Tomorrow the sun will rise

Birthday Academy

2011-08-21T18:18:00.003-05:00

I redesigned my layout! how do you like it? (I spent far too much time on it yesterday :)

The only news I have as of late, and it's pretty big news at that...is that Robert got into the police academy! YAY! He had completed the entire process and ended up 3rd in line (due to them not hiring as many as they originally planned) and his only hope of getting in was two people retiring or quitting before the August 21st deadline. And lo and behold 3 people vacated their positions and Robert was in! He's wanted this so badly for so long I couldn't be more happy for him. He got the news on August 11th and his birthday was August 12th, it was a great birthday present for him :) We went to Salt Grass steakhouse Friday night, it was amazingly delicious. One of the big perks of Robert being in the academy is that he'll have normal hours for awhile! We'll acually be able to spend evenings and weekends together. Exciiiiiting :)

Other than that all I have to say is....can fall get here already? I am soooo tired of this heat. I don't want to go anywhere or do anything because I don't want to sit in a 120 degree vehicle and sweat my booty off! I find myself dreaming of fall weather. It can't get here soon enough!

Worst. Night. Ever.

2011-08-10T09:41:00.002-05:00

It started like any other night. Robert and I made chicken and rice for dinner. We spent most of the evening in our respective places in the living room, I was reading and he was playing with his phone. Well then Robert decides he wants to go to the gym. And after much prodding, I agreed to join him. I rode the stationary bike for about 30 minutes and he lifted some weights. When we got home he took a shower and then began making a protein shake. I asked him if I could try it. It was gross...not to mention not fully shaken up..I inhaled a big chunk of powder and decided then and there that protein shakes were not my cup of tea. Little did I know how right I was.

I got in the shower and noticed my mouth was itching really bad. I tried and tried to rinse it out to no avail. I began to feel what seemed like severe heartburn. I brushed my teeth to scratch my itchy mouth, took some heartburn medicine and a benedryl. Then my ears started itching and my eyes were kind of bloodshot. I went back to reading on the couch...but then my lips started feeling tingly and numb. I went back to the bathroom and saw that my bottom lip had practically doubled in size. Then I began to freak out. Robert got me some ice and his flashlight. (to put his medical school skills to use?) He said my ears and throat looked normal..I looked in the mirror again only to see a huge lump had formed on my eyelid and my neck had hives all over it. It was time to go to the doctor.

When I got there they kind of ignored me, the receptionist was having a lengthy conversation with some man about his insurance. A male nurse took notice of me and asked what was wrong...i showed him my lips and eye and they took me to a room right away. Another nurse came in and took my vitals. She filled out some paper work and left me in there. I could hear the doctor on the other side of the curtain giving a little boy stitches. At this point, my lips felt tighter than possible, I couldn't breathe through my nose, my hands were on fire...I felt so horrible I couldn't stop from crying intermittently..it wasn't helping. About 30 miserable minutes after arriving she finally came to see me. They kept asking what I was allergic to...but I have no idea! There was an entire concoction of crap in that protein shake, and I'd never had this kind of reaction to anything. She told me they were going to give me a shot of epinephrine and steroids. Another nurse, who had apparently had a long day, came to give me the shots...she was not the friendliest person. I got the epi shot in my arm...holy crap it hurt. It felt like my arm was simultaneously being injected with fire and being punched forcefully. The steroid shot was in the hip...I barely felt that one. I laid there for another 15 min or so and they let me leave. My lips already felt less tight and burny.

I went to sleep and when I woke up this morning I was feeling significantly better. My eye lid is all hangy now and I have a bad headache. I'm supposed to take more benedryl today, I figured that would make me pretty much worthless at work, so I'm home, waiting to call my supervisor.

I hope I can figure out what caused my reaction...that's terrifying to know something unknown can do that to you!

5 Movies I Will Never Get Enough Of

2011-08-02T18:37:00.007-05:00

Everyone has them. Those movies, no matter how many times you’ve seen them, they continue to make you swoon, cry, laugh, and smile. I’ve compiled a list, in no particular order, of MY movies.

