Well That's Annoying...

I have news about my college degree.

Well. I had noticed friends I had graduated with posting pictures and statuses on facebook about finally receiving their diploma, but I hadn't received anything.

So, I decided I better check up on my grades and make sure everything got posted. 

I had everything needed to graduate done and turned-in in advance, but just to soothe my curiosity, I thought I'd check. 

Well, good thing I did.

Because I was missing my eportfolio, apparently.

This was false, I knew, but I had to do something about it.

Maybe Wanda just didn't update grades online, but really my paperwork was done.

I don't know.

So I emailed Wanda, the woman in charge of everything.

She told me to call her because I was missing crucial things to graduate.

So I did.

It was a rather annoying conversation...

She told me she didn't have any record of me completing my eportfolio.

I said this was false, because two supervisors of mine had assessed my work & submitted my grades for it, and she herself had even submitted an assessment for part of my portfolio.

Well, she goes on to tell me she keeps a written record of everything completed, and she had nothing written down for me, but to be sure, she would check online for record there, on the eportfolio system (Chalk & Wire). 

"Ah, yes, here it is." She says.

"Submitted May 25, assessed June 10."

Deadline for spring graduation was June 15.

So I met the deadline....

With time to spare....

"Well, I will get that posted then. But of course, your grade will not be posted for spring graduation, so you will not graduate until August, after the summer sessions."

Um, excuse me! I did finish!

YOU messed up!

Ugggghhhh.

Okay, in reality, it doesn't make much of a difference. 

Just that instead of graduating UWRF in Spring of 2012, it's Summer 2012.

And I can't start applying for my teaching license until my graduation has been posted.

Maybe that was the nagging feeling I was having about applying for my license?

Maybe subconsciously I knew my grade hadn't been posted. 

Ah, well.

So that's that. 

I'm still not a college graduate. 

Not just yet. 

Fun & Yummy Day

So Wednesday I had the whole day off of work, and no plans made at all, so I decided to make myself feel like a wife for the day.

I've told Thomas before sometimes it doesn't feel like we're married because we don't have our own place and we hardly ever get to see each other...that was a bad thing to say. He didn't like it...

But it's true. Sometimes I just don't feel like a wife.

So yesterday I thought I'd make myself feel like I was married.

And how do you do that?

Well, you cook a lot.

Because we all know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Nevermind that Thomas was gone from 8am-11pm so he wasn't going to be around for me to feed anyway...I still wanted to cook. 

So naturally I log onto Pinterest to find some good recipes. 


Let me rewind a bit. 
Initially, I didn't want to cook, but I wanted to be crafty.
I have a lot of things on Pinterest I want to try making.
Well, there was a couple problems with that scenario, and the particular crafts I have on Pinterest.
1. I need to learn how to use a sewing machine first.
2. I need kids to do crafts with.
3. I need kids to do crafts for.
4. I need it to be mine & Tom's anniversary, or his birthday, or something to actually give him the crafts I make.
5. I need a house to decorate these crafts & DIYs with.
So I decided to just cook.


Now, I had this elaborate plan to make all these yummy things, and then post them on here with step-by-step pictures.
Ya know, turn this into a yummy food blog.
But let's face it. 
I am not a good cook.
I am an alright cook.
And I really don't know what I'm doing most of the time.
So I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not.
Instead, I'll just link to my Pinterest pages.


So, to start things off, I decided to make strawberry lemonade cookies.
I was super excited when I found this recipe. 
I was even more excited when I was finished and eating it.
YUUUUUUUUMEEEEE!
No really, it's awesome.
It's lemonade...in solid form.
Delish.
I must say, I never knew making homemade frosting would be so easy!
I felt pretty dang accomplished after the cookies were done.
Yup.


Then I wanted to really tackle dinner.
So again, I head to Pinterest in the hopes of finding something awesome.
And I did.
I decided to go with the Double Crunch Honey Chicken.
Not only does it look fabulous, but I loved crunchy breaded chicken.
Mmmmmm.

This was surprisingly easy.
And fast.
And turned out really delicious. 
My only tip?
When the recipe says, watch the honey sauce because it can boil over easily - - LISTEN TO IT! Oh my goodness does it ever! Luckily, I had no boil over messes...just frying messes... 
But oh my goodness was it tasty. I really loved it. 


For a dishes, I decided on fresh green beans (my FAV summertime veggie...well, maybe aside from corn on the cob...) and dinner rolls. 
But not just any dinner rolls....I wanted to make Red Lobster's cheesey garlic bread rolls. 
Why?
Well because I found the recipe on Pinterest of course! 
Now, I don't know if it was me, or the recipe (I'm inclined to say the recipe...) but these were not good.
Maybe it was because I bought Market Pantry mix instead of Bisquick.
Or maybe it's because I did it wrong.
I don't know.
But they were not good.
Tom and the family say otherwise...but I really think they were just being nice.
They were dense and dull, not fluffy and light.
The only thing that tasted good was the top of the biscuit that had the butter concoction brushed over it. 
Because butter is amazing.
I don't know. Next time I attempt these, there's going to be some changes.
Maybe a whole different recipe.
You could try them yourself. 
See what you think.
Tell me if yours turn out!


So that was my fun day in the kitchen. 
Fun and yummy day.

