I'm a Big Girl Now! (Almost)

Hello, again Blogger.



Been a while since I last posted for you!  So, here's whats going on in my life right now:

• doing the whole job search thing
• still unpacking from college & from getting back from Ashley's where I spent the summer
• have successfully managed to visit a majority of my friends up in VT since I've been home
• trying to decide where I'm going to live; and if/when I can afford to move in on my own
• managing how weird it feels to not be moving back into college today

Originally the plan was for Rosie and I to get an apartment in Barre, but that's not a healthy decision for me for lots of reasons which I don't really wish to divulge to strangers on the internet.  Let's just say I have a past   with Barre and I don't want to put myself in a position where I will feel unsafe or ambushed.

SO-I am contemplating where I really want to be so I can start job searching in that area and figure out life piece by piece.  To start I'll be living at home and commuting to work wherever I decide is the area I want to reside, so I'm trying to be smart and realistic about what I can afford, how much commuting my car can take until I make the big move, and where the best place for me is in Vermont.  

In the meantime I'm daydreaming about what it'll be like to finally be on my own, to be a real adult working the typical American 40 hr week, and how incredible it'll feel to finally be financially independent from my family.  I can't wait to be able to pay all my own bills every month while chipping away at my student loans that will be coming due in a few more months!  However, step 1 is finding that first career-level job to put my degree to work.

Self-sufficiency at it's finest!!!

I'll need lots of luck so feel free to leave your well-wishes below.  Much appreciated!

If anyone has any suggestions or tips on searching for and obtaining a first apartment or what the first year out of college looks like-feel free to leave those below as well.

From my brain to yours,

xoxo Megan

My Big Decision

Today is the day.

Friday the 13th, 2012.

I have officially written to The University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH to see if they can defer my acceptance for a year.  Which means....

I have decided to find an awesome full time job with benefits for at least a year, and to get an apartment in Barre, VT with Rosie!!!

I'm so excited!  I can't wait to find my financial foothold as a real adult and to finally be able to feel financially independent from my family!  I'll be able to afford my own things, my mom won't be stuck with my bills as well as hers anymore, and it'll just be much better for everyone, all around.  =)

I have been applying for jobs like a crazy person.  Hopefully one of them (a few, preferably) will want me and be willing to take me on.  I'd love to find at least one, but it'd be nice to have a choice, as well.  "The starting median salary for a social worker [is] $33,400" (http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/media/nasw-responds-to-article-on-worst-paying-college-degrees.html).  That's a $676 paycheck every week (before taxes), which is $17.41/hr if you work a 40 hr week.  I mean, according to the article it's 'supposedly' one of the worst paying college degrees, but $17/hr is more than I've ever been paid in my lifetime.  Clearly, I will be very excited about this kind of paycheck.

I'm also SUPER EXCITED to start my first ever apartment hunt!  Luckily Rosie is also looking for a new place to live right now, so we're trying to find a nice 2 bedroom and split all the costs for rent/utilities/etc.

Probably what we'll have to use for furniture at least to get started...

I can't wait to start my real adult life and to live in an apartment which for the first time, I'll finally be able to afford!  AHH! 

Please wish me luck in all my endeavors.  I have a lot to learn and get used to as I get ready to embark on my new life path, so I'll need all the well-wishing I can get!

My goal is to get moved into a nice cozy apartment (with heat included in the rent price) before the snow flies in Vermont.  If you have any advice please leave it below!

Dark Moments in Cumby's

What's this?

This is Cumby's in Montpelier, VT.

Kind of sketch, right?  Yeah, I think so too.

Anywho, behold the tales of Friday, 11/12/2010:

After leaving U-32 and having watched Erin Galligan-Baldwin's phenomenal A Midsummer's Night Dream, Jake, Ryan and I decided we should stop at Cumby's because we were all hungry.  Well, as if that weren't the worst decision in the world.

