The Adventures of Christine

2012

2012-01-18T20:57:00.002-06:00

Well well well, it's been a while. (My bad.) I remembered today just how much I love blogging. I was reminded of a post I wrote a while back. I read through some old posts, and behold: Here I am. It's 2012 now. I'm getting married THIS YEAR!! (um, I hope. More on that tomorrow.)

For tonight, though, we shall talk about my weight. Hah! That sounds weird. Oh well. Everyone tends to be all, "Ohhhh, Ima be skinny!" when the New Year hits. You wanna know how long that lasts? Ohhh, about 5 seconds. (But really though.) So, I decided that I'll jump on that train too. The weight loss train, dontcha' know? Except maybe I hope to not fall off in 5 seconds.

Breaking News: I went to the gym this morning with Amy Wells. We walk a brisk pace, and drink water between our stories. It's cool that Bowling Green has walking tracks. Did you know that?! I didn't! Ok, so today, I'm proud of myself. I got up early and walked for a while before work. At a brisk pace! (Go team!) So today, we were talking about our motivation to get in shape. Mine? Ok, I'll tell you. I don't want to get type 2 diabetes. That's real. You can prevent it, but once you get it, it's with you forever. That's hard work to keep up with too, by the way! I should just prevent it. Am I right or Am I right?

Then, I heard on the radio that everyone has that "defining moment" where they know they NEED to lose weight. One guy's defining moment? He was driving. He went over a speed bump, and felt all of his fat jiggle.

My thoughts?

Oh my goodness, I need to go to the gym right now!!

I guess my defining moment was hearing that on the radio. Good grief, poor guy. Ok, but let's be honest. I'm probably not far from that. I would like to post before and after photos. I don't mean, "oh, I can kinda' tell that you lost a little bit." But I mean like, "Whoa, what did you do to lose all that weight?!"

Yeah, like that. Also, Dave Ramsey was talking today about how change happens. He said that once a person decides that once they're fed up, and they decide to make a change, then within a year, there will be some great changes.

So here's my plan. (I know, I know. I've had a plan before.)

Work out every day. (May it be at home, zumba, or the gym.)

Count my calories.

Keep a food journal!!!

I think the food journal will be key. Heard of it? Ok, you log food and exercise. Oh, but that's not all. You write down when you're hungry.

Example: 11:00: Hungry for lunch. Ate a grilled chicken sandwich and a cup of soup. 350 calories.

Another example: 2:00: Not hungry, but bored. Really wanted some ice cream. Resisted urge. :)

See?! How great will THAT be to get to write?! Ok, enough for now. Tune in tomorrow for my (maybe this year) wedding details! Have a great night! I love you all :)

Almost 7 Months?!

2011-11-01T18:43:00.002-05:00

April 14th was the last time I blogged. It has almost been 7 months. Are you serious? Wow, I guess I have been pretty busy. You want to know what made me decide that I should blog again? The other day on the radio, someone mentioned something about a blog, and I literally thought, "Oh, I should start a blog." What?!? I have a blog! I just had forgotten about it. Literally forgotten. How is that even possible? I'm a loser, that's how. Now, if you people are reading this, you probably came here because you saw the link I posted (or will have posted by the time you're reading this), and then after you had a heart attack that I actually blogged, you hopped on over here. Or, you decided that you would check my blog just to see the same post you have been seeing FOR 7 MONTHS! Either way, I'm glad you are here. Let me see if I can give you a crash course on these past 7 months. Buckle up, because here we go.

-Started job with the Nelson family.

-Went to Destin with the Durhams.

-Got really sunburned when I went deep sea fishing for the first time.

-Learned that sun bounces off water when deep sea fishing.

-Hoped funny looking burn would go away on chest.

-It didn't.

-And still hasn't.

-Went to visit my grandparents in the DC area.

-James joined us.

-Lost some weight.

-Jumped off the diet/exercise train.

-Gained some weight back.

-Worked two jobs from May-September.

-Found wedding dress.

-Picked out bridesmaid dresses.

-Nixed those and picked out other ones.

-Went with flower girl and her mom to get her dress.

-Gave James my MacBook so he could use it for school.

-Went without a computer for a while.

-Got rid of my iPhone to save money.

-Celebrated birthdays. Cary, James, Elise, Anna, Jessica, Mommy. (July-Oct)

-Looked at a million pictures of my precious nephew on facebook.

-Who is now almost 10 months old, thank you very much.

-Got an iPad from James.

-Decided a month later I'd rather have a MacBook air.

-Went to Best Buy to ask about trade in.

-Laughed and left when they said $208 for month old iPad.

-Went to Disney World with the Nelson family.

-Discovered pinterest.

-Try(ed/ing) to plan our whole future.

-Wish(ed/ing) that God would give me a literal sign of future.

-Turned 25.

-Had 5 birthday meals given to me.

-Celebrated with two ice cream birthday cakes.

-Realized that I was not doing well on "diet" still.

-Realized that having leftover Halloween candy would be bad.

-Chased down trick-or-treaters to give them candy.

Ok, and now we are here. I think you are caught up. I don't think I have forgotten anything, but I mean, it's been 7 months. This is my plan: I need to start running and/or walking. Maybe if I put it in print (or online, at least), then I will follow through. Probably not, but I need to. Ok, I need to blog more as well. So if you're out there, and you (still) have my blog bookmarked (for some unknown reason), then you can feel free to keep clicking back to see if I post. I guess I should have saved the "Chased down trick-or-treaters to give them candy" for a Not Me! Monday post. Anyway, I love you all. Whether you had given up on me or not. Let's be honest, I gave up on me. Who forgets they have a blog?!? Good grief.

Thank you all for reading :) I love you all.

Today is Great

2011-04-14T16:08:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't blogged in forever. Sorry bout it. Today, however, is blog worthy. Enough blah blah blah. Let me just tell you why it's such a great day!

I got to play blocks with a little girl this morning. After waking up in a bad mood because I was woken up to, "Hey, Christine, this is what's going to happen now. [Insert random instructions 5 seconds after I wake up about my responsibilities for the day] Now get up!" I went to work with my parents because they needed the car because their car was getting the oil changed. [Or something. I don't remember. It was really early this morning.] I played with a hilarious little girl while my parents were in the morning devotional.

I got to eat a pretzel dog for breakfast!! There were some at Potter that got donated the day before, so I totally called dibs, and got my pretzel dog on. With mustard! Yummo!

I babysat some little boys for about half an hour while their mom was in the doctor's office. I read books to the boys, and talked with them about snack foods. (They suggest the pretzel crisps.)

I got to randomly meet James in Nashville in the middle of the week. Yep! I met him halfway between our houses to give him his early birthday present. An iPhone!! He's so excited he can barely stand it. Now we both have one! (Luckily, at&t was doing the $50 iPhone if you can upgrade deal!) Then, we went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries! Yummy!!

I ordered a medium drink at Sonic and they brought me a Route 44! Woohoo! That's enough explanation right there.

I got to see adults play with remote control helicopters. Just plain hilarious.

Tonight, at 6:00, I get to go see a friend get baptized!! :) That's the best thing of all!

So that's it so far. But the day is young!! :)

Have a great day. I love you all.

Job Update

2011-04-04T09:08:00.002-05:00

Well, as some of you know, I had training for my new job on Wednesday. I was nervous about how the girls would react to me, about how the worker from the state would view me, and about this new experience in general. I am still waiting on a background check, so I can't start work until that clears. (Which is silly, because I just had one in Tennessee, but I guess it's because it's in Kentucky.) Anyway, I read over the details of the personalities and abilities of the girls, while the mom and I sat at the table. The youngest girl, not in school yet, sat at the table with us being cute, gluing macaroni and beans on her treasure box. To see more about the precious family, you can visit the mom's blog right here. :) Anyway, we looked over paperwork, talked about the schedule I will have once the background check clears, and what the pay will be. Then, it was time for Michelle (the mom) to pick up the other two girls at school, so I followed along. The girls remembered me from when they came to my house a while back to fill out paper work the first time. After we picked them up from school, we went back to their house, and the girls all showed me their rooms, and wanted me to stay longer, but I had to go because I was starving, my stomach was eating itself, and I had to get ready for church. The dad sent me a facebook message and said that the 6 year old had gotten in bed with the mom on Thursday morning, and told her she missed me and wanted me to come back "complete with her dramatic voice and boo-hoos." I thought that was so precious! So, I think it's safe to say that I'm beyond excited about starting my new job. You know, just waiting for that crazy background check to clear. I'm so excited! I'm sure I will let you know more when I know more. :) Thanks for checking in.

Oh, also, James and I got pictures made by MckMama on Saturday. I will let you see the pictures as soon as the mails me the CD. I'm excited and nervous to see them. She was so nice! I was so excited to have met her.

Have a great day! I love you all :)

"Forgive Me When I Whine"

2011-03-29T09:34:00.003-05:00

First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who commented on my blog yesterday about topics to discuss before marriage. If you haven't read it, you can read it here. I'm glad that almost everyone (if not everyone) pointed out communication. Sometimes I forget just how important it is to communicate in order for a relationship to work. I guess since I forget in real life, I forgot to blog about it. So thanks to everyone for the reminders and helpful hints!

Ok, now marching onward to today's post. I was thinking today about how within nearly every bad situation, something good can be found. It just depends how you look at it! Let's think about some situations, and try to think of ways they can be good. These have (almost) all happened to me, and I have to work hard to think this way, but I try to think of the positive in these (what seem catastrophic) events.

You lose cash out of your pocket. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. Think about how great your day turns when you find a $20 bill laying on the road. Well, by losing that money, you just made someone's day! Who knows? That person may have needed that money more than you did!

Someone cuts you off when driving. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. Maybe that person was in a hurry, or they have been having a bad day. By letting them just get in front of you, and not letting your road rage bubble up, you are helping them get to their destination faster. Also, you could simply be thankful that God has provided you with the ability to be driving in the first place. Be thankful that He has provided you with a mode of transportation.

The sun comes through your windows, and the loudly chirping birds wake you mere minutes before your alarm goes off. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. You have the ability to see the sunshine and hear the birds. You are laying in a warm bed, and you are blessed enough to have a roof over your head.

A restaurant worker gets your meal wrong. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. Put it in perspective. You have been blessed enough to have the money to eat. You don't have to worry about where your next meal will come from.

You get a flat tire and you are late for work. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. You have been blessed enough to have a car. You have been blessed enough to have a job. God has provided for you in ways that other people only dream of.

Your children won't stop fighting and yelling. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. God has blessed you with the ability to have children. Again, you have the ability to hear what is going on.

You are going out of town and you forget your retainer. The normal reaction would be to be mad/upset/annoyed/frustrated. Let's flip it. This happened to me this morning. I was annoyed beyond belief. I just kept getting more and more annoyed imagining how bad my teeth would hurt when I finally reunited with my retainer. God blessed my family with the means to be able to pay for braces for me as well as the many dental surgeries.

The list can go on and on. A lot of times we forget how very blessed we are. We all (myself included!) need to stop and think about just how very blessed we are. This makes me remember a poem that our former preacher used to recite quite often, and if anyone knows David Dymacek, they have heard this poem.

“Forgive Me When I Whine”

Today upon a bus I saw a lovely maiden with golden hair;

I envied her—so beautiful, and how, I wished I were so fair;

When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;

She had one foot and wore a crutch,

but as she passed, she wore a smile

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two feet –the world is mine

And when I stopped to buy some sweets,

the lad who served me had such charm;

he seemed to radiate good cheer, his manner was so kind and warm;

I said, “it’s nice to deal with you, such courtesy I seldom find;”

He turned and said, “Oh, thank you sir.”

And then I saw that he was blind.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then when walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue;

He stood and watched the others play,

it seemed he knew not what to do;

I stopped a moment, then I said,

“Why don’t you join the others, dear?

He looked ahead without a word,

I realized –he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,

I have two ears, the world is mine

With feet to take me where I’d go,

with eyes to see the sunsets glow,

with ears to hear what I would know,

I am blessed indeed.

The world is mine Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I love you all. Have a great day :)

Questions.

2011-03-28T14:18:00.003-05:00

In thinking lately about how a lot of my friends are getting married, I decided I would blog about what important things people should talk about before they get married. Engaged, really. Let's be honest. I remember one time, I saw a commercial for toothpaste, and it was a couple standing on a sidewalk looking in a window. The man would say, "Cat or Dog?" They'd both say, "Cat." They would continue on with things, and answer at the same time. Then, they said, "Whitening or Plaque control?" And they both said something different, and were shocked. The commercial was for a toothpaste that had both whitening and plaque control. I remember my dad saying, "They make that a funny commercial, but people really should talk about stuff like that before they get married." So, here we are! Not that your toothpaste preference has to match before you can say your vows, but you get the idea.

Here are things that people should discuss. (Oh, also, if you're married, and I miss some, please tell me something you encountered after marriage!)

Church. Religion. Well, honestly, that should be discussed and understood before you start dating, but still. Not just, "I go to church, oh, you go to church too? Cool! Let's get hitched!" I mean more in the neighborhood of how often you will go, (Which, by the way, James and I both believe that you should go all 3 times of the week.) Which congregation you'll attend, your views on Religious topics, etc. etc. etc.

Kids or No kids? A lot of times, people just assume that if they want kids, everyone wants kids. The opposite is also true. People assume that if they don't want kids, no one else wants kids. It'd be a shame to get married, and then get ready to start talking about having children, and then finding out that your spouse is revolted by the thought of having 8 kids. Or any kids, for that matter! Not only if you should have kids, but when and how many should also be factors. Why? Well, why not? It's important to be on the same page about everything. Especially something as life changing as children. Imagine if you thought everything was fine, and then your spouse wanted to have 3 kids and start right away. You, however, don't want to have kids at all. Or, perhaps you do, but you want to wait a few years. Talk about a rude awakening. Also, along those same lines, whether or not adoption is an option. What if you and your spouse aren't able to have children? Do you adopt or not have children at all?

How to raise the children (If you should choose to have them) Do you and your future spouse agree on how to punish your children? Spankings? Time outs? Rewarding good behavior and ignoring bad behavior? Do you agree on the school choice? Home school? Public school? Private school? When can they start dating? Do you buy them a car? Pay for their college? Give them an allowance? Will they have chores? Do you want your family to discipline your child the same way you do? Will they have a tv or computer in their room? When will they get a cell phone? You see? These are all important discussions. I can't imagine going into a marriage without discussing these things. It would be a proverbial whiplash to think one thing, and then completely be sideswiped with your spouse's way of thinking. Not everyone views things the same way you do. The same way I do.

Political Views. Not that it's as huge as the religion or parenting category, but it is important to at least be aware how your future spouse views politics. Not that it will be a deal breaker, but I personally just think that it will be easier to have a happy marriage if you view politics in the same fashion as your spouse. Simply for the fact that when politics are mentioned, the claws don't come out. Also for the fact that your political views come from somewhere, so your opinion on other issues would impact your political view. Meaning that even when not discussing politics, fur might fly if you and your spouse are not on the same page.

Miscellaneous Controversial Issues. Are you and your spouse on the same page concerning controversial issues? Abortion? Drinking? Smoking? Gambling? Environment? Women's Rights? Animal Experimentation? Steroids? You know, all those things.

Money. Money. Money. This is a three fold category. This concerns the budget, who does the books, and bank accounts. Budget? Will you do a monthly budget? A weekly budget? What will be included in the budget? Groceries? Contribution to Church? Bills? Recreation? Will all of those be included? What else will be included? Who does the books? Will you sit down and do them together? Will the husband be in charge? The woman be in charge? Which, I don't like the term "in charge" anyway. It's a marriage. A partnership. The husband might do the actual paying of the bills, but that does not make him in charge. Ok, bank accounts. Will you and your spouse have a shared bank account as soon as the vows are said and the honeymoon is over? Some couples have separate bank accounts. It's important to have these discussions with your future spouse.

What about your parents? No, I don't mean consult your parents before every single decision. I mean what about when your parents get too old to live on their own? Will they be comfortable in a nursing home? Will you and your spouse be willing to have your parents move in with you and your family?

What are your long term goals? Do you or your spouse have a job (or are you looking for a job) that will require you and your family to relocate multiple times throughout your lifetime together? Are you both ok with the fact that you will not be able to settle down in one space for a long period of time? If so, great! The point is, though, that this should be discussed.

Will both you and your spouse work? Have you discussed the option of one spouse working and the other spouse being at home with the children? (Or the cat/dog?) If so, you need to make sure that both partners are completely ok with this decision. It cannot be like the working spouse is constantly hanging something over the other spouse's head. ("I work all day, and you just spend all my money!") Not ok.

Where will you live? Will you live in the hometown of the bride? In the hometown of the groom? In a random city? A random country? Will your spouse want to be involved in missions? Do you want to settle down at home while your spouse wants to start your own little family in a random state?

Also, everyone should know that holding a relationship and preparing for marriage is not all fun and games. It's not always the fun times of no responsibilities. Bills come, responsibilities occur, etc. etc. etc. It's not always going to be "lalala let's go fly a kite and have a picnic and have no responsibilities." Which means that you should not pick a spouse simply for all of the experiences you have together. Like, "Oh, we went to the zoo, and looked at the stars, and I'm in love!" It has to be more. You have to love the person for the person. Not love the person for how well the entertain you.

Also, and I can't say this enough. Don't settle just to settle. If you have been dating someone and you are comfortable dating them, but you can only see yourself marrying that person because you don't think you can find someone else, then you need to run away from that relationship anyway. It's better to spend the rest of your life alone than to spend the rest of your life wishing you were alone or with someone else. Don't marry someone because you can see yourself with them. Marry them because you can't see your life without them. (Among other many reasons you should marry someone. Hopefully you've gotten all that by now.)

I hope everyone out there got all that. Also, this is the best piece of advice I can give anyone out there who ever wants to get married. Compromise. Compromise. Compromise. No, not about religion, morals and values. About little petty things. Like, whether to go to the mountains or the beach for vacation. Or things like what color the bathroom should be painted. You know, those types of things are the types of the things that should be compromised. Not religion, morals, values, etc. etc. You know, the important stuff should be set in stone. Oh, and you and your spouse (or future spouse) should be on the same page! Marriage is a partnership. Don't you forget it!

Ok, I think that's it! (For now, anyway!) Oh, and for those of you who are married, engaged, or just have something else you think should be discussed before marriage, (and have made it this far in the blog post! kudos!) please feel free to comment and let me know! I'm trying to remember the stuff that James and I have discussed, and I may have forgotten stuff. Oh yeah, plus, I'm not married, so I my possibly be missing something! I probably am, actually.

Ok, if you're engaged, or dating seriously, and you haven't discussed these things, get your significant other, and discuss these things! Have a great day. I love you all :)

GASP!

2011-03-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

Watching Dr. Phil today, I had the realization today that parents today must have fallen off the parenting train. Ok, I know I don't have children. So this will not be a "My child will not..." post. This will be a "This is what my parents did..." post. That way, no one can say, "Well, you don't have kids yet, so you don't know how you'll react." Here are some things that my parents did. I'll be honest, a lot of people today would literally GASP at how my parents raised us.

First of all, let me just say that I love the way my parents raised us. Seriously. I hope that one day I am half as good at parenting as they were (are).

Here we go.

I got spanked. We all did. (GASP!) Let's be honest. Everyone today is all about time out and stuff. Honestly, time out did not work for me. I could entertain myself looking at a blank wall. Time out was not punishment for me. I would just entertain myself with anything that was around me. I would start up a conversation with a chair or a phonebook. It simply wasn't punishment. I got spanked. A lot. (GASP!)

We did not get an allowance. (GASP!) With children today, it's almost expected that they get an allowance. For what? Seriously. When I was a child, my parents bought me everything I needed anyway, so why in the world would I need money? What are they paying me for? For being their kid? Sheesh. If I wanted something, I would tell my parents I wanted it. If they thought it was a reasonable request, they would get it for me. If not, then I wouldn't get it. Oh, and guess what? I'm still alive. (Again, GASP!)

My mom made dinner. We all ate what she made. (GASP!) It wasn't The Brewer Cafe. We didn't put in our orders every night. If we had chicken for dinner, we all ate chicken. None of this, "Well, my daughter just doesn't like chicken." Sorry 'bout it. Seriously, parents today kill me. Kill me. "Well, we are having lasagna for dinner tonight, but my child won't eat lasagna, so I had to make a grilled cheese sandwich for her." False. "This is what we are eating. Oh, you don't like it? Then I guess you'll be hungry." (GASP!)

We sat still in church. (GASP!) I can't remember the number of times my mom said, "color quietly." when we were in church. I never understood what that meant until I got older and I could hear kids coloring 5 pews behind me. We didn't bring a huge bag of toys to church. My dad always said that church wasn't meant to be entertainment hour for children. It's a time when they should learn to sit still and learn to listen. It seriously blows my mind. I mean, did children evolve over time into beings that are physically incapable of sitting still? If we are old enough to sit through a television show, we are physically capable of sitting still in church. No, I'm not saying that a two year old should sit on the front row and soak up every single thing that the preacher says. If you think that's what I mean, go back and read the paragraph again.

We weren't allowed to date until we were 16. (GASP!) Well, honestly, what's the purpose of having a boyfriend when you are 12? All that does it make you grow up too fast. Start dating at 12, first kiss at 13, things that shouldn't be done until marriage when kids think they're in love because Jimmy shared his pb&j with your little Suzy at lunch. My parents gave us a purity ring when we turned 13 (meaning no sex until marriage), and though we knew the rules, we still couldn't have a boyfriend until we were 16.

