New Year Approaching

School starts on the 10th and CT wants us back for track practice on the 4th. I don't want to go back!!! You can't make me!!! I want to stay here and work on my projects with Danni. I want to be able to have fun and not have to study or workout rigorously until I want to die. Oh well... I think being home is what makes me want to be lazy. As soon as I get back there and into the swing of things I'll be just fine. I just enjoy being home so I can feed my artistic side. At school its all about the math and engineering... and running.

I have recently started making Artist Trading Cards (ATC). I saw Danni's that she had to do for a class, and I was inspired. Mine won't be as impressive as hers, but I'll do my best. Because I can't draw I am going to use my magazine clippings as my main piece of the card and doodle in the rest. I have one finished, one almost done, and another in the works. Packs of cards can be bought at Michaels in many different types of paper. There is water color paper, vellum, smooth... etc. You can even buy little envelopes that the cards fit in. I haven't really looked into it enough yet, but there are ways you can swap the cards you make with other ATC makers/collectors. At first I wasn't going to make any cards, but when I saw that there are networks setup for people to trade and actual swap meetings you can show up to, I decided it sounded fun. You can see Danni's (and some of her other art work) at loroillustrations.blogspot.com

Now to finish with a random picture I like:

4 Days till Christmas!

Well... here I am. My first day to be Alex Beck. How strange. When we left the hotel this morning there were diet Dr. Pepper cans strung from the back bumper and Just Married written on the back. As we were driving down the road we got a few honks from truck drivers and other cars. Luke put our marriage license in the mail earlier, so now we just have to wait for our certificate to come back. Then the process of name changing starts. I've heard it's a real pain in the tush, but luckily I won't have as much to do as most women because I don't have credit cards other than my debit/credit card, or any other accounts that adults have to deal with. I have also come up with a nickname for Luke. Some people say things like Wifey and Hubby. I like Hubs. "I love you Hubs." It amuses me.
Thank you to everyone for my wonderful bachelorette party. I love Alice and Wonderland so it was perfect for me. Thank you to my wonderful sister for setting the whole thing up. I know you worked really hard and put a lot of time into it. I had a great time, and I think everyone else did too. My gifts were great... even Paige's funny ones made me laugh. Hopefully Paige will have a bach party for us family to attend. Maybe within the week she gets married so I will actually be back from Alabama.
Tonight Luke and I are going to watch the lunar eclipse. It should be around midnight.
Danni and I are on our 3rd musical of the day. We started with West Side Story, moved on to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and and currently watching Newsies. Maybe tomorrow we will watch some more.

Home In 2 Days

Today is National Pie Day!!! Good thing I made two pumpkin pies last night. After I eat some real food (I haven't eaten since 9 this morning), I am going to have a large slice. I haven't eaten since breakfast because I had my statics final from 11:30 to 2, met with my statistics group at 2 to go over our presentation, and the presentations went from 3 to about 4:50. I wonder how many people actually listened to our presentation. To be quite honest, it was extremely hard to listen to other people's. I listened to parts of some group's because I was slightly interested, but it was a chore. I don't know why, but it is seemingly harder and harder to focus on anything these days. I think it has been harder this semester than ever before.
All that's left is Differential Equations and Physics. I want to write more for you all, but I'm too tired to think right now. Time to find something to eat.

Good Morning! Good Morning! Good Morning, Coaches!

Last night UAH basketball played Christian Brothers Univ, and both the boys and girls won! Luckily we only saw the last 8 minuets of the girls game, so it wasn't too boring. The guys game was awesome as usual. They are now 7-0, and the girls are 2-3. A good chunk of the girls team is freshman because they were so bad last year that they had to cut half the team.
Today is going to be a day of studying and pie making. I also have to practice my part of the slide show we are presenting for statistics tomorrow. Luke and I will be home in 4 days. Hooray! I was thinking about going to Crackle Barrel to browse their books on CD to see if there was anything good for the drive home. Listening to Harry Potter made a huge difference last time. I would just check one out from the public library, but being unable to give them back for a month would complicate things a bit.
Can anyone tell me what movie the title of this post is from?

Chester Chooses Chestnuts, Cheddar Cheese with Chewy Chives

Last night Luke and I went to a basketball game. UAH vs Delta State. The girls lost, but the game was really close the entire time. The boys game however, was crazy! It was a lot of fun. We won 102 to 68, and it was lively the entire time. The first half we were only ahead 4-10 points the entire time. But the second half was a different story. They just started running away with it. Making awesome plays and dunking and embarrassing the Statesmen. I think they are ranked number 8 right now.
Another fun activity we did yesterday was go to Michaels and decorate ornaments. I bought a six pack of clear glass ball ornaments, and Luke and I headed to the classroom. They had Sharpie Paint Pens, glue dots, and glitter. The glue dots were kind of a nuisance because it was hard to peel them off and still maintain their circle shape. We put the dots on the ornament and put glitter on each one. Of course I took forever on mine because I like my projects to look just right. Luke gave me the idea of using the other ornaments to make Christmas presents for my friends. I made Julia's and almost finished Leah's yesterday. I'm going to use the last two for Latrice and Passen.
I'm excited because this morning Luke and I are going to make cinnamon rolls! They are the Cinnabon kind which I have never actually had, but they smell So Good when we pass by it in the mall and in airports. I have also decided to make chili Thursday for dinner. I get emails from Earth Fare, a healthy grocery store were everything is organic, and I received one for 1 lb of free ground chuck with a purchase of $5. So I got milk and Luke got a couple yogurts to try (he hated them), and rice cakes to much on. I'm looking forward to using my "new to me, but very old" slow cooker. It can cook during the day while I go to practice and study. Today will be all studying. Tomorrow will be study, practice, study, basketball game. Tuesday will be study, practice, study, make pumpkin pies, study. Wednesday will be Statics final, Statistics project presentation, study. Thursday the same as Tuesday but making chili instead of pie. Friday will be a Math final, Physics final, and pack to go home. I can't wait to go home.

Home In 7 Days

First off, I would like to announce that Monday is Square Dance Day. If you are a savvy square dancer, then you better show off your skills. If not, then learn! With the World Wide Web at your fingertips you can read about, watch, learn, and even display your own version of the folk dance.

Thanksgiving in Birmingham was a good. We had lunch at Ethan's and dinner at Passen's. I got to carve the turkey at Ethan's with an electric knife. It was amazingly easy the way it just slid right through the meat. It wouldn't have been so simple with a regular knife though. We also had green bean casserole (delicious!!!), stuffing (not a big fan), sweet potato casserole (I didn't get any), and apple pie (also delicious!!!). Ethan has two high school aged sisters, and they were constantly being embarrassed by their mom. I don't really understand why though. They kept saying, "Mom, you're embarrassing us." I felt bad for her, because I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or unwanted with us being there. Luke and I just answered all the questions that were making her daughters laugh and put their head in their hands. I also made sure to tell her how good something was as I was eating it. I don't ever remember being embarrassed by my parents. I know quite a few people that are embarrassed by their parents, but I never really was. I don't know why... I guess I'm just different. At Passen's we ate more turkey, broccoli with cheese sauce, rice with gravy, and yams. Everything was good, but I didn't enjoy the yams. It was my first yam experience, so I only got one chunk of it just in case I didn't like it so I wouldn't have to force the whole thing down with a fake grin on my face. I took the first bite of it, and the first thing I didn't like was the texture. To get past that, I concentrated on the taste as hard as I could. It was sweet, but at the same time... awkward. It is definitely not my food of choice, but if someone ever puts it on my plate I will be able to take it on. Passen's mom and I cleaned up. I put everything in tupperware and cleaned the counters and stove. She did dishes. Afterward we watched the movie Grow Ups, which was pretty good, and had pie. Pumpkin for me of course. Overall the day was fun and very filling.

If the date on this post says I did it last night, it is lying. I started it last night, but Luke and I started watching this week's Glee so I was too distracted. Then we watched the movie Easy A, and by the time that was over I didn't feel like writing anymore.

Today Luke and I are going to Michaels to decorate ornaments. You have to buy your own clear ornaments, and them decorate them. Luckily I have a 50% off one item coupon. It is from 10-12. It is more than likely happening at the Michaels near you too!
Yesterday Luke and I went to the mall to walk around. I have been seeing girls wearing a particular pair of boots that have really captured my attention, and while we were in one of the department stores I saw them.

Of course I found the UGG version of the shoe and not one of the less expensive brands. I tried them on just for kicks, and I absolutely love them. They are the Highkoo II, but sadly with good quality and a popular name like UGG, the shoes are $200. I know... that is too expensive for shoes. The most expensive shoes I ever get are running shoes which are about $90. We saw the same style book at one of those big shoe stores for about $40. I would buy those, but I'm sure the quality isn't as good. Besides, I don't need them. I can't get them out of my head, but for the sake a my sanity and wallet, I must.