A tiny Latina woman was working the counter and she appeared to be alone.  Cumby's was pretty hoppin' when we got there.  There was a truck parked getting gas, and about 4-5 customers inside.  (Yes, this is considered busy by Vermont standards.)  Jake, Ryan and I enter to begin scouring the place for food items that catch our eye. 

"Wait, where's the chocolate milk?" I wailed. 

(There was no apparent regular-sized drinkable container of chocolate milk-which made me very sad as my throat was starting to get a bit scratchy.) 

Eventually Ryan saved the day and found some for me.  :) 

We all eventually get in line with our less-than-nutritional food choices and are chatting back and forth.  Then, this true Redneck VT Hick assclown comes in and is all like, "WHEAS MY FUCKIN' GAS CYLINDAH?  I BEEN WAITIN' ABOUT 20 FUCKIN' MINITS!  I GOT THINGS TA DO!  WHAT'S GOIN' ON?"

The poor Latina woman replies, "I'm so sorry.  I have customers..."

"NOW!" he cuts her off.

Well....that's nice.

The woman asks if I mind waiting for a few minutes while she goes to help him.  I say no, not at all, and she walks out into the darkness. 

30 seconds pass...

2 minutes pass...

5 minutes pass...

"Uhm.....so, is she still alive, or....?" we collectively ask.

This was getting to be incredibly sketchy.  We couldn't tell if he had taken her around back and killed her, or was in the process of abducting her.  The security camera feed was appearing on a television right in the store, but there was no camera focused around back where I believe the gas cylinders were located.  Shoot.  Well....okay.

Things got awkward as we continued to stand there for about 7 minutes total.  In the meantime, guy after consecutively sketchy guy continued to enter Cumby's.  There were about 8 people in line by the time the FINAL guy came in. 

"I'll help you guys in just a few minutes." he said as he walked around behind the counters.  Wait, where did he come from?  WTF?!

Obviously he worked there because he knew how to work the cash register, but Ryan and Jake apparently thought all of these guys were in on robbing the store or something.  I guess they thought the guy behind the counter was the ringleader?  Hahaha.  I have to admit that never really crossed my mind at the time, but is really quite amusing in retrospect.

Finally we were able to purchase our items and GTFO! 

So, if you have a hankering for Cumby's after seeing a high school play in Montpelier--my recommendation?

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Looking Down: I See Boobs!

Soooo....some of you may be baffled at the title.  Understandably so.

Here's what I mean.

When I came to college, I was overweight enough where when I looked down the front of my body, I saw boobs and then a few inches of protruding tummy beyond that.  Now when I look down...I just see boobs!!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!  This means I've probably lost some inches on my tummy area, but I'll be able to validate that more when I'm able to find some quiet time to strip down and take my measurements.  (It's really rather difficult in college with people around all the time.)  I'm not knocking it though, all summer I craved more interaction with people my own age.  Well, now I've got it.

I'm very excited for weigh-in on Sunday.  Also, I've gone in to reset my WW points.  I had been allotted 32 points per day, but now that I've indicated that I'm walking most of the time, I'm allowed 37 points per day.  No WONDER I've been starving at the end of the day.  I'm doing some serious calorie burning by walking everywhere (especially to Ryan's dorm room-which is 5 stories up-and elevators are not an option.)

To add on the subject of my diminishing belly bulge, I feel like I can account to the other reason I've lost some of it.  First, there's the exercise portion which obviously helps, regardless.  But then there's the food choices.  Case in point:  I looooooove warm bagels with cream cheese.  They taste so good, and it's essentially a comfort food.  However, bread expands in your stomach-therefore creating extra pudge and bloat during the day.  I've been really careful about choosing lots of fruits in the morning for breakfast (I need to start working more protein in in my breakfasts as well-but I'm working on that,) and having at LEAST 1 salad a day with either lunch or dinner.  I like to try to have a bigger lunch because then your body has the entire rest of the day to digest that.  Dinner should be something simple yet effective.  Half a plate of veggies or fruits, 1/4 plate of protein/fiber, 1/4 plate of whole grains. 

