Natalie

[lutterlohnj]

Le Fin

Well, this is it. It's been one heck of a crazy semester, but it isn't quite over yet.

I'm still stressing about that class I wrote about recently. I'm just hoping my next paper is good enough, and I just might be able to pull out an A.

The girl taking my apartment should be signing the lease sometime this week, giving me next week to work everything out where I'm moving so I can get out of this place!

My new job is going well so far. I'm done with my training and I work again tonight. I'm hoping to move up to server as soon as possible, hopefully sometime over Christmas so I can start making some real money!

Speaking of Christmas, I put up a tree in my apartment and it is beautiful. Seeing the tree there and listening to music is making the whole world seem just a little bit better. Oh, and Thanksgiving break was awesome, and just what I needed. Now I just can't wait for the semester to be over. It's going to be a busy 2 weeks, but with the end in sight and feeling refreshed from break I know I can make it through. Good luck with finishing up papers, taking tests, and all of your exams. Congratulations to those of you graduating and moving on. I hope you all end the semester with a bang, and have a wonderful Christmas break!

[lutterlohnj]

Finally a Break

Sorry Dr. Klein, after a minor internal debate today I decided that I won't be able to attend class. I actually have an appointment to get my hair fixed up back home and if I'm gonna make it I have to leave earlier. I'm so glad to finally have a break! I definitely plan on relaxing as much as possible. I might not get off the couch all night when I get home. I'm excited to see my parents, brother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. I'm excited to cook lots of food, and even more excited to eat lots of food. It's all going to be glorious. All I have to do is turn in a lab assignment as soon as my lab partner shows up and I'm home free. I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

[lutterlohnj]

That Terrible Feeling...

...when you are doing really well in a class and almost positive you will get an A, but then receive 1 bad grade that you know is enough to keep that from happening. And that feeling of utter failure and disappointment that follows driving you to tears in your bedroom. I'm there right now. I'm sorry if I'm overreacting, but after all this semester has been putting me through I'm past my breaking point, and I really just can't take it anymore. I absolutely worked my butt off on that assignment because I knew how much leverage it was going to hold, but it still just wasn't good enough for some reason. Right now, I'm just...I don't know...I'm going back to bed.

[lutterlohnj]

Finally Got That Haircut

So, yesterday I went and got all my hair chopped off (not really, but it feels like it). Overall, I'm happy with it, but I think I'm going to try to get an appointment with a salon back home that I trust more to fix it up just a little. It looks a little too much like it was just hacked off, but I know how to fix it up a little to make it manageable until I get it better.  I'm also super ready to go home. I don't have any major assignments coming this week, so a few classes and 1 shift at work are all that separate me from being home! Even so, I plan on spending most of today in the library getting stuff done so I'll have less to stress about over break. We're almost there guys, hang on! Oh, and here's my hair...

[borenmp]

Well next Tuesday is my consultation to get my wisdom teeth removed. Of course my mom scheduled the surgery for NEW YEAR’S EVE. No fun for me :( I’m beyond dreading this. Everyone I’ve talked to has a really tragic story about getting their wisdom teeth removed, so I’m clearly thrilled. I also...

[lutterlohnj]

Don't worry so much, seriously. I'll give you a happy wisdom-teeth extraction story to maybe help you out. I got mine out when I was 16, because they were growing in completely sideways and my parents were not about to waste thousands of dollars on braces just to have my teeth messed up. I had them taken out over the summer, and honestly I remember almost everything up to and after getting them out. Mostly, though, I remember being VERY hungry because they don't let you eat for a while before. I also made myself concentrate on the ride home, so I remember most of that too. When I got home my dad wanted me to take a nap and I absolutely refused until I was allowed to eat something, so they let me very carefully eat applesauce, then clean my mouth out, put in new gauze, and I took a 2 hour nap. I was still hungry when I woke up, so I ate some pudding too. That night, I was able to carefully eat popcorn chicken for dinner (I was so hungry, I remember the food well). By that evening, other than being tired, I felt completely fine. I never felt sick, and never felt any pain because the meds they give you are awesome. The next day, my swelling was low and I didn't even need the medicine anymore so I went to hang out at church with my youth group for a while. So, really, it wasn't a big deal at all. 2 days, and I was back to functioning completely normally. Don't stress, it'll be fine!

