aMy's wOrLd :)

I Love Kelli Pickler <3

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:02:39 -0400

Happy Tuesday.

This morning I woke up at 6:30…

Why?

I have no idea.

But I was feeling sick and nauseous and my stomach didn’t feel good and it was just a horrible morning.

Luckily, I FINALLY fell back asleep and slept in until about 9.

I got up and showered and then watched a TV episode.

When my Mom came home from the grocery store, I helped her unload groceries and then I sat out in the sun and tanned for a little while.

Or at least until I couldn’t stand the heat anymore.

It’s hot y’all.

Then I went back inside, made myself a nice salad for lunch and did my hair and makeup.

I hung around for a little bit and then headed to work. At first, work was really super busy… and then it died.

I was SO BORED.

Finally at 6, I headed home and it was actually really nice outside. When I got home, my family was sitting on the porch, so I joined them with a yummy dinner.

Then I went inside and have spent most of the rest of the evening in front of the TV.

Congratulations to Kelli Pickler & Derek Hough for winning Dancing with the Stars! I love her so much and she deserved this so much. I’m also a big Derek Hough fan so I’m really happy with the results.

Now I’m ready to lay down in my comfortable bed because I haven’t been feeling well all day. :(

Goodnight.

~Amy

Work & FOOD & TV Shows.

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:56:27 -0400

I go to sleep later and later.

And then I wonder why it’s so difficult to get out of bed at 9 AM.

Oh summer.

Yeah so I got out of bed at 9. And only because my friend called me and I had to sit up and sound awake.

Thennnn, I wanted to go to tan but of course the sun was hidden behind a mass of clouds that didn’t want to move.

So instead I did dishes for my Mom.

Because sometimes I can be a good daughter.

(In all seriousness though, I like doing dishes.. and cleaning. My future husband is a lucky man.)

haaaaaaa.

jk.

Then I found the first 2 episodes of this season of ‘Married to Jonas’ online and I watched them.

It was kind of difficult with this slow internet connection, but they were really good.

And I decided once again that Nick Jonas & I are destined to be together.

He’s like my dream man.

Emphasis on the word “dream.”

Then I got ready and all that good stuff and headed to work until 6. After work, I stopped my Walmart to buy some veggie meat and spinach.

I literally don’t even know what to eat anymore without a bag of spinach in the house.

So it was crucial that i picked some up.

Then I came back home and my Mom had prepared the BEST DINNER EVER. Rice, grilled vegetables (zucchini, squash, peppers, onions), CURRY SAUCE (like my second favorite sauce ever) and I had some vegetarian chicken to throw on top.

Omg. My taste buds were so happy.

Meals like this make me wonder why people don’t like healthy food.

Best meal ever.

Yum yum yum yum yum.

While I was eating, we had some friends come over and I hung out with them for awhile before escaping to watch the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ finale.

Kellie and Derek’s freestyle dance.. oh my gosh… i can’t. It was so beyond beautiful. I can’t believe Derek was crying. CRYING. It was wonderful. I hope they win. I LOVE Zendaya and I freaking LOVE Ali but I just think Kellie deserves this so much.

Tomorrow night we shall find out.

Then I watched the season premiere (or sneak peak thing??) of the new show ‘Motive.’

SO GOOD. I really like the concept of this show and the production was pretty awesome. I can’t wait to see the rest of the season.

Now let us all take a moment to appreciate the fact that in… exactly… 1 week… from today… the new season… of……

THE BACHELORETTE PREMIERES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSS.

I’m really excited.

Like super really excited.

Yay!

Okay.

Goodnightt!

~Amy

Window Shopping Only :(

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:36:20 -0400

I didn’t blog yesterday.

Because I didn’t do anything.

Actually, I did do one thing. I saw my brother perform in a dance recital. And it was REALLY good. I didn’t realize how good of a dancer he was.

This morning, I slept in really late. When I finally got up and showered, I spent most of the rest of the day hanging out with my brother. We watched youtube videos, looked through his yearbook, and just hung out around the house. It was a pretty good time. I love having these moments with him.

My parents came home from georgia around 2 or 3ish, and my Mom and I headed to Lake City to go to the mall so she could shop for some clothes.

