50's Diner!- April 30, 2010

We took it back to the '50s by eating at a local diner and listening to some oldies.

Day after day I passed by the little silver '50s diner on my way home. "Is this place legit?" I would often ask myself. I've never heard of anyone going or eating there, but it looks so inviting. As I've recently been checking off to-dos from my college bucket list, I decided to give the diner a go.

Jaimie, Presley, and I all went out to dinner at the fabulous diner. We were welcomed by pictures and memorabilia of Marilyn and Elvis, two classic icons. (Our pic is with the king of rock'n'roll himself.) We feasted on cheese fries and milk shakes, classic diner foods. It was delicious! We then saw Hot Tub Time Machine which I will have to admit was pretty hilarious. Despite the questionable plot and title, the movie surpassed my expectations and left me cracking up laughing the whole movie. It ended up being such a fun night with great friends! College might be ending soon, but there are still adventures to come and places to see!

Messy, messy, messy- April 29, 2010

Spring cleaning time!

The single factor that stresses me out the most is messy-ness. I feel like I have a ridiculous cleaning frenzy once a week, and well, today was that day. I mean, honestly, my dresser was a disgrace. So I got off of facebook, stopped playing games on my iPhone, and decided to finally clean.

My dresser consisted of random supplies from Biofreeze to a Disneyland celebration pin to jewelry to random beads on a string. I don't even know how half of it gets up there, but it's definitely a satisfying feeling when I've finished cleaning. Having free time now definitely helps me get organized!

Picnic in the park- April 28, 2010

Warm weather, sunshine, and blue skies. A perfect day for a picnic in the park!

For one of my first days of summer, I decided to enjoy the outdoors and relax before work. I picked up a smoothie and sandwich, and brought my towel and a book to a nice lovely neighborhood park. My neighborhood is comparable to a "Pleasantville", so randomly laying in the grass by an outdoor amphitheater isn't as unusual as one might think.

The weather was so beautiful and it felt so relaxing to feel the sun shining on my back. And I also got my first ounce of color finally! It's all about the small little joys in life and picnics are definitely something to make me smile. :)

The Fab Life- April 27, 2010

Such a perfect day! :)

Last night I stayed with my dad in a hotel because he was in town for a meeting. Being in a very big family we don't have too many one-on-one days together, so it was definitely fun to shop and hang out together!

In the morning he had to leave early for his meeting, but I slept in and woke up to room service being delivered to my door. Scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, orange juice, toast, and an entire pitcher of coffee just for me. Oh my goodness! I ate my feast and watched some morning shows feeling like a princess. I then put on my bathing suit and headed down to the pool for a morning swim. The pool at the hotel was beautiful and huge with waterfalls, a lazy river, and tons of tropical trees. My skin got some sun for the first time in a long while and I got to read and relax in the sunshine. Could it have been a start to summer?

After checking out, I made my way back to reality and to my side of town. It's definitely nice to feel like a princess some days, especially after a long semester of waking up early and working all day. I have the best family in the entire world and love that we all care and love each other so much! Can't wait to spend the summer with them!

Cap & Gown- April 26, 2010

Today I picked up my cap and gown for graduation, along with tickets and my alumni membership!

I can't believe all of this is actually happening...I'm graduating college. You're probably sick of me talking about it, but really, it's weird. After picking up my cap and gown and comparing it to others, I realized that the tassels are all different colors based on the college that you graduated from. For education, mine is baby blue. At first I thought it was weird that they did that and not just school colors, but I actually like the fact that we'll all be different with tassels representing our fields.

Only a little over a week until my graduation ceremony and now I'm all set! (Well, aside from a photo shoot with my besties next week!)

Circus McGurkus- April 25, 2010

Trying to brush up on my art skills to bring the Circus McGurkus to life!

I once blogged about a solid red chair with visions of painting a Seussical circus on it. My creation is finally close to completion! Now that I have some free time on my hands, I've been able to focus on my chair and work towards finishing it within the next week or so. Before starting this chair, I hadn't painted in years and was definitely nervous to begin something that would be given to the school I interned for. I definitely didn't want the last memory of me to be the girl with the bad chair.

So I tried my best and gathered my creative powers to create my Circus McGurkus chair. Today I free-hand drew Horton at the circus on the seat of the chair. I'm obviously not the best artist in the world, but I'm proud of my artwork!

