9 semesters> 10 semesters

This is the mentality I am working with for the time being. I do not like school and do not want to be learning until December, but hey, at least I am not going to be in school until May! Sure, this statement is a bit premature considering I could fail a class or fall terminally ill (heaven forbid) or get struck by lightning tomorrow... but Ryan and Carl urge me to not dwell on those terrifying possibilities. What am I talking about? Well peeps, school is back in session. Started Monday. And tomorrow is Friday! I'm having a real blast already. My teacher just said the word "afro -mexicanos" which I am sure is politically incorrect, but I thought it was funny and hey yall, its history. I love history, baby! But seriously, school won't be soooo bad and I have so very much to be thankful for. Especially this year. And for those of you fellow students reading this blog, hang in there, because you will probably be in school forever and ever.

But forget school, y'all! Lets get down to business. Some things that I am loving right now are...

1. Cooking. As it turns out, I am not half bad. Sure, I have some help. Seeing how I would be completely content staying home and raising my imaginary kids and cooking 3 meals a day in my imaginary kitchen, I am glad my food isn't awful. The other night I used a pasta recipe from this wonderful little blog that you can visit HERE! I cooked the Lemon-Herbl Zucchini Fettucini. The pasta was a big hit and here is a picture of what it should have looked like to prove it.


2. Working at Northgate Vintage. Its just fun and cool and I feel fun and cool when I am up there. Its quite a little gem in this otherwise gem-less college town. Haven't been there? Shame on you. Get on up there and see Me, Carl, Emily, or Rachel. We will take the best care of you. Promise. My office even throws parties. Big ones with free beer. My Grandmom Dixie really wants to get her hands on that beer, but I doubt she will make it in time. If you are in College Station I am sure you are planning on being at NGV from 8-12, but in case you got side-tracked, here is your reminder.

3. The Extreme Shroom Makeover! Emily and her mom arrived a couple of weeks ago and re-worked some areas of our home. It is always nice to have a change around here, even if it is just rotating the kitchen table ( which makes a huge difference, trust me.) Turquoise rug, precious pillows? Yes, we have that now. Its fun and exciting and greatly appreciated. I used to have pictures of the makeover but I just checked my iPhoto for them and they are gone. Dang it.

4. Birthdays! They really are the best. Don't care whose it is, unless its someone thats not fun. But I like alot of peeps and they are mostly fun and they all have birthdays. I have not blogged in 2 weeks or so and I missed 2 major birthdays. And I mean major!

Ryan goes first because his bday was first. It is only fair. August 27th Ry turned 23!! We went to Great Outdoors for lunch, the mall for free time because Ry just loves to shop, then headed to the Ranger game with the Nemecs. So fun, and so special to spend Ryan's birthday with him. This is our first Ryan celebration as a couple, which he thinks is no big deal, but it is a HUGE deal. So glad you were born, Ry guy!



It really was a great weekend, because the day after Ryan's bday we celebrated JanPie! My mom is a great lady, and we greatly celebrated her great life. In this picture she is being a hand model, because she has GREAT and beautiful hands and feet. I'm jeal. We began the first Phase of Jan-Day on Thursday, though her real day was Saturday. CarleyGirl and I snuck around all day in order to paint and re-decorate her bedroom before she got home from work. Has anyone ever told you that painting a room is easy? Well they are a liar and you shouldn't be friends with them anymore. We had a great time and mom was very surprised. No, I don't have pics of that either. My bad. On Saturday we had a delicious Eno's lunch and then watched a movie in the Traditions fancy shmancy movie theater. Three Men and a Little Lady is cute AND funny. My favorite kinda film for my favorite moms birthday. Happy birthday to YOU JanPie, love you lots and lots and lots.

4 things I am loving right now is enough, right? I think so.


"It seems like there are more Chinese than white people here! China has so much money they could send us a whole student body. We could even have wrestling here and we would be the champions of the world!"

"These people here at Jason's and Panda Express... they are Mayans. You guys see it, they are very tiny people."

Some more offensive comments from Dr. Alonzo. I love it here. Whoop!

