School's Out

I am officially done with classes! I put blood, sweat and tears in this program and I am so glad it is over. As always, my group members were burning the midnight oil, waiting up until the final hour to submit our assignment. I actually sighed relief after the work was submitted.

I mentioned to a particular guy that I would be celebrating the end of this exhausting program this weekend and he said that he wanted to take me out. Friday night, we went out for Sushi and also played pool later on in the evening. It definitely felt nice to be treated extra special on an evening that was so important to me.

Last night some of my classmates met up for Happy Hour. I really enjoyed my time and got to see a guy I hadn't seen since my trip to China. We had a good time and you would never know it had been a year since we've seen each other. He took me to breakfast this morning but will be leaving town in the morning. If we lived in the same state, I could totally see us together...I haven't had a weekend go this well in months!

I don't think all of this will feel real until I receive my degree in the mail. There are so many things that I have been slacking on due to school, well I no longer have that excuse and I'm ready. First things first, I need to start looking for a new place ASAP!!

Thank God I made it and I will be impatiently tapping my foot until that degree arrives!!

Continuous Downpour

I get a text Saturday that my Grandmother is in the hospital for dehydration and depression. I don't think she has been taking care of herself and eating since my Grandfather passed. Instantly I felt bad to hear this news. Truthfully, I've just been praying for a week of peace. My life has been in turmoil since May and I would love to have a week without tears.

School will be over soon and I cannot wait. One of my professors is so unprofessional. We had a scheduled meeting and he pulled a no-call, no-show and did not even apologize. Then the other class I'm taking, our group had the exact same answers as another group, we compared, he graded us significantly lower, like gave them an A and us a C. We emailed him about it, he re-checked and said he stands firm...but there is still the matter of us having the same answers as the group with the A. I don't know how to approach him again without throwing the other group under the bus.

Yesterday my mom texts that one of my brother's wives was in a very bad car accident and her car was totaled. I said to myself, I guess that stress-free week won't start this week. Thankfully, she is okay. We don't get along per se, but I do not wish bad on anyone.

I went to church Sunday for the first time in a couple of months. It felt good to be in the house of the Lord. I truly feel like my life is different when I'm away from church for an extended period of time. I got a call from the dealership and my car MAY be ready this week.

Peace be still........

All is Well

The new job has been keeping me super busy. There are days that I am in the office past time and I am one of those people who is ready to go at exactly quitting time! There is a lady who is older than me but who I am to begin supervising in the upcoming weeks. My boss was trying to give me time to get settled into my position before I had to begin my supervisory role but he thinks that this change needs to take effect sooner than later. The problem is that the lady pretty much feels that because I am younger than her, that she can boss me around. There have been a few instances that have made her feelings about where we stand pretty clear. Unfortunately, she is the only person unaware that I will be supervising her. She complains to me everyday about how she is overworked and underpaid and sometimes gets an attitudes with our superiors. I am so not looking forward to managing her.....

School is flying on by this semester. I have two very demanding classes that pretty much require that I attend online lectures. After last semester's fiasco but my group, new groups were formed and I was optimistic. One guy who was selling himself as such a great group member on the China trip has turned out to be a dud. He has really irked our group's nerves and last week, we submitted an assignment and purposely left his name off. All I can hope is that the fact that we left his name off the assignment will be a wake up call for him because he does not at all participate unless we pretty much stalk him.

I've been hanging out with a neighbor for a couple of months now. We thought it would be nice to not jump into a relationship, but to get to really know each other. I'm glad that we went about things this way. I have really been getting to know him and enjoy spending time with him, though at the same time I wonder if I can see myself in an actual relationship with him. At present, I am enjoying the moment. Do you guys know that people still ask me if Teddy has broken down and called me yet? How many months has it been? Please do yourself a favor and get over it...

Lastly, I am moving once again. I have a neighbor who has a verbally abusive man that just got out of jail. Every single day I hear him yelling at her telling her she is nothing, calling her out of her name and slamming doors, it is insane. The argument between them got so heated last night I decided to call the police but my friend talked me out of it. I'm just glad to be leaving this place. When I first moved here, it was a serene oasis but now it has turned into a dump that I can't wait to escape.

Back at Home

I'm back in the states!! My flight got in a little before midnight last night. I had a wonderful trip. I went to both Beijing and Shanghai and it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

The trip was structured so that we had seminars and also had the opportunity to explore the city. I met a few people who were very nice and I'm sure I will continue to keep in touch with. I also met a guy on the trip. At first, I thought that maybe he was a little peculiar because he kept looking at me. I guess I've been out of the loop for a minute because a class member brought to my attention that he just likes me and that's why he keeps staring.

