Awesome website

So I found this awesome website that I actually used to make Ben's birthday present! It's called http://www.mixbook.com and it's really awesome and really easy to use. It has already designed pages or you can make your own. Here's the book I made for Ben! :)

Sorry the lighting is so crappy so the pages look yellow(ish) but I hope everyone likes it! :D

I also decided to write him one letter every day while he's at training since we can't talk. I hope/think he's really going to like it! 

Just a little retail therapy; On a budget!

Icing by Claire's

Casual Barrette
Original Price: $6.50
Paid: $6.50

Dressy Headband
Original Price: $5.50
Paid: $2.75












Original total: $12.00
Total SHOULD HAVE spent: $10.70
Total spent: $0.00
Total savings: $10.70
Left on gift card: $6.99

Macy's 

Junior Shorts
Original Price: $19.99
Paid: $19.99

Junior Shorts
Original Price: $19.99
Paid: $0.00

Original total: $39.98

Total spent: $21.39

Total savings: $18.59

Wet Seal

Solid Belted Bubble Tube
Original Price: $23.80
Paid: $9.63

Multi Striped Shirt
Original Price: $18.50
Paid: $7.37

Original total: $42.30

Total spent: $18.19

Total savings: $24.11

Plato's Closet

Women's Tank

Original Price: $6.00

Paid: $3.00

Women's Tank

Original Price: $10.00

Paid: $5.00

Women's Tank

Original Price: $6.00

Paid: $6.00

Women's Tank

Original Price: $4.00

Paid: $2.00 

Original total: $26.00

Total spent: $17.12

Total savings: $8.88

Totals for the day

Original total: $120.28

Total spent: $56.70

Total savings: $63.58

Jessica and Jason are MARRIED!!!

Check out this wedding that Lauren and I shot on June 18, 2011.

Here's a slideshow of some more pics!

A little more about meeeeee

So I figured I’d let everyone know a little more about me as I’m just starting this thing. I am the oldest of four. I have two brothers (Zach, 14 and Drew, 12) and I have a sister (Nikki, 20). I live at home currently (I live at UD during the school year) with my mom (Betsy) and my little brothers.

 

Zach and I

 

  

Drew and I

 

Mom and I 

I don’t have a very strong relationship with my sister. She dropped out of high school during her junior year and moved in with her boyfriend who is the same age and did the same thing (drop out). After two years, she has announced to everyone that she will be bringing a “bundle of joy” into the world in November, and as a result of this, her and Stephen were going to get married. The only problem with this is neither of them has a job, a car, a high school diploma or GED, they have nothing. They live at his grandmother’s house and sleep on a mattress on her living room floor. This makes me feel so bad for my future nephew/niece, and I have tried to talk sense in to her, but she doesn’t want to hear any of it.

Nikki and I during 'Lil Sibs Weekend

My grandma (Susan) plays a huge part in our lives. She lives ten minutes away and I see her pretty much every other day. Last year, she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer and I was terrified. Luckily, they caught it early enough that they removed the lump and she went through radiation and she is fine now. She's the best grandma in the world! 

She would kill me if she saw this picture ;)

Ok, back to me. :D lol I have three tattoos and 12 piercings. 

 

"Believe" 

  

 My first tattoo. Nikki and I both got a cardinal in memory of our great-grandma

 

"You never know how strong you are until strong is the only choice you have"

 

Right ear (5)

Left ear (5)

I also have my belly button and nose pierced. 

For this coming year, I will be sharing a room directly with one of my best friends, Bonnie. We met freshman year in religion class. She actually lived on the same floor as one of my friends from high school. We hung out a few times freshman year, but it wasn't until sophomore year that we really became friends. We then lived together junior year and we will be living together for senior year as well. 

Bonnie and I

We will also be sharing a house with three other girls. When we were doing the housing lottery, it was just going to be the two of us and we got an apartment at the very edge of campus. Luckily for us, there is what is called a "second chance lottery" where you put your house/apartment back into the drawing and you can get a different house. One morning before this, Laura and Sami contacted me asking if we might want to try for a five person house. Bonnie and I thought sure (even though we had never met these girls) because anything would be better then what we had before. We ended up getting an awesome house right in the middle of the student neighborhood and I'm really excited to get to know Laura, Sami and Erica. They all seem really cool!

Laura, I, Erica and Sami in Daytona Beach, FL

Also, I forgot a part of my family. We have two cats. I hate them and would rather have a dog, but it's nice to have a pet, I guess. 

 

Goober

 

Simba

Well I guess that's enough for today. I'll probably post again later if I have time and nothing else to do. 

