Ahh, another month has already gone by. I will most likely say this every time, but it has gone by so quickly! A lot has changed in my life in the past month and I could have never seen many of these things happening. First I will share with you how I am doing with my New Years Resolutions.
1. Get straight A's - on track as of right now. The only class I am a wee bit concerned about is Managerial Accounting. Its a challenging class for me.
2. Save mulaaa - check yes! I am so proud of how well I am doing on this one. Matt and I have sacrificed eating out and other entertainment things in order to save money. && It hasn't been horrible. We watch a lot of movies at home, make dinner for each other and sit around doing homework. We really are exciting individuals.
4. Take a road trip - Ahhh, I haven't even set up plans for this one. Still planning on doing it sometime this year though!
5. Attend more live performance - I haven't been to any concerts or shows yet but I have planned a couple to attend later in the year! I am also excited about Playlist Live coming up in March!
6. Blog & film on a regular basis - fail. Once again. Right now I think I will just have to commit to my monthly updates. This is something I can handle. School & work take up most of my time and attention.
7. No Chick-fil-A Waffle fries for ones year! - So am so incredibly proud to say that I still haven't eaten any type of fry this whole year! Two months down, ten to go!
8. Drink five glasses of water everyday - checkmate! I have been drinking anywhere from 8-10 glasses a day! go me!
9. Run/work-out at least three times a week - I am so happy that I joined a gym and I owe a lot to Matt. He motivates me to go and always is so encouraging. I have been working out at least four times a week, sometimes more. I do cardio almost every time I'm in the gym and mix in legs, arms, abs, and back through out the week. Feeling good!
10. Get healthy! - I have been doing so well. I also decided for the month of February I wouldn't drink any sweet tea & guess what, I haven't! Sweet Tea is one of my weaknesses, being from the south, so it is quite the accomplishment. I am planning on holding on to this goal throughout the year. I honestly don't even want it right now, unsweet tea or green tea with splenda or truvia is just as satisfying. The true test will be when I go to the beach over the summer. There is nothing better than laying on the sand with sweet tea in your hand. :)
11. Find a church Matt & I both love - Yah! This month Matt and I have found a church that we are both really liking. I will keep you updated on that!
12. Move out (again) - hopefully during the summer or near the end of the summer.
13. Figure out what I want to do once I graduate - As of right now I really feel like my heart is with Chick-fil-A. This is my 5th year working for the company so it is a part of me and I would really love to advance and do bigger and greater things with the company.
14. Pick up more skills in the kitchen - work in progress! But good news, Matt cooked me dinner the other night and it was so yummy. I am glad to have a good cook as a boyfriend. :)
15. Read at least 5 non-school-related books - I was reading the help and I just couldn't get into it. Not sure why. I recently started reading the Hunger Games and it is so good. Loving it so far!
16. Get hitched - tie the knot - I wish this on was in my hands but unfortunately its not.
So now that I have addressed my goals on to other things that have changed this past month.
Well, my work environment has changed drastically since last month. People have moved onto other things and though it is difficult to see people you love move on, sometimes you just have to come to the realization that it may be the best thing for them and for the situation. I have taken on in the past month more management responsibilities and have taken on the role of Marketing Director and Manager. I am enjoying the change & really like that I can still do marketing. I am learning so many new things and at times it is really challenging and makes me super nervous. But at the end of the day I have such a great group of fellow managers and an operator that are there to help me. So appreciative.
As I mentioned before I joined a gym at the end of January and I am so happy with the results I am seeing. I know its a slow process and the more persistent I am the more results I will see. I have changed the way I eat, what I eat, when I eat, where I eat... Basically, i just feel healthier, and that feels so awesome. I had a goal to just be able to run a mile without passing out and the other day I ran two and kept going. It feels awesome!
As many of you know that NBA All Star Game and events were in Orlando this year, yah us! It brought hundreds of thousands of people to Orlando and all businesses experienced increased sales. The Mall at Millenia seemed to be the hub for all celebrities to hang out and to let their fans know through Twitter that they were there. Which resulted in many people celebrity stalking. In the mall during the weekend was: Beyonce, Jay Z, Rianna, Chris Brown, LL Cool J, Lebron James, Lil Wayne, Lil Kim, Lil Jon, and so many other rappers, football players, etc...It was a crazy weekend at the mall but kinda exciting being so close to so many famous people!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
January 2012: Update
Hello friends! So it has been a while since I last posted.
School + Work + Homework + life in general has kind of consumed me over the
passed couple weeks. It has been hectic and will continue to be hectic until
this semester is finished!