We didn't get a cell phone until we started driving. (GASP!) Seriously, why why why WHY does your child need a cell phone when they're 11 years old? Why would your 11 year old child be away from you and not with another adult who has a cell phone? Your child at the mall? Cool, then they should be with you or an adult (friend's mom, etc.) that has a phone. I thought I was big time when I turned 16 and my mom let me use her cell phone on occasion. I even got to text from it! Oh yeah, I was big time. Kids today have a heart attack if they don't have a cell phone by the time they're 12. Sheesh!

We obeyed our parents. (GASP. GASP. GASP.) There was no "My child doesn't want to clean her room, so she just talks back. That's how she got her attitude." Well, good then. We obeyed. We had rules that some people may think were silly. "No running in the house. No squeezing through small spaces. Put your hand on your mouth." Yes, "Put your hand on your mouth." was an actual rule. Oh, and we obeyed! If we were talking back, showing an attitude, etc. My parents would say, "Put your hand on your mouth." And we would! It was just a reminder to us that we should not have talked back, had an attitude, etc. I'm not sure that some kids today would even obey if their parents said something as simple as "Put your hand on your mouth."

I love the way my parents raised us. Seriously. Some people today literally amaze me. They are ridiculous. Many times, the children raise the parents. It's disgusting, really. Sorry if I said, "GASP!" too much in this post. Seriously, though, people. You're the parent. Be the parent! If we could all sit still and do our memory verses at the age of 3, 4, 5, etc, then kids today can surely surely at least sit still during church. Oh, and yes, we actually did memory verses. We knew the Plan of Salvation, The 10 commandments, The Chronology, miscellaneous Bible passages, etc. That's another reason I love the way my parents raised us. They're pretty great people. I love them. I hope that one day I can raise my children the way they raised us.

Ok, enough rambling. Have a great day. I love you all :)

New Pictures

2011-03-16T17:55:00.001-05:00

I took some pictures of Lucas this weekend. He sure is one cute little baby. If you want to see the pictures, you can see them here. I hope you think he's as cute as we all do.

i love you all :)

Weight Loss through Baby Steps

2011-03-02T12:12:00.004-06:00

Ok, twenty years later, I am blogging about weight loss. It won't be a long blog. Simply for the fact that what I have been doing is simple. I'll, of course, post a before and after picture. Oh, and I posted a blog before about weight loss too, if any of you people out there want to re-read it. It's right here. In addition to that, I have been doing zumba, riding my bike, and other random work out videos. Here are the staples to losing weight.

1) No cokes (even diet)

2) No desserts

3) If you want to lose extra, work out.

It doesn't have to be an intense work out. I brisk bike ride, a short walk, you know. Every little bit helps. I have a new plan that I am going to put into motion. Let's be honest, I've slacked off lately, and I need to get back into it. In other news, my mom got me some running shorts that I am really excited about. Seriously excited. Since March of 2010, I have lost 40 pounds. It's crazy, and I noticed when I got on the scale, but looking at myself, I thought that 40 pounds wasn't right. Until I looked at pictures from Spring Break last year. Wow.

Ok, now I am motivated to lose more, so the other day I was thinking of things that could make me lose more weight. This is what I have so far. Granted, I'm not sure these work. I haven't tried them all yet, so I'm not telling you to run out and do these things. If you want to wait and see if they work, I'll do them, and let you all know. Ok, here's my new plan.

1) No cokes (even diet)

2) No desserts

3) Zumba, ride bike, walk/run.

4) No snacks. If I must snack, only one 100 calorie pack.

5) If I eat out, no side with my entree.

6) If I eat at home, I will get sides, but no seconds on anything.

7) Fruits if I want something sweet.

8) Vegetables if I'm craving chips or popcorn.

There you have it. Like I said, only the first three have been proven to work before. (In my case, at least.) Anyway, I will probably, maybe keep you posted on the weight loss. I've gone down some sizes in clothes, and I hope to go down more. I'm excited about these other new ideas to lose weight. We will see how it works!

In other (unrelated) news, I was nervous and upset at first about moving back to Bowling Green soon, but the closer it gets, the more excited I get. I will be able to put a huge dent in my student loans, I will save money, I will (hopefully) find and buy a car soon(ish).

Anyway, that's it! A simple weight loss plan for all of those of you who have been asking for my expert opinion. ;) I know, I know. Easier said than done. Hopefully we can all do it together! Let's be honest. I'm not your average "Let's go out for a run!!" kind of girl. It's easy, though, for even someone like me to go out for a nice walk on a perfect day. The whole "let's go for a run!!" idea is simply baby steps. For a while, you go for walks, then, when you slim down some, it's easier to jog. Start out walking, and jog for like 30 seconds. Then, go back to walking! Slowly, you can implement jogging in. Also, did you know that walking burns the same amount of calories as running does? Walking just takes longer.

Such a brilliant realization! Oh, and on such a great day, it's easy to go for a walk. Get someone to go with you! Your wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend, friend, fiance, parent, sister, brother, neighbor, cousin, or your child in a stroller. Even your dog! Let's be honest. It's easy to find someone to walk with you. Plus, who doesn't love being outside on a perfect sunny day?

So there you have it. Baby steps!! Anyone can do it. Oh, and let me tell you one thing to be weary of. What I'm about to tell you is one of my biggest problem in weight loss.

When I begin to lose weight, I feel good when I can see in the mirror or see in pictures that I look skinnier. So, when someone offers me a cupcake (my weakness, ps), I think, "I've done so well lately, and I look so skinny. One cupcake won't make me fat. False. It's a slippery slope. The weight doesn't go on right away, so I still think I'm doing well. Then, all the sudden when I look in the mirror, I don't look so small. I go back and forth and back and forth.

So, be weary of that when losing weight. Don't think you're ahead of yourself. The reason you look so skinny in the mirror is because you have been working hard. You have been saying no to desserts. It's because you have been working out! You can do it! It will probably help if you have a skinny picture of yourself up next to a fatty picture of yourself. Motivation, you know.

You can do it, people! You can! (I'm reminding myself as much as I'm telling you.) Have a great day, everyone. Also, good luck on your weight loss journey! I know you can do it! It may feel like it's taking forever at first, but believe me. The second you look in the mirror and realize there is less of you, or the first time someone asks if you've lost weight, you'll get another boost of motivation!

Good luck everyone. Have a great day, I love you all! :)

God is Great

2011-02-22T18:22:00.003-06:00

Ok, I promise, for those of you who have asked me to blog about weight loss, that I haven't forgotten. I promise I haven't. I'll blog about that soon. I promise. For now, though. I need to tell you about my future plans. More than that, though, about how great God is. Ok, remember that extremely depressing blog post a while ago? No? Well, you can find it here. I debated posting that for a long while. I thought that it would be too dramatic. Far too "poor me". I decided to post it anyway, though, because I wanted my blog readers to know just what I was going through. So, even after I posted that blog, I felt dumb. I felt silly for being so very real in that blog post. I was afraid that people thought I was simply begging for attention. Funny how God works, though, because actually, it turned out that the very blog post that admitted how very low I was turned out to be the very blog post that led to my answered prayers.

Confused? Sorry, my brain is scattered because I am so beside myself with excitement, gratitude, and a bunch of other emotions. So, shortly after posting the depressing blog, I kept praying. James and I kept praying for any opportunities. Then, I got a few interviews! I thought for sure those were proof that God was answering our prayers, and He was providing for us. Then, I got a facebook message from someone that I have known my whole life. (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say who yet because my mom said she didn't know if I should put it online until later.) So, the message said to call him because his wife wanted to talk to me. I called, and his wife said that she had read my blog about not being able to find a job, and she had something in mind that she thought would be great for me if I was interested. We talked for about 45 minutes about the details of the job, etc. Then, she said she would call me later with more details. I was excited but still skeptical because I was nervous.

Let me tell you more about this job. I don't want to give too many details, but I will give you the main idea. The family I had spoken with has 3 young children, and 2 of them have special needs. She expressed to me that their children are involved in a program through the state where they (The Mom and Dad) get to choose a person to care for their children. The person who cares for their children will help the parents with anything they need. Basically be the mom's right hand man. Also, help the children with manners, behavior, learning colors, etc.

I have been hoping for a job that would allow me to put a dent in my student loans, and perhaps buy a car and save up for when James and I get married. This job can help me with all of that. I was blown away. This was God's answer for me. Granted, I am going to be moving back to Bowling Green, and that's not what I had planned, but my plans don't matter. This is much much better this way. I prayed about the offer for a long time. I was unsure of why God was directing my life back to Bowling Green when I had just become settled in Summertown. I was concerned with whether or not I would be a good fit for this job. Yes, I need a job, but I don't want this position to just be "Oh, I'm going to work" because these precious children are more than simply being employers. So, I will be moving home in a couple weeks.

I think that God made this position available to me simply to show me that there are more important things in life. I was dying for an 8-5 job Monday-Friday in an office. Simply something to pay the bills. This opportunity, though, is way more than I could have ever imagined. And to think, the mom of these precious kids had read my depressing post, and she thought to offer me such a meaningful position. The other day, I just started crying because I was thinking about how amazing God is, and how great it is that He works in such mysterious ways. I was in such a low place when I posted that blog, and then I feel like I just let God take care of it all.

This just goes to show that

His plan isn't always the same as my plan,

but it is always better.

I am excited about the opportunities that this will bring me. I am excited about being able to help a great family and some precious children. I am beyond blessed and grateful that God has placed these people in my life, and that this opportunity is available to me. Hopefully later, I can give more information, and let everyone see just how precious these little girls are.

The moral? God is great. (But we already knew that!)

Thank you all for reading. I love you all :)

Blah Blah Blah

2011-02-15T10:15:00.004-06:00

I don't feel like blogging right now, but I wanted you all to know that I haven't forgotten about blogging. I'm just lazy. I will blog soon about my weight loss. Several people have asked me to blog about my secrets. I will, and it will be soon. For now, though, you can read the last diet blog post I did. You can read it here. I have basically just done the same thing, but I added some stuff. I'll blog about it later though. I don't feel like it now. I know, I'm blogging to say I'm not going to blog. Quiet, you. Ok, have a great day. I love you all.

This is The Stuff

2011-02-09T09:50:00.002-06:00

We all know I have been hoping and praying a lot about what in the world is going to happen in my life lately. I have been worrying more than I should, and I have not been having faith and trusting. I seem to have forgotten how very blessed I am. Thankfully, a very good friend of mine, Amy, showed me this song, and I just cried while watching the video. I can't believe I let stuff get under my skin. I just need to trust and believe that He knows what He is doing. Please Please take a few minutes and watch this video. (It's got the lyrics on the video) Seriously, take a few minutes because it's worth it. Sometimes, we all forget how very blessed we are, and lose sight of the fact that He has a plan and He's not working on our time clock or calendar. Please watch this and enjoy.

I love you all. Have a great day.

Times Have Changed

2011-02-08T10:25:00.002-06:00

This is my facebook status.‎

"11 year olds today. Cell phones, IPods, skinny jeans, Uggs, and Northface. When I was 11, I had a jump rope, a soccer pal, some sidewalk chalk, and a skip-it."

This, naturally, inspired me to blog. I'm going to sound like a frigid old lady throughout this blog post, but I am blown away at everything that younger kids have today. Of course, if you ask them, they aren't children. They are grown up.

This is what I don't understand. When an 11 year old has a cell phone, and the parents say something along the lines of, "Well, we weren't going to get her a cell phone, but she needs to be able to get in touch with us when we pick her up from the mall."

...whaaaat? Why in the world is your child at the mall without you or some other adult that has a cell phone? I'm sorry if you have an 11 year old, and you think that they are the most grown up child, so they can be alone at the mall with 4 of their little friends. It literally scares me when I see little girls walking around the mall in groups of 2 or 3. Let's be serious. There are some sick, twisted people out there, and they don't care if your 11 year old daughter has 3 bouncer friends to keep him away. Hey, 4 birds with one stone.

Ok, I'm not a parent, and I can't say these things for sure until I have children. Except for the fact that I can. I can't say how I'm going to handle certain situations, but I can say that my child will not be unsupervised until she is mature. (Not 11 years old)

Ok, moving on. I see no reason at all for a child to have a cell phone unless they are driving. Literally, I don't. You should be with your kids, or they should be with an adult. The End.

Oh, and an IPod? What does an 11 year old need with an IPod? When I was 11, I was outside all the time. My sisters and I would go outside with our soccer pals. Now I want a soccer pal. Man, I loved that thing. I guess I thought everyone knew what that was, but I was wrong. It's a twine rope thing that you hold, and at the end of the twine rope, is a net that a soccer ball fits in perfectly. You pull the drawstring and the ball is tight in the circular net. Then, you can hold onto the rope and practice soccer kicks and tricks without having to chase the ball.

Oh, and the skip it. We loved that thing. It was great when we got the one that counted the number of skips. Wow, that was high-tech. Don't know what a skip-it is? Ok, A plastic circle fits around your foot and sits on your ankle. Then, the plastic extends in a line about the width of a jump rope, and goes to a ball-like thing. The idea is to swing your foot around and jump over the skip it with your other foot every time the skip-it gets to your foot that the skip-it isn't attached to. Ok, that was probably too wordy.

Anyway, the point of all of this ramble is to say this. If kids today grow up so fast and have cell phones, IPods, etc. etc. etc., then where is their childhood? I mean, I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced or wear make up until I was 13. Which we all know that the ear piercing took off, and I completely didn't care about make up at all. But now, all my piercings are taken out anyway. I wasn't allowed to date until I turned 16. I mean, seriously, kids today have no childhood.

They are going to be like, "remember that time when I was 9 and I got my cell phone taken up in school?" I much prefer, "Hey, people of the 80's/90's, Remember soccer pals, skip-its, and being a kid?"

Yeah. Anyway, there's my soapbox for the day. I love you all.

Our Engagement Story

2011-02-05T15:27:00.011-06:00

Ok, it's been 4 and a half months (or so) since James proposed. I figure it's about time to blog about it. James thinks the time has passed, though, for me to blog about it. When I told him today that I was about to blog about when he proposed, he was confused why I was doing it today. At any rate, I'm way behind, and I just realized the other day that I never blogged about it. I'm not quite sure why. At any rate, here we go.

James and I had gone to pick out the (perfect) ring, so I knew he would propose at some point, I just didn't know when. I planned on going to his house for the weekend on Saturday, September 25th. I didn't think James had the ring because he hadn't been to Bowling Green to pick it up. We had planned on going to a waterfall that isn't far from his house, and I was excited! We had gone before, and I loved it, so I was ready to hike to the falls again. As soon as I got to his house, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my sunglasses and my hiking back pack, our water, and I was ready to go.

So, as we are hiking down to the falls, I didn't expect anything for two reasons. 1) I didn't think James had the ring. 2) We had been to the falls a couple times before, so I thought nothing of it. So, we were hiking down to the falls, and I had the hiking back pack on, and James had the camera bag on his back. James was annoyed with himself because he had forgotten the remote control to the camera. I really didn't understand why it was such a big deal. This was the conversation.

James- "I just can't believe I forgot the remote!"

Me- "James, it's not a big deal. We can just take turns taking pictures."

James- "But I want a picture of us together!"

Me- "Calm down. It's not that serious. We can get someone else to take it."

Little did I know why he was so concerned. I would have been freaking out if I were him. He wasn't freaking out, though. He was just annoyed and kicking himself. Then, he was basically running down to the falls.

Me- "Slow down! You're like running!"

James- "I'm just really excited for you to see it!"

Me- "For what? I've seen it before."

James- "...oh yeah..."

Haha. Now that I know his train of thought, all of this makes sense to me. I was so confused why he was in such a hurry, and why he was kicking himself for forgetting the remote. Luckily, even though he forgot the remote, he had a back up plan. He's such a planner.

So, then he was telling me that he hoped there was no one else at the falls when we got down there. I didn't understand why it would have been such a big deal. Again, now I do.

We got down to the falls, and there was a family at the very base of the falls. James wanted to wait until they left to take pictures of the falls. We stood by a tree for a while and watched until they left. Which, in hindsight, is pretty creepy. Hah!

So, now starts the actual engagement story. James put his camera up on the tri-pod, and took some pictures of the falls, and then said he wanted a picture of us. (Which was actually just his "Let me make sure the picture is centered, the lighting is good, and my back up plan of using the camera timer will all work" plan) So, we got positioned, and he set up the timer, ran over next to me, and the timer went off.

Picture centered? Check!

Lighting good? Check!

Self timer work right? Check!

He was ready for the engagement!

So, we looked at the picture, and we both liked it, but he wanted another one. I was confused why he wanted another one because I thought the first one was fine. At any rate, he set up the timer, and ran over next to me. Instead of posing this time, he got down on one knee and I screamed. My ring!! I was so excited. The self timer went off, and it got the perfect shot.

My ring is antiquey looking and I love it.

The wedding band is the same width as the band on the

engagement ring, but it curves around the stone perfectly.

Later, James told me that he had driven to Bowling Green, gotten my ring, and driven back to Summertown the Friday before he proposed. He almost forgot he wasn't supposed to be there, and he almost asked me to run by Starbucks for him and get his money back because they charged him twice. Good thing he didn't, though. That would have completely blown his cover. Also, he had to lie about what he was doing on Friday because there's no way he could tell me he was in Bowling Green. After he proposed, he said, "I had to lie to you all day yesterday and I felt awful. I had to tell you that, and I'm so glad that I never have to lie to you again!" haha!

So there you have it. Our engagement caught on film. I love it so. Sorry it took me so long to post this. I mean, September 25th wasn't that far away, right?

I hope you enjoyed our story. I love you all.

Forget Spring.

2011-02-02T09:55:00.003-06:00

Everyone is hoping for Spring. Forget Spring, I say we go straight to Summer! I'm ready for swimming, riding my bike, running, hiking at the falls, having steaks from the grill, being tan, going to the driving range with James. (Which is actually a sight to see. He actually practices his swing. I just try to make contact with the ball.) I want my parents to come to Tennessee this summer and see the falls where James proposed. Oh, by the way, I don't think I ever blogged the story about that. Silly me. I have been blogging things randomly out of order lately, so I might as well do that one. You know, even if it's 4 and a half months delayed. Hah. Anyway, this blog is basically just a hope for Summer. Nothing big. I think it would be neat if when my parents come, my dad would golf with Jeff and James. He would like that. It's been so long since he has gotten to golf. Plus, maybe Juliane and Stan will be here by then and we can all play. They'd like to see the falls too. It's so pretty. Maybe I'm talking it up too much and they will be disappointed when they see it. Oh well, I think it's pretty. Ok, time to have some eggs and apply for more jobs.

The moral? I'm ready for summer. Mr. Groundhog, please don't make it be 6 weeks more of winter. I'll cry. Seriously. Ok, not really. But I am tired of this winter. I always thought I'd love snow all the time. When we got like 5 inches last time, that was enough to last me a life time. That's true. I'm ready for summer vegetables. That's random, but I'm serious. I know my mom and dad are ready for them too.

Ok, time to go apply for more jobs. Have a great day. I love you all.

Let's take a ride on the Emotional Roller coaster. Relieved. Hopeful. Discouraged. Annoyed. Frustrated. Hopeless.

2011-01-31T17:25:00.004-06:00

Anyone who knows me at all knows that I am always happy. I think the world is made out of rainbows and marshmallows, and everyone is nice. You know, that type of person. Not lately, though. I have gone through so many emotions in the past few weeks, that I can't even begin to describe it. Let me take you on the emotional roller coaster I have been on.

Relieved.

Hopeful.

Discouraged.

Annoyed.

Frustrated.

Hopeless.

There you have it. If you haven't figured it out already, this will not be a "rainbows and marshmallows" blog post. It will be very honest. You will have a complete understanding of what I am thinking when you finish reading this blog post. It will probably be a long blog post because I have a million thoughts going on in my head right now. What's the cause of all of these emotions? Lack of job.

Oh, Christine, suck it up. So you're looking for a job. That's it? That's what has got you so stressed out and upset?

Is that what you're thinking? Ok, well let me just tell you why. Let's start at the beginning of the emotional roller coaster.

Relieved. Truth be told, I was relieved when my seasonal job came to an end. It was stressful and annoying to work there. My boss said one thing and did another. She was flaky and sketchy. Oh, and obnoxious. So, I was relieved that it was over and just sure that I would find another job in no time. Which brings us to the next stop on the emotional roller coaster. Hopeful.

Hopeful. I was sure I would only be unemployed for a week or so. I had known that my job was about to be terminated, since the season was over, so I had applied at several places. I figured that I would have people calling me in no time. I held a job for almost 8 years, I held the position of a manager, I had several references, and I had part time jobs throughout those years of keeping my steady job. I was an excellent candidate for a job. Oh, and for a fast food place? I was a shoe-in. So I thought. Not that fast food would be my top choice, but hey, I'd take what I could get. That was me. Hopeful. So, I had an interview at a place that would have been perfect. I thought the interview went really well, but it didn't work out, and I had to contact the lady to find that out. You know, even though she told me numerous times she would let me know either way. So that was annoying. I didn't let that get me down, though. I was still hopeful. Applying to job after job after job. My spirits were high, and I was determined to get a job. Any job. I graduated college somewhere in my "hopeful" stage, and then I felt like I should really get a job right away. You know, because I have a college degree. I'm big time now. (Please note that I'm mocking myself throughout this whole post.) Ok, so I'm not so big time. No one cares I have a college degree. Oh, and ladies and gentlemen, up here on our left, we have the next stop of our emotional roller coaster. That's right. Discouraged.

