Please allow me to introduce myself...

While my mom takes her time getting her next post up (what are finals anyway?), I thought I would finally introduce myself.

I'm Pickles (pronounced Packals) Rosemary Hunt. Mom calls me Pax, Pix, Kitty, Satan, Boo-all interchangeable. She's confusing. Like how am I supposed to know who she is yelling at when it's just me and her in the apartment and she's calling me all these different names? Bravo, mom, no wonder I don't listen to you.

I love my mom, I do, but here are some things I love more than her:

1. Christmas Trees--I LOVE CHRISTMAS TREES. There is something so gratifying about bending every branch and creating beautiful topiary. I'm currently trying to remodel our Christmas tree to look like a pound cake. Here's my work so far (don't tell mom I used her camera). I started working on it at about 3 this morning and mommy was cheering me on by screaming my name so I was really motivated!

2. Hide and Seek--I am so awesome at hide and seek. Mom will bring me new toys from my grandma and as soon as she turns her back I hide them!! Then, Mom will crawl all over the floor and open cabinets and move cushions and I just watch her from the tv cart as she seeks and seeks but can't find where I hide all of my treasures... If she only knew I hid them in the...

3. Garbage- Wait, no, I don't hide things in the garbage, what was I saying? I love tipping over the garbage in mommy's bathroom and pulling things out of it. One time, I had a garbage appreciation day where I took all of the garbage out and let mommy see how many things she had used. I hid under the bed while she picked everything back up and like a good mommy put them back in the toy box for me. I hid for a while afterwards too because she was speaking Spanish or something--I didn't understand the four letter words coming out of her mouth.

4.The fish pillow--I love mommy's 5 foot long fish pillow. Sometimes I just sit there for hours just licking the pillow. I'm hoping mommy gets the hint and gets me a real fish so I can lick it, but everytime I think her eyes go wide with the idea to buy me a gift, she tells me her eyes are going so wide because she can't take the sound anymore. I hardly think that that is my fault, mom.

5. Grandma's house--Grandma's house is like our house times 500! I can jump on so many tables, find so many things in the couches, eat brownies... Oh, it's just bliss I tell you.

That's all I can really think of right now that I love more than mommy. I mean, I love my mommy, but I love those things soooooooo much. Anyway, you'll hear more from me I'm sure, but I need to go sleep...

Well would you take a look at that...

HOLY SNOWFALL.

48 hours ago...

Enter first customer of the day. Nice older gentleman. Ask what are his plans for the weekend. "Lots of shoveling!" Confused look on my face. "We're supposed to get snow?" Bewildered look on his face, "They're saying 8-12 inches!" Very, very disheartened look on my face. My first customer has ruined my day.

Conversation the rest of the day centers around the certain snowfall we're in for. Speculations include when it will start, how much we will really get, and why we still live in Minnesota. Customers say, "Hope it isn't as bad as they say it is!" I respond, "Hope we don't get any at all!"

Famous last words.

Go out for a free dinner after work with best friend, coworker, individual living in the apartment directly above mine (Aubrey) and coworker Adam. Have sparkling conversation, good food, and enjoyable flirting session with waiter and other employee. Told by Aubrey that I'm leaving my number for one of them. So be it.

Leave restaurant around 9:45 pm CST on Friday, December 9, 2010. First snowflake witnessed as I pull my car into its little home. Smile wide that I won't have to brush off my car. Heeheehee.

Asleep by 11 pm. Prepared to wake up 40 minutes early to account for difficult driving conditions; however, I hold the general belief that the snowfall won't be nearly as bad as predicted.

Sweet dreams.

Satuday, December 11, 2010, 5:44 am CST. Pickles steps on my throat as way of saying "good morning." She loves me, I'm sure of it.

Rush to window. Snow has fallen and is still falling. However, the apartment complex is plowed and I am generally unimpressed. Prepare Pax with two bowls of food just in case, two bowls of water, and water in the face as she tries to climb up the Christmas tree, again. I take my laundry to my car with plans to head over to Mom's after work to get it done, study materials to look over while doing laundry (finals start next week! :/), shoes to change into, and playing cards (just in case we're dead at work).

No trouble whatsoever getting to work. Still snowing.

7:25 am go to enter bank. Wind blows my door shut, hat off and hood down. Swear at the wind. Get snow blown in my face. Round 1 goes to wind.

Five cars use the autobank between 8 and 9 am. Only two were personal, the rest were business customers. The snow is blowing and coming down in such a way that we can't see the restaurant directly next door to us.

Everyone else scheduled arrives on time and safe. Surprised as lesser conditions happened two weeks ago and half the staff called out. Hmmmm.

The snow worsens and worsens as the day progresses. Properties does not return to plow our parking lot or drive thru. Two of the bankers and the branch manager have to help push a car out of parking lot. As they do so, a big bad four wheel drive truck decides to pull in at the exact same time. They all regard him incredulously. He gets stuck. They walk away from him. Wells Fargo 1, Jerks 0.

