DOLPHINS GAME!!

SO Sunday morning I get a call around 11:15am from Leslie Merrill one of my coworkers. She tells me she has free tickets to the Dolphins game and I should go with her. I really didnt want to go but she convinced me to go. then she told me I had like 20 minutes to get ready- so I rushed. We went to pick up her friend Erin who had the tickets and a parking pass and stopped at Starbucks on the way since I was STARVING! So after we get to the game Erin tells us that our seats are on the field! I was STOKED! We also had to get to them under the stadium. It was CRAZY! I watched all the players head to their tunnel and then watched them run out of it from behind.

The players walking to the tunnel

The tunnel from behind! I was a little slow on getting them running out of it. I was too excited! LOL.

Then we got to our seats and they were just unbelievable! It was really neat being able to watch a game from the field!! Since we had field seats we were able to get sodas and food for free- it was really nice food too! Sliders, rib meat, some sort of rotisserie chicken that a chef would cut onto your plate and then chips and stuff. it was really yummy!

Here are our seats! the dancers at the beginning were dressed up for Christmas :D

Erin and Leslie (THANKS FOR THE TICKET!)

Me! SO close to the field! LOL :D

Kick off!

Dancers in their Miami gear! I used to always LOVE watching people dance when I was little and I still do! They had a TON of make-up on and most were not as pretty up close as I would have thought. Some were very pretty though! It was fun watching them do their routine up close.


Dolphin players :D

Unfortunately, the Dolphins played awful and the players were mostly on the other end of the field the whole time. BUT I was SO close to the one touch down! Here is a video-I could have reached out and touched the players! and he threw the football into the crowd right near us. CRAZY!

Sadly, we lost- but It was so much fun and really a once in a lifetime chance to sit that close!

Weekend in Miami w/o John

Before I start talking about my amazing weekend, let me preface this by saying that of course I miss my husband and I wish he had been here to share my weekend!

With that said- this weekend (starting Thursday night) was awesome! (minus the fact that I woke up Saturday with a fever). Thursday night was Pearson's holiday dinner party (the other building I worked with all semester). It was potluck and PJs and it was just really nice to be able to hang out with all of them without worrying about work. One of the RAs is crazy and surprised us by being in a womans one piece swimsuit and some jammers-

I was EXHAUSTED after I left and did not want to work the next day- but I did. Friday night was Mahoney's staff dinner and we went out to a REALLY fancy restaurant. The food was AMAZING, pricey, but amazing. We did secret santa and the RA I had and I gave each other earrings. lol. I also had made her a bunch of candy and christmas ornaments and she gave me a cookbook. I pretty much adore this RA, so I was glad I had her. :D Since it was the last dinner my supervisor was going to have, it was sad for the staff. I have some real work to do next semester. I realized after they gave her this amazing poem that was framed that this is why I do this job. The way these RAs look up to her and the way she has touched their lives- this is why I do what I do. I can only hope that I get the same type of response when I leave this place too.

Anyway, so Saturday I woke up with a fever, but had to go to work to feed my RAs since the dining hall was closed. After that I headed home and took a nap and then watched Avatar. I really did NOT want to watch it, but John said I would like it and alas, he was right. lol It was great! My co-workers then convinced me to go out bowling with them and it was a lot of fun. We had to wait about 2 hours to bowl though. 2 hours!? for bowling?! crazy! we had a few drinks and appetizers and had a good time. Then, of course, I beat them all at bowling :D I won the first game and then by the second game I started to feel bad again and was playing awful. But thats okay- I still won the first! HAHA :D (if you dont know- i love bowling and am not that bad at it :D my dad and grandpa both bowled and so I think it's in my blood).

Sunday was the best of them all though! post to come:D

Bittersweet....

Well it's finally time for that big announcement! drum roll please......


I got a promotion!! YAY!

My supervisor has accepted a new position at another school and so I have been offered the Area Director position in Mahoney Residential College for the Spring semester!

