damnit, I've been tagged.

So I don't know who came up with this whole "tagging" business, but it seems rather sneaky and pushy to me. However, since I don't blog NEARLY often enough and one of my favorite people (ahem, Ivy) did the tagging honors I suppose I can play by the rules. The only thing I won't agree to is tagging someone else because I don't endorse entrapment.

Here it is: the fourth picture of the fourth album on my computer...drumroll please....

This would be me and one Miss Jessica Davis-my potluck roommate from my freshman year-on the first day we met. Here's where it gets interesting...this photo was taken in the Kinsolving elevator which we managed to get stuck in our way up to our dormroom. For two hours as we awaited our freedom, we talked, played 20 questions, and shared our life stories. This random, freak occurrence on one of my first days at UT is still one of my favorite memories and it reminds me how blessed I was to have found such a great soul to share my first year with.

NUMBERS

Surprise, surprise. It has, yet again, been over a month since my last post. Eek..sorry about that! Well let's not dwell on the past; instead let's delve into my new post....so here we go!

Lately my mom and brother have been obsessed with this show called Numbers- watching it constantly, filling up the DVR, you know the routine. Anyway, this show is all about an FBI agent and his younger mathmetician genius brother using numbers to find connections, see trends, and solve crime. It got me thinking about all the numbers that swamp our lives and the signifigance they hold and how numbers often define significant parts of our lives. So this post is all about, you guessed it, the numbers.

23-my age, which i continually obsess about because for some reason i feel so darn old all the
time. just think, at the rate i'm freaking out now, i can't wait for the turning 30 crisis...
7-my favorite number. always has been. i think i picked it because that's how many people are
in my family but i honestly can't remember for sure.
2-the number of amazing parents who support me through everything i do from moving across
the world to moving back home (again)
4-Force, Foursome, LOMLs. Awesome.
1-Number of my besties currently engaged...congratulations Ivy and Troy boy!
19-Days until Christmas
0-Number of Christmas gifts i've purchased
2,263-Dollar amount I've managed to save (after purchasing my plane ticket AND visa) the
largest amount of money I've ever had to my name at one time. Hello accomplishment.
2,237-Dollar amount I have left to save before I leave. In two months. Crossing fingers...
3-Current BCS ranking of my beloved Longhorns. Just enough to put them out of a national
championship. Right behind a team we beat. Yeah. I don't want to talk about it, just wanted to
note the injustice.
147-Days since I left my Scottish life behind.
36-Days until my long lost boyfriend makes his transatlantic trip to come visit me. Yay!
364-Days since finishing college and moving on from the monotony of classes and the
awesomeness of life in Austin with my favorite people. Nearly a year. Where does the time
go?
66- Days until I embark on my next big adventure, this time to the land down under. Am I
ready? Well, financially no. But I am pretty freaking excited. I've booked my plane ticket,
been approved for my visa, and been studying up with my Australia book. Only a couple of
months left....
10-Number of thank yous you get for reading through this whole number themed blog.
From a numerical standpoint, my life seems, well, a little complicated. And I wouldn't change it for the world.

So it's been a month....

[DISCLAIMER: I wrote this post after three glasses of wine. At first, I thought I should go ahead and do a sober edit session, then I thought...what the heck. This isn't a research paper. So go ahead and enjoy my blog in all its tipsy glory.]

....or two. I know, I know. I'm very liable to falling off the face of the earth. Funny how it works-now that I'm living here in Texas instead of across the Atlantic I blog an exponential amount less but hey, let's not nit pick. I bet you're ready for my excuse though, so here it is: my life is a monotonous continuum of the same activities day in and day out. For example: wake up, take my brother to school, eat, go to work, pick up my brother from school, nap, go back to work, eat, and go to sleep, repeat. Seriously. Everyday. However, I suppose I have had a few breaks from the monotony: 1. My birthday. Which was sort of depressing. I mean, after 21 it's just all down hill; especially when all my colleauges estimate my age at about 26 years old. Ughh. The upside? I had great gifts from my friends, family, and yes, boyfriend. You wouldn't think this would be a big deal, but I'm kind of the hardest person to buy for. Ever. So thanks to all the wonderful people in my life who know me so well. Huh. Maybe I should work on being more unpredictable. Just a thought. 2. I visited my former roomie and current bestie in the LTX. Only one Miss Whitney Hollis could make Lubbock Texas an awesomely fun place to be. We watched the Office, played Guitar Hero AND Super Mario Brothers, went out a few nights, had our traditional dinner and a movie, and even squeezed in a little football (although the UT game was postponed because of Hurricane Ike). Seriously, moving to Lubbock would actually be worth it if Whitney was my roomate again. 3. College Football. Now this always takes up the vast majority of my Saturdays during the fall, but it IS a nice added bonus that UT just happens to be the number one school in the country for the last three weeks running. The downside? I die a little more inside each time I watch a game in Austin knowing that just a year ago I was able to witness our greatness (and let's be honest, screwups) every week in person at the Darrell K Royal Stadium (not to mention front row tickets at the Red River Shootout Game in Dallas). At least my brother in law has recently purchased a high definition television for my NCAAF viewing pleasure. Gotta love the silver lining. 4. Girls' weekend in Santa Fe- my Mom and sisters stayed at my grandparents condo this past weekend for a little mid-autumn getaway which was AWESOME. We drank copius amounts of frozen margaritas and sangria, ate at our favorite restaurants (I DREAM of the #5 flat from the Shed on a regular basis), and even managed to squeeze in the game. The best part? I took a complete three days off from work which is practically a nonoccurrence in my world. 5. Halloween. I love this holiday-for some reason it's so much bigger here in the states. Hmmm. Maybe because of our capitalist money hungry ways? Sorry-cynical. But I DO love the pumpkin carving. I got my UT spirit in gear and went to town on those gords (I've even included a few pics). Also, although I'm working on the big day, I get to dress up. I think I'm going for a fifty's waitress. I know. I know. Predictable but still fun.


This is Monica (my little sister) goofing around in a mask at the flea market...

...and that's us before a night on the town.






