Walk This Way

In 2008, my aunt was diagnosed with Ph+ Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. I remember the phone call as if it happened yesterday. I just sat in shock while my mom explained everything over the phone. As soon as I hung up, tears rolled down my cheeks. "Aunt Theresa has Leukemia. Blood Cancer. I could lose her. Her family could lose her."

Flash forward 6 years. We were lucky. We didn't lose her. Aunt Theresa is still here - living, working, fighting, surviving. She's a survivor. She's here because she has hope. She's here because of generous donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that have enabled researchers to develop new medications to treat her. She's here because people show support and walk to find a cure for blood cancers.

There are still plenty of people who need support and we need your help. Don't "get around to it someday." Someday is today. Walk with us. Donate. Spread awareness about Leukemia and all blood cancers. Share this post. Whatever you do, do something. Talk is cheap - try a little action.

Light the Night with us.

Please consider helping me reach my goal to stomp out blood cancer!

Remember Me?

Once upon a time, I got lazy and decided that my blog didn't need me for a while. Here I am, not promising that I'm back, but popping in to say hi. So HI.

Since the last time I was here, I got serious and decided that I was going to apply to grad school for the Fall of 2015. This isn't a decision that was taken lightly. I've sighed over and over as I went back and forth weighing my options. Wait until Kris is done his masters, get married, then go to school for 4 years or go to school while Kris is getting his masters, and get married when we're both done in 4 years or stay at home every day for 4 years and eat mashed potatoes, while not being productive to society and start to hate myself. Anyone see a pattern in the amount of time all of this will take?

Anyway, here I am with a handful of schools picked out and only one I that I really have my heart set on. I just finished the first 3 of many application essays where I adeptly make myself sound smarter, more worldly, and less lazy than I actually am. And I. do. not. want. to. write the. rest. of. them.

OH and I've started an online math class because why not torture myself even more? 

I keep telling myself it's all for The Doctorate. It's all for The Doctorate. 

Back to editing essays.

Here are some upbeat pictures to keep you from noticing the terrible (and complain-y) quality of this post. Ciao!

I Didn't Graduate

I know you're thinking something really crazy right now, but it's actually not what you're thinking. No, I didn't flunk out. And yes I did really well on all my finals. But I didn't graduate.

Up until November, I planned to graduate in January. That is until I found out that the College of Health Professions and Social Work "will not be holding a winter commencement ceremony." However, I "may walk in the Spring commencement ceremony if [I] wish." Sorry, but I've been waiting for my diploma for four and a half years since August 2009, I'm not waiting any longer than I have to.

I understand that it's my choice to not wait until May, but it still sucks that I don't get to walk across the stage in front of my family and friends with a cap on my head and a rolled up piece of paper in my hand as they play a recording of Pomp & Circumstance.

Kristo's graduation ceremony was last week. (of course they held one for the college of liberal arts.) I was so incredibly proud of him and all that he's accomplished (2 Bachelor's degrees with distinction in the major for econ!!!!), but it was bittersweet in the fact that I didn't get to close my college career like everyone else.  That bratty voice inside my head kept saying "that should be me." But he's a really good boyfriend and he understood how I felt which led to this picture.

Every once in a while, you relearn the lesson that you can't always get what you want. It sucks, but it's a very concrete part of life. So how do you deal? You find a solution. If you can't get what you want, you find another plan. Which is exactly what I did. I ordered my senior portraits. They cost me almost $200 (HIGHWAY ROBBERY), but it's worth the fact that I can send my capped and gowned self to all of my relatives. And at least I can pretend that I graduated.

If all else fails, try to find the good in the situation. I'm lucky to have a job in my chosen field before I even receive my diploma, graduated or not. So here's to life lessons and keeping your head up.

What are some life lessons that you weren't so happy to learn?

Seasons of Love

Hello my loveys!

After bawling my eyes out at last week's Glee with Sara last night, I decided that I need to write a nice post about something that makes me very happy today - "my person" - my boyfriend Kris (boyf, Kristobal, Kristo).

