One Week Left To Go....

As of today, I have one week left of school - which is FINALS WEEK

I was able to take one final early because it was on the same day as another. I love my professor! She's the greatest! Now, I only have two to worry about.

I am so excited to be graduating! I was a little disappointed that graduation was going to be longer than I thought, but then I thought,

'What is a couple hours compared to FIVE years of college??'

Yeah, I think I can handle it.

I have already sent out all of my announcements and am enjoying feeling the stress lift from my shoulders. Brant may be more excited than I am. He's been with me through two of those five years, and after many 'Jessie-freak out sessions' and many sleepless nights, he is definitely ready.

Now we just need to get ready to move. We found a place across town away from noisy, drunk, obnoxious students. It's a rental townhome with two bedrooms on the second floor and an open first floor. It's really well-sized. I can't wait to move in and decorate.

We'll definitely need to buy a lot of things. We need at least 4 sets of curtains and lots of little things to make it feel like our home. We're excited because we currently have a roommate. She's been my friend since I started school here in Logan, and we got an apartment together because we got tired of our living conditions at the time. We thought everything would work well, but it has been awkward. Having a friend live with a newly-wedded couple isn't a good pairing. I know it's been tough on her, just as much as us.

I'll be sure to have moving pictures up when moving day comes.

H.A.S.S. Award Ceremony

It was a Tuesday afternoon, say 2 p.m., and I was sorting the mail. Lo and behold, there was a small envelope for me. It was from my college within the University and apparently, I had been named Student of the Year in Interior Design Sales and Marketing! However, the ceremony was to be held THAT FRIDAY! ACK! I was freaking out, wondering if I could get anyone to come and then noticed that I was supposed to RSVP three days previous to my receiving the invite. I called, the lady at the other end apologized like crazy, then called my mom wondering if she could get off work early, THEN I had to call a girl I work with to see if she would take part of my shift friday so I could go.

Well, then my mom calls back, says she and my dad are taking the day off and coming up! Yay! But wait! I still have to work part of that night! AHH!! So I call up my coworker again and ask her to take the whole shift since my family was coming. She agreed which I am ETERNALLY grateful for.

It was a stressful two days for that. The ceremony was great. They awarded awesome staff, faculty and students. I was amazed at the achievements of some students. For my section of the awards, I was awarded by my department head, Joann Wilson. She is a really neat lady. She wants to entirely revamp my emphasis within the major because she feels it doesn't receive the attention it deserves.

To reiterate for you, this is how it kind of works: During your sophomore year, you're with 50-60 other people doing studio work. Then you have to go through Sophomore review, the most stressful week of your LIFE because what projects you have completed determine whether you get into Design Studio, Design Sales & Marketing or neither. Well, I got Sales and Marketing. I cried and got over it. During your Junior year, you have two design related classes and then all business classes. Lastly, by the time you reach your Senior year, you feel like you practically belong to the Business College because you live in the Business Building. However, they won't claim you and you never see anyone from your department besides the 8 little Seminars throughout each semester. You feel like you have been orphaned or abandoned and you feel like your classes are repetitive and redundant. It sucks. But, this is the good part, Joann wants to meet with me if I'm still around next year to possibly help out! I would love nothing more than to revamp my emphasis. It would be awesome!

Joann and I (with my totally awesome award)

My totally wonderful family who got time off to come up and support me

Needless to say I am excited about this, but I am much more excited about graduating and being done with homework for good. Unless I go crazy and decide to go to Grad school later on...

IT HAS HAPPENED.................. THE UNTHINKABLE HAS OCCURRED

...................I HAVE CUT MY HAIR

This is before.............

Drum Roll..........

More Drum Roll.............

GAHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh!

I LOVE IT!!!!!

It took me five months to get to this point. Brant was there through the whole thing in case I cried, which I didn't. I was totally excited. I think it looks great, so does Brant.

Stacey, you helped me do it. You were my inspiration!

I figured it was finally time. I need a new hair style. Especially since I am graduating and entering the workforce as soon as I find a decent job.
When the stylist was done, I looked at the floor. It looked like a dead shi-tzuh. Brant heartily agreed.

So I must say that I am so excited to graduate. I have everything bought or ordered, so that part is out of the way. It cost enough $140! I know I probaly spent more when I graduated from high school, but things seemed less expensive back then. Back then?! What am I saying? I graduated from high school only six years ago! Good grief.

FINALLY! I GOT MY COFFEE TABLE!

I am immensely proud of myself for this one. I found this coffee table sitting at

Shopko for 50% OFF!!