Now it's back to the real world full of extra shifts to make up from the ones I missed (and the money I spent-totally worth it though. I got the most fabulous pair of vintage earring from the flea market in Santa Fe), more early morning school carpooling, and tons of money saving. On top of trying to finance a move toAustralia in February, now I'm trying to visit my long-time friend Dana in Portland to ring in the new year (perhaps including a trist into British Columbia-yay!). Throw in a long distance phone bill, car insurance, gas, and Christmas presents I have quite a way to go. So now it's time for work overload. Wish me luck, and forgive my negligent blogging ways. I love each and every one of you and can't wait to catch up on your lives. Thanks for reading a rather winding and monotonous record of my last month(plus). Hopefully it won't take another two months before I get motivated enough to write again...cross your fingers.

Me and Therese's UT jackolanterns!

Boo!

My Quarter Life Crisis

The summer after my senior year of high school, I went through a period where I listened to the John Mayer Room for Squares album on repeat for hours at a time, and for some reason one song really stuck with me. The title is 'Why Georgia' but a distinct phrase stands out in my mind from all the other lyrics: "It might be a quarter life crisis, just a stirrin' in my soul." At the time, I thought it was so odd-all I'd really heard about before was the dreaded mid-life crisis complete with sportcar driving, toupe wearing, breast implanting, younger dating self-concious crazies.
However, at this point in my life, I feel this phrase is the definition of my life. Let me elaborate.

1. I'm a (nearly) 23 year old woman living at home with her parents and working at her high school job....as a waitress.
2. I have no prospects for my career and no motivation to pursue even the imaginary ones in the distance.
3. I have wonderful friends and family accomplishing awesome things: getting married, starting new jobs, going back to school, basically living life. Everyone around seems to be moving on and I just feel like I'm...standing still.
4. The man I love lives thousands of miles and an ocean away.
5. Scotland hates me. Ok. that might be a bit harsh, but my visa was refused. Therefore, the whole life I started 6 months ago is now discontinued.
And Finally
- I'm freaking out about gettting old-
I know I know. This one sounds so superficial, but it is a legitimate concern (at least to me). Since I've gone back to work at Malcolms, my co-workers are generally comprised of girls aged 17-21. The other day, one such girl was saying how she wanted to 'live life' before settling down and having kids and promptly cited 23 as the appropriate age. Gah. On her life plan, I'd be having babies within the next month. Then, when one of the cooks asked me how old I was turning this coming month, his reply to my answer of 23 was "Oh. I thought you were older." I mean really? Really. And I know it seems absurd, I know when I'm thirty I'll look back and think my 20 something self was crazy, but I can't help how I feel. And y'all know how compuslive my thinking can get...for instance I've been slathering on sunscreen just to walk outside and pick up the mail and have been researching anti-aging skin products like crazy. I had to literally stop and do a reality check before spending nearly $40 on wrinkle cream the other day. You only think I'm kidding...

Whew! So glad to get that ranting off my chest. Now that I've had a moment to vent all that crazy that's been bottled up for the past month or so, hopefully I can be more reasonable. Let's just call that my 'con' list and, thankfully, I have quite a few pros to counteract it:
1. I have the most supportive parents ever. Not only do they let me live at home for free, but I get fed regularly AND my Mom does my laundry. Pretty much the coolest thing ever. Also, I get to spend time with my baby brother whom I haven't lived with since he was 6. We've been bonding over guitar hero and The Office. Luckily, he has good taste.
2. I have a good, flexible job that lets me work as much as I want and I've met some fun girls to hang out with while I'm here. We're even having a BBQ this weekend-probably the first social event I've attended since my sisters wedding. I know. I'm a workaholic.
3. My friends are AWESOME. They call to check on me, they let me vent, they cheer me up. Seriously don't know what I'd do without you guys.
4. I have a back up plan and a goal I'm working toward:
Since the whole Scotland thing didn't work out, my next plan of action is to set my sights on a country that WILL let me in without illegal endeavors-Australia. Now, this is an expensive move-I need to save about oh $6500 to finance my visa, plane ticket, and initial living cost. But there are some definate perks-by the time I've saved enough money (say December-ish) it will be snowing here and I'll be off to sandy beaches for an Australian summer, Australian accents are really cool, I'll have the chance to live on yet another continent, I'll get to say 'no worries mate' as many times a day as I like, and I'll get to (finally) see my boyfriend again who plans on moving down under as well (thank goodness I met someone who likes to travel as much as me).
So all in all, once I let my rational side creep up and do some serious soul searching, I really don't have it bad at all. It's just he waiting and uncertainty that is so difficult. Now if I just didn't feel so darn old, I'd have it made in the shade...

La Boda

As most of you know, as of last week today, there is one less Miss Glenn in the world. The sister formerly known as Miss Glenn is now Mrs. Biggs, and her plus one has become a permanent addition to our family. So, as you might have surmised by now, this is to put it simply the wedding blog.

August 2, 2008- 2:01pm

Standing in my tea-length gown in a line of navy clad bridesmaids, my eyes followed my sister as she made her way down the aisle situated between my beaming parents, and two thoughts crossed my mind:

1. What a breathtakingly gorgeous bride- still just a small indication of what a beautiful person she truly is.

2. Marriage scares the bejesus out of me.

Let me elaborate. I realize this second observation is slightly less eloquent and more selfishly focused than the first, but it is something that has been somewhat abruptly brought to my attention these past few weeks, and I suppose as a mature, emotionally aware, healthy minded, elegant, clever, 22 year old woman with an understated sophistication.....sorry. I got carried a bit away. Anyways, I figure I need to face my fears and take this scary marriage thing head on.

So how did I come to this realization? Well first of all, I've never thought all that much about getting married. It was always some significant but distant point in my future that would come, "when I meet the right person." However, as a recent college graduate, I have been bombarded by wedding announcements of not only recent friends but also of people whose names have long ago been stored away in my head under one file or another from what seems a lifetime ago. However, no matter how forgotten the aquaintance or how predictable the proposal the shock remains the same. How can these people do it?

