Day 26, 27,28,29, and 30

I have been quite the slacker blogging lately but I am just going to knock out the last 5 days of the blog challenge now :)

Day 26: Picture of my family

Day 27: Picture of my pet

Day 28: Something that stresses you out
Thinking about the fact that in about 5 months, I will be a college graduate and HOPEFULLY have my own classroom and a wonderful job :)

Day 29: 3 wishes
1) For my family and me to continue to be in good health.
2) To figure out what I want to do once I graduate and be successful.
3)To remain as close as I am now with my 5 best friends from high school as well as my new friends from college.

Day 30: A Picture

My first 4.0 of my college career :) There is still one grade not posted but I know it is an A because I harassed my teacher until he told me! This picture basically gives you a small glimpse into the best part of my month!

Day 25: iPod Shuffle

Lonely People - America
Blond on Blond- Nada Surf
The Night Will Go As Follows - The Spill Canvas
New Soul - Yael Naim
Hear You Me - Jimmy Eat World
Firecracker - Ryan Adams
Sober - Kelly Clarkson
Til Kingdom Come - Coldplay
Magical Mystery Tour - The Beatles
Thinking of You- Hanson

I love music, all kinds of music. I like music that is nothing but catchy, I like music that is "depressing", I like happy music, I like old music. I will admit there are some things I like that could potentially make me a loser (Hanson) but it is ok, because it makes me happy! You give me music and I am a happy camper, really doesn't matter what it is.

Day 24: Something you've learned

     I have learned a lot in my life, but I think one of the most important things I have learned over the last year, would be that worrying will get you no where. These last couple of semesters have been hell and at first I spent so much time worrying it just made it worse! Now, I have decided I am better off just going with the flow. I know I am capable of doing the all of the worthless, time consuming crap that is thrown my way and that worrying and stressing about it is only going to make the process even worse. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow, it will all work out how it is supposed to :)

Life update :)

     Hello followers! I have been updating with the blog challenge but really haven't put any updates so I decided to go ahead with that now.
    My life has not been too exciting since the last update, however, the biggest update of all is that I am pretty much done with this horrible, horrible semester!! I have never had so much to do in one semester so I have been anxiously been awaiting to be done. I am so ready to student teach, because that is all I will be doing. There won't be course work for my 4 other classes on top of the teaching, it is going to be fabulous. Overall, I think I am going to come out of this semester with really good grades (hope this doesn't jinx me!).
    Maddie is doing wonderful. She is still the best part of my day! Her weight has tripled since I got her! She is up to about 12 lbs now and will probably gain another 10-15 until she is full grown. She is a smart little puppy too. She has learned how to sit, shake, lay, and speak and she is only 5 months (she learned all of those by 4 months too). I am glad I got a smart dog, it is a much more pleasant experience. She is currently in the process of losing her puppy teeth, that means she is trying to chew anything and everything she can get her little paws on. Luckily, she has yet to chew up anything of importance, mainly just paper or random things she finds on the floor. All in all, my Maddie update is a good one!
     Overall, the last month has been a good, but hectic month. With school winding down, I am looking forward to having a life again and seeing some friends that I haven't gotten to hang out with very much since the start of the semester. I am so ready for Christmas break, I plan on sitting back and doing as close to nothing as possible until school starts back the 3rd.
    I hope all is well for the rest of you! Blog to you soon :)

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

Well, this kind of goes hand in hand with my last post. My favorite vacation would have to be to New York... for all the reasons I stated in my last post. That is all I am going to say on this one :)

Day 22: Your Favorite City

I haven't traveled very much, but if I had to choose one from where I have been it would absolutely be New York City. I had never been until my brother moved there a few years ago. I have now been 3 times and I just love it! I do not think I could ever live there, but I love being able to go visit my brother and stay for 5-6 days and just explore. It is such an amazing city. I feel like I will never see all there is to see. I love the atmosphere and all the people there, I could people watch all day there! I am fortunate to have the opportunity to go there for pretty cheap since I can stay with my brother, and I can't wait to go back!