Discouraged. I'm a college graduate. What in the world did I do all of that work for if no one even cares? Why in the world am I in debt up to my eye balls? I have no job to pay it off. Thank you for the useless degree. Oh, what's that? My degree isn't useless? When's the last time you saw employers lined up for someone with a degree in "Arts & Humanities with concentration in Education"? You didn't. The degree is made up. Discouraged, and not getting my hopes up, I still fill out application after application, and hope for the best. I keep telling myself that everything will work out and it will all be ok. I say a prayer every night, and ask God to help me to be patient and have faith. Well, when you ask for patience, you get practice. Then, I started thinking about how obnoxious it is that I have applied at like a million places, and I have yet to receive a call. Which brings us to our next stop on the emotional roller coaster. Annoyed.

Annoyed. I was annoyed that I had wasted hours upon hours applying to jobs that mean nothing to me. Jobs that give me nothing but false hope. Jobs that ask way more information than needed, and simply hog up my time that I could be applying to more jobs. I was annoyed that I couldn't get a job. I didn't understand it. Let's be honest. I still don't. People have multiple jobs, and people have jobs that they take for granted. Why can't I get a job? Why can't someone throw me a bone? Oh look, it's our next stop on the emotional roller coaster. Frustrated.

Frustrated. This is along the same lines of annoyed, but instead of just being annoyed, I was past that. I would say that frustrated is a mixture of two emotions. Annoyed and mad. Yep. So, here I am. Annoyed, frustrated, mad. Frustrated that the only emails I get back from "potential employers" are a scam. Frustrated that people don't call back when they say they will. Frustrated that I am not looking in the right places. I even signed up to be a nanny. It's on a website where people can look for nannies, or look for people to nanny. I sent this nice family a message, and I got a reply back from the website. What did it say? That in order to receive an email back from the nice couple, I would have to pay $10 for the platinum membership. False. If I don't have a job, I don't have $10 to waste. So, frustration is a pretty prevalent emotion. Oh, and what am I feeling now? That would be the next stop on the emotional roller coaster of job hunting. Hopeless.

Hopeless. I honestly don't think I am ever going to find a job. I am determined to get one this week, but we will see how that goes. The world can only be made out of rainbows and marshmallows for so long. Rainbows turn into scams, and marshmallows turn into, "Sorry, but we've already filled that position." Rainbows and marshmallows make happiness. What do scams and rejections make? Tears. Lots of tears.

I honestly take showers randomly throughout the day just so I can cry and no one will know. Which is why my showers have been longer lately, if anyone was wondering. I'm honestly tired of false hope, scams, and long applications. I apply for a job, wait exactly 7 days, and then call and say, "My name is Christine Brewer, and I applied for the [insert random position here] position, and I was calling to check on the status of my application." To which I get one of two things. The first being the rejection. "Yes, we have actually already filled that position, but we will keep your information on file if anything else comes up." Which really means, "We got someone else, and I already threw out your resume." Oh, and the second response? "I'll write down your name, and have them call you back." Which really means, "I have already forgotten your name, and my boss will never know of this phone call."

I am literally tired of applying, hoping, being scammed, crying, feeling like a failure, etc. etc. etc. I know what you're thinking, and no, I'm not writing this post so everyone will comment "Oh, Christine, you're so great, you'll find a job soon, and it will be grand. Blah Blah Blah." I'm blogging because I don't know what else to do. People always call and ask if I have gotten a job yet. Nope, big surprise, but I'm still looking. I feel so dumb every time someone calls me. I honestly, genuinely feel like a failure.

It stinks because every employer seeking employees needs someone with experience. Question: How can I get experience if no one will hire me because I don't have experience? I've got to start somewhere. I'm tired of all of this. I'm discouraged, annoyed, frustrated, and hopeless. I'm trying really hard to stay positive, but it's hard. I constantly check my email just in case I have a message from a potential employer. You know, most the times, though, it's a scam. No, I will not let you do a credit check. No, I do not want to buy a starter kit in order to become your employee. I keep my phone with me at all times just in case someone calls. I put "available immediately" when I email my resume to a potential employer. I don't know what else to do. I'm discouraged to the very highest extent.

I look online at jobs every single day to see if anything has been posted. I'm trying trying trying to stay positive. I really am. You probably don't believe me because I just whined for like half an hour of your time. Anyway, that's all. I need a job, and I am beyond exhausted from looking for one, being shot down, being scammed, and crying in the shower.

It's hard to listen to people when they say, "It will be ok. Everything will work out. Something will come up." I've been thinking that, but I'm not sure I believe that anymore.

I want to be happy again, but it's hard when I feel like a bum with no job. I feel like I have millions of dollars of student loans for no reason. (Ok, not millions, but still.) I keep hoping that something will just fall into my lap. I keep hoping that something will work out. I will keep you posted. Hopefully there will be no more "waaaah, poor me" posts. Ever again. This is exhausting. I need a job. Until then, I'll just try to get a better outlook on life. You know, rainbows and marshmallows.

A (very very very delayed) Christmas post

2011-01-28T12:16:00.009-06:00

Well, I know that it's way past Christmas, and that it's a new year, so Christmas should not even be mentioned until the end of the year. However, I promise this will be the last time I mention Christmas until Christmas time(ish). That's actually a fairly flexible term. That's a whole different debate though, so for now, we will just finish up with this blog post about Christmas. Then? I will start looking forward to Summer. Let's be honest, I'm already looking forward to Summer. Actually, I took a bike ride today. Oh, and I didn't wreck!

Oh, and here's a text message I got today. "So I just want you to know that your blog is on my favorites in my phone and I check it every day if not more than that to see if you have updated it...and Lucas is pretty cute but I have already read that blog like 10 times so you can update it whenever :) haha." That was from Erin. haha!

Anyway, Christmas. This year, I was going to go to Virginia with my family. Then, the lady that I worked for at the time said that I could have extra hours if I didn't go to Virginia. So, it was decided that I would be away from my family on Christmas. Not that the Durham family wouldn't be fun, but this was my first Christmas away from my immediate family. I was a little nervous that I would be intruding on the Durhams because they were talking about what they do on Christmas eve, and Christmas morning, etc. I was upset that I wasn't going to get to be with my family, so James told me that he would make sure that we did some of my family traditions to make me feel better. I thought that was really nice.

I had already opened my presents from everyone in the family because we thought that I would be in Virginia, so I was prepared to just watch while everyone opened presents. I was excited to watch, but James told me on Christmas Eve before we went to bed that he thought Santa would come visit me.I thought he would just give me a piece of candy or something, but when we woke up, I had presents and a stocking! Here we are in front of the tree. Anna, me, Jess, and then Clay (Anna's boyfriend), and James.

Oh, and here's a side note that was exciting! On December 23rd, we went to Wal-Mart, and I was on a mission to get a grown up purse. One with form. My purse was just a bottomless pit. So, we were looking for a purse, and I was just going to pick one out, and then go back later if I got Christmas money or something. So, that was December 23rd. On Christmas Eve, we went to the Christmas celebration with Cary's side of the family. I had two presents, (which I was not expecting) and one was from the Durham 5. It was the purse I picked out the day before! Luckily for everyone, I'm oblivious, and they bought the purse when we were in the store, and right after I picked it out, James said he wanted to look at something else, so I went with him, and they bought the purse, ran it out to the car, and then called us to say they were ready to go. Cool, huh? It's a pretty cool purse, too!! I love it. It's a grown up purse. Now if I could only get a grown up job. Um, or any job for that matter! Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve.

Ok, back to Christmas morning. I had presents! Surprise! I got some shoes, some nail polish, a stocking, some earrings, a necklace, and some other cute stuff that I can't remember because it was a month ago. Sorry!

Then, when my parents got back, James and I went to Bowling Green to celebrate Christmas with my family! It was delayed, but we made Christmas cookies, watched "It's a Wonderful Life", opened presents, and made Christmas desserts.

Here are my cute parents.

Here is Amy and James.

They were making peanut butter balls. Yum.

Then, James and I bought movies. 37 to be exact.

Here is a picture of James with 17 of them.

Then, me, Amy and James watched like 5 movies. It was fun!

So there you have it. My Christmas this year. It was very long and stretched out. It was sad to be away from my family, but it was still great fun!

Lucas Lee McLemore

2011-01-20T16:52:00.008-06:00

That's right. I have a nephew. He's perfect. His skin is beyond soft. His cheeks are chubby. He is very aware for being a little over a week old. Actually, they said he was like that the day he was born. He was born on January 10, 2011 at 12:30 pm. He weighed 7 pounds, and he is precious. There's not much else to say besides the fact that he's precious and perfect. He is petite except his chubby cheeks. I know I'm biased, but he is literally the cutest baby I have ever seen. Let me just show you some pictures.

Yes, his shirt says, "My Aunt ROCKS"

My parents. Proud new grandparents. :)

Oh, and here's one of the happy family!

My sister, her husband, and their precious baby.

Oh, and here's a video to show you just how alert he is.

There you have it. Little Luke. We are going to be best friends. Now, I will go make a toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner, and have some carrot sticks to go with it! Yum! Next blog post? All about Christmas. (delayed)

Have a great night. I love you all. :)

My Life as of Late

2011-01-19T10:56:00.001-06:00

Well, it's, once again, been 27 years since I blogged. I'm sorry. Here's an update. My seasonal time is done at Picture Me Portrait Studio, so I am, once again, looking for a job. I've been waiting to hear back from this one lady. I won't say anything else on that because I don't want to get my hopes up. On the plus side of not having a job, the house is clean. My room is so cute now since it's all clean and stuff. Hopefully I can find a job soon so I can continue living in my cute room. I've been praying and praying about finding a job. Feel free to join me!

James started nursing school last week. He's so smart that I'm sure he will go above and beyond expectations, but he is nervous, so he's studying all the time. He actually said to me the other day, "I feel like every minute that I'm not studying is a waste of time." Oh, and that was in a 20 minute break window. He had been studying for hours and he took a 20 minute break, and felt like he was wasting time. Well, you know what they say. Opposites attract.

It's an adjustment with him being swallowed up by his books all the time. He's always been concerned with his grades, and always studied a lot, but since nursing school started, I actually feel like I never see him. Oh, and it's only been a week. They say the first semester is the hardest because you're trying to get your schedule pinned down to where it works for you, but I get the feeling that it will be like this for the whole two years he is in nursing school. He stays up until midnight(ish) studying, and then wakes up at six(ish) and studies some more. Then, he goes to class, and he is there until about three(ish). After that, he always goes to talk to a nursing teacher or someone else, and leaves school about four(ish), and gets to our house about four-thirty(ish), and stays for about fifteen(ish) minutes, goes to his house, eats dinner, and then studies for a few hours, calls me on his study break, and studies more, and then I call him before I go to bed and we talk for about five or ten minutes. Then, when I go to bed, he continues studying, and does the whole thing over again the next day.

I know that this will all be worth it when he graduates. I just hate that he is so stressed out and doesn't have time to do anything. We just keep reminding each other that this semester will fly by, then we have all of summer. Then, Fall semester will fly by, and we will have Christmas! It's much easier to look at the semesters as goals than as the whole two year section as a goal. Before we know it, it will be summer, and Stan and Juliane will be home and we can do fun time things, and go see my family a lot.

Oh, if anyone has a car they want to give me, feel free. James and I share his car, and since I don't really see him that much anymore, it'd be nice to have one. You know, just an idea. Trying to get rid of your car for free? Hand it over my way! Of course it would help if I had a job.

Anyway, I'm learning to have faith. Trying, anyway. Have faith that James will not kill himself studying too much. Have faith that I will get a job. Have faith that I will get a car. Have faith that I will be able to pay back my student loans soon. Have faith. In general, I'm just trying to have faith. It's a big adjustment, but I know I can do it.

So there you have it. My Life as of Late. It's probably a mildly depressing or whiney post, but there you go. Oh, and sometime, I need to blog about Christmas. It was a fun time.

Have a great day. I love you all. :)

I Wouldn't Call It a Bike Wreck

2010-12-25T20:12:00.005-06:00

Many of you may or may not have heard that I got a bike for Christmas. I was so excited that I could barely stand it. I got it on Wednesday night, and I rode it around my driveway in my socks, and no coat, of course, as soon as I saw it. Thursday morning, James took the front tire off, and put it in his trunk so we could get it to Tennessee.

As soon as we pulled into his driveway, I ~~made him~~ asked him politely to put my bike back together so I could ride it right away. Naturally, he did as I ~~told~~ asked him to. He put the wheel on in a jiffy, and I got on the bike and rode around his yard. He said I should take it on the road because the yard was a little bit hilly.

I rode out of the yard and onto the road, and I fell even more in love with my bike. Oh! Let me show you a picture of my bike. It's very retro. I love it.

There you have it. If you can't tell, it's mint green. Oh, and I love it. So, I was riding, and I realized that the left leg of my sweat pants was gripping my ankle tighter and tighter. I then noticed that my pant leg was getting wrapped around the pedal. I calmly slowed to a stop, and told James to come across his yard to the road because my pant leg was wrapped around the pedal. I stepped off the bike so he could reach it better, and it was then that I realized I was standing right in the middle of the road next to my (super cool) bike. I didn't want to be in the way if a car came, so while waiting for James, I decided it would be polite to step over closer to the side of the road. Which would have been a good plan, except for the fact that I forgot I was attached to my bike, and when I took a step, I fell on the asphalt, and cut my hand. In turn, the bike fell on top of me. Perfect. I was more shocked than hurt, at first. Simply because all I was trying to do was move over to the side of the road and I got attacked by the road and my bike. Rude.

So, I looked up at James coming across the yard to see how close he was, and he had his head down with his hand on his face. I was just sure that he was laughing. I mean, who wouldn't? From an outside perspective, all that happened was that I was standing calmly next to my bike, and I fell over, catching myself on one hand, and letting the bike fell on me. Who wouldn't laugh?

So, he walked up to me laughing, and when I looked up, he was taking a picture with his phone to send to my mom. Good then.

So, then, I started crying. I'm fairly positive that it was a mixture of laughing from humiliation of being 24 years old and having a bike wreck, and pain. At that point, Jessica ran outside laughing because she had heard James laughing or something. I don't remember. It was all a blur. Jessica was walking towards me laughing, James was standing over me laughing, and I was laughing while crying. It was then that I looked up and saw a van coming towards me. Perfect. As the van got closer, I recognized the driver. It was Cary, of course. James got my pant leg untangled, and helped me out of the road. Cary drove up and said, "Well that's Christine!" She had seen "something" in the road, and was surprised (with good reason) to see me sitting in the middle of the road with James standing over me. Then, I showed James my hand, and he realized I was crying.

Then, we went inside and James and Jessica cleaned my hand off while I cried some more. It is still tender, but much much better. After cleaning out dirt, piecing skin back together, and many bandage changes, it's finally starting to improve. So there you have it. My bike wreck that isn't technically a bike wreck, per se. You know, since I wasn't on the bike. I think it sounds better when I tell it that way, but then what I'm really saying is that I had a walking wreck instead of a bike wreck. It's a lose-lose situation, I guess you'd say. I just don't want people to think that I am 24 years old and I don't know how to ride a bike. That's better than being 24 years old and not knowing how to walk, though. Make of the situation what you will, but there you have it. My (not so) bike wreck.

Soon, I will be blogging about Christmas! I'm sure you are all on the edge of your seats. :) I love you all. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

My Future Family

2010-12-08T12:12:00.012-06:00

I just realized that I talk about the Durham family a lot in my posts, and you guys don't know much about them. Yeah, I've posted pictures and said a few things about each of them, but I haven't ever written a post specifically about them. So here you go! Here are the Durham 5. My future family. This is when we were at the zoo this summer for James' birthday.

From left to right: Anna, Jessica, James, Cary, Jeff.

Aren't they cute?

Let's start with the head of the family: Jeff.

His actual name is Thomas Jefferson Durham. Thomas Jefferson! Jeff is exactly what James will be like in the future. He is hilarious and, like James, randomly sings in a high pitched voice or claps loudly for no reason. He is a preacher and elder in the Church, and a teacher at Summertown High School. He's the jack of all trades, if you will. He has a collection of pocket watches, he golfs, hunts, fishes, chews 8 pieces of bubble gum at a time, and likes to watch detective shows. In a nutshell, well, you can't cram a description of Jeff into a nutshell.

Now that you have met the head of the family, let's move on. They say that the man is the head of the house, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head whichever way she wants it. Dear Bloggy friends, I introduce to you, the neck. Cary.

Cary is also hilarious. She gets excited about everything, and cracks up at nothing. (That's just like me!) She is a breast cancer survivor, so for Halloween this year, I painted a pink ribbon on the pumpkin for her. She was giddy, dontcha know? She is a Kindergarten teacher, and always has adventurous stories about the kids in her class. She cooks breakfast for the family every morning and is always on the move. She provides everyone in the family with candy when we're at church. She and Jeff sit in their recliners and watch detective shows together. Cary makes a mean coconut cake, and when James and I got engaged, she made a "Congratulations on your engagement" cake. It was cute.

Jeff and Cary are precious.

Behold, I present to you, my future in-laws.

Now, you get to meet the Durham 3.

I know you are excited. Try your best to contain it.

Here, a sneak peak of them before you meet each one individually.

From left to right: James, Jess, Anna.

First, the oldest of the Durham 3. Anna.

Anna and I lived together in college (Suite 8!) and we live together again now. Anna and I live about 2 minutes from the rest of the Durhams. We have a cute house. I will blog about that sometime, I'm sure. Anna, like Jeff, is a teacher at Summertown High School. She teaches Math, and has some funny stories of her own when she gets home from work. She golfs, cooks, bakes, runs, and watches football. She is constantly teaching me new things in the kitchen and I always feel like a kid when I have to ask her stuff about the kitchen.

Next up? Jessica.

Jessica, the second of the Durham 3, loves to read, play fun time old school video games, watch detective shows, babysit, watch classic shows like Happy Days, Lavern and Shirley, etc, read my blog (ahem), and make up recipes. She laughs with me about stupid stuff, and we are awkward together. She likes Diet Dr. Pepper and cake. She loves her dogs and she walks them when James is cleaning out their pins. She stays up until 2:00 every night, and I don't know how she does it. I get tired at like 10:00 or 11:00. We share a love for pizza, burgers and fries, and cake. We high five like it's our job, and we always seem to say the same thing at the same time.

Now? James.

James is the youngest of the Durham 3. He's the youngest of the Durham 5, for that matter. He's also the tallest. He, like his dad, randomly sings in a high pitched voice, or claps loudly for no reason. He's obsessed with Christmas, and has a rather extensive collection of singing stuffed animals. He golfs, hunts, fishes, goes to school, takes care of the 8 family dogs, and, like the rest of his family, likes detective shows. He wears sweater vests and button up shirts, and rarely wears a t-shirt. He loves his family more than anything in the world, and misses them when he's away for more than a day or so.

There you have it. The Durham Family.

Oh, and here's something extra special. A picture of my parents, me, my future husband, and my future in-laws. My parents and Jeff and Cary get along well, and we are going to schedule another play date soon. I'm determined.

Thank you for reading about the Durham family. Now, when I talk about them, you'll be able to put a face with the names. I know you're relieved. Have a great day. I love you all :)

Salt & Pepper. Cookies & Milk. Macaroni & Cheese.

2010-12-04T11:52:00.005-06:00

Weird blog title. I know. What do all these things have in common? They go perfectly together. Duh. Let's think of some other things that go perfectly together.

Rain & Naps.

Lock & Key.

Peanut Butter & Jelly.

Burger & Fries.

Bread & Butter.

Ralph & Geneva.

Jeff & Cary.

James & Christine.

There it is. The reason for my rambling. Yes, this will be a mushy blog post about how great James is. If that's not your cup of (tea & sugar), then feel free to move along to my blog post before this one. In case you didn't see it. It's recent, you know. Since I'm back in the blogging world. :)

I remember one time, I was at a girl's devotional and the person said that we should have a list of what we wanted our future husband to be. I thought that was a little bit cliche, but I did it anyway. I made the list of everything I wanted in my ideal husband.

Here is my list:

Christian.

Loves me for me.

Loves his family.

Loves my family.

Makes me laugh.

Helps me be a stronger Christian.

Same views as me on important issues.

Funny.

Easy on the eyes. (Not essential, but it'd be nice)

Good sense of humor.

Forgiving.

Understanding.

Honest.

Caring.

Selfless.

I thought that was a long shot. I really did. Then, I found James. I know, that sounds so lame. Seriously, though. He is every single thing on that list and more. I hit the jackpot, I tell you. Ok, Anna and Jess both read my blog, and I'm trying not to be too mushy for them, but their brother is quite the catch, you know.

I wish I could make you understand how much James meets all of the criteria on my list. I would have never put "romantic" on my list because I felt that was a complete shot in the dark. Luckily, though, James is romantic. Flowers for no reason, bought kites so we could fly them (Batman for him, Spiderman for me, since he's my favorite), wants to look at stars at night while we talk about how big and powerful God is. Stuff like that. You know, he's just precious. Also, he's selfless. James made steak bites the other night for us, and he knows I like hot and spicy foods, so he put a bunch of hot spices on it. Cajun seasoning, Cayenne peppers, etc. So, I loved it, and we were eating it. It had a little kick, and he didn't finish all of his because it was so hot. (It was pretty hot. I like hot stuff, and I thought it had a kick.) So, Jeff said, "Why do you keep putting hot spices on the food you make if you don't even like hot foods?" James said, "I made it for both of us and Christine likes hot foods, so I figured I'd just get over it."