Anyways he and I actually got to talking and were inseparable the rest of the trip. We hung out at night when the rest of the guys went to the club every evening, just talking. He's really sweet and everyone likes him, he has a way of making everyone feel comfortable. On the flight back from China, he got a lady to switch seats with me and even offered her $20. I thought that him making that gesture was super sweet. The only downfall is that he doesn't live in Texas but he's made it clear he'd like to talk anyway and questioned if I'd come visit if he bought a plane ticket for me.

My last official day of work was the Friday before I left for the trip. I have an interview tomorrow morning. I am so praying that I get this job, it's at my company but in a different department and it would be a promotion. I will keep you all posted. Oh and last thing I wanted to tell you all, I ended up getting a C- in my class, meaning I have to repeat thanks to my group members failure to get our video submitted on time. I am appealing the grade.

Un-Wonderful Time of the Year

It is budget time at work. It is my least favorite time of the year. I have worked 12 days straight and counting. I am scheduled to work both tomorrow and Sunday as well. I am so exhausted that my eyes have formed into slits.

I am not getting overtime but I am banking comptime which I will use to go on the trip with my MBA program. Although I originally signed up for the trip, that was before I found out about my whole job situation so mentally I opted out. All of a sudden last weekend in the midst of my stress, I decided that I needed a break and since my hotel and flight were paid for by the school, that I should take advantage of the once in a lifetime opportunity.

As I said earlier, I am just super tired and next week is the final week of classes so I have a ton of work to do. Next week is also the last week to wrap up the budget process at work so it will be hell on earth. It really hit me that my job will be no longer as I looked in our online system and saw that I was disapproved to receive funding for next fiscal year. I've been on a couple of interviews but no bites as of yet but I am still optimistic. I am noticing that a couple of people inquire about my pursuing my Master's, wondering how I will be able to work and attend school. I am half way through my program, obviously, I am doing something right. I am thinking about taking that off of my resume until I am finish. Does anyone have any advice on that?

Final Week

I am in the final week of classes. I'm so happy that I can hardly contain myself I have two projects and a post test to complete and I'll be done.

Did I mention I'm supposed to be going to China next month as a part of the MBA Program? I'm excited about the trip but seeing as though I'm at an HBCU, all the details have yet to come together. Shouldn't I know my flight and hotel information about a trip out of the country in a little over a month?

I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not, I'll keep you all posted.

I visited a new church with BeBe a couple weeks ago. I really enjoyed it so we went back last weekend. It is the exact opposite of the mega church I had been attending. The church owns a suite in an office building complex and it has no foyer. In the midst of service, you can hear the kids in the nursery through the paper thin walls. Despite theses details, I truly enjoy being there...There is a young lady who leads praise and worship that has one of the most beautiful voices I've heard in person. The Pastor shows pure, raw emotion and I like going.

I'm in the process of finding a counselor to work with Teddy and I so that we can work through our issues together. I've decided not to have a big wedding at home anymore. I told my mom yesterday and she was really upset. So there goes one more thing to occupy my thoughts as I try to come up with a way to please both her and Teddy, does it ever end?

The Haps

Hey Everyone!! I can't believe I've been away so long, I see how Mia can take such long breaks! Thanks to those of you who wondered about how I've been.

Let's get going, I finished my first semester of graduate school. I received an A- in my Finance Class and an A in my Communications course. There is a chick in my group that I'm stuck working with for an entire year, I've been doing a lot of praying, we've gotten into it three times already and the word bitch is on the tip of my tongue.

I finally moved from the projects into the burbs. Let me just tell you, it is like living in an entirely different world, the pic attached is the new place. I've decided I'm going to start posting more pics with my blog, to give you all more of a visual.

Work has been pleasingly quiet lately. I am actually starting back up my job search though before anything else pops up with the coworkers. I haven't brought lunch to work in a while since the incidents with my coworker mistaking my items for hers.

Unfortunately, not bringing my lunch means that I've been eating out a lot, not to mention drinking, see that pic attached too and have gained a good twenty-five pounds since this time last year. I know people are always making resolutions to lose weight in the new year but it is definitely a must for me, I'm busting out of my clothes.

I've made a great friend that I met at work and she and I live in the same neighborhood now. I really missed all my friends since I made the 3K mile move and I'm glad to have found a true friend here. She and I hang out a lot and have tons in common. When Teddy and I had some issues, she was just the true definition of a "girlfriend." Since she has lived here all her life, she has a ton of friends and I've gotten to meet quite a few of them. They remind me of my friends back home and they have invited me to several events that they've each had, it finally started to feel like I lived here and wasn't just visiting.

Things with Teddy are now better than they have ever been. Like a lot of couples, we went through a period where we weren't seeing eye to eye. Thankfully we worked everything out and are now planning for the future. He has really grown a lot since we first started dating and is continuing to grow into the man that I know he can be.

