9 days of work straight!

Long time no post. I figured it was time to update everyone. Today (Halloween) is my first day off in 9 days!! Yeah you read that right. 9 days. And i am so happy my day off is finally here. I have been fighting a cold/flu and been so tired i could barely stay awake in school that i was excited to sleep in a little and try to kick this col in the but!!

So about two weeks ago i had a theories paper due in the Communications class. I was really nervous about it because i didn't really understand the concept of the paper or how my teacher wanted it written. She didn't explain much about it so just had to write it and hope for the best. After we turned it in i was talking to some of the students in the class, and those how had turned in the paper already were failing the assignment. So i was a wee bit nervous to say the least.. We got our papers back yesterday... And i got a B!!!!!! And my professor wrote on the paper, "Great view of the theories, and your concept was a view i hasn't seen yet." I was quite pleased with myself. So you know what i am doing now, well i am going shopping and taking the day off of studying and homework!! I think i deserve it! :)


The other day i went to see Jen's store and of course did some shopping. I ended up hanging out long enough to have dinner with her during her lunch break. We walked over to Johnny Rockets, and i have to say it was mighty delicious. She works in Downtown Long Beach shopping district. And i have to say after going and seeing the area i am 100% jealous she gets to work in that area. After i took my trip to Seattle earlier this year, i totally fell in love with the city atmosphere. I love the big business buildings and walking everywhere! So it is going to be one of my goals to work in Downtown Long Beach at sometime.

Jen and I at Johnny Rockets in Downtown Long Beach on her lunch break.

Ok i know this is a short post but i promise there will be more soon! :) 

Potato Chunk Fries.. I think??

I feel like I start all of my posts by saying, "It has been a long week".. But it really has been long week this week.

Sunday morning I woke up to a text that my grandpa was in the hospital. So I went down and spend the day at the hospital with my gramps. He went in for chest and back pains. And because of his previous heart surgeries his chest pains made him a little nervous. So they did a stress test, a cat scan, and an angiogram (a small surgery). After a couple days in the hospital they sent my grandpa home and said what ever was wrong had nothing to do with his heart and he was good to go for his cruise this upcoming week. The two years i have been out here in Orange County my grandpa has gone to the hospital a couple of times but i have never gone down to visit him in the hospital. I think me being at the hospital and in the middle of everything that was happening and watching the doctors conduct some of the test made it very real. But i am so glad that he is ok and is back home where he belongs :)

My Grandpa and I at my sister wedding last December

If that wasn't stressful enough, i had one of the biggest papers of my college career due this week. I had to write a paper for my Communications class about rhetoric. The paper was absolute madness. I started it early because i knew it would take me a long time to finish it. I had to compare and contrast two scholarly journals then express my opinion on them. I know this sounds relatively easy already... But if you can't understand what you are reading or studying it makes it a little difficult  for writing about it. I have to say i think i pulled it off nicely. I had it finished way before it was due and i am pretty confident with the end result..

Wednesday night was the only day both Jennifer and I didn't have work. So we decided to whip up a delicious roommate dinner! It was this orange chicken and rice with veggies. And Jen made this potato chunk fries, i guess you would call them. Idk how to describe them, i don't think we cooked them long enough but  we still ate them all. They were really good! Haha.. One of the things i really enjoy about living on my own is being able to decide when, where, and what i am going to eat!! Its makes dinner time a surprise every night! Hahaha

Making the cause and veggies

Jennifer working on the potato chunk fries

The finished product!! SOO DELICIOUS!!! 

Aside from doing homework and cooking i also had work all week. Don't get my wrong, i love my job but sometimes little ones can be so annoying. So we definitely played The Quiet Game ALOT this week. 

Rian and I

But other than that it has just been one average week in the life of a college student, studying and working long hours, and trying to make a life here in Long Beach.. 

Sunday...

Just hanging in our room both quietly doing homework then all of a sudden

Jennifer: I want pudding

Me: Do we have grapes?

This is the perfect example of the randomness that is our friendship.

Aren't we so attractive?? 

My Saturday Off

So i have decided i really need to remember to take more pictures. This whole blog is already amazing but it would so much better if i had more pictures to document the awesomeness of my days! :)

So today was the first time in about two months i was finally able to make it out to Lake Elsinore. My babysitter when i was a kid is having her first baby we i made a special trip out to Elsinore to attend her baby shower.
I got out there a little before the shower so i could hang out with my mom and do some shopping. I made her take me to Costco haha (there are just some things you have to buy at Costco that you can't get at a normal grocery store)

Any who, we made it out to the shower a little early, which was great because we were able to have a little one on one time with the mommy to be. And since i haven't seen her in about 10 years it was an awesome little reunion.

While i was in Elsinore i wanted to see some of my most bestest friends. So of course i had to make it over to see the lovely Susan Yokshas. I haven't seen her since August so we had a mini reunion and were able to chat it up.  I love our friendship, we can go weeks/months without talking and the second we get back to chatting it is like absolutely no time has past. It makes me really happy :)

Susan and I when she surprised me in Utah :)

So after hanging out with Susan i went over to my friend Mark's house. I used to work with him when i was doing the police explorers and i haven't seen him in probably a year. And i decided today i was going to hang out with him. He is another friend where so much time can pass but we will start right where we left off. We have always had this little game between us where we would make fun of each other. And i have to say that game did not end when i graduated high school and was in full swing tonight. I didn't realize how much i missed him until i saw him tonight. it really made for a great end to my Elsinore day :)

Then a final end to my day, watched some of The Spice Girls movie with my roommate, and got just sit and hang out with some of the greatest girls in the world.