Maybe it's just because it was James, but I thought that was cute. I didn't know he only did it because I like it. I like how laid back he is about everything. He's just precious. Some people probably judge us for getting engaged so fast, but he is seriously everything on my list and more. He loves his family more than any guy I have ever met. He also loves my family, which is great. He and my parents get along swimmingly, and that makes me happy. I hate reading gushy posts, but I think everyone should know just how very precious James is. Oh, and remember on my list I said I wanted my husband to be easy on the eyes?

I don't know about you, but I think he's pretty easy on the eyes.

I'm so thankful that I have someone who will pray with me, read the Bible with me, help me to be a better Christian, make me laugh, cook for me, sing to me, love his family, love my family, be understanding, forgiving, thoughtful, caring, and more. Plus, our kids are going to have some killer dimples. I mean, really. Look at that picture.

Anyway, sorry to mush all over your computer, but there you have it. James is precious and I wanted everyone to know how great he is. I could go on forever, but I figure I will just save that for another blog post for another day. Lucky you!

Thank you for reading about my boyfriend. :) Have a great day.

Have a great day. I love you all :)

My Birthday Blog Post

2010-12-03T22:37:00.009-06:00

No, it's not my birthday. It's not close to my birthday. My birthday is way over. However, as my sister pointed out in one of her loving comments, I forgot to blog about my birthday. You see, my birthday is kinda a big deal. Well, not really to anyone except myself. My family gets excited too, of course. Probably just to amuse me though. At any rate, I count down to my birthday for like a year. Seriously, though, like 6 months. So, this year, it was a special one. I turned 24 on October 30th, and luckily, it was a Saturday. Fun times.

So, we planned to leave Summertown that morning and go home to Bowling Green. We planned for breakfast and then Jackson's orchard. (Probably my favorite place ever) And then to go back to my house for a little bit. Then, Jeff cooked out when we got back to James' house. Steak. Yum.

So, we got up bright and early and drove to Bowling Green. I had to constantly remind everyone that it was my birthday. You know, in an obnoxious sort of way. Just to make sure they didn't forget. How did I remind them? Like this.

"It's my birthday."

Simple. Easy. Right to the point.

So, of course, Jeff and Cary were on my team. "It's her birthday. Leave her alone."

I win the birthday game. Let's be honest, though, no one was actually giving me a hard time. I was just being dramatic because it was my birthday. But really. I did turn 24, I promise. Not 5.

So, we got to Bowling Green, and my mom had made breakfast pizza and baked cinnamon apples. What's breakfast pizza? I'm so glad you asked. Crescent rolls as the crust, then eggs, peppers, onions, cheese, sausage, etc. You know, breakfast pizza. Then of course the baked cinnamon apples. Drool worthy, of course.

Then, we went to Jackson's orchard and took some fun time pictures. Who all went? Me, my parents, my grandparents on my dad's side, James, Jess, and their parents. It was a fun time day. Oh, what's that? You can't completely grasp the idea without some pictures? Never fear. We've got it covered.

Me and James at Jackson's Orchard. :)

Me and My dad :) No, that's not beer in that sack. It's salad dressing. I wish my mom could have been in this picture too. I think she was paying for the concessions, though.

My grandpa told me to pick this up to show everyone how strong I am. I don't really understand why, but here it is. Look how strong I am. I love my grandpa.

Again, me and James. I wish you could know how hard it was to get this picture. He is tall, and I am an uncoordinated low jumper by nature, so it was quite an accomplishment to get up on his back.

Me and Jess. Again, no. It's not booze. It's salad dressing.

Thank you for your vast amount of concern.

In other news, everyone says that Jess and I look alike.

One of my favorite pictures from the day.

My parents, my future husband, and my future in-laws.

This picture makes me happy.

So there you have it. My birthday weekend! It was fun. Though you got the scoop a tad late, you got it. You're welcome, Juliane. :) I wish you could have been there!

Have a great day. I love you all :)

Christmas Time is Here

2010-12-02T19:31:00.004-06:00

I bet that by the title of this post, you expected it to be all giddy and peppy. Well, I don't think that's what you're going to get. Sorry. At any rate, you know I love Christmas. I thought that I loved Christmas for the Christmas tree decorating, Christmas songs, Christmas cookies, the busy buzzing of shoppers in stores, Decorations around town, etc. I love that stuff, don't get me wrong, but you know what I really realized what I love about Christmas? Being with my family.

My dad dancing around the living room while Amy and I sit on the couch and sing Step into Christmas, Decorating the tree with my mom and Amy while the Christmas music plays, Drinking eggnog with my dad, Opening stockings on Christmas morning (which are always epic stockings, by the way), making fudge, driving around town with my family looking at Christmas lights, getting one present on Christmas eve, and always knowing they are going to be pajamas, but acting like we don't know. You know, that kind of stuff. That's what I really love about Christmas.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Durhams, and I love doing Christmas stuff with them, but I miss my family. The worst part? My family is going to Virginia to visit my grandparents again this year, and because of stupid work, I might not be able to go. I hate that. I want to listen to Christmas music on the way there. You know, songs that no one else apparently knows except for my family. Who knew? Not I. I love the Christmas CD's that my dad made, but no one else in the world has heard some of the Christmas songs that I know.

I really want to go to Virginia and just spend some time with my family. I love making fudge with Amy in my grandparents kitchen (even though I sneezed in it last year on accident and everyone hated me), and I love going to the shopping mall there. It's huge, and everyone is moving around so fast buying Christmas presents and spending Christmas money. I love all the Christmas candy that my grandparents buy when we come. I like going to see the huge Christmas tree at DC all lit up.

I want to be able to go so bad. I guess saying that more won't make it happen, but I really hope somehow I can get off work or something. Again, don't get me wrong. I love the Durhams, and Christmas would be great with them, but I just really want to go to Virginia this year.

Basically, what I'm saying boils down to this. If you get to be with your family this Christmas, soak it up, and don't take advantage of it. Deck those halls!

Anyway, Anna and I are about to watch a movie. Have a great night. I love you all :)

*UPDATE*

I was completely only thinking about last year's Christmas. Duh. I also really miss the times with Elise, Lee, Juliane and Stan. I miss making cookies with them and going to that one house in town where Santa stands at the end of the driveway and hands out candy canes. I also meant to mention them earlier in my blog about the pajamas and stuff. Not like you guys thought I liked them less, but I just realized that I forgot to mention them. Plus, Juliane reminded me about one of our favorite Christmas songs. Jim Nabors' version of Sleigh Ride. We love the part where he belts out "IIIIII LOVE A SLEIGH RIDE!!!!"

Hilarious. Ok, the end for real now. Go be with your families.

Shutterfly = Santa

2010-12-02T11:51:00.003-06:00

Didn't you know? Shutterfly is doing an epic giveaway this Holiday season. You know, to bloggers! People always ask me what the point is of a blog. I think that's a [not so] polite way of asking why in the world people would want to read about my adventures. ahem. Well, here's a purpose of being a blogger. If you're a blogger, Shutterfly loves you!

There's no catch, just blog about how great the Shutterfly holiday cards are (which is easy peasey lemon squeezy!) because they're great. Holiday cards are expensive, so my family never did them, but we would always get cute holiday cards in the mail of our family members or friends from church. I was always secretly jealous that we didn't send out Christmas cards.

Now, you all know how much I love Christmas, and if you don't? Well, then we probably haven't met. So, nice to meet you. I love Christmas. So, my family loves Christmas too, but for some reason, we just have never done cards. Luckily for me, the Durham family does Christmas cards, so that probably means that when James and I get married, we will send them out! I'm excited.

Ok, enough ramble. Let me just tell you what all types of cards Shutterfly has to offer. Your eyes might explode from the cuteness of these cards, though, so take caution when clicking on the little blue words from here on out. :)

Ok, first of all, they offer birthday cards. Which isn't really relevant to the holiday season, but everyone has a birthday, so just remember this for when your birthday rolls around. Or, you know, if you have kids. :) Imagine just how cute your kids would look on these precious cards. They have cards for boys and girls! I might convince Elise and Lee to invest in some birth announcements for when Lucas gets here. You know, I've got to make sure my nephew arrives in style. :)

Second of all, they offer Christmas Photo Cards. Which, I mean, it's Christmas, people! Soak it up! I clicked through the Christmas Photo Card options and tried to pick a favorite and I literally could not. They are all adorable. I can just imagine pictures in them. Some of them have 4 or 5 spots for pictures, and some of them have one picture take up the entire card. I just seriously can't get over the cards on there. Maybe it's because the models on the pictures are so cute, or maybe it's just because the card is cute. For the holiday ones, they have a really nice color red on most of the cards. Some are also brown! Oh, and of course green. :) I just love them all.

Thirdly, they offer Holiday Cards. What's the difference between Christmas Photo Cards and Holiday Cards? Well, the Holiday Cards say precious things like "Happy Holidays" with snow flakes on it, and another one that says "Singing Holiday Cheer". I mean seriously, how cute?!? Another says "May your holidays be filled with love and laughter". I want them all!

Trying to think of a good gift idea but not sure what? Something that your family won't just look at and then throw aside? Never fear! Shutterfly is here, and they have cute photo calendars! Seriously, so cute. Give your loved ones something they have to use all year! Everyone needs a calendar to keep on track, so why not make it cute? They have poster calendars, Wall calendars, and desk calendars, so no matter who you're shopping for, they have a calendar to fit that person! Genius, I tell you.

Ok, so say you're having a Christmas or New Years Eve Party, and you want a cute way to tell everyone about it. Because let's be honest, facebook virtual invites are lame. So, Shutterfly will help you! Seriously, they have holiday invitations and new year's invitations. Naturally, both are adorable.

Ok, now that you've heard me gush about how precious their designs are, go order some, for Pete's sake! You must think I'm an avid Shutterfly customer to be telling you all of this stuff. Oh, but you'd be wrong. Sadly, I am just now discovering Shutterfly. I wish I knew about it before, because you know I would have been an avid customer for years, had I known.

Well, now I know, so when I have parties, showers, or kids, I will know that Shutterfly is my friend. Their 2010 Christmas collection is adorable. I can't wait to see what they come up with next year. I'm sure it will be even cuter. (If that's even possible!)

Ok, go to Shutterfly and buy some cards! Oh, and if you're a blogger, look at their website, soak it all in, and you can win 50 free! What a deal! Just for being a blogger. So all my bloggy friends out there, look at their website and drool over it like I did. Juliane and Stan, you guys could both do it, and then send some to your friends and students there, as well as your family here in the United States. How fun would that be?

Ok, go here and win! Have a great day, I love you all. :)

Who Brought the Green Bean Casserole?

2010-11-29T08:53:00.003-06:00

*tap. tap* Is anyone out there?

That was me tapping on my proverbial microphone. You know, because I have been absentee since "October 5th. Did you know that? October 5th" as Jessica would say. (Jessica is going to be my sister-in-law, dontcha know?)

Anyway, It's been forever since I blogged last. Let me see what I need to catch you up on.

1) I quit the call center job and was jobless for like 2 weeks. Why? We basically just lied to people all day long. We made them believe that we were with one phone company (their current provider) to sell them long distance. Really, though, we were calling on behalf of another long distance company who happened to be their provider's competitor. I wasn't ok with that.

2) I got a new job working as "Your Family Portrait Specialist" (as it says on my name tag) at Picture Me! Portrait Studio. You know, the picture place in front of your friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart (or Sears).

3) So far this year, I have decorated 3 Christmas trees. The one at the Durham home, the one at the Brewer home, and the one at the Durham-Brewer home. (You know, since I live with Anna, my other soon(ish) to be sister-in-law.)

4) I'm waiting to hear back from a place in Columbia about CNA training. CNA stands for Certified Nursing Assistant. Basically, the CNA does the dirty work of the Nurse. Anyway, I know what you're thinking. Another different job? I know, I know. I change jobs more than some people change underwear. Believe me, I have beat myself up for the fact that I have not kept one job for a while. On the plus side, I wasn't fired from any of them, and I (as well as my family) thought that it was best to leave the places for certain reason. For example, when I felt like I was lying to people all day. Or, you know, when I would have had to work on Sundays. Yeah, neither of those jobs worked out.

5) Also, James and I have decided that we are going to wait until he graduates Nursing School to get married. He should graduate from Nursing School in December of 2012 if all goes according to plan. We just figured that it would be best to save money for a couple years and since a lot of people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest, there's no need to add the added stress of nursing school to the first year of marriage. Plus, by the time we get married, we will have been dating for like 2 and a half years, which is a good amount of dating time. You know, since we got engaged after 4 months, we might as well be engaged for 2 years. We just did it a little bit backwards. No worries. We have several great and cute ideas for our wedding, when it does happen, and we are excited about the future. For now, though, he is focusing on school so he can actually have a degree one day.

So, now you're caught up on what has been going on. Now, what's with the title of this blog post, anyway? I'm sure you're all curious. (Um, if anyone even still reads my blog. Ahem.)

I didn't get to go to Thanksgiving with my family this year, but I did get to see them Friday. Instead, I went to Thanksgiving with the Durham family. I was telling Jess, James, Anna and Cary (James' mom) about how much I love green bean casserole and how it's the highlight of my Thanksgiving meal every year. They told me that they don't have green bean casserole, and I started crying. Ok, no. I didn't start crying. I was shocked and dismayed though. I asked if I could make some. I wasn't sure if that would be obtrusive.

"Hi, thanks for inviting me to your family Thanksgiving. I brought food because I was afraid I wouldn't like yours."

Ok, not that I felt that way, but I was concerned how it would come across to the family. So, I asked Cary if it would be ok. She checked with the host's mom, and they said I could bring it. So, I did. Then, the morning of Thanksgiving, about 5 minutes before Anna and I left the house to pick up James, I pulled the green bean casserole out of the oven, and I pulled the rack out too far. It slipped, and I barely caught it.

The answer to the title of my blog post was almost "No one". But alas, I saved the scrumptious dish, and I saved the day. Ok, that's dramatic. I did bring the green bean casserole though. People were curious as to who brought the foreign dish. Of course, the foreigner. (That would be me.)

I was nervous that people wouldn't like it, etc. However, when we were back in the kitchen that night for warmed up plates of Thanksgiving food, (Does everyone do that Thanksgiving night? I think so) James' aunt said that she liked it and that since I brought it this year, I started a tradition and I need to bring it every year. You know, because everyone will be counting on me for the green bean casserole. They're counting down now. I can imagine.

Ok, I'm being dramatic again. Hey, I am making up for lost time here. Anyway, it was a nice substitute for being away from my family. Which is good. You know, since I'll be stuck with the Durham family for a while. My green bean casserole is famous, now, you know.

Only next year I won't almost dump it out when getting it out of the oven. Well, I'll try not to. I can't make any promises. I'm pretty clumsy.

Oh, also, here's something great! If you're a blogger, you can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Absolutely free. You excited? :) Me too! You can do it here.

Ok, thank you all for sticking with me (If anyone is still out there) through my blogging drought and my rambling post today. Have a great day. I love you all :)

Changes

2010-10-05T14:32:00.002-05:00

Ok, I just posted this as my facebook status.

Three pieces of crucial information. 1) I will be deleting this facebook account soon and starting another one. 2) I got a job in Columbia, TN. 3) Jessica Durham and I are about to make a cake recipe that is very festive. Yes, we made it up. Yes, it includes candy corn.

Now I feel like I should clarify. You know, for those of you who are curious. I have been getting text messages and comment, so I figure I should clue you guys in.

Ok, 1) I will be deleting this facebook account soon and starting another one.

This is due to the fact that I have a bunch of facebook friends and I don't even know half of them. I have a bunch of old pictures on facebook that I don't even want to be tagged in anymore. They're old and I look dumb. haha. Also, I don't like deleting people simply for the fact that if they realize I deleted them, I feel awkward. This way, I don't have to go through and waste time deleting pictures and friends. Also, if I delete my account and start another one right away, people can add me, and I will confirm the people I know. Who needs 2,000 facebook friends anyway? Not me. So, I will confirm you if you send me a request and we are actually friends in real life. (Or, you know, in blogging life.)

Ok, 2) I got a job in Columbia, TN.

Columbia is located about an hour and a half from my house, and about half an hour from the Durham home. For those of you who don't know, James has a sister named Anna that I lived with in college. She is a teacher and she lives by herself about 2 minutes from James and his family. She wants someone to move in with her to help with rent and stuff. So, my parents and I talked last night and I talked to the lady at work in Columbia again today. She wants me to start Monday. Since I have never really been on my own before, (besides college, and that doesn't count to me because I didn't pay bills and have a job) my parents think it would be a good idea to kinda' do a trial run. Live with Anna for a while and pay bills with the income and stuff. If it is working, then I will live there. I think it will be a good transition between living at home and being married. The place that I got the job is a place that, once again, sells things over the phone. This time, it's literature. It's Monday-Friday. Never on weekends, never on Holidays.

Ok, 3) Jessica Durham and I are about to make a cake recipe that is very festive. Yes, we made it up. Yes, it includes candy corn.

The bright idea entered my head earlier today to make a festive cake. I love candy corn, and recently a lot of people have been asking me if I eat candy corn with peanuts because it tastes like a Payday. So, I decided that it would be a good idea to mix up a cake, drop some candy corn in it and bake it. Then, the candy corn melts and is through out the cake. Then, when the cake comes out, the crunches up peanuts and more melted candy corn goes on top! Yum! We shall see how it works out. :)

Thank you all for being concerned. I talked to my parents and James about the big decisions in my life, and I am pleased, excited and nervous about all the changes coming up soon. I love you all. Have a great day.

Shocker

2010-09-20T14:29:00.002-05:00

I'm sure that my parents and other family members all expected me to fall flat on my face as soon as I got home after the 2874207 years I was in college. I was constantly calling my mom to put more money in my account because I had spent more than I had. I took naps every day. I slept in on Saturdays. I watched tv instead of studying. At Freed I watched every episode of glee, parenthood, vampire diaries, The OC, and The Biggest Loser. I don't have time for tv now. Weird. I acted like I was going to die if I missed an episode. It was like, "I have a softball game tonight during glee. Mad!" Now? I actually don't even remember what night those shows are aired. Except Parenthood. I know that's Tuesdays. Is it at 8:00 or 9:00? I don't remember that. I love that show. That still doesn't mean I get to watch it. Rude.

Now, let's get one thing straight. I'm not saying that my parents and family are rude for thinking I'd fall flat on my face upon getting out of college. I mean, let's be honest. I thought I would too. I'm actually surprising myself. I have a savings account, I only keep a small amount in my checking account from each check, and I'm already paying on my student loans. I seriously thought for sure that I would get out of college, not find a job, be in debt forever, and keep my spending habits.

Luckily, I surprised myself! I don't touch my savings account. The biggest amount I have spent from my checking in the past 3 checks has been $30, and it was on gas every time. I hope I can keep this up. Hope? What am I saying? I have to keep this up! So, for everyone who thought I'd fall on my face, continue to bury myself in debt and work at Chick-fil-A, this one's for you. (um, and me.)

I'm officially on my way to growing up. Let's be honest, though. I'm still the same Christine. I'm still a big fat nerd. I still hate making decisions, but I realized that if I'm ever going to pay off my loans, I had to get a fire under my tail. Luckily, that fire is lit, and it's burning pretty hot.

Anyway, I work at 6 tonight, as you may remember from my last post. So, I'm going to change my laundry, finish the dishes and get ready for work. Have a great day. I love you all.

busy busy bumble bee

2010-09-16T15:07:00.003-05:00

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't blogged lately (and threatened me...ahem.) and you may want to know why. Well, let me just tell you. My weeks are so so so crazy lately. Let's just have a run through. I'm going to start with Tuesdays because I want to, and that's when my work week starts at afni.

Pause. For those of you who don't know, I have two jobs. My day job is as a Customer Care Consultant at afni. Which, if you are not aware, is a place in town that is customer care for Verizon Wireless. (Which I think is ironic because Verizon doesn't even pick up here.) My night job is at Potter Children's Home. I call Christians around the nation collecting support for our work at Potter. Ok, now that you know, I can tell you about my week.

Tuesdays: wake up at 5:00 and get ready in my grown up clothes. No jeans, t-shirts or flip flops. I pack my lunch in a lunch box. I pack a banana, a pudding snack pack, a granola bar and a turkey/bologna sandwich with cheese. Then, I work at afni from 6:00-2:30. I come home, check my online classes and work on the homework. I usually end up calling some sort of loan company concerning my student loans and being irritated when they can't help me. Then, at 5:00, I eat dinner and get ready for work at Potter. I work at Potter from 6-9 and then I get home at around 9:15. I talk to my parents for about 10 or 15 minutes, and then I go to my room and James and I skype for a little bit. I go to bed at 10:00.

Wednesdays: wake up at 5:00 and get ready in my grown up clothes. No jeans, t-shirts or flip flops. I pack my lunch in a lunch box. I pack a banana, a pudding snack pack, a granola bar and a turkey/bologna sandwich with cheese. Then, I work at afni from 6:00-2:30. I come home, check my online classes and work on the homework. I usually end up calling some sort of loan company concerning my student loans and being irritated when they can't help me. (Noticing a trend here?) Then, I get ready for church. Amy Wells and I teach the high school girls class together. Then, I get home at like 8:30. I sit in the living room for a while and watch Man vs. Food with my parents. Then, I go to my room and James and I skype for a little bit. I go to bed at 10:00.

