A Scavenger Hunt, a Dance, Finals, My Birthday, Old Salem, A Museum, Final Grades, and Upcoming Christmas.... The Readers Digest Version!

Hey everyone! Since my last update, I've attended a winter formal (dance), taken my finals, been sent back home for Christmas break, celebrated my 19th birthday, gone to Old Salem, gone to Reynolda House Museum, and gotten my final grades for the semester.

The formal was a lot of fun, as was the manner in which Jonathon asked me to it! I basically was sent on a cross campus scavenger hunt down memory lane, and it was pretty amazing :). Each clue was attached to a memory that he and I shared, and it was so wonderful reliving all of those good times at once! I also had to climb a tree for the first time in years, which was fun! We had a great time at the dance--even though Jonathon and I were dates, we still went with our group of friends, and we all had dinner together before we attended the formal. I wore my prom dress (some of you may remember it--very colorful), as did some of my friends, and one friend's sister curled my hair. Here's a pic of Jonathon and I from before the dance:


And here's a few candids:





In the weeks following formal, I had to prepare for and take my final exams. I actually did really well on my finals (95 in one, which required two essays to be written by hand in 2.5 hours… the scariest thing in the world for me xD), but even a 95 couldn't make up for the fact that I didn't finish half of my work on time… but more on that later.
Right now, I'm writing from NC, back at my parents house. I got a ride from another NC student at my college, who we met at a Charlotte summer send off party. Coming home from break filled me with apprehension, and I'm still a bit stressed to be here. Generally speaking, I'm looking forward to going HOME home--back to my residence hall. I am, however, enjoying some of my time here quite a bit, thanks to my sister. First off, we celebrated my birthday at Concord Mills (a mall, for those who aren't NC residents), and my brother and sis in law wound up meeting us there after a while. My facebook status from that night sums up what we did pretty well:



So that was my December 18th :). The 19th was a long day at the house (where I seem to be automatically discontented… need to work on that), but on the 20th Sarah and I went to Old Salem, and that night she let me sleep over at my brother's house (where she lives). When we got up on the 21st, Sarah asked if I wanted to hit an art museum, and naturally I said heck yes! :D. We went to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, which had an exhibit on loan from the Smithsonian called Modern Masters. One of the pieces I liked:



Back to my grades--they suck this semester. I got one F (for an online course I repeatedly forgot about until I just gave up on catching up), one NC (for an ENGLISH course, which are typically my easiest courses… because I didn't turn in drafts for the second to last project, or the project itself, which were huge parts of the final grade. Everything I turned in I got great scores on), two D's (for my biology lab and for my liberal arts course, which I love), and one B (biology). Why are my grades so bad? Because I didn't complete half of the homework… I don't know how to explain, and don't want to make excuses, but I need to seriously reorganize my mind and stop with the perfectionism crap. I know I've posted it before, that I've got perfectionism issues, but they've never had these kinds of consequences before. I've always been able to keep myself under control and force myself to get crap done, and have always had straight As as a result… so this is kind of hard to digest. But next semester I'm determined to do better--largely because I know, if I don't, I could lose my scholarship and be stuck back in this house for much longer :/.


So, what's next? CHRISTMAS!! :D :D :D. I've done the majority of my shopping online, and am worried that gifts won't arrive before I head back to college (when I'm planning on giving my friends their gifts), but a few things have arrived and been wrapped :). I've already received two very thoughtful gifts from friends, and it's making me even more excited to GIVE gifts! I want to make people as happy as those made me :). My sister and brother and his wife will be coming over Christmas eve to celebrate, and I'm really looking forward to it. Well, I think I'm finally caught up… my goal was to be posting about Christmas BY Christmas, and there you have it. I hope that your holidays all go fantastically, and that you're able to spend time with those you love. That's what really matters in the end, anyway… the people you love, the relationships you have with them, and what you really mean to eachother. I've been so blessed to make such wonderful friends at school, and am looking forward to spending time with my 'family' again. I've also been blessed to have the siblings I do, and in a certain way I'm blessed to have my parents as well. They have, after all, helped shape me into who I am, made me stronger… and for that I'm grateful. There's a lot for me to be grateful for this holiday season, and I betcha there's a lot for you to be grateful for too--if you only take the time to think about it. Merry Christmas everyone, and God bless,

Giving Thanks

I started making a vlog for this post, but got interrupted three minutes in, and didn't really have the time/opportunity to start over. So here I go, typing it out--maybe I'll vlog again once I'm back in NC.

For thanksgiving, I rode with a complete and total stranger for 6 hours to SC, where we met up with my parents, with whom I headed down to GA where my grandparents live. I've decided not to post too much about my thanksgiving, which was relatively uneventful, and instead post about what over the course of that trip I was reminded to give thanks for--same difference ;).

