Goodbye Samantha

My dear friend Samantha is getting married Friday. She was the first person I knew in Memphis, my first friend in a foreign city. And she is leaving me to get married. I am so, so sad to see her go, but terribly happy for her finding love and the new adventure she will be starting.
I am driving to Florida tomorrow in order to go to the wedding on Friday evening. She's been in Florida for a while now getting things ready. She transfered to UF's graduate program and started there earlier this month. With that and finalizing all the wedding stuff, I haven't had much of a chance to talk with her. So I am very excited to see her tomorrow!
Things I love about Samantha:
~She could kick Martha Stuarts bum in any homemaking competition!
~She loves to dance even though she knows she looks ridiculous.
~She puts up with my sarcasm and loves me in spite of my (occasional) bad moods.
~She is extremely giving.
~She's funny without trying to be.
~She doesn't judge people but accepts them for who they are, even if it goes against what she believes.
~She likes the color orange enough to buy an orange couch and love seat. (Although I give her credit, it is pretty cute. And very comfortable.)
~She is comfortable enough to show how terribly unflexible she is by doing pilates in her living room with someone she barely knows. (That was a funny day!)
~She has her own state of happiness which has been coined "Samantic" by another close friend.
~And simply that she is a wonderful friend.

ENGAGED!!!

No not me!!!
My friend Amanda celebrated her 28th birthday tonight. And we have known for some time that sooner or later her boyfriend Nick was going to propose. But no one thought it would be so soon and especially in front of so many people! (Nick is a little shy) All of Amanda's really good friends were there (that were close enough to come). And we really all thought we were just there for her birthday party. We all gathered around to sing Happy Birthday (yes I know its copy writed, but really who is going to know Erika). And as we were finishing, her boyfriend says (something along the lines of ), "We are all so glad to be with you tonight and we all love you, but none as much as this guy. So close your eyes and blow out the candles." And as she closes her eyes, he gets down on one knee and pulls out the ring. And when she opens her eyes he starts talking and proposing and he gets all choked up and she is crying and we are all crying. It was simply magical. And I had no idea what was going on and I was standing right next to her during Happy Birthday so I was practically right up in there with her during the proposal. But I had no way to get away, they were both blocking my exits!!!! (believe me I really tried to get away) The video is quite funny. Its so cute of Amanda and Nick and then there is Danielle in the middle like some sort of preist. Terrible. I totally ruined the moment. Although they have no idea because they are focused on eachother (thank God). I don't have a picture of the ring, but as soon as I get one I will have to show you. It is HUGE, and gorgeous!!!!! The setting is so unique too. I may have tried it on and it fit perfectly. If only I had my own boy to ring shop with.....
I'm so happy!!! Congrats Amanda and Nick!!! I love you both!!!

Fading Fast....

Ok, so I am really trying to stick to my training schedule for running. I have been doing really good this month so far, but I have a pretty packed weekend. I didn't want to get too far off schedule so I forced myself to get up extra early this morning and run. I thought, hey this will be great. I'll get woken up, I'll have lots of endorphins running through me, and I will have a great and productive day. SO wrong. I could barely stay awake through class this morning even with the extra large cup of coffee I had to buy when I got to campus. When the professor turned all the lights off I was sure I was in for it. And in a class size of 5 I would have been more than a little conspicuous. Somehow, thankfully, I managed to stay awake. But then I went to lab. I don't have much actual bench work to do today. I am doing a bunch of research on the computer, looking up reference papers, protocols, things like that. Well, let me tell you. Sitting here reading from the computer screen is definitely putting me to sleep. I don't usually go out and buy lunch when I work. But today I treated myself to Arby's just so I could get an extra large soft drink, full of caffein. Still not doing the trick so well. Hence I decided to take a little break in hopes of regenerating myself. I told myself I was going to work until 6 today, but I think its going to be all I can do to be here til 5.
Seriously, how do some of you get up everyday early just to run? And how do you stay awake during the day?

Kitty Pics

So I may not have the fun Diana Camera that everyone seems to be talking about. But I like my camera just fine. And the cute pictures it takes of my kitties!