Thursdays: wake up at 5:00 and get ready in my grown up clothes. No jeans, t-shirts or flip flops. I pack my lunch in a lunch box. I pack a banana, a pudding snack pack, a granola bar and a turkey/bologna sandwich with cheese. Then, I work at afni from 6:00-2:30. I come home, check my online classes and work on the homework. I usually end up calling some sort of loan company concerning my student loans and being irritated when they can't help me. Then, at 5:00, I eat dinner and get ready for work at Potter. I work at Potter from 6-9 and then I get home at around 9:15. I talk to my parents for about 10 or 15 minutes, and then I go to my room and James and I skype for a little bit. I go to bed at 10:00. (Yes, that was the exact same as my Tuesday routine.)

Fridays: wake up at 5:00 and get ready excitedly because it's CASUAL FRIDAY! You know, jeans, t-shirts and flip flops. I pack my lunch in a lunch box. I pack a banana, a pudding snack pack, a granola bar and a turkey/bologna sandwich with cheese. Then, I work at afni from 6:00-2:30. I come home, check my online classes and work on the homework. I usually end up calling some sort of loan company concerning my student loans and being irritated when they can't help me. (Yep, that trend is still going strong.) Then, I do some laundry and eat with my parents. We watch Man vs. Food or something else that my dad has recorded on DVR.Then, I pack for the weekend. (Why? Well, sit tight. I'm getting to that.) Then, I go to my room and James and I skype for a little bit. I go to bed at 10:00.

Saturdays: wake up at 5:00 and get ready excitedly because it's CASUAL SATURDAY! You know, jeans, t-shirts and flip flops. I pack my lunch in a lunch box. I pack a banana, a pudding snack pack, a granola bar and a turkey/bologna sandwich with cheese. I throw my bag for the weekend in the car. Then, I work at afni from 6:00-2:30. As soon as 2:30 hits, I race to the car and teleport to Summertown to spend the weekend (what's left of it, anyway) with James and his family. I get there about 4:30 or 5ish. We eat dinner around the table with everyone and then we usually watch a movie or something. We usually just sit around doing nothing until about midnight. Then, we go to sleep.

Sundays: Wake up and get our church on. Jeff preaches and James leads singing. I sit next to Jessica and we are friends. Cary supplies the church candy. Then, it's time to head back to the Durham household and get our grub on. Then, we watch tv for a while, take a Sunday nap, get up, eat some ice cream or some other dessert. Then, we go to church at night. After church, we go back to the Durham household, watch tv that they have recorded on the DVR. Usually it's Rookie Blue, Royal Pains or Wipeout. Then, we usually stay up until about midnight and go to sleep.

Mondays: Wake up and do nothing for a while. James goes to class and I head home. Then, I run errands and then I work at Potter from 6-9 and then I get home at around 9:15. I talk to my parents for about 10 or 15 minutes, and then I go to my room and James and I skype for a little bit. I go to bed at 10:00.

Then? Tuesday, and we all know what happens then. My week starts.

Granted some things change throughout the week, but mostly everything is the exact same. That's a true story. My life can't get even a smidge more exciting, could it?

In other news, Elise is having a boy!! I knew it. Oh, she's due at the end of January and I'm excited. I'm going to be an aunt!

Anyway, according to my schedule, it's time for me to check my online classes and do my homework before heading to my night job. Have a great day! I love you all.

The 90's

2010-08-30T11:55:00.002-05:00

Do YOU remember the 90s??

You're a 90's kid if you remember:

When dippin' dots were new, and it was an exciting possibility that they may one day become the ice cream of the future.

You remember watching -Doug -Ren & Stimpy -Pinky and the Brain -AAAAAAAH Real Monsters! -Rockos modern Life. -Animaniacs  

You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"

 You just cant resist finishing this... "in west Philadelphia born and raised..."

 You remember -Step by Step -Family Matters -Dinosaurs -Boy Meets World-Full house 

You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons. 

You remember reading "Goosebumps" 

You still get the urge to say "NOT" after (almost) every sentence...Not. 

When everything was settled by rock paper scissors

 When kick ball was a daily activity. 

 You used to listen to the radio all day long just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time on a cassette tape.  Along those lines, when "mix tapes" were the cool thing.

You remember when Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis became popular.

 You remember The Original Game Boy.

 You always wanted to send in a tape to America's Funniest Home Videos . . . but never taped anything funny. 

You remember watching -The Magic School Bus -Wishbone -Reading Rainbow -Mr.rodgers neighbor hood-and Ghostwriter on PBS 

You remember when Yo-Yos were cool, and you could do tricks like "walk the dog".

 You remember those Where's Waldo books, and you had his location memorized on every page of every book.  

You remember eating Warheads and Splashers Gum. 

You remember watching -the 1st Batman -Aladdin -Ninja Turtles -ghost busters 

You remember when Ring Pops were the thing.

You remember when every thing was "da BOMB!" 

You remember boom boxes .vs. cd players. 

Making those little paper fortune things, and then predicting your life with them. 

You played and/or collected "Pogs" . You were really cool if you had a pog container.

You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere. 

Troll babies with cool hair and gems in their belly buttons.

Windows 95 was the best. 

You watched the original cartoons of -Rugrats -Wild Thornberry's -Power Rangers -Rocket Power. 

All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand.

You had a trapper keeper.

 You collected those Beanie Babies. 

You remember Carebears .

You know that Lambchop's song never ended.

 Silver dollars, which were cool to have. Along with two dollar bills.

 Everyone watched the WB. 

If you even know what an original walkman is. 

You know the Macarena by heart.

 "Talk to the hand"...enough said 

You went to McDonald's to play in the playplace. 

You remember playing on merry go rounds at the playground. 

When light up sneakers were cool. 

When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.

 When gas was 0.95 a gallon. 

When we recorded stuff on VCRs. 

You had slap bracelets! 

If you had a ferbie. You know, or you really wanted one, like me, but couldn't convince your parents to shell out the ridiculous price just for a talking fur ball.

You Actually played outside until it was dark and caught lightning bugs.

Yep. The days of childhood. They were great. I wonder what crazy things my kids will remember one day. Probably like a spaceship and an oven that prepares food for us. You know, the usual.

Have a great day. I love you all :)

out of control.

2010-08-27T18:15:00.002-05:00

I have no words for this.

Ok, this is an actual news cast. I'm not kidding you.

Hold on, first of all, let it be known that I am not not not laughing at rape or anything that happened. Rape is not funny. Rape is never funny. I just think this guy is hilarious.

Then, someone made a remix and it is stuck in my head. People are crazy. That's all I know.

Please don't judge me for this. Like I said, I do not think that rape is funny. That's completely not the point of me pointing these videos.

I hope you got a laugh out of these videos. If not, I'm sorry and please don't judge me.

Ok, I love you all.

The Little Things

2010-08-23T09:29:00.003-05:00

Well, it's that time again. Everyone is headed back to campus. Amy is packing up her stuff and her last day at Chick-fil-A was Saturday. She is gearing up for the Fall semester, and from the looks of facebook status updates, the Freed-Hardeman campus is already crawling with students eager for the Fall semester. At the end of the 2009 school year this past May, I was eagerly awaiting the Fall semester simply so I could brag about being done at Freed. I was annoyed with being stuck on a campus. I was annoyed with college life. Don't get me wrong, I love Freed. I love my friends there. I love my roommates so much. I was just so over being a college student. I mean, it's been like 5 years. Seriously. I was tired of cafeteria food. I was tired of stupid rules in the dorm. I was tired of 11:00 pm being "quiet hour" and I was tired of classes. Now? I am so so envious of the students going back in the Fall. I thought that I would eventually be sad to see the facebook status updates. Yeah, eventually. I didn't think it would be Fall of 2010. Not this soon.

My dear friend and roommate Emily and I both feel the same. While everyone else is moving back into the dorms, we are in our respective home towns. Working our lives away. More than anything, I would love to be in the living room of PT 15. I would love to be hanging up posters, putting away my dorm stuff, blaring music and singing at the top of my lungs with Emily and Alyssa. Yeah, then, after we did that and we were all settled in, we would ~~probably~~ definitely watch an endless amount of One Tree Hill episodes. Then, when it was time for bed, Emily would go to her room, and Alyssa and I would switch on HGTV and watch one episode of House Hunters. Then, we would play our lullaby. I'd say, "Goodnight, roommate." To which she would reply, "Goodnight, Pooter."

Yep. I'm crying now as I write this. Haha. What a nerd. Yeah, Emily and I will visit, but it won't be the same. It's weird. I so wish that I could be on campus for devotionals in the commons when everyone is reunited from a long summer. I wish I could go to Clayton Chapel singings. I wish I could go to GTO meetings and even eat in Gano. I wish I could snuggle up in my green chair, Zeke, and prop my feet up on the wall and watch GSN with Emily and Alyssa in the middle of the day between classes. I wish I could watch Vampire Diaries with all the lights off and all of us on the edge of our seats. I wish I could be sitting in the living room with Alyssa while we listened to Emily sing in the shower. I wish that we could make chocolate covered strawberries again. I wish we could run to Wal-Mart just because there is nothing to do in Henderson. I wish Emily and I could crack up at Alyssa in a laughing fit for no reason at all.

It's the little things that I miss. It's the diet coke fridge I miss. It's the cup full of straws. It's the roommate bonding nights with diet coke, boiled peanuts and The OC. It's the times that Emily and I would watch Deal or No Deal and laugh at the greedy people for being dumb. It's the nights we stayed up way too late for no reason when we had to wake up way too early. It's the days in chapel when the singing was so great that I wished we could skip classes and sing all day long. It's Mongolian Bar Wednesday in Gano when Emily and I would run from chapel to beat Joe Delay to Gano. It's the trick-or-treating in the dorms when everyone dresses up and acts like 5 years olds. It's the trick-or-treating and the amount of rebellion that college students feel when girls are allowed to go in boy's dorms, and boys are allowed to go in girl's dorms.

It's getting a pink pop-ice from the freezer along with a diet coke. It's grabbing a green pop-ice and diet coke for Alyssa and walking from our room to the living room to surprise her with it. It's the wall of pictures that we had in PT 15. It's the random pictures we took for no reason. It's the zebra cakes. It's the stinky dorm rooms and the filthy carpets. It's blaring our music with the window open while cleaning our room. It's the smell of bleach at health inspection time. It's painting canvas things for our suite. It's drawing cartoon figures of us. It's Lydia, Susan and Helga. It's the 5:45 service at Henderson Church of Christ. It's everything.

It's the sleeping late and staying in bed all day long on Saturday. It's the amount of love I have for my roommates that will never get smaller. It's the times we laughed until our sides ached. It's the useless videos we made at 1:30 in the morning using the effects on my MacBook. It's that one weekend we were stuck inside because of snow and we all became addicted to Phase 10. It's the fact that we all have old lady nicknames because we are dumb. It's even walking from PT 15 to BK 3rd floor. I would give anything in the world right now to be able to do that. It's whistling at people on the street from Amy and Amanda's third floor window and watching them look around for who whistled at them.

It's Ms. Zelma and Clarence at the wrap station. It's that guy at the pizza station that makes excellent pizza. It's the fact that in the bubble, everyone hugs and it's ok. It's the low roar in the cafeteria of students excited to be back. It's Dan Winkler's Bible class. It's that after every class, every student would sit in silence taking in what Dan Winkler had said during class. It's the tolling of the bell. It's the "look to your left and look to your right" speech. It's the musters. It's the dorm life. It's avoiding the end of the hallway with the soccer cleats because they stink. It's going to Chow Wagon with Alyssa for fried mushrooms.

It's the little things. I miss it all. Everyone is back at Freed, and I'm sitting here like a loser crying while I blog. I seriously thought I wouldn't be one of these people. Here I sit. Wishing I could sit through a muster and share looks with Haylee, Megan, Alyssa and Emily about how we already know the rules for the billionth time. It's having to fight for an empty washer or dryer. It's going downstairs to find that someone had removed my clothes from the washer and left them in a wet pile. It's having to buy our own toilet paper. It's running from opossums in the commons. It's getting a cheese danish from the library and surprising Alyssa with a Cinnamon roll.

It's everything. I miss everything about that campus. I miss the people, the events, the stinky dorms, the lack of cool air when the air conditioner goes out. I miss it. I miss it all.

Ok, sorry for reminiscing. Basically Emily and Alyssa will be the only ones who liked this post. That's ok, I had fun remembering all the fun times. Now that I'm crying, I think I should pull myself away from the computer and snap back to reality of my two jobs and the fact that I have an interview for another job and a Wednesday night High School girl's class to prepare.

If you're in college, cherish it. Seriously.

Have a great day. I love you all.

Change of Plans

2010-08-11T21:19:00.004-05:00

Remember that diet I told you about yesterday? It's out the window. James had a brilliant idea to get pizza (stuffed crust) and cheesecake. So now, we are about to stuff our faces and watch a movie. :)

Tomorrow I will go back to no diet coke and no sweets. One splurge night never hurt anyone, eh?

Ok, I gotta' go. James, a pizza, my cheesecake, and a movie are all waiting for me!

Diet Blog Post

2010-08-10T09:43:00.010-05:00

Just in case you didn't know, I have lost 23 pounds this summer. I think it started in early June. I'm not entirely sure. I went back and looked through pictures to see how I could tell a difference, and I the best I can come up with was that it all started in June. First, some before and after pictures. Actually, I don't want to say "after" pictures yet, because I'm not done losing weight. Ok, they will be "before" and "during" pictures. Let the pictures begin!

This picture was at the beginning of June. Please note the heart attack I am holding in a pan, and also my double chin. My belly sticks out, and that shirt is an XL.

This was at the zoo. This was about the middle of July. Note that my face is rather rotund still. That shirt is size L. Though you can't see it very well. It's a size Large, but it may have been a tad snug, or fit just right. I don't recall.

This picture was taken this past Sunday. I'd like to think that my face looks a tad slimmer. Also, my shorts have breathing room. That shirt, which gives me more than enough breathing room, is a size Large. Oh yeah.

What's my secret? Well, it's not really a secret at all. I just cut out cokes (yes, diet coke counts as coke too) and desserts. That's it! No exercise, no busting my rear end counting calories. That's it! Just cutting out cokes (like I said, just diet coke for me, but that's bad for you too. who knew?) and desserts. Yeah, I know. It sounds easier than it is. I just have to convince myself that I don't want that that piece of cake. I hear that the best bite of dessert is the first one. After that, people just eat to eat. I mean, let's be honest. We all eat just to eat sometimes.

I was hardcore with no diet coke for a long while. Then I decided that I could have one every once in a while. I should really actually go back to having none at all. Again, easier said than done.

Here's another fun time idea. We just invented this last night. We were eating sorbet. I know, I said no desserts. This, however, will not kill you if you eat it every once in a while.

It's fat free. It's sorbet. It's way better than ice cream. It comes with a spoon. It's .98 at Wal-Mart. It's 110 calories. James and I share one, so that's roughly 55 calories a piece. I love it. At any rate, we invented a game to where we earn the 55 calorie snack. Heard of sit-ups? Ok, well. I had a video, but it disappeared, so I will just explain it. Sit facing someone with your legs parallel to the person's legs. One person holds the sorbet and the spoon. The other person lays down on their back. In order to earn a bite of 55 calorie (if you share, 110 if not) sorbet, the person does a sit-up. Thus, earning a bite of sorbet. I don't know if that made any sense at all.

Also, another thing I am going to try to lose more weight, but I haven't yet, is this thing called the 3 day diet. People have been known to lose 10 pounds in these 3 days. I'm not sure. I will try it though, and keep you posted.

Here's the 3 day diet:

It's hard to see, so you can click here to see what to eat on each day. Also to see what doctors have said about it. It's something with how your metabolism breaks up the combinations of the food. I don't know. Anyway, there you have it.

I hope that was of some help. If not, I'm sorry! I love you all. Have a great day.

Soapbox about marriage

2010-08-05T09:09:00.003-05:00

Today, in class, we were discussing marriage, dating, and relationships. We were discussing three couples in a book, and I said that I thought one specific couple had the best marriage because they were best friends and then it moved to a relationship. I said that I think that you should marry your best friend. I thought that was common sense, but other people started saying other things. I'm not sure it was completely relevant, but one guy said that he thought that a guy and a girl couldn't be friends without one of them having feelings for the other. Which I don't think is relevant, but I think that he was saying that you shouldn't marry your best friend. I'm not entirely sure, though. At any rate, it made me want to blog. (Lucky you.)

It might just be me, but this is what I think about marriage. You should marry your best friend. Your husband should be the one in whom you confide. Your husband should be someone with whom you can laugh, be yourself, have fun, cry, love. Yes, physical attraction is important, but looks fade, so that should not even be close to being the foundation for a successful relationship. The people in class made it sound like you shouldn't marry your best friend. I'm not sure that's what they meant, but still. Your husband should be someone around whom you can be yourself.

If you have a husband who is not your best friend, then what is he? Who do you run to when you are upset if you don't run to your husband? If you and your husband have a fight, do you run to your best friend and bad mouth your husband? If you have some free time after work, and want to do something fun, who do you call? When you get married, you spend the rest of your life with that person. Why would you not want that person to be your best friend? I don't understand the appeal of marrying someone who is not your best friend. What is the point? Is it for the physical aspect? That's just dumb. Looks fade. What if your husband gets paralyzed from the waist down, and you can no longer have relations? Then what? The physical aspect is gone. Does that mean the relationship deteriorates? That's a sad and shallow marriage, if you ask me. Marriage is being in love. Yes, the best friend love. Of course. It's deeper than that, though. Being in love is caring about someone so deeply that nothing they do or say can change the way you feel about them. Being in love is seeing someone in not only their best, but their worst state, and still wanting to spend the rest of your life with them.

Your husband should be someone with whom you are comfortable. Your husband should be someone who longs to help you get to Heaven. He should be someone who prays with you and studies the Bible with you. Your husband should make you laugh and make you happy that you get to spend the rest of your life with him by your side. Wait, did you catch that? The rest of your life. Yeah. That's a big commitment. Much more than just physical. The love you and your husband share should be much deeper than the fact that you have physical attraction for each other and a few things in common.

Marriage is a bond that is stronger than any other. Marriage should be two people that are so in love with God and each other that nothing can touch their marriage. Not even the sands of time. So, yes. I think you should marry your best friend. I think your spouse should be someone with whom you discuss everything. A marriage is a partnership. Partnership.

Ok, I'll hop down off my soapbox now. It just boggles my mind that these qualities I have mentioned are not qualities that people look for when looking for a spouse. I'm going to marry my best friend, that's all I know.

I love you all. Have a great day.

Sleeeeeep

2010-08-04T08:31:00.004-05:00

In my summer course, we are talking about women and men. We are currently discussing whether or not women need more sleep than men. I get mocked by a specific boy who shall not be named for napping so much. He thinks it's odd how much I sleep and how often I crave a nap. I thought I was just lazy. I mean, I am. However, a girl just brought forth an article that says that "Women need 20 minutes more shut-eye than the average man. This is because women's brains are wired differently than men's and are more complex so their sleep need is slightly greater."

hah! We are just smarter, our brain works harder, and we multitask. Hence, more need for sleep. All those naps I take are justified. Anyone who knows me knows that I can't focus on one thing for very long. You see? My brain is running all over the place. It's getting tired. So, I deserve every nap I take.

Oh, but what if a man has a job where he uses his brain an extra amount? No worries, there's a quote about that too!

"A man who has a complex job that involves a lot of decision-making and literal thinking may also need more sleep than the average male-though probably still not as much as a woman."

Ok, so maybe not all the naps I take are justified or earned, but still. Women need more sleep than men. Not to be all "women's rights" crazy on you and to say that women are superior, but women have "more complex" brains than men. That simply means that our brains move around more and we tire ourselves out. Ok, just so it's clear that I'm not bashing men and calling them dumb.

I hope that's clear.

Let's be honest. I nap more than necessary. I just wanted to say that I deserve some naps. I work my brain to the bone all day long because I'm so ADD. hah!

Ok, ladies, go take a nap. You know, or sleep 20 minutes longer than your husband. I actually think 20 minutes is juuuust enough time for your husband to make you breakfast and bring it to you in bed right in time for you to wake up. You should pass that on. Oh, but you didn't hear it from me.

Have a great day. I love you all.

Excitement.

2010-08-02T09:47:00.001-05:00

I am excited. Wanna know why? Ok, I'll tell you! Two reasons.

1) I got 6 inches cut off my hair. It's a much better style for summer. My long, thick, hot hair isn't hanging around on my neck all day long. :)

2) I've lost 22 pounds.

Yeah, I said it. I'm excited. That is all.

I'll just be right here.

2010-07-30T08:53:00.004-05:00

So, I got to class this morning to take my midterm. You know, since it's a two week course and today is the end of the first week. Hence, midterm. Anyway, (note that I said "anyway" and not "anyways" because people told me I was wrong in the last post. ahem.) I got to class at 8:00, took my midterm, and I finished about 10 minutes ago. As I handed in my papers, the teacher says, "Be back in an hour." An hour? What am I supposed to do for an hour? I am in Henderson, TN. The armpit of Tennessee, if you will. So, here I am in the lobby. Luckily, the couches are really comfortable in this lobby. I could probably fall asleep. I won't, but I could. So, I'll just be right here. Sitting. Waiting for an hour to go by. I decided I'd blog. Aren't you proud of me? Blogging is on my mind again! It was a drought, I know. I'm sorry. At any rate, I'm back in the blogging world.