• My friends--it was so hard saying goodbye before break, because my college friends are like my new family, and one was kind enough to walk with me to meet the guy I was riding with and make sure I'd be okay.

• My safety--riding with a guy I didn't know was stupid, and I was fortunate he was a decent human being.

• My sister's strength--she recently went through a tough breakup, but even though he was trying to hurt her via facebook and texts the whole trip she stayed strong through it all.

• My mom's love--she was so glad to see me after these months, and I felt very loved… my cousins failed to come over because they don't like being around people, even family, and don't talk… and I'm very lucky that I was raised by the woman I was.

• My papa's health--For many years now, there have been many scares regarding his health, but right now he's doing well, for which I am very grateful.

• ...and lastly, my freedom. From my parents constant bickering, from my mother telling me I'm hateful and evil just because I don't give her 100% of my attention 24/7… for my independence, for my new life, and for my ability to appreciate my old one nonetheless. For the strength it all has given me.

Anyway, I'm very grateful for my life, for my past, and my present, and my future. Right now, I'm half asleep, and am being spoken to, so I think I'm going to go now… love you guys,

When My Sibs Came to Town...

So a couple weekends ago, my brother, sister, and sister in law all came to visit me at college. My roommate was gone, and they brought an inflatable mattress and crashed in my room. Before their arrival, I was a nervous wreck, and was running around cleaning like a mad person. When I was finished cleaning, Jonathon came and gave me peanut butter and pretzels and tried to calm me down. Eventually they arrived, and I ran at them in the parking lot and attacked them with hugs. The first thing my brother said to me was 'you wear hats now!' xD. The first night they were here, we went to see the engineering college's presentation of Reduced Shakespeare Company, which was HYSTERICAL, with Jonathon and per his recommendation. They all had a fantastic time :). After that, we crashed in my room for a while, then went to dinner on the strip. When we came back, my brother and his wife went to sleep, and my sister and I headed up to 'the family room'--the study room where my friends and I all hang out. Most of the 'family' was in there, and it was so much fun to share them with my sister. Over the course of the evening, she broke up with her boyfriend, which wasn't easy for her. I think that being 9 hours away from him and having the support of myself and my friends really was the ideal situation for this to happen, and I'm grateful that she had the strength to do what she needed to do. Here is my brother crashed on the floor xD:

The next day I treated my sibs to dining hall food and gave them a bit of a walking tour, including the basement of the library and around the football stadium.

My brother kept playing with the lights in the basement, and I was running around turning them back on. In the afternoon, they went to Wal-Mart with a grocery list to do my shopping for me while I tried to do homework, and while they were gone I wound up napping, then being woken with a phone call from Jonathon, who wound up throwing rocks at my window. When they got back, they came with LOADS of food, as well as college gear for themselves :).

In the evening, a friend named Cody(who was of great help to my sister) accompanied us on a walk to a local park, which turned into an extremely long walk off campus and eventually to an amazing restaurant, where I had pecan fried catfish, half of a burger, and some gouda grits :D. It was fun to eat with my sibs and my friend, and they got along great, which really made my night. The next day my sibs and I had breakfast at IHOP, which was fun, and then went to Wal-Mart together and got a couple more things, and I returned some junk jewelry I'd gotten for Halloween and didn't use. After Wal-Mart, we said our goodbyes, and my siblings left… it was so hard to see them go. Here's a pic of us four right before they left:

Luckily, I got to see my sister again during Thanksgiving break… which will be covered in my next post :). Until then,

My First Vlog--Nov. 4

Hey everyone! I decided to give vlogging a shot--what do you think? I repeat myself some, and was nervous and sleep deprived, so it is kind of lame, but you get the idea xD. Share your opinions--I value them!

Thanks guys, love y'all, ttyl!

Leaving Home...

Today I leave for college. Tomorrow morning I move in. You know a couple posts ago I said something about getting a chance to breathe soon? Wait, lemme find it: "So yeah, I've been really busy the last several days, and haven't been home much at all. Today I'm going whitewater rafting with my sister, and tomorrow she, my dad, and I all leave for Georgia... so it looks like I'm going to be busy for a while yet. But I know that eventually this insanity will calm down, and I'll be able to breathe, and all I have to do until then is not panic!". Yeah, that. Well that break from insanity has yet to occur, as I've been going dancing and swimming and kayaking and rafting and ultimate frisbee-ing and LOTS of shopping and packing and a little crying and plenty of traveling in these past couple weeks. Then today I leave for college. And tomorrow morning I move in... and meet my roommate, call someone to loft my bed, register my bike for a permit, pick up my books, pick up my fridge, do some last minute grocery shopping, go to a cookout, and God knows what else will come up. The whole 'not panic' thing is getting tougher and tougher, but I'm doing my best. Right now, I need to finish up packing so we can leave bright and early tomorrow, then I'll sleep for the nine hour drive to a hotel by my college. Yes folks, I'm a little ways away from home. I've become closer friends with a couple people these past couple weeks, which I'm truly grateful to God for--hopefully we can keep in touch despite the distance. Lia, Stephanie, and Ayla--I just sent y'all an email, fyi. And Stephanie, Zoe, Jan, Raisa, and Hannah--I replied to your comments on the previous post. Thanks to all of you who actually read this post--sorry it's so dry, I'm just insanely tired :/. And thank you Ania for following my little ol' blog! I really appreciate it :). Until next time, when I'll hopefully have something more blog worthy,

