"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun." - Mignon McLaughlin

ow can you not look at this picture and just laugh? Or even simply smile? This is my life every Tuesday from 8-4:30. I spend hours playing and laughing. Macyn is 4 and Nate (sadly not pictured due to taking a nap) just turned 2. Life on Tuesdays is nothing short of crazy and exciting.

Currently Macyn and Nate are sleeping on opposite couches. (and what a miracle that is - Macyn never sleeps!) As one inhales to snore, one is exhaling - precious.

Today we went on a camping trip. We made a "tent" on the coffee table which consisted of draping blankets and not letting any light in. First we would sleep, then WAKE UP, then sleep, then WAKE UP! it was quite an adventurous trip. As Nate was sticking his feet up in the air, Macyn (in her big, sisterly voice) would shout, "Nate no!!! If you keep doing that you'll get a spinter (which would be a splinter for the rest of us) and you will be deads!" Just like a big sister to always be watching out. Then it was time to get in the car (on top of the table "tent") and drive. I got confused along the way because when we made it "there", there was Jesus and Mickey Mouse AND Baby Jesus! What a trip!

 (there's our tent)

 (camping in tent)

sleeping so soundly...

 .... and so peacefully 

  

until next time...

ponderings of the sick...

n just 24 hours, I have been through 1 bottle of Tylenol, almost 4 boxes of tissues, 3 Gatorades, 3 nausea tablets, 4 tablets of tamiflu, 3 tablets of an antibiotic and 2 packets of ramen noodles… have had my blood checked twice, 2 urine tests, 1 chest x-ray and one long q-tip shoved up my nose almost to my eyeball and have almost completed a tube of Burt’s bees chapstick due to the fact I can’t breathe out of my nose and now have severely chapped lips – I have reached a temperature of 102.6 three times, hyperventilated due to dehydration and took a nap while waiting for the doctor and have only had a total of about 3 hours of sleep...

On my way to bed, I take the current bottle of Gatorade I’m drinking, an unopened Gatorade bottle, the bottle of nausea medicine, the bottle of Tylenol, a new box of tissues and my thermometer with me in case for some reason I may need any of these items before I awaken and return back to my spot on the couch in the morning…

During this sickness, it has allowed me to just ponder a few things...

Why aren’t tissues softer? (even if they have lotion in them)

How come no matter how many times you blow your nose it does nothing…?

Is it sad to count down the time until I can take the next prescribed medication?

How high is my heating bill going to be this month?

Why does my couch feel more comfortable than my bed?

Why must it be so hard to get into those plastic wrappers that pills come in – if it’s a flu medication, don’t they realize I’m weak?

Why is Gatorade so hard to rip from the pack – if it’s to hydrate me from the flu, don’t they realize I’m weak?

The tissues on my floor make it look like it has snowed an inch or two inside.

What happens when you beat all the available levels on angry birds?

How long can I use the excuse of being sick to not clean my apartment … at all

A new year doesn't scare me...

inally I am updating! Wow - i can't believe it has been a month since i last "blogged". so much has happened and so many times i have told myself "i should write about that" and then i get distracted and before i know it, it's was a month later...

2010 was nothing short of great and i don't think i really have any complaints. i can only hope and pray that 2011 will be even greater.

this past month has been quite eventful...
- i finished my semester with my first ever 4.0 in college.
- i went back to work at old navy for the holiday season - a place i love and am so thankful to have a job to fall back on with people that i get along with so well.
- i cut off 13 inches of hair and donated it. though it was super short and a lot shorter than i imagined, it has grown on me and i'm learning to deal with it's shortness
- we had our driveway redone and it ended up being super slick and mom fell and landed on her head. what an eventful morning to the ER that was. after a concussion and 8 staples she is all better (minus a little confusion here and there that she now tries to blame on her fall) and our driveway has been repaved again.
- while our driveway was being redone again, all of our cars were parked on the street and a super nice person decided to take a BB gun to all of our cars - which resulted in a shattered window on my car. i now know what it feels like to have a plastic window flapping in the wind down the highway.
-christmas was great - new traditions were created and great fun had all around. it was great to experience a true "white christmas"!
- my brother and his wife finally came for our family christmas and i realized how much i miss having him around often

and lastly, i ended my year with another trip to see the Avett Brothers and ring in the new year with them! such a great show!!! they had these girls that signed all of their songs throughout the entire show. they had their sister sing with them as well as their precious dad who came out and made an appearance. that is one band and show i never get tired of seeing!!!