[hachenlv11]

Cooking

I have always wanted to start cooking and be able to make a million dishes from scratch like my mom and dad, but I have yet to do it.  They always laugh at me because I get frustrated whenever I try and just don’t have the patience sometimes.  But this Thanksgiving I have made a goal to bring my own dish to Thanksgiving dinner. I have no idea what I am going to attempt to make, but if anyone has suggestions for anything easy and yummy let me know! :)

[lutterlohnj]

I've made things for thanksgiving the past few years, so I can give you an idea of the pretty easy stuff I've done. Last year I made this awesome sweet potato casserole, and this year I'm planning on making applesauce (by request of my 28 year old brother). I don't have the recipes on hand, but no matter what recipe you use both of those are extremely easy to make. I would also recommend trying to make something like the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, or some kind of casserole depending on what your family likes.

[lutterlohnj]

New Job...Again

Yesterday was my first day at Coyote Kitchen, and I think I'm actually going to like working somewhere for once. It reminded me if my first job (which I loved) with the way it smelled, how people acted, and just how things flowed.  In other news, my laziness is reaching unprecedented levels. I know I'm going to regret all my decisions, but I've basically decided that I would rather just stay up late 1 or 2 nights and spend all the rest of my time happily napping or browsing all the wonders of the internet. My real goal is to just get done what I need to before break, and get everything done then so I can prepare for finals.  And speaking of break...can it be here now, please???

[lutterlohnj]

Home Again

This weekend I had some paperwork for my new apartment to pick up from my parents, so I decided to just come home for the weekend. Initially my dad was just going to meet me in Lenoir earlier this week, but stuff got delayed a little bit so I'm home. I feel like the second half of this semester has been dedicated to making up for not going home at all the first half. That's ok though, there's nothing quite as comforting and relaxing as spending a weekend away from it all, without any school work at all (I conveniently left all of it back in Boone, to make myself take a break). Also, any excuse to get away from that smoke is good enough for me.

[lutterlohnj]

Five Years

Today is a very special day, at least to me. Today is my 5 year anniversary with my boyfriend. We started dating in high school when I was just a little 16 year old baby. My, how times have changed since then, but he's always been there with me. Dillon, as much as I complain to him or about him, is absolutely the best guy I could have ever hoped for. I didn't used to realize that, and about a year ago the dynamic of our relationship was changing. I didn't really understand what was happening, and for a short and very dark time I left him. I don't know if I'll ever really understand why he forgave me and took me back after how much of a jerk I was, but I can't ever explain how thankful I am that he did. To really and truly love someone is not just a feeling, it is an action, and something that you have to commit yourself to every single day. Dillon is my absolute best friend. He puts up with me, he cares for me, he laughs with me (or at me), he understands me, but most importantly he loves me unconditionally day in and day out. I am thankful every time I am with him that God could have put such a great person into my life. We work with each other, complement each other, and excel where the other doesn't. So, here's to five wonderful years, and hopefully many, many more to come. I hope you all enjoy my picture trip down memory lane. 

[chrispgarrett-deactivated201312]

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me.e. Happy Birthday to me. So yes it is my birthday and I am now 21 so you best believe I am getting hammered tonight. Actually I’m not getting hammered at all because I have Regionals this Friday so that is super unexciting. I will...

[lutterlohnj]

It's kind of creepy how much your 21st birthday mirrored mine. I also did not hammered at all, and I went out to Outback for dinner because bloomin' onions are the best thing ever. My boyfriend was also "nice" enough to get the staff to sing to me and I was just sitting there like "Uh...what do I do? Smile? No. Maybe if I glare at them they will leave." It didn't work. Also, while it didn't snow on my birthday this year, last year we didn't even have school on my birthday (day before Halloween) because we got like 6". I dunno, reading your post just gave me lots of déjà vu. Anyways, happy birthday!

[lutterlohnj]

Where is my Motivation?

