First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and the chance to celebrate what it means to be an American and celebrating our freedom is just awesome... and fun! Tim, Nick, and I are about to head downtown to watch fireworks at the lake. I love fireworks!

I had no idea what kind of following UFC has. But it's big, really big. Last night, we went to a place to watch the fights and it was no small place. The entire bar was devoted to broadcasting the fights on every flat screen they had. There were three levels to the bar and the place was packed. You'd walk around, and everyone was just facing one direction, and that was towards a television. If you don't know what UFC is, I guess I wouldn't be shocked. I didn't really know much of it either before just recently. UFC stands for Ultimate Fighter Champion and it's basically where guys get in a ring and fight. Unlike boxing, they can take the person down and wrestle around and choke each other out. It's basically a mix between wrestling and boxing. And guys love it. Some girls too. I found it humorous to watch.

Wednesday, some lady decided to run into my rear bumper. That was fun. Except bad really turned into good because 1) she paid for it, 2) it was on the side that I already had a scrape from a shopping cart, so that was fixed too, and 3) they fixed the part of my car where I scraped the front on a pole from last year for no charge. So it's like my car is brand spankin' new kinda. Can't really complain! And I wasn't hurt, so that's the best part. It was definitely a bizarre experience and at first I didn't even realize what was happening. Just one of those things I guess!

Hope everyone had a great 4th!!

Austin, Meet Your New Resident

Ok, so by now, maybe I'm not the newest resident of Austin, but we'll just go with that since this is my first post since I've moved. Which, I'm sorry about! I really can't blame it on anything other than me just being lazy. I can't tell you how many times I thought about writing it, but then got doing something else and so it just never happened.

I'm in Austin! I'm getting really settled at this point, considering I've been here for two weeks now, and getting into my own routine. I don't know where tons of things are yet, but I know the important stuff, and I'm pretty much just figuring it out as I go. For instance this morning, I had to go to the bank and I knew the general direction of how to get there, so I just went with it, and then when I had to get back on the highway, I knew I saw an exit off the highway for the road I was on, so I was like "hmmm, if I go down this road, which is towards the direction of the highway, I bet I'll be able to get on the highway," and sure enough.

I've definitely already learned a few things about Austin/Texas that I'd like to share. First, the water here is terrible. I mean it's bad, and it tastes like dirt. I'm going through bottled water like crazy. Luckily, you don't taste it too bad when you're brushing your teeth. But at the restaurants, water fountains, etc. it's all straight out of the tap and it's just nasty. You might as well just order a soda instead even if you don't prefer it. The only thing I've found is that if you drink the water really fast, you don't taste it as bad. So there you go. Second, it does not matter what time of day it is, do not expect to get on 35 and cruise all the way to your destination without braking and/or slowing to at least 15 mph. Boy this is a fun aspect of Austin. I have no patience for traffic so when I'm trying to get home at 4:30/5, it usually takes me a half hour to 45 minutes. It would take me about 15 minutes, maybe less, if it moved along as it should. Nonetheless, the route takes me right along the downtown area, so it's cool to see the skyline, and it hasn't gotten old yet. Pretty much anywhere you go in Austin and the surrounding areas, you get on a highway of some sort, but 35, 183 and Mopac (or 1) are the main ones. I use 35 the most for work. That's another thing, you don't really get anywhere that fast. For instance, I went up north the other day to meet Tim at his brother's, and I did not run into any traffic, but it still took me 35 minutes. Now he lives up in a north suburb, but still, things take a little longer. Third thing, the mosquitoes love me here. I've been prone to their bites before, but they're ravenous here! Or maybe it just seems that way, I don't know. The first day I was here, I got bit on my right arm above the fold of my elbow, and it became the size of a racquetball and I can still see a little bit of it. Saturday, I was by the pool, and I was bit 7 times on my back in a period of about 5 minutes, maybe less. Insane! Last week I got one on the back of my thigh and Tim thought it was a tumor because of how hard it was. Gross, I know, but it's what happened! I bought one of those Off! fans and it seems to work... when I have it with me. I didn't have it with me at the pool. Whoops. So when you come visit me, bring repellent, bottled water, and we'll try to avoid the highway at those peak traffic times.

A lot of my focus in the condo has been keeping things cleaned and in order. I've found it to be a never ending thing, which I'm just going to have to accept. It's definitely different going from just looking after yourself and then adding another person, who also happens to be a boy, plus another boy who occasionally is there (Tim's brother), and it's suddenly doubled if not tripled. It's really not that bad though, and I've found that sometimes I don't mind it when I see stuff that's messy, a lot of which is my stuff, then clean and make it look all nice and then I'm happy that I made it look all nice. And then when I'm not in the mood to do dishes or laundry, I just procrastinate with it and resolve to do it later until it really needs to be done. Sometimes you're just really not in the mood to clean! I've been baking a little bit too, so that's been fun. It started because I bought some bananas but didn't eat them fast enough so I needed to make bread out of it, and my Mom has a great recipe for it. Then Tim's brother's birthday was this past weekend, so we had a little party for him where I made cole slaw and attempted cupcakes from scratch. Read: I failed with the cupcakes. Nonetheless, my Mom told me I'm becoming domesticated. I suppose it's true, and I'm truly ok with that!

It's been an adjustment for Tim and I to be around each other on a regular basis. Before, we had the knowledge that I would be leaving to go back to Illinois soon hanging over our head with each visit, and that's not there anymore. It's certainly great not to have that, but now that it's not, we've both had to learn to integrate one another in our routines. For him, he's already started to build his life here, so he had to add me into that, and for me, I've had to begin to build my life here with and aside from Tim. I'd be lying if I said it's been all sunshine and roses, but I can tell it's getting better. We're becoming used to each other and becoming more familiar with the every day to day quirks of each other, and we both have them. It's quite the mixture of compromise and acceptance.

I started my job with Clever Yarn Imports a week and a half ago, and it's going really well so far! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I sense that I'm really going to enjoy it. It's certainly good that I'm looking at the clock every day and going "it's already 2:30?!" I'm really anxious to get more acclimated to the process and knowing what needs to be done on my own, so I can just do it rather than always being like "ok, so it's alright if I go ahead and do this?" and such. Janna, the owner, has some really great ideas and plans and is working on spreading the word of her business, and I'm excited to help her doing that, organizing the company, the process, and making the company money! The more the company has, the more I could potentially receive. The yarn we import, from Estonia and Italy, is beautiful. The ones from Italy, Filanda, are the more traditional yarns with way higher quality than you'd find in something like Michael's, and then the yarn from Estonia, Evilla, comes in the more non-traditional style. At least that's the way that I look at the two lines. The Evilla comes in yarn and pre-yarn, where you're able to spin the yarn yourself, which apparently a lot of crafters like to do. I definitely had no idea how big the crafting and yarn/knitting world was, but it's definitely big. We just really need to break into it. And one of the funniest things, to me, is how into crafting/knitting these people are. They are extreme enthusiasts, and they're passionate. I'm sure I'll be learning more terms I never even knew of and I've already been bitten a little bit by the craft bug. I'm probably going to try my hand at knitting or crocheting an infinity scarf with some of our beautiful yarn. So yeah, it's been interesting and good for me thus far! The bad thing: today it took me an hour, no exaggeration, to get home. Blah.

There are these few movie theaters here called Alamo Drafthouse, and they are just the coolest! You go in, sit down, and there's a thin table in front of you with menus, pens, and small pieces of paper. You write down what you want, stick it in the front edge of the table and a waiter comes and picks it up for you. Minutes later, you're served with your food and you can eat while you watch your flick. It's so awesome! Tim and I went and saw "Knight and Day" there last week. We'll probably be going there a lot!

In my remaining down time, we've been hanging out at the pool in our complex. I've met a good number of the other people that live here, and it seems that people are always around, especially on the weekends, and they're fun people. I've also just started a 7 day pass to 24 Hr Fitness, but like a lot of other things, it takes about 20 mins to get there, so I have to decide if I really want to join or not. We'll see. That's another thing -- I'm fairly positive I've gained 5 to 10 pounds since moving here because I haven't worked out and I've been eating tons more than I was used to! Gotta work on that...

Tonight, I'm dragging Tim the the midnight premiere of Eclipse! I'm so excited to see it, and Tim is, well, not as much.