Now my sister was a different story. For years we've been expecting the engagement and subsequent marriage of Therese and her long time boyfriend Richard. It wasn't so much a question of if but when. Despite a few rough spots which I like to refer to as "growing moments," the couple made it through college, law school, a career change, and one stressful summer to take their walk down the aisle. And, although I feel priveledged to have been included in the process, it has been the catalyst to my ever-growing gamophobia (AKA fear of marriage. It's amazing what you can discover on wikipedia). At first, watching my sister plan her wedding was a breeze. It MIGHT have been the fact that I was living thousands of miles and an ocean away. It wasn't until I arrived home with less than three weeks to go until the big day that I realized one very important fact: weddings turn women crazy. And not only the bride by the way, but the any other women who might take the challenge to help her-in this case, my mom. And I don't mean the "oh that's cute, slightly norotic but endearing" kind of crazy. I mean the full-on stressed out, slightly hysterical, unreasonable type. As I write this, I realize there is a good possibility that the blushing bride and her distinguished mother will read this, so I confess there might be some unintentional exageration in my agitated state and I apologize for that. However, my feelings remain the same. I just know that with my unfortunate personality trait combination of procrastination and perfectionism, planning a wedding will be the death of me. Not to mention the fact that you are about to pledge your life to someone else. I'm gonna be real honest here, I can barely take care of myself at this point of my life let alone consider planning in another human being into the equation. It's funny looking back on that "10 year plan" they have you concoct in your high school English class: I swear I had myself married by 25. Ha. What a joke. I can't count the number of people at the wedding who asked me if I was next; I managed to hold my laughter almost half the time which, by the way, I consider quite an accomplishment.

Oops. I've just glanced over my blog and realized that most if not all of you must be tired of reading my rant on nuptial bliss (well, at least those of you who have managed to get through it to this point), so I now promise to cease and desist. What I REALLY should be blogging about it how wonderful the wedding turned out, how great it was to see all my family, and how blessed I am to have a new brother-in-law. Since my prose has been so jaded up to this point, I'll just let my pictures do the rest of the talking.

Sidenote: As I sat typing this my kind father referred to me as the senior Glenn sister. In addition to not really calming my nerves, now I have a whole new subject to worry about-getting old. However, I'll leave that subject for another post. Onto the pictures...

The Last Night of singledom and the rehearsal dinner...with Grandma

How many bridesmaids does it take to lace up one gown?

Mom adjusting the same veil she wore 26 years ago for Therese

Reality sets in...'I'm actually getting married.'

My cousin Bridget minus two front teeth equals one adorable flower girl.

One groomsman minus one button (my brother Noah)

Moments before the ceremony-last chance to run. Only kidding. Sort of.

Still Daddy's girl

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Richard Biggs

My List

To do list that is. Since I've been home for almost two weeks now, I've decided it's time for some productivity/self improvement. Don't get me wrong; sleeping for 12 hours every night and watching reruns of scrubs has its appeal, but I'm pretty sure my parents are beginning to wonder why their daughter has turned into a couch potato. So, with the weeks spanning ahead of me filled with waiting to see what I'm going to do at this point in my life, I've put together a to-do list to pass the time and, if I'm lucky, make myself a bit better of a person. So here it is:

1. Maid of Honor Duty: With less than a week before my Reesy gets married, I've managed to procrastinate on all my little jobs I need to do. Fortunately, I have FINALLY found my dress. I'm not crazy about it, but hey-it's her day and it's okay if I don't look perfect-right? Right. Still coming to terms with it. Anywho, now I need to put together the slideshow for the rehearsal dinner, finish planning the bachelorette party, practice Therese's makeup, and write my speech. No big deal. Gulp.
2. Go back to work. Gah. Yes, my on again/off again relationship with Malcolm's will be on...again. Turns out I have my credit card and student loans that won't pay themselves off. Plus I need to start saving money for my future life plans, whatever they may be. Waitress Shivonne is once again making an appearance...get excited.
3. Get in shape. Somehow I managed to work out a total of like three times during my period abroad. Oops. So I'm taking advantage of our family gym membership and lifting weights and putting in some time on the elliptical machine. I couldn't walk for about a week, but I'm getting there.
4. Get my nose back in the books. No, not school books (as if. I barely made it through college the first time). Since I've been home, the lure of satelite TV has taken it's hold on me, and it's not a pretty sight. After not having television for five months, I've gone a little overboard. So, I need to find other options for my free time and I've decided to take the literary route. Right now I'm reading a really interesting book called The Beautiful Fall-it's an expose on fashion in the 70s centering around Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld.
5. Get in more quality family time. Since this will be the last time I live at home (hopefully) I need to take advantage of the proximity of the fam. Therese is moving into her cute new house here in Amarillo after the honeymoon, so I can help her with that. Noah and I have been getting in some good guitar hero playing, and it's nice having dinner with the parents again. It's so easy to to take the people closest to you for granted, and I'm going to try my hardest not to do that.
6. Visit my girls. Luckily Whitney was able to make it to Amarillo for a couple of days which was AWESOME....gotta love the former rooms. But I need to make trips to Austin, Richardson, and Houston to see everyone with their new lives/apartments/jobs/etc. Wish it just didn't cost so darn much. Gah.

So there's my list as of now. Now that I have the list, I better get to working on it. Wish me luck!

Underneath this Amarillo Sky...

Coming home is an odd sensation-I feel as if I haven't been away, yet so much has changed. Why do humans have this egotistical way of thinking that life stops in their absence? It's so irrational, but I always expect life to pick up exactly where I left it even though time and time again I'm proven wrong. Since I've left my bigger brother has moved away to university, my older sister has temporarily moved home in preparation for her wedding, our family car of the last 15 years has been replaced, and I won't even start on how different the house looks. But despite all the new, despite all the different, I'm happy to be home.

