August Update!

A little blurb on my thoughts and experience through August.

Work

Jobs. They're great aren't they? Do you think dream jobs exist? Do you think you can make your own dream job?

If I could make my own dream job, I'd have a bakery and a design shop. I'd sell cake and pie by the slice (as mentioned in a previous post), and I'd sell my designs such as stationary, screen printed things, and other crafts I enjoy. I would/could sell wedding/event packages like cakes/desserts/invitations/stationary/etc. I'd be so happy. It would be like The Social Club, except food instead of a hair. It would be amazing. 

Also, if you haven't seen, I'm need to do freelancing. I have to save up money for a few large expenses coming up. So if you or anyone you know needs design work done, contact me. I've designed for people near and far. If you don't know if I can do it, just ask. I'm diverse in my design talents. Just email me.

 

Wedding invitations for my former boss! So fun!

Personal

I love hanging out with friends. Too bad I don't have a group that hang out consistently. I used to have a group of friends in middle school, I had basically the same group of friends in high school except we kind of branched out, and even into my early years of college. We would always hang out all the time. Whatever happened to that kind of socialization? It's like we're so busy doing things that we forget friends exist. I do it, too. I'm trying to suceed in life, I have a puppy, I have a boyfriend, a house to take care of, other things, freelancing. So when do I have time to hang out with friends? Sometimes I wish I had a specific night of hanging out, where a bunch of people come over and we watch like 2 movies and eat pizza and popcorn and just chill.

The great thing is that because of my job, I feel more connected with the local scene. It's so cool that there is always something going on almost every weekend ever. Last night I went to H&8th. I almost always go to 2nd Friday. I just started going to Tuesday Trivia Night at McNellies. There are always thing going on at the Opolis, downtown OKC, Campus Corner. I mean it's endless! Which is great!

I've also been doing a lot of knitting, crafting, baking and cooking. I love knitting. I'm currently working on socks. They are intense (the learning process and trial & error is crazy) but they are so cool looking! Then I just recently finished a Harry Potter scarf, which I love!

I'm also entered in the Oklahoma State Fair to do 6 different contests! Ahhh! I have a cookie jar contest, a pie contest, a cobbler contest, two cake contests, and a cupcake contest. It's been fun testing things and trying new recipes. I can't wait to drop everything off! Only one more week! Ahhh!

Love

Ahhhh love. I love love. I love being a good girlfriend. I will tell you, it's not easy to not think of yourself first. Since we've moved into the new apartment, I have essentially become the homemaker. Except I have a job, so technically I'm not. What's humorous is that I just looked up what homemaking is. Basically I manage the home. Y'all... It's hard work. (PS that Wiki page is hilarious) There was a time where I thought I'd get a HUGE resentment because I keep the house clean, do the laundry, feed and water the dog, cook a few meals a week, work a decent chunk of the day, etc. But after I talked with someone I realized that it's a commitment I'm willing to take. I keeps me busy, the house stays clean, I get my job done, and I love taking care of my boyfriend. Now if only he'd propose. ;] (I would say I'm kidding, but who am I kidding? I'm not kidding at all. LOL)

<3 (Also, if you click on propose, you'll see something I want!)

Experience, Strength, Hope

What a year for experience, strength and hope! 5th year, y'all. Take about seeing every single one of my character defects in action and having to give them all up. If I don't let go of these defects, I will destroy everything I have. I could easily do that, too. I catch myself thinking in old ways and wanting to say/do things that would only be because of my past. If you know what this section is about, then you know what I'm talking about. I feel like this summer has definitely been about awareness and honesty with myself. I have to be honest when I do something wrong, and I have to see it immediately or I will slip back into that crazy lifestyle I had before. Thankfully I don't have to do this alone. There are a handful of people who have really helped me grow this summer and I want to thank them. They may/may not know who they are. :] 

Sorry in advance, but I love this pic! 2 great friends! :]

Puppy

Oh my gosh. This puppy. Chauncey. Chauncey Bruner. Pug. 10 pounds. Fawn coat. Adorable. Energetic. Wall-eyed. Did someone pray for me to have patience? Because if you did, it has arrived to me in puppy form. What an experience having a puppy has been. He is so adorable and so young and just has no idea what he's doing half the time. He chases his tail for 30 minutes straight, he snores even when he's awake, he loves loves loves sleeping on mommy's lap and playing with daddy. He loves being petted and getting attention. He chews on everything because he's teething. He drinks so much water, but most of it really goes on the floor. He is not quite potty trained and sometimes just has the urge to pee in the middle of the floor. We're getting better at it.

Chauncey has been and will continue to be a miracle in my life. Teaching/training him has been a HUGE test on my patience and my compassion and understanding. I realized I have neither. I kind of knew that before, but now it's definitely visible. I get mad, I get frustrated, I get upset, I yell then I cry because why am I yelling at a puppy???? It's getting better but boy do I have some glaring defects. He just wants me to be happy! You should see his face when he knows I'm mad. His ears are down and he comes over and sniffs the closest body part (usually my feet) and then gives it a tiny lick and glances up at me to see if I'm still mad. I can't stay mad at that! What a cutie. I love him so much!

I can't tell if he's laughing at me or yawning...

Health

Eczema and psoriasis. Yup. Got both. Apparently I just have super super sensitive skin. I was recently "diagnosed" with eczema and was told I had psoriasis sometime last year. I put quotations around diagnosed because, really, a large majority of people have skin problems. Mine just happens to be a whole bunch of them.

Let me tell you, because I don't complain often about it, but... it sucks. Having skin problems is the ONE thing that hinders my self-esteem. My skin will never be smooth, it will never be mark free, and I will constantly battle with scented lotions/soap/detergents/etc. Oh and I have varicose veins. Gross.

Here's what I've found out over the summer. My skin reacts to soap, lotion, detergent, moisturizer, face wash, makeup, mascara, eye liner, perfume, scented anything, pet dander, heat, humidity, heat, and more heat.

I am allergic to my mascara and probably my eyeliner as well... just figured that out yesterday. Makes sense why my eyes have been burning for the last few months. Duh.

I am allergic to lots of face wash. I have to be careful or I will puff up like a blow fish. This is not an exaggeration. Quite hilarious until it happens. I've recently changed to Neutrogena Naturals facewash. I use Neutrogena make up (except mascara, which I will be switch over to this weekend).

I am sensitive to scented lotions/body washes. So I switched over to Aveeno in July. It's super expensive (everything is $8+ per item) but it's totally worth it. My itchiness and dryness have scaled down tremendously.

Being hot is torture. I'm not burning (as in sun burn) but my skin burns and itches like crazy. Sweat makes it worse, but sweating is supposed to help eczema, so it's like a lose lose situation. Haha. Oh well! I love being cold, and our apartment stays cold constantly. Jose usually wears pants or a sweater and here I am sitting in shorts and a tank top, usually still quite warm. Life on life's terms!

Exercise

Ok all you healthy exercising people. Help me out here. I think I want to start working out again. Some form of exercise. There is one problem though...

I can't do anything that involves jumping or running. So there goes 95% of all exercise options, I know. It's because of my knees, as most of you know. It would destroy my knees... Actually, that's what destroyed them in the first place!

I want to do something that will help my cardio and maybe tone me up. I don't want a 6 pack or intense body building muscles. I just want to improve my cardio and tone my arms and legs. It would be more beneficial to me to do something that's consistent and fun, not just sitting alone in my house watching a DVD. I'll tell you right now, I won't do it.

So if any of you have any ideas, let me know!

Also if anyone likes tennis or wants to learn, I'm willing to teach and/or play with you!