Work tests, ballet silliness, and apple dumplings!

This week has been:
♥ Making apple dumplings for the office.
♥ Trying mochi ice cream for the first time. Yum!
♥ Seeing my very first ballet.
♥ Realizing I'm too immature for the ballet.
♥ Getting my masquerade mask and shoes and new running shoes in the mail.
♥ Lots of fun thrifting finds.
♥ Passing my tech test with a 98! WOOO!

I'm so excited about passing that test! I was so terrified. I chatted with my old lead, Chris, to let him know that I passed, because he knew how nervous I was. And he let me know that I had a really good score. Yes! So I feel so much better about jumping into it next week. I get to take a little bit of time away from answering calls for the next 6 weeks to tackle tech tickets so I can get some practice and get more comfy. And I definitely need it!

I've been getting lots of help from some wonderful people at work. Anytime I get stumped, I just ask, and everyone's been so stinkin' helpful. I'm learning the signs of specific issues, how to find information about them, and what steps to take to troubleshoot. I feel like I have so much friendly support, so it makes me a little less nervous about going back to tickets for a bit. I'm not technical at all, so it just takes me quite a bit of time to figure out issues. So I'm hoping I can just speed it up a bit. Fingers crossed!

In not work-related news, I went to my first ballet! Katy, Autumn, Lauren, and I went out for yummy sushi beforehand, where I tried mango mochi ice cream. And I loved it!


Then we headed to the ballet. It was really pretty, but I just kept giggling at certain parts (see picture below), and then I fell asleep at one point. I wanted to appreciate it and love it so badly! But sadly, it does not seem to be for me. :( I just need constant action to keep my attention. So next time, we're doing the roller derby! I am so very refined, obviously.

When the curtain raised, this was waiting for us. This is just a picture from the pamphlet, and it seems innocent enough. But from far away and with the angle of his stance, how the item was placed was really, really silly. And he stood like that. Forever. Hence the giggling.



I got my new running shoes in the mail, and I'm so excited!


I've been trying to go walking at least 3 times a week for about 30 minutes or so. The biggest, most amazing cemetery is at the dead end by my house, and it's awesome for walking after work. It's seriously huge! And it's so lush and green and pretty. It's such a gorgeous atmosphere to just get lost in. Not to mention my obsession with graveyards and history, so it's perfect. And I joined the work gym, too, and I plan on going at least once or twice a week. So I'm super excited that these little babies were delivered!

Oh, and I also wanted to share my apple dumpling recipe! I know Rachel had asked, so here you go! :D


♥ Country Apple Dumplings ♥

2 large Granny Smith apples
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Mountain Dew
I try to use lighter options, so I use the following as substitutes:

Reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
Land O Lakes light butter with canola oil (50% less fat and calories!)
Diet Mountain Dew

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Cut each apple into 8 wedges and set aside.
4. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in crescent roll dough starting at the smallest end. Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.
5. Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
6. Pour over the apple dumplings.
7. Pour Mountain Dew over the dumplings. (I only use about a cup. It can get really liquidy if the whole bottle is used.)
8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

They're so yummy! Let me know if you try making these and how much you love 'em!

Masquerade work party!

Yes! That! My work is having their 10th anniversary party, and this year's theme is a masquerade! I've never been to a fancy work party, or a masquerade. A work party at CD Warehouse was us all drinking beer at Chili's. Ha! So I am beyond excited about this event! Can you tell by all of the exclamation points? They are very abundant! Very!

In all of this excitement, I've been racking my brain to figure out some cute ideas for my outfit and mask, so thought I would share my plans to get some opinions and input from you helpful friendlies!

♥ The Mask:

I've been searching high and low for the perfect mask. I wanted something pink and black and girly. But everything I've found is either the wrong shade of pink, or it's a little too big and boisterous with lots of feathers, or it's a little too plain. Or it's really super expensive. I just haven't been able to find a mask that just stole my heart. So I decided to decorate my own! And I decided that I wanted to get extra cutesy with it, so I ordered a plain white mask in the shape of a cat face, with little puffy cheeks and all. If you can't find the perfect one, make your own, right? So here's the nekkid mask that's headed my way:



My plan is to paint it black and then add some white and light mauvey pink stuff to match my dress. I'm still working on the design, but I know I want to put pink roses and maybe a few feathers along the top or sides! I might even try to add some whiskers to those cute little cheeks, too. I plan on making a Hobby Lobby trip next weekend. I can't wait!

