An Exciting Week

I find myself in the very lucky position of having somewhere to be every night this week with very different groups of friends.
Monday night I got the rare opportunity to hang out with Ben. He came home from San Diego for three days for Christmas. Monday night after my Violence in America presentation, we headed down to Spaghetti Works for some pasta goodness. He got to see my apartment beforehand and we did our gift exchange. I'm always bad at picking out gifts for guy friends, but I stumbled upon this really handsome leather Kenneth Cole watch. And since A) I knew he needed a watch that was both dressy and casual at the same time and B) he spent a lot of money on me for my birthday, I figured I could splurge on the watch. He got me a really cool necklace and a doodle book that I coincedentally purchased for my friend Marissa only hours before! I was looking at it thinking how I wanted to buy myself a copy because I thought it was so funny, and here Ben had it in his suitcase the whole time. It's crazy how our minds kinda ESP sometimes. After dinner, were we had the most brain dead server ever...I don't even know what must have been going on in her head, we went to the Max. We walked in expecting chaos and we were the only two people in the whole large bar! It was so prettily decorated for Christmas; I felt we were in a winter wonderland of alcohol. We had a good time, talking to the bartenders, getting free drinks, and playing pool. Love Ben!
On Tuesday, I did my Christmas with Ali and Marissa at California Pizza Kitchen. It was so yummy and our server was better than the other girl the night before. She made us crack up so much later because we ordered dessert and she told us the "tip" to eating it. Her tip consisted of her telling us to dip the cake in the vanilla sauce that was underneath it. Really? No, I was going to stare at the sauce and very carefully extract the cake from on top and avoid that sauce like poison. It was great. We did our gift exchange and they got me a web cam so we can keep in touch while they're in Spain. After, we took a series of ridiculous and hilarious pictures that involved an octopus balloon and the inside of my car. I'm going to miss these girls so much when they are in Spain :(
Tonight, I'm hanging with my Chang's bffs Aimee and Jess. We're going to catch a bite to eat and probably a movie. I'll update how that goes and the rest of my fun week.
Now, how do I have money to go out to eat??? I do not. Oh well, I'm picking up shifts before rent is due, so I should be semi-okay. lol

Goodbye, Captaincy

Yesterday was my last day as the women's captain for the Creighton Rowing Association. And while it wasn't my last day on the team, of course, I couldn't help but feel a little sad and as if it were the end of an era.
My first semester at Creighton was TOUGH. I felt so lonely. All of my best friends were in Lincoln, I didn't have many close friends in Omaha except for Laurel, Mallory, and Becky and I had just had my heart shattered. I wasn't living at home anymore, and although I enjoyed the freedom that gave me, I missed the comfort of having my family there. I cried alot and turned to eating. I gained so much weight that year and that only contributed to my sadness. The only thing I really had to look forward to during this time was crew practice. Everyone there was so nice and friendly. That first semester cemented some of the strongest friendships I have today. I've grown up with my senior class of rowers and it's crazy to think there was ever a period of time in my life where I felt that low, that unhappy. But my crew team pulled me out of it.
I was reading some old emails I had sent my dad at that time and all I ever talked about was what we were doing in practice, my new friends, and the goals and dreams I had for the team.
I was not a good rower at first. I was terrible in fact. I look at my first ergatta 2K time from freshman year and last year, and it is incredible how much faster I am now.
Crew also helped me with my immense weight loss that will forever be a part of my life. Once you get that big, and sink that low, there is NOTHING in your life that will ever bring you back to that weight. Crew helped me because it gave me a chance to work out, but after freshman year, after I started to become a better rower, it pushed to me to make those changes. I wanted to be a stronger rower and I began eating better and exercising outside of practice. I've lost 90 lbs since then.
I've always been an outgoing, humorous person and my best outlets for this were at crew parties and such. I think this new found confidence helped me to break out of my unhappiness and start making lots of friends outside of crew. Now, I have some of the greatest friends anyone could ask for and I love to go out and meet new people. Besides rowing, I think my number one favorite thing to do is meet new friends.
I learned so much as a captain of an autonomous team. Having to do everything ourselves cemented our bonds further and we came to rely and expect nothing but the best from each other. There are not enough words to say how much I enjoyed being an admin for such a great team and teaching the new rowers how to row. The crew team is a family. And the fact that next year, I will no longer be on the team is very hard to even comphrehend right now--and it scares me alot! I can't imagine my life without my team and it's very sad. But I KNOW I am a better person because of crew.
To the new officers of the CRA, this is OUR team. I hope you love it and take care of it as much as the seniors this year did. It's hard to pass over that mantle, but you are more than up to the challenge. And when this next semester ends, I hope we seniors have left a sort of legacy. The CRA has definitely left one in my life.

