SAG Awards Best and Worst Dressed

Last night was the SAG Awards, which of course means another night of fashion in Hollywood.  Here's my take:


BEST DRESSED

Eva Longoria

Angie Harmon

Julianna Margulies

Mila Kunis

WORST DRESSED

Christina Hendricks...this looks like a robe.

Nicole Kidman...the lace takes away from the dress.

Jane Lynch...I don't know what to say other than...wrong dress choice and it looks cheap.

Jennifer Lawrence...if she took off the belt and used lighter makeup, then it maybe would have worked.

 What are your thoughts??

My Aunt's Battle with Leukemia

In June 2010, my aunt received devastating news.  She was diagnosed with leukemia...the really aggressive kind.  I will never forget getting the call from my parents.  I had gone to a new church that morning with some friends and ironically the pastor had talked about receiving devastating news and the impact news like that can have on your life.  Immediately after church as I was walking into the parking lot, my dad called me.  I couldn't believe it.  Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was that leukemia is the really, really, really bad cancer.  I mean all cancer is bad, but leukemia...and she had breast cancer a few years prior to that.  Next on my mind was what do I do.  How can I help my aunt and her family?  At the time, the most important thing I could think of was PRAYER...and, get everyone I know to pray.  So, I did just that.  I asked anyone I could think of and had a Facebook status about it.  The response was overwhelming!

My aunt immediately had to go into the hospital that afternoon for 5 weeks of intense chemo the day she got the call from the doctor.  In the mean time, all of my family became fast experts on leukemia trying to learn everything we could.  The kind she has leads to death if it's not caught within 5 months.  Her first signs had happened 3 months prior, but her cancer scan (she went in for regular scans due to her breast cancer) 4 months prior had been clear.  How quickly things can change...

After her 5 weeks of chemo, she was able to go home for about a month, and then had to go in for another 5 weeks.  The doctors then decided that a bone marrow transplant would be her greatest chance for long-term survival and being "cured".  The first people they look to is your siblings.  If none of them are a match, then you have to go on the transplant waiting list.  My aunt has three siblings: my mom and then identical twin brothers.  All three of them got tested.  My mom was not a match, but my uncles were both PERFECT matches!  One of my uncles lives in New Zealand, so the one who lives in the US did the donating.  Now, you can get a bone marrow transplant from a sibling who is a close match, but a perfect match is obviously way better, but the chances of having a sibling who is a perfect match is not real high.  It was a miracle from God that she had two perfect matches from a sibling!  When a sibling donates the bone marrow, it's much more successful than if you receive it from an unrelated donor.  By the way, donating bone marrow is NOT an evasive process as many think, so you should look into it!  You could save someone's life!

So, my aunt had the bone marrow transplant in late September.  Since then, she's been weak and recovering at home.  The recovery process is very long and they monitor you closely for 18 months because of many risks.  We received GREAT news last week that her body has accepted my uncle's stem cells from the transplant.  100% of her cells are now his cells, which is the goal.  She's still recovering, but this is a HUGE step in the right direction.  She will even be able to go back to work part-time teaching her HS science students next month!

My aunt is an incredible person!  I admire her and love her so much!  She's been so strong and continues to be a fighter!

God is SO good and prayer works!!!  I have seen God in every step of her battle with leukemia!  I have been incredibly touched by all the people who've prayed and asked me about her.  It's also led to more people sharing their faith with me.  It's amazing what can happen when you share prayer requests with one another!

So, how can I pray for you or someone in your life who needs prayer?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm LOVING that my brother got a job at a police department as a jailer and they are going to pay for him to attend the Police Academy next fall and guarantee him a job after.  I'm so proud of him!

I'm LOVING that my aunt's bone marrow transplant was successful.  100% of her cells are now my Uncle's.  More details on all this in a post later this week...

I'm LOVING that my Becker CPA Review lecture tomorrow night is only 2 hours instead of 4 hours!

I'm LOVING the song "Glory Of It All" by The David Crowder Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eg-AlKyz3E 

I'm LOVING the giveaway over @Life in its Ordinary Form...you should go check it out!  http://lifeinitsordinaryform.blogspot.com/2011/01/enter-my-poo-pourri-giveaway.html

Snow, Snow, Go Away...Please

It was been a snowy past few days here!  Wednesday afternoon it started snowing and we got 9-10 inches by the time it stopped on Thursday afternoon.  I haven't seen that much snow fall from one storm in awhile.  Unfortunately, it wasn't enough snow to close the university.  They rarely cancel school for snow despite the difficulties everyone has getting to campus.  Last time they canceled school was the winter before I started college (my friends who were here still reminisce about that day)...I think they had 16 inches then.  I saw a funny picture on the news this week with Columbia, MO and Norman, OK side by side.  OU had like an inch of snow and was closed.  We had 10 inches and still had school.  We are hardcore, I guess...haha.