You’ve Got Mail

I don’t know what it is about this movie. Whenever it’s on TV I will forgo the rest of my day’s plans and sit on the sofa and watch it in its entirety. Of course Tom Hanks is an amazing actor, he’s not the typical choice for a romantic comedy, he’s no Gerard Butler, but I think his “real” demeanor is what makes him all the more appealing…you could completely believe that he was the guy you were chatting with online. I think the “online” perspective is also what draws me to this movie. It’s the first movie that brought to life this new method of romance…being that Robert and I met on Facebook, I can really relate to this manner of falling in love. Something about not even truly knowing a person but simultaneously feeling completely connected is very romantic. But for me, what it all comes down to, is the New York City backdrop of this movie. The filmmakers did an excellent job of capturing New York’s essence through every season. This movie made every season wonderful and romantic. From Meg Ryan’s initial depiction of her love of fall and school supplies, to the beautiful farmer’s markets and spring followers in the park that would come to be their first physical meeting, they really made New York seem like the perfect place to fall in love.

Office Space

As long as there are cubicles, there will be people that love this movie. It is such a genuine depiction of what goes on in an office environment, everyone can relate. I love that the premise of this movie is “What would you do with your life if you had a million dollars?” As silly as this movie is, that line has set me into deep contemplation more times than I will admit. I definitely do not want to spend the rest of my physical existence in a cubicle. (“Did you get that memo?”) Ironically enough, this movie was filmed and based in the exact same Texas Metroplex in which I am currently employed. (“The thing is, Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.”) Every time I hear an annoying voice echo over the cube walls (“Coorporate accounts payable, Nina Speaking… JUST a moment”) or shock myself on the way into the bathroom, I am reminded of the greatness of this movie.

300

Let’s see…Gerard Butler, amazing visual stimulation, and ABS! What more could you ask for in a movie?? Hehe…no really though, this is movie is amazing. I remember seeing it in the theatre and walking out feeling like I needed to do something great with my life. Their passion to protect and devotion to their craft is inspiring. I also really love, even though this is a highly testosterone driven story, that one of the strongest characters is King Leonidas’s wife, Queen Gorgo. “ Freedom isn't free at all…it comes with the highest of costs. The cost of blood.” She knows the war will likely cost her her husband, but she’s strong enough to recognize that he has to leave her. Their love is unspoken and unyielding, and Leonidas knows he would be half a man without her by his side.

V for Vendetta

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I know of no reason, why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...

This movie is beautiful, poignant, and incredibly acted. I love Natalie Portman, and while she’s been praised recently for her role in the Black Swan, I think this performance was even better. The premise of the story is based on a man that was held captive in a government funded prison camp where he was relentlessly tortured. He manages to escape and spends the rest of his life plotting his revenge on all the parties responsible for the camp. He meets Natalie Portman’s character, Evey, and is convinced this was not a chance happening, being that her parents were also taken away for opposing the overbearing government. Together they manage to achieve vindication for everyone who died in the camp and the rest of the country that had been horribly oppressed. The themes of sacrifice and absolution draw me to this movie over and over.

Dirty Dancing

Hey…I didn’t say these were the best movies I’ve ever seen…just the movies that I can’t get enough of! I blame my mom for this one, she introduced this movie to me when I was very little, she, along with every other woman in America, couldn’t get enough of dreamy Johnny! I think the appeal of this movie is that Baby is just a nerdy teenager on a lame summer vacation with her family, and she meets this sexy man that opens her world up to scary and amazing things. The soundtrack to this movie is so classic, you can’t help but sing along the entire time. When I was 13 I re-watched the scene pictured above about 15 times on repeat until I could reenact every line. That’s a talent that comes in handy, let me tell you! :P

So there you have it, the cheesy, the inspiring, and the poignant. All glorious. All addictive. So go see ‘em!