♥ The Outfit:

At first, I purchased a ballerina-style dress from Target. But once it arrived, I started thinking that it might be a little too poofy for my liking. It's pretty voluminous, which isn't necessarily bad at all! I love it, and I think it's super cute. But me plus beer plus my already ridiculous amount of clumsiness will not mix well with anything large and obtrusive. I can just see myself knocking things over and catching the fluffy tulle on anything and everything in my path. So in rethinking that dress, I thought about possible backups. I had my eye on one in particular on Modcloth, and since they only had 4 Mediums left in stock, I went ahead and got that one. I think it's going to be a much better choice! But I'm keeping the other for the time being just in case the second one doesn't fit when it gets here.

And in keeping with the me plus beer equals silliness, I knew tights were an absolute must. So I found some super cute polka dot tights that I think will help tie in the cutesy cat mask with the lacy girliness of the dress.

As for shoes, I cannot walk in heels. Just plain cannot do it. I always wear boots, but I knew I needed something a little dressier than that. So I figured I'd compromise and try a bootie!

I'm not 100% sure about accessories yet. I might just try to find a cute necklace and that be that. There's already going to be a lot going on with the mask! But here's the final outcome of the items headed my way for now. Fingers crossed everything fits! (I already own a black 3/4 sleeve sweater, so I just grabbed a similar one for the image.)



I sent this image to my mom, and she loved it. So I really hope everything works well together and fits nicely when it gets here! If not, I still have the ballerina dress, just in case. So I'll be okay either way. :)

Beep boop beep, cannot compute.

I swear, it's been such a busy week at work! I started tech training this week, so I'm currently learning all about display issues and drivers and diagnostic tools and other computery things. I'm definitely not a technically inclined person, so I've been super nervous about this training for a good month. Thankfully, we have some awesome resources and step-by-step charts for most issues. So hopefully I won't completely suck at this and won't bomb the test when that rolls around! Also, thankfully we don't do tech via the phones, so I will only be using it to start tickets for people with technical issues. PHEW. If I had to walk people through a technical issue on the phone, I'm sure I would be like "Uhhh, just turn it off and eat a sandwich." :|

Oh, and the second day of training (when I was super stressed out), my QA, Lauren, left me this amazing present on my desk! She ordered a cute messenger bag online, and this gigantic Hello Kitty one came with it. I thought it was sooo sweet! She had it hanging on the leaf that hangs above my desk, and it surprised me and just plain made my day! Oh, ps- the other side is My Little Pony!

Here's a picture I found online. Seriously, it's enormous!


And here's mine with toesies included for size. Enormous, I tell you!


I've also been trying to get back in the social swing of things! Going to Nashville wore me out big time, so I've been staying home a bunch and trying to focus on Spring cleaning and getting things back in order after being gone and then sick. But I'm over that now, I think! So I'm hoping to take part in the weekly game night at work on Tuesday. And I made a new friend at work, so we're trying to hang out now and then, too! And hopefully I can start going back to girls' night with Lauren, Katy, and Autumn, too! They introduced me to margaritas. Friends and drinks errrrwhere! I love it. ♥

Oh, and I finally sucked it up and made my first hair appointment in yeeeears! I've only had my hair professionally colored once, and that was back in like 2006 when I had the black stripped out, went back to my natural brown, and had blonde peekaboos put in. And I've been touching them up myself since! But my roots have gotten out of control and now that my hair's gotten so long, trying to touch them up myself is just crazy. (I also won't let anyone cut it, so that's going to be another venture when I need a trim.) So I'm going to the Ulta Salon on Wednesday, and I'm so excited to not have to bleach my stripey babies by myself.

I finally got some real monies after being back at work, so I went on a little spring shopping spree!

Things I've bought this weekend:

♥ 3 plaid shirts
♥ 7 new pairs of undies
♥ grey jeans (since I loved the pink ones so much!)
♥ shoes for summer that aren't flip flops!



Also, I gave Matt a super cute summer haircut, and he shaved his beard (both his idea). I told him he looks like a 12-year-old with a moustache. It's cute, I swear! I haven't had short hair in years, so I forgot how much fun I used to have cutting hair.