Time is Running Out

You've probably heard that phrase before--I know I have a million times. Deadlines over school or tasks at work, time is always running out to accomplish something--or at least, that is the way it seems, with those deadlines we choose to create. But what about REAL deadlines in life? Personally, I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Heading off the college in the fall is going to tear me away from my parents and siblings and friends, but there's always next summer to spend time with them, right? What about my grandparents that I never see? My grandparents that love me but live so far away we don't see eachother, my grandparents who are beginning to have issues with health or memory, my grandparents who won't ALWAYS have next summer. Yet, do any of us truly have a guarantee of next summer? Life is short--sometimes much shorter than expected. And only in these past several weeks have I begun to LIVE in a way that acknowledges that. My sister and I have been spending more time together, I'm hanging out with the girl across the street, I just visited my family in Georgia… I'm focusing more on what matters, and what matters is relationships with people. I hadn't seen my grandparents in GA in quite a while, and when we arrived and I hugged Papa, I told him I loved him, and he quietly said "I love you too" and got tears in his eyes… and in that moment I couldn't remember why I ever considered not coming on this trip. Sure, I had reasons--I've got deadlines to meet for school, need to finish shopping and getting my books and making decisions and paying bills, and I haven't blogged properly in ages(even missed my one year blogoversary)--but in the end, all of that is relatively inconsequential. My Papa means so much more to me than that. And so does my sister, and my mom, and my brother, and certain friends. It is so. freaking. easy., especially in this day and time with the advances in technology, to forget how much more important human relationships are than impersonal updates on facebook or funny videos on youtube. This coming week I've chosen to go to a movie with someone I don't know all that well, but would like to, go whitewater rafting with the girl across the street, and go to Ohio to visit my relatives on the other side of my family. Yet another trip at one point I considered missing out on. Yet more time away from college preparations. But it's worth it, because you never know how much time you've got left. And I guess that's the point of this post--time is precious, and so are the people you love, so why not spend what time you have with them? These past several weeks I've enjoyed my life more than I have since… well, as long as I can remember. It's a pity it took me so long to figure it out.

After the Storm

Hey everyone! I can't believe it's been a week since the last time I posted... so much has happened! I got to hang out with my neighbor again, and then I spent another day at my brother's house, chilling with my sister and sister-in-law at their pool :). Then that evening I went to play ultimate Frisbee with some friends, hung out at McDonald's afterward, and picked up a graduation gift from a really good friend. After being dropped off back at my car, I went back to my brother's house to spend the night, and then realized I didn't have my graduation gift with me, so I checked the car, had my sister check the car, had my earlier ride check HIS car, another friend and his mom checked the parking lot where I'd been parked, and then after a very restless night my sister-in-law and I checked the parking lot ourselves and couldn't find the gift anywhere. The theory is that I left if on top of my car--in fact, I'm pretty certain that's what I did. But it's long gone now :/. After scouring the parking lot for a long time, I went back to my brother's house and took a shower, then grabbed all my crap and drove home, where I talked with my dad for a while then took a short nap. When I woke up I had to get ready for a party a couple hours away, a party for all of the NC students going to the college I'm headed to in the fall. Attending that was fun, though I'm not really one for making small talk with strangers.

That night, at about midnight, my mom and I hit walmart to buy me a bicycle. Then the next day, I had a job as an extra again--this time for a show called Homeland, starring Claire Danes. I was a 'girl on bike', hence the midnight bike run. It was an okay experience... but nothing as amazing as The Hunger Games. It's a paying job, though, and my new bike rocks, so I'm glad I did it :). So yeah, I've been really busy the last several days, and haven't been home much at all. Today I'm going whitewater rafting with my sister, and tomorrow she, my dad, and I all leave for Georgia... so it looks like I'm going to be busy for a while yet. But I know that eventually this insanity will calm down, and I'll be able to breathe, and all I have to do until then is not panic! A long while back, our area experienced a HORRIBLE storm... there were tornadoes nearby and severe thunderstorms and wind. Then, it just stopped... and the next day I took this picture:

 

I love this picture, because to me it means, when things are rough, 'this too shall pass'... there may always be a calm before the storm, but there's always a calm after one too--it's just the way life works out, depending how you choose to look at it. This storm isn't over yet, but when it is I'm sure the sun will shine and the flowers will smile up at it :). Anyway, now I'm rambling... just wanted to say I love you guys, and I'm sorry for not reading and commenting on your blogs. I hope to catch up more soon! :/. Thanks so much to Lia and Raisa for commenting on my last post, even though it wasn't much of one and I've been an unfaithful blogger. I really appreciate it :). Until next time,

Life IS Sweet DANGIT!

