Don't Get Excited

Well my computer is still dead and a new one is not on the immediate horizon so I'm still bumming computer time from Deanna. But there are blogworthy moments happening all around and I can't neglect them all just because my computer is being a brat. The biggest news happening in my life right now is that I'm about to make a major life change and am moving out of my apartment. Deanna and I were both realizing how tired we were of living in an apartment like we were still college students and have been looking for other things. But I didn't quite expect Deanna to find a house she wanted to buy and us to be moving out of our apartment at the end of the month. Yes, in 3 weeks I have to have all of my stuff cleaned out of this apartment that I have lived in for over 2 years and move back into my parents' house (hopefully for only a very short time) I'm going to be moving into my grandmother's house but it needs some major updates so back to mama's I go. Keep me in your prayers! To add to my stress, today I'm leaving school heading to Lowe's to meet my mom and I have a major blowout. The sound was horrible and I was scared I wasn't going to be able to get control to pull off the road. But thankfully no major damage was done and after sitting on the side of the road for a little bit, my dad came and changed my tire and took care of it for me. Thanks daddy! I so need to learn how to do things like that. I'm terrible with anything related to cars. It wasn't too bad today but I didn't get anything done today that I needed to. On a more positive note, we had a Mardi Gras parade today with my students. This morning we made masks to wear and this afternoon we got all dolled up in our beads and masks and went around to several classes giving out beads and sending out Mardi Gras wishes. Afterwards we made our way back to our room for king cake. The kids loved it and had so much fun. It was a great afternoon for a parade through campus. Here is a picture of us before heading out on our adventure.
Congratulations are also in order to my sweet friend Patti who just had her third baby, Elizabeth "Ellie" Claire. This is Patti and Dusty's only little girl after having two very precious boys. I don't know how I would have made it through graduate school without Patti. She is such an amazing woman who taught me so much about strength and courage. I miss her tons and am so happy for her, Dusty, John Patrick, and Liam.

What Am I To Do?

If you have been wondering if I had fallen off the face of the earth in the absence of my blogging, rest easy. I am still here doing what I do but I have had a tragedy of sorts. My computer is dead. I think completely gone this time. It has played possum on me a couple of times before but after letting it rest or playing around with it, I could revive it. But I really think this time our life together is over. So that is the reason for my long lapse in keeping you updated on my oh so exciting (haha) life. I know I have missed events that were worthy of blogging about (Happy Late Birthday Jenifer and Michael) but it's hard to find the joy in blogging when you have to beg, borrow, and steal a computer to do it on. Unlike Heather and Laura, my work computer blocks my blog so no luck there. I'm coping as well as I can and I hope you will be patient with me until I am back in the blogging world going strong.

Let it Snow

When I left Chicago a few weeks ago, I thought I had received my allotment of snow for 2008. I actually thought I had seen the only snow I would see for several years. I had no idea that in less than a month, I would wake up on a Saturday morning at my apartment to discover a world of white in Meridian. My mom called me at 8:30 this morning just to tell me that I needed to get up and go play in the snow before it melted. Even though it is almost melted by this time, it was so pretty this morning. I sat in my living room for a while just watching it fall and then got dressed to go play and take pictures. Here are a few from the morning. My only wish is that this would have happened on a week day so that school would have been cancelled!

Is it Friday Yet?

The terrible Thursdays strike again. Last semester, if there was ever a day at school that my students were all going to misbehave at the same time, it was almost always a Thursday. Last Thursday, the first one of the semester, was great giving me hope that 2008 would bring about a world where Thursdays are what they should be...days to breeze through until Friday, days where making sure you catch Grey's Anatomy is the only concern, days that give you hope that the weekend is almost here. But the curse of the Thursdays has reared its ugly head once again. Today was by far the worst day we've had since coming back from Christmas. It didn't quite rival some of the worst days of last semester (primarily because no seizures were involved) but a Thursday terror yes it was. I won't even begin to elaborate on the activities of my students today because I wouldn't want you to be appalled but just pray that tomorrow will be a better day. And if my day wasn't long and stressful enough, tonight when I pulled on my favorite pair of old jeans to go grab something to eat, I realized that they have gotten so thin from the countless times I've washed them that there is now a hole in a very precarious spot. This was probably more devastating than the events of the day because I love these jeans so much, even though they are so ragged and worn out. They are those jeans that can make you feel comfortable no matter when you put them on. I know I will recover from my day with my students but the loss of my jeans may be the worst thing the Thursday curse could bring. Atleast tomorrow is Friday and I am off Monday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day so hopefully I will have time this weekend to mourn and relax.