Bye, say bye!!

Whitley A. Gillis

its the little things

Isn't it though? I feel like every time my day is made it is by something small and relatively insignificant. Let me clarify. Today, for example, I have been rather stressed throughout the morning. Instead of sleeping in until it is time to get ready for work I decided to get up and get going today. Things on my list? Oil change: As it turns out I am irresponsible and somewhere around 10,000 miles past due. This part of the morning went relatively well and the man accidentally gave me a discount so that was a plus. The next items on my list included mailing something at the post office, picking up a check, and faxing something to the insurance people.I am not a fan of insurance people and their butting into my life and requesting top secret documents of mine. Either way, they are the boss and I am their slave. All of these very boring tasks are ones that I do not like to participate in, and I ran out of time to complete them all before heading to work at NGV. I was pretty bummed because it is so very rare that I get the inspiration to run errands and check things off my list! Lucky for me, little things keep happening to improve my outlook on this previously hectic day.
Examples:
1. Ry-Guy going to fax my info for me. He is not a little thing so much, but its the little thing he did that helped me in a big way.

2. Pita Pit has Pepper Jack cheese! This is a new development in my life! I have been hoping that we would intercept this delicacy at some point before I graduate, and the Pita Peeps have shown favor towards me once again and made it happen. So very glad I didn't make a PB&J today. Philly w/ Pepper Jack > Philly without Pepper Jack

It is only 2:00 p.m. so I only have those two major events to brag about right now. I am so thankful for these tiny baby things that just remind me to stop worrying and stressing and enjoy the cookies from Potbelly (my snack stop for today).

A list of some of my other favorite little things that make days!

- Front row parking spots. What a score.
- Lovely, wordy voicemails from Crazy Dixie. Today she called me "Whitley Granddaughter beautiful thing". Never bad to hear.
- HeyTell messages from CarlsBad
-Free Iced Tea from Potbelly (this was yesterdays day maker)
- Hasting's Rental Service: such nice peeps and such lovely low prices. And you can rent as many as you want! (take that Blockbuster!)
- Phone convos with friends: yesterday= Jennifer, today= Nicci
- When my favorite bloggers update (many of you are big time slacking, by the way).
- Encouraging words from bosses
- Finding new recipes. Trying one out tonight... I will let you guys know how that goes.

What are some little things that make your day? (Yes I want to know, so leave a comment!)

Bye, say bye and have a blessed day :)

Whit

Inspired

I, like my cousin Stacey Michelle, have been out of the blogging loop lately. In an out of town, taking over the vintage domain of Bryan/College Station, curling my hair... these are all excuses I could throw your direction. The truth is I have just lacked the proper inspiration and I have Starsy to thank for helping me get my act together. Today is Thursday, and I am really glad for that. Why? Here is why.

CarlsBad and JanPie are on their way to get me, then we will be heading to Rockport, Texas. Yes, as I live and breathe and type I am going down to the coast! I am very excited to be visiting this city where my family has planted so many roots and I have so many fond memories. Beach time, girls time, Pam time. Heck, I may even take a midnight swim in Pepaw's pool! Say I won't. Rockport memories below.

The Gillis Family lets 5 year olds drive 4 wheelers. Helmets are for wimps.

One of our many matchy-matchy 4th of Julys. Thank goodness our mothers had serious style.

I am guessing this was before Nana decided to re-do the kitchen/dining area. I am not featured in this photo but the Gillis men are, so take it or leave it. Those walls have seen alot of eating. And I mean alot.

I am not going to be visiting that specific house in Rockport because my Nana has retired to the lovely suburbs of Austin, Texas and no longer lives there. But the house pictured is special to me and my family peeps because of all the love and laughs we have shared there. Moving on!

Life has been good to me these past couple of weeks! I was lucky enough to head out to Cedar Creek lake with Ryan and the entire Nemec clan for a luxurious vacation time. The company was great and so was the lovely home we stayed in. Special thanks to Jim Clifton for lending me a room.. We have never officially met, but I feel like you deserve a shout out on the blog. I now know that the ONLY way to have a lakehouse is if you can have a pool in the backyard.. what a life. Go ahead and check out my lake pics.









