Lately... in pictures

  

The picture is a little old, but I love it

Our girls trip to Washington, DC! 

Gems & Stones exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History  

World War II Memorial

Starbucks is always a (fancy) step away ;)

   

I need this reminder 

 

  

new red lipstick!

Storms. Oklahoma. Love. 

Farrah Faucet hair :)

...umm...

I'm alive. 

I promise. 

I just have a lot and nothing going on at the same time. It's weird. 

So I'm going to shoot y'all real fast in bullet points of whats been going on. 

• I graduated from Oklahoma State University with my Bachelors in Chemistry this last December, and am now terrified of finding a big girl job in May when we get the hell out of Dodge Stillwater and move back home to our family and friends. 
• We had a great Christmas (five of them) with family and friends all over Oklahoma, and I was never more excited to see our apartment then after one and a half weeks away.
• I had a miscarriage...on New Years day.
• We need to find somewhere to live in May.  If you know anyone that has rent homes in the Owasso/Collinsville area, we're interested. 
• I still work in IT as a telephone operator for the OSU campus.  I've learned over the past week that it is a great position for students...but I'm going crazy with all the "free time" I have.  I need a new hobby that is inexpensive and I can do at a desk while answering the phone.  I've hit my limit on reading, crocheting, and watching netflix.  I'm gonna go crazy over here. 
• I'm toying with the idea of a second job. Just so that I see more of life than my office on campus, my apartment, and the four people (hubby + 3 ladies at work) I see every week day.  I need more to do. I'm not good without structure and problems to physically fix/do. 
• I'm going to Washington DC in March with one of my galfriends. It shall be epic and awesome :)

Bottom line...

I'm bored and stressed and busy and not busy. 

As one of my besties* said... 

I have Life Fever. It's like cabin fever, but bigger. 

bye y'all 

:)

*I don't really like that phrase, but how else do you describe the people that are your super-close-and-know-everything-about-you-but-are-still-your-friends? 

Preparing.

We're starting a couple new journeys in the Cook house and we could use y'alls thoughts and prayers while we are getting prepared for this.  

 It's going to be exciting and terrifying. haha

Danielle :) 

A Day in the Life: College Addition

I thought it might be interesting for me to type out what an average day in my life is like so that later in life I can compare and laugh about how easy college life was (hopefully).  

Here's a few things you might want to know first... I work as a telephone operator for the university I attend, so as long as I answer the phone they don't care if I do my homework and watch Nextflix.  I only have class on Tuesday and Thursday, so Monday, Wednesday and Friday is all about homework and studying.  Daniel also works on campus doing research for his doctorate. 

Alright, here we go... Monday 8/26/2013

5:15 wake up, go to the gym

5:30 workout at the Colvin, treadmill and leg machines

6:00 leave the Colvin and head home

6:10 start to feel sick since I didn't eat anything before working out, scarf down some toast with peanut butter for some protein 

6:15 shower, get ready for work. Go through 2 outfits before deciding on ponytail, jeans, white tee, and sandals 

7:00 go to fix Daniel's lunch, realize the sandwich meat is out of date. Inform Daniel he's on his own for lunch today. 

7:10 leave for campus 

7:15 smile sweetly and ask Dan to stop at Starbucks for caffeine. It works. 

7:30 get to work early, waste time checking emails and Facebook 

8:00 clock-in and get in queue at work. More emails and Facebook to wake up some more. 

9:00 start studying inorganic and hopefully do homework while answering calls at work and listening to Pistol Annie's station on Pandora. 

10:07 finish a few sections of notes, take a break to eat a snack and watch latest episode of Project Runway on my computer. 

10:20 chat with mom on Skype IM 

11:10 Daniel texted me saying he's hungry, plan lunch 

11:15 finish show, walk to Daniel's office 

11:30 Qdoba for lunch today

11:50 walk back to Daniel's office and hangout for about 10 minutes 

12:16 back at work. Read a few blogs 

12:47 finished reading my blog list, back to studying and taking notes. Listening to Cascada station on Pandora this time 

2:09 remembered to call in my BC refill so I can pick it up later. 