My trip home was tiring but, thankfully, mostly uneventful. My reservation was lost for my first flight but in an uncharacteristic move I was actually prepared for once and arrived three hours early at the airport so all was well. Other trip highlights: I slept on the plane! Ok, this might not seem like a big deal for most, but I never am able to sleep when I fly, and I mean NEVER. On a twenty-three hour flight to New Zealand I dozed a total of 20 minutes despite taking a full dosage of benadryl. So after two movies, a two hour nap, three screaming kids, a very nice but very chatty seat neighbor. and a good portion of my new book I arrived back in Texas via the Houston airport. As I walk into the terminal, I'm exhausted (by this time it's three o'clock in the morning my time), hot, and not looking forward to my layover. That is until I saw Schlotzky's. There I am, in the middle of a group of people scurrying off to claim baggage/catch a connecting flight/etc and I seriously stop dead in the middle of the walkway and say, outloud, YES! After a few odd stares I jumped in line and got my first American meal complete with BBQ chips. Mmmmmm. Afterwards I caught a few more z's-on the floor of the airport, and I'm not even ashamed (although I did hear a girl through my semi-comitose state ask her dad why that girl is laying on the floor). Two hours later I landed in Amarillo met by my awesome family. It is so good to be home.

Since I've arrived, I've had a great dinner with my grandparents, managed to see Whitney for a few minutes as she passed through town for her big concert (so jealous btw), spent some quality time with the fam, played with the dogs, and slept A LOT. For some reason my jet lag this time around has been so much worse. Today I'm off to Dallas with my Mom for my cousin's girlfriend's baby shower. Oh, and I still haven't found my bridesmaid dress despite searching through over 25 shops on Oxford Street in London. Gah. Wish me luck, because I'm getting pretty desperate.

So I'm home, but I cannot wait to see everyone else. I hate that we're in the same state yet still so far apart. I'm going to try to work the least amount possible so I can get visits in with everyone. I still miss you all...

Homeward Bound

Remember that movie with the cute talking animals who get lost in the wilderness and then have to find their way home? Well, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about ME! Yes. That's right. In mere days I will once again be in the great state of Texas and surrounded once again by my wonderful family and friends.

So first things first. Yes, I am still alive. I acknowledge that as of late I may have neglected my blogging duties being as I haven't written anything in over a month. My only defense it that once I started to let the days build up, I just felt overwhelmed with all the catching up I would have to do. And you all know me...I'm kinda an all or nothing person. But I promise to try better in the future. My sincerest apologies.

So what has happened in the past month? Well, I finally sent off all my visa paperwork a little over a week ago and I'm keeping my fingers crossed and, more importantly, saying my prayers, that whatever is meant to be will happen. This is the most stressful part about coming home and leaving my life here-all the uncertainty. I don't know when and if I'll be able to come back, and the not knowing is driving my crazy. I know I need to just let go and trust in God, but sometimes it's difficult to do. In the meantime, I'm just focusing on all the positive things like, I don't know, how AMAZINGLY excited I am to see everyone! Y'all cannot realize what a postive force you all are in my life. Get ready for some awesome reunions and good times to come soon. I love each and everyone of you. Sigh. I'm a lucky girl.

So my plans for the next few days are as follows: Tomorrow (Sunday)-work. Yes. On my last full day in Scotland I will be working. That's what happens when you are understaffed in the summer season. Oh well, it's not too bad I guess. I have some last minute things to do but I can try to squeeze them all in on Monday. After work tomorrow, Veronika and I are going to visit our old friend Monika at her new job (which just happens to be at a pub) and have a farewell drink (or two) together. Then I need to finish packing (I just have clothes left-still a pretty big undertaking considering the quantity of clothes I have not only brought but obtained in my time over here). Monday-Chris was able to get the day off so we could spend it together. Hopefully I'll have most everything done (besides a few last minute errands I have to save for a day off) so I can relax and not be too stressed out. Then Monday night I'm off to Stirling to catch the sleeper train to London at 11:59. Tuesday-I'll spend in London, searching desperately for a tea length navy bridesmaid dress (don't worry reesy, I promise I'll search hard). Told you I procrastinated. Wednesday-I fly out of London Heathrow and arrive in the ATX (that's Amarillo, not Austin) at 10:49pm haggard from traveling, but happy to be home again. So if I don't get to blog (or you don't get to read this) in the next few days, hopefully, the next time you hear from me, it will be in person. Get excited....(I am!) Muah!

"And Here's What's Happening in My Neck of the Woods..."

Anyone a fan of Good Morning America (or is it The Today Show? I always get them confused. It's pretty much the same show with different anchors anyway, right)? I love how the weather man, Al Roker I think it is, always gives the national weather scope and then transitions to the local weather guys using this phrase. It's silly, but I like it, and it reminds me of home, so now it is officially part of my blog....just don't tell Al.

So, as I was saying, here's what's happening in my neck of the woods:
1. I'm tired. Knackered. Battered. Shattered. Exhausted. Whatever you want to call it, I am. For some reason, I've just been feeling drained lately. I really am not working all that much more than usual (though I haven't had a day of in 10 days), but I can barely drag my butt out of bed in the morning. I think it's beginning to show too because they sent me home early from work today because I wasn't looking so good. But no worries, tomorrow I don't start until noon, and then I finally, drum roll please, have my day off! Hoorah!
2. Homesick. I don't get homesick all that often but this weekend was tough. My little Miss April became Mrs. Buck, and my baby sister turned the Big 21-two events I really didn't want to miss out on. Luckily I have a very sweet and understanding boyfriend to help get me through the rough spots which brings me to....
3. SATC: The movie. Upon release, I found myself quasi-boycotting the film because it just didn't feel right to see it without my girls (that and the fact I couldn't convince anyone here to see it with me). Then last night, the unthinkable happened; a real, live, warm blooded, homosapien boyfriend OFFERED to take me to it. No, this is not something from the sci-fi channel, but an actual occurrence. The movie was entertaining, the fashion-UNBELIEVABLE, and I actually made it to the end before I teared up thinking about y'all. Side note: Chris was one of three men braving the estrogen packed theatre, and he handled it beautifully-I'm pretty sure he only gagged once during the movie. Needless to say, he scores major boyfriend points with this one.
4. I fly home in 35 days. Yes, 35 days. Crazy isn't it? Where does the time go? And, I'm starting to stress. Scratch that. I'm in full on stress out mode. The paper work for my visa still hasn't been filed, I haven't registered for my permanent National Insurance number, and I haven't worked out just what to do with all the stuff I've acquired since being here when I go home. Gah, I'm such a procrastinator; how I ever managed to make it through college, I still haven't figured out. I really just need to buckle down, make a to-do list with deadlines, and stick to it. Ha. I can barely type that without laughing. OK people, I'm really gonna try, but I need some prayers.

