How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation

Hello all! Yes, I'm still Christian and yes, I still have cleavage! Here's an update on my life in the form of 10 questions:

1. Where have you been? Well, I've been working hard at my J-O-B (just over broke). I enrolled in graduate school and will begin in the fall. I also recently had a wonderful vacation.
2. What are going to study in graduate school? Masters of Education - Curriculum and Instruction. I'm still deciding what my concentration will be. I take a tour of Kent State this weekend and I cannot wait.
3. What made you want to go to grad school? Well, I feel I want to learn more about the educational field and that now more than ever companies want Master degrees so I need to reposition myself. The first career I ever wanted to be when I grew up was a teacher. I had a chalkboard, stickers, and tons of stuffed animals that were my students. And the bigger stuffed animals were the parents. I loved them all and gave them great backstories from the girl raised by the single father to the most popular and wealthiest girl in school (she had a pool too)! So at a young age, I loved the education field and had a gift of fiction. Who knew!
4. Where did you go on vacation? I went to New Yoooo-rrrkkk (sings Alicia Keys in my head). I went to visit my best pal from college. She took me everywhere! I've been to New York before, but not like a person who lived there. We were constantly on the subway and walking and although I had back pains at the end of each day, I loved it! I of course got 'labels' while I was there, like my new Prada (a.k.a. Hawta) purse. But really I saw Brooklyn, Chinatown, Little Italy, Times Square, saw Promises, Promises on Broadway (very funny), 34th Street, Mood (the fabric store from Project Runway), Gray's Papaya, Junior's (yes, P. Diddy was justified in making them walk. The cheesecake was excellent), the Seaport (wonderful area-definite highlight), and dinner one night in East Village (wish I saw it during the day time because it seemed like a cool place, too). I'm sure I left out stuff but it was wonderful. Highly recommend seeing New York by foot and when you have enough time to explore.
5. How's the bible reading? Next question.
6. Did you miss your blog? Yes, I did. I was glad for the break because it seemed like I had nothing to say. Plus, with everything going on, I felt the need to live for a while and then come back. But really, if anyone that was a follower reads this entry, I will really be grateful beyond words.
7. How do you feel about going to school and working full time? Not totally thrilled. I never wanted to go back to school, first of all. It was going to be me and my Bachelors for life! But the world is changing and my interests are changing. I need thought I'd want to study Education, but I do. I really want to teach college level and also do some consulting eventually so this degree program is perfect. Plus, I know others that are going to school and working and raising a family and running businesses, so what's my excuse? It's still me, myself, and I at home, so let's do it now before the guy comes along and sweeps me off my feet to knock me up.
8. Come on, you read none of the bible in the past month? Well, for a Sunday School lesson, I reread most of Ecclesiastes and I laughed my butt off. It's so funny and very true. The verse that made me feel better about being me was Ecc. 8:1 - "How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things. Wisdom lights up a person's face, softening its harshness." I analyze everything from rootus to the toothus so that made me feel great about my questioning of everything.
9. Read any good books lately? Fiction wise: Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornsby and Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Non-fiction: It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken; My Fair Lazy (still reading), and So Long Insecurity, You've Been a Friend too Long (didn't finish yet, but already helpful).
10. Final Thoughts? This year has been a transforming year thus far. For the first time in a long time, I am spending money on myself and able to do the things others take for granted, like buying a new shirt, new nail polish colors, and oh yeah, wear sunglasses because I finally got contacts again for the first time in four years. I'm starting to care more about me, physically and emotionally. My line of the year is 'you have to teach people how to treat you' (thanks Regina). But I'm taking that a step further and treating myself better so others will know that I take pride in myself and making sure I'm not settling for less than the best God has for me in everything. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful evening. I want to leave you with a picture of Brooklyn's finest...what a majority of the mannequins look like at stores there. Enjoy!