Help, I Have Senioritis!

It's been two weeks since spring break and all I've been doing is the bare minimum to get by. I don't know where my motivation went to finish strong. My team's final project is suppose to be underway, but I have not even touched it yet. I'm to the point where I calculated my current points against all of the available points in the class to see if I could pass the class without doing anything else. I can't. I currently have 491 points out of a possible 1000 points, so I only have a 49% and that's not good enough to graduate. The good news is that so far only 520 points of the 1000 points have been up for grabs, so I'm making a 94%, which is an A!

I should be inspired to keep up my hard work to maintain the A, but I'm over it. Mostly because I just want to focus on work and getting promoted.  I've diagnosed myself with a severe case of senioritis. Help! How do I get over this feeling of school no longer being important? It's so bad that I even thought about skipping class today. If it wasn't for my team meeting after class, I probably wouldn't have went.

Netflix is My Stress Relief

At first I thought I was going to blog about pissing off a customer, but I'm trying not to let that unintentional incident stress me out. Therefore, I will learn from my manager's mistake and put it behind me. So, I'm going to blog about the Netflix shows I've been watching for stress relief. The following shows don't take much brain power to watch and I'm able to keep up with the characters easily. That's why they have been my go to shows after a long day of work or school.

I just finished watching the two seasons of Orange is the New Black for the second time. I wanted to refresh my memory before season three premieres this June. The ladies at Litchfield Penitentiary find themselves in an unbelievable amount of drama. Like Piper Chapman, I would also probably study for prison because I would want to be as prepared as possible. A lot of good that did Piper...She said the wrong thing to the wrong person and was served a used tampon sandwich for lunch and then she was starved out! lol Although I relate the most to Piper's character, she is not my favorite.  My favorite characters are Alex, Nicky, Taystee and Poussey.  I wonder how accurately the show depicts a prison. I certainly don't believe I would survive such confinement. If I ever had to serve time, I don't think I would come out the same person I went in. Piper says, "I'm scared that I'm not myself in here, and I'm sacred that I am."  This show has great character development and I find the ridiculous positions that some of the ladies find themselves in hilarious. I think it's highly entertaining.

I recently started watching Parenthood and I must say I am pleasantly surprised that I like it. I'm only three episodes into the first season, but so far I plan to keep watching it.

Saved By The Bell is so addicting. I love watching episodes because it takes me back to when I was a kid.

Preparing for My Senior Photo Shoot

Sure, I've always been somewhat of a ham for the camera. However, I've rarely had any photo shoots of me since I've entered into adulthood. Honestly, I'm a little nervous. I hope I look healthy on the day we decide to schedule the photo shoot. I'm excited to have a photographer lined up to take my senior pictures at UCF with "two outfit changes." Does that mean I get to change twice for a total of three outfits, or does that mean I'll only be getting photographed in two outfits? I'll ask once we set the date.

I already have locations on campus in mind for the shoot. I want my photo taken with me sitting behind the knight in the statue of the picture below. The statue is right outside of the football stadium.

I also want my picture taken in front of the reflection pond that's in front of the campus library.

As far as photo shoot outfits I'm not very fashionable, so here is what I've come up with so far. A yellow polka-dotted 50's style skirt with a black sleeveless top. Polished off with a hat I love that brings the whole outfit together.

It's slowly starting to sink in that graduation is right around the corner. =)

My Fear of Failing Has Disappeared

When I first registered for College and began taking my first classes in the spring of 2009, I had a huge fear of failing. I thought: What if I'm not smart enough? What if I don't pass? What if I don't do well? Looking back it was an irrational fear to have and I'm glad it didn't stop me from trying. Throughout my college education I've consistently been at the top of my classes. Early on I had a very wise professor explain that the only way you can fail college is to quit and stop trying.  Somewhere along the way my fear of failing turned into a fear of getting less than an A on an assignment or in the course overall. Suddenly, I not only did not want to fail, but I also didn't want to get anything less than the very best possible grades. I put wicked pressure on myself to work hard and be the best.

I try to be a role model for the people in my life. Recently I've noticed that other people in my life have their own fears. With my graduation from UCF imminent, I've been reflecting on how much I've grown during my college education. I don't know that I am smarter. However, I certainly know that I am better prepared to take on the world. My fear of failure has been replaced with a fear of not trying. Now, I think: What if I don't try? What if  I don't seek new opportunities? If I don't try and if I don't seek new opportunities, I'm afraid my college education will go to waste.

I'll be graduating with more confidence than when I started. I'll be graduating with a sense of hunger to seek opportunities. Fear will not hold me back because I no longer have a fear of failing. I know I will not quit and I will not stop trying. If I can make it through this whole higher education circuit, then I feel anyone can. I don't have a super brain. I just work hard.

One of My Favorites - Shania Twain

When people ask me who my favorite musical artist is, I usually tell them Taylor Swift. However, if you know me well, you know my real favorite is Shania Twain. She's been my favorite since I heard her songs off The Woman In Me album when I was seven years old. By the time her Come On Over album came out when I was nine, I was obsessed with her music. Of course, I loved her Up album that came out in 2002, which I think was totally more pop than country. It is amazing!

