Grad School Adventures

How ben hurt himself while testing for his blackbelt.

2008-05-29T18:41:00.000-04:00

watch his left ankle...OUCH!

Galapagos here I come!

2008-01-29T15:11:00.001-05:00

On December 13, 2008 I will be leaving for an 18 day trip to South America with Ben. I will be traveling to Machu Picchu near Cuzco, Peru, Quito, Ecuador and the galapagos. I can not explain in words how excited I am!!!!!

Relay for Life

2008-01-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

My friend Melanie asked me to join her team for Relay for Life. This is a fundraiser for the fight on cancer. By participating, I am honoring cancer survivors, paying tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease and raising money to help fight it. Please if you would like to donate money visit my page at:
http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeFloridaDivision?px=4309027&pg=personal&fr_id=4179

Every little bit counts!

44 degrees feels like FREEZING!!!!!!

2008-01-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

Last night the state of Florida issued a freeze warning for today and tomorrow night. This is what g'ville looked like this morning...

Picture courtesy of Yesy:)

Happy New Year! 2008 edition

2008-01-02T10:55:00.000-05:00

This year the mantra is going to be "keep it simple" I don't make resolutions because I am a very goal oriented person to begin with. I always have certain goals for myself but this year I am definitely centering goals around keeping things simple. I have found in the last year the second I would try and make things complicated that I wouldn't enjoy life very much. Plus life should be simple anyways! Cheers to all my loved ones and I can't wait for all the adventures of the upcoming year!

I am spoiled and I love it!

2007-10-29T11:47:00.000-04:00

3 more days until I leave for San Diego. Because we are the spoiled grad students we are this is where The Fraizer lab and me (their adopted grad student) are staying

http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/SanDiego/Photos.aspx

Pool, hot tub, view of the bay, outdoor fireplace for dining!!!!! I can't concentrate on work now!!!!!!!!!!! San Diego and L.A. here I come!!!!!!!!!!!

Front Page News

2007-10-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

Today my boss, Dr. Caudle, walks into my office and hands me a little magazine. I notice on the front page its his paper on his Cholera toxin-substanceP conjugation studies. I proceed to look down and there is my immunohistochemistry image of the spinal cord I did for that paper. Front and Center baby!!!!!! I was excited:) Yay Science!!!!

Shelby Neurons!

2007-10-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Yay new pictures of the neurons I am studying!!!! Fluorogold labled neurons with nuclear stain DAPI

Refresh!

2007-09-30T10:48:00.000-04:00

new blogger design...I feel better:)

words

2007-09-28T14:56:00.000-04:00

"I adore the true, the possible” -Vincent van Gogh

my new mantra...

Yippie!!!!!!

2007-09-26T14:37:00.000-04:00

Just in case you didn't know already I PASSED MY QUALIFYING EXAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yay to no more posts about that topic:)

On to better things!!! Beth came down last weekend and surprised me:) What a celebration it was:) We consumed much wine and went to the spa!!!! It was a perfect celebration weekend.

Things to look foward to:

1. resubmitting my paper (this is questionable on the "looking foward" part)
2. SFN in San Diego and my first visit to L.A.!!!! watch out Orlando Bloom, I am coming for you!!!!
3. resuming experiments...behavior testing next *woo woo*

Hello world! Super Sexy Scientist Shelby is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Countdown: 14days

2007-09-05T14:42:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow with be exactly 2 weeks to my Qual exam!!!! so shouldn't I be studying and not writing in my blog? perhaps...but what fun would that be...I'm going to go dance to some modest mouse, sing along to smashing pumpkins, and then study!

How time flies!

2007-08-08T14:51:00.000-04:00

Ok so I can't even remember that last time I posted anything. Funny thing is, not much has changed since my last post. Perhaps a good thing or perhaps not? Does it matter? probably not.

Anywho, by the end of the week (holds breath) I should finally nail down a date for my qualifying exam *keeping fingers and toes crossed* Not that I am super excited to take it but this has been dragging on way to long. The stress of the exam has caused me to stress about other things in my life that I don't need to stress about (i.e. money, my car, how I need a vacation, is this what I really want?, etc. etc.) I have talked to many of Ph.D folks who have told me this amount of stress is perfectly normal! Now what kind of crazy statement is that?! no amount of stress should be normal but I guess for this point in my life it is. So said "Ph.D" folk have also told me this is my "right of passage" blah blah blah So I am taking things one day at a time.

In other news I have been planning some vacations in the near future, hopefully. Given that I LOVE to plan and be everyones social coordinator it has given me some much needed "non-science" time. Trip #1 its a surprise and I am not allowed to post it b/c I don't know who reads these things. Trip #2 New Years Eve trip to the beach house with my dearest of friends (Beth, Matt, Warren, Andy, and of course, Ben). Trip #3 Pittsburgh in the spring? this is a maybe. Trip #4 COSTA RICA IN JUNE!!!!! this one I am totally excited about and I hope it acutally happens b/c the boys ALWAYS talk about costa rica and I figure its about time I actually go so I can understand what they are talking about:) So this is what I have lined up...of course this all takes money, which I have none! so we'll see how it all works out...its safe to say Trip #1 and Trip #2 are definatly going to happen.

So that is that..not much to report except that its hotter then hell outside. Yay for heat advisories!!!!

Update: qualifying exam and such

2007-06-25T16:08:00.000-04:00

Ok time for a little update:

1. my first rough draft of the written part of my qualifying exam is done! (I'm sure it will come back bleeding from all the red editing marks my boss is going to make)

2. Its been ~3 weeks since I've submitted my paper; no news is good news? lets hope

3. My brand spankin'new protocal is approved so animal work can resume again!

4. The humidity level in florida matches my stress level: yep both at 100%!!!!

5. I have not had a good nights rest in ~3 weeks (see above for explination)

6. I have made some awesome dinners lately and I have found that cooking a good meal helps calm me down; you learn something new about yourself all the time:)

I think that's about it...nothing much other then school and lab is occupying my entire life right now! I am however in good spirits considering the things that have been going on (see above). I have found that as I become older I can manage my stress a little better or at least hide it better:) Possibly only 1 month of this craziness left *keeping fingers crossed*

Oh the life of a grad student....

2007-06-14T08:42:00.000-04:00

my breakfast this morning:

2 ibuprofen
1 vitamin C tablet 250mg
1 Diet Coke

This is what writing your proposal for your qualifying exam does to you!

Chaka!

