I'm Baaaack!

Hey all.

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Your Irish Name Is...

Zaira MacDermot

What's your Irish Name?

Your Hawaiian Name is:

Iwalani Leilani

What's your Hawaiian Name?

(Just for you, Drew!)

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing. You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes. And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad. You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Thought those were interesting. But on to other things. Like Rita. The whole experience was very intense. I left college to get away from the storm only to hit the real storm. The eye passed directly over our house. It was so awesome! I don't think I can really describe it, except that in less than 24 hours the entire landscape changed. We lost trees, some tin and shingles, and a few friends' houses. But no injuries, thank the Lord. We all made it through and we are all safe. They're still cleaning up at home. And I feel bad about skipping out on them, but college beckons. My class for tomorrow is cancelled because my teacher is ill, so one last free day. Yes! Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern. I know God's hand really was on all of us.

One amazing aspect of the storm was the simple fact that people mesh well in a crisis situation. Some evacuees sheltered at the church really came together and worked extremely well together. I continue to be in awe. And clean-up began immediately. The eye came over at about 10:30 Saturday morning, so we went right out to see what we could do to help alleviate any of our neighbors' problems during the respite. It's a wonderful feeling to help people.

Well, I’m off to bed. Love and hugs. Thanks again! Y'all are amazing!

Pam Here

Hey all. I'm back at school. Tired and dirty, but fine otherwise. We made it through. I'll tell my story when I've recovered from my adventure. :p Love and hugs!

Hurrican Rita

A few really quick things. One, I think the rising gas prices are a conspiracy to reduce the obesity level in our nation. More people will walk places because gas is too expensive to drive everywhere. Hehe.

Two, yes, Rita is coming our way. Home is directly in the projected path. So pray. I wish I would've stayed at college, but Mom and Dad made me come home despite my protests. So we're hunkering down, preparing for impact. This is scary. All north-bound lanes are jam-packed. Bumper to bumper for miles upon miles. There's a highway right off of our road and the cars are backed up as far as the eye can see. They aren't allowing people to travel east or west very far. They've even turned all south-bound lanes north in upper Houston. We have a massive oak tree in our back yard that probably won't make it. Our cows are locked up on top of the hill to escape flooding. We're all worried and on edge. Needless to say, all of Southeast Texas needs lots of prayer. This is going to be bad. She's the third largest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin. And there've only been about 9 hurricanes ever named with an R. And she has something called the stadium effect. That means there are ten-mile-high thunderstorms on all sides. Lots of noise. I'm almost excited. Heh… With the predicted path we're no longer just getting tropical storm winds. We're getting real hurricane stuff. And we're on the bad side. SO here goes nothing. But some silver lining. I get extra time to study for my tests that were supposed to be today and tomorrow. And Heath says they may even deploy him to Texas. Haha. Can't you just see him parachuting down into Texas to "save us all"? Thank you for the laugh Heath. I wish. I'll try my best to report in by the end of next week. Don't worry if you don't hear from me. Someone will make sure y'all know if something happens. Thank you all for being such amazing friends. I hope to hear from y’all again soon. Love and hugs.

Football

Well, our first flag football game was... interesting. It was last Sunday at 7. We lost. 16-0. But it was fun, and that's all that counts. I ran into Chas and bruised me ankle and sprained his wrist. But he's ok. Over all, I'm having a great time. My roommate is a little trying at times, but we usually get along just fine. I have some homework to do, like English, History, Science... all of my classes, actually. I have a paper due for English next Wednesday, a History test Thursday, a Science test Friday, and a scene due Monday. Lots of fun. But I'm making it. This is a really cool poem I got from Mark called New School Prayer.

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That’s no offense; it’s a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hail
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God’s name is prohibited by the state.

We’re allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They’ve outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It’s "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We’re taught that such "judgments" do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It’s scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school’s a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; my soul please take!
Amen.

Well, love and hugs to all!

URGENT!!!

Sure Fire (aka Heath) is in trouble. The folks in charge found his site and thought it was inappropriate due to (in their opinion) SF being racist, sexist, and an extremist. Now, those of you who know SF are well aware of the fact that this is completely untrue. Please take the time to visit and tell the military eyes watching just what the truth is and SF that we're behind him all the way. Pray for him, that this would pass. We're talking serious problems. Possible discharge from the Army (the job he loves more than anything), public humiliation, a search of his personal quarters, and much more could be the end result of this. He's distraught over this and needs our love, concern, support, and prayers. So help. This is our turn to return the favors of times past and ensure a continued friendship in times to come. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and aid.