Hey everyone! Been at war with myself lately, because I've been swinging between 'so stressed I'm losing it' and 'having the best summer ever'. I realized I haven't done a life is sweet post this month, so I've decided to do it even though it is late-or rather, really overdue. So here it comes, the ten things sweetening up my life lately(ignoring all the crappy things, this is a pretty impressive list! :D):

1. Spending time with my sister. She, my dad and I recently went to the US National Whitewater Center, and spent our time climbing their adventure courses, a little ziplining, flatwater kayaking, and whitewater rafting. It was a pretty amazing day :). AND, my sister is totally beast at EVERYTHING, including the rock wall and flatboarding (I didn't even try that one-looked like too much work to be fun). She and I both bought season passes so we can hang there whenever :D.
2. Spending time with friends. I got to hang out with my filming family, Megan and Caroline, a couple weeks ago, and it was a lot of fun :). I'm also planning on seeing Deathly Hallows part 2 with my bestie Kels, which I am BEYOND psyched about :D :D :D. I'm going to wear…
3. ...my Solemnly Swear Necklace! I just bought this epic necklace, and while I haven't received it yet, I'm in love with it. I've been wanting to buy it for weeks, but didn't want to splurge… then totally gave in :D.

4. I. officially. have. a. DORM :D. And a roomie, who has friended me on facebook! :D.
5. I finally was able to schedule a college move in day! YES :D. August 20th, I'm officially at my new home… hard to believe I'll finally be free ^_^.
6. I survived the previously griped over math test from hell. I didn't even almost finish it, because we weren't allowed to use calculators and I had SERIOUS summer-math-brain, but I did what I could and got my result, which was the math class they recommend I start with. Looks like I'll be taking a simpler math (which originally really, really bothered me), but oh well, like my mom said, better than starting off with something crazy hard :).
7. My TWLOHA Shirt!!! :D :D :D. I LOVE this shirt I got from To Write Love on Her Arms, SO much :D. And it fits perfectly! Pic from their site:



8. Reading. I've recently read Divergent (HIGHLY recommend-I really, really enjoyed it), Rot and Ruin (Tom was my favorite, with his katana and everything, but Benny eventually became tolerable when he stopped hating on the poor zoms), and Carpe Diem (I LOVED HANKS, and Grandma Gerd, and eventually Vassar :D. Great story! Thanks for reviewing it Shaynie!). I have a couple books from the library, but am unsure of what to read next, and was thinking about buying Delirium on my Kindle. Have any of you read Delirium? Thoughts? And here are the titles I've gotten from the library:

• Warped by Maurissa Guibord


• Teenie by Christopher Grant


• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys


• The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge


• The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Any thoughts on any of those?
9. The monetary rewards of filming-EG, my paychecks! They have finally started to arrive, and I am so glad. My bank account was running empty, but now it is running about half full (half of my ideal balance), which is a lot better.
10. And… my dad just baked cookies, so I think I better split ;).

What's been sweetening up YOUR life lately? I hope a lot :). Talk to y'all later,

Goin' to the Lodge (Great Wolf Lodge) :D

Earlier this week, my family and I spent three days at Great Wolf Lodge(an indoor water park, for those who don't know) to celebrate my mom's birthday! My parents, my sister, and I were there all three days, and my brother and his wife came on the 14th for dinner and spent a little time touring the park. The trip was a lot of fun, and while I didn't get many pics (and those I got are crappy), I'll share what I have :). First things first, the entrance:




The room:







The view from the balcony:




The park:










The first ride we rode is called the Howlin' Tornado, and we all thought we were going to die. It was probably a bad idea for all four of us to ride together, because my parents aren't exactly as slender as I am, and the weight upped the momentum and the tube was literally on its side ready to flip several times throughout the ride. My dad was ABOVE my mom, because they were sitting opposite eachother, and she thought he was going to fall on her and kill her! Lol, it was pretty crazy. Anyway, I couldn’t' get pics ON the ride, but here is a pic of the inside I found online:




And here is a pic of the outside:




For those who haven't ridden it before, it is essentially a huge funnel you're dropped into, as you can kinda tell from the pics :). Anyway, after riding that, my mom didn't want to go on any more rides, so we hit the outside pool:







My sister and I went ahead and hit other rides, including Alberta Falls and River Canyon Run. We pretty much just enjoyed everything the park had to offer that day :).