2007-06-11T17:33:00.000-04:00

I have had my love chaka for one year now:) So to celebrate, here are some cute pics of her:)

All day I dream of.....

2007-06-05T13:00:00.000-04:00

FRENCH FRIES!!!!!!!!!!

I have been eating so healthy lately:
1 cup cereal for breakfast or a smoothie
2 cups of cereal for lunch + fruit + veggie
granola for a snack
Some sort of healthy dinner consisting of chicken, pork, or fish

And all I can think of is eating french fries!!!!! yummy, yummy french fries...or TOTS!!!!!!!!!!

I think I need more salt in my diet;)

Welcome Back Smashing Pumpkins...How I've missed you so!

2007-05-23T18:49:00.001-04:00

There is nothing like good friends!

2007-05-22T20:56:00.000-04:00

Thank you ladies for an awesome weekend! This picture says it all: There is nothing like good friends, good food, and good wine! You girls are the best! I can't wait for next year!!!!! even if we have to lose another camera to the great open sea;) *ploop*

Pardon me!

2007-05-13T09:23:00.000-04:00

So my "future husband" (yes jen mine!) said it best:

A decade ago, I never thought I would be
At twenty-three on the verge of spontaneous combustion Woe is me
But I guess that it comes with the territory
An ominous landscape of never-ending calamity
I need you to hear, I need you to see
That I have had all I can take
And exploding seems like a definite possibility to me.

Stress level is at a 10, Code orange, everyone please exit the building;) At least I'll be at the beach in 3 days, a new tattoo in 2, and beth will be here in 1!!!! woooohooooooooooooooo!!!!!

And so it begins...

2007-05-09T15:22:00.000-04:00

Tropical storm Andrea is the first storm of the season. Hurricane season seems to get started right when I forget these things are part of living in florida. I plan to have my quals in Aug and I know Karma will come a calling and there will be a HUGE hurricane heading our way...just you wait and see!

P.S. I will be posting my DC pics later today!

thought of the day

2007-04-28T12:09:00.000-04:00

We imagine that waking-life is real and that dream-life is unreal, but there does not seem to be any evidence for this belief. Chuang Tzu, in the third century B.C., put it in an amusing way; having dreamed that he was a butterfly flitting from flower to flower, he stated that he was now wondering whether he was then a man dreaming he was a butterfly or whether he was now a butterfly dreaming he was a man. - Wei Wu Wei "Fingers Pointing Toward the Moon"

Support public radio

2007-04-27T16:42:00.000-04:00

In the past 3yrs I have been listening to public radio. In the past year I have taken it upon myself to actually start supporting public radio. Earlier this spring I attend the local public NPR radio station WUFT by attending their wine and food tasting. Starting this week, WUFT began their spring campaign. I decided that I would support them and pledged some money. In return I get this super cool mug. Perfect for my tea at work!!!!! I hope everyone supports their local public radio station.

A little laughter never hurt anyone

2007-04-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

in other news: beth and I are finally going to get our tattoo's when she comes to visit me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm a "little" excited;)

the dreaded scale...

2007-04-22T17:12:00.000-04:00

Since my awful bathing suit incident I have not got onto the scale. However, today I decided that I was not going to fear the scale any longer. Much to my surprise I have lost 4lbs since I began my crazy exercise training. I have also lost 1/2 inch on my waist and hip measurements. Therefore, I decided to try my bathing suit on, again. The result, it did fit better but still not as well as I need it too. Therefore, I am on track for my goal...I will fit into this bathing suit for the beach trip!!!!

So a few times in the last few weeks I've been wondering...what is it about a bathing suit that makes us girls do crazy things to fit into it?! My answer, because when one looks good in a bathing suit it makes you feel sexy! and honestly, who doesn't want to feel sexy and FABULOUS!!!!!

Arizona

2007-04-18T17:45:00.000-04:00

The whole family was present for my grandma's memorial service in Arizona. When I say all I mean: my mom's 4 sister's and their spouses plus their kids (8 total) and then two of my cousins brought their significant others which brings us to a grand total of 19 total people w/ my grandpa! This was the first time we were all in one place in 13 years!!! Although it wasn't the best of circumstances it's always nice to be in the company of family:)

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Fabulous!

2007-04-16T17:41:00.000-04:00

Nothing can stop me from wearing cute shoes, not even a blizzard delivering 6in of snow:) Fabulous!!!!!

Savannah, here we come!

2007-04-06T14:10:00.000-04:00

Beth and I are meeting up in Savannah this weekend for much needed "shelby and beth" time:) When translated means: shopping (shoes perhaps?), food, more shopping, oh and maybe some martini's ;) Savannah is home to Paula Dean's restaurant and if you don't now of her cooking its Southern cookin' to the max which equals lots of BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Paula Dean, watch out!, Beth and Shelby are comin' to town!

My Grandma

2007-04-05T12:18:00.000-04:00

My Grandma left this beautiful world yesterday afternoon. Its funny how you think that someone is going to be there through all the important times in your life and the one day you get "that" phone call.

I send all the people who I love so dearly a huge "shelby" hug!

Ohio State = Gator bait (again!)

2007-04-03T09:46:00.001-04:00

March Madness, FOR REAL!

2007-04-01T19:24:00.000-04:00

First things first, GO GATORS!!!!!!!! but I'll get to that in a minute:)

In cooking news, I have upgraded my 4yr old Publix's chef's knife to a J.A. Henckels 7in Santoku-Granton Edge knife! and yes I have come all to close to cutting a finger off (I'm missing a bit of my thumb nail to prove it). The knife is wonderful! It has cut (no pun intended, sort of) my cooking prep time in almost half! I love it!

In shoe news, there has been a debate on how many shoes I really do have. I recently got a shoe organizer that allowed me to address this very sensitive topic. I in fact have 36 pairs of shoes! Just for the record, that is 8 more then I had this time last year. And lucky number 36 is these lovely shoes that I got for $15!!!!!

In exercise news, I have started a new exercise routine, per se. Mon., Wed., and Friday I wake up at 6am to run 2mi, followed my some push-up and sit-ups, ended with a nice 20min walk on the treadmill. Sunday, I go to the gym and walk for 30min, run 2mi, and ride the bike for 30min. Yes, I'm still going to Yoga and climbing! Why am I so crazy, well its bathing suit season and well the bathing suit I got was a little small:( very traumatic but it has help me set a goal and keep with my crazy exercising and eating well:)

And now the pics of the Florida vs Oregon game! As most people know, Ben is a crazy oregon fan and well I am a GATOR! Oregon met Florida in the elite 8 of the NCAA tournament. Both very good teams that play much in the same way. There's no one star but the whole team plays as if it were a group effort. Thus, the game was very close up until the last 2min when Florida pulled ahead and Oregon just couldn't catch up. Here's some pics of the party:) and yes, I did make orange/blue and yellow/green cookies (I have become susie homemaker)
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Oh Danny boy!

