End of the year thoughts

So, I had a wonderful. I got lots of great presents (mostly for my kitchen!). I got a gift card from Mom, so I bought some curtains and frames for the 2 posters I wanted to hang in the living room. They all look so good.

Today Mom came over and put up my curtains. I'm so excited. I feel like I've been waiting forever. It gets so hot in my room and when I wake up, the sun is blaring in my eyes. So hopefully these curtains will put an end to that. Then we grabbed a bite to eat at Bueno and headed to Rockwall. We met Aunt Lana and Debbie at the movies to see I Am Legend. It was good. I would call it a combination of 28 Days Later, Land of the Dead, and a drama. After the movie, we went to Old Navy and exchanged some things. I got 2 pairs of jeans (much needed), a shirt, and ornaments (75% off). Then we stopped by Target, and I finally got the purse I had been eyeing for a couple of days now. I called it a night early tonight. I've been tired all day, and I just didn't feel like getting out again. I was going to clean, but I watched a movie instead.

Now a look back on this year...

This year was supposed to be a year of change. I was going to go overseas, graduate college, move out, and get a new job. I just knew I was going to be so happy by the end of the year.

I made the grades I needed in the spring to go to London. I had a graduation/going away party. It was an early graduation party, but I had no doubt that I would graduate.

In June I packed my bags and headed to London. I was so scared and yet so excited. I had never been away from home that long before. Plus, I didn't have anyone to turn to. That experience made me realize that I can do things on my own. I had so much fun and learned so many things. I'd go back in a heart beat if I could.

While I was away, Meme passed away. That was real hard for me since I was far from home and couldn't be with Mom. I got to see her just before I left. She told me that I was such a sweetheart and then she gave me a hug. I still find myself telling myself I need to go see her, but then I quickly remember she's gone.

When I got back home, I started looking at apartments. I just wanted to narrow the search to a few apartments I liked, so I could get an idea of what I wanted. I ended up finding the perfect apartment. I took Kristin to see it the next day. And then a few days later I took Mom. Then I signed the lease for it. It's funny, I had wanted to move out for so long. And then as soon as it was a reality, I was scared. I thought-I can't leave home. I almost backed out, but I knew I had to do it. I needed to be on my own and be my own person. Mom and Aunt Lana helped out so much. (I still haven't taken them out to eat for it. I still owe you!!) I was so happy to be in my new apartment. It was what I had wanted for years.

When I got back from London, business was so slow at Posados. I wasn't making any money, Bill wouldn't put me back in the bar, and my hours were being cut. I made the decision to quit and go to work at The Jalapeno Tree. Les came with me, which made the transition easier. We were working over 50 hours a week, every week. The money was flowing in, but I was so exhausted and had no time to see anybody. I made so much money that first month, but then business slowly dropped off. I began to hate that place more and more everyday. I would constantly complain and cry. I was miserable. Then the unexpected happened. I was let go. Jobless at the end of the year...who would have thought?

I had been looking for a job since August. I expected it would be difficult, but I never imagined it would take this long. I can't help but feel like a loser right now. I have a college education, no job, no money, an apartment I can't afford, and I feel like I have no future. This was supposed to be a happy year. Since there are only 2 more days left in the year, I don't think my goal of finding a job will be achieved. But I have to believe that things happen for a reason. Hopefully I will find a job soon, so I can get back on my feet.

Also this year I got to spend it with Les. He has become my best friend. We have been through a lot this year: job changes, job losses, loss of family, moving, and much more. We celebrated our 1 year anniversary in November. He's been good to me, and I am very thankful for him.

I am also thankful for my Mom. She has helped me out so much this year. At the beginning of the year I was pushing her away because I felt smothered. Moving out has strengthened our relationship. We talk more, and our time spent together is more precious. I know I have been needy this year. I just hope that I can get a good job so she doesn't have to help me out so much. And she can focus more on herself. (And getting out of that house!!)

So I guess it's time to make my New Year's resolutions:
-find a job!!!!!!
-pay of all my credit cards
-stop drinking so much coke
-stop eating fast food (except for in emergencies)
-bake and cook more
-take a small vacation with Les
-start exercising
-go back blonde!!