Selfish Shelfish (5x fast)

My first official day of the break. Do I sleep on? Of course not. I woke up at 8 like I do every day for class. I thought about going back to sleep, but I decided I liked the alert awakeness I was experiencing. If I go back to sleep, waking up will be difficult, and I'll be in one of those groggy, "I don't want to do anything" states. So, to start my morning ritual I got on my computer to check my email. I got the Black Friday ad for Michaels, and they have some good looking deals planned. All 7ft Christmas trees are 50% off on Friday. They have certain deals on certain days. On Saturday they have a Make-and-Take event where you get to decorate a clear ornament. You have to buy the ornament, but the paper has a 50% off one item coupon, so if I buy a box of them, and if I can get Luke to go with me, I will do it. I have not worked on a project or some sort of craft in a long time, and I'm starting to go crazy! I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. I am ready to be home so I can craft away.
I saw an ad for Walmart for Black Friday that has a Kodak C183 14-megapixel 3-inch LCD digital camera for $59. I would ask for it for Christmas, but I have already asked for a George Foreman grill. And I know my family isn't the type to go to Walmart early in the mad rush to buy something. I looked it up, and it has the particular settings I want, but I figured I ask my papi what he thinks before I go out early Friday morning to buy it. I really want a camera, but I want it to be a certain size. The camera I had was great, but too big for me. It took up too much room in my purse, and the thought of having to carry it around made me often not take it. I'm sure mom is putting it to better use than I did. Maybe I'll go to Walmart and check out this other camera to see the size before I decide anything.
Luke and I are supposed to go to IHOP this morning... depends on if he ever wakes up or not. Passen made pancakes last night, and they were good, but I prefer them cooked a little longer than he did. That is why I'm excited about free IHOP. I think I'm going to have to eat a snack though while waiting for Luke to get his beauty sleep.

Another Fine Tuesday

Today is the last day of classes. I only had one class yesterday, and I only have one more today.
Everyone should see the JibJab video I posted on Facebook. I love JIbJab... it's always so funny.
Today is also the last day of track practice with CT... until next week. She gave us workouts for this week, and next week (finals week) she will be holding practice, but it isn't mandatory. I will go on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I have 2 finals on Wednesday and 2 on Friday. Then, Luke and I are heading home!
Luke went to Walmart for a few groceries last night, and bought me pumpkin pie makings. I can't wait to make them. I Love Pumpkin Pie!!!!!!!!!!! It is definitely my favorite pie. Pink lemonade icebox pie is my second favorite. Apple is my third.
I cooked tilapia for the family last night... Luke, Ethan, and Passen. Will had already gone home for the break. I made Luke's with Tony's like usual, but Ethan and Passen had never had it before, so the requested one with it, and one with the citrus basil rub I use for my chicken. I'd never thought of using that on the tilapia before. It tasted pretty good, but Passen was going crazy over the one with Tony's. It was comical. He wouldn't stop talking about how awesome it was. Ethan really liked both too. He provided the veggies with 2 bags of steamables mixed together. One was plain broccoli, and the other was a mix of corn, asparagus, and carrots. Mixed together it was all pretty delicious.
Sunday evening we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1. I have to say I was impressed. Granted almost every seen was different than what happened in the book, but it still followed the gist of the story. It actually didn't bother me that everything was different in the movie because the movie was so well done. In my opinion, this is the best one yet. I was surprised that it included most of the book. I kept thinking, "When are they going to stop?" The next one is going to be good. They have a lot of time to work with less chapters, so hopefully they will include lots of detail.

Why dirty a bowl when the pot works just as well? 

I Open At The Close

A few nights ago Luke and I were listing to music via Pandora Radio. He was browsing around and found a station called Cuban Radio. We started listening, and I Love It. I have been listening all night.
Track was pretty tough today. 500, 250, 500... fast. That without times is pretty easy, but when she is yelling for you to go faster because you won't make your time and she will add on more... its rough.
I bought some Starbucks VIA Ready Brew packets the other day. It is like the little packets of lemonade that you add to a single bottle of water. These only make 8 oz each though. I got the mocha flavor, and can't wait for the opportunity to try one. I hope they are good.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out Friday (midnight Thursday night), but I think Luke and I are going to wait until Sunday afternoon to see it.
Saturday at Michael's you can go buy a stocking and decorate it for free. I thought about going, but we have to work the regional cross country meet all morning. UAH is hosting it, so we have to be their worker bees.
I have been craving pancakes for the past month. I Want Pancakes!!!!! I keep thinking about them, and they sound more and more delicious. I found a thing called pancake revolution that you can sign up for on the IHOP website. You get an email, and in it is a free pancake breakfast. You get one for signing up, one for your birthday, and one a year from the day you sign up. I signed Luke and I both up, so hopefully we will go this weekend. I Really Hope So. I have had them on the brain for a long time. Maybe I'll try making them when I'm home in a few weeks... maybe I won't kill them this time. I have a good streak with cooking lately. Hopefully it continues. I'm about to start getting braver and trying slightly more difficult recipes. I really want to be able to cook. Really, Really, Really.
I bought a box of Capri Sun on our recent shopping trip, and if you are wondering... Yes... they are just as amazing as I remember them being.
I forgot to tell you all that I decided to have a self intervention for my Coca Cola addiction. I rarely get it now, but when I do It Is So Wonderful. I just have to keep it under control.

Quick Update

I am ready for this week to be over. Today I took the first half of my statistics final. I don't want to talk about it, so don't ask. Tomorrow morning I have my physics lab final, and after that i have a statics test. On Wednesday I have the second half of my statistics final, and right after I'm meeting a girl in my group to do the slide show for our statistics project. Friday morning I have a math quiz. After that.... I want to sleep. On Friday Luke and I will have been together for 3 1/2 years, and it will also mark one month until we are married. So we decided to celebrate. He said Olive Garden. I thought Red Lobster sounded good because I love their chicken..... but that is why I didn't mention it... all I like there is the chicken. I bet they have tilapia or something else I like now that my taste buds are changing, but their chicken is So Good! There is also a jazz thing on Friday at 8 that the Dance Club is hosting. There will be a 20 something piece band of extremely talented jazz musicians playing with a big dance floor for everyone to enjoy. We went last year, and it was a lot of fun. They aren't the Dallas Wind Symphony, but they are really good. I would give my appendix just to go see the DWS. Especially the Valentines Day show. It is always Jazz/Big Band themed, and it is different every year. Couples get up in the isles and dance, and the music knows just how to get your blood flowin. Mr. B (RCHS's band director) actually plays in and arranges pieces for the DWS. (No wonder he can afford that car...) My sophomore year he wrote in a part for the trombone player to do a solo on a three inch plastic slide whistle! It was incredible! Genius! Hilarious!
I am now going to commence to my bed to sleep get some sleep for my tests tomorrow.

Unlike Waldo... I have been found

I know, I know... I'm a horrible, terrible, awful blogger. I usually think, "Gosh I haven't written a blog in a long time... I should write one... later." So here I am. Sharing all the juicy gossip of my boring life. I have read (well... listened to) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was great, and I am absolutely baffled by the genius that is J.K. Rowling. Seven extremely long books that all manage to intertwine so cleverly. I remember reading the sixth book and thinking, "That was referenced in the 1st or second book!" She must have had this story planned out with incredible detail. There is no way she could have just started on it with a beginning and end planned and made up the middle as she went. As she sat in the coffee shop writing her fame and fortune to-be on napkins and hoping she wouldn't get out because she couldn't afford a cup of coffee, her brain must have been working ninety to nothing. I am amazed. Not only is it a good story, but she is such an incredible writer. Her style and methods are A+.
Moving on... The weekend we went home, Luke's flag football team played their last pre-playoff games. They won one and lost the other. The very next weekend the playoffs began, and it was single elimination. The first game they played the Pikes. A fraternity full of dummies, fatties, and jerks. It looked like we were going to lose, but we made a come back!!! I was so proud of them. Of all the teams, Pi Kappa Alpha was the 1 team I wanted them to beat. Luke was the quarter back, and they had a good mix of track, used to be track, and maybe 2 non tracksters on the team. If they had ever practiced, I think they could have won the whole thing. They ended up getting 3rd. Luke got hurt in the 2nd to last game and he could barely walk that night. His ankle was swollen, so we RICE'd it all evening. Rest Ice Compression Elevation. Luke learned that in his class. He was out all week from track practice because it was a muscle in his leg that wraps down into his foot. Because the flag football team was a secret from CT, he told her it was from a skateboarding accident... to cover the other guys butts. He is back to working out again, but not full force yet, and still puts ice on it after practice. They got the PV pit out today, and started doing drills. They should start jumping in the next few weeks.
Monday's workout was a time trial. We did a 300 and 150. I was the second fastest time for the girls in both. Leah had the 300 time, and Latrice had the 150 time. We did a 500 time trial last week, and I was second behind Leah. Today was our first 300s workout. We did 5 and they all had to be in a certain time. It was tough, but I like 300s. We maxed in bench Monday, and we are maxing squat on Friday.
More than anything, I am ready to go home. I am ready to get away from here, and go to the best place in the world.
Luke and I are pretty much done with our registry. I have to edit our George Foreman Grill and maybe one other thing, but we are pretty much done.
I have a math test Friday, my Statistics final on Monday and Wednesday, a Statics test and my Physics lab final on Tuesday. I think I might go mad. After it is over, I would like to do something relaxing like camping. I love camping more than I love orange juice, cadburry eggs, and my tape book. It is a close tie with the color green, my last name, and being able to feel a marching band as they pass by during a parade. Speaking of my last name... the realization of putting my last name in a storage bin is creeping up even more on me, and it make me sad. I have a strong attachment to my last name. I'm not sure if I have already blogged about this or not, but I'll say it again if I have. I love my last name, and I really don't want to get rid of it. But I will do it for Luke. People have suggested doing something like Loro-Beck or Rogina-Beck, but I know Luke wants me to just take Beck... so I will. Even if it is extremely difficult, and I will mourn over it for a few months.
I guess it is time for me to go to sleep now. So long my darlings... I hope visions of sugarplums are danging in your head right now... as in right now as I'm tying this, not right now as you read it. If it were the moment you are reading this, then you would have been paying to the plums wearing tutus instead of the words you are skimming over on this page. So by the time you read this... Happy Thursday to all, and to all a good day.

