5 Things: I’m Looking Forward To This Summer

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

House Hunting
I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am that Prentyce and I are moving back in together (again) soon, if we find a house to call our own. I’m hoping everything pans out and we do not get any unnecessary headaches from this. We are property virgins after all! I just want to find a house we love that does not have too many unfixable issues — is that too much to ask? I actually think it is, especially since we don’t have a million dollar budget!

No School
I have taken all the classes I need to apply for the BSN program at UNLV’s Nursing School. We shall see how it goes… I apply in June and should start in late August IF, IF, IF I get into the program. I heard it was very hard to get in and that it is even harder to stay in! How scary! Nonetheless, I’m going to enjoy this summer of freedom.

More Working
I have a really great job; I wish everyone were as lucky as me. During this past semester, I worked only 1-2 days per week. We will see how much that paid off once I get my final grades in though…. In the summer, I plan to work between 2-4 days a week. I’m so happy! That means more money to spend on decorating the house (that I’m hoping we find).

Parties and Graduations
In the month of June, I have two parties to plan/throw… I have Prentyce’s little brother Aarron’s high school graduation and I have my nephews 10th birthday party. In late summer, I have my birthday! : ) I’m sooo very excited! It’s been 1.5 years since I last threw a graduation party, which was for Prentyce BTW and a total success. Also, my nephew’s party will be themed ‘Billy the Exterminator’ — so think lots of bugs and grossness! Yay! I have no plans for my birthday yet, but we’ll see. I’ll be 26 this year. Eeek!

More Designing and DIY Projects
I am looking forward to doing lots of new designs for my Etsy party shop mongging. If y’all haven’t checked it out, what are you waiting for?! Everyone needs an outlet and that is mine. It feels sooooo great when people buy my invitations! I do cupcake toppers and other party printables also. And all of them are reasonably priced!

If you are on Pinterest, you know that one of my most active boards is my ‘DIY Projects’ board. I’m hoping to do at least some of those projects over the summer and be able to share them with you here on my blog.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer! In Vegas, it’ll be blazing hot and I’ll be sweating like a pig, but the goal is to just have a wonderful time!

5 Things: Social Networks I’m Active In

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

Yelp | http://nikkirosety.yelp.com/
I use Yelp for business reviews. They are most useful for restaurant reviews, but I have used them for doctor and auto shop reviews. I needed my brakes fixed a while ago and I used Yelp to find an awesome auto shop. The owner was friendly and I definitely paid for quality work. The iPhone app is also very user-friendly. Use it and don’t forget to add me! : )

Facebook
I am an avid Facebooker and I am proud of it. I love being able to share photos and spread positivity on Facebook! I love ‘liking’ peoples’ statuses and congratulating/encouraging them. Furthermore, being that almost all of my cousins from both sides of my family are in the Philippines, it’s a great way to connect. I do not add people I do not know personally on Facebook though since I post many personal photos.

Twitter | http://twitter.com/nikkirosety
I don’t want to fill up everyone’s timeline on Facebook with every single thought that fills my head, so that is why I use Twitter. I update Twitter almost every day and on some days, quite a few times. I check-in (via Yelp) on Twitter a lot more also. Furthermore, I share link to news articles, post what I’m doing/eating, retweet quotes, etc. Follow me @nikkirosety.

Instagram | nikkirosety
It used to be only for iPhone users, but recently, Instagram was made available on Android; Furthermore, it was recently purchased by Facebook, even though it will be developed separately from Facebook. (Good, right? I don’t want them integrated!) I think it’s a great resource for looking at others’ creative sides. I use other photo editing apps on my iPhone/iPad and then transfer into Instagram. Instagram, though, still has great filters and features all its own. Let’s get creative!

Pinterest | http://pinterest.com/nikkirosety/
I love Pinterest! It is so awesome to share ideas via photos. I have boards (where you put your pins), and some are specific and some aren’t. My two favorite boards right now are my wedding ideas board and my for the home board. Another thing I like about Pinterest is that I can find other people with similar interests. Currently, you still need an invitation to access Pinterest.

