Update

New Things:

- Tomorrow I start school
- American Idol auditions were today and I was too chicken to go
- Still working at Brio and this will be the first time that I work and go to school at the same time
- I am having anxiety over parking on campus...
- I should have called my sister at least a week ago to see how her class is going :(
- I watched the Fantasia Barrino story on Lifetime tonight
- In my new apartment officially now
- Tentatively have decided to do the full Mercedes Marathon in February this time... we'll see...
- My little beta fish is over a YEAR old now
- I am horrible at keeping up this blog
- I was stupid and signed up for ANOTHER 8:00 class so I have to go to bed now

Graduation, Cats, and Fish

My brother graduates high school!!!



Craig gets recognized for his academic achievements! Woooo! Smart kid.



Craig is fixing to get his diploma.



My roommate got a new kitty! How CUTE!!!



I actually caught this fish. No lie. Well, Zac helped me reel it in. But it's my fish. It was crazy!

School's out for summer!!!

Yes, I have completed my second year of college. The most important thing that I have learned this year is that college is a special time in a person's life that must be appreciated. Think about it: you are semi-independent, yet still financially supported, you only have to go to class a maximum of 3 hours a day, and you only get stressed out about once a month when exams happen. It's a magical time that should be cherished.

In other news, I am now working as a hostess at Brio Tuscan Grill, an Italian restaurant by Brookwood Mall. The most important thing I have learned from working as a hostess is to never complain about a table that the host takes me to. Hosts have rotations that they follow to ensure that every server gets an equal amount of tables. Come on people, it's just a table. The food tastes the same no matter where you sit.

I have officially learned how to broil now. Zac and I have been experimenting with the concept on steaks and pork chops seeing as we do not have a grill. We have also been experimenting with different types of seasoning and marinade as a result of watching the food network at least one to two hours a day. Oh my god, what happens to people when they grow up?

Speaking of growing up, my brother graduated high school two days ago. Crazy. I took a million pictures, which I'd like to post, especially for Kate. However, Zac decided he has the cooler computer so we are using his right now. And I can't make it do ANYTHING I want it to do. Big surprise. So whenever Zac figures it out, they will be posted. If not, I am coming in a few days anyway Kate!!!

Wooooooooo!

To Mr. Zac Terrell

Okay Mr. Internet, here's the deal. A certain someone is very agitated that I have yet to formally introduce you to him so this whole blog entry is dedicated to one of the most important and special people in my life.

Here is my very cute and very sweet and very lovable boyfriend, Zac.

He is a very smart fellow, who graduated salutatorian of his high school class!

Zac and I have been dating a little over four months. And in the summer when I get my apartment, he is going to buy me a kitty! :)

Zac's good for all kinds of stuff. Like when I don't want to study and I say, "Nooooo, I don't want to study!" He looks at me and says, "No American Idol till you study." And boom, the studying's done. And when the stupid girls at my old job made me cry, he said, "They are just jealous that you are so pretty." Hah! How awesome is that? He is a very good snuggler, and he eats whatever I put in front of him whenever I am in the mood to try some cooking experiments.

All in all, he is the perfect guy really. So here's to you Zac Terrell. You are the bestest. :)

Valentine's and Other Related Items

My favorite day ever just happened: VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Of course this meant that I must go all out and buy pretty things like a nice table cloth and pretty candle holders. I even attempted to cook for real. I made chicken stir fry and it was good and I freaked out.



I guess this means that I am getting old, because I am very excited about things like cooking food that actually tastes good, and making tables look pretty. I also bought Zac a cookie cake and then I ate about 75% of it myself.



Then I made Zac pose by all of his Valentine stuff, because I am a girl and we make guys do that kind of stuff. He was very cooperative about the whole process and never got impatient with me when I asked him about 47 times in two minutes if he liked what I cooked.



