2010: A Year In Review

I know this is one of the, if not THE, most cliché things to say at the end of a year, but this year has seriously flown by me.  I can't believe that it's already time for a new year to start, but I also look forward to seeing what 2011 holds.  I'm not going to even bother saying that I hope it's better than 2010, because it seems that every year that I say that, the following year tends to get even worse.

2010 has certainly had some amazing gifts for me, don't get me wrong.  The first being:

This sweet baby boy.  The old saying is true - a baby changes everything.  As scared, worried, and upset as I was by the news of his impending arrival, I can't imagine life without my adorable little nephew in it.  My life has been absolutely transformed.  There is nothing I would rather do now than lay on the floor playing with Blake just so I can hear him laugh.  March 5th seems like it was yesterday.  I can't believe he's already almost ten months old.  Before I know it, I'll be coming home for my Spring Break and his first birthday!  I smile just at the thought of seeing all that life has in store for this sweet, beautiful, funny, happy, goofy little boy.

The next?

March 13th.  Scarlet Grey.  That trip to Charlotte and these two boys gave me one of the best nights of my entire life.  I spent two and a half years waiting to meet them, and finally getting the opportunity to was just...indescribable.  I miss them every day, and ever-so-sweetly bug them to find out when they're touring again.  ;)  They really are some of my closest friends, as crazy as that sounds, and talking to Ben and Pete on Facebook just does not do them or our relationship justice.  Not only do they have the personality of angels, their music is amazing, as well.  I listen to it on an almost daily basis.  I can't wait till we can be reunited, which will hopefully be sometime in the fall of 2011...and next time, I'll remember to bring my camera. ;)

Third?

Now, before you sigh in annoyance, I'm aware at this point that it's kind of beating a dead horse, but the thing is...there are lots of things I haven't written about on here.  My depression has been rampant this year because of the school stress, the health stress, and most obviously, the family stress.  My relationship with my mother has been weaker than ever, and Matt is the one person who can always bring me out of my darkest moments, without fail.  If I didn't have him, my one tangible reminder that I am not alone, I can honestly say I don't know where I would be right now.

Lastly, I am grateful for all of you.  I have met some truly fascinating people through this blog and Twitter, people who have helped strengthen my faith in God.  My mom still says this computer is "my obsession," but that's because you all are the only people, aside from Matt, who accept me and love me unconditionally.  It's nice to know that I always have you to come back to, and that when everyone else fails, you'll listen.  Thank you for that.

2011 is going to be interesting, to say the least, because let's face it - my life is never boring. :)  I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve with your loved ones, whoever that may be.

Myrtle Beach - woo hoo!

So today Mom, Chelsea, Blake and I are all off to Myrtle Beach for our yearly New Year's getaway with my grandma, who is already there.

I'm not sure what all we're going to do, but you can certainly expect a full recap when I get back.  :)

The only bad news is that I forgot to bring my iPod home from Campbell, so here's hoping that I can be distracted enough by my William & Kate: A Royal Love Story book to not get annoyed by Chelsea's incessant questions.  Maybe I'll get lucky and she and Blake will both fall asleep. Haha! :)

This vacation is going to be very interesting with a baby.

Have a wonderful weekend!  I'll be back Saturday evening.

Tempers aren't only for the Irish.

Today has been a very....combative day.

Everyone is partially to blame.

Trying to remember to work on my temper.

Hoping that the next 3 days will be peaceful so we can all enjoy the mini-vacation.

Also hoping that you all have a very blessed New Year. :)

Mom just doesn't get it.

Sigh.

I love my mother dearly, you all know that by now, but...

there are just some things she's never going to get about me.

Matt came by today to pick up his book (which he loved, by the way!).  He stayed for a bit and played with Blake, and we went and picked up Taco Bell for everyone, and it was just nice.

After he left, I mentioned something to Mom about how it's so cute to see any guy with a baby - because let's face it, it just is!!  And somehow she turned that into a rant on how I have "such a terrible crush on Matt" and I "just need to get over it before I lose him" because "friendships are so much harder to keep than real relationships".

*slams head*

Like I don't want to get over him.  Like I don't know that my friendship with him is valuable.  Like I'm not clearly aware of the fact that having feelings for him is pointless right now. 

