Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Ho Ho Ho

So I'm done buying CHristmas gifts. For some ridiculous reason I got done. Today in fact. Now I do have one more gift to buy for because of a Secret Santa thing at work. However, in the list of my people to buy for... I'm finished. Yay me! :) Except now I kind of don't know what to do with myself. Which means, unfortunately, I'll probably buy more gifts than I should just because I'm done. I'm gonna have to reel myself in most likely...

Here's to no last minute, panicky gift buying!!!

Non-Fiction Book

Day 14...

Okay... I can't think of a non-fiction book I've read. Except the Bible. And my books from Christian studies courses. Does that make me lame? I had a light-bulb click on about a "non-fiction" book I loved [Screwtape Letters], but then realized it is, in fact, fiction.

Blog subject fail. Oops.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Fictional Book

Day 13...

My favorite fictional SERIES books... Harry Potter and Twilight. I'm slowly reading Twlight over again. I will soon re-read Potter too. I better get cracking though because come January I'm not going to be doing any fun reading. It's gonna be Christian Studies major all over again, but way more intense.

Yay.

This was short and sweet. Sorry. I know all THREE of you are disappointed. Haha! Those two series are just the first thing that came to mind.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

OCD Much? Yes. In Fact I Am

Day 11...

I use to not think I was OCD. I am though. Not like... Intervention or Counseling OCD. However, there are things I'm a little compulsive about.

Odd numbers- I prefer odd numbers. This includes things that I'm snacking on. Cheez-its for example. I grab in odd numbers. and have to eat an odd number. Now... if I'm not paying attention it's fine. However, most of the time I am.

Socks/Shoes- right one has to go on first. I feel lopsided if I don't.

Shirts- I have to fold my t-shirts a specific way.

Closet- Color coded, and in order of graphic tees, short sleeved, long sleeved, polos, work shirts, and tanks.

Different Socks- I can't under any circumstance wear two different style socks. i have friends that put whatever they grab on. It bothers me. Last week I got home and realized for some reason I'd ended up with two different socks on. I immediately had to remove them.

Shower System- wash hair, rinse, condition hair, wash face and shave while conditioning hair, rinse face, rinse hair, wash body from left to right/top to bottom, rinse. Get out. I did something out of order one day. It bothered me.

Blue Pen- I have to use a blue pen in my check register. If I use black I will white it out, and use blue.

Maybe I'm a tad more compulsive then I thought. It doesn't take over my life though so that's good, right? :)

Saturday, November 27, 2010

recent photo

Well... up until about 45 pounds ago I didn't want to be in pictures. Period. I kind of hated myself. Even though I have lots of poundage to go I feel way better now. So a recent picture...

Two of my favorite guys.
My grandpa.


And then Corbin my [now] 11 month old cousin. Isn't he precious? This is Amelia's [BIG] little brother. He's so stinkin' cute.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Over 10 years? Try Closer to 15.

We learned about, and celebrated, Kwanzaa in the 4th grade. It was fun. I'm going to not tell you where I'm at in this picture. Those who know me can probably find me. Those who don't... I'd rather not suffer the embarrassment. The photo cracks me up though. I was such a dork.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

So... I Take Pictures

I have a lot of photos. Thousands. I love taking pictures. I take my camera pretty much everywhere. So all the pictures that you see on this blog are 99.9% mine.

I kind of forgot to put this picture as the one that "melts my heart". The little girl facing the camera is my cousin Brianna. Her mom just married my cousin. She is the BEST. Brianna is a little more than 2 months younger than Amelia [who she's hugging]. This was at my Grandpa's 80th birthday party. I told them to give each other a hug so I could take a picture of them together. I should have told them to put there arm around the other, but the picture I got instead [this one] is so much more precious than any other one I could have taken.


This is a photo I really love. I like the angle. I like the subject[s]. I like the color.


I'm not posting anymore pictures. If I posted all the ones I wanted to I'd be on here all night.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Two for One

The fact that I'm going to be in the middle of God knows where [okay... maybe not the middle of nowhere, but it's in the northwest corner of the state. Not in town. Mountainess terrain. This means no wireless] without internet service tomorrow, I'm going to blog Day 7 and 8.

Day 7 - Heart-melting Photo

This is Amelia [Mia] my little cousin. She just turned 4 in November. She's super special to me for a big reason... girls are rare in my family. There are 10 years between my mom and her cousin, 15 between that cousin and me, and 20 between me and Mia. Rare commodity, indeed. I rarely get to see her, and she's getting to that age where she doesn't warm up quite as fast to her Arkansas family as she use to when she was younger. Anyways, this photo melts my heart just because she's such a girly girl, but has that occasional tomboy pop up. She insisted on wearing this hat which is my grandpa's [her great g-pa's].