So, today, after class, I am going to Summertown to pick up James when he gets off work, and then we are going to my house. You know what I want to do when I get to Bowling Green? Get my hair chopped off! It's hot and my hair is long and hot on my neck. No thank you. So, this morning I called my beloved Erin, but she didn't answer. I will try again. If she doesn't answer, then I will cry. Ok, not really. I do want to get my hair cut though.

Tomorrow, we (Me, James, My parents, Elise, Lee, Stan, Juliane, and Amy if she doesn't have to work) are going to Nashville for lunch and then to the Bowling Green Hot Rods game tomorrow night. It will be a fun day, I'm sure. Woohoo! I just hope I can get my hair cut. Once I get my mind on something, it's extremely hard for me to focus on something else, and now that I've decided I want my hair gone, I will be thinking about it until it gets done.

Sidenote: This guy from class just walked into the lobby. I'm on my computer and so is another guy in the lobby. The guy who just walked in said, "So, I woke up this morning and I had Pokerface stuck in my head." and then he sat down. So, now here we are. Just sitting here awkwardly. hah!

Also, if you didn't know, silence is deafening. I can hear something dripping behind me, and it sounds extremely loud. Oh, also, I realized that I got exciting news in my blogging drought stage. So, for those of you who don't know, My sister, Elise, is pregnant! :) I'm finally going to be an aunt! She and Lee are expecting their baby (I predict it's a boy) on January 30th! I really want to name my first baby "Scout" like from Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" and so I said to Elise, "Hey, you can't take Scout for your baby." She goes, "...don't worry."

haha. rude. She doesn't like the name. Oh well, I do!

Anyway, I've rambled enough. I will go find something else to do until 9:45. Maybe I'll go fill my car up with gas. Who knows. At any rate, have a great day. I love you all.

Tomatoes

2010-07-28T08:23:00.002-05:00

Want to know what I had for breakfast? You got it. Tomatoes. Ok, that sounds weird. Let me explain. Though it may still sound weird to some of you after you read what I had. Ok, as you know from yesterday, the Durham family has a garden and they eat stuff from the garden a lot. All kinds of veggies. Yum. So, this morning, I had a breakfast sandwich that I like to eat, but I don't have a name for it. Maybe you guys could help me name it. I like that plan. Ok, here's how it goes.

Toast two pieces of bread.

Put cream cheese on both piece of bread.

Cut up one small tomato and put the pieces on the cream cheese side of one piece of bread.

Put the other piece cream cheese side down on top of the tomatoes.

Eat it and enjoy.

Ok, I guess you'd have to try it. It sounds weird, but it's good. It has the perfect amount of texture and flavor mixtures. Yeah, you should try it. Definitely. If you don't want to try it, the least you can do is help me think of a name for it. Why? Well, because "breakfast sandwich with tomato and cream cheese" just doesn't roll off the tongue. So, here is your assignment for the day. Help me think of a name.

Also, you may have noticed my new layout. It's my goal to have a couple more pictures added on top. You know I love my sisters, so they're up there with me for now, but I have 6 pictures I want up there. Yep. That's what I want. Some of you guys may very well be included in my new layout as soon as James and Jessica can figure out how to make it fit juuuust right. Here's a picture. Just because.

Ok, now go do your homework. By that, of course, I mean think of a name for my sandwich. Also, I will blog soon about toothbrush bracelets. Have a great day. I love you all. :)

My Life as of Late :)

2010-07-27T10:01:00.002-05:00

I know, it's been 2619830758 years since I have blogged. I would give you excuses why. Like the fact that I've been at camps, and in classes, and working, and all that. But let's be honest. It's basically just the fact that I have been being lazy and soaking up summer lately. Don't get me wrong. I've been doing that other stuff too. But I could have found time to blog. I'm just lazy. Ok, now that my confession is out of the way. I am in class right now. Well, we are on break, and I'm (again) too lazy to do anything other than sit here. So, I will fill my time blogging. Just like the good old days. I know you remember those. Think back pretty far.

Ok, so you know about James and all that. I'm going to be mushy for a second, so if you don't like it then you can just skip down a paragraph. :) Ok, James is great. He's my boyfriend so I am allowed to brag on him. So there. He is great. Let me just tell you some of the precious things he has done. Well, as a whole, let me tell you about him. He sings to me, prays with me, reads the Bible with me, and cooks with me. He is funny, clever, forgiving, understanding, and trusting. He loves his family and mine. He puts God first and he loves laughing. Let me just tell you something. The other day, he suggested that we go feed the ducks. He also bought us some kites ("Batman for me, and Spiderman for you, since he's your favorite") and suggested we fly them. Yesterday, I was driving to his house for VBS, and I had told him that I was about 20 minutes away. He called me and said, "Hey, I made you a tomato sandwich and I got some salt and vinegar chips, some pickled okra, and a cup of water waiting on the table for when you get here." Precious, eh?

Ok, I'm done bragging about him (for now).

In other news, I LOVE "summer vegetables" and the Durham family has a garden and we have been eating a lot of "summer vegetables" lately. You know, okra, squash, tomatoes, onions. Oh, by the way, the Durham family puts onions in everything. You think I'm kidding. I'm not. Every dish they eat has onions in it. If it doesn't, they just eat plain onions along with the meal. I guess if they come upon some yellow spotted lizards they will be ok. (Ever read the book Holes?)

Anyways, (by the way, is it anyways or anyway?) It's time for class to resume. Sorry if I bored you. I'm a little rusty at this whole blogging thing. ;) hah!

Have a great day. I love you all.

ahem

2010-05-03T23:07:00.002-05:00

I am proud to announce to you bloggy friends:

playful prints by christine

i love you all.

The Facts of Life

2010-04-23T13:02:00.003-05:00

The Facts of Life.

Toilet Paper should be dispensed over the roll.

Bathroom stall doors should never open into the stall.

Nature is soothing.

Laughter is healthy.

Honesty is crucial.

Yawns are contagious.

Seat Belts save lives.

Sound effects make everything better.

Jesus loves you.

Lazy Blog Post

2010-04-21T10:18:00.004-05:00

I'm bogged down. Also lazy. Ok, mostly lazy. Today, I will share with you something that my friend told me about. These are so true. She was reading it to me at breakfast this morning, and after about 90% of them I said, "True!" because I'm a nerd. Anyways, I had to edit some language out, so please enjoy!

oh, by the way. Blue font denotes a word from your friendly neighborhood blogger. (me)

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? (My mom can, though!)

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the Person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after blu-ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Drat!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay. (I do not support those said Friday and Saturday nights.)

21. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters! (I do not support this. I hate road rage.)

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

29. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

30. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

31. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

32. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

33. Even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get up and open the door.

i love you all.

Help!

2010-04-10T18:17:00.003-05:00

I know that it has been 17294038 days since I blogged. I'm sorry. At any rate, I need your help. I'm graduating soon, you know. So so soon! I always thought that I knew what I was going to do when I graduated.

Then, today, my dad was talking about how I needed to put in applications soon. He mentioned something about the area around Freed, and how I should apply there. I was confused, because I always assumed I'd be at home after graduation. (Have I mentioned that before? Ok, well I always thought I'd be Bowling Green bound post graduation.) He said he thinks it would be a good idea if I get a house or apartment with some friends when I graduate, then I could get a job there. I said that I thought it would make more sense if I went back home because I would have money to spend on school loans, and I would have to buy a car because Amy and I share one when we are at school, and since she will be staying at school, she will get to keep Betsy. Oh, bless Betsy. That car has been through a lot. Anyways, he said that if Stan and Juliane stay in China for another year, they are going to sell their car, so I could buy it. He also said that if I have a real job, as I call it, you know, something other than Chick-fil-A, then I will be bringing in enough money to pay rent on a small house. Especially if I am sharing with other girls.

This opened a whole window of opportunity. I had never thought about staying in Henderson. At any rate, I have no idea what to do. Oh, and this was my favorite part of the whole conversation. At the very end, my dad said, "Not that it matters, or is even important, but there are a lot of Christian guys your age in Henderson." It made me laugh out loud. I know they don't care if I get married, but it was funny.

Anyways, I need your input. Please tell me what you think.

1) Be at home and live with my parents, etc.

2) Stay in Henderson and maybe live with Alyssa, Beej and Haylee. Get a job in town, and buy Stan and Juliane's car if they sell it. Oh, and find a husband. hahaha.

Now it's your turn. Please be honest.

i love you all.

Prisencolinensinainciusol

2010-03-29T22:11:00.002-05:00

You know how people try to imitate other languages? You know, when they try to speak Chinese they say something like, "ching chang chong" or if they try to speak German or something they're like, "slutchen dahgen" or something. You know, made up words. Anyways, it had never occurred to me before, but people do that with the English language too. Watch this video. It's this guy who sings a song that sounds like English. Listen close though. It's not English. It's all made up. I love it. Emily played this for us on the way to Florida, and it is stuck in my head a lot. Very catchy.

i love you all.

2010-03-26T15:28:00.002-05:00

On the Way to St. Augustine

2010-03-23T11:05:00.001-05:00

There is a movie place here that you can buy, sell, or trade DVDs. Alyssa wanted to do what the sign said and "trade in any 4 DVDs for a new release" so we went in today with 4 DVDs. Alyssa handed the girl behind the counter 4 used DVDs and the girl scanned all 4 and said, "Ok, store credit is $2.98" so we all thought that's what Alyssa would have to pay. You know, the difference between the 4 used and the new release. Well, then the girl says, "Your total is $15.32" We all gave her a blank and confused look. Alyssa said, "I thought that I bring in these 4 and get a new release." The girl said, "Thats if each DVD is over $1.50, and you only have one that is worth more than $1.50." (She said this while pointing to the sign behind her as if the information was on the sign.) Alyssa said, "Well how do I know that it's over a $1.50?" The girl said, "Its on my screen." as she proceeds to turn the screen around. Alyssa said, "I believe you. I don't want to do that, I'll just take my DVDs back." The girl looked confused and we left. We can't stop laughing. Like Alyssa has her own screen at home to check if the DVDs are over $1.50.

Short

2010-03-22T22:26:00.002-05:00

This post will be short and to the point. I haven't blogged in a long time because I forgot. Gasp. I actually forgot about the blogging world. Updates:

I'm in Florida. We are on Spring Break at Alyssa's house, and we are taking lots of pictures which I will upload later. We have been busy doing nothing, but still managing to be busy. Also, I am in love with Alyssa's family. They suite her perfectly.

My teeth are still hurting. Wait, didn't I have a root canal? Yep. I called the office today of the specialist and the lady said that sometimes the teeth still pulse for up to 14 days after the surgery and, "It's only been 11 days..."

...My mom says, "Yeah, only someone who isn't in pain would say only 11 days."

Right you are. Oh well. Also, Alyssa is in the bed next to me and she just said, "Oops, you accidentally haven't blogged in 10 days." hah. Here I am, though, blogging.

The ride down here was really long. Oh wait. Really long. Yeah. That's more like it. I will [try] and blog again tomorrow, but we are going to St. Augustine, and I think we will be gone from the house pretty much all day. I have more updates on the beach, the break, Alyssa's family, her 2749207 animals, and my teeth, but those will have to wait. It's bed time.

i love you all.

Canal of the Root

2010-03-11T16:29:00.003-06:00

I did it. I had a root canal done today. It was amazing. Everything went perfectly fine, it took about 45 minutes, and I didn't feel a thing. I chose not to be knocked out, because I didn't want to be effected by it. I wanted to be able to drive away from the appointment. (I did, by the way, drive away. I'm that hardcore.) My mouth still feels swollen 3 and a half hours later. It's ok, though, because when the swelling goes down, it will be sore for a week or so, and then no more pain. Yippie! I can't smile correctly, though. My face is huge, and swollen.

See? I look a fool. When the very nice man finished, he said, "Now you can eat ice cream and drink hot coffee." I don't drink coffee, but I didn't correct him, because it didn't matter. I understood what he meant. He took the nerves out of my tooth, so I won't be effected by hot or cold liquids anymore. Yay!

Thank you all for caring about me. I love you all.

My Hope

2010-03-10T23:51:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow, I go to the specialist for my teeth. This is my hope. I walk in, they look at my teeth, and start the root canal right away.

"...Wait, what? You want a root canal?"

You'd better believe it! Then, my stinkin' teeth will stop hurting. Then, it will all be over. Then, I will be able to eat anything. Yes, anything. Anything.

Hot food, cold food, hard food, mushy food...(well, eww.)

At any rate, fingers crossed for a root canal!

Tomorrow at 12:15 (1:15 your time, Shannon!), I will be in the office. Then, I'll update you guys. If I don't? Well, then I went under via drill. Eh, that, or I forgot. I'll try not to do that though!

i love you all.

Memory Verse

2010-03-09T22:23:00.002-06:00

This is Emily. Studying for her memory verse test.

57 years

2010-03-06T16:50:00.005-06:00

Today, dear bloggy friends, is a very special day. Today, my grandparents are celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary. Here they are. They are cute.

They are quite the pair. Grandpa can't hear very well, so Grandma yells at him so he can hear. They make me laugh every time I'm around them, and they're so cute.

Today, I decided to surprise them with some cupcakes. They were so surprised, and it made me really happy to see them excited.

:) i love you all.

Dental Update

2010-03-05T15:26:00.002-06:00

Today, I went to the dentist. Remember? So. I went to the dentist, and I was irritated at first, because I was the first person in the office, and the last person to be seen. In my mind, [and mouth] pain should be made priority over a regular cleaning. Well, maybe that's just me. I'm biased, you know.

So, she took 3 x-rays and poked at a sore spot in my mouth. She did the tap test (hit my teeth with a tool), and the cold test (put some SUPER cold fog like stuff on my teeth), and then, (if you get grossed out easily, mosey along) she pulled out a piece of what looked like floss, but it was hard plastic. She put the tip of the "floss" in the spot that was bothering me, and pushed it all the way in. I could feel it moving along the inside of my gums. She decided that the spot that was bothering me was the source of the infection, and it was coming down from the top of my gums.

Then, she said (after the 3 x-rays, poking, hitting, etc.), "We're going to have to send you to a specialist. You've got something really unique and absurd going on in there."

...boo.

So, we called for an appointment with the specialist. Next available appointment? Thursday.

She gave me an antibiotic, but I'm not supposed to take it yet. You see, I took an antibiotic before, and it made the pain go away for a while, but then it came back. She doesn't want me to get rid of the infection before the specialist has a chance to see it. That would be a viscous cycle.

Anyways, there you have it. Yes, my mouth still hurts. Yes, I'm tired of this pain. Yes, I'd rather be at Emily's house this weekend with the rest of my roommates. Yes, I'm complaining.

i love you all.

Abscess

2010-03-03T13:24:00.008-06:00

Abscess- a localized collection of pus in the tissues of the body, often accompanied by swelling and inflammation and frequently caused by bacteria.

Heh. That's not the cutest word and/or definition, is it?

Well, friends. Let me tell you a story. When I was a Freshman in High School, my bottom right tooth abscessed. It had been hurting for 3 weeks. My parents (not intentionally neglecting me) thought that I was just whining about it. I got orajel and it did nothing but numb my lips. The only thing that helped was to put pressure on it. I kept complaining, and they kept thinking that the pain would go away.

Until one day, I walked into class, and a girl said, "Eww, what's wrong with your face?!?"

...rude.

I knew my tooth hurt, but I didn't think it was obvious on the outside. I ran to the bathroom to look, and guess what I saw. Just guess. The whole right side of my face has ballooned up. This isn't a good picture because it's at a weird angle and it's scanned in, but you'll get the idea.

My right, your left. Look. Just look at my balloon face. Ugly.

Also, please note that my lips are sticking out.

That's because they're numb from the orajel.

I called my mom and she picked me up. We went to the dentist and my tooth had abscessed. Then, my mom felt bad for ignoring me for the prior 3 weeks. (Deserved guilt? Perhaps.)

At any rate, I had 2 root canals and they took my tooth completely out. My gums were swollen, etc. etc. etc. I now have a porcelain tooth in place of the other one, and I have no feeling in that tooth. No nerves, you see. They gutted it.

At the end of last semester, my top right tooth started hurting. It started as the same dull pain. Not really painful, just annoying. I felt a lot of pressure on my tooth. (Tooth. Singular. One tooth. Only one.) So, I told my mom about it, but I wasn't too worried because it wasn't the same sharp pain it had been right before the abscess. I thought it was a cavity. So, over Christmas Break, we went to the Dentist, and she took x-rays, and saw no cavity.

No cavity? Great!

...except for the fact that since no cavity was causing the pain, something else had to have been. Hmmm. So, she asked questions like what kind of stuff bothered it, how often was the pain, what kind of pain, etc. She also asked if I had ever had a blunt trauma to the right side of my face. She said it would have made sense for me to get an abscess on the top and the bottom if I had ever fallen on my face, or been hit with something. Who knew? Oh, and no, contrary to popular belief, I have not been dropped on my head. She told me that she didn't see anything, but since an abscess starts in the root and the gums, it's not easy to see one coming until it's too late. (Those sneaky things.)

So, since the pain wasn't occurring every day, we decided that I would call when it became an "emergency" situation. Here's the problem, though. If I were to be in town, and my tooth started abscessing, I could just call, make an emergency appointment, and be at the dentist's office in 5-10 minutes. However, since I'm 3 hours away, I was trying to figure out when it would be an "emergency" situation. My tooth isn't abscessing right this second, but if it were to do so, I couldn't teleport home. See? Sticky definition of "emergency" situation.

The pain had been sporadic and dull, but sometimes sharp. Until this week and the last part of last week. It became a pain every day, a sharp pain. Not only with cold foods, but hot foods. It was a sharp pain, and could only be remedied when I put pressure on my tooth. Two days ago, however, "tooth" became "teeth and gums". My mouth would throb.

I decided that I was getting super close to the "emergency" situation. I called the dentist today, and the secretary informed me that my dentist will not be available this week, but another dentist in the office is available on Friday. She wanted to know if that would be alright with me. My response?

"Oh, I really don't care who I see. I just want my teeth to stop hurting."

She laughed, and scheduled me for Friday morning at 8:30. Hopefully, my teeth won't explode before then. If you know me, you know I handle pain extremely well. I usually don't complain about pain unless it's really hurting bad. Sometimes I convince myself that things don't hurt. Mainly because I don't want to annoy people with my complaints of pain. My parents will agree that I have a high pain tolerance and that if I say something is hurting me, then it's really hurting me.

My teeth are hurting me.

I don't even think that my roommates were aware that my teeth were hurting until today. That's because today is when I hit the wall of pain. Today, I was walking with Alyssa and I just covered up my mouth because every time I took a breath, the wind was so cold, it sent a sharp pain through the teeth and gums on my upper right hand side. I constantly have my tongue pressed against my tooth so the pain will turn from sharp to dull.

My teeth are hurting me.

Friday Morning, please come quick.

Ay two Zee (A-Z)

2010-02-28T18:15:00.002-06:00

You may have noticed the title. You see, I love spelling things phonetically. You remember this post? Ok, well. I still like to do that from time to time. I should do it more. I'm going to get into the ABC's soon, but first, I'll tell you why I like to spell things phonetically sometimes. Oh, by the way, phonetically is a fancy word for "spelling words how they sound".

(ps...I'm on the phone right now with Chad)

Why? Oh, because I'm a girl, and I give advice. That's why.

Anyways, the reason I spell things phonetically is because when I was little, we were in class, and we were reading a story, and we were supposed to work together to revise it. The teacher was reading out loud, and the word said "trophe" and the teacher said, "You guys are going to have to help me out, because you probably know what the little boy meant in the story." Of course, he was trying to spell "trophy" but he spelled it phonetically. So, I decided that when I become a teacher, I will know how to read phonetically, as well as spell.

Ok, I'm boring myself. Now, I got the idea for this blog post from Emily. I'm going to copy her, and you can't stop me. Hah! I'm going to try my best not to copy any of the letters, but I'm not making any promises.

Want to know the ABC's of Life as an Emerson? No, I'm not doing this post again. I'm going to tell you, through the ABCs, what it's like to be an Emerson in PT15.

A- Annering. This, my friends, means "annoying" in Emily language. We get anneryed a lot. We vent. It's all in good fun, but it's more fun to say "anneryed" or "annering" than to actually be anneryed.

B- Boy talk. You see, we, like any set of 5 girls, talk about boys. Cute boy, crazy boys, annering boys, funny boys, etc etc etc.

C- Chocolate. Umm. Enough said.

D- Debating. Whether it be a debate about if Dawson's Creek is more lame than Burn Notice (when it's clearly way less lame.), what kind of pop-tart is the best, or how to say CapriSun, we debate. In love, of course.

E- Eggs. We've had a dozen eggs in our fridge for 3 weeks. We are afraid to open them, and we didn't really need to buy them in the first place.

F- Ferrero Rocher. YUM! (Not, Ferrero RochET, Emily. oops.) Haven't tried it? Oh, you should! Best candy ever. Hands down.

G- Gano. This is the cafeteria on campus. We share a hatred for Gano that runs deep within our veins. Pronounced "Gay-No" if you were curious. However, when Amy would visit me, before she was a student here, she would call it "Guano" which is bat poop. Uh, yeah, basically the same thing.

H- Home. This is definitely our home away from home. We are a family, after all.

I- Ice Cream. McDonalds. The End.

J- Juice Haters. Mwahaha. Well, Deeds and Beej like juice. Alyssa is slowly crossing to the dark side. This really just goes for Emily and myself. Plus, juice is dumb. Diet Coke wins. Always wins.

K- Kidding. We are constantly kidding with each other. Always laughing.