Well now that you know how to stalk, feel free! : ) See you on the web!

Wedding: Choosing to Have a Long Engagement

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

I can’t talk about being engaged enough lately. I feel excited and pressured all at the same time. It feels so great to not have to hide my reading of bridal blogs or looking at wedding dresses anymore. I’m engaged, so I can look at that stuff without judgement. (Shhh… I’ve been looking at wedding stuff since I was in grade school.) And lucky for you, I will be talking about weddings for a lot longer than I had planned… happily.

Before, I thought couples who were engaged for long periods of time did not really want to be married. I have long thought this, even before I saw the story of Pam and her so-called fiancé on The Office (see photo). If you don’t know the story, you can read a summary or watch the first seven seasons on Netflix.

Source: http://www.eonline.com

It made me think to myself, ‘How could a guy afford an engagement ring and then not have enough money for a wedding? And, if all they wanted to do was get married, a civil ceremony is less than $100.’

I have always told myself and others that I would never want a long engagement. Changing your titles just for the sake of doing so is not admirable, IMO. Honestly, I still rarely call Prentyce fiancé. It just sounds kind of corny and wannabe fancy. Don’t you think? I would always say, “What’s the point of getting engaged if you don’t plan to have the wedding for a few years? Just get engaged later on.” (Can you tell I thought a lot about this before? It is what happens when you have been with somone for years upon years!)

But, my outlook on engagements has changed and for many reasons. I didn’t get to choose when I got engaged. If I did, it would have probably in late 2012, but then, it would not have been a surprise. I think that people nowadays choose when to have a wedding and then get engaged after. It is backwards to me, but the modern woman can be choosy and fierce.

It means so much to call Prentyce fiancé, but we are not ready for a wedding. He tells me all the time that he could marry me tomorrow and that we don’t have to wait. I haven’t completely agreed or disagreed in regards to his proposition, but I would still want a wedding later on. It’s a personal choice, but I want the whole shebang — the bridal/bachelorette shower, the ceremony, the reception, and the honeymoon.

I’m so glad Prentyce got into his career straight out of college, but in essence, we (mostly me) are still broke. Financially, right now (or even within a year), it would not be financially smart to pay for a wedding. I don’t plan on having a Kardashian wedding, but I still want it to be a day to remember. Plus, I don’t want Prentyce to pay for it all. I never made him pay for our prom by himself and I’m not planning on doing so with our wedding either. And, most importantly, we are NOT going into debt for a wedding!

We are homeless, sort of, right now. We started looking for a home in September of 2011, shortly after we were engaged. It was his idea, but I wasn’t totally against it either. I loved seeing him on our days off, but I can only stand so much of Call of Duty and Madden on XBOX. (Ladies, do you feel me?) We function really well with these breaks from each other; I’m hoping that doesn’t change in the future. Unfortunately, house hunting was put on hold when I hurt my back. We actually did find a house, but on the Saturday that we were about to make an offer, our realtor told us that the house was “off the market”. It just wasn’t meant to be.

As much as I want a wedding, I know that a home to call our own is much more important. Did I mention nice homes in good areas cost money? Yeah, we have a lot of saving to do. But, on a positive note, we are getting so much help from our families in that regard. We are very, very lucky. (Thank you family!)

Lastly, my parents are still in the Philippines and I would never, ever get married without them by my side to give me away. Plus, I will need my Mommy around for dress shopping, cake tasting, my bridal shower, and all the other wedding activities/nightmares. They’re planning to come back before the summer of 2013. I’m counting the days…

It sucks horribly to not get what I want right now, but it would be dumb for me to think that at the age of 25, I can get everything I want without hard work AND patience. I’m no billionaire heir and I don’t gamble or play the lottery. I’m an awesomely regular person who will hopefully get everything she wants as time passes through hard work, dedication, & patients. Isn’t that the American dream after all? Plus, I was with Prentyce 6+ years before he put a ring on it… I’m pretty sure I can wait another two years before “our big day”. See you then! ; )

: This photo was taken at our Senior Prom, 4/2005. Don’t we already look married?

