Peace out 2009!

Finally! This is idiot year is over! Needless to say this has not been the best year I've ever survived. And yes, I literally had to go into survival mode. This year saw it's fair share of boy trouble, the diagnosis of my dad's cancer, and the passing of another grandparent. It came with a scary Christmas Eve when several family members found themselves in trouble and the leaving of a best friend. Plus a few surgeries and the most ferocious semester of school I have ever tried to work through. However, it wasn't all bad.

It also brought about an awesome summer of vacations including Las Vegas and Europe! I found a wonderful boy who makes my heart and face smile constantly. My father was CURED of his cancer! (Hallelujah!) I worked and got all A's in school again this semester, and my family came through disaster on Christmas Eve in a miraculous way. Best of all, the Lord has showed his unfailing love to me time and again. Oh how he loves ME!

In all honesty, I'm not really sad to see 2009 go. The bad things find a way to taint the entire year. So I am grateful for a new year and another chance to make things better. "I made it through the year and I did not even collapse. Gotta say 'Thank God' for that!" :D

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

It was a bit rough getting here, but it turned out to be a wonderful Christmas. Even though we had a bit of a scare with both grannies and my uncle, everything worked out fine and we STILL had a fabulous day. There were stockings full of goodies, a tree with presents stuffed underneath and a delicious dinner to feast upon. I got some great presents but I think the best gift was obviously having my sweet brother home for a whole week. We've had a blasty-blast and I'm sad that it has to end, but I know that all great things eventually come to a close. Oh well. Granny and Uncle Randy are okay - that was another great gift! All in all, it was an absolutely fantastic day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY! :D

Christmastime....

.....is here! It is officially 4 days until Christmas and I am super excited. Well as I excited as I can be without hurting my jaw too much. These wisdom teeth need to hurry up and get better...seriously. I'm told that today is the last of the bad days. Let's pray this is true, as these medically induced naps are really cutting into my holiday time. Jesse comes home tonight! Hallelujah! I've really missed that buckethead. He'll be home way after I'm asleep but I'm sure tomorrow will be jam-packed with jokes and rough-housing. I can't wait! All my presents are wrapped - well except for "Santa's" presents. Plus I was informed earlier today that my darling brother has presents...that need to be wrapped. So I shall wrap his presents tomorrow and then I'm calling it quits on the wrapping game! Mom and I have a bit more cleaning and decorating to do. School and teeth really cut into our decorating time. But hopefully I'll be feeling good enough after dinner to do a little. My room is FINALLY clean (anyone that saw it knows this is a miracle in itself), and the bathroom only lacks a bit of straightening. All in all I'm getting excited. I want to tear into all those presents under the tree. I did not do much spying or investigating this year because I wanted to be surprised. It's much more fun NOT knowing what everything is before you open it. Trust me, I've been on both sides of the spectrum on that. Well I think Mom and I are going to do some baking here in a bit so I'll bring this to a close. If I don't post again before, HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D

Cheese Popcorn...

...is probably one of the most disgusting holiday treats that is absolutely irresistable to eat. You stuff a handful in your mouth and think "Eww...this is really horrible!" as you squeeze the chewy kernels between your teeth. You force a swallow and shudder. Then somehow your hand reaches back into the bowl for more and you find yourself with another giant mouthful thinking "Why am I eating this? It is not tasty." You swallow and suddenly find your hand going back into the bowl for more! It's like a neverending cycle of horrible taste/texture going into your mouth. And you know it's disgusting, yet you keep going back. When the bowl's almost empty, you think to yourself "It wasn't so bad I guess," even though you know in your heart that yes, yes it was, probably worse than ever want to admit. Thank goodness THAT is one tradition reserved specifically for the holidays. Good grief!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Just like the ones I've never know. Haha I always change the words to that song because I've never celebrated a white Christmas. A white Easter once, but not Christmas. I can't believe it snowed! How absolutely fantabulastic! The last time I saw it snow in San Angelo I was in Jr. High. I saw the beginnings of it last night around 2:30 but it wasn't sticking so I didn't hold my breath for a white morning. However, once I rolled my lazy butt outta bed and saw the brightness of the backyard...I was shocked! I actually texted a friend to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. Sadly, it has already melted away. (That's Texas for you.) But it was nice and pretty while it lasted. I didn't get to make a snowman or a snow angel or anything but I did throw a snowball at my mom. Haha. Plus I got to layer on the clothes! I love winter clothes and I love them even more when I have a reason to wear them. :D So yay for snow and yay for Christmas! There is no way I could NOT be in the Christmas spirit now! Bring on the Christmas carols. "Let it snow! Let is snow! Let is snow!"

I AM TOTALLY JUICED!

So I totally just made my first ever significant purchase! By "significant," I mean over $1000 dollars.......of my OWN money! :D

I am currently typing this blog from my brand-new All-In-One Touch Screen computer. Oh I am so super excited! It is 100% absolutely amazing times a zillion! You cannot understand how much I like it. The keyboard is fabulous, and if you know me you know that a computer is all about the keyboard. Not only is it paper thin, it's also wireless! Plus I'm loving the fact that I can just touch the screen and it responds and does what I want. This thing even has an app that will read me a recipe whilst I cook! Who needs that? But still so totally AWESOME!

So I'm probably done bragging.....at least for now. Haha. I just had to take the chance to be excited since so many people (and by people I mean idiot men) keep telling me what a frivolous purchase it was. Well newsflash! I'm 22. It's the season for frivolous purchases. Sigh...boys are dumb. They all have a nact for sucking the excitement out of stuff. But whatever! I'm still oober juiced that it's brand-new (not a hand-me-down) and it's ALL mine and I bought it with my very own hard earned money. So great. *squeals like a little girl* Haha.