2007-03-19T19:18:00.000-04:00

I just got back from my visit in Pittsburgh w/ Ben, Andy, Warren, Colin, Jamie, Brett and the whole pittsburgh gang! Warren had all of us stay at his house in the lovely neighborhood of greenfield! When I left florida it was about 65 degrees with a forcast of 80 for the whole weekend; when I landed in Pittsburgh it was a frigid 30 degrees and snowing. The vacation started out with us "forcing" warren to buy a brand new 32 inch flat panel tv so we could watch March Madness;) A trip to the beer store was in order and then the 28-inch pizza...yes, we do it big in Pittsburgh;) Then the arrival of 50 pink flamingo's in warren's front yard (punishment for lieing to ben and I during our visit in sept) We then got to meet Warren's girlfriend Erin, who was totally awesome!!!! Friday it snowed alllllllll day long!!!!! Apprently, we were in the middle of a snowstorm moving through the northeast. So there we were two floridians and a bunch of people from cali stuck in the snow:) we all hung out, got breakfast at Alana's down the street, and then went to the symphony at the magnificent Heinz hall. Heinz all was orginally a hotel, then a movie house, and then in 1971 turned into the home turf of the wonderful Pittsburgh Symphony. The symphony was awesome dispite my error in bringing my cute opened toed shoes. We then picked up more beer (there is a theme here) and watched super troopers (Erin's first experiance w/ the boys). After a 12 pack of beer and a mini-keg we all hit the sack and got some much needed rest before St. Patricks day. Warren woke us up at 8am (too damn early) to go to Jenny's house for Irish breakfast. However, he only succeded getting Ben, Erin, and I up for the adventure. After breakfast our adventure began, we "walked" to the parade (3mi from jenny's house) in 28 degree weather after being promised we were taking the bus. We got to the parade with thousands of drunk irish folk just in time to see Erin and her family in the parade. We then went back to the house to warm up, go get warren a tattoo (which didn't work out), watch some b-ball, and make our way to dinner at an Euthopian resteraunt. I have never been to an Euthopian resteraunt so I was a little timid at first but once I walked in and smelled the delighful aromas I knew this was going to be an excellent dinner. I tasted much like Indian food with lots of spice however, the entire meal was eaten without utensils (my kind of dinner) oh and we got to bring our own wine. 4 bottles of wine later we trecked back out into the cold to get ready for Warren's St. Patrick's day party. After a lovley conversation with Beth, the beer was a flowing, and JT was on the stereo (its amazing how 4 nagging girls can accompolish this in a room full of boys) We danced the night away with beer and whisky, like the good Irish people we are;) The next day we were all on our plane back home:( I had such an awesome time!!!! I LOVE YOU PITTSBURGH!!!!

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more photos of the party: http://picasaweb.google.com/leonardo.reyes.gonzalez/EPPSaintPatrickDayMarch172007Hidden?authkey=vD45laTJrV0

Sometimes the truth hurts

2007-03-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

mmmm hmmmm....

2007-03-13T09:17:00.000-04:00

that is all;)

Day O'Shelby

2007-03-08T14:53:00.000-05:00

The past two days I have not been feeling well due to the yellow pollen falling from the sky. I had a hair appointment this morning and nothing makes me feel better like getting pampered:) Then I went to the eye doctor to get new contacts, glasses, and an annual eye exam. So new hair, new eyes, and now I'm feeling better:) I'm excited about getting new glasses and this time I will make sure they don't look like Matt's so another "drunken" incident doesn't result in my glasses getting streched out:)

One week from today I will be in Pittsburgh!!!! Yay!!! a mini-vacation!!!!!! I due believe this vacation will also make me feel better since I've been a little overwhelmed since coming back from the holidays.

So a little pampering, a vacation to look foward too, and sunny 70 degree weather have made this day oh so wonderful! yay for the day o'Shelby:)

side note: my quals are scheduled for early august...and I'm not talking about it!!!

Blood Diamond

2007-02-26T19:22:00.000-05:00

This movie was excellent!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been lucky to see a run of excellent movies: the departed, good shepard, Babel,Pan's Labyrinth, and most recently Blood Diamond. I must say leo did look hot in just a towel!!!! but that took a back seat to the wonderful screenplay and cinematography. The sad part of it is that its based on a true story and events that took place with in the last 8 yrs or so. I was appalled to realize that I had never even heard of the diamond trade and the war it caused in Africa until now! What does this say about american journalisim? (one of the points of the movie). Is it worse then what it was 8yrs ago? All I have to say is that I never want to own a diamond! (not that its any different then my former view on diamonds but now I have an even better reason not to own one)

All I have to say is: Go see this movie!!!!!

brrrrrrr its cold!

2007-02-19T08:30:00.000-05:00

Ok I know I have no right to complain considering that the rest of the country is way colder but.....IT WAS 34 DEGREES OUT WHEN I WALKED TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I have adapted to the Floridian life style, and yes this was cold considering last wed it was sunny and 65 out!!!! What is up with this weather!!!!!!!!!!! I live in Florida for a reason, for it to be warm and sunny!!!

Anyway:

After a long stand off, my blogger was finally updated by the good people at google.....

Saturday night Ben and I made the best dinner EVER! Menu: peppercorn spice rubbed filet mignon, wild mushroom risotto, arugala citrus salad, and Italian Proseco which is an italian champagne!!!!! mmmmmmmm yummy! I think its time to quit this grad school thing and become a cook:)

Climbing at HP40, AL

2007-02-06T09:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Ben, April, Mark, and I went climbing at Horse Pens 40, Alabama. We headed out friday evening despite the weather reports saying the high would be 40F. We stopped off at Beth's house for the night and woke up early in the morning to go climbing. And yes, it was only 25F out at this point in time. A short 2h drive later we jumped out into the frigid weather to start our day of climbing. Horse Pens 40 is a 120acre boulder field on top of a mountain. It used to be used by the cherokee indians for shelter and food storage. During the civil war the confederate army used it for food storage as well. The land was then bought and is now used for blugrass music festivals as well as climbing. It was such a beautiful place and the rocks were so awesome! Not one was the same! My first couple of climbs did not turn out so well but then I decided, with marks help, to climb this 20ft boulder. It took 3 attempts but I finally topped out...I was sooooooo excited! My first succesful bouldering climb!!!! Everyone climbed well, we all have a "little" less skin on our hands, and no one got hurt! I can't wait to go again:)

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Pictures Galore

2007-02-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

Ok Yes I know that I have been quite lazy on updating my blogger...but here we go....