Day 21: Picture of Yourself

Here is a recent picture, and one of importance! David finally turned 21!!! It was a big day because I have been anxiously awaiting this day, when I was finally not dating a little baby anymore ha. It is nice that we can now go out and if I get a drink, he can too. I actually think I was more excited about his birthday than he was, but I am ok with that!

Day 20: Nicknames

Eureka and junior are the only nicknames I have ever really had... my name is clearly to boring to make nicknames from it haha

Day 19: Something You Miss

     I miss all my friends living in one place more than anything! It was so nice to have all of my best friends within 5 minutes of one another, now they all live in different places around Tennessee and even one in Minnesota! The advantage is I always have a place to stay if I  want to visit, but the disadvantage is that right now I don't have the money to even make the trip to see them. I can't wait until I have finally graduated and will be able to afford to do a little more, especially when it comes to seeing them. I am sad they are not all living around here anymore, but I am blessed to know I am still just as close to them as I was when they were in the same city.

Day 18: Something You Regret

I am not one to regret things. I simply learn from mistakes and move on. I regret nothing because everything I have ever done and every decision I have ever made has helped make me the person I am today.

Day 17: Something You're Looking Forward To

This is a tough one because there are several things I am looking forward to. So I am not going to list just one :)

1. May 7, 2011 @ 2:00 -- I will be graduating and finally done with this awful program!!!!
2. The end of this god awful semester
3. Thanksgiving :)
4. Christmas break!!!
5. Starting my student teaching (looking forward to it but scared to death)
6. Getting a job and finally making some money!
7. Getting to spend a whole lot of time with my Maddog over Thanksgiving and Christmas break.
8. Annual Christmas party with my best friends Michelle, Lindsay, and Chelsea :)

Day 16: Dream House

When imagining my dream house I imagine a lot of different things. I want a house that is comfortable, not too big and not too small. I want a yard so when I have a family we have a place to run around and play. I hope that my dream house will not be anywhere in Memphis, I want to get out of here but probably not go too far. I want a house that people enjoy coming to and feel welcome at. What that house will look like? I couldn't tell you but when I finally do have it, I know it will be perfect :)

Day 15: Bible Verse

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Day 14: A Picture You Love

I really like this picture because it reminds me of when I was little and all the fun I had with my family. Halloween was always a big occasion for us, every one dressed up and we were ready to go out and have a good time. I think this picture is just hilarious, I was Minnie Mouse and my brother was an old man... I must say, we were quite the cuties! Haha

Day 13: Goals

As of right now my goals consist of the following:

Making it through this semester alive
Making it through this semester without taking drastic measures toward the COE
Passing the last 5 of my Praxis tests
Get a 4.0 this semester (which is looking promising right now :/ :)! )
Figuring out what I want to do when I graduate, (i.e grad school, find a job, Teach for America)
Being able to run a 5k by the first of the year 2011.
Graduating in 25 weeks!!!!

Day 12: What You Believe

I am not a fan of beliefs talk at all. I find a lot of it hypocritical and ignorant, which just causes me to get irritated. As far as what I believe, I believe everyone deserves a chance to succeed in whatever they desire so long as they are willing to work toward it. I believe that no one should have a free pass just because of who they are or who they are related to. I believe everyone has a right to choose the kind of life they want to lead and it is no one's business to try and change or degrade another individual for their choices. I believe those who make poor decisions that adversely effect another individual(s) should be punished and have their rights taken away. I believe in equality and giving everyone a fair chance no matter their background, especially when it comes to education. I believe no one person can fix all the wrongs in the world, and that it is each persons responsibility to make this world a better place for all.

Thank you and good day :)

Day 11: Favorite TV Shows

I don't watch a whole lot of TV these days but I definitely have my shows that I want to watch and I make sure to record them or find them online so I can watch them when I have time! Here are a few:

Gossip Girl
Glee
House
Say Yes to the Dress
Modern Family
The Office
Dexter
How It's Made
Modern Marvels
Pawn Stars

Day 10: Something you are afraid of

Things I am afraid of:
Never getting married and having my own family
Not succeeding as a teacher
Clowns
Spiders
Roaches
Rats/Mice
Needles
Getting blood drawn

Clearly my list includes 2 very separate categories... the "what if" factors and the typical bugs, needles, etc. but that is just how it is. Goodnight bloggers!