But what's worst of all is that, as observant as my mother is, she hasn't figured out that this is so much more than a crush...

This is why I can't talk to my mother about anything.  She takes whatever I say to her and either ignores it, gets irritated by it, or trivializes it and treats me like a 13-year-old.

I would hope that after all she's seen me deal with in my life, she'd realize that my emotional maturity is a lot higher than she gives me credit for.

I'd tell her I'm in love with him, but I'm afraid she'd laugh in my face.

Okay, she may not laugh, but I know she'd blow me off and give me some cliché response of "I'm too young/naive/inexperienced to know what love is", or something to that effect.

I don't need any more clichés. I'm tired of clichés.  What I need is some support, some understanding....

Which I don't really think should be that too much to ask from your mother.

So apparently the pain relief wasn't all-inclusive.

Because after only 5 hours of shopping, my feet are throbbing.

But hey, today was awesome, and I bought myself (and a couple friends!) some great stuff, so I'm stoked.  And the pain will be gone by the morning, so that's just fine.

After spending two and a half hours trying to get my mother out of bed (yes, she is always that difficult on her days off, haha!), we headed out.

First stop was Barnes & Noble.  I must give Mom public props because this is a woman who could literally spend an entire day walking around a bookstore, and we were in and out in about 45 minutes.  She bought herself a whole list of books, most of which I didn't even look at, and I bought William & Harry: Behind the Palace Walls, William & Kate: A Royal Love Story, a bejeweled orange S bookmark for Mom, and The Ultimate Fender Book for Matt.  I wasn't planning on buying him anything, but we found it and it just SCREAMED him.  Plus, not only was the bargain price $14.98, it was marked down 50% off that price, so I got what could easily be a $30 book for $7.50.  It is basically a biography about every single Fender guitar made from 1950 to now - and since Leo Fender, the creator, only started his business in the '40s, I think it's safe to assume that this book has information on almost every Fender guitar ever created.  I think it's also safe to assume that Matt is going to go absolutely ballistic when he sees this book. :)  I love buying things for people.

Next, we went to JC Penney.  Mom needed to get some new bras and pants, and I needed to get a new wallet because the one I had wouldn't close.  Plus, she bought a bunch of clearance stuff for Blake.  I got him a onesie that says "My Auntie Is Awesome." :)

After that, we stopped by Sam's Club to get a few things for the house.  By this point, my back, shoulder, and neck were starting to throb, so I sat at the food area and had a soft pretzel and a drink.

Last, we went to WalMart.  I bought: a new iPod computer connector cord, a new TV remote because somehow my remote magically disappeared, and gifts for my good friend Shannon who's having a baby boy in February: a Johnson & Johnson nighttime bath wash set that came with a towel and the book Goodnight Moon, a set of two bath towels - one hooded and one not, and a package of eight washcloths.  I spent twice as much money as I planned to, but I don't care because I could afford it and buying baby stuff is fun.  We're wrapping it all and putting it in Blake's old infant bathtub, and then Mom is driving me to take it to her Wednesday night.  :)  I'm so excited because Shannon and I were close in high school, but she was two years ahead of me so I haven't seen her in close to three years.  Mom bought Blake formula and rice cereal, some new socks because the ones he had don't fit right, a cute new pair of shoes, and a farm toy with money that my grandma sent for him.

I am thoroughly exhausted, so good night. :)

I'm still calling this a White Christmas.

So what if the snow didn't actually show up till the day after Christmas? 

Usually if we're going to get snow, it waits till January.  Getting snow this close to Christmas is awesome.  Such is the life of a beach kid.  I just hope the forecast is right and we get even more tonight.

Another upside to the beautiful snow is that we weren't able to leave for Myrtle Beach today.  Instead of being there today till Tuesday, we're going Thursday-Saturday.  Myrtle Beach is way cooler at New Year's.  My grandma's timeshare is right on the beach, and no matter how cold it is, a bunch of people go out on the beach and shoot off fireworks for over an hour.  We go to Dick's Last Resort and then come back and listen to Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and watch the ball drop.  If this year is half as nice as last year, I'll be absolutely stoked.

