Well today I am starting my very first Robert Morris blog! I'm really excited about this...it's something I never would have thought a college would offer, and I think it is a great way to get to know other students, and for other students to get to know me. Some of you may have viewed my profile and read that art is my passion and calling in life! I spent a little over two years as a self-employed mural painter. All of my work was through word-of-mouth. However, I havn't gotten any calls since March. It is great that I was able to make my own hours and work when I wanted, but it's hard not knowing when you will get your next paycheck. And come on, we all know how expensive our books are! :)

I now work part-time after school at Edible Arrangements in Orland. For those of you who don't know, we make arrangements that look like a basket of flowers out of fresh cut fruit. I like it, but during the holidays it can get pretty hectic. I honestly don't know if I would even have time to paint murals anymore if I got the call for them. It's a lot harder now that I can't pick when my classes are. So, I think everything worked out for a reason. Maybe when I am done with school the mural painting will pick up again. But let me tell ya, it can be a lot of hard work. Some people think that painting pretty little pictures on walls is not strenuous, but they are wrong! Six to eight hours of being on my feet or a ladder all day, plus lugging all my paints and equipment from the car to the house and to the room is a lot of work. My right shoulder and neck have suffered some abuse from constantly holding my arm up to paint for long periods of time...but no matter how much work it is, I still love it. So, I finally feel like I got a break this week! It's hard getting used to no summer vacation. I am only taking 3 classes this quarter, and they don't seem to produce a lot of homework which is good! I now have thursday and friday mornings to relax before I have to go to work at 1.

My sister just got back from Hawaii with her husband...they went to celebrate their 2 year wedding anniversary. Oh how I would love to go to Hawaii! Maybe someday I will get there! The last time I went on a real vacation was January of 2004, to Palm Springs California to visit my Uncle John and Aunt Mary. I did take a trip to Iowa in July, but I can't really consider that any kind of vacation. My Aunt Mary passed away after an 18 year battle with cancer. She was such a fighter and never gave up, even when her doctors told her she had only 7-10 years left. She was an inspiration to many people around her, and no matter how sick she felt she always had a smile on her face...even until the very end!

Speaking of relatives and vacations and all that, my Dad's cousin is coming in from Florida next week, and then she is going to come again with her son around Thanksgiving. We always have so much fun when they come in. Then Uncle John is going to come and see us in December, since it will be his first Christmas without Aunt Mary. :( I am not used to being home in the mornings like this, and it's nice that I am still in my PJ's, sipping a cup of tea, typing my blog, thinking about how I can still catch part of the Price Is Right! I used to watch that show every morning during the summer when I was a kid. I was pretty darn good at it too. Maybe one day I can go out to Cali and test my luck! Speaking of luck....you know how Kiss FM has that "pay my bills" thing? And old friend of mine from grammar school won! She said they were helping with her car payments. I am not sure if they pay off the whole thing, or just make one monthly payment or something. I sent her an email to find out all the details. Wouldn't it be nice if someone paid your bills? I would absolutely love that!

I just looked out my window and it looks like a nice sunny day, but I bet it's chilly out there. I hate when that happens. If it's chilly outside I'd rather it be gloomy, and if it is sunny, I like it to be warm. I love fall...I really do. I don't like when it's so hot that you feel like you want to melt and you have to blast the AC and close all the doors and windows. I like sweater and jeans weather. This week's weather has been absolutely nuts! First it was about 80 degrees on Sunday and a little too warm for me. I sat out on the deck and felt like a pig roasting on a spit! I don't like like that...I am all about being anti-sunbathing and anti-tanning beds, etc. The last thing I want is to be about 29 or 30 and starting to show some wrinkles and crow's feet. EWWW! So, I avoid the sun if I can. Getting off my little rant and back on to the weather....so then Monday we had these nasty storms and SUPER humid air, which left so many people, including my boyfriend, without power. And it left me looking like a poodle....haha, curly hair and humidity do not mix well! Then yesterday it was really chilly out, but sunny. It's crazy - I never know what to wear in the morning. Will I be hot or freezing? Do I wear shorts or a snowsuit? You know how Chicago is, all 4 seasons in one day. Hopefully we will have a nice weekend. I would like to do something on sunday since I don't work, like go horseback riding or something. I havn't done that since I went to Wisconsin Dells for vacation when I was a kid. One thing I am doing this weekend for sure is celebrating my Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary! I can't believe they have been together for 30 years...actually more, since they started dating at the ages of 14 and 16. That's what I call true love! My sister, my boyfriend John, and my brother-in-law Jim want to take them out to dinner on Saturday night, and I think we'll have a cake too. We all love the Fuji Japanese Steakhouse here in Orland, which is right by school, in the Michael's Plaza. They have a hibatchi grill and they cook right in front of you. They have the most fantastic fried rice and green tea ice cream! I plan on taking a few photos and discussing it in my next blog!