I can’t be in a mall and not try something on so I tried on this dress without looking at the price just to see if I could pull off the maxi style.

I fell in love.

Now i’m super depressed that I couldn’t buy it.

This sucks.

When we finally left the mall, I headed to Starbucks to get my FIRST STARBUCKS DRINK SINCE I’VE BEEN HOME.

Oh my goodness. It was amazing. I miss Starbucks so much. I was so spoiled in Tampa.

THANK GOODNESS we still have one about 25 minutes away.

So worth it.

Once we got home, we sat around on the porch and hung out for awhile. I ate some dinner and my Mom and I played a game.

Now we’re watching the Apprentice finale together before bed.

Nice, relaxing Sunday.

Back to work tomorrow!

~Amy

Completed my First Half-Marathon!

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:39:12 -0400

My FEET HURT SO BAD.

Tonight was a great night.

I didn’t do much today except hang around and waste time until around 4:30. I left to go meet my friend Raechel and a bunch of her friends at Subway for dinner.

It was so nice to see her after all this time. I’m so excited to be home for the summer so that her and I can spend our weekends together. We already have plans for the beach, the river, and the springs for about the next month. Haha.

After we ate and caught up a bit, we headed over to the High School track because Relay for Life was tonight. The plan was to walk 105 laps but by 10:00, we had already walked more than 40 and we were extremely tired. Which makes sense since we had walked for over 3 hours already.

Nonstop.

We all took a break and headed to Dairy Queen for some well-deserved ice cream. I had the blizzard of the month which contained chocolate covered pretzels and peanut butter and it was SO GOOD.

Raechel and I decided to head home for the night because she has a long day tomorrow and my heels were tore up.

Most of the rest of the group headed back to finish the marathon.

Props to them.

I am proud of myself though because walking 10 miles is a pretty long ways, and I even ran some of it.

It’s nice to see so many people gathered together for such a great cause. And I really love doing things like this that involve physical exercise.

My Aunt Millie was in my thoughts the whole 10 miles.

Cancer is such a horrible thing and I hope that over time, no more people will have to go through the pain that it brings.

I hope I will be able to participate in more marathons over the future and maybe even get sponsors so I can raise money. I truly enjoyed myself and really want to do the full marathon next time!

My feet and legs are very tired but it was so worth it.

Now I’m ready to sleep!

~Amy

My Brother is a Rockstar.

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:59:27 -0400

Helloooooo

I ruined my diet today and now I’m paying for it by feeling like absolute crap.

My Mom woke me up this morning to tell me that she was going to be babysitting some kids starting at like 8:30. I kind of ignored it and went back to sleep.

I woke up when they got here but I wasn’t ready to get up yet so I laid in bed and watched last night’s episode of Nashville.

OH MY GOSH.

I won’t go on and on and talk about it just because I’m sure most of you don’t watch it, but I will just say it was one of the most intense television show episodes I have ever seen in my life. LIke beyond crazy, I don’t even know how the script writers got away with it.

It was incredible.

And sad. :(

Once I finished watching that, I got up and showered and then went out to sort of help my Mom watch the kids.

I chased a 3 year old around my yard and decided I should never have kids.

I would seriously be a horrible Mom.

I talked to my friend, Courtney on the phone for awhile, which was really nice. I miss her a lot and it’s nice to keep in contact with her especially since the rest of my friends and I haven’t spoken since I left. :(

I ate lunch and went to work around 1:30. Today was my boss’s birthday and yesterday when I closed up, I left him a gift and card and when I walked in today, he hugged me and thanked me twice so that made me happy. It was nice to see him in such a great mood on his special day. There was also cake for him, so I enjoyed a piece of that.

Work was pretty busy but that made it go by rather quickly.

When I got off at 6, I drove to the ATM to deposit my check, but the machine was broken, so I just drove straight to my brother’s High School where I met my Mom and my Grandparents for Mike’s concert. It was really good. As always, my brother amazes me with all of his gifts and talents. The boy [man] he is on stage is so different than the little brother I see at home and it’s really cool to see that side of him. Like I say every time, I am so proud of him and all that he does and is. He definitely got all of the good genes and qualities in our family.