I truly, truly love living in Austin, just as I expected I would. I'm still getting used to the area, and still settling, but I'm enjoying it all and enjoying experiencing new things and finding new places to go. There's SO much here! This new chapter of my life has officially begun, and I can't wait to see what's written in it! I'm just creating and living my own life, and I love it.

I, of course, miss my Mom and Dad terribly, as I saw them often while living in Springfield. I don't think that will ever change, but I hope to see them in the next couple of months.

Stay tuned for my adventures as a resident in Austin! I still have to get a driver's license and register my car, so I'm sure there will be a story there!

Last Day

Today is winding down for me, and that means the end of my Illinois Legislative Staff Intern Program. It's been a challenging, interesting, memorable, educational, and overall good year. The experience I had is unlike any other and I'm truly honored that it was something I was chosen for. The people I met and worked with were nothing short of absolutely wonderful, and I feel like throughout the year we became good friends, not just co-workers or co-interns. I really will miss them.

With that said, it's off to Austin in less than 48 hours! I cannot believe it! A year ago, it was something that seemed so far away, and now it's here. I really cannot express how much I'm going to miss my Mom and Dad and other family, because I get rather teary when I get into it and think about it, but at the same time, I'm so excited to start something new! I've handled so much in my life and gone through so many changes, that I know I'm prepared to face this new part of my life and whatever comes with it. So we will see how it goes!

Tim is on his way to Champaign now. Tomorrow we load up and leave early Sunday morning. I'll be sure to include pictures (if I take them), and do an update post sometime next week when I've arrived and settled some.

Are you ready for me, Austin?!

Classic Women

This morning, I was told a heartbreaking story about a woman who I wish women and people in general (read: Americans) would be more like.

Our staff photographer shared this with me about his mother: She was raised during the Great Depression, had her mother die at age 6, and her father passed away a few years later while he was holding her as she slept. She married, had four boys, and was pregnant with a fifth boy when 3 days before that fifth boy was born, her husband was killed in a car crash. She then took care of five young boys by herself for four years before remarrying, and all without ever receiving welfare assistance from the government.

Amazing. I know so many people come across horrendous and unspeakable hardships in life, some worse than this, but it proves something that I believe and have said before. People in America are not the same kind of people that they were back then when people knew that no matter what happened, they had to make their own way in life and had enough pride in themselves to do what was needed to provide for their families, mostly because that was how they were raised, or because that was before welfare was available.

Not only that, but back then, women in particular were classic. They were classy. They cared about their appearance and their modesty. They cared about, well, being a woman. They did their hair everyday, wore makeup and lipstick, and wore nice clothes to do even the most mundane of things like picking up the newspaper from the driveway. They took pride in their appearance and who they were. Sure the opportunities for women were not the same as they are now, but just because we began to receive more opportunities and freedoms didn't mean that our gender needed to lose and disregard what being a respectable woman was about. And so many have done just that. I look at women in America today and shake my head. What's sad is I don't even have to give any examples of a lot of women today, because you know exactly what I'm talking about. They've just completely let themselves go and have lost that pride that women once had. I don't know why it changed so or what changed, but I've always thought it would be great to go back to how it was and just keep the same opportunities women have today. I'll even say that I wouldn't mind wearing dresses and skirts everyday.

Jay (our staff photographer, who was the fifth boy and never met his father), showed me a picture of his mother. And his mother was just the kind of woman I was talking about. In the photo, she was 17, but her appearance was that of a woman. She looked classic.

Her story also highlights the time in our country where people weren't dependent or manipulative of the government welfare system. I know there are people who legitimately need assistance, and that's fine, I'm all for that. But there are also people who are legitimately playing the broken system and remaining dependent on it simply because they can and they want to. Along the way and throughout the years, people have lost their pride in themselves and have settled. I blame a lot of that on welfare. There was a time when people went on welfare because they needed to, and then they decided that what they received was good enough for them and liked not having to do anything. Therefore they didn't and remained on welfare. And over the years it has continued and has been passed down to generation after generation. They lost respect for themselves and lost the will to provide on their own, and in many cases, have used their welfare checks for drugs, alcohol, and who knows what else.

The system is broken, and it has broken so much and so many in our country. It's extremely depressing to me. If people who are on welfare that legitimately do not need to be would gain back what they lost or were never taught, things could become so much better in America than they are now.

Society has just lost so much of it's richness throughout the years and what it means to be an American. I know it's important for humans to evolve, otherwise we wouldn't have things like cell phones or computers (!), but some of the ways we have evolved as a people and as a nation has made us lose so much.

Friday Funny

Ok, I know this is completely and totally silly but I watched THIS VIDEO and I laughed out loud. Then I watched it another six times and laughed just as hard.

Why are these things so funny?! Maybe it's because of the person it involves. That probably has something to do with it. The other part is that it's just funny to me when people are stupid. True story.

Enjoy, cause we all need a little laugh every once and a while.

Bliss

It's 10:30 and I've already begun to snack on and chomp away at my pound bag of Twizzlers. Predictions are that the bag will either be gone or very close to gone by the end of the day. It's a problem, I know.

I bought a new face wash last week and it smells so good I want to eat it. It's made by St. Ives, it's a green tea scrub, and it just smells delicious. Given the fact that it has that salicylic acid in it, I think I'll refrain.

I've been a little stressed lately, and given my personality (read: trait inheritance from my mother), I've been worrying as well. This morning as I was toiling and worrying, Bob Marley came on my Pandora station and told me "don't worry 'bout a thing, cause every little thing's gonna be alright." Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Ironic? Yes. Just what I needed? Of course. It's funny how things happen like that at the moments you need them and it's also at times like that where I believe God is so real and present in my life. I couldn't really think of it being anything less.

You know, I've always wanted to succeed in life and do my very best and be happy. It's no different from anyone else, but for me, it's not wanting to make a mistake or a wrong decision, and almost a terrible fear of doing so. Have I before? Yes. Will I again? Most certainly. But recently, I've had to get past this fear, wrestling with myself regarding decisions and simply listen to my head and trust my heart.

Life is such a beautiful mess and all anyone tries to do is make it as neat and wonderful and poetic as possible. It's a mess because you go into something, you make a decision, and you never truly know what the outcome is going to be. You might have an idea, but you never know with absolute certainty, nor do you know what bumps or joys might come along the way. And it's beautiful because of those joys, the unexpected things that make you unexpectedly happy, the relationships you have with others, the love you share and are given, the moments you experience, and all that can bring complete happiness or earth shattering pain - but knowing that life continues on it's path, revealing and discovering more beauty as you move past what came before, joy or bump.

I think back to when life was simple - about age 0 to preteen/teen years - and that was bliss. They say ignorance is bliss, and I think it's largely true, unless you're being ignorant about something that you need to be responsible about, then you're being a deadbeat. But back as a kid, your biggest decision was choosing a purple or red popsicle (definitely red), whether you wanted to jump rope or swing or ride your bike, and whether to watch Barney or Sesame Street. Then it became decisions like whether or not to try out for the basketball team, whether to take chemistry or advanced placement chemistry, and then one of the most important, what college should I go to? In college, decisions whether to drink or not, rush a sorority, what you'll major in and what classes to take. From high school on, decisions have fluctuated from the minor ones to pretty significant life-direction ones. And now in this period of my life, I find myself making even more serious life changing decisions such as what job to take, where to live, should I charge that to my credit card? (Ok, the last one was to kind of lighten the mood, but it's still a decision). Ignorance was bliss. Back before we knew the complexities of the world and the chaos that is generally within, the responsibility of being an adult, and back when we chose to wear our light up sneakers instead of having to make a decision that will change life as you know it.

All I know is, in my short, just beginning age of 23, you can only make decisions based on what you know, what you believe is possible, what you believe is best, and what you believe will make your mess the most beautiful and you the happiest. Then after the decision is made, you have to hope for the best and be at peace with the decision you've made.

A very wise man, who will never be replaced in my heart and I cherish, influenced the above. He also told me that there is nothing that is permanent or cannot be changed except death, being pregnant/having kids, and probably taxes (ha, ha). I take that as just another part of the mess. If it's not so beautiful, things can be done to make it so.

I'm sure I'll make decisions and wonder "what if?" I already have done so with past decisions, and that's no doubt going to continue. But one decision I am certain of and will not wonder about: that I will make my decisions based on my desires, my dreams, and making my life the most beautiful.