L- Love. I was going to say "laughing", but Emily already took that one. I, naturally, went with the next best "L" which is love. We love each other. We all love each other equally, and it makes me happy. Oh, or Lusting. After Ryan Reynolds. Ok, love is better than that. Whatever.

M- Music. Music. Music. :) We always have music going. True.

N- Nicknames. As you know from the ABC post about our names, we all have nicknames.

O- Over-eating. oops.

P- Playing. Yes, we are in college. Yes, we play.

Q- Quote wall. We put dumb quotes that we have said up on the wall in our living room.

R- Really dumb. We are really dumb. A fun dumb, I think. Is that just because I'm one of us? Perhaps. At any rate, we are dumb.

S- Straws. A couple of us prefer to drink out of straws.

T- Talks. We can talk about anything. We are all best friends, and we can talk about anything and everything. Serious, funny, anything.

U- Understanding. We understand each other. That, my friends, is quite the feat. We are all very different, but very similar, and we understand each other. I love that.

V- Vent. Vent. Vent.

W- Weather Channel. Everyday before I go outside, someone asks someone else what the weather is outside. Maybe they'd been outside, or maybe they have an app on their iPod touch. At any rate, we talk about the weather like a bunch of old ladies.

X- Xylophone decibel. The decibel that only Alyssa can reach when she laughs or screams. It's a new decibel, and it hurts. It hurts bad.

Y- Youth. We are young. We are making memories. We will remember the memories made in PT 15 for the rest of our lives, and we will remember the dumb things that we did. You know, like writing on the walls in oil pastels around Christmas time. oops.

Z- Zebra Cakes!! Yummo! No, Alyssa and I did [not] eat Emily's Zebra Cakes. oops.

i love you all.

Maybe I'm lame.

2010-02-23T15:12:00.001-06:00

It's a possibility.

Maybe I'm lame.

Maybe I'm not.

At any rate, this commercial made me cry.

Revealed!

2010-02-21T21:43:00.002-06:00

I don't know how in the world she guessed right, but Shannon got the fun time guessing game right. My dad collects globes! He has collected them for as long as I can remember.

Funny story: When I was little, my dad used to get globes as presents all the time. He opened a globe once, and I said, "Oh, more worldly things!"

hah. Worldly. My mom said, "Honey, don't tell people that Daddy collects worldly things."

Anyways, watch the whole thing for a couple reasons.

1.) You can see just how many globes he has. It's a ton.

2.) You get to hear my parents. They're funny to me.

Thank you for playing my game with no prize!

i love you all.

Guessing Game!

2010-02-19T16:07:00.001-06:00

I just took a video of my dad's office. You'll be able to see what he collects. I'll blog it later. Any guesses? :)

Lobsters. Whoa!

2010-02-17T22:19:00.000-06:00

I'm Standing on a Box of Soap

2010-02-17T13:52:00.002-06:00

If we haven't formally met, let me introduce myself.

Hello, my name is Christine. I am trying every day to be a stronger Christian and more faithful child of God. I am very opinionated, and I can hold my own. I will stand up for anything and everything I believe in. I will respect your view, and I will not shove anything down your throat. I will try my best not to offend, but I will speak my mind. Nice to meet you.

Ok, now that that's out of the way, I have to step up on my soap box for a bit. You may or may not like what I have to say. In which case, you may or may not want to stay and read what I have to say. To each his own. After all, this is my blog, so I can say what I want.

Ok then. If you've made it this far, you're already not offended. I'm glad. Like I said, I don't mean to offend. You must understand, though, that I am not going to sugar coat anything in this post. You're big kids. You can handle what I have to share with you guys.

When reading MckMama's tweets this morning (her posts on Twitter), she mentioned something about people posting bitter comments. This got me thinking. Dangerous, I know. It irritated the snot out of me that people feel the need to bash celebrities.

Pause. Please know that I am not only talking about MckMama here. It just made me stop and think. I will use her as a reference, but I will also talk about other celebrities. Ok, so please don't misunderstand what I am saying. Ok, Play.

For example, MckMama has several followers who believe that everything she does is perfect. However, some people follow her and keep up with her and they are not supporters. They do not agree with anything she does or stands for, and they feel the need to let the entire world know. They feel the need to not only bash MckMama, but to also bash the people who agree with MckMama, or support her.

If people have a problem with MckMama or anything that she stands for, I don't understand why those people revolve their life around her. They dedicate their life to finding people who support her, and they bash them too. Let's take a poll. How much sense does that make? It's zero. That makes zero sense. If you can't stand her so much, move along. We don't all need to hear about how much you hate her.

For example, Tiger Woods. This irritates me to no end. Ok, so he made some wrong choices, and he is suffering for them. His career has changed, his family life has changed. Everything has changed. Why can't we let it be at that? He is suffering enough without late night talk show hosts making light of his situation. He is suffering enough without the childish comic strips and other cartoons circulating around the world mocking his choices. I know, I know. Every single person in the world sees it as their responsibility to bring laughter to the world on Tiger's behalf. Newsflash: Only God can judge. Wait, what? We're not allowed to condemn people to Hell? Oh, yeah.

James 4:12- "There is only one law giver and judge, He who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" (ESV)

Yes, Tiger is a celebrity. Congratulations for noticing that. Yes, he is in the lime light. That, however, is not a free ticket to bash him. I was not raised to believe that adultery or divorce were laughing matters. It irritates me that people would make light of such a sad situation.

Oh, and please help me. Don't Don't Don't dare say, "Well, he's a celebrity, he should be able to take responsibility for his actions."

Oh! I get it. So, when you become a celebrity, you automatically are immune to making mistakes, right? You become some sort of super hero that no longer has temptations or human tendencies.

Yes, he is a celebrity. Yes, he should be aware that all eyes are on him. However, and I can't stress this enough. He is a human. He makes mistakes. When I make a mistake, it's hard enough for me to deal with my mistake as it is now. I can't imagine being on the news, and having my mistake being made a joke. I can't imagine my mistake being magnified, and in turn, myself being dehumanized. His situation is between himself, his family, and our gracious Savior. Speaking of our gracious Savior, aren't you glad that He's gracious? I know I sure am.

John 8:7- "As they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.'." (ESV)

If you don't know that story, you should look it up. In short, all of the people who had wanted to stone the woman left when Jesus told them to stone her if they were without sin.

You see? We all sin. Actually, when we talk badly about celebrities, when we cut down people who view things differently than we do, when we let pride get in the way, we are sinning.

Good news, though!

1 John 2:1- "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Cool, huh?

See, dear bloggy readers? It's amazing that we have the grace of God. It's amazing that when we slip up, He forgives us. If He can forgive us, why can't we get over ourselves, and let celebrities live their own lives?

With Tiger, he messed up. With MckMama, she just has a different view than you. The moral? Leave them alone. They didn't do anything to you. That's the truth.

Are your toes ok? I hope I didn't step all over them. Oh, I did? Ok, now it's your turn. You can speak your mind, too, you know. Disagree? That's ok, tell me.

i love you all.

Seriously?

2010-02-15T16:27:00.000-06:00

hahaha. random. dumb.

My Fears

2010-02-14T19:46:00.005-06:00

Ok, Ok. I know we are all afraid of things. You know the normal things; the dark, rejection, heights, spiders, falling, etc. Though I am afraid of all of those, they are normal. My fears are crazy. Ok, not as crazy as some people. Here's some crazy fears. I'll tell you these first so that way, mine [hopefully] won't look as crazy. Fear of flowers (Anthrophobia), Fear of long words (Hippopotomonstro-sesquippedaliophobia) [ironic], Fear of open spaces (Agoraphobia), etc, etc.

Ok, remember those, and how crazy they are, because mine aren't that weird. (I hope)

Don't judge me. Pause. (I think that's useless to say in this post, because I will get judged for this post. Go ahead. Judge.)

1.) Showers. Let me tell you what I fear about showers. Every time I go to the bathroom, I check behind the shower curtain. You know, just in case someone is hiding in there. Also, when I'm in the shower, and I wash my hair, when I close my eyes and open them, I'm always secretly afraid that when I open my eyes, someone will be in the shower with me. Ok, I didn't realize how weird that was until I just typed it.

2.) Closets. When I'm at my house, I check in my closet and under my bed. You know, just in case there's someone hiding in there. Ok, well I've never really figured out what I would do if there were to actually be someone hiding in there. (However, when I get scared, I punch the person that accidentally scared me. Most the time it's my roommates, friends, or my sister. So I think I'd be ok.) Then, after I check in the closet and under the bed, I sit down in bed, look under the covers, and turn off the light. Oh, but it doesn't end there. I use my iPhone as a flashlight, and look around the room and in the closet one more time, juuuust to be sure. You know, I can't take any chances.

3.) Bathroom stalls. I'm afraid that people will look over the stall at me, or poke their head under the stall. That just creeps me out. Not that I would ever do that to anyone else or anything. Rude.

4.) Cows. Ok, now I know, I know. Cows are harmless, blah blah. Well, one time, I got chased by a cow when we were in a cow pasture. I was probably like 8 or so, and we were exploring the land around where my parents work. There was a cow pasture, and I was wearing a bright pink snow suit. The cow started chasing us, and we slipped under the fence, but not before we found an old cow jaw on the ground. I kept it for a while, but I have no idea where it is now. My mom probably made me throw it away. Maybe she doesn't even know I ever had it. Oh well, I don't know where it is. The End.

Now we all know that I don't have Gamophobia: Fear of marriage or Geliophobia: Fear of laughter. True. Also, though some of you may or may not be wondering, NO, I do NOT have Ablutophobia: Fear of washing or bathing. RUDE.

For the full list of ridiculous fears and phobias, feel free to go here and be shocked at what some people actually fear.

i love you all.

A Prayer For Comfort.

2010-02-09T23:21:00.007-06:00

I come to you guys asking for your prayers. I want you to please keep my uncle and his family in your prayers. I won't say much, because the letter below explains it all. I will tell you this, though. My heart literally broke when I got the news. I cried for their family, and though I feel nowhere near the pain they do, I long for them to be comforted. I asked my uncle if I could share their story and this piece from their hearts with all of you. He said he would love for my blog readers to be included. "The more people praying for comfort, the better." Without further adieu, the letter.

This is the letter we had read at church this morning. Erin wrote it and I think the Holy Spirit guided her to make it great. We were overwhelmed with an outpouring of love.

As many of you know, we have been in the process to try to adopt another child for more than 18 months now. Six months ago, we were matched with a birthmother through our agency Colorado Christian Services, located in Denver.

Despite our initial hesitations, we accepted the match and made the long trip to Denver only to arrive and be told that the birthmother had changed her mind – our fears had proven true. Within 24 hours of hearing this heartbreaking news, we felt the Holy Spirit move in us, we felt his comfort and peace and we drew strength from the love and support of our friends and family. We returned home hopeful, praising God and feeling that the entire experience had been a blessing.On January 22nd, we received the phone call we had been waiting and praying for – we had been matched yet again with a birthmother who was expecting a baby boy.

After 24 hours of praying to God for guidance and wisdom, we accepted this match and began preparing to welcome home our son, feeling confidant that this was the baby God had selected for us. We once again made the trip to Denver, and the day after our arrival we were introduced to the four-day-old baby boy, who we named Finn. It was love at first sight – he was perfect and we quickly grew attached.Our agency was very clear with us that we were taking Finn with the legal risk that under Colorado law the birthparents could have up to two months to change their minds. Letting our hearts be the guide and not wanting to miss out on any more of those precious newborn moments, we signed a contract agreeing to accept placement before the birthparents’ rights were terminated. We truly hoped and believed that what had happened before wouldn’t happen again.Just five days later though, we relived our worst nightmare when our social worker called to tell us that Finn’s birthfather, after seeing a picture of the baby, had decided he wanted to parent.

While Finn’s birthmother still wanted us to raise this boy, she wasn’t emotionally or physically prepared to endure the lengthy legal battle it would require for him to return to us. With great pain and many tears, we were forced to return Finn to our social worker just a few hours later.We were and still are crushed. As any parent can understand, the love that you have for your baby is strong and immediate. The plans that are made in your head for that child while you rock him during the midnight feedings feel so real. And unlike natural pregnancies, we’ve had 18 months to think upon, plan for and dream about our next child. Without ever intending to offend anyone who has experienced the death of a small child or suffered the loss of a miscarriage, that is the closest to how we feel emotionally. We are mourning the loss of our sweet baby boy.

Through all of this, if ever we doubt that God loves us and is the Great Provider, all we have to do is look at our beautiful daughter Corban, whose name taken from Mark 7:11 means, “a gift devoted to God.” And she’s been just that to us – a gift – and more so over the past few days and we treasure her.We ask that you pray for our family as we struggle to cope with this loss, which to us defies any explanation. We pray that as we remain on the rollercoaster ride known as the adoption process, that we will be given an extra measure of God’s comfort, guidance, strength and the toughest of all, patience to accept His will and timing. And, of course, we pray that God will lead us to our next child.We also ask that you pray for Finn – that God will send an entire army of angels to surround him and protect him as over the next few weeks he has already been shuffled from us to a loving foster care family and next to his birthfather, who has a history of being abusive. We pray that somehow through this mess, Finn will grow up to know the love of our Heavenly Father. Pray for Finn’s birthfather, Charles, as he parents this precious child. And pray that his birthmother, Salome, is comforted through this emotionally taxing time and that she can be the mother her other three children need and deserve.Two songs have become especially dear to us lately and they eloquently remind us that we are to “Praise Him Through this Storm” so that he may “Turn Our Mourning into Dancing.” We love you and thank you for the outpouring of support and love and prayers on our behalf.

In Him,

Tim and Erin Cox

Thank you in advance for your prayers I'm sure you will lift up on behalf of my mom's brother and his family. I love you all.

Not Me! Monday

2010-02-08T21:53:00.004-06:00

Have you been caught licking the bowl of ice cream clean? Have you been caught singing out loud in your car by the cute boy in the car next to you? Then let it all out! Air out your dirty laundry, and embrace your ~~shortcomings, flaws~~ quirks. Hop on over to MckMama's blog, and see what she has [not] been up to. Come back, though, because you won't want to miss this weeks episode of Not Me! Monday!

We all have a new found love for Chocolate covered strawberries. We have [not] made 6 batches of them in the past 4 days. We have [not] devoured every single batch the day that we made them. We also definitely did [not] justify our fat kid endeavors by saying that strawberries are fruit, and chocolate is made of dairy and cocoa, which is good for you. We definitely did [not] do that. Nope. We are good kids, dontcha' know?

I have a twitter account. I just realized the other day that MckMama (yes, THE MckMama) is one of my followers! I did [not] freak out. I did [not] make extra sure that she is following me. I did [not] refresh my page like 10 times juuuust to be sure. I did [not] run in and tell my mom. I did [not] freak out. I mean, she's just an average person who happens to have thousands of followers on her blog. She's average. I surely would [not] freak out about that. Nope.

Today, on twitter, I uploaded a picture of my fridge. After I uploaded the picture, MckMama sent me a direct message! I did [not] freak out (again) and tell my roommates. Oh, what's that? You want to see the picture I uploaded? Oh, you know, it's just a picture of my fridge. That's all. I did [not] ignore Alyssa when she made fun of me and called me creepy for having a small child's name on my fridge. I did [not] get secretly offended. Rude. I care deeply about how my roommates see me. I would [not] have felt betrayed by Alyssa. I have a grip on reality, you see.

This past week I realized that I literally have no clean clothes. I did [not] re-wear some clothes. Including, but not limited to socks, t-shirts and jeans. I did [not] put off my laundry the other day to take a nap. I'm responsible, you see. I'm a big kid. I can do my laundry, you see. I definitely did [not] resort to wearing my Chick-fil-A t-shirts. That's lame. Who actually has Chick-fil-A shirts? Not me, that's for sure. I'm clean, you see. I do my laundry. True.

Last week was a long week. I definitely did [not] go 4 days without bathing. Eww. That's gross to even type. Again, I'm clean. I would definitely [not] ever do that. Let's move away from that subject. I'm [not] ashamed to admit that.

There you have it folks, what did you [not] do this week? I mean really, it can't be worse than mine. I'm gross. True.

i love you all.

Will You Marry Me?

2010-02-07T22:06:00.003-06:00

Ok, I know I'm single. You don't have to rub it in. Totally kidding.

I know I'm single, but I'm still addicted to weddings, proposals, etc. Emily and I ~~kinda~~ freak out when "Say Yes to the Dress" is on TV. We talk about our weddings, our bridal parties, our dresses, etc. etc. etc.

So, I've been thinking. I should definitely be a guy. Ok, that may be taking it a bit too far, but still. I promise you that I have several engagement ideas that would be so cute. Well, I think they'd be cute. You can be the judge of that after you read about them. By the way, my goal for this is to have none of these proposals be expected. No candle-lit junk, no red roses. That's all fine and good, but all expected.

1. The Photo Shoot:

Ask your girl if she wants to get some pictures taken. You know, because it will be fun. (Now, some girls would expect this, but since I have been taking couple pictures lately, it could be worked out.) For example, you could work with the photographer, and have the photographer ask your girl. Something along the lines of, "Hey, I've been dappling in photography, and I was wondering if you and your boyfriend would mind being my models so I can practice some poses." (You know, because people say "dappling" all the time.) Anyways, so, the photographer will take usual pictures, just the norm, and then when it's time, the guy will propose. The photographer will get the whole thing on camera. Perhaps even some pictures before he pops the question of him hugging her with the ring visible to the camera, but not to the girl. The whole event will be photographed. The question, the reaction, the crying, the smiling, etc.

2. The Board Game:

Ask your girlfriend if she wants to play scrabble. She will, of course. Duh. What she won't know, though, is that you will have already super glued "Will You Marry Me?" on the scrabble board. You could also have the letters for "Yes" and you could let her glue them on there. You know, or not. That one, I think would be cute if it was executed right.

3. The Easter Egg Hunt:

This one, obviously, can only be executed around Easter. (duh) Have the plastic Easter Eggs, and have the egg in your pocket or something. That way, she won't find it randomly before she is meant to find it. Then, when it is nearing an end to the egg hunt, you can put the special egg in a bush close to you. Or you know, somewhere close. Then, you can say something along the lines of, "Oh, look. You missed one!" Then? Ba-da-boom, Ba-da-bing. Engaged.

4. The Scavenger Hunt:

Now. This one will give away that you are about to get engaged, but it will still be fun. Not your average scavenger hunt to find the ring, but it will be a scavenger hunt with the guy at the end. The clues along the way will be pictures. The picture will be something that will be found in a place. The place where the clue can be found will be the place for the next clue. Confused? For example, the first clue will be a picture of a book, she will go to the library. If it's a picture of a cookie, she will go to a cookie shop. So on and so forth. The worker at each place will give the girl the next picture clue. Along with each clue, she will pick up something from that place that she will get to keep. The worker will hand her the next clue and the present for her. Send her to the library or a book store with a picture of a book, and her present will be a magazine about wedding planning. Send her to a cookie store with a picture of a cookie, and have a cookie with your last name on it. Send her to a flower shop with a picture of a flower, and have the present be some flowers. Send her to the park with a picture of a swing or slides, and be standing there. She will have her clues, and she will know, but it will still be precious. Like I said, this one gives it away from the beginning, but it's still fun.

5. The Painting:

Buy paint and canvas. Any size canvas will do. It could be finger paint or paint that you'd use a paint brush. Tell her that you guys will both do a painting for each other, and you can't show each other until you are done. You could be creative here, and simple paint "Will You Marry Me?" or you could paint stick figures in a tux and dress along with "Will You Marry Me?" or, you could only do the stick figures, and then ask her instead of painting the actual proposal on the canvas. This would also work at a pottery store. Some towns have pottery stores that you can paint any type of pottery. If you wanted to do it on a plate, that would work too. The same premise stands.

That's all I got. I think they're cute. However, you may or may not. If I was a boy, though, I would definitely use one of these. Or combine them somehow. Like, maybe at the scavenger hunt, you guys could paint something in the park. That way, you're combining two engagement ideas, and she would think that the end of the scavenger hunt was to have a fun painting date in the park.

Ok, I'm done living a in dream world. For a while, anyways.

i love you all.

My Favorite Fruit

2010-02-05T22:51:00.005-06:00

Apple.

Ok, actually, my favorite fruit is a kiwi. Or you know, my new found love for chocolate covered strawberries. Ok, that's not new found, it's remembered. We have been making them a lot lately.

Ok, wipe the drool off your computer and continue reading.

I got distracted from the original purpose of this post. The fat kid within took over. Anyways. No, I'm not really talking about fruit. Well, I am, but only Apple.

Not granny smith, gala, Fuji, red delicious, golden delicious, or anything of the sort. Nope. Not that kind of apple.

Well then what do I mean? Why, it's Apple Incorporated. You know, macbook, iPhone, iPod, etc, etc, etc. Steve Jobs is a genius if you ask me. Which, you basically did ask me. You know, since you're reading my blog, and you've made it this far into the post.

I used to be anti-apple. I used to boycott the iPhone and macbook. I'm hard headed, you know, and I don't give in easily. However, when my school jumped head first in to the iKnow program, I jumped on the bandwagon and got a macbook. I thought I would never get used to my macbook. I was wrong though, and everyone else was right.

After I fell in love with my computer, it was so hard for me to adjust when I would use the computer at my house. I never, ever thought I would be campaigning for Apple.

Also, you know my love for my iPhone from previous posts, so I won't go in to that, but I would swear [except I don't] by almost any Apple product. Notice I said almost. For example, I would not swear [because I don't] by this apple product. But hey, one bad seed [or two] isn't too shabby.