Just another "see ya later"

So today, Ben started his second block of training. He's in Landon, WY for NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to talk to him very much, but when he text me this morning saying they were packing to go camping for 23 days, that caught me off guard just a little, so I had to say "well I guess I'll talk to you in 23 days." I wasn't really expecting to have to say that today. Last night, he told me they had classes and camping trips and other stuff to do, but he thought he would at least be able to talk to me every now and then, but his phone will die in a few days and I won't be able to hear from him for the next month :( Goodbyes never get easier. I saw someone post today that "if goodbyes get easy, end it. It's pretty amazing to love someone that much that you miss them the minute they've left. There are people who never experience that much love."

On another note, tonight was my first night as a solo server. I think it went well, however, I only walked out at the end of the night with $24. I had three tables all night, so it was SLLLOOOOWWWWWW as crap! But at least I have one night under my belt and my manager even told me that he thought I did a good job :D I guess I should say, I am working part time at J. Alexander's out by the Dayton Mall.

So today starts yet another countdown:
23 days until communication is brought back to us
51 days until we're together again
57 days until classes start

I only throw the school countdown because I'm bored. I'm ready to start classes again. I'm ready to see my friends every day. I'm ready to get the year started!

I can do this!

So I Gave In

Ok, ok. So after seeing how many people have these, I decided to give in to the blogging world and start my own.

I guess I should start by introducing myself. I'm Marci. I'm 21, almost 22 years old (Aug. 13) and I live in Dayton, OH. I attend the University of Dayton and will be a senior this year. I am studying Journalism/PR and photography.

Photography is my passion and have been involved with it since high school. My sophomore year at Fairmont, I took my first photography class and it was history from then on out. I took all the photo classes offered there and even joined The Flyer newspaper staff and became Chief Photographer my senior year.

I then applied for a scholarship through 808 Studios Photography and not only did I receive the scholarship, but I was offered a job. I have been working with Nick, Lauren and Blake since June 2008. Working there has been such a fantastic experience and I wouldn't change anything about it! Check out our website: http://www.shootingforthesoul.com

From left to right: Me, Blake, Lauren (Yep! On her wedding day!), Nick

At UD, I have decided to join the newspaper staff, also conveniently named The Flyer, and have worked my way up on the photography staff. My freshman and sophomore years, I was just a part-time staff photographer, junior year, I was the lead photographer and for my senior year, I am the head photographer.

At school, I am also a part of the UD Club Softball team. Softball has always been a huge part of my life (I've been playing since I can remember) and this team is amazing. I played on Varsity all four years at Fairmont and played for the Miami Valley Xpress for 5 years and was considering playing in college, but when it came time to pick a school, I was getting to the point of burn out and didn't think playing in college was the best idea. After my first semester, a friend informed me that UD was starting a club team and I should try out, so I did and made it. This is such a great group of girls and I've made so many friends from the team and my college experience wouldn't be the same without them!

So by now, you might be wondering if I am dating anyone. I am! I met Benjamin Franklin Rinklin during Memorial Day weekend 2009. It was the summer after my freshman year at UD and I went to a Cincinnati Reds game with a few friends I had made during the year and my friend Joe invited his friend Nate that he had gone to high school (St. Xavier) with. Nate was having a party the next night and decided to invite us all. It was there that my friend Caroline and I first met Ben. It was kind of funny because we actually made a bet to see who could talk to him first. Unfortunately, Caroline won that bet, but I can't be mad at her because she was the one that ended up setting us up in the long run! They kind of hit it off first, but she kept telling me that she thought he might like me. It only took a year before it finally became public that I had a crush on him and he on me as well. I somehow talked him to come home for Easter (Oh, I forgot to mention that he goes to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, so getting to come home is a little harder for him). On April 2, 2009, I drove to the Columbus Airport and picked him up :) We stayed in my dorm room that night and that's when he asked me to be his girlfriend...now, the funny thing was, I actually didn't give him an answer for two more days, despite him asking me twice. I had never been in a long distance relationship, let alone a long distance MILITARY relationship. However, after thinking about it, I had had a crush on this guy for almost a year and I was questioning if I wanted to be with him!?!? What was wrong with me!? Of course I did! So when his mom, his sister and he picked me up on April 4, I had a letter written for him saying of course I wanted to be his girlfriend. When recalling that day, my mom says it was like a dream, seeing this adorable guy walking up to meet her in his Navy whites (which he looks super hot in, but I might be biased!). Now almost 15 months later, we're still together and I couldn't be happier. :D :D

Ben and I during Parent's Weekend at the Navy football game!

Well I guess that's enough for my first post. Hopefully you'll enjoy following my crazy life!