I Spy an Armadillo (or three!)

So my sister and I decided it was time to get our butts off the couch and go exploring. We've been taking a walk every Sunday with my dog Olive to local parks but we wanted to find new an exciting places. So we were off! I had purchased a Best Hikes with Your Dog book so I picked out a hike in the Highland Lakes area.

After our 1.75 hour drive (a little longer than expected especially since we didn't leave our apartment til after 11am...eekk!), we arrived to find the park gate open but no one around to accept our entrance fee or hand out maps. We decided to drive on in since the gate was open and start out hike.

The hike combined two loops up a small hill (or mountain if you live on the east coast - 1300 feet). It was pretty. We hiked first through a sort-of cactus-field and then up a rocky slope through the trees. We never really reached a summit but there was a great view of Lake Buchanan below. Sadly most of the lake seemed to be dried up as this is one of the driest years the Austin area has had in a long long time.

The best part of the hike was the wildlife though. The book said to watch for wild pigs, deer, armadillos, bald eagles and numerous amounts on poisonous snakes. Luckily we saw no snakes. Whew! We did however see three armadillos.

Now this is very important because Texas's official state mammal is the armadillo and the only armadillos I had seen thus far were roadkill ones. I took a picture. SEE BELOW. We also saw a couple deer. It was amazing!

Extra Bonus: We drove thru this cute little town called Bertrum on the way out that was just adorable even though it was only comprised of maybe 5 buildings.

I am A OK

I had my yearly review at work today. It went extremely well. My direct boss agreed with me completely on my strengths and weaknesses. And to top it off they're finally giving me more responsibility.

You're now reading the blog of the person not only in charge of payroll, but invoicing and the office filing system. This may not sound that exciting to you but after 6 months of not a lot to do this is a huge step.

And she said that I will most definitely get a raise! Yahoo for being me! Getting a good review definintely boosted my day up to spectacularly stupendous!

2007: The Year of New Beginnings???

Hello. I haven't written in over two months. Whoops. Guess I was busy, but I'm back....back with a new gusto, a 2007 gusto!

I am so ready for this year to get underway. I'm starting culinary school in less than two months and by November I'll be a certified baker. I can not wait!!!!

The holidays were hectic this year. Maybe more hectic than years past but still just as great as always. New Years was also great because we did absolutely nothing. Just what the doctor called for after 2+ weeks and weekends of non-stop chaos. My sister and I literally sat on the couch from Friday afternoon thru Monday night and every minute of it was glorious.

Of course that's not to say we didn't find a little time to go out and spend some of the money we got for Christmas on some new clothes. And we did take a break from sitting on the couch to go for a walk with my dog Olive on Sunday, a tradition.

Resolutions??? Not really. I've probably got the same ones everyone does. Be better this year, save money, be happy. But I don't really like to think of them as resoluations....they're just goals I'm always working towards and achieving on a daily basis.

I just want this year to be a great year. I want to just be able to live life as I want to with no one standing in my way except myself! I really have a good feeling about this chef thing. I'm so excited!

Stepping Out

"Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness." - Robertson Davies

So I had a revelation this weekend, with the help of a couple people, that I will never be happy unless I'm happy on the inside. I think I rely to heavily on other things and people to provide me with happiness. Although how am I ever going to meet those other people if, I myself, am not happy.

Now don't get me wrong, I am happy. Probably about 85 - 90% happy. And I'm definitely working on the rest. What I learned is that you've just got to be confident in the choices you've made and are making and everything will be okay. And be grateful for the things you have. Some one suggested that I make a list of the things that I'm grateful for so here we go:

1. My job and my apartment
2. My family
3. Having someone to live with (my sister)
4. Having great friends (Erin, Sarah, Corinne, Jenna, Katie, Sandy....)
5. Being healthy
6. Being able to do what I want with my life without many obstacles
7. Getting accepted to culinary school
8. My strong will to always want to improve myself and my life

When I think of more I will add them to the list. Maybe you should try it too if you're feeling a bit down. Someone told me that being depressed is a luxury. I think they were right. If I sit around thinking about all the stuff I don't have or don't like about my life, I'm wasting time that could be better spent on improving my life.

I am honestly working towards this goal!

BOO!

So even though I'm 22 years old now my sister's almost 25, we still believe in the magic of holidays. Last weekend we spent our rainy Sunday carving pumpkins. I just love all holidays...they're so cheery and wonderful. Anyways our pumpkins look awesome, although I'm afraid they might not survive til Halloween in this Texas heat. Eeeekkk!

Aren't they spooky. Our apartment complex is holding a pumpkin carving contest too. If we win we get $100 off November's rent! (I think we may be the only ones that carved pumpkins making us a shoe-in for the prize money!)

In other Halloween happenings....I'm gonna be the fabulous Marilyn Monroe for Halloween and my sis is gonna be a flapper girl. We're planning on heading down the the spooktactular 6th street festivities! So excited....and I just found out that there's this haunted house up in Round Rock where they lead you in to this pitch dark house with a flash light and you have to solve a puzzle to escape. It sounds incredibly scary but exhilarating at the same time....sadly I'm not sure anyone's up for it....tear.........

Anyways...Happy (Early) Halloween!!!

Why Ask 'Why'?

So I have this strange habit of asking why all the time? I have this constant thrist to know what is running through someone's head.

All will be fine. We'll be having a normal conversation and then they'll make some comment. Then they either make a face or I imagine they've made a face and I blurt out "why?"

It of course then makes the situation completely awkward because, without fail, they always just answer. I don't know I was just commenting. Then I feel like a complete idiot.