Maybe the two (?) readers of my blog can take something away from this post. In any regard, it's been therapeutic to write.

Everything happens for a reason. And I have to believe the decision I just made is because of just that.

Commence The Binge Eating

Uh oh.

I bought. A bag. Of Twizzlers.

And times that by two...

They were on sale, ok?! Two for 3 bucks! The little sign said I'd save $2.58 if I bought two. $2.58! Had to get them.

Let the Twizzler binge eating begin! I'm stressed, ok?

I also maybe might of bought two bags of delightful trail mix as well. Also 2 for 3 bucks. Had to.

I might note that it's never a good idea to shop for food when you're hungry. Case and point.

Also, I want to know where the nice spring weather went. You know, last month when it was all nice and all I wanted to do was move my office outside and enjoy the weather minus the allergies, I just had this twinge that disappointment would come. And that feeling didn't disappoint. I thought April showers were supposed to bring May flowers... nothing about May showers there.

Lee's Hallelujah

So I decided to post the youtube video of Lee's performance last night, cause why not? And that way if my Dad or anyone else didn't see it, they can now. I should have included it in my first post today! Enjoy.

WATCH HERE

Farmer's Market

Ugh.

The Farmer's Market is back.

Normally, I would enjoy such things. And to be fair, I still do. But I don't enjoy when they park their LARGE trucks in front of my garage so I cannot get in and out of my apartment.

Some background: I live in downtown Springfield. Every Wednesday morning from the middle of May to October, they shut down a block or two of my street so local farmers can come bring their goodies to sell. It literally begins where the edge of my garage ends. This naturally causes problems. It still allows access for myself and other residents to go in and out, until someone decides "hmm, I'd like to unload my green beans and carrots right here," and parks their huge truck in front of the garage driveway, which happens frequently.

This morning, I was coming back from the gym around 7 a.m., so I was naturally not in the best of moods for multiple reasons, only to find as I turn around the corner that there's a large, moving sized white truck parked right in front of my garage entrance. I parked my car, asked around, found the guys responsible for the truck, and kindly asked them to move it because I needed to get into my place of residence. They were setting up their tent, and I got a pretty curt and unappreciated response from them. "Yeah, it'll be a few minutes." Umm, no buddy, now. I need to get inside, take a shower, and get ready to go to work. This is where I live. I mean, I didn't say that, but I was sure thinking it. And what added to my annoyance with this guy was that they didn't look like farmers... uh, at all. If they're all still there when I go home for lunch (and there better not be a truck blocking my garage), I'm gonna have to go walk past their booth and see exactly what they produce.

Whoever organizes/authorizes/oversees (or all of the above) this weekly event needs to better clarify and point out that my garage should not be blocked at ANY time. Seriously.

These farmers have beautiful stuff. When I was walking around to find the oh so lovely owners of the truck, I noticed very vibrant and pretty flowers, really fresh looking produce, and just all around good stuff. I will most certainly go buy some products. But please, don't inconvenience the people that live around there. Thank you.

On a happier note, did you watch American Idol last night?! Amazing. Love. Lee!

I feel bad for my Dad (because he and my Mom watch it too), and he came into town to have dinner with me because my Mom is in Maryland until the 29th, but he forgot to record it on the DVR. I hope he caught Lee's last performance though.

I voted ten times last night instead of the usual five like the past two weeks. I got my Mom to vote too, as she shares in the Lee love.

Go, Lee, go!

Anniversary and Birthday

Today marks the one year anniversary since I graduated from the fabulous University of Illinois. It really is hard to believe that it's been a year already. It feels like not long ago, I was just moving there, and now it's a year later since leaving there. Very bizarre. I still miss it there, and something tells me that I always will.

It's also my mommy's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! I truly hope your day is super fabulous and that you'll have many, MANY more wonderful days ahead! I'll never have trouble remembering my graduation date because it shares mom's birthday. Also interestingly enough, this post is the 62nd post I've done, which is how old my mom is today. Crazy ironic, right?!

In any regard, I decided to post a few pictures in honor of the one year anniversary.

Mariah (my adorable 2nd cousin) and I outside Assembly Hall after the ceremony.

Best friends: Whitney, me, and Erinn.

One of my fave pictures ever of the three of us - my 22nd birthday.

The Quad! Mandi, Stephanie, me, and Erinn - Stephanie's wedding.

Another fave - I loved football games, that's for sure!

Mount Prospect, I'm jealous of you!

It's Lee Dewyze Day in Mount Prospect, Illinois.

Needless to say, I wanna be there!

The Top 3 on A.I. go to their hometowns and do all sorts of activities, parades, concerts, etc. all while being filmed for the show next week. And Lee is there today, just a mere 3 hours away. But alas, I'm at work...

Yesterday was my Auntie's birthday and she's been in Decatur since last Friday, so I drove over there for the evening to have dinner with the whole fam. It was really nice to be with everyone, and I ate too much food of course.

Tonight: I go to AUSTIN! I'll be there until Sunday night. Very excited! I don't know if I'm more excited to see Tim, or more excited about the nice weather and all the good food I'm going to eat... (tee hee)

Now if this day could go by fast, and the weekend slow, that would be fab.

In case you haven't heard...

An episode of American Idol FINALLY went the way I've wanted it to for at least 5 weeks now.

MICHAEL WENT HOME!

Now I know that sounds really mean of me, I know... he's got a little baby and it's so cute and I feel for him. BUT, when you love someone else and want them to win so bad and don't want anyone else messing it up and just flat out don't like Michael, you tend to feel this way.

So, PRAISE JESUS! Lee is safe. He's in the top three... and he better win!

I've been voting 5 times for him these past two weeks and I might up the ante next week!

You sing it, Lee! You little cutie, you!

Photo Shot/Shop!

This... is what I do at work...



I get my picture taken! (while wearing the glasses that our staff photographer was given after his eye doctor appointment). Thought it was a cute photo and it reminds me of the fun that's had around here. Then he put it in photoshop and changed the color of my shirt so "it would better match with my coffee mug." Awesomeness.

Watch Out - I'm Savin' Now!

I recently ordered a book from Amazon.com - They have this policy where if the price goes down from what you paid at the original purchase, they'll pay you the difference back, or something like that... anyway, I just received this email and I find it rather humorous:

Greetings from Amazon.com.

You saved $0.01 with Amazon.com's Pre-order Price Guarantee!

The price of the item(s) decreased after you ordered them, and we gave you the lowest price.

The following title(s) decreased in price:

Spoken from the Heart
Price on order date: $16.20
Price charged at shipping: $16.20
Lowest price before release date: $16.19
Amount to be refunded: $0.01
Quantity: 1
Total Savings: $0.01

You will receive an additional e-mail when this refund is processed.

I get... a penny. One cent will be paid back to my credit card account. I wonder what I'll do with that kind of money! I guess it is kind of a nice gesture/policy though. Who knows, sometimes it might be several pennies that are paid back!

LOST Tears!

LOST - I cried... yes, cried...

Major things happened and after 5, almost 6 seasons, you become invested in the characters and what happens to them. So I cried...

Two more episodes left and then the SERIES finale... another tear!

American Idol - 3 words: I. LOVE. LEE! (sorry, Tim)

He BETTER win!

That's all.

Shows, Books, and Chapters

"Your dreams and desires are not subject to anyone else's approval."

I went home to Decatur this weekend. The volume of work the Senate had completed in the week was greater than anticipated, and the weekend session was canceled. Ok by me, and still no budget has been passed, but hey - that's alright if we're billions and debt and will continue to go further into it, right? Anyway, my parents had these tickets to a variety show - a little date night for them. They were going to go to dinner and then to the show, just the two of them, but then I decided to crash it. I didn't really want to sit at their house by myself while they were out, and to be fair, they invited me! So I went to this show with them, and some of it was funny, some of it I couldn't wait for it to be over, but it really made me start to think. When I was younger, I did theater, and as I sat there, I felt a strong desire to get back into it. I'm not the singing/dancing kind of theater person, but more of the drama and comedy stuff. I think I would really enjoy it. It would challenge me in many ways, I would meet new people, and it would force me to step out of my comfort zone. I'll have to think about it a little more, who knows if I'm any good and if I'd be cast, but I like the idea of it a lot as I picture it in my head. I can just see me now...

I've recently been bitten by the reading bug. I enjoy reading and said to myself that after college, I wanted to do a lot of it. Since then, I've probably read six or eight books. Not that many really. But I'm currently reading one, and I've got three others lined up behind that one. Let's see how long I can carry this on for.