We love you Sure Fire! Pass the Brass!!!

Character Sketches

And so I continue my off-location posts. :p At the beginning on this particular composition, I'm sitting (actually laying) on the floor in the lobby of my dorm watching my housemates play Mutants and Masterminds, an RPG somewhere along the lines of Dungeons and Dragons. These people are so incredibly unique that I'm in awe at their personalities. They mesh incredibly well. But they are, for the most part, old friends. I'm entertained at the very least. But allow me to introduce my subjects. My setting will change over the course of this post, so I won't bother to specify. Suffice it to say that I'm trying to encompass all of the people with which I interact from my house on a regular basis.

To being with, there's Josh. He's a wiry guy with long hair. He has diabetes and is currently playing narrator. Josh is the house masseuse on part-time duty. He's very much a great guy, very friendly, and incredibly kind. He lets me give him his shots. That's pretty cool, lemme tell ya. Josh is a biology major. He's been in the house for a few years and likes it as far as I know. I don't really know how else to describe Josh except that he is incredibly caring. He always says "hi" and waves when he sees me. He offers to share with me if he's eating something and is always willing to lend an ear if I need to talk. I think it's safe to say that everyone in the house knows Josh. Which is impressive, all things considered. Josh and Dave are roommates. They both love comic books and comic book characters. Josh's favorite is Batman. For Halloween we're going as Batman villains. I'll get back to y'all with a final list. Josh is a mix between JP and Chas as far as actual talking goes, but they all have a unique spin on life.

David and Regina could almost be described together. They are an item. They both act in the Renaissance Festival every year. David, whom we call Dave is a large individual, about 6'2", 300#s or thereabouts. Dave's favorite comic book character is The Hulk. Regina, or Gina, is about 5'2", a little over 100#s. They make a great couple. It's really neat to see them together because they dote on each other. And you can see the camaraderie and love between them. It's not extreme or gross at all, just sweet.

Steven is our house pet. He "lives" under the stairs. We call him our under-the-stairs troll. I made him a curtain for his little cubby-hole under the stairs. He's from New Jersey but moved to Texas before he started college. He has red hair and is about 5'7". Steven is a very cool guy. He doesn't actually live in Spivey, just visits every day. He goes home at anywhere from 11 to 2 at night. But no one begrudges Steven his home away from home. We accept him and welcome him. Everyone jokes that they've been trying to get rid of him for 2 years and nobody's succeeded yet. But we love you Steven!

Chas is the resident "Mexican". He's 6'3" and only about 150#s. He's broken 19 bones, some twice. He's thinner than Josh. He's got short black hair that he spends 30 minutes on every morning. He does the robot surprisingly well and is very entertaining. Chas and Josh are on the same lines as far as being friendly to everyone, but Chas is quite a bit more vocal. Which is really funny considering his roommate is JP (see below). Chas is comparable to Donkey from the Shrek movies. He randomly bursts out in song and sound effects. But he's funny. His bed is the softest of any of ours. He has this great mattress pad. Hehe. I know this because I perch on his bunk (the top) when I'm in their room studying or just hanging out. I'll either sit there or on the floor. That room is so much more welcoming than mine. It appeals to the darker side of my tastes. Just in general. From the arrangement and decoration. But the door is always open, if not literally then figuratively. Chas is very big on hugs, as is Dave. This, of course, doesn't bother me at all. It was actually a relief to find someone to whom I can relate. The running joke: "Do ya want to cuddle?"

Then there's Nicole. She's a very sweet girl who jokes around and is sarcastic more often than not. She's short, about my height, and quite a bit more voluptuous than I am. She has brown shoulder-length hair and a very sweet smile.

Keith is our homosexual resident. He has a boyfriend named Noah and is about as feminine as I am. He's friendly and our interactions are never awkward. He's a nice guy and not someone I feel threatened by at all. I don't agree with his sexual orientation, but it's not my place to judge or condemn.