2. Save mulaaa $$$ - Yah!!! For successfully saving money! Matt & I are both doing this and are actually doing very well to our surprise! We have almost completely cut out going out to eat and fast food. Its crazy how much money you spend just on food. We do going out on occasion but honestly us being so busy has kind of helped us to just eat at home.
3. Take a Road Trip (Go somewhere I have never been before) - I have not done this yet but have talked to friends about it, so its still in the works and I def want to do this by the end of the year! Maybe Spring Break!
4. Graduate school in the Fall with my degree in Hospitality Management - SOOOoooo close!
5. Attend more live performances (Concerts, plays, ballet) - As of right now, FAIL. This will be hard since we are trying to save money, should of thought of that!
6. Blog and film on a regular basis - Fail. I have a couple that I need to finish and post but it is so time consuming and school takes my first priority!
7. No Chick-fil-A Waffle Fries for one year! - I have done so well on this one and have changed it to, NO FRIES AT ALL! I have successfully gone one month with no fries at all. Yah me! Feeling good!
8. Drink at least 4 glasses of water before I have any other beverage - yah, not gunna happen. I have cancelled this goal. Instead I am drinking at least 5 glasses of water a day. I have come to the realization that I NEED my coffee.
9. Run/work-out at least three times a week - At first I was doing ok at this. I was running about 2 times a week. Nothing fancy. I joined a gym recently and since I have been going about 4-5 times a week! So excited to get into better shape!
10. Loose weight Get healthy! - Same answer as above! Yah for eating better and being more active!
11. Find a church Matt & I both love - After trying out several churches we have found one that we both really like. Updates on that to come!
12. Move out (again) - This will probably be happening during the summer when I have time to think.
13. Figure out what I want to do exactly once I graduate - in progress
14. Pick up more skills in the kitchen - I'm really trying to incorporate this more buts its been really difficult.
15. Read at least 5 books that aren't school related - fail. I'm trying to get through The Help, but I have no time.
16. Get hitched - ????
So I wanted to think back to January first, when I posted my
new year goals, and see how I've been doing! Just to refresh, here are my goals
& how I have been doing.
1. Get straight A's while taking 18 credit hours this Spring
- So far so good. Today was the first day I didn't go to class. I have just
been exhausted from so many things going on and just needed to take a breather.
I made sure nothing was going on and I have friends in all my classes to keep
me up to date.
2. Save mulaaa $$$ - Yah!!! For successfully saving money! Matt & I are both doing this and are actually doing very well to our surprise! We have almost completely cut out going out to eat and fast food. Its crazy how much money you spend just on food. We do going out on occasion but honestly us being so busy has kind of helped us to just eat at home.
3. Take a Road Trip (Go somewhere I have never been before) - I have not done this yet but have talked to friends about it, so its still in the works and I def want to do this by the end of the year! Maybe Spring Break!
4. Graduate school in the Fall with my degree in Hospitality Management - SOOOoooo close!
5. Attend more live performances (Concerts, plays, ballet) - As of right now, FAIL. This will be hard since we are trying to save money, should of thought of that!
6. Blog and film on a regular basis - Fail. I have a couple that I need to finish and post but it is so time consuming and school takes my first priority!
7. No Chick-fil-A Waffle Fries for one year! - I have done so well on this one and have changed it to, NO FRIES AT ALL! I have successfully gone one month with no fries at all. Yah me! Feeling good!
8. Drink at least 4 glasses of water before I have any other beverage - yah, not gunna happen. I have cancelled this goal. Instead I am drinking at least 5 glasses of water a day. I have come to the realization that I NEED my coffee.
9. Run/work-out at least three times a week - At first I was doing ok at this. I was running about 2 times a week. Nothing fancy. I joined a gym recently and since I have been going about 4-5 times a week! So excited to get into better shape!
10. Loose weight Get healthy! - Same answer as above! Yah for eating better and being more active!
11. Find a church Matt & I both love - After trying out several churches we have found one that we both really like. Updates on that to come!
12. Move out (again) - This will probably be happening during the summer when I have time to think.
13. Figure out what I want to do exactly once I graduate - in progress
14. Pick up more skills in the kitchen - I'm really trying to incorporate this more buts its been really difficult.
15. Read at least 5 books that aren't school related - fail. I'm trying to get through The Help, but I have no time.
16. Get hitched - ????
Anyways, I think I am actually doing a decent job. So decent
that I have decided that I am going to add a new goal or 'resolution' at the
beginning of every month! This goal must be health related. So for February I
have decided to give up sweet tea! I am a southern girl, born and raised so
sweet tea basically flows in my blood but I know how bad it is for me. I
recently began drinking half&half tea but I want to completely cut it out.