UCF Dance Concert- April 24, 2010

During the past two years, my April consisted of nonstop dance rehearsals for the UCF Dance Concert. This year, however, I was simply an audience member and saw the entire show from a different perspective.

Christina and I, alumni of the Dance minor, went to see the concert together. Beforehand, we had a much needed dinner and catch up time. I even got to see her adorable soon-to-be new house! Until both of our lives got so busy and crazy, we used to do everything together so it was definitely nice to catch up with such a great friend! And although it's always long spurts between when we see each other, it always feels like no time has passed.

And I got to see so many more dance friends that night, too! I'm so proud of all my dance friends; I miss all those girls so much! They all did such a wonderful job and I just wanted to be up there dancing with them. I'm definitely having performing withdraws. Teaching dance is great, but not quite as fun as the real deal.

Last day of college, ah!- April 23, 2010

College is officially over...now what?

Today was my last day of my senior internship, and my last day of college in general. And the only word that comes to mind is bittersweet. Although I'm so relieved and excited to be done and complete, I'm sad and nervous about leaving my college friends and memories to move into the "real world".

It was so sad leaving my students and school on my last day. Although I was only there for a few months, I've gotten so close with all of my students and the other teachers. I know I always talk about my internship, but really it was perfect. I had such a wonderful class of brilliant students and a teacher who helped me learn so much and grow as a teacher. I will never ever forget my experience with the "flying pigs"! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to such a wonderful internship experience!

Hello Dragon!- April 22, 2010

Playing with the class pet, Hello Dragon!

As my internship is coming to a close, I am saying my goodbyes and appreciating everything I've learned and everyone I've met. I hadn't spent much bonding time with the class pet, a bearded dragon named "Hello Dragon" (like Hello Kitty, my teacher's favorite) so I figured I needed to before leaving. He was such an easy class pet and I'm really wanting to buy a bearded dragon for my class now!

Although I'm ready for summer, I'm not sure if I'm ready to say my goodbyes tomorrow. I've become so close with the students and teachers here and it really has been the most ideal internship possible. All of the other interns are so great, too! Only one more day left and I know my departure will be bittersweet.

Education Job Fair- April 21, 2010

The soon-to-be UCF education graduates gathered their resumes and headed in anticipation to the education career fair on campus.

Booths from many local counties were set up and ready to communicate with eager future teachers. Flyers, brochures, pens, pencils, and pamphlets were handed out to every passerby as they glanced over the tables. Some students were ready to be interviewed for a job then and there and some seemed to wander around confused as to what they should be doing.

It is such a difficult time in any field to find a job right now, and all of these students seemed more determined than ever. It's hard to hear people straight up tell you "we're on a hiring freeze right now" because it makes you feel as if there is no chance to find a job. I'm keeping my chin up and will be doing the best I can to find a job that's right for me. We'll see what happens!

The career fair was followed by brunch with one of my favorites, Jaimie. We went to a new breakfast-all-day restaurant that was quite delicious. Now that college is about to be over, it'll be nice to have time to see my friends again! We have all been so busy this semester that we all rarely see each other. This is soon to change!

Ad jingles- April 20, 2010

It's always a low moment when I catch myself singing along to advertisement jingles on the radio or t.v. and it seems to happen quite frequently.

Some jingles are more catchy than others and some are definitely more addicting. The recent McDonald's filet-o-fish radio ads seem to play on constant repeat in my head. Between all of the radio ads, my family singing it around the house, and playing in my head, the advertisements apparently worked. (Although I will never buy one!) I've even recently found "Freddie the Fish" being sold in CVS. The song that haunts me is everywhere!

Maybe blogging about about this fish will get it out of my head once and for all...but I highly doubt it.

Starbucks knows me!- April 19, 2010

The people at Starbucks know my name, mission accomplished!

I've always wanted to be someone that comes in to Starbucks and are greeted with a "Hello, Catie! Are you having the usual?" I don't know why, but that is truly a desire I've had for many years now. Unfortunately, my daily routes change, my drink of the day changes, and I usually don't even allow enough time to stop at Starbucks in the mornings.

Recently, however, this has changed. I've now narrowed my favorite drinks down to two, an iced vanilla latte or an iced caramel macchiato. I drive to the same place every morning, and I've started leaving the house at an earilier time. Thus, the people at Starbucks know my name!