SNOW DAY!!!!!!!

So Papa Schleggs gave us all a little early Christmas present and closed school early Tuesday and all day Wednesday. This little mini vacay has been so wonderful. Heather and I made a gingerbread house, which we likewise destroyed the roof of and I got some wrapping done. We also braved the snow and ventured to HuHot for some yummy comfort food. If only everyday were a snow day. There really is nothing like a snow day to turn you back into a kid. Hot chocolate, anyone?

Song of the Moment

So, every once in a while I like to update my readers on the song that I just can't stop listening to at the moment. The last song I wrote about was "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez. This time around, the winner goes to The Arcade Fire's "Wake Up". You might recognize it from the previews for the Where the Wild Things Are movie. It is such a cool song and totally up my alley. The chorus just kind of lifts you up and there's a part about 3/4 into the song that just makes me want to dance and run around like a little kid when I hear it. You can hear the song here.
Nothing else much here. The weekend was a pretty party-tastic time when I should have been getting stuff done but who could ever refuse a good time? I should probably do some paper writing and bedroom cleaning tonight after school but I think I might go shopping...I need new running shoes SO BAD. The sole on one of the shoes is seriously hanging on by about an inch of material. And I'm totally going running before practice today in them. lol

Birthday Party for Aimee

Last night we celebrated the day Aimee was birthed by going out to Jam's and then to The Green Onion. I went over to Aimee's before hand to help her make red velvet cupcakes and let me tell you, those were the best cupcakes I've ever had probably due to the fact that the cream cheese frosting had MARSHMALLOW CREAM in the recipe. Holy balls.
Well, I pulled a typical Amelia moment when making the cake by dropping the egg container, cracking 3 eggs on the ground, catching one with my knee and saving 2. It was a container of 6 and we needed 3 eggs so if I hadn't caught the one with my knee, all would have been lost. It was definitely a baking spectacle.
Jess came over a little later then we all made our way to Jam's in Ben's spaceship of a car. Jam's has tasty food (I had a crab cake salad that was reallllly good) but terrrrrible service. I mean, it's bad. It was bad this time and it was bad the last time I was there. But they can get away with it because the food and atmosphere are such a cut above the rest. Ugh, I hate that. I have to work my TAIL off at Chang's for my money and then I go to get served at a restaurant by a snotty server who couldn't give a shit because she knows she'll walk out with hella good tips for the night because the prices on the menu are higher.
Anyway, after dinner, (which was really fun, btw. I love Aimee's new Bonefish friends. They're really cool) we went to The Green Onion, a bar notorious in Omaha for making their drinks extremely strong. Aimee, Jess, and I would go there all the time after work when we were all at Chang's but it was never as busy as it was last night. We had to stalk this one table we saw getting up so we could snag their table when they left. It was really fun though, and many Malibu and Pineapples were consumed. ha...
It was a really fun night, we capped it off eating the cupcakes we made and playing Guitar Hero. Happy Birthday, Aimee!