I'd like to say for the record, and I'm sure this is on the record elsewhere, but I miss college. I've enjoyed moving on since and becoming a part of the "real world," but there's nothing like college. I was in Champaign last night to help out with a sorority ceremony, and each time I drive back into that area, nostalgia hits hard. The atmosphere and culture that was UIUC for me was a belonging that I appreciated then, but now it has taken on a whole new meaning. I'm still a part of it, but what happened then during those four years cannot happen again. The weirdest thing is that it's all a blur. One thing lapses into another and then that leads to another memory and another. I love it. I love looking back and remembering all these random times, and some of them not realizing how much fun they were at the time, but now thinking "wow, that was a blast" and cherishing them as my memories. I never took those years for granted, but it's almost like I'd like to get them back, so I can appreciate them even more than I did then and take way more pictures than I already did.

But that was then, and this is now. I cannot do my experience enough justice with words, but I am blessed and grateful for what I was allowed to experience there in C-U during my time. That was one chapter of my life that has been written, edited, and printed. And as it approaches my first anniversary of being a college graduate, I look forward to completing another chapter and anxiously await all the other unwritten chapters that are waiting to be penned in my book.

Baby Louis

I came into work today and read some really great entertainment news: Sandra Bullock adopted a baby from New Orleans!

It's all over the news and in addition to adopting this little boy, she also filed for divorce in Austin. Apparently, the adoption has been years in the making and they've had the baby since before the Oscars - I believe January! What a secret to keep!

That's obviously also before all the horrible things surfaced with her husband. It leaves me completely speechless to think about all that. I mean, hello! You had Sandra Bullock! I keep thinking back to her Oscar speech and how in love she sounded thanking him among others. How devastating to have a life with someone you think you knew and then it just be changed in an instant, and this has hit me personally as well. But now she's moving on with this little cute bundle of joy to love and cherish. She looks so beautiful and has pure joy written all over her face as she's pictured with baby Louis on the cover of People. All I can say is that Sandra Bullock is nothing short of a class act. I've always been a fan of hers (Miss Congeniality, come on!), and now she's definitely at the top. She's a role model and the grace and strength she has shown during her tough times is inspiring. I wish her all the best with her precious little baby Louis and look forward to many more of her movies!

I've been going to the gym in the morning, waking up just as the sun is, at 6:15. I've found it to be much easier for me to get through my workout and then extremely nice to be able to just go home after work and be a couch potato. I've kind of made a little friend with an older gentleman that works there. He's super nice and will always ask me how I'm doing. Once I asked him if there was any other way to pay for parking other than the stupid tokens they have, and he was like "no, there's not - it's annoying, isn't it?" And I said, "yeah, it really is" to which he opened the drawer and gave me a handful of the tokens. I'm not in the best moods in the morning because 1) I'm up super early and 2) I'm at the gym, so it's nice for him to be friendly to me as I drag myself into the Y.

If you know me and my routine, you know that I watch American Idol. I got a little frustrated with it last night. I guess to start off with, I don't care for Michael Lynche - at all. I don't really care for Siobhan that much either, and both of them got raves last night. Was I listening to something else? Even Simon thought they were both wonderful. My goodness... Michael just gets on my nerves, and his voice just sounds so whiny and nasally and just not good. Siobhan, I go back and forth with her, but mostly back to dislike. Favorite by far is Lee. I pray he wins. I don't vote, but I might start as it gets closer and closer. With that said, I have no idea who will be going home tonight, but it makes me nervous because "everyone" (in the opinion of the judges) had a really good performance. Another great thing about the episode last night, possibly the best thing - Shania Twain was the mentor and all the songs were hers! She's so beautiful, and classy, and timeless and an icon in her own right. Man, back in 1995/1996, I would blast her CD! I still love her songs, and after last night, I might have to go on a massive search for her CD's to see if I still have them. If I do, they're undoubtedly somewhere in the basement of my parents house, but if after my scavenger hunt I don't find them - iTunes, here I come!

Also, today marks one year since Tim and I "became official" I guess you would say. All long distance as well, and despite it being difficult at times, we're still goin' strong!

Space Jam

If you know me well, you know that I'm not a fan of the NBA. I think it used to be great. Except now I feel like it's so much of a show... a dunk show, to be specific. I prefer actually watching basketball where there is hard, legitimate defense being played, and I just don't see that anymore with the NBA.

In any regard, you may or may not know that the NBA playoffs are going on right now. When I've gone to the gym these past two mornings, ESPN has been on the television, forcing me to watch sports highlights as I push myself through my 30-min workout. On one highlight, the Cavs are playing the Bulls, which from the highlights appeared to me as LeBron James playing the Bulls. James had some 37 or 38 points in that game with two buzzer shots from way behind the 3-point line, one almost near half court. The highlights just showed dunk after shot after dunk after shot of his, and I have to say, it was pretty amazing.

Again, I don't care for the NBA nor will I sit down and say "hmm, I want to watch the NBA playoffs" and turn to that channel, but James was impressive... and entertaining. It was like "did he just do that?!" and the answer was yes. I guess I'll take my dose of the NBA in the ESPN morning highlights and nothing more.

(The title of this post - who doesn't love the movie "Space Jam"?! I know I did back in the '90s!)

Tax Day

"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem. From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to be managed by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and of the people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear the burden."
-President Ronald Reagan, 1981 Inauguration speech

I figured 15 days into April would be about time that I post something for the first time this month. That and my Mom posted on my Facebook wall that I needed a new post. Thanks Mom.

Today is tax day. The day where the deadline is set for you to claim your money and give a sizable portion of it to the government. Each year it just reminds me how much I'd rather keep more of my money.

I posted this quote because I am reminded so much, working in state government and reading national news, how much my generation is one of no personal/individual responsibility.

For example, an article by a woman named Phyllis Schlafly said this: "Income tax day, April 15, 2010, now divides Americans into two almost equal classes: those who pay for the services provided by government and the freeloaders. The percentage of Americans who will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009 has risen to 47 percent. That isn't the worst of it. The bottom 40 percent not only pay no income tax, but the government sends them cash or benefits financed by the taxes dutifully paid by those who do pay income tax."

How lovely.

The generation before me, my generation, and undoubtedly generations to come have been and will be bred to have no incentive to work and earn money on their own. Their attitude: government will take care of me.

It makes me absolutely sick.

I understand that there are some who legitimately need assistance from government, and that's fine. But we are now dancing on a very, very fine line of giving money from those who have it to those who do not. I'm all for helping others, but we're not just helping those who need it, we're starting to help everyone else too at the expense of the money that I and many others make getting up every morning and having responsibility in life. The statistics are astounding. And our society cannot function or be sustained running on this sort of policy. Plain and simple.

I understand that the job market is tough, believe me. But there is work to be found out there. No, it may not be a career or even that glamorous, but it's out there.

It is probably one of my greatest wishes for society that my generation and those that follow will decide to take pride in themselves and their future. That they assume individual responsibility for what they have and not accept mediocrity. That we become a generation that helps solve our national issues, not worsen them over time.

Happy Tax Day everyone.

Spring Has Sprung

It is Be.A.UUUUUtiful outside! Thank. GOODNESS!

This is the type of weather I am talking about. I want to move my office outside and just soak up the sun and the refreshing breeze. Please?

If only...

Spring is just so amazing... it truly is the season of new life. Today, there are tons of people walking around, eating lunch outside, etc. Not only does nature come alive again, but so does the rest of civilization! It's such a great feeling and it is a total and complete mood changer.

Spring - you are very, very, VERY welcome in my book. Thanks for finally deciding to show up.

Adios long and depressing winter!

Oh, and Spring - if you decide to go away and revert back to coldness, I will not be pleased.

Elevators

I've always felt that elevators are a little awkward. I mean, not usually if you're riding them with someone you know, but if you happen to get in one with people say, at your workplace or in your apartment building that you don't know, they can be a little uncomfortable.

Do you talk? Do you smile and say hello? Both? I'll usually at least smile and say hi... but there's one thing I've noticed. Almost every single time, without fail, if you start talking, it's something about the weather.