For New Years this year I went to Eugene, Oregon to stay with Ben and his mom. Andy, his girlfriend lynn, and Warren all came for the visit too:) After a few cups of warm tea and hot chocolate the craziness began! First Ben, his mom, Andy, and I went to an Oregon Ducks game (ben's attempt to convert me from a gator to a duck; it didn't work). The game was super fun and the b-ball stadium was a ton of fun! Definatly diffferent then a gators game:)

The next day, warren arrived just in time for us to go to the Beir Stein!!!!! Oh sooooooooooo much beer!!!!!

The following day we went Snowboarding at Willamate Pass, OR. It was a ton of fun!!!! While ben was taking his lesson, I taught Warren how to snowboard west coast style:) Everyone did great and no one go "too" hurt;) how I wish we had a hot tub!!!!

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New years Eve came along and we started the day off with some Mimosa's and a good breakfast. We chilled during the day watching movies and trying to keep warm:) Ben and I made a ton of appitizers and then the dinner: champagne shrimp with onion risotto!!! very yummy....We were stocked up on wine and champagne so I will let the pictures speak for themselves however, they do not do the evening justice:)

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Andy and Lynn left on the 1st:( and then warren left on the 2nd:( Ben and I left for the coast on the 2nd since I wanted to see what the "other side of the world" looked like:) We hiked up 2mi to a top of a mountain where the best look out point was. I say best meaning on a nice sunny day, but in good old fasion Oregon style, it was cloudly cold and rainy!!! still a very beautiful place and not even a 2mi run down the mountain in the rain could have ruined it (don't ever try running down a mountain in the rain...its not good for anyones health;) hehehehe but we had fun)

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Does this look like a bomb?!

2007-02-01T09:48:00.000-05:00

seriously, did this really happen yesterday?!
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/31/boston.bombscare/index.html

Oh how I know the feeling....

2007-01-15T16:21:00.000-05:00

My life for the past 2mths;)

The summer of Shelby!

2007-01-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

Ok yes, I have been a little lazy about blogging lately but I have been SUPER busy with this thing called grad school...don't know if you've heard of it?! Anyways, here's a MINI update:

1. had my first committee meeting on friday and it went fabulous-I couldn't ask for a better committee!
2. went back to the ATL for Zoe's b-day this weekend and had a ton of fun
3. Still finishing up my lab paper but it should be done soon in the near future-this month *keeping fingers crossed*

I will be adding pics from new years and the like, I will be updating the look of this wonderful blog of mine, and this week I "should" have time for all of this;)

Back from Vacation!

2007-01-04T13:23:00.000-05:00

I am back from my wonderful vacation....I am refreshed and ready to take on the world! ok maybe not that refreshed but enough to get me through the next month! Many stories and many pictures soon to come! ( i have to load my new pic software for my NEW camera) I thought about putting up a pic from new years as a preview of what is to come but I think I will make you wait! hehehehehehehe

happy new year everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!

On vacation Bitches!

2006-12-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

Right now I am sitting outside on my aunt and uncles porch in the beautiful sunny 70 degree weather over looking the canal! I got 10hrs of sleep and I feel awesome!!!! YAY VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!! My family will be arriving early tomorrow so I am just enjoying the peace and quiet before the usual x-mas chaos begins hehehehehehehehe Yesterday I rode on the back of my uncle's harley and rocked out to AC/DC...oh the florida life:) It was a ton of fun and yes I wore a helmet dispite the florida no helmet law.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYBODY!!!!!!

(I would be taking a pic but my digital camera is broken, so here's one from last year)

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe....

2006-12-20T15:49:00.000-05:00

When I get a little stressed out or a little overwhelmed I go to Neiman Marcus online and look at Manolo Blahnik shoes....

why do these shoes make me soooo happy?!!!! the mary jane classics are the best!

Horray!!!! the semester is finally over!!!!!!

2006-12-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

yay!!!! let the celebration begin. Fall semester is finally over and I couldn't be happier about it. The past few months have been the hardest mental, physical, and emotional challenging times I've ever experianced. I am happy to say that I have survived through it...barely! I still have a few marbles left and perhaps I'll go celebrate with a massage this weekend;)

Holiday party

2006-12-11T19:28:00.000-05:00

Here is the Caudle lab all dressed up for our department X-mas party...just for reference this is not the Neuroscience party but the other department I am in Oral Surgery! yes the Dentists have all the money:)
From left to right: Federico (lab manager), me (super sexy scientist shelby), Yesy (the other grad student), Ingrid (our undergrad helper), Dr. Caudle (the man that signs the check), and QiQi (post doc from collaborating lab)

Ohio State=Gator Bait!!!!!

2006-12-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

Rain, rain go away!

2006-12-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

It has been raining here in g'ville for 5 days now! Where did my sun go?!!!! if I wanted it to look gray all the time I would move some place cold and where there's no rain but snow! Anyways, I decided to make a list of my top 5 bands I like to listen to on a rainy day! (I should watch High Fidelity again)

1. Radiohead
2. Johnny Cash
3. Deftones
4. Shawn Mullins
5. Blind Melon

on a side note: the new Deftones album "Saturday night wrist" is Rockin'!!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2006-12-02T15:21:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post a pic of all the people and all the food from Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day!

2006-11-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

mmmm Turkey!!!!! so yes I have turned into Susie Homemaker for the thanksgiving holiday. I am cooking dinner for 6 people today and I'm so excited about it. Last night I baked my Pumpkin pie ahead of time and today I'm making a maple whipped cream to go with it! Other things on the menu: green bean casserole, cheesy mashed potatos, sweet potatoes, cranberry compote, homemade biscuits, and of course THE TURKEY!!!!!! the turkey will be maple glazzed and stuffed w/ apple chestnut stuffing:) Nothing too tragic has happend so far except the fact that I broke my toe! no not in soccer or climbing...I was running to take my pie crust out of the oven and ran my foot straight into the metal part of my kitchen chairs and then proceeded to hoble in pain and knock it into the wall....There was no shortness in four letters words that is for sure!!!! Anyways, today is going to be awesome so HAPPY TURKEY DAY to everyone!!!!!

more wedding pics:)

2006-11-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Things to be excited about!