I plan on scheduling posts to go up one a day while I'm gone.  Partially because I want to do another year in review like I did last year, and partially because I want to get to 365 posts for this year just so I can say I did it, and I have to have one post a day till the end of the year in order to do that. :)

I want to post pictures from yesterday, but Blogger isn't cooperating with me. Those will be up ASAP.  For now, I am going to stay snuggled up in my warm bed, finish watching The Sound of Music, and then take a nice, long, hot shower. :)

HAPPY 2016TH BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Or somewhere around that number...since, ya know, no one really knows when he was born.

I had a great Christmas.  Or as my cousin called it, a great "Jesus Day."

I got exactly what I wanted - lots and lots of cash.

My neck, shoulder and right arm are driving me nuts, so I'm not going to say much. 

Except that I hope you all had a wonderful day with your loved ones.

And that I really really hope that this snowstorm actually comes - I LOVE SNOW!!!!!

:D

A Wonderfully Merry Christmas Eve

That's a very long title to say today ROCKS.

I woke up late.

My mom surprised us with french toast at noon and made a fantastic dinner.  And trust me, she almost never makes two meals in one day!

We watched Sex and the City 2.

Matt just stopped by a few minutes ago and gave me an absolutely amazing laptop case.

The thing cost more than $30.  I was totally not expecting him to spend that much on me! 

It has two compartments, spaces for pencils, pens, notebooks, and so much else.  As Matt said, "I just bought you a laptop case that's nicer than the one I have."

I have such a sweet best friend.

Merry Christmas Eve, everybody!

And trust me, a gazillion pictures of Blake's first Christmas will be coming. :)

God's Greatest Gift to Me

This kid?

Is God's greatest gift to me. 

Without question.

Long story short - today sucked.

Chelsea harassed me, made fun of me, and was an all-around jerk to me until I finally snapped.

That's nothing new, I know.

What was new was that instead of standing up for me when she was going at me for no reason, Mom waited until I snapped and then screamed at me right in my face like everything was my fault.

Because apparently I'm not supposed to get angry at anyone or anything.

(Please tell me how that's human or natural.)

Anyway, what this has to do with Matt is the fact that he came over tonight for dinner and we were able to sit in my room and talk.  He listened to me, something I can't get from anyone in this family.

Just as important, he reminded me that I'm not crazy for being upset at the way that I'm treated around here most of the time.

That is why he's my best friend.  I can talk to him like no one else.  He listens to me.  We trust each other.  And he makes me feel sane, safe, and protected.

Thank you God for sending a person like him into my life.

Real Winners

Okay, I am usually not the kind of person to make fun of people.  I don't hate stupid people or any self-righteous thing like that.  But seriously, guys, I spent six straight hours helping my mom grade assignments today, and I laughed so hard at some of the things these kids wrote I had to get out my inhaler.  I'll just give you the top 3 that stick out in my mind.  These were all on assignments on Poe's "Cask of Amontillado."

#3: "He said his strengths were strong and his weaknesses were weak."  Strengths are strong and weaknesses are weak.  Yeah, not only was that redundant, it also didn't tell anything about Montressor's characterization of Fortunato.

#2: "Montressor hated Fortunato because he was very fortunate."  Apparently, this kid had no idea what to write, so he just came up with the one word he could think of because it sounded like the character's name.  And considering Fortunato dies in the story, I'm not really sure how he's considered fortunate.

And the Big Kahuna #1:  "Rising action: goes to a circus. Climax: meets a dude. Falling action: dude turns out to be kinda strange."  Yes, that is seriously what he wrote.  One, it isn't even a circus in the story, it's a carnival. Two, he couldn't even remember character names so he just called them dude? Three, the "dude" being "strange" is just about the understatement of the millenium, which anyone who has read this story knows.  And the kicker?  He wrote this down for an answer to a two-part question that had absolutely nothing to do with asking about the plot of the story.

As I told my mom today "I don't know how you could be depressed at this job - there's just so much to laugh at!"

Come on, y'all, you have to admit this is funny.  And the geniuses who wrote these three items aren't kids who are just honestly not smart and tried...these are kids who could do well and just don't care.

