Christmas Time!

Can you all believe that in 7 days it will be Christmas!! These last 4 months have flown by! Before I get all emotional over the Christmas season I have some BIG news! I have decided to go to Cosmetology school! I am very excited for this new adventure! I will be starting on January 11, 2010. The program is just shy of 10 months long and I will be graduating at the end of September. To make my Big news even Bigger is to tell you about the scholarship I received. I wrote an essay about why I wanted to become a Cosmetologist and how would the scholarship money help me. Well with the help of my mom we put together a great essay and I got the full amount of $5000! It's exciting to think that this time next year both Dustin and I will have graduated and be doing what we love!
For those of you who don't know Dustin and I decided to stay in Orlando for Christmas. I have mixed emotions about it. Although I happy to experience what Christmas will be like in Orlando, I am very sad to not be with my family. I have never not been with them. The thought of not waking up early with Meghan and looking into our stockings, then waking everyone else up is heartbreaking. Thank god we have little thing known as Skype! Dustin and I have been getting packages in the mail all week! Underneath the tree is getting full! I am loving it! One thing to look forward to is, Tammy, Dustin's mom will be here to celebrate with us! Very bittersweet for me, sometimes I get emotional over a Christmas song on the radio, unless I hear Feliz Navidad, then I just bust out laughing! Some of you should know why:) It's been hard for Dustin and I to even realize that it's December! The weather has been very nice. We have the AC on AGAIN! Yesterday we were able to open up the apartment and they are talking about a very nice cool down for the next week. Hopefully it's chilly enough that it can remind us a little bit of Iowa.

I would like to end by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! We love you all and miss you terribly! See you in the new year!!

Lonely

I think I am feeling a little down today for a couple reasons.
1. I still don't have a job. I feel that no matter how often I look and apply it's all the same! I am just getting frustrated and ready to get back into the swing of things!
2. The holidays are approaching and I will not be with my family:( Although I am excited to be in Florida and experience it with Dustin it's going to be really hard.
3. I miss my girlfriends! It is a lot harder living with 2 boys. They don't quite have the conversation and shopping level that I need! haha;)

I am extremely looking forward to coming home in January! I feel like 7 days just won't be enough time! I am especially looking forward to seeing my Dad, Meghan and Luke! Got lost of plans and lots of people to see in those 7 days! Hope it goes by slow! I also found out that one of my best friends Caitlin is coming to visit me in March!! I am very excited for that! It will be tons of fun to have a friend come down and see our place and hang out with us! Me and her have already started planning the things we want to do:)

I would also like everyone to know what else is on my heart right now! I am considering of going to Cosmetology school! I have been talking about it for the past year, but just haven't done anything with it. Since I have the time to do it down here, I have looked into it! I am very excited about it and can not wait to see what happens with it. A lot things have to get figured out and a lot questions need answered. But hopefully within the next couple of weeks I will have questions answered and possibly I decisioned made! I will for sure keep everyone posted!

Too Long!

Wow it has been forever since I have updated! So much has happened in a month and in the last couple of days!! Things have actually been a little slow since the last post. We finally felt like we were settling into the routine down here in Orlando. All 3 of us had jobs and Dustin was still doing great in school!

My nannying job was wonderful! I couldn't have asked to nanny for a better family! Unfortunately yesterday I got a call from my boss saying that he had bad news and would no longer be able to afford me! Let's just say I was in total shock! I didn't take the news very well and am still struggling with that fact that I no longer have a job! It is pretty upsetting realizing that one day I had a job and today nothing! Pulled the plug on me just like that, no warning, no nothing!! As you all you know it took me 6 weeks just to find that! I would hate to be out of work again for another 6 weeks! I can not afford that, I have bills to pay for everyone else! So if everyone could wish me good luck again as I search all over the area trying to find a job! My mom thinks it will be easy to fine something right now since a lot of places are hiring for Holiday help! It will be better then nothing!

Dustin is working at Congo River Mini golf! He likes working there but doesn't get very many hours! He is also looking for something that can provide him more hours and probably better pay! They have aligators there and he gets to catch them! Here is a pic!

My mom visited me at the end of October! I picked her up from the airport and the feeling I got when I saw her was amazing! I love my mom soo much:) You realize how much you have missed someone once you finally see them! We had a great 4 days together! We had awesome weather when she was here! Couple days it hit into the 90's! Wish it could have lasted forever! We did a ton fun things! We went to SeaWorld, Downtown Disney, Titanic Museum, time at the pool, plenty of shopping, and a dinner show! It was hard to say goodbye! Thank goodness we have Skype and talk all the time! Here's a couple pics from her visit!