2006-11-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been a little of a "negative nancy" (as Kelli would call it) so today I decided I was going to think of the good things and things to get excited about!

1. I tried on a pair of my old jeans, AND THEY FIT!
2. I started riding my bike to and from places that were too far to walk but a little too short to drive too
3. Thanksgiving is going to ROCK! I can't wait to cook all that food:)
4. I MADE energy bars yesterday from a recipe in my yoga magazine:) no more buying those cliff bars in the store!
5. I got my first blue route in climbing this past week and I'm almost done with another one:) (this means I can start climbing harder routes; which means I'm getting better)
6. I moved up a level in my yoga practice; I am now yogi shelby;)
7. I am slowly becoming a better cook and yes I'm now obsessed about the Food Network
8. I voted this week (in yet another red state) however, I felt as if it mattered this time b/c us blue people took over both the house and the senate; all we can hope for now is change for the good!
9. I got to swim with manatees which was one of the most awesome experiences I've ever had!
10. my new mantra: strength

Manatees!

2006-11-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

Kelli, Zoe, Andy, and Lynn came to visit this weekend and we all went swimming with the manatees at Homosassa springs....this was one of the most amazing things I have ever done! It was so awesome to be in the water with these animals. The manatees were like big puppy dogs. They loved to have their backs scratched and then occasionaly they will turn over on their backs so you can rub their belly! As long as you kept petting them they would stay right by you. We even got to see a calf manatee and the mom. It was awesome to observe their behavior in the wild. After 2hrs of playing in the water we headed back with hot chocolate in hand:)

Beth's wedding

2006-11-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics I stole from jennifer:) Thanks Jennifer!!!!! A few from the wedding and mostly the afterparty...and yes the wedding party went to club Eleven50 in our dresses/tuxes....except for Beth who had insider info and brought extra clothes:) I will add more of the pre-wedding extravaganza later tonight

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I did it!

2006-10-28T20:04:00.000-04:00

At 10:15am I cut 14.5 inches of hair off my head!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10.5 inches was put in a plastic bag and sent to locks of love:) I'm soooo excited about my new haircut! It hasn't been this short in over 10yrs:) I will post pics soon:) oh and it has red, copper, and blond highlights too:)

Back in the saddle again....

2006-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

I am now back in G'ville! I got back yesterday after the longest 5hr drive of my life:) Neuroscience went well, the wedding was awesome, and now I am tired! I think I might be getting sick:( I will post pics of last weeks craziness soon!

Rock Climbing

2006-10-10T16:04:00.000-04:00

here is a video showing some awesome bouldering...I have been working more on bouldering then top ropping and this video is just amazing!

1 down a thousand to go!

2006-10-09T11:49:00.000-04:00

My pain day poster is officially finished and printing as we speak!!!!!! I am sooooooooo excited...now all I have to do is write my paper, attend neuroscience, go to beth's wedding, and some how find some peace of mind! Yay I can't wait to be in Atlanta in 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paris how I dream of you!

2006-10-04T20:48:00.000-04:00

I want to go to Paris!!!!!! I want to shop at Dior, walk around in Manolo Blahnik pumps, drink expensive French wine and picnic with the finest cheese in front of the Eiffel Tower. Oh how I wish I was in Paris!!!!!

{ok back to writing my paper:(}

Locks of Love!

2006-10-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been struggling with the decision of cutting off my hair. It is super long now and becoming a pain in the ass to take care of. So I came to the conclusion to cut my hair and donate it to locks of love so someone who actually wants this much hair can have it. I researched how much hair you need to donate and they take a min of 10inches. So last night I measured how much hair I actually had, so from the nap of my neck I have about 10.5-11inches of hair to donate. Now taking into account the rate of growth my hair has been actually growing at, by the time Beth's wedding I should have about 11.5-12inches to donate to locks of love! I'm super excited about doing this!!!!!

Laughter is the best medicine!

2006-09-23T12:51:00.000-04:00

http://www.marriedtothesea.com

Gainesville to Atlanta to Gainesville to Pittsburgh and back again

2006-09-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

wow what a busy last 2 weeks! but what a f**king blast!!!!!!!!!! I went home for Beth's Bachlorette party and wedding shower:) and it was sooooo good to hang w/ all the girls again w/o those pesky boys around! and the shower went well:) I don't think I have seen Beth smile so much in awhile ( I love you girl!) Then I went back to gainesville for about 1.5 days and then off to Pittsburgh to visit one of Ben's friends....Pittsburgh was full of laughs, site-seeing, and hills...ohhhhhhh the hills! I am now back in gainesville, sort of refreshed, and getting ready for the craziness that will be the ATL for neuroscience! I will post pics tomorrow on all the adventures:)

Atlanta here I come!

2006-08-31T10:22:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow after class I am driving (not flying) back to Atlanta for the long weekend!!!!! I am sooooo excited:) I can't wait to see my girls again! Everything with the wedding shower is working out, which is worrying me a bit. I am just hoping the weather holds out so we can have it in Beth and Matt's backyard as planned:) In 24hrs I will be on the road!!!!!!!

"They're urban raccoons, and they're not afraid."

2006-08-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

Just damn funny! kind of reminds me of the crazy racoons when we were camping:)

http://keyetv.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_234121113.html

Has this gone too far?

2006-08-23T15:01:00.000-04:00

I normally don't post much on the political side of things but today I just couldn't help myself. I read yet another article on CNN talking about a plane being flown back to amsterdamn b/c people were showing suspicious behavior. I read futher to see what they were doing. To my suprise the article said they were trying to talk on cell phones, reach in plastic bags, and some of the passengers had un-buckled their seat belts when the little seat belt light was still on. So the cell phone thing a little strange (however people are crazy about their cell phones these days) but come on! reaching for a bag or unbuckeling your seat belt!!!! I have done this a million times...who hasn't? those seat belts are uncomfortable. So now will we not be able to bring plastic bags on the planes? we already cannot bring bottles w/ liquids on the plane (god forbid I can't have my Diet Coke!) and the other day I heard on a news show that the airports were considering banning women's bra's that have gel padding! WTF!!!!!!! are they going to ban women w/ breast implants b/c they have liquid in them too?! These restrictions are getting a little out of hand! I have never heard of other countries outside the US and now some European countries that had such strange restrictions. Perhaps I'm being naive and one day some suicide bomber will walk onto a plane w/ fake boobs and blow the whole thing up! stranger things have happened.....I say watch out for the two girls on the plane who are wearing snowboarding helmets! (hehehehehe Beth if we were to do that now we'd be in federal prison!)