I hope he knows how proud I am to be his sister and how blessed I feel to be able to call him my brother.

After the show, my Grandparents took us out to Dairy Queen and I stuffed myself with ice cream.

A Relay for Life even is going on in my town tomorrow night and I might go so maybe that will help shed some of the pounds I ate today between cake and ice cream.

I have the day off of work so I need to figure out something to do with myself!

~Amy

Biking. Working. Photographing.

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:32:03 -0400

Today was a very good day.

My alarm went off at 7:30 this morning, but I turned it off and went back to sleep. At 8, I thought about getting up but my Mom informed me that the Pest Control person was coming to spray the house, so instead, my doggy joined me in my room and we went back to sleep together until about 9 when I finally got up and showered.

After my shower, I helped my Mom re-color her hair and then I headed off on a bike ride. I went 2 miles down our road and back and it was amazing. Not only was it a beautiful day outside, it was also extremely relaxing and a good work-out. I will definitely have to do that more often.

When I got back home, I relaxed for a little bit and sat out in the sun for awhile to work on my tan. I did that until I couldn’t put up with the swarm of lovebugs anymore.

Then I went inside to make my lunch. Today I had a smaller portion of my salad from yesterday along with an egg white, vegetarian bacon, and a slice of cheese on a wheat deli thin.

It was pretty amazing.

I am very much enjoying having a kitchen.

Once I ate my lunch, I did my hair and makeup and got dressed. Then I just relaxed for about an hour and hung out until I had to leave for work.

My first hour of work today was super slow and so I went a little crazy and cleaned the whole place. As in, I literally scrubbed each individual key on each computer keyboard clean.

Not even joking.

I did that.

Tomorrow is my boss’s birthday so I figured I should make the place look nice.

Then, all of a sudden, it got CRAZY busy. One customer brought 49 shirts an hour before closing and while I was trying to finish those, 10 other people decided to bring their piles of clothing too.

I was so stressed.

Those moments make me hate working alone.

But I handled it and finished just by 6, in time for me to get out of there on time.

After I left work, I headed to a HUGE flower field in town to take some pictures of a friend. They turned out really good. I am very happy with them and I’m hoping she is too!

Here’s a sample, but you can see a few more on my facebook page-

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.644991408851295.1073741827.100000213265073&type=1&l=e9c8696e01

Once I got home, I edited the pictures and showed them to my Mom. Then, my brother and I took a quick trip to Walmart so he could buy a new iPod and on the way home, this was the gorgeous sunset we saw.

I’ll never get tired of seeing skies like that.

God is a pretty incredible artist.

When we got home, I finally ate dinner and now I am ready for bed!

~Amy

This.

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:26:28 -0400

This.

Clean Eating, Yellow Flowers, & DEMI.

Tue, 14 May 2013 23:19:22 -0400

Hiiiiiiiiiii

This summer is slowly looking up.

This morning I got up at 8:00.

yes. 8:00.

FINALLY A REASONABLE TIME.

I showered and then climbed back into my comfy bed to watch two of my TV shows online.

When they were over, I headed outside to sit in the sun and work on my tan.

I have tanlines.

They make me happy.

But lovebugs make me sad.

They literally swarm me every time I step outside and just cover my body.

When will lovebug season be over?!

I don’t know but I can’t wait.

After about 40 minutes, my Mom came home from the grocery store and I helped her unpack the groceries and put them away before making myself some lunch.

My health kick is back in full effect and I made myself a spinach, mandarin, & strawberry salad for lunch with almonds and raspberry poppy seed dressing.

I enjoyed the salad while getting some more sun with my doggy.

Then, I headed back inside and made myself a strawberry, banana, spinach & yogurt smoothie to drink while I did my hair and makeup.

Once I was fixed up and dressed, my Mom and I went for a little walk down our road to find a patch of beautiful yellow wildflowers.

We took pictures.

This is quite the plus side to living in a small country town.

True beauty.

If you haven’t heard the song “Picking Wildflowers” by Keith Anderson… you should listen to it. ;)

Once we had walked back to the house, I cooled off for a little bit and then headed to work. Work was good once again. When I got off at 6, I hurried to Walmart to buy Demi Lovato’s new album “Demi.”