I'm having a bit of a battle with the "whole grains" thing.  The prepared meals I've been getting are more geared either towards straight up carbs (lunch), or lots of veggies/healthy stuff that'll digest within the next hour or so (dinner-usually.)  Maybe I should work on making deli choices for lunch instead, and then asking for whole grain bread.  That may help.  :)  Plus any cold cut means will be protein.  Hmmm...excellent.

Also-on a side note.  I splurged last night.  It's been around 90 degress EVERDAY of college so far.  It's sooooooo hot.  Vermont is NOT supposed to be 90 degress.  Ever.  Okay, maybe one or two days out of August, but not for weeks at a time.  It was in the 70s and 80s before I left for college back in Lyndonville, and now that I'm back in Burlington where the weather is naturally about 5 degress warmer than home anyway, the temp decides it needs to skyrocket.  Because of this, I had a chocolate creemee for desert yesterday with Hershey's chocolate sauce.  I don't regret it.  :)

Anywho, I've got to wrap up this post for now because I have class in a half hour and I'd like some time to center myself before going up to campus for 3 classes.  To everyone out there-good luck with your weight loss plan or with your making healthier lifestyle choices plan!  I'm always here...going through the same process with you.

Chin up, kids!

<3 Megan <3

My Pores Still Work

Hi, all!

Yesterday I got my exercise in!  Too bad it was 97 degrees outside, but you take what you can get I suppose.

I went on my 6 hr field trip with my Intro to Bio class I've been taking at CCV this summer.  Around 9:30-10am, we arrived at our first stop.  After a 15-20 min climb up a hill of about a 70 degree incline, we made it to our first site.  (This was when I almost passed out about three times from my heart working too hard-just FYI.)  I WAS keeping myself hydrated.  That is SUPER important on a day where the heat is through the roof.  However, my instructor thought that we all hiked on a regular basis or something so she went like 80 mph up the hill (that's legit-haha.)  Anywho, after finally arriving and noticing my skin seep sweat everywhere, I cooled off by listening to our instructor talk for about 10 minutes.  Whew.  Yep, sweat is rolling down my body everywhere.  Fantastic.

(Skip all the boring searches we did in the stream, our findings, and our next 45-50 min talk.) Actually-we did find a Northern Dusky Salamander which was cute, but that was about it.

Our next site after climbing back down the mountain was on the Mad River in Waitesfield.  WATER.  I WISH I'd had my bathing suit, because that is the most awesome swimming hole I've seen in a LONG time.  Ryan-we're going.  No questions.  Get in the car.  NOW.  Hahaha.  So, when we got there we ate lunch, and then talked for another 20-30 mins, THEN we got to go walk through the river.  OOOOHHH it felt SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.  Like, you have NO idea.  Unfortunately this site was out in the open sun.  And me being a redhead and all, I wasn't expecting that to go over too well.  Fortunately for me though, I was smart that morning and had brought sunblock to put on before we left.  As of now, I'm about three shades darker than I was pre-field trip.  Awesome!  I was thinking I would have had to reapply my sunblock more often than just the once in the morning because the sunblock was about a year old, and I had been sweating all morning.  Yup, my pores still work okay.

Regardless, this second site was MUCH more enjoyable.  No evil horseflies trying to get a chunk out of you, no 70 degree incline of a hill, and plenty of water to go around.  If I hadn't been worried about getting Beth's car all wet on our ride back, I would TOES have completely submerged myself.

It was all a good time.  My body still remembers how to sweat, and I made it out alive.

YAY!

<3 Megan <3

Home

The past 24 hours have sucked. 

I left Burlington to come home for the summer.  I am separated from my twin, my best college friends are still in Burlington or heading for Cape, and I'M SO ALONE!!!! :(

Granted, it's really nice to be home to see my family.  But I am really going to miss all the people my age walking the streets at all hours of the day and night.  (Except for probably 6am-8am.) 