Where's chaka?

2006-08-16T13:46:00.001-04:00

The race to lose 10lbs has started!

2006-08-07T10:45:00.000-04:00

This weekend was full of exercise exercise exercise!!!!! I went to the sat morning Hatha yoga class thinking what a great relaxing way to start my weekend. Boy was I in for a huge surprise. The girl who usually teaches the class was out of town so another girl was teaching it. She had bright red hair and tattoos (not your typical yogi in Gainesville) We start off slowly relaxing and then it begins! This girl was super crazy about some yoga! It started at 10:30 and went to noon, at 11:00 I was about ready to throw in the towel. As I'm in downward facing dog all I could think was "what in the hell did I get myself into this morning!" But I stuck with it and proved to myself I could survive the craziest yoga session known to man:) I'm sure it wasn't that bad but I just started yoga a month ago so it was a little advanced for me. But afterwards I felt great! I totally got my ass kicked and I loved it;) Then Sunday came along all to quickly. The soccer team has made it to the semi-finals, my alarm goes off at 8:15am, and I get on my way to my 9am game. I show up sort of chipper and ready to play. Again, I had no clue what I was about to get myself into. Now I'm feeling a little sore from my crazy yoga session the day before and as I'm thinking this one of the guys on the team comes walking up to me and says " I just want to prepare you for today's game, the girls are not going to have any subs" As soon as he says this my heart hits the ground and all I can mutter is Great! Being that its 9am one would think that its not that warm yet perhaps we have a chance. Well, it just so happened to be one of the hottest days of the year yesterday and it was around 90 at 9am. OUTLOOK NOT SO GOOD! Not only did the girls not have any subs the guys did not either. This was going to be a long game. To my suprise (and everyone elses) 15min into the first half I score a goal! and we are up 1-0...70min later and very dehydrated our team one our semi-final game 4-0 and we are going to the finals!!!!!!!!!!! I could barely walk to the car I was so tired but very very happy that our team pulled off an incredible win:) It is now monday morning and I can't walk:) but my first week of the "lose 10lbs before Beth's wedding" was a success. Now another week of crazy yoga and soccer begins! Yay to exercise;)

Neurocentric or science nerd....

2006-08-03T15:06:00.000-04:00

So I have noticed a weird trend lately via Myspace and the like. I have been contacted by a few "old" friends from high school and such. We message back and forth in the usual "how are you?" fashion. Then the topic of What are you doing now? starts. It seems everytime I tell people that I am getting my Ph.D in Neuroscience I never receive an e-mail back or if talking on AOL, they all of a sudden have something to do. Now the first couple of times this happend I didn't notice anything but it has happend 3 times in the past 2 weeks. I find this very very odd. Do people feel threatned by others going to get a Ph.D or do they think that I (or others in my position) am on some other level causing them to feel uncomfortable or disinterested? I sure as hell hope not! I feel I am still a very down to earth person. I don't think that I am better then anyone else or smarter then anyone else for that matter. I have just found something that I love doing day in and day out. However, to pursue this I have to get my Ph.D. I really hope this is me just me being silly; but is it?

Is it the weekend yet?!

2006-07-27T14:20:00.000-04:00

Update #1: the doctor the other day could not figure out what is wrong w/ my knee so they are sending me to a specialist on wed. Hopefully its just sore or something *wishful thinking*

Update #2: last night I went to Hatha yoga. It was filled w/ many challenging poses but not too much more difficult then the poses we did in my beginners class. I also learned a pose that required me to hold my whole body up w/ just my forearms, elbows, and triceps...yes, I was literally standing on my head. We got to use the wall for balance b/c if you are not used to the pose you can easily injure the neck and I can't afford to go to more dr's:) I was just proud of myself that I could hold myself up like that. This is what is wonderful about yoga. It gives you confidence and also teaches you to trust your body and what it is capable of doing. I need a little work on getting my legs up but my teacher said once I strengthen my core muscles i.e. abs the pose will become easier. I can't wait for yoga on monday:)

Update #3: I am now an ICC master....I can't believe how many ICC's I have run in the last 2 or so years:) but my staining is looking good and slowly I am finding out more info on my mysterious little neurons....

Update #4: I need a vacation!!!!!!!!!!!

Yoga: Day 3

2006-07-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

I have finished my first yoga workshop!!!!!!! Last night was very successful. We did some new poses and started sequencing them all together so everything flowed. It was soooo awesome! It even helped w/ clearing my sinuses. I felt so much better when I got out of class I couldn't believe it:) Now I am done w/ the beginner class I can go on to take more traditional classes. I think I am going to take Hatha yoga. They refer to it as soft yoga. Its a good style to go into if you are still learning b/c the movements are slow and soft:) I am really glad that I found yoga:)

In other news, I have saved up enough money to buy some new climbing shoes! I don't have to wear those stinky rental shoes anymore! I'm soooo excited:) Also, today I have an appointment w/ the Dr. to see about my recurring knee problem. Hopefully the injury isn't that bad *fingers crossed* I will update about this later:)

air conditioning + 60% humidity= sick

2006-07-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

you might ask, "how can one get sick in Florida during the summer?" I would reply, "b/c there is a lethal combination of dry air conditioning inside + tropical conditions outside" so I am sitting in my apartment w/ a stuffy nose and a sinus headache to boot. I have been like this for 3 days now and I am ready to be able to smell and taste again:) The kicker of it all is that it is sooooooo hot outside that its hard for a healthy person to breathe therefore, I can't even go outside b/c I can't breathe! this is going to make playing soccer tomorrow very difficult:)

Yoga: Day 2

2006-07-17T20:52:00.000-04:00

I have to say I am really starting to enjoy yoga! I feel like I just got a great workout but I wasn't in pain, I'm not exausted, and I feel wonderful!!!!! In fact, my whole body feels wonderful...head-to-toe:) Today we did some new poses...standing and sitting...we worked more on strength poses and the all time favorite Warrior pose;) We also did a twisting pose that helps to detox the body b/c when you twist it is thought to twist out the toxins from your liver. Only one more class to go and I get to attend more classes:) I'm super excited!!!!!!!!