3 Day Baking Adventure

It's been a long, but fun weekend. I've been covered in flour, powdered sugar, chocolate, dough, icing, and food coloring. But it was worth it. Friday evening I went over to Kristin's to borrow some supplies. (Thank you so much!!) Then I went to Mom's to pick her up. We headed to the store for more supplies and grabbed some Chipotle while we were out. Then we went home and started baking. We bought a tube of sugar cookie mix and made cookies out of that. We rolled the dough out too thin, so they were kinda crunchy. Kristin gave me her leftover cookies. Her cookies were perfect. No matter what we did, we couldn't get our cookies to look like hers. So after the cookies cooled, we made the icing. We just made white icing and iced all of the cookies we had.

The cookie on top is Kristin's and the cookie on bottom is ours. We had obese cookies!


Kristin had put icing on some of the cookies she gave me, so we decorated them also. We used sparkling gel. It looks really good, but you can't stack the cookies because they stick to each other. Around 2 in the morning we decided to go to bed and finish up on Saturday.


Saturday we got a late start. We had Chipotle again, went to Old Navy (where I found the cutest ornaments for half off), and Macys (where Mom bought me and her the mammoth crocs. they have a lining inside, so they are like house shoes). Then we went back to baking. We had made a batch of cookies from scratch earlier in the day, so we rolled it out and cut out the cookies. While those cooked, we made brown, red (more like coral), blue, and green icing. We put icing on all the cookies and let them set overnight. Then I made the cupcakes and chocolate Christmas trees. I just put bakers chocolate in a bag and made the trees on wax paper. I also made some big trees, stars, and letters just to see what they turned out like. After another long day, we called it a night at 3 in the morning.





Sunday morning we made more icing and finished decorating the cookies. I think they turned out really cute. The snowflakes were my favorite. I also put shimmer on some of them. It turned out really pretty on the snowflakes.

Mom did such a cute job on the gingerbread men and snowmen.

Here are the snowflakes!

We had a crap-load of cookies when we were finished. So I packaged them up as gifts. I gave some to Les and his family, Mr. Perkins, and I'm taking some tomorrow when we get together.

The last thing I had to do was making the icing for the cupcakes. I made butter cream icing. It turned out yummy. The actual cupcakes were the only thing we didn't make from scratch.
I got the little Christmas trees out of the fridge and tested them out. Most of them weren't thick enough. The ones that were I put on the cupcakes. After a few minutes they started to break.

The full trees and stars didn't break. And I thought they were just as cute! I decided to eat the broken trees, but I was surprised when they tasted horrible. Mom had accidentally bought unsweet chocolate. Too bad.


I made Les' initials to put on his cupcakes. He really like the cupcakes. I took some over there for him and his family, but he kept them all for himself.

All weekend I got to hang out with my kitty. She slept with me, played with the bows on the presents, and slept.....a lot. But who can resist this face?!

Mom let me open a couple presents early. I got some really cute ornaments for my tree, my crocs, and a cupcake holder. It's so cool. It comes with a pan and a little shelf that hold 24 cupcakes total. And then a plastic cover locks on it, and it has a handle. I can't wait till tomorrow. We are having Christmas at Uncle Larry's, then I'm spending the night at Mom's. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Yummy

Today on Martha Stewart she made this gingerbread house cake. I want to make one so bad! I think it would also be super cute to make gingerbread stars and put those around the cake. Then put star dust on top of the white icing. Maybe I can talk Mom into having a Mom and Daughter baking session.

Tis the season....to get fired!

Well, in case you haven't heard, I was fired on Saturday. My first table of the day complained on me, so Ryan pulled me into the office. He said that I had been getting bad surveys (which he never showed me) and that multiple tables had been complaining on me (to which I had no knowledge). So after a long talk and lots of crying, he let me go. It all really came out of the blue for me.

At first I was devastated. I couldn't stop crying. Then the next day I became angry and bitter. They fired me a week before Christmas. How crappy is that?! Also, who is going to hire me right before Christmas? So my depression went into over-drive. I slept all day Sunday and Monday. And I cried.....a lot.