Okay now...He's just showing off!

Okay so for those of you who don't know, yesterday I asked for prayer because the wound that Jesus bandaged last weekend on the Ladies' Retreat began bleeding again. Well it was because I was having some problems with my boyfriend. Well last night, said problems came to a head and we broke up. It wasn't an ugly break-up in any form. In fact, we were laughing and chatting right after the decision. We're still good friends and we still care about each other. But it's just not the right time for us to have a relationship.

Anyway, this morning I woke at like 9 and everyone else was still sleeping which is highly unusual. So I decided to go for a walk. I donned my tennis shoes and a sweatshirt (silly me - for some reason I thought it would be cold in November, quite the opposite actually.) and popped my headphones into my ears. I put on some worship music (I actually have more than 3 songs now!) and began my journey around the Bluffs. I was conversing with God over the whole situation and how I found it rather stinky that only a week after I surrendered my heart and let him begin healing the wound, my new relationship crumbled. He attempted to get me to understand that his love is enough and to trust him because he'll take care of everything. And to be completely honest, I was being obstinate!

So I'm walking and mumbling and tearing up, and I look down and see this artificial red maple leaf just sitting on the ground right in front of me.

As if this was not amazing enough in and of itself, do you seen any resemblance to this picture?

The above picture just so happens to be the current background on my laptop. I just randomly found it one day and liked it so I put it as my background. So aside from the fact that I found a beautiful red leaf in the middle of the road, and aside from the fact that it's an artificial leaf so it won't crumble and die, it just so happens to be an exact picture of the background on my laptop. Even down to the striking black and white behind the leaf. Amazing? Well here's the icing on the cake. It jsut so happens that "Healer" is playing on my iPod at this time and I saw the leaf during the big crescendo of "Nothing is impossible for you. Nothing is impossible. Nothing is impossible for you. You hold my world in your hands." Sigh...

I'm beginning to understand more and more that God loves showing off, and the best part - He loves showing off just for me! :D

Oh how he loves us! Come to me, and let's fall in love all over again.

Holy Jesus-Loving, Batman!!!

I was recently informed that my other colors were hard to read so I decided to try a bright fall color. (This is for you Kylah. :D)

Anyway, last weekend was our women's retreat and the compilation of several hard months' work. Personally, I thought it came together epically! Everything went so well, despite Paula Deen's shaky hands. Haha. DeLana and Beth Moore brought a wonderful word and the Lord really loved on us this weekend. I had a fabulous time with my friends and a great time getting to know some new ones! There were guest stars all weekend. Everyone ranging from Paula Deen to Sonny and Cher. It was so great.

The best part by far, however, was the sweet sweet time I spent with Jesus. He wrapped me up in love like beans in a burrito. Haha. It's too much to recant here but just take my word when I say it was MAGICAL! I'm not talking spells and chants; I'm talking Mickey Mouse at Disney World. He met me in such a perfect manner for me and it was amazing! He's so great. His love note to me will stay tattooed on my heart forever: Come to me, and let's fall in love all over again! Sigh...

God is perfect love! :D

System Overload

After 2 days of intense working and cramming, I am well on my way to finish everything that must be done before this weekend. Oh wait, that's not including the 5 chapters and 3 papers of psychology due Wednesday night that has yet to be looked at. Or the cookies that must be baked. Or the 4 scripts that must be solidified into my mind. Or the practices coming up. Or the other little details that have yet to even be discovered. Or the packing for the stupendous weekend I'm expecting. Sigh...everytime I think I've got the checklist looking good, I find 40 more things to add to it. Plus the tonsils are still flaring so I'm working hard to nurse them oh so carefully. T-minus 2 days till it all comes together. Hopefully.

They're GIGANTIC!

By this I mean my tonsils. Oh my goodness! Seriously...here is an estimate of the space between my two severely swollen tonsil: from here (........) to here. As you can see, this is clearly not alot of space. I know what you're thinking, "You need to have those out!" Yes, yes I do. However, with the women's retreat in a little less than 2 weeks and 4 dramas to perform that night, they must hang out with me a little longer! They don't hurt (THANK GOD!). They're just difficult to eat/breath through. There is slight concern about possible suffocation during sleeping. Hoping this does not happen for obvious reasons. So yeah...there is alot of nursing going on. Any suggestions on how to keep them content for a wee bit longer?

Procrastination!

First of all, this is a very fall-tastic color for my font and I'm loving it!

Second of all, this post is pretty much nothing more than my attempts to find something to do - other than schoolwork that is! It is a lovely day! Chilly, but not freezing, with a big blue sky and a yellow sun. As a result of such a lovely day, I am feeling rather musical and feel like dancing around the kitchen in my socks (it's easier to dance when you're wearing your socks) to all the love songs I recently downloaded for the Women's Retreat. Yet, I can't be dancing because I have a TON of work to be doing. So instead I'm listening to music and fiddling around on the computer and still not doing any of the work I need to do.

Let me just sum up how this is working: I don't want to do anything that needs to be done and I want to do everything that doesn't need to be done; and that is precisely what I am doing. I feel like Paul. "What I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do." Just reverse that and you have a perfect description of my current activites.

I kinda feel like writing but I have several dramas and papers that need to be written and I can't really feel justified in writing some nonsensical future book stuff when I have other items that legitimately need to be written. Sigh...it's forever the struggle between fun and work. Work loses that battle about 99.99999999999999999% of the time.