In other news, I didn't get the Homevestors job, but I did go on another interview with Warren Averett, a CPA firm. I'm actually starting to feel more comfortable with interviews, but I will probably always hate them due to my innate fear of anything stranger related. My sister understands this best, as we both clam up, avert our eyes, and begin to stutter in any situation that involves talking to someone that we are not familiar with, whether it be people who work in stores, hairstylists, or hostesses in restaurants.

I actually did feel more prepared for this one however, and things were going well until the subject of my GPA came up. "The only thing that I am concerned about with you, Carrie, is that you have a 4.0." Yes, that is what she said. Apparently people who have 4.0's tend to have trouble with detail work and getting things done on time because they are such perfectionists that it takes them awhile to get started. Yeah, I was definately caught off guard and pretty much speechless. So yeah.

Classes are going well. I have had almost all of my first tests in each class, and it looks like another good semester. But right now, I'm not sure if that's even a good thing!

Also, I ran my first half marathon on Sunday, February 12 here in Birmingham. I ran it in a little under two hours, which is approximately a 9 minute mile. I finished 7th out of 38 people in my age group, and 196th out of 1084 women overall. So it wasn't too bad. It was also about 29 degrees outside. I had EIGHT friends come see me plus my mom, so I was quite shocked about that. Because seriosly, it was 7:00 in the morning and it was 29 DEGREES outside.

So I feel loved right now and happy about classes and unhappy about classes and still a little sore. But overall, things are good.

Feeling Stressed

I am a little tightly wound stressball as of the moment. I recently discovered in my bank statement that the store where I returned two of my books took out $113 from my account instead of putting it in. So now I am $226 short in my checking account. $226 is a lot for me. It may not be for some people, but that is my hard earned money from this summer. What makes it worse is that I knew that it happened when I was in the store, but when I asked about it the girl just cocked an attitude and said that it was right. And I just didn't say anything. I knew, and I didn't say anything.

Also, I haven't heard about the job at all, which is making me feel uncomfortable and sad and self-concious all at once. She's supposed to call either way, but as the days progress, my hopes get dimmer and dimmer.

My computer class is probably the most stressful thing as of the moment. We've had a couple of lab days. Our teacher phrased it as such: "We have lab tomorrow. If you need to finish your homework, you can do it there." So Carrie thinks, "Wow, I'm done with my homework. I don't need to stay." Yeah. So I feel like a complete idiot, because everyone's been doing practice tests in lab, and getting help for the real test that I am going to have to take in two days! And I just feel so stupid, because I really should've figured that out. I really don't know anything about computers at all. I'm such a perfectionist about my grades, and I would just be so angry to have this stupid class mess it up.

Mostly, I have just turned into a really big girl about everything lately. And there is just no cure for that.

Some New Things

1. I am in the process of training for the Mercedes Half Marathon in Feb. And yes, that is 13.1 miles. My crazy father talked me into it. To date, I have worked my way up to 9 miles at about an 8:45 minute per mile pace. I'm hoping to run it at about an 8:30 pace, but I'll be happy if I just finish it. So, kids, it's Feb 12 at like 7:00 in downtown B'ham. Be there.
2. I am going to apply for a summer leadership programs for the Big Four CPA firms this summer. Each company will hold about a two to three day workshop where they look for interns for next summer.
3. I will try to get an internship next summer with one of the Big Four. If I get it I will be making between 13 and 20 dollars an hour, maybe more than 20 in some cases.
4. I am currently in the process of trying to get a job with Homevestors here in Birmingham. I will enter information into Quickbooks, answer phones, and basically anything else. I'm still waiting anxiously for other people to be interviewed. I should know later on this week or next week. I am very nervous. I don't like competition.
5. I had a pretty horrible Christmas break because I had to work with icky people.
6. My hair's getting long again.
7. I am in love with spin class and my spin teacher Monica. She is amazing.
8. My roommate and I are getting an apartment next year, because I can't even walk in my room and I am ready to be a grown up. It sounds fun.
9. I bought a bunch of "professional looking clothes," because, if things go according to plan, I might actually need them one day.
10. Professional looking clothes are very grown up and fun.