Okay peeps, that's all I have for now. Sorry the life of a shop girl isn't more exciting, but I'm happy to share it with you anyway. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Buck, Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister, and Good luck to my bigger brother who moves to college this week. I love you all and am so very proud as always. Besos!

A Very Blogworthy Day

Monday I had one of those elusive days that just seems....right. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally a happy-go-lucky kinda girl who enjoys life, laughs easily, finds pleasure in the little things (well, pretty much I'm just easily amused), and doesn't even mind work most of the time. I'm not gonna lie, it takes a lot to make me have a rotten day...heck, I'd even go so far as to call myself an optimist. But still, some days just stand out and really make me appreciate life. And Monday was one such day.

To start off, it was my day off so I was in pretty good spirits; though I did have my doubts since my last two days off were a bit shaky. Days off can be tricky; you find yourself on a slippery slope if you're not careful-like you expect too much from it. Similar to what Christmas day can be like when you're little really-all of December you wait and wait for what you believe will be the best day of your life so far to FINALLY come and when the dragging days do pass and you wake up extra early on the morning of such a highly anticipated day, aren't the odds going to be highly in the favor of some sort of disapointment? Nothing in real life can really do a five year old's imagination justice though, can it? So after you open all the presents, and eat all the cakes, and sing all the carols, you can still feel (if you're not careful), oddly, a bit empty. The same theory can apply to my one day off a week: all week long I look forward to it as my saving grace, but once it comes it passes in a blur with something always amiss and all I can think is, 'crap. I have to go back to work in the morning.' But then a really great Christmas (or in my case, day off) can come along and redeem the ones that have not lived up to the self created hype, and faith is, once again, restored.

So what was so darn great about Monday you might ask. Well, to start off, I visited Stirling Castle! I know I'm a dork, but I love history. And museums. And old buildings. And with castles you pretty much get a three for one deal on these things so I'm in paradise. Plus, we don't have castles in America or anything much older than 300 years so I go a bit crazy in a country that actually has a medieval period. And, this is the best bit, I suckered Chris, Tony, and Claire to go with me. I enjoy stuff like that by myself, but it was much nicer having company for a change. We started off our visit with a tour of Argyll's Lodging-a 17th century residence just across the way and through a cemetary from the castle (weird fact: I love graveyards. Not sure why, just do). We had a very enthusiastic tour guide, one of those people who just seems so eager that you want to listen that much more. Then Tony and Chris treated themselves to ice cream for being so well behaved before we wandered around the castle. I think my favorite parts were the great views (the castle sits up on a volcanic rock above the city) and the architecture of the buildings. After we had our fill of exploring, we checked out, what else, the gift shop. To be fair, they have some pretty awesome toys in castle gift shops....especially the boys section. I would buy a styrofoam sword over a unicorn anyday. Oh, and Tony and Chris did. Buy styrofoam swords that is. Good thing they got their ice-cream before that purchase or they might have lost the priveledge. Claire and I just stuck them in back of the car on the ride home so they could beat up each other without bothering us...much. Also, between swordfighting and ice-cream eating Chris managed to make another purchase....earrings (don't worry, they weren't for him). He bought them under false pretenses of purchasing chocolate and then suprised me with them as a gift on the ride home. Pretty smooth huh? And he actually chose very well-buying jewelry for a girl is no easy task, especially for one as particular as me. They are swirly and silver and have a purple gem and I heart them.
After our educational yet enjoyable afternoon of castle exploration, we had a relaxing evening in complete with cheese, champagne, and Ratatouille. Very classy if I do say so myself even if we did drink the champagne out of pint glasses and watch a children's film (hey-we don't exactly have an excess of champagne flutes in the staff house and pixar rocks my socks off). As great as a day as we had, it made it that much harder to go back to work Tuesday morning, and it didn't help that Chris got ANOTHER day off. Spoiled brat. Only kidding. Sort of. Anyways, y'all know how much my amateur photog butt loves pictures, so here's a few more from my lovely day at Stirling Castle for your viewing pleasure....

Girly Time

Cindy Lauper says it best: girls-they wanna have fu-un, o-oh girls just wanna have fuuuun. Well, realistically speaking, the fairer sex wouldn't come off looking too good if that was strictly true, but sometimes a girl does need to just let her hair down and have some good old fashioned

fu-un.

This week, I had me some serious girly time fun. To start, Veronika turned the big 2-9 on Monday, so we had a wee party at the pub after work. I had a few ciders, played some really bad pool (but looked very cute while losing-Veronika and I were the "green team" so we chalked up our noses to help distinguish that. Unfortunately, my camera was dead so I have no documentation. Crap.), and even ate a little tiramisu cake. Nice. Then on Wednesday, I had a rather crappy day off involving me running all my errands I never get around to (because I always put them off), wildy misinterpreting the bus system (buses and I just don't get along), and missing my ride for Monika's birthday party because I got back too late from Stirling (again, I blame the public transportation system). So I was feeling really down and frustrated when I got home. However, upon my arrival I ran into an equally down and frustrated Catriona, so we decided to do something about it. I jumped in her car, we picked up her girls, and headed off to Stirling (don't worry, no buses involved in this trip). We enjoyed a lovely meal where we stuffed our faces and died of laughter over the silliest things. Just what I needed.

Now here's where it gets real girly; Friday after work, Veronika came up to my room to give me some eyewash (yes, my silly eyes are still being ornery), and we ended up shopping for makeup online (thanks to Ivy's email---thanks loml!) which led to talk about makeup which led to me pulling out all my makeup which led to me giving Veronika a makeover. So fun. She almost NEVER wears makeup and I absolutely love playing with the stuff. So after I finished dolling her up, she started to ask me how she should wear her hair. I mentioned she would look good with some fringe bangs and the next thing I knew we had pulled out a pair of scissors, thrown my apron over her shoulders, and started cutting away. Not bad if I do say so myself... I think it makes her look like Goldie Hawn. Or Kate Hudson. Can't remember which. Anywho, check it out for yourself....