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that tomorrow all I'm doing is entering grades. :)

Hooray.

For the first time in my entire life,

my entire life, people!

I have two feet in good shape.

Dr. P was quite pleased with both of my feet today.

It was seriously like a five-minute appointment.

I don't have to go back to see him till my Spring Break in March.

He is happy; thus, I am happy.

I don't know what was better in my day - that appointment, or getting to have dinner with Matt.

what can I say....Mom isn't the greatest photographer, I'm laughing at her and Matt looks like he's high.

there, muuuuuuch better....

We went to Las Fincas for some awesome Mexican food.

Thanks to a really really crappy waitress, we ended up getting over an hour to eat and talk and laugh.

What I would do without that kid...

The good news is that he and Simone worked things out, and if he's good, then I'm good.

That doesn't mean I worry about him any less, but he's happy, and that's what I care about.

Tomorrow, I am off to Mom's school with her to do some power grading in hopes that she can not have to go on Thursday.  Stupid public schools and their stupid short Christmas breaks.

Holly comes in tomorrow (!!!!!) so it'd be nice if she didn't have to spend the whole day on Thursday at work, when Holly's only here from tomorrow till Sunday.  Speaking of Holly, she miraculously managed to find another job in only five days, so she is not going to go to Campbell next semester.  She is, however, going to move to Campbell next fall - this gives her roommate, Carmen, to find a new roommate and to get used to the idea.

All righty then. Must go take a shower.

Hopefully

Today was a big step in the right direction for me...

I can only think of three times I've sneezed today.

Hallelujah.

I'm still wheezing, and my face still hurts,

but that's nothing.  I can deal with that.

It was the sneezing 24/7 that was driving me batty.

Hopefully this means I'm getting past being sick and I can completely enjoy the rest of my winter break.

Plus, today was a step in the right direction for Blake, too.

Getting his ear tubes put in went off without a hitch,

so hopefully he won't be dealing with those nasty ear infections all the time anymore.

Back to see Dr. P tomorrow.

Hopefully that ingrown toenail infection isn't a problem anymore,

so hopefully I won't have to go back to see him for a while.

I can only imagine how tired my grandma is of driving to Wilmington at this point.

Last thing, hopefully I'll get to have dinner with Matt tomorrow like he said.

We talked about it tonight and he said it should work, but one can just never be sure with him.

Yawn.

Good night, after a day full of hopefully's.....

Just call me Rudolph.

This

(found on Google images)

pretty adequately describes just how I feel right now...

sad

and with a bright red nose.

Stupid, killer cold.

How did I manage to go straight from bronchitis to a cold?

Argh.

Let's get one thing clear, though.

Being sick is not going to ruin my Christmas.

No, sirree.

P.S. Say a prayer for Blake...he's getting ear tubes put in tomorrow morning.

Sincerely, Rudolph

Is it just me...

Is it just me, or do the best people always end up being treated the worst?

Matt's girlfriend Simone is mad at him because he was going to go to the movies with a female friend of his, who just so happens to be one of his exes. He dated her for about two weeks after the first time he and Simone broke up, and he broke up with her because he was still in love with Simone. She started threatening him saying if he did it she was breaking up with him, and a whole bunch of crap.

Basically, I'm sitting here watching my best friend get treated like crap for no reason.

And I'm pissed. Matt is many things, but a cheater is not one of them. He is loyal to a fault, and if he is dating Simone, he's not going to do anything with this girl. He, of all people, does not deserve being treated this way.

This goes far beyond the fact that I'm in love with him. It's about the fact that I am fiercely protective of anyone I care about, and knowing he is hurt right now makes me feel absolutely sick. If I had ever spoken to this girl before, I'd say something to her now. Because she obviously has no idea what she has. Or what she's doing to a guy that wouldn't hurt a fly.

Sigh. People suck.

Frustrated

Frustrated that my family is so...mean.

Frustrated that I can't talk to them.

Frustrated that Matt isn't coming over tonight like he said he was going to (though he has a good reason) so I could get some reprieve.

Frustrated that I still feel sick.

I'm just frustrated.

I got so excited to get out of school, and then I got here and remembered why I like school so much in the first place.