B-day Shoutouts Revisited

Today is my brother Cary's birthday. He is the big 34. It seems so unreal that we are as old as we are. It doesn't seem like too long ago that we were living at home together fighting over the bathroom and the remote (which by the way, I never won control of and is probably the reason why ESPN is now one of my favorite channels). My brother and I are completely different. He is so outgoing and can talk to a brick wall about anything. I am much more reserved than him and tend to be shy initially. He is always the life of the party which makes everyone love him. He definitely keeps things entertaining around my family. And he has given me two of the biggest joys in my life, my precious nephews Braden and Cooper. We had dinner at my mom's tonight for him and Braden and Cooper had helped make his birthday cake. It was very interesting. I don't think I've ever seen anymore icing or sprinkles. I didn't have my camera with me tonight at my mom's but here's a picture from Christmas time of Cary and the boys. Happy Birthday Older Brother!

Oprah is On the Way

Though I just left Chicago a little more than a week ago and was unable to see Oprah while I was there, I just might have another chance without ever leaving Meridian. Yep, Oprah is coming to Meridian, MS. Oprah Winfrey is at this very moment probably either on her way or preparing to arrive in the big city of Meridian. She is doing a show on MS being the fattest state in the nation and she has decided to highlight Meridian. I know that's not such a great storyline to be the focus of but hey, we don't care. We know we're fat and if it means Oprah comes to town, I say we keep eating! Anyway, Meridian started a weight loss campaign in the fall called Just Lose It, Meridian and I think she is coming because of that. Until today, it was just thought to be her trainer, Bob Green, that would be in town autographing copies of his book and signing people up for Oprah's Best Life Challenge. But today, the official word came that Oprah herself will be here and supposedly will be interviewing the mayor, the coordinator of Just Lose It, and 2 or 3 people selected for her Challenge. I may be stalking her for the next 24 hours. I will let my faithful readers know if I am able to catch a glimpse of O. Be sure to watch Monday's episode of the Oprah show to see how wonderfully fat and happy Meridian is to have Oprah in our midst!

This is Only the Beginning

January is a month of birthdays for my friends and family so just get ready for frequent birthday blog shout outs. Today kicks off the month right with not 1, not 2, but 3 birthday wishes. I will give them each their proper respect and attention though they are included as one post.

First of all, today is my wonderful cousin Robbie's birthday. And this is a very significant birthday for her, though I won't reveal her age for all of the cyberworld to see. I'm scared she might hurt me. Just trust me that this is a birthday of transition. Robbie is more than just my cousin. She is one of my absolute best friends. We have grown up together and have shared vacations, family celebrations, and more secrets than can be counted. It's awesome to have someone you can share things with who really gets where you are coming from because they understand your background and life experiences that influence your viewpoint. Robbie is that person for me. She has a heart of gold and always wants the best for me and for those around her. I know that no matter what I'm feeling she will listen patiently and supportively and be willing to help me sort through whatever is going on with me. So on this day, her very special day, I just wanted her and all of my other faithful readers (all 5 of you) to know how important Robbie is to me and how thankful I am to have her in my life. I can't wait for the birthday celebrations that are to come this weekend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBBIE!

Today is also my other cousin Kristen's birthday. Yes, I have 2 cousins with the exact same birthday but they are on opposite sides of my family. Kristen is a year and a half older than me and didn't grow up around me but I thought she was the best thing ever when we were young. She, Laura, and Heather used to come stay with me or Mamaw when we were young or I would go stay with them in Starkville and we always had so much fun together. Of course, we did everything Kristen said so that it would stay that way! As Heather said on her blog, Kris can be a little bossy. Since we've gotten older I haven't been able to spend as much time with Kristen as I did when we were small. She is now a wife, mother, and OB/GYN resident in Jackson so she has her plate full. I miss all the fun times we had though and hope she has a great birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTEN!