Memories part 2

2011-08-01T22:47:00.007-05:00

I wrote about Saturday in my last post, now it’s time to tell you about Thursday. Let me tell you, I was horribly nervous all day on Thursday. The reason being, I was going to dinner with my friends Sara and Carol. Why did this elicit so much anxiety you might ask? Well I haven’t seen this particular pair of friends in SEVEN years. While Brit and Megh and I have visited one another throughout the past few years since high school…it wasn’t so easy for Sara, Carol and I…being that they went to school in Utah, and I went to college in Oklahoma. Sara and I have emailed and facebooked one another since 2005, but our contact was definitely sparse. But it just so happened that Carol’s parents sent Sara’s parents a wedding announcement, around the same time that Sara and her husband were driving across country on their way to their new home in New Jersey. So the stars aligned and we all managed to be in the same place at the same time for the first time since June 2004. I remember the night we said goodbye very vividly, we hung out in Carol’s back yard taking pictures and imagined what our next few years would be like without one another by our sides. I remember getting in my car and starting to cry, then “A Beautiful Letdown” came on over the speakers and it was frighteningly poignant at that moment in time.

It was a beautiful letdown
When I crashed and burned
When I found myself alone, unknown and hurt
It was a beautiful letdown

It was really hard saying goodbye, but all of us were simultaneously sad and excited for what the next years would hold.

This is what we looked like 7 years ago!

Back to the beginning…Sara and I first met in the 5^th grade. We were both in Mrs. White’s class and our parents were both building houses on the same street. Once our houses were complete, we began walking to and from school together every day. Pretty soon we were inseparable and we spent time at each other’s house every day after school. We used to sing Spice Girls songs and dance in my gameroom for HOURS…then the movie Selena came out...we were obsessed! We also began swimming in April every year…the water was SO cold but we were too excited to wait. We were also known to make very interesting snack concoctions out of whatever we could find in the kitchen...(ever make a grilled cheese out of a hamburger bun?? It’s called a smash patty :)

Carol and I met in 5^th grade as well, but we didn’t become really close until 6^th grade when we both began to play percussion in band. Because of this, throughout high school we spent a TON of time together. Lets face it, when you’re in band, you see each other every morning for practice, every day for class, and many evenings for practices, concerts and football games, not to mention the time spent on trips. She was definitely my partner in crime throughout high school. We loved going to art museums and our junior year we started a band with Meghan, called “Through Rose colored Glasses” we even wrote a song! :P Carol will always be someone I admire. She was the prettiest and smartest girl I knew, while somehow managing to still be the sweetest person you could ever meet. She really was an anomaly! This past Saturday she got married, officially sealing the deal that Robin is now the only unmarried party!

Thursday came and went far too quickly, Sara and her husband Wade had to get going on their trip, and Carol had more wedding business to take care of. We ate yummy food and reminisced about the past. Really though, I’d have to have an entire year to truly be caught up with the past 7 years. I just hope that this visit won’t be the last and now that we’ve been reunited we can continue to keep in touch!

Memories part 1

2011-07-31T17:23:00.009-05:00

So this past week was a blessed one, and with the way my weeks come and go like the subway at this point, I'm always super excited to get a break from all of the monotony.

Saturday, Robert and I went to a baby shower for my friend Meghan. Meghan and I have been friends since freshman year of high school. We bonded over the fact that both of us were too stubborn? lazy? uninformed? to try out for marching band. We did, however, show up on the first day, only to have no idea what we were going to play. So they stuck us in pit. Perfect place for Robin, because Robin is not a fan of sweating before school starts. So we talked and met new people. Good times were had from then on out. People always recount stories of their horrible high school experiences, but even though I never dated anyone and I was probably classified as somewhat of a nerd from outsiders looking in, I had the best time in high school, and the best friends, freshman year remains one of the greatest of my life. (Freshman year of college was really awesome too, maybe I'm just a really big fan of change and new experiences.) Honestly my favorite memories of Meghan were of us just hanging out in her house killing time, we always managed to spend time doing the lamest things (ever throw candy at a ceiling fan for 2 hours?? it's highly entertaining :P) Meghan is now married and they are expecting their first baby in September. I know she will be the best mom, no kid will have a better time than Mylo, that's for sure :)

2004 - This is a horrible picture taken with an old crappy cell phone, but I think it's so funny how tall I am in comparison.

