fabulous 4th

I had and absolutely wonderful 4th of July weekend and I hope you all did as well! The weekend started off with Kilie and Tim's wedding (see previous post) on Friday, followed by a day at the lake on Saturday. Our lake, by Morse Bluff, NE, had our big firework extravaganza that night, so a lot of my dad's family spent the day at the cabin, it was so good to see all of them! My aunt and uncle just moved into a lake house by Valley, NE, so I ventured over there on Sunday. Their lake had it's first annual 4th of July celebration with a slip n slide, raft races, horseshoe tournament, DJ, and free keg of beer, followed by fireworks-- can't beat that! I got up early the morning of the 4th to head out to my mom's family farm by Uehling, NE where we have our annual 4th of July bash which amounts to food and slow pitch softball in the pasture all day long. The fun didn't stop there, that evening I went to Seward, NE "America's 4th of July City- Small Town USA" or so they say...I will admit, out of the 3 firework displays I watched that weekend, Seward's were probably the best ; ) There's just something about the 4th of July that I absolutely love, maybe it's the fact that it's my mom's birthday (yes, she's a firecracker), or maybe it's because I'm a pyro, although it has been a few years since I blew off fireworks, or maybe it's the simple fact that everyone is decked out in red, white, and blue to show their patriotism, Happy Birthday America!

meet the Donovans

On Friday one of my best friends from high school married her new best friend. I almost melted at their beautiful outdoor wedding in the blazing Nebraska heat, but it was absolutely perfect! Kilie, her twin sister Karisa (who is getting married next July) and I have been best friends since 7th grade, which means we have several memories together, and I can't wait to continue those memories with her and her husband Tim!

blog buddies

I want to apologize for my lack of blogging in general this summer...My summer hasn't really felt like "summer" considering I am just finishing one online class and will be starting another one next week, not to mention I have 5 clients for therapy, that's right, I said FIVE. In the meantime, while you're waiting for me to post about the latest happenings in my life, check out these great blogs from a few of my wonderful friends!
glitter by my cousin Jennie
meatless with a man by my friend Kelly
sweetology by Trisha
Be sure to check out my other "favorites" on the right side of this page, and don't forget to "follow" all of us!

successful internship interview!

Two weeks ago I had an interview at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln for a spring 2012 speech-language pathology internship position. Last night I received an email saying I was selected for the internship and I couldn't be happier! Knowing there were at least four other people interviewing, I tried not to get my hopes up, but after seeing their amazing facility, I couldn't help but want to be there! (After watching this video, I'm sure  you can see why!) I can't wait for spring 2012 to get here and I would LOVE to be placed in their Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) unit!

longest day of the year!

Today is the longest day of the year and tonight is the tournament for our sand volleyball league...if we win at 7:00 we play at 8:00, if we win that, we play at 10:00! Good thing the sun will be out extra long for our extra long night of volleyball!

fun in the sun...on the farm!

My good friend and classmate, Mikki, lives on a farm north of town with two of her close friends (Adam and Renae who just got married in May). Saturday afternoon Mikki and I laid out to soak up some sun and the chickens joined us too!

LIVE LIKE LINDA.

I'm not really sure where to start with this post and I guess that's why I haven't written it until now...Exactly a month ago today, 5.11.11, my mom lost her best friend Linda in a car accident. Linda was terrified of stormy weather; and while driving in a storm that day, she lost control of he car.
My mom and Linda have been best friends since they were about three years old. They went to high school and college together, and their families were close growing up. Perhaps the most amazing part of their story is that they went on to marry two guys, my dad and Linda's husband Kurt, who were very distant cousins and had the same last name...result:  my mom and Linda ended up having the same last name! Better yet, Kurt and Linda's kids and my siblings and I are very close in age, and we have grown up to be great friends as well.
Needless to say, our world has turned upside down by the unexpected event that happened a month ago. In the words of my mother, "I take great comfort in knowing that Linda had such a strong faith. I don't think I've known a nicer, easier to love person than her. I feel blessed; she was a great example of how to live a full life." And as her 21 year old son Tyler said, "I look forward to catching up with you, I hear Heaven's parties are the best!" We all need to remember to LIVE LIKE LINDA.

cathleen and travis

Last weekend one of my old roommates got married and I was her personal attendant! It was a gorgeous wedding and the weather was perfect!

minnesota

For as long as I can remember (since 1996 to be exact) my mom's entire side of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) have spent the last week of May, including Memorial Day Weekend, fishing in Minnesota. We go to the same resort every year and it never gets old. We all used to fit in the big lodge but now that the family has grown and some of us cousins have started bringing friends or significant others, we now have to rent out the lodge and 3 other small cabins! I only stayed for the weekend, but caught a few while I was up there!

goodbye 12, hello B1

I moved! Just across town, but I no longer live by myself : ) I now live with two of my cousins in a three bedroom apartment! Needless to say I had to downsize my amount of stuff...

mayhem in may

Well, as you might have guessed from my lack of posts, the month of May did NOT go as planned! I thought I would have plenty of time to blog and do all of the things I didn't get to do during the school year. I even had hopes of reading some of the following books, and haven't finished one of them : (

there's an app for that.

As of a couple weeks ago, I was the owner of a "dumb phone" and didn't think that a "smart phone" was necessary. Well, my phone was acting up and I was due for an upgrade so I made the leap and got the iphone 4 and I LOVE IT! 

There truly is an app for everything! I already have: AllRecipes, Amazon.com, Blackjack, Betty Crocker Cookbook, FreeCaddie, Grocery iQ, Hello Vino, HeyTell, Instagram, Kindle, Pandora, Starbucks, Starbucks Mobile Card, Skype, Target, and The Weather Channel! 

 

What are some of YOUR favorite apps?

birthday shoes

 

I purchased these Nike boat shoes from The Buckle with my birthday money!

BIG week... Mother's Day!

I got a brand new set of golf clubs as alate birthday present, and I am so excited! We went back to my parents house on Sunday and spent mother's day golfing with my parents on the Northridge Golf Course in Tekamah. It was my first real round of golf, and I had a blast! Luckily everyone was very patient with me and my novice skills : )

BIG week... graduation!

I didn't graduate, but my cousin Cola graduated from UNK with her bachelor's degree in Business Administration-- congrats! Welcome to graduate school!

BIG week... got a job!

Last Wednesday I interviewed twice with Target and was offered the job immediately! I have orientation on Thursday and will be working the floor of the Kearney store soon after that!

BIG week... done with school!

I survived my first year of graduate school! After finishing my finals last week, I can officially say that I am a SECOND year graduate student! Woo hoo! To celebrate, my classmates and I ate at Thunderhead Brewery in Kearney and then headed to Shooters to sing karaoke! We sang Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer"...whooah we're half way there, whoooooooooah livin on a prayer, take my hand and we'll make it I swear!" I felt the song was quite fitting...we're half way done with grad school and we're definitely livin on a prayer!

BIG week

Last week was a very BIG week, starting with the death of Osama Bin Laden...proud to be an American!

speakeasy

A few weekends ago, my classmates Chelsea, Mikki, and I roadtripped to Sacramento, Nebraska, (who knew it even existed, I didn't!) to visit our fellow classmate Shana. Shana and her husband live on an acreage right next to a restaurant called The Speakeasy. We walked to The Speakeasy to eat then spent the rest of the evening making memories and watching reviews of the royal wedding while consuming several bottles of wine! What a fun night!

 Chelsea, Mikki and I in the wind!

The four of us in Shana's kitchen.

simply believe.

Lately it seems as though I have been more stressed with other things going on in my life other than school which doesn't seem right considering next week is finals week. I made the decision to move into a three bedroom with my cousins Jackie and Cola because not only will it be more fun than living by myself, but I will also save a ton of money. However, my lease for my current apartment is not up until the end of July and we are supposed to move into our new place mid-May. So I have been frantically trying to find someone to take over my lease but haven't had much luck. I'm also in the process of summer job hunting which I completely loathe. So I've been saying a lot of prayers lately in the hope that God will lead me in the right direction for a job and that He will lead someone to my apartment. I know He has a plan, I just have to wait and see what it is.

Last night before I went to bed I opened my devotional, which I haven't done in a while, and I was amazed at how God spoke right to me. Here is what I opened to:
Simply Believe 
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalm 27:13

Every fall as the cold winds of winter approach, flocks of birds fly southward to warm climes and mild breezes. With no map to guide them, they fly confidently, accepting instinctively that their winter refuges wait at the end of their journey.

There are times in your life when you must fly south symbolically, away from the winter winds of despair and hopelessness. As you take flight, God will provide a refuge for your troubled soul in his goodness, mercy, kindness, and compassion. He asks you to believe that he will provide gentle breezes for your journey. He asks you to believe that his never-failing love will go with you wherever your journey takes you. Simply believe, he tells you as you lean into the wind and surrender yourself to healing and hope.

Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and you were delivered; They trusted in You, and you were not ashamed.  Psalm 22:4-5

God, my future is in your hands. Amen. 