Yoga: Day 1

2006-07-11T09:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my first yoga class:) I am taking a series of 3 classes for beginners. We started off with just the basic philosophy behind yoga and got introduced to some new terms. We then moved into some pretty basic positions but oh man were they hard! I could tell how off balance my body really is, perhaps from 20yrs of playing soccer. My back especially needed some work but by the end of the class I felt I was sitting a little bit taller and even walking a little bit taller. I felt so invigorated when I left last night! It was such a wonderful experiance. We didn't do much but it was a nice little preview of what I'll be getting myself into. I think I am going to love it!!!!!

Feeling old and not even 25....

2006-07-07T11:24:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been feeling a little old. Not mentally of course! but physically. Perhaps it was my step back into soccer that has flung my body into this feeling. The other day after my soccer game my 'bad' knee was bothering me way more then normal. For the next week it continued to be very 'arthritic' like. It would lock up on me, crack (which isn't that abnormal for me), and cause me tremendous pain. So what did I do to solve this problem? Go to the Dr.? NO I instead proceeded to go to soccer practice and hit the Ibuprofen bottle profusely. So now after thinking about this I've decided that perhaps I should choose a less stressful sport to continue into my "older" age:) I love soccer but it’s very rough on the body. So far in the past 2 seasons I have suffered a pulled hamstring, bum knee, and 2 mild concussions. So I have taken up climbing more regularly now and I start yoga on Monday! I'm soooo excited:) I've always wanted to try yoga so I figure what a better time. And it’s still very difficult mentally and physically. So I'm ready for the challenge...and maybe it will help me climb better too

Little Talbot Island, FL

2006-07-06T16:34:00.000-04:00

here are some pics from the 2nd annual camping trip:) ironically the same weekend as last year;)

the view from the campsite

Sometimes science is hard....

2006-06-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ...'

Isaac Asimov

Tip #1

2006-06-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

today's tip: just breathe!

Seafood anyone?

2006-06-15T13:05:00.000-04:00

When I went home to the ATL, Zoe and Kyle were so wonderful and took me to the one tourist trap I wanted to go to...the GA Aquarium. Here are the wonderful pics I took...I am trying to find a way to post video....hopefully I can post that later on but for now enjoy the fish!

Zoe and Kyle in front of some fish

me and my new friend the starfish

Zoe getting "swallowed" by a whale

1 of 3 Beluga whales

A school of rays

A BIG whale shark

Jeckyl Island, GA

2006-06-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

Ok I know its been awhile since I've posted as promised...so here are some pics from my trip to Jeckyl Island, GA...a wonderful escape from g'ville and its surroundings...Jeckyl Island was beautiful and wonderfully southern...I'll let the pics explain themselves...

a gator:)

a driveway southern style

Jeckyl Island Club Inn: former visitors = the Vanderbilts, the Goodyears, the Cranes, and many other 'rich' people of the early centery

A "cottage" owned by the Cranes. They call these homes cottages b/c they were smaller then their original homes but for us common folk they are mansions. FYI this is my future home;)

a sunset on the intercoastal

My parents lot for their "retirement" home...otherwise known as shelby's future home #2 or better know as the menapause house:)

Hurricane #1 (cont.)

2006-06-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

I just received an e-mail telling me that the University is closed due to Alberto! wow! I was not expecting that....time to go out and get the essential supplies...lots of wine! hahahahahahaha j/k

Hurricane #1

2006-06-12T16:42:00.000-04:00

Alberto Hurricane #1 or at least close to it....its a little early in the hurricane season don't you think?!

When life gives you lemons....

2006-06-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

yesterday at 5p I get a knock on my door. When I open it, to my surprise, there's a guy standing there w/ a huge margaritta glass full of beautiful flowers! What a way to start a monday:) With the flowers came a cute little note saying " I've said it before and I'll say it again, when life gives you lemons trade them in for limes and make a margaritta! Love Beth" This has got to be one of the best surprises I have ever received!!!!! thank you beth for totally making not only my week but my month. I am sooo lucky to have such a wonderful friend. I don't know what I would do w/o my beth!!!!!! *tear* I love you Beth!!!!!

on a side note, blogger is retarded and I am having trouble posting up all my pics...once I figure out what's going on I will write more:)

To the ATL and back again....

2006-05-30T11:19:00.000-04:00

I am in the ATL right now but I will be returning to g'ville tomorrow. I have many pics to post...I'm such a lazy blogger;) many stories to tell (as always) here's a little taste: lost baggage, gained baggage, urban backpacking, finding nemo, a makeover of such, and more:) I intended for this trip to be a sort of recharge but yet has failed to be that sort of trip. I havn't decided if this is a good thing or a bad thing yet but I think overall it has been a good trip, a much needed trip, and one to put in the story book of my life;) "all we are is just dust in the wind"

somedays...

2006-05-09T12:51:00.000-04:00

somedays I feel like the chicken wing....

Queen B

2006-05-06T21:34:00.000-04:00

so yes I adopted a new cat! I was missing my old kitties and my friend Susan told me about Gainesville Pet Rescue. Gainesville Pet Rescue was overcrowded on older animals and needed these pets to be adopted. So what a purrrrfect time for me to adopt an older kittie. And that's what I did! Introducing my new cat Chaka. She's 7yrs old and such a sweetheart. She walks around the apartment like she owns the place and I love it. She also matches the decor of the apartment very well:) if ikea sold pets she would be the poster cat:) hahahahahahahaha anyways, she's beautiful and sweet...much like her owner hahahahahahaha j/k
All she needs is a rhinestone collar...and Beth I'm trying to avoid the Pink:)

GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

2006-05-02T10:28:00.000-04:00

so this soccer season has come to an end. We lost in the semifinals for B-division...which is not bad considering we were playing in C-division and we hadn't played a game together in 3wks. Anyways, to celebrate the fact that the whole team made it to the game we took the classic "in the goal" photo of the team:)

School's out for summer!!!!!

2006-05-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

so I just finished my last exam for the year!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay, no more classes until fall:) I'm sooooooooo excited...it seems as if I can relax a little bit and actually enjoy myself for a little bit:) and yes a test every 2-3weeks for 2 semesters is a little much;)

LET SUMMER BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!

A room full of Butterflies(cont.)