I can certainly feel God doing great things in 2011. He has already done so much for this upcoming Chrysalis weekend and I can not wait for that to get here. One of my old roommates is getting married TOMORROW! I also will be graduating. Going to Colombia. Finding a new place to live. Finding a job. and possibly starting my "adult" life. Though it all seems like scary thoughts, I know God knows what He's doing and I trust everything will work out whether I stress about it or not.

Bring. It. On. 2011.

I really am thankful!!!

I had this post sitting on my desktop for days and just realized that I never posted it. Whoops! Pretend it is almost Thanksgiving day as you read!

As a wonderful, food-filled day is approaching, I suppose I should express my love and gratitude for everything I am thankful for. I’ve seen people constantly updating their facebooks daily with items they are thankful for. I am truly blessed and have a hard time just narrowing it down to only 25 (I say 25 because there are only 25 days in November before Thanksgiving.)

So here is my list:

-Family – they have to be first. They are who made me who I am today. Their constant love and support constantly blows my mind. I don’t say it enough for how thankful I am. I can not even begin to imagine my life without any of them and I am truly blessed to have them in my life.

-Friends – life would be miserable without them. My friends constantly brighten my day and make me laugh. They have the best shoulders to cry on and ears for listening.
-Puffs Plus tissues with lotion – these are a lifesaver! After finally getting over a gruesome cold, these tissues truly put my nose at ease. You would think after going through about 4 boxes of tissues my nose would be raw but these wonderful pieces of heaven speak true to their commercial – a nose in need deserves puff indeed!
-Cold medicine – considering the previous item on the list, this goes hand-in-hand – Equate brand nighttime/daytime cold medicine definitely a cold miracle
-Hot showers – something so simple that I take granted for daily.
-One bedroom apartments – Don’t get me wrong- I have had some great roommates who are some of my closest friends – but MAN do I love living alone. I don’t have to be considerate! (Haha) I can clean whenever and I can’t get mad about it because it is my mess. I love leaving the bedroom and bathroom door open. I don’t worry about where my roommates are when it’s late at night and they aren’t home yet. I don’t know what I’ll do if I ever have to go back to having roommates.
-Chrysalis – words cannot express my gratitude for the experiences I have had with Chrysalis. I am just in love!
-Best friends – I feel like this is pretty self-explanatory. The greatest gift I have ever been given.
-Sleeping – I just love sleeping. Nothing is better than curling up with cushiony covers and being so comfortable you don’t want to move. A comfortable bed is something I definitely take for granted.
-Beautiful weather – I love walking outside in just jeans, chacos and a sweatshirt and it feel absolutely perfect.
-Courage – so thankful that I have overcome so many obstacles in my life with even just the smallest amount of courage
-Charlie Brown – what a pal, that guy! One of my favorite parts of Fall – watching Charlie Brown specials on TV. My sweet baboo!
-Becoming an Aunt – I have never been so happy before! I cannot wait to spoil this baby boy and just love him unconditionally! The end of April cannot get here soon enough!
-Music – I love that I have music for ANY mood I am in. It definitely makes my life happy.
-Love of Books – I think I am fortunate enough that school did not cause me to hate reading. Of course, I don’t like reading forced material but I still love to read a good book. I hope that as a teacher I can pass on to my students a future in a love for reading.
-Photography – Over the past few years I have discovered this love for photography and taking pictures. I am so blessed to be given the opportunities to expand my love by being a camp photographer and learning new things in a free photography class at school.
-Children – I am incredibly thankful that I have a strong love for children and teaching them. I can’t wait to have my own classroom and I hope my love for children will get me through the hardships that come with education
-Hot Chocolate – Hot chocolate just warms the soul – I have found that Swiss Miss trumps Nestle but who knew Land o’ Lakes could make some bangin’ mint hot chocolate?
-Morningstar foods – as a fairly new vegetarian I am so thankful for Morningstar foods – who knew veggie meat could taste so real!
-Parents who pay for things – I am SO incredibly thankful for having parents that could pay my way through undergraduate school, my apartment, my cell phone and my car. I forget these things often but they sure mean a lot to me.
-Good food that reminds me of other things – I don’t really know how to describe this except for there are times when I eat something, smell something or hear something and it reminds me of really great memories. I am thankful for memories.
-Snow – truly a beautiful gift from God and I am thankful that I get to sit here and watch it fall peacefully as I write this
-Fuzzy socks – they keep your feet warm and are fuzzy – enough said
-Laughing – I love to laugh and I am so thankful to have so many things in my life that allow me to laugh and have a good time
-My life – I am just incredibly blessed and thankful for the life I have. I am happy. I rarely have complaints. I have a great and supportive family. I have amazing friends. I don’t think I could do any better.