This is a really bad time of the semester to just not want to do anything. I'm not a senior about to graduate or anything like that, but I think all the craziness of this semester is really starting to catch up to me, fast. My brain and body just aren't up to all this anymore, I'm completely worn out. This week, I don't have to work at all, because I haven't started training for my new job yet. At first I was so excited that maybe I would be able to relax, even just a little. Haha...nope...I've gotten so far behind on my school work that this week will still be filled with too many things. I need Thanksgiving break, and I need the end of the semester. Honestly, I don't know how much longer I'm going to last!

[lutterlohnj]

Another Annotated Bibliography

I'm currently trying to finish another annotated bib I have (mostly) due tomorrow. Problem? Even after reading and writing about dozens of articles on my topic, I don't really know what it is. So, I'm having a little trouble developing a theses and moving forward at all. I've been having a lot of fun formatting and formatting again, because that's really the only thing I know how to do right now. I'm sure that some kind of inspiration will strike me soon, and when it does I'll be able to get it done pretty quickly. Until then, I'll just keep staring at the empty pages of my word document, attempting to understand what I'm even writing about.

[lutterlohnj]

All Over the Place, and Coming Together

So this semester has been pretty crazy. I've had, by far, the hardest courseload of any semester yet. I've been between jobs. I've been trying to change apartments. It's just been a lot. Recently, as in yesterday. I was offered a position as a hostess/server (eventually) at Coyote Kitchen. It didn't take me long to weigh out my options and decide that Subway really isn't where I want to work. So, I'll be starting there in 2 weeks. Changing jobs 2 times in less than a month...geez. I also gave a girl a tour of my apartment Thursday and she seemed to really like it. Enough to get the paperwork and take it home with her. The only thing keeping her from officially signing the lease is not having met my roommates in person yet (yikes). They are both really nice girls though, so I don't think they will be a problem. they are just messy. I'm hoping she will be able to make it back to Boone sometime early next week so I can just stop stressing about this. With the end of the semester looming ever closer I really don't need any more distractions. Everything really is coming together though. It almost seems too good to be true that I have a job I think I'll enjoy and I'll be moving into an apartment with no roommates and reasonable rent that is only a minute away from where I would be working. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

[kelseyleighbee]

Please help!

When is the literature review due? Thursday? Is it due in class or is he putting a Dropbox on Asulearn? I really hate the vagueness going on right now!

[hallanek]

I have the same question since he wasn’t in class Tuesday…

[lutterlohnj]

I'm 90% sure it is still due tomorrow. If there isn't a drop box, I would say just turn in a hard copy? Or, we could all revolt and turn nothing in. He wouldn't fail us all...right?

[asulady8]

My brain feels like mush already and it’s only Tuesday. There’s still more hurdles to jump for this week and I don’t even know if I cleared the first one. I blame that neuroanatomy test. I studied like crazy for that sucker and still felt like I was decoding a foreign language. There are just so...

[lutterlohnj]

I feel you (except for the actual neuroanatomy test), I've been completely overloaded as well. i'm just on one of those weeks where everything is happening all at the same time. Power through, you can do it!

[lutterlohnj]

Willow's Last Week

For the past 2 months, one of my roommate's aunt's cats has been staying with us while she has been away. Willow is really sweet and fun to have around, but sadly this is the last week she will be staying with us. I've been debating whether to get a cat for the past year or so, and having Willow with us is really making me lean in the direction to get one. Really, the only things holding me back right now are my relatively unstable housing situation and serious lack of hours at work. The housing thing should be figured out pretty soon (fingers crossed), and I'm working on either getting more hours, a second job, or just leaving for another job altogether. The first or second option would be highly preferred; I really don't want 2 jobs. But, groceries don't buy them selves, and loans don't pay off themselves either.

[lutterlohnj]

Lots to do

This is going to be a busy week for me. I have 2 papers, work, 2 tests, work, and then another paper and another test next Monday, on top of all the normal everyday school work that never stops. After that, I think I may have a few days to finally catch my breath...I hope. Right now, I'm keeping myself positive by thinking about the upcoming holidays (it's never too early to start planning all the goodies you're going to make for Thanksgiving), and drinking some homemade hot chocolate (best, ever). I wish Thanksgiving wasn't so late this year though, 3 more weeks is a long time to wait. And, that also means less days to prepare for Christmas and listen to Christmas music. Oh no, I'm ruining my positive vibes. Time to pour myself another wonderfully rich glass of hot chocolate and keep on working.