Luke and Passen deciding how to fix up the bike Aaron gave Luke. 

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

Due to my newly adopted sleeping habits, I stay up late because my body is still awake, but now that I have to wake up for class instead of sleeping in like I did last week... I am tired! Hopefully it will catch up to me, and I will want to fall asleep earlier and earlier until things are normal. Yesterday for practice I ran 2 450s, 2 350s, and 2 250s. It was tough, but I did it. Luke did some X's across the field. Dang jumpers have it so easy. Today is going to be rough too. We maxed on weights last week, so yesterday in the weight room CT had sheets with calculated amounts. It was tough. I am definitely sore today. It is mostly in my arms though so It won't make running too miserable. Next week we are going to start going to the track on Mon, Wed, Fri for practice. I feel like it is so early to start going to the track, but I guess that is because we didn't have a track to go to until Jan my freshman year.
I had a really good time with Jana here this weekend. I was happy to see her, and I liked showing her my current home. I was sad to see her go on Sunday. I'm pretty sure we did more last week than I have done all year. Now I just have to go visit her in Germany... someday.
Sunday morning After we woke up and showered, the two of us went to the mall, walked around, and got pictures strips in the booths. Apparently we took too long choosing a theme because it chose for us... Halloween. On the first picture we weren't ready for it, so I look like I was talking. I like them though. Mine is now on my vanity mirror with my mom's picture.
I think I'm going to lay down for a few min before I have to go to class. I hope everyone has a lovely day.

Hazaa!!

While adding my sister, mother, and father to the "automatic email whenever I blog" list I found a wonderful setting that allows me to send pictures straight from my phone to my blog. I tried it out, and the post below of a wind chime teapot is my success! I saw that tea pot on Venice Beach, and I am determined to make one now. I absolutely love it. Oh, and if anyone else wants to be on the list that lets you know when I blog, sent me your email. Through text preferably. Who knows what crazy computer/robot likes to find email addresses on blogs like these and start spamming you. Or you can disguise it on here like AlexAtDancingdogsDotCom. Then again, maybe no one else wants to join the list, and this is all just a garbage rambling.
Today was Jana's last full day here in Huntsville, Alabama. After sleeping in again we had Multi grain Cheerios. Did nothing for a while. Got Frito wraps and cherry limeades from sonic and watched Horton Hears a Who. Luke showed up during the movie and finished it with us. After it we went to Bridge Street... our lovely and expensive outdoor mall. There were bands playing, children running around in the water that squirts up out of the ground, teenagers roaming in packs like they owned the place, and adults who actually had money to shop. We walked around in Anthropologie and admired all the wonderful things we couldn't afford. I love that store. They have so many beautiful things, but they know just how beautiful they are, and price them accordingly. I sent pictures of stuff to Danni, and oohed and ahhed along with me. We ate at the Japanese restaurant there... I can't remember its name. We wanted to get something from the Chocolate Crocodile after, but we were too full of rice and whatever else came on it. We went to a few stores, and looked around. At Mountain High (where I got my Toms), I saw the grey Toms that I want. I will get them some day. I think it is strange that I am a 6.5 in Toms, when I'm an 8.5 in every other kind of shoe. Well... except Converse... 5. I wonder what made them think, "I want my shoes to be sized differently than everyone else's shoes. It makes me unique, and a pain in the bum to order online from. I hope everyone orders their shoes in the wrong size so they have to send them back and try again." I'm glad I tried them in the store instead of ordering them online. Anyways... back to today. The End. Well, not quite, but that is pretty much it. After Bridge Street we went to Luke's and watched Iron Man 2. Now Jana and I are back at the house. Tomorrow I think we should go to the Madison Square Mall just for the sake of taking pictures in those booths that print them out in strips. I haven't proposed this to her yet, but I will in the morning. We have to leave here at 3:30 t0 get her to the airport an hour and a half early for her 6:15 flight. What a wonderful adventure it will be. Then, once we return, I will begin my homework. I have one test Thursday and another on Friday. If my math teacher randomly decides to put our test on Friday as well, I will blow my gasket. I doubt he will though, so I think things will be okay.
I saw an Alice in Wonderland journal at Barnes and Noble. It was beautiful. I love Alice. I am currently reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol on my iPhone. Not the same as having the book, but it gets the job done. I just realized that I am not done with Harry Potter 7, and that movie comes out in a month. I am in trouble. Time to set Alice down and lug around the magical world of withes and wizards until I finish it. I hate being a slow reader. I would hate to be reading this blog right now, and I would think, "Why on earth is she making this so long? She is rambling on about garbage! Will she ever finish?" Maybe that is why I never read my posts over to see if they make sense. It is now 1 am, and I will say, "Good night."

A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

I really should have written this post last night when I thought about it. Now I'm going to have a hard time remembering what we did yesterday. To start off, Jana and I had Multi grain Cheerios. Luke rode the black scooter over around 12. We took him to get lunch at Bojangles, and then took Jana to the off campus bookstore to get her a UAH hoodie. We checked Hibbett Sports to see if they had any good UAH stuff, but the only thing they had was one tshirt. Everything else was Alabama and Auburn. That's so annoying. They are 2 minutes from UAH, but they don't have anything but a dumb shirt. After the bookstore we went to the Space and Rocket Center. When passing it on the road we see the rocket outside and it looks pretty big. When you stand next to it you feel like a tiny bug next to a giant's enormous foot. It is too expensive for us to go inside, so we looked at the stuff outside, and looked through the windows to see what they had inside. It would actually be a really cool place to go in, but that will have to wait. We stopped by Walmart for my medication, and then went on the Luke's dorm. Jana and I got Chickfila sandwiches and some tasty waffle fries. After watching an episode of Two and a Half Men the three of us went to Sam and Greg's. The pizza was delicious, and the Italian ice cream was wonderful. I really like that place. There was a musician playing a guitar and singing while we were there. I asked the guy behind the counter for bottle caps, and he gave me the 24 that were sitting in the little basket. By the way, if I haven't said this already, Luke and I are going to make a bottle cap table, so if you drink any beers or glass bottle sodas I would like the caps. If you go to a restaurant with a bar you should ask the bartender to keep any caps that they pop off during the duration of your meal. I will be eternally grateful if you do. I think this will look really cool.
To finish out the evening we met Andrew at the dollar theatre and saw Toy Story 3. I really liked it. If you have not seen it and you liked the first 2 (which you better have), you will enjoy this one. We actually got home at a decent hour last night, but stayed up watching tv. I would tell you our plans for today, but that would take away from tonight's blog.