Ryan is still working at Two Men and a Truck. He is still getting plenty of hours and doesn't mind working there too much! Especially since the weather has finally started to cool down! Yesterday I don't think it even reached 65 here! It is nice to have to windows open! It was a bit chilly, so I would like it a little warmer! Guess I shouldn't complain though since it isn't Iowa!

We don't have any plans for Thanksgiving. We will be staying here. Dustin gets a turkey from work, so looks like I will be making my first turkey! It will be fun to make a Thanksgiving dinner for me and the guys! Just so everyone can mark their calendars I am coming for a week in January! It will be January 22-29! I am very excited to see everyone and can't wait to get home!

Tampa/Clearwater/Rob Thomas

This past weekend we went to Tampa and Clearwater! The beach was amazing! It was our first time to the beach and we have been here for 2 months! Ryan was so excited! It was sunny and hot, perfect beach weather! I collected sea shells and was burnt after just 2 hours. We had soo much fun and can not wait to go back!! Clearwater is the farthest from us, so next time we will have to try out Cocoa or Daytona!



After spending the afternoon at the beach we went back to the hotel to get ready for the Rob Thomas concert! Carolina Liar and One Republic opened for him. Both bands were very good! Then of course Rob Thomas was awesome! I have never seen him in concert before and he was incredible! Did I mention we had 6th row??!!
















The nannying is going good and we are having a lot of fun together! Dustin got a job at a mini-golf course called Congo River Golf. He starts on Sunday and will hopefully be getting close to 30 hours or more! He is pretty excited about it! Ryan started a job at Two Men and a Truck, a moving company. So far he says it's decent just long hours and hot! Dustin is doing great in school as usual. He finally got to take apart a motorcycle and put it back together. He was stoked! No big plans for the weekend. We will all probably be wiped out from our busy weeks of working! yay:)

Nanny?

Hey Everyone! Sorry it has been way to long since I have updated! A lot has happened since the last blog! First off I no longer have a job at Michaels. When we first moved here I set up a profile on nannies4hire.com. Last week a family contacted me. I met with the father a week ago and got their story. They are originally from Iowa and very excited that I am also! They just moved to Kissimmee middle of August because their oldest boy is 5 and needed to start kindergarten. The youngest boy is 3 and stays at home. Mom still lives in Chicago finishing med school, will moving to Atlanta for residency in 3 weeks. Dad works at the ER in Celebration, FL and only 4 days a week. He hired me after talking for 20 minutes!!! I was soo excited! I will be watching the youngest 4 days a week and picking up the oldest from school and watching them both until dad gets home! Yesterday was my first day and everything went great! They have their own pool in the back yard and the school is only a couple miles away! It is pretty fun to just enjoy the weather in Florida instead of being stuck inside instead!

Dustin officially ended his Theory course! He got a 92% on his final exam and ended with a 97% total. Which means he is still getting a 4.0 and still on the directors list! Very proud of him:) He had a couple of job interviews today and I hope hear to some good news soon! Ryan is still searching for something! Sure hope that will change soon!

This weekend we are going to Tampa and meeting Tammy, Dustin's mom! Driving down Friday night and coming back Sunday early evening! All 4 of us are going to a Rob Thomas concert on Saturday night! We are all excited and it will be good to see Tammy! Should be a fun weekend to get Orlando and do something different!

My mom has decided to come down and visit me! She is coming end of October for 4 1/2 days! I am so excited! Dustin is probably annoyed because I mention it all the time! When she is here I think we are going to Sea World, shopping and maybe a museum. Will have to do some planning!

Have really started missing my family and friends! Didn't think it would be so hard without everyone! If you can visit we would love that! Miss you all and love you all:)

Sorry to all State fans out there! Don't worry we were tailgating done here! Rivalry going on between Dustin and I! haha Fun to be able to watch it down here! We have actually caught a couple Iowa football games on TV!

JOB!!!!

Great news everyone!! I got a job! Had an interview at Michaels on Friday afternoon and they called me back today offering me the job. It is only part time, so only 12-20 hours a week. They also offer part time benefits for employees. That is going to help a lot! I will be going in on Tuesday morning to fill out paperwork and most likely get my schedule. I will of course still look for another part time job or even keep applying for full time jobs. Other great news is that Ryan also found a job! It is at a telemarketing company and his hours will be from 3-9 pm. We are both pretty excited that we found jobs. If only Dustin could find a job now.