P.S. Sorry that was so long! I just have to much to say about the topic because every week, I still get asked, “When’s the wedding?” I’m not mad, I’m happy people are curious, but hopefully next time someone asks, I can direct them to this blog entry! Hehe.

P.S.S. Did I mention how excited I am to be able to design, organize, and meticulously plan every single detail of the wedding with time to spare? Ohhh yesss! I’m in heaven…

Halfway Through Spring Semester 2012

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

This has been one of the hardest semesters I have had in awhile. I am taking 12 credits and the classes are NOT easy. Well, at least for me they aren’t easy.

I have a high B in statistics and nursing nutrition, but a C in a organic/biochemistry. Chemistry is no joke! I do not wish the material were easier, I just wish I were smarter and more efficient in studying. It will all work out though, it just has to.

There has been a lot of reading for my nursing nutrition class (NURS 299). It was around 200 pages a week for the first few weeks, but now it’s down to 50-60 pages a week. This class is supposed to mimic a common nursing class due to the amount of material covered in short periods. I’m handling it pretty well though, so I’m happy.

Statistics, specifically PSY 210, has not been that difficult. The book we are using is very user-friendly and easy to read. The assignments and quizzes are also not hard. I don’t completely suck at math, so this might be the reason why I like this class.

The hardest thing has been figuring out how to study for organic/biochemistry (CHEM 111). I ~~love~~ prefer creating digital flashcards, so I don’t have to lug around flashcard sets, but I have found it easier to do handmade ones for this particular class due to the fact that I have to draw so many structures, diagrams, etc.

Nonetheless, I have a really good class and lab buddy for CHEM 111. Her name is Danielle. She’s smart and helpful and understanding that my schedule is crazy. We still make time to study together though and I’m hoping we get into the nursing program during the same semester. Pray for us please.

On another note, the UNLV men’s basketball team is playing tonight against Colorado. Don’t forget to wear your scarlet and gray to support the Rebels. I know I am!

Update: We lost in the first round! Can you believe it? It was very disappointing.

5 Things: Best Events of 2011

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

These “end of 2011″ lists are kind of corny, but I still decided to do one anyway. It’s even more corny that I waited until 2 months into 2012 to do it. Nevertheless, I think they are beneficial and useful in some ways. It’s a good way to reflect on all the good & bad events of a specific year. Plus, you can look at them later in life to reminisce.

Note: These are in no particular order.

1. Parents Moving to the Philippines
It’s been more than 6 months now. The first few months were really hard. I would leave the house to go shopping or hang out with Prentyce, and I would just cry in the car. It’s usually because I either invite my Mom to shop or we eat with my parents. Holidays and birthdays were a lot different this year, but not worse. I’m counting the days until they come back from the Philippines, which should be early 2013.

What I Miss Most
I miss my Mommy because she’s so fun and happy all the time. I miss her cooking, especially her pancit molo and lumpia. I miss my Daddy because he always looks out for me and handles things for me. I miss ~~debating~~ arguging with him and helping him learn new things on the computer. I miss visiting them. I miss their presence.

2. Hurting My Back
This was the absolute, hardest event of my life. I know that seems a bit dramatic, but when your life takes a 180-degree turn and you can’t do anything about it — it will break you. It’s not like losing a job, because you could just go do “something” about that. I could not make the back pain go away or make my body heal faster or make myself feel any happier. This was a blessing in disguise. I treasured it and learned from it. I’m so glad to have had my big brother and his wife, my sister-in-law, help me through this traumatic time. Even my nieces and nephews would get me food, run upstairs for me, pick up stuff off the ground for me, etc. Prentyce had to help me go to the bathroom and shower me (and no, not in a romantic way.), drive me around, etc. Health is something money cannot buy, not even billionaire Steve Jobs could afford it. RIP.

