In a nutshell

I think I'm beginning to catch my breath after a cram-packed June and a somewhat hectic start to July. I've had SO much on my plate lately that I feel like I've neglected so much — my apartment, my friends, my lonely cat and my blog. I've also noticed a couple new lines around my eyes, which means I have got to slow down and remember to moisturize!

Anyhow, now that things are beginning to slow down a bit, here's what I've been up to ...

I've been accepted to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as a provisionary graduate student. That means that until I take and pass the Praxis, I do not get to be a "real" student — and I don't get financial aid. ... Which means I'm about to devour my new Praxis study guide multiple times over, because this girl needs some financial aid!

Once I'm admitted as a full-time student (most likely in January), I will be studying early childhood education (Pre-kindergarten-3rd grade). I'm hoping to be done in three years. However, because my bachelor's degree is in journalism and not education, I could be looking at a little longer so I can take courses that I would have taken had I majored in education as an undergrad student. Plus, I'll be working full-time, so it should be fun. Ha!

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I'm still in the middle of a "new" car search. After spending last Monday running all over Chattanooga and Dalton, Ga., I decided to do more research on the cars I found that I liked. And thank goodness I did, because I nearly made a mistake.

I had fallen in love with at 2004 Honda Civic that was more than I really need to pay. Granted, I talked the dealership down quite a bit, BUT I don't want to be living paycheck to paycheck, and had I signed on the dotted line for that car, that's the situtation I likely would have put myself in. Thanks goes to Jim for making me go home to sleep on it.

Tomorrow I'll be out looking again. I've decided that, for now, Kias and Hyundais are more in my price range, so I'm primarily looking at them. However, if there's a great deal out there on a Honda, Nissan or Toyota, I'll buy it in a heartbeat. I doubt it'll happen though.

I truly hate looking for a new car, so I'm praying for a shopping trip that's as painless as possible. ... Wish me luck!

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Other than that, here's a very brief rundown:

* I've lost a total of 16 lbs. on Weight Watchers, and I feel better than I have in a LONG time. My clothes are all a little too big, which is a wonderful thing - however, I hate spending money on new clothes right now, considering I'm about to buy a car.

* I went on a date last night that could probably be deemed the biggest flop of all time. I seriously don't think we had one thing in common, and as the night progressed it got more and more uncomfortable. Plus he took me to play pool after dinner, and I am by far the world's worst pool player ever. It's embarrassing for me, and I think he was a little embarrassed to be with me. I hate dating. Maybe I'll just stay single. ... Yeah, that sounds fine to me.

* I think I'm the happiest I've been in years. I don't know what it is exactly, but I do think it has to do with finally doing something about going back to school and, of course, the weight loss and my new healthy self. I have way more energy and I find myself smiling a lot more. It's wonderful!