The next day, my mom's birthday, my dad suggested trying the Howlin' Tornado again, so he and I went and wound up paired with two little kids, and the ride was still wild but we didn't think we were gonna die-it was actually a heck of a lot of fun! Seriously, I LOVE that ride. So next we convinced my sister to join us, and she my father and I all rode together, which was a mite crazier but still non-lethal. We enjoyed all of the rides, including the cool racing one, all morning and afternoon.




We also raced across these lily pads and log rounds things… here is a pic of the setup:




Sure it is for little kids, and my sister and I couldn't even stand up-right, but we raced with our heads held high like the little kids we really are inside :D. Oh, and I almost forgot: I won ;).

After spending the day in the park and at the outside pool, my mom and I got decent then headed out to play Magi Quest, an interactive magical experience :D. She really wanted to do it, so she bought a wand and we had at it. It was a lot of fun, but WAY too much exercise-seriously, four stories of running all over the place and hunting down paintings and gems and wolves and treasure chests and battling dragons can really take the energy out of ya!

After playing for a couple hours, we got ready to go to dinner, where my brother and sister in law were waiting to surprise momma. She couldn't believe they were there, because my brother was supposed to be in DC meeting congresswoman Slaughter to discuss a bill she is proposing (which has to do with the mass use of antibiotics in the agricultural industry-really long story, but fascinating-read a summary HERE, about the bill, if you want. Also, if… four people or more ask, I'll explain what it is that my brother wanted to discuss with her. It is kind of complicated, and I'm too lazy to write an essay on it here, but will expand on the issue if you want). Anyway, congresswoman Slaughter was feeling sick, so her secretary rescheduled all her appointments for the week. So yeah, we drove on over to the Mayflower to grab some seafood, which my mom loves:







And when she saw my brother she totally freaked :). Here is my sister in law, brother, and sister (from left to right). Do I have beautiful siblings or what?




After dinner we went back to Great Wolf, and gave the family a tour of the waterpark. Here is a shot of momma and all her chilluns ;).




After THAT, we managed to talk my brother into riding the Howlin' Tornado with my sister and I. We were riding along the tube, chill and everything, then hit the drop off point where you enter the funnel and start FLYING, and my brother shouted the F-bomb way loud xD. My sister and I couldn't stop laughing at him. Then, after the ride was over, I got caught in the water in the exit area and was being dragged back toward the tunnel by the current, still laughing hysterically, and the employee holding our tube pushed it over to me and helped drag me out. Here is us getting off:




Then, them off and me drowning(see my head behind the tube?):




And finally, I emerged victorious, looking like a demon possessed drowned rat:




After that, my bro and his lovely wife left, because she had to work that night, and the rest of us just chilled. The next morning, we packed everything up to go, except swimsuits (check out was at 11, but you're allowed to use the park until it closes). Then momma and I went on more Quests, and finally beat the stupid dragon:




After that, momma and I got into a bit of an argument, and things got really tense and uncomfortable, and we got something to eat, then hit the waterpark, and things were all better :). It was more complicated than that and took hours, not just a sentence, but it did get better. When we hit the park, we chilled outside, then managed to talk momma into riding Alberta falls… she'd been so traumatized by the Howlin' Tornado she didn't want to ride ANYTHING. But she and I hit it together, and she loved it so much she went again! Here we are:




Then I had my sister take a better shot of the two of us.




My sister wouldn't ride anything because she'd gotten a temporary tattoo, that said SEXY in Chinese or Japanese or something, and didn't want it to wash off xD. Eventually, we had all the fun we could handle, and got dressed and ready to go. At the front door, an employee was willing to take our picture, so you can see us in our weird haired glory.




And then we were off! It was a lot of fun, and momma really enjoyed herself, which was the point :). My entire body hurts, from hauling myself over those lily pads by the ropes (I almost entirely used my arms), and from climbing all those stairs for the rides and the Quests, but I'm glad I did everything I did :). Oh and Max, I did have tons of fun, but not as much as I'd have had if I'd gotten to meet you there ;). Sorry for not posting for a while people-it took a bit to get all the pics together from the different cameras then assemble the post. Huge thanks to Grey for following! I hope you enjoy what you find here :). Until next time,

Mi Familia

Steph just did a post on all her family members, and asked her followers to do the same, so I figured I'd give it a shot :D. I'm not using the real names of my family members, but just saying Sis and Bro and Liz for my sister, brother, and sister in law (well, I'm using her real name). Lol, moving on, in order of age…