Finally, today is my best friend Myndi's younger sister Krystal's birthday. I feel like she is my little sister too because her family always makes me feel like one of them. Krystal has such a good heart and is lots of fun to be around. I wish I got to see more of her. I also wished I lived closer to her because I would go crazy in her closet. She has more clothes, shoes, and bags than I will ever have in my lifetime. Oh how cute I could be if only Krystal was nearby. Move to Meridian Krystal! Hope you have a great birthday.

I'm Dreaming of a White New Year

2007 ended and 2008 began for me in the midst of a Chicago winter wonderland. Saturday morning in the wee hours (meaning I left my apartment at 4:30), I embarked on a 12 hour road trip to Chi-town as part of a three vehicle caravan.It was by far the best New Year's adventure I have ever had. There were so many highlights but I won't try to name them all. Some of the tourist sites we hit were the Sears Tower, Wrigley Field, and the Field Museum. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Harpo studios. I know Oprah is upset she missed us. On Sunday night as we left the Field Museum, we were greeted with gorgeous snowflakes falling on our heads. It was so light and fluffy and pretty. The whole way back to the hotel we kept stopping to take pictures and play in the snow. It was so much fun. The next day, New Year's Eve, we spent most of the day trying to figure out where we were going to celebrate the incoming year. Our sight seeing got cut a little short this day though because it started snowing very wet snow about 1:00 and never let up. By 4:00 we were all soaked and had to get back to the hotel and warm up and rest up for the big night ahead.

We finally figured out where we would spend our New Year's Eve and after a welcome nap we were ready to start the celebrating. We had so much fun at the Liar's Club in Lincoln Park which is super close to DePaul University. So if you are ever in Chicago looking for a good place to celebrate, much fun can be had there. We brought the New Year in dancing and having a blast and even stayed around well after midnight just to make sure 2008 was appropriately recognized and welcomed.

The only negative of the night was the extremely long hike in blowing snow with the most painful shoes I have ever had on to the train station only to have to wait forever for the next train and then to be completely jammed into the tiniest of spaces with many belligerent drunk people. Not the most pleasant experience but we survived. You know those stories old people like to tell that begin with..."I remember when I had to walk 2 miles in the snow...." I feel like I can honestly say I have one of those stories now. So if you are around me in 40 or 50 years and I bring this one up, believe me, it's true. We finally made it back to our hotel around 2:45 that morning and had to leave the next day. We woke up to another day of snowing which ordinarily would be very exciting but when you have no idea how to drive in snow and it has been snowing for almost 24 hours straight, it loses its appeal somewhat. But we were up for the challenge and began to load our stuff for the long trip home. As we were getting ready to leave, I got to experience something that for me made my trip even more memorable. If you know me at all, you know that I love college basketball. And my favorite team of all time is the Tennessee Lady Vols. They are the defending national champions and have the best player in the nation, Candace Parker, on their team. Well guess what? They were staying in our hotel. I know this doesn't seem that thrilling to most people but just trust me that it equates to extreme excitement for me. My friend Amy had seen their coach coming down the elevator and I was determined to see either her or the players before we left in the next 10 minutes. And though Bill the bellboy (who loved us by the way) couldn't tell me which floor they were staying on, he did cue me when he saw them come to the second floor for breakfast. At that point, I became a stupid little girl who could hardly contain herself. But I made it up there to get autographs and pictures just in time to not get left behind in Chicago. At that point, my New Year's couldn't get any better and I was ready for the long trip ahead.

Or so I thought. The snow that I had been so thrilled about just a day before now became an enemy as we were literally driving 30-40 mph for the first 2 1/2 hours of our trip and then could only drive a little faster for the next 2 1/2 hours. Yep, that's right. We drove the first 5 hours in a snowstorm. Seriously. We looked like we were in a movie. It was very surreal.This is what it looked like through our car window.
But after many many hours of riding, we finally made it home last night about midnight only to be greeted by the harsh truth that the real world would pause no longer and routine would once again be on the menu for '08. Oh well, I had a fabulous time and many memorable stories and experiences to help me make it through the year. I couldn't think of a better way to start.