At last... At last... Spring is about here!

Apparently I have been slacking on reading the blog (and in keeping in touch!), because I just read from MR's post on and learned A LOT!

Amy, I am so glad that you found those 3 volunteer jobs. I think it is perfect that you found one involving clothes, because you finally have a place that will accept your nice stuff (since Plato's closet was lame).

Back to business... I will let you know if Eric's family has an extra Bengals/Reds tickets, because normally their extras just go to waste.

As for the "1806 big girl" job issue. I know that since you guys have graduated from college, you want to have big girl jobs. And I know you might find me foolish for saying this. But honestly, maybe it's nice to not have that right now... It can push you closer to grad school which can open up more opportunities, give you time (which you might not have had) to help the community, and give you time to enjoy life before you have to buckle down. Basically, I just want to make sure that as a house, we are stepping back and taking the time to enjoy life, as transient as it might be.

LP I absolutely loved the statement in your blog about how I am graduating in June. I felt like you were bragging about you kid or something. I look up to you guys so much and for some reason that sentence made me feel really loved. thank you.

I'm sure you guys have been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering when I am going to finally expose the gushy details of my life. ; ) Well here goes... As many of you know, I moved in with Eric in Jan. and am subleasing my apartment. Eric got accepted into UMemphis and UT's PhD psychology program. After much consideration, he has decided to go to Memphis, so that will be our new home come late August. I am so so so excited for warmER weather all year round, and I think it will be a fun environment for us. The only bummer in the plan is that it is 7.5 hours from Cincinnati. I am confident that we will be making many trips back though. I believe we will be living there for about 5 years. I am currently working on getting my Tennessee licensure for nursing, and I am applying to Vanderbilt's Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program for this fall! I can live in Memphis and have a preceptor in Memphis and just take classes online. Dream come true! I would get my degree in a year, which means I would NEVER have to work in a hospital again! Instead, I can practice in a pediatrician's office!! Another dream come true! I am not sure that I will be accepted for this Fall though, because I am having to piece together my application last minute (by MArch 31st!) and I just visited with them March 5th. I am taking the GRE on March 31st--Erin I would appreciate any last minute advice haha!

And don't worry, if for some reason things fall through with Eric, I could still be in Vandy's program from Cincinnati.

Sorry if the above information seems like it was flung at you... I just feel so excited. And, unfortunately, I have like 7 essays to tend to to complete my application. BTW, Maria, thank you so much for the Origin's lotion and shower gel you got me last year. I am so in love with scent.

I hope you guys all enjoy the start of Spring, and I can't wait to see many of next weekend! Perhaps this will be the "BEST BIRTHDAY EVER PART 2!" haha just kidding... I am still trying to think of a fun, mature night on the town!

Oh, and please try to come back for my senior crawl!!!! LOVE YOU GUYS!

MJ

Hey hey!

Hey girlies ---

I cannot believe how fast time is going lately!!!! I feel like I have been saying that so much recently, but it seems to become more and more true. I have been really busy with work and traveling lately. I really love my job and am praying that I will have the opportunity to continue working for Resource after Alex and I get hitched. (We still don't know where we'll be...)

I am actually working in our Cincinnati office this morning so it's a peaceful Monday morning thus far and I am taking advantage (and procrastinating lol).

I am very excited to have the opportunity for many of us to get together next weekend to celebrate MJ's bday and hang out! Before you know it she'll be graduating. (Doesn't it feel like we just graduated?) I am definitely planning on being at graduation to see MJ as well as Pat. If anyone wants to come up/down let me know!

Maria Richards - any idea when you will have the chance to grace us with your presence? You should bring your cute little Paloma with you! If you're having any thoughts about coming our way let me know so I can make sure that I'll be in Columbus.

Hope everyone is happy & healthy!!!!

LP
<3 br="" lauren="">
P.S. I saw Alice & Wonderland and it was CRAZY! Very good, but kind of scary for me haha. I would definitely recommend it though. Has anyone else seen any good movies lately? I still have yet to see Avatar... yikes - I need to get on that before it leaves the theater!!!!!

As requested :)

(by MJ at least haha)

Pictures from San Francisco!

http://picasaweb.google.com/AmyCHorn/SanFrancisco?authkey=Gv1sRgCI28tMTym5e_oAE&feat=directlink

Amy

New edition to my family!

Hey everyone!
Kev and I have bought a new pup! She's a chihuahua (of course) and her name is Paloma, which means dove in spanish, or more commonly heard of as my favorite drink from Mexico! Here's the website with some pictures and a video! Enjoy!
Love you guys!

Photos at http://web.me.com/tearly/chihuahua/index.html.

A video at http://public.me.com/tearly

Maria R

Hotel 1806

Hello girls!

I don’t have anything too exciting to say but I thought I would say hello and give you an update too! I heard Hotel California on the radio last night on my way home, thought of you all and got really nostalgic. I really, really miss you all. I want to visit Columbus too. Maria R- keep us updated because I plan on being there when you come but if anyone wants to give me another excuse to visit, I’ll take it!

So still no job for me yet (you can’t imagine how tired I am of saying that). I have added the YET at the end, though. According to someone I talked to I need to start adding that word, so there it is. Anyway, I have three volunteer “jobs” at this point so I am keeping somewhat busy… but just not getting paid. That is fine for now because I am learning and hopefully contributing and on top of that I really love all the people I am getting to know at all three places. The first place is the American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop. It’s an “upscale” resale shop where all of the profits from selling donations of gently used women’s clothing, accessories, furniture and household items go to the ACS. The store has one paid manager, who I love, but is otherwise run by a volunteer steering committee (of which I am now a part of) and volunteer store workers.I am working on getting them more donations!