The moral?

The Alphabet Roommates

2010-02-03T12:43:00.015-06:00

Yep, that's what we are! You know, the alphabet! ABCDE. :)

Confused? Ok, I'll slow down. There are 5 of us that live in PT15. The first letters of our names make the first 5 letters in the alphabet!

A-Alyssa

B-Brittany

C-Christine

D-Deidra

E-Emily

We love our alphabetness. Let me introduce you to the alphabet.

Each member of the alphabet has their real name, and 2 nicknames. One nickname is just random, from random experiences in the room. The other nickname is the old lady nickname from when we became addicted to Phase 10.

A-Alyssa; Also known as Roberta or Agatha.

The the A of our alphabet, and my roommate.

B-Brittany; Also known as Beej Hat or Beatrice.

The the B of our Alphabet, Emily's roommate.

C-Christine; Also known as Christine Housen or Clementine.

I'm the C of our alphabet!

D-Deidra; Also known as Deeds, Deed hat, Der Der, or Dorthea.

(She has the most names)

The D of our alphabet. She lives in the middle room by herself.

E-Emily; Also known as Emerly or Edith.

The E of our Alphabet, she lives with Brittany.

We love our alphabet, and we couldn't be happier. We can be found watching Dawson's Creek, LOST, GSN, HGTV, or the CW. We can be found playing Phase 10, and laughing. We can be found making fun of each other, and making up super hero names. We can be found eating Chinese food. Alyssa, Emily and I can be found drinking Diet Coke. While Brittany and Deidra can be found drinking water or juice. We can be found together basically any part of the day. Oh, and of course, be found together studying in the living room upon occasion. Before Deeds, we were just ABCE. Which was fine, but now with Deeds, we are complete.

We are such nerds that we made a schedule of when each of us had classes so we would know where someone went if they weren't in the room. Yes, we are that nerdy. Oh, you don't believe me? That's ok, here's proof!

The night of the Fire Drill in the dorm. Boo.

Hey, we are happy though. :)

From left to right: D, E, C, B, A. :)

Welcome to our alphabet!

I love you all.

Celebrity Twins

2010-02-01T22:51:00.006-06:00

The new facebook craze of people finding the celebrity they look like had me a little down. I don't look like any famous people?!? Hmm, well that just wasn't an okay answer. I decided that I was bound and determined to find a celebrity I look like. Want to see what I found? Ok then.

Remember her? This is Punky Brewster.

This is me. Not Punky. Don't get confused.

This is Punky Brewster now. Well, the actress that played Punky.

Maybe there's hope for me yet! :) Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Have a great night.

I love you all.

Greed

2010-02-01T12:36:00.003-06:00

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we have a system. Emily, Brittany and I go eat and then go back to the room. We turn on the Game Show Network and we catch the last 10 minutes or so of Family Feud, and then we watch Deal or No Deal.

If you're not familiar with the show, here it is in a nutshell. There are 26 cases with random amounts of money ranging from $0.01 to $1,000,000. The contestant picks a case that they hope has the $1,000,000 in it. They pick the cases that are left, and they are hoping for small numbers. If the cases left have the small numbers, the chances of their case having $1,000,000 is much greater. Periodically, the banker calls and offers them an amount of money based on the cases they've opened. The offer is always significantly smaller than the largest amount they have left, but significantly larger than the smallest amount they have left.

I don't know if that made any sense at all. If it didn't, and you haven't seen the show, just google it. That's all I can do about it. Anyways.

Emily, Brittany and I never cease to be amazed at how greedy people are. The cases they have left could be $5, $10, $25 and $1,000,000. The deal offer from the banker could be $750,000 and they would risk it. You think I'm kidding. It's like, get a grip, people! Seriously.

Then, of course, Emily, Brittany and I laugh at the selfish people when they have $5 in their case. Why? Well, because they turned down $750,000 for the chance at $1,000,000. They deserved it because they're greedy. They look foolish, and everyone who watches the show knows it. Please just watch this guy. It's ridiculous, really.

Please don't be greedy. It's not cute.

Luke 12:15- Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Have a great day. I love you all.

...just now.

2010-01-30T21:03:00.004-06:00

Brittany got up to get her computer.

Me: While you're up, I'll take a diet coke.

Emily: Oooh, and my little donuts are in my box.

Brittany: Tipping is not a city in China.

Me and Emily share a look.

Me: Ok, well that's nice, but I'd like a diet coke.

Brittany: You've never heard that? It's a saying. It means you have to tip me.

Emily: Ok well here's a tip. Stop saying dumb phrases.

10 Phases of Boredom

2010-01-29T23:05:00.008-06:00

Remember our fun time snow weekend plans? Playing in the snow, watching tv, being in bed, watching it snow, making snow cream? Yeah. Those lasted about 5 seconds. Then we got bored. We came to the realization that we love being in the room when there is other stuff to do. But when we are forced to stay in the room, we die of boredom. We play Phase 10 for 2 hours. We trudge down to Subway to find that it's closed, then we trudge to the coffee house to see that they are out of every food possible because every one else beat us there. We watch a movie and 2 episodes of Dawson's Creek and then? We get bored.

So, this is our Friday night. I will upload snow pictures tomorrow, (until then, you can head over to Emily's blog to check out our sledding adventures) because for now I want to tell you about Phase 10.

We played. For 2 hours. Emily and I realized that we are always on the same team. We always gang up on Alyssa and Brittany. We have, however, had a bunch of fun time quotes tonight. My favorite being this.

Emily: Hey, Beej Hat, who are you in love with?

Brittany: Myself!

Conceded.

Hilarious.

Phase 10 was fun. After they explained the rules to me ~~once~~ 274 times. True. I don't know why, but I was dumb. I kept playing the card at the wrong time, laying them down at the wrong time, drawing at the right time. Etc.

I need you to know that in this picture of Brittany and Alyssa, Brittany couldn't decide on a face, and after much deliberation, this is the one she chose. Then, when I showed her, she was worried about her hair. Emily and I were confused why in this picture, she'd be worried about her hair. I mean whatev.

Here is Emily. My teammate in a game that has no teammates.

Anyways, I [surprisingly] won the game. Shocker, I know.

I will let you know tomorrow of what other shenanigans we get into tomorrow. Tonight? Phase 10. Tomorrow? Who knows? We might go crazy and play checkers. I know you can't wait.

i love you all.

Weekend Plans

2010-01-29T10:07:00.003-06:00

Guess what! It's snowing in Henderson! It's a snow day, Dawson's Creek day, Hot chocolate day, Snuggle with Clark Kent day, 28 degree day, SNOW DAY. See? Here's the weather from my trusty phone.

This weekend, Emily was going to go home, but now she isn't. I'm [not so] secretly excited that she got snowed in. That means now we can sled, make snow cream, make snowmen, etc etc etc. You know, or just leave our window open, watch the snow fall, and lay in bed with our dear Alyssa. I'm sad that you can't see the snow coming down in the video. The stupid screen was in the way. I'll try again later. I [kinda almost] accidentally broke my window screen when I was trying to open my window. Well, maybe it's not broken. Anyways, we are going to celebrate our snow day now. Keep your eyes peeled [eww, gross phrase] for pictures of our adventures.

i love you all.

Mommy, Wow!

2010-01-28T16:16:00.002-06:00

I'm a big kid now!

Ok, I've been that kind of big kid for a while. Today, though, I became an even bigger kid. What did I do? Well, buckle up. I'll tell you.

I went to a meeting today (about 10 minutes late...not important) and it was a big kid meeting. Oh, you want to know what kind of meeting? Ok, a graduation meeting. I signed up for my cap and gown. I got fitted for a hat. A graduation cap! Crazy. I never thought this day would come. Ok, well it's not here yet, but still. It's in the near future.

I graduate in August. Remember? Ok. Well, if you don't remember, then read that post and come back to me.

...You done now? Ok, please continue reading.

I found out today (when Emily told me later, since I was late to the meeting. ahem.) that my school doesn't have a Commencement Ceremony in August. How rude. So, I will be walking the line in May. Then, I will take some summer classes and getting my actual diploma in August. That's weird to me.

Also, Emily and I are super excited because now we can both have cap and gown pictures with close friends! (Each other. Duh.) You see, if I walked in August, I would have no one to have a cap and gown picture with. Ok, well you think it's not a big deal. But it is. Don't judge.

So. When I was turning in my hat form to the lady, I had accidentally checked "Associates" instead of "Bachelors" on the "what type of degree?" box. So, the lady was looking over my sheet and she said, "Hun, with your major, you aren't after an Associates degree." I said, "Oh, did I click that? I meant to click Bachelors. Click? I mean check. I meant to check Bachelors. Not click. I'm dumb." She said, "What do you mean, dumb? You're about to graduate college!"

...why yes. Yes I am.

i love you all.

Feliz

2010-01-27T16:46:00.002-06:00

Soy = I am. Feliz = Happy. Cierto = True.

Soy feliz. Cierto.

I am really happy lately. I am thankful. I am blessed. I am also far too ADD to stay upset to not be happy. Though that's a true statement, I have multiple other reasons I am happy. Want to know them? Ok then.

Herr yer ger. (hahahaha. Emily)

1. I have a great family. My parents and sisters are supportive of my decisions, and everything I do. Though they probably wouldn't be if I decided to sew my wild oats, but still.

2. I have great friends. I have some of the most supportive friends. I have been excited lately for reasons that will appear on my blog later. But I have been texting, emailing, and facebooking my friends for advice. You know what makes me the most happy? My friends support me, and they are honest.

3. I like my classes. Though I won't like the timing of my morning class at 7:30 on Thursdays or my night class from 6-9 on Tuesdays, I like the subjects. Oh, except Physical Science. I'm nervous about that one. Eh. I'll keep you posted on that.

4. I have superman sheets. I think I've mentioned them a time or two. I'm telling you. I never thought I'd be so excited about having little boy sheets on my bed. But I am. The only thing that would make it better would be if I had superhero PAJAMAS! How cool would that be? I'll answer that one. Really Cool!

5. I realized that the older I get, the closer my parents and I become. I like that. Luckily, I'm getting older every day, so I feel like we are getting closer every day. I love that. That makes me happy.

6. My God is great. I'm far beyond blessed. I love life. Yes, I get down sometimes, but like I've said before, I have too much ADD to stay down for long.

7. My sister and her husband are doing well.

8. It's starting to get cold outside. I like the cold weather. That makes me happy.

I'm happy. I hope you are too. Have a great day. I love you all.

My Life as of Late

2010-01-26T21:35:00.003-06:00

Today, I was a tad irritated. I live with 3 of my best friends, and everything is grand. We got word today that another girl will be moving in. It was weird because we had banked on the whole semester being just us 4. You know, our last semester all together. Together before Emily and I graduate. (whoa, that's weird.) Together before Alyssa student teaches. Together before Brittany goes to Europe. This is the picture we had painted for ourselves. It was a nice picture. A family picture. Then, I texted the guy I am [kind of] "talking to" (whatever that means) and I said, "I live with my 3 best friends and a random girl is about to move in. I'm a little bitter." He replied, "That's not really a very Christian response."

...oh.

To which I replied, "Whoa, thanks for the reality check."

Because I'm [sometimes] rude. True.

Now, though, we are excited to meet the new girl. It's just that we had a picture painted and then it got changed. That's all. It's not even a big deal, now. We are selfish to think that since our room is big enough for 6 girls, we should be the only 4. Rude.

Anyways, I got a reality check today. Funny how people on the outside can see things so clearly. I'm thankful for that, though. That some people aren't afraid to put me in my place when I'm being a jerk. I mean, let's be honest. I'm not always a bright ray of sunshine.

Anyways, have a great day. I love you all.

True.

2010-01-25T23:59:00.003-06:00

Just some Random Facts about me that you may or may not have known about me:

When I was little, I used to want to learn sign language and teach it to Monkeys of every kind. (I was inspired by Born To Be Wild and Jane Goodall.) True.

When I was little, I was in love with my next door neighbor, and we were sure of the fact that we would get married. Until my 6 year old dreams were crushed when we moved away from Indiana. True.

I hate roses. Especially red ones. Unlike most girls, I think they are over-rated and they stink. My favorite flower? A yellow tulip. True.

I have hazel eyes. (Everyone knows that) They change from brown to green. They're brown 95% of the time. They're green when I wear a green shirt or when I cry. Then they're green green. True.

I played Soccer for 7 years. My first game, I got out for a handball. I reached down and moved the ball so I could kick it better. I wasn't the best. My second game? I scored 5 points against the hardest team. True.

I'm a big fat nerd. True.

...ok, ok. Everyone already knew that last one.

Anyways, have a great day. I love you all.

Realization

2010-01-25T14:17:00.002-06:00

Today, I realized that I am like perfume.

Reasons being as follows:

Some people like the smell of perfumes, and some don't.

Some people like me, and some don't.

When you first put on perfume, it's really strong.

Sometimes at first, I come on really strong.

The more time that goes by, the more the smell fades.

The longer I know you, the easier I am to deal with. Not so strong.

If the smell of the perfume is just too much, you can wash it off.

If some people don't like me, I just get the hint and leave them alone.

Eventually, the smell of perfume goes away.

...ok, not that one.

Maybe just the first 3. I come on strong, but eventually, I chill out.

Bad analogy? Yeah, probably.

Anyways, have a great day. I love you all.

Things I love

2010-01-24T15:38:00.003-06:00

My roommates. We recently added Emily to our humble suite. (Like she wasn't already a member anyways. hah) We are dumb. We laugh all the time, and we are all best friends. That's the best part.

Diet Coke- But we all already knew that.

Almonds- My new favorite love. Just a nice little snack.

Lose it! application- On the iPhone or iPod touch, it's an amazing app that keeps track of calories consumed and burned. It has listing of restaurants, random foods, etc. It's a great way to keep on top of things. True. You should try it. No, that's not a fat joke. It's just a suggestion.

Dawson's Creek- Alyssa, Emily and I have been catching up on the seasons. I've never seen it before, but we have been watching it non-stop since, oh, Wednesday or Thursday. Well, we stopped for class, but that's it.

My SuperMan Sheets- The ones I got the other day. Haven't seen them? Scroll down, they're in the post below this one. Emily and Alyssa think it's dumb of me not to wash them, but they're brand new, straight out of the package, so I didn't wash them. Call me gross, but I don't care. I wash my dishes before I use them, but not my sheets. Ok, that doesn't make sense, but it's true.

Neon Colors- My nail polish is so neon pink that I am convinced it almost glows in the dark. I love it. I also have neon pink high top Chuck Taylors. Neon colors just make me so happy.

That's it for today. I love you all.

Cool Kid

2010-01-23T12:37:00.003-06:00

Yes, I'm in college. Yes, I have Superman sheets on my bed. Yes, I love them.

Have a great day. I love you all.

It's Been a While

2010-01-22T12:22:00.013-06:00

True. It's been a while. A really really long while since I did an original post. You know, a post just to post. Not a post to only blog randomly because I have news, but a post just to post. So, here I am. I was thinking the other day about how dumb and gullible I was when was a kid. It's true. I was dumb. But I was also really smart. Confused? Ok, I'll clear things up a bit.

I was dumb:

This was a very common occurrence in our house. We were all sitting in the living room, and Elise or Juliane would say, "Christine, will you go get my blanket?" I, being the lazy and smart kid I was, knew they were just wanting to use me, so I wouldn't do it. But then dumb Christine came out, because they would say, "I'll time you!" What?!? You'll time me? Ok!" I would hop up, run down the hall to their room, and run back as fast as possible. I'd say, "How long?" They would give me a number, which, years later, I realized was a bogus number, and they never timed me after all. Dumb kid.

When I was little, this lady used to babysit me. She had a daughter, and her daughter actually convinced me that if you lost a nose hair, you would bleed to death. She told me that the nose hair went further up then I realized they went, and that some really important veins that only run through the nose. I believed her, and cried the first time I lost a nose hair. Dumb kid.

One time, I was riding my bike, and a lady was in her yard. She was wearing a dress, and she had brown hair. That's all I remember about her. She asked me if I wanted to come inside for cookies, and I told her that I would be right back because I wanted to finish my lap around the neighborhood. I went back by my house, and my mom was outside watching me. So, I rode up to her and told her that the nice lady in the dress wanted me to come in to her house so I could eat some cookies with her. My mom said no, obviously, and I went inside with her. Then I explained to her that the only reason I would have even thought about going in to a stranger's house is because she was wearing a dress, so that meant she must go to church. Dumb kid.

I was smart:

When I was little and my mom or dad would be holding me, I would try to wiggle to get out of their arms at church. When they wouldn't let me down, I would hold my arms out for someone else to hold me. As soon as they held me and walked away from my parents, I would wiggle out of their arms, and be set free. Smart kid.

When I was little, my mom would say I could have 2 cookies. I would get 4 cookies, and break 2 of the cookies up in to my milk. Then, I would dip the other 2 in my milk so it looked like I only had 2 cookies. Then at the end when I was eating the other cookies out with a spoon when my milk was gone, it looked like my cookies had just crumbled in the milk. (Maybe that's why I'm counting calories now. Good then.) Smart kid.

When I was little, and one of my parents would be holding me, or if I was in a group of people, and I could tell that the person who was talking was about to say something funny or tell a joke, I would laugh right when everyone else did. I guess I could tell by the way their voice changed towards the end of their sentence. I was on the ball with the laughter. Smart kid.

See? I was smart and dumb. But here's something I feel bad about. When I was in 2nd grade, Krista's husband was in my class. He wasn't her husband yet, obviously, but still. His name is Derek. He had Wal-Mart clothes, so I would call him "Generic Derek" because I was a bully. Mean Kid.

But now, I wear clothes from Wal-Mart. Anyways, here's the moral. I was dumb, smart, and mean. But mostly cute. As you can see. hah.

Have a great day. I love you all.

A few things I learned

2010-01-19T21:23:00.006-06:00

Today, I went to Elise and Lee's house because Elise left some stuff at home when they came for Christmas. Elise asked if I wanted to make some money when I came to bring the stuff. So, they have had some mice in their house lately, and Elise asked if I would mind to clean out the kitchen cabinets because the mice liked to play in the pots and pans. (She had already cleaned up after the ring leader mouse, and she didn't feel like doing it again, so she asked me.) So, as I was walking in to Elise's house, I called her because she was still at work. I asked if the mouse was still there, and she said she thought it was gone. Good to know. So, I walked in to see the Clorox wipes, and mouse traps on the kitchen floor. While I was at the house by myself, waiting for Elise and Lee to get off work, I learned a few things. Here they are:

1) When there is a possibility of a mouse nearby, every single noise makes me jump. I mean every noise. I rolled up my pant lets because they were rubbing the ground and making a scratching noise. I turned my phone on silent because every time it made a noise, I jumped. I stepped on a spot in the kitchen that creaked, and I tried to avoid that spot for the rest of the time.

2) When you are in a house alone, every noise is magnified. True.

3) My imagination is a lot more active than I thought it was. Also true. I pictured myself opening cabinets finding dead mice, rat mice, rabid mice, etc. etc. etc. (None of which actually occurred, of course.)

4) An animal as small as a mouse can make a 23 year old girl act a fool. (Don't believe me? Ok, well, revisit above 3 lessons learned)

5) When you hear a beeping noise and convince yourself it's a mouse, and not some electric equipment in the living room (see number 2), and you accidentally walk in front of a mirror, you suddenly somehow think that the small mouse you were looking for turned in to you. Then, you gasp like a baby.

6) No matter what anyone tells you, the mouse is not more scared of you than you are of it. True. I don't know what it is about those little critters that makes me so scared.

Maybe it's because they're gross. Or the fact that they walk around your house without knowing they're there. Or the fact that they're gross. True.

So there you have it. That's what I learned. I also bumped my head on the cabinet when my phone made a noise once. True. But it was still fun. Fun? Did I just say that? Yeah, I did. Call me crazy. Don't judge, but I felt strong.

.....and now since I paused just now to look up and watch a scene of Dawson's Creek with Emily and Alyssa, it's a scary one, and I definitely just screamed. Well, so much for being strong, eh?

Anyways, I love you all. :)

Excuse Me.

2010-01-12T11:37:00.002-06:00

I got an award the other day. I bet you didn't know that, eh? Well, I did. It's called "The Worst Blogger Ever" oh, and I also got "The Worst Blog Commenter Ever"

Just so you know.

I didn't forget you guys. I have lots to update you about. Disney World, work, work, work.

You know. I'll update you soon.

ps.... Less than a week till I'm reunited with the Emerson Family! :)

(I'm a tad excited)

i love you all.

I'm a Chicken

2010-01-04T17:58:00.002-06:00

What's that? You don't believe me?

Oh. Watch this.

We are at Disney World. This park thing is right outside our hotel, so we decided to go to it. Actually, Amy really wanted to do it, and I just wanted to watch. Then the guy said it was too windy, and it would be imbalanced if only one person did it. So, I had to do it too. We may go back. You know, now that I know what to expect. I'll keep you posted on that.

ps. I think the guy was really irritated with me. True.

Don't judge. (ok, you can)

I love you all.

Pregnant?

2009-12-31T19:11:00.002-06:00

This conversation happened the other day at the doctor:

Dr: Is there any possibility you could be pregnant?

Me: Nope.

Dr: None at all?

Me: Nope.

Dr: Do you use protection?

(If I said "no", that would mean I need protection.)

Me: Yes.

My Mom: Whaaat?!?

Dr: Ok...?

Me: ...Abstinence?

Sorry, Mommy, for the heart attack.