Everybody knows by now (since I mention it all the time) that Demi Lovato is one of my biggest inspirations, heroes, and the very reason I started studying Psychology (which has proven to be one of the best decisions of my life.) She’s my hero and one of the most talented musicians in the world.

I am SO IN LOVE with this new album. The songs are literally incredible and it will most likely be on repeat for the next few weeks.

I highly recommend it.

Tonight I watched ‘Dancing With the Stars’ with my Mom and it was really good. I’m rooting for Kelli and Zendaya still! But I also really love Ali, so it’s a tough one.

Tomorrow is another work day and then I’m going to find a bigger field of flowers to go take pictures for a friend.

Hopefully they turn out good!

~Amy

Sleep & Sun & Work & Ice Cream & More Sleep

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:29:14 -0400

Just laid down in bed to go to sleep and totally forgot about blogging… AGAIN.

Sorry.

So last night, or this morning rather, I went to sleep at 2 AM. Not many people know this about me, actually no one, but I love writing stories, particularly love stories. [Hence my hopeless romantic forever alone personality.] Well, I’ve been working on one for a while this year and then took a break from it and last night the ideas kept flowing and I couldn’t stop writing.

That mixed with insomnia.

And yeah.

So anyways, I set an alarm to try and get up early this morning. Total fail
I think I made it out of bed by 10… I think. But only because I had to check on my poor dog, who was scratching at something and bit/scratched her whole tail open.

After wiping her blood off and making sure she was okay, I took a much needed shower and then relaxed while watching last night’s episode of the Mentalist.

OH MY GOSH BEST SHOW EVER THAT EPISODE BLEW MY MIND.

Seriously though. It’s so good. The writers and producers of that show are absolute and pure geniuses. For real.

After that, I went outside and sat in the sun for a good 30-40 minutes. I’m finally gradually developing a nice tan. Slowly… But we’re getting there.

By the end of the summer, I will be DARK.

I enjoyed a good lunch and left for work at 1:30.

Work went by suuuuper fast today. I’m not really sure why. I wish every day was like today though. No angry customers, no problems, no complaints, no screw-ups. It was a great work day.

I got off a little after 6 and headed to Walmart to return a movie and buy a birthday gift for my boss.

Then I came home and my wonderful dad made me dinner, which was delicious. And I sat on the porch with my parents and my doggy for a little while.

I’m pretty happy to be home.

Tonight my Mom and I watched Dancing With the Stars and I am slowly forming an obsession with Kelly Pickler.

I also LOVE Zendaya.

I had a nice bowl of ice cream which made me happy and now I’m ready to sleeeeep to do the same thing tomorrow.

Goodnight all.

~Amy

It Was Only Like 300 Billion Degrees Outside Today.

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:34:08 -0400

Happy Sunday!

Today was a nice relaxing day.

I slept in this morning and then when I finally got up and showered and all that, I have my Mom her Mother’s Day card. My goal was to make her cry.

It worked.

Yay ;)

Thank you Taylor Swift for your beautiful and abnormally large cards with the perfect quotes.

It was a winner.

We hung around and watched TV together most of the morning and then had lunch. Around 2:00 or so, I convinced my Mom to join me and my brother for a nice walk on a trail in town. It was pretty hot outside but it felt good to be out and moving after all of the food we ate all weekend.

I walked with my Mom for the first two laps, but for the last part, I ran with my brother and it was hard. That boy is in way better shape with me. I have a lot of work to do but a little bit every day is better than nothing at all!

When we got back home, I laid outside on our deck and tanned in the sun for about an hour. The sun was nice and hot today & I was sweating like I was in a sauna, but I’m glad because I really need the color.

When I went back inside, I just hung out for awhile, ate some dinner and played a game with my Mom. Then, I fixed myself up a little but and went to Walmart with Mike to get some food.

Tonight, I enjoyed a giant bowl of ice cream. Maybe not my best choice, but it sure did taste good. I also watched “Couples Retreat” and it was really good! I liked it a lot!