Momma: My mom is crazy, and fun, and sometimes drives me nuts, but at the end of the day I know that she loves me with all her heart and would die for me in an instant. She works as a CNA in a hospital, a job which she generally likes, but right now she's taking care of people in rehab who are 300+lbs and it is taking a serious toll on her body. Soon, she's moving to another hospital and will be in a mother/baby unit :D. Much smaller patients… lol. She LOVES to fish, and the beach, and driving, and cooking ridiculously unhealthy but delicious southern food. She's from Georgia and proud, and proud a million times over of us three kids-the best things she's ever done, she says :). She is clingy and overprotective, and keeps making comments about me abandoning her when I go to college, but I'm growing up and I know as time passes she will come to accept it. The single most annoying thing about her is that she wastes words-she'll ask me to do something I know how to do, and then go into detail, wasting precious air and making me stand there longer when I could be doing it. Yes, that is a major pet peeve of mine, and not entirely her fault.

Daddy: Daddy is a really mixed bag of insanity. I guess I'll start with the basics, the 'what the neighbors see' deal. He works from home, in our rec room, as a computer programmer/web designer. He goes to church every Sunday and helps people take down trees, and takes care of the dog all day and used to get the newspaper out of our elderly neighbor's driveway and put it on her porch for her, but she's in an assisted living facility now. He's happy to lend out tools and waves at people when he walks around the block. He packs my mom's lunch every morning and when she gets back from work waits on her hand and foot. He also is prone to psychotic fits of rage, has told me that I must do what he says when he says it and that he doesn't care what I think about anything, and has screamed at me for opening a can of soup. He cussed at my sister the other day for asking to borrow his phone, and turned around and complained to me about it, but he took me to the hotel and to the drop off location for filming every day for the couple weeks I was on set, and was nice as could be the whole time. He refuses to contribute a dime toward my college education, despite his financial success, which made me ineligible for need based awards-praise be to God for National Merit and the scholarship I received-I genuinely thought I wouldn't get to go at all. We think he's bipolar, he thinks he's perfect, and I don't know if he'll ever change. He also thinks children are nothing more than the byproduct of a healthy marriage. I'm a byproduct. Joy.

Bro: I LOVE MY BROTHER!!!!! He is 28, and sarcastic and intelligent and amazing and funny and protective and loving and the best big brother in the whole wide world. Haha, he really is! He's in charge of all the computers in the hematology/oncology wing of a large hospital, but says he still doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up. He's taught me that you can make mistakes and life still goes on, and that I don't have to be perfect to have success in life. He offered my sister and I a place to live to escape my father, and has always said he is there for me no matter what. I believe him.

Sis: I LOVE MY SISTER! Haha, she is 20, HYSTERICAL, and loving, and really emotional but in a good way. I tend to be cold and disconnected, and she is NOT. When she's upset, it comes out right that second, and when she's happy the world knows it. She tends toward 'blond' moments, all the time, and doesn't like to read, but she's got some street smarts and when she knows something, she KNOWS it. She's shown me that hard work can get you anywhere, and is kicking butt in nursing school even though it has been an uphill battle sometimes, and I have the utmost respect and admiration for her. When we were little I drove her crazy, but now I truly consider her my closest friend, even though she lives with my brother and I don't get to see her as much anymore. She likes cats and wants to help people and likes to talk, and has a beautiful smile and the darkest brown eyes, and is just a beautiful person inside and out. I really love my big sister <3.

Me: I'm 18, and overthink everything. I tend to be sarcastic and harsh sometimes, and am emotionally disconnected. My semi-robotic behavior leads to hilarity when I'm around my sister, because our opposite personalities bounce off of each other into… well, I was gonna say banter, but it is mostly me catching every logical fallacy that comes out of her hot tempered mouth xD. I'm an introvert, and tend to do more observing than interacting with the world around me. I love reading and music, and both allow me to emotionally connect in a way that my life sometimes doesn't. I know pouring my heart into my favorite song or a good book isn't going to hurt me, unlike my parents sometimes. I love poetry and art and creative expression, and English courses are some of the easiest and most enjoyable I've taken throughout school. I also love Chemistry and Biology, and am hoping for a career in biochemical/biomedical/tissue engineering. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if I wound up a journalist. I was actually just featured in my local paper, and 'presadential' was written there. I really want to replace the head editor. My Myers-Briggs personality type is INTJ-and it describes me and my authority issues in a nutshell. I'm also a pained perfectionist, and am easily paralyzed by the threat of failure/imperfection. I cannot do something if I lack confidence in my ability to excel at it. I tend to shut people off, unless I trust them, and don't let others care about me though I tend to care about people quite easily. When I consider someone a friend, I'm serious about it, and will defend them without hesitation. Psych and House are two of my favorite shows, and Muse and Breaking Benjamin are two of my favorite bands. And I'm tired of talking about myself right now. Here is a pic of Sis and I (for those who don't know, I'm the one on the right):



Well, I'm the baby, so I guess that's it… actually, let's throw the pets into this.

