Bon Voyage!

Hello All!

This week I've been preparing for something I've been looking forward to for a very, very long time.
This past spring I popped into Stephens President Dianne Lynch's office
(and let me just tell you now I am that woman's number one fan)
and emerged thirty minutes later with quite a surprise:

She offered me a trip to New York City, and told me about how I could apply to Stephen's Magic Moments program to pay for it!

Long story short, I did that and succeeded, and now I'm packing up to leave!

The first week of my trip will be in Connecticut on vacation with my boyfriend to visit his family,
but the second week will be Broadway, cupcakeries, wonderful restaurants, Central Park, the Yankees, and a bunch of lunch dates with Stephens alum!!

I can't wait to see what adventures I get into, and I can't wait to share them with you, either!

love, rudi

All photos from one of my favorite blogs, the rockstar diaries.

Summer Time in Kentucky

Hello All! It's been a while since I've given you any updates. I've been laying pretty low in my hometown in Kentucky, but it seems that very soon I'll be rejoining the land of the living and lively. So I must fill in a few gaps!

For the three weeks or so of being home I applied for lots and lots of summer jobs. Things weren't looking so well, and looked even worse when I watched the employer's faces fall when the found out I would be leaving in just three months after being hired, and the job search never yielded results. I did, however, get so frustrated with not having a cash flow and not having anything to do that I decided to start up a shop on Etsy.com. So now I have projects and (hopefully) more savings by the end of summer! The shop isn't up yet, but it's in the works!

I've also been taking lots of little trips here and there. A few weeks ago mom, Sadie, and I drove up to Columbus, Ohio for a family reunion and a Zoo trip.We went on to Pittsburgh to visit friends and do a little shopping. I've been frequenting Tennessee a lot, too, where my boyfriend Chris lives.

But my latest and most adorable adventure started earlier this week while I was volunteering at the local animal shelter. A lady dropped off this tiny little critter, and because of her young age and need for frequent care, she was going to be put down immediately. But I saved her!! She's been growing so much and she cries less and less, and she sleeps on my tummy like a perfect little angel cat. Her name is Bing Bing Fing, after an exchange student we knew.

And I love Bing Bing Fing, even though petting her makes my eyes swell until I can't open them anymore. Yeah- I'm allergic to cats. That's probably the worst curse the gods could send a girl.

Oh, and last but not least! I began my online math course through Stephens last week- Personal and Family Finance. It's tough to do an online course in the summer! I've been slipped back into vacation mode so thoroughly that it's so difficult to motivate myself sometimes. I'm getting back in the swing of things, though!

I hope all of you are having a great summer, either working, playing or still trying to catch up on sleep like I am. See you all soon! We're at about two months and counting until school starts again!

love, rudi