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Funny Words

2008-09-03T20:00:00.000-04:00

So as you know I had a test/quiz this morning. It was on medical terminology. It was only over two chapters but there was so much information that I made over 150 flashcards. I probably studied yesterday for 5 hours for this big test that my teacher made such a big deal about all last week. I got up early this morning, which I don't like to do on Wednesday because my class is at 10:10 and I get to sleep in a little bit, and I studied some more. I went to school early and studied some more. Got to class, take the "test". It was 15 questions... 10 matching and 5 definitions. I was soooo mad. I spent so much time working my terminology so I could ace it. One of the definitions on the quiz wasn't even in the book... we looked trust me! Oh well... next time I'll know... don't kill yourself over terminology!

But here are some words that I had to learn that you might find amusing... I did:

angiectomy - excision of part of a blood or lymph vessel

glossodynia - pain in the tongue

keratorrhexis - rupture of the cornea

laparorrhapy - suture of the abdominal wall

myringoplasty - surgical reconstruction of the eardrum

salpingocyesis - development of an embryo in the uterine tube

xanthochromia - yellowish discoloration, as of the skin or spinal fluid

and my favorite, anisocytosis - presence in the blood of erythrocytes showing excessive variations in size

If anyone ever remembers every single one of the terms in this book, I want to meet them. I think it's impossible really.

Tuesdays

2008-09-02T10:21:00.004-04:00

So Tuesdays really don't like me for some reason. Last week I had a terrible Tuesday and so far this one isn't any better.

Our fire alarm went off at 7am this morning while I was in the shower with conditioner in my hair!! They have decided it's a good idea to do road work on the main road from my apartment to campus which thousands of other people take also. Therefore, I didn't get a parking spot in my favorite lot AGAIN! And was late to my 8 o'clock again... this time only 2 minutes though.

I did, however, get an awesome parking spot when I moved my car. I always move my car on Tuesdays and Thursdays after my morning class because that class is on one side of campus and all the rest of them are on the other side. Today I got a spot that is actually pretty much on campus, not in one of the lots that are on the outskirts.

My weekend in Atlanta was pretty fun minus the three painful hours that involved actually watching football. I've never seen our team perform so poorly EVER!! It was embarrassing to say the least!

Other than that we stayed at this amazingly huge house in Alpharetta about half an hour away. We hung out by the pool on Friday night and Saturday we went into Atlanta for some tailgating. The boys went in early to go to Gameday and we were supposed to meet them at lunchtime. We drove to the nearest MARTA station and took the train in from there. It was simple enough I thought.

Tailgating was fun except that it was extremely hot and everyone was so spread out around the Georgia Dome that I spent a lot of time walking. We got free Chick-fil-a for lunch but I'm now convinced that anything Clemson and Chick-fil-a have to do with each other are cursed (ie. Chick-fil-a Bowl Game and Chick-fil-a College Kick-off). It's a shame because I love it so much! I even had it for lunch.

I am off to study about 100 medical roots and terminology words for my quiz tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-08-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

Whoo hoo... it's Friday again!! Time for some factoids that I love to share with y'all. I try to think of them through out the week so that they are good ones. Here we go!

1.) Tomorrow is our first football game and I'm so excited! ATL here we come!! Go Tigers beat Bama!!
2.) I now own an umbrella. Many of you told me to go get one so I did. It's very cool. You press a button and it goes up, then you press the button again and it goes back down. Very fancy-smancy!! It's black and white houndstooth to match the rainboots I already have.
3.) I can't stand Billie Mays voice. I have to mute commercials he is in because they really do hurt my ears!
4.) I think it's funny how as Clemson students we hate USC and yet everyone was watching the Carolina game last night! We just want to watch them get pummeled.
5.) Go Tigers Beat Bama!! Again... it needed to be said twice!
6.) I love child's pose in yoga! It's amazing!
7.) Silver change makes me very happy!
8.) Driving alone in the dark to soulful music can sometimes be the best stress reliever for me.
9.) Everytime I see a low, dark cloud now... I look extra close to make sure it's not a tornado!!
10.) Clemson is now ranked 22nd in public colleges in America... Go Us!
11.) I really wish it would stop raining... this is day 5 in a row of rain! Lake Hartwell is still 14 feet below where it's supposed to be... how is that possible after this monsoon!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Watch the Tigers tomorrow night at 8 o'clock EST on ABC. C-L-E-M-S-O-N!!!

Storm Chasers - Clemson Chapter

2008-08-26T20:45:00.003-04:00

So today was interesting. Started out by pouring all day yet again. There was a wreck on the way to school so I was late, couldn't find any parking and ended up being 15 or so minutes late to my 8 o'clock Nutrition class. It continued to rain all day long. I sat through two more classes... one of which was almost unbearably boring. I ate lunch with my sister and her friend and as our lunch visit ended the monsoon began to pour.

I decided I wasn't going outside till it let up a little bit and decided to go ahead and change for the kickboxing class I was going to after my last afternoon class. As I walk outside I noticed the sky was really dark. I walked to the window and a boy struggled to get the door open through the gusts outside, glanced at me, pointed out the window and said "LOOK!" Right there before my eyes, there was a very large funnel cloud that had formed and was touching down VERY CLOSE!!

Both of us stood there watching it, too much in awe to say anything when someone behind us yelled at us to "Get in!" We turned around and ran into the window-less room behind us! The severe weather sirens were going off and a loud speaker from somewhere was shouting "SEEK SHELTER!"

There we waited for about forty minutes. I called everyone I could in that time. Most everyone had left campus by this time (around 3:00pm) and my sister had just made it back to her dorm basement (although her umbrella did not).

We all emerged and there appeared to be no damage but lots of small twigs and leaves laying around outside. I went to class and people started to share their stories... a missing porch, telephone poles on fire, trees on cars, flooded roads. I left class and a friend gave me a ride to my car that was parked on the outskirts of campus behind the football stadium.

My friend tells me a tree fell on several cars that were parked in front of him and his was the first that was not hit. I get really nervous, trying to remember "Did I park under a tree this morning?" Thankfully, my car is all in one piece and the way I left it. I leave the parking lot, the football team is still evacuated in the volleyball gym and looking out on the mess. And then see where the tornado had touched down. There were a whole bunch of trees laying on the ground and in the road. Trucks were already working on clearing the branches from the road and cleaning up the mess. All of the power downtown Clemson and around the area was out.

I picked up my sister from her dorm basement where she had been made to stay for the last two hours and headed to a friend's apartment. Thankfully, no one I know was affected but it's still shocking that things like that can just happen without any warning. We are still right now at 9 o'clock under a tornado watch and flash flood warning. Keep all of the residents around the area in your prayers tonight and tomorrow while this weather clears out!

Here is a picture of the tornado today though it's not very clear. It's the same one at the beginning of my post. This picture looks to me like it was taken from the floor above the room I was in during the evacuation but definitely in the same building. If you Google "clemson tornado" it brings up a lot of news stories and pictures if you're really that interested.

"Nights" of Our Lives

2008-08-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

I've now been back at school for a full week. It has yet to take full effect since we have only had 3 days of classes so far. It is always interesting to see how differently college students live from the "real world". We have such different lifestyles of people that have a job and kids and I can't yet imagine having that lifestyle.

Mainly, college students keep weird hours. I have yet to go to bed before 2 a.m. since I've been back and have stayed up till 5 a.m. more than half of last week. Why do I do this? I really don't know. Maybe because half of last week I didn't have to go to class or do homework. Maybe it's just because I can so I do.

I noticed the other night when I was out at around 4 a.m. that there was an amazing amount of traffic for the middle of the night. At home I can get out of a movie shortly after midnight, drive home and only see a handful of cars. But here it's perfectly normal to see regular traffic in the middle of the night.

I'm sure that once school gets in full swing and I have tests and homework and other obligations that I will go to bed at a rather decent hour.

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-08-21T23:40:00.003-04:00

First two days of school are over! I had one class Wednesday and four yesterday. And best of all I have no classes today!!! So far all of my courses seem relatively easy and it seems like only one of my teachers will be boring.

