In Summary:

Well it's been a while, folks!

My life has been wonderful and crazy at the same time, but that's how it has been for the last four years. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, I assure you I am not - just in time to graduate.

The Last Semester:

1. I'm working with Eagle Angle - our campus' weekly live news show.
2. Looking for my first big girl job.
3. Finishing my last semester with Pi. :(
4. Working a wonderful internship at St. Anthony Hospital.
5. Still procrastinating on homework. What else is new? This next week will be crazy! I have two papers and a book report presentation due, and an interview to get ready for on Friday.

The fun thing about this semester is that I don't have to take any classes directly involving my major. With the exception of one business class, but it's more entrepreneurial in nature. So it's freed up a little time to explore and concentrate on other subjects, which is kind of nice.

I can also say that I officially graduate NEXT MONTH. It hit me a few days ago. December 17 I will be walking across that stage and out of OC - I place to really don't want to leave, but must. I know it's time, but it's hard to say goodbye to something that's had such a significant place in your life. I never felt nearly this nostalgic about high school - I was glad to say goodbye, but this time I'll have to prepare and remind myself I'm no longer a student.

This quote has been on my mind a lot lately and I'm so happy I found it:

“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”

— Anatole France

This gives me a little comfort in the seasons of life, and I know without a doubt I will leave a part of myself at OC. However, it is only to continue to build a better "me". God's path is undeniable, I've learned. I'm trying to see his plan for my life right now as I'm making so many decisions about my future. It's so tough at this age cause I think I can do a lot on my own, but I know there is a grand plan for it all.

Undateable

It's a lovely afternoon. I'm sitting on my couch relaxing with my wonderful Peach Bellini candle from Bath and Body Works (straight from heaven) and watching at little VH1. Right now they are counting down the Top 100 things that make guys undateable.

I realize I'm not technically on the prowl, but I've had my own experiences with undateable guys (and actually dated some of them), so this is a list for those dating women out there.

Here are a few I agree with:

1. Bluetooth

This is usually how you meet a Bluetooth wearing guy-

You're in 7-11 filling up a Big Gulp cup and you hear a guy say "hey what's going on tonight?" (or something similar) - you turn around wondering who this strange person is and being the nice girl you are, nod and smile to be polite.

This is where the Bluetooth wearer turns on you.

He has the audacity to give you a weird look like "why are you looking at me- I don't know you," and continue filling his cup with a grape slurpee.

Bluetooth is a no go.

Unless you don't have any arms.

2. Vanity plates

I must confess, I bought one of my high school boyfriends a vanity plate. I was 15, "in love" and it was his 16th birthday party. So I went to a mall kiosk (legit) and got it airbrushed for him. What did it say, you're wondering? Well, I couldn't decide at first. He drove this olddddd, white Ford truck. Like 1960's old. It had seen better days, but he liked fixing it up and I was forced to ride around in that "car". He often referred to it as "The White Dragon."

Yes. This is real life.

After entertaining that idea, I quickly decided against it. I went with something much more classy.

Chris (the undateable boyfriend in this scenario) was a big fan of Superman. And by fan I mean he drew the "S" logo on all his undershirts, but instead of an "S" it was his initials: "CV".

So, I said to myself "why don't I put that on the plate for him! Duh!"

To make a long story longer, I did it and he LOVED it.

Two months later he dumped me.

3. Wearing sports jerseys

Boyfriend is way into sports. That's actually an understatement. He visits my apartment merely to steal ESPN, I'm convinced. I sit by his side and am forced to eat endless amounts of Rotel dip and Tostitos during baseball, golf and hockey seasons, Olympic curling and beginning last weekend: college football. He's an avid OU fan, and he shows his pride by wearing an OU jersey.

He refers to the team as "we" on many occasions. He obviously dedicates a lot to the team.

To tell you the truth this doesn't bother me that much. Just give me the Rotel and my laptop and I'm a happy girl. My boyfriend is certainly not undateable, you silly VH1 show.

4. Excessive Ed Hardy.

No one - and I mean no one - should ever be allowed to own, buy or re-sell Ed Hardy. It's bad for the economy, our planet and is probably the cause of global warming.