I can't pin-point what drew me to like her music in the first place. Most of her songs are about love or heartache, and I certainly don't have any personal experience to relate to the songs; however, I can lose myself in her music. Her songs take me back in time and remind me of my childhood. A life before Crohn's. A life before responsibility. Somehow it allows me see how much I've grown up. Sure, my parents only allowed me to listen to country and Christian music while growing up. Perhaps Shania's music seemed a little rebellious compared to what I was used to hearing and I've always been a rebel at heart.  I would jump for hours, by myself and sometimes with my sisters and friend Brittany, on the trampoline in the backyard while playing Shania's cassette tapes in my pink stereo. I listened to the cassettes so often that I could fast forward a song perfectly to play the next song at the beginning... My pink stereo didn't have a skip button.

I was obsessed! I was 10 or 11 years old in this picture.

The first concert I ever went to was Shania Twain's Come On Over Tour on September 19th, 1998. I remember getting to the box office early to buy tickets with my mom. At ten years old, her concert was bigger than life! I guarantee that I sang along with every word.  Flash forward to 2013, I spent more than I should have to fly out to Las Vegas to enjoy her You're Still The One show in a third row seat at Caesars Palace. I had high expectations and she blew it right out of the water. The show was unbelievably captivating. It was such fun to re-live her hit songs live, the very songs that I grew up with. I read her autobiography and to know what she has been through in her life, she is a light of inspiration. Her courage is something I admire.

This morning I purchased tickets during the presale for Shania Twain's Rock This Country Tour in Jacksonville on Wednesday, July 15th, 2015. She's claiming this will be her farewell tour and I didn't want to miss one last opportunity to see her preform live! I'm super excited!!!!

Watch her video that inspired my leopard print photo above: http://youtu.be/mqFLXayD6e8

I Cried Today

Today was my Grandpa Ace's birthday.  He passed away last May, so this was the first time he wasn't here on his Earthly birthday. Thankfully, I worked the early shift today and got off work around 5pm, so I was able to have dinner with my dad, uncle and grandma ace tonight. I hugged my grandma a little tighter than usual to let her know that I love her. If today made her emotional, I didn't see any signs of it. I held my tears until my drive home and then the flood gates opened. I cried because I miss him. I cried because I want to talk to him and he's not here. I know he would be proud of me for getting into car sales because he was a salesman most of his life. I cried because he won't be around to celebrate with when I graduate from UCF. I cried because I can't see him smile. I cried because I can't see his eyes squint and nose wrinkle when he laughs at something funny I said. Like today on the way to dinner when grandma butt dialed someone and my dad and I had to explain what "butt dial" meant. I said it basically means there's an asshole on one end of the line.

I cried today, and that's okay. On Sunday, my family is getting together at my grandma's house to carpool to the graveyard so that they can put new flowers around his tombstone. I'll be at work, so I'll miss the waterworks for that, but if I get off work on time (which never happens), I'll swing by my grandma's for dinner on Sunday.

Finally, A Day For Myself

I'm off work today, and I'm officially on spring break. No work and no school today... what ever shall I do with myself? I started the day writing two birthday cards for my two friends with March birthdays. I also began hand writing personal thank you cards to my customers that have purchased their cars from me.  Now, I have a hand full of letters in the mailbox waiting for the mail lady to do her thing.

The road was calling my name and my loves (my running shoes) were there waiting for me like they always are. My one manager made it sound promising that I'll likely be able to get Sunday, March 15th off work, which is when the Sarasota half marathon takes place. So, I figured I better log some miles before the race. I logged a whopping two miles today! Better than nothing I guess. The good news is that I felt strong! I've gained 10 pounds since the beginning of the year and I definitely feel better!

My other plans for today include having lunch with my mom, doing laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, and taking a NAP!!! That's right folks, I finally have time for a nap! I can't even remember the last time I took a nap. Heck, I may even catch up on some Netflix shows!  Later tonight I'll prepare my scorecard for our weekly sales meeting tomorrow morning at work. I got my first sale for March yesterday! I sold a 2014 Nissan Sentra. I let the customer know that I didn't know much about the car, so I pointed out that it had four wheels, a steering wheel with a horn, and a blinker. He enjoyed my humor.

School, Work, New Car Fever, and Health!

I made it!!! I took my midterm today for my one and only class and passed it with an 88%! I'm officially on Spring Break! Although I'm still waiting for my exact grades back from my team's industry analysis report and presentation, a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I am performing well beyond what I even considered possible while juggling my new job with school. I can say I'll be graduating this semester with more confidence now. I'm still striving to earn an A or a B in this class so that I can graduate with the highest honors (Summa Cum Laude), but at the very least I'm pretty positive that I'll pass the class.

I ended the month of February with 5 cars sold, which is freaking awesome considering I worked less than half the month on the sales floor. My hope is that I can exceed my sales goal for the month of March. I've had the privilege to work with many fascinating customers. It's hard work, but I still love it!

I do have a confession: I am experiencing new car fever! I'm not financially ready to buy a new car yet, so that's controlling my temperature at the moment. However, the new 2016 Mazda6 GTs gave me the sensation of love at first sight. Talk safety to me, baby! Ooh la la...zoom-zoom!!! Just the smell of them raises my temperature. Don't let Loop Hole (my 2006 Mazda6) read this. He may get jealous.

My health has been the best it's been in a couple of years. My bowel movements are absolutely beautiful and regular! My stomach has been pain free. Praise, Jesus! I am beyond thankful for good health because I think I would struggle to keep up with work and school if I wasn't feeling as well as I am.