Thanks again to the Nemec fam for having me and welcoming me. They were such lovely hosts :)
What else can we look forward to?? Cassie's baby getting hear. Easton, if you can read yet (which I am sure you can seeing how your mother and grandparents are average to above average educators) PLEASE come out soon! So excited to make a trip to Austin to meet both new babies, Colin and Easton. I will be updating the blog soon with pictures of both newborns, because who doesn't love babies?

Love to you all and Bye, say bye!

Whitley

"nothing works if you don't"

A wise proverb that I am nearly certain I made up all by myself. This blog post goes out to all my fave working people out there, doing what they do and making the world a better place one day at a time. Jobs are a funny thing. You get up out of bed at an ugly hour only to get ready to go sit somewhere alllll day and do what someone tells you to do. Yes, even bosses have someone telling them what to do. The President, people. He is the boss of everyone. Yikes!

Political convictions aside, jobs are serious business. All of my recently graduated friends can attest to this, whether they have become recently employed or are currently participating in the "rat race". After all, you need a fab job to pay for food, sports cars, beach condos, and designer jeans. Not to mention saving up for a new iPhone!! The pressure is on, and I feel their pain. Sort of. I just hope to do something I love someday. Don't get me wrong, I am LOVING my current position as a part time pita roller/ Northgate Vintage lady, but I may have to seek a permanent dream post-grad. Yuck. In the meantime, I will wait patiently for the emerging profession of a Poolside Baby Keeper/Nordstrom's buyer Executive Lady breaks through in the workplace. Keeping my fingers crossed. Enough about my dreams, lets talk about people with real jobs, shall we? We shall.

Remember my bff Audrey? She is currently working for Assett Plus Companies in Houston. If you live in America, she has probably asked you to "like" it on Facebook. I am under the impression that Mr. and Mrs. Assett own all of the apartments in that city and Audrey is in charge of them. She worked her way up this ladder beginning in college at the Cambridge, a fancy shmancy student living place. She put in her time watching the freshman boys play sand volleyball, busting the pot heads and kicking them out, and taking calls in her office from her roommates. Seriously, though... Audrey is one of the hardest working gals that I know! Her best friend of a boss even convinced her into training for a triathlon so that they could get MORE work into the day. I love it, even if she is getting rid of her college pockets while I am not. Keep up the good work, Audra.

Its not all about getting down to business. I believe the children are the future... and so do Peter and MB. Yes, both of my siblings work in the education system and are influencing the next generation of real life people. Maribeth is moving to kindergarden this year and I am pretty sure she is excited about it. I would be too, less math, more naps. Campbell has received a promotion, heyyy. He is going to be the principal at the Garland campus of Vista Academy. We are all pulling for him and hoping that his first year as the youngest principal in the history of the world is a HUGE success. I am hoping to enter this field as well, someday. The Gillis family is full of educators and we often joke about opening our own Academy. I guess we aren't really joking. I am pretty serious about it, actually.


Don't get me wrong, the whole house is not just a bunch of intellectual braniacs. My mom has a much more important job than those two boneheads. She is taking care of the older generation by running a home for the elderly. Traditions Senior Living could not exist without people like Jan to laugh at the residents jokes, listen to their complaints, and kick out the squatters on their property. My mother is a friend to all, especially if you are old. She is the most loving companion any of those people could ask for. Kudos to you, Mom.

(after my mom taught all of her peeps how to Facebook)

What does my friend David do? Besides making me laugh alot, David is a professional musician. The straight laced business suit look is not for everyone, thats why David keeps his hair pretty shaggy. David decided to let everyone know he could sing once we graduated high school and went to college. His band Airplanes has a cd on iTunes- it is called Then Sings My Soul and you should buy it! He is very talented and very cool, I assure you. He has taken his big dreams to NYC and is working for some guy that is going to help him get some BIG connections to become a BIG star. I'm not sure exaclty what he does but thats the gist of it. Heres to being a rockstar and sticking it to the man, one show at a time.

