i heart spring

even though it technically isn't spring, it is in the stores! my mom and i spent the afternoon at southpoint. we both had coldwater creek gift cards and i had a return for the loft (sweater that my folks gave me for valentine's day). i had great luck! :)

~ coldwater creek: gift card 71.21$. they were running a promo on certain items + my mom had a 30$ off 100$ purchase. i got a cute top and a jacket i'd been looking at (but in blue instead, since i already have a few black jackets). full price @ 119.90$ + tax. after the discounts and my gift card, the total amount due was 4.11$. (and my mom put the balance on one of her gift cards, so i paid nothing.) amazing! :)

~ ann taylor loft: return 79.50$. they were doing 25% off your entire purchase today. i got an exposed back zipper sweater and a sea blue stitched skirt. full price @ 109.00; - return = 29.50$. but with the promo, it was 81.76 - 79.50 with an amount due of 2.26$. better! :D

~ belk: my mom bought me a pair of super cute shoes (see photos)..so, technically, for my wallet, they were free; saving me 85.12$. best!

~ among my miscellaneous purchases: clinique makeup & eyeshadow + free gift = 39.33$; mumford & sons cd on sale from 11.99 to 9.99 = 10.76$; 3 birthday cards at hallmark = 8.29$; and a pkg. of 5 paint pens (even though i only needed 1) 16.99 - 50% off coupon = 9.15$... = 67.53$.

if you add up everything at full price, it equals 372.60$. i paid 69.79$. so fun! :D

how i felt this week..

disappointed.

depleted.

depressed.

unmotivated.

angry.

exhausted.

lost.

waste of space/time/energy/etc.

thursday marked 8 months since my last day at the office. since january, i have applied for 29 positions, had 7 interviews, and here i sit. it sucks. and the truth of the matter is that monday, i got an e-mail from a planning director which informed me another candidate had been selected. this is a municipality i interviewed with when i was first getting into planning, for the same job. i REALLY wanted this one. and the fact of the matter is, that i lost. i lost. i thought it was my best interview yet. i was perky and enthusiastic and felt like i answered the questions better/confidently. and i lost. am i too confident? too perky? too eager? who knows. i even e-mailed this person in hope of getting some feedback (beyond competitive applicant pool & qualified candidate jibber jabber) and/or some tips to no avail. ugh. so this week, was my pity party.

culmination blouse

well behaved jacket

switching lanes cardigan

(navy)

obviously, i got in some retail therapy this afternoon...it was more about getting out of the house. but i am ecstatic to report that these items came home with me. i've been lusting after the blouse and jacket for quite some time..and bonus! last night i found the jacket to be on sale! :) the striped sweater was on sale too! and a pretty bracelet. :) i love anthropologie (although i still believe the stores in charlotte are way better than the one at southpoint).

Easter Weekend

Bella has been at Brent's house since Friday. I miss her! He took her with him so that on Saturday I would be able to drive straight from Charlotte to Fuquay to go wedding dress shopping with my mom and sister at Enchanting Moments. It would have been completely out of my way...especially with my punctuality issues. It ended up working out and I ended up beating my mom and Paige to the shop and arriving on time, precisely at 2pm. So, I started out my MOH duties on a good note. :) She didn't buy her dress because she was in love with two; and, since it was the first day actually trying on dresses. She wants to look at a couple other places before she makes up her mind. She looked absolutely gorgeous in both. They are two completely different styles so I'm sure that makes the decision tough. The second one is a more traditional gown. When the woman put her veil on, I started to lose it. Then, when she tried it on again with the veil, she gave Paige a bouquet. I really lost it and had to leave the room. My sister is getting married!! (& in less than 8 months!)

We were at EM for 3 hours! Paige rode back with me to Briar Creek so we could get some grub. We ate at Red Robin. I do love me a chocolate malt shake, especially with some whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. :) Then, Paige left and I followed Mom to Triangle Town because she'd seen a dress that she thought I'd like at Macy's. I was tired of driving and just plain driving but I know my mother has missed her shopping buddy so I appeased her. The dress turned out to be much cuter than what she was describing and it fit! It's linen, just above the knee. The body is ivory with a chocolate band at the bottom and a scooped collar (it's sleeveless), with brown flowers/green centers with a few green beads sewn into the centers. It was on sale and my mom had a $10 off coupon so it ended up an even better deal! And, the green cardigan I already own (from my last shopping adventure at Ann Taylor Loft) is practically the same color as the green centers. :) I love it when that happens. After that, we came home & watched The Ten Commandments (or whatever it was) and I passed out on the couch.

Sunday was Easter, of course. I met my folks + Paige & Paul at church. We came back and had a nice lunch and a small Easter egg hunt for Paige and I (the Easter Bunny is definitely getting slack on his clues!). P&P left to go to some CF get-together and I packed up my spring wardrobe and headed back to Charlotte.

I am planning to pick Bella up from Brent's tonight, but he may have to go to a game in Raleigh (they are recruiting a guy from Cardinal Gibbons -ack! ack!) so he wouldn't be home til 8 at the earliest...We'll see. She may have to miss me for one more day................

I told myself this one wasn't going to be another LONG entry..Next time, I'll keep it short! :) Hope everyone had a blessed Easter weekend and a good start to the new week.

End of March Update, Part I

I just realized that March is almost over, making 2009 25% complete! Time really does fly when you're having fun! :)

This past weekend was supposed to be my weekend to prime. My over-ambitious list told me I was going to take everything off the walls and fill my nail holes on Friday night; Saturday I was going to prime (and that's 2-3 coats for a final prime mind you) my closet, bedroom, bathroom and hallway & potentially the laundry room. Sunday, I was going to paint the remainder: kitchen, dining room, living room, entry. And, yes, it was only going to be me. I'm sure some of you are laughing because as I look at that, I am too. Now, maybe if I'd already purchased the primer and was feeling 110% it may have been possible that I would've at least gotten primary coats on all the walls, but I wasn't.
Here's what really happened. Brent came into town Thursday night after having been on a recruiting trip to Raleigh (he didn't take the route I laid out for him and wound up with a ticket). Friday, Brent took B to the vet for her check-up and TA DA! NO MANGE HERE! :) She received the clean bill of health, despite having lost almost 4lbs. He got to experience a Pet Smart visit with her and spend the afternoon with her (I was QUITE envious!). Friday night, we went to see the Providence/South Meck game. Ahh, baseball. :)

So Saturday, instead of doing any prep work or running my errands early or going to the grocery store...I can't even tell you how I spent the majority of the day. Hmm...But, at least I got myself motivated and out the door. I went to Lowe's and had a grand time (found a rug that is to DIE for and not bad for a 5x8') buying painting supplies and picking out paint chips for the new apartment. Then, I went across the street to Northlake Mall for some retail therapy. I went to Ann Taylor Loft because I had a coupon that was set to expire Sunday (and I prefer not to shop on Sundays..grocery shopping excluded). I'll just say, that I had a great time and did indeed, use my coupon. :) Then, just for fun, I went upstairs to Arden B. A majority of the clothes I cannot and wouldn't buy/wear but from time to time you can find some cute (& not trashy) items.

Just think, in 2 weeks, I'll be wedding dress browsing/shopping with my sister(!!) so I should make it all about me until then, eh?! (Kidding, kinda.)