3:30 switched to Christina Perri station on Pandora, snack on chocolate yogurt covered raisins. Switch to homework. 

4:20 plan to meet up with Matt to finish inorganic homework tonight at library 

4:30 pack up inorganic stuff and read some of a book on my kindle until time to leave work. 

5:00 leave work head to pharmacy 

5:16 picked up prescription now headed to buy groceries 

5:30 get to food pyramid, don't have a list. I'll have to wing it 

6:00 checked out, spent more money then I'd planned, and headed home 

6:25 unloaded and put away groceries, now cleaning out the fridge

6:40 finished cleaning out fridge, loaded and started dishwasher

6:45 started a load of laundry. 

6:47 changes into some sweats, watching a little TV until time to pick up Daniel from night class 

7:12 take out trash and leave to go pick up Daniel

7:20 pick up Daniel from his night class

7:30 go to CVS for allergy mess and Kleenex 

7:40 go next door to Mcalister's for dinner 

7:55 leave Mcalister's 

8:10 at the campus library to finish inorganic homework with a friend 

10:45 finished homework, packing up and headed home 

11:00 get home, move laundry over, start new load, empty dishwasher,straighten kitchen, empty overnight bag from the weekend. 

11:17 get ready for bed 

11:30 finally in bed and ready for a night of blissful sleep 

life in pictures

Just a little bit of life lately 

Danielle :)

The Waiting Game

Have you hear of the waiting game? 

Let me tell you, it sucks if you're impatient like me.  

Right now I kind of understand a small amount of how Moses felt when he wandered for 40 years waiting for the Promised Land. 

 In my life right now I'm in the waiting game, waiting... 

*to be done with my degree (one class left!) 

*to move back to our hometown 

*get a big-girl chemistry job for a bit to pay off school bills 

*become a high school chemistry teacher after said big-girl chemistry job 

*and the big kahuna...start a family of little cookies.

Impatience is one of my problems.  Like a big problem.  When it comes to little things i can be patient, but when it comes to something that is really important, exciting, or a dream of mine I am incredibly, exponentially impatient.  I need to learn patience, big time.  I hoping that these verses I found will help me.  I'm going to try and memorize them and recite them to myself whenever I'm feeling the full effects of the waiting game.  

"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer" Romans 12:12

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, If we faint not" Galatians 6:9 

"But if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it]" Romans 8:25

"But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:4

Do you guys know of other verses/quotes that could help? or do any of you feel the same as me?

Danielle :)

I'm a two

Boredom + Me = possibility of a bad combination.

The other day I was bored and procrastinating my some homework and came across a personality test online.  I figured "what the heck, might as well" and came across some interesting results.  

The test was the 9 Types personality test. 

It puts you in one of nine categories:

Type 1: The Reformer

Type 2: The Helper

Type 3: The Achiever

Type 4: The Individualist

Type 5: The Investigator

Type 6: The Loyalist

Type 7: The Enthusiast

Type 8: The Challenger

Type 9: The Peacemaker 

I tested as a 2, The Helper. Helpers are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs. 

(all info came from here)

How to Get Along with Me

Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.

Share fun times with me.

Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.

Let me know that I am important and special to you.

Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

What I Like About Being a Two

being able to relate easily to people and to make friends

knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better

being generous, caring, and warm

being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings

being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Two

not being able to say no

having low self-esteem

feeling drained from overdoing for others

not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish

criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should

being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them

working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Twos as Children Often

are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism

try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding

are outwardly compliant

are popular or try to be popular with other children

act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention

Twos as Parents

are good listeners, love their children unconditionally 

are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)

are often playful with their children

wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" 

can become fiercely protective

I agree with most of the descriptions and disagree with a few, but I think it does well describing parts of who I am.  My secondary type was 8: The Challenger with a close tie to 9: The Peacemaker.  

Take the test here and let me know what type you test out to be! 

It could be interesting  ;)

Danielle :)