And to top things off. While I was driving home Saturday night, my back windshield exploded for no reason. At first I heard the noise and thought that I had ran over something. Then I saw my window shattered to pieces and thought that someone had thrown something at my car. I got out and looked at the window and didn't see any point of impact. I ended up staying at Mom's house until Monday afternoon. It cost almost $200 to replace the window.

Today was a busy day, and also a better day. It included...
-making pancakes
-watching Martha Stewart (one of my new favorite shows)
-picking up my check from the Tree
-chatting with Carl and Chad
-returning some items at Michael's
-going to the bank
-stopping by Casa de Rios and getting a tour
-picking up an application to Casa de Rios
-catching up with old friends at Posados
-going to see Les at work (he bought me dinner :) )
-going over to Mom's
-going with Mom to Casa de Rios for free food and drink
-going with Mom to Outback for a drink
-taking a nap
-watching a movie

So you can see all the stuff I did today. Roger (one of the managers at Casa de Rios) pretty much told me that he would hire me. I just hate having to wait tables. But when me and Mom stopped in, the place was packed. And everything was free. How awesome is that?! I wasn't hungry, but I ate all my food.

I talked to my friend who works at Wells Fargo and she said she could probably get me a job there. I hope that happens. Then I wouldn't have to wait tables. Or at least not full time. Just so you know, job hunting sucks!

Making progress

Well, it's been a while since we have spoken.

Saturday I went to Elora's 3rd birthday party. I was pretty down that day. Everybody kept asking me if I had found a new job yet. When I replied no, they told me how hard it is to get into the media field. I wish people would tell me that constantly because I love to hear it. Then I had to be around everybody who had the day off, while I had to go into work later and try to make money for rent. Also, I was having a fat day. I was so glad that day was over with.

After working all weekend, Monday was a much needed day off. I tried to sleep in, but woke up at 11am. I got up and was being lazy around the house. Then around 1 I got ready and went to run some errands. I went to the post office to get more stamps so I could mail the rest of my Christmas cards. Then I went to pick up my check (which wasn't as big as I had hoped) and went to the bank. I was going to hang out with Amber, but I just didn't have enough time.

Then I went over to Mom's and watched my shows. When she got home we ordered pizza and watched the season finale of Heroes. This season wasn't as awesome as the first, but it was still pretty good.

After leaving there I went over to Les' and hung out with him. He is now obsessed with Guitar Hero. He wants me to play with him, but I'm too embarrassed. I haven't played any video games since I was a kid. And he's pretty good at it. But it looks like so much fun.

Today was a slow day at work, so I didn't feel the need to pick up a shift tonight. Instead I went grocery shopping and cleaned my apartment. My place has been a wreck for over a week now, and I have been so lazy. So I finally sucked it up and cleaned my kitchen, did laundry, and straightened up my room. For dinner, I cooked the pasta that my Mom always makes. It was yummy.

I decided to get off my lazy butt and do something, so I went down to the gym tonight. I went around 11pm since I thought nobody would be down there. I hate when other people are in the room when I'm working out. When I got down there, there were 2 teenagers hanging out in the gym giving each other massages and watching TV. They were in there the entire time. I would have stayed down there longer and worked on more machines, but I didn't want to do it in front of them. I was pretty proud of myself. I walked on the treadmill for 30 min and did the elliptical machine for 10 min. That thing is hard!! I'm going to have to work on staying on it for longer. I'm going to try to work out everyday this week. I really need to loose some weight. So wish me luck!

I'm so full

Today I had my Scentsy party. Thank you for everyone who came. It's funny, I spent almost 2 days cleaning my house and now it's dirty again. I made cheese tortillas and chips and queso for snacks. Emily made us some friend oreos while she was here. Kristin also brought me a peanut butter pie that she made. It is so yummy. I didn't want to share it with anyone, but now I wish I had. Now I have to eat it all by myself. I am so tired and want to go to bed, but I also want to see my man. Hopefully he will call soon. But I will definitely be in bed early tonight.

Here is a picture of the sky tonight. I was outside putting up my Christmas lights and had to capture it. Enjoy!

O Cristmas Tree

Luckily I was able to get my car fixed this weekend. It was pretty expensive to replace the starter. I hate having car trouble.

Mom bought me a Christmas tree. It's so pretty!!! I just put it up tonight. After work I went and bout ornaments for it. I'm so proud of it!!!







When I was at Target, I saw these adorable plates. They were super cheap, so I couldn't pass them up. I figured they would make cute serving plates. And they sparkle!!

Giving thanks for my broken car

Well just as I had suspected, my car decided to break today. It won't start, so now I am carless for the weekend. I managed to get it to start today, but I can't rely on it this weekend. I hate when things go wrong with my car. And who knows how much it will cost to fix it.

Today I went over to Uncle Larry's for Thanksgiving. The food wasn't as yummy as it usually is. But I did enjoy my Mom's dressing. Around 3:30 I went over to Les' for his family Thanksgiving. His brother-in-law made black eyed peas with ham and jalapenos. They were delicious. I'm going to start making mine like that now. I was too full from eating earlier, so I didn't eat anything else. After hanging out over there for a while, we went back to his place to take a nap. For some reason I couldn't sleep, so I was forced to watch the football game while he slept. After the game I came home.

I've been so sensitive lately and I don't know why. I get my feelings hurt constantly and cry and the smallest thing. I've also been slightly depressed. I just want to be happy again.

I think I'm going to get a white Christmas tree. I really want one, and I think it will fit perfectly in my living room. Now I just have to save up the money to get it. Speaking of money, I hope I make a lot this weekend because I need it.

Just like old times...

Today I went to lunch with Liz and Lizeth. Lizeth is home from Austin, so it was nice to see her. We had lunch at Chili's and then me and Liz went on a shopping spree. We first went to NorthPark. I bought a couple Christmas presents, which was nice. Then we headed over to Mockingbird Station. Then we rushed over to Target before it closed, only to find out they were open till 11pm! I ended up spending more money than I wanted, but I bought the cutest stuff and I haven't been shopping in a long time. I bought this cute Christmas wreath. Liz had wanted a pink one until I showed her this. The only problem was I got the last one and none of the other Targets we went to had any. Sorry Liz. It looks so pretty hanging on my door. I just hope nobody steals it.


While at the second Target I found a tree that matches my wreath. It was only $20, so I got it.

Before I bought the tree above, I had bought this. It's real pretty, but I don't know if I should keep it. I got it for my bedroom. And it really looks good with the lights off. But I will probably end up taking it back.

I know I'm not supposed to buy myself anything, but I thought this picture frame was the neatest. So I had to buy it.

After going from Target to Target, we went to Wal-Mart to find Liz a white tree. They had a 6ft pre-lite white tree for $30. Now that's a good deal. I might consider getting myself one. I bought some groceries while we were there and then came home. I was exhausted, but I still had to make that chocolate eclair cake for tomorrow.

I was invited to Les' family get together tomorrow, which I'm excited about. I'm mostly excited about getting invited. It feels nice. But I don't think Mom likes the idea of me splitting my time. I just wish everybody liked each other and there wasn't any tension or hurt feelings. But I don't think it will ever be like that. Which sucks, because I'm the one stuck in the middle. But I'm not going to think about that. I want tomorrow to go as smoothly as possible. I can't wait to eat all the food!!!

Cake

Tonight I made a cake for Lucas. He is one of my managers and tomorrow is his last day. He said he loves strawberries, so I made a strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. I also decided to put chocolate covered strawberries on top. I had never used bakers chocolate before and it was very difficult. But they didn't turn out too bad for my first time.


I did everything except the writing. That was Sarah's job. Anyways, I think it turned out pretty well. I hope he likes it.

Pictures of Liz's new pad

This is Liz's kitten ~ Puss

Sometimes she puts clothes on her

The Bedroom

Vanity room

Living room

Kitchen

I LOVE the color of the wall

Her messy kitchen

Oh...

I got a new fish. This one looks albino. Anyways, I decided to name it Sebastian. The other fish is named Spaz.

