Why mess with a good thing?

Many people believe that you can continually improve on things and ALWAYS make them better, more efficient, more effective, etc. And I'm in agreement that most of the time that's true. However, there are certain things that should NEVER have been "improved upon," and since I have nothing else to say, I'm going to give you my short list of things that were fine, just the way they were. (Totally random, I know...)

1) Plain M&M's. They have a delicious candy coating, and a rich, chocolatey middle. Why would you want to change that simple beauty by adding nuts/pretzels/peanut butter?

2) The opening animated graphic at the movies, where it looked like you were riding a roller coaster of film. That was so fun, flying up and down, passing popcorn constellations, etc. It was almost the best part of any movie! Maybe it was just an Ohio thing, but if anyone else has seen it, you know what I mean.

3) Mattresses. OK, on this one, I'm torn. I love my pillow top mattress. But I have to believe I'd be SO much more productive if I still had my old, hard, doesn't-give-you-any-reason-to-stay-in-bed-on-a-Monday-morning mattress.

I'm running out of steam here. Feel free to add to this list by posting a comment with YOUR list of things that were good enough just as they were.

That's all I have for right now, but if you've got things to add to the list, feel free to comment.

I'm getting so sentimental these days

With 11 days left before the big move, most of my boxes are packed. But I think I should have waited before packing the Kleenex... I seem to be coming down with a case of weepies. So here's a tribute to just SOME of the people that have made life in Memphis great.

Katie came over yesterday to help me pack the kitchen. We spent hours just chatting away, and before I knew it my entire kitchen was stuffed into six large boxes. This makes me reflect on the fact that Katie and I have one of the easiest friendships I've ever known. Being able to just chit chat with her made the unbearable task of kitchen-packing fly by in a flash. While it makes me sad to know she won't be "just down the street" anymore, I know that we're going to continue on the way we always have. When we pick up the phone to chat, I have a feeling time will still fly. And I may not be able to remember what we talked about, but I know it'll be fun.

For those of you that don't know the Verks, they're my second family. They've been an amazing support system for my six years in Memphis, and even before that. Aunt Deknees is my mom's identical twin, so I guess that kinda makes her like a mom to me, since they're genetically a clone of one another. Uncle Rich always keeps me out of trouble, and my cousins, Ashley and Ryan, are practically siblings to me. (And the amount of mischief we managed to get into as kids never ceases to amaze me now that I'm older. Wes, if you ever read this, sorry for hitting you in the head with a line-drive Easter egg. I guess that wasn't very nice.)

I digress.

Anyway, the point is that I've loved being part of the Verk's extended family. Tonight, my aunt got tickets for a suite at Autozone Park to see the Redbirds. Although I have no idea what happened on the field, I know that a lot of fun took place inside the suite.

Here are the highlights:
1) Tyler was serenaded for his first birthday, and he got to try ice cream for the first time. He seemed sleepy prior to the ice cream, but now I understand what's truly meant when people say "sugar rush" because he was bouncing off the walls immediately after ice cream consumption. What a joy to see him laugh and play, and to watch everyone be "kids" again just playing with Ty!
2) Rocky the Redbird flashed me. That's right. He pulled up his jersey and flashed me. I've met Rocky several times in the years I've lived in Memphis. Never, ever, did I dream he'd flash me. But he did. What a way to cap off my time in Memphis!

For all the times the Verks took care of me, I wish there was some gift I could give that would let them know how much I've appreciated their love and kindness. I suppose for now, I'll just say "thanks for being my family away from home."

Déjà vu anyone?

At some point in our lives, we've all wished we could go back to another time and relive the "good old days." I used to say if I had to pick, I'd go back and re-do my time in Athens at Ohio University. Those, for me, were the good old days. No bills, no worries, good friends, and something fun always around the corner. Plus we had some pretty great Halloween parties.

Well, I'm grown up now. I've got six years of marketing experience under my belt, and an MBA. And it is beginning to look like I'm going to get my wish of going back to my undergrad days. Why, you ask? Because it appears that I'll be retaking elementary courses like Freshman English in order to earn a bachelor's of science in nursing.

I want to believe that this is the right decision. And I know it's going to be hard. But I just didn't think it was going to be this hard. I feel like I'm fighting for every step of the admissions process, and each time I get a step ahead, something comes through and pushes me three steps back. Or, in this case, 10 years back in the educational scale.

I believe that people make decisions, and whether they're "right" or "wrong," we learn to live with them and make the most of those decisions. I've made my decision to leave my job and move to follow my heart. And I still believe I'm doing it for the right reasons. I'm just beginning to worry that I'm not going to get what I'm looking for in terms of an education, and I don't know where that leaves me.

This photo has nothing to do with this blog post. I suppose I've put it here to cheer up my readers (all two of you) after such a depressing post. So here's Rizzlekins, trying to make you smile.