Ed Hardy = excessive hair products, therefore an excessive amount of hair spray which is made of aerosol, which hereto, destroys the ozone layer.

The answer is always no when Ed Hardy is involved.

5. Man shakes

Boyfriend works in a pretty manly environment. It's competitive, male dominated and requires a suit (a big ego booster). So naturally, he comes home with quite a few tales from undateable men in his office. One in particular chooses a fist bump - but it doesn't end just there. Fist bump, then brings his hand back and makes an explosion noise.

One time Taylor came home and showed me some handshake where you turned your index and middle finger into two legs and you walk them away from the other person's fingers...or something like that. So weird.

Not necessarily undateable, but definitely embarrassing.

Now I know this blog is read by all girls - let's not mince words - so what undateable qualities do you think I missed?

I know you've got stories.

Birthday Wish: Granted

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful news was given to my family today.

The day before my birthday, no less. God and his timing...

1. Dad's liver is functioning NORMAL, just like your's and mine.

2. His cancer markers went from 1,739 in May, to 24 in July and are NOW at 2.5!

3. ALL of the cancer has SHRUNK.

4. He won't have to be on chemo the rest of his life. He is eligible for surgery in about six months.

5. I don't really have a fifth point, but I would just like to add that GOD IS SO GOOD.

So many emotions went through me today. I smiled and cried with joy at the same time for this true miracle God blessed us with.

When his oncologist told my family that he might only have 90 days left in the beginning of May, we could have easily been planning his funeral right now. Now, he can plan his life.

As my mom put it and as I had worried about in an earlier blog post, "he'll be around for your graduation in December, to walk you down the aisle and to see his grandchildren." - that is the best present I could have ever received. I cry even as I type that sentence. God is so good.

We still have a long road until his is a cancer survivor, but the news today helped us get through all the heartache over the past three months.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever reads our story and has prayed for my family. Your support and blessings have not gone unnoticed.

Birthday List

If anyone wants to buy me a gift I'll take a pair of these in a size 8...

Please and thank you.

Anniversaries and Excursions

August 6, Taylor and I celebrated 5 years of making fun of each other and being best friends. How did we celebrate this wonderful occasion? By attending his cousin's rehearsal dinner, obviously. No, but really - it was such a wonderful night. I know that last sentence made it sound dreadful, but we weren't mad at all! It was such a beautiful night and they are such a great couple.

However, we took some pictures to commemorate the special occasion.

The next day, Tiffany and Reagan got married!

And many people enjoyed their photo booth and props.

(Taylor and Reagan's Aunt and Uncle)

We managed to get a few pictures with them out of the thousands they took that day.

Their wedding and events surrounding it was so beautiful! This is the only wedding I've been too where I felt I knew both the bride AND groom well. (Usually you are just friends with one of the other.) It was so neat to see two people who I know are so wonderful for one another marry each other.

The rehearsal dinner was such a cry fest (happy tears, of course), and I did my fair share. It's such a true blessing to see two Christian people promising a life-long commitment to one another. I hope I never forget to remember that with all the weddings I have/will attend.

Onto another adventure....

Just two days after the wedding, I left with two friends on a road trip through eight states: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Kansas. Whew.

Here's just a few pictures. I haven't uploaded them all, but here are a few that will do the trip justice. Note: We never took a picture with all three of us together...how unfortunate.

Stopping at a gas station while we were going the wrong way trying to get fro Flagstaff, Ariz. to Las Vegas. (We didn't know we were going the wrong way yet.)

Accidentally stopped at the Hoover Dam after going the wrong way... I desperately wanted something that said "Hoover" on it (obviously), but everything was ridiculously priced, or turned into a "dam" joke. No thanks.

THE BUFFET! And my seven desserts...

We went to the Wynn, which was supposed to be the best buffet in Las Vegas by some magazine, so we went with it. It was $35, but the food was so worth it! There was an ENTIRE ROOM of desserts being freshly made- creme brulee, cookies, tiramisu, fresh fruit, strawberry shortcake....paradise. All kinds of crab legs, prime rib, sushi, a pasta station and more that you could ask for.

Not to mention, the hour wait in line gave us some people watching time. There was a "person" we saw and tried to decipher his/her gender. We still have no clue.