The good news? As long as my bloodwork comes back clean, I'm forever free from my infectious disease doc. Also, got 5 A's and 1 B for the semester so my GPA stays at a 3.8.

That is all.

Braces suck.

And the rest of the day hasn't been so hot, either.

My teeth hurt. You forget how bad things suck after six years (I got my first braces off in October 2004).

My head also hurts. I'm not sure if it's a migraine or just from the teeth.

And on top of the teeth fun, I went to see Dr. P today and found out the "mishap" I had with the toenail clippers around Thanksgiving made my big toe on my left foot (the "good" foot!) infected. So I had to get two shots, which hurt like crazy, to numb my toe before he cut the infection and ingrown nail out because he said it was obviously not going to heal on its own. It's pretty crazy to sit there and watch somebody working on your foot and not feel it. But also awesome because I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been numbed I would've been screaming.

Plus, Chelsea's super pissed off at me for something I had no control over. I have to go back to see Dr. P on Tuesday to make sure that my toe is healing well. Since it's in Wilmington, an hour and a half away, my grandma is the only person I feel comfortable asking for a ride because it's a very big trip. Chelsea needed Mommom that day, and she's acting like I did this on purpose because I wanted to screw her over or something. Dr. P is only in the office Monday and Tuesday, and I couldn't do it Monday because Blake is having his ear tubes put in, and Mommom is taking him and Chelsea to that. Plus, Chelsea has about six people she can ask for her ride because it's in this town. But there's just no talking sense into her.

Plus, Matt's mom got in a car accident today. Of course, it took him ten minutes between telling me it happened and telling me that she was okay, so the entire time my heart was in my stomach. His mom is such a sweet woman, and I can just see what it would do to Matt if something ever happened to her, so I'm saying a prayer of gratitude that she's all right and the car wasn't totaled.

Sigh. I'm exhausted. And very thankful I don't have to get up at 7:45 again tomorrow.

Too rah loo rah too rah loo rye aye!

I officially have fallen in love with the show The Sing-Off.

It's amazing.

Groups of singers perform songs a cappella - no instruments, no help whatsoever.

And let me tell ya, some of these performances have sounded better than the original versions of the songs.

Like this group - Street Corner Symphony singing one of my absolute favorite songs.



Is it or is it absolutely amazing what they can do with their voices?

The title? Is a part of the song "Come On, Eileen." Another song SCS performed. I've had it in my head all day long.

Just thought I'd post a little random, meaningless fun for your enjoyment. :)

Tomorrow, I have to get braces. Blah. And then I have to go to Wilmington for a check-up with Dr. P. Thankfully, my foot is doing completely fantastic, so he'll be happy and the appointment shouldn't take long at all. It's just a matter of how long I have to wait before I'm seen that will determine how long we're there.

G'night.

Happy Dance

My cough was even more painful today, but I'm hoping that means the antibiotic and the Mucinex are starting to break up all the crap in my chest.

No, my grades haven't been posted yet, so that's not why I'm doing a happy dance. (or wish I could do one, sick people + dancing = even more pain)

The reason I'm so happy tonight is because I had an extremely eye-opening, sincere, wonderful talk with Matt today.

Any concern I had that he isn't really my friend (like has happened so many times in my past) was completely blown out the window. He told me at least six different times in six different ways that no matter what anyone, be it peers or my family, says or does, he's not going anywhere. That is, "unless I try to kill him or something." ;)

He made (and makes!) me feel so loved, so appreciated, so normal (as weird as that sounds). He told me that he doesn't see me as the nerd or the girl with all the medical problems, like everyone else does, and that he likes who I am because I'm an "intelligent person who actually has something to say" and he'd "rather hang out with me than anyone else he knew in high school."

He reminded me that just because other people didn't like to talk to me, that doesn't mean that it's my fault. That he's not like everyone else, and that if he has a problem with me, he'll tell me, so I never have to wonder where I stand with him.

And for the first time in...I don't know how long, possibly ever, he actually said the full "I love you, too, Mallory". In the past, I've always said it first, and he'd reply a mumbled "love you too". But this time, in fact with this whole conversation, I feel like I really got sincere, pure, honest emotions out of him. Like he meant every single word he said.