2003 - Megh and I at the Swithfoot concert in Dallas. We were still giddy from meeting the band :)

2010 - In the limo at Brit’s Bachelorette Party…that was an amazing night!

It's a shame that it takes huge life changes to get people together sometimes, but it's always so great to see those people that remind you of your youth and bring out the best side of you.

I also got to see my friend Brit. Brit and I met in 11th grade. We were also both in marching band. My non-marching butt was still in pit, and she played the symbols. We bonded over our mutual goofiness and the band Switchfoot. My favorite times with Brit however, didn't come until after high school. She and I drove to see Switchfoot in Houston the summer after graduation. That fall she came to Stillwater for the A&M/OSU football game and to see my campus and roommates. That was a brief visit, but it meant a lot to me because she was a piece of home in a new place. I think it was 2 years later, when I went to College Station to visit her and we went to Austin to see another Switchfoot concert. (I think I saw them about 10 times total...wow) She's now married to a great guy and lives in Kansas. Though are visits are few and far between, she's definitely one of those people that no matter how much time passes, we always seem to pick up right where we left off.

2004 - Megh and Brit at our high school graduation party

2004 - Brit and I at the concert in Houston

2007 - Brit and I in Austin

I’ve reached the maximum of my post length (and probably the length of your attention span :) So I will write about the rest of my week tomorrow.

Progress.

2011-07-16T22:11:00.003-05:00

I've started to write a new entry about 4 times...I definitely have writer's block...my life just isn't that interesting!

Since I've last written I've moved in with Robert. It's awesome to be on my own again! My only complaint is that every piece of furniture we own was given to us. Not that I'm not appreciative of our family and friend's generosity, but nothing matches! I will be so excited the day we bring home a hand picked, brand new, full sized couch! I also think we're the only people left in America who don't own a flat screen tv...oh well.

This morning Rob and I woke up and went to eat at Allen Cafe. If you've never been there, go. It's the best home cooked breakfast you could ever find at a restaurant. After that we ventured to the Mckinney Farmer's Market. It was sooo hot and humid this morning, but it was worth it! We got red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, asparagus, a cantaloupe, and AMAZING peaches. You've never tasted a peach until you've had a fresh picked one!

Sooooo...people are getting married, moving, having babies, graduating, breaking up, traveling....I'm going to work in a tiny cubicle everyday. I haven't traveled further than Oklahoma in 3 years, definitely no babies or marriage happening any time soon....so for now I work, I enjoy my friends and boyfriend...and I spend time celebrating that success and progress of friend's lives. Hopefully one day it will be my turn to celebrate :)

not very lady like

2010-09-12T16:50:00.006-05:00

so I was starting my laundry, and as any self respecting lady would do, I took the jeans I was wearing off to throw in the wash....and low and behold what was inside??

a lady bug...just chillin inside my pant leg...random.

oops!

2010-09-11T16:00:00.008-05:00

Well I have been pretty busy lately! I can't seem to keep up this whole blogging thing...I used to be so good at it! My favorite blogger, The Pioneer Woman, inspired me yesterday to continue this thing. So here I go!

I've been working now since April 5th (I remember because it was my mom's birthday...finally getting a job was an awesome present for her!). I started as a temp, but after 4 months..they finally made me an official employee (with insurance and everything!). I work in provider credentialing. Not exactly what I envisioned while I was in college studying interior design, but let's face it...in this day and age I'm lucky to be employed at all, and I've come to the conclusion that you can't always rely on your plans...life takes you wherever it wants! And who knows where this will take me?! I will always have a passion for interior design...I love redesigning my living space...but I've never been sure that the whole networking and schmoozing thing is for me. I consider myself very genuine and honest, and half the business of gaining clients is pumping them full of flattery and BS...that is not for me! So for now I work, I try hard, and I have faith that everything shall fall into place in due time :)

Robert is still working for the Richardson Police Department, and I still love him dearly! hehe
We've been planning on moving in together for awhile...but unemployment has delayed those plans. Now I feel like I should pay off the credit card I racked up whilst jobless. And then it will be the holidays...sooo my plans may be delayed more...but this is yet another part of life I just keep having faith in...and when it's supposed to happen, it will.

