MASH

Did you ever play MASH? That is probably one of the greatest games ever invented. When I was younger, I took this game so seriously. I remember freaking out when I got something that was not conducive to the perfect future. Like getting a green dress for my wedding dress. Or marrying the dorky guy in whatever class I happened to be in. However, tonight at my small group, we somehow ended up talking about guys (A group of girls: go figure). We were making up future husbands for each other and that was fun and all. But then Amanda Jenkins beings up the game of MASH and of course we decide to play it. I do not think that I have laughed as hard as I did when we were making our 'futures' in a long time. This game is definitely more fun when you loosen up and realize its just a ridiculous game.

Here is my future:

I am married to a Brazilian soccer player.

My wedding dress was diarrhea brown.

Our honeymoon was in Santa's workshop.

We live in a house...

...in Wisconsin

We have two kids.

Our pet is a magical shoe.

I ride around town on a camel.

And I am a pedophile hunter. (I got a picture of Lara Croft because she's a relic hunter. And she's a BA)

I'm not going to lie, I think I would be most excited about the Brazilian soccer player for the husband.

Chilled Out Thankful Day

Thanksgiving was a good day. Good food. Good family. Good God. Here's me holding my beautiful nephew. I think I got to hold him a good two hours and he barely cried. He's sick right now with Thrush but he's getting better. Yeah, I'm glad I don't have babies yet. They are way too much responsibility.

Mama and Papa in the kitchen getting dinner ready. My dad rarely smiles with his teeth showing.

Mama in her goofy shirt and mardi gras beads.
Here are two of my 56 cousins (combined of both the mom and dad's side) and my sisters, of course. These cousins are pretty cool. Its weird to hang out with them and see them all grown up. I remember playing the most ridiculous games with them when I was younger and now here we are talking about college and tattoos and piercings. Good times.

And then here is us throwing a ball across the room with these really cool ball catcher things. I love how my mom is totally cool with us playing these kinds of games inside the house. And I would like to point out the red ball in the air. Photo courtesy of Mary T.

All in all it was a beautiful day.

angry day

Since I have now deemed this angry day, here is my angry poem from anatomy class this morning:

I want to tell you so bad

how often you make me so mad

but if i just started going

the words wouldn't stop flowing

and then you would see

how mean i could be

you've got a beautiful soul

but you're burning a hole

in my patience and sanity

when you speak with such vanity

you don't mean it, i'm sure

but you speak with a purr

about the medals you've won

and the cool things you've done

don't you know that its not okay

to say the kinds of things you always say?

again and again i bite my tongue

when you act like a kid that's just been stung.

again and again i want to wring your neck

and scream at you 'what the heck?'

in your oblivious ways

you dampen my days

because you make me frustrated

and a little bit jaded

you're charming and sweet

but flirt with everyone you greet

because you want the attention

so you put on a big production

do you even see,

what you are doing to me?

and the people around you,

what you're putting them through?

okay, done with my angry poem.

On a more positve note, I just made funfetti cookies and I'm feeling a little more tolerable about life in general.

Today is not a good day

I feel on edge. If anybody talked to me and made a comment that I could perceive as ignorant, rude or just plain stupid I could definitely see myself unleashing all pent up emotions on them. For example, I felt very similar to this when Ben chose to make a comment about my driving skill in Louisiana. If you were there, you know what happened after that.

And like a million people keep asking me about my application for the AT program. I am working on it. Its due in a week. I have time. Please stop stressing me out. Thank you. And I bet I have more done than any of the other pre-Athletic training students.

Wednesday night cannot come soon enough.

Random Sunset Post

The sunset was gorgeous last night. At first it wasn't anything special and then the sky just turned all sorts of pink and orange. Beautiful.

Thanksgiving is coming. One of the top things I am thankful for are sunsets.

Josiah Crawford

Ladies who read this blog, please contain yourself. He is still a boy and puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like every other guy. Because I know that he reads this blog, I decided to write one especially for him because he wrote about us when we were in Louisiana.