Wedding season really had an impact on me this summer! Three friends of mine decided it was time to tie the knot. It seems like every time I turn around someone I know got engaged or married. My best friend just attended her 5th wedding in less than one year. I loved helping my sister plan for her September 2004 wedding to my brother-in-law, Jim. I can't wait to plan my own. I guess my abundance of creativity is where it all stems from. The one thing I am looking forward to the most is using the skills I learned as a graphic design major to make out-of-this-world invitations and thank-you cards. I already have ideas running through my head!

Before I get more in depth about the weddings, I attended the Robert Morris Health Fair in the tech center this past Thursday. I do have to say that I was really impressed. Since I am really into health and nutrition (and even considered if for my major for a long time), I loved the fact that they had the health fair there for the students. So many people overlook health and nutrition issues, and this caught the attention to many people. I plan on writing an article for the website on the fair. I took some pictures and talked with a lot of interesting people. I was really surprised to see McDonald's there...who would have thought?! They were promoting their salads and yogurt parfaits. I even got a free 5 minute massage and a razzmatazz smoothie from Jamba Juice. I think it was a success and suggest you go next year if you did not make it this year.

So, back to the weddings. Friday my family and I went to one of the nicest weddings I have ever been to. It was for our friends, Johnny and Julia. Johnny has been my brother in law's best friend since childhood. Julia, my sister, and brother-in-law all worked together about 4 years ago. When my sister got married, Julia was a bridesmaid, and Johnny was my brother-in-law's best man. They met at the rehearsal dinner and were inseparable ever since! That was just about 2 years ago. They decided to have a small afternoon wedding with only about 30 or 35 people. I have never seen more people tear up at a wedding as everyone did at theirs! The priest read love letters they wrote to each other during their marriage classes before the wedding. They were beautiful! After the mass we all went to the Limestone Grille in Palos. We were in our own little room, and we had a wonderful dinner together!

Two weeks ago, John and I went to his good friend Edgar's wedding, and he asked John to be an attendant. Unfortunately, I missed the church ceremony because of a baby shower that fell on the same day, at the same time. (Oh, and by the way, John's cousin is expecting a baby in the last week of October, right around our birthdays, the 27th and the 30th). Anyway, most of the reception was in Spanish and I did not understand a lot of it, but I think I pretty much got the point! (Like the bouquet toss, for example!). I didn't have to speak Spanish to figure that one out...hahaha. Even though I did not know too many people, I quickly made friends. I even ran around in a circle holding hands with a bunch of other girls, while some fast-paced song was playing! John and I practiced salsa dancing about a week before the wedding. We didn't get nearly as much practice as we needed, but at least we didn't have to sit out any of the dances. Learning some basic steps gave us the confidence we needed to get out there and shake our booties! Haha.

And last but not least, at the end of July my childhood best friend Halina got married. She was such a beautiful bride, and the wedding was really fancy! Her bridal party was huge, and everyone was in shades of green and gold. The reception hall and decor matched beautifully. After a HUGE dinner of Polish food at the Burbank Manor, a giant sweet table and ice cream cured our sweet tooth. After the Polka band played for awhile, John and I were ready to leave, only to see them bring out more food! And this was not just some more munchies and snacks....a giant roast pig was brought out! The bride and groom cut the back open, just like how they sliced their wedding cake! I've never seen anything like that before, and I won't ever forget it. The chef then proceeded to cut the pig's head off. THAT was cool! :) It grosses people out every time I tell them that tidbit of information! I would have loved to taste a little bit, but I was sooooo full from all of the other wonderful food that I could not eat another bite!

So, the weddings the past few months have been really fun, and happy times are abundant! Love is truly in the air! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that one day soon I'll be the next one engaged and planning a wedding! On a completely different note before I finish up here, my Dad's cousin is in from Florida this weekend, and we're thinking of going to a dinner show like Tony N Tina's wedding, or Medieval Times. I'll take pictures and let everyone know how it goes!

Ciao!