Day 8 - Heart-breaking/angering Photo

This is not my photo. It's a friend's photo. If you'll notice the little girl clinging to her daddy's leg. This just wrenches my heart out. It's a precious picture. However, seeing kids having to say goodbye to their dads, even if temporary, breaks my heart. I envy girls who love their daddies and vice versa. I think it's unfair for children to lose a dad that they adore when I could care less about mine. It kind of makes me angry because I can't think of why God would be seemingly so unfair. I've got one [a dad] I don't even really want. Why not take mine? I know, I know. This sounds awful. If you knew my dad you'd probably understand.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Adult Drama

Yup. That's right. Two blogs. One day. One of them completely separate from blogging challenge deuce.

Let me say this... one of the things that drives me nuts more than teen drama is adult women drama. It's the worst. Guess who gets to deal with it on almost a daily basis? That's right. I'm the winner, winner chicken dinner.

We have a teller supervisor. She's in charge of me and the 4 other girls that work in the teller area. Our branch manager wanted this woman to be our supervisor. Therefore, it's not her fault that she's in charge. Ya know? We have another woman that has been at the bank for 6 years. Fine and dandy. Whatever. She wasn't chosen as teller supervisor because a] she has ZERO management experience, and b] she's kind of not completely with it. And just my personal opinion... sometimes [most of the time] I wish she would just shut the crap up. Well I knew that this woman was taking her anger out on our supervisor even though it's the managers choice that she's supervisor. It got taken to a WHOLE other level Friday [and I found out today]. Said bitter person turned our supervisor in for sexual harassment.
Let me say this... it's one thing to be mad at someone [no matter how ridiculous]. It is a COMPLETELY different story when you have out so bad for that person that you file a complaint for sexual harassment. Not to mention the fact that me and a friend of mine that works with me probably say more off color things than anyone in the branch [we're fans of the "that's what she/he said" jokes]. I have no idea that she was falsely accused. I just think it's crap.
Which brings me to this... I hate injustice. I know some people can help their circumstances, BUT for those that have things done to them out of pure vindictiveness. I think it's just plain being evil, and as Christians [and the lady that filed the claim says she's a Christian] I think it's a poor example of Christ's love for others. It literally broke my heart when this woman confided in me, and told me what had happened. Heart=shattered. The thing is I'm totally sworn to secrecy. I respect that promise, but geez if I didn't want to chew out that woman today for being a complete and total biatch.

Let the countdown to giving my two-weeks notice begin...

These Are 20 of My Favorite Things

I'm not doing these in any particular order. It's too stressful.
1. Thanksgiving
2. Christmas
3. Helping people/Giving back
4. Haribo Gummi Bears
5. Mint Chocolate
6. Frozen Yogurt
7. Justice
8. My dog Tessa
9. Babies, particularly my friends kids. They're the best
10. Flip Flop weather
11. Scarf and Hat weather
12. My Family and Friends
13. Kanakuk/K-Life
14. People defending those who deserve it
15. Taking Pictures
16. Driving late at night, or when it's really bright and sunny, or weather that I can roll my windows down
17. Singing
18. Actually watching movies IN a theatre
19. Musicals
20. Doing crafts

I know some of these technically have two in them. I was a little unprepared for the 20 favorite things thing. Completely unprepared. These were basically the first things that came to mind.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Quote Me

Favorite quote day. I'm obsessed with quotes. I don't know why. I just really like them.

I'm going to stay away from Bible verses. There are many I like. Plus I've already blogged about some. The first two in bold are my faves. The others are good too. I like movie, and t.v. quotes. I have too many to write down though.

"Grace changes us, and change is painful."- Flannery O'Connor

God is such a mystery.
Pain is such a mystery.
And how the latter is never present without the former is unbearable to consider sometimes.- Nichole Nordeman


We aren't asking God if he loves us, we are resting in His sovereignty."- Unknown

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile... initially scared me to death." – Betty Bender

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." -Unknown

"You know that romantic notion that all the garbage and the pain is actually healing and beautiful and sort of poetic? It's not. It's just garbage and it's pain. You know what's better? Love. The day that you start thinking that love is overated is the day that you're wrong. The only thing wrong with love and faith and belief is not having it."- Haley Scott [One Tree Hill]

I'm not much in a blogging mood today.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Favorite Book

Here's thing... I absolutely love reading. I do have a lot of favorite books, but they kind of tie into my favorite author[s]. So here is my absolute favorite book. Period.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is hands-down the best book I've ever read. It's absolutely fantastic. I was kind of mad when I finished it only because I didn't want to be done.

Another book I really like is...

