupted seeing as this next semester starts on Monday and it is going to be so busy! 

Day Late, A Dollar Short

Budgeting is hard when you go to theme parks. Luckily, I still had some of the Christmas cash to put towards the food items I needed to buy today. Peter and I decided late last night that we were going to go to Islands of Adventure today during the day. We did not however decide to only be there for three hours. We woke up late and both needed to go grocery shopping for the week before we could go do anything. 

Add that, travel time, gas station lines, and congestion on I4 and you have us getting to Islands and on to our first ride at 5:17.  It was a fun trip none the less. We even popped back over to Universal Studios to ride the Mummy before the park closed and what we found was that the Beetlejuice stage building is already being taken down. ONE DAY LATER! There's no letters on top of the pillars and now there's a banner for the Fast and The Furious attraction blocking the old entrance. Amazing how quickly things  change.

I say that for multiple reasons. I was introduced to Universal by my mother but  I had the most fun with my lifelong friend Alexis and her family. Every time I visit Universal Orlando I think back to all of the fun them and I had staying in property and running around the parks. Nostalgia man. 

Let's Do the Time Warp Again

Thursday's are usually date nights for Peter and I but this week we had to reschedule for today. I had to work this morning but we finished the day off at Universal Studios by going "back in time" and visiting some of the older attractions.  We purposefully went to visit Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue in order to say goodbye during the last show EVER for the general public. We followed that up with the Terminator 2 3D show as well as E.T. before reviewing 100 years of cinematic innovation with the Universal Cinematic Spectacular.

It was a fun day but I've felt off kilter since this morning. Tomorrow will be a better day! Tomorrow will also be a grocery shopping day so I won't have to magic food or spend money on going out to eat like I did today. Granted, it was date night and I'm allowed to buy food but yeah. Also! I'm aware that my title is not a Beetlejuice song, but I feel like it's appropriate ^_^

I Like to Move It, Move It

Some posts are these long drawn out entities that take a ton of time to prepare for and write. Others (like this one) are not.  I went to Tampa today to move my couch and dresser out of my sister's house and into a storage unit until I find a big girl apartment in July. Shout out to Peter, my sister, and her husband for being awesome and helping with today. And now, sleep. 

That's My Kind of Night

My books are here!! I'm so excited!! I know that it sounds silly to want to read through 900 (approximately) pages of these books and let my brain soak up all of their wisdom but I really, really want to. I also have two planners and calendar that I am dying to start fillin out and writing in. The white planner has a goals page for every month which I am planning to use to my advantage for this semester. There is a slot for financial, personal, and work goals as well as a page for school week that makes you pick three things to set as priorities, a section to make "to do" and "to call" lists, and even a weekly overall goal spot!! I'm way too excited about these things and unfortunately I can't spend the next 6 hours filling them out. It is time to go to work. 

I Want It That Way

I decided in the car earlier today that I wanted today's post to be about food. I've been trying for months to wean myself off of going out to eat. I love going to Moe's and Kyoto, I love getting pizza, I love getting burgers and fries. I have a very hard time limiting myself to eating only the food that I can make. That being said, I made some decisions after my birthday to budget the money I am able to spend on going out to eat and doing stuff for my own entertainment and this will continue into the new year. So far I have done really well! I made myself all three meals yesterday and two so far today since I was at work. My plan is to continue to make all of my own food and stick to the budget A) because it is less expensive and B) because it's healthier. 

I want to strive to achieve better eating habits and a healthier lifestyle and I think these are good steps to start with. What types of changes are you thinking about making this year? 

Let's Go to the Beach-each

It is amazing to think about where I was this time last year. As 2015 began I was preparing to take the next step in my education and getting ready to move to Orlando for graduate school. I was spending my last few days at my store with my amazing cast of characters. I was starting to feel sad about all of the things I was going to miss about my store and all of the memories I was not going to get to make with my nephew since I wasn't going to be at my sister's house. I was starting to worry about my capabilities as a future counselor. I was angry with myself for not saving more money. I was procrastinating packing all of my things. And I was filling out FAFSA, which I have yet to do for this year. 

Anyway, this year has already been different from last year in many ways. I'm in a different city surrounded by a different cast with various new friends and enemies. I woke up at the beach *shudder* in the arms of someone I care deeply about and then we took a stroll. I don't know what 2016 has in store for me but so far I like it.