Angel-Angel is SEVEN (I can't believe it!), and a white long haired cat that is NOT a Persian (her face isn't flat). She is beautiful and has depth perception issues (I've seen her NOT land on her feet a couple times, disproving the old adage), and lately has become extremely needy and vocal. She loves attention and is generally really sweet-she's the best behaved pet we've ever had. And she's MY baby-when I went and saw the litter of kittens, she was the ugly little flea ridden runt that didn't want to let go of me, and I loved her to death. Now she's GORGEOUS.



Spaz and Greco-These two are my lovely leopard geckos, Spaz is the fat one and spazzes whenever people try to hold him, and Greco is the smaller one who is gentler and enjoys being handled. Here is a picture of Greco… all my awesome pictures of the two of them are on a different machine, so we'll have to settle for this:



Peanut-Our little hot dog… Serious bladder control issues, but sweet as can be. My mom brought him home, but he spends most of his time with my dad and me.



And I guess that's it :). So what's your family like? I'd love to hear about them!

Update from the Beach (and reminder-10 days left to enter my giveaway!)

Hey everyone! Blogger's issues caused the first comments on my last post to vanish, so I'm planning on copying them from my Reader and posting them back soon, then responding. Sorry to those whose comments disappeared :/. Anyway, just thought I'd give you guys a quick update:

The fitting on Thursday(the day of starvation) went great, and was an exciting new experience. I'm not allowed to talk about anything about it, what I wore, what we're going to do, anything, so I can't really post about it :/. I so, so, SO wish I could tell you guys, cause there's a lot to say, but I can't :-P. Rest assured it was FUN though :D.

The colonoscopy Friday went fine, I'm alive, and we still don't know what's wrong xD lol. I also finally got to eat-my sister swung by McDonald's on the way home (she was kind enough to take me, my mom was working), and I got nuggets and a fish sandwich ^_^. Food is good.

My mom got an 'emergency' phone call last night, and I wound up needing to change costumes due to unforeseen circumstances, so I went in for a second fitting this morning. I was fine with it, and am still so excited :D.

And after the fitting, my family and I hit the road for my graduation vacation at the beach! We got here a couple hours ago, and I just got a chance to sit down and breathe, and thought I'd let you know what was up! My camera is dead, so I don't have any pics yet, but before we left I showed my sister a video I love:



She does Marcel's voice PERFECTLY, it's SO FUNNY!!! She was going through her makeup bag and pulling out stuff, for example a compact that was just powder around the edges, and said in her Marcel voice "this is my sand box. Sometimes-sometimes I fill the middle part with water, and then it's my ocean"… it was too cute! Also, just a reminder, you still have ten days to enter my giveaway! I've been making more items, just need to get them listed :). Also, though no longer listed, I DO have another pair of the Triangular Sunshine earrings (the first pair sold, but I bought more gems because they were so popular :D). Thanks so much to everyone who has entered! Until next time,

Recovering from the Weirdest Day of My Life (thus far)

This tale is not for those who are weak of heart, because it’s really freaking weird. Oh, and HG Lova, you kind of have to read this. Today, I did the following:

Went to physics class, which was a review in prep for the final, and other than me looking like crap because I had a random unexpected breakout on the side of my face, it went great.

Came home because I was starving because I hadn’t eaten, only to realize I didn’t have TIME to eat-I was running late for a doctor’s appointment.

On my way to the doctor, got in a car accident with one other vehicle, holding three generations of women (my first accident ever).

I melted into a puddle of hyperventilating and waterworks, repeating over and over “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry” (I think I was in shock).

The two younger people with whom I collided were from Maine, visiting the third person, the grandmother, who was behind the wheel. The middle woman grew up in the Bahamas, because the grandmother was a missionary, and the young daughter also grew up in the Bahamas.

The younger daughter was 19, and very nice, and homeschooled. She told me they lived in Maine with a large garden and lots of farm animals, and that she was the youngest of seven siblings, all of whom were married. She reminded me to trust in God while making all of the huge decisions that come with graduation, a reminder which I desperately needed.

My entire town lost power, so I couldn’t get a hold of the insurance guy and my mom couldn’t look up the doctor’s phone number to tell him I’d be late.

My dad arrived at the scene of the crime to assess the damage and make a decision whether to work it out personally or bring in the cops (which the other people did NOT want, at all).

We agreed to go to an Auto Body shop that the grandmother always used in order to get an estimate on the price of the repair of their headlight area (which slammed into the side of my car, which we will not repair… I’d have to pay to fix it, and honestly the car still drives, so I’m okay with it).

It wasn’t her first collision, and she knew the man who ran the auto body shop.

After hearing his name, my dad asked if he was related to a recently departed family friend, and it turns out he was. They wound up talking about Mr. Terry for a while, and Mr. Terry was such a good, Godly, man, so I started fighting tears again.