Words can't describe how it makes me feel to know that my best friend, the one person I trust in this world (yes, I trust him more than my family) and the one person who makes me feel appreciated and needed, isn't going anywhere.

P.S. You wanna know what it takes to consider yourself really in with this family? Get yourself invited to a holiday dinner, something usually reserved for just family. ;) Yes, this kid comes to either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner (and some years it's been both!). That's special.

Talk about making someone's week!

I got my first grade back today.

My Western Civ grade.

Which is awesome in itself considering how stressed out I was about that final.

Well guess what I got on the final...




A 96!!!!!!!!!!!

And you know what that gave me for the semester?



A 91!!!! That's an A, people!

I, in no way, shape, or form, was expecting to get an A in this class!

It was probably curved, but I really don't even care - an A is an A is an A!

:)

That aside, I rescheduled my Wilmington appointments today to go to the doctor.

A really smart decision, in my opinion, because if I waited much longer I could've easily been sent to the hospital.

It's a lovely combo of some strep-like throat infection and bronchitis.

I received my usual winter cocktail of an inhaled steroid and an antibiotic.

Fun times.

And yes, in case you were wondering, I'm still giddy about that A. :D

Possible Changes

Well, one thing is for sure - things are never boring in this family.

I was just talking to Mom and found out Holly got fired from her job because she had stayed up all night studying for an exam, took the exam, and then took a nap planning to get up for work and overslept.

Mom told me and my grandma that she is trying to convince her to move to Campbell full time and just focus on school. This is mostly because it's going to be near impossible for her to find a new job now because restaurants go down to their lowest number of employees in the winter.

Holly said that she was already thinking about this for next fall, but now with getting fired, it's a real possibility for next semester because she can't pay her half of the bills with no job.

The good news is that, since she's 23 and really doesn't want to move back into a dorm (which I understand), she can try to live in a university apartment. And I'm fairly positive that the university apartments my friend Kari lives in allow dogs, so she wouldn't have to send her dog Jax here to live with Mom. And she doesn't really want to live with some strangers, so I told her I'd get a 2-bedroom apartment with her if there's one free.

I'm actually kind of excited about the idea! And I'm really, really proud of my sister for keeping her head in the game about school and stuff. Trying not to get too excited, though, because obviously nothing is decided.

Hmmmmm...................

This sucks.

So much chest pain.

Bad, bad chest pain.

And of course, I have to go to Wilmington all day tomorrow.

That means I can't go to my family doctor for this chest crud.

And I'm out of cough drops.

Plus, for some bizarre reason, Mom has been in an absolutely horrendous mood all day.

Which irritates me because I haven't done anything to make her mad

Yet, it's like I just can't make her happy.

Everything I do gets either a snappy remark or a scream.

Though I suppose it's a bit of a miracle that it took me three whole days to feel like I want to beat my head against a wall.

I expected that feeling to come long before now. ;)

Not What I Had Planned

This, dear friends, was absolutely 100% not how I wanted to start off my Christmas vacation.

The upside, however, is that I don't have the energy to do anything, and it cracks me up every time Chelsea complains about the fact that I'm not doing anything. (I know, mean.)

Plus, I finally started coughing up crap today, and not to be too gross, but it was dark green, which meant my mother finally had to admit that I need to go see my doctor.

So...yeah, this about sums up my day - I feel terrible. Hope your day was better than mine!

All I Want For Christmas

is not to throw up tonight.

Blake is better.

I am much worse.

And that's all I can really think to say tonight.

Home. Sweet, sweet home.

So...

I got a whopping 3 hours of sleep last night.

I got home a little after 1.

Blake is having another massive allergic reaction.

I am exhausted.

Chelsea is weird.

The Back-Up Plan is a good, funny movie.

I applied to be on Wheel of Fortune.

Did I mention I'm exhausted?

Such a great night.

Heck, the day wasn't so bad, either.

Woke up at 10:30.
Ate lunch.
Chilled.
French exam at 3. (Un morceau de gâteau.)
Chilled some more.