Lets see here... what aspect of the real world have I not covered? I know. Accounting. As I may have mentioned before, my boyfriend Ryan is the smartest person I know (besides my Dad and Deboard). He is a whiz at Math and was awarded the Best/Most Handsome Accounting Intern Award in America this March! We are all so proud of his accomplishment. He will be working for a large accounting firm next fall and I think he is sort of excited about it (even though these people are such slave drivers that they are asking their interns to go to Disney World in August for paid vacation. I swear... some people are real sickos). I love listening to him talk about his smarty pants accounting stuff and look forward to him helping me complete my final math credit in the fall :)


No matter what your J-O-B is, I am proud of you for doing it. Unless you are doing something wrong/illegal.. then I hope you will quit and follow in the footsteps of any of the pre-mentioned persons in this blog. Happy Hump Day to all you work horses!!

bye, say bye.

Whit

miss me?

Well I have missed you, too. And here are the things that you have missed in the recent weeks!

4th of July in the ever exciting metropolis of Belton, Texas. Bret's family graciously hosted a large group of us- the Dominguez people know how to throw a party. Trust this.





The cousins came to Dallas and so did I- it was a lovely vacation getaway from life in College Station. We watched baseball, watched it rain, played Pit, and ate pretzels. And cake. And Burger Bar. Schmidts rule, you drool. As for the Wings baseball club.. winning is not everything. Trust me.




Katie and Mark became a married couple last weekend. Mr and Mrs. Gold! It was a beautiful ceremony and reception, getting the Gillis/Stutsman clan geared up for Campbell and Sarah's nuptials in October. Skinny Pete snagged this lovely shot of the couple on the dance floor. Congrats to the Gold family for snagging Katie... but we get Sarah. So there.


That pretty much sums up the high points! Other notable events? A visit from sweet Jen, a trip to Lake Waco, and CARLsbad is here visiting me. Yep.. she is on her way with sushi right now. Or she better be. I just get so hungry right around lunch time.
I'll be posting again soon- have a wonderful weekend, peeps!

bye, say bye!
Whit

Z is for ZARAH!

Happy birthday to my very favorite future sister in law, Sarah!! I lovingly refer to her as Zarah.. it is a public/private inside/outside joke referring to the lovely young man Brit that we both babysat here in college station. He is very fancy and elegant and pronounces her name Zarah. But this is not about Brit- it is about Zarah!

Sarah is 23 today and she is very special to the Gillis family! Campbell called Peter, my skinny brother, is the luckiest young man in the world because he has tricked Sarah into marrying him on October 23rd of this year. She has always been such a sweet friend to me throughout college and is someone I look up to. I really always have looked up to her, you see. In high school I envied her dancing skills and her beautiful curly hair. I could never have imagined she would end up with Campbell because at the time she was dating the 3rd string catcher and Acapella choir president- brother can't hang with that. She is fashionable,fun, sweet, calm, funny, beautiful, dainty, lady like, considerate, passionate, and captain forever.


Our first picture together, I believe.


my favorite picture of us- on engagement day :)

Love you, ZIL! Happy happy happy birthday!

bye, say bye.

Whitley

funny stuff

Want to read some intelligent and hilarious writing? Check out Carley Rae's BLOG. Her most recent post (featuring a live interview with singer/songwriter Jay Z) is funny and entertaining. She talks about life, love, and some funny childhood memories. Speaking of her childhood, here is a lovely photograph from Carl's youth for you faithful followers to enjoy.

Did I mention one of my bffs Kaci was in town? Well she is, and we painted the town red yesterday. I look forward to getting out of this class, going back home, and watching Kaci make a photo album for her dad. This cloudy, boring weather is the perfect environment for things like photo album making and watching the OC. I hope Cohen will come over and make us laugh, he is always such a nice house guest.


my two buds, Kace Face and Sethela.

hope you will all have yourselves a hump-day treat!

byyyeeee, say bye.

Whit