He's the kind of guy who will wear a pirate-like tank top and somehow be able to pull it off. He'll drag us to American Apparel so that he can buy a neon orange (or whatever color it was) for a party he's going to that night. He'll be randomly positive about circumstances but really be pessimistic about life in general. He is pretty observant for a guy. When you first meet him you think that he's a mute but he just doesn't talk if he doesn't have to. When ever you walk around with him, you find people always staring at you. And then you realize they are all girls. And then you make the connection that they are not staring at you but checking Josiah out. He dyes his hair all the time. And because he is a guy he gets away with doing it all the time because it doesn't take long for it to grow out.

Currently he lives in North Carolina and I don't get to hang out with him. But he's still one of my favorite people.

Bored in Anatomy Class

So on Friday I have Human Anatomy at 10:40 in the morning. Right now we are in our last section of learning stuff. So we only have one more test and I am super excited about that. But anyway, I was really just spacing out and lately I have found myself writing random poems and drawing random sketches of people so I decided to write a poem instead of learn about the digestive system because really isn't that pretty straightforward: it goes in one hole, breaks up, gets used for energy and the leftover stuff goes out another hole.

Anyway, I was telling people that I wrote a poem and they wanted me to read it to them but I didn't have it with me so I said I would blog about it. It feels weird putting here so don't judge me. And if I were to read it to you there would be proper inflection but I'm not there to personally read it to you.

In Like

What can I say?
I just can't have my way
I like you a lot
And its not cause your hot
But someone else likes you too
You might even know who
She's kind and she's funny
and cute as a bunny
While I'm awkward and plain
and my jokes are inane
You and I get along great
Some might even call it fate
But there's not a big chance
you would even ask me to dance
you're endearing and sensible
and just so incredible
when you open the door
I want to fall to the floor
Cause I look at your face
and my heart quickens its pace
the words don't come out
and I become a mute lout
my brain just stops working
and it looks like I'm lurking
you are just so calm and so cool
and I'm merely a lame bumbling fool
But I look up and see that I caught your eye
and maybe one day you'll become my guy.

Ugh, I am such a girl sometimes, its ridiculous.

Go go go go go

This blog is dedicated to a friend of mine. She knows who she is.

Home is where the heart is. To different people home can be many things. To me, home is where I learned who I am. Home is comforting. Home-coming is the best feeling in the world.

But in order for home to be something that you want to come back to, you have to leave. You have to experience life and see what is out there. You are going to make mistakes and you are going to have regrets. But I would rather regret doing something than regret not doing something.

Through experience we learn who we are and what we need to do in life. So, my friend, go. Just go and learn who you are. And home will still be here when you come back. Things might change and it might not be what you remembered when you come back, but it will still be all the things you need it to be.

Life

I have been thinking a lot about life lately. Like how I got here and all the turns that took me here. Like how my second year of college compares to my first year. Like how the most unexpected things happen when we do not expect it. Like how the small moments are so much greater than big things like success and money.

My life compared to last year has so much more joy. I am so content about life. I am just so at peace with how its going.

I just read my journal that I had randomly written in while I was in high school and I was so mad at the world. But nobody really knew it because I hid behind a smile and just pretended things were okay. And really my life was not bad I was just bitter and didn't have a better outlet than just writing stuff down. So maybe I just wrote on bad days. Maybe I just remember the bad things because its easier to be bitter than to admit that life was good for you. And I do remember good things.

I have also been learning a lot about expectations. Still. You would think that after Louisiana I wouldn't let my life be ruled by expectations of what I think should happen. But I do. I expect life to be different then it is. But its still the same. People keep surprising me in my life. I always have a first impression of people because I like to make up a story about them in my head. About 75% of the time I am wrong about them and they surprise me in a good way. Or a bad way. So I have learned to not completely write off people until I have known them for a while.

Oh life.

On a side note I am so excited for this semester to be over. Ten more days of classes. And then finals. And then Christmas.

