Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

You're Approved

I have been waiting to hear these two words since I turned 18 and it finally happened tonight. I was approved for my very first credit card. This is such a momentous occasion. I recieved yet another credit card application today in the mail and i sat at my desk after dinner staring at it intently and I decided to give it a go.I entered the information and then clicked continue. The very next screen came up and it said APPROVED in huge bold letters. I called my mom in to make sure I was seeing it correctly and I was! I beyond excited.

I just had to share that with you all.

-elle

Saturday, July 16, 2011

we're growing up

Last night I got to spend some time with a good friend Emily. She recently (as in Tuesday) got her tonsils out. We spent a couple hours catching up on what has happened with us within the past month, what we are up to now and how she is preparing to spend the next two years in London, England. She is completing her Masters there. It was nice to get some perspective on my crazy life from her. We have known each other since my Sophomore year of High School.

Yesterday I also rented the Lincoln Lawyer at Redbox and I ended up watching it this morning. It was a wonderful legal thriller with a ton of twists. Plus who doesn't love a Matthew McConaughey movie?!

Beach tomorrow and life is going good!

And you know what?  When you least expect it, something great might come along, something better than you ever planned for.

-elle

Friday, July 15, 2011

Its my (1/2) Birthday...

Golly, Its already been six months since my birthday. I decided to do a half year update.

January: My birthday (sadly no photos)
            

A ton of Interviews for Internships

February: Started my Internship

March: St. Patricks Day

April: Bought a Bed!

May:
Fundraiser for a local firefighter who was severely burned and hurt at a fire.
click here  for the story.

I got my Iphone.

I met  Megan McCafferty (again)

I graduated college



I went to Disney World.

 I started my accounting class

I supported the country and our veterans for Memorial Day.


Georgie met Jill Nicolini from Chanel 11 News on the Beach.

June:
Went to the Michael Buble Concert



 Got an A in my Accounting Class

July:
 Went to Fireworks on the Board walk


It has been such a great half of year. I am hoping that the next 6 months are as fun!

-elle



oh my gosh, these fireworks are AWESOME

that was said by a little boy tonight on the boardwalk while watching the fireworks. My parents and I went to the board walk tonight for the free fireworks. The boardwalk was fun, I went on the swings and on the carosel. I'm not much of a ride person. We played some skee ball and won some points. I have been collecting them since '95. I'm up to like 9000 and the only thing I can buy is a plastic whistle. hahaa I'll cash them in one day.

The rest of the day was nice, my new iPhone case came in the mail today. Its a penguin and its awfully cute.

I finally decided on a major for my bachelors degree. After a long thought process, I narrowed it down to 3 majors:
1. Education ( Mathematics)
2. Marketing/PR/Advertising
3. Accounting

Diversity was the key in my thinking. I already have an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies and I really do like it ALOT but I cant get a Bachelor's degree in it unless I want to do an online degree, which I don't.
Here was my thought process for choosing these majors:
1. I always wanted to become a teacher. I toyed around with this thought all the way back in 2009 right before I started the paralegal program @ BCC. Though I thought I would want to teach elementary school but I don't- I want to teach math. That last statement made me laugh because from 1st grade all the way to 12th grade I had a tutor in math. (yes I know 1st grade math is 1+1. I was that bad in math.) Then my very first semester in college, I was placed in Calculus and I ended up passing the class with a B+ without a tutor. I did it all by myself. I felt awesome. I feel as if I can give back and help kids understand math like I did with the help of a tutor. Also I can work September to June in a School setting then June to September I can work as a paralegal so then I have 2 incomes coming in. BUT New Jersey seems to have an influx of teachers and there seems to be very few jobs for teachers. Not to mention the pension reform is still up in the air so that didn't seem to be a good idea right now.

2. I have always been a creative person (not as much the past couple of years but I am) and my mom has always told me that I would be great in Marketing/PR/Graphic Design. While I did take 2 Graphic Design classes, I realized that Graphic Design wasn't my forte but Marketing was still in my mind. For me, I feel as if I finally settled in here, where I live. I like the area, I am close to the beach, NYC and Philly. I am a homebody and I have finally realized. For me to make a decent living as a Marketing/PR/Advertising Representative, I would have to go north to the NYC area or West to the Philly Area. For me to commute either way would be A. very expensive and B. very tiresome (for me)
This didn't seem like a good idea.

