Summer: Day 40

Today was fairly uneventful. I got some stuff done in the morning before working 2-9.

A few days ago, I received my financial aid award for the coming school year. Because my mom started working again, the award wasn't as good as last year's. Tonight, my mom really looked at my aid and realized how bad it is. Then she and my dad said I should have just gone to Auburn University, where the aid they gave me was guaranteed for 4 years. It's not like they really have a say in that, because they're not really the ones paying for my college education. I am. I am not bitter about my parent's stance or ability to pay the expected financial contribution, nor angry. I've had enough years to get used to working hard, which is a good thing to learn in life anyways. But I am a bit apprehensive of how I will afford books and food this year. I know God will provide, I just don't know how yet.

Summer: Day 39

This will be my last time with my laptop (for a while). Tomorrow, I pack this guy up and send it to be repaired. I've had a red line on the screen for quite a while now. It's only a single vertical line of pixels, so it doesn't interfere with performance in any way, but it's still a bother. Also, last time when I got one red line, it quickly expanded into a big fat red and green line. Since I definitely need it back before I go to school, I have to send it out soon. It makes me a bit sad to be without it. If I were one for naming inanimate objects, I think I would actually say goodbye to it. But I'd like to think that I'm not attached enough to inanimate objects to name them.

Today I had a relaxing day at work, where I encountered a strange woman of Eckancar. The same woman who called my boyfriend a warlock. Yep yep. Needless to say, she's a bit crazy.

I was  able to go home and make a yummy dessert with my wonderful non-warlock man. It was called "Eve's Pudding." Apparently, it's a traditional English dessert. It's similar to an apple crisp; however, the top is like a sponge cake instead of a crisp. Also, instead of cinnamon, lemon is the other flavoring paired with the apple. It was light- a good summer alternative to an apple crisp. We had it with whipped cream, but unfortunately the cream was a bit too old to taste good once whipped up. Ice cream was a nice replacement.

Summer: Day 38

There are so many things I want to do, it's ridiculous. I wish I had more time to explore so many things and be around so many different people. Alas, not possible.

Summer: Day 37

Ah the garage sale! What an American tradition. I am not ashamed to say I was raised going to garage sales on Saturdays, so I have a fond place in my heart for garage sales and superb bargains. In case you are not a "garage sale-r," the schedule for garage sales is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from about 8 A.M. until 4 P.M. Today, as I did not working until the afternoon, I was able to go to several garage sales with my dad. I always am on the lookout for many different items, and obtained several things. In preparation for cooking on my own, I got various kitchen supplies for $4.00 (yesssss!). I also got a project. Basically, I've always wanted more white furniture. Since my parents will not let me repaint any furniture that is previously stained, I must buy my own furniture that is paintable or white. Today, I acquired a headboard which I shall sand and add trim to make it more interesting before painting it white. At $5.00, you really can't go wrong.

Summer: Day 36

I had an excuse to get dressed up tonight. Because they needed more people to go to the Minnesota Remodeler award dinner at the St. Paul Hotel, I was invited to go. Somehow, I made it there the exact same time as the other interns, even though I should have left my house earlier. I think I finally understand how to get to places in St. Paul... come to think of it, tonight was my first time driving to St. Paul.

Summer: Day 35

Today, in many ways, was a repeat of yesterday. More carrying boxes and fabric into the new building, as well as another game of Risk.

As my internship is unpaid, it was especially nice to have lunch bought for me today and yesterday. I always just pack my own to save money. Instead, I got to eat a Panera Turkey artichoke panini. I am thoroughly convinced that few things are better for lunch than paninis.

Last night, I had the most horrible nightmare. I was lying in a bed in a dark room, and somebody was trying to strangle me or smother me. I was kicking and trying to move in my dream so I could wake up, but I had to suffer for a few moments. I woke up quite flustered and anxious, quickly discovering that I was smothered in real life... burning up because I had all the blankets on. Not making that mistake tonight.

Summer: Day 34

I sincerely enjoyed helping the interior design firm move the studio to the new building today. Moving and change and renewal is such an exciting concept... I think the actual business of moving is pretty fun. I admit I am probably quite biased though, having grown up in the same house all my life. I also enjoy take-out food that inevitably seems to accompany moving (today- Pasta Fresca from Noodles and Company).