3. The Phenomenal iPad 2
My iPad 2 is the most useful electronic device I have purchased all year.(I haven’t bought that many this year… Ha.) I use it for school and leisure. It is so awesome; I’m serious. You probably know that already if you have one. It’s a time-killer with all the fun games, but it really helps me to be more productive. I can fax documents, annotate PDFs, check out my Evernote account, and so much more. Did you hear the iPad 3 is being released in the Q1 of this year?

4. Getting Engaged
After six years of dating, I am still in awe of the whole getting engaged thing. I know that others get engaged much sooner and then get divorced a lot faster, but I ~~think~~ know our wait was worth it. It doesn’t mean that we will have a more long-lasting marriage than those people, but it does mean I have been with someone long enough to know that I’d be happy with him forever. (Forever is such a daunting word… : /) I started looking at wedding stuff right after we got engaged, but haven’t done much planning. I think my family has done more planning than I have. Funny, right? I’m so glad I have the support of both of our families in this union.

5. Transition to UNLV
During the summer of 2011, I took my first UNLV class. It was CHEM 122: General Chemistry 2 with Professor Thomas Bussey. I was so nervous at first. Coming from CSN with 75+ transfer credits and a 3.74 GPA, I didn’t know how I compared to the rest of the student body. I thought, these people must be smarter than me. I have been going to a community college this whole time and they haven’t been. Come to find out, that was far from the truth! Yes, the people in MY group were smart, which really helped me. But, not everyone is. The message I took home from that was that I’m adequate. I’m smart enough to be here! And, that I deserved the A- I got in the class.

Oh, and also, Professor Thomas Bussey was the best professor I have ever had. It’s unique to find a teacher that knows how to really teach. It sucks that I never got the chance to tell him that. If I’m feeling stalkerish one day, I shall find him to tell him. The class still took a lot of work and the tests were not easy, but with enough drive, you could do this class or any class.

To close, 2011 was a really up and down year for me. I know others have gone through much worse than I have, so I treasure life every single day. You just have to believe that it always better with hard work and persistence. Life is good. God is good.

Christmas 2011 Recap

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Nikki Rose Ty

Christmas was bittersweet this year. I really missed my parents and my sister’s family, since they are now living in Philippines. There were also less presents under the tree, but we were all together, and that is what is most important.

Every single gift I got was so great. I got some new flats, an awesome eyeshadow palette, a manicure kit, a much needed pedicure kit, and a portable iPhone/iPod speaker. I told Prentyce not to buy me anything for Christmas. He has already spent so much money on me this year that it’s almost embarrassing. Thank you for all my gifts family, during Christmas and throughout the year.

Christmas mass was nice. We went right before the party and had to leave an hour early to guarantee seats. The lesson the priest spoke of was about how someone asked him, “How come there’s never something new for Christmas mass? Why isn’t there a new scripture? Or story?” He told us to enjoy the things we already have. We do not always need something new to be happy. I cannot express how true that message is, regardless of what religion you follow or don’t follow. Every holiday season, we are all so eager to get that new iPad or to buy that blouse on sale. This Christmas was the first Christmas that I didn’t ask for anything except for my health, so that I could go back to work and back to school. I have never wanted anything more…

This Christmas was different for me for a lot of reasons, but I know everything happens for a reason. To end, here is my family’s Christmas photo. Can you find Prentyce? : )

5 Things: What Being Engaged Really Means

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Nikki Rose Ty

Today is the 2 month anniversary of my engagement to Prentyce. We haven’t done a crazy amount of wedding planning these past 2 months, but we have been house hunting. Unfortunately, that’s now also on hold since I can’t get around as easily as before. : (

Nonetheless, this is my 5 Things list for the week: What Being Engaged Really Means.