I haven't decided if Splenda or Truvia counts but my main concern is just
normal Sweet Tea.
I will be posted a blog soon and maybe even a video full of pictures from January.
Talk to y'all soon! <3
Carrie C.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January 10th, 2012
Time to play catch up! I'll have to update you on the past couple days since I have been super busy getting ready for school and such. This past weekend was such a blast but slammed packed! So try to keep up with this super condensed version of my past couple days.
Friday and Saturday I worked all day long which was super exhausting. After we closed Saturday night David (another manager) and I had to stay late (midnight & beyond) to change & fix a couple things. Since minimum wage went up to $7.67 earlier this month our prices went up (chain wide) and I was the lucky gal to change them all while David fixed the grille and a register. But it wasn't that bad just tedious.
Sunday I woke up fairly early to meet Darius & David for breakfast at Ihop before we headed to Universal Studios for our Chick-fil-A Group Christmas Trip. Around 1:30 I left Universal and met up with Matt, Jordan, Sara & Kaley at Disney's Animal Kingdom, which was a part of Kaley's Christmas gift! We spent the rest of the day park hopping and actually visited all four parks! At the end of the day I was exhausted!
Work came all to soon on Monday. I worked 11-7 which isn't bad but I was groggy all day from walking around all day on Sunday. Probably should have found a day before school to rest, oh well. Live and learn. Had many people upset about prices raising but what can ya do? We had no control over it... We also rolled out our new Kids Meal Options! Grilled Chicken Nuggets and Apple Sauce! Both yummy and healthier alternatives. After work stuck around a little bit and registered Darius for classes and then went home to help Jessica, my sister, register for classes. Afterwards I ran to Walmart with Matt to pick up some last minute things for school. Can't start school with out paper!
Today was my first day of school and that start of my Senior year! woohooo! Very long day, especially 17 credit hours, but I am determined to get straight A's!! I can't remember if I have shared my classes with you but here they are!
1. Managerial Accounting - 3 Credits
2. Hospitality Law - 3 Credits
3. Tourism Management - 3 Credits
4. Theme Park and Attraction Management - 3 Credits
5. Guest Services - 3 Credits
6. Guest Lectures - 1 Credit
7. Internship - 1 Credit
All of my classes are being spread out between Tuesday and Friday, which is the most amount of days I have had classes since I began college, so I can't really complain. I didn't even have to buy all my books!! Which is super exciting if you know how much books cost! Two of my books a friend gave me since he already has taken the classes (THANK YOU TIMMY), one class doesn't require a book, and two classes I found the books on Amazon for way cheaper! SO yeah for free to cheap books!
Picked up Jess on my way home (it was her first day of college classes at Valencia) and we grabbed lunch at Tijuana Flatts. Stopped by Goodwill on our way home and then I went and hung out with Matt for just a bit. Had dinner with the family and reviewed all my class work for this semester.
Friday and Saturday I worked all day long which was super exhausting. After we closed Saturday night David (another manager) and I had to stay late (midnight & beyond) to change & fix a couple things. Since minimum wage went up to $7.67 earlier this month our prices went up (chain wide) and I was the lucky gal to change them all while David fixed the grille and a register. But it wasn't that bad just tedious.
Sunday I woke up fairly early to meet Darius & David for breakfast at Ihop before we headed to Universal Studios for our Chick-fil-A Group Christmas Trip. Around 1:30 I left Universal and met up with Matt, Jordan, Sara & Kaley at Disney's Animal Kingdom, which was a part of Kaley's Christmas gift! We spent the rest of the day park hopping and actually visited all four parks! At the end of the day I was exhausted!
Work came all to soon on Monday. I worked 11-7 which isn't bad but I was groggy all day from walking around all day on Sunday. Probably should have found a day before school to rest, oh well. Live and learn. Had many people upset about prices raising but what can ya do? We had no control over it... We also rolled out our new Kids Meal Options! Grilled Chicken Nuggets and Apple Sauce! Both yummy and healthier alternatives. After work stuck around a little bit and registered Darius for classes and then went home to help Jessica, my sister, register for classes. Afterwards I ran to Walmart with Matt to pick up some last minute things for school. Can't start school with out paper!
Today was my first day of school and that start of my Senior year! woohooo! Very long day, especially 17 credit hours, but I am determined to get straight A's!! I can't remember if I have shared my classes with you but here they are!
