Crouching Tiger, Hidden Rachel

Okay, first of all, you guys are awesome....I've never had so many comments in one day on my blog! Thanks for making me feel special. :)

Now, if you'll indulge me for just a moment, I'm feeling the need to brag...but just a little. I am taking a kickboxing class this semester -- both to fill my schedule so I can get more financial aid, and to aid myself in my skinny-and-sexy goal. This class is not what I thought it'd be. I was expecting a Tae Bo-imitation with a perky instructor, like the classes I'd taken at the gym with friends. I almost dropped the class when my teacher, a jiu jitsu champion, said we'd be sparring with each other. What? I have to buy shin guards, a mouth guard, and boxing gloves? This is hard-core, and I really don't want to lay the smack-down on any of the cute little girlies in my class. I'm sticking with it, though, and I think I'll be glad.

Today was something of a triumph for me. We were learning some new sparring techniques that were a little tricky. When I fight, I feel absolutely ridiculous. I giggle incessantly with a silly grin on my face, even when I'm really going at it. So, I was surprised when the girls in my class kept asking me for help...my teacher even used me as an example for the class. Woah, maybe I'm gonna be all right. Maybe Clint Eastwood will make a movie about me. I'll be doing flying-double-twist-jump-roundhouse kicks by the end of the semester.

Move over, Jackie Chan...I'm the next martial arts master.

A Quick Update

School is once again off to a running start. I think if it wasn't my last semester, I might be losing it already, but somehow I am managing the insanity with a fairly cool head. At this moment, I am bundled up in bed with my lappy (affectionately known as "Hugh"), enjoying a reprieve from the madness and missing my sister...

Andrea dearest came down last week in great hope of finding a job here. We've been hoping for her to move to Utah for months; a hope spurred by the apparently lousy job market in Boise and a desperate need to play Pinochle. Unfortunately, nothing has panned out thus far. She was offered a job in Boise today, which she accepted. I'm happy for her; she's been searching fruitlessly for employment since her graduation in April....still, I'm secretly wishing that some Utah company will offer her a fantastic position, and she'll dump her lousy Boise boss and come play with me. Now, I normally wouldn't condone that kind of irresponsibility, but after last week's Tai Pan trips and Sister Movie Date Nights, I've remembered what I'm missing...I am in despair.

Fortunately, I've got a lot right now to distract me from my woes. My national board exams are quickly approaching, and I am stressed out. When I haven't felt like studying (which has been most of the time), I've busied myself cleaning and reorganizing my entire apartment to make room for our new addition...yes, that's right. We bought a couch; a couch and a love seat, actually (what did you think I was going to say?). They are used and slightly worn, but they're leather and infinitely prettier than our previous scruffy-hide-a-bed-and-crumpled-slipcovers look. Yay for new-old furniture and awesome KSL bargains!

Miss Me?

Hello again, from the world's boringest blogger. I swear I've become just a blob lately as, Christmas presents aside, I've failed to exert an ounce of effort towards anything productive. It's been really nice, though. I spent the last two weeks working in Ogden, setting up hundreds and hundreds of mortgage files for the credit union. The work was a little monotonous, but I enjoyed the mindlessness of it. Plus, we got to stay with my in-laws for nearly the entire Christmas break, which made it really feel like a vacation. We played games every night and ate all kinds of rubbish. Whitney and I discovered our true calling in life: rock stars. Well, guitar heroes, actually...we really tore it up on the Wii. Pretty impressive for two girls who don't like video games. I also enjoyed whipping up some sweet Rachelpologies for Christmas, like the jacket I made for Andrea:




And now I'm back to school. Blah.

Confessions of a Busy Woman

One of my favorite things about fall weather is that I can wear my tall boots again. I've got black ones and brown ones, pointy-toed with high heels, important essentials to my cold-weather wardrobe. I can wear them with all of my cute skirts, and I've enjoyed doing that at least once a week since it started to cool down. See, I love skirts, but I LOATHE nylons, and to be perfectly honest....*sometimes I'm too busy to shave my legs.* With my tall boots and calf-length skirts, I don't have to worry about either! Not usually, anyhow.

