I heart pink...

Two pics of me in my absolute favorite color, pink. :)  I just can't deny that I love the color.  In fact, as I write this, I'm typing on my pink laptop. I'm wearing pink running shorts and my pink running shoes.  My wireless mouse is pink, and the Swiss Army knife I just used (confession: to cut open a bag of brownie mix) is... you guessed it, pink.

Anyway, I wore this first outfit to Dance Jam on Monday.  The exercise class is difficult and so much fun.  I take cues from one of the other young ladies in the class: she was a dancer for the Houston Texans.  So copying her moves sometimes makes me look boss.  I sweat so much, feel absolutely great, and learn dance moves to a popular song. Win, win, and win. Also, this tank is a win. Boiler up!

For work the next day, I continued my streak in a top my twinsie lent to me.  It was light-weight... perfect for the summer heat! I wore my key necklace, my white watch, and pearl earrings.  I must emphasize (again) that I love my watch.  It gets worn pretty much every day.  

Keep things in perspective... it's almost Friday!  Cheers :)

Make someone else happy...

I was thinking about some of the people I could not live without, and I realized that they all have one thing in common: they routinely do things to make me happy (or to help me help myself be happy... if that makes sense).  I realized that there are people in this world who expend a lot of effort trying to build others up.  I want to be one of those people.  So I'm trying to be even more vocal in giving compliments and thanking people for what they've done for me.  I'm trying to send thoughtful notes to some friends and text messages to others to stay in touch and remind my Purdue buds that I love them!  I'm trying to post on peoples' Facebook walls to make them smile.  Seriously, what is Facebook for?!?!  We might as well use it to brighten our friends' days.

End monologue about happiness...

Now this is something I know will make my sister happy: fashion.  I wore this outfit on Wednesday, and I felt very polished and professional.  Yet I felt like the lace and the soft pink nail polish made it sweet and not too stiff.  Wednesday was a fun day: I got to OJT and go to a plaque hanging (an ADCO got to hang the plaque for the Soyuz mission... holla).   I was going into MCC with two of the MCG (Motion Control Group) Group Leads and feeling a little socially awkward when Estrella (a girl I know from B-Stud) met us on the stairway.  She looked so happy to see me and gave me a great big hug. I could not stop smiling after that encounter.  One awesome thing about NASA is simply how many people on-site know each other... sometimes it seems like a big family!

Anyways, I'm about to go to Tookie's (a restaurant in Seabrook) with some of the co-ops who are already here.  It's supposed to be a great place for hamburgers.  Om nom nom!  Have a happy, relaxing, productive weekend! <3

Confessions of a Non-Shopaholic

So I'm watching the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and it makes me glad that I don't have too much debt.  Students loans, and that's it.  In a way, this movie frustrates me, because I can't understand how you could do that to yourself.  If you're going to shop like crazy, at least hit the sales (and don't buy designer).  As much as this movie wants me to go shopping, the calling to stay in my pajamas and write this blog is greater.

Today was Day 2 of my second co-op tour at NASA.  I'm working in the Missions Operation Directorate, so I am required to dress up much more than last tour. No jeans and hardware any more... it's black pants and ballet flats and videos about the ISS. And I love it. Seriously, I hope that I have 'the personality' of a Flight Controller.  How cool would it be to sit in the Mission Control Center and fly the International Space Station? 

Anyways, on my first day, I wore my nicest black pants... they're Calvin Klein.  They're also a little long, so I wore them with my pointy-toed black high heels.  I also wore a black-and-tan striped tank under a green, three-quarter length sleeve jacket, my KKY lavalier, and gold hoop earrings.   I'm a little sunburnt from spending Sunday at the pool at Kirstyn's apartment complex, but I snapped a picture of my first day outfit. 

Today I wore black pants, my purple top, and zebra print ballet flats with my pearl earrings, white watch, and moon/star ring.  I try to be dressy but stylish.  Some of the young, female Flight Controllers dress so fabulously.  Some wear wearing dresses with sweaters and high-heeled sandals, but I'm not brave enough to try that out yet... I'm only the co-op. But I love being the co-op! :)

LB and K take Houston by storm...

Happy Tuesday!  For right now, I'm relishing the fact that I am still wearing my pajamas at 10 a.m.  I have some errands I want to run later today, and I'd love to go to Zumba at 4:30 p.m., but for the moment I am enjoying that there is NOTHING I HAVE to do.  Just things I want to :)  Woot!  

Speaking of things I want(ed) to do... yesterday I went to Dance Jam.  The dance was a little bit harder than the last one, but it is such a good workout.  I sweated so much... can't wait for next week!  I'm hoping that Dance Jam plus Zumba will be good cross-training for my half marathon. I do need to start running though... hmmm. 

At Wild West

Anyways, I wanted to blog about my little sister's Texas experience!  I know that I had a great time, and I think she did too.  We went to Space Center Houston first, which was pretty cool.  I kept telling her how big the Saturn V rocket was, but when we walked into the building in which it is housed, she just said, "Whoa."  

That same night we went country dancing with some of my friends from Bible Study!  It was a blast... Laura and I rocked the dresses with boots. :)  We stopped at a coffee shop on the way home and didn't get back to my apartment until after 3 a.m.  You know it's a good night when... haha

Saturday was just a relaxing day. We drove down to Galveston Beach, which is only about forty minutes from my apartment. What a remarkable change from when I first saw Galveston in January... the beaches were packed with families and lots and lots of swimmers.

Laura and I sitting on the beach

 That night we went to Rudy's (a BBQ place) for dinner before hitting the mall.  Laura didn't buy anything, but I splurged (kind of) on a full-price lace top from Charlotte Russe. Okay, it was only $15, and I can wear it a lot...

Go Astros! On Sunday, Laura and I drove into downtown Houston for the Astros game in Minute Maid Park.  Sadly, they lost to the Brewers, but it was an exciting game.  I thought I was going to have to force Laura to try Blue Bell Ice Cream, but she willingly tried Cookies and Cream in a waffle cone.  I had Red Velvet Cake ice cream... om nom nom.

Laura and I at the game.  Her outfit was so cute and summery!

 After the game, we went back to Seabrook and rented Act of Valor.  It was a good movie, but it made me cry.  Then we hit the Kemah Boardwalk.  We went to the candy shop, and I bought Laura some rock candy... her favorite!  We rode one ride, the swinging ship, and had a blast!

I was definitely sad to see her go.  I miss her already!  But she is starting college soon, so she has that to look forward to, and more and more of my friends are arriving in Houston.  I am so happy that my family is so close!  So very blessed...

Have a great Tuesday!

Hello, Houston!

Ahhhh!  After a few wonderful days back home with my family, my lil sis and I headed down south to the city that I love... HOUSTON, TX. Seriously, being back here makes me feel like I never left. I love the skyline of the actual city, my apartment near NASA, Tutti Frutti, and Minute Maid Park.  It's funny how somewhere I've only spent four months in can feel like home.  It's an exciting place, and Clear Lake is small enough that it feels personal too :)  Maybe that is why I like it.  I had a great time with my little sister, and now I just have a week to kill before I start my second co-op tour at JSC.  I have lots I want to do though, so I'm sure this week will fly by...

Anyway, a few pictures from summer school that I was too busy to post:

Presentations for class...

Color Run Indianapolis with Lis, Chelsey, and Jennifer

Purdue Tank... next time I'm ditching the jean shorts for athletic shorts...