They think if they try hard enough they will be able to get that moth on the other side of the window.

Wondering why he has to be stuck inside when all the fun is outside.

Seriously good nappers! And so cute!

Finn loves Twilight, but it makes him sleepy.

Good bye 3 day Weekend

So I was blessed this past weekend to have an extra day off. My boss had to go out of town due to the death of her father and left me with nothing to do. So Friday I was generously given the day off. So wonderful! I spent most of the morning snoozing with my kitties. They are just so cuddly and soft. And their purring seems to be some sort of sedative for me. Then that afternoon my roommate and I ran a few errands and got a couple more things for the house. However, we are still in search for a pink/magenta bath mat. So if anyone knows where I can get one, please let me know! In the evening my friend Diana and I went to see Mama Mia at the Orpheum. The Orpheum is the Memphis equivalent to the Paramount in Seattle. Its the theatre where they show all the musicals and plays. But during the off season, the summer, they show a bunch of movies for really cheap. My friend had free tickets so we went. It was SO fun. I like the movie anyway but when a song would come on everyone would start singing. Especially the row of little girls sitting behind us. They couldn't have been older than 8 or 9 but they knew EVERY word to EVERY song. It was hystarical. Next week we are going to see Fried Green Tomatoes.
When I got home from the movie our neighbors had some friends over and they invited Dawn and I to play Clue with them. So random. Yet so fun. Who knew I liked Clue so much.
Saturday Dawn and I decided to try out the Memphis Farmers Market. Neither of us were really expecting much but to our surprise it was really cute! And I ended up getting some really yummy fruits and veggies. And of course I can't go to the market without getting some beautiful flowers! I was worried that the cats would try to eat them (they have an affinity for plants), but so far so good. Maybe it helped that I bought them their own special little pot of cat grass.
My favorite part of the weekend was Saturday night when I got to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in 3 months! Yes Bobby is back! Still cute (and still a great kisser!). Perfect Saturday night (/Sunday morning).
And rounding out my wonderful weekend was the True Blood marathon my friend Diana and I watched yesterday. I don't know why but I seem to have this strange obsession with vampires lately. Totally don't wish they were real don't get me wrong, but I do kind of wonder what the world would be like if they did exist.

Running

I absolutely love running! I just started to take running seriously a few months ago, around April/May. I have never been able to be a serious runner because I have a knee condition. But I decided to put my body to the test and give it a go. The first thing I did was indulge and got fitted for and bought a really good pair of running shoes.



I love them. Since I have started running I have not had a knee problem a one (knock on wood). About the end of June/beginning of July, I kind of stopped running. Life got busy and I found every excuse not to do it. But I had made up my mind that I was going to run the St. Jude half marathon in December and if I didn't start back up it was never going to happen. So Tuesday night I put on my shoes and attempted to go for a run. I was sure that after a month with hardly any physical activity (plus the ridiculous heat and humidity) my body would die after about a mile. But to my glorious surprise I made it 2.5 miles!! Which is where I was at when I stopped running a month ago. And to add to the glory, I wasn't even sore the next day. Just goes to show that my body was definitely craving a good run. And now that I have moved into a really cute neighborhood running is even better. All the sidewalks are really nice (and pretty well lit for running at night, my way of trying to escape the humidity), the yards are beautifully landscaped making for good scenery and everyone (and I do mean everyone) is either running or walking and usually with a dog. Its great to see so many people out and it motivates me to work even harder. Plus there is a golf course about a mile away which will be great when I make it to my longer runs. I really enjoy my time running and am so glad I decided to give it a go.
One favor to ask to my readers though: I need some new running songs to add to my play list, any suggestions??

What Makes Me Happy...

My friend Maddie posted a blog today all about happiness (here). As well as my friend Erika did not too long ago (here). The article Maddie referenced was really great. And going along with my west coast friend inspiration I have decided to list the 10 things that make me most happy.