German Chocolate = Dancing Taste Buds

I made a masterpiece today, but to see it you have to go to facebook and watch the video I posted.
Today has been pretty eventful. We woke up the first time to the garbage truck outside. I realized what the sound was and realized that I didn't remember to put the can on the curb. I ran out there to see if it was too late, but luckily there was only one thing sitting at the bottom of the trashcan. Its all good until next Thursday. I went back inside to lay down, and didn't wake up until 11. Jana and I had multi grain cheerios for breakfast again. We got ready and went to get Luke at 1. Luke didn't wake up until I called him at 12. For lunch we got burritos at Salsaritas and took them to Big Spring Park. It was so nice outside today. After eating we went to Monte Sano and showed Jana a few really pretty spots. There is a place where that is usually a small waterfall, but it has been so dry lately that there was only a tiny trickle.
We went by the house to get some water and take a bathroom break, picked up Andrew from the dorms, and wen to play disc golf. The dust was flying up all over in the places that there was no grass. Jana had sandals on, so her feet got really dirty except where her sandal strap was. When we went back to the house she washed her feet off and I got UAH hoodies out for us to wear to the hockey game. Too bad the game wasn't even cold. Construction is being done on the Vaun Braun Center, so the building was different than usual. All the cold was sucked out into the warm night.
I have actually been away from my computer for about and hour and a half now. Luke just called and said that someone was drunk and went crazy with a fire extinguisher in their dorm. the white stuff got into the air ducts and it keeps setting off the fire alarm. They were informed that no one was going back in the building for a while, so they all came over here. We got out the corn whole game and played for a while. Turns out, Jana and I are both pretty bad at it. Andrew is expert level. It was fun, but here I am again.... awake at 1:20. I think it is time for sleep. I'm actually starting to get hungry now. Definitely time for sleep.

To Late For This Early Bird

I can't believe it is 2 am. How time gets away from me like a pool float in a strong river current. Today started out with breakfast. Jana and I had cereal again. Math class. At track practice we ran 12 200s. I definitely would choose 5 300s over 12 200s any day. After that Jana and I ate at the Boar's Head for lunch. That is the sandwich place inside the convenience store next to Luke's dorm. Jana went with me to statics, and it was very boring. She spent most of the time trying to remember what statistics is in German. When we left there she had a really bad headache, so we went to the house to hang out. She took a nap while I showered, and then read while I cut from magazines. She started feeling better around the time Luke and his room mates finished play Man vs Wild and we all met at Waffle House. While eating Ethan got the bright idea of going bowling. We called the place and they said it was $5+Shoe rental to bowl unlimited games from 9:30 to 12. We played the entire time, and were pretty tired after. Jana said she was really bad, but it didn't seem that way when she beat everyone the first game. I was terrible, as usual, but I did get a few strikes and spares in here and there. The group was Jana, Luke, Ethan, Will, Passen, and me. Latrice and Andrew came too, but they didn't bowl. They just wanted to hang out. When our lane shut down at midnight we all went to Luke's and watched a little tv. Luke, Passen, and Andrew went to ride on the parking deck, Will disappeared (we think to a party), Ethan, Jana, Latrice and I watched some crazy show about animal attacks. Eventually around 1:40 we realized we were very tired and the party dispersed. Jana and I are now home, and I am about to hop in bed and recharge for tomorrow's great adventures.

Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn, and Syrup

This morning I woke up at 7:30 and took a shower. It felt quite nice. Jana and I had Multi grain Cheerios for breakfast. We hung out until about 10 when I had to go to my statics class. That class always makes me feel like my brain has fallen out of my head and I have to look around to find it, dust it off, and shove it back in. Then, once I am functioning properly, I get to go to track practice. I swung by the house to pick Jana up so she could watch us. Today we did 5 of... something... I think it was 300s, but it is hard to tell when it is on a field around cones. When I finished CT told me, "Really good job, Lo-Ro!" She even gave me a high five. I must have done well because she doesn't give those freely. After practice we went and ate in the caf. Jana told us how much her school cost, and Luke and I decided we need to move to Germany and go to school there. Jana wanted to see what one of our classes was like, so we went with Luke to biology. His teacher is very amusing. She mentioned the Rob Zombie concert she is going to in a few weeks.
After that Jana and I went to Walmart to get milk, deodorant, cereal for Luke, razors, and cough drops. We stopped by Taco Bell for dinner and went to the volleyball game. It was breast cancer awareness night, so everyone wore pink.

This is a picture that Luke took of us while walking to the car after picking up Jana last night.

Blast Off!

Hooray! Jana is here with me in Huntsville. She is laying on my air mattress reading a book. I had to air it up a bit because she sunk down when she first sat on it. I just try not to sit on it for that reason. Laying down isn't so bad, but when you sit and your bum hits the wooden slats underneath, you know its time to fill it back up. Luke and I drove to Birmingham after my statistics class. It took us the same amount of time to drive there as it did for her to fly there from Dallas. We showed her Luke's dorm, and I showed her the house. We didn't get back until 9 something, so I'll have to show her around tomorrow while it is light outside. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow's practice. Because Thursday and Friday are fall break and we don't have practice, I just know that Tuesday and Wednesday are going to both be hard. Jana gets to watch us suffer. For those who don't know Jana, she is my German sister who stayed with us as an exchange student my junior year of high school. When you read her name you should think "Yana" and the A's sound like chimichanga... not banana. She brought Luke and I chocolate, but all of it didn't make it here because chubby girl, Holly, had to break into it. I'm still excited about having some tomorrow. I was going to eat some now, but I thought I'd wait for Luke. She also brought me a cool key chain from Germany, my new license that says I can ride the scooters, and my mom's school picture that I put on my vanity mirror.
Today in physics my teacher announced that there will be no class on Wednesday... Hooray! I also found out that I do not have my 8 am physics lab in the morning. Hooray! I only have one class tomorrow and two on Wednesday. I think one night we will take Jana to Bridge Street, and maybe up to Monte Sano too. Ethan wants to go bow fishing Saturday night. I'll let her decide on that one.
To answer your question about the picture, Danni, I would like it any size.
I need to work on statics homework now. Lots of forces and moments to calculate!

Jana Count Down: 1 day

I would like to start off my saying that I LOVE this picture.

I found it on etsy.com, and I made it my computer background. I love it. I want one just like it... except I would like for her hair to be longer and brown... more like mine.

Yesterday Luke and I were watching the Alabama game, but when they were winning 23 - 0 at the half we gave up and went to see Salt it the theatre. It was pretty crazy... one of those that makes you think you know whats going to happen, and tricks you 3 or 4 times. It is a good one. I would recommend it.

Today has been slow. Luke and I went to Sunday brunch at the caf, and it was just as terrible as it usually is. We went to a gas station for a Sunday paper and clipped coupons while watching football. Now we are studying and doing homework. I am taking a short break between physics and statics to fill you in on today's happenings. I requested my insurance card for my new insurance, but have not received it yet. I really need to pick up my allergy medicine, but I would like to take that with me. I am going to have to go by the library to print off a temporary copy to take to Walmart. I would do it in my room, but I'm out of black ink. I have been printing my lab reports off in blue.

I am excited! Luke and I are picking up Jana from the airport tomorrow! I'm not sure what time, so I'm going to need an update on that...

Jana Countdown: 3 days

I am so disappointed in myself. I woke up this morning at 8, took my medicine, checked my email like I do every morning. Then I thought, "I'll lay down for a few minutes." I didn't wake up again until 12! Wasting daylight. So I hadn't been awake for long when you called me this morning, Mom. Luke and I went to the Chick-fil-a on campus to get lunch since it was too late for breakfast. Now we are watching to Texas vs. OU game. What the heck Texas?! You are looking pitiful out there! What happened to the "great Texas defense" that everyone has been talking about. You can't be a great defense if you make such bone head plays! Our little baby offence needs you to survive!

In other news, track practice was the hill from hell yesterday. Jumpers and Throwers had to do 8, the rest of the girls had to do 10, and the rest of the guys had to do 12. I did 10... Luke only did 8...

Thursday at practice we flipped tractor tires and did hurdle and banana hurdle drills.

Friday night Luke, Latrice, Andrew, Passen, and I went to Chili's and then the dollar theatre. We saw Dinner for Schmucks. It was actually a really funny movie. We talked about going back tonight and seeing Salt. It is only $1 after all.

Yesterday as I was sitting on my front porch a wonder idea occurred to me. For Halloween I want to be a Who. I will do my hair like I did it for the Wily and the Hairyman, and watch Dr. Seuss movies to get ideas for my clothing. I asked Auntie Gem about my nose and puffy upper lip. She said a costume shop would have a fake nose I could stick on, and to put a piece of the rim of a styrofoam cup under my lip. I'm excited about this. I think its going to be good. Last year all I did was wrap my scarves around my head and held a tea cup to be a fortune teller.

I shouted crazy things about how everyone's futures looked very dark because their tea leaves revealed the grim. I'm going to have to find someone that can do my hair this year.