First long-ish bike ride of the summer. Kevin and Lauren and I rode around the Lowry Nature Center in Victoria. Of course, that's nothing compared to how far my younger brother goes... the other day he rode all the way to downtown Minneapolis.

Yes, salmon can be cooked too much. Yes, it tastes so much more amazing when it's not undercooked. Yums.

I take over the world. in Risk. Domination!

Summer: Day 33

It's so excellent to have a day off once a week. Everyone needs rest.

I was able to sleep in without too much disturbance- even the morning light from my eastern window could not discompose my slumber. During the day, I went over to Kevin's, where we made pizza for lunch. I love how he has the pizza recipe memorized, but I love even more that he's teaching it to me.

I expected the day to be a washout... but it wasn't. Nevertheless, we still read for a while. (Reading while it's raining outside just has a certain appeal.) I started Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Definitely a C.S. Lewis fan.

Later, Kevin and I helped make dinner at my house. We were going to make everything, but my mom is so used to making dinner that she just had to help. :) We didn't mind.

I decided what room I want to redo! Now I just need to get organized and get started!

Summer: Day 32

Worked at OfficeMax today. Missing the good ole' days at OfficeMax.

Summer: Day 31

Blah. I wrote a whole post, and then my computer logged me out of blogger. I will be brief and to the point.

Good:
1 month of summer has passed.
hanging out with old friends.
Super 8, the movie.
making authentic enchiladas.

Bad:
not too much. Life is good :)

Summer: Day 30

Nobody wanted to buy extended warranties at work today. :p That was that.

Hung out with Adrienne tonight. Photo shoot + games + delicious chocolate cake. It was the most chocolate-y cake... so much chocolate and only 2 tablespoons of flour. Saving that recipe. Adrienne copied the recipe for me and thoughtfully also copied her mother's 22 year old chocolate cake recipe. It was really inspiring to see where it came from. Her mother has compiled a notebook of handwritten and copied recipes taped inside. In this notebook are comments that are decades old. I love seeing a family that has truly built their life together.

I'm getting really frustrated with my brother lately. Not upset, just annoyed. I need an attitude change.

Summer: Day 29

I awoke a bit tired yet well-rested. I attempted to spice up my black coffee with ginger... fail. Cinnamon is so much better.

At my internship today, I stood around a lot. Not so exciting, but it's fun to be around the showroom. Furthermore, it gave me a chance to talk to the other intern, Emily, about her interior design experience at University of Wisconsin Stout.

I got $54.00 today by turning in my jar of coins at the bank today. That was rewarding. I was sad that my favorite bank associate, Atalie (like Natalie, minus the N), wasn't there today... but I was pleasantly surprised that the new face "Tim" was pleasant and smiling.

This summer, I want to work on improving the design of either my room or a room in my house... I really need to hurry up and decide which one to work on. Either would involve heavily searching garage sales and craigslist for inexpensive finds.

Blueberry crunch cereal from Target... I'm mildly obsessed right now. Yes, it has a boatload of sugar, but it does have less sugar than many instant oatmeal packets! (side note: yay, first picture on the blog!)

Summer: Day 28

Interior Design Tidbit:
Today I was tagging furniture items in a house that is on the luxury home tour. It's not exactly a luxury home; it has more of the qualities of a Parade of Homes home. Anyways, that has no bearing on the issue at hand. DESIGN FAIL: electrical outlet and switch placing. All over the house. As an example, a large bonus room that is wood paneled to be a home office has basically no outlets, at least none remotely close to where desks would be. Example 2: the light switch to turn on the light above the basement stairs is only at the bottom of the stairs, not the top. Fun time falling down the stairs in the dark anyone? Details like these are not only important for user satisfaction, but also user safety.

Today I left my internship early to see my cousins Jessica and Michael and my Uncle Todd (visiting Minnesota from North Carolina) at the Mall of America. I parked in P9 New York. I think this state coding system for parking is quite convenient and well-designed. Since I didn't know ahead of time whether I would be able to get off my internship early or not, I told my mom to not get me a ride wristband ahead of time. Thus, I watched and went shopping (unsuccessfully for more khaki pants) while my cousins and brothers and Aunt Sharon rode rides.

Thinking. In some respects, I think it is a completely worthwhile and necessary use of time. Often times, I come to the conclusion that cold, thoughtless apathy is much, much easier... sometimes, I like to let things go that I will never be able to understand. (In general...)

