Looking Up

I'm in a much better mood now. And my roommate is still alive. :p I went shopping last night, so I feel muuuuch better. Hehe. No, I didn't spend too much. I got some new sneakers for hip-hop, some Anbesol for my tooth, and a new CD. I also had a fantabulous workout and some pretty entertaining conversations as well, so today feels like a good day. I'll let you know for sure when it's all over tonight. Love and toodles!

Boo

I'm depressed. And my tooth hurts. I don't know why I'm depressed except that maybe I feel like I'm missing something in life. Like things were meant to be something different. If you don't understand, don't worry about it.

But my tooth hurts.

Is it justifiable homicide to kill your roommate for eating noisily? I can tolerate most things, but ever since I was young I never could stand the noises people make when they eat. Lo and behold, I get a roommate who is the loudest chip muncher under the sun!!! I'm going to kill her. I know quite a few people who would help my get rid of the body...

Complaints

Being sick stinks. And Nyquil tastes sooo much better than Dayquil! Dunno why, but it does. Other than the obvious discomfort in my nasal passages, throat, and ears (causing a headache, stuffy nose, and lovely cough), I'm dealing with a huge, gaping hole in the back of my head. I've stopped chewing on my right side. And it's hard to remember until something gets over there and the excruciating pain shoots through my body at speeds previously unknown to mankind. I have a presentation due tomorrow, another due on Friday, and a test today, only for about half of which I'm prepared.

On a lighter note, I love my classes. Makeup is a blast, costuming is fun, acting 2 is awesome, intro to production is pretty sweet, and my history class is even half-way interesting. Woohoo! My dance class is just funny. If you know anything about Southeast Texas, imagine a hip-hop class at a relatively inexpensive college... Hehehe. Yeah, I'm a white girl. :p

But back to being sick. I'm soo not up for a long day, but I get one anyway. Maybe I'll be smart and use my invalid time to do my homework. Haha. Suuure. That's what I'll do... ;D Ok, I'm out. Love and toodles!

Tragedy

In one morning all changed. Porkchop's dad passed away. He had his stomach banded recently and went to the ER Sunday. They had to do emergency surgery and he didn't recover as they intended. Please pray for Courtney, as well as Christie (Courtney's step-mom), Kendall, Matthew, and Heather (Courtney's siblings). And Bernice, Courtney's mother. This is going to be hard for all of them. And for those of us doing our best to ease their pain.

It's That Time Again

Well, I'm back "home" now. School, that is. It's really wonderful to be back. I'm shifting gears again, telling myself that it's time to buckle down and "do" college. But I can work hard and play hard, too. No more worries about curfew and calling home every ten minutes. I'm thinking about getting a job, but then there's all of the stuff I have to do already, not to mention all of the possibilities for this semester, so I'll probably wait. I'm definitely working this summer, though. My roommate wants some company tomorrow while she gets her truck worked on, but I don't know when my audition is and if I'll be able to go, so I'm waking up early to go sign up if possible.

I have a very pretty color-coded schedule written up, and I'm walking around some time tomorrow to see where my classes are. Most of them are in the theater building, so no worries there. I have my first hip-hop class on Wednesday. Um, yay, I guess. We'll see and I'll report back. This should be interesting. Well, g'night! Love and hugs!

Troy

It’s all Helen’s fault, you know. If she hadn’t run off with Paris a dreadful chain of events would have been avoided. Of course, we wouldn’t still be reading about the history of the greatest war ever fought, either, now would we?

Think about it. Paris takes Helen. Paris fights Menelaus, Hector kills Menelaus, Agamemnon wages war to avenge his brother, Hector kills Ajax, and Achilles’ cousin fights for Greeks dying on Trojan shores. Achilles fights Hector and kills him, escalating the war and changing the fate of the war for the Greeks, who were doomed from the beginning without Achilles to fight for them. All for Helen’s renowned beauty. Then Paris shoots an arrow and hits the heel of the great hero and the Greeks resort to trickery to win the war.

And then there’s the whole “Romeo and Juliet” inner story. Achilles loves Chryseis and yet tears them apart with his own vengeance. Twisted fate.

Is the entire movie of Troy one big bundle of dramatic irony? WE all know what’s going to happen. Some of us even know the details. Did anyone notice that really weird reference to Aeneas? He was supposed to be older and married...

I like it. The character development, the plot development, and even the connected threads of revenge and death appeal to me. Ah, the timeless story of deception, war, love, and mythology intertwined with an irrational trust in the divine beings of our own imaginations. What a novel idea, eh?

Sarcasm, cynicism, yeah. But oh well. Have a good day everybody.

Oh yeah, I love the horse. So cute.

Observations

Hey everybody! Well, Christmas is over. Now it's time for New Years! Woohoo! Ok, I promised some funny stories based on a few observations.

One: Eggnog is addicting. I come to this conclusion based on an observation. Christmas Eve: We're sitting around the bar in the kitchen talking and telling stories and drinking, you guessed it, eggnog. We had all finished our cups except for Mom and had moved on to something hot, like Mom's awesome spiced tea. Dad sat quietly gaping at Mom's cup. The words out of his mouth next took us all by surprise… "Are you gonna drink that?" Silence. Then laughter! We all cracked up! Dad was so serious! He really wanted more, very badly! So then we got into a discussion about the way we all love eggnog and how we could drink it constantly, even though we shouldn't. And so the evening progressed.

One of the things I absolutely love about Christmas, even more than the presents, it seems, are those magical moments that occur spontaneously. Like that wonderful conversation we had around the bar that night. About life, about work, about silly stories and gay guys hitting on people. Hehe.

Two: I now own the softest robe on the planet, with Brandy's coming in a very close second. For Christmas I got a gorgeous green and white robe that feels exquisite! I can't really describe it, except that it's the softest, fluffiest, warmest, most comfortable robe I've ever felt. It's a robe that makes you really not want to ever put on your pajamas. I love it! For those of you at college, I'll bring it back just to share the absolute delight of touching it. :p

Three: Mother is an amazing cook! Not funny, per say, but very true, nonetheless.

Four: I got soo many wonderful gifts! Like jewelry, a purse, socks, my robe, more jewelry, some sweaters, face cleaner stuff, and a full acrylic paint set! Along with a green dragonfly teapot, a dragonfly pin, a pair of dragonfly earrings, and some wonderful lotion, I had a wonderful Christmas. We had chili after church. Mmm mmm good!

Five: Playing Trivial Pursuit with a bunch of guys without Larry and Jan there is rather pointless. The guys were desperately trying to catch up with the girls after we had conquered 5 of 6 categories. The guys: 0. Yeah, really boring. So I, being the "question master", through collaboration with the rest of the girls, decided to censor the questions. The guys got about 10 questions they were guaranteed to answer correctly, and were up to 4 of the 6 categories. We left them there on their own. They then proceeded to get the final 2 pie pieces and make it to the middle, where they missed the final question twice! It was getting late, so we called it a game, but the win was "legally" the guys'. And so we marked it with a special circle denoting a "special" win. That one is going in the record books. They didn't have a snowball's chance in Texas of coming back and winning that on their own. So the girls really won, even though the official "W" went to the guys. So much for our bright idea. We only had the pink piece left… Bummer.

Six: Cats are crazy. At Kim's house I left my windows down on my car. Big mistake. When I got in, there were cats! EVERYWHERE! Actually, they were just in the back seat. But it freaked me out, to say the least.

Well, I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! And I'll talk to y'all later! Love and toodles!

Season's Greetings!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!

Man, do I have some stuff to tell y'all... But later, because church is going to start soon. So have a great day! Toodles!

Christmas is Coming!

Well well well. Been a few days, I know. Sorry about that. I've had a stomach bug. Eww. Yeah, it was pretty nasty. But I'm much better now. I got the bug from the 5 year old I babysit. Yep. Gross. But Christmas is coming!!! Yay!!!! I'm soo excited! I've gotten tons of stuff for friends and family and I can't wait to see their faces when they open their gifts! I'd love to go into specifics, but my parents read this. Hehe. I don't know who all even reads this mess anymore, but oh well. I'm very much ready for Christmas. After arriving home on Thursday, I went to Jarrod's house and got to hang out in the hot tub with some friends, which was pretty fun, then we got together again Friday night to watch a movie. Saturday I went to babysit, and then church on Sunday. I got sick Sunday night and spent all day yesterday recovering and then finished my shopping today, which was cool. I got a movie and a toy for the babies I sit for, some goodies for Mrs. Sheryl, and some stuff for some other friends. Yay! I like to shop, but I don't really like Christmas shopping. I never know what to get for everybody! But I usually manage to figure something out. Remember to keep Heath in your prayers. He's headed to the sand box. *sigh* I miss my friend already. I can only imagine what his family is going through. Well, toodles for now.

Tuesday

Look what I've learned in my college life...

That's a wonderful excerpt from a Roger Crager song. The rest doesn't really apply. Haha. My weekend was extremely restful and almost productive. I'm happy again, though a bit crazy. Still. Haha. Well, just wanted to let y'all know that I WILL survive and I'm doing fine. I have a monologue to perform tomorrow, so I need to work on that now. Talk to y'all later! Toodles!

Mhmm

Well, just wanted to say a quick thanks to all of the folks who offered their support and love this past weekend. I really appreciate it. And I know there aren't many comments, but I got a few phone calls and visits, so I felt much better when I went to bed. And today was gorgeous and pretty ok, so I'm making it. I have tons of stuff to do this week, so don't expect much from me. I'll talk to y'all later! Love and toodles.

uh... yeah

So. I'm single. Drew and I had a much-needed discussion about where our relationship was and the direction of our intentions. And the decision reached was that the relationship wasn't "clicking" in the same manner as it was originally. We both felt that we rushed into the titles too quickly and that it would be better if we took a break to reassess our emotions. So we're currently just friends. I don't know how long this sabbatical will last, but he's still going home with me next weekend to hang out at our house and whatnot. And we still will probably do things together occasionally outside of church. So I AM ok. And I'll get over it. Tears will fall, but my heart will heal.

No Kidding

So get this. In acting today, as I was getting my things together to leave Mrs. MacIntyre asks me if I was going to be an actress and director. I answered the affirmative and she cried, "I knew it!" She then said, "It's a hard life, with lots of pains. There are joys, too. You'll do well. I'm looking forward to watching you grow." I conveyed my thanks, and that was the end. But whoa! To have someone like that really believe in you, actually think you can make it in their field... That's a serious confidence booster. :)

Last night was rather interesting. I was driving to Bible study and, stopping for a red light, pulled up beside a woman hanging out of her SUV talking to the woman behind her, also in a SUV. Apparently, the woman in the back didn't have her lights on, so the leader felt the need to tell her. And so ensued a conversation about the said lights with thanks expressed at the next light. I smiled at that. Then, out of town, there was a huuuge bag of pine straw lying in the road that we had to dodge. Randomly.

Little Smokies (ya know, the sausages in B-B-Q sauce) and cheese make a great combination. Snacks at Bible study. Hehe.

Ryan is growing a beard. Ryan is Drew's brother. He just decided to let it grow. He said he was tired of buying razors...

Cio and Allie "fought" for about 15 minutes after everyone left last night. Wrestling, pulling hair, boxing, smack-talking. Quite entertaining.

I made a really cool name tag for myself and Drew with silver, blue, red, and green sharpies. Christmasy.

Meeting in a few, so I'm off. Toodles! Sorry so choppy...

EDIT>>> My friend Brittany's Aunt Lula is having some serious trouble. Her heart is failing and her lungs are filling with fluid. She's in the hospital and needs to be in our prayers. Thanks guys.

Today

Conversations are cyclical. Talking to a friend who I haven't seen in a while, I clearly saw the development. It's interesting. Really. Class, life, nothing to do, haven't seen you in a while, who was this person I met with you, how has everything been, how was Thanksgiving, what are your plans for the rest of the day, good luck with class, if there's anything I can do to help with the grade, see you later, take care! Complete circle. Class, everything in between, and class again.

My roommate was in jail for MIP last night. Minor in possession. Of alcohol. Interesting. But she came in sober. Which was something of a change. Very interesting indeed.

I'm contemplating a room change for next semester. The room next door is going to be completely empty from what I've heard. And the suite on the other side is where Parrot lives with Stacey. Easy suitemates. Then I'd have the chance roommate assignment, though. Some strange person that I don't know. Any thoughts on this?

A pretty good day thus far. I got to sleep fairly late and I slept all night, so I'm not tired like I was yesterday. Bible study tonight at 9. One of the last ones for the semester. Kinda sad. I also have a book to read for English. Yeah, I'm gonna go do that now... Toodles!

Thanks

Ok. So I'm thankful for looooots of stuff. Friends. Family. God. My relationship with my boyfriend. Sunshine. Cold weather. Good music. Laughter. The Christmas spirit. Smiles. Being able to make people feel great about being alive. Drums. Awesome teachers. A capable brain. Financial stability. Life's small pleasures, like bubbles. Decorating the dorm for the holidays.

I heard a comment in English today about reality being dark and dreary. My reality is not. And I'm not a superficial idiot. Despite what some might think. So, I wrote a response:

"Despite reality, I am happy. Not because I do not suffer but rather because I see the good in small things. Like the sunshine, bubbles, music, good food, good friends, family, holidays, and children. Life in general is good. It's a wonderful thing to just exist. And that in itself contributes to the joy deep in my heart and radiating from my smile."

How true. And what a shame I can't bottle this feeling and sell it.

Break's Over...

Hey everybody! How was y'all's Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty ok. Yeah, just. But Friday was sooo much better! We stopped by and got Drew on the way home from my aunt's house and then went out to Beaumont with Derek and Brandy. Mom was home alone until about 1:30. Hehe. But we went to see Derek's new apartment he'll be sharing with my cousin and a friend and went to CiCi's pizza. Then we went to see Walk the Line. It was REALLY good. The actors did a phenomenal job on their portrayals. I was very impressed.

Saturday we were out to Cathy and Smitty's for Thanksgiving with them. We saw Bob, Jodi, Hunter, Jack, Matthew, and a whole passel of folks out there for the shrimp fry. Mmm mmm. Good stuff. Bob is Mom's best friend from high school. Cathy and Smitty are his parents. So we're practically family. We (me, Drew, and Mom) went on a trek through the woods out to the deer stand with Bob and the boys. Hunter is 7, Jack is 5, and Matt is about 18 months old. Jack was attached to my hand the whole time, so I enjoyed my walk with "my boys". Drew on one side and Jack on the other.

Today was church and then hanging out at home for a little while eating leftovers and getting everything loaded up to head back this way. We left at about 2:30. Kourtney saw me driving through town and called my cell phone. I had to stop and get gas, so I dropped by the flower shop for a few minutes.

Back at the dorm I commenced "Project Christmas Decorations" and proceeded to decorate the lobby with the Christmas tree, mistletoe, garlands, and some other things we found. Stacey helped. So now it's all prettyful!!

I went on my blog rounds and watched Heath talk about hunting wolverines... and couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes. That was interesting. Heath, your accent's not as bad as I thought it would be. But other than that I was pretty accurate in my mental guesstimate. Go figure.

Well, I'm tired and Drew's gonna come watch Chicken Run or somethin with me tonight, so I'm out. Love and hugs! I'll post an "I'm thankful" post later. Remind me. Toodles!

Yep

Ok, so my computer's retarded. What's new? Hehe.

Yesterday was another absolutely amazing day! I bet y'all are getting tired of these, huh? Ha! We went to the Renaissance Festival for the final time this year. This was the last weekend of the season. Drew and I got there at about 9 with Mom, Dad, Derek, and Brandy arriving at about 9:20. We went in and had an awesome day, full of fun, laughter, shopping, chatting, and holding hands. Three couples! It was soo cool! We split up after the 3 o'clock jousting tournament and met up a little before 6 for the fireworks. Gorgeous! They did a really good job, the best of the 3 shows we saw, in fact.

With some crazy yells and several games of random "Marco Polo", we made it out to the parking lot. That was about 6:30. At 7:45, we were still sitting there... There had been a wreck involving 3 life-flights. So we waited.

At about 8:30, Drew and I locked up the car and ran over to the truck with everybody else from our little group and jumped in the back, surprising the whole truck. We, of course, were laughing like crazy. I went back and got a CD that I had purchased and we put it in the player and cranked it up! We also built a little fire behind the truck with some hay from the bed of the truck, which drew a bunch of random people. It's amazing how fire and drums can draw people together...

When traffic had barely begun to move, an officer came up and told us to put the fire out because there was a burn-ban on. Oops. We stomped it out and dispersed. Back to the car, and we made it to the cross-traffic and made it out waaay before Mom and Dad. They were on the regular road while we took a short-cut that was usually blocked off. So we waited on the corner at the main highway for them so we could follow them to supper at Jack-in-the-Box. Good stuff!

While we were waiting, since we had kinda run out of things to talk about and we were both getting tired (I get silly when I'm tired, and Drew gets quiet), I started singing Christmas songs. I went through quite a few, and we were laughing the whole time, so that was fun. Anyway, M&D finally got there and we ate in Conroe. Drew and I then drove back here and went promptly to bed.

This morning I woke up at about 7:30 and drank most of a 16 oz. bottle of water and fell immediately back to sleep...

We went to church together and then ate lunch here and watched Dirty Dancing. I took him home so he could finish some stuff, and we have plans for the movies before I have to go home for Thanksgiving. We still need to cement our plans for getting together, but if we can't it'll be ok. We'll manage. :p

Well, I'm tired and my laundry will be done soon, so toodles! Love and hugs!

Days Like These

Have you ever walked down the sidewalk with your eyes closed? I did today walking back to the dorm. The sunlight on my face, the breeze blowing cold on my face, and my all warm in my big green hoodie. Deep breath, slow steps, smile on my face, and hair gently brushing against my cheek...

My errands are taken care of. I got some cash for our final trip to the Renaissance Festival and checked my mail. I got a letter from Mom and a shirt that I won on the internet. Cool, huh? But Mom's letter... I cried. In the post office. :p She just told me that she's proud of me and glad we're more than just mother and daughter, we're friends. What a topper to an absolutely fabulous week!

I have no idea why I've been so happy this week, but the days have just been amazing! I had a wonderful meeting with my English professor on Monday. He said that I don't really act like a theater major in that I am not only vocal in class but apply myself when writing papers as well. So that kicked things off on a good note.

I got a 100 on my History paper (aaaahhhh! I know! I can barely believe it!), bringing my grade back up to a B. I can finish pulling it up with this next test and final paper. But the 100 was based primarily on the main points that I hit in my introduction! Nobody else in the class covered them, so I had, obviously, the highest grade. I was soooo pumped! I was and am in awe! Hehe. Then I heard from my "stalker" and made a friend in the process, so that was interesting. I went to Bible study that night and got a chance to really talk to Drew, which I haven't done in a while.

Wednesday, I performed my monologue and did a lot better than I thought I would. I went to small group Bible study and Drew was there, so he rode home with me and we talked a little more... after I spilled my drink on him. :/ But it's ok. He didn't really mind, and I got most of it cleaned up.

Then yesterday I watched a movie and chilled out. We were going to hang out and watch some movies together, but my boyfriend was kidnapped... by his brother, and he didn't get back until almost 11. Oh well. There will be other evenings. But I got some sleep, another night of rest, 8 hours. Good stuff.

Today, acting class was cancelled, so I slept late, went to English, and then science, ate lunch with a couple of guys from class, and then straightened up my room and went to run my errands. *sigh* I love days like these!

Good Stuff

Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever. There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did I'm going to celebrate! Today, I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far: the accomplishments, the many blessings, and, yes, even the hardships because they have served to make me stronger. I will go through this day with my head held high and a happy heart. I will marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. ^{Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice.} Today, I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an unexpected act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today, I'll give a sincere compliment to someone who seems down. I'll tell a child how special he is, and I'll tell someone I love just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me. Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time because my faith in God and his Divine Plan ensures everything will be just fine. And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll go outside and raise my eyes to the heavens I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon, and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As the day ends and I lay my head down on my pillow, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, excited with expectation because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!

Stalkers, History Papers, and Oldies

Whoa, what a week! Yesterday was a roller coaster day, for sure. I found out I got a 100 on my History paper that I was just sure I got a B on! And then RC decided he wanted to mess with me and tell me he was stalking me... So I overreacted a little, I'll admit, but it really did freak me out. I'm better now, especially since he apologized and explained that he didn't expect me to take it seriously. So we've been exchanging notes all day today, and he seems like a pretty cool guy after all. Go figure.

And then, I get home from a great day and turn on my radio... and there are oldies! Yessss! I LOVE oldies! And they're still on, so I'm in a really good mood! Hehe. Yesterday ended on a great note because I got to hang out with and really talk to Drew, which we hadn't done in a while. So I was and am happy.

Wow. I can't believe how blessed I am! God has showered me with blessings, for real! I can't really explain how I feel, but there's this feeling deep in my gut that's tense with anticipation and excitement! And I couldn't pinpoint why exactly even if I tried, but oh, how beautiful is life! And isn't today GORGEOUS?!? It never ceases to amaze me how much God must care about me to make my life so full of wonderfully sweet things! Love and toodles!