You know what else I want to do? SHOP! It's fall, leading everyday toward winter and I cannot be more excited. I get to buy new clothes this winter because all my old ones no longer cover my stomach. It's weird how shirts do that. The sleeves are fine, but the rest is too small. Anyway, there are shirts and pants and belts and boots and purses and hats and scarves and jewelry and mittens and jackets and about a zillion other things calling my name and saying "Buy me! Add me to your wardrobe! I'll be the perfect addition to your already bulging closet - I promise!" And I am listening to them; and my closet is growing and my bank account (this is just figurative as I don't really have my own bank account yet) is shrinking! Warning: If you already have a shopping addiction, DO NOT go to Europe as this only feeds one's desire for accessories, fashionable clothes and cute hairstyles! Yes, it's true. I fell victim to the European fashion craze. It's the only logical explanation for my spending an hour curling my hair today for the Missionette's sleepover this evening. Crazy I know. It's like I'm girly now or something weird like that. Tomorrow's agenda: Shopping. (I think I need an intervention!)

Anyway, this is a long post as all my posts seem to be. I shall bring it to an end and attempt to get some work done before this evening. It's really not looking good though - I must admit. Oh well. There's always Monday! :D

More than a "wonderful" weekend...

So I had a downright dreamy weekend. :) For those of you who are still out of the loop, I'm currently in a relationship with a boy in Odessa. So this weekend, despite several setbacks, I was able to go and see him. It was absolutely fabulous! I had a marvelous time! Some of the highlights:

• Giants hugs - all weekend long!
• Falling asleep on him during Meet the Robinsons and waking up to find him staring at me with a smile on his face. So sweet!
• Understanding when I'm upset about something and pushing me to tell him what's wrong and being able to spill my guts, tears running down my face while he just.....listens. No interruptions or attempts at advice - just pure listening until I'm all spilled out AND THEN advice. But that wasn't until he felt he actually understood how I felt. I was having trouble putting it into words and he said "That's what we have music for. Think of a song." and when I failed at that, a simple "Can you try to explain it?" Honestly, he's the sweetest guy I've ever met. On top of all this awesomeness - he held me close and patted my shoulder while I cried.
• Being appreciated for little things like making the bed and straightening his room while waiting for him to get off work.
• Meeting his friends and having them at least act happy that you're there hanging out with them.
• Laughing as we tried to decide which NFL football player I should marry. Haha!
• Being allowed to beat him at a video game because he knew it would make me smile! :)
• Meeting his parents, despite fears of being "grilled to death."
• Being accepted by his parents and NOT being grilled to death.
• Getting to pick Sonic for dinner though he doesn't really like it.
• Watching Sunday Night Football on his laptop! Go Colts! :D
• Having him set-up an imaginary match between the Colts and Titans on Madden when the internet broke, just 'cause he knew I wanted to watch the game.
• A gentle "I hate to see you go." amidst a final squeeze good-bye.

Sigh......add to all of that: a TON of laughter at random silly things that no one else would probably understand, the sharing of secrets between us, sneaking glances and smiles, and talk of the future; and you have a recipe for the best weekend ever! Haha it was supremely great! :D

So yeah......

So I feel like I need to blog, but I don't feel like I have anything to blog about. Nothing exciting is really going on right now. :/ It's just the same old stuff that goes on everyday. My life seems to be a neverending flow of school and work. Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE my job and my adorable kiddos; we just haven't done anything that exciting lately. Ellie's about to start potty-training so I'm sure I'll have some exciting details to post about that before long. :) Plus I'm getting pretty excited about the Women's Retreat coming up in November. It's gonna be A-mazing!!!! (Yes, I did just use 4 exclamation points. I'm serious about it.)

But other than that, there's not too much going on. Well, I get to go see my darling boyfriend this weekend which is super exciting. At least, I hope it'll be. Haha. We're gonna watch football together on Sunday. I'm pretty excited about that.

Hmm...maybe I had more to be excited about than I thought. I guess I just needed to think about it. Well that's cool! :D Okay, now I must quit procrastinating schoolwork and take my test on Homer! I know, I know...Lord be with me!

Can I just say....

Hooray for new months that bring about renewal of cell phone minutes! If you don't think this is a thing to celebrate try hearing these words from one of the only people you talk to on an hourly basis: "I only have like 15 minutes to last me the rest of the month....so I can't really talk or text you...Sorry." This was about a week ago! I have been one lonely/crazy/slightly more angry than usual/supremely understanding person this week. But Hallelujah - it's OCTOBER!!!! :)

All Smiles...

Exactly one year after the dreaded breakup, I am once again all smiles! This last year has been such a time of blessing for me. I've learned so much about myself and received so much love from God and other great friends! I've lost some friends and made some new ones, I've laughed and I've cried, I've danced and I've pouted. But most of all, I MADE IT!!! I am still alive and life is better than ever! Maybe I'm not exactly where I thought I would be this time last year, but I'm definitely where God wants me and where I'm supposed to be right now. Who knows what the future holds??? All I know is I'm looking forward to it with sparkling eyes once again!

PS It's a little easier when you have a secret that makes you giggle randomly. Haha! :D

My First Embarrassing "Mommy" Moment

(This post is dedicated to Lori Sullivan -

The Queen of Embarrassing Mommy Moments :D)

So Monday I agreed to watch Ellie and Grayson at the church for DeLana because she had Fall Council all day. Everything was going okay until lunchtime, where Ellie proceeded to scream and cry, while Grayson spit up all down his clothes and had to be carried around in front of the missionaries in just his diaper. Not to mention that all of this took place in the kitchen in front of some rather prominent women of the church. I definitely had an "oh what they must think of me!" moment.

Shortly after this, I take the children home to nap. All was well during this time, and my sanity returned. As we were preparing to go back to the church so I could drop the kids off with their Mamo for the rest of the evening, Ellie brought me a book. I promptly instructed her to "please put it back on your shelf so we can go see Mamo." She chirped an "okay!" and trotted off down the hall. I returned my attention to Gray's onesie when I heard the 2 sounds every woman dreads - SMACK, followed by horrific screaming.

I immediately run into the bedroom to find poor Ellie sprawled on the floor holding her cheek. I pick her up and she buries her face in my shoulder. When I inquire as to what happened I got the muffled "iiiiiiiiiiiiii ffffffeeeeeeelllllll aaa aaanddd hhhhiiitttt my ccccchheeeekkkk." When I finally got her to let me see, I found a small scrape and a quickly darkening purple cheekbone. The poor thing must have tripped while running to put away her book and hit her cheek on the bookshelf. :(

She informed me she needed a band-aid and medicine so I took her into the bathroom and found a band-aid. It was neon green and rather large. Let's just say it stretched from nostril to ear! She looked so cute. I knew we needed to ice her cheek or else it was going to be huge so I found a plastic football ice cube and handed it to her with the instructions to "hold it on there." Then I put her on the couch so I could finish getting them ready to leave. She didn't want to hold the football on there because it was cold so I tried to find something to put it in. In an ideal world, this would have consisted of a washcloth or towel or something to that nature. The only thing handy was daddy's sock on the back of the couch. So yes - that's what she got. We finally arrived at the church and Mamo inquires as to what happened and why her granddaughter has a ginormous neon green band-aid across her whole face. Ellie is acting supremely pitiful as together she and I relate what happened. THEN Mamo proceeds to tell her friend Rita (Bro. Dubose's wife) all about Ellie's fall and why she has a green band-aid. AND she chooses to disclose the information about the football ice cube and sock. I wanted to die! (Oh what she must think of me - screaming children, half-naked children, and a black-eyed child with a sock ice pack!) Promptly after the conversation, I went to clean the nursery.

So yes, I have officially had a "Lori" moment! That's what I thought of immediately after the chain of events - "I feel like Lala right now." (You know I love you Lori and I am honored to feel like you as you are a supremely excellent mother!) Ellie is okay by the way. She has a black eye and cheek, but she's not permanently damaged. That's the only reason this story is somewhat humorous. :)

I DON'T WANT TO!!!!!

I would just like to go on record and state that I simply do NOT want to start school. It's not that I don't enjoy learning or furthering my education or any of that other mess. I simply do not enjoy all the nonsense that goes along with such. I am quite ready to be done with school completely, or to actually go to school instead of doing it all online! I would also like to point out that I am rather jealous of all the people who actually get to go to college classes and deal with a wonderful array of college professors and random people in class with you. I wonder what that would be like. Oh well...I don't really have a choice in the matter. But nevertheless, I DON'T WANT TO!!!!! ugh.......

And so it ends...

In a few hours I will begin packing to return to the States tomorrow morning at about buttcrack o'clock. I've had quite a blast on my adventures abroad but I'm honestly glad to have them come to an end. I ready for English and cheeseburgers galore! Haha. I'm also ready to have a bathtub again, AND a bed that doesn't slide off of the box springs every night. I miss my car too, and of course all my friends and family! I'm not sure how I'm gonna make everything fit back into my suitcases. Why do things always grow when you're away from home? It's really rather frustrating. On top of everything you brought with you, there's everything new that you have to take home. Hmm maybe I should have packed less. But then I probably would have fun out of clothes because I have yet to do laundry since being here. That's right! I'm bringing home approximately 5 weeks of dirty reeking clothes! Haha. I told my mom that I might stink upon arrival in San Angelo and she said "it's fine. We'll take you home and wash you." Haha. Anyway, the countdown to return begins and I must admit that I am relieved......can't wait to see you all. :D

An Experience of a Lifetime...

So today plans finally worked out and we went to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. I must admit that it was quite a sobering experience. When I used to think about the Holocaust and Concentration Camps I would always think of the horrible pictures in my history books, The Diary of Anne Frank, and various movies about such days and think "Wow that's really awful." But today as I stood in the barracks and looked at the recreated living conditions words escaped me and it was much more than "really awful." The moment I walked into the camp I could feel the heaviness of it all. There were maybe a hundred people walking around but it was relavitely silent. The only sound was the crunch of gravel under people's feet as they walked about. My cousin couldn't understand why we kept whispering and I simply explained that someplaces were meant for whispering and that this was one of them. I was surprised because I didn't cry, not like I expected to anyway. I mainly walked around the camp with a lump in my throat and blurry eyes, trying to wrap my mind around the horrors that went on within those walls. It wasn't even an extermination camp like Auswitz. I'm not sure I could handle that place.

The bunker where they kept other prisoners was absolutely breathtaking. There were two rows of cells running down a long hall. Some of them had been divided into standing cells, which were only 2 feet wide so prisoners were forced to stand for up to 72 hours. There were testimonies of prisoners broadcast onto the cell walls. One related the experience of a prisoner who had been sentenced to 8 months in the dark! 8 MONTHS!!!! I would have gone absolutely crazy. I couldn't imagine the horrors those poor people faced. Some of the pictures were absolutely nauseating. In another room, a prisoner testified to serving 4 months in the dark with food only every 4th day! I'm afraid that I would have been terribly tempted to pray for death, or run into the shooting zone in an attempt to end my suffering.

