Freedom

I can taste it. I can smell it. I can almost see it. Freedom from obligation. You see I am almost done with classes. I have finals and then, dear readers, I only have two more grad classes. Ever. I still have my thesis, but let's not think about that right now. This is the happiest I have felt in a while. I feel like I can actually start thinking of the future. I know I complain bitch about grad school often. But recently I've felt that I'm ready for the next step, the next chapter of my life. A year ago I wasn't ready. I was scared of adult hood. Now I want it so badly. I'm done straddling these two worlds of working full time and still being in school. As hard as it has been, grad school has been worth it.

Blog Crush 2.0

I have a new blog crush! She's on the tumblr. OMG it's Sara Katherine. Why does it seem like tumblr has all of the good blogs? WTF Blogspot. Step up your game or I'm converting. Anyway, I digress....this girl makes me want to move to NYC and pursue my writing career.

"Most of us want to be good wives, good mothers, good bosses; to be successful, pretty and cheerful. But you can't get straight A's on the report card all the time. Don't punish yourself for that; just push through it. For me it helps to get a good night's sleep and catch an hour at the gym here and there. Aside from that, just be grateful for the mayhem ladies - every last bit of it." - Bethenny Frankel for Glamour Magazine

Bag Lady

Confession time: I am obsessed with watching "What's in my purse?" videos on YouTube. I can waste a good hour on these videos when I have nothing better to do with my life. It's always so interesting to me to see what other women carry around in their purses. So here is my own little version of what's in my purse. This was completely and totally unplanned, so this is truly what I carry around with me on a daily basis.

This is the purse I've been carrying around this winter. It's from Aldo and I bought it last year, I think? It could have been the year before. I love love love the studs on the front. It also has a detachable shoulder strap, but I usually carry it in the crook of my arm.

What lies within?

Starting clockwise from the left: 1) An EOS ball in melon that doesn't fit in my Harajuku Lover's make up bag, 2) Harajuku Lover's pouch filled to the brim with lip gloss, lip stains, lip sticks and lip balms. I have a serious lip product hoarding problem. In fact the first time I ever pulled this out in front of J, he laughed at me. 3) My seriously girly car key chain with car key, "A" initial key chain, and pink kitty kat Bath & Body Works PocketBac with the Paradise Coconut smelly one. 4) Eclipse tub of gum, 5) Shout Wipes in case of spills, and 6) my wallet from Kohl's

Oh there's more. Again starting in the same direction: 7) pair of fake pearl earrings, 8) sewing kit, 9) toothbrush inside of toothbrush holder, 10) travel-sized toothpaste, 11) mini flash light, 12) 5 random pens, 13) hair elastics, 14) EOS hand moisturizer, 15) Ahava hand cream, 16) Beano, 17) Pepto Bismal tablets, 18) Ibuprofene (seriously you never know when you may need one of these things, and you'll thank yourself when you do), 19) tampons, and 20) a lone and worse-for-wear band aid

And last but not least, we have 21) my house keys attached to my EC class of 2010 key chain, which happens to function as a bottle opener, because EC is classy like that, 22) my work keys, and 23) a switch blade. I have a switch blade because J was concerned for my safety with all of the traveling I do on the road, he wanted me to have something to protect myself with. But let's be honest here, with all of the other crap I have in my purse, I'd have to tell my mugger to wait for 5 minutes while I root around in my purse looking for it. So there you have it, the totally random and probably unnecessary stuff in my purse.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes

I have a deep love for making food for others and I have a deep love for cupcakes. I tend to bake a lot and give it all away. Last night I came across a recipe on Pinterest for Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes. If you've ever had the salted caramel frappuccino at Starbucks, you know that the combination is to die for. Before last night, I have never made caramel before. It's surprisingly easy...to screw up that is. My first batch was burnt (ick!) but I eventually got the hang of it. These cupcakes were not the easiest nor fastest to make, but the pay off was worth it. My favorite part had to be making the caramel swirls!

I'm thinking of doing a weekly cupcake feature here on the blog.

I'm really not a kid person. They're fun for about a half hour and then I want to give them back to their parents. Yet despite my fairly neutral stance on small children, a little girl totally melted my heart today. I was rushing into Wegman's after a long commute back from working in Rochester and just in front of me, a young mother was holding her toddler on her hip. This little girl could not have been more than one. As we're about to go through the automatic doors, she suddenly looks right at me and her entire face lights up. She has a huge smile on her face and she waves her little hand hello to me. I can't lie, it totally made my day and my ovaries jump a little bit. I'm not about to get baby fever, but after a few exhaustive and emotionally draining days, this strange little girl touched my heart in such an unexpected way. It's amazing what unsolicited kindness can do for the soul.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether you fall into this camp:

 or this camp:

Happy Valentine's Day!

www.someecards.com

I spend more time in the car than I like, but alas it's a necessary evil and I've become extremely well acquainted with the top 40 and country stations. But they get old and fast. Therefore I've been listening to audio-books and I am currently listening to...

Is Everyone hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

by Mindy Kaling

Seriously funny. I suggest ya'll start reading/listening to it.

Word

I wish...

• It was May
• I was done writing papers
• I had actually started that paper
• That I could manage my money better
• That I didn't have to spend around $300 a month on gas
• That I didn't have to commute to Rochester anymore
• I could figure out how to use Twitter
• I had more time to write on this blog
• My computer wouldn't over heat so easily
• That I could actually get myself to start an exercise regimine
• That I could start over
• I could travel the world and have not a care nor responsibility in the world
• That I could afford to move out of my parent's house
• That I could afford to live without a roommate
• That I would stop the excuses

Today is my 24th birthday and I am currently debating whether I should buy myself a pair of the Tori Burch Reva flats as a present to myself....but I just don't know if I can justify spend $200 on them. Oh but they're so pretty...sigh.