This has been the year of getting my goals accomplished. Maybe my goals aren't as high as some peoples, but accomplishing small goals is something everyone should do. Don't set such high goals that aren't attainable because it just results in feeling unsuccessful or let down. Baby steps, people. I've found that life is much happier when you take time to appreciate the small things. And this definitely brought a smile to my face today.

The Drive Back- April 18, 2010

I love going home, but not so much the drives.

After a lovely weekend back home, I began my journey back to school. It's not the longest trip, only 2 hours max, but when all you pass are trees for an hour, it gets rather boring. There are a few things that road trips are good for though. I give myself singing lessons by constantly belting out my favorite tunes, always fun to do in a car by myself.

Both a positive and negative aspect of driving, you have plenty of time to ponder about life. Being the week before graduation, this thinking time is more stressful than it usually is. What are my plans for next year? Have I done everything I need to before I graduate? Am I really about to start the real world? What am I going to do? Yes, it's now that point in my life.

However, I'm trying to stay positive and optimistic about my future. I try to replace those thoughts with others such as these: Wow, I'm almost done with school forever! Congratulations to me, I'm about to graduate! I can do whatever I want now, my possibilities are endless! Thinking glass half full these days is definitely the better route to take, otherwise I'll be a walking mess of panic.

Lucky in Love- April 17, 2010

Caitlyn and Aaron are getting married!

Saturday was the "Lucky in Love" engagement party for one of my best friends Caitlyn and her fiance Aaron. Getting closer to the big day next month had all of us anxious to celebrate with the two of them.

The Vegas-themed night was filled with casino card games, bingo, auctions, horse races, Pina Coladas, Margaritas, delicious food, and friends. The entire night was planned perfectly and turned into such a fun event. Although Lauren and I went in to games with the attitude of obvious winners, we weren't quite as good as predicted. But hey, it's just all about luck, right? Everyone clearly enjoyed themselves and the chance to visit with the happy couple. The wedding day is approaching soon and this engagement party was the perfect event to bring everyone together before the big day!

Caitlyn and Aaron are such a perfect couple and I wish them the very best happily every after!

Silly Bandz- April 16, 2010

Silly Bandz, the latest craze.

When I was in elementary school, the "it" items were Beanie Babies. Everyone rushed to the stores the day new beanies were released and tried to find the newest and most rare beanies to collect. This craze lasted quite a while, but I don't think it had such a quick rise to fame like the current "Silly Bandz" bracelets.

These new colorful rubber bands appear as bracelets on your wrist, but shape into various animals, words, letters, or designs once taken off. Just in the past week, these have become so popular. Children trade them with one another and try to have the largest and most unique collection. My younger brothers decided to jump on the bandwagon and ask for some, so we spent our Friday night in search of some Silly Bandz.

Assuming this would be an easy task, we drove to CVS expecting to buy some and drive home. When they were sold out, we tried a gas station near our house. None. Publix? Nope. Tourist beach shops? Sold out. Now this Silly Bandz hunt was becoming a true mission of the night. Being true adventure-seekers, we wouldn't stop until we succeeded. 13 phone calls and destinations later, we finally found some at a local Walgreens. Although we felt so accomplished, later we realized they were only knock-offs and broke after barely wearing them.

So have you fallen into the Silly Bandz trend or noticed youngsters wearing them on their wrists?

Culture Projects- April 15, 2010

你好 [nǐ hǎo]

Hello from China!

For the past few weeks, my students have been working on their multicultural projects on China. Today was the day they were all due and I was so surprised by how incredible they all turned out. Some students even dressed in Chinese attire, and most girls wore chopsticks in their hair. My students created projects such as the Great Wall of China, the Great Wheel of China which actually was a moving ferris wheel, pagodas, and a Chinese town filled with a dragon dance along the street. My students always go above and beyond and their hard work definitely pays off!

We got to walk around and see all of the other classes' projects as well, and some of them were really creative! I've had so many great memories at this school and I'll be sad to say goodbye next week. I couldn't have asked for a better internship experience and I will never forget it!

Chocolate bunnies continue- April 14, 2010

Yummy yummy choco-latte!

I seem to always have a bottomless pit of chocolate and candy. Healthy eater? Psh. Life is better with chocolate!