Today I had a bit of a mishap. After hitting my snooze button for an hour, I finally got up to get ready for work. In the shower, I contemplated shaving at least my calves and knees, knowing that the skirt/boots combo was in the forecast. Unfortunately, with my lazy morning I hadn't left myself much time for anything beyond the essentials. I hurriedly finished glamourizing, then ran out the door, counting on my stylish ensemble to cover my shamefully hairy legs. As I ran, I realized how swishy my skirt was, and that it was shorter than I'd remembered, so when I sat down I had to kind of slump forward in my chair and twist my legs funny so no one would notice my prickly knees! I spent the whole day hiding behind my desk, or smoothing my skirt down and standing in strange, contorted positions so that other people wouldn't see...

I am shaving my legs in the morning.

Whew!

Well, it was a long weekend...in one respect, anyway. I had to wait until yesterday to find out whether I'd passed my loan officer test. Once I'd taken it and it was out of my hands, you'd think that I would just let it be, but no. I was so worried about it, that I found myself (all weekend) asking Heavenly Father to, "please let Camille understand why I made the decisions I did on those loans, and please help her to agree with my logic so she will give me a passing grade on my test." Silly, I know. But I guess it worked, because I passed!! Yep, that's right...at this moment you are witnessing the joy and immense relief of America First's newest loan officer. Sweet.

Having learned of my success yesterday morning, I spent most of the day in a pretty good mood. That was topped off by a surprise visitor at closing time -- my dearest Vanessa came to congratulate me, flowers in hand! Vanessa's are awesome...everyone should have one. :)

Thanks, everyone, for being so excited for me -- I'm excited, too!

BAH!

Anyone else had a mad week? I mean, like crazy, strange, exhausting...?

First there was clinic; now, I know that all of us are SO done with clinic. I think I was half-asleep during my appointment yesterday -- I flat-out forgot to clean the "away-from-me" surfaces on my patient's lower anterior teeth and consequently lost a good chunk of my grade. What about the Periodontology test? We'll just say that I've spent a lot of time on Facebook this week when I should have been studying -- I just can't concentrate!!! Needless to say, not my best work in that class. I'm sure Mrs. Knight got a good laugh out of my essays...I had no idea what I was talking about.

The craziness culminated today with the arrival of my loan officer test (dun, dun, dun...). I've been preparing for this for months, all the while dreading its coming. Wanting to feel my best for the big day, I woke up early this morning and got all "dolled up." I wish I'd taken a picture, because I looked and felt pretty cute! That feeling only lasted about an hour, though. After staff meeting I realized that my time had come, and almost hyperventilated all the way to Sandy.

The test was every bit as nerve-racking as I'd expected, and took almost the entire day. I began at 10 a.m.......seven hours later I emerged -- test completed, brains fried, hair totally flat and experiencing an unfortunate case of static cling.

I will probably be bruised from the hundreds of times I banged my head on the table in frustration, and thinking about loans now makes me a little queasy. But the worst part? I still had to go back to my branch and finish the day there...I almost fell asleep the minute I sat at my desk!

I will find out on Monday if I passed, so I only have to suffer for a couple more days. Oh well, at least it's over. Can't wait until I can say the same about hygiene school...

If I Had a Million Dollars...

I realized today that it's been weeks since I've looked at Anthropologie's website....how could I let that happen? So, tonight, with my Periodontology book & notes on my lap and every intention of studying (in just a few minutes), I reacquainted myself with the random cuteness and amazing detail that is always to be found there. As I did so, I thought to myself, "Man, if I had lots of money I would buy all my clothes from Anthropologie!" Then I realized that I'd really rather just have lots of time to create a whole wardrobe of my own home-sewn knock-offs.

Yeah, man.

Here are a few of tonight's finds that made it into my extensive gallery of "someday" projects: