Some Pictures, a Short Film, and a Vlog--April 25th

Well, first off, I figured I'd just post some random pictures I've taken over the course of my second semester at college.  My favorite shots are ones of my friends, but I don't want to post them without their awareness, so I'll keep pictures of others to a minimum.  After the pics is a vlog where I talk about how I haven't done anything fun or interesting in a while... though, honestly, this semester really has been a pretty great one.  I got pranked, went to the Hunger Games premiere with some friends, went to a reptile show, sorted through trash, got a JOB, held a cute little snake, found out I'm my best friend's best friend, and actually got some homework done.  Also, as covered in the vlog, I was hospitalized and got beat up on a granite mountain.  But you'll have to watch for more info on that  ;).  Without further ado, some pics.

A prank someone pulled on me--yes, that is ALL OF MY BEDDING STAPLED TO THE WALL.

The quad on a lovely spring day.

At a festival, where I joined some other volunteers in sorting through trash cans for recyclables.

Myself and the egg I dyed on Easter.

An awesome Asian water monitor, on my head, at a reptile show.

A snake a friend of mine found while we were out by a local creek.

A picture my sister snagged over spring break, when we went hiking off the blue ridge parkway.

A anole found by that same local creek.

My knees after shooting the short film--later, the red turned to purple, then started to fade.

If you care to see the short film, here it is.  BEFORE WATCHING, read the following disclaimer:

I acted as instructed to act--frequently in an overdramatic fashion, with tantrum like moments, and my character was a bit of a hotheaded idiot.  So yeah, there's that.  Also, I managed to get punched between the eyes once, and punched my counterpart in the mouth at one point... so while no animals were harmed in the making of this film, students WERE xD lol.  Overall, it was a lot of fun... I hope you enjoy if you watch it:

And, last but not least, the vlog with the latest updates from a sleep deprived Lizabeth xD lol.  Here I am folks...

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,

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!

I've Opened an Etsy! (and a giveaway? maybe?)

I hope you had a wonderful Easter everyone! In addition to receiving candy from my mother and watching Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince a couple times, and watching the Amazing Race and Celebrity Apprentice on TV, I didn't do much beyond mess around with making jewelry. I used to make it when I was a child, and thought it was brilliant, but I've stopped myself from buying materials for a couple years, telling myself 'you don't have money to waste' every time I was in a store with a crafting section. The other day my mom was getting my graduation picture custom framed at Michael's, EG, crafting heaven. Because my job kind of… dissolved, because I just wasn't 'wild and raunchy' enough, I've been running low on money, and been thinking a lot about getting an Etsy and starting the old jewelry biz back up. Standing in Michael's, I completely gave in, and decided that it was time to take that plan and turn it into action! My pictures are horrible, people, but I've opened up a shop on Etsy! I only have seven items listed now, but thought that was a good starting number (it's my lucky number after all! and yes, I'm unoriginal when it comes to lucky numbers)





I promise the pieces are prettier in real life (and kind of wish I could keep each piece, but am showing will power and selling them)! Anyway, if you're looking for some jewelry and have some time online, I'm keeping prices fairly low! The money will go toward my Food Fund-I can't currently afford the required freshman meal plan at the college I'm attending in the fall, which totally sucks xD lol. Anyway, just thought you all might be interested.

P.S. My next post is my 100th! I'm thinking about a giveaway… interested? If so, you have to comment and let me know ;).

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,