BEFORE

(to be fair, I did pick the absolute worst picture I possibly could-but that's what you're supposed to do-right?)

AFTER...Ta-Dah! A la Goldie Hawn....

Finally, I put the icing on my girly cake last night when we broke in Catriona's new barbeque, played Veronika's new Pretty Woman CD, opened a bottle of Merlot, and had a dance party. What a hoot. There's nothing like dancing barefoot out in the yard while the chicken burns on the barbie. Don't worry, I have tons of pictures since I got camera happy as I tend to do...

Veronika's first BBQ...and she's already burning the meat

Family Dinner...Girl StyleI Heart Laughing

And the dancing begins....

HORSIES!

No, that is not the cry of a five year old at a petting zoo; unfortunately, that is a twenty-two year old Texan giddy with excitement at seeing something to remind her of home. I know the whole horse/cowboy boots/western thing is so stereotypical of Texans, but I still like to buy into it. I even tell people I meet that I rode a horse to school everyday when I was little...they love that stuff. Well, on Thursday I was having a rough day at work---nothing in particular to bug me, just overworked, underslept, and a bit down. Anywho, one of the new girls who started in the shop-Hannah-let it slip that she used to be a professional horse jumper and she still owns a horse that lives a mere 15 minutes away. Well that was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Veronika and I convinced her to take us to meet her horse-Rosie-in Strathire and then we took a scenic drive in her car until dusk. So relaxing. I almost forgot how nice it is just to sit in the car, play a little Norah Jones, and soak in the scenery. I might have got a little carsick at one point (these roads here are dang curvy), but I just stuck my head out the window into the cool air like a dog and I was ready for more. I need to pursue relaxing activities like this more often. So refreshing.

This is Rosie with her momma Hannah....

Rosie in all her glory. She's retired now (being 11), but was quite a show stopper in her time.

So Veronika's a bit freaked out not only by horses, but ponies as well (this is Blossom).

Hannah and Rosie are super close, but then again they have been together for over a decade

Me getting some horsie lovin' from Rosie. Note the overcoat. In May. What the crap Scotland? Haven't you heard of near summer-like weather? Guess not.

Anywho, nothing else is really new at the moment. Just the same old same old work, sleep, etc. I'm trying to finish up my visa papers to send in this week and I hope everything goes through ok. Red tape is so frustrating to get through. Damn bureacracies. Pray for me that the right thing happens...I feel really confident in my decision, but you never know what the Big Guy has in store for you.



Oh, I almost forgot! I got a letter from Grandma in the mail the other morning at work that made my life! Thank you so much for the kind words and the updates...I loved hearing from you! I actually tried to read it in between serving customers, got all teary eyed, and then had to pretend I stubbed my toe to account for the water works. Anyway, bottom line..you're awesome and I heart you.



Sorry for such a nonsensical, blabbering, mess of a blog, but I hope the pictures help make up for it! I love you all like crazy! Muah!

Monday and Tuesday are my favorite days of the week.

Weird right? Most people are 'working for the weekend' and all that jazz, but for me, the weekend is when I work the hardest. And sleep the least. And then the grumpy version of Shivonne starts to show herself and it just isn't a pretty picture. I hate that girl....she gets on my nerves. Well when I'm smack dab in the middle of a hectic busy weekend, I just think to myself-'all you have to do is survive until Monday'. Oh how I love Mondays. Why? Because they are typically my day off. And not only that, but after my day off, I get a (generally) slow and pleasant Tuesday at work followed by (drumroll please....) Girls Night! Yep, Aimee, Monika, and I started having a girls night every week after work on Tuesday since Monika can get a late bus home that day. It makes work much more bearable to know you get to have a relaxing evening together at the end of the day. The only trouble with back to back days of fun is that Wednesday mornings I wake up and think, 'oh crap. my little ray of sunshine to get me through the week is a painfully long, dragging, never ending 6 days away. Oh well, I guess it just makes those days that much more special...

So on my precious Monday/Tuesday back to back combo fun time this week, I started off with a nice, relaxing day off. I slept in until about noon. Well, by that I mean my damn internal clock woke me up at seven, I layed in bed willing myself back into slumber, and finally snoozed on and off until I gave up and got up. During the afternoon, Chris, Tony, and I went into Stirling to run some errands. I (finally) got a new charger for my phone. Yes, the same phone that I left the charger for at the hotel when I moved about 2 months ago. Now I only have to wait until my next day off to pick up a sim card that receives service here in Callander (the two current ones I have don't) and I will officially have a functional mobile. Nice. Also while we were there, my boys got haircuts so they are looking less hobo chic and more clean cut these days. Then after a quick subway sandwhich, we were off to pick up some food and head out to a barbeque at the hotel which was a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a nice time with all the staff up there; the hotel is situated in a gorgeous location, and it's nice to get away from callander if only for the evening.

Well that's Monday. As for Tuesday this week, it was a bit of a bummer. First of all, Aimee couldn't come because she had unavoidable dinner plans with her Mom. Then, Monika decided to change jobs to the Pub/Cafe down the road. Yeah, I pretty much cried. I think it will be good for her though...she's really tired of working in the tea room. Anywho, we went down to the Riverside Inn to confirm her start day, said hello to Cheffy Chef (our old Chef Ian who used to work in the tea room as well), and then headed down to the River to play frisbee (which, in case you were wondering, I'm absolute rubbish at). That was pretty much it for this week, but we've already planned our next girls' night- Aimee's going all fancy pants and decided to cook us dinner! Well, by decided I mean more of I told her she should and she gave in, but still very exciting. Unfortunately I still have the entire weekend to get through, but at least there is a little light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, I think that's about it. Not very newsworthy stuff, but y'all always complain when I don't update and that's all I got for now. I miss you all dearly, and don't forget to keep me updated too people!

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."