Moving in went fairly well. Just a lot of carrying stuff around but over all, Henceforth's move in to the dorm went much more smoothly than mine.

It has been nice to get back into a routine again. I live much better with a schedule.

Monday I stayed up for twenty-eight hours straight in line for tickets to our season opener againt Alabama but it was a lot of fun. The line wrapped more than halfway around the stadium and it was like a giant party all night long.

So I'll fill you in later when I'm not really tired. Here are this Friday's Fun Factoids.

1.) Last week I watched all six seasons of Sex and the City on DVD. It took up the majority of my time during the entire week.
2.) I don't remember anything from FCA last night because I was very worried that the ginormous bugs in the grass I had to sit in were crawling up my pants.
3.) I loved sleeping in my own bed this last week. I had forgotten how much I missed it.
4.) But I have yet to make my bed once this week. I'm usually very good about doing it.
5.) I already have seventeen chapters of reading in various books for homework after only two days of classes.
6.) I need to give my car a bath badly. Black looks dirty so easily.
7.) I wear earrings everyday... they are a necessity to me.
8.) 8 days till Clemson vs. Alabama season opener!!!
9.) My bedroom is pink and brown.
10.) I love shrimp sauce at Japanese restaurants.
11.) The third toe on my left foot is longer than the second one.

And on that random note... Have a nice weekend!

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-08-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

1.) I love it in movies and tv shows when the guy calls his girlfriend/lover "kid". Like "here's looking at you kid" from Casablanca.
2.) Getting a corner spot in the parking lot. You know so that you only have a car on one side of you.
3.) It is exactly 222 miles from my house to my apartment at school.
4.) I'm going to see Hootie and the Blowfish tonight!!! yay!
5.) I'm going to school tomorrow! yay!
6.) I hate pennies... I have a jar full of them. I never ever use pennies!
7.) I hate wearing socks and watches. Too bad for me that with nursing I have to wear them both everyday!! ;)
8.) I like my steak medium-rare.
9.) My black eye has turned a different color everyday this week... first blue, then red, now it's black... next is green and then yellow (can't wait for that stage, ha).
10.) My fingernails are painted black right now and I love it!
11.) I would do almost anything for a full body massage right now!! Seriously!

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend! I'll be busy moving myself and my sister into school. Thankfully all I have to do is put my clothes back in my closet. My sister on the other hand has to move EVERYTHING... yay... sike!

Monday's post is sure to be exciting because exciting things happen at school not in Flowertown! Goodbye Ville! Hello Tigertown!

Stunna Shades

2008-08-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

These are my shades.

They are near and dear to my heart, literally. When they are not on my face they are hanging around my neck.

They go with me everywhere. I would be completely blinded by brightness if I didn't wear them when it is the least bit sunny outside. The slightest bit of glare gives me a headache if I don't have on my sunglasses.

I also think that croakies are the most wonderful invention ever!!! I have never been one to put a pair of sunglasses on my head and them stay there. They fall down and come to rest on the tip of my nose. And I definitely don't like it when people put there sunglasses on the front of their shirt... it stretches out the shirt and makes it look terrible.

Now of course, I put them in there case when I am inside for extended periods of time. That is what my cut case is for in my purse. For when I'm at work, or at dinner, or sleeping.

Manic Monday Memories

2008-08-12T14:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so first order of business... I can't get the computer to read the memory card in my mom's camera. That means I can't put up any interesting pictures to go along with my post. I took a whole bunch of pictures of my car. And now it won't work!

I also got a black eye yesterday playing at the pool and I can't put up any embarrassing pictures of that either. Bri wacked me right under my eye while we were playing "Alligator" with Bruddy and Max. I think it's God's way of telling me that I'm too old to play games at the pool anymore.

Four days left till I go back to school. There are boxes and random things all over our house for Henceforth and I to move back on Saturday. I have a lot to do this week. We are having a girl's night out tonight with a couple of my girlfriends from high school. Tomorrow lunch with another girlfriend. Thursday I'm going to the waterpark with a girlfriend and her niece and nephew and probably Max. Then family dinner that night if Pater Familias is back in time. Friday I'm going to the beach all day and then to a Hootie and the Blowfish concert that night. Whew!

So yesterday was not fun... aside that I got to hang out with Hunnybee. I got a black eye for one.

I woke up at 6am to take my dad to the airport for his flight to New York. We get there to find out that the flight was overbooked (he was supposed to take of Sunday afternoon but it was canceled). Then they decided to cancel the flight all together because the plane is "broken". This is at around 8:45... over an hour and half after the plane was originally supposed to take off. So Mommy Dearest and I leave the auto shop where we had taken the van and the jeep to be fixed. We drive the jeep which they hadn't started to work on yet back to the house to get my car. We took the jeep back to the auto place on the way to the airport. Then we drove around the airport and finally waited in a parking lot for almost 3o mins while the airport people took my dad's and the other passengers' luggage off of the "broken" plane.

My mom decides to rent a car and drive my dad to Myrtle Beach, roughly 2 hours away, to catch a flight from there at 1 o'clock. As we head home we have to pass the auto shop again and see that the van has now been finished (it's almost 10'clock by now) and they decided to just leave straight from there. My poor mom has no make up, no shower, and has to drive all the way to Myrtle Beach.

I head home to get the boys and take them to the pool (where I get my black eye). Hunnybee's little cousin was there. He's a sweet little boy about one and half. He started saying he had to go "tee-tee". So I pick him up and run to the bathroom pulling off the wet bathing suit as we go. Just as we get to the toilet... plop... little baby poop falls right on my foot! Lovely!

I head home and call my mom only to find out that my dad's 1 o'clock flight has not taken off yet (it's now 2:45pm). I then go looking at 2 different grocery stores for some protein shake sick Henceforth wants. Henceforth's boyfriend then takes me to the auto store to get the jeep and I was supposed to go pick up Bruddy from a pool across town. Totally forgot till I got home and went searching for my cell phone (which I had forgotten in a hurry to get to the auto shop) and there was a text that he had sent me. I went back out and got him, came home, made dinner, and proceeded to watch the Sex and the City dvds I'm borrowing till about 10:30pm at which point I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open.

So that's my wonderful Monday... Tuesday's going much better so far. And there's a new poll on the right side bar!!! Vote on it!

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-08-08T07:00:00.002-04:00

Here we go... I'll try to actually finish the list this time!

1.) 1 week left before I go back to school
2.) I have exactly 100 contacts in my phone right now
3.) My toes are painted Mediterranean Pink.
4.) I drink around 80 ounces of water everyday.
5.) I haven't cut my hair since St. Patrick's Day this year.
6.) I am completely obsessed with Shaken Iced Tea Lemonades from Starbucks right now.
7.) I'm ready to go contra dancing tonight!!!
8.) I could probably survive on waffle fries from Chick-fil-a.
9.) My sister is exactly 20 months younger than me to the day.
10.) I am more excited about the first football game this year than about Christmas!
11.) I don't own an umbrella.

I don't have pics of my new baby yet b/c it poured rain all day yesteray prohibiting the photo shoot. I promise I'll have some Monday!

Here's a picture from my senior year of hs... we were having our pictures taken by our madre and decided to goof off. This is Henceforth, me, and Max.

Have a fantastic weekend everybody!!!

BACK!!!

2008-08-07T08:30:00.002-04:00

I've been really busy the last week or so. I haven't posted much of anything and messed up my friday facts :( sorry. Here's what's been happening in my life.

Thursday, Stick Lady and Bo came down to hang out with me and my mom. Stick Lady and I went to the beachA for a total of 10 minutes before it started raining and we had to leave. Friday, Mommy Dearest took me to Columbia to meet Lucky Lime and from there LL and I went to Tigertown for the weekend for LL's 20th birthday celebration.

I stayed with LL at her and Pony Girl's new apartment. Saturday was a nice day by the pool... completely relaxing. Saturday night we went to Greenville to dinner and to go to Falls Park and then back to the pool for more swimming.

Lucky Lime with her birthday cake!! She's so beautiful!