The Drive to Bennington and a Reunion

Yesterday, I drove my mother and I to Bennington High School for the swine flu vaccination. Bennington is six miles away from north Omaha and it is a really small farm community. We drove there around 3 in the afternoon and I was just blown away with how beautiful it is out there! The drive was so scenic with farmland extending into the horizon, cute barns, lots of horses and a pumpkin patch. The drive into the town has one road with trees lined on the side. While we were driving down the road, we saw some people riding their horses, you know, just everyday stuff Bennington residents get to do. I had no idea! I want to live in Bennington now. The wait for the shot wasn't too bad but we were in front of and behind some real characters. There was a Jordin Sparks "Got Milk?" poster on the wall and my mom asked me who that was. I was all like "Jordin Sparks, duh!" and she was all like "Oh yeah, duh" (not really, no one actually talks like that) And then the guy behind us goes, "She's bootyliscious." My mom proceeded to crack up while I looked for an escape route. Anyway, it was pretty quick and only a little painful (the whole experience, not the shot itself) and we went and got dinner after.
Tonight was a little Jobie reunion. Many people don't know about this part of my life but I was a member of Job's Daughters International, a wonderful organization for young women. I absolutely adored being in Job's. I made some great friends, had a lot of fun, and found something I was really good at. I just think the Order is really beautiful and special. Well, we had some problems at home during the years I was in Job's, and I had to pull out before I wanted to. Ever since then, I've wished I could have stayed. Tonight was my opportunity to participate in a meeting again. It was just like old times except there were different girls. It really felt like I never left. I am very grateful there is an organization out there for girls; building self-esteem, respect for others, philanthropic work, and friendship. <3

Weird Dreams, the Swine, and a Spark

I had the. strangest. dream. ever last night! I have only ever been prompted to look up what a dream means in a book one other time in my life, and that was when I was working at Barnes and Noble and there was no one in the store and I was supposed to be dusting the Dreams section. Yes, we had a Dreams section.
Anyway, sparing too many details that are disturbing, I kept dreaming that I was coughing up bugs. EEW, right? I can't even type this without cringing.
While there was no exact definition for "coughing up small insects" in the dream search engine online, the interpretation for coughing makes some sense. It said to dream that you are coughing a lot means you have a fear of or dissatisfaction of the future. Interesting. I must have an extreme fear or dissatisfaction if creepy crawlies are involved.
Of course, reading that, I could apply that to many aspects of my future. The most prevalent on my mind, however, is student teaching and the career path I chose. I find myself at a sort of selfish, dissatisfied, crossroads when it comes to being an educator. I don't want to tie myself down in a classroom for years. I want to travel, meet new people, do wild and crazy things. The last thing I want is for children to depend on me. That comes later when I've met my dream hunk. On the other hand, this is the path I've chosen and I KNOW I am good at teaching. Many a classroom observer for me has told me so. And we have such a need for qualified teachers. But, gross, I don't wanna! That is why I'm applying to grad school for Speech Language Pathology, but still. Can't I just be an astronaut or foreign diplomat or something?
The fear part of the dream probably factors into the fact that the advisors for the SLP program at UNO HAVE NOT emailed me back after the hundredth time. They just keep telling me to come to the Open House with my questions. What is wrong with a world where a prospective student cannot sit down and have a face to face convo with someone? Robots!
So while my subconscious is telling me I suck at being satisfied with my future, my parents have been scrambling to find a swine vaccine. My doctor's office is supposed to have it but my dad calls everyday and they don't ever have it. As I am student teaching next semester I have to get a shot. So, tonight I have to skip practice, and wait in some damn line for hours to get a vaccination. Stupid piggies.
A small highlight for today, however, is using Spark People. My roommate showed it to me and it is AWESOME. It's a free site that lets you track your nutrition, exercise, and weight loss. You should check it out here. As I've already lost so much weight, I think it's a great tool to help me lose those last unwanted lbs. Well, I better get off and make it look like I'm actually working (I'm at work study right now and Boss is sitting right behind me)