Okay. So I know this quote by John Lennon has become somewhat cliche and common, but I really like and relate to it. Why? Because, I must confess, I am not a planner. This might come as a suprise to some of you, and I understand that. I have my planners stuffed with lists and pictures, my color coordinated online calendars, my mulitple notebooks filled with list after list of everything you can imagine from the books I want to read to the items I want to purchase in my near (and distant) future, my ever growing and constantly changing records of what I want to do before I die, etc. I even had myself tricked into believing I was a planner, but, alas, it is not so. I've come to terms with it. I just really like to appear to have things organized while avoiding the actual decision making process. Mature and healthy behavior for a twenty-two year old I'm sure. Gah, I hate to make decisions. They seem so final. And then you have to be responsible for that decision that you didn't want to make in the first place along with the consequences it entails. Plus, planning can eliminate so much of the excitement and ingenuity of life. In my short experience, it really is the random and unexpected twists of fate that make life exciting. Unfortunately, this isn't really realistic or entirely healthy behavior: prior consideration is often advisable if not necessary, if you don't act chances are someone else will do the decision making for you, and if you really want to take full advantage of this one chance at life we are given, plans must be made.

My anticipated return to Texas is quickly approaching; I only have 67 days until my scheduled flight home and 10 weeks remaining on a non renewable/non extendable blue card which allows me to work in the UK. Now despite how much I adore Texas, despite the fact I have not even considered a respectable post college career, despite how much (and this is the big one) I miss and love all you wonderful people, I am not ready to come settle down. I've only been away a little over three months, and that is like a little vacation from reality, a mere wrinkle in the time that constitutes my (hopefully) long life, and not an adequate length of time to really experience life abroad. I think I've mentioned before that I was looking into a visa so I could live in Ireland; however, the visa I would be able to obtain would only last for three months before they kicked my booty back to the states. Fortunately, another opportunity has opened up. My boss has expressed interest in me staying longer than my planned time. I let him know that I had no control over it, I couldn't extend my visa, and it wasn't up to me, but I would be interested in staying longer if possible. To make a long story short, there's a pretty good chance for me to get an open ended visa, paid by the company, that would allow me to work anywhere in the UK. Catriona (one of the administrative staff) has put my paperwork through and a letter should come through the post in the next few weeks that I need to take to the British Embassy while I'm at home in order to request an out of country visa. It isn't guaranteed that I will get the visa after all this, so I need to look into it more, but I think it's an exciting idea anyway.

Well that is as far as my planning process has progressed presently (like that tongue twister?). I'll keep you updated as I get more information, and please give me any advice you might have and keep me in your prayers. I love you all so much, and I really appreciate all the support you give. Love always, Shivonne.

So...I'm a dirty liar.

Okay. I realize in my last post, I might have mentioned something about providing more timely updates and not waiting an entire week before letting y'all know what's going on in the world according to Shivonne. Turns out, I lied. It has, once again, been an entire week since I've blogged. I know, I know-it's quite shocking, but I really haven't felt as if I had anything interesting or of significance to relay. And remember, it's not the quantity of posts that matters-it's all about quality baby. Well, except maybe for this one. This is more in the way of a self imposed guilt trip blog. On top of that, I'm selling out and totally copying one of Miss L Dee's blogs....that's right. Pictures. Of where I work. This way when you find yourself asking, 'I wonder what that fun girl Shivonne is up to', you can picture me working which is pretty much all I do these days besides sleeping. So without further ado, here is a visual representation of my life (*bonus-a picture's worth a thousand words so this should cover me for awhile):

MHOR Bread-my place of employment-situated right smack on main street near where the coaches drop off, so we get quite busy with tourists in addition to the locals who come in practically everyday.This is the sign you see when you walk in the door...recognize the handwriting? I unfortunately have to claim responsibility for the cheesy logo bit on the bottom. What can I say, people just eat it up. Go figure. P.S. I didn't mispell Lasagna, that's how they spell it here apparently. Silly Brits.


Me showing off my front window display. After all, it's all about the window...it's how you seduce people to come in the shop. Okay, seduce might be too strong of a word, but trust me, it works.

A close up of the window products...mostly scones. People here are crazy for scones and tea cakes; you wouldn't believe how many types there are! Plain, wheaten, fruit, soda, soda fruit, treacle, tatty (as in potato), cheese (mmmm...these are super good right out of the oven), pancakes, crumpets.....

Monika posing behind the cake display arranged by yours truly. I like to think of myself as the artistic director of cakes. Hmmm. Too much? I thought so- sounds a bit pretentious not to mention ridiculous. I just like to make it seem like I'm important. Anywho, this is at the beginning of the day so the shelves are still full of bread and the cakes haven't been ravaged by customers in need of a sugar fix.

CAKES! (you'd think I'd get tired of them after serving all day, but no such luck. Working in a bakery is dangerous business for your waist line, I'll tell you that much.)Pies. Yes, there is a difference between pies and cakes. Here in Scotland land, Cakes are the sweet stuff, and pies are primarily meat goods. Again, tons of variety-Scotch (mince beef), Steak, Chicken, Chicken Curry, Venison, Steak and Haggis, Steak and Black Pudding, Haggis, Vegetarian, Macaroni, Sausage Rolls, Bridies (mince beef and onion in a pasty). What will I do with all the useless pie knowledge when I return to Texas? Oh yeah, and that little ginger haired girl grimacing in the background is Christina-one of the really cute local school kids who works part time. I like her. She's silly. This little gem is the downstairs office/storage unit/employee break room/locker where I duck into to escape from customers to grab a quick bite or drink and regroup for the next round of people desperately in need of mhor bread. Sorry, I just can't help myself.Christina and Lauren (the other sweet school girl who works with me on the weekends) modeling our new long awaited red aprons that we received today. Monika described them as something her Grandma might wear. I wouldn't go as far as all that, but they definately don't live up to the hype they were given. Well I guess that's pretty much all for now. I'd upload more photos, but it takes freaking forever to get them on the post. When I get a chance, I'll make another online album so you can see all the pics I took of the shop...there are some really cool ones of cakes Luis the pastry chef made for display. Sorry for the lame post, but maybe I'll have some more interesting news in the near future...I'm trying to think over my future plans. I let you know when I have more details. Until then, I'll be thinking of y'all as always. I love you guys!