Me, Lucky Lime and Pony girl.

Chicken fighting... we're young at heart ;)

Sunday, Lucky Lime and I went back to Florence where she lives. Monday we went to visit Prissy and I got a new car from Prissy's padre. Yep, I got a 2007 Mazda 6. It's my first car and I love it so far.

I'll post some more pictures tomorrow so you can get the full effect!

I stayed in Florence till Tuesday and came back to Flowertown Wednesday. Yesterday I spent unpacking and doing stuff around mi casa. Today it's back to work and back to the gym. I haven't worked out in over a week now!!!

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-08-01T07:00:00.001-04:00

It's Friday again! Yay... here go once mas factoids.

1.) I get cold really easily.
2.) I know all of the words to Ice, Ice Baby... go ahead and laugh, I am.
3.)

Thumbs Down

2008-07-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

So last week I stumbled across Meg's Blog where she was talking about her dislike of tomatoes. It reminded me... I did 101 of my favorite things not long ago and I said I would make a list of things I didn't like. This list is considerably shorter!

1.) TOMATOES (yuck)
2.) Clowns (I freak out around clowns)
3.) Lightning
4.) Mosquitoes (if I get bit, it swells up A LOT)
5.) Any other type of bug (except lady bugs and granddaddy long legs, i can deal with those)
6.) Poor grammar
7.) Cheap air fresheners
8.) Fake plants
9.) Being cold (unless I'm sleeping)
10.) I can't find one of my pearl earrings :(
11.) My apartment doesn't get ABC Family or Disney Channel, among a lot of other channels we don't get there
12.) Elevators (I got stuck in one when I was little)
13.) Crooked pictures
14.) Raw mushrooms (I can eat them if they are chopped up little and are cooked)
15.) Forgetting my sunglasses.
16.) When it takes professors weeks to grade a test! (Seriously, I don't understand the ones that take forever... if some of my professors can post grades in less than 12 hours then everyone can do it in a couple of days).
17.) Having a craving but not know what you are craving.
18.) Driving in the rain.
19.) Bad music.
20.) When I need cash and don't have it... which is always!!

There we go a short little list of some things that get me agitated. I'm glad that it was relatively easy for me to come up with 101 things I loved but a good while to come up with only 20 things I don't like. I'm glad I'm not a really picky person or I would be constantly agitated.

Friday's Fun Factoids

2008-07-25T07:00:00.003-04:00

So every Friday I'm going to give you 11 factoids about myself. Factoids are usually brief and trivial and that's what these will be. There are also known to be somewhat untrue. I promise you that at the time of post these are true. However, as the author I reserve the right to change the factoid. So if you are reading this a year from now, things could have possibly changed. Here go the first 11 facts.

1.) My middle name is Jayne.
2.) I share this name with my mom, my aunt and my cousin.
3.) One day my little girl will share it also.
4.) My birthday is Novemeber 2nd.
5.) The same as Marie Antoinette, Daniel Boone, Warren G. Harding, & James K. Polk.
6.) It's also the Day of the Dead. I know you're jealous.
7.) I lived in Columbia, SC until I was 11.
8.) 11 is my favorite number... hence, 11 facts.
9.) I like being very organized.
10.) My closet is arranged by item of clothing.
11.) And then by color.

So those aren't that fun but I need to work on this some.

And here's a random picture!

Of Syd!

She says have a great weekend!

"Dancin', Shaggin' on the Boulevard"

2008-07-24T07:00:00.002-04:00

You may have heard this song by Alabama and wondered about it. If you are not from the South you could be thoroughly puzzled as to what shagging is! I remember meeting two guys at the beach one time that were from Texas and they were videotaping their trip. They wanted us to talk about SC so me and my friends named of some things. When someone said shaggin' their faces were surprised. They had only heard of shaggin' in Austin Powers movies. I assure you it is not the British version.

The Carolina Shag is a dance that came out of Myrtle Beach in the early 1900's after WWI and is now our official state dance here in SC. I would describe it as a slower version of swing dancing. Usually shag is danced to beach music like "I Love Beach Music" and "Carolina Girls", however, bluegrass can be used also. Shag was such a hit that it has grown to huge popularity in the South. Now older people and teenagers enjoy the same dance. It is a rare thing in today's world to experience such a commonality.

When Northern students come to Clemson and sign up for classes, they are bewildered when they see that several levels of shag classes are offered in Leisure Skills classes. I took a class last year in the fall and I'm taking another this fall.

Here are some pictures of Max and I shaggin' a couple weeks ago. He's learning and is already better than a lot of guys my age.

Please ignore our clothes. Haha.

One...

Two...

Three! Closed position.

He was having so much fun! :)

Here are some Youtube videos that will show you a sample of what it looks like in motion.

In this video, they are just doing basic steps and moves. Most people know how to do this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9zYP_oirDU&feature=related

These guys can dance really well and a really advance. I definitely can't do this! Maybe someday but these guys dance professionally and compete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaUWs63iBz0

Here are some kids shagging. They are really good also!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hel4aZ_4af0&feature=related

Ok this is the last video. You might want to turn off your sound because it's very crackly. But this is a good example how everyone shags a little differently and with their own style. I'm not really sure what the boy in the middle is doing but watch everyone else around them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGJx1mI-wns

Back to School Joys

2008-07-22T10:41:00.004-04:00

As the time for school draws nearer, there is one particular aspect of going back to school that has always made me very exuberated. That is shopping for school supplies. Now I love shopping for school supplies at all times of the year but at the end of the summer it is a huge deal. Stores set aside special displays for all of the crayons, folders, and glue sticks. Target always has a very pleasing set up with bins of pencils, erasers and anything else you could need. I don’t know why but the sight of a hundred pounds of mini staplers just makes me so happy.

I am always interested to see what new stuff they come up with each year. This year I was pretty fascinated with the No-cap Magic Markers. They just twist up and down like some pens do. I like this idea so that you don’t lose the cap and the marker dries out.

My favorite school supplies include the following: Post-It notes, fine point pens, highlighters, calculators (because I’m terrible at math) and markers (I had over 100 at one point in high school that I kept in a gallon Ziploc bag).

I also like looking at the new bookbags. At my high school pretty much everyone had a L.L. Bean bookbag… I had a navy one for a while. Northface bookbags were also popular so I got one of those senior year and still use it. Now I use big bags mostly to carry around my books but it still makes me happy when I’m walking around campus and I see someone in front of me with a L.L. Bean book bag with their initials monogrammed on it.

We also put games on our graphing calculator. I handed down mine to my younger brother since I don’t have to take anymore math classes ever (can I get a hallelujah!). But I still miss games like Home Run Derby (which I was very good at) and Black Hole (which I was not) and countless other games that we played at inappropriate times.

A few school supplies that I don’t miss from high school are bookcovers for one. I hated putting them on my books. Mainly because there was always someone that put the exact same cover on that you had put on a particular book.

I look forward to the day when I get to take my kiddies shopping for fun school supplies. My kid's school supplies are definitely going to be better than your kids. :)

And we have a new poll to the right. Check it out! You have till the 29th of this month to vote!

Spring Cleaning... for my computer

2008-07-19T16:21:00.003-04:00

So for the last six months or so my laptop has been having a lot of problems... running really slowly, overheating, shutting itself off. I haven't even used it in the last three or so months because it wasn't worth the pain to be on the computer. I figured I had some really bad virus or something.

So Thursday, Mommy Dearest and I took my laptop up to Best Buy and I explained to them the problems I've been having. I've been very stressed about my computer for the last few months, thinking there's no way I can afford to buy a new one right now. So the nice man from the Geek Squad was like it sounds like you might have a problem with your fan. He was like it takes a while to replace a fan but that he could do it.

He went in the back and came back out with a can of compressed air. He proceeded to spray it in the side of my laptop. Well, I think enough dust came out that could cover every surface in my room if I didn't dust for a whole year. He was like "wow, that's you're problem!" He took my computer in the back and reversed the flow on a vacuum and stucked out a lot more dust bunnies.