Day 9: Picture of Friends

Theresa and Olivia

Michelle, Chelsea, and Lindsay

Two of my best friends are Theresa and Olivia. I will start with Theresa, I have known her since 5th grade! She is my twin, soul-mate, BS, road trip buddy, and love of my life! We are always confused for one another and people always think we are sisters, which we may as well be :) We were inseparable until Sophomore/Junior year of high school. We were still friends after that, but we both kind of went our separate ways with different groups of friends but we never had an issue with one another. Well, once we graduated, we somehow became reunited again and have been best friends ever since. We do not see each other every day or even every month, but when we do get together, it is like we just saw each other the day before and we pick up right where we left off. I can talk to her about anything and am so blessed to still have her in my life after almost 13 years and I know we will continue to grow closer as we get older!
Next, there is the lovely Miss Olivia Bogdan. Thank goodness Olivia was Theresa's roommate in the dor or else I would have never met her! I have only known Olivia since our freshman year of college, but I feel like we have known each other for so much longer. All of our freshman year, Olivia, Theresa, and myself were the 3 amigos. I swear we did almost everything together, especially considering I moved myself in their dorm room thanks to the futon. Olivia is one of the most genuine, caring people I have ever met, and I know that I could go to her for anything. She also has one of the most spectacular families ever, in good ole' Dickson, TN. Although Olivia has decided to become a little world traveler, and leave us high and dry in Memphis, I still think of her everyday and try and catch up whenever possible. Anyone lucky enough to know Olivia can vouch for me that she is an incredible woman and her courage and ambition to do all the amazing things she has done it truly inspiring.

 Three more of my best friends, Michelle, Chelsea, and Lindsay. I have known these girls since high school and although they all went away for college, we are still close. I met Michelle and Lindsay through mutual friends, and I met Chelsea freshman year when we both tried out for softball together. We are all 3 extremely different but whenever we are together we have the best time, especially since it does not happen often. I don't know what I would do without these girls and I am so glad that through the moving and distance we have managed to stay this close. I love them with all of my heart and can't wait for Christmas when we can all be reunited again!!

     Now for some reason it is not letting me put up more pictures so the next few will have to be pictureless :( The next friend I would like to mention would be Ellyn Thomas. We met through Phi Mu, and became really close our sophomore year when we both moved into the Phi Mu house. Ellyn is most definitely one of my best friends and someone I could not imagine not having in my life over the last few years. We have always had each others back and continue to even now. Our year together in the Phi Mu house was a year full of crazy memories and too many good times to list. The next year, Ellyn moved out and into an apartment while I stayed at Phi Mu. We still hung out and talked to each other about everything and once I moved out of the Phi Mu house, we became roommates once again! I loved all of our crazy nights and adventures together and am so glad Phi Mu brought us together. 

      The last person I am going to talk about is Katie Henderson. I absolutely adore this girl, and by adore I mean despise of course haha. I first met, well saw, Katie at the Ole Miss/Memphis game my freshman year. This little blond girl was sitting in front of me talking in an obnoxious high pitched voice and doing anything and everything that could potentially get on my nerves. Side note: At this point, I had not decided to go through rush and join a sorority, in fact I was totally against it thinking it was just stupid and pointless. Moving on, this little blond girl was wearing letters and at the moment I turned to my friend and said "That is the reason I will never go greek." Well, needless to say that obviously didn't happen, because I did rush and I joined Phi Mu, which of course that little blond girl, Katie Henderson, was a part of as well. After a couple of years we finally got to know each other and I instantly realized that she was not that obnoxious little ball of energy but someone who acted eerily similar to me. We lived together in the Phi Mu house and eventually became amazing friends. It is because of Katie that I have the awesome job on campus,  got more involved in Phi Mu, and started to realize what I was capable of. I am so glad I ended up joining Phi Mu and getting to know her because I know my life would just not be the same if I hadn't. Everyone needs a little t-county in their life and she definitely provides me with enough t-county to go around haha!