The crematorium also hit me in the heart. We actually walked through the gas chamber (that was supposedly never used) first and then into the crematorium. I couldn't imagine working in that room, shoveling a neverending line of bodies into ovens all day. What was worse was the fact that they sometimes hung prisoners in that same room, right in front of the ovens. How could anyone do that all day and think that it was a good thing? How could they do it without becoming cold nonemotional zombies? The thought alone sickened me. I don't understand how anyone could ever be so cruel. Surely some part of you would scream out that what you were doing was wrong! I couldn't do it. I really couldn't.

We watched a short film about Dachau and I couldn't help but feel a bit of a sense of pride when they began talking about the American Liberation. I was proud to be on the right side of the fight. I was proud of the soldiers that fought to get into the camp and free those people. The video showed a part where they brought food to the prisoners in the camp. The smiles and way they ate made me feel so proud that the US was there to help! And that we did help, at least as best we could. There was apparently a group in the concentration camp that worked to inform the Americans they could hear fighting in the distance that thousands of lives were at stake, that hundreds of people were dying every hour it took them to get there. I'm getting teary-eyed now as I think about it again. I shed a few tears during the film. It was quite moving.

I didn't take any pictures because frankly I didn't feel it was right. That is thousands of people's graves and I didn't feel right snapping photos like a stinky tourist. The only thing I took pictures of was the International Memorial.

This is the statue in the middle of the roll call yard. I think it speaks for itself and requires no explanation.

"May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933 - 1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow man."

I felt that the visitation of such a place demanded a certain amount of respect from me. I didn't wear sleeveless though it was quite hot, because I found it disrespectful. Consider it poppycock if you wish, but it was my personal feeling. I had emotionally prepared myself for this experience as I knew it was going to be rough. I don't think my dear cousin was quite ready for it though as she was somewhat taken aback by the reality of it all. I must admit that I was rather shocked and somewhat concerned that I knew more about what had gone there than she did. Perhaps I have read more because I have taken an interest in it, but it was frightening nonetheless.

The thought that anything like that could ever happen again is downright nightmare-ish. I pray to God that never happens. Funny how things like that always make you think about God. I found myself often thinking "Dear Jesus....I hope you were with these people as they suffered." It would be very easy to feel as if God had abandoned them as you looked around at the horror. But I know He was there then, as I felt His Presence there today. This may sound cheesy but it was almost as if I could feel His Spirit grieving the loss of soooooo many of His children at the hand of such hatred. I imagine the people at the cross felt the same presence.

So anyway this is a long but important post. I definitely have a new perspective on the Holocaust. If you ever have the chance to go to one of these places, PLEASE take it. It's hard but definitely worth it - an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.

As homesickness sets in...

I'm beginning to be ready to go home. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely LOVE it here, but I'm ready to hear and read English again. German rules the world around me and I can't understand it at all. It's exhausting. I'm just about ready to be back at home with my mommy eating Mexican food and watching mindless American television. Plus I miss all my friends and of course my dear sweet babies. I still have some awesome things to see (Dachau, Neuswanstein, etc.) but I must admit - I'm rather glad the trip is drawing to an end. It's been a good trip; it's been a long trip; and it's almost over.....I will definitely miss the shopping! Haha seriously though, the shopping here is AMAZING! I will be sad to have it come to and end. Oh well...I think the trade off is equal. Anyway, I miss everyone and I can't wait to see you all again!

Some random European things...

So I'm sure I'll have to update this blog as the trip goes on but here are a few things that are just random about Europe!

1) I watched the A-team this morning - yes the A-team complete with Mr. T and everything - and what entertains me the most is the simple fact that the Germans don't seem to notice that the words don't line up with the mouth AT ALL!! I felt like I was watching a bad Chinese Godzilla movie. You know, where the words go and then the mouth moves. Haha, it wasn't quite that bad but it was enough for me to notice it. I mentioned it to my cousin and she said "It doesn't? Hmm. I never noticed." Haha

2) The lightswitches are completely retarded. First of all, it's apparently building code for the dumb things to be outside the room. Who puts the lightswitch to the bathroom outside? What is the point of that? Do you know how many times I've stumbled around in the dark attempting to find the light before remembering it's outside the room? Too many to count. Secondly, they are backwards. In Europe the lightswitch goes up to turn off the light and down to turn it on. Don't ask me why, it's just the way it is. Finally, the lightswitches are all abnormally low. Like waist high! This also makes it fun when I'm fumbling around for the switch. Good gravy!

3) The doorknobs are ridiculously high! They're like where the lightswitches are supposed to be. I run into them alot. Plus, most of the doorknobs don't turn. You have to put a key in and turn it to undo the latch. It's the craziest/dumbest thing ever! I am quite inefficient at it. It takes a good 5 minutes to figure it out. Let's pray there's not a fire!

4) For the first time in my entire life I offended someone by saying "yes ma'am." Apparently it is supremely formal and implies to people that you don't consider them close to you. Ergo, I offended Elfi (my Aunt Patricia's mother) by saying "yes ma'am" when asked if I wanted some water. She mocked me for a bit and when I asked Uncle Shaun "why" later, he explained the reason. So in Europe it's apparently polite to be rude! I feel like I live in opposite land, what with the lightswitches and everything. Goodness. So now I say "yes m.....mmmmmmmm these pancakes are delicious1" alot. Haha.

So those are just some random dumb things about Europe that you wouldn't really learn unless you were here. I'm sure there will be more before it's all said and done. Enjoy!