This Week

So I've been sitting here reading over all y'alls' blog comments (which I do an embarassing number of times a day-what can I say? I miss ya!), and I realized my most recent blog was about my day off last week and my off day is tomorrow. Yes my friend, I have neglected my blogging duties this entire work week. I sincerely apologize; I know each and every one of you eagerly check my site multiple times a day, sitting on the edge of your seat, hoping, wishing, praying I have posted yet another enlightening, witty, mind blowing observation on my life only to be disappointed when the same old thing loads onto the screen (well, I might be exaggerating a teeny itsy bit, but don't burst my bubble-my delicate ego can't take it). So to redeem myself for such a heinous lapse in judgement, I have compiled a "week in highlights" list in order to get you up to speed:

1. MONIKA IS BACK! I forgot how much I love working with that girl; the place is kinda depressing without her constant laughter, silly jokes, and Slovakian accent. She is seriously my favorite person to work with. Seriously.

2. Ian is gone :( Cheffy Chef/Uncle Ian (I'm not sure I ever actually call him by his plain name) took a job down the road at the Riverside Inn. I miss him and the kitchen is in a bit of a shambles without him around, but at least he is still in Callander(I saw him and Fiona-his lovely girlfriend-at the pub last night...happy days). Gabor is his replacement who is really nice but quite timid which isn't so great when you're running a kitchen, so we'll see how that goes...

3. Veronika is on holiday. For two weeks, the person who pretty much takes care of everything that goes on in the tea room and shop, does the orders, and makes the shop list will be gone. So what does that mean for me? You guessed it...more responsibility and hours with the same pay. Oh joy. Actually I guess it's not too bad; I just have to do up the list for shop orders, make the schedules, and keep an eye on things with Monika during closing. It'll be good though. Veronika gets really stressed out at work so it will be a nice break for her (not to mention a nice break FROM her and her over analyzed ways. I love that girl, but dang she stresses to much).

4. Chris got his car fixed. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but he has this like 1970 something classic mini named Felix. Unfortunately, I get the sense Felix doesn't approve of me. Both times I rode in the car it broke down. Well you know my luck with automobiles, I guess it's starting to rub off on the people around me. Anyways, Felix took a little trip to the garage, so hopefully he's all better. Just don't ask me; I haven't been allowed to ride in him yet.

5. My lilies opened! Aren't they beautiful? It's so nice to have huge, bright, cheery flowers to be the first thing I see when I walk into my room. Makes even my bad days a bit easier to recuperate from.

So basically, that was my week. Well, in an annotated, numerical, basic form. I promise to blog in a more timely fashion this week as to provide more of the riveting details of life in Callander you so desperately want. Love/Miss.

The Replacement

I don't know what it is about the word replacement that draws such a negative image to the mind. When you look it up in the dictionary, it basically just means a substitute-something that can take the place of another. Like, I want to replace that apple with an orange. Maybe the apple is just as good, but at the moment you just feel like an orange. No big deal. However, when we put our human egos into the equation, the whole replacement theory starts to turn a bit nasty....the connotation of something being as good as or (gasp) better than us isn't the nicest feeling in the world I suppose. Regardless, I think I have. Been replaced that is. And you don't even know the worst of it yet, but I guess I should start from the beginning....





Monday was, once again, my day off. It started off a bit rocky though; since Monika is out of town, I wasn't sure if I would have to wait until she returned in the middle of the week to have an off day, and Veronika didn't get the schedule ready for me to check since she was behind on paperwork. Because I wasn't sure, I decided to be a good little worker and show up just in case. Unfortunately, I managed to sleep through my alarm. I dashed downstairs, straight out of bed looking a mess mind you, and started to help putting out the pies. Veronika came in a little after nine and asked what I was doing working on my day off. Yep. I missed my once a week opportunity to actually sleep in a bit. Oh well, I decided to go ahead and take advantage of my early morning rising; I grabbed a roll and went off for a walk down mainstreet.





By eleven I had had quite the productive day. I cleaned my room, went to the post office, picked up some stuff from the pharmacy, and, of course, visited the pdsa charity shop. I swear, Veronika, Aimee, and I single handedly keep that place in business. It's really quite an addiction. There's something about shopping in a second hand store; it's like a treasure hunt everytime you go in. I think you appreciate things more when you work for them-digging through baskets, sorting through piles of books, and managing to time your visits just as they put out the "new" merchandise. Also, it doesn't hurt that it's a whole lot cheaper. Oh and for charity. That too. Sorry, I get a bit excited when I talk about it. On this morning, I managed to find a really cute gray shirt dress for only 2 pounds. Oh well, you'll soon see my impulsive buying is not near as bad as some....





Anywho, I digress. Onto the real story. After my errand running morning, I was giving myself a pedicure with my brand new nailpolish purchased during my productive morning when Tony and Chris walked in to see if I wanted to go to Stirling with them to shop. Since I had already blown a little hard earned cash, I figured I would be a good girl and stay away from any shopping centers and save money on bus fair (plus my nails were wet and I couldn't risk mucking up my beautiful paint job by putting on some shoes). No worries they said. We won't be long. We're just going to pick up a few CDs and DVDs. Right. About twenty minutes later as I laid back relaxing with a book, I began to think I might have made a poor decision letting those two big kids loose with their wallets in a whole city full of shops. Believe it or not, my shopaholic little butt is actually the rational one when it comes to stopping Chris from making impulse purchases. Turns out my feminine intuition was right on. During their 'little' shopping trip, these two goofballs picked up a Playstation Three for Chris, 3 games to play on the new ridiculously expensive gaming device, games for Tony's PSP, DVDs, and CDs. Yeah. Oh, but here's the best part; Chris tried to sweeten me up before I found out; he woke me up from a nap with a gift. It was actually very sweet- he bought me Breakfast at Tiffany's, one of my favorite movies, because I have it downloaded on my computer but it won't play right. I'm not gonna lie, this was a pretty smooth move. On top of that, he also bought me a bouquet of Lilies- he's actually the first guy I've gotten flowers from besides my Dad (don't worry Daddy, your flowers will always be my favorite). So I guess I'm set. Now that my boyfriend is dating a machine instead of me, I'll have a good flick to watch and something nice to smell. Seems fair enough to me. However, I've got plans of my own. I just might invest in a Guitar Hero as soon as I have enough tips saved up; we'll see who's the replaced one then...