Summer: Day 27

I went to my internship, came home, and did not much of note. Although  I did make a carrot soup and also did toasts topped with garlic/red pepper/olive oil mix in the oven. I thought it was good, but all the men in my family thought it was too much like baby food. They should have put more optional ginger or cumin in. Yes.

Sad day, Kevin was sick. But good day (no, excellent day!), he got an internship at Universal Studios working with the team that does DVD(/blue-ray?) sales to Target stores. It is a very good day.

Summer: Day 26

Global market adventure with Lexie. Lovin' ethnic cuisine.

I'm currently crashing. Mega-tired and I don't know why. I even had a diet Dr. Pepper after supper to give me an energy boost.

Sometimes I wonder. When friends never call me or text me first, I wonder how much they care if I'm even in their lives. It's a weird feeling, like you no longer have best friends (Although I would consider my best friend Kevin...). Sometimes I wonder if I brought this on myself. I'm not lonely, and I always have my best best friend Jesus, but maybe I frankly get envious of other people's friendships.

Summer: Day 25

Work. Again. It's really not so bad. It's very interesting to work the same shifts as my brother.

My brother is obsessing over the fact that I pull in rather than back into the driveway. Get over it.

Tonight: relax with Kevin. Make some plans for summer.

Tomorrow: global market with Lexie. Win.

Summer: Day 24

I worked for 12+ hours, and then I saw some friends (including Haley with her swollen cheeks from wisdom teeth removal).

Not much to say, but since it is day 24, "Twenty-Four" by Switchfoot is an excellent song. From exhaustion or pain or apathy... it takes you somewhere else and puts me in a good mindset.

Summer: Day 23

On this day, my day consisted of mostly working. I started at 2, so I was able to sleep in and take a run before going to work. I miss having a gym where I can set a consistent pace on the treadmill and set goals for myself. I'm pretty sure I no longer run as fast, but that's ok. It just matters that I get out there and get  some exercise. Plus, I'm finally starting to enjoy running more. The more stamina I build, the more enjoyable it becomes. Running seems to be an acquired taste, much like blue cheese or tomatoes. I also enjoy running more now that I have actual running shoes. I feel so much more legit. And it's probably better for my knees and feet. Peace out.

Summer: Day 22

Let's just say my internet and my computer haven't been working together so well, hence the lack of posting.

On Day 22, I worked hard at my internship, as I tried to answer questions during the presale at the showroom. Pillows and things were bought by the wealthy Hopkins/Edina clientele.

Afterwards, I went over Kevin's, where we repeated the peanut butter chocolate cake I made for his birthday. The occasion? His sister's birthday. She loved his cake so much that she wanted one like it! We used a different chocolate cake recipe, though. This one had mayo in it... it was really moist but in the back of my head I kept thinking "ewwww, mayo." All in all, a success.

Summer: Day 21

Today was quite ordinary, yet quite _____. I wish I had a larger vocabulary, because I don't know the perfect word to describe today.

First of all, I am getting less sleep than I get at Cornell. O.o I plan to go to bed by 10:30 tonight to hopefully fix this problem. This isn't a big deal, since I'm not sleep-deprived or anything, and it's always nice to be able to fall asleep right away.

Today I decided to make eggplant parmesan for dinner for my family. I almost never cook for my family, but I feel good whenever I do, because my mom always makes supper (and she deserves a break once in a while!). The dish (I think you could call it a hot dish ;) turned out quite well; nothing was burnt and it tasted pretty good. My whole family ate it and liked it, so it was a success.

I biked to Lindsay's house tonight. Biking is such a win because I get exercise and save on gas. Speaking of winning... we watched the Charlie Sheen interview for the first time. Wow. We also watched an episode of Veronica Mars. I honestly love mysteries in general soooo hopefully I'll get a chance to watch more.

Summer: Day 20

Morning: Internship and drove brothers to school. I love coffee.

After dinner, Kevin and I attempted kite flying. This has been one of my summer goals for about 3 summers now, so it was exciting to come so close to completing this. I say so close because although it appeared windy enough, the wind came in spurts and wasn't strong enough to keep the kite up. It would fly for 15 seconds and then the wind would just stop. Maybe another day.

And I realized that even when kites fly, they still need to be connected to something. We can't fly on our own. We need string and something to hold that string, and it helps if that something guides the string. Feel free to further elaborate on that metaphor as you please.