It's happened to me both at work and in my apartment building, and on multiple occasions. I went home for my lunch break today and a FedEx man was delivering something to someone. We got into the elevator and no sooner did that door close, he said to me, "It's a nice day finally" (or something along those lines), to which I replied, "Yeah, it's not bad. I'd like it to be a little warmer, but I'll take what I can get." And that was it. He got to the second floor and said "Have a nice day", I said "You too." Weird.

Maybe it's just me that feels elevators are awkward. That wouldn't really surprise me, but I hope you can at least relate to experiencing the often-resorted-to-talking-about-the-weather elevator conversation once or twice in your life.

Read This

I really wish I would have been the one to write THIS... couldn't have said it better.

I tried to post it on Facebook, but it wasn't working.

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid

Last night... I discovered... the Springfield... Chuck-E-Cheese!

Whitney is here, she drove down from Chicago last night, and on the way to dinner at D'Arcys, I noticed it for the first time. We got on a little conversation on how that place seriously never changes. When I was growing up in Maryland, there was one we went to all the time. They had those anamated, automatic robot characters up there that would come alive every so often and do little songs that would entrance the little kids (myself included, when I was a kid) and the kids would be-bop around. Before my cousin, Shelly, moved here to Central Illinois and I visited her and her kids in Maryland, we went to one for lunch. Nothing had changed from my fragile 5-year-old memory of the land "where a kid can be a kid." Nothing. The characters were the exact same, in the exact same positions on the stage, and they might have been doing the exact same songs. Talk about consistency and maintaining the status quo. And furthermore, the characters looked like they very well could have been the same ones there 15 plus years ago.

Rock on, Chuck-E-Cheese, rock on.

Health "Care"

Ok, so I know everyone is talking about health care, and it's getting to the point where it's becoming annoying to hear about.

But the latest in what is going on seems unconstitutional to me...

I was watching a Fox News interview with our President Obama concerning the health care bill currently set to be "voted" on in the House... except it may not be voted on at all, rather it is going to be "deemed" passed.

Obama specifically said in the interview that he is not concerned with the Washington processes, just that it passes.

That does not add up to me. Furthermore, he has been bribing and using every other trick to get this to go his way. All the meanwhile, his approval ratings are dropping and people are saying "no" to this more than they are saying "yes." Does he want to be a one-term pres? Seems like it.

There are so many other solutions to health care out there... and ones that won't cost any money! Why are those not being considered... shoot, why are they not the WHOLE bill?! If Obama is so hell-bent on health care, then maybe should take some soultions from the other side of the aisle, or at the very least listen to them, you know, like he promised (in campaign) he would.

I would like to mention that I'm sure other presidents, Democrat and Republican alike, have used methods with Congress to further their agenda. But to go so far as to "deem" a bill to pass because they don't want to have a record of their vote is simply a gross injustice to the American people. Again, why other people don't see that I just can't comprehend.

If this doesn't unsettle you... that our lawmakers could take ANY piece of legislation and say, "oh, yeah, I think that's passed"... something that could dramatically alter your life, then I truly worry about you.

And I certainly deeply worry about our country and the direction that it's going...

When is everyone going to realize that Obama is all rhetoric and show? I knew it before he was elected, and his actions have not disappointed my first instincts. Furthermore, the people I work with everyday were here when Obama was a state Senator and worked with him... you should hear what they have to say! Can you take a guess?

Happiness

It's been some time since I last wrote...

I hesitate to publish the following because I don't like to be all "woe is me"... nor do I really want to expound on it any further than what I've written either, mostly because I've gone over and over it in my head enough on my own. But at the same time, I had to write it down... with hope that it's therapeutic.

These last few weeks have been rather rough for me and with everything that has happened...

I don't feel like I feel I should.

I feel lost and I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to last without changes.

It's confusing and difficult to sort through everything that's in my head.

I just have to follow my heart and know that no matter what, everything is going to be ok... one way or another.

Something that I've learned this weekend is that there isn't one single person without major problems in their lives. At least if there is, I've never met them. That everyone feels lost at some point if not all of their life. That people live life expecting that they know the way their life is going to go, what's going to happen, but then have that flipped upside down. It's weird to think of, but it's true. There are always bumps, conflicts, frustrations. They can be heartbreaking and break you down, leaving you to question everything.

So what do you make of it, once this happens and you feel this way? Be positive? Sure, it's the only thing you really can do. But that's so much easier said than done. You just have to be positive and hold out hope, knowing that it will all be ok. Too bad things can't be solved with a snap of your fingers, right? Wow, that would be nice. Such is life.

In other way overdue news, my wisdom teeth extraction went incredibly well. I survived my first surgery ever! I had really minimal pain and stopped taking pain pills by Sunday morning. There was hardly any swelling and I was eating solid food by the following Thursday. Needless to say, I was overjoyed with how it went. The whole anesthesia experience was actually a little bit cool... in a way... even though I was shaking like a leaf (as the nurse said, but I was cold too!). It was just crazy how fast I was under and just had no idea what happened as if it hit me like a ton of bricks. Crazy. Oh, and I got to keep my teeth. Ha! Here's some pictures of post-surgery, one icing my cheeks and the other cuddling with my dog, Lily. I couldn't really smile that big at all cause of the pain and minor swelling. Kind of humorous.

The Eve of Surgery

I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!

Tomorrow at half past eight in the morning, I will go to Dr. Jergens and have my wisdom teeth removed. And to put it plain and simple:
I. Do. Not. Want. To.

Prayers Appreciated...

Pictures of my possible ridiculously swollen face my be posted... we'll see.

Southwest Luv

I got a free flight! I GOT A FREE FLIGHT!!

I mean, the application said I would, but you never count your chickens before they hatch...

YAHOO!

You're 13

Justin Bieber - Hi. Ok, so you're not 13, you're 15, but you look 13. My question to you is, what in the world do you know about love?

This kid, if you haven't heard of him, is "topping the charts" around the country, possibly the world, with (I ashamedly admit) catchy tunes about love. For example:

"Your world is my world; And my fight is your fight; My breath is your breath; And your heart; And girl you're my one love, my one heart; My one life for sure; Let me tell you one time; Girl, I love, girl I love you" and "I'll buy you anything; I'll buy you any ring"

The kid is 15... and he annoys me. I know sure as heck I wasn't thinking about being someone's one love and having some guys breath be my breath. And I'll buy you any ring? Excuse me? Cute lyrics, maybe for a 30 year old to be singing. Shoot, I'll even give you a 22-ish year old. But a young teen?! No. I guess young love has changed. Not only that, but when I hear his songs on the radio, I feel really odd and uncomfortable knowing that he's a minor and people who are older than 18 are be-bopping to his tunes. On top of it, according to E! News and People.com etc., who cover him often, he's single. Someone is definitely pulling the whole Wizard-of-Oz-behind-the-curtain thing with this teen tot.

I wasn't even gonna do a post today cause of the mood I'm in, but I figured a little rant of my astonishment/frustration at this kid would help... and it did a little.

Fast, Fast Week

Ok, I've got a serious question. And I'm really serious here... is it truly that hard to not pee on the toilet seat?! Or better yet, if you DO pee on the toilet seat, is it really that hard to tear off a little piece of TP and wipe it off?! I mean, c'mon! I feel like this has happened to me several times this week, and frankly I don't appreciate it.

In other news, I'm officially 23, and have been so for a whole four days now. I had a very lovely weekend and felt very much like a big city girl the whole time.

My hair cut was fabulous. I have bangs now. My mother didn't even notice until I said something, even though she knew I was getting bangs, and then she was kind of like "oh, yeah I just didn't think about it." Love you, Mom! (She knows I'm just picking on her! "JOHN!") The salon made me feel very taken care of, very pampered. I wore a robe over my clothes and then that smock that they put on you, I was offered a variety of refreshments several times, and was asked if I was doing ok often. I felt like I was in an exclusive place that only city people go. It was fun, but at the same time weird because I'm not used to that at all. Could probably get used to it though, just not the prices. Luckily, Will charged me the same that he did when he cut my hair in Champaign, and no, I didn't ask how much a regular hair cut there would be. Should have though... anywho, I love my hair and it just has enough of a change, like I was talking about last time.