Two tellers and bankers are allowed to leave at 1 pm. Branch closes for the day in t-minus 1 hour. Call mom. Plows have been pulled off the road because of white-out conditions. Am told to go over to the mall and sit tight. Begin to panic. Will be stranded there all day if I don't get home. Aubrey and I decide to go it together and leave her car there since there was no way we were getting it out of its spot. Sorry mom.

Get stuck trying to get out of parking spot. Josh, Dirk, and Adam come to help get us out. Finally get out and start following the plowed mall route for safest drive. Aubrey thinks it best to go CR 5 home.

Famous last words.

County Road 5, just like all the other roads, has had nothing done to it. We decide to get back on 42 and take it down to 77. Can't slow down or stop. Start turn onto 42, slam on breaks, fishtail to straighten out. Badass maneuver.

Turn to 42 coming up, start veering to the right and gunning it. Gun it straight into an impassable, ridiculous 3 foot high snowbank that the plows have either built up or just ignored. Stuck.

...

Two teenage boys hope out of car with snow shovels to help. Just trying to back out to take the turn at the intersection. Ready to have a meltdown. Why don't I ever heed my mother's advice?

Slow going getting out. Watch as UHaul pulls to the side of my car in distress. Four Mexicans run towards my car. Thank God I attract Mexicans. Car is out just 5 minutes after their arrival.

Am too distressed and frazzled to drive. Aubrey takes the wheel. Cannot stop. Hold breath at intersections. Hate four wheel drive cars that act like nothing is wrong. Secretly smile as they spin out. Karma.

Visibility was no more than 10 feet in front of us. Absolutely the most nerve-wrecking drive ever, and I wasn't even driving. God bless Aubrey. She was driving and trying to make me laugh as I was heading straight into a panic attack snowbank.

An hour, two near death calls, and a case of hyperventilating later, we pull into the apartment complex unscathed. It, like our parking lot at work, had not been touched since 6 am. Thank God I picked up a snow shovel a few weeks back. Finally get car backed into garage, though have to climb out passenger door as the car is really far over to one side.

Officially snowed in.

To be continued...

The beginning of a new tradition

so this... this is Christmas. <3

I didn't forget!!

Apologies to everyone who has been waiting to see these images--I've been really busy. Finally, though, I am proud to present some pictures from my apartment!!

Quick update--Things are going well! School is keeping me on my toes and work is going really well. I was the number one teller at my store and district for the quarter so how bout that? My first tests of the semester are coming up this week so after this post I'm going to be getting back to studying. I'm hoping to get outside for a bit today, though, and take some pictures of the gorgeous fall colors. Fall is, after all, my favorite season. Quite honestly all I want to do today is make a big jug of hot chocolate, take it outside, sit on my balcony with a blanket and just look at all the colors.

...

Let's be honest I'll probably do that at some point instead of studying. Maybe I'll just take my mammoth textbook outside and study there??

Anyway, here are the highly anticipated images of my matchbox apartment. I affectionately refer to it as the matchbox.

 The entryway

 Side view of the kitchen

 Love my Peanuts shower curtain

 Love my walk-in closet

 Truer words have never been hung in my apartment

 Key and accessory holder =)

 The entertainment area

 From the corner of the room

 View from the walk-through side of the kitchen

 My work area

 Straight on entertainment area

 From the kitchen forward

 Where Betty sleeps at night safe and sound

 The balcony looking down at the pretty flowers

 Looking in from the balcony

 My awesome queen bed that mom didn't think I could fit at first.

 From the walkthrough view

For the record, I don't even know if Popop remembers sending this to me, but I've held on to this for over 4 years. Absolutely love it. Thanks Popop <3



Hope those images satisfy inquiring minds. Hopefully I'll have another entry soon with some beautiful images from the trees around my apartment and just everywhere. So gorgeous!

Again, much love and thanks to everyone who has been there for me the past few months. If anyone had told me that my life would have turned out the way it is now I would've looked at them like they were crazy and brushed it off. This has been the biggest test for me of figuring out who I am and what I want from my life and what I want to do with my life. I finally feel like I'm getting to make the decisions that are best for me and that I'm finally being the person that I always wanted to be for you guys. Just typing this brings tears to my eyes because I'm realizing how much I have to look forward to now with all of you and how excited I am for the road I'm on. Nothing will ever make me look back on the past 5 years with regret, but nothing is going to make me look forward with dread or sadness. Thank you hardly seems enough for all the support, but it's what I have for you now. That and the promise that you'll be proud of the person I'm becoming.



Much, much love and best wishes.

THE BIG ONE

Expect a big post this weekend... My internet isn't hooked up yet at my apartment but will be as of this coming Saturday. Saturday will also mark the completion of my first week at the University of Minnesota so I will have lots to share!!