Good news about Dustin is he is doing so well in school! Overall he is getting a 98% and got another 100% on a test. Which means he is a 4.0 student! Kinda jealous that he found something he is so good at. Sarah and I were talking the other day wishing that we could find something we were instantly good at...and it can't be shopping ;)

We have been eating out a lot and realized that we have to stop doing that. It is a good excuse for us to get out the apartment. So now that we have jobs hopefully we can eat at home more. Groceries are more expensive here, but cheaper then eating out every night! Here is a little comparison to Iowa groceries and Florida groceries:
Milk-FL 3.99 IA 2.59
Cheese Singles-Fl 4.99 IA 2.50
1 lb. hambuger- FL 4.59 IA 3.20
Bottle of Wine(Barefoot)-FL 8.99 IA 4.99 (liter)
Mac & Cheese 4 pack- FL 8.40 IA 6.50
The place that I do the most grocery shopping is called Publix. If you shop right you can find a lot of good deals, such as, buy one get one free. I have also noticed that Dustin eats way more than I do, so I have to shop more often..haha!

Other thing that is hard for us to get used to is Florida drivers! I thought that Florida drivers would drive fast...not the case! They don't even go the speed limit, most of the time they are going 5 under. I feel like when I am driving 5 over I am going 90 miles an hour! Maybe most of the drivers are either old or tourist...what do you think??

I never realized how good we had it in Iowa. Prompt service everywhere we went back home. Here they take their time. Went to get my hair done yesterday. Had an appointmnet at 3:30, the gal didn't start working on hair until a little after 4:30! Although I was at the salon for 3 hours I have to admit it was the best cut and color I have ever gotten in my life! I now look like a blonde beach babe! :D

We have a had a pretty relaxing weekend. Dustin was gone all day yesterday and today. He had to take a motorcycle class to get his motorcycle license. It is a law that Florida has. He wasn't very happy about it, but is very anxious to ride his bike. So in the end I would say it is worth it! He is nervous to ride down here, considering the traffice isn't the greatest and not that many back roads to ride on. I have been cleaning and doing laundry all day today. And I am not sure what are plans are for tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn't rain and we can enjoy a nice day at the pool with some drinks! We had thought about going to the beach, but assumed it would be packed beacuse of the 3 day weekend!

Can't wait to blog more about my job! love you:)

Finally Settling In!

Hi everyone! I thought that it would be a great idea to start a blog so you all can read about our "great" Florida adventures!!

To get started we left Iowa about 9 a.m. on Saturday morning August 1. Our procession went like this: Morey hauling the trailer with me as a passenger, Dustin driving his car with his dad, Gary; and Ryan bringing up the rear in my car, with Sophie our cat. We continued to drive 12 hours to Nolansville, TN. We switched drivers every time we had to stop and get gas, it was a loong day! Thankfully we were able to stay at Denny & Karen's! It was a perfect place to rest and get some food for the night! The next morning we were on the road by 8 a.m. Same procession as before! The second day definitely was the longest even though it was the same amount of hours! Finally made it to Orlando around 10 that night, found our hotel, grabbed some food and went to bed. I was almost too excited to sleep! Our apartment complex doesn't open until 9 so we couldn't get our keys until then. We grabbed a yummy breakfast at Cracker Barrel and went to our apartment! Took about half an hour to finish signing our lease and get our keys. Found the place and started unloading! We are lucky enough to have a third floor apartment! And boy was it hot!!! The guys were such troopers carry all the heavy furniture and boxes up those three flights of stairs! Even the old men managed to be ok;) Gary and dad couldn't stay long because Gary had to be back to work by Wednesday. They showered at our new place, since it was probably a high of 93 that day and went on their way! Soo hard to say goodbye! For the next week Dustin, Ryan and I unpacked boxes and put things in their place and got organized. Dustin's mom came to visit us that first weekend and we had soo much fun! Went to IKEA and had an awesome time!! Got a lot of things to make the place look way more homey and comfortable. Thanks Tammy!



Dining room and living room!











Dustin started school on August 10th and was soo excited! His first 6 weeks of school are Theory. He is learning about engine, transmissions, clutches, etc... As of right now he has done so well that he is managing a 4.0 and even made the director's list! We are all soo proud of him.

The weather has been extremely hard to get used to! When the sun goes done we all love the weather. Definitely looking forward to the fall weather down here! We are still looking for jobs! I have probably applied to close to 30 and only got one call back! It is soo frustrating! Been going stir crazy in this apartment the past 3 weeks. We all thought that we would have jobs by now! So keep wishing us luck!