Amen to that! Who wouldn't want to live here?!

20 question survey

I got this fun idea from Christina, thanks!

1. Name 3 things you are looking forward to.

• Completing my 1^st year of graduate school!
• Finding a part time summer job.
• Moving in with my cousins.

2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

Own a coffee shop/floral shop/craft shop/scrapbooking shop all in one : )

3. You have $200. You have to spend it on yourself, you can't donate it, and it can't be something you actually need. What will it be? 

Shoes.

4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood? 

Coffee. Dark Chocolate. Venting to classmates (Mikki & Chelsea) who can usually relate to my bad mood.

5. What is your bedtime routine? 

After all the hygiene business…journal, read my devotional or bible, and catch some zzz’s.

 

6. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your significant other?

Originally through mutual friends, but we started talking at none other than THE Sidetrack Tavern the night before the first home Husker football game.

7. What kind of books do you read?

Cookbooks. Textbooks. How to Golf Books. Traumatic Brain Injury Books. Autism Books.

8. How do you see yourself in 10 years?

Like I see myself now only 10 years older…Speech-Language Pathologist…and maybe married with kiddos.

9. What’s your fear?

Stalkers.

10. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to see outer space?

I’m a nerd but not an outer space nerd, so…absolutely not.

11. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Make my bed then my coffee!

12. If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be?

He wouldn’t be such a picky eater…other than that, he’s great!

13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

I like my name, my new TBI client thinks I’m Whitney Houston.

14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months of rain, what would you choose?

Why would anyone choose rain?

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

Eggs.

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?

The lovely little comments I receive : ) and sharing my musings on life.

17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?

That’s a tossup, but I might have to go with sweet on this one.

18. What items are in your purse right now?

• Wallet
• Camera
• Keys
• Kleenx
• Gum
• Lip gloss/Chap stick
• Roll on perfume
• Pens
• Spare Contacts
• Eye drops
• Mirror
• Hair ties/bobby pins
• Lotion

19. If you had to choose between vacationing at the beach or in the mountains where would you go?

Beach.

20. What do you watch on television that you know you shouldn’t?

It is not unusual for me to go a week without turning on my TV (I don’t have cable) and when I do turn it on, it’s usually just the news. However, it’s not uncommon for me to go to my cousins to watch “Jersey Shore” and I guess that may be something I “shouldn’t” watch…its junk really.

birthday love.

After yesterday, I was reminded why birthdays are the best thing ever; we should make people feel like it's their birthday everyday! I received several cards, phone calls, text messages, facebook posts, and friends exclaiming "Happy Birthday" and it never got old, each one just reminded me how loved I am. My mom took the time to make Blake and I each our own jello poke cake for our birthdays before she left for California and my grandma made us a cake that we devoured on Easter. I have received cards from family and friends, each one including wonderful little messages. My coworkers had some snacks and appetizers in honor of my birthday yesterday afternoon which included beer bread and rum cake with fun candles, and there just so happened to be a KSSLHA end-of-semester potluck last night-- more celebration! Not to mention we won our sand volleyball game which was followed by a few drinks. So thanks to all of you who made my birthday extra special, you're truly amazing!

 My yummy personalized strawberry jello poke cake from my very thoughtful mother.

 Four adorable little bowls from my aunt Cherie purchased at Pier1 Imports.

The candles my coworkers put on my rum birthday cake-- beer and golf...

My good friend and classmate from grad school, Mikki, gave me this fabulous cookie from Eileen's but unfortunately I made the mistake of putting it in my bag and it got slightly ruined. Luckily you still get the gist that there are zebra stripes and hot pink which is totally "us". I told her the frosting got messed up in my bag so I started eating it without taking a picture of it's cuteness and she said, "oh well, it's kind of like our friendship, a little messed up at times!" (We like to give each other a hard time with a little harassment once in a while, it's just how we work.) Perfect frosting or not, the cookie is delicious!

He has risen!

Happy Easter to all! I had a fabulous Easter weekend even though my mom and sister were in California. My dad, Blake, and I went to the Herman bar and then to Ronnie's bar on Saturday night which was a ton of fun, and we all made it to church by 8:15 Sunday morning! The guys wore suits (and I wore a dress) which made quite a statement having us standing tall next to each other in our pew, mom would have been proud : ) Despite mom being in LA, the Easter bunny still found us, so we went through Easter baskets after church then ventured to my grandparents for lunch.

 Dad and I on Easter morning.

My grandma makes the best homemade buns ever, she let me bring a few home with me!