1. Managerial Accounting - 3 Credits
2. Hospitality Law - 3 Credits
3. Tourism Management - 3 Credits
4. Theme Park and Attraction Management - 3 Credits
5. Guest Services - 3 Credits
6. Guest Lectures - 1 Credit
7. Internship - 1 Credit
All of my classes are being spread out between Tuesday and Friday, which is the most amount of days I have had classes since I began college, so I can't really complain. I didn't even have to buy all my books!! Which is super exciting if you know how much books cost! Two of my books a friend gave me since he already has taken the classes (THANK YOU TIMMY), one class doesn't require a book, and two classes I found the books on Amazon for way cheaper! SO yeah for free to cheap books!
Picked up Jess on my way home (it was her first day of college classes at Valencia) and we grabbed lunch at Tijuana Flatts. Stopped by Goodwill on our way home and then I went and hung out with Matt for just a bit. Had dinner with the family and reviewed all my class work for this semester.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
January 5th, 2012
After a restless night of sleep I ended up sleeping in a little later than I had planned. Woke up and sold back one of my texts books to Amazon! Made about $40 on a book I was gunna give away, so I can turn around and pay for the two books I haven't gotten yet.
Which by the way, two books are costing me over $130. I know that is semi-cheap when being compared to other majors books, but come on, hospitality classes should be more hands on learning, not so much text book definitions. The hospitality industry isn't about terms and definitions its about quality service and good experiences. People aren't going to learn that from a textbook. Just saying. Now that I am done ranting about how I think Rosen College should teach I will move on..
Rachael & Kurtis got sent home early because of a virus that is going around their school, lucky dogs. So Jess, Rache & I went to Panera Bread for lunch and then to Target, Ulta, Goodwill & K-Mart. Had a fun day hanging out with my sisters, I don't get to do it that often and when we do its always a good time. Dinner with Matt & his family at Italian Garden. They have some yummy garlic knots and stuffed pizza!
Which by the way, two books are costing me over $130. I know that is semi-cheap when being compared to other majors books, but come on, hospitality classes should be more hands on learning, not so much text book definitions. The hospitality industry isn't about terms and definitions its about quality service and good experiences. People aren't going to learn that from a textbook. Just saying. Now that I am done ranting about how I think Rosen College should teach I will move on..
Rachael & Kurtis got sent home early because of a virus that is going around their school, lucky dogs. So Jess, Rache & I went to Panera Bread for lunch and then to Target, Ulta, Goodwill & K-Mart. Had a fun day hanging out with my sisters, I don't get to do it that often and when we do its always a good time. Dinner with Matt & his family at Italian Garden. They have some yummy garlic knots and stuffed pizza!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
January 4th, 2012
So my original plan when I made the resolution to blog more wasn't to blog everyday, but somehow it has turned into that. I don't plan on being able to keep up with it as easily once school starts. I am very excited about knowing exactly how my next couple months are going to play out when it comes to my schedule.
I have such an awesome work family and boss who are all super flexible with my school schedule, I couldn't ask for more from them! I will hopefully be able to have Saturday nights off so Matt and I can start attending Saturday Night church again. School will consume me from Tuesday through Friday morning, so no work any of those days. Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays are the only days I will be working, which is a scary shift from my usual Monday - Friday schedule.
I am excited about signing up for a photography class that is 9 weeks long. I have taken photography classes before but I seam to learn more and more with each intro/beginner class I take. This class should be a nice outlet for me during this crazy semester! If anyone is interested it is completely FREE and is offered by @littlefashiondiary (from instagram). The class is online and she is actually a high school photography teacher! Also, check out below, in the photo challenge part of this post, the boot toppers @littlefashiondiary made! She was selling them in the month of December and I couldn't pass them up!
http://www.littlefashiondiary.com/ <-- Sign up for the class & let me know if you do :)
Today I woke up and knocked out a big portion of my laundry I have been putting off. Worked from four till close and work went pretty well considering we were on our toes waiting for Corporate to show up. Came home, blogged, crashed.
Today's photo challenge was to take a picture of your letterbox, but since we are in 2012 I took a photo of my email inbox on my phone, which I use way more than my actual mail box. I also included in the picture the boot toppers I got in the mail today! Aren't they adorable??
What am I listening to while writing this blog? Boyce Avenue, Katy Perry & Gym Class Heroes.
What did I watch on YouTube today? SHAYTARDS, CTFxC, Ellen, Justin Bieber, Moms View, Grid
Monster, Luke Conard, Shane Dawson, Brittani Louise Taylor....