A price was settled upon, and the man said he would do part of the work for free (generosity which was completely unexpected).

Both vehicles went to the bank, where my dad got a cashier’s check and paid them the agreed amount. Then we said goodbye to the missionary family from Maine, who really were a blessing to get in an accident with (I mean, what if it had been an angry man?!?!).

We swung by the doctor to see if I could be seen, and I couldn’t for forty five minutes, so we went home so I could eat.

We arrived, and my mom said she’d take me to the doctor and we’d go to her interview for a great job afterward, and I STILL didn’t have time to eat, because I was running around doing stuff to help her get ready.

Momma and I went to the GI doctor (I’ve been having severe stomach pains and digestive issues for months now, and we thought antibiotics fixed the mystery problem but they didn’t, so I got a CT a bit back and they found out I have malrotation. Click the link if you want to know just how screwed up I am.). The doctor suggested a second colonoscopy, this time a full one, but he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to do it because my intestine is shaped like a paper clip (again, click the above link for details). We scheduled it for Friday morning, which means I can’t eat anything after midnight tonight, and need to prep(drink some colon cleansing crap) tomorrow.

After the doctor’s appointment, we rushed to the hospital for my mom’s interview at a mother/baby unit. My mom is a CNA :). I sat and watched John Wayne movies while my mom had her interview and went on a tour, and everything went AMAZING, and she’s pretty much hired. It was a real high-point for the day.

We FINALLY ate, hitting the amazing Cracker Barrel, and when we arrived my dad called and told me I had a message that would excite me when I got home-and that it had to do with a casting call I went to (click the link for details).

The food was great, but we had to hurry, because we still had errands and haircuts were scheduled for tonight.

After eating, we hit Michael’s and I got some more triangular gems (the triangular sunshine earrings sold, but I know they were a favorite of some of my giveaway enterers, so I’m making more).

After Michael’s, we came home, and I listened to the message. I am one of the very first extras to be cast in the Hunger Games movie, and was told that I definitely should be excited, as I was one of the first picks. My only hesitation was scheduling-I have my college orientation May 30-June 1.

I called the casting agency back, and scheduled a sitting/costume fitting for tomorrow morning at 9 am. The lady, when she heard about my orientation days, was wary, but I was crossing my fingers I’d be able to reschedule.

After that was straightened out, I sat down and was looking for the email address of the orientation people, to ask how easy it was to change days, when THEY CALLED ME TO ASK IF I HAD QUESTIONS. No bull, I was looking for the email, and they called that moment about my orientation.

Turns out, it should be easy to swap days, so when I go tomorrow I’m just going to wait and see what the filming days wind up being.

In summary, today I went to school, got in a car accident, scheduled a colonoscopy, my mom got hired at an awesome place, and I got cast in the movie of my dreams. Pretty much the weirdest day of my entire life. I mean, how RANDOM can you get? The people I collided with were amazing, the repair guy was a friend of a friend, and the phone rang just as I was looking for the email of the caller? Super freaky. SO, the next few days will be just as weird:

Thursday, 9am, going to my HG sitting/fitting.

At 12, I begin my prepping for the colonoscopy.

When at home, I need to take all of my EOG testing in one day.

On Friday, I have my colonoscopy in the morning, and will be out of it all day.

On Saturday, we leave for vacation, which is why I have to hurry it up with the EOGs.

Is my life insane? You tell me.

Zebras, Giraffes, and... Rhino-seros? (a Trip to the Zoo in Pictures)

The trip to the Zoo really started the night before, when my sister called at ten pm and asked if I wanted to hit the zoo in the morning. I'd been outta my head because of family crap, and was eager to get outside and enjoy the pretty weather and see my sister some more, so off to the zoo I went :). The funniest part was her reading a sign, not a minute after we entered…
"Zebras, Giraffes, and 'Rhino-seros'… I wonder why they put only that one in Spanish"
*I walk back to sign and stand there*
"how exactly do YOU spell rhinoceros?"
*she comes back over*
"you're kidding me… hahahaha, that's ENGLISH!"
"yeah, it is…"
She then said "maybe I shouldn't be the one holding the map…" xD lol. Gotta love my sister! We saw lots of animals, and though my camera is difficult to work with, I did manage to get some pretty pictures. Nothing spectacular, but you can usually tell what I'm taking a picture of (and one of them I actually really love). I'll stop boring you with words now, though ;). See for yourself!






























































Well, I'm too lazy to post any more, and I'm sure your eyes are worn out from all of those xD. My favorite is the flower shot, with three, and with a vertical orientation. Those flowers were just so beautiful! Anyway, I hope to do a post with more substance soon. Thank you all so much for the congratulations! I'm excited :D. Until next time,