I'm a fan of Sarah Dessen as an author, but this is by far my favorite book of hers. Dreamland is another one of hers I like. It's about domestic violence in a relationship. Her books are kind of, sort of, maybe for teenagers. I don't care. I like them anyway.

Some of my other favorite authors are Gregory Maguire [Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, & Confessions of an Ugly Step-Sister]. Yes he wrote the book Wicked which is what the musical Wicked is based on. The book is not kid friendly. The musical is. The books are great though. Wicked comes as a trilogy [the first 3 books I listed of his].

Here's a list of some other favorite books
-Chronicles of Narnia

-Twilight Saga... don't judge.

-Harry Potter. Again. Don't judge.

-Philippa Gregory [The OtheBoleynr Girl, The Constant Princess, etc.] She rights books based on the old England Royalty [Catherine the Great. Anne and Mary Boleyn, Elizabeth.] I'm a recent history lover [for certain things], and even though these are fiction back stories I still like them. It makes reading the actual history even more interesting.

-I like those Christian "self help" books. I think calling them "self help" is actually putting them in the wrong category, but I don't know what else to call them.

That pretty much covers it. I have hundreds of books in boxes and my bookshelf. I've kept virtually every book from childhood, especially the ones that were my favorites or that I learned to read on. Once again... such a bookworm.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Fave Teacher

To be honest... I had the tendency to completely LOVE my teachers in any year of school or completely despise a teacher. There are a few that stick out the most though...

Mr. Anders- He was my World History and Psychology teacher in high school. I honestly kind of hate history. I know it's great and all, but it's just not my forte. I absolutely loved his class though. His psychology class was good, but his history class rocked. I wish he could have always taught me history. He would see his "kids" in the hallway and give us hugs or high fives. He was really invested with students. Even the trouble makers respected him. He passed away a few years ago from a sudden heart attack. I hadn't seen him since high school, but it still makes me sad that people are missing out on his great teaching.

Latimer- She is one of the computer teachers at my H.S. Alma Mater too. Her classes were easy, but she was so laid back. Her classes were fun, and relaxed. Not to mention I kind of could do anything in her class. Ha!

Doc- High school English teacher. I took his class my Junior year, and instead of taking the college course my senior year with a different teacher, I took a lesser level senior english class JUST so he could be my teacher again. He was younger [early to mid 30s I'd say] so he related a lot better. His classes were fun. He was laid back. He had a cussing jar that you had to put a quarter in every time you cussed, and if it was a "big" cuss word you had to put a dollar in. People rarely had to use it though just because we had a big respect for him. We had music on Fridays that we had to journal about the songs we picked. He made us journal basically everyday. I didn't love that, but it was cool.

Mrs. N- This was my choir teacher. She is incredible. A lot of people were afraid of her. I adore her though. She was, and still is, one of the top choir teachers in the state. She is so talented, and has a huge passion for what she does. Her passion for music and perfection feeds into her students. She has one of the best choirs in Arkansas for a reason, and I was so blessed to be a part of it.

Vaden- I took two semesters of ceramics from her my first year in a half of college. I loved art before I took her class. Up until I took it though... I didn't think I could make art. Making a piece of art that takes forever. That you've put your blood, sweat, and tears into [so to speak] is so rewarding. To me it is so relaxing and cathartic. I have some really great pieces that I was able to make.

Carter- Oh Dr. Carter... He was a prof of mine at OBU. One of the hardest professors I've ever had. However, I think what I learned in his class has stuck with me more then anything. He loves what he does. He knows his stuff. I wish I could have had him as my prof for every class.

Lopez- Okay... so she didn't impact me in a huge, huge way. But J-Lo [yes... we called her that for a reason] was the best Spanish teacher I've ever had. I loved, and actually comprehended, Spanish because of her. I went from a prof one semester that I failed every single sheet and test, to making A's and B's in J-Lo's class. It was a lot of fun. Not to mention I made some great friends those two semesters of college.

So those are my faves I can think of. I've always loved school. It hasn't always been easy, but I love it. I kind of was one of those kids that had the potential to be a teachers pet, but kept it to a minimum so I didn't look like a kiss-ass. I had fun though. I'm not much for trouble making so all the teachers, principals, resource officers, secretaries, etc. knew I could be trusted. I basically did what I wanted to my senior year of high school.

I think I need school to keep my brain going. I've been out two years, and I'm already bored. I guess that's why I'm going back! I don't realize how much I love school until I'm not in it.

Having great teachers helps too. :)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Day 2: Definition of Success

These are two definitions that www.dictionary.com says...
–noun
1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like

I can agree with that for the most part. Completing a task or attaining an award or important position DOES equal success. Especially form a worldly view. However...