Random Question of the Day: Who made the last incoming call on your phone? Matthew, my bf.
I have such an awesome work family and boss who are all super flexible with my school schedule, I couldn't ask for more from them! I will hopefully be able to have Saturday nights off so Matt and I can start attending Saturday Night church again. School will consume me from Tuesday through Friday morning, so no work any of those days. Mondays, Fridays & Saturdays are the only days I will be working, which is a scary shift from my usual Monday - Friday schedule.
I am excited about signing up for a photography class that is 9 weeks long. I have taken photography classes before but I seam to learn more and more with each intro/beginner class I take. This class should be a nice outlet for me during this crazy semester! If anyone is interested it is completely FREE and is offered by @littlefashiondiary (from instagram). The class is online and she is actually a high school photography teacher! Also, check out below, in the photo challenge part of this post, the boot toppers @littlefashiondiary made! She was selling them in the month of December and I couldn't pass them up!
http://www.littlefashiondiary.com/ <-- Sign up for the class & let me know if you do :)
Today I woke up and knocked out a big portion of my laundry I have been putting off. Worked from four till close and work went pretty well considering we were on our toes waiting for Corporate to show up. Came home, blogged, crashed.
January 2012 Photo Challenge: Day Four: Letterbox
What am I listening to while writing this blog? Boyce Avenue, Katy Perry & Gym Class Heroes.
What did I watch on YouTube today? SHAYTARDS, CTFxC, Ellen, Justin Bieber, Moms View, Grid
Monster, Luke Conard, Shane Dawson, Brittani Louise Taylor....
Random Question of the Day: Who made the last incoming call on your phone? Matthew, my bf.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
January 3rd, 2012
Happy third day of the year! I woke up to a text from my boyfriend, Matt, and it was a picture of his thermometer in his car. 37 degrees?!?!?!?! Florida, whats going on? I had friends who were at the beach on Sunday and now that its Tuesday you want to go all freezing col don us? Rude.
Today was all about school for me. I spent the day reviewing what I needed for my classes, searching for the best deal on text books and even trying to plan out my next 1-2 semesters of classes that I need to graduate. Pretty surreal to think about graduating, being 'thrown' out into the 'real' world.
After spending the day slaving away over school, before it even begins mind you, I decided to make dinner with my sisters for the fam & Matt. Learning more about cooking was one of my New Year Goals so I am very proud of myself for getting off on a good start! Don't worry, I will continue to post about the food I find myself creating, good or bad.
Jessica made the appetizers, which didn't end up being ready until the rest of the food, but her fried raviolis were delish and worth the wait! I made the main course, Rigatoni Pasta Pie & Parmesan Garlic Knots, nommm noommm noomm!
After dinner Rachael made us Mini Hersey Kiss Pies, which were so yummy I didn't take time to get a picture! But I will post the link to everything below!
The family & Matt decided to watch the new Planet of the Apes, which turned out to be pretty good surprisingly! We enjoyed the delish dessert with some hot coffee getting all toasty by the fire while watching a movie, pretty perfect if I do say so myself!
After spending the day slaving away over school, before it even begins mind you, I decided to make dinner with my sisters for the fam & Matt. Learning more about cooking was one of my New Year Goals so I am very proud of myself for getting off on a good start! Don't worry, I will continue to post about the food I find myself creating, good or bad.
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| Rigatoni Pasta Pie |
 |
| First time making Garlic Knots and they were so yummy! |
After dinner Rachael made us Mini Hersey Kiss Pies, which were so yummy I didn't take time to get a picture! But I will post the link to everything below!
The family & Matt decided to watch the new Planet of the Apes, which turned out to be pretty good surprisingly! We enjoyed the delish dessert with some hot coffee getting all toasty by the fire while watching a movie, pretty perfect if I do say so myself!
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| Cozy fireplace <3 |
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| Kurtis enjoying the movie from his bean bag. |
January 2012 Instagram Photo Challenge: Day Three - Something You Adore
I have been doing this photo challenge on Instagram that has you post a photo of something specific everyday and it is really interesting what everyone posts and everyone's different take on it. Today was, 'Something You Adore' & I most definitely ADORE this promise ring my boyfriend gave me. <3 Follow me on Instagram --> countrywildflowers
What am I listening to while blogging today???
Beyonce mix
Pasta Pie
http://noblepig.com/2009/03/18/when-the-moon-hits-the-sky.aspx
Easy Parmesan Garlic Knots
Fried Raviolis
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