The End

Roach pancakes

So tonight me, Emily, Sarah, and Carl went to IHOP. After us girls ate, the table behind us started freaking out about something. It was a ROACH! Some lady came over a tried to smush it with a napkin. Later on it emerged from the darkness again. This time the "manager" came over and asked if we had called her over. Emily told her no, but the roach was back. And nobody did anything!!!!!!!! They acted like it was no big deal. They didn't even apologize. So for that reason I am going to call corporate. They should have handled the situation better. No, I don't want free pancakes, I want JUSTICE!!!!

Shrimp on the Barbie

Tuesday Emily and Sarah came over after work and we made cupcakes for Rebecca's birthday. They were strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese icing. We did the decorating ourselves, can't you tell?!


Then after all that fun I met Chelsey at the Outback. It was the first time I had actually hung out with her in a long time. We sat in Les' section and he gave us excellent service. That night I really didn't feel like being alone. I had hoped that I would get to hang out with Les, but he was tired. So I went over to Mom's and watched TV until around 5 in the morning. I actually got caught up on all my shows. AND I watched a little Shot of Love with Tila Tequila. What an interesting show!

Wednesday I slept most of the day and did a little cleaning. Mom came over and brought me chicken fried steak from KFC. Later on me, Les, and Liz went to the Billiard Bar. I had an ok time. It was nice to see the guys, especially since their girls weren't there. We left kind of early and went back to Liz's where we made fun of her neighbor.

Thursday I had to work :( After work Les came over and spent the night. We didn't really get to hang out because he feel asleep on the couch shortly after we got home. I had trouble sleeping that night because I took my allergy medicine and it makes me restless. So today I was sick and tired all in one.

Today everyone was in a bad mood at work. Sarah quit and Michelle was fighting with everyone. I just tried to stay out of everyone's way. It wasn't very busy, and I thought I was only going to make $40. But I had a party of almost 20 as my last table, so that gave me an extra boost. I ended up making $74.

I know tomorrow I'm going to be tired, but I have to fight through. I need to make good money this weekend. Christmas is approaching and I haven't bought any presents.

It's been a while

I haven't posted anything in a while, and it's because I haven't really been in the mood. I'm still having no luck on the job search. And that just makes me hate my current job even more.

For Halloween I went and got my hair done. I decided to go dark again. It's a real pretty brown/red color. I also cut my bangs, but I don't like them. I've decided that I'm going to let them grow out again. After that I went out to dinner with Mom at the Olive Garden. After dinner we stopped by Kristin's parents' house to see Elora in her costume. Then I went back home and opened my presents from Mom. I got a shirt from Old Navy, the jacket I'd been wanting and couldn't find, and my black sweater boots. Those boots are my new favorite thing! Then I headed over to Liz's. I hung out there for a little while. Her apartment is so cute now. I will post pics later. After an hour I went to Les' and spent the night with him.

The next day I slept until about 3 in the afternoon. Les didn't have to work so we went back to my apartment and got ready. Then Me, Les, Rebecca and Sarah went to Matts. I realize now that that place is a lot more fun when everybody is drinking. After dinner I went back home and slept.

Rebecca came into town last weekend and she stayed with me Sunday night. It had been a long time since I've seen her, so it was nice to get to hang out with her. Too bad I was really tired.

This past Sunday was me and Les' 1 year anniversary. We went to eat at the Outback and then went to the movies to see 30 Days of Night. I him a chocolate eclair cake and bought him a chair, since his broke. It turned out to be a good day.

There are so many things that I want to do, but I have no money to do them. I want to buy these white frames from Ikea and print out pictures. I want to hang them in my bedroom. I also want to paint stars on my wall in my bedroom. I think that would look neat. Or maybe birds. I also want to get creative and make things. I want to buy some shadow boxes and decorate them. Also, it's been a while since I've worked on my scrapbooks. I just want to use my imagination a little. Too bad I need money to do it.

Scary Fun

So I have been busting my ass trying to make money for all my bills that are due at the end of the month. And I just about have all the money I need. After Saturday, I figured out that I had to make $45 a day on Sun, Mon, and Tues. Today I made exactly $45. At least I made my goal.