Oh Joy

So I just need to get through this week. Then next week I have three days and Thanksgiving. And then the following week is a full week of classes. And the week after that is finals. And I don't have to show up for all finals. My last one is on Wednesday. And then I am done. Finito. El Fin.

Can I just say Halleluia?

I am so excited for this semester to be over with. I'm excited for everything Christmas. The lights. Hot Cocoa. Pine trees. No homework. Leisure reading. Traditions. Hanging out with my nephew. Waiting for my niece to be born. Sleeping in. Staying up late. Going to the movies. Hanging out with the friends who are near and coming in from far. Exchanging gifts. Cold (please?) Fires. Lifetime movie channel christmas movies marathon. Baking cookies.

Its going to be grand.

What I came home to

So I came home last night about 10:30. After a day of paintballing with the youth group and then watching two softball games with my sister. I was exhausted. However, after seeing my dad asleep on the couch, I think he was a bit more tired.

I love how even though I am in college, my parents still wait up for me when they know I'm coming home. Well, at least they try.

And this picture is the sunset we saw when we were Paintballing in Norco: extremely close to where the fires were. But not close enough for evacuation. It was definitely better in person rather than in a picture.

Warning: emotional

So I got the new Taylor Swift album. And I love it. I was talking one time to my friend and Taylor Swift came up. I said that I wouldn't mind being friends with her. And my friend said "I feel like she has way too many emotions. There is no way she has felt all that in her young life" or something like that.

That got me thinking. And I realized why I love all her songs so much: its because I am so emotional. I have just always been a super emotional person. And I used to deny this about myself. I liked to think of myself as someone who was very well contained. And I can be. Especially around people that I don't know that well, I probably seem very reserved and contained. But really I can feel so many different emotions in the span of five minutes. I lately realized that its okay to be a stereotypical girl with all my emotions. Its okay that I cry during sad parts of movies or when I think about sad things that have happened in my life or other people's lives.

And really maybe being emotional helps me to connect with others. Maybe.

Anyway, I don't think I have stopped listening to Taylor since I got the album on Wednesday. I worked out last night and I was looking so forward to it all day because it was pure uninterrupted Taylor while I did all my exercises. Even the slow songs got me pumped.

Now let's hope I don't get sick of her...

Awkward Moments

I think I have experienced more awkward moments this year than I have ever experienced in my life. My latest experience you ask?

Well, you see, my roommate brought over her guy friend last night to watch a movie. (By guy friend I mean they are 'going out' but not officially together). And this was the first time I actually met him. Well they walk in and he sits on the couch and she turns on the t.v. and goes to her room to get something. So its just me and him in the room and we haven't even been introduced yet and we are saying nothing and just the television is on. And I am trying to think of a question to ask him or something to get conversation going and then the most unwanted commercial comes on: an advertisement for Cialis. And I swear that commercial is the longest commercial in the history of commercials.

I really wish I presented myself as much cooler during these situations. But that never seems to happen. I guess I need to work on my social skills.

Mission Inn Run: Pictures

Before the race started. 7:00 in the morning is way too early. But I was able to wake up with help from my mama.
Yay. Let's go run

Funny story: So the last mile I kept thinking that the end was like 100 meters away and so then I would start going faster but then when I would get there, it wouldn't be the end so this last slightly inclined twenty feet was the hardest part for me. So please excuse my lame running stance. And notice the smile. Yeah, that is because I was so happy to see the finish.

This is Elly. Her running is amazing. Look at that stride. And she just had a baby in June.

And Trevor was there!

In line getting free stuff. Notice how completely lost my face looks.

Yay for free food and drinks. No I did not take all that was in my hands.

Orange slices remind me of halftime during soccer games. Those good old days.

And that would be the Mission Inn Run 2008. Good times.

Mission Inn Run

So you know how all those posts ago I said that I was going to run in the Mission Inn Run? Well, it is here. Tomorrow, to be exact. At 7:30 am to be even more exact.