10. A good run.
9. A great meal with a nice glass of wine.
8. Laying in the sun.
7. Waking up from a good nap.
6. Relaxing and watching a really good movie.
5. Watching my cats trying to get things outside the window they are staring at.
4. Catching up with old and new friends. Whether on the phone, or just hanging out.
3. Ice cream cones and sno cones!
2. Going home to visit my family.
1. Hearing my little sister belly laugh! Or for that matter anything she does.

And so much more!

Story Time

Oh my goodness. I feel like I have been running around without a break for the last 2 weeks. Work was crazy. 11-13 hour days, then packing, then moving, now unpacking. But its the start of a new month and hopefully things will fall back into the normal routine. Dawn and I have been in our new place for a little over a week now. Its coming together, however slowly. By the time we both get home from work, we are not necessarily gung ho on unpacking and then the weekend comes and we have a bunch of other things to do. But school out here starts super early, as in a week from today, so all our friends who are teachers are already back at it so there will be a lot less events going on.
I celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being in Memphis this past weekend. And of course I spent it on Beale St. Just like one year ago. As always we went to Silky's. The Chi O's favorite bar down here. We know the bouncer so we never pay cover. And we know the bartender so we rarely pay for our drinks. And when we do its so cheap. For example, on the 4th of July I probably drank oh like 7 double size vodka pineapples plus a couple shots. How much did I pay? $10. Gotta love Mario. Oh and speaking of the 4th, guess who got kidnapped? Yep that would be me. All I was trying to do was dance with my friend Diana when what should happen. A group of black guys come up and start dancing with us and then they literally pick me up and carry me downstairs, out of the club, down a couple blocks to their car. How did this happen?? I HAVE NO IDEA. There are cops every where. How did a white girl surrounded by like 5 black guys not look suspicious? Then again, this is Memphis. And really I'm not sure why I didn't make a scene. Maybe it was the vodka pineapples. Anyway, don't worry, I got away. I knew my skills at running while intoxicated would come in handy sooner or later. While we were standing by the car, I ever so cleverly told them to "look there are a bunch of fire works" and while they were looking I ran. Thank goodness I was wearing flip flops. I found my friend Diana, who of course was freaking out, got to her car and drove home immediately. Then proceeded to stay up until like 5 in the morning trying to figure out how the heck that all just happened. Definitely a memorable 4th. (sorry if you are reading this mom. obviously didn't tell you cause i know you would freak out)
I think I was still a little shook up on Saturday because I refused to go back to the club. Not Silky's, a different one. If anything ever ruined Silky's for me, I think I would have to leave Memphis.
Other than that amazing story, its just been the usual summer stuff. Trying not to die in the heat mostly. Except that while ya'll were having your crazy hot weather we were having some crazy weather of our own. And by crazy I mean tornados. Although I was unaware of it at the time one touched down about a mile from my place. I was taking a Thursday afternoon nap when all of a sudden I am woken up by a strange siren sound. It had been nasty all day and the thunderstorm had rolled in about a half hour early. It was crazy loud, like if you were laying under a bowling alley floor. And I just figured the thunder had set off some alarm. Which it can and has done a few times this summer. Then Dawn called. She was down cleaning her old apartment. She asked if I was ok and did I hear the tornado sirens. I freaked out: TORNADO SIRENS??? Are you kidding? We didn't have cable hooked up yet, so I got online and found a streaming news channel and there were tornados touching down all over. Thank goodness they were heading away from us and no more were in our path. But I stayed pretty close to the cats and Daisy just in case I had to grab them and get in a closet. I think I'll take the hot weather any day over tornados.
Ok, well I think I've prattled on long enough. I could probably keep going, but there is that work thing I should be doing.

Home Sweet Home

So I know it has been a terribly long time since my last post, but there is a reason. I have been moving. I have said goodbye to my first ever apartment and have since moved into a cute little duplex. As much as I did enjoy living on my own, I got way too lonely. So my friend Dawn and I have moved in together. Here are some pics for you. Keep in mind we are still in the midst of unpacking so its a tad messy. But you'll get the idea. Also, look for an update to life later.

The front of the house.

My bedroom.

More of my bedroom.

The living room. Very messy still.

More living room. Still have the comfy chairs!

Back yard 1.

Back yard 2.