Jana Count Down: 5 days

Oh me, oh my.... I am full from a tasty dinner. Just like every Wednesday night so far, Ethan cooked durgers (Deer burgers). I cooked some banana bread with a recipe that I looked up on the internet. I added some chocolate chips to it, and the guys went crazy over it. Luke and Will said it was good. Ethan and Passen said it was Amazing. Success!
Practice today started out with the usual four lap warm up. Then after a bit of stretching we just ran the school loop. I ran with Andrew and we talked the whole time. It was pretty good. Then we lifted weights like every Wednesday. Why is it that CT always gives me the new kids in the weight room? She gave Shea to me to teach how to do it right the first week. Today she gave me the new girl (I think Jessica) to show her the ways of the weight room.
We are watching The Best Songs of the 90s on VH1 right now. It is awesome. Luke, Will, and I are watching it, and are loving all the songs they are showing in the countdown. This is the stuff we grew up with. Songs we all know and love. Ahh memory lane. We have seen Salt n Pepa, Beck, Metallica, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Madonna, Beastie Boys, N'SYNC, Backstreet Boys, Brittney Spears, Alanis Morsette, Pearl Jam, REM, TLC, MC Hammer, U2... and so much more. Ethan has even come to join us. I love it. The number one song ended up being Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Number 2 was a U2 song, and number 3 was I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys. We just spent the last hour singing and laughing and talking about the good old days. hahaha

Jana Count Down: 6 days

Today was a pretty good day. I went to my physics lab mid term this morning, and it went well. At practice today CT said long sprinters had to run 2 500s, 2 300s, 3 200s. It wasn't as bad as I though it would be. It actually went well. CT even told Jaion, Aaron, and me that we were done after our second. I guess because we were doing well... or maybe because the freshman were looking so pitiful. We got new shoes today! I walked in, the person asked if I knew what shoes I was interested in, I said, "8 1/2 Adrenalines," they brought me the shoes... done. While some people have to be videoed on the treadmill and/or try on a few different pairs, I am practically done before I get there. I have been wearing the same shoe model since the seventh grade. If I still had all of them I could be a Brooks spokes person. Even my spikes have been the same. Brooks, Brooks, Brooks. I love them. The day they stop making the Adrenaline is a day I will weep. I like not having to go through trying on shoes. Too many decisions. Luke got the same shoes that he got last year too. There was Papa Johns pizza there for us, but I don't really like Papa John's. There is practically no sauce on their pizza, so it is more like cheese toast with good crust. I don't want to be able to drink the sauce, but for Pete's sake! I want some sauce on my pizza! Leeza's Pizza is the best pizza ever. I have to get some whenever I'm in RC.... along with China Taste... the best Chinese restaurant ever.

There is a can of spaghettiOs about two feet away from me, and I keep eyeing it. I can't get it off my brain. I think, "It is too late. Save it for another day." But It Looks So Good!!! I have forever given up SpaghettiOs with meatballs though. I had some last year, and they tasted terrible... not what I remember them tasting like. I guess it is a good thing though. When Dan and I were younger and ate stuff like SpaghettiOs and Easy Mac we would joke about how the kind with meatballs smelled so bad. Then, one fine day I ate a can and continued going about my business. I stopped and said something to Danni. The first thing she said to me was, "Did you just throw up?" She smelled my breath and actually thought I had thrown up... low and behold I had only eaten SpaghttiOs with meatballs. hahaha

:[

I am rather irritated with myself right now. We just went to Walmart to get a few things, and I had a coupon for Danimals drinkable yogurt. I got a six pack for $1, and I was proud of myself for using a coupon and blah blah blah. I get home and as I'm unpacking the groceries I realize that I picked up the raspberry instead of strawberry. I hate raspberry. Now I have to suffer and eat them. At least they are drinkable, so I can just drink it really quick and force it down.
On another note, Sunday was a good day. I went to Luke's flag football game like usual, and cheered for Black Dynamite. They won both games this time. Because they barely had enough guys to play, and their quarterback had to work the guys decided to rotate as QB. After a few it was decided that Luke was the new QB because he was doing the best job. I was proud of him. He did well. After I went to Latrice's and we made macaroni... the home made kind, not the Kraft boxed stuff. We took it to the team BBQ, where the food was really good.
I have to write a lab report for physics now. I have to turn it in tomorrow morning before i take my lab midterm. I'm not looking forward to it. Track practice was easy today... it makes me worry for tomorrow.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

Yesterday was a pretty good day. Sadly Texas lost to UCLA, but Bama squawked by with a win over Arkansas. Will was on his feet most of the second half, because it looked like they were going to lose. Today is Ethan's birthday, so we celebrated last night while his girlfriend was here. She took him to a restaurant for dinner, and while they were gone we went to Walmart to get birthday supplies. I made him a cake and we got him a few small gifts.

At first Will thought about putting "Nothing runs like a deer... Except Ethan Harbison." I decided to cut it down a bit. My letters were obviously very difficult to make. The icing came out of the tube too fast for me. For the deer Luke printed out a John Deer emblem and I had to look at it while trying to draw with icing. It took forever, but I was happy with the end result. We were watching the Auburn game while all this was going on down at the opposite end of the building where the kitchen and the big screen tv were. Ethan's girlfriend, Jennifer, let us know when they got back, and we went in the room singing Happy Birthday. Then after cake we played Taboo for a while. Instead of pairs we did teams. Mine was Will, Luke, Passen, and me. The other was Latrice, Andrew, Ethan, and Jennifer. We dominated. We put points down, but I don't know if anyone ever counted them up. It was just fun playing.
Today the guys have another flag football game. I figure I'll go watch that, and do homework the rest of the day. I need to get my singulair prescription filled today, so hopefully the insurance I got will help me out. Paying $135 last time was not enjoyable. I haven't received my insurance card yet though... can I just give them all the information like policy number and all that jazz?

While I've been gone....

Because I haven't blogged in a really long time, which I feel really bad about, I'm going to have to give you a very long update. Brace yourselves.

I wrecked the scooter, and I have been too afraid to tell you about it. I mostly just scratched up my right side. Thank goodness for helmets. This made me realized how very boring my life is, so I decided to change things up. I started off easy by painting my fingernails red. Then I went and got my eyebrow pierced... I won't show a picture because its a little infected right now, so it looks gross. I started going to Sammy T's on Thursday nights (a club in Huntsville) to have a little fun, and I learned the names of a few cab drivers on the way home too. No one can have enough friends. I was a little out of it one night and woke up with my mouth hurting. Looked in the mirror, and turns out I got another addition.

If I had been more aware I probably would have gotten something different. Oh well. But in all seriousness, I think I might go back and get some flowers aroud it or something. Monday I'm going to find a nice traveling circus and try out to be a trapeze artist.

If any of this were true, Luke would have called you by now, and CT would have gone crazy Jamaican lady on me. I have not wrecked the scooters, I have never even stepped foot into a club before, I have no piercings or tattoos, and even though the circus would be fun I would get tired of all the elephant poo.

I have actually just been doing school work. I had tests in all my classes the past two weeks. I'm glad the first series of exams is over. My forehead looks awful. Yesterday for track practice we went to the big hill and it was just as horrible as the past two years. I did eat a grass hopper though. At Luke's we have become a little family. Every Wednesday we have Family Night, cook dinner together, and watch Man vs. Wild. Because Bear Grylls is so bad A we have turned him into our role model. He has eaten some of the craziest stuff on that show. While we were at the hill Luke and Ethan ate grasshoppers, but I didn't see it. When they came down the hill and told me it was my turn to join the club I said, "Only if you prove it by eating one with my." So Ethan caught another one for himself and ate it. I ate mine too. All the other girls were like, "Eww! I would never eat a grasshopper!" To be honest mine was tiny, and Ethan had already taken its back legs off so it couldn't hop around. I just put it in my mouth, one chomp, and swallowed it. There was no taste. Passen refused it do it. When we got back and told Will about it he said he would eat one, but I don't know if it will ever happen. In our family we all have names. I am Mom, Luke is All American, Ethan is Bear Grylls Jr, Passen is Off Road Master and Locksmith (depends on the moment of which one he is), and Will is Uncle. Passen is the locksmith because he can open doors in the dorm that are locked. Ethan had accidentally locked himself out of his room, and Passen showed amazed us with his nifty trick. Will is the uncle because he falls asleep in the living room watching tv with his hands folded across his stomach and his head leaned back on the top of the couch. Ethan is Bear Grylls Junior because he has been getting into ROTC. He isn't contracted yet, but he goes out to A&M every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and comes back with stories. He also is the hunter of the group. He doesn't know a whole lot about sports, but he can tell you anything about hunting. He can't fit anyone in his truck because he has too much hunting stuff in it. Of what I could see, there was a bow (I'm sure the arrows were in there too somewhere), fishing poles, camo gear, axe, machete, and much more. He has a cover on the bed of his truck, and it is full in there, so I'm not sure what all else he has in there. Maybe his guns. I don't know. For family night he cooks deer burgers and we all provide something else to go with it. Last night Ethan's girlfriend came into town. She goes to school at Alabama. We went to Logan's last night with them and Will. It was really good, and Luke and I got the 3 for $20 deal. An appetizer, two steak meals, and a dessert. It was really good, and I brought home leftovers. Every Friday for the past three weeks the boys have been going out to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge and playing Bear Grylls. They make fires, fish, build rafts, and whatever else they might think of. I went for the first time yesterday, and it was fun. I really enjoyed being outdoors. That is one of my favorite places to be. I went log hunting for their raft and just enjoyed the trees, rocks, and water. I want to go camping.