So, I have my computer back now... running fine. I got a can of air so I can "dust" my computer out every month. I'm very happy that I don't have to get another computer(although I would like a Mac) and the Geeks told me that I have an "awesome" computer. Hopefully, my "awesome" computer will behave much better in the future now that it's clean.

Neville's Story

2008-07-18T08:46:00.007-04:00

On August 19, 2006, the sun was just coming up in Columbia, SC when the family stopped on the way to Tigertown at Lowe’s to buy some moving necessities. On the way out of the store Neville was adopted. An unnamed plant was also adopted and they left Columbia on their journey to college. Neville and his unnamed sister were placed in the back in between all of their Mom’s boxes and a chair. Neville was named after Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter because Longbottom loved Herbology, the study of plants.

When they arrived in Tigertown and began to unload Mom’s life out of the back of her mom’s van, the plants were placed on top of some boxes right outside the new dorm room and watched all day as everything was put away. At last all the clothes were in the closet, the bed was made, and the books on the shelves. The plants were brought in and hung, one on each side under the bed that had been lofted five feet in the air.

There Neville and his sister hung up there for several weeks, watching new friends come and go. They saw the late night studying and heard the sounds of people talking loudly in the bathroom across the hall at all hours. After about three months, Neville’s sister became very sickly of unknown causes and shortly after was buried in the fifth story garbage shoot on the other end of the hall. But Neville thrived and grew up, anxious to see the action that was unfolding before him.

The rest of the semester Neville surveyed out the window the crowd that appeared on Saturdays for football games. The people in orange must show up sometime in the night because when he went to sleep they weren’t there and in the morning the whole campus was booming with tailgating. The dorm room had a wonderful view. Neville could see the top of Tillman Clock tower, the top of Death Valley, the edge of Lake Hartwell and the mountains in the distance.

Here, Mere, Kiki and Prissy are tailgatin'... getting ready for the FSU game last fall.

He also saw the first failed test and the first A. Neville meet Kiki, Peach, Hunner, Dustbunny, Prissy, Lucky Lime and Pony Girl. Neville saw his mom’s 19th birthday and he saw the computer crash. The first semester exams went by and second semester came.

Neville had the dorm room to himself with his mom after the other girl who lived there left. Spring semester brought better grades and more new friends. February also brought snow. It was the first time he had seen snow and it was beautiful covering the campus outside the window. Neville was excited that there was no class that day. He watched the people outside slide down the dam and build snowmen.

This is Bowman field... it sits at the front of the school, just before you get to downtown(which is to the left in this picture). This was about 6:30am the day it snowed.

As spring went along, Neville saw less and less of the girls in the dormitory. They were drawn outside by the baseball games, the nice weather to lay out in and the spring break take his mother to New York City.

Here are Henceforth and Mere in Times Square... it was very cold for a spring break! It even snowed while they were there.

Then one afternoon, Neville watched as the first eight months of his life was packed up in boxes and taken back to Flowertown for the summer. Neville was happy to be home and sat in the big window all summer. But pretty soon it was time for another move. It was August again and Neville was moving in with his mom, Kiki, Prissy and Peach into a town house.

Neville took his place on top of the fridge in the new home where he could take everything in and scrutinize the cooking of the girls that lived there. Cooking was the only thing that went on in that kitchen. He met Miss Moon and D. Neville watched as people came over for dinner and saw mom’s 20th birthday come and go with a party. He saw the frying pan catch on fire. He saw the girls dance in the kitchen and laugh the fall semester away. He missed the dorm's fifth story window where he could see the school, but was very happy to be in a quieter place.

This is Prissy, Mere, and Kiki at their townhouse. It's football season... notice the record on the fridge.

Neville went home for Christmas with his mom and there had surgery that was very successful in producing another plant, Luna, for Henceforth from a long appendage. Neville wanted to go back to school though and pretty soon took his place back on top of the refrigerator. Poor Neville lost a few limbs after being shut in the freezer and having to have more surgery to remove the frostbitten appendages.

Neville enjoyed watching the people come and go, wishing them luck with their classes and missing them on weekends when they left to go out of town. In March, Neville was very excited to hear that his mother was accepted into nursing school and celebrated with everyone. But once again the weather got warmer and the girls were drawn out of the house with baseball and to the pool across the street.

This is Peach, Prissy, Mere, Kiki and a friend on Kiki's birthday in April. Neville is watching the girls taking lots of pictures like they always do.

Now Neville is in Flowertown again for the summer. Sitting in the big window and waiting for fall to come. Neville is waiting to see what will happen this year.

101 Things I Love

2008-07-17T10:28:00.003-04:00

I've decided to summarize myself in 101 things that reveal my personality somewhat. I promise to be quick :)

1.) My family
2.) My friends
3.) My baby pillow(can’t sleep w/o it)
4.) The beach (how generic)
5.) Monograms
6.) Text messaging
7.) Bobby pins
8.) PDAs (don’t have one, want one)
9.) Photography (my camera is currently broken)
10.) My piano
11.) Palmetto trees
12.) Grey’s Anatomy (I started watching that show the first season only because the girl’s name was Meredith)
13.) Mascara
14.) My Costas
15.) LemonBerry slushies from Sonic
16.) Kickboxing
17.) Running
18.) Online banking
19.) Peach colored roses
20.) Cooking desserts
21.) Watching baseball
22.) Boston Red Sox
23.) Football season
24.) Clemson!!
25.) Moos from Moe’s
26.) Dave Matthews Band
27.) Tervis Tumblers (you should get one or two or three)
28.) Post – It notes (pink ones)
29.) Cool showers in the afternoon on a summer day
30.) Really old pictures
31.) Watermelon
32.) Zalads from Zaxby’s
33.) Mandarin oranges
34.) My brown Rainbows
35.) Ceiling fans set to medium
36.) Neapolitan Dynamite – Ben & Jerry’s
37.) Cape Cod Chicken Salad on a croissant
38.) Yorkies (I WILL have one one day)
39.) Weather.com
40.) Gone with the Wind – book and movie
41.) Panera
42.) When I have Tigerstripe money
43.) Crème Brulee Cheesecake (definitely suggest trying this)
44.) My iHome
45.) The fact that I don’t have to wax my eyebrows
46.) Coors Light
47.) Scientific or medical terminology
48.) The way the bathroom smells after my daddy shaves
49.) Facebook chat
50.) Bibles with a concordance
51.) My earrings
52.) Drag-n-drop
53.) Knowing the words (or at least most of them) to a rap
54.) Trying to randomly (and fluently) speak in Spanish
55.) To-Go cups
56.) When the radio plays exactly the song I want it to play
57.) The fact that there are songs on my iPod I’ve never heard
58.) Chocolate Lovin’ Spooncake from McAllister’s
59.) Broadway (even though I’ve only ever seen one show, I loved it!)
60.) The feeling of Friday at lunchtime
61.) Sitting in the middle of the couch between the cushions (that’s my spot)
62.) Charleston Chews(vanilla)
63.) Discovering a new band
64.) Walks on the beach
65.) Apples to Apples
66.) Croakies
67.) The fact that I know all 50 state capitals (I’m working on national capitals now and African countries)
68.) Things that smell like vanilla
69.) Kitchen stores
70.) The pineapple water fountain at the waterfront park (see picture in previous blog)
71.) T-shirts (I have well over 50)
72.) Pandora radio
73.) Getting all the green lights from Azalea Square to my house
74.) Black nail polish (no, I’m not emo)
75.) The smell of the ocean as you get closer to the beach
76.) Parentheses (if you can’t tell)
77.) When you have a wonderful waiter or waitress
78.) The smell of an indoor pool
79.) Proper grammar
80.) My mom’s polish pottery
81.) Iced sweet tea
82.) Sweet emails
83.) That it only snows one time a year at school and never at home (I’ve come to learn I’m not really a huge fan of snow, it’s just exciting because it rarely happens)
84.) Magnolias
85.) When the leaves fall in autumn.
86.) Breaking a $20
87.) Studying on the first floor of the library(which is 3 floors underground) in the back = no cell service
88.) Organization
89.) Peanut Butter
90.) Tailgating
91.) The fact that I carry my life in my purse
92.) The smell of gasoline
93.) Wedding shows
94.) InStyle magazine
95.) My plant. His name is Neville.
96.) Art galleries
97.) Nightgowns
98.) Hand sanitizer.
99.) Harry Potter
100.) Shagging
101.) Zicam

These are in no particular order, just the order I thought of them. I hope you didn't get bored by #23 and stop. I tried not to say generic things like "shopping, music, shoes" blah blah.