Now JP is a very intriguing case. He was quiet for the first three weeks. I didn't hear him talk very often, and when I did he was very soft-spoken. After this past weekend he's not so quiet anymore. Nothing specifically happened, but Saturday, as I was hanging out in the lobby, he came down and just started talking. About nothing in particular, just conversation. That evening he asked if I'd be home for Trivial Pursuit. I informed him that I wouldn't be back from Gala until about 11. He said they still might be playing when I returned and invited me to play. He was sitting outside with Nicole when I got back and asked if I was going to play. I said yes, and we all sat down and played. JP and I were a team (because I was losing miserably and JP doesn't know much about sports), Steven and Chas were a team, Nicole was by herself, and Josh read the questions. (JP and I won by a single piece of pie.) He has been very open since then. We actually talked yesterday and he interacted with everyone more than he ever has with me in the room. Then he came to check on me last night after Jessalyn's tantrum. I think, no, I know we're making progress. He's about 5'7" with brown hair.

On to those who don't play the RPGs. Jessalyn, my roommate, is unpredictable and almost a trial to live with, but I'm making it. Communication is the key, and I know this, so we'll be fine for the year at the very least.

Heather, one of my suitemates, is awesome. She has diabetes and is from Louisiana. Her house lost a few shingles in the hurricane, but her family is perfectly fine and in good spirits. She's our house comedian. Extremely funny and very nice. She's very blunt, but seldom to the point of insult. She's quite a character. And she's a very good friend.

Lisa is my other suitemate. I call her Colorado because that's where she's from. She has a red car and loves for things to match her car. She's very sweet but a little confused about guys and relationships right now. She'll get it sorted out, I'm sure. She's quite an athlete. She has rotator cuff problems (both sides), but gets shots to help make them feel better every three months or so. She really needs the surgery, but she might join the military and doesn't want that on her record.

Jessica is another close friend. She's in the marching band and is a wonderful person. She's a ball of tight energy with lots of potential rage inside. She is very intense, but is super sweet and a really great person. She reminds me of my old drum major Maria. Yeah, she's like that. I can't really describe her any differently. You'd have to meet her or know Maria.

Stacy is her roommate and the sweetest, quietest, kindest person at my age I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Stacy is pretty much angelic. Hehe. She may not think so, but I think she's precious. I'm still amazed at her patience and sense of humor. It takes a whole lot to ruffle her feathers. She was born in India and is Pentecostal. Stacy, Lisa, and I went to the Assembly of God church together yesterday. It was very neat, and quite an experience. We're still "church shopping" for the time being, though.

Ashton, Ashley, Cheyenne, Stephanie, Amy, Darcy, Karen, and April are all fellow Spiveyans. They are, for the most part, the people I talk to. I also know Bobby, Brandon, Grant, Morgan, Todd (sort of), and Victor (whom I've never actually spoken to). There's another guy named Jonathan in the marching band who lives right across the hall with Victor. That's pretty much everybody I can think of right now.

So now you can see what sort of people I deal with and hopefully you won't be completely lost when I mention names. Hopefully. Well, that was the "character sketch" I promised, so I'm off to write a paper now. Toodles! Love and hugs!

Interesting Conclusion

Good morning! Here's the deal. I am extremely blessed in my friends. Allow me to explain. Last night my roommate came in at about midnight. I was up doing some reading for English (almost finished, just a few chapters left). I had propped the door open to our room because 1) it was cold and that helps warm things up, and 2) I hate the idea that our room is closed off. I had been downstairs off and on all day, but propped the door open later in the evening, after football practice. No biggie, right? That's what I thought, too. As it turns out, she's had this absolutely terrible weekend. The door propped open is the icing on the cake. So she gets mad and slams the door/let's the door swing closed on it's own weight (which slams).

I didn't think anything of it sitting downstairs in the lobby talking to people. Suddenly, Josh and JP come down and ask me if everything's alright with Jessalyn. I tell them I don't know, and they explain that she slammed the door acting all mad. So I go upstairs and smooth things out. That's not really a big deal after she reveals that she's not mad at me, just doesn't want the door left open (which probably should've been communicated earlier, but whatever). So I tell her I won't leave it open anymore when I'm not in the room (a better idea anyway, as it is college) and she proceeds to tell me about her very bad weekend. And yes, it's very much worth stressing over, so I don't begrudge her that.

In the midst of her story, we hear a knock on the door. We call "open" and JP sticks his head inside and asks if he can see me in the hall for a second. I go, of course, and he asks me what's wrong, and Josh comes up as well. They both make sure that she's ok, and everything's cool now. And that I'm ok. Which really made me feel great. Their concern really boosted my spirits.

Later that night, I was finishing up my reading down in the lobby and David comes up to me and asks the same thing. I reassure him that everything's fine. Just the fact that they told him what was happening made me feel so much better about living here. I love my dorm!