3. If you told me 5 years ago, I would be considering becoming an Accounting major, I would have laughed so hard at you. Flashfoward to today, I am actually considering it. It combines what I like- numbers and math (but it all has to equal which is like a self check), being creative (naming the different accounts) and its recession proof. Who doesn't need an accountant?! After taking the Fundamentals of Accounting class a month ago, I realized with the right teacher I can learn and even love accounting. Now let me tell you- Accounting and I had a pretty tumultuous relationship. I used to cry during every class because I had no idea what was going on in this class. I got through it with a B the first time but in Accounting 2 oh gosh, I bawled my eyes out every morning at 8 am because the professor used to call on me every time because the professor liked to call on the student who got the lowest test score on first every since class; guess who that lucky student is- ME! Needless to say, I got my first D ever on my transcript. After I saw that, I was done with Accounting FOREVER. I took Accounting 1 again 4 years later at a community college and I did decent but I still didn't fully understand it. A year passed by and I decided to take Fundamentals of Accounting and I fell in love. I loved this so much that the professor even noticed and decided to point out to me (in front of the whole class) that I should be an Accounting major. I laughed it off but after I really started to think about it and I was intrigued and I started to investigate the major.
After a long time of research and weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go into Accounting. Since I am considered a Transfer student so I need to contact the transfer counselors and see where I can get the most bang from my buck.(ie Where the most of my credits to accepted, the lowest price etc. )

This is a big decision for me. I don't really like big decsisons and I finally realize that this is what I want to do. I am still interested in Paralegal and Legal Studies. I talked to my parents about it and they are so happy for me. Its been a rocky 5 years for me but I am happy to be back on track.
Also I will be paying for my Accounting degree (possibly MBA) all by myself. This is a choice made by me. My parents of course offered but I want to invest my hard earned money on myself. I have some savings bonds that I will probably use to help me along.

Along with these classes I hopefully will be working at the courthouse full time. I realized its not a rush for me to get my degree, I have to just take it one step at a time.
-elle

Thursday, July 14, 2011

oh my god, these fireworks are awesome.

The title of this post was said by a little boy tonight on the boardwalk while watching the fireworks. My parents and I went to the boardwalk tonight for the free fireworks. The boardwalk was fun, I went on the swings and on the carousel. I'm not much of a ride person. We played some skee ball and won some points. I have been collecting them since '95. I'm up to like 9000 and the only thing I can buy is a plastic whistle. haha I'll cash them in one day.

The rest of the day was nice, my new iPhone case came in the mail today. Its a penguin and its awfully cute.

I finally decided on a major for my bachelors degree. After a long thought process, I narrowed it down to 3 majors:
1. Education ( Mathematics)
2. Marketing/PR/Advertising
3. Accounting

Diversity was the key in my thinking. I already have an Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies and I really do like it ALOT but I cant get a Bachelor's degree in it unless I want to do an online degree, which I don't.
Here was my thought process for choosing these majors:
1. I always wanted to become a teacher. I toyed around with this thought all the way back in 2009 right before I started the paralegal program @ BCC.  Though I thought I would want to teach elementary school but I don't- I want to teach math. That last statement made me laugh because from 1st grade all the way to 12th grade I had a tutor in math. (yes I know 1st grade math is 1+1. I was that bad in math.) Then my very first semester in college, I was placed in Calculus and I ended up passing the class with a B+ without a tutor. I did it all by myself. I felt awesome. I feel as if I can give back and help kids understand math like I did with the help of a tutor. Also I can work September to June in a School setting then June to September I can work as a paralegal so then I have 2 incomes coming in. BUT New Jersey seems to have an influx of teachers and there seems to be very few jobs for teachers. Not to mention the pension reform is still up in the air so that didn't seem to be a good idea right now.

2. I have always been a creative person (not as much the past couple of years but I am) and my mom has always told me that I would be great in Marketing/PR/Graphic Design. While I did take 2 Graphic Design classes, I realized that Graphic Design wasn't my forte but Marketing was still in my mind. For me, I feel as if I finally settled in here, where I live. I like the area, I am close to the beach, NYC and Philly. I am a homebody and I have finally realized. For me to make a decent living as a Marketing/PR/Advertising Representative, I would have to go north to the NYC area or West to the Philly Area. For me to commute either way would be A. very expensive and B. very tiresome (for me)
This didn't seem like a good idea.

3. If you told me 5 years ago, I would be considering  becoming an Accounting major, I would have laughed so hard at you. Flashfoward to today, I am actually considering it. It combines what I like- numbers and math (but it all has to equal  which is like a self check), being creative (naming the different accounts) and its recession proof. Who doesn't need an accountant?! After taking the Fundamentals of Accounting class a month ago, I realized with the right teacher I can learn and even love accounting. Now let me tell you- Accounting and I had a pretty tumultuous relationship. I used to cry during every class because I had no idea what was going on in this class. I got through it with a B the first time  but in Accounting 2 oh gosh, I bawled my eyes out every morning at 8 am because the professor used to call on me every time because the professor liked to call on the student who got the lowest test score on first every since class; guess who that lucky student is- ME! Needless to say, I got my first D ever on my transcript. After I saw that, I was done with Accounting FOREVER. I took Accounting 1 again 4 years later at a  community college and I did decent but I still didn't fully understand it. A year passed by and I decided to take Fundamentals of Accounting and I fell in love. I loved this so much that the professor even noticed and decided to point out to me (in front of the whole class) that I should be an Accounting major. I laughed it off but after I really started to think about it and I was intrigued and I started to investigate the major.
After a long time of research and weighing the pros and cons, I decided to go into Accounting. Since I am considered a Transfer student so I need to contact the transfer counselors and see where I can get the most bang from my buck.(ie Where the most of my credits to accepted, the lowest price etc. )

This is a big decision for me. I don't really like big decsisons and I finally realize that this is what I want to do. I am still interested in Paralegal and Legal Studies. I talked to my parents about it and they are so happy for me. Its been a rocky 5 years for me but I am happy to be back on track.
Also I will be paying for my Accounting degree (possibly MBA) all by myself. This is a choice made by me. My parents of course offered but I want to invest my hard earned money on myself. I have some savings bonds that I will probably use to help me along.