Maybe soon I'll do a list of things I don't like. Not tomorrow though, too soon. Tomorrow is Neville's story so come back and read it. It's going to be good. Have a wonderful Thursday!!

ETA: 31 days

2008-07-16T09:22:00.006-04:00

One month till the move back to school happens. I have most of my stuff in my apartment still but we will have to move all of Henceforth's stuff into her dorm room. Although this has been a long summer, time is now flying by and things need to be done. I still have to get my computer fixed, get books, buy a car, move my clothes back before we move in Henceforth.

I am very excited that I will not have any classes on Friday and my only class on Monday is Intermediate Shag. I took 8am classes everyday both fall and spring semester last year and it was terrible! I don't suggest doing that if you can help it. Give yourself at least 1 day that you don't have to get up early.

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to about going back to school:

1.) I can take naps again which I can't do now since I work all day.

2.) Having a pool 100 feet from my front door.

3.) Football season.

FSU Season Opener - Labor Day 2007

4.) My own bathroom.

5.) No humidity.

More football! Homecoming Game 2007

Here are a few things I'm not looking forward to:

1.) Nutrition at 8am on Tues/Thurs.

2.) Terrible cable/internet... the internet works 50% of the time and we don't get very many channels especially ABC family and disney channel.

3.) Walking to class in 95 degree weather the first couple weeks of school.

4.) The water tastes gross (my hair likes it though).

5.) Standing in line for football tickets.

TGIF

2008-07-11T09:36:00.010-04:00

Today is July 11th. Today is Max's 12th birthday. Today is Friday. Today is not off to a good start. It is only 9:30am and the day is not going well. First of all, Steve(the red Jeep) would not start and is currently at the auto shop getting fixed. It's also probably one of the most humid days we've had so far this summer. It's drizzling also... not enough for an umbrella but enough to be annoying.

On the fourth, my girlfriends Lucky Lime and Miss Moon came to visit and we went to Dave Matthews and spent the day in Charleston.

It was brutally hot but we toughed it out and had a wonderful day full of shopping and history.

This is one of my favorite spots in Charleston. The pineapple fountain at the waterfront park.

We ate at Mellow Mushroom before heading over to the concert and we met a drunken pseudo-racecar driver who autographed our to-go boxes and told us it would be worth $2 one day. He was very interesting and his "crew chief" gave Lucky Lime his number. Then the highlight of the weekend was of course the man himself, DAVE MATTHEWS. After standing in a rowdy line for about 45 minutes we finally made it inside the stadium and pushed our way to the opposite side where our seats were. The stage is out of the shot to the right.

We got there and untied Miss Moon's camera from LL's undies (our solution to the no camera policy). We were a bit disappointed we were so far away but then it dawned on us to try to get on the field. AND IT WORKED!! The nice old security man didn't even look at our tickets and told us to enjoy our night... I think he made a lot more people than us happy that night.

We are very excited to be there!! There were a couple of ridiculous people around us. One guy was soaking wet (we couldn't tell if it was from sweat or the fact that he was giving everyone a shower with his water bottle) and he kept dancing around and bouncing in to LL... much to her dismay.

The sun went down and surprisingly it just got hotter not cooler. This is about as close as we got but it was a lot better than where we were supposed to be sitting.

Here is the man. It took a lot of effort to get this shot. I think the two tallest people in the whole place were standing in front of us at one point!!

Yay for Dave.

The rest of this week has been rather uneventful. Wednesday Mommy Dearest and I took Bruddy up to visit some friends around Tigertown and I went to my apartment and took a few clothes and things I'm not going to use until I get back to school. The countdown is at 36 days till Henceforth and I move back to school.

Hopefully, the weekend will not be like my morning. G00d thing I drank some coffee this morning. :)

All photos of Dave are courtesy of Miss Moon.

Solid CO2

2008-07-03T15:35:00.017-04:00

So today I stayed home from work to clean up the house a little bit in anticipation for the arrival of Lucky Lime and Miss Moon from Flo. We got a UPS delivery which was very exciting. Frozen burgers and franks from Omaha, YUM. The best part though was underneath all the meat was a package of dry ice. I told Max I had a surprise for him and when I gave him the bag of ice he was not very thrilled. I told him it was dry ice and his reaction was "so?". I told him it was cool ice, no pun intended. So we started playing with it and pretty soon Bruddy joined in the fun. Here are some pictures of our different "experiments".

First thing you do is take a small piece of dry ice and pour water on top.

TA-DA... "smoke".

Then we put dish soap in it...

The bubbles were frozen...

So when you popped them they turned smoky again.

Bruddy got a pretty tall stack but it broke in half shortly after this shot.

Notice the concentration :)

Then we decided to put Germ-X(one of my favorite things) in on top of the soap. This is what happens... bigger bubbles.

The thin dark piece is the dry ice.

I think this is baking soda and vinegar but I'm not 100% sure.

"NO, Bruddy!" (*Please do not eat or inhale dry ice*)

Closed off.... and OPEN!

The little scientist

Here is a view of all the "experiments" going on... Bruddy is taking videos on his phone.

Infinite Vocabulary

2008-07-02T16:36:00.007-04:00

Have you ever learned the meaning of a word or phrase and then it was used by someone later that day or the next. This happens to me all the time although I can't think of a specific instance at the moment. Why am I all the sudden so aware of the word?

It makes me wonder before I knew the meaning of a word my mind completely blocks it out or skips over it when I hear or read it. Or is it because is is fresh in my mind that I am so much more aware when the word is used.

Which ever is the case, I am always amazed when this happens because it makes me wonder about all the other words out there I don't know yet. I am also equally amazed when its seems like everyone but me knows the definition of a word. I guess I didn't pay attention to Word Within a Word quizzes as much as I should have.

Here is Noah Webster himself. Can you imagine being his friend or collegue and trying to carry on a conversation with someone that possesses such an extensive vocabulary?

Also I've added a link on the right side-bar that allows you to subscribe to my blog so you don't have to keep checking back for a new post but it will be delivered promptly to your email.

"Where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness, Where the Tigers play"

2008-06-26T11:53:00.004-04:00

Mommy Dearest, Henceforth and I went up to Tigertown on Sunday for orientation. We stayed at my apartment and visited with Kiki a little bit. Monday we started the unpleasant orientation process which included standing in long lines, walking around in the heat, parking far away, sitting through boring presentations. Monday night we went to G-Vegas to eat with Fiddly and Matt since it’s halfway between Tigertown and Sparkle City . We had a very nice visit even though the waitress wasn’t too pleased that we stayed at the table over two hours.

Tuesday morning we got up early again to do more unnecessary stuff. Then Henceforth went off to register for her classes and Mommy Dearest and I went to shop around downtown. We went to visit Pony Girl at her new apartment while we waited on the computer people to install software on Henceforth’s laptop. Henceforth is all signed up for classes now and has possibly even found a roommate so I guess it was a successful, if not long, orientation. Tuesday night we went to the Wright’s house (our long time friends in Sl-Easley) for dinner. We were on the road by 10pm and got home around 1:30am !!

This is a picture of Tillman Hall that I took freshman year from my dorm. It's blurry but I still think it's pretty.

Other VIPs

2008-06-19T12:32:00.009-04:00

Ok, so now the left over people i.e. the boys, some other fam, and my dog.

First are Stick Lady’s boys, for whom I’ve thought of names.

The oldest is The Normal One. He recently gave himself this nickname at my house because I told him he was normal because he ate pickles, my brothers do not. He’s three weeks younger than Max and a little bit taller. He reminds me a little bit of Bruddy when he was little in his personality. He has recently spent almost the last two weeks at our house and it's hard to believe he's grown up so much... I still remember putting Max and The Normal One in walkers and yelling at them to race each other with passies in their mouthes.