I am also the Fundraising Chair of the Anderson Township Relay For Life. That means I am on the planning committee and in charge of doing outside fundraisers prior to Relay to raise even more money. I convinced the Feckers to let us do a fundraiser with the Anderson Community Band (haha) and I’m working on more. I’m also going to have a team at Relay with some of my High School friends who are here. They all got so excited about what I was doing they offered to be my “committee” and help me out, which I thought was really sweet.

The last place is the one I think I’m most excited about. I am helping plan a fundraiser for this summer for an organization called Most Valuable Kids. They take people’s unused tickets to sporting events, cultural events, etc. around Cincinnati and then distribute the tickets to underserved kids in the area. For the last 5 years one woman has been running the entire foundation and since they are growing she needs help. Therefore they are having a fundraiser this summer more or less to pay this new hire’s salary. Potentially this could be me, but I hope I have a job before the end of the summer! In the meantime I’m trying to help out as much as I can and not screw up, just in case.

It’s neat to be involved with a variety of different not-for profits and get a little taste of how each is run. One needs clothes, one needs money and one needs tickets, which is interesting to me. Even though I’m involved with 3 organizations it’s not like I am working anywhere close to full time (which may change as things pick up) but it’s still great experience (and a lot of meetings to go to).

I’m still applying for jobs and taking advice from anyone who will give it to me. I figure that maybe in the grand scheme of things it’s best that I don’t make money so I need to be home anyway. It’s definitely difficult when so many people seem to be doing “big girl” things as Erin said (like Brie bought a condo today!) but I figure my (and our, for that matter) times will come soon enough.

I leave for San Francisco next Thursday and I am so excited. Plus they were in San Francisco last night on the Bachelor which got me even more excited! John also just found out that he has to be in Harrisburg, PA the following week and his boss told him he should stop in Cincinnati for the weekend. So I get to see him a week later, too! He gets to see his family, too, which is nice because we weren’t really sure the next time he would be home- Lauren’s wedding maybe. So, this was a nice surprise. I really love when he’s anywhere on the East Coast, too, because we are in the same time zone and that is so much more convenient.

I hope you all are doing well. Miss you 5, our lovely house and talking about nothing and everything.

Amy

P.S. If anyone hasn’t seen The Blind Side you totally should. My mom, sister and I saw it this weekend and it was really great. Sandra Bullock is sooo impressive (apparently people agree since she was nominated for an Oscar for it!). Boys will like it too!

Hi All!!

Hi former-roomies...it has been too long!

I have been thinking about you all so much lately, and since it is rather overwhelming to my to my telephone-phobic self to make 5 phone calls at once, I figured I would add to the blog : )

I hope everyone is enjoying their jobs/ lives/ school. Although there isn't really too much going on in my life right now, I never really know where to start when writing one of these blogs. It's kind of intimidating actually because there is so much that I want to say, yet there isn't really too much to say...I just wish we could have a big pow-wow in my room like good old times. Anyway, I am currently working at a Staffing Agency in Pittsburgh (in addition to Quaker Steak) and am really loving it. I am a little stressed, just because I essentially work everyday of the week (and sometimes both jobs on one day), BUT it is probably for the best because I am definitely staying busy. The people at the Agency are so great...kind, warm, welcoming, and I feel like I am part of a family. I really enjoy every single person there, and it's a professional business environment which makes me feel like a have a semi-big girl job. At least it is a step in the right direction haha. I have been continuing to apply for real "big girl jobs" but am struggling about where I really want to be right now. I guess I will just have to see what happens.

Update me/ the rest of us on your lives!!! I want to hear what's going on!

Miss you all bunches!

Erin

P.S. I would love to schedule another trip to C-bus sometime within the next few months. Maria R...do you have any plans to visit? Let me know!

Happy New Year!

Hey Girls!

I hope you all had very merry Christmases and happy New Years! I just got back from California on Monday. The Rose Bowl was really fun and I know this may be a sin, but I almost thought the parade was better. It was so impressive! I think the boys would murder me if they heard me say that. Oh man, were they in heaven. At times I wanted to put my head through a wall because of the horrible, never-ending jokes that they all thought were hilarious but other than that, it was honestly really nice to spend time with all of them. It was also so nice to be with John again after I just saw him for Christmas! We went to the Getty Art Museum before my dad left and on my birthday we went to Catalina Island. Both places were really gorgeous. It wasn't too awkward either spending my birthday with just John and Mr. Fecker. I put my pictures on Picasa again in case anyone is interested J

http://picasaweb.google.com/AmyCHorn/RoseBowlTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCMqVh7L91sKRbQ&feat=directlink

And, since John gave me the best Christmas gift ever, I get to see him again soon! He got me a trip to San Francisco over President’s Day weekend in February, which also happens to be Valentines Day weekend, too!! I was completely floored. He said he was excited to give me this present but that normally doesn’t mean anything. He booked my plane tickets and a really cool historic hotel in the city. I was thinking, who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?! He can stay though. I’m so pumped. We are going to go up to Napa for a day too! I told him I don’t need presents ever again. In my head I was thinking a ring in the semi-near future might be nice but I can wait haha. Just kidding, we still have a lot more time before that happens- don’t get all excited.

Still trying to figure out the rest of my life and it’s still not going as well as I would like haha. I’ll let you know though! I'm working on it.

I hope I get to see you all soon!

Amy