Sorry such a long post but it is tough to try and make it short and sweet when it comes to my friends because there are just too many! This hardly put a dent in the amount of people who have been a part of my life and had an impact on me in one way or another but it'll have to do!

Day 8: A Place Traveled

Unfortunately I have never been out of the country, but I have traveled to a few places outside of Tennessee (thankfully). One of my favorite places to visit is New York. I went for the first time a few years ago when my brother moved there. If not for him, I would have probably still never been to this day. New York is not a place I could ever see myself living, but I really enjoy going for a little vacation. Since my brother lives there, he is able to tell me about and take me to places I would probably never know about otherwise... more of the underground places. I am not into the whole touristy aspect and don't feel the need to see every tourist attraction when I go, I would rather wander around and explore more of the places your everyday New Yorkers go to. I have tried to make a trip at least once a year but sadly I am unable to go this year. Hopefully I will get around to visiting again sometime in the Spring but we will just have to see!

Day 7: Favorite Movies

I love a lot of movies, but here are just a few :)
Forrest Gump
Emperor's New Groove
Dumb and Dumber
Man on Fire
I Am Sam
Anchorman
Zoolander
Shawshank Redemption
Monsters Inc
Despicable Me
Blow

There are many more I am just not thinking of right off the top of my head, so these will have to suffice!

Day 6: Picture of something that makes me happy

Although there are many things that make me happy, a few of which have already been covered over the last couple of days (my family), the one thing that has recently entered my life and that I have completely fallen head over heels in love with:

 Miss Madison :) She is the first pet I have ever had! I love dogs so much and have always wanted one. Luckily for the last 22 years I have had my grandpa's dog(s) and friend's dogs to help me deal with my want/need for a puppy. Well, after moving out of my last apartment with my roommate who had a dog, I really started to get an itch to get my own puppy. I went to the animal shelter to just look, not planning on actually getting anything and next thing I knew, I was walking out with that cutie in the picture! The moment I saw her I knew I had to have her. She makes me so happy and is just the most adorable dog ever. No matter what kind of day I have had, as soon as I see her she puts me in a good mood! If you haven't gotten the picture by now, through my posts about her here, my 100 pictures on facebook of just her, and any other talk about her, I love my dog :)

Day 5: Siblings

I have one older brother, he is 26 and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. While he may have tortured me as a child and made me do his chores because he was bitter he was stuck at home babysitting me all day,  I feel that the older we have gotten the closer we've become as well. I wish he lived closer but at the same time, it is nice having a free place to stay when I want to take a trip to New York, he makes it much more affordable for me :) My brother is a very laid back person who has by far the largest music collection of any one I have ever met in my entire life. He is my electronic go to guy, if not for him I would have wasted way too much money going to get something looked at that was an easy fix for him, even when he is all the way in New York! I am glad to have such a wonderful big brother and can't wait to continue getting closer as the years go by. <--- (how cheesy did that sound?!)

Day 4: My Parents

I have a wonderful ma and pa! Although at first glance it looks like my mother is my nanny, she is definitely my mother. She is a wonderful woman, full of spunk and someone who could talk to a brick wall if she had to. Although I did get some things from her, that is definitely not one of them. She is very outgoing to anyone she meets, where I am more reserved and shy until I get to know you a little better. My father is amazing as well! He is one of the more laid back people I have ever met, and I rarely see him really get worked up about a whole lot. I would say I take after him on that. I don't like to worry and I just try to go with the flow, but I will admit just like any other normal person, I have my moments when I just lose it (I blame a majority of that on the colege of education :) )! Both of my parents have always been very supportive of anything and everything I have done. No matter what I choose, they stand by me and encourage me when I start feeling unsure. They have raised me to be a strong, independent woman and to never give up. I could never thank them enough for all they have done for me. I am so lucky to have such wonderful folks :) Love you both!!

