I want to learn to crochet

Yes, I know that may make me sound like an old lady, but I don't care. I genuinely want to become fantastic at crocheting. My nephew and his wife have a little girl, and my niece Ashley is pregnant, and I feel like this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn how to make super cute things for the babies to wear!

I have another week before school starts, and I'm working on getting this stinkin' apartment cleaner. I'm going to schedule a time for a carpet shampooing... which is really desperately needed... and I feel like I need to scrub EVERYTHING... like really... I have this urge to scrub the walls for some reason? I just want this place to be perfect and clean... even if it is for just a short amount of time. :)

ALSO, I really need to hang up all of our paintings and pictures and what not. I got the okay from the landlord to put nails in the walls, but I'm afraid I'll put something somewhere and decide that I don't like it there after all.

We've been married for a little over a month now, and I'm loving every minute of it. I do find that I'm getting lonely while Ryan is at work though. I'm used to having at least my dog around for company, but no such luck here at the apartment. I think if Misty (my dog) wasn't so old, we'd move her over here with us, but my parents' house is her home... she'd freak if we put her in a new environment. Alas, I want a puppy. I think I'll try convincing Ryan of this in December when I graduate. :)

Ooh, wonderful news, by the way! We found out that I received nearly $3,000 in grant money for this semester, and that on top of my $1500 scholarship means that I'll get a REFUND of something like $939! Such a huge blessing! I jokingly said that "maybe we should have gotten married sooner!"... but I still think we waited just the perfect amount of time. Still pretty amazed that I will be getting PAID to go to school... what a crazy thought! Ryan received the same amount of grant money, but he doesn't have the scholarship that I do, so he'll still owe a little, but my refund will cover it. SO glad that we won't need to take out another loan for him. I'm not sure how far in debt he is, but I'm honestly not too worried about it. I mean, ASU is a fairly affordable school, considering our other options, and our God is in control!

I'm getting a little nervous about the idea of graduation and getting a big girl job... but I think I'm probably more excited than anything!

study abroad program

I know I haven't written in forever, but no one reads this thing anyway.... so, here it goes:

About a month or so ago, I received an email from Angelo State that included a flyer for their upcoming study abroad programs. I've always heard of what a great experience studying abroad is, but I honestly hadn't given it much thought. For no particular reason, other than the fact that I had nothing else to do, I began to browse through which countries they were going to and what subjects they would be focusing on. As I scrolled down the list, I saw New Zealand, and got excited. Then I realized that the subjects that were to be studied are Literature and Film. Then I was ecstatic. By the way, my major is Communications: Radio and TV, so this ties in perfectly! If I was accepted into the program, I would receive 6 hours credit toward my advanced Film and Literature classes. So, needless to say, I clicked on the link, and read all about the program.

Here are some snippets from the actual brochure:

• "The flight to New Zealand will take the students through Los Angeles. In preparation for the course on film in Oceania, students will spend two days in Los Angeles to visit a Hollywood film studio where many Pacific Islands films were produced." (A real Hollywood studio!)
• "From Los Angeles, the group will fly to Christchurch on the southern island of New Zealand and visit Film South New Zealand, an organization that promotes the country to international filmmakers."
• "The group will then travel by train and ferry to the capital city of Wellington, on the northern island, to visit Film Wellington New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission, the New Zealand Film Archive and the Weta Workshop. "
• "The group will also meet with faculty at Victoria University of Wellington. While at Massey University, students will be housed in dorms on the Manawatu campus."
• "Students will attend regularly scheduled classes and lectures given by Massey University faculty. A number of day excursions will also be organized."

I know I've been to New Zealand before, but never in my life would I be able to experience these film opportunities again!

I've officially applied for the program, personally contacted the trip director, and submitted my essay. Application deadline isn't until November 20th, so I have a while before I hear back from them... but I'm checking my email like crazy. =]

I want this! So bad! And, to make things even better, there are tons of scholarships to apply for once you're accepted into the program, so I wouldn't have to pay for everything!

If I do get accepted, and can't afford to go (even with scholarship money), I will take out a loan if I have to. I honestly cannot pass this opportunity up!