This guy has been through everything with me for the last 5 and a half years and I've learned a lot about relationships since we first started dating. Without further ado, I present

THINGS MY RELATIONSHIP HAS TAUGHT ME

Some people like other teams.
It's weird and it makes no sense, but it happens. Kris was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, but he loves the San Antonio Spurs, the Cincinnati Bengals, the UNC Tarheels, and the Detroit Tigers. He's never even been to any of those places. Whatevs. I'll probably never understand, but I now have a soft place in my heart for his teams when mine are sucking, which happens a lot. For an example of the weirdness that is Kris's love for the Tigers, you can watch this video of a news interview of my Philly boy wearing a Detroit jersey while in Boston for the playoff game this past Sunday. He's the one wearing the goofy sunglasses at 1:19

ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

It's okay to be ugly(sometimes).
Kris doesn't care what I look like. He doesn't care how big small my boobs are or if I wear makeup or not. He says I look nice whether I'm wearing yoga pants or a cocktail dress. He still loves me when I'm crying, even if it makes me look like Farrah from Teen Mom (which it does).

Compromise is key.
I want the lava cake for dessert. I will always want the lava cake for dessert, but I can't always have the lava cake for dessert because I compromise. Sometimes, I have to let Kris order a limoncello cheesecake because that's what a relationship is about.  

He's got my back.
It's awesome having a person who has your back no matter what. It's also awesome that he'll agree with me even if he has no idea what I'm talking about. He's got my back for everything.

Beer is better.
I honestly never thought I'd say this because I used to hate beer. Boyf and his expensive tastebuds have introduced me to a world I probably would have left unexplored. I'm a fan now. I'm not saying I hate all the other alcohol, but beer is the only adult beverage that doesn't give me a hangover so yeah, I'll keep drinking.

Last, but not least.

I'd love to know what you've learned from your relationships!
XO - Monny

RIP Cory Monteith

Do I Really Want to Relive This?

It's Humpday once again, my lovelies!

Today I'm posting about the one-time Feelin' 22 21 Linkup that's hosted by a bunch of awesome ladies like Juliette, Allie, Adriana, Brittany, and Sami. Since I've already written about that night in the post about the worst advice I've ever received, I'll just put a quick recap of my night and let you tell me how it went.

Background Info: 
Headed to the Jersey shore at the ass crack of dawn the morning after going to the bar for the first time.
Still had stuff to pack.
No real food in my stomach for hours.
I weighed 100 lbs.
Hit the bar around 11 and drank:
1 chocolate covered pretzel shot
1 chocolate cake shot
1 pineapple mojito
1 mango mojito
1 more chocolate covered pretzel shot
1 liquid marijuana shot
1 more liquid marijuana shot
1 sip of water

Barfed:
-in the bathroom of the bar before I left
-in a bucket in the car on the ride home
-in the toilet at home
-on the toilet at home
-in a trash can next to my bed

Now I'm not good at math or anything, but that seems like a bad equation.
XO - Monny

"You'll Be Fine," They Said

I'm on a roll with this blogging challenge, guys and gals! I'm actually writing this before 2 am. What has gotten into me?!

Day 3: Today's Prompt Is: What is the worst advice you've ever received?

This is a hard one, I had to rack my brain for like two whole minutes before I reached a memory. The worst advice I've ever received was last year on my 21st birthday. I was leaving for the shore the next morning at the ass crack of dawn and I really didn't want to get smashed. Keep in mind that I'm half shot in the ass after 3 beers. But alas, after a chocolate covered pretzel shot, a chocolate cake shot, and 2 pineapple mojitos, someone - I don't remember who, told me to get a liquid marijuana shot. In my alcohol-induced stupor, my subconscious was like "yeah, that sounds like a great idea." Well, guess what. IT WAS A BAD DECISION. I probably would've been fine, but then my idiot subconscious decided that we should have another one. And bad things happened. Mostly, I puked everywhere. I did wake up the next day and was less hungover than I thought I'd be, but I and my subconscious learned a valuable lesson. 

Liquid Marijuana...bad shizz

Life lesson: don't listen to my drunk subconscious, unless you feel like barfing errywhere.

XO - Monny