Next is Lil' Red. I'm going to call him this because he's a little redneck but an adorable one. He also had strawberry blonde hair when he was born. Lil' Red is just finishing 1st grade. He likes to come to my house and bang on the piano so Mommy Dearest makes me lock it before he comes. Lil' Red gets a lot of grief from the big boys but he's going up fast himself. Lil' Red was born the night we were supposed to have a "surprise party" for Mommy Dearest's birthday. She left to go to the hospital a few hours away and I still didn't tell her she was having a "party" and so she came back at like 10 o'clock that night. I was not happy that Lil' Red decided to be born that night.

The Normal One and Lil' Red's daddio is Jug Head. He's a regular redneck like his son. He lives in Podunkville with most of Mommy Dearest's family.

Then comes Deer. He’s Hunnybee’s BF and one of my best friends from HS also. Deer goes to Francis Marion also and he pitches for their baseball team. Deer is fun to goof off with and have inside jokes. He’s a sweetheart and very loyal.

Then the other people always at my apartment are the BFs…D, Hunner and Dustbunny.

D is Prissy’s BF. He’s from S-town like Kiki and goes to Anderson University. He plays baseball, center, for the Trojans. He’s a pretty smart kid and funny too. He’s good taste in music and he can sing if you can catch him. D and Hunner can eat more ketchup than anyone else I know.

Then comes Hunner. He is Kiki’s BF and D’s BFF. Hunner is also from S-town. Hunner likes to hunt and fish and do other manly things. He can scare you to death while he’s driving but he’s a least better than Henceforth. Hunner is two days older than me and is just as country as Kiki.

Peach’s BF is Dustbunny. He’s a drummer in the band and tells me what kind of new music I should listen to. Dustbunny is from Sl-Easley, so he’s a former Greenwave like myself.

Then there is Bri. He’s one of my only friends from HS that goes to the same college as me. Bri and I share very sarcastic sense of humors. He knows a lot about sports and is very smart. Bri is one of the few boys I know that can dress himself well.

Then there is Cory. I met him through Bri freshman year. Cory is from Sparkle City. He’s also very smart like Bri. Cory knows how to throw a good tailgate and seems to be friends with everyone. Cory and Bri are going to move into the apartments next to mine this fall so I’m very excited that they will be closer.

Then I have my Ohio friends. They were Lucky Lime's neighbors this last year and they always had something going on every weekend. These boys are hilarious and think Sperry's are for old people. They are moving away next year also and I will miss not being able to walk to their apartment.

Last is Syd. Syd is our doggy. She's the most energetic Aussie ever!! She's 7 1/2 and loves to keeps the squirrels out of Mommy Dearest's garden and bark at all of our neighbors to let us know that they've come home. She's very intelligent, probably smarter than me. She knows a lot of tricks and will gladly do them for you so long as there is something edible in return. She likes toys that squeek and to herd little kids like sheep into a group. Here's a picture of the pretty puppy.

This picture is me, Lucky Lime, Prissy and Pony Girl before going to Club Kryptonite over SB this year.

Here's a pic of me, Deer and Hunnybee on New Year's Eve this past year

And here's the roomies going out before we left for Christmas break... this was such a fun night!!

This is me and Miss Moon

This is D and Hunner when it snowed back in Jan. and I had the flu :(

I'll post more pics later of the other VIPs.

My Girls

2008-06-18T17:18:00.002-04:00

So yesterday you met most of my large family… today I’m going to tackle the other important people in my life.

First, is Hunnybee. She's from Flowertown like me and has my best friend since 12th grade. She goes to Francis Marion University. She’s your favorite southern girl. She is very understanding and knows when to have fun and when to be serious. She is very creative. She’s always doing a whole bunch of projects and they always come out very unique. Hunnybee is hot-headed and sassy, but that makes her who she is.

Al is from Flowertown also and goes to WU. Al knows all the good gossip and can dance like no other. We drive the same car and have very similar tastes in clothes. Al is out-going and fun but don't get on her bad side! I miss not seeing her everyday since we've gone to different schools. But I get to see her car drive by a lot because her BF lives around the corner.

Then I went to college and met some pretty ladies I call my roommates… Prissy, Kiki and Peach.

Prissy is my soulmate as far as girls go. She and I are very close to the same person. Prissy is from Flo and has introduced me to some other pretty cool people from there. She likes to dress up and go out and she also loves the beach and cars. Prissy knows more about cars than any other girl I know. Her driving scares me sometimes but so far I haven’t die in the many hours I have spent in Wendy, Prissy’s car.

Kiki is next. She’s from S-town. Kiki lived with Peach two doors over from me freshman year and I spent most of my time in her room since my roommate didn’t really exist. Kiki is a country girl to a T. She grew up on a dairy farm and likes to wear cowboy boots. When I introduce people to Kiki most of them ask me if her accent is real, to which I reply yes… we even have a Facebook group dedicated to it.

Peach is a Georgia Peach. She’s from Warner Robins, GA and she’s a super cool twirler. I like to watch her practice in the parking lot outside our townhouse. Peach shares the 3rd floor of our townhouse with me. We like to watch the same TV shows in our own rooms and then yell across the hall “Did you see that?” It takes Peach forever to tell a story but that ok because she has some pretty interesting stuff happen in her life.

Then we have Lucky Lime. LL is my partner in crime. We have been known to stay up all night on several occasions and we always manage to find the most interesting situations. LL can make friends with anyone and everyone loves her. She spends half of her life in her white fluffy bathroom and has long curly blonde hair. LL is from Flo also and was Prissy’s roommate last year. LL lived two buildings away last year but is moving down the road which I’m a little upset about.

Then we have Pony Girl, LL’s roomie. Pony Girl is from around Myrtle Beach and therefore has a crazy side to her. She loves animals and frequently brings home random ones. Pony Girl gets stressed out easy like me and we can wear the same size shoe sometimes. She’s a hot-head but she is very loving.

Among the many friends I’ve made from Flo, there is also sweet Miss Moon. She’s a lovely girl who is very sure of herself and is very intelligent. She joined the Nursing Program with me this spring also so I look forward to having classes with her for the next two and a half years. Miss Moon keeps me updated on the celebrities but mostly we talk about the more important things in life like God, our relationships and our future. Miss Moon and I are planning a Mediterranean Cruise after we graduate which I’m very excited about.

Then there’s Sambo. She’s my closest friend at CU that I went to HS with. Obviously, Sambo is from Flowertown like me. She’s probably got the most energy of anyone I know. She's crazy-fun, loves to dance and sing. Sambo was one of the first people I met when I moved to Flowertown which makes her special!

Mi Familia

2008-06-17T10:32:00.004-04:00

I've been reading some people's blogs and noticed that everyone has nicknames for the people in their lives... usually cute ones. So I'm going to introduce you to some of the people in my life.

First comes, Mommy Dearest... she's my mom, duh. Mother of four, 2 girls & 2 boys (I'm the oldest). She likes to do crafty, artsy things like paint and sew. I didn't recieve any of that talent. We both like to cook and sing though.

Then comes, Pater Familias. He's Daddy. He's an financial consultant. He likes golf, soccer and jazz music. Genes I got from my dad are: my passiveness and love of the beach and ocean. Pater Familias is very tall, 6' 3'' (a trait my 5' 1'' self did not inheirit).

Now on to Henceforth. She is mi hermana and my polar opposite. She got Mommy Dearest's artsy talent and attitute. A lot of people think we look a lot alike, I do not. She got Pater Familias's hazel eyes. She is exactly 20 months younger than me and several inches taller. She's recently graduated HS and is going to CU this fall majoring in Architorture.

Bruddy is next. He's the oldest boy and 4 1/2 years younger than me. He's one of those people that can pick up any sport and instantly be good at it. We both have brown eyes and curly hair, although his is blonder. Bruddy is my companion. We sit on the same side of the table, we go running together sometimes, and we have similar personalities. Bruddy is going to be a tree like Pater Familias.