We tried so hard to get out and do some thrifting yesterday, but I was just not feeling it. I think the combination of being super busy all week, all the stress from tech training, really mean calls from customers (seriously, people were sooo angry this week), and then all the rain just put me in such a poopy mood. And neither of us found a thing! I think I really just needed to be at home and relax a bit. So I've just been eating cheese and crackers and soup and loving on Peaches all weekend. There's always next Saturday, though!

I havehavehave to get up off my butt and do more laundry! I've been watching Frozen Planet and playing Fairway Solitaire all stinkin' day. Pfft!

Valentine's Day and heading home!

I've been trying to make more time to blog lately. But obviously, it has been very, very unsuccessful! But since I get to be off work tomorrow, I'm making it happen now! Thanks, presidents.

I'll start with Valentine's Day; it was awesome! I made healthy, heart-shaped cupcakes for everyone at work, and they were a hit.



After work, Matt and I headed out to my new favorite sushi place, Tengu Sushi, where I had two eel rolls, seaweed salad, and green tea cheesecake. (My favorites/the only things I ever get!) Then we walked across to the theatre and saw Chronicle, which was amazing! Such a great movie.

Oh, and here's my silly pre-Valentine's date picture:



Also, I've officially been moved over to the phone team at work! I get to talk to cute little old folks about their games and such. And I swear, it's exactly what I was hoping for! I knew it would be a little trying at times, but I have tons and tons of patience when it comes to older people and walking them through things. So when something that should take 3 minutes to explain turns into a 45 minute phone call, it doesn't bother me a bit. And I think I'm doing okay so far! I'm looking forward to my first phone QA so I can see what they think. But either way, I'm having so much fun on phones! I really, really enjoy it. <3


Oh, and since I moved desks, all of these things have happened. (I've already pinpointed the culprits.)




Oh, and I'm making a week-long trip back home to Nashville! The tickets have been bought, and Mom has already planned to take the whole week off from work. The only thing left to figure out is what to do with baby Peaches. We had originally intended on boarding her, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I've checked out about 5 or 6 places, and they all refuse to accept "bully breeds", which includes her Staffordshire terrier mix. It's heartbreaking because she's such a big, sweet baby. So I think we might just have to leave her here and ask Matt's friend to take care of her when he comes to check on the kitties. I was hoping to maybe bring her with me instead, and my mom was totally okay with it. But apparently, the airline is just as crappy about her breed. :( I just don't get it.

But I'm trying not to think about that sad stuff or having to leave her here. I just can't dwell on it. I'm going to try to have lots of fun and spend time with my mom and see a few friends I've been missing. It's been almost a year since I've seen everyone!

I also bought my first set of luggage, just for the trip. I can't wait to get it!


My mom and I were talking about what we wanted to do when I get home. And all we could talk about was Cracker Barrel and the mall in Murfreesboro. Yep. All we did before was eat and shop. Same ol', same ol', and that's fine by me! So excited! Come on March 3rd. Eeeee!

Cupcakes, Christmas, and puppies!

It's been forever since I last posted! I've been sooo busy with my new job that I just plain haven't had time. But I've really missed it, so you better believe I'm taking a good little break from all the craziness to sit down and get my blog on.

Let's see. Quite a bit has happened since the last time I've posted (which was over a month ago)! I got my car all nice and fixed, thanks to my wonderful mom. So I've gotten back to driving, and I hope to start paying her back super soon. I love having my car and being able to go wherever I need to go whenever I'd like. I had completely forgotten how crappy it is to feel stuck and not be able to come and go as I please. It was awful! Oh, and trying to take groceries on a bus is ridiculous. So I'm so glad to be mobile again!

In work news, I'm absolutely loving my new job! I'm talking to little old ladies about games all day, and it's so cute. Oh, and I have tons of cute stuff on my desk, too! Here's everything I packed up to put on my desk the night before I decorated:


I had an awesome Christmas, even though I was away from family for the very first time. Matt and I went Goodwillin' on Christmas Eve and saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And then on Christmas Day we went to my favorite sushi place and saw Sherlock Holmes. And I had my very first real Christmas tree! My mom and I have always had fake ones, so I was really excited. And it made the house smell soooo good! I had so much fun decorating the tree, and I wanted it to be super colorful.