Driving to class was a little treacherous.  Many of my friends were unable to get out of their apartments to get to class because they hadn't plowed the parking lot or plowed it and snow was up past their bumpers and couldn't get out.  One of my classes ended up being cancelled by the professor, but I had the other one despite only half the class being there.  I was very thankful I made it to campus safely and didn't get stuck in my driveway as I pulled out.  I strategically left when three men were shoveling their driveways outside, so if I got stuck I would have help...haha.

We got another round of snow on Friday night through Saturday morning, which piled on another 1-2 inches of snow.  My street didn't get plowed until yesterday morning, so you can imagine the mess everywhere!  And, yet again, it's snowing this morning with another 1-2 inches expected.  Originally, the forecast for today was for 4-6 inches...I'm so glad that forecast was changed.  Now, I'm hoping for the sun to shine this week and melt all this snow!

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

It's my first What I'm Loving Wednesday post!!  I'm linking up with Jamie over @this kind of love.  I love this idea!

1. I'm LOVING that I started my last semester of college this week!

2. I'm LOVING my black leggings.  It took me forever to jump on the leggings bandwagon...boy, was I missing out!  They are so comfortable and can be dressed up or down!

3. I'm LOVING that I have a little bit of a tan from my cruise to Mexico last week.  It's making the fact that snow is coming tonight a little more bearable. :)

4. I'm LOVING being reunited with my friends after being away for winter break!

5. I'm LOVING blogging and all my followers!  This is so fun!

Last First Day of School

Today my final semester of college began.  I can't believe how fast the last four years have gone by. I will graduate in May with my Bachelors and Masters of Accountancy.  This is going to be an incredibly tough and busy semester, though.  I'm sitting for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam in April and May.  The exam has four parts and is rumored to be harder than the bar exam or about equal depending on who you talk to.  I'm taking a Becker CPA Review course to help me prepare.  The class is on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6-10 pm and on Saturdays from 9 am -1 pm.  Talk about LONG!!!!  Sitting in class for 4 hours straight 3 times a week...ugh...it's brutal!  Tonight we had our first class--we covered 90 pages of material and have homework of like 200+ multiple choice questions for Thursday.  Basically, reality sunk in tonight that I will not be having really any free time at all until the end of May.  :(  It will be worth it in the end, though!  But, I am quite nervous about the exam and all the preparation.  It's going to be a struggle to remain dedicated all semester.

My CPA Exam prep books

I'm also taking 9 hours on top of preparing for the CPA.  My actual classes don't seem like they will be too bad compared to other semesters, thankfully.

Hope all who started back to school today had a great first day back!

The Bachelor Week 3

It's Bachelor night again!  Here's my rundown and thoughts on this week.

I thought the one-on-one date of singing was kind of lame and awkward since they were horrible singers.  I do love Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" song.  It was one of my favorites as a kid...I distinctly remember getting excited every time it came on the radio.  Ashley S. is super cute, though, and I liked them together.

I hated the "Love Hurts" group date.  What's with this group acting thing?  Last week the soap opera stuff and action movie this week.  They need better group date ideas!  Michelle is getting on my nerves...she's so annoying and rude.  Everything is about her and she's so possessive.  I hate when the girls complain about not having alone time with him and how they deserve it...blah, blah, blah.  Hello it's The Bachelor, it's all about group dating!!  You know that when you sign up.  So, Michelle needs to stop complaining...or Brad should just let her go...that would be better.  Madison (Fang Girl) grew on me tonight...I feel bad for judging her in the beginning.  I'm glad she stopped the vampire act and showed her feelings.  Don't think she was a match for Brad, so I think it's good she left, though.

The one-on-one date with Emily was by far the best part of the show.  Emily is just so endearing and just adorable.  I want to be her friend...haha.  Her story makes me tear up every time she tells it.  You can just feel her pain as she talks about it.  I'm glad she finally opened up to Brad.  I'm excited to see what happens between them!  :-)

What did all you fellow Bachelor fans think tonight?  Who are your favorites?

Golden Globe Fashion

Did anyone watch the Golden Globes last night?  I DVR the show and fast forward through a lot of it unless there's a part I really care about.  But, I LOVE seeing what everyone wears!