Success to ME:
-happiness
-my actions being pleasing to God
-showing God others through myself
-good relationships
-being healthy
-having a family
-being a good friend
-actually doing my hair, and NOT putting it up in a pony tail or messy bun
-being on time to work instead of one stinkin' minute late
-not giving up even when I failed miserably the first time [or two or three] :)
-cooking dinner that didn't come pre made or from a restaurant
-not taking a week [or more] to hang my clothes or fold them and put them in drawers
-jogging! I have a new love for jogging. I get kind of pissy when weather does not permit me to do so. I hate working out inside, so I don't own a gym membership. Just the outdoors.
-the fact that I adopted my dog from a shelter
-graduating from nursing school

I'm glad this was a list capable subject. I'm paragraphed out for the day.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

another blog challenge? yes please.

I suck at blogging without a challenge going on. Thanks to Aleasa I have another challenge! Yay!

Day 1: Your Biggest Accomplishment

I'd have to say my biggest accomplishment was graduating college. If you ask me in a few more years, hopefully, I'll saying getting my RN license. I struggled a LOT off and on at Ouachita. I transferred there the second semester of my sophomore year. I chose to get the majority of my basics done at a community college where I had a scholarship. Plus, if I didn't have a scholarship it was still super cheap. I did okay with grades my 1st semester at OBU. It was a whole new ball-game my 2nd semester though. Fall of 2007 was a rough semester for me. My mom and step-dad [who had raised me] had gotten a divorce. It wasn't a good time. I came thisclose to being put on academic probation. I'll say this... I had 18 hours, and made all D's and an F. Did I mention that I had knee surgery that semester too? The rest of my semesters weren't bad. In fact, I graduated on the Dean's List. I decided to go out with a bang. Ha! College was a big deal to me. I'm the only one out of me and my 4 guy cousins who've actually started and finished college. I always said after I graduated that I'd never go back to school... apparently God has a sense of humor.

I have never, ever been late on a payment. I pride myself in keeping good credit. If that means I have to eat cereal for a few days because it was all I could afford than so be it. Bills first. Others second. Me third. That is how the paycheck goes.

I'm clearly stretching that accomplishment business. The college thing is the biggest deal though. :)

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

more blog challenge

I've made a discovery... I suck at blogging unless I'm "challenged". Most of the time I have too many thoughts and not enough space to write or type. I wish there was like and internal typewriter that fed out all the thoughts you had for the day. Then again... maybe not. So here's the new challenge



Day 1 - your biggest accomplishment
Day 2 - your definition of success
Day 3 - Your favorite teacher
Day 4 - your favorite book
Day 5 - your favorite quote
Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things
Day 7 - a photo that makes your heart melt
Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11 - a photo of you recently
Day 12 - something you are OCD about
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - your role model
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a youtube video
Day 24 - where I live- in detail, what makes it special?
Day 25 - guilty pleasure
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - my worst habit
Day 28 - whats in my handbag/purse
Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - car you drive ( and past cars too!)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Day 30: Picture

So today is the last day of the challenge... I was thinking, "a picture? we've done pictures this whole time. how am I going to find one that expresses me." Then my picture came in the mail today. about 6 days earlier than expected.


That my blog readers, all 2 of you probably, is my acceptance letter into the LPN program at my local good ole community college. So 18 months there, and then applying to an RN program. I'm so nervous and pumped all at the same time. I just felt like if this was what God was really calling me to do then I would get accepted. And I did. I can't wait to take what I learned at OBU and apply it to nursing school. That may sound weird to some. But 18 year old Megan wasn't prepared for nursing school Megan who graduated from OBU with a Bachelors in Christian Studies IS prepared. What better ministry than being a nurse?! My stomach is in knots, but I'm so excited. Then again... the knots might be because I ate Mexican Chicken at the grands house, and then jogged 2 miles. Dumb. Well aware.

Anyways. That's my picture. It may be blurry, and illegible to you, but to me it's the golden ticket. Maybe this blog challenge will help me be a better blogger.

Monday, November 8, 2010

why am i always behind?

So I have to play catch-up. Again. So here's to Day 28 and 29.

Day 28: Something That Stresses You Out
How much space do I have for this one? The thing is... not a lot of stuff really, really stresses me out. It's more of little things that build up until I can't stand it anymore, and I explode.

-Micromanagers. I didn't realize how much this bothered me until I started working with one. My "manager" is the most epic micro-manager. Except it's more just being plain nosey. Which I also can't stand. I have this thing that if you can't here what the topic is in a conversation maybe you shouldn't interrupt and ask what is being talked about. Now if you hear what we're talking about and it's a casual topic I might be okay with you jumping in. Other than that, butt out. So I guess ultimately it's the nosiness that bothers me more than anything.