Finally an update!

Okay, so I have finally have a good Internet connection and time to update my blog. I am in Germany now after spending 3 glorious weeks in Ametlla, a little town an hour and half south of Barcelona! The villa was absolutely amazing. Pictures really do not do it justice. Time at the villa generally consisted of swimming in the pool, going to Afrika (yes I spelled that way on purpose - it's the German way), and just relaxing in the sun. Afrika is what we call a little island beach area. It's a good hike to and from it but completely worth it. I am a nice golden brown all over. Hopefully it will last until I return home. If not, oh well I suppose. We also went to Tarragona and looked at the Roman leftovers. It was pretty cool. The best part of Ametlla though was going to the Castle of Miravet. It had a beautiful view and I came to the conclusion that I wanted a castle. Haha. I better get writing if I think I'm ever gonna have one.

Mom and I spent 4 days in Barcelona before she returned home. It was super fun! We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and took a tour around the city, by day and by night. They had these amazing dancing fountains there called "the Magic Fountains." There were comparable to the Bellagio Fountains. I was seriously mesmerized by them. They weren't cooler than the Bellagio, just different. I think the Fountains were my favorite part of Barcelona. The whole experience though was amazing. I found myself attempting to memorize every detail of every moment. It was so fantastic and if I had only gotten to do that I would have been extremely grateful.

However, I get to go to Germany as well. I'm here now and we went shopping today. It was fun, difficult but fun. My cousin, Sabrina, is a wonderful guide and interpreter. I had a good time pretending to understand what salesclerks were saying. Haha. We're headed to Salzburg tomorrow for the day. I'm hoping it will be an interesting experience. The German countryside is beautiful. I love it! It rained all day and was actually rather cold. I wasn't expecting cold but managed fairly well. It's supposed to be pretty summer weather for the next couple of days.

I miss all of you very, very, VERY much! I'll try and post some pictures on my facebook. I'll also attempt to update my blog more often and add some more details about stuff. I know this post is rather vague but there's just too much to post right now. Love to everyone!!!!!!!

And so it begins....

So in a little less than 2 hours I'm leaving for Houston where on Sunday afternoon I will board the plane to begin my excursion in Europe!! I can't decide if I'm nervous or excited, but my stomach is fluttering like butterflies on the first day of spring. I'll miss all my family, friends and babies! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAY! Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you. :( I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of summer. I love you all!!!!!!!

Deep breath.............then take the plunge!

The Rest of the Trip

So I suppose it's high time I update everyone on the rest of my vacation before it's time for me to post about my next vacation. Ha! Well here goes...

If you read my last blog you know thiat I was sitting in Albuquerque with only one contact and was rather upset about it. Well you'll be happy to know that the next morning we found an eye doctor who could help me out and I got another one! Yay! then we headed off to Flagstaff where we were gonna stay before going to the Grand Canyon. On the way there my parents decided to drive through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, which I was cool with..........until it started to storm. I HATE thunderstorms. Plus something scary tried to attack me while I was in the bathroom. So I was rather unhappy as we started this little journey through nature. Now let's just get one thing understood here before we go on - I am not a big nature person. Don't get me wrong I am all for examining God's creation and appreciating it's beauty. But I don't wanna spend 4 hours examining some rocks! That's not exciting to me. It's a rock - a pretty rock granted - but still a rock. So I would have been more than happy to simply drive through and look without stopping in the thunderstorm that is raging all around us. However, we decided to stop at every lookout place basically. I didn't want to get out of the car and venture into the weather but I somehow felt like I was being a party pooper so I jumped out and looked every once in a while. I eventually warmed up to the whole adventure and had more fun once my father suited me up with a rain pancho! Yes a rain pancho! I was supremely grantful to have it.

Delicious I know! Haha. After we left the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, we went to Flagstaff where it was 52 degrees! Yes 52 in the Arizona Desert in JULY!!!! I had to wear pants and a jacket. So ridiculous.

Then we went to the Grand Canyon. Umm.....same as the Painted Forest (that's what I kept calling it) I thought it was a big hole - a pretty big hole but a BIG HOLE! It was freezing cold and rainy again! I was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt because like a crazy I was thinking "hmmm.....Arizona desert in July...probably gonna be hot." NOPE! Ugh! So I was freezing my booty off while looking at a big hole. Then finally it was on to Vegas!!!

Our room was amazing!!!! The Luxor is fabulous. It was nice to finally have some heat. Perhaps a bit too much heat. I had to change clothes 3 times one day because of all the sweat! Mom and I walked 6.5 miles on Wednesday during the heat of the day. Maybe not the best plan but totally worth it. It was fun. Thursday night we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and it was delicious as Hard Rock always is. Not to mention the wonderful atmosphere. Then we went to the free shows on the Strip such as Treasure Island and the Bellagio. Treasure Island was rather cheesy and kinda retarded. But the Bellagio fountains were gorgeous. I could have stood their all night and watched every showing of them. Unfortunately we could only watch 2 because then we went to New York, New York to ride the rollercoaster. It was really fun. Mom almost wet her pants but she had fun.....I think. Haha. Then we did some gambling. I know - we're going to Hades, but hey, it was Vegas! I won $10 playing Craps and then promotely lost $10 playing Craps. Mom played slots and lost the rest of our money. I told her we were gambling addicts because we gambled away all our money. But it was fun and total we only lost $20, which was our allowed amount. So I think we' re okay. We coulda quit when we were ahead but where's the fun in that. I just consider the experience a $20 souvenir.