Here are some of my favorites from last night:

Catherine Zeta Jones was stunning.  She probably had my favorite dress of the night...so glamorous.  I can't help but think movie star when I look at her.  I love the emerald color...definitely seemed to be a trend last night.

Olivia Wilde also looked beautiful.  Total princess!  I love the sparkle!

 I adore Carrie Underwood!  She's one of my favorite singers and I love that she's open about her faith and has stuck to her morals amidst all the fame.  She looked gorgeous in this gown last night...love, love, love it!


















And, here's my worst dressed list:

Normally, Halle Berry dresses really well, but I did not like this gown at all.  I don't like the mix of long and short.

 Leighton Meester looked horrible in this dress.  It's just blah and ugly.

Jennifer Lopez could have done without the drape on this dress.

Michelle Williams' dress was just ugly.  The flowers and shape of the dress are really ugly.



















What did you all think???

Wedding Chain

Weddings and engagements have been on mind a lot lately.  I'm at that stage in my life where everyone seems to be getting engaged.  Since Thanksgiving alone, I think about 10 people I know have gotten engaged!  Two happened this past week!  I'm so happy for all of them, but sometimes being single it can make me long for a boyfriend and finding that special man.  But, I do know God has his timing for everything...

Anywho, one of my best friends is getting married this year on 9/10/11...along with about a million other people in the world, too...haha.  I'm her Maid of Honor and am super excited to stand by her side as she marries the perfect man for her.  They are precious together and I have been with them throughout their whole relationship.  I've known her fiance since third grade, and I met her (Jaclyn) my senior year of high school (though we were not really good friends at the time...more just classmates).  I was in Business Calculus with the two of them senior year when they started dating.  Then we all went off to the same college and out of 6000 freshman we all ended up in the same dorm...crazy!  I think it was totally a God thing because I really needed a friend after a bad roommate situation, and she was there for me.  Now, the rest is history!  We have been best friends for about 4 years and I'm going to be in her wedding!

From today, there are 34 weeks until she gets married.  For Christmas this year, I made her a wedding countdown chain.

Wedding Countdown Chain

Every Saturday, she opens that week's chain link and inside it has a message, Bible verse, quote, or some piece of advice from me or another one of our friends.  I got the idea from a friend of mine and I think it's cutest thing!  I had so much fun making it, and I've loved watching how excited she is each week when she takes off the next link to countdown.  We both almost cried as I gave it to her and she opened it...haha!  Such a special personalized gift!

Jaclyn with her chain after I gave it to her

Radiance of the Seas Cruise

I'm back!!!  I had an absolutely wonderful vacation with my family on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas 5-day cruise to Mexico!  It was a much-needed vacation!  Here's a little recap of our trip:

Tampa, Florida--Friday (January 7th)
We flew into Tampa the day before our cruise left, so we weren't too rushed getting to the ship.  We just hung out at the hotel and went to the local mall.  Nothing too exciting.


Boarding the Ship--Saturday (January 8th)
About an hour before we were supposed to leave to board the ship, we got a call from the transportation service saying our ship's departure time had been delayed because the last cruise had a flu outbreak.  186 people out of 2200 people on board got the flu...yuck!  So, they implemented an intense cleaning and sanitation process delaying our boarding time.  It ended up working out okay because then we had time to go back to the mall and get a few things that my dad and brother realized that morning they forgot to pack...my mom and I gave them a hard time for forgetting things since we remembered everything we needed. ;-)

Eventually we boarded the ship around 7 pm and departed at 10 pm.  Now this is my third cruise and every time there seems to be something that happens.  It's just the nature of cruising.  Our first cruise we couldn't go to the private beach in Haiti that Royal Caribbean owns because there was violence inland in Haiti.  Our second cruise there was an H1N1 scare.  No one on our cruise had it, but two of the islands freaked and wouldn't let us in, so we missed those ports and they had to substitute in St. Thomas, USVI because they would let us in.  Always an adventure, but it's worth it!!!  :-)

My brother and me right before we boarded in Tampa

The whole trip we felt the effects of the sanitation and health requirements.  We were required to use hand sanitizer before boarding the ship at every port and any time before we ate.  We also couldn't hold our menus or serve ourselves at the buffet breakfast and lunch.  I was thankful they did these things to keep us healthy in flu season and we made it off without getting the flu!  Only 25 people on our trip got it.  Plus they gave each person a $50 on-board credit.  I thought that was very generous!  I have nothing but good things to say about Royal Caribbean!!!