What does this mean exactly? Well, technically it is an interim position, as I will have to go through an official interview process at some point. Hopefully, sooner rather than later and I know my director is working on that for me. I am not really worried about getting hired permanently, but there is a slight chance that someone that has a lot more experience than me could interview for the job and get it above me. BUT, in my favor will be that I have worked in this building, with the staff, students, and faculty for months now :D

What else does this mean? Well, I GET A RAISE! WHOOP! I was also pretty impressed with myself because I asked for a lot more than I was planning and got it! It also means that John and I will be moving again. AGAIN. Thats okay, because unless I am not hired permanently we will be here for awhile. If not, well that just means we'll be moving again. lol. Now, when we do move, we will be moving into a MUCH larger apartment! It is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and has a really nice patio. Which means we will be able to get a puppy!!! YAY! Now, it will be awhile before we can actually move. They have to renovate the apartment and it will probably be more like February before we can move. But that's okay. I will just be excited to be able to live where I work since my job requires me to be in the building a lot. Right now it is hard because I have to drive back and forth- walking just takes up SO much time and is quite annoying when i have to do it multiple times a day. It will be a blessing that we will be able to live in Mahoney because when John gets a job it will just be too hard to walk back and forth multiple times a day. Also, I really want to have a presence in the building. My supervisor has lived and worked here for a little over 6 years and the staff and everyone here is very used to her. I feel like living in the building will help to send the message of who I am and the respect that I deserve. Plus, I would really like to attend more of their programs and really support my RAs as much as I can next semester. With so much change going on in the building, I feel that they will need it even more so than if they were just losing their supervisor. I forgot to mention that they are also losing the Administrative Assistant that has been here for 5 years and the graduate assistant. So LOTS of changes. I am excited about them and the challenges that I will be facing :D

Also, it means a LOT more job responsibility. Since I was the Assistant Area Director I have been able to learn a lot of the ropes- but there is just so much the AD did that I didnt even realize that will take some time learning. That also means that me really having a presence in the building will be important because I dont want them to still think of me as just the AAD.

I will also be changing offices (just next door) but I am excited about that too. NO more two doors that people try to cut through (drives me INSANE!) lol.

Overall, it will be a great experience and great for me professionally. Having the opportunity to move up this fast already is great. I will miss my supervisor, she has been a great mentor. I keep telling everyone it's bittersweet. and it is. A LOT of perks for me in so many ways, but I will miss her and will face many challenges along the way.

December in Miami

So, I am not really sure what to think. The weather here has been pretty much bi-polar. When John and I decided to move here, we were told to not bring any of our winter clothes and not to worry about coats. Well since that came from SO many people, my mother included who lived here for 20 years, we didnt bring much. LUCKILY, I am smart enough to have brought a few sweaters- BUT it's FREEZING today! It was 36 this morning. I know it's colder in Raleigh right now, but that's even cold in Raleigh usually. SO, I am wearing one of the 3 sweaters that I brought. lol. I wish I had my Emus. I know, I know, the girl that usually wears flip flops until their is snow on the ground wants her warm shoes. Well even if I want them- I am still wearing flip flops. lol. What really blows my mind is that on Saturday and Sunday it was in the 80's here and I was on the beach laying in the sun. John and I were even able to get in the ocean, albeit a chilly ocean, but we still got in! It was really nice and perfect out. I want the weekend weather I was promised was the average for December back! lol. I always thought the weather in Raleigh was ridiculous with the large swings in temperature, I guess it is more normal than I thought. :D

On another note- in 1 week I will be home!!!! I know I will have a cold shock, but I am still so excited! I LOVE living in Miami- but I miss home. John leaves me Thursday in the early AM. He is going to drive so we can take a bunch of stuff home. I cant believe he is going to drive that whole way by himself. If he wasnt going to his childhood best friends weddings on the 18th- he would wait, but he really wants to be there for his friend. I get that. I hope to fly home early March to be there for my childhood best friend when she has her baby :D So anyways, I am excited and cant wait.