I finally finished my reading and went to bed. So yay! An interesting way to end the day, I'm sure.

Now I'm off to class. I need to eat breakfast and finish getting ready. I just wanted to share that while it was fresh on my mind. I'll give some rough character sketches soon of the people I interact with just so everyone can have an idea of what life in the honors dorm is like. Love and hugs!

Pam's Sunday

Good morning everybody! I have news. Both sad and happy. First, the sad. Bill Stovall, a good friend of ours passed away last night. He's been having lung trouble for over two years now. He's in a much better place. Our prayers go out to his wife and children (all adults) and grandchildren. His sons weren't the best, but I'm sure they loved him.

Good news: I got a new Bible! It's green (my favorite color) and a KJV. It's actually a pocket Bible, but I love it so far. The references aren't as great as in my old Bible, but I'm still enjoying exploring it.

Last night was Gala. Gala is our scholarship benefit variety show for the theater and dance programs. I had fun. I was working the silent auction, but the auction ended about 25 minutes after my shift began, so I shifted responsibilities. Instead of talking up the items, we guarded them and then distributed them upon payment. So I got to take money from patrons. Fun fun! Some of the stuff was SOO awesome! But it was also semi-expensive, so I didn't get anything. I thought of Mom when I saw a turquoise purse and some hand-crafted jewelry. But the jewelry was a bit steep and I didn't see the purse until the bidding was closed. Oh well. It was a good experience. We struck the set right after, so I didn't get home until 11-is. But it was perfectly alright. I went to bed pretty quickly, so it's all gravy.

There are Hummers in Huntsville! Real Army Humvees! Camouflage and everything! I was pumped! They're in a little fenced-in area down the road. You know, you could hop the fence, hot-wire a humvee, then run through the gates... Hehe. I bet gas-mileage isn't good enough for all of that.

I went to an Assembly of God church this morning with Stacy and Lisa. It was a learning experience. The next Sunday I'm here we're going to do some more church-hopping, but to Baptist this time. We went to Fellowship Baptist Sunday before last. Last weekend was the cow sale.

Well, now it's lunch time and then homework. Jessica wants to go to a movie today, but I don't know if we're still on for that. We'll see. Talk to y'all later! Love and hugs!

Night-time at College

We played football tonight. Lots of fun. We lost, but it was still pretty cool. 4 on 4. 3 girls. I was told that I am a "stud". So...

Every evening there's something going on in the dorm or around campus. We played Trivial Pursuit last night. We play tag on a regular basis. Paper, Rock, Scissors is our favorite pastime after video games. We're even planning a themed Halloween costume set-up. I'm going to be Poison Ivy. DC Comic Villains. Yeah, we're nerds. But I'm content. I've found a whole building full of friends and I love it!

Today was pretty uneventful over all, but Jessalyn came home. She's excited about her guy. He seems really sweet. And rich, so she's happy. Lol. But seriously, she really likes him. And I'm glad she's happy. She still talks up a storm and comes in at all hours, but I'm tolerant and can handle it. No problem.

I still have some reading to do for English then I'm off to bed, so I'll talk to y'all later! Love and hugs.

Weekend of the Spatula

Hey everybody!!! Yesterday (Saturday, Sept. 3rd) my family and I went to a cow sale in Lockhart, Texas. Lots of fun, old friends, new pals, and good food. What's really funny is that on Thursday I got a fortune from a cookie that read "You will meet old friends soon." And I did! Hehe. But back to the weekend.

We left here (Sam Houston State U) at about 4 PM on Friday. We got to Lockhart at about 7 PM that same day. We had to stop at Wal-Mart in Brenham to get socks, but other than that it was a straight shot. We arrived in the middle of the heifer sale. This is the first year we had a sale of the sort, so it was interesting. I went around and said hi to the people sitting on the outskirts and my parents, since I hadn't seen them in almost two weeks. I then went to the back to see my two friends. Makayla is 13, about 4' 10", and about as big around as a number 2 pencil. She's a sweetheart, and LOVES animals. She and I love to ride horses and play with the goats and talk about cows and girl stuff. Then I spoke to Mikey. He's 15, and taller than I am. About 5' 8" or so. I love to talk to him. He knows all sorts of stuff about world news and has valid points and opinions, but loves video games and guns about as much as me. Very cool. We talked for a few minutes then I went in and ate some great fajitas and cookies. After the sale, we went around and said hi to everyone we hadn't already seen. Most of the people who participate know us very well, so there weren't very many introductions. I did meet Gayle and Theo, as well as Craig that night. We went to the motel and chilled for a while before falling asleep at about midnight. Well, I went to sleep at midnight. Derek and Brandy went to sleep at about 2. They had been watching a movie.

