Love, love, love

Okay, so my post this morning was a little rant-y.
I am not gonna lie, today was a great day! The best way I could think of to celebrate my favorite state's birthday.
After sleeping in (always a treat), J took me to brunch at a delicious little cafe by the waterfront. I am a terrible blogger, so I totally forgot to take a picture.... whoops!
After brunch, we ran around town getting gifts to spoil his parents (What can I say? I love to spoil people!) and just spent the afternoon enjoying each other's company. We even did a little dream car shopping - he found a car he's very, very interested in!
It was a beautiful, sunny, semi-warm day for Oregon, which was incredible!   Now, for the only cheesy romantic thing we did all day, I actually remembered to take a couple of couple-y pictures:

both taken by the waterfront park.

What can I say?

I love this kid!

Love and other schtuff

Ah, Valentine's Day. Our love/hate relationship continues.
I'll admit, this is going to be a different holiday for me. It's the first time I'll be actually in a serious relationship. (I've only had one other Valentine's Day with a boyfriend, and it was high school - We had been dating 2 weeks)
So here's a little tidbit about me - I tend to spoil people.  I love spending too much money on anyone except myself. I love giving gifts. (My bank account kinda hates it...)
Since this is J. and I's first Valentine's Day together, I kinda went a little overboard...
Originally, my plan was to follow the 4 gifts rule: 1. Something he wants 2. Something he needs 3. Something he wears 4. Something he reads.
Technically, I followed this rule..... I just didn't keep it to one thing in each category. Instead it ended up like this:
1. 3 movies: Superbad, Men In Black 1, and Men In Black 2. 2. A brand new wall clock (his current one starts and stops randomly) 3. These gloves (he longboards, and has been drooling over these...) 4. Bloody Sundays and When Pride Still Mattered: Lombardi
So I stuck to the rules as far as what to get... just not number wise!
So why do I have a love/hate relationship with this day?
Well, I love it because it's another occasion to spoil the ones I love,  but I hate it because it is another day that requires thoughtful gifts and money spending.
Don't get me wrong, I love spoiling J. I just wish it wasn't because of the pressure of a cheesy holiday. I also am NOT a big romance person (I tease J for being cheesy romantic) so a holiday where the key idea is to be as romantic as possible isn't really my cup of tea.
Who knows? Maybe J. can change my mind about this day.  I'll update you lovely readers tomorrow!

Thorn in My Side

So, in case you didn't know, there is a giant monkey on my back.
This monkey is known as "The Thesis".
So, back when I was a sweet little 17 year old idiot, I decided joining the honors program at my college was a great idea.  It was supposed to be fun, and look great on resumes.
It was all fun times and happy go lucky until junior year. They warn you about the thesis, mention it as a side note, but they encourage not worrying about it until your junior year.
then, BAM.
it's all thesis. all the time.
So. Anywho. This is a big deal. Right now, I am still researching how to do my research. I am stuck at my literature review, slugging through books such as Discourse Analysis: A Toolkit, and Composition Research.  I am trying to find some way to get myself motivated to even get this thing written sloppily, words just thrown on the page, but I can't.
I'm stuck, but I've got a few ideas on how to unstick myself. 
So, if you only hear from me in sporadic spurts, you can understand why. Thesis owns my life right now.
My goal is to finish the first draft before I start my new position. Wish me luck!

Currently

Watching: Oh goodness. I may be a TV addict... I am currently making my way through Friday Night Lights on DVD, Army Wives on Netflix, and a kajillion shows on Hulu: New Girl, Nashville, 90210, Glee, Bones, Once Upon a Time, Castle, Biggest Loser, Smash, Grey's Anatomy, and there's probably more that I'm forgetting....
Reading: Okay before you judge me for being a brainless TV watching drone, I do read too! I am trying to get through multiple books at once, actually. I'm reading The Casual Vacancy (love Rowling, having a hard time with a Muggle book), The Loop, Pendragon: The Merchant of Death, and about 10 books about linguistic and composition research for my thesis (update tomorrow!)
Listening to: Christina Perri, Halestorm, and Macklemore, constantly on repeat. My boyfriend has gotten a little tired of my cd selection in the car....
Excited about: My new job! I currently work part time at a medical facility, but starting next month I will be full time in a different department. It's a slightly similar position, but I have a LOT to learn. I am excited to be a full time, 8-5 girl with my weekends free! My current position is nights and weekends, and the end time depends on when another department releases us.
Thinking about: Life in general. Since my thesis is due next month (gulp) I have been trying to figure out what is next for me. I don't know what the future holds, and that terrifies me. I've been in school since I was 2 - I don't know how to live without a deadline. After this, what's next?
Thanks, Danielle, for the idea!

The ABCs of Me

Okay, I'm copping out here....

I have seen this post floating around and figured, well, might as well do something for the readers while I'm stuck in this writing rut!

So, since there's a few new followers around here, I figured this is a great way to introduce myself.

The ABCs of Heidi:

Age - 21

Bed size - Full - my apartment is way too small for anything comfortable ;)  

Chore you hate -  Dishes! Give me any other chore, even cleaning the cat box, please!  

Dogs - Not at the moment. Well, my parents have 3 - Callie & Hobbes at my dad's, Milo (aka Stinks) at my mom's.

Essential start to your day - Brushing my teeth. I feel awful until I can kill that dragon breath

Favorite color -  Red. The brighter the better.

Gold or silver - Silver. It just works better for me

Height - 5'10"

Instruments you play - Does a glass bottle flute count?? Haha I am tone deaf. Tried to play flute and saxophone, but that didn't last long.

Job title - Imaging Office Specialist... for 3 more weeks! Then I am switching to a full time Medical Office Specialist - more hours, and my weekends back!

Kids - Someday. Still figuring out taking care of just me!

Live - Oregon! My whole life

Married - Not yet ;) Someday, hopefully. 

Nicknames - Mostly people just call me by my last name. 

Overnight hospital stays - none. Well, I spent the night in my grandma's hotel room, but no overnight scares for this girl. 

Pet peeve - hearing people eat. chewing is just gross!

Righty or lefty -  righty

Siblings - 2 sisters, 3 stepbrothers 

Time you wake up - Varies every day. Lately, 7:30 is a common time. 

University attended - Western Oregon University

Vegetables you dislike - Cooked green beans. Love them raw, hate them cooked.

What makes you run late - I hate being late. That being said, running around trying not to be late usually makes me late! 

X-rays you’ve had - chest, knee, arm.... probably a lot more, but I can't seem to remember right now.

Yummy food - Almost all! I'm finding lately that I crave granola bars, salad, and steak.

Zoo animal favorite - elephants! My favorite animal is a ladybug, but they aren't a special zoo animal...