-This is weird, but the thought of failure completely and totally stresses me out. I'm really career minded. And I'm okay with that. However, I get stressed thinking about what I want to do with my life, and the "what ifs". I find out in less than 2 weeks if I got into the nursing program, and the thought of not getting in almost makes me crazy.

-Fighting. I don't do well with confrontation. Now to hear me talk... you'd think I'd be ready to go head to head with whomever pisses me off the right way. I'm a lot of talk though. Lots of bark. No bite. I might have bite, but I haven't had to use it yet. Now if you get my family, friends, or children involved... it's a very real possibility that that bark turns into a bite. As far as I'm concerned you don't mess with the ones I love. We'll have a problem.

-Unruly children. I don't know how a lot of people feel about spanking your children, but I'm pro spanking. I was spanked. Not beat. And I'm fine. If you don't want to spank your kids at LEAST have the common sense to teach them manners. I can't stand bad behavior of children. It completely drives me nuts. Especially if they're just throwing a tantrum because they can.

-Crappy theology. Two words: Joel Olsteen. I'm not going to get into it though because this is leading me into my next stress.

-Talking religion and/or politics with people. ESPECIALLY when they aren't willing to hear your side of it. I'll kind of talk a little religion and politics with my friends, but that's rare and short lived. I can't stand people fighting over either topic. It's immature, and childish. Just because you don't agree with what someone believes doesn't mean you have to put them down and berate them.

-Bad drivers. I ask few things from drivers. Go no more then 5 mph above the speed limit unless necessary. Don't stay in the "fast" lane if you're going the speed limit or under. DO NOT tailgate me when I'm going over the speed limit... I will brake check you. And last, but most definitely not least, my biggest stress with drivers... NO BLINKERS! That level to the left [sometimes right] or your steering wheel is there for a reason. Use it. You won't break a finger. I promise.

-Uninvited physical touch. I hate it. HATE IT! It literally makes my skin start to crawl. I don't know why I'm so anti-touch, but I am. I've been knownt to almost hurt myself so someone wouldn't touch me, and it was just a hug. If I didn't ask or you aren't a child or my mom, grandparents, or some friends, don't touch me.

On to day 29.

Day 29: Wishes
I would say I'm not much of a wish person, but I am a closet dreamer. I don't really see it as a wish though. I keep things in my prayers. I think that God knows my heart's desire, so this is what I think He probably sees...
-I hope that my future kids get to meet their great-grandparents, my maternal grandparents, because I adored my greats, and I think they'd be missing out if they didn't get to meet theirs.

-I hope that I am successful in such a way that I'm able to really give back.

-I hope that God continues to stay as patient with me as He's been in the past. I'm continuing to have problems really getting back to Him. I'm in a constant state of 2 steps forward 3+ steps back.

-I hope that God will bring someone into my life that can really keep me accountable. Someone I can trust with the deep darks. The things I can't or don't tell anyone else. It comes down to the fact that I need counseling, and I can't afford it. I constantly pray that God opens a door for me to get what I need. Not in a crazy way, but in a closure and healing way.

-I hope that I get married so I can have kids. It's not that I don't believe that people can't raise children as a single parent, but I know, as a kid of a single parent at several times, how hard it can be. I don't wish that on anyone. It's got its perks, but it's got some downfalls too. Besides all that... every kid deserves a mom and dad.

-I hope that I am given multiple opportunities, and means, to adopt. One of my biggest "wishes" is to adopt. I want a "Jesus Loves the Little Children" kind of family.


Is tomorrow really the last day of the challenge? Can we have a challenge month every month? I can blog when topics are given! Ha!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Challenge Day 27: Pets

I've had a lot of pets in my life. I remember the names of every single one of them [well.. at least the furry ones. The scaly ones... not so much.]
There was Dottie the Great Dane we had when I was 3 and 4 and lived in North Little Rock. We had to get rid of her because my neighbor was afraid of her.

Then there were a handful of cats we had when we lived in Branson. It was before the spay and neuter your pets thing was a big deal. Aubrey was a calico stray that we took care of, but basically just fed and loved her. She had 3 litters of kittens. One every year around Easter. Her kittens [these are totals]: Mustard, Sunshine, Coffee, Cream, Amy, Bear, and a few more. They all met untimely demises... we lived in the country/woods. Apparently owls get hungry...

We moved by to Arkansas when I was 8 and I got 2 parakeets from my cousin. Their names were Elvis and Priscilla. Elvis liked people... Priscilla only like males. I didn't have them long. Birds are pretty and all, but they are MESSY to take care of.