After, we walked around Vegas a bunch to see all the hotels we'd only seen on movies and television.

We stayed at the Luxor - the pyramid shaped hotel. The hotel and staff were so great!

The next day we headed to Utah and happened to find a scenic lookout around sunset.

There are few things I rarely enjoy more than a good sunset or sunrise. Especially over something that resembles the Grand Canyon.

If I had to chronicle one of the best moments in my life, seeing the sun rise over the Grand Canyon is definitely in the top 5. It's just indescribably beautiful and I will always love the Grand Canyon forever because of that moment.

After Utah, we went to Colorado and stayed in Grand Junction, then Estes Park with Ashley!! I don't have those pictures uploaded, yet, but it was so wonderful to see her!

Now, I'm home, tired and have a to-do list for next week. School starts very soon and I have a lot accomplish before then. Trip home, buy books, apply for MY LAST LOAN EVER and finish MY LAST SEMESTER of school.

Yes.

Domesticated

Domesticated - v. - The act of being domestic. "Look at you being all domesticated and such," Taylor said.

Admittingly so, I go through phases of being domesticated. I'm not exactly sure how they come about, but when they happen it seems all I want to do is just craft, cook, beautify and clean (sometimes) things. This happened a few weeks ago, and T got a few nights of home-cooked meals and desserts out of it.

Exhibit A:

BBQ baked chicken, steamed broccoli and au gratin potatoes.

Exhibit B:

This isn't my recipe (I wish...), but Bakerella posted it and I'm in LOVE with the recipe. It's so easy and you literally just mix, pour and bake. Always a crowd pleaser.

I made this for Taylor the day he signed his full time contract with Northwestern Mutual! If you need financial help, help a girl out and use Taylor cause he's saving for something particular at the moment...cough.

Then, I made this little gem-

Meet Exhibit C:

The always appreciated fruit pizza.

This was a first attempt for me, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. Fruit pizza's are also a really simple thing to make, I've found. Cookie dough, cream cheese/powdered sugar and fruit! Simple!

I served this when we had dinner with Taylor's family one night and they loved it! I'll admit, I was trying to impress them a little. His mom is such a wonderful cook, I feel the need to let them know from time-to-time that I'm capable of feeding their 6'5 boy. Though, I'll never fill her shoes I'm sure.

This week will be a busy, but much awaited week. This is my last week at my internship- but there might be some job prospects, so cross your fingers! Then, Reagan and Tiffany get married this weekend, which has been much awaited (I'll be doing the guestbook. Whoop!) and I'm sure it will be absolutely beautiful!

This is where I become nerdy.

For this post I'm going to actually be an actual adult and reference a news story, then give my two cents.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/07/16/facebook.skin.lightening.app/?fbid=XzwfqFwFnhp

For those of you who didn't read the link to the article, which I'm sure is all of you, it goes a little something like this:

Vaseline introduced a new product specific to India's male population claiming it whitens skin. A social media campaign was launched in the form of a Facebook application. Users of the application would upload pictures of themselves, then virtually apply the cream to the uploaded photo and see how their skin would appear after use. A test sample application, if you will.

What's the big deal?

Well, I'm sure you are smart enough to think of a few ideas. I won't discount your intelligence merely because you choose to read about a young lady that manages to lose her keys on a weekly basis, but that's neither here nor there...

But my true questions is, why is it so bad? Michael Jackson did it, right? (bad example, sorry. still too soon.)

While the application wasn't created by Facebook (as many thought), Vaseline had the right motives, though it appears to a western audience as cruel or even racist.

The Indian culture values pale, fair skin as beautiful, just like American's view tan skin as beautiful. Get my gist, yet?

I say Vaseline made a smart move. This is clearly a market in India that Vaseline needed to tap into, just like the hundeds of thousands of sunless tanning lotions, foams and whatchamacallits available over-the-counter in America.

Vaseline is standing their ground on the creation of the product, (Who would seriously sue Vaseline?) and I think that's smart of them. I think they have the research to back up their product creation.

If India only knew people paid a ridiculous amount of money to resemble their country's natural skin tone. I guess the grass is always greener.

In any case, my pale skin would be a big hit over there. Anyone want to hop a plane to India with me?

-End marketing nerdiness-