Oh, and by the way, I got a puppy! She's a 1.5 year old Staffordshire Terrier and Lab mix named Peaches, and she is the sweetest darn thing ever. And I'm so glad I rescued her! I drove an hour and a half to pick her up after finding her on Craigslist. Once I got her home, I realized that she was covered in fleas and had never even been to the vet; she hadn't even had her rabies shot. And after spending a little time with her, it was obvious that she had been mistreated and ignored for a really long time. She didn't use the potty for the first 2 days she was at the house. And anytime we went outside, she would climb up my leg, grab me around my waist, and bury her head in my belly as if she were begging me not to leave her out there. D: How sad is that? I don't know how anyone could not fall in love with her. She's such a big baby! She needs so much attention and love, and I just can't imaging being able to resist this:



And now with a puppy in the house, I've been trying to keep things picked up. So I've been trying to get the house nice and organized. I try to do a bunch on the weekends since I have to be up so early and need to have everything ready to go each morning. I need to do get more stuff put away, but here's the awesome progress I've made getting all of my clothes, jewelry, knick-knacks, and other bedroom related stuff under control.




Today, I went to Goodwill to grab a few things before the monthly potluck that our neighbors have every 2nd Saturday, and look at this cute stuff I found!


And here's what I made to take! Yellow applesauce cupcakes with dark chocolate icing. Everyone really liked 'em!

I got a new job again!

Yessiree! I've officially accepted a new job! I'll be starting on November 28th. Yayayay!

As much as I've loved my almost two months at the gallery, I'm super excited to take this new opportunity. And my boss doesn't really have the foot traffic to need me there as much as we'd both like, so it wasn't a big ol' sad deal for me to leave. She asked me to stay on as a freelancer and keep doing the inventory and updating/redoing the site for her, so I'll still kind of be working there (but from home).

The new job is a contract position (that can lead to full on employment after 3 months) as a customer support rep at a big gaming company. My interview was on Tuesday, and it went amazingly, and it was sooo much fun! They did it speed dating style and had about 7 or 8 potential employees in a room, and we rotated through different higher-ups in the company. Each interviewer spent 10 minutes with each person, and then we'd move on to the next. I loooved every person who interviewed me. They all had such awesome attitudes and seemed to really enjoy their jobs there. I ended up laughing and cutting up with every one of them, and once I left I was honestly afraid they might think I was too goofy for the position.

Buuuut the main recruiting lady called me back Thursday morning and told me that they all loved me and kept going on about how they wished they could clone me and how excited they were to have me on the team. Super incredible fancy magical ego boost of the century, guys. Seriously! I was sooo worried that I wasn't going to make the cut because every other interviewee had on a white button up and black slacks, and they had briefcases or folders or other important looking accessories. And then I was in there laughing and talking to these people like they were my buddies, because that's just what comes naturally. So I left thinking I wasn't professional enough. But considering that they ended up giving me the job, I guess I was wrong! Phew.

Justin, Matt's best friend, just starting working there, and he showed me around the building after the interview was over. It's a really fun place with lots of people and is super, super relaxed. Everyone was wearing jeans and hoodies and such, and people had toys all over their desks, and some people were riding around on razor scooters through the office. And there was a room for the 2nd floor people that had a bunch of game systems and a big ol' tv. I think it's going to be sooo much fun. I can't wait!

And since I haven't had the time to update as frequently as I'd like, now it's super instagram photo dump time!

This was my Halloween pumpkin! It's a fancy gentleman monster with a top hat, moustache, and fangs.


I had to work on Halloween, but I decided to semi-dress up so I could enjoy it. I was a Nashvillian! :P


I got an awesome package from my mom the next day that proved that she knows me way too well. It contained a little cupcake apron, peeps (my favorite candy/sweets ever!), grape twizzlers (my second favorite!), and coupons for cereal, fruit roll ups, and hot sauce!


My bus was late yesterday, and I had never played with the tilt shift instagram function, so I tried it out and loveeed the way this picture turned out.


I've been excited about the sides of my hair finally starting to get longer, so I've been trying out different ways to wear my hair. So here's a bunch of little gpoy's as well. Click 'em if you wanna see 'em bigger!