At Sea--Sunday (January 9th)

Me standing at the back of the ship as we were sailing

This was our first full day on the ship.  We were sailing the ocean all day.  It got much warmer throughout the day as we progressed towards Mexico.  During the day we relaxed and watched the Kansas City Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.  Sadly my Chiefs lost, but it was pretty fun to be watching the game from the middle of the ocean with everyone in the ship's sports bar.  Another one of the highlights was watching the Belly Flop competition by the pool...always funny (and painful) to watch!

Crew at the 70's Dance Party

That night the ship also hosted a 70's Dance Party.  The music was great and people-watching was even more fun! ;-)  There were a lot of old people on our ship because of school being back in session I'm guessing, BUT let me tell you they are hilarious and still got the 70's moves!  So much fun!

Cozumel--Monday (January 10th)
Cozumel, Mexico was our first port of call.  I had been there once before on our first cruise.  The weather was gorgeous!  87 degrees and sunny IN JANUARY!!!  I had to keep reminding myself that it was January!

Me in Downtown Cozumel

In Cozumel, we took a cab downtown to all the shops and walked around.  I bought a couple pieces of jewelry and a dress.  Funny story--I tried on this ring at a jewelry store thinking it wasn't too expensive because he told me these were the cheap, not as nice pieces.  It ended up that it was $4500!  I was not expecting that!  I quickly removed the ring and left the store...a little out of my price range right now...haha.

My brother and I in Cozumel

The Caribbean water is just beautiful.  I could look at it all day long!  Look how clear it is!

Caribbean water

Costa Maya--Tuesday (January 11th)
Our other port of call was Costa Maya, Mexico.  I had never been there before, but it was beautiful!  It was another 85 + degree day with sun!!!

Costa Maya

Me in Costa Maya

We walked around the shops and along the beach, but most of the day there you could find me by the dolphin area watching them swim and play.  I have always loved dolphins!  When I was little I wanted to be a dolphin trainer after my first trip to Sea World.  Here's my favorite picture of the whole trip--a dolphin jumping with our ship in the background:

Eventually we boarded the ship and spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool.  I watched the Men's Sexy Leg Competition!  A 90-year old man entered the competition even...and won!

Every night our state room attendant left a towel animal in our rooms when he came to turn down our beds.  Here's my favorite one:

That night we played the craziest game you will ever see called The Quest.  If you've gone on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you know what I'm talking about.  I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't ever gone because it's more fun to be surprised! :-)  It's one of our favorite things on the cruise!  It's hilarious to see what people will do for a prize!

At Sea--Wednesday (January 12th)
This was our last day on the cruise and we were sailing back to Tampa all day from Mexico.  The waters were quite rough.  Nothing like I'd ever experienced on a cruise.  Normal calm waters have 1-3 foot waves...this day they were 12 feet.  It was ROCKY!  My whole family felt nauseous most of the day as did a lot of people.  We spent the afternoon in bed because that's where you felt the ship the least.  It wasn't fun, but it didn't keep me from doing the things I really wanted to do around the ship.  I got to go on a backstage tour in the theater where they do all the shows every night on board.  I also went to the Love and Marriage Game Show...their version of the Newlywed Game, but they take 3 couples of different length marriages.  It was pretty funny!  Here was the end of the final show of the cruise:

Returning to Tampa and Home--Thursday (January 13th)
We got off the ship around 9 am that morning and boy was it COLD!  Florida was the only state without snow on the ground, but it was still freezing!  We had a great trip!  The crew on-board is what really makes cruising an incredible experience!  They are so polite and so helpful!  You end of making friends with them and are sad to leave at the end.  Our assistant waiter, Frank (from Jamaica), at dinner was our favorite!  I remembered him from being a greeter at lunch on our last cruise.  He's great...I'll post a picture of him later.  My mom has it on her camera that I haven't gotten the pictures off of yet.  There were 888 crew member on board!  Isn't that crazy?!?

We spent the rest of the day at the airport in Tampa waiting for our 4:15 pm flight...that ended up being delayed 2 hours.  We finally made it back home safely to the frigid single digit temperatures and snow on the ground.  Then...when we walked in our new house we moved into in November...we heard water running...not a good sign.  One of our water pipes had busted and flooded part of our lower level...ugh!  Thankfully nothing valuable damaged, but the carpet and walls are damaged.  Nothing like ending a vacation like that!  But, it could have been worse, and I'm not going to complain as the people of Australia are dealing with a much worse flooding situation.  What devastation...praying for them!