We left Friday morning and went to Albuquerque where we went to the Aquarium with Jesse on Saturday. It was cool. A real good time. Then we came home and I must admit that I am pretty ecstatic to be here, for this short period anyway. I'm super busy trying to get everything together while my mom's gone. She had to take my granny to Fort Worth to take care of her cousin who's probably gonna die soon. :( So I understand that she had to go but I defintely wish she was here to help me get all this junk together. Speaking of which, I better wrap up this extremely long blog and get back to work. If you want to see more pics, feel free to look at my Facebook where I will be posting tons of pictures. I took about 400 this week. Haha. So yeah....later!

The trip so far...New Mexixo!

So we started out yesterday morning (about buttcrack o'clock or so) to begin our journey to Las Vegas. We spent yesterday at Carlsbad Caverns. I must admit that they were pretty neat. It was gorgeous and highly interesting. Maybe not something everyone would enjoy but definitely something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Only downside to this wonderful little cave - about 5 Miles of walking, which adds up to some seriously screaming calves today. Other than that it was super. Mom, Dad and I had a superb time. I won't even attempt to put the wonder of the caverns into words because it wouldn't even come close to doing it justice. We stayed in Carlsbad last night. After a good dinner at Pizza Inn, a quick rest in the hot tub and a shower, I crashed in our kingsize bed for 3! Don't ask because I promise you, you don't wanna know.

This morning we packed up and headed to Alburquerque to stay the night with Jesse, my brother, before heading to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. The trip was pretty good. We took the long way through some mountains and it was gorgeous. I had forgotten how pretty mountains could be. Anyway, after the mountains we hit the boring spot of flat dry nothing-ness. As usual, I got bored and decided to take a nap. My mom woke me when we stopped to eat at Arby's. As we standing in line to order, my eye started itching and being a normal human being I rubbed it. Well that sent it into a fit of irritation. Upon research in the bathroom, I quickly discovered that the stupid thing had torn completely in half! Yes - I had to dig both pieces out of my eye and reluctantly throw them in the trash. Pretty awful huh? Oh wait, it gets better. Seeing as these are the WORST contacts I've ever had (I've ripped one every month since I got them), I am being forced to ration them. This means that in terrible foresight I didn't bring a spare pair. So here are my choices, be half blind or where my glasses the whole trip. Normally wearing glasses wouldn't be that big of a deal - a bit inconvient but not the end of the world. However if you recall we are going to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. I have a supremely hard time seeing without sunglasses outside. In fact, the eye doctor STRONGLY RECOMMENDS me to not go out without sunglasses at all. So now the choice becomes: be blind at the Grand Canyon and see nothing, yet protect my eyes from "damaging sunrays" or be able to see and end up with a headache from squinting in the sun all day. I must admit that the whole situation is super annoying! Mom says we'll call my optomotrist tomorrow and get my prescription and see if we can find somewhere to sell me a new contact. To be honest, I'm not holding my breath....

We're in Alburquerque now and I think we might be going to see a movie or something. So that's all for now. I'll try to post more in the days to come!

Holy Delicious Dinner Batman!

Tonight Mom and I decided to be adventurous under the title of "celebrating Dad's good news" even though we'd already decided to make this delicious dinner weeks before. We found a box of Rotini pasta in our cabinet and decided we should cook it. So I got on foodnetwork.com and searched for an intriguing recipe. I found that and then decided to find something to go with. So the menu for tonight ended up being Roman-style chicken, courtesy of Giada, and Rotini with bell peppers. For dessert, we decided on Lemon Squares, courtesy of Paula Deen ya'll. :D Words can not describe the flavorful delight that my mouth just experienced. It was like Christmas morning. Soooooo goood......I highly recommend these recipes. The chicken calls for white wine and it added a nice flavor. This meal, aside from the lemon squares, is apparently close to what people eat in the Mediterranean. If they eat like this, I'm going to weigh 8 kazillion pounds when I return. They'll have to sell me 2 seats! Goodness gracious. I'm at a loss for words on describing it. All I can say is thank the Lord we discoved Food Network. Haha. It's fun being adventurous. I encourage you to give it a go sometime. Totally worth it!

Update on Dad and the weekend

Soooo....I was in Houston all weekend and finally got home today. It was quite a creat time. To start off, my dad went to MD Anderson for his cancer check-up. The doctor said that the tumor is pretty much gone! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! They are probably going to move up his radiation, but the doctor was very much pleased with the results. So once again Hallelujah!!!!!!

So it was pretty much just wonderful from that point on. We went to the Astros game Friday night and it was AMAZING!!! I can't really elaborate on it. It was such a great game. I was hoarse the next morning from cheering. That's how you know you've been to a good game. They were up and then they were down and then they were tied and then THEY WON!! Woohoo! Plus I got a hot dog, french fries, a ring pop AND a foam finger. What more could I ask for? Maybe a day or two at the beach. Definitely. We spend Saturday at the beach and Monday too. It was quite a wonderful time. We gathered tons of shells, getting the idea of having a beach themed dinner party someday when we're home. (That's the Food Network kicking in.) We swam in the ocean and played in the sand. We also got a generous amount of fun baking us sufficiently golden with a minimum of crispiness. Sunday mother and I went shopping. It was an unsuccessful event actually. We were both rather disappointed. There were several items we were searching for but failed to locate. Hopefully we will have better luck in Alburquerque or Vegas because we are running out of time to find things before leaving for Europe.

I had a fabulous time but I am quite exhausted. Two days of beach play and a full day of shopping can take quite a toll on one's body. Add to that long nights due to an incredibly intriguing novel that I have been trying to read for months. Sigh...here's hoping that the rest of my vacations are as good as the last...