After my mom remarried I finally got another dog. My step-dad insisted on getting a Sheltie. We looked all day one day for a Sheltie puppy. We saw several, and after driving all over central AR looking for a dog we met someone at a flea market that had one puppy left, and that was the day we got Rockie. We registered that poor dog as Razzle's Fancy Rockie Top. It was his AKC name. Word of advice... don't look for a puppy with your 4th grader all day long and think you won't take a dog home at the end of the day. They put that big ball of fluff in my arms, and he licked my chin, and it was love. Best birthday gift.

After we got Rockie my cousin that I got Elvis and Priscilla from gave us two "boy guinea pigs". Well... they most definitely weren't two boys. Scooter and Buttercup. They were cute. They reproduced once. Cinnamon. She was cute too.

Then 2 years later my family decided that Rockie needed a friend. So we went on the search. New Year's Eve we brought Kaci home. We went from Rockie, who was the best puppy and dog. He was basically house broken when we got him. Good natured. Then we brought wild woman home. She was a mess. But she was mine. My name was on the papers so that was a huge deal to me at 11 years old. With both Rockie and Kaci, the first few nights after we brought them home I'd sleep in the bathroom on the floor with them so they wouldn't be lonely. I was pretty committed to them. I don't have them anymore. My former step-dad has them. Of all the things he got in the divorce and it was my dogs. I miss them.

Here's Kaci [l] and Rockie [r].


Also while I had the Shelties I also inherited two hamsters [separate times]. One was Wally, and the other was Tag. Wally was awesome. Tag was evil. He had a rough start though because I rescued him.

Then there was Bentlie. I made my mom get a cat during her brief single-hood. I didn't want Bentlie. I wanted a different cat. However, since mom didn't really want a cat in the first place... she got to pick. She picked the cute little calico that was precious at the shelter. Key words "at the shelter". We got her home... actually we just got her in the car, and she went bisserk. I have scars from her. She would jump from a sitting position on the floor to the top of a 7 foot bookshelf. She fetched. Yes... FETCHED. She loved water. She climbed on everything. She ran, flipped, bit, clawed. She was kind of crazy like Aleasa's Delilah. I loved her. Even if she was crazy. We kind of discovered she loved water the hard way... I was in the shower a few days after we brought her home, and I was rinsing my hair when I felt something furry on my leg. It was her tail. She was a bit of a creeper. When mom remarried she had to re-home her... to a halfway house for men. I was NOT happy, but she had a place to always run, and endless people to love on her.

Benny-Boo


Like I said... she was a bit of an acrobat. Yes... she's walking a shower rod...


Now I have Tessa. Sweet T-Dawg. I have had Tessa for a year and a half. I rescued her in May 2009. I was really getting discouraged finding a rescue because every time I had one picked out I didn't have a fence up yet. I'd been interested in Catahoula's. They're just awesome and unique dogs. Well the day before I was going to give up on the search for a rescue and just go to a breeder I went to Petfinder, and typed in Catahoula. That's when "Gia" popped up at a local shelter about 30 minutes from my house. I called the next day to see if I could go look at her. I went into that shelter, they let her out, and it was love. I knew before I left that I was keeping her. They held her for two weeks until I got my fence up.
She is the best dog I've ever had. She rarely barks. Doesn't dig, jump, bite, chew, beg. She has her wild spurt for about 30 minutes after I bring her inside, and that's it. I'm so crazy about this crazy dog it's not even funny. She's super smart, and too sweet. She's part Chocolate Lab and part Catahoula Leopard [it's a herding dog that originated from Louisiana], BUT I'm going to send her DNA in to find out everything for sure. I just think it would be interesting. Everyone she meets loves her, and she loves everyone. The only people she's a little wary of her men who smoke. It's weird.
She has weird little quirks about her. She is scared to death of lighters. I can't light a candle without her tucking tail. She apparently thinks the flash and/or red pre flash on my camera are going to steal her soul. She plays hide and go seek. She is super obedient unless we're outside. Then all bets are off. She also is not such a fan of nerf guns. Loves car rides. Loves to go on run, but she ends up putting MY life in danger by running in front of me and nearly killing me.
This is the first time I ever saw T on Petfinder...


I had to be sneaky to get this photo...


Playing Fetch


Snow day!


Liek I said... I'm pretty crazy about this pup.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Day 26: Family

Oh the fam. My family basically consists of my mom's side of thing. I have my friends. I have my dog. It's an oddball family, but it's mine. And I am blessed.
I was going to put pictures up, but the only one's I have are ones I've already loaded. It comes down to the fact that I'm nuts about my family. I've always loved them, but it's just been in the past few years that I feel like I'm really enjoying my family [and friends].

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Day 25: i-Tunes

Not gonna lie... I was SUPER pumped when I saw this as one of the 30 day topics. I'm a music fanatic, and basically any opportunity to discuss my i-Tunes is a bonus.