Have i said how much i love my roommates and my new life. I am not going to lie there are some things i miss about my new life and i try hard to keep those things with me and keep them active in my life. But my new life here in Long Beach is better than expected.

I was over at my grandparents house for my grandpas birthday on Oct. 12th and after talking to my grandma for a little while she looks at me mid sentence and says "Stephanie, you look so happy".

And you know what guys, i am happy and i am super excited for this new chapter in my life. I am excited for this fresh start i have been blessed with and i am not going to take it for granted.

Things are great here in the LB <3 

Loving Life

Hey all! Sorry you haven't heard from me in a while. But I have been CRAZY busy with school and work! That's right... after 4 very long months of searching I finally got a job! I am the newest sales associate in the women's department of the Nordstrom Rack in downtown Long Beach. I just finished up my second week of working there and I absolutely love it!! My duties consist of regular retail sales associate duties: cleaning rounder and fixture areas, putting clothes back on the rounders and fixtures, running the fitting room, sorting clothes, colorizing, sizing, and once in a while helping a customer find the perfect outfit for an event they're going to. The other day I got to help a lady find an outfit for her "very important" date :) Too much fun! Most people aren't huge fans of their retail jobs. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job!! Don't get me wrong.. it's not like I absolutely adore hanging clothes on hangers and picking clothes up off the floor. But I love the people I work with. Everyone is super friendly and helpful and really cared about getting to know me. That makes SUCH a huge difference in the work place! My last couple of jobs I really did not like and I think it's because I didn't really like the people I worked with. But my Rack family is amazing! Today I worked an opening shift for the first time. I didn't think I would particularly like it because it meant getting to work at 8 in the morning. But all my coworkers were super high energy, super excited to be there, and it turned into an absolute blast! Not to mention it's kind of fun working in a department where I would totally buy half the stuff there! Well.. maybe that's more of a curse than a blessing..

                                   Here's my store! Nordstrom Rack in Long Beach. Come visit sometime! :)
Since I started my new job I felt a strong urge to update my wardrobe. All of my coworkers dress super cute at work. We have to wear these neon green t-shirts that are kind of hard to dress up but my coworkers find a way! So after a week of feeling really frumpy at work I had a little shopping spree.. Normally I would have bought everything from the Rack because we have some SUPER cute stuff for way cheap, but I literally have no time for anything anymore so I went to the Ross within walking distance from my apartment. I didn't have a ton of time to shop but in that small amount of time I was able to find so many cute things to wear to work! Here were my spoils :)

Besides working 25-30 hours a week, I'm about halfway through the hardest semester of my college career. Whew! I barely find time for any kind of a social life. I'm taking a full load of classes and my upper divisions are starting to get pretty intense. What's life without a little challenge though?? I count myself extremely fortunate however to be able to be doing what I am in my life right now. I have an amazing job, go to an amazing school, live in an amazing apartment, and have a bunch of amazing roomies. What more could a girl want in life??

                                                      Girls night out! Love my lovely roommates!

                                                                        Recent of Steph and I going to a dance

<3

A Long Week, but A Conference Weekend :)

Last week i finished up all of my midterms. So i am in the clear for another couple weeks, then all of my tests start up again! -.-
On Sunday September 30th my cousin got married! She oh my goodness she looked so lovely!

The Bride Sarah and I :)

I never really get a chance to hang out with my dad's side of the family and it was so nice to spend the entire day with them!

My Cousin Shaina and I (She is too cute!)

Well this week i worked all week and studied studied studied. You know the usual week of a full time college student.

Monday was probably my favorite day of the week!! My good friend Giovanni Marone and i went out to dinner. We went to this place called the Boiling Crab and I was a little nervous about it, but I have to say it was FABULOUS. So it was this sea food place and we ordered a TON of shrimp. Well at this place you eat right off the table, they brought us our shrimp in a baggie and you have to rip off the shrimps head and take off their shell thingy and then you eat it. I have to say it was totally weird at first and it took a lot of getting used to to be able to rip off their head while the eyes are looking at you. haha it was a super fun experience and i am happy i went. It was so fun to see Gio and get to chat about old times. I sure have missed that kid! 

When i stated writing this blog there was so much i wanted to say about this past week, but i am going to be super honest. I can't remember the rest of the week and what i did! Hahaha All of the days have just slurred together. I never thought that would happen.. But it did!

So i am loving this whole living on my own and doing what I want when I want. It is super awesome. We have been moved out for over a month now and i still can't believe i actually moved. It has been a great experience so far. And for those out there who are wondering, Jennifer and I have not killed each other and i would say we get a long REALLY well as roommates and besties!!! 

Conference was this weekend! And OMG it was amazing i hope all of you watched it. I missed most of Saturday's conference because i had to work all day but Sundays Conference session was amazing and so inspiring. I am so thankful for conference. It made for a nice relaxing Sunday. A day i have needed for a long time! 

Conference and Cupcakes! :)

I didn't have a cupcake pan so i used a circle pan and put in the cupcake foils then i put in the batter and they all came out in different shapes. Ohh the life of a college student living on my own improvising when you don't have the things you "need". hahaha