... laughter is the best medicine ...

ver the past few months, DVR has become my new best friend. i don't know what i'll ever have to do if i have to get rid of it! i've realized that i now would rather not watch shows in real time (i even just like starting the show halfway through), it's much more fun to fast forward through commercials instead. a few days or so ago, i recorded "Women of SNL" - i finally made it through watching (most of it) and found myself remembering my favorite three skits... - such classics and a great cure for a bad day! (i couldn't find the videos on youtube but found them on NBC.com)

First there was the Spartan Cheerleaders - LOVE! (sorry that it's not the best quality)

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin is always a good time.

But my favorite would have to be Debbie Downer at Disney World. especially when everyone starts to loss it (at about 3:30) - i probably rewound and watched this 5 times!

Thank you SNL for many years of parodies and laughter!

...these are a few of my favorite things...

lhat a wonderful and relaxing weekend it has been. there is nothing i love more than sleeping (ok, maybe there are a few things...) and sleep is what i've done. i started out my weekend listening to some very talented friends play at a benefit show.


and then ...

for the first time ever...

i watched....


...the sound of music.

i know i know. gasp all you want. but in my defense - when i was little, i watched (multiple times) the movies we had on VHS. the sound of music was not one of them. seeing as how i loved mary poppins, i'm sure i would have loved sound of music, but we just didn't own it. i also feel that the sound of music is one of those movies that if you don't watch as a child, you most likely won't ever watch it. so there. so upon numerous gasps and WHAT?!! from my mother and amy motley, i rented it on netflix. knowing this is one of their favorite movies, i tried my best to fall in love with it. however, it was 3 hours long and i just didn't have a connection. i didn't hate it - but i probably won't be purchasing it any time soon - sorry! at least i tried...

so keeping in tune with the sound of music, i decide to make a list of a few of my favorite things that i experienced this weekend:
(side note - why would a favorite thing be whiskers on kittens?????)
-snow
-movies
-ice cream
-Avett Brothers and Pearl Jam
-photography
-reading a good book
-curling up on a couch
-sleeping
-being lazy
-a warm bed
-laughing


...so long, farewell...

... Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise...

Head Full of Doubt/ Road Full of Promise

just spent the last hour watching the Avett Brothers on a live streaming concert on facebook. My love for them grows more and more every time I listen to them. I discovered them years ago from a friend I worked with and my life has never been the same! I have seen them multiple times and concert and just smile thinking of watching them live. If you ever get a chance to see them, I highly recommend it! 

The first time I saw them, I caught myself just watching instead of singing along. They are such incredible performers. You can just feel how much they love what they do by watching them. So much energy is brought to their performances – I just can’t get over it. They have come so far and are now making it in the "big time" and I am so happy for them. I was lucky enough to see them in Raliegh a few weeks ago and was blown away. They played for about 3 hours and did two encores. Not only do they perform with such liveliness, they are SO grateful. They are continuously thanking their fans and are so appreciative. It just makes me smile to see them do anything. They are so genuine and I love that they write all of their stuff. Just pure talent.

One of my favorite songs to listen to and see live would have to be “Talk on Indolence”. If anyone has been to a concert with me, they can vouch by saying that I cross my fingers and say this title over and over and over again until it is played. It must work, because they’ve played it at every concert I’ve been to. Why do I love this song might you ask? Well, I shall tell you. Last semester I had two classes off campus from ASU and I had to drive to Wilkesboro and Hickory weekly. This allows for many hours of music listening. The first time I heard this song live, it was one of the only songs I couldn’t sing along with because it was so many words in such a short amount of time. I decided on my nice long journey to class, I was determined to learn all the words. So I put the song on repeat and listened until I got it down pat. Now I request this song often so I can show off my skills of memorizing this song. J My next goal – “I Killed Sally’s Lover”

While watching, I heard someone sum them up to a tee –“They write music that hits everyone – it can really speak to your soul – just listen to “Salvation”; they came here for truth and family – they have strong morals and values and they have always kept to themselves”

Thank you Avett Brothers for coming into my life. You are such a pick-me-up and I can’t wait to see you AGAIN to ring in the New Year!!!

(p.s. - the video at the top is all one painting - how awesome!