Tuesdays should always be "Thankful Tuesdays." In general, I write down one thing I'm thankful for every Tuesday. Since coming home, I got a bit out of practice, but I started again today.

Summer: Day 19

I finally unpacked my last box from school- my studio stuff.

Second day of work- still getting back into the swing of things. After I got home, I had to go back because I left my phone on the register counter... at least I remembered. I used to be positively horrible about losing things, but it appears I'm finally improving.

I walked around Excelsior for the second time since I've been back. I love that town, and I miss it when I'm away.

Summer: Day 18

On this day,

I went for a run.

I resolved to whip OfficeMax into shape. 

My father seemed to be proud of me, but just who am I trying to please?

I was a lens holder for a photographer photographing a band playing in a garage.

I failed to explain the adjective of a wooden form to my mother, who became slightly angry that I should see "enduring" in the composition.

I angered my mother by not attending my best friend's grad party long enough, because I got there two hours after it ended and had prior commitments to be a lens holder. Thanks OfficeMax...

On this day,
I was happy and alive and I praise God that I had this day.

Summer: Day 17

My 19th birthday.

I completely love the "I can do anything I want because it's my birthday" idea. It's just nice to do that.

First, I enjoyed breakfast prepared by my mother. I know I talk about food a lot on this blog, but I see no reason to stop. Bacon, egg/cheese/pepper thing, waffles with nutella, raspberries... mmmmhm. Then, I allowed myself to be lazy and shower and read.

From 2:15-4:30, I babysat for a wedding ceremony. Since the little girl was sleeping almost the whole time, it was a quiet afternoon.

Then, surprise night with Kevin. We went to Uptown, which has its charms for me. Dinner at a nice restaurant and the unexpected improv comedy show (which was very clean and such) was followed by stopping by a friend's house and Kevin's family's house to receive a beautiful cake from Haley and Lindsay, a drawing of me from Lindsay, and a nice pan from Kevin's family.

All in all, a wonderful birthday. :)

Summer: Day 16

On day 16, I celebrated my birthday with my family. I also went to OfficeMax and signed my employment contracts to become, once again, an employee of that fine office establishment, which I start working at on day 18.

We had Big Bowl take out from Byerly's (yum orange chicken!) and desserts from there as well. Afterwards, Kevin and my mom and I played some cards. If my mom always wins, I don't think I want to play cards with her anymore.

I opened my present from my family and was not surprised to see Crest Whitestrips (which I had asked for), but I was happily surprised to see that they also gave me some money (gas money- yes.) My birthday card was quite tasteful and elegant- another surprise, since my family has a proclivity for picking out tacky cards. I think this is the first year I didn't blow out a birthday candle. Hmmm.

Summer: Day 15

Day 15... a few days late, partly due to the fact that my internet has been glitchy, partly due to my birthday, partly just me being a bit lazy.

Best part of the day: making a honey chicken stir-fry and a blackberry clafoutis (a baked dessert) with Kevin. The honey chicken was pretty good, although I didn't cook the vegetables long enough. The blackberry clafoutis was delicious though!

Summer: Day 14

I've been with my boyfriend Kevin 18 months as of today. I forgot until he reminded me... it's so easy to remember the 1st of every month, but somehow I forgot. It gives us something to laugh about. :) I am positively so lucky and thankful to have Kevin in my life.

Tonight: Tea House with friends from high school math class. Since my internship is quite a ways away from my house and is close to the Tea House, I've been waiting around the area for a while. I haven't been killing time- that is so utterly violent. Rather, I have let time envelope me as I spent two hours walking around stores. Presently, I am using Caribou internet from my parked car. I am quite excited for Chinese food tonight, especially since I've heard that the Tea House is amazing (I haven't been there myself yet).

I love figuring out what I should wear for my internship each day. I have to dress well, but I need to have clothes that I can move furniture in (and crawl and climb over furniture to get to other furniture in). I love seeing how well all the designers dress... I think the dressy casual uniform of an interior designer will be one of my favorite parts of being a designer.

A high and low of the day-
High: excitement for good food and friends at the Tea House
Low: I can't make my cassette tape to iPod converter work anymore, no matter how much I shake it. Hello radio. This is a bummer because honestly, there's not that much that I enjoy listening to on the radio.