2006-04-18T15:37:00.001-04:00

A room full of Butterflies

2006-04-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

University of Florida has a butterfly exhibit and they had a student night where admissions was free so Ben and I decided to take advantage of the 'freeness' and go look at the butterflies. I have never seen so many butterflies in my life! You walk through this room that feels like your in the tropical rainforest and there are all these beautiful butterflies flying around you! It was the most gorgous thing I have ever seen or experianced. After you walked through the entire exibit they had a window with these plants in it...if you looked real close you could see the caterpillers and cocoons on the plants...it was amazing! The butterfly exhibit is part of the larger Florida Natural History Musuem. Since it was free, we decided to see the rest of the musuem. When walking around all of a sudden there were these HUGE shark jaws staring back at me! the first one I saw wasn't even the largest (the pic w/ us in the sharks mouth was the biggest). All in all it was one of the most wonderful evenings ever!

Note: I couldn't upload allllllllll the pictures but here are some of my favorites:)

And then the move...

2006-04-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

So once I got back from a hella great party in Miami I moved into my new apt!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beth has a lot of the pics from the weekend but here are some that I took of the apt:)

Next on the agenda...

2006-04-18T14:40:00.000-04:00

so after zoe left the next weekend of fun in the sun was the Ultra Music Festival down in Miami....this was a all day long dance fest and it was a f***king blast!!!!! The people who joined me on this adventure were Ben, his 2 best friends (and just as crazy and fun) andy and warren, Mark, Susan, Max, Alex, and Missy. So I got put in the "noodle" car (as jeremiah put it) where the 6h drive turned into to a crazy fest (more so on the way back) We stayed at the lovely Marriot in Miami, went to the concert all day sat...my fav shows: Infected Mushroom, Carl Cox, Prodigy, and Danny Tenaglia. Unfortunatly we wern't allowed to take cameras in (but you could buy one for $25) so there are no pics of us in our cool raver gear...but here are some from the car trip...and yes that is Andy getting into the trunk while Ben is driving 85MPH down the highway

sorry for the brief intermission....

2006-04-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

Ok I know...it has been a hella long time since I've posted anything on my blog...I have been crazy busy and the lack of internet in my apartment has prevented me from uploading pictures and such...so I know you all have spent sleepless nights waiting for my update so here it is....

first things first....

zoe came down to sunny g'ville to pay me a visit:) It was soooo wonderful to see her:) and of course martini's as well as rum+diet coke was involved ( we wouldn't have it any other way)...we also went to the beach, celebrated St. Patricks day, took a 5mile hike around campus, and watched law and order...all and all it was an AWESOME weekend....here are some pics to prove it;)

Oh its great to be a Florida Gator!!!!!!!!!

2006-04-04T00:16:00.000-04:00

Florida are NCAA Champs! Hooray to the Gator Nation!!!!!!!!!!

Little Things

2006-04-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

So today I was walking home from school and I couldn't help but think of all the little things that happend from the weekend that made me smile...it ment so much to me that friends and family (the people that are closest to my heart) were there to make me smile...these things that they did were so wonderful and I'm sure some of them don't even realize how happy they made me...so I've compiled a list of the 'little things' that are still making me smile today...

1. a tiny purple flower in the lock of my new apt door so that would be the first thing I saw before I walked into my new apt
2. having best friends come down to help me move, transport my furniture, and handing me a wonderful gift saying "it was just so shelby"
3. trying on bridesmaids dresses and having the shop staff put girly flowers in my hair, adding necklaces, and shoes while your best friend sits there smiling and looking so happy (mostly b/c I was being tortured)
4. having good friends over to watch the game and watching everyone laughing and having fun
5. a friend coming over at the right moment and saying " you bring such sunshine into every room" (thanks susan)
6. having someone that means alot to you walk into the apt w/ dinnerware that I mentioned once, 2mths ago, how nice it would be to have in my new apt
7. sitting in the sun, floating in the pool, and laughing
8. hearing a best friend tell someone else "shelby looked gorgeous in that dress"
9. having two best friends call up on 'moving' night to have 'girls night' over the phone so they could be there in spirit to help me move

this is a short list, however it has made me realize even more then ever that I have the best friends and family in the world! and this makes me smile every day! I know I could live w/o furniture, tv, computer, etc. but I could not live w/o them!!!!!! It is the little things and the people that are closest to you that make life so beautiful:)

A brief update...

2006-04-02T14:22:00.000-04:00

it has been to long since I have written anything in my blog but soon I will update on all the crazy shananigans...

just in brief...zoe came down for a weekend and we had a blast...i went to miami for Ultra music festival where I got to dance for 13hrs straight...Beth and Matt came down to help me move and it wouldn't have been the same w/o them:)

so all in all life is good! and I'm so happy its beautiful:)

Coldplay

2006-03-20T20:16:00.000-05:00

So here are some pics from the ROCKIN' coldplay concert....its been a long time since I've seen such a kick ass show (april last year to be exact) it was actually quite refreshing:) Ben, Susan, Andrew, and I had great fun....I think the pics say it all

to return shortly....

2006-03-14T17:32:00.000-05:00

so I have lots to post but not a lot of time to do it....soon I will have pics up of the coldplay concert, a moving update (b/c that's been hell), zoe's visit pics, and prob more pics of the beach....so hopefully I can get back to the wonderful world of blogging before my head explodes:)

memories in a box...

2006-03-06T20:55:00.000-05:00

Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag.
Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918 - )

so I'm starting to pack for yet another move...I've come across some things that I havn't seen in awhile...pictures, books, little notes...its funny what you remember when you come across something and it seems so familar. All the memories seem to come rushing back in an instance like it was yesterday. Its funny what you decide to keep over the years and what you decide to throw away. It's funny what one keeps to throw in a box move after move...perhaps its the "stumbeling upon that memory" feeling that keeps me packing these memories in a box....perhaps these are the most important things to keep; the things that make you smile when finding them again...

ouch!

2006-03-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

ok so yesterday's soccer game went like this....we're up 2-0....andrew sets me up with a perfect pass....the goalie come out of the box.....*splat*.....I go tumbeling in the air and land hard on the ground...I can't breathe b/c the wind is totally knocked out of me...so yeah, the goalie came out with his feet first and totally flipped me in the air....I walked away with a mild concussion, bruised knee, ribs, wrist, and ankle...needless to say today I feel like I was in a major car wreck...and now my right leg is just as bruised as my left one (see previous post)...so I look like I got beaten w/ a baseball bat....looks like I won't be wearing a skirt for awhile;) yay soccer!