At dance today, I was greeted with a late Easter gift. Hey, better late than never! I love chocolate Easter bunnies and always eat one every spring. This Easter, I didn't have one in my basket so I was a little disappointed. Not that my basket was lacking in the chocolate department, but the bunny is tradition, so I missed it. Today I got wish! My little kiddies must know me well. :)

Looks like Easter is lasting a little longer this year. I love my traditions and don't feel quite right when they are forgotten. Now my Easter season is complete.

Glee is back!- April 13, 2010

Glee is finally back!!

There is finally a successful TV show that has both singing and dancing! Ever since the first episode I watched, I was hooked. Glee always finds something new to bring to the table and I don't think there has ever been an episode I didn't enjoy. All of the songs are so fun to sing and I definitely got in the habit of checking itunes every week to download the new ones. Unfortunately, season 1 was rather short and they left us hanging for so long. But the new season is back and I'm more than ready!

My name is Catie, and I'm a Gleek!

Lululemon inspirations- April 12, 2010

Lululemon, how I love thee.

Lately I've tried to have a better outlook on situations and life in general. I've never really been a negative person, but I think everyone could use more positive thoughts in their life, no matter who you are. Not only do I love Lululemon clothing for dancing, but their bags have such great messages on them. I've definitely tried to incorporate these into my everyday thoughts and happenings.

See if these ideas have any impact on you...

-Friends are more important than money.

-Do one thing a day that scares you.

-Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.

-The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.

-Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.

-Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.

-Stress is related to 99% of all illness.

Dance, sing, floss and travel...these are great words to live by :)

Sunday Shopping- April 11, 2010

Oh how I love the Neiman Marcus butterflies.

Although most of the items at Neiman are way above my price range, I still love riding the escalator up into butterfly heaven every time I'm at the mall. I also love checking out the newest Chanel, Manolo Blahnik and Chrisitan Louboutin pumps. I've never purchased any, but I do dream about my white sparkled Louboutin wedding dress heels that I'll wear one day. Yes, I'm dreaming of shoes, but doesn't every girl dream of their favorite fashions?

Days at the mall always put me in a happy mood. Dreaming of designers tonight!

Purdy nails- April 10, 2010

I rarely get my nails done, but when I do, I feel so prissy.

Beth and I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon strolling outside and then getting our nails done. With the weather being as perfect as it has been lately, all I ever want to do is just be outside. Just taking a walk or laying down staring at the clouds can be such a wonderful afternoon.

So after spending the day outside in the sunshine, we decided to be girly girls and get our nails done. So for the rest of the day I walked around life a priss, afraid to touch anything worrying that it would break a nail. But hey, every girl likes to get all dolled up every once in a while. :)

RENT at UCF- April 9, 2010

No day but today!

Tonight Beth and I went to see the musical Rent at the UCF theatre. I've always been a fan of the story and songs from Rent, but have never gotten the opportunity to see the musical in person. I've known how great the UCF theatre department is, but hadn't seen them perform since my freshmen year. They are ridiculously amazing!

I seriously can't describe how great the musical was, it far surpassed my expectations. I honestly feel like anyone in it could be on Broadway right now. Every song was either just as good or better than any of the soundtracks I've heard. All of the actors perfectly portrayed the characters and added their own flare to the parts. If you didn't get a chance to see it, you missed out. I definitely laughed and almost cried in parts. Rent is such a beautiful story and I was so happy I finally got to see it in person!

The UCF theater department is full of such talented individuals. Although UCF isn't known as being an art school, you better look out because here are the future stars of Broadway! Great job everyone, you were definitely inspiring.

Day Without Shoes- April 8, 2010

Today I walked without shoes in support of the Toms Shoes campaign, "A Day Without Shoes".

I began my day wearing shoes since I had to at my internship, but right when I got home, I took them off and kept them off the rest of the day. I checked the mail barefoot, I went to get ice cream barefoot, and I got a movie from Publix barefoot. All of these making me walk through dirty parking lots. It was definitely an interesting experience and I could see people looking at me in disgust, but I decided to stick with it for the entire afternoon.

It definitely got me thinking about all of the people in the world who don't have shoes on their feet. Yes, it's nice to walk barefoot on the beach or through the grass, but not every day. There are so many diseases and problems that can occur from not wearing proper shoe wear. So today, I tried to make a small difference to a large problem. I ordered a pair of Toms shoes. For every pair of shoes bought, a pair is sent to a child who doesn't have enough money to buy shoes.