Day 3: First Love

     Well this is an interesting one, I don't really know what to write about for this one. I feel I had an imaginary first love, my first boyfriend. I think most girls go through this, they date someone they think is just amazing in every way and then it all comes crashing down around them. I think I was just so enthralled with the whole having a boyfriend thing I just thought it was love! I have obviously come to realize I was sadly mistaken by this. However, from my imaginary first love, I learned a lot so I am glad I had my idiot girl moment and glad I had it sooner than later. I have realized more of what I want and been through a couple of relationships since then. For now, I am happily dating a boy who I get along with so well, in an almost creepy kind of way. He is like my best friend and it has definitely been an adventurous couple of years. So thank you to my imaginary first love from 9th grade, glad I had it and glad it's over!

Day 2: Meaning Behind Blog Name

For those who were sheltered as young children, Eureka's Castle was a kids show way back when. I chose this as my blog name not because I have some strange obsession with the show, but because growing up I have always been called Eureka by friends and family. Katie Henderson (my stalker) is the one who most consistently calls me Eureka or Eureka's Castle, and since I am just not creative I decided to use it as my blog name. Sorry for not having a more exciting and deep meaning behind this name of mine :)

30 Day Blog Challenge

I have seen this little challenge on several blogs, so I figured why not join in the fun! Each day there is something new to write about, so here we go!

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 WishesDay 30-a picture 

Day 1: This is me, obviously :)

15 "Interesting" Facts

1. My name according to my birth certificate is Erica Marie Curp Jr. (There were obviously some very intelligent people working that day)
2. I am half Cuban, although I don't look it a bit! 
3. I enjoy cooking, even though I don't have much time to actually do that.
4. I am an avid Memphis Tigers fan (mainly basketball since our football team may as well not exist)
5. I have one brother, he is 4 years older than me and lives in New York.
6. I have wanted to be a functional skills special education teacher since I was about 5.
7. I love to play softball, I have played since I was little.
8. I am addicted to chap stick. 
9. I never had a pet growing up but have just recently adopted a precious puppy named Madison :)
10. I have lived in the same house my entire life.
11. I am a die-hard Hanson fan, go ahead and make fun of me.
12. I was in band in high school, played the clarinet and was drum major/conductor my senior year.
13. I cannot read music, I have always learned everything by ear.
14. I have never traveled out of the country.
15. I am very OCD about my bangs... weird but true.

Quick update!

     I know I just updated this a couple of days ago, but as I mentioned I was taking Maddog to the vet yesterday and I was excited to see how much bigger she got. Well, I had guessed she gained about a pound (in a 3 week period), but I was wrong, they told me she was up to 7.12 lbs, meaning she gained a little over 2 lbs in hardly 3 weeks! My little pup is growing up fast and getting more rambunctious each day. She had her 3rd round of vaccines yesterday though and didn't handle them too well, she was puny the whole rest of the night, poor thing. But she is as wide eyed and bushy tailed as ever today so I am glad to see she is feeling better :) Here are a few recent pictures of my little pumpkin!

                                             

Meeting her great grand-pa :)

                                                    

Visiting Munford

                                   

Such a sweet face!

Nap time with James

Enjoying her pig ear she got for being a good pup at the vet! She LOVES them!!