I miss my real family. I'm unhappy that I don't get to see my sisters senior show. I want to see the dogs. I miss my mom and papi. I'm excited to see Jana in October though!

Today I plan on doing physics homework, watching the Alabama game and the Texas game, hopefully hang out with Latrice, and maybe do laundry. It is raining right now.... poor Luke has golf class.

I think this post is long enough for now.

RipStick + Skateboard + 2(Longboard) + Scooter + Parking Deck = Hours of Fun with the Fam

So much has been going on, and I think, "I need to write about this in my blog." Too bad I forget to blog, and I forget what I wanted to blog about. I have improved my skateboarding/long boarding skills tonight. I'm trying to turn without chickening out and stopping before I get there. I'm getting better. Don't worry... I'm not brave enough to try anything that will get me hurt.
I really wanted to make this interesting because it has been so long, but I'm struggling.
Tonight Ethan cooked durgers (deer burgers) and deer sausage for dinner. Luke and I made potato chips by slicing them, oiling and seasoning them, and baking them. Mine were plane because the guys don't have any salt, but they had Tony's on theirs. I want to make ropa vieja, but I have to go to Kroger and look for Mojo because Walmart didn't have any. I think we are making hamburger helper tomorrow.
I'll try to write tomorrow when I can think about more to talk about.

Happy Teddy Bear Day!

Yesterday's practice was a circuit. We did things like star jumps, lunges, crunches, pushups, rocket jumps, backward lunges, duck walks, decline pushups, more ab stuff like v-ups and hitlers, crab walk, 80% sprint, step overs, and then some. Then the weight room. My body was so tired after. My arms wanted to take a nap, and this morning I am all kinds of sore.
After practice I made a lunch of PBJ, baby carrots, pretzel sticks, and yogurt. I took it to physics with me because I didn't have time to eat it before. Then after physics I got on the scooter and started riding to my next class. I was sitting at a red light (the class is in the only building across the street away from the rest of the world) and I ran out of gas. I called Luke and he came to get it while I walked the rest of the way to class. Because I was 15 minuets late I didn't get to turn in my homework. The teacher has a within the first 5 min rule. Absolutly no exceptions. I was upset. I had looked inside the gas tank before I left and saw gas in there. I guess I misjudged how much because I was in the parking garage, and its kind of dark in there. Oh well. It is all filled up now so I can take it to my class at 11.
For dinner last night Luke and I bought a family size lasagna, and it was really good. Made me feel better after the scooter/homework insident. We had lasagna and corn. The night before we made chicken and green beans. Tonight I think Ethan is cooking deer meat. We are supplying the vegetables. I'm not sure what yet though. Maybe I'll slice potatos and bake them. Put some Tony's on the ones for the guys, and salt on mine. Or mashed potatos. I should get a tennis racket so I can make them like Sam on Benny and Joon.
Today will be a good day. I will make it so. Time to go eat cereal and my daily apple. I only have one apple left. I ate an entire bag of apples by myself. One a day for almost 3 weeks. I might have to buy some more this weekend. Hope everyone has a good day... a good Teddy Bear Day!

Weekend Recap

Friday was a good day. For lunch I went to Andy's and we made chocolate chip pancakes. He also added in some of his protein powder, but I couldn't really taste it. They were still good. Maybe when I get the powder that I forgot about and left at the house I will try that. Friday night Luke and I went on a date. He took me to the dollar theatre to see The Last Airbender. I really liked it, and can't wait for the next one to come out. I liked all the actors chosen for each character. I kind of wish Uncle Ira looked a little older, but I still really liked the guy that played him. Luke and I have decided to never go to the regular theatre again. It costs us a grand total of $2 to see the movie, and I was surprised by how clean the theatre looked. It was actually pretty nice. The food and drink was still the crazy expensive price, but we didn't need any of that. Before the movie we went to TGIF and dinner was really good. After the movie we went to Target to walk around and buy something from the dollar section.
Saturday was the beginning of college football. Luke and I watched the Texas game, and parts of a few others. It was fun. It made me want to go to a real game. It made me wish we had a football team instead of having our crappy hockey team. I do enjoy going to the hockey games though, and there is no way we could come up with enough players for a football team at this nerd school.
Sunday evening Luke, Will (One of Luke's room mates), and I went riding. Luke and Will took turns on the longboard and ripstik. I rode the scooter... not the one with the motor, the little metal push kind. I actually tried to ripstik and I did better than expected, but it is so much work to keep that thing going. I rode the longboard and I liked that one a lot. It it so much easier than a skateboard.
Monday was yesterday, but I can't remember what I did at the moment.
Today was the first track practice of the year. We did about a 27 minuet run or "run, jog, run". Thank goodness there was cloud coverage for a lot of it, but when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, it was H-O-T HOT! It wasn't as bad as I expected at all. I was rather pleased with my performance. Hopefully tomorrow is a circuit or something easy.

Lame Brain

For some reason September just reminds me of school. I picture a little school house next to the word September on the top of calenders. It seems every month has a theme, and September's is School. School starts in August, but I picture a little shovel and pail for the calender's theme. September also makes me think of high school football which makes me think of sweaters, hot chocolate and marching band. But then again, those go along with school. What is it about the word school that inflicts a slow dragging sensation in my brain?
On that note... I hate my brain. I'm sure many of you experience this, but I have become extremely aware of it in the past year. I make plans, and I am really good at organizing things to stay organized and on top of things, but then once it is time to follow through it is so hard. When I actually stay on task and complete my missions a good feeling follows. Unfortunately it is so hard for me to keep my mind following a straight and narrow path. Its really just depressing for me. How can I do anything in life if I can't control myself. Sometimes I'm useless... I'll sit and stare and do nothing. Sometimes I have too many things bouncing around in my head that I can't focus on one thing and it makes me want to crack into little pieces and get crunched down into dust by the shoes of people walking through. I made up a trick in high school that helps me relocate my brain and focus. I started this while taking piano lessons. While practicing there were just too many other things that wanted to occupy my thoughts, so I would close my eyes and imagine my mind as a chalk board. There are all kinds of things written on it (different thoughts) of all different subjects. I would picture myself completely erasing everything on the board and writing the word piano in the center of it. This actually helped me clear my mind, and I used this during high school, but I forgot about it until just now. I noticed that I am more productive when the task is for someone else. If Luke or Danni were hungry I would peruse the kitchen for some food and make a meal. If I'm by myself and hungry I will just sit there and try not to think about it until I'm in pain, because I don't feel like getting up or stopping what I'm doing. I read that not taking care of yourself is a part of ADD, but who knows whats wrong with me. I'm going to stop talking about this now. It makes me feel kind of miserable.
I don't know if any of this makes sense and I don't feel like rereading it.

Happy Birthday Karen!

This morning I went on a free sample frenzy. I found a website that advertises free samples from lots of different places. I ordered a lot of them, and even sent some to other people, so if you receive a sample of something in the mail, consider it a gift from me.
The lake party yesterday was a lot of fun. The people that attended were: Julia, Leah, Latrice, Andrew, Jaion, Richard, Passen, Aliah & Jasmine (freshman girls), Kelvin & Rico (freshman boys), and Morgan (freshman girl pole vaulter). We climbed up the boat house and jumped off the roof into the lake. Then we went out on the boat and tubed. The first "tube" we used was shaped weird, and didn't require me to lay down on it, so I rode that one. I didn't wake board or ride to regular tube. We rode the boat to another part of the lake that had bluffs for us to jump off of into the water. That was fun, but you had to watch your step on top because broken glass bottles had been left behind by lame people. We had pizza for lunch, and when the day was over we were exhausted. We left, and when we got home I changed, picked up my room, and made Julia and Leah bracelets. Then Larice, Andrew, Richard, Passen, Alysia, and Jasmine came over to the house and we watch the movie Death at a Funeral. It was a comedy. We also tried some "impossible" tasks, and have come up with Mission Impossible, a series of videos of us trying to attempt things that are supposed to be impossible. Last night was eating a spoonful of cinnamon, and breaking an egg while squeezing it with your hand. Richard and Latrice tried the cinnamon, and come nowhere near success. Andrew and Passen tried the eggs, but didn't do it right. They broke the eggs, but they were holding them the wrong way. The challenge says an egg can't be broken when squeezing the egg if it's length is parallel to your hand. The guys were holding it perpendicular. Andrew squeezed his first, and it broke easily. Then Passen squeezed his and it exploded! Egg flew everywhere, but only managed to hit one person. Can you guess which person? The only person that ever and always gets hit: Me. Egg white hit me in the forehead. No surprise there. Its okay though. It made me laugh really hard.
Today I need to just do some homework. I'll probably edit the videos from last night too.