1. People assume you knew about the engagement. You would be surprised to know how many people were surprised to know that I was surprised when Prentyce proposed. Yes, I knew it was eventually going to happen (six years of dating is a long time) and I have told him what kind of ring I would like (when he asked). But, no, I didn’t pick out my ring and no, I didn’t know he was out looking, and no, I didn’t know he was going to propose. And while there are couples who are less traditional and decide cohesively to get married, we are not that kind of couple. I wanted him to get on bended knee and ask me to be his wife… and he did!

2. You have a beautiful ring that you just can’t stop staring at, especially when driving. Don’t get in a car accident & die because then you will never get to walk down the aisle.

3. You get asked a hundred million times when the wedding is going to be... even when you haven’t been engaged 24 hours yet!

4. You feel like you have a million things to do even though you haven’t even picked a date. Furthermore, he wants to be the caring fiancé and help you choose the flower girls dresses. Why?! Men aren’t supposed to care. Grr…

5. You have to move in together. It’s exciting… and not at the same time. You have to share a closet. *gasp* Your plans are no longer YOUR plans anymore. Take away the “y” from your and suddenly, you aren’t allowed to plan your future as you have been doing. Decisions must be made.

This list of 5 will probably expand to 500 up until our big day. I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but I know that I love me some Prentyce Albright.

Happy 2-Month Engagement Anniversary Babe! (<— That’s me pretending that he actually reads my blog.)

(un)Happy Halloween!

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Nikki Rose Ty

Happy Halloween everyone, except right now, it doesn’t feel very happy. Halloween is so different this year compared to how I have celebrated it the past six years. In what ways you may ask? (I know you could care less, but I’ll tell you anyway.)

Parents & the Lee fam were still in America
I had a perfectly working back
We would be having a huge party with awesome decorations & games & lots of food
My splendid costume would be ready to go
My spirits would be as high as druggie

To make matters worse, as of right now, I am costume-less. Due to me being basically handicapped the past 2 weeks, I have done nothing Halloweeny. I have thought of some ~~lazy~~ easy costume ideas though, i.e. zombie, nerd, secret agent, etc., but still… none of them have gotten me excited about celebrating what used to be my #2 favorite holiday (Christmas is my #1 favorite).

My nieces and nephews are still at school right now. Hopefully I’ll be in a better mood by the time they are let out, so that I won’t get the “Killjoy Award”. (I just thought of that.)

Excuse me while I take my pain meds followed by a shot of candy corn.

Have a very happy Halloween.

It’s been 2 weeks…

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Nikki Rose Ty

Sooo… Two weeks ago I was in an ambulance headed to the Spring Valley Hospital emergency department, where I stayed for about 7 hours and got diagnosed with a lumbar sprain.

Since then, life has been (to say the least) different. I haven’t put on make-up, done my hair, driven a car, or have been to work the past 2 weeks. For some of the days, I only got out of bed just to use the restroom. I ~~was~~ am still miserable.

I’m drugged up and feeling a lot better as the days progress though. My brain and hands are still functional, so I lay in bed and read on my iPad or… well that’s mostly about it. I’m trying to make the most of this time off, but it’s hard when you can’t access your own bedroom because it’s atop a flight of stairs.

My big brother’s house has a downstairs bedroom and that’s where I have relocated. It’s super convenient b/c the bathroom and kitchen are so near. They have been super accommodating and I am so lucky to have them. I’ll be definitely taking my nieces & nephews out for all the tasks I make them do for me, i.e. pick that up please, get me water please, turn off the light please, etc. I’m so glad I have family.

I’m hopeful in that I’ll get better because I am making progress. The scary part is that the doctor told me that once you injure your lower back, it is very easy to re-injure (<- Is that a word?) it. I was in shock… I don’t want to go through this again ever. So while this process may take a while, hopefully not too long; I hope that it heals well so that I’ll be back better than ever… I try to stay positive most of the time, but I have definitely cried myself to sleep some nights.

Pray for me? Thanks.