I’m being so lazy tonight. I’ve literally been laying in my bed on Pinterest for like the past hour.

My life is too exciting too handle.

Tomorrow it’s back to work!

I have a big urge to go shopping right now, so it’s time to make some more money! $$$

Goodnight, I hope you all had a great weekend

~Amy

Food. Cake. Food. People. Food. Family. Friends. FOOD.

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:10:08 -0400

Happy weekend!

I enjoyed my very last Saturday not having to work.

I’m pretty sure starting next week I will be working Saturday mornings again but we’ll see.

This morning I slept in (as usual) and once I got up and got ready, my Mom and I left the house to go to Walmart and the Dollar Store and pick up some final decorations and food and the cake for my Dad’s graduation party today.

We spent the rest of the day cooking and preparing food and then at 4:00, we had a house full of people to celebrate with.

It was a really enjoyable time with friends and family including some new people, which I am very glad we got the chance to meet. My Mom did an AMAZING job of cooking an incredible meal that tasted amazing.

And Walmart did a pretty good job of making a super tasty cake with whipped cream frosting.

YUM.

I have eaten WAY too much food this weekend and can’t wait to go out tomorrow and either run, or walk, or bike, or swim, or SOMETHING.

I miss my gym time!

I can feel myself getting fatter.

Bleh.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day but we won’t be doing anything special since we’ve had enough partying the past 2 days. Hopefully my Mom can have a nice relaxing day after all of the work she has done all weekend.

Tonight, I got to hear the full and complete story of how my parents met and fell in love and I have to say, it was the highlight of my day. I always knew the general story but never the details and it completely melted my heart tonight. I have hope of finding love!

Seriously.

My parents are awesome.

My family is just awesome period.

I’m so tired. Why am I always so tired?

Bed time!

I hope to have a good Sunday tomorrow consisting of exercising, tanning, & relaxing. There are also TONS of beautiful wildflowers out everywhere right now and it’d be cool to go photograph them if I have time!

First I have to get myself out of bed.

Ha.

~Amy

Congratulations Papa!

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:26:54 -0400

I don’t know what is wrong with me. I have never been this tired. I sleep in every day, go to bed early and still fall asleep every time I sit down.

I just watched an hour long TV program with my family and feel asleep as soon as it ended just to wake up and realize I should probably get ready for bed.

This town and this house are messing with me.

I’m still sleeping really bad at night so that might have something to do with it.

Today was my Daddy’s special day.

I worked today from 11 until 2. I was supposed to work until 3 but the girl who was working the rest of the day showed up an hour early so I just went ahead and left.

Then I came home and changed and fixed myself up so my Mom and brother and I could head to my Dad’s graduation.

He finished his Bachelor’s degree and my grandparents convinced him to participate in the ceremony and walk across the stage and I’m really happy he did. It was a cool moment to see all of us supporting my Dad for once. I feel like my parents are always doing things to support me, or we’re always going to concerts to support my brother or whatever, but for once, the whole entire family was together, dressed up, and proud to be watching my Dad accomplish something that he’s been working on forever.

I’m proud of you Papa and so thankful for the example you set for us with your perfect GPA and your perseverance to never give up on something, ever.

After the graduation ceremony, we all headed to Olive Garden with my grandparents and ate a very yummy and super delicious but also extremely filling dinner.

Olive Garden never ever disappoints.

Definitely in my top 3 favorite restaurants.

And those chocolate mints they give with the check?

Winners.

I could just eat those and be happy.

Okay I’m super tired now and want to sleep.

Tomorrow is my Dad’s big party and the amount of people that are going to be packed into my house actually stresses me out. Hopefully all goes well.

My Mom is going to be a mess.

But there will be food… so it’s all good, right?

Okay goodniiiight

~Amy

Photo

Thu, 09 May 2013 22:15:00 -0400

I'm a Working Girl.

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:55:18 -0400

I just ate a 650 calorie caramel frosty shake from Wendy’s.

WHAT WAS I THINKING.

My head. My stomach. Everything hurts. My body is not used to this much sugar anymore.

I was doing so good.

Ugh.