Cold Feet

I really thought with summer arriving I would have more time to blog, and I could get back into my old blogging habits...

But I guess not. 

Life is still jam-packed busy...although with nothing all that exciting.

I'm still cranking out those applications.

Still waiting for the phone to ring with an interview or a job.

Still searching.

But I'm delaying applying for my teaching license.

I don't know what it is.

Cold feet maybe?
Can you get cold feet with jobs?

Or is that just a wedding thing?

I don't know, I'm just not in a hurry to apply.

Every day I say to myself, "Okay, today I'm starting my application."

Only then to tell myself, "Well, the process is so long, and I don't have time...maybe I'll do it tomorrow..."

And repeat.

A lot.

I just don't know what I want to do anymore.

I loved teaching.

I loved being in front of the class, interacting with the kids, I got rave recommendations from the people I worked with, but I just don't know.

There's something holding me back.

This nagging thought that this isn't what I'm meant to do in life. 

Sure I'll be good at it, great maybe even, but I'm not meant to do it. 

Maybe it's my brother mocking me all the time about how he can't believe I'm not doing anything with animals...and then my husband always agreeing with him.

Maybe I'm just scared to actually have a "big girl" job.

I just don't know.

Something's nagging at my mind, holding me back...and I gotta figure out what it is.

On a much different note, it's 27 days until Thomas and I leave for our honeymoon! We are both super excited.

We'll be going to Santa Ana, California, and our main destination is....drum roll please...Disneyland! 

Yes, we're awesome. 

I've been reading and planning for our trip for a few weeks now, and everything's really starting to come together, which is super fun and exciting.

27 days.

Maybe I'll never stop having countdowns in my life...

Just Because

Just because kids make me laugh...

...and I can't wait to have kids. 
I found this on pinterest.
Enjoy.

I Don't Get It.

I don't get it when girls do a photo shoot of their wedding dresses before the wedding.

I understand you love your dress.

And I get the fun in getting dolled up and doing a photo shoot.

But shouldn't you do it after your wedding?

Maybe I'm too traditional, but I didn't let Tom see me until I was walking into the chapel.

And I wouldn't ever do it any other way.

I didn't even show pictures of my dresses to my friends.

(And if you did see them on my phone, consider yourself a very special friend. I only showed about five people...)

So I can't wrap my head around doing an entire photo shoot, and then posting the shoot on facebook, days, sometimes even weeks, before your actual wedding.

I just feel like the wedding dress is [the] most important part.

Well, aside from the groom, of course.

But as far as my own wedding went, I didn't care about anything more than I cared about my dress. 

It had to be stunningly gorgeous.

It had to be "me."

It had to be perfect.

And I wouldn't show it to anyone.

As much as I wanted to see Tom's face when he saw me for the first time coming down the aisle, I wanted everyone else to be in "shock & awe" as well. 

It's precious, ya know?

I don't know, maybe I'm just too opinionated.

But it seems the trend for the past year has been increasing.

A lot of photographers we talked to even included a wedding dress shoot prior to the wedding as part of different wedding packages. 

The also offered "Trash the Dress" photo shoots as well.

Where you "trash your dress" after the wedding with mud, dirt, rips, and who knows what else.

Why the heck would you want to do that to your dress???

It's your {wedding} dress!!!

Really?!
I don't get it.
Maybe I'm not the norm.

Coincidence? I think not.

Well I'm just gonna dive right in:

I finally got an interview!!

Send prayers, good thoughts, warm wishes, crossed fingers, whatever floats your boat my way at about noon on Wednesday.

Because I'll be interviewing for a social studies position at Maple Grove Senior High.

Woot!

It's only a part-time position, but it would be a great way to get my foot in the door of the district.

Oh, and in case you didn't know, 

I graduate from MGSH in '07.

So it'd be cool to be back there!

I'd say I'm not getting my hopes up, but let's be honest:

my hopes are up.

Maybe not hopes.

Maybe just excitements.

I am so stinkin' excited and happy to just finally have a call.

To finally have an interview.

To know my applications aren't completely lost in a pile of hundreds of others.

Oh yes.

Hundreds.

Did you know that?
For one social studies teaching position, you'll end up with a couple hundred applicants?

Sheesh.

So I'm feeling excited to even get an interview.

I almost didn't blog about it.

I debated.

Because if I don't get the position, well, then I gotta blog about that.

But I thought, ya know what?
This is life.

It's great I got an interview.

And if no job comes from it?
Well that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. 

But ya know the coolest part??
The big reason why I wanted to blog??

Because of the power of God.

Yesterday, Sunday, was fast Sunday.

I fasted and prayed for hope in the teaching field.

But here's the thing:

I was the only one in the house that fasted yesterday.

So everyone was eating in front of me.

Including Thomas.

I almost gave up and ate so many times yesterday.

Because everyone else was eating.
But I really wanted to fast for my future career.

Well, I made it the whole day fasting, after several temptations to give in, and then the next day I get a phone call asking to set up an interview at MGSH.

Coincidence?

You may say so.

I definitely think not.

Even if I don't get a job from this interview, 

I needed this call.

I needed this to relight my excitement, my fire.

I needed this.

God is good, people.

God is {so} good.