Saw Valentine's Day with Whitney. Thought it was super cute. Saturday, I picked up Tim. Checked into our hotel, the Conrad, downtown, which also made me feel city-like. He gave me my birthday/Valentine's present, which is a key necklace that I wanted from Tiffany's. Complete surprise. Went to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Coco Pazzo with Whitney, MariKate, Erinn, and Ryan. Then went out to a club/bar called Social 25. Tim's cousin, Mike, and his girlfriend, Kelly, met us out there. It was nice to meet them. And then another sorority sister of mine that I was close with and I hadn't seen in six months, Gallopagos (as we call her, her last name is Gallegos), came out too! So it was very nice. Valentine's Day, all Tim and I did really was eat! At least that's what I felt like. We got lunch at Gibson's and both had filet sliders... delish... then walked around Michigan Ave., went back to the hotel, he passed out, and I just sat there... got ready for dinner, and then went to dinner at the Signature Room on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. It was very, very lovely. Monday (my birthday!), we drove out to Park Ridge to say hi to Erinn's parents and then went to lunch with Erinn and Ryan, drove back to Decatur (where we were stuck in traffic for an hour and a half... ugh!), and then had dinner in Decatur with my Mom and Dad, my cousin, Shelly, her fiance, Tom, and her 6 kids, and then family friends, Jim and Faye. The whole weekend was very, very lovely, and I thank all who were a part of it. And again, yay for four day weekends! It was uber tough coming back to work on Tuesday, for many reasons...

This week has flown by so fast... and I really don't appreciate that a single bit.

Yesterday, a plane was crashed into a building in Austin that I have driven by countless times throughout my visits. Pretty shocking. What's nothing short of a miracle is how in a building with approximately 200 workers and an explosion of that size, only 13 were injured and two were killed, one being the pilot. That's just amazing. The loony toon posted a manifesto of sorts on a website, which can be readily found now by a google search, and he describes his woes against the government, why he did this, etc. I read the document and the guy was just fed up and believed that after years of trying to get his point across to people, the only answer was violence. I clearly do not believe violence is the answer and the intention to mass murder innocent people is despicable, but it makes you question what drove this nut job to do such a thing where he felt like it was his last resort, and if he has some points. Either way, crazy stuff. And I'm just so thankful that what could have been hundreds was only a few. My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected.

Add another loony toon... Elton John... who claims that Jesus was gay. Hey, Elton, ever heard of blasphemy?!

That will be it for this post, I suppose. I feel like I have much more to write about, but I will digress for now.

My stomach is starting to get into even bigger knots...
One week until I lose my wisdom... teeth.

FOUR Day Weekend!

A few points at the closing of my week:

No. 1: You have to have a Carter to get a Reagan.
(I wish I was clever enough to have come up with this, but alas, I was not.) This phrase has been on my mind a lot in reading the news and such, for sure.

No. 2: There's a new penny! It was unveiled today, right here in Springfield, and it's supposed to be in circulation for the next 50 years!

No. 3: Alexander McQueen was found dead in his home early this morning. I'm not a huge high fashion person, but I definitely have seen his designs. He was extremely creative and made some very cool pieces - some extremely bizarre, but others very stylish. It's rumored he committed suicide. I find that so sad. I'm sure among many others, Lady GaGa will miss him.

No. 4: There are some sick people in the world. A man in Louisville, Ohio was charged with a felony after tattooing the letter "A" on a 1-year-old girls bottom. I hope he's never allowed to come near children ever again, let alone procreate. That's just so disgusting. For the life of me, I cannot understand some people.

No. 5: I'm getting a hair cut tomorrow and I think I'm going to get bangs. Ever since I chopped off my hair a year ago this time and gave it to Locks of Love, I've been so much more daring with my hairstyles. When I say daring, I mean daring in my terms, which means not afraid to do something a little different than the last time, not something drastic type daring. Each time I've gotten my hair cut after donating, I've done something different in the way it's cut each time. Before, I used to say "Hi Will, just the same regular trim. K, thanks!" Not anymore, and I LIKE that!

And last but not least...

No. 6: Tomorrow starts my four day weekend!! You have got to love state holidays and being employed by such. And it's pretty cool that my birthday just so happens to fall on one of those days off, I must say. I'm so excited to go up and see friends and the boyfriend, then back home to have a birthday dinner with family and friends there. I miss being around the people I love so much!

It's A No Go

So I don't believe I'll be going to Phoenix in July...

My heart breaks every time I mention it or think about it.

Turns out there wouldn't be enough money to cover even close to half of my expenses, and even if I took the cheaper package they offer, I'd still have to cough up approximately $600.

It's seriously disappointing to me, but I'll just have to make sure I save up for Convention 2012.

Sweet Dreams

You know, sometimes I just wish we didn't have dreams. Like they're weird. At least mine are.

Last night, I had dreams (yes, multiple due to the waking up a few times and then going back to sleep) and they were just bizarre. I woke up and thought "what in the world?!"

They involved but not limited to or exclusive to:
Guns, U of I paraphernalia, trains, food, little kids, magic or supernatural things, a highway underpass, dogs, a playground, people I know that were acting and dressing like they do not in real life, and rocks in a dish of water.

Now when I sit here an recall these things, I can't clearly piece them all together nor do I have an idea of any time sequence. I can only put bits of the story together and say that I remember this happening but then all the sudden this was happening. For example, and only just bit of my dreams:

I was on a train with some people, one being someone I knew and then a few other people but I don't know, and we moved from train car to train car, when all of the sudden we came upon some sort of a food shop (maybe pizza?) and I felt horribly unsafe, but the people were really friendly and showed us into the next car where it was a collection/shop of U of I stuff! (huh?!) We weren't anywhere in Illinois, feel like I might have been in Texas, and we say to the guy who showed us to this car something about "you're from Illinois?! so are we!" and start talking, yadda yadda. Then all the sudden I'm in like a playground setting and it's like the grayness you see in horror/scary movies. I'm pretty sure I'm playing with these two girls, probably 4 or 5, and then they run off after being called to this room in a house with two big windows. I watch them go and after a few minutes, another two children on a park bench fly up into the air real fast, but only like 4 feet from the bench, and someone pulls them back down by their arms. Then I look down and there's this semi-flat bowl thing of rocks, some big, some small. I drop another small rock into it, and the rocks move to the outside of the bowl and the rock I dropped in floats and bobs up and down around the center. I think there was some fizzing in the water too. The sky got just a bit darker and all the sudden, I look up and the room that the two girls went into is full of water and the one girl is swimming in the window, looking at me and telling me to run for my life. (umm what?!) So I start running towards another house structure, but I'm getting nowhere fast and feel as if I'm starting to panic because of that, thinking I'm done for it. But at the same time, I had no idea why she was telling me this and my legs were just lead.

I didn't make it to that house or whatever it was... my alarm went off. And what's crazy of all is that my alarm is set for 7. I remember hitting the snooze button for that, but I do not recall hitting the snooze button again at 7:09. I clearly did so though because when I woke up, it was 7:18. And that just bothers me. I don't enjoy not remembering things that I do or things that happen to me (which is probably why I don't get belligerent, blackout drunk). It just kinda freaks me out.

Am I messed up or what? No, probably not... I'll chalk it up to dreams just being really weird, but it certainly makes you wonder how these things form and where exactly it came from. And even though I don't know dream theory or whatever, if I wanted to go really deep and analyze my dream, I could probably draw some legitimate, abstract connections or analogies between what happened in my dream and my life. But most of all, I feel as if I just scratch my head in bewilderment every time I have one. Sometimes, you can't help but worry from them, even if that's silly. It's strange. Just simply strange.

So dear brain, please give me a normal, preferably nice dream next time. Ok? Thanks! Love, Johanna

Random Musings of a Saturday Night

I sit here and there is just so much I want to write about! Long post, so beware!

First off, I'm using my Mom's laptop (I came home for the evening after having breakfast at our cafe and a Phi Mu alumnae event in Champaign) and it is the computer I bought to take to college with me before I bought my Mac. Well, the space bar is broken on it and I have been forced to stop every other word or so to fix it. A wee bit annoying. And no, that wasn't the reason I passed it along to her... this space bar fiasco just happened a few weeks ago and I've had my Mac for almost two years.

Anywho... here I go with the multi-topic post.