Currently I am sitting on my bed in my room after having showered, and I am waiting for someone to get online.  This is how much of a life I have.  Sleeping in my own bed is going to be magical, but Ryan isn't here to cuddle with.  FMLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

<3

I will miss you all dearly.  I hope you have a fabulous summer, stay safe, and be good to each other.

I'll keep you posted whenever something exciting happens here in L-ville!

Love always,
Megan

P.S. Completely Unrelated- last night while on our last trip to Champ Farms until August, I slipped and fell in the mud in my pjs.  It felt worse than it looked....and it looked horrible.  Fortunately-the fall was really graceful and I didn't injur anything.  Just my ego. :)

CCV

I had my meeting with my Academic Advisor, Fred, this past week.  Basically we met to discuss what my class schedule would look like for next semester, and to make sure I'm on track with all the classes I need to be taking.  Indeed, I am well on my way!  However, when we looked at possibilities for next semester, I had 3-4 classes listed, which I needed to pick 2 of.  One of these classes was a science with a lab.  Now, granted I am already signed up to be taking 6 classes next semester, but I don't want to have to waste class space while I'm here over the school year to take my required science with a lab.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

Fred suggested I look into CCV about taking my science with a lab class over the summer through them.  Hmmmm...that would be cool.  First off, when I go home I get really bored because I'm so isolated from everyone else my age.  It's so much easier here in B-town to go walk 10-15 mins and BAM! You find your friends!  In Lyndonville, I could DRIVE for 15 mins and still not see anyone my age.  Having a summer class like this would A) Prevent extreme boredom and isolation, B) Allow for some NICE summer morning/afternoon driving :), and C) Allow me to potentially make some new friends in other areas of  VT.  I'm almost positive that the CCV classes have many adult students, students my age, and even some students that are in high school.  This will allow me to socialize myself nicely!

So far, I think it might work!  Unfortunately, the science with a lab course wasn't being offered in St. J, so that means I will have to drive an hour to the city where I'm going to actually be taking this class, but like I said, it will allow for some beautiful driving.  (Plus it'll help me get my driving fix for the week, having to drive over there 2 days out of the week.)  Mmmmm...I like it! 

It definitely looks like a plus on just about all sides except for payment...but we might even be able to work that out as well.  WIN!

Now I have to try to see when the CCV offices are open so I can get in to speak with someone.  I may try this afternoon after I man the table for Accepted Students Day by being on the student SWK panel (so basically, students and their parents can come ask me about the program and teachers and such.) Yay!  I'm pumped.  (Plus I get $50 out of it....so I'm all about making $50 in about 1.25 hours. hahaha!!)

Whooooot!  Well, I am going to go finish the rest of my day.  Wish me luck, everyone!

~Megan

Velvet Visits Vermont

This weekend, I took Velvet home with me to the boonies of VT.

We drove everywhere, including Littleton, NH (tax-free state!!!), and even up around Willoughby Lake.  It would have been perfect if the rain had disappeared.

But at least most of our leaves are starting to have turned, and we have lots of yellows, reds, and oranges up my way.  Can't wait to get into the full swing of fall.  :D

Weight Watchers has pretty much gone out the window since Thursday, and I'll have to jump back on the bandwagon starting tomorrow.  Velvet and I made another PIE for my family--and it looks fantastic.  MMMMMmmmmmmmmmm.....pie.

Being home has been nice (I got to drive my mom's standard again...yay!!!!!), but I can't wait to get back to Burlington and the dorm life.  Growing up as an only child has been great, but I'm used to the hustle and bustle of the dorm life with people running and stomping up and down stairs at all hours of the night and day.  I kind of miss that.  :(

I will keep everyone posted when I get back to Burlington bright and early tomorrow morning!

Chin up, kiddos.  The rain won't be here forever. :)

xoxoxo
Love,
Megan