I Will Carry You (Audrey's Song)- Selah: This song makes me cry. It's based on the story of Audrey Caroline. Her mom's blog is found
here. She's married to Selah's Todd Smith. Such an incredible testimony of faith and strength.
"there were photographs I wanted to take
things I wanted to show you"

Love Will Bring You Home- Nicol Sponberg: This song kind of breaks my heart too.
"where did you lose the faith you had? did you put it into something that has only left you empty and sad?"

God's Will- Martina McBride: When I saw this music video it basically ripped my heart out.
"i've been searchin, wonderin', thinkin'. lost and lookin' all my life. i've been wounded, jaded, loved and hated. i've wrestled wrong and right."

Jesus Freak- DC Talk: Who doesn't love DC Talk?! That's all I have to say to that.
"separated, i cut myself clean from a past that comes back in my darkest of dreams"

Catch the Wave- LeCrae's Theme Song [written for Kanakuk]: The most fun song. Dance moves include lots of jumping.

The Story- Brandi Carlile: The super high parts in this song stress me out. Still I like the song.
"all of these lines across my face, tell you the story of who i am, so many stories of where i've been, and how I got to i where i am"


Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffett: It's catchy. I'm a fan.

Why- Bethany Dillon: I have two songs by this name. I like this one, but my favorite one is Nichole Nordeman's version. Listen to it. You won't be disappointed.
"you're a good strategy when i need one
an angle when there is none
like a doormat
that always says welcome
no matter how much dirt i rub on
but when i am tired and run through
look over this hill, i'm running to You"
-Bethany Dillon

"the power in Your blood destroys all of the lies
soon You'll see past their unmerciful eyes
look there below, see the child
trembling by her father's side
now I can tell You why
she is why You must die"
-Nichole Nordeman

Wally- Aslyn: This song is so fun. My friend Brooke introduced me to this artist via this song. She might have been a one hit wonder. I don't know, but love her music.
"when your eyes found me i could hardly breathe
i wanted you
glad you wanted me"

Unredeemed- Selah: This song kind of seems like it was written for me... and a lot of other people who have problems grasping grace. It's pretty powerful to me.
"life breaks and falls apart
but we know these are
places where grace is soon to be so amazing
it may be unfulfilled
it may be unrestored
but when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
just watch and see
it will not be unredeemed"

Okay... I did ten songs. Technically I didn't put the first 10 songs on shuffle though. I have a LOT of music on my iPod that I've never listened to. I'm trying to work through the music. Better yet... maybe I'll just delete the stuff I know I'll never listen too. I love music though. Ten songs was not enough.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Day 24-Something You've Learned

Maybe it's just me, but most of these topics have list potential. I lurv me some lists. :)
I've learned...
-your friends are the best fashion consultants due to brutal honesty.
-rescued dogs make the best pets.
-there is NOTHING like my friends from college. they beat all.
-no matter how bad I think it's gotten, things will get better.
-God has a sense of humor.
-don't plan for God to tell you what to do and be done with it. He likes a good process.
-sometimes you just need to act a little crazy.
-it takes a lot less energy to forgive someone then it does to be mad at someone.
-life, and the moments you love the most, flies by whether I like it or not.
-just when I think i've done too much for God to work in my life... He proves me wrong.
-never underestimate the power of a muscle relaxer.
-don't take said muscle relaxer, and then blog. you will not remember anything write.
-God always brings the right person in my life at the exact moment that I need them most.
-God is good all time. All the time God is good.

I'm super bad at lessons learned off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll think of more lessons. Oh well.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Leasal Tagged Me

So... I've never been tagged on a blog. So I'm childishly excited about these questions. Haha!

1. What is your current favorite song?
Well considering I love music a lot I'm going to have to do a top 5.
-Glee music. All of it.
-Rockstar 101- Rihanna
-My First Kiss- 3OH!3
-Glory- Nichole Nordeman & Selah
-Unredeemed- Selah
-The Way I Am- Ingrid Michaelson
I know, I know. It's a wide range. The first two are a bit of a guilty pleasure. Now if I go according to my i-Tunes most played songs... it consists of Bethany Dillon, Glee, Avalon, Nichole Nordeman, Nicol Spongberg, Selah, Avalon, Dave Barnes, Jon Mclaughlin, Derek Webb, musicals, etc. Like I said... I'm a little obsessed with music.

2. What were you doing last year at this time?
The same thing I'm doing right now. Working at a bank. Dog sitting. Hanging out with friends. Playing with friends kids that I absolutely adore. Wondering what God is going to do in my life. Wondering if God still attempts to work in my life considering how much I fail Him. The only difference between this year and last year is that I don't have weddings going on everywhere... which I'm grateful for. Loved it, but they are stressful!

