Being an Adult Means You Have to Pay for Dental Work? Who Knew!

So, since Saturday, I've had this awful dull, throbbing pain one of my teeth. 

At first, I thought maybe I had slept weird and clenched my jaw, because sometimes I do that. 

But, it hasn't gone away. 

So I did the standard Google search and came up with the most likely of options that I really hope isn't the case. 

An abscess.

Now, I am in no way trying to self diagnose, because I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to know much about teeth, because I don't. But the symptoms are there. 

That would of course mean some serious dental work. Only problem is, since Mom got a new job, our insurance doesn't kick in until October 27. That is such a long time!!!!

Being a college student and always being broke really really sucks. 

Gone are the days when mommy and daddy paid for dental work and doctor's visits. 

Being an adult really stinks sometimes. 

I'm going to keep popping Tylenol until October and in the mean time pray that this thing doesn't get any worse. 

Already Tired

School is wearing me out.

Gone are the days I could sleep till noon.

Instead, I get to read 40 chapters of Mark Twain in a weekend.

I have papers to write, books to read, and lots of work to do.

How many days until Christmas Break?

1st Semester of Senior Year

Ok, let me just say that I was an idiot for taking 18 hours this semester.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about classes.

I'm taking Gender Studies, 20th Century American Lit with a focus on southern literature, History of Women in America, German III, Senior Seminar, and History of Arkansas. Whew! That's a lot.

I have to write a grand total of 4 full length research papers, not including presentation in every class and a paper completely in German by the end of the semester. Oh, and did I mention that I will be applying for Graduate school in the midst of all of this?

Good thing I already know what my tentative paper topics are.

For Gender: The role of gender in Harry Potter
For Ark. history: something to do with Fort Smith, hopefully about the Claytons or something similar. This is with the goal of publishing it in the Fort Smith historical society journal or the Arkansas Quarterly.
For Am. Lit: Something about the influence of the Civil War in modern society. How the South was never the same and how it influenced Southern Literature as a whole.
For Seminar: The Conservative Revolution, from Goldwater to Reagan, 1960-1980.

I am going to be one busy girl.

So Much Stuff!

I'm cleaning out my room so I can paint and redecorate, and I'm wondering, where did all this stuff come from????? 

I will admit, am a bit of a pack rat when it comes to sentimental things such as cards, letters, newspaper clippings, etc. But I still have WAY too much stuff. 

It's only day one, and I have a whole trash bag of clothes that are in perfect condition that I never wear to give away, and I haven't even gone through my dresser or finished the laundry. 

I am major purging things that used to mean something but don't anymore. 

New goal for new room: Don't hang on to stuff I don't need, and don't buy clothes that I don't need. 

I did get a beautiful new quilt for my room. Here is my inspiration: New Bed Spread and Pillows

Let me know what you think. 

Need vs. Want - Life Choices

So, I know I have been talking about my new house FOREVER. That would be because we have been working on it FOREVER. But. Today, I had a bit of an epiphany.

This economy has been really tough on my parent's business, so tough, that my mom had to get a different job and leave dad to it. Problem is, my parents have always shared a vehicle since they worked together. Now my mom is stuck driving the "blind van" so dad can drive his truck and work. They heard about a seriously fantastic deal on a car that would be perfect for my mom, but they had no idea how they were going to pay for it.

Insert epiphany.

I decided to completely redo my current room in my parent's house. Save loads of money. And in turn, give my school refund check to my parents so they can buy the car.

It was a bit of a tough decision, but my mom needs a car, my sister is getting married next summer so there's a wedding to pay for, and honestly that didn't leave any time or money to devote to my house that I've been working on for 3 years. I am sad about it, but I think its the right thing.

I will eventually move in, but not until after the car and wedding are paid for. By then, I'll be walking into the world with a degree in my hand and hopefully a good job to go with it.

Speaking of jobs, if you hear of anything that an almost college grad with a history and english concentration would be perfect for, let me know. I'm already on the lookout.

Izzy

Izzy is the love of my life.

She is a 9lb Miniature Dachshund.

She is the cutest little dog a girl could ask for!

She's still a puppy, so she LOVES to play, but her favorite thing to do is just sit in your lap and be close to you.

She is so excited when I come home every day.

My poor baby got attacked last Tuesday by a dog ten times her size.

After $200 in Vet bills and 3 trips later, she is finally feeling a little bit like herself. She had to get stitches and be put on antibiotics. Then she started swelling. Doctor said it was nothing to worry about, but by this morning, she was swollen so bad that her stitches came open. They did some surgery and put in a drainage tube and she is barking and wagging her sweet little tail again!

Thank goodness for my wonderful Vet. I have no idea what I would have done without my sweet baby!