The night was when it got good, though.
I had dinner with two of my friends, Heather and Alex. SO much fun! Like really, you have no idea. I don't think we stopped laughing the entire time, save for long enough for Heather and I to crack jokes on Alex. (Such a tiny little man.) It was AMAZING. Plus, Alex is such a gentleman. He literally refused to let me throw my tray away. Like actually stood up and blocked me from turning around to go the trash can.
I came back and did my laundry.
Got all my clothes packed.
While on my way to get my last load, I accidentally ran into a dorm activity thing. So I killed about 90 minutes hanging out there. (That's why I'm turning the clock back on this post, because I'm weird and want to have a post for every day, and I didn't come back to my room till after midnight.) I love my dorm.
Fantastic way to end the semester.

LESS THAN TEN HOURS TILL I LEAVE!

A divine encounter? Or just plain weird?

Okay, so this afternoon, I was sitting here looking at Facebook, and all of a sudden, there was a knock at my door. I opened it, and there was a little girl, age 2 I'd guess, standing there. Another girl who was walking down the hallway told me that the little girl's mom was in the back lobby, so I tried to lead the girl to go back to her mom.

Then, the mom opened the door to the lobby. I said her little girl knocked on my door, and the mom just laughed and told the little girl to say hi. Then she said, "Wait, she knocked on your door?" And I said yes, and she said "Can I pray for you?" I said, "Oh, I just had foot surgery, this chair isn't that big of a deal or anything" thinking she was concerned about me being in a wheelchair. Then the lady said, "Oh, she's anointed, and if she knocked on your door, then God led her to you. So can I pray for you?" And I was just like "Uhhh, sure?" (Because really, how are you supposed to respond to that?)

Then she started praying. Her prayer initially consisted of saying God every other word, and then she started talking in some language that I didn't understand. Meanwhile, she was holding my hand and the little girl had her hand on my leg. Right there in the middle of my dorm hallway.

When she finished, I asked her what language she was speaking, thinking it was some African dialect or something because she was African-American. And she responded, "Oh you didn't understand it? It's not for you to understand. It's not for me to understand. It's the Holy Spirit speaking to God (as a side note, according to my Religion teacher, that's impossible since God is the Holy Spirit). So it's okay that you didn't understand it." And then she just left, like it's all no big deal.

I was laughing about this for like an hour. And then I started to think, "Wow, I'm gonna feel like an idiot if I get to heaven and find out that I missed a miraculous, extraordinary message from God just because I had a hard time believing He chose to send it to me through a 2-year-old in my college dorm hallway."

Hmmmmm...........what do you think? A special message from God? Or just creepy? :)

Meet Amy

This is Amy.
Amy is awesome.
Amy is, in fact, one of the sweetest people I've ever met.
She gives me rides whenever I need to go somewhere off campus.
Like the pharmacy.
Or Food Lion.
You know what she did today?
I was talking to her on Skype.
I told her I think I had bronchitis.
And that I wished I had cough drops.
I wasn't expecting her to do anything.
But then she told me she was going to buy me some.
Because she had to go to the store anyway.
Even when I told her I didn't have money to pay her back.
She said she was still going to buy me some.
Isn't Amy awesome?
Yes, Amy is.
People like Amy renew my hope in the human race.

College is changing me.

All my life, I've been a neurotic student.

Kind of like my neurotic dog, Heidi.

High-stress.

Freaking out about every little assignment.

Heck, when I was in elementary school, I'd break down crying every Sunday night becaue I was so worried and freaked out about the week ahead.

Now, after (almost) two semesters of college...

I didn't do great on a test?

Oh well, I tried my best.

I forgot to do a homework assignment?

Oh well, I can't turn back the clock.

I threw away all my poetry journal stuff and then find out my teacher's collecting it at our final exam?

Oh well, go ahead and give me the zero.

And frankly, I think this is a good thing. :) That's not to say I'll no longer continue to try my hardest, because I will.

I just think I'm finally realizing that stressing myself out over things I can't change, at least regarding to school stuff, is kind of like inviting a vegetarian to a steakhouse - fruitless, pointless, and thoroughly disappointing. :)

***UPDATED at 6:00 pm***

Well this is surprising. I got an email back from my English professor that said, and I quote, "Don’t be too broken up about it. You were such a good class-responder, I should be able to find some points for you in that."