My best friend Krystal always posts all of these amazing recipes on her blog and I want to steal them all. tonight I am going to be making her peppermint bark :D I'll let you know how it goes!

ps. That exciting announcement I have for you- I almost have the details, but not yet. BUT hopefully soon!

Life Update :D

Well I posted a lot about things that we've done, so I feel I should update you on other areas of my life as well. :D

I am SUPER excited to go home for Christmas! John is going to get to go before :( But that's okay- the job calls. He will be leaving the 17th of December and driving home. I will be flying home the 21st. It will be really nice to see all my family and get to spend a lot of time with them! We will be there until the 27th and then we will road trip it up with our besties Josh and Krystal! We are going bowling! and by that I mean to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando :D YAY! I get to go to a NCSU football game this year afterall! WHOOP! SO STOKED! :D The game is the 28th at 6:30pm- so we will stay the night and then drive home the next day- yes crazy I know, but we want to spend more time with our families and be with all our friends from home for New Years. Plus, we get to spend TONS of time with Krystal and Josh! :D YAY!! Then we will be in Raleigh until Jan 2nd and then head home. I am very much looking forward to it if you couldnt tell. LOL. I will be VERY happy to have 2 weeks off also. It will be much needed before the crazy semester starts.

On another note, Krystal and Josh booked their tickets to come see us! YAY! They are coming February 28th! John and I have actually been trying to plan a trip to see a space shuttle launch and there happens to be one on February 27th- so we will drive up to Merritt Island and go see it and spend the night. Krystal and Josh will be in Orlando so they will meet us there and then drive down with us and stay for the rest of th week. I AM STOKED about that too! YAY! We are going to have so much fun. John and I are planning to visit them in Maryland when it gets warmer up there. I am excited to see their place too :D

As far as the weight loss goes, I have lost 10lbs! I am very happy with that and frustrated. I was hoping I would have lost more, but still glad I lost 10lbs. I dont know if you can really tell much yet though. I am going to keep working at it. I am also going to have to start over with week like 3 for the couch to 5K. I have not been keeping up with it, but I will do all that in January when I get back so I dont start and then stop again when we go home for the holidays. I did get a great sports bra recently though! I am worried about the girls getting saggy as I lose weight so I did some research and a good bra and specific exercises should help. Here is to hoping! LOL!

I think that may be it for now- I will have a HUGE update for you in a few days! and no- I am NOT preggers ;D

Snow in Miami!?

WHAT?! I am sure you think I am insane- I am not! LoL. One of our study breaks for the students included getting fake snow brought to our residential college! SCHWEET! :D We also brought Aroma Espresso- it is basically a coffee cart that does espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate, hot teas, and other kinds of coffee drinks. It's pretty expensive, but I LOVE IT! It would also be great for weddings! :D My mind is always thinking about them. LOL. Anyway, the snow was a hit, BUT some people got out of hand which was not appreciated. But we will take care of that! Anyway, here is a picture!

This is in between my two buildings- Mahoney and Pearson.

Needless to say it was pretty cool and people really enjoyed it! NOT used to having this kind of money on the job though! haha :D

Heat Game and Cirque du Soleil!

So one of the cool things about working for the University of Miami is that I get to go on a lot of the "field trips" they take if I want to! So, the week after Thanksgiving John and I got to go to a Heat Game! YAY! We almost died on the way to the game. Our bus driver was AWFUL! We had another bus following us and we ended up having to wait on them. Well our bus driver didnt understand the other bus driver and ended up parking in a turning lane on Ponce (the main road in front of UM). When the other bus caught up to us, our bus driver ended cutting people off like crazy. I closed my eyes. lol We got there JUST in time for the pre-game stuff, which was what I was pretty excited to see! We sat in the nose bleed section, but it was still pretty cool. John brought his camera and they made him check his big lens :( So it was really hard to get any close pictures. We had a lot of students with us, and they all seemed to enjoy it. During the 2nd quarter if the opponent misses a free throw, everyone gets a free taco from taco bell! Guess where we went after the game? TACO BELL! lol. YAY for missed free throws from the other team. haha. To make things better the Heat actually won too! YAY!
The arena- waaaaay up there!