Thanks to everyone who has made this move possible and easier! Special thanks to mi madre for being ah-mazing.

Much, much love to all!!

I'M MOVING OUT!!!!!

Donations now being accepted.




More info and pics to come =)

There's a whole new life on the other side of a black hole...

I'll start this off by first saying thank you so much to everyone for their unconditional support and love during this time of unexpected change in my life. Words cannot express how thankful I am to have such an amazing support system in my life. My apologies if I was a bear to deal with for any of you. I certainly owe you all one.

I want to reassure everyone that I'm doing quite well. I'm not on the edge of despair or lamenting on what could have been. I think that what Kelly and I decided was the right move for the both of us. In a way, I think this all would have been easier if there was blame to place on either one of us, but this was a mutual, mature decision. That being said, it wasn't an easy one to make. When I said yes when Kelly proposed, I meant it, and to let go of what you thought would be the rest of your life has been a hard, but necessary journey for me. I know that this is just the beginning of the journey and I say with all of my heart that I'm looking forward to it.

I am also very thankful to all of my friends for their amazing, yet hilarious advice that they've been giving me over the past few weeks. My two favorites are, "Jen, you're gorgeous and have an annoying, but infectious personality--you'll be fine," and, "You just need to live out a Lady Gaga song, like 'Bad Romance.'" Without these tremendously effective words I think I'd still be sulking in the mirror.

Now I get to look forward to being the person I want to be and have always told myself I am. I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone daily and I hope that everyone is really happy with the changes I'm making, because I certainly am.

I leave you now with a few pictures from my amazing Friday night I had with some amazing people. For everyone and myself I hope for many more laughs, many more hugs, and much, much love.

 My *fingers crossed* landlord and good friend, Tyla

Tyla, me, Aubrey, and Jen Mac (whose first and middle name are the same as mine and whose birthday is a day after mine =))

Josh, me, and Aubrey (we all work at Wells Fargo together <3)

                                         Valerie and me, Val's my own personal Lady Gaga

Thanks again to everyone for their support and love. You'll never know how much I've appreciated it.

♥ ☮ :)

Special thanks to Mom who made sure I was eating, breathing, and coping. Your little girl is growing up strong because of you. <3

 

What a week...

A lot has happened this week and things are definitely looking up! My orientation to the University of Minnesota was Tuesday and, after concerns that I wouldn't be able to get in any relevant classes, I finally got permission codes to enroll in 5 very full classes!

For those unaware, I will be attending undergraduate classes this fall to get background course work in Speech Language Pathology, which is what I intend to to get my Master's in starting next fall. My class schedule is as follows:

Tuesday/Thursday--Anatomy and Physiology of the Speech and Hearing Mechanisms - 8:15 am - 9:30 am
Tuesday/Thursday--Communication Differences and Disorders - 9:45 am - 11:00 am
Tuesday/Thursday--Speech Science - 11:15 am - 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday/Thursday--Introduction to the Neuroscience of Human Communication - 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Tuesday--Introduction to Polish - 6:10 pm - 9:30 pm

I am very, very excited for classes this fall but I know they are going to be a handful!! Work has been really great in working with my class schedule and I will have Tuesdays off and only have to work 4ish to close Thursdays if I'm needed. I told them I'd be able to work Saturdays instead of having every other Saturday off. I mean, we are only there until 2:15 so that's like a day off from what I was used to at Delia's.

Wednesday I took the Graduate Record Examination, or the GRE. I've been preparing for this test for months now and I could not be more relieved that it is over with. The scores are delivered right after the test for the multiple choice sections and in two weeks I will receive my essay scores. I am fairly happy with how I did on the test and am definitely in a good range for the program I would like to attend at the University of Minnesota next fall. However, I did submit my scores to three other universities because let's face it, it would be foolish to not have a back-up plan for something like this.

I am very happy to say that I won a parking spot on campus through the campus lottery so I won't have to stress too much about parking. The parking spot is also in a very good location on campus, right by the new TCF Bank Stadium! Speaking of which...

I GOT SEASON TICKETS TO THE GOPHER FOOTBALL GAMES!!! There are 7 home games this season including UofM vs. OSU! Work has also been really great about giving me some Saturdays off to make it to the games, but there are only maybe two games that start earlier than 2:15 pm. Seriously excited though.

Now I just need to get through my shift tomorrow and I have a three day weekend to enjoy. I'm going to enjoy being able to sleep this weekend and hope the sun is out this weekend so I can fall asleep in the sun.

Anyway, I am very, very excited for the upcoming semester and the road that it's taking me down. Things are definitely coming together!! Also, keep your fingers crossed for Kelly that he hears back from Target soon with a job offer--he's made it through two rounds of interviews and is just waiting to hear if he got the job!! It'd be another step in the right direction!!