I'm running the 5k. It should be fun. We'll see how I do. My training has kind of slacked off these past few weeks because I have not had any time to work out and if there was time I would opt to just sit on the couch and go online. I think this might be a step up from just watching television though. At least with the internet I am engaging other parts of my anatomy then just my eyes.

Hopefully there will be more runs after this one. We'll see how it goes and if I even like running competitively.

Picture Post

So I was looking at the last posts that I have had and there have not been many pictures. So I decided to find some random pictures and just post them.

Here is the last Sunday with Cor. I don't think I ever put this picture on facebook.

Facebook caption: "born and raised"

She's going to be a studly fire dept. employee.

A random picture of one of my roommates eating a banana. Bananas are one of her favorite snacks.

So I'm showing you this picture because you can see half of the crack in my windshield. I need to get this fixed. Soon. It used to not bother me but now I think people keep taking double looks at it. And they just stare. So now I feel kind of ghetto with a crack in my windshield. Hopefully, my mom will call Friday. Or I will if she won't. She said she was going to call but she's a busy woman.

Speaking of my mama, here she is. She's studly, too.

Well that's the end of my picture post.

Yes we can

I am glad that we live in a society where when there is a change in political power, no guns need to be drawn and there is no fear in the street.

But wait, that's right. There is pride and sore losers in this country. Just the Facebook rants on people's status' makes me sick. Do people really expect ranting on a random person's status will change what happened? And then on the other end do people really need to rub it in other people's faces that there favored choice won or that such and such prop passed?

Another thing that I have been thinking is about how much faith we are putting in this one man. We expect him to change the institution of America. We expect him to be a saving grace in these troubled times. Can I break some sad news to y'all? He is a man. He is a man with a dream and yes things will change but he is not going to make everything perfect. Do you know how much power the president really even has? Our government is based on checks and balances and yes with a majorly democratic Senate and House, there will probably be more legislation that passes that comes from the president. But still this is changing just the legislation. Do you know what really needs to be changed? The attitudes of privileged North Americans.

Real change starts with us as individuals. That means us going out and making a difference. Wherever we are. To whoever our people group is. It may be high schoolers or it could be homeless people or abused women. We can make the world a better place with just being polite to the person at the checkstand when we are having a bad day. I am not talking just from a Christian standpoint either. Yes, I am a Christian and I believe entirely that Jesus is my savior. But I believe also that everyone needs to be in this together to get change. It's not just the fundamentalist Christians or the socially conscious feminists that need to drop their "me" first attitude. It's me. It's you. It's the people down the street.

Change is going to occur. Just like change has occurred with most every other president. Even with McCain there would have been changes. But I think real social change starts with us as individuals and really we can do this.

And to finish this very unlike me opinionated semi-political blog I would like to share a poem from Shel Silverstein (I grew up reading this guy)

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child
ANYTHING can be.

I really think this is perfect for right now.

Make a good day

This was written in chalk outside on the ground the other day. At first it read 'have a good day' but somebody crossed out the have and put a 'make.'

At first I thought that that's cool and so true. And then I forgot about it.

Randomly it popped into my head just now. I think I need to take this to heart. How can we make a good day? I think it starts with us and not letting anything get us down: boys, the election, roommates, too little sleep, classes, tests, friends, birthdays.

I want to have good days. I am going to make good days.

On another note, I was working out today and my knee gave out on me. It had been hurting all day and yesterday a bit but I figured it was the change in temperature. I wasn't even playing soccer. I have purposely been avoiding soccer so that this would not happen and then it did. So now with the pain and the give out, I'm not sure what to do. I guess I am going to let myself play soccer now because it doesn't matter what activity I do, it's going to give out on me.

This week...

..is going to be killer.

I was looking at my schedule and I have totally double booked myself in multiple areas. I don't know what to do. I hate letting people down. I don't know how I'm going to survive. I am kind of scared to go to bed tonight because I know that when I wake up I will have to face this week. And that is something that I do not want to do.

There are six weeks till this semester is over and I feel like there is so much to do. It will be interesting to see how I get everything done while still dealing with everything ridiculous in my life.