My sister is still planning to move down here to join me, not in my apartment though (thank God!) She graduated with her Masters in Education a couple of weeks ago and is now just waiting for a job. She and I have been on pretty good terms these last few months. We have had our normal disagreements but they usually only last a day or so and we're back to living life as if nothing happened. After deciding that she was tried of yo-yo dieting, she had gastric bypass surgery and is down about 60lbs. I know that outside appearance has nothing to do with how a person feels but she seems to have a bit more confidence lately.

I went home for a quick weekend a few months back, I had gotten a little homesick. My cousin had a bbq at her house and after a few hours and a liquor concotion, appropriately named, "Jungle Juice," things went horribly wrong. There were punches and smacks thrown and the police shut down the party. There is one cousin that none of us are really speaking with because she defended her boyfriend to the cops. We made ammends a couple of months ago, but things still feel weird. I'm hoping to get things back on track with all of us, since no one is really speaking to her.

My trip home for Christmas started off really well. The flight left on time, I met a nice man who chatted about his wife, job and dog. The ride had no turbulence and we even arrived on time. But as always, there has to be some type of drama. On our way back from an evening of hanging out, my sister, cousins and I were in an accident. There was a man waving cars down on the freeway and as we slowed down, we slid on black ice, hit his truck and ended up facing oncoming traffic. At that point, we decided to get out of the car and make it as quickly as we can to the embankment. It was super cold, a whopping 15 degrees and snowing. The good part is none of us was seriously injured, I'll add pics from that night too.

That is really all that's been happening this way. I am getting ready to straighten up a bit and enjoy the rest of my vacation from work. Teddy has plans for us tomorrow night and I'm looking forward to the year ahead. I still cannot believe that this year has gone by so fast. I'm going to be catching up on all your blogs over the next few days.

The final pic is of my baby!! See you in the new year!

*Edited to add- The pics are all out of order but pretty easy to figure out!

Pacing Myself

As life goes, it seems that things are all falling into place at once. In a month, I'll be starting classes and in about two months, I will finally be moving.

My sister is all over the place with her ideas. One minute, she wants to move down in January, the next, it's June. One second, she wants she and I to be roomies, the next, she'd like to get a third bedroom for our younger brother.

Then the other day she "so-called" lectured me about making the decision that is best for me, not for Teddy, her or my brother. I kind of sat there dumbfounded because she was the one putting the most pressure on me as far as living arrangements. She then went so far as to say that I'm only thinking about one area in particular because it's close to Teddy. I let her know that I liked the area I'm looking in before I even met Teddy. In fact, Toot and I went looking in that neighborhood back before I even met Teddy.

On the school front, I'm really excited that it will be starting school. I will need to come up with some type of schedule so that I make adequate time to study. When I think about the possibilities that an advanced degree could bring me, the future looks a lot brighter.

I've also been trying to watch what I eat, I'd love to drop some weight and fit comforably in my clothes again. I've joined a challenge with S23 that motivates me, even when I don't always make the best choices, I keep at it. Life is slowly, but surely beginning to move for me.

Decision Made

.....I've been accepted to the MBA program that I had my heart set on!! I'm SO happy! I told you all how I had been feeling about being stagnant with life.

I want to make the best of this next step in my life. I plan to study and learn like never before. If anyone has any tips, I'm open to suggestions. In undergrad, I'd find that I had read something but when it came to retaining the information, I came up short.

I shared the news with my parents and both were very excited for me. I hadn't told them that I was applying, just in case I didn't get the outcome I was after. My sister and Teddy were both very happy for me. He thinks it is so great that we will both be taking classes this semester. My sister truly has been my #1 supporter in this. She helped me in so many ways, including going to the school I received my Bachelors from and got transcripts for me.

Thanks to all of you who cheered me on while I prepared for the GMAT! I'm going to GRADUATE SCHOOL!!!!

Over My Head

I feel like I'm in over my head. I've tentively scheduled myself to take the GMAT a little over a month from today. I have dabbled in the review books but now is the time to crack down.

I opened one review guide I had yet to look over and felt like it was written in Japanese. I have never been too good at taking standardized tests and this test is so overwhelming. The thought of sitting for hours solving word problems that look like paragraphs has me petrified.

I know that the only thing that I can do to prepare is to study. When I was online earlier looking at the GMAT site, they stated that most people study between three to six months! I'm only giving myself a solid month, what am I doing?!

My plan is to register tomorrow so that I can get the date I need next month. The grad school application deadline is August 1st so it's pretty much take the test next month or wait yet another year to attempt starting grad school. I have been putting off this test for years and wasting time.

I have to put myself on a schedule and buckle down. I can't see letting another year passing me by, I feel so complacent just working.

Okay enough complaining, thanks for listening.