Vacation!

Tomorrow I leave to go to Washington D.C. for the fourth of July! I am going to visit my friend Angela who is doing an internship there. I need to keep my post short because I have yet to start packing! Tonight I went with my Aunt Carol and cousin Brian in search of bedding for Brian because he is getting ready to move into his house. I had a great time with them.One more quick note. I want to wish Abbie and David a happy three year anniversary. I look up to them a lot and I hope one day that I am as happily married as they are! My next post will be from D.C!!!

My wonderful Mother!

I would like to give a quick shout out to my mom who retired from public education today. She has devoted her career to helping students.  I feel like I have obtained my mom's work ethic as she puts 100% into everything she does. There is nothing that I can write to sum up my mom's career. Congratulations Mom! Enjoy retirement because you deserve it!

My Monday

Today I had the day off from all of my jobs. I was very excited to have the day off after a long weekend at the golf center. My day started out great because I got to sleep until 11. I had gone to bed by midnight so I got a great nights sleep. After I got up and showered I did a couple loads of laundry and got my clothes put away. The rest of the afternoon I ran errands around south county. I had to go to the bank, Wal-Mart, and to Best Buy. I went to Best Buy in search of my first digital camera. One of the workers in the camera section was a huge help and walked me through several different cameras and helped me choose the one that was best for me. Here is my first picture ever taken with my camera. It is of my Aunt Carol and Uncle Chris's dog Margi. Today was a great day!

Thought of the Day

Today I was watching a television show and one of the characters talked about how she couldn't wait to leave her hometown and never look back. When it came time for her to leave she said that she was realizing how much her town and where she grew up made her the person she is today. Don't get me wrong I loved high school and all the extra curricular activities I was involved in, but there were times that I felt like I was ready to leave and never come back. Looking back growing up in a small town like Vandalia is something I wouldn't want to change. One of the biggest things that I feel like growing up in a small town taught me was respect for my elders. Also, I really enjoyed knowing so many of my classmates and getting to go to school with many of the same kids my entire time at Van-Far/

Working on the golf course I get to listen to my Ipod a lot. The past two weekends I catch myself listening to Jet and The Red Hot Chili Peppers a lot.  Which bands do you find yourself playing over and over again?

Home

Last week I got to go home on Thursday and Friday. It was a great trip home and a pleasant break from the rush of St. Louis. Getting to be at home is always a treat for me. Going to school in Maryville I do not make it home too often. I really enjoy getting to see all my family and friends that I do not see much.  Thursday morning I got to play golf with our family friend Cindy and we had beautiful weather and a great visit. After that I got to go spend time with my grandparents.  Grandma always has a great meal for me when I come out for lunch. Friday I spent the day running errands with my mom. It was nice having mom home on Friday and getting to spend the day with her.  Before I left town to drive back to St. Louis mom asked if I would stay for dinner. Of course I couldn't refuse a good BBQ. For the BBQ I made my first ever dump cake. My friend Jenny has made them  multiple times and I just rave about them. She always told me that they are extremely simple and that I could make one myself. She was right! That was one of the easiest desserts I have ever made. My dump cake was a success. It came out great. 

Missing Maryville and Loving St. Louis

Last summer I stayed in Maryville and met some great people that have became good friends of mine. This summer I have really missed being in Maryville with all of my friends. The biggest reason is that quite a few people that I knew were staying over the summer and it would have been a lot of fun to get to play slow pitch and sand volleyball with them. I talk to them and they tell me about the great BBQ's they are having and I envy them. On the opposite end of the spectrum I am loving my time in St. Louis. It is great to be able to go out after dinner and go to a driving range or grab some ice cream. One of my favorite things is the adventure of trying to find a place that my mom has taken me a thousand times without her help. Although, she has received many calls from me asking for directions. Thanks mom! Also, I am able to see a lot more of my family that lives in St. Louis. I got to spend a lot of time with my cousin, Michael, before he left for Los Angeles. We had a lot of great laughs together and I want to wish him all the best out in LA. It is a weird feeling missing one place and enjoying myself so much in another place. I am lucky to have the opportunity in St. Louis, but I can't wait to get back to my friends in Maryville!

Blog name and Friends Visit

Some of you might be asking why I have named my blog My Box of Chocolates. The answer comes from a famous quote in the movie Forrest Gump. The quote reads "My momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your going to get." My blog will take somewhat of the same approach. There is no certain topic that I plan on blogging about day after day. I will simply blog about what is on my mind or certain adventures in my life.

Last week I had three friends from college visit me in St. Louis. My roommate Brady, his girlfriend Hilary, and one of my good friends Rosalind came down Thursday evening. Thursday night when they got into town we ventured down to the Loop in University City. We ate dinner at Fitz's Soda Bar & Grill. The food was good and it was a great environment. On our way home we stopped at Ted Drewes for some frozen custard. I got my usual, The Dutchman concrete. The Dutchman includes chocolate, butterscotch, and pecans mixed into a blizzard! It is delicious! Friday morning we went on a tour of Busch Stadium. The tour was great. We got to go out onto the field and sit in the dugout. We also got to go into the box that Mike Shannon announces from. Later that night we got to enjoy the game and the Cardinals won! It was great to see my friends from college. I really appreciate that my friends took time out of their busy summers to drive all the way to St. Louis. 

Happy Father's Day Dad!

As many of you might know today is Father's Day. My sister and I were blessed to get such a great father. There are many memories that I cherish with my dad from when I was a kid. Some of my fondest memories are working around the family farm when I was a kid. I always enjoyed riding on the tractor with dad or helping him feed the pigs. Another reason my dad is so great is because I do not think he has ever said no to me when I have asked him to play any game in the back yard. There were many evenings when he would be sitting down to watch his shows for the night and he would come out to play with me. Dad, along with Mom,  taught me many great life lessons throughout the years and as I am maturing I am understanding how important these lessons are. Thanks Dad for everything. Love You!!

Also, I need to mention my grandpa. My grandpa has been a big part of my life and has always been supportive of me in everything I have done. Throughout high school I got to spend a lot of Saturday's with he and my Uncle Chris at Mizzou football games. I always loved going to the games and talking to grandpa about my game the night before. He always had good words of advice. Grandpa has also taught me a lot of life lessons. One time he gave me a newspaper cut out titled The Man in the Mirror. It was a poem about being responsible for your actions and your words. I have kept that cut out and read it often to keep myself in check. Thank you Grandpa for everything you have done!

My first post

Many of my friends have started blogging and I have really enjoyed reading their posts so, I decided I would start my own blog. Also, I think it will be a great way to keep family and friends informed of some of the festivities I am partaking in.

This summer I have an internship with a company called in St. Louis. The company I am working for has many different entities under its name. I would describe the company as an office design company. They do everything from installation of walls and floors to supplying the furniture for office buildings. My internship is with the companies accounting department. I have learned a lot from my internship and look forward to becoming an accountant.

I work three days a week at my internship which is great. My mother informed me that I would need to find a second job while living in St. Louis. She sent me to St. Louis one day and told me not to come home unless I had found a second job. Shortly after arriving home I got a call from a golf center. The golf center is a family oriented golf center. They have a driving range, miniature golf, and a par three course. I got hired as the weekend grounds member. On Saturdays and Sundays, I go in at 6 a.m. and mow the greens and then complete any other tasks my boss may have for me.

Overall, I am having a wonderful summer and I am thoroughly enjoying living in St. Louis!