Last in the immediate family is Max. Yes, I know. That's his real name. But if you have the pleasure of knowing the baby of our family. You would know that there is no single name you could call this child other than his own. He gets called Son or Maxie. He's the most imaginative, brilliant almost-12-year-old I have ever met. He is the only person in my family I am still taller than(by 1 inch). He also recieved Mommy Dearest's artsy skills, however, sadly, he recieved Pater Familias singing, or lack of, skills. Like big Bruddy, Max likes to work-out and play videogames. He also likes to read and this is where he gets very extensive vocabulary. Max uses big words that sometimes I don't even know what they mean.

Ok, on to the rest of the fam.

Lovely is Mommy Dearest only sister. She is married to Al. they live in Podunkville where Mommy Dearest grew up. Lovely is my favorite aunt and everyone always goes to her house for family get-togethers. She now has a pool, a cat named Wonder Woman and used to have this big red paddle that scared me when I was little even though I never got it.

Lovely has two daughters... Stick Lady and Fiddly.

Stick Lady lives in Podunkville also. She has two boys. She's a teacher's aide and is my fellow short person in the family. She likes Bon Jovi and her best friend is Peege. She has an adorable little Daschund, Molly. She comes to visit Flowertown (my hometown) often to bring her boys and hang out with us cool people.

I don't have names for her boys yet but I will think of some later.

Fiddly is the youngest of Lovely's daughters. She is married to Matt and lives near Sparkle City, close to Matt's fam. She teaches elementary school and, if I was in 4th or 5th grade, I would want "Mrs. Waffle" as my teacher. Prissy(more on her later) and I visited her classroom last fall and it was a lot of fun. Fiddly is the mommy to two of the craziest animals, Carolina( kitty) and Cocky (puppy). Both Fiddly and Matt went to USC and are BIG Gamecock fans. BOOO ;) Fiddly was my idol when I was little... if she had dyed her hair green(which she would never do BTW) I would have definitely wanted to do it also.

Then there's Mima, Mommy Dearest's madre. Mima is from England and has recently discovered computers and the Internet. She used to make really good breakfast when I was little and had this mini-electric organ that I played Mary Had A Little Lamb on non-stop( it was the only song I could play at the time). Mima also lives in Podunkville. She used to work at the jewelry counter at Belks so I have some jewelry from her and I loved the cosmetics samples that she got from her friends at the Clinque counter.

Then we have Bo. He's Mommy Dearest little brother. Bo introduced me to a new obsession I have with fried pickles. He lives with Connie near Da Beach in NC. He likes to be on a boat and, like me, always has sunglasses around his neck. He's still a cutie and my fellow Clemson fan.

Uncle D. is next. He is Mommy Dearest big brother. He lives near Boston. He recently came down for a visit when Henceforth graduated and sent me a very nice e-mail this morning. He's a funny, Italian yankee. He's got a ponytail now and has a million interesting stories. He is also a Red Sox fan like me.

Then we have Pup-pup. He is Pater Familas's pater. He's old. He's 70 years older than me so he'll be 91 this fall. Pup played golf every day when I was younger and used to let me drive his golf cart around. Pup calls Coke pop which I never understood as a kid. He was the president of the Rotary Club in Nowheretown, where Pater Familias grew up. Pup turned me on to some classic shows that I still like such as Jeopardy, Price is Right, and Sportscenter.

Pup was married to Grandma and even though she's passed away about 4 years ago, she's very special so she gets mentioned also. Grandma was your typical grandmother but she was very special. I spent a lot of time at "Grandma's House". Sandwiches remind me of her because lunchtime at Grandma's was always a whole spread of sandwich stuff. She also took her grands to the Watermelon Festival every year which is the local festival in Nowheretown. She had a ton of cool jewelry and purses. I wish that everyone could have a grandmother like her because she was special.

Ok, Pup and Grandma had two boys, Pater Familias and Judge. Judge lives near the capital of SC. He's a judge there and has 3 children. Judge is PF's older brother and enjoys the outdoors. Every year he goes with Pater Familias, Bruddy and Max hiking in the mountains for the weekend.

Judge's kids aren't kids anymore. They are Grizzly, TBP, and Cat.

Grizzly lives in NC. He's really big into the outdoors like his padre. He's hiked many trails including the Appalachian Trail and some other big ones I don't remember. Grizzly is a tree also like all of the men in their family.

TBP, which stand for the bass player, is next. He is the cool rocker cousin. He lives near the capital also.

Cat is the youngest and my only female cousin on my dad's side. She lives in our capital and is a lover of animals. We used to play with Littlest Pet Shop when we were little. Between her, Henceforth and me, we made some pretty cool animal towns. Cat also came to the Watermelon Festival with us during the summer. She is also tall.

And that's most of my family. I'll post another one soon and introduce to you to Hunnybee, my roommates and my other friends.

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Music to my ears... or not!

2008-06-04T14:40:00.005-04:00

Sometimes I get really mad at the DJs on the radio stations. Several reasons are:

1.) All they do is talk in the morning when I want to hear music, not about Britney's new boyfriend.

2.) Commercials are playing on every single station.

3.) Two stations are playing the same song, happened last night. I know they don't plan it but it irks me...

and, the reason I'm mad right now,

4.) They play the same songs over and over and over and over...

I don't understand why if there are 100 top hits out right now they play the same 4 or 5 songs every hour! I don't know who out there is requesting to hear the song again after they just heard it 45 minutes ago but they need to go buy the song on iTunes if they want to hear it that often.

I'm really sorry if you are one of the people that likes these songs right now, but I turn the station everytime I hear one of these songs.

1.) Pocket Full of Sunshine (I would rather eat tomatoes than listen to this song)

2.) No Air ( I used to like this song, before they played it so much I now know the words the back-ups sing.)

3.) Take a Bow (boring, this is a bad one Rihanna, sorry girl.)

4.) I'm Leaving ( sorry Jesse but you stole part of the tune from Leaving on a Jet Plane)

5.) Damaged (again, I liked this song well enought before it was overplayed)

There are a few songs out there that I get very excited when I hear it on the radio. Those are:

1.) All Around Me by Flyleaf

2.) All Summer Long by Kid Rock

3.) Summertime by NKOTB (yay, for a comeback)

4.) 4 Minutes by JT and Madonna

5.) Whoa! by Forever the Sickest Kids

For the most part, I'm realitively happy with country music right now and oldies are always good for me.

Check my List of Favorites for June and new quote of the month on the left sidebar.

Home at last... I think?

2008-05-08T14:45:00.003-04:00

I've been back in Summerville now for five days. I finished up exams on Saturday and headed home with Mommy Dearest and Bruddy that afternoon. Sunday I was very excited that we got to spend almost all day in Charleston and I didn't have to stress about school. Monday I spent most of the day getting settled with my things (and no, I did not bring home too many clothes or shoes). I got to spend almost all afternoon with Max playing Guitar Hero and watching black widow spider documentaries. ;)
Then came Tuesday... work starts. I only worked in the morning and about two hours after I came home I was bored already. I'm very glad to have a job to go to everyday to fill the time. I can't imagine not working, what do unemployed, childless people do?
After a long conversation with one of my friends the other day, we both came to the realization that we are no longer "living" in our houses. We are guests that come with suitcases and we have a forseeable end to our stay. Now when we come "home" it's for a visit (even if mine is three months long). Even though it's easy enough to slip back into everyday life with my family like I never left, sometimes I find myself standing in the kitchen wondering where something that I have never seen before gets put away or trying to figure out how to work the new dryer.
Now I'm looking forward to going "home" to Clemson after the summer is over. I feel like right now that's where I find my belongingness. Most of my stuff is there and my closest friends. Even though I still feel like I'm at home in Summerville, in the back of my head I know that I'm just here for a little while and that I'll be gone after a few months. It's a strange feeling because I know I'm not going to be living in my apartment in Clemson for the rest of my life but I don't know where I will move after that... to Summerville or somewhere else? Where will my new "home" be?