It really makes me wonder...

There are definite days when I wish that I had a 'care' switch that I could simply switch to the 'off' position and just stop caring. It usually comes after I come to the simple realization that it doesn't matter to some people how much you care and worry about them because they don't feel the same about you. Yet no matter how hard I try I am completely incapable of stopping caring/worrying about them. This is going to sound horrible, but it makes me wonder why I am such a good friend sometimes! I'm sure that sounds waaay conceited but it's true. I bend over backward to be nice and do what I can for people who are jerks and who walk all over me in the process. However instead of just forgetting them and moving on with life, I think about how they're doing and wonder if they are okay. And in the rare event that they call at 3 in the morning and need something, I'm right there! Ugh! It irritates me sometimes and it probably shouldn't. But there comes a point in life when a girl gets fed up with being a doormat and begins wondering if anyone will ever do that for her. It's quite apparent you've become a doormat when the need arises and the people you've stuck your neck out for 80 kazillion times refuses to answer the phone or simply texts back "sorry. busy watching tv at the moment." Yeah well I was busy SLEEPING when you called me, but that didn't stop me from coming to your rescue did it!!! (insert angry face here)

Plus caring for so many people without return gets rather exhausting. I find myself getting so worn out from caring for everybody that I lose all desire to care about the people who really deserve my concern. It's quite ridiculous. I 'spose God made my heart a little bigger for random people that are really of no consequence to my life - neither good nor bad, just people. They usually all have some sort of upsetting story that just makes me go "awww poor thing" and then I'm hooked. I'll be there for life. I don't usually mind except when it's coupled with personal heartache. Then it gets a bit rough for me. I'd say the worst is when guys I might be interested in call to inform me they finally got back with their ex or whoever all because of my advice! Ugh gag me with the bittersweetness of that mess! Yay you're happy; boo I'm not. Of course the friendship has to be severed at that point because the new girlfriend doesn't like his other girl friends. Poop on that. Oh well...guess it's not meant to be. Maybe I'm just destined to be - in the immortal words of Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown (wonderful movie btw) - "the substitute people." ..........Oh dear Lord I hope not!

Fajitas are DUHLISHUS!!!!!

So lately my mom and I have been addicted to the Food Network. I can tell it's getting slightly out of control because we've started describing the taste of food in more words than "good or bad." Also lately we keep getting on and finding new recipes and printing them off. We were judging our Chik-fil-A as not up to standards too. It's outta control. My mom thinks she's Giada and I like talking like Paula Deen ya'll. It's not all bad though because I just enjoyed the most wonderfully delightful fajitas ever!!! We sauteed some red, green and orange pepper which added a simple sweet/spicy crisp to the meal. Plus I convinced mom to buy a lime to squeeze on our chicken "On the Border" style. Mmmmm.....heavenly. Ice cream cones for dessert but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to eat again. Haha my stomach is bulging but it was TOTALLY worth it.

Mixed Emotions

First of all, let me just say that I totally had ice cream for supper. Yeah....I had a giant rocky road ice cream cone for dinner. It was quite delightful. I must say that if you've never dared to be crazy and simply have an ice cream supper, you should give it a whirl. It feels so luxuriously bad, yet it really isn't.

Secondly, do you ever have those moments when someone says something to you - possibly in jest, possibly not - and it just gets stuck in your head and kinda eats away at you for days? Well I surely have. For those of you who haven't heard I get to spend 6 glorious weeks in Europe with my step-grandma. I was initially oober excited as I'm sure you can imagine. However when I shared the information with one of my closest friends she seemed to be more jealous and ugly about it than excited like I thought she should be. She wasn't thrilled to hear "Barcelona for 3 weeks" but was even less amused when it came to be "and Munich making a grand total of 6 weeks!" Her simple view on the subject was "Well go ahead and leave. When you get back I'll have made all new friends and won't have anytime for you!" Granted it is quite possibly that she was completely kidding, but it really somewhat hurt my feelings. Then I began to think about it: 6 weeks really is quite a long time even with cell phones and Internet, yet I will probably be without both of these wonderful tools - cell phone for sure. I tried to brush it out of mind, yet it keeps coming back with every "oh..........well have fun....." that comes from what I would normally refer to as friends. Certainly not everyone will forget I exist while I'm off in a foreign country most likely aching to share all my adventures with friends when I get back and searching for the perfect present to bring back. Some of my friendships are rather new and I'm not quite sure they can withstand such a great distance for such an extended period of time. I'd really hate to lose said friendships. They are quite entertaining at times. Then of course there's the issue of taking A MONTH off of work. Sarah was completely gracious and understanding in my request for the time off, but as I held Grayson in my arms today at church after only 3 weeks I realized just how much I had already missed out on. I know I'm not related to them but that certainly doesn't mean I don't care about them. Ask Lori - I attach to children quick. I can't help it! They're so adorable and wonderful. Grayson will probably be walking by the time I get back and I haven't even seen him crawl yet. Geez!

Don't get me wrong I'm still excited to be going. I'm just caught in that awkward state of torn-ness (not a word I know but suffices to convey my meaning). You know the place between being excited to do something crazy and fun, yet realizing just how costly that fun will be. I really wish she hadn't said that to me. Then it's quite possible I'd still be bouncing off the walls and squealing about it. And yes I do squeal, but only for special occassions like trips to Europe! I don't know....this whole things got me in a funk and I have way to much awesomeness attempting to take place to be caught in a stinky old funk. Oh well c'est la vie, non?