It was the last day of their randome 3-day sale that I happened to walk in on! yay!

I am also roud of myself for putting the whole thing together without the help of a man *ahem, Brant*

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This is one of the GORGEOUS wreaths that Shalice and Delene (two of my sisters-in-law) made of my wedding bouquet. Thank You Both!!

Here is the other wreath. Aren't they just beautiful?? I LOVE them. I hung them up as soon as Brant and I got home. I can't believe I haven't put these on here already!

So, hopefully next on the list of things to spruce up the apartment will be my slipcover, pillows, and a rug. Brant is still stuck on getting a new TV, however, I support him on this one. his current tv had a big problem a few months ago and pretended to be dead, so we're aiming for something nice that will last for a long time, like a 32" LCD. Yes, I know. Lofty aspirations

Brant's Recliner

Okay World, Here it is: Brant's Desirable Recliner in all its glory and comfort.

Yes, I have sat in it and found it rather comfortable.

Luckily, I had the joy of being at work while he put it together.

I told him to look excited considering how much he has wanted this thing, but he said he was so tired after initially trying to get it home, then putting it together. I expect to find him asleep on the thing for several evenings in a row while he "molds his butt" to it.

Now we have to find that coffee table. I'm thinking a dark brown coffee table and a darker cream-colored slip cover for the sofa, then blue pillows, with hints of green, cream and brown in them. I want a rug too, did I alrady mention that??

Well world, It has finally happened.

Brant finally has his comfy recliner. **Hallelujah!!**

He has been wanting one for quite some time. A chair to call his own. I will be sure to post a picture of him being lazy on it. He gets to pick it up tomorrow.

Because he got his chair, I told him that I get to pick out our coffee table when we head down to salt lake city this friday. He argued that he gets to have a little say in it, so he will get as little say possible. HA HA! Okay, I know that was mean, but he knows I love him. I'm excited to get the coffee table. The one we inherited from my family was the one I grew up with and let's just say that it has seen better days. He donated it to DI several months ago because it just wasn't working and it looked awful. It definitely showed the signs of child-wear. My brother and I really beat it up growing up.

Our next goal after that is to buy a slipcover for his hand-me-down sofa. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but it is a nice pastel green and I like colors to be a bit darker on furniture to give a little more substance and presence in a room. (Confessions of an interior designer here, lol)

Maybe if I am lucky he will let me get a rug too. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Now, how do I convince him to get his gunsafe out of the bedroom???

Miscellaneous thoughts on life

Can I start out by saying that I wish someone would tell the younger generations that life gets more and more hectic. I know life gets harder, but good grief!

Okay, that was my little vent for the day. School has been pretty busy, as usual. I'm looking at buying some graduation announcements, but as usual, I don't have everyones' addresses. I really need to get on top of that. Brant seems to think it is too expensive to get them, but you only graduate once with a bachelor's. I'm excited for that. I'm ready to just work and get paid for it versus working, taking it home and paying someone to give the project to you. It'll also be nice to go to bed at a decent hour versus 3 in the morning. ICK
It's strange, once you get married, at least for me, I felt obligated to write a Christmas letter to everyone and their dog, plus their dog's cousin. I feel obligated to be something close to a perfect housewife, which is a laugh to me. I've always been miss independent, just ask my mother. Being married, I feel like it is my duty to keep in contact with family and friends because I know Brant will never do it. He is too busy playing video games or shooting his guns at empty mountain dew bottles.

So, for anyone who ever finds this little blog in the wide world of blogging, Brant and I will be moving in May. It's just to the southern area of Logan, which will be nice. We're looking at renting a town home. I don't want to buy anything because we're only staying here for about 2 years, then moving who knows where. I'm way excited to move because our apartment building and manager are AWFUL. We unfortunately live in an apartment building full of single college students who like drugs and beer. We get cigarette butts and beer cans on our porch all the time. Brant finally got sick of it and yelled at particular apartment full of people and scared the crap out of them! It was hilarious! I never knew a half-drunk could be so scared! I figured they were just clueless and in a state of stupor.

Oh, on an exciting note, I have two new baby cousins! One from cousin Brett and his wife Stacey, and another from my cousin Adam and his soon-to-be wife Ashley. Both of these women are absolutely wonderful! I'm happy to have them in the family. The two babies, both boys, are so adorable and sweet. I'm probably going to consider them more as nephews than cousins. Past, first cousins, children are like nieces and nephews. That just means more little ones to spoil!!