Baby Karina that I was nannying before getting a job will be one year old in a few days. She was so tiny at two months old when I started baby sitting. I miss her everyday! I visited her two months ago. I was terrified she wouldn't remember be...when I got there she was asleep on the floor. When she woke up she sat up, grabbed her pacifier, took one look at me and crawled over to me and curled up in my lap and quickly fell back asleep. I was so amazed at how mature her movements were and so touched that she still felt so comfortable with me I couldn't help but burst into tears! What a sweet girl I had the pleasure of spending 6 months with :) I can only hope she is happy and healthy and enjoying her new daily mommy. I'm sure no one will compare to me ;)

Today I've started making plans to transform an old headboard into something new and awesome...this is a first for me...so wish me luck...and i'll let you know how it goes!

Here's the before picture...

And here's a few that I aspire to!

i got a JORB!

2010-04-03T18:43:00.004-05:00

a few weeks ago i was under the impression i would be starting a new job at an insurance company in richardson. after a very traumatizing hair drug test, the company decided it didn't have the funding to hire me. well friday i got a call from one of my staffing agencies, that another position, in the same building, but with a different company, was hiring. so i start monday! apparently 12 people are starting on monday, i'm not even sure what exactly my job will be, i kind of think this is the beginning of a training course that will narrow down the 12 to fewer. i went to find the building today, my mapquest directions led me to this really old, really neat neighborhood, but no office building was to be seen. after calling my mom and having her google the company, i figured out that the address was missing the street direction...gee, that sort of makes a difference!! so eventually i found it, and it's super easy to get to, pretty close to mom's and robert's, and the building is REALLY nice and very 'state of the art' looking. i'm pretty excited. it's coming up on a year that i've been unemployed. that makes for a very broke robin. hopefully this is something i can do well and enjoy.

the one big downside is that i will miss my baby VERY much. i've been nannying for her since she was two months old, and she's over 6 months now. at first she was a handful, and made me not want kids for a looong time. but now that i have the hang of it, i love her, and i will definitely miss her chubby cheeks, goofy toothless grin, and the way that no matter how pissed off she is, as soon as i start singing she forgets why she was so mad and starts to smile. she just started crawling and standing up and everyday i've been looking forward to the next milestone. one of these days i'll have my own munchkin...i hope they're as lovable as baby K!

casualty of playtime!

STUFF

2010-03-19T16:43:00.004-05:00

a few weeks ago i was reading my 5th grade yearbook, in which we were asked questions about ourselves and our future. one of the questions was...'what makes you the most happy?" most kid's answers were family, friends, recess...etc. my answer? 'getting new stuff!'

i'm pretty neat as far as people go, but i'm also the type of person that is very guilty of shopping a lot, getting rid of nothing, and stashing things in corners and closets for years. i don't like parting with things from my past, i feel almost like i'm throwing away memories. i think i have 5 'memory boxes' full of pictures and trinkets from the past.

while in college, i had to move around quite a bit, so i got in the habbit of taking lots of things to goodwill before each move. i HATE moving, so lessening my load each time became the goal.

then, last may, i moved home. and was faced with one room and two closets full of stuff that i had been collecting for years. slowly but surely i've gotten all my old stuff cleared out and made room for new. at the end of last summer my mom and i took 14 (FOURTEEN!) huge garbage bags full of clothes to goodwill. something about ridding yourself of stuff that you like, but really have no need for, is so gratifying.

now, between my new habit of purging stuff i don't need anymore, and almost a year of unemployment (and no funding to shop), i'm finally at a point where all my stuff fits in one room and one closet with room to spare. from a person that loves STUFF, finally not having too much of it is strangely satisfying.