Last Days

2008-04-25T10:22:00.003-04:00

Today is the official last day of classes before exams start tomorrow. On the way to school this morning, Prissy turned to me and said "This is sad, we are getting old!". At first we both laughed but then realized that half of our college experience is almost over. I'm not really sure where the time has gone. On one hand I am ready to graduate and not have to take classes anymore but one the other, I'm going to miss the college lifestyle.
This past week has been crazy with everyone preparing for finals and making summer plans. Yet it only just sank in this morning that I only have one more week before I go home. It is also strange to think that when I come back this fall, Henceforth will be joining me. I think we will have a better relationship when we live in the same town but not the same house ;)
I am cherishing my last days here in Tigertown this semester with my best friends. I'm going to miss them this summer but thankfully they all live in SC for the most part so visits will be in order. I'm probably most excited about going to Dave Matthews July 4th with Miss Moon and Lucky Lime! I'm looking forward to spending time at home and with my family and just relaxing in the comfort of home for a few months.

A Warm Breeze

2008-03-13T16:49:00.004-04:00

So it is officially spring now and I could not be happier... I really do not like the cold weather! Even though it's still chilly in the morning the afternoons are just beautiful! I'm very excited for summer to be here. I put away all my sweaters and brought out my tank tops the other day. The flowers everywhere are blooming. I picked a daffodil in Falls Park today even though I don't think you're allowed to do that! Oh well!

Last week was spring break and I spent the week in Pawleys Island with my dearest Prissy! I was wonderful to not have to worry about school or really anything for a little while. We went out dancing three nights which is by far Prissy and my most favorite thing to do! One night we saw Vanilla Ice perform which was one of the highlights for me since I know every word to Ice Ice Baby. HA, feel free to laugh at me! The weather didn't cooperate as much as we would have like but we got in a few good days at the beach. On Thursday, Prissy, Prissy's madre, and I walked to the point of PI during low tide and took a bunch of pictures. (There's a link at the end of this blog to my photo page. I've decided to start putting pictures up there also since not everyone can see them on Facebook.) We took a trip to Summerville and visited with the family there. We did a little bit of shopping but since both of us are pretty broke we didn't get much. Overall, it was the best spring break ever and I'm very sad it's over.

This week it has been very difficult to get back into schoolwork so really I haven't done anything. I spent almost all day yesterday studying for my Spanish test this morning, got to class and the teacher said she was going to move it to Tuesday. I was not happy to say the least. Only four weeks left till exams and I'm starting to get nervous. I don't know why but I always get extremely stress during exams and it's starting early this semester.

The highlight of this week has been this morning when I met George Clooney in Greenville. I went with some of my friends to see him and Renee Zellweger promote their new movie. I got his autograph and a bunch of pictures. He is extremely nice and talked to me and Kara about what a pretty day it was :) He is probably one of my favorite actors and I was so excited to see him in person. (Also check the pictures link for pics of Mr. Clooney.)

I'm off to study Anatomy for my exam tomorrow morning. Here is the link for my pictures: http://community.webshots.com/user/mereinsc

Quotes I Love

2008-03-03T19:51:00.004-05:00

I should be writing my spanish paper but instead I'm doing this, so I hope you like them :)

“Then I was beside Him, a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him” Proverbs 8:30

I hope your friends are many, and your laughter’s always loud. Will Hoge

That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying.

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:30-31

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Girl, savor what you know and spit it back as best you know how. Macnolia

"To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn't have guessed. That's one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It's a religion you couldn't have guessed." ~ C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity

"Celebrate we will. For life is short, but sweet." DMB

"Love is patient, love is kind; it does envy, it does not boast; it is not proud. It is not proud, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres... Love Never Fails." -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” Matthew 11: 28-30

Love all. Trust few. Do wrong to no one. Shakespeare

My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody and have the courage to accept the love in return.
~Maya Angelou~

Good opinion once lost, is lost forever. Pride and Prejudice

"Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted. ~ John Lennon

“I’m sure to find true love under angel wings” The Working Title, The Mary Getaway

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. Ansel Adams

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift – Pre

"Shoot for the moon. If you miss, you'll land among the stars."
-Les Brown

"May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars." ~Blow

"As we grow up we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others hearts. You'll blame a new love for things an old love did. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll cry because time is flying by and you'll eventually lose some one you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely and love like you've never been hurt because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back." Grey's Anatomy

"But the thing is, it’s hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely, because almost everyone has that smallest bit of faith and hope that one day they would open their eyes and it would all come true. At the end of the day, faith is a funny thing. It turns up when you don’t really expect it. It’s like one day you realize that the fairy tale is slightly different than your dream. The castle, well it may not be a castle. And it’s not so important that it’s happily ever after -- just that it’s happy right now. See, once in a while, once in a blue moon, people will surprise you. And once in awhile, people may even take your breath away." Grey's

I want to live inside this moment
And just be effortlessly
Sister Hazel

"Forget regret or life is yours to miss!" RENT

"Not My will but Yours be done" Luke 22:42

I'm gonna stop looking back and start moving on
Learn how to face my fears
Love with all of my heart, make my mark
I wanna leave something here
Go out on a ledge, without any net
That's what I'm gonna be about
Yeah, I wanna be running
When the sand runs out
~Rascall Flatts

Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail. Ralph Waldo Emerson

And I have lots and lots more but you have probably already given up reading all of these so I'm going to write my spanish paper now! :)

Closure

2008-03-02T11:41:00.004-05:00

YAY! I am officially in the Nursing Program here at Clemson University! My wait is over thankfully! I'm very excited. One of my very, very good friends Miss Moon also got in so I will have someone to take classes with next semester. I'm glad that now this huge weight is gone. I've renewed my rent and MOST of my uncertainty is gone.
I'm still now sure about my summer plans now but after a very impactful sermon this morning I've decided to pray about it a lot. (Genesis 12: 1-5)
Only two weeks of classes left before Spring Break!! I'm going to be going to stay with my best friend, Prissy, at her house in Myrtle Beach. I don't know what I would do without her, she has been the best person for me to meet here at school. We are soulmates :) She has kept me sane though the last couple weeks of my freak out and I appreciate it more than anything!!
Well, that's all for now. We are off to the baseball game!!! Yay, I'm so glad baseball season is here and that the weather, although not warm yet, is not freezing anymore!! Go Tigers beat USC!!!!!!!!!!!

Waiting...

2008-02-20T08:42:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting now for more than a year for a certain letter. Only now that the time is getting closer to actually getting this letter have I realized how much I have stressed about it with out even knowing. Everyday Prissy and I check the mail, but I'm sure the Nursing Department is absolutely loving keeping everyone a nervous wreck. I obsess over counting the days till March 3rd arrives, only twelve more days so you don't have to count :)

Thankfully, I've recently had peace about whatever happens as far as school goes. I was praying everyday to get in to the Nursing School and now I'm just praying that I happily accept whatever the letter I'm awaiting might say.

Hopefully I will get my letter soon either way so I can make plans for this summer and especially this fall. I think the uncertainity is a huge part of my stress. Not knowing whether I can renew my rent or whether I'm going to have to move is driving me crazy.

I have until now considered myself an fairly patient person but I'm definitely learning that being patient doesn't mean for just a few hours. Sometimes it means you have to wait a year or more. So the closer it gets to the 3rd the more of a freak out I'm going to have but I just have to keep telling myself it's almost over!!!

First Thoughts

2008-01-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. I'm not really sure what to put on here but I thought it would be fun to start. Happy New Year to everyone! I don't really do resolutions because I've never been able to stick with one. Winter break has gone by very quickly and I'll be heading back to school on Sunday. It has been nice to be able to relax for a couple of weeks but I am ready to get back into a routine. I'm looking forward to this semester and I hope that it will be less stressful then the last. I'm only taking 13 hours since I will be done with my general ed. requirements this semester and can't start nursing classes till this fall. I'm going to miss football season as always but I'm definitely looking forward to baseball season. I also hope it snows again, that was one of the best days ever! That's all for my first post, a bunch of random things. Hopefully I'll get better at this :)