This morning I woke up around 8 and actually made it out if bed because I had to get ready for work. After getting ready, I had enough time to watch last night’s episode of Nashville which was so good! I’m loving that show more and more and more.

I worked from 11 until 6, which is quite a long work day for me. Surprisingly though, I had a good time. It got a little tiring and boring by the end of the day but work is a nice way for me to stay busy, keep my mind off of stuff, and feel like I’m doing something with myself. I also feel as if I’m really earning my money here. Today was a lot of hard work.

Tomorrow I get to go in at 11 again but then for the first time ever, I get to leave early so I can come back home and change before heading to my Dad’s graduation. It should be an exciting night and weekend!

I’m trying to watch a movie right now while I lay in bed in extreme pain but the Internet in this house is way too slow. Makes me miss my little dorm room.

Home cooked meals, big bathrooms, big beds, my Mommy, & my dog are nice plus sides to being home though :)

~Amy

Bad Sleep, Work, & Food.

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:47:03 -0400

I actually DREAD going to bed every night because ever since I’ve gotten home I’ve been sleeping SO BAD. I wake up like 30 times in the night and when I actually am deep asleep, I have the worst nightmares ever… back to back. Nonstop.

I deal with nightmares a lot better now than when I was younger but it’s still bad enough to wake me up, freak me out, I toss and turn, then finally go back to sleep, and it happens again.

And it sucks because I’m SO tired, I’m going to bed earlier, and I’m sleeping in until passed 9 every single morning.

So it’s not like I’m not getting enough sleep.

On top of that, I have an extremely sharp and horrible pain in my side/chest/abdominal area right now and I’m writing this blog to try and ignore it.

This morning, I set an alarm at 8, and 8:30, and 8:45 and didn’t get up for any of them. This sleeping in thing is getting really annoying.

I eventually got out of bed at 9 something. I took a cold shower because my Mom was doing laundry and if the washing machine is on then it uses all of the hot water. Welcome to country living y’all.

I honestly have no idea what I did the rest of the morning. I think I just sat around on the internet and hung out. Then I got ready for work and ate some lunch.

I’ve been enjoying making my own food lately. Plus side to being home is having a kitchen at my disposal.

I went to work at 2 and worked until 6. It was crazy busy today so I was working hard.

Tomorrow I’m working 7 hours and I’m also going in on Friday even though I wasn’t originally scheduled too. I’m so thankful to be working so many hours.

Tonight, I came home and had a yummy dinner thanks to my parents and then just hung around and watched TV.

My Dad ordered the 90 day TapouT workout program to do with my brother and I this summer and I am so excited. Summer body, here I come. I REALLY miss the gym so hopefully this can make up for it and we can do it!

I’m pretty motivated.

Hopefully I can get a good night’s rest tonight and actually sleep and then get up on time tomorrow to go to work.

My Dad is graduating on Friday night with his Bachelor’s degree and I’m really excited to see him all dressed up and walk across the stage. Almost as excited as I am for all of the food my Mom is making on Saturday for his party….. Just kidding ;)

~Amy

Today I did nothing, except wake up, go to work, and eat. My...

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:13:15 -0400

Today I did nothing, except wake up, go to work, and eat. My eyes will not stay open so I will talk to you all tomorrow.

Goodnight.

Back to Work.

Mon, 06 May 2013 23:36:52 -0400

Staying up listening to Demi Lovato’s new album because she posted the audio to all of the songs today.

<33333 In love.

She’s so amazing.

Today was my first day back at my old job and it went really well.

I was pretty nervous all morning about going back and not doing things right or messing things up or forgetting stuff or whatever, but fortunately, I felt like it had never left. Everything came back naturally and I actually enjoyed myself.

It was also nice when all of the customers welcomed me back and remembered that I was in school and stuff.

I think the fact that I’ve grown a lot as a person over the past year really helped me a lot.

My boss was very happy that I was back and put all of his trust in me when he handed me my key back and left shortly after I got there.

I was surprised, but glad that it went so well.

Obviously, I would much rather drive to the beach every morning and spend all of my day sitting in the sand with my feet in the water and skin in the sun.

Like a typical Floridian girl.

But unfortunately, I decided I wanted an education and now have to work to pay for it.