*jaw drops* I definitely, absolutely, positively did NOT see that coming, at all!!!

Perfect timing. Really.

So...you know how I slept too much yesterday so I was behind on my exam studying?

Well, today I woke up with a migraine.

And my chest is the worst it's been.

So you can just imagine how much I got done today.

And I have my hardest exam tomorrow.

Sigh.

Wake me up when it's Thursday?

Thanks.

Dang it.

Not only did the Wolfpack lose their basketball game against Syracuse (and I have a friend here at Campbell from NY who is NEVER going to let me forget it!), I had an incredibly unproductive day.

I just could not stay awake!

And now I'm dealing with another excruciating random body pain.

It's in my right hip.  And feels a lot like that arm pain I had earlier.

And my wheezing is getting worse.

This just stinks because I'm now way behind on where I need to be for studying.

Sigh.

Oh well.  Can't turn back the clock right?

A Birthday and a Birth Day

First, I can't believe I forgot to mention that yesterday was Holly's 23rd birthday! I texted her just after midnight and dedicated my Facebook status to her all day yesterday. So happy (belated) birthday to my darling sister!

Second, YAY BABY! My cousin Melissa (my dad's oldest brother's daughter) had her second baby boy today! She's 28 and actually got married on June 17, 2005. We weren't invited because her parents really don't like my mom at all, and needless to say, my mom isn't exactly a fan of theirs, either, but anyway...We're Facebook friends. She had her first boy on February 23, 2009, Greyson Scott (I'd never seen the name spelled with an -ey- till him.) And today she welcomed

Rylan Cole
7 lbs 12 oz
20 1/2 inches
Isn't he cute? Not as cute as Blake, of course, but still pretty darn cute. ;) Haha! And I love the name Rylan, and was not expecting her to use it at all because it's uncommon. I've only heard it one other time in my entire life.

The funny thing about this was that her due date was December 13th. My mom's due date with Holly was also December 13th. So when she posted asking people when they thought he would arrive, I said December 3rd because it's Holly's birthday, and all. Well, arriving today meant that he was 9 days early, and I was 9 days early. And he was born at 2:37 pm. Chelsea was born at 2:38 pm. I just think all of these similarities are cool. (I know I'm a little weird, you don't have to tell me.)

Yay babies!

Un examen bas, quatre à aller.

For all of you non-French speaking people (which from my followers list, that is all but JD that I'm aware of), that title says:

One exam down, four to go.

My Intro to Christianity exam was pretty darn easy.  I think I might have missed 5 out of the 50 questions, but I also got 4 out of 5 extra credit questions, so I'm fully expecting an A in the class, especially since the last time I asked about my grade I had a 96.  So it's all good!  I also appreciated the fact that since the exam wasn't cumulative, meaning it wasn't covering the entire semester's material, instead just the material from after the third test to the end of the semester, it wouldn't take anyone the full three hours, my professor moved the exam time to 9 am instead of 8 am.  Thus, I didn't have to get up an hour early like I was expecting to.

Monday I have my Western Civ exam at 8 am. The one I am most concerned about.
Tuesday I have my Science exam at 8 and my English exam at noon.  Neither of these are concerning because neither are cumulative.
Wednesday is my last exam, French at 3 pm.  I am so happy that I have this exam last once again.  And that it's at 3!    I can get up at 11 or so, eat, and then go return my books before the exam.  Because after the exam, I am DONE!!!!!! and I can just come back and chill and get everything packed because my check-out time is 11 am on Thursday.

And my mom told me last night that Thursday night is Blake's Christmas program at his daycare.  I can't wait to see that.  Lots and lots of adorable babies?  Yes, please.

Six more days...six more days.  I can do this.  Just six more days.

Oops! I forgot the Blake pictures!

I just realized I never posted the pictures of Blake from Thanksgiving!  Here are some of them:

Isn't he CUTE?!?!  I mean, I know my opinion is just slightly biased, but look at that face!  He is SO much fun, too!  I can't wait to get to spend a whole month with him. :D

And here's one more picture that, even though you can't see his face well, I absolutely LOVE.

Okay, good night for real this time.