Red Leather, Yellow Leather

If you noticed my last post's or this post's title, they are tongue twisters. You should try saying them repetitively. They don't have to be too fast... just about 5 to 10 times. It is fun to see which ones you are good at, and which ones you can never seen to conquer.
Luke's new computer came in yesterday, and he seems rather pleased with it. We made sure he or I were at the house all day to receive it with open arms, but when the UPS man brought it, he rang the door bell and left it on the front porch. The poor laptop would have been a defenseless abandoned baby if we had not been there to take it in and sooth its fears by unwrapping and assembling it (plugging it in). Passen is going to help Luke decide what parts of Luke's old computer he can sell.
Tomorrow is the track team's lake party. The cross country team has been having a lake party at Coach Cain's lake house every year for many years... I guess because they are the favorites (even though we are better.) People have bothering Coach to let track have one, but it never happened. Tomorrow is finally our first one. Julia is bummed out because she doesn't get to tube. Her physical therapist forbids it. I'm not a big fan of swimming, and I definitely don't like tubing. For me it is just not exciting to be abused by the vibrations and slammed around when it bounces off the waves. I'm not much into having to squint because the wind is slapping you in the face and drying out your eyes. It's just not my kind of fun. I think I'd rather ride a mechanical bull than go ride tube behind a boat. So I will be sitting with Julia on the boat taking pictures and cheering on those that enjoy it. I'm used to people trying to peer pressure me into doing stuff I don't want (watching scary movies for example), but once I have made up my mind, I will not change it. That is the power of being stubborn.
I am getting pretty hungry right now, but I have to wait for Luke to get out of class so we can run before I eat. I had Rice Crispies cereal and an apple for breakfast. I need to add something else to my daily breakfast routine. I'm open for suggestions. No boiled eggs. I can't force one of those down every single day. Something with good protein that won't be torture. No almonds either... I'm kind of burnt out on those.
Wednesday night I was playing my ukulele along with an Ingrid Michaelson song. I let it play on my computer and I looked at the sheet music as I went. I can't sing with it yet, because I have to concentrate on the strumming and my note changing isn't fast enough yet, but I will get there eventually.
I bought my Singulair the other day... $134.88. Medication is just so dang expensive when your insurance is terrible.

Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers

First off, I would like to take a moment of silence in respect of J.T. Henderson. Luke's great grandad passed today, so his family and friends should be in everyone's prayers.


I picked up my ukulele today, and learned Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I found a really neat site that has all kinds of ukulele tabs.
At walmart I got a bag of red delicious apples, and they are so good. I ate one with breakfast today and yesterday, and I had one last night before I went to bed. I also cooked chicken for the first time last night. I used the pampered chef stuff mom gave me, and it was pretty good. It made it easy that I had a George Foreman to work with. I am definitely putting one of those on the registry.
Tomorrow is National Dog Day. Don't tell Holly that... she already thinks she is the queen of our house... she might try to rule the entire nation from Danni's bed.
I absolutely love Yoplait Whips Key Lime Pie yogurt. It is so good, and I always want to eat it after every meal as dessert, but I have to limit myself to one a day. I have been eating it with my lunch, and its so wonderful. It makes my taste buds sing.
In my statics class yesterday, we were working an example, and a guy asked the teacher how he knew if the force arrow was actually 90 degrees. The book didn't actually say that, and there was no little box marking it, so how could we be sure? The teacher said that it looked straight up and because it didn't say anything else, so we will assume it is. He then said, "Engineers make assumptions all the time... I guess that's why things fail." The class couldn't help but laugh.
I guess I better get off the computer and get ready for class now. I have physics and then statistics soon. I haven't chosen my least favorite class yet, but so far my statistics class is my favorite because it is the easiest.

I Spy Something... Green

My room is starting to look pretty good. Video coming soon. I just need to find a dresser to get it completely finished. We now have internet at the house. It is all coming together.
I have been riding the scooters to class, and everyone can't help but stare. What is it about a girl on a little scooter with a butterfly helmet that makes people point and laugh? I did get a head nod from a guy on a motorcycle today though. It is funny the way people on scooters and motorcycles recognize each other. As their little head nod say, "We have two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two eyebrows, and two wheels. Even if we have nothing else in common, we are both still in the double club." What a beautiful relationship.
Tomorrow I have my first physics lab of the semester. Hopefully I have a good instructor. I did for the physics one lab. I've never been lucky twice though.
Question of the day: If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would it be? Restrictions... You can only name one place.
Luke and I are thinking about registering at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. There is a great selection there. All the stuff I have read says to register in 2 places because it gives people more options and makes it easier for some that might not have one of the stores near them. I don't know. It's not like the guest list is big enough to register in multiple places. So far three people have RSVPd on our wedding website... my mom, dad, and sister. I'm pretty sure Danni did all three.
If anyone has forgotten... www.weddingwire.com/LukeAndAlex is the website. I have actually made a few changes, and it looks pretty good.
My computer is being such a pain... It drives me crazy the way it will get on the internet sometimes, and at other times it is just stubborn. Passen put AVG on it so it will get on the internet at the dorms not... if only it would consistently do it.
Tomorrow (the 24th) is my half birthday. I will be 20 1/2 years old. How shall I celebrate? Perhaps a large cake... or maybe some tea. Although, tea should be used to celebrate unbirthdays.
I had more to talk about today, but now I can't remember now. Oh well... tomorrow is a new adventure.

First Post of the School Year

So far this semester has been okay. I have been to all my classes except physics lab because that doesn't start until next week. All I know is, this semester is going to be no fun. I have statistics (math), differential equations (math), physics (applied math), statics (applied physics). I have a feeling I'm going to hate it. It makes me wish I was good at something else so I wouldn't have to do math for the rest of my life. That's what it seems like. Math, math, math. It's not that I don't like math... I just don't want to do it all the stinking time. Give me something interesting to do with my life... it is the rest of my life after all. Didn't I have this issue last year? The "What the heck am I supposed to do with myself?" issue. I'm probably just being dramatic and will get over it once I get into some upper level classes that aren't as boring... even though they will all be math, math, math. It almost makes me want to join a circus or become one of those people that sells my crafts at Venice Beach. Or not. It will get better. I just have to make it through the miserable part of classes. I wish I was good at something else.
I signed up for a free month of the Grocery Game. Now I just have to figure out what I'm supposed to do so I can buy, buy, buy, and still save, save, save.
Today I ate Chickfila for lunch and the lemonade made me wish I could throw up. It wasn't until after I finished eating that it really hit me. It was really humid outside so it made me feel extra miserable as Luke and I walked to Spragins.
I guess I should stop complaining. I like the house. No comment on the people in it. I like my room, and it is almost complete. My goal is to video it once it is done so I can show it to you all.
Time to go to Home Depot. I need a screw to finish my desk. I have found that forcing yourself to smile actually makes you feel better. The hard part is getting the smile out when I'm grumpy or cranky. I'm getting better at it though.

Wedding Website

I have started my wedding website, and here is the link:
www.weddingwire.com/LukeAndAlex

It isn't finished yet, but I will work on it in the next few days to get it done.

Nothing Special About Today

I just went to my holliday callendar and saw that there was no holliday today. Sadly, yesterday was dounut day. I can't believe I missed it! How terribly sad. Tomorrow is Repeat Day Repeat Day. I'll only celebrate randomly so I don't get too annoying.
Luke bought me some garden bean and carrot seeds. I really want to grow them, so I'm trying to plot out where I want to put them. I've always wanted to eat something that I grow myself, but all the times I tried growing something when I was younger were a flop. I would have them growing nicely, but when I would go away to some camp for a week and have my mom tend to them... they died. I don't know if I'm going to get the chance to grow them now. Maybe I could do one of each in pots so I can take them with the to Alabama. I don't know. We'll see.
I have a dentist appointment today. On my last visit in December they said I should probably get my wisdom teeth out this summer. After seeing Luke do it last summer I don't really want to.

First Offical Bridal Blog

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Yesterday my mom and I went to David's Bridal to look for wedding dresses. There was a particular dress I had seen in a few magazines and wanted to try on. When we got there they gave us a catalog to look through to fold the pages of dresses I wanted to try. I marked two others that were the same style and three more that were different just because one never knows what could look surprisingly good. The lady helping us brought me the first three dresses to try on. First I put on the one I had been eyeing. I liked it a lot. My mom said my face lit up when I saw it in the mirror. I won't put a picture on here because Luke doesn't want to see it yet. The lady asked if I wanted a veil or headpiece. No. But I was down for flowers. She brought me a flower, a headband with a net veil and a flower, a plain veil, and another flower. She put the headband with the veil and flower on me, and I actually kind of liked it. So we moved on to the next dress. I very much didn't like it.