After work I came home, took a little nap, and then showered. I picked up Les and we went to Posados. We sat in Chelsey's section, but I didn't get to talk to her much. She colored her hair and it looks cute. I really wish we got to see each other more. We really need to see each other's apartments.

After we stuffing our faces we went to Scare Grounds off of Oak Lawn. You have to pay a cover charge to get in and then you have to pay for the haunted house. You also have to buy coupons for anything like food. Also, when you buy your ticket for the haunted house it has a number on it. You have to wait until your group number is up to enter the haunted house. Our group number was 10 and the number that was up when we got there was 5. So we had to just walk around the tiny space and kill time. When we finally got to go in the haunted house, it wasn't that scary. We were at the back of the group, so they teenagers in front of us screamed before we even saw anything. I was also the caboose of the group. I felt safer behind Les, but things kept creeping up behind me and following me. Only once did I actually scream and jump in the haunted house. After doing that we went in the maze. That was actually scarier than the haunted house. Overall it wasn't that scary, but I still had fun.

It was only 10pm when we left, so we stopped by Blockbuster to rent The Reaping. I've been wanting to rent this movie for weeks and they never have it. So we go and sure enough, they are out. I'm convinced that they only have two copies and those are always being rented. So we went to Wal-Mart and Les bought it for me as an early birthday present. It turned out to be a good movie.

So tonight was a pretty good night. And in case you didn't know, my boyfriend is awesome.

While we were at Posados, Rodney invited us to his Halloween party. I was hoping someone would have one. So I think we might go to that. The girls from work want to go out for my birthday, but I don't know when or where. I'd like to go out on Thursday night, but I don't know if everyone is off. I don't really care what we do as long as it involves drinking!

Update

It has been a while since I have posted anything, so here is what I have been up to:

Wednesday night Rebecca, Sarah, and Emily came over for a girls night. I cooked enchiladas for everyone. The enchiladas had cheese and beef on the inside and were topped with green chili sauce. I cooked black beans and rice to go along with it. We also ate some of the pico Mom made me. I wasn't too impressed with the beans and rice, but the enchiladas were a hit!


Here is me cooking. I made everything by myself, except Rebecca rolled the tortillas.





For drinks I made apple martinis and pink panties (vodka and pink lemonade). I finally got to use my martini glasses from Crate and Barrel.

We had a lot of fun and decided we need to get together more often. Plus it was nice having people over.

Since Thursday I've just been working. My sciatica has been bothering me, so working hasn't been too pleasant. Mom let me borrow her heating pad, which has helped a lot.

Friday I went into work and worked my butt off and made $131. I was so excited. I haven't had any money this month so I'm left with no choice but to pick up as many shifts as I can. Right now I have to make $400 by the end of the month. So no free time for Lacey :(

Today I went on an interview at Katz radio. I think it went pretty well, but she told me that they were interviewing a lot of people, so that doesn't make me feel so confident. I also had to take a math test while I was there, which was strange. I ran into Mark in the hall and was excited to see him. I really wish I could have worked with him.

After the interview I came home, changed into my pajamas, and snuggled under the covers. I fell asleep and was woken up by the phone. The president of Champion Sports Radio wanted to set up an interview with me. I called him back and set up an interview. Him and the vice president are taking me to lunch Wednesday morning to talk. I am so nervous. While I was on the phone with him, I had a call beep in. I had a voicemail from a lady at FOX. She wanted to set up an interview as well. So Wednesday afternoon I am going to talk to her. All that was pretty cool, but strange at the same time. Hopefully one of these interview will lead to a job.

Since it's so cold outside I turned off the ac, but now I'm cold. I don't want to turn the heat on because I want to save money, plus it will probably be too warm. But I hope it stays cool for a while longer.

And that is what I have been up to. My birthday is next week and I am none too excited. I think Les is working on Halloween and my birthday. Mom can't take off from work. And getting everyone together is too much of a hassle. Plus I didn't do anything for anyone else's birthday, so I don't expect them to do anything for mine. I also don't have any money to do anything. But I hope I don't end up sitting around the house by myself that day. Maybe I will go get my hair done that day.