I wish I weren't so paranoid and awkward all the time...

In Her Shoes....well, actually mine!

I found these wonderful shoes on Friday night at the mall. They were hanging on display in the Gap just waiting for the perfect person to come along and purchase them. That special someone just happened to me. Not only were the green, but they were a size 10. Perfect. And they were on sale.

I broke them in last night. A little 6th street action combined with some dancing. Granted my feet hurt at the end of the night, but I figure that's the price I have to pay to break in a new pair of shoes and look cute!

Getting Down to the Knitty Gritty

So one of my tactics for reducing boredom since the big move to Austin was joinig a knitting group. I found it on MeetUp.com which I recommend visiting if you're planning to move somewhere new. They've got all sorts of groups and there's no pressure to attend every meeting. We meet everyone other week at Central Market in the cafe. It's so relaxing. Everyone just sits around the table, knits and chats about life. And the bonus....if you're having problems with your current project there are many eager women waiting to help you.

However, since my first meeting I've become quite obsessed with knitting. I am constantly looking online at knitting sites, reading knitting blogs and planning many many future projects. Plus I'm trying to figure out what perfect knitted gift I can give everyone for Christmas this year.

I've already finished a whole bunch of projects since I got to Austin in June. I've knitted 2 scarfs and a blanket. I'm not working on a couple different Christmas presents and will hopefully be starting a couple more. I'll attach some photos of my most recent projects of which I am extremely proud.




This is what I do every night now. I teach myself new stiches. I've just learned to read patterns. I'm making progress. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to teach myself how to knit socks. For now, I'm sticking to the regular kniting needles with the occasional use of some circulars. Everything else is just overwhelming right now. To Knitting!

Shifting into a Positive Light

So I haven't written in a month. I guess my only excuse is that I've been busy trying to figure out my life. Yep that's right, I'm taking on the biggest challenge of life. And I think I may have actually figured it out. Well at least for the time being.

Last week and finally decided to commit to the idea of going to culinary school. I have always thought about it and at long last have actually decided to do something about it. I applied to the Texas Culinary Academy here in Austin for the Patisserie and Baking Program. I am unofficially starting on February 19th! (Unofficially only because I haven't officially been accepted. If my high school would move out of the dark ages and figure out a way to disperse transcripts without a written notice and a $1.50 that would definintely help.)

The program lasts 12 months, 9 months of hands-on classes and then 3 months for an internship. The classes sound awesome starting with your basic breads and then eventually moving into cake decorating. That's right, starting making reservations now if you want my to make your wedding cake...haha. As for the internship, I'd love to work on a cruise ship. That would definitely be an adventure I'd like to have. So basically expect lots of yummy tasting things from me in the future.

My life has also been looking up since my sister arrived about a month ago. I finally have someone to talk to and to share things with. It's a pleasant change to say the least. We've been trying to explore Austin little by little each weekend, of course when you have to deal with TV on DVD distractions it's quite difficult to explore...haha.

I'm very happy now that I've taken the next step in my life. I'm finally moving towards a goal again and towards a new life!

Changes

I think the hardest thing in life to overcome is change. It just hit me this weekend that I'm not going back to school. I'll never go back to school. I'll never wake up again and go to class and come home at night and do homework. The things you think you won't miss you do. It's funny.

I'm trying to fill the hole with new things which is sort of working. I guess it will continue to fill the void.

God I never thought I'd say this but college just might have been the best time of my life.

Words to Live By

You Gotta Be

Listen as your day unfolds,
challenge what your future holds
Try to keep your head up to the sky
Lovers they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted,
don't be shamed to cry
You gotta be..

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold, you gotta be wiser
You gotta hard, you gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together.
All I know, all I know
Love will save the day

Herald what your mother said
Read the books your father read
Try to solve the puzzle in your own sweet time
Some may have more cash than you
Others take a different view
My oh my, you gotta be..

Time asks no questions, it goes on without you
Leaving you behind if you can't stand the pace
The world keeps on spinning, can't stop it if you tried to
The best part is danger staring you in the face

Got to be bad. Got to be bold. Got to be wise.
Don't ever be cold
Got to be hard.
Not too, too hard
All I know is, love will save the day

A Sense of Purpose

This past week I've really been struggling with my sense of purpose. Everyone has gone back to school. It's weird. I go to work everyday and yes I have my assigned duties. But then I get home and have nothing to do. No obligations. No homework. No nothing.

Sometimes I feel like I am just trying to fill up my free time with meaningless activities. Knitting, volunteering, playing soccer. What am I accomplishing? It doesn't seem like a whole lot.

Even if I hated the assignment in school I still felt accomplished after I'd completed it. I feel so unaccomplished now.

Boo to growing up.

Why I Am Where I Am

Why did I choose Austin? I ask myself that very same question almost everyday. I'm not sure what the answer is. Other than I needed out of New Jersey and away from that life. I needed to start over - on my own. And the hot weather is definitely a bonus after 4 years at a school where it snows most the year.

I'm not saying I don't support my choice because I do. I think I make these kind of decisions a lot in my life. I decide something, and maybe there's no real reason, but I follow through with that decision. Sometimes they result in successes and other times failures. I hope that this one will be a success. If it's not though, I won't ever regret the decision. I will be thankful to have at least experienced Austin and what it has to offer.

I am content here right now. I've got a steady job and a great apartment. And my sister is moving down on Friday. Knowing me I'll change my mind eventually and have to pack up and move somewhere new. I think my life might always be like this. Moving from one place to another. My attention can't be held for that long.

But for now I am happy. And content. In Austin.