And I’m okay with that because it was my choice, so I am very thankful to be able to work this job again for the summer. I know I’m lucky to have the opportunities that I have.

When I got off work today, I came home and made dinner for myself and then hung out the rest of the night. I finally got to watch Dancing With the Stars tonight and I was so impressed! Kellie Pickler is AMAZING! And she’s gorgeous! Her 2nd dance was so incredible! I absolutely loved it! I’m rooting for Sean because I’ve fallen in love with him and Catherine ever since the Bachelor… but I have to say that Zendaya is also a very good dancer!

It was a good episode tonight!

It’s only been about 4 days back in Live Oak and I really miss Tampa a lot. After work, I had to stop by Walmart to drop off a redbox movie and in the walk from my car to the store doors, I suddenly realized how I really don’t fit in this town.. whatsoever. I just do not belong here. I’m so happy to be with my family and have a home to live in and see my parents every day and support my brother and all of that, but I am really so glad that I don’t “live” here anymore.

I can’t wait to be back in Tampa in August! Or anywhere really.

I miss my friends :(

I feel like I sleep a lot more here though. I’m in bed before midnight and don’t get up until 10.

I’m so lazy!

~Amy

2 days down, 100 something more to go...

Sun, 05 May 2013 22:47:19 -0400

I feel so lazy.

I literally did nothing today.

I slept in until about 9 and then got up so that my Mom wouldn’t bug me all day about “sleeping in too late.” When I got up, my brother and I played Mind Feud for the longest time. Thanks a lot to my Mom for getting me completely addicted to that game! Good thing I don’t have anything better to do with myself.

Mike and I went to town today to drop some things off at a friend’s house and then we went to Walmart for a little bit.

When we got back, we watched the movie “Wreck-it-Ralph” which was really good. I typically don’t like animated movies that much but I really did enjoy it!

I sat outside for about 45 minutes and tried to tan but then the sun went away so I came back inside and made myself a spinach & tomato grilled cheese for dinner which was quite good.

Then I joined my parents and doggy on the porch for a little while before coming back inside to spend the evening in front of the TV.

Back to work tomorrow.

Blaaaaaah.

I’d much rather be at the beach.

Oh well.

Need money.

Story of my life.

~Amy

Sleeping, Unpacking & Eating

Sat, 04 May 2013 23:46:00 -0400

Happy Saturday.

It still doesn’t really feel like I’m stuck here for 3 months.

I keep forgetting I don’t have to leave again like tomorrow.

It’s weird.

This morning I slept in until 10:30 and it was a lovely feeling. I probably could have slept longer but my Mom stood at my door, talking to me until i got out of bed.

So I did.

I showered without shoes on for the first time in a long time.

It was a nice feeling.

Honestly, I don’t mind sharing a room with someone at all. I actually miss Thuy laying across the room from me every night, but having my own bathroom is the MOST GLORIOUS THING EVER.

Really though.

I love it.

So around 1, my parents and I headed to Gainesville to pick up my brother from his SAT test and then we all went to the mall together to eat some lunch and shop a little. We had Great Wraps for lunch and it was SO good. I had a falafel hummus veggie wrap and it was sooo delicious. I could probably eat that every day.

Yum.

When we got home, I FINALLY finished getting everything out of my car and my Mom and I tackled the great project of unpacking all of my crap. I don’t know what happened while I was in Tampa but I somehow accumulated a massive amount of stuff that all had to find a place in my bedroom.

3 hours later, it’s finally somewhat cleaned and organized.

Now in 3 months I have to destroy it and pack it all up again.

Great.

I also ate too much today.

Time to start working out.

My brother, Dad, and I are planning to start the TapouT workout program soon and see if we can make it through the 90 days. I’m pretty excited. Hopefully they remember to actually order it.

Also, my boss texted me today and asked if I was back in Live Oak. (Stupid me for putting it on Facebook) Of course I said yes, and he asked me to come work on Monday.

Wonderful.

So much for 1 week off.

Good thing I need the money.

Back to the Dry Cleaners I go.

Okay, bed time. Goodnight!