This is dedicated to K.Hen and Hillary

     Hello all! Long time no blog, which I was made very aware of this weekend by Katherine Henderson and Hillary Thornton. However, there is reasoning behind this, there has simply not been anything worthy of wasting any readers precious time with lately! But for the sake of blogging, here is what is new in my oh so exciting life.
     I have recently embarked on a mission of completing a 5k. I am not one for working out because I get unbelievably bored, but my dear friend Whitney Hall told me about the couch to 5k app a few months ago and I decided to try it out. I don't have a whole lot of free time to go workout between teaching 2 days a week, school, work, and all the projects that go along with those things, so I have found that 6:30 am is the best, and really only time for me to go. With my schedule I am only able to go 2-3 days a week, but the way I look at it, that's a start! I actually am enjoying it because 1) I have a goal to work toward and 2) It is a mix of walking/running so it keeps it a little more interesting. I doubt I will run every 5k for the rest of my life but I hope by the first of the year to be able to run one the whole way.
       Other exciting news, it is finally fall break! I felt like it would never get here so I couldn't be happier. Unfortunately I am not doing anything exciting this break, I am doing homework and working all day both Monday and Tuesday (feel free to be jealous). Even though I don't have any exciting plans, it is nice to be able to sit back and just relax for a couple of days, I am already worn out from this semester so any break is more than welcome in my book, even if it is spent working my life away. I did have a nice weekend though. Friday, I went to Memphis Madness and then to Bluefin downtown to celebrate my dear friend Katie's birthday and it was a blast! Sunday, I got a manicure and pedicure with my mom and went to Munford to celebrate David's mom's birthday. It was fun and relaxing, especially with the beautiful weather we had!
     Lastly, a Maddie update :) She is one crazy dog! We call her the "houdini" of dog world. She somehow manages to escape and end up right next to you in a matter of minutes. To figure this mystery out, I put her back in the kitchen, with the doorway closed off using her kennel, and proceeded to watch her climb up on top of her kennel and jump off to me. So, to try and solve this problem, I put a baby gate on TOP of the kennel, thinking there was no way she could climb over both. Well, I was right about that, she couldn't climb over both but she found an opening about the size of her head and managed to squeeze, climb, and wiggle her way up and out. Therefor, my new mission is to find other means of barricading her while I am gone so she doesn't tear the house apart. I love her more than ever though and she is really growing! She is going to the vet tomorrow for her last round of puppy shots and I am anxious to see how much weight she has gained since I last took her, barely a month ago! Now that she is getting a little bigger, I have done more research on what kind of pup she is. The shelter said she was Manchester terrier (they were obviously on drugs when they decided this), but after a little googling I have come to the conclusion that she is a pointer/jack russell terrier mix. The jack russell explains her "crack dog mode" but her coloring and tail is spot on to that of a pointer. No matter what she is though, she is the cutest thing in the world and I am so glad I have her around.
     That is about all I have for now. Hope this was worthy of your time and hope you are happy Katie and Hillary! Hope you all have a fantastic week. :)





     

Another way to waste time at work..

     Hello blogging world! I have recently realized a lot of people are into this whole "blogging" thing, and although a majority of the ones I have seen are "couples" blogs (engagement updates, married life updates, etc) I decided I wanted to have one too, even if it is just me.
     My life is pretty uneventful right now, all I do is teach, go to school, go to work, repeat. I am semi student teaching this semester at Ellendale Elementary with Mr. Marks, my mentor teacher. I love it there, and love working with him! His teaching style is really laid back, but he is an awesome teacher and the students love being there. It is really cool observing and working with a male teacher, considering I have been with all old women every other semester I had to complete hours. Ellendale is the only part of this semester that I am enjoying... mainly because, surprise surprise, the College of Education wanted to ruin my  life a little more before I graduate and had me missing 2 classes I needed to graduate. So instead of having a fairly calm 12 hour semester, I am taking 18 hours of pure evil. I just keep reminding myself, May 7, 2011 @ 2:00 I will be walking across the stage to freedom!
    The one exciting development in my life is that I adopted a precious puppy about a month ago, on September 11. Her name is Madison, I think she has some jack russell terrier, pointer, and manchester terrier in her. I really don't care what she is, all I know is that she the light of my life and I could not be happier with my impulse decision! I have never had any type of pet and have always wanted a dog. Well finally, after 22 years of holding out, I gave in and got Madison and I love her more than you can imagine! She is a little firecracker, she gets in "crack-dog mode" as I like to call it and you just can't keep up with her. She is a little of 5 lbs right now but is supposed to get up to about 25-30 lbs. I will probably blog about her a lot because she is my world now :)
     I think that is all I really have to blog about for now, I will be back sometime, I can make no promises of when (not that anyone is that worried about it), but I will update when things are update worthy. Hope you all have a fantastic week, and Happy October!!