My mother was a teacher for over 25 years. She has quite an interesting story of her younger years. If you know her already, you should ask her about it. If you don't know her yet, you should (cause she's amazing), and then once you know her, you should ask her about it. I'm sure she would have no problem with me telling about it here, but it's much better when the story comes from the person who actually lived it. Throughout her teaching years, she spent some time in Connecticut. While in Connecticut, she taught some family members of rather famous people. The first, Jim Henson's daughter. You know, Kermit's creator. Yeah. She met him several times too. Second, Vince Lombardi's granddaughter. You know, the guy the Super Bowl trophy is named after. I love the muppets of course, but I'm particularly fond of the Lombardi connection given that I'm an unabashed Green Bay Packer fan. I was rather shocked of both, though, and thought it was really cool!

So I'm in my last few days of being a 22 year old. I was trying to explain to a few people how I felt about turning 23, and the only thing I could really come up with is that it's the year that I move past the college age. Eighteen to 22 were my college years and 23 is the age where it's almost as if it says "you're definitely done with that now." I know that I graduated almost a year ago now (umm. whoa.), but it seems like to me that turning 23 is just making me realize that it's the first age of moving past that time. (Hellooooo officially being an adult!) That doesn't mean I don't still feel like I'm in college though, trust me! I definitely still feel like that, minus the feelings and stresses of having major bills and such. Oy. Oh, and the fact that I'm ready for bed, at the latest, around 11. I guess that's kinda a big one.

Sororities will have national conventions usually every two years. The year I was President of my chapter happened to be a year that Phi Mu had their convention. Every collegiate and alumnae chapter sends their President there as their chapter delegate for the convention body and the fees, flight, hotel, etc. are covered. Therefore, I was able to travel to Orlando, Florida and stay for five days representing my chapter and the women in it. It might sound silly to some, but it was one of the proudest moments I have ever experienced and it was such an honor to be there on behalf of the chapter. Well, this year, convention will be held in Phoenix, Arizona. Needless to say, I wanna go. So. Unbelievably. Bad! Not being the President of my chapter any longer, I won't be able to go for free. Maybe! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but here's something I found out today(!). I belong to the Phi Mu Champaign-Urbana Alumnae Chapter. We just restarted this chapter after years with lack of interest/involvement and we're growing at a decent rate. Being a person that likes to be involved quite a bit, I volunteered to be Vice President of the chapter. It's not a demanding job by any means, and I feel like I really should be and could be doing more with the position. But anyway, our President, a gal that I was close with in the collegiate chapter and a year older than me, just became the Chapter Advisor for the collegiate chapter. I figured she'd be going to convention to represent our C-U Alumnae Chapter on our dime, but since she's going as C.A. for the collegiate chapter, the collegiate chapter will cover her expenses. What's the next in line to represent the chapter? Yes, Veep! I don't know if our alumnae chapter has the funds to cover the full cost for me, but I'd be willing to come half-way on it, I just couldn't afford the whole thing on my own by any means. She's gonna check into it for me, but I hope to report soon that I'm heading West in July! Yes... Phoenix. In July. Ooftah... but still! Eeeeek! Fingers crossed.

During my tenure at UIUC, I was a part of this little group called the Orange Krush. If you're unfamiliar or have never seen an Illini basketball game on ESPN or CBS, click here. And/or here. The experience was absolutely amazing. Sure, I waited outside in below zero weather for 7 hours on multiple occasions and felt like I was going to turn into a popsicle, but the reward was worth it: among other things, taunting Eric Gordon and Calvin Sampson relentlessly with hundreds of other Orange Krushers. Sure, James Augustine laughed at me a little when I made a small 8x10 sign that said "Go Illini! It's my birthday!" on it because a game fell on my 19th birthday. But it was wonderful... and I got on ESPN on my birthday! (I have it on DVD if you're interested in seeing that... ha.) I find myself reminiscing here because I'm currently watching the Illini play Michigan State and I can't help but notice the orange-clad kiddos going nuts of which I once belonged. What good times. There's nothing like the feeling of college pride and cheering on your team. And in the House of 'Paign, every Orange Krusher feeds off the other and the other and then the other. It's electrifying and an experience I'll never forget. Alas, I only participated in two of my four years, but still. Memorable, priceless, and unbelievable. Also included in my membership years, the Chief's last dance. Historical. Oooo, I sense a future post about my feelings on that whole sitch.

Ok, this is going to be totally random, I know. And by this point, some of you might think I've been drinking before/during this post... but I'm just finding myself in a good and rather chatty mood. So get ready to think I'm silly... How cool would it be to be a bird? As I was driving back from Champaign with my Mom this afternoon, we saw several flocks of birds flying in formation. Against the blue sky with the setting sun, I just couldn't help but think how awesome it would be to be able spread my wings and go wherever I want, passing over beautiful and vast scenery. How awesome? Very awesome.

Valentine's season brings candy sour hearts to Del's Popcorn Shop. If you know what I'm talking about, you're awesome. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you still have time to redeem yourself, become awesome and discover these specialty seasonal candies. Got my fix this morning.

I'm done for this evening. I started this post two hours ago, and just now finishing it up. I can't decide if it's because the game is on, the space bar on this computer is shot, or I just had a lot to say.

I'm gonna go with all of the above.

Thanks for sticking with me. Look forward to spending another fun and eventful Saturday night with you in the future! (If that's not a telling sign that I've changed since and moved past college, I don't know what is!!)

One week till I see Tim, Whitney, Erinn, and Ryan in Chi-town!
Nine days until my birthday.
Three weeks till I loose my wisdom... teeth.

Wisdom-less?

So I get to have the first surgery of my life soon!!

(except minus the exclamation points... or take them as sarcasm)

I was told by my dentist a long time ago (like possibly two, maybe more, years ago) that I needed to have my wisdom teeth out. I was like "yeah, sure" but they never really bothered me so I wasn't going to go spend all this money for something that wasn't necessary at the time.

Except now it's necessary.

I won't bother you with details, but I went to him Monday morning, and he said "yep, that tooth is coming in in a place it has no room to come in to."

I'm assuming that eventually, the others will do the same.

Therefore on February 26, I will go through surgery at approximately a half past eight in the morning...

Up until then, I will experience much anxiety, fear, and complaining of how I don't want to do it in anticipation of my first surgery.

Additionally...

Oh, news flash:

Even at the most expensive flight that I've looked at, for where I fly to and such, I could buy approximately FORTY TWO roundtrip flights for that lovely price of $19,200.

Get with it Southwest Chase Credit Card!

Math?

Ok, I've never been good at math... but I think I have this figured out correctly...

The only reason I'm doubting myself is because:
a) Like I said, I'm not good at math... at all.
and b) If my math is correct, this "deal" is just stupid...

I applied for the Southwest Airlines Chase Credit Card and was accepted (yay me!).
I got an email explaining some of the benefits and this is what it said:

$1 spent = 1 reward dollar
1,200 reward dollars = 1 rapid rewards credit
16 credits = FREE roundtrip flight

So I have to spend $1,200 to get ONE credit... 16 credits to get a "free" flight...
which is $1,200 x 16 which equals $19,200..........

Am I dumb, or is this correct?!?!

I certainly feel dumb that I feel like I cannot say with certainty that my math is correct! Maybe it's just the fact that my math IS correct, but the fact that I would have to spend almost 20 grand on other things to get a "free" flight from them is just mind-boggling and getting me all confused! I mean, essentially, they're saying that my "free" flight is really costing $19,200 of other things, some of which may be other flights! No way.

I'll certainly just buy a flight instead of charging all this other stuff on the card to someday maybe getting that free one. Geez la peets!

Oh, and I'll let you know if I ever get that "free" flight. Doubtful.

Buh bye iPhone...

So today, I said goodbye to my iPhone...

You know, I have to say I'm really proud of myself. I've grown up a lot in the last 8 months.

I realized that the data package and everything with the iPhone was just a kind of expense that wasn't necessary for me to have (anymore). And really, it wasn't even MY expense, given that I'm still on the family talk plan with my parents. But I just came to the point where I knew that it was really nice to be able to check my email and all that stuff wherever I went, but that it was ok not to have that too. It wasn't something I needed.

Therefore, my family and I are now Verizon customers. And I really like my new phone so far!

The crazy thing is, my iPhone is still working. Not receiving calls or texts, but I can still pick up wireless and the iPod works. I updated my Facebook status from my iPhone just seconds ago.

(Can I still call it an iPhone if there's no phone capability??)

I'm hesitant to be happy about it still functioning like that though because I don't know if it's only temporary until everything is transferred from AT&T to Verizon and such... only time will tell.

And even though I didn't need it, it was a little difficult to say "bye" to the iPhone...