Hopefully I can post again before half a month goes by! Pffffft!

Workin' girl (not the hookery kind).

Phew! I feel like I haven't stopped moving since the last time I posted. And besides sleepin', I honestly haven't! Having a job for the first time since February has worn me out. But I was used to having two jobs and going to school, so I know I can do it. I just hafta get back into the swing of things. I work Monday through Friday, and I worked this past Sunday as well. But I do really enjoy it.

A typical day is usually very slow and quiet, which I love. We don't do much business, and I haven't sold anything yet, but my boss told me business has been really slow for awhile now and she hasn't really made many either lately. And I can imagine not everyone wants to drop two or three grand on art right now with the economy the way it is. So I try not to get too discouraged. I normally just greet everyone and answer any questions they have and try to make a sale or at least get some info from them so my boss can get in touch with them.

Since it is so slow, I can get quite a bit of work done on the computer. I update the inventory online when we get new artwork, and I'm currently working on redoing the inventory system to get it more organized. And sometime soon, I want to completely redesign the website. I also make promo stuff for the gallery, like postcards for the Art Walks.

Here was my very first one for a Dale Nally show!


It got really, really stressful the day of that particular Art Walk (which was my very first) because nothing was ready and the artist whose work was being featured didn't fly in to help. So I busted my butt helping my boss get everything done. We hung huge paintings that are taller than me and completely redid the whole front room. Considering that I had never ever set up anything before and she didn't have time to really teach me, I had to just do my best. And I thought a few times that she was frustrated with me, so I got super upset and nervous and stressed out. But I just kept cool and didn't let it show and tried to keep up. By the end of the day, I was dripping with sweat and barefoot because my feet hurt so bad. And the next day, my back was so stiff that I could barely move. But it all got done and it looked really good. And she thanked me for my hard work and told me she was just really stressed all day. Which I definitely knew was the case, but I just wear my heart on my sleeve and get my feelings hurt really easily.

Here's my favorite Dale Nally piece and a gorgeous floral arrangement that a local Ikebana lady brought to display.

I got a job for my birthday!

This week has been so great, and it isn't even my birthday yet! Not only did my mom send me that awesome box full of presents, but she ordered me a Harajuku girls gift set, too! It came the day after I got the first box! Amazing present overload!



And here's my whole Harajuku family!


These are the only perfumes I've ever liked and actually worn. I feel like it's mainly because of the bottles being so dang cute. But they smell good, too!

And I used the gift card she sent me to get a few new hoodies! (To me, it's officially fall when I buy new hoodies.) Every year right around my birthday, Mom and I would go to the mall and do some school shopping and I'd get new hoodies and jeans. So even though she wasn't here, it felt just like old times.

So besides getting lots of fun presents, I was given the gift of employment! Earlier this week, I applied for a job that originally was listed as a data entry position. I haven't been finding many graphic design opportunities, and since I'm a quick typer and pretty friendly, I figured I'd cast a wider net and try for something that wasn't necessarily art related. But it turned out to be way more art related than I could've imagined. The job is actually in an art gallery!

The lady that runs the gallery (and makes some of the art) is opening a new location in another city and needed someone to be at that store while she's getting the new one up and running. She also needed someone to update her website and other things like that, so I will actually be doing some graphic stuff! I get to use my retail skills aaaand my design skills! I was really unsure of how I'd feel if I ever got a job where I didn't interact with people and just sat in a cubicle all day, so I definitely lucked out with this one. I am so excited and nervous!

The gallery is in this amazing little spot called Pioneer Square. It's so historic and pretty. It's covered in art galleries and little coffee shops, and the whole little area is paved in bricks. And just about everyone was walking cute pups! I had a hard time not breaking down and hugging every single one of them. They were everywhere! I loved it. I do have to take a bus to and from because parking is so scarce and expensive downtown. But I only had to walk about 5 minutes to get to a bus and then about 5 minutes to the gallery, so it's not that bad at all.

I took this while waiting on Ms. Rhonda to get there.


And here's a photo of the stuff across from the gallery.


After all this excitement, I plan on taking it easy tomorrow. I want to eat Subway, get ice cream, and just having a nice, relaxing birthday. And then get everything ready for my first day on Monday!