~Amy

1 Year Down, Many More to Go.

Fri, 03 May 2013 23:12:06 -0400

Hoooommmeeeeee.

For 3 months.

This is going to be a very long summer. I can tell already.

I got up super early this morning at like 7 AM because I thought I would need a lot of time to pack. Well, I was wrong. I took my last shower ever in the dorm bathroom (THANK GOODNESS). Then I got ready and around 8, Thuy and I had our last breakfast ever in the dining halls.

After we ate, I picked up a rolling cart thing and started to move all of my stuff to my car. First time around, I couldn’t even fit half of my stuff. Then Rowan came over around 10 and helped me rearrange and I fit most of my stuff into my trunk.

When that was done, I realized there was nothing I could do without my Dad because I needed his truck/help, so Rowan and I left and went to Walmart to pick up some things that she needed before going to get lunch at Panera Bread.

While we were at lunch, my Dad told me he was a few minutes away, so I told him to just come to Panera and I would buy him lunch. I’m glad he got to meet Rowan and it was nice to just sit for a little bit. After that, I said goodbye to one of my best friends as she left and I rode back to campus with my Dad. :(

As soon as we started moving everything into my car, it started to POUR rain. I got completely drenched. My makeup was running all over my face, my clothes were soaked and most of my stuff was too. As soon as we got back inside, it would stop raining again.

Of course.

I have the worst luck ever.

When we finally finished packing everything, Thuy and I checked out, gave away our keys and said goodbye before my Dad and I made the trip back to Live Oak. Due to a bunch of accidents, there was a lot of traffic on the interstate so we took a detour and the drive home was really long, but I made it and it’s nice to be with my family.

It still hasn’t hit me that I’m going to be here for 3 months. And it also hasn’t hit me that I don’t have any school work or classes to go to or do. It’s weird.

By the way, I got most of my final grades today and even though I got an A on my Developmental Psychology final exam, it wasn’t high enough, and I ended up with a B in the class. Likewise, I got a B on my Social Psychology final which also resulted in a B in the class.

I remember that this time last semester, I was crying my eyes out over an A- because it ruined my GPA and I wanted to quit school. It takes a lot of sucking up my pride to be okay with this, but I realize now that I did the absolute best that I could do. Maybe it wasn’t perfect and maybe I don’t have the highest GPA anymore, but I did all I could and can’t change it, so there is nothing left for me to do. I will try even harder next semester and push myself to my limits, but for now, I have to accept this.

It’s so hard for me to allow myself to not be the best at something. Not in a conceited or egotistical way at all, but just… feeling like I messed up or disappointed people or didn’t do as good as I could have. I just become so ashamed of myself that it takes over everything. And I know it really annoys a lot of people when I complain, but it’s not because I’m trying to show off or be dramatic or be a baby. In all honesty, I really do value my school over everything in my life and when I feel like I failed at it, my whole entire self concept is completely diminished.

And I’m working on that.

My first year at USF is over and I’m so thankful for everything that happened. I learned about myself and really gained an enormous amount of independence. I’m proud of where I am, even though it’s nowhere near where I thought I would be. 9 months ago ago, I was crying my eyes out when my parents left me in Tampa all alone, and today, I cried my eyes out when I had to drive away from the city that has become my new home.

I’m one year away from one of my biggest accomplishments, but really only one step closer to my greater goals. I made it through a whole year in a new place, with new people, away from everything I’ve always known, doing things way out of my comfort zone, and I think I have only grown as a person.

I’m proud of getting this far and ready to go even farther.

Most importantly, I’m so beyond grateful for all of the friendships and relationships I have formed that I will treasure for my whole life.

God has shown me how strong I am, what I’m capable of, and who He has made me.

I don’t have it all figured out yet… nor will I ever, but I’ve learned things that will help me with the rest of my life.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that no matter what situation I am put in, I’m able to get through it. No matter how difficult something seems at the moment, it will always get easier and it will always get better.

And staying true to yourself and who you are (even when no one thinks like you or sees things like you) is the key.

Just be you.

And let people love you for that.

Closing this chapter, and opening a new one.

3 months at home and then back to Tampa to live in my first apartment on my own.

Life is crazy.

~Amy