Along with these classes I hopefully will be working at the courthouse full time. I realized its not a rush for me to get my degree, I have to just take it one step at a time.
-elle

hey did you go.....

Today was a good day, before i went into work this afternoon, I stopped into Old Navy to return a pair of pants I bought online but they ended up being too big! (ahhhh yess!!) So I walk in and hop on line with 3 people in front of me. I had my iPhone in my hand and I anxiously was looking at it making sure I was keeping track of time. Luckily the 3 people in front of me didn't have really complex or complicated purchases so I am standing behind this man who is looking at the gift cards and then there is me, standing there in all black clothes, my bright teal bag and a small brown shopping bag with the pair of black pants, the cashier, a boy, looked at me while the man buying the gift card was swiping his credit card, said to me "oh you can put your bag up here, its alright" with my shyness, smiled and obliged. The man who bought the gift card left and this was the conversation that transpired:

cashier boy: hello
me: hi, i bought these online but they didn't fit
cashier: oh okay i can take care of this for you
cashier: ::::looking at the receipt, punching keys on the keyboard:::
me: :::smiling uncomfortably:::
cashier: okay $25 will go back on the card
me: :::rummaging through my HUGE bag::: do you need the card?? ::my voice trembling at this point::
cashier: did you go to _____? :::as he is finishing up the transaction:::
me: ::::stumbling over my words and super surprised:: uh uh yes  i did
cashier: i thought you looked familiar
me: :::racking my brain to think of something intelligent to say because I am so surprised by what he said:::  ::smiling and my face is probably red::: what year did you graduate?
cashier: 05
me: :::smiling:: 06
me: i'm gabrielle ::smiling thinking if that was okay to say:::
cashier: i'm nick :: as he is handing me the receipt:::
me: well it was nice to meet you, see you around
cashier: you too have a good day.

I walked out of Old Navy beaming, things like this happen but never to me and it got me excited and i bounced over to my job. I wouldn't say it was busy because it wasn't but I wouldn't say it was slow either. Today brought in a lot of foreigners that were quite mean and rude. I didn't mind their rudeness because I kept trying to think who this Nick character was and how did I know him besides seeing him at Old Navy.

Hmm, I'll have to see where this one goes.

Other than that I was feeling a lot better today until dinner when i ventured to eat chocolate ice cream =( oh well, i have been really doing well with this whole gluten free diet/lifestyle. Friday will be the one month mark.

with sparkling eyes, look for the beauty in everything.
-elle

Monday, July 11, 2011

Today was fun! I felt awesome this morning so I ventured out with my gluten free snacks in my Vera Bradley clutch and headed to Target and  the mall. I found the black t-shirts I need for work and some gatorade for $1 each. Then off to the mall.  Now after working at the mall about 3 years, I have noticed that  the mall has been becoming more and more delapadated over time and its kinda not where I want to go to shop. Stores are closing and there are empty suites and its really depressing. None the less, the stores I want to look in, are still there. Thank you Pink Nation for 7 for 25.50 underware this weekend! I ventured into Francesa's and found a couple of cute things but I couldnt bring myself to spend $44 dollars on a fancy shirt I have no idea when  I was going to wear. They had a notebook that said 'Life' on it so I was curious about it and I opened it up and it was a journal where you log what you eat, when you went to the gym, ect. That is exactly like the Life Handbook I have to keep track of what foods I eat and if they agree with my new Gluten lifestyle; I also keep track of when I go to the gym, where I can find certain foods and all my log ins and passwords for the websites I go to frequently.
 After awhile of windowshopping, I came to the conclusion, nothing is more going to say ' buy me! buy me!' besides Auntie Annies Pretzels, which I cannot possibly eat or I wont be feeling that well.

Currently I'm watching Sydney White and comtemplating my life. I decided my next big purchase will be a house or renting a house with an option to buy. I figured this because I already bought a car, I have my dream phone, the elusive white iPhone 4, I have a bed, a computer but I am living with my parents- Which I absolutely LOVE and my parents LOVE me being here but in the future I do want to have my own little house, nothing big- just big enough for me- 2 bedroom, a kitchen, laundry room, living room, just basic things. I would love to have a little beach house.

Though the house is years off but i like that I keep goals in my mind. It keeps me on my feet and my priotierties in line, I just want a happy life. thats it. =D

“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.”—An ancient Chinese belief

-elle