Oh, and I still have the same phone number, no worries!

Larry the Cucumber!

I knew I liked Larry the Cucumber for a reason. (If you don't know who/what that is, Google "Veggie Tales")... and while these are great facts about cucumbers and how they can help with everyday things, it kinda worries me that it goes from giving you all the vitamins you need every day to fixing the squeaky door or repelling insects in the garden when placed on aluminum... hmmmm... oh, well! These were sent to be by my Aunt.

The Amazing Cucumber!
1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid,
Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like
fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the photochemical in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the photochemical will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

The Court's Decision

Do you think people really know the consequences of their actions?

From something big to something really small, all our actions have repercussions. I think what can be most sad is that most of the time, the younger you are, the less likely you are to realize what you're doing can have an impact on your immediate or maybe more long term future.

I was reading an article today about what today marks in our country. It's the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I'm not going to get into the constitutionality of abortion and start a debate. The only thing I will say is that I'm pro-life. But as I was reading this article, it made me think about how this decision came to pass and how it was ultimately a consequence of several peoples actions.

You might be saying "huh?"... but this is how I reason that (and you might have to think a little abstractly):

The people elected Presidents... a consequence (of sorts) of voting.
Those Presidents appointed Supreme Court Justices... a consequence of the results of the vote by the people, because they picked the pres.
A woman had sex... the consequence was getting pregnant... and she wanted a right to choose what to do with her own body.
She went to court.
And the court decision was a consequence from that woman's case/situation.

Maybe that's a little bit of a stretch, but hopefully you can semi see where my logic is.

Either way, every action has a consequence. And ironically enough, those consequences might not always affect you, even though they were YOUR actions.

To summarize my brief Roe v. Wade mention, I will leave this not so brief statement from that article in order to recognize the anniversary of the court's decision:
"Almost four decades later, somewhere around 50 million unborn children have been victimized by the breathtaking arrogance of the Court. They committed no crimes, were afforded no due process or trials at all, and every appeal made on their behalf has fallen on deaf ears. They have been killed in the most brutal ways imaginable, unceremoniously sucked from their mother’s wombs, and carelessly discarded without even the dignity of an unmarked grave. Every reasonable effort to curb the abuses of the system that has produced these gruesome results has been summarily rejected by society’s robed masters. And so the carnage marches on."

Again, I don't care where you stand on abortion, but if you do believe that an abortion is killing a life... 50 million... wow.

Today's Occurrences

The weather perfectly matches my mood. Isn't it funny how that happens?

I've gone from feeling annoyed to frustrated, upset to not caring anymore, and just everything in between. That in and of itself is frustrating and annoying to me. I feel so over everything and it's a really odd feeling, one that I don't think I've quite experienced before... at least not like this. I hope I get out of the funk soon, because this has never really been like me.

Today's radio flashback was "Mmmm Bop" by Hanson. Whoa, right? And yeah, they still sound like girls.

I got my first rejection letter for a job today. Not fun.

A year after Obama is inaugurated, another change happens with the election of Scott Brown. Realization of how much of a difference a year can make.

Haiti gets hit my a 6.1 magnitude aftershock. How much more can they take?

If you've never been to Lamebook, I would suggest you go there ASAP and take in all the stupid/funny people there are on Facebook. Keeps me quite entertained throughout the day as I have it on my RSS feed.

Finished Sarah Palin's book and had a PB&J sandwich for lunch while re-watching the 5th season of LOST in preparation for the February 2nd premiere of the final season.

Finally, I have to think that no matter how foul my mood is, I have food to eat (even though that consists of PB&J and Lean Cuisine meals), clothes to wear, a roof over my head, and people that love me. That's a lot more than a lot of other people have.

But sometimes, it's much more fun to throw a pity party for yourself, right?

Real quick, I wanted to recap my weekend. I went to Glen Carbon, IL to see my good friend and sorority sister, Mandi, and her husband Jon on Friday. They were kind enough to let me stay the night and then drive me to the STL airport where I flew to Austin to surprise Tim for his birthday. He had absolutely no idea I was coming. His brother picked me up from the airport and when he came around the corner to let what he thought was just his brother in, he was shocked. His face was kind of like "who is this girl with my brother?" and as if he didn't recognize who I was. What a success! And he said no one can pull surprises on him... ha! I showed him! My family (on my Mom's side) is kind of known for pulling surprises on people... guess I'm no different. I was there until Monday night, where Jon and Mandi picked me up and I stayed the night there again and drove into work Tuesday morning. Back to this lovely, foggy, rainy, cold weather. No wonder my mood isn't all that great, right?

Throwback

I was running some errands today during my lunch break, and I was taken on a stroll down memory lane. That journey also made me stop and think, "wow, this is horrible."

Pretty much all the radio stations I have programmed into my car have the '80s/'90s flashback songs around the noon hour. So I'm listening and driving along, and the song "Gone" by NSYNC came on by request... yes, request. Now when I was a little teeny bopper, I will admit I was an NSYNC/Backstreet Boys fan. Their popularity probably started when I was around 10 and I fell right into the hype along with the other millions of girls around the world. I saw both in concert, had the CD's, I wasn't a big poster person, but I had some smaller pics... you know, etc. etc. And you can't deny they weren't huge! Their album "No Strings Attached" sold 9.9 million copies in 2000 and in 2009, it was named the best selling album of the decade, selling a little over 11 million. You can make fun of them and not like them, but they were stinkin' popular!

I haven't heard any of their songs in years probably. So this was interesting, hearing it on the radio.

"Gone" needs to go and not be played on the air waves ever. It was bad. Justin sounded way prepubescent and frankly, annoying. I feel obliged to find some of their other songs and listen and determine if they all sounded that bad. But the melody and lyrics and such annoyed me to begin with, so the vocals along with it didn't really have a chance.

I mean, I LOVED these guys when I was little. One of my cousins picked on me relentlessly because of my taste in music, and now I'm wondering if he was on to something and not just being mean. It just kind of made me sit back and go, "whoa!"

I'm sure some of you are like, "well DUH!! NSYNC sucks, always has!" but I dunno...

Funny thing is though, I like Justin's music and his voice ok now and it doesn't annoy me as it did in "Gone"... maybe he just finally became a man and such. I refuse to believe that songs like "Bye Bye Bye" and "Pop" were really as bad as "Gone". Guess I'll have to investigate... and maybe it was just my poor, young, little girl ears that didn't know all that much better.

Girl Quotes

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman."

and

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't."

-Margaret Thatcher

Oblivious/Rude People

There aren't that many things I hate... but one of them is oblivious, or oblivious rude, people. Let me explain and give examples.

These people are the ones that forget they are in public, around other people, and are so enveloped with themselves and/or the people around them that they disregard the fact that they might be developing into highly annoying and rude people to others.

Example: Last night at the gym, I was done with my work-out, anxious to get in my car and get home. I walked down the steps, and as I was hitting the last flight of steps, a group of three women were coming up the basement steps. I was on the second floor, so we essentially met at the first floor door. They got there a little before I did, and the door isn't a huge double door, it's single. So I'm behind them, and I go to maneuver past them because I could see that they were going to be walking at a slower pace than I wanted to, and I could not because they had spread out across the width of the hallway. I got the sense that one of them could definitely tell I was trying to pass, but decided to remain oblivious, hence turning her into rude. Moreover, I was toward the left of the hallway, and they decided to go left to a sitting area in their slow pace, completely disregarding the fact that I was there. News flash: you're in public, other people are around you, and you knew I was behind you cause you saw me coming down the steps AND you (sorta) held the door for me. Thanks a bunch.

Highly annoying to me.

Second example: At UIUC, you pretty much walked everywhere, as with most college campuses. I cannot tell you how many oblivious and more so rude people walked those sidewalks. If you're walking side by side with your friend, classmate, significant other, etc., FINE. But when you see someone else (i.e. me) walking towards you, one of you needs to fall back behind the other person you're with so I can continue walking ON THE SIDEWALK and not having to step off the sidewalk and into the grass/mud/snow. What makes it especially worse and irked me to no end was when those people were guys! Wikipedia says: "the terms chivalry and chivalrous are often used to describe courteous behavior, especially that of men towards women." I guess chivalry IS dead, at least at UIUC. I'd be ok if guys don't do that for other guys, but for women, they most definitely should.

Highly annoying.

Realize you're out in public, around other people, and act accordingly.