Escaping to the Caribbean

I'm going to have to take a short break from blogging because I'm escaping to the Caribbean on a cruise!  Normally, I take a vacation every summer, but this past summer I didn't get one due to my internship and friends' weddings, so I'm very much in need of a vacation!  I think it will be the perfect way to end winter break before my crazy semester ahead of me begins.   I'm looking forward to sunshine, warmth, the smell of the ocean, on-board entertainment, eating delicious food, reading by the pool, and relaxation!  I will have lots of pictures to post when I return!  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Winter Break Friend Time

One of my favorite parts about being on winter break is the chance to catch up with friends.  This week has been full of breakfast and lunch dates with friends.

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend of mine who actually worked at the before and after-school care place I went to in elementary school.  She was a college student then.  Now she's married with two kids and I"m a college student!  We've kept in contact over the years, and she's become a dear friend of mine.  It doesn't even feel like there's an age difference when we hang out.  It's so great having friends of all ages.

Last night I went to dinner on the Plaza (shopping and restaurants) in Kansas City.  For those of  you who've never been to the Plaza, it's a must-see during the holiday season with all the lights.  Here's a picture I found that shows what they look like:

I had dinner with three of my friends who I interned with this past summer at an accounting firm, and who we will all work for when we graduate.  Two of them go to a different school than I do, so I rarely get to see them.  It was such a treat to hang out with them and catch up.  I'm really thankful that I'm going to work with such great people who I enjoy hanging out with, too.  We ate at the Cheesecake Factory, which was delicious as always.  I love their Santa Fe Salad, and I have enough left over for lunch today!  I'm probably one of the only people who doesn't go there for cheesecake and has never ordered cheesecake.  I'm not a big sweet eater, so one or two bites of cheesecake is all I can handle.  Some of my friends ate cheesecake, though.  I miss all my intern friends already.  I can't wait to see them again!

Week 1 of The Bachelor

For some reason I missed the first Brad Womack Bachelor season 3 years ago, but I no doubt heard all about his not choosing a girl in the end.  I have always thought his decision was honorable and respectable.  If it doesn't feel right, you shouldn't pick someone in the end!  So, I do not understand why all the girls were being so hard on Brad tonight about his decision 3 years ago.  Especially, the girl slapping him...wow.  Real mature, uh I think not!

Now let's discuss some of the wacky careers of these women.  A manscaper (someone who specializes in waxing men)?  Then of course the natural thing to do to make an impression on Brad is to wax his wrist right after meeting him...ouch.  Poor guy!  Then a model who likes to act like a vampire!  How weird and creepy is she?!?  I do not understand at all why he kept her around...it really makes me question whether the show requires you to keep around a few interesting ones in the beginning for good tv...because there always seems to be a few like that who make it past the first couple rounds when no one truly would choose them.

My favorite person so far on the show is Emily, the girl who lost her fiance in a plane crash.  She seems so sweet and genuine!  The only other girl that stuck out to me was Lisa M. (girl from Kansas who wore the red shoes) and that's only because my friend ran with her in college, so I'm naturally going to root for her because of that connection.

Let me know your thoughts!  Looking forward to the rest of the season!

Hittin' the Gym

Since so many people make New Year's resolutions that involve going to the gym and losing weight, I decided to share my absolute favorite way to workout.  It's a class called Body Pump (Les Mills is the developer and then gyms use the program in their own classes).  Today was my first day of Body Pump for the new year.  It makes working out so much fun.  The class flies by because of the great upbeat music.  It's a barbell weight class that strengthens your entire body and works all your major muscle groups.  You can see results quickly with this workout and it makes you feel great! 

Working out has always been important to me, although sometimes my busy college schedule doesn't always allow for me to be as consistent as I would like.  I'm determined to stay consistent this coming semester to keep sain as I study for the CPA exam.

Do any of you take Body Pump classes?

Here's to 2011 and Starting a Blog

I'm starting off 2011 by creating a blog and I have no idea what I'm doing!  I'm by no means a person who likes to write nor do I consider myself a good writer.  However, I'm intrigued by the blogging community.  I started reading blogs about a year ago after some friends of mine had created blogs.  Many of the blogs I've found and started reading consistently have offered me so much encouragement in my walk with Christ, being single, and just finding my path in the world.  I decided it was time for me to actually create a blog, and I think it will be neat in the future to look back on my journey through life.

I'm looking forward to 2011 and all the things God has in store for me.  It's going to be a big year with taking the CPA exam, graduating college with my bachelors and masters of accounting, starting my "big girl" job at a Big Four accounting firm, and so much more.