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready at about 7:30. I went to Mom and Dad's room to talk to Mom for a while before Derek and Brandy woke up. (To clarify, Derek had his won bed and Brandy and I shared the second bed in our room. Mom and Dad were by themselves.) Dad was already gone, but returned before too long to change. We were all up and ready by then, so we all went over to the sale barn, which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away. Actually, it's across the air strip.

After saying good morning to all of our friends, Makayla and I started riding horses. She rides Blue, her 22-year-old horse. I rode Star, a recent addition to the family. We had a lot of fun putting them through their paces in the big empty field next door to the sale barn. That was actually the first time I've ever ridden a horse at a gallop and felt fully in control for more than two seconds.

The sale began at about 12:30, half an hour later than planned. The food was late. But it was good, that's for sure. We started the sale with several donated items that went to the sale fund. We don't charge for food and we don't charge a commission, so we have to make money however we can. Our cows came up. The first sold for $1,300. The second sold for $900 (my brother's cow). My cow sold for $1,200. The fourth and fifth cows sold for $1,200 and $900. Overall, some would say it wasn't a bad day, but we were expecting SO much more. There was a note in the comments and the "auctioneer's assistant" explained that it was for our college funds, but I guess it wasn't a big deal. Gayle and Theo bought my cow. She'll have a good home.

After the sale I met Jared from Minnesota. He was pretty cool. We talked about the differences in our climates and the "joys" of the cow business. I then went to find Makayla. We rode horses again. It started to rain, so we took off for shelter, then decided it didn't really matter. We were both hot and sweaty anyway, and the rain felt wonderful. It did start pouring for as few minutes, so we sound a shed and dismounted. After chilling for a few minutes before the rain quit, we remounted. As I did, my pants stretched at just the right place... and they split. Right down the front. Terrible feeling. So Makayla rode over to Derek and got the car keys, we rode out to the car, I tossed Makayla my reins, and drove over the the motel to change pants. I had an extra pair, fortunately, so I got back in a few minutes and got back on. This time, I used a little more precaution and got up on the side of the trailer first, then stepped down into the stirrups. We rode from the back of the barn to the front door, at which point my parents informed me it was time to go. So I took Star back to the pen, told Makayla a quick goodbye, and went to the truck. When I realized I wouldn't see her again before we left, I was a little upset, but she knows how to reach me. Yay for email!

We had Chinese food for dinner. Good stuff. Shrimp, egg rolls, fried rice, and fortune cookies. I don't remember what mine said. Sorry guys. We went back to the motel and changed into out swimsuits. We swam for about an hour and a half, doing all sorts of things from racing to dunking to jumping to throwing each other up in the air in cheerleader fashion. Brandy did a full backflip, but she's a cheerleader. I was honestly very impressed with my own back dive. Derek, Dad, and Brandy were all surprised that I actually pulled it off. I wasn't surprised exactly... just incredibly pumped.

We left this morning at about 7:30. About an hour down the road, we stopped for breakfast. McDonalds!!! After another 15 miles, the car started acting up. We were in separate vehicles. Dad took his truck on Thursday to haul the cows. He took 4 home (1 is ours, 3 belong to a friend). So Derek, Brandy, and I followed on Friday in Mom's car. So the radiator's seriously screwed up. They put water in it and left it at a store about 2 miles down from where we stopped. Dad will go get it tomorrow. Lots of fun, I'm sure. I just hope they can get it fixed. So we crammed into the truck (yeah, right, the truck's HUGE) and rode the rest of the way back (another hour and a half) to school. They dropped me off and then continued on their way at about 10:30 this morning.

So, that was my oh-so-exciting weekend. We got some money, but not a whole lot. Prayerfully it'll be enough to get us through school for a while. But we'll see. He hasn't failed us yet, so I don't doubt Him now. Other than that, life is great. I'm going to drop my dance class (Jazz 3, WAAAAAAY too advanced) and hopefully get into a lower level class. Hope everybody had a great week and weekend! Sleep LAAAAAAAAAATE tomorrow! Talk to y'all soon! Love and hugs!