3. Name your top three TV shows.
-Glee
-Grey's
-One Tree Hill
Let me just say that the fact that I'm not adding my other 5 or so favorites... WILL POWER!

4. What's your favorite restaurant or cuisine? or both?
My current faves are Japanese or good little cafes. My favorite restaurants though are P.F. Chang's, The Villa [Italian], and Mimi's [cafe].

5. What's for dinner tonight?
Leftovers from last night. I made up something. I took chicken and cut it up into little chunks, cooked that, put in McCormick's chicken taco seasoning. While that was still simmering I rinsed, then poured in pinto beans so they'd get the flavor of the seasoning, THEN I put that Uncle Ben's microwave Spanish Rice in and let it all simmer together. I put cheese on top and when it melted I put it in tortillas to make burritos. It's also super tasty with chips!

6. What's new for you in 2011?
Well... Lord willing I'm starting nursing school in January. I find out officially on November 15th. I find out tomorrow, after my Practical Nursing Math test that I took on Saturday, if I'm still eligible to even still be considered for the program. Stressed much? Yes I am.

7. If you could bring back one trend, what would it be?
Fun trend: tie-dye. Don't judge. I love it.
Serious trend: MORALITY. Come on people. We're struggling.

8. What is your favorite piece of decor or furniture in your house? (pictures if you've got 'em!)
Well my favorite is a painting that my friend did for the living room, and I have a panda bear cookie jar that my grandma got about 30 years ago for her grandchildren. It sits on my table or my fridge most of the time. It's not pretty, but I love it. When I refinish my coffee table that my friend got off the side of the road I'm sure that'll be my favorite. Oh! And I have a pocket watch in a shadow box in my room. It was my grandpa's. He gave it to me for graduation because he knew how much I loved it. I only love it so much because it belonged to him.

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

Ahh vacation. I've not been on a vacation in years. I mean... I've gone on little weekend vacations to Branson. However, a really REAL vacation hasn't happened since I was a senior in high school. Some of the best trips I've been on have involved K-Life. I'm picking 4 favorites.
-I went to Dallas one summer with my mom, step-dad, and best friend Nikki when I was in 10th grade [I think. Maybe it was 9th]. Either way... it was an absolute blast. Just getting to spend a week strictly with your best friend is enough.
-I went to Dallas with K-Life for Spring Break my junior year. There were about 20 of us, but we all got along great. We went to Dave and Buster's and Cheesecake Factory. Me and Nikki were in HEAVEN at Cheesecake Factory. It was just a good trip with everyone. No fighting or bickering. Just uninhibited fun.
-Senior year for spring break I went with K-Life and 7 other people to Orlando. It was a week of the most ridiculously fun time. We went to Disney World [most of us for the first time], Universal Studios, Planet Hollywood, and lots of other fun places. I was like a kid at Magic Kingdom.
-Senior trip I went with my church youth group [the seniors only of course] to Myrtle Beach. We rode in a church van to there and back, and on the trip back lost the A/C. It was interesting to say the least, but the MOST fun. It was the last trip that me and Nikki went on together. [We had a rough friendship spell from our senior year up until about a year ago.]

If I get to go to San Diego in March as planned, THAT very well may be my best vacation. I miss my college best buddy. And these favorite vacations probably sound kind of lame, but they have a lot of memories. Good times with friends.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Day 22: Favorite City

Here's the thing. I've not been to a lot of fun cities. I mean.. I'm not recluse. However, I don't have the money to travel. Typically when asked though, and I mean this with all sinceirty, my favorite city is wherever my friends are. I love my friends a lot, and miss the ones that are far off [Leasal! That means you!]. Here's some of my favorite cities.
-St. Louis. It has my small group leader from 7th to 9th grade. AND it has Ted Drewe's. It's also the place I first got to experience the awesomeness that is the musical Wicked.
-Branson. Once again... it is where some of the most godly women I know and respect, live. It also is where Kanakuk is. It doesn't hurt that I use to live in B-town. I just love redneck Las Vegas. :)
- Los Angeles. I'm going to be honest. As a whole I'm a huge fan of California. I've only ever been to LA though.
-Orlando. Come on! It's got Disney World, Universal Studios, AND Sea World. It's freaking awesome!
-Dallas. It's just good taste.

Places that COULD be favorites if given the chance [though some of these aren't cities]... NYC [I'm DYING to go], San Diego, D.C., Africa and Austrailia. [I've been given an oppurtunity to go to Africa this summer for a week and a half for a mission trip. I'm definitely praying about it because it would be amazing.] I want to go to Ireland too. For a girl who doesn't travel a lot, I LOVE new places.

Aleasa tagged me in a question game. I'm going to do it tomorrow. I'm medicated, and starting to lose my ability to type and think properly.