There were 2 fights while were there! This is a picture after one of them and us shooting our free throws :D



The second trip was AWESOME and probably one of my favorite shows ever. John and I again chaperoned and took a bunch of students to see Cirque du Soleil. We ended up taking the Metro- which was actually a lot of fun! It made me nervous with that many students going on the Metro (there were 50 of us) but I put everyone into groups with an RA as their leader and it worked out well. It was fun taking the Metro downtown because you could see everything! and it went in between buildings and it was just fun. It made it finally feel like a real big city. lol. ANYWAY, when we got there we had to wait a bit before we were allowed to go to our seats (better early than late though!). John and I got some popcorn and a soda :D I had been told the show was about an hour- I should have double checked that. It was 3!!! But, like I said, it was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen. It was called Kooza, and they had all acrobat artists and what not- a trapeze lady, bendable ladies (they could make their feet go all the way around their head when their chest was on the floor. CRAZY and my favorite because it was so neat!), they had tight rope walkers and rode bikes on them, two HUGE wheels that two guys did a lot of tricks on- it was REALLY scary! he almost fell one time! (these were Johns favorite and my second). It's really hard to describe all the events- you should really just go some time! There was also live music and not so scary clowns that did jokes and acts while other people changed the stage. It was awesome. I cant even say that enough! And one of the best things about it was it was FREE for me and John. SCORE! tickets to the show are EXPENSIVE!

I couldnt take pics inside :( but here are a few from the outside!


From a distance!


Me and John :D all dressed up for the event

Me and some of my wonderful RAs!


The stage (not supposed to take one, but I snuck one anyway! HAH!)

After the show we all headed back home on the Metro- it was great. AND FREEZING! I swore I wouldnt become a Floridian that thinks 60 something weather is cold, but I was wrong. I got used to it and became one! Geez. lol

Thanksgiving!

Why is that every time I post I am always so behind? lol Anyways, Thanksgiving break was GREAT! It was a MUCH needed rest from work. Of course any kind of break never seems long enough though. But it was still great.

On Thanksgiving, John and I stopped by my Residential Colleges Thanksgiving. We had it in our Master's apartment. One of the huge differences from working at NCSU and UM is that we have live-in faculty that work really closely with us and the RAs. Its a neat and great experience for students to have access to faculty outside of the classroom. They have AMAZING apartments too. Like as big as some ranch style houses. Kinda ridiculous, but awesome! lol. So we had Thanksgiving lunch there. It was delicious. Of course UM doesnt make any of the food like we would have at State, so we enjoyed catered Thanksgiving. YUMMY! lol. Thanksgiving at UM was kind of interesting though because a lot of our students and most that stayed for the break are foreign and dont celebrate Thanksgiving. That was just new to me, because back home everyone does! lol

Anyway, after Thanksgiving lunch John and I went back home for a bit and took a nap and watched football (of course!). Then we got up and headed to his Aunt Vicki's for Thanksgiving dinner. :D 2 Thanksgivings and I still didnt gain weight that week! WHOOP! lol. It was a really nice visit. It was nice to be with a little bit of family on Thanksgiving. It didnt really feel much like Thanksgiving though. It's supposed to be cold on Thanksgiving! I was wearing a tank top! LOL.

The rest of my four days off were great- we went to the beach and watched A LOT of football. Unfortunately, we lost to Maryland though. It made me really sad. I always laughed at the people that cried when they lost games- but Ill admit it, I cried a little. And not so much for the game, but because that meant John and I weren't going to be going back to NC for the game and seeing all our best friends :(.

But anyways, the overall 4 days off were great! :D