BRB?

Ok, I'm finally back. Last quarter was terrible! My grades were up and down and I was constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but now as the warm weather rolls into town, so does a little more free time.

Now, let's get to the basics. I started this year as most- boy free. Of course as soon as classes started I found myself head over heals for a hunk in a jersey, and as always, found out he was in no way a keeper. More on this chico later.

When we look for relationships, we tend to get picky. This is perfectly acceptable. What is not acceptable is not building up massive expectations and kicking away everyone that doesn't meet them. All I ask is that my guy is educated, not a complete jack ass, has a job, earns my family's respect, and treats me with just as much respect as I give to him. If I say I'm not ready for sex, don't wait two minutes then try again! Guys, I'll know when I'm ready and trust me, I'll be the first to let you know.

Flirting can be a lot of fun. Of course there is a huge difference between flirting and grabbing someone's junk and making out with them. We all say a lot of stupid things when we are trying to impress someone. For example "Your ass looks super in those pants," or "Didn't we have a class together 2 years ago?" Some of my favorites, "Oh, you're a Special Education major? I'm taking a class about kids with disabilities-- I call it my retard class!" or "Baby it's not the size of the wave, it's the motion of the ocean!" (Yeah? Try telling that to Japan.)

Bottom line, unless you're a naturally funny person, try to be a little more serious. You can still be funny without looking like a jack ass.

Saturday

Winter Quarter is going great! I really like all of my classes so far and am keeping a good hold on things. I arrived back at the apartment to find it in good shape, which was a relief. We're having a party tonight as a welcome back for friends and a few drinks. I went to the OSU Hockey game last night against the Miami Redhawks. All in all it was a great game and my friends and I had a great time with the cowbells they handed out. Hockey has always been a favorite sport of mine since watching it as a kid with my Grandpa. Instead of a timeout corner, he sent me to the "penalty box" when I misbehaved, which was often when my parents first had my little sister Kate. Safe to say I haven't visited the penalty box in a few good years. :]

Went out with Emily last night. Things started off pretty well and we ran into some guys from high school which was fun! But by the end of the night I was more than happy to hit the sheets and just pass out. Didn't wake up until three this afternoon, which sucks. I'm trying to get out of bed to take a shower and get the place cleaned up before people come over, but it's tough!

Speaking of grandparents, it's getting really hard to see my grandma and grandpa slowly declining in both physical and mental health. Grandma has a hard time distinguishing between me and my sister, while Grandpa's back has left him using a cane. He had a pretty bad fall a couple weeks ago and broke a few ribs, which was really hard seeing him in pain like that. My mom and dad are both trying really hard to make sure everyone takes care of themselves, but there is only so much they can do and it's so hard coming to terms with the fact that the people you love aren't going to be around forever. So focus on the good times and forget about the bad. Life can be long, or it can be short. No one knows how long we have with a certain person, so always love!

Alright, time to try and be productive. Until next time!

~Em

"Always love, Hate will get you every time. Always love, don't wait till the finish line."

Sunday/Monday

Well, the first quarter went by pretty fast. Can't say I did as well in math as I would have liked to, but I did get an A in my creative writing class, which makes me feel pretty good. :]

Roommates are doing good. We are having some slight chore issues and I find myself getting antsy and just doing all the chores if they haven't been done on time, but I can't stand living in a messy apartment.

Finally home for Winter Break and I'm pretty excited to just kick back and relax. I should be able to get to the eye doctors and see about bumping up the prescription on my glasses. Also hoping to get into the doctors for my tonsils :/ The other day they got infected or something and my throat swelled shut. I wasn't too worried until I started spitting up blood (gross, I know!) So tomorrow I'll try to get into the doc's or head to Urgent Care to see what's going on. I'm really hoping to just get the damn things removed.

Eddie's doing well. He loves the 1-2 feet of snow we have on the ground. As soon as I got home from school we ran out into the back yard and jumped around for a while. Lots of fun!

I'm hoping once this throat crap clears up I can work on some new recipes. I came up with a great honey mustard chicken. I just took chicken breasts and rolled them through flour, set them in some olive oil and brushed on honey mustard while they were cooking. I cut up some fresh green beans and cooked them with almonds along with a side of rice. Great meal and super easy! I have a potato soup in progress, but that's still in the works :]

Tuesday

Friday I head back to Columbus and move into my apartment with my friends Ryan and James! I'm looking forward to having a place of my own with my own room, but wondering what it will be like living with two boys... I'm excited though!

As far as news at home goes, Eddie is doing great! He is about 4 months old and a little spitfire! He just got his last round of shots so in 2-3 more weeks he can go on walks and play with other dogs! He has been able to hang out with Brewster from across the street, but Eddie likes to play a little rough... we think it's because he was the runt of the liter and being the smallest, he was the easiest target for his brothers and sisters. He is a little scrapper but he is also extremely affectionate when it comes to cuddling and being close to his new family. He is potty trained to the point of letting us know when he has to go out, but he is at the point where he can go into new rooms in the house without peeing all over, which is great.

I'm gonna be pretty homesick the first couple weeks. It's going to be so hard not having little Edders around because I spent to much time watching him and taking care of him this summer!

ttfn!

P.S. Here are some Eddie pics!

Thursday

As of Monday we have a new puppy! Eddie is 10 weeks old and we love him already.

Of course he is different than Maeve and Nellie, but that's ok. It's a nice change of pace to have a little boy running around the house. Although we still miss Maeve it's good to have Eddie because we have so much love to give.

I spent the last week at a residence camp for kids with special needs. At first I was a little nervous. While it was sooo much fun, it was also stressful, but I was able to go home at the end of the day and unwind and prepare for the next day. However, with residence camp I would be with the campers 24/7. The first couple days were a little rough. I had a hard time getting into the swing of things, but after a while I just let it all go and had a great time. The kids were great and even though it was stressful, I met so many new friends and really made a positive impact on the lives of these children. It's so emotional to hear them tell me that they would give up Christmas just to come to camp. That means a lot. Knowing that I am part of that makes me feel amazing.

Drinks at the end of the week weren't too bad either... :]

That's all for now :]

Sunday

Happy 4th of July!

It's been about a month since Maeve's passing. I'm home from school and back with the family. On the 26th we'll be getting a new puppy. He will be a little yellow lab. So far the name "Eddie" is first in the running.

Camp is going great, loving all my kids!

It's been an interesting summer so far, so let's see how things go!

Sunday

Well, it's almost been a week since Maeve passed away. It sure has been hard accepting the fact that she won't be there when I get home for the summer. There are a lot of things I just won't want to do because they were just so special when she was there with me. Maeve was one hell of a dog and I'm just so thankful for the 10 amazing years we were given with her. She was amazing and full of love. Memories live on forever, so until I see her again...

School is winding down. Finals week starts tomorrow and I have both of mine on Thursday, so that gives me a lot of time to study. I'm just hoping they all go well and I'm able to finish off the quarter in a good way. Summer will be pretty interesting this year and busy. I'll be working at Camp Sue again, helping Dad remodel the downstairs bathroom, and working on my friend's farm with their sheep and horses. I think staying busy will be a good thing. Before I know it I'll be back down here for school moving into my apartment and starting a new school year. So here's to new beginnings...