pre-move happenings

2009-09-29T00:32:00.003-05:00

On Sunday robert came over to get a dryer out of my mom's garage. i had given him my washer and dryer from stillwater and the dryer had stopped working. we figured that before he moves into his new place on wednesday we should install the new one so the movers have to move it, and not us. since my mom always seems to have a spare of anything you could possibly need (tv stand, night stand, lamp, couch, dryer, samuri sword...you name it...it's probably in our garage...and there's probably two of them in there!) we were in luck! so, in the process of digging out the dryer we decided to de-crapify some space in there. It was a highly sweaty and dusty morning...but it looks much more organized now! we got the dryer loaded up in the little truck and started our trip towards his apartment.

Everything was fine and dandy until i got onto the highway and the dryer started dancing around in the bed of the truck! Envisioning a million car pile up on the freeway caused by an airborn dryer, we immediately freaked out...robert said "STOP STOP!!" i said..."I CAN'T STOP I'M ON THE HIGHWAY!!!" so i very calmly exited..and we managed to pullover and re-situate the situation and off we went!!

I found this awesome club chair outside of robert's aparment...but he seems to have an issue with adopting other people's used furniture from the dumpster...there was only a few stains and im sure the cocaine hidden in the tears is long gone by now... ;)

After the dryer installation, we went to jason's deli with my brother and his girlfriend, christi. It was good times...christi and i mixed chocolate mousse and swirl frozen yogurt to find that the concoction tasted oddly like a frosty from wendy's. (so THAT'S how they do it!!)

Later that night we went to robert's parent's house, where we watched criminal minds with his mommy until 2 am.

It was definitely a long day, but very productive!

screw the park..i want a treat!

2009-09-26T13:00:00.004-05:00

you gotta love the strange puggy noises that can be heard throughout the video :)

confused kitty.

2009-09-24T23:23:00.002-05:00

Dumb Cat Can't Figure Out How To Drink - Watch more Funny Videos

yum

2009-09-23T01:33:00.002-05:00

my new favorite mexican restaurant is posados! rob and i went there for lunch today and both had enough leftovers for dinner too. what's not to love about grilled veggies instead of refried beans, complimentary chips, tortillas, AND sopapillas...plus squeezable LIQUID BUTTER on every table! :D

cute or sad?

2009-09-19T17:05:00.002-05:00

i just love this video...does that make me sinister? (robert said he wasn't really stuck...he's just doing some puppy crunches :)

sick.

2009-09-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

so my boy works in a jail...and inevitably carries around jail cooties with him at times....so he's been sick...and try as i might, i couldn't help but kiss him a couple times last week...so it is my fate (fault) that i too, am now sick. ack! what's weird is that i took nyquil last night at midnight and by 4:30 in the morning i was still wide awake...apparently i've become immune. then of course i wake up at 7:30 this morning and am wide awake...i thought you were supposed to be extra sleepy when you're sick! no fair.

i've been looking for a job for 5 months now. wow, i just counted that...5 whole months..that's almost half a year that i've spent doing basically nothing! i'm not even solely looking for interior design work..because that's almost non-existant at this point. i've been trying to find a regular old office work/receptionist type job. hopefully something surfaces soon.

robert is moving into a new, much nicer apartment complex on september 30th. he chose the biggest model so there would be space for me! but without a job, i can't help contribute to food, rent, etc. i don't want him to be stuck with all that rent for too long...plus student loan payments kick in in november. (SO unfun)

can i just say that it's really strange to not be in school this fall? this is the first time in 18 years i haven't had any classes to attend! i kinda miss it...routine..life...i just need some sort of predictable existance. this living with the parents, no money, in limbo stage is really only satisfying for a couple months at the most...

ive abandoned this for awhile

2009-09-19T01:27:00.000-05:00

...but i think it's time to start writing again! i was feeling inspired..but after i've finally finished formatting all this junk, i don't really feel like writing anymore. plus i think the nyquil is kicking in...i shall write soon...i promise.