Something to be Thankful about

So i decied for thanksgiving break i was going to make it into a mini vacation. So Tuesday after school i packed up my stuff and started driving. And 10 hours later i made it to.... Sandy, Utah.
The drive was really long but i drove through the dark so it did not feel to bad. It really didnt feel like i was in the car by myself for 10 hours. Ive basically decided that all of my long distance trips will now be drivin through the night lol.

Well Wednesday i just hung out around my  sisters place and we did some shopping then went out to dinner  noting to crazy happened. Althpugh i did get them addicted to the game Phase 10. Which is an amazing game everyone should play it!

Then Thursday, good ol' Turkey day, i spent the day helping to prepare dinner. Which was super fun because we went to my brother in laws parents house. The day before i made some dessert to bring because it is a tradition in my family to do and it was a HUGE hit at the party everyone loved it and it was almost all gone befcore dinner was even sereved :)

After dinner and a quiet time because of a huge food coma, i went to the movies to see Pitch Perfect! Which i have to say it was one of the best movies i have seen in a long time. After getting out of the movie i checked my phone like always and found out my cousin that lives in Idaho was staying with my other cousins like 20 minutes from where I was. I had a mini freak out session.

So needless to say i spent the rest of my weekend hanging out with the Cousins. Both Emily who is living in Idaho and Justin and Melissa and their family who live in Salt Lake City.

On Friday we made it a girls day and Melissa Emily and Myself went to the movies and saw Breaking Dawn Part 2. Which was amazing! I must say BRAVO to the creators of that movie. They did a phenomenal  job! We also did some shopping t the DI and Nordstom Rack. I am absolutely in love with Nordstrom Rack and i found some awesome stuff but i restrained by self from buying anything because i would have bought the whole store. Haha.

Saturday i traveled down to Provo for a few hours to see the lovely Jessica Allen. Yes you all should be very jealous that i got to see her. Se is doing amazing and is loving BYU Provo. I am so happy and proud of her for the decision she made to go to BYU. She is a new Convert to the church and she has so much faith and so much love for the church. It is just so inspirational to me. And i am thankful to have her in my life. I love friends!

Saturday night i stayed at my cousins house and just had a movie night with Emily. We watched some awesome random movies! And worked on homework.

Then Sunday morning it was time to travel home. I was a long week away from home and i was ready to get home.. But was not ready for the 13 hour drive that was ahead of me... While driving through Filmore i was pulled over and i got a lame speeding ticket and a nice long talking to about how i shouldn't have tinted windows.. I tried so hard to talk my way out of it.. It didn't work at all. So that was a little set back and then the traffic getting out of Vegas was absolutely terrible! I felt like i was driving for days..

Notice the rear view mirror >.< 

Then finally after 13 hours i made it home just to realize... I left my backpack in Salt Lake ... >.<     This would be my life haha!! So my sister had to ship it back to me.. And on Wednesday it finally arrived.

After this long week away visiting family. I have come to realize how absolutely blessed i am. I live in an amazing town with some of the most awesome people i have ever met. I am fairly healthily and have been able to do all of things i have wanted. I have and have known all four of my grandparents which some people only get to know one or two. I have amazing family who at the drop of a hat will leave everything they are doing to drive hours on end to be with sick family in the hospital. I an truly blessed for all of the experiences and opportunities that have been placed in my path and i am grateful for everything and everyone in my life. I don't know what i did to deserve this but i am truly grateful.

The view from the drive home <3 just outside of Las Vegas 

Finals...

So.... sorry neither one of us has posted in a while. But we have both been extremely busy this semester with school and work. This has literally been the semester from h-e-double hockey sticks. And the best part is right around the corner. Heaven help us. Just to detail out for you, and to make myself panic just a little bit more, here's what I have to get done in the next two weeks.
Monday 12/3:
Math Final Part 1
Work from 10-4
Class from 5-6
Tuesday 12/4:
Presentation in History and Theory class on some historian I know nothing about
Class from 12:30-3
Work from 4:30-10
Wednesday 12/5:
Math Final Part 2
Work from 10-4
Political Science Final
Thursday 12/6:
History of the Holocaust Paper due (5 pages)
History and Theory Historiography Paper due (7 pages)
Class from 12:30-3
Work from 4:30-10
Friday 12/7 through Sunday 12/9:
Work more 8 hour shifts and try to find time to sleep.
Monday 12/10:
Work more... and study for finals
Tuesday 12/11:
History of the Holocaust Final
History and Theory Final
Work even more... probably.




and then......



FREEEEEDOOOMMMM!!!!!!





..... until I have work. Which is every day from here until I die. Jk. Here's to hoping I make it to the 11th! Pray for me -_-

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