I had been considering buying some of these shoes for a while now, and today's slogan of "a day without shoes" helped me to finally buy some. No, they aren't super cheap shoes. But think of it as buying two pairs and giving one away, which truely is what you're doing. I feel like the cost of one pair of shoes is a sacrifice I could make to change someone's life, or at least bring a smile to their face.

There are so many different ways we can make a difference in the world. I'm trying to gradually get involved in helping our world and buying a pair of Toms shoes is a step in the right direction. Do you have any Toms shoes??

#waitingsucks- April 7, 2010

Twitter, tweets, and trending topics, oh my!

With growing technology, there are so many ways to communicate now between Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, it's hard to keep up. My newest addition is Twitter; I'll admit I've fallen into the Twitter trap. Although I didn't really understand how worked at first, I'm starting to learn all the tricks and really like it now. With an iPhone, it's hard not to join and use all of the communication sites available.

On Twitter, you can mention someone by putting @(&theirname) and it turns into a link to that person's twitter account. You can also talk about popular subjects by putting #(&thepopulartopic) with a link to everyone else's tweet talking about it. Sounds confusing, but it's fun! Lately I've been missing my favorite show True Blood, which airs on HBO during the summers. While most people are Twi-hards, I'm a True Blood fan all the way. And the wait for season 3 is finally almost up!

Of course I feel the need to tweet my thoughts. So I'll just send @TrueBloodHBO a message agreeing with the trending topic that #waitingsucks. Do you understand the world of tweeting? Jump on the bandwagon and join!

Missing Cali food- April 6, 2010

And I'm still thinking about California...

Avacados: what I miss most about Cali food. This week I've been trying to recreate some of my favorite meals with an ingredient I've been deprived of since I've gotten home from Cali, avacados. So I went to Publix and got a giant avacado to fulfill my want.

Unfortunately, Florida avacados just aren't like the ones in Cali. Meal unsuccessful...

Port-a-Potty air freshener- April 5, 2010

So I recently bought an air freshener that I thought was cute for my car. I'm a fan of Ed Hardy and just assumed that an air freshener from this brand would be a quality scent. The scent was immediately strange to me, but I just thought it was strong because it was fresh out of the package. I couldn't wrap my finger around the strange scent for the longest time...

My sister recently rode in my car and asked me why my car smelled like the air freshener in a port-a-potty. So that's the smell. Now every time I go in my car all I can think of us a port-a-potty. Kinda sick.

Happy Easter- April 4, 2010

Happy Easter! I'm so thankful for my life!

I am so blessed to have the most wonderful family, friends, and well, life itself. Easter is always a time of year to be thankful for what God has given us. Although Lent is over, I want to try and keep helping and sacrificing myself for others. I've always been lucky to have such great support from friends and family and I hope to that support for others. The 40 days and nights of Lent always motivate me to keep up with the sacrifices and not always put myself first.

This Easter I got to spend time with my family. This would seem to be the norm for most people, but the past two Easters I've had to work. So seeing my family, including my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, was definitely something to be thankful for. I was also excited to go downstairs and find a basket full of Peterbrooke chocolates waiting for me. Delicious!

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for, so thank you Jesus. I love you! :)

Pool time- April 2/3, 2010

After a week of nonstop adventures and events, it is definitely nice to sit back and relax by the pool.

With beautiful clear blue skies and warm weather, the pool just looks so inviting. Too bad the water is freezing... But relaxing by the pool is just as enjoyable, especially when you have the cutest puppy ever to lay next to.

Wanting to relive our vacation, Stephanie and I edited our Cali video outside by the pool. It only took us two days to edit a 12-minute video of our trip, we are quite dedicated workers. It's so nice to be home and enjoying some relaxing family time! :)

Back to FL- April 1, 2010

After an amazing week in California, we headed back to sunny, hot Florida.

Flying from coast to coast brought such beautiful sights. We could even see snow topped mountains, which I loved because I didn't get to see any snow this winter. Although I was sad to leave Cali, I was excited to go home and see my family, too.

When we arrived in Florida, I was so surprised at how hot it was. The temperature somehow climbed about ten degrees while I was gone. Looks like spring has finally hit Florida! Now it's time to enjoy a few days of Spring Break on the east coast. :)