I liked the third dress too, but not as much as the first.Then came the different dresses.
I tried on this dress. Although this dress is beautiful it made me look even smaller.I tried on one other long dress, but like the other it just swamped me. I don't feel like putting the the last long dress I tried on. The long dresses were no good for me. I am too short. The lady asked if I wanted to try on the other longer dresses that I marked. No. I was done with those. So I tried on the first dress again so I could compare it with the third one. While I was looking at it I heard some women behind me saying, "Oh she looks so cute!" I saw them in the mirror and they were looking at me. I turned around and they said, "That looks so good!" and other complimentitive things. The lady asked if I wanted to try the third dress again. I said, "No. This is The One." I like it a lot. I'm really excited about it. Because they didn't have my size I had to order it. I ordered a size 2 which is still too big, so it will have to be altered. I could have ordered a size 0, but that would be too small.
Today we went back to David's Bridal for Danni's dress. Because mom and I decided what we wanted her to wear with a few options yesterday, today was easy. The first dress she tried was The One. Thank goodness the one I wanted her to wear looked really good on her.I love it. It looks so good on her, and it is one of those that she can wear again. It is cotton satin so it isn't like a shiny prom dress. We got to bring this one home with us, but we have to hide it away from the dog and cat hair.
Mom and I are currently discussing ideas for what Luke and Josey are supposed to wear.
we have come up with a few ideas here and there about different aspects of the wedding.
I think we are going to Sergio and Suzy's house later this evening. Maybe Suzy will have some input.
Right now I'm desperately awaiting to hear how Luke is doing.

Cleaning House = Allergic Reactions

My senior year I found a game called Diner Dash, and it is so addicting. Recently I found a game like it called Wedding Dash, and it's even worse. I have played the one hour trial versions of all three versions of the game. Sadly, there are no other versions, and I'd have to buy the game to continue playing. I am so addicted that I considered buying it. Luke is helping me with my addiction by simply telling my No. I guess I'll have to settle for the hour trial version of Diner Dash and all the other games like it. I'd prefer Wedding Dash though.
Right now I'm in Luke's living room. He and Passen are playing a race car game, so it's kind of noisy, but its pretty funny too. Luke got a car that Passen said, "It's the fastest car here, but it has absolutely no control." Luke was spinning everywhere, and Passen couldn't keep his too fast car straight on the tiny track. After that game they changed courses, and Luke got a new car.
Luke, Passen, and I are one little happy family now that we have moved into Luke's living room. After a whirl wind cleaning of my room, shower, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and pantry I checked out of my room. We moved all of my stuff to Luke's, where it will be sorted into stuff going home with me and stuff going into the house. Passen has also moved his stuff into the room, so we are rather crowded. Passen put an air mattress on what was Aaron's side of the room because the living room is full of all his gadgets. We have a large TV, a large CPU, 2 monitors, a Play Station console, a DVD player, and other countless things taking up space. The couch and chairs are all facing the TV. I'm pretty sure all the electronics are some home plugged up to each other to make one big expensive jumble. I think the only one over there not in on the fun is his printer.
Tonight I cooked two boxes of macaroni that the thee of us ate. Luke and Passen put their mac on sandwiches with ham. After hanging out for a bit Luke decided he wanted Krispy Kreme, so off we went. The "Hot Now" sign was on so Passen got a box of dozen hot glazed doughnuts. Luke and I were a bit more difficult. We split a dozen and mixed it up. I got 2 glazed, one chocolate, one with apple filling and cinnamon powder, and 2 custard filled with chocolate on top. Don't worry, i didn't eat all six. I had three and I'm saving the others for breakfast. Luke ate four and Passen had three. The apple filled with cinnamon powder was kind of disappointing. I should have heated it up first.
Tomorrow I'm going to practice with Luke. I'll set up the lawn chair and watch him jump. I don't know what else I'll do. I should plan out the classes I'm going to sign up for because that happens on Wednesday. Do you know what else happens Wednesday? It will be May 19th. That's right.... Luke and I will be together for three years. We still have the Cake for Two that family sent me for Valentines Day. We will bake that to help us celebrate. I have decided that I want to cook him dinner. We'll see.
My fingers seem a little jumpy tonight and they keep spazing out and typing letters I don't want them to. So if something doesn't makes sense, that is why.

Happy Love A Tree Day!

I have been procrastinating writing a new post and now I have way too much to talk about.
On Monday I had my last final at 6:30. It was Calculus, and it was hard! I have never had a college cal test be so hard. Cal A & B were a breeze. After I finished my final and had dinner I helped Danni with her math. It made me feel better to help her understand that crazy trig. I felt like we had quite a few break throughs. After we finished Luke called me and said, "Come fishing with me, Ethan, and Jac." So I said okay and off we went. It was close to 10 when we got to Ethan's fishing spot, so it was dark. The one night we went was the one one day it decided to be rainy in the morning, so chilly at night. We put on hats, jackets, and head lamps. Ethan and Luke set up 4 fishing poles on the shore with glow sticks on the end of the rods. If a fish got caught the glow stick would bobble in the dark. While they did that Jac(a girl) and I started the fire in Ethan's little portable grill and cooked hot dogs. There were 2 packs, so we ate 4 hot dogs each. After we were done with the food Jac and I started putting wood in the grill (over the dying charcoal) so we could have a camp fire. I walked around looking for twigs and sticks on the ground while Jac tried to keep it going. We ended up making a pretty good fire. The four of us sat in our lawn chairs and enjoyed the warmth. I think everyone else was watching the glow sticks, but I could never remember to do that. I had a really good time, and it made me want to go camping even more than I have for the last month.
Tuesday was my first day with no classes, and it was strange. I went to practice where I did bungee runs and hand offs. I then disc golfed with Luke and Will(a guy that was on our team). The day went by really fast, and I don't really remember what all we did.
Wednesday we went to practice, ran 3 150s ,and worked more hand offs. When we got back to the dorm I started taking stuff down in my room. We moved a lot of my stuff to the house, and we got a key for when we take the rest of the stuff this week. It was exciting moving stuff into the house. I hope everything works out next year. Later we went to play disc golf with Andrew and Passen. Passen wanted a hair cut, so Luke got out his clippers and cut it for him when we got back to the dorm. Because Passen has a really nice tv and surround sound in his room, we watched Avatar. It was really good. I liked it a lot. It also reminded me why I could never date anyone who was interested in military: They are all brain washed. I could further elaborate, but this is already long enough, and I'm still not done.
Thursday we went to practice and did more hand offs. When we got back to the dorm there were still a few people moving out, but there weren't many people left. I cooked a box of macaroni because the caf closed the day before. Luke and I worked a little on the puzzle he got for Christmas from my mom. Of course he wanted to play disc golf, and he told me Latrice was with Andrew and she would play if I did. So I went. It was Luke, Passen, Andrew, Latrice, and me. I had more fun with Latrice there. We saw a really big tree and climbed it. Latrice took pictures with her phone, and she said she would put them on facebook(if she remembers). For dinner Luke and I had Steamables. We cooked potatoes from a box, so it was powder that you add boiling water and milk to. They weren't very good alone, but when added to our broccoli/rice/cheese Steamables, they weren't too bad. While we ate we worked on the puzzle some more. It is looking good, but now all we have left to do it the sky and water: all filler that looks the same. Pretty much everyone in the dorm is gone except for a few people. Julia and Leah left Monday and Smitty left Wednesday. Ethan and Aaron left Thursday morning. So Luke and I have run out of room mates.
Friday we left for Georgia Tech. Luke jumped pretty well. He got 16'1" for his third time this season. He had some close ones at 16'7", but not quite. I'm proud of him. 16' is the new 15'6" for him. It is becoming easier for him to clear it each time. He PR'd by a foot this year!
Saturday I ran the 4x1. We had good hand offs, but weren't fast enough for nationals. I had a good time though. I'm glad I had an excuse to go to the meets so I could watch Luke. The drive home felt kind of long. I read a book the entire time, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. This is the video of the 4x1. We are in lane 7.

Today I'm going to help Danni with more math and start packing more of and cleaning my room. I have to move out tomorrow, so I'm temporarily putting my stuff in Luke's room. Both Passen and I are moving into Luke's room for a few days. Passen is changing rooms in North. He is getting kicked out tomorrow, but can't move into the other room until Friday or something like that. I just need a place to stay until Luke brings me home Friday. The only way I'm not going home, is if Eastfield will let one of my parents get my registration pin for me. If that is the case, then I would really like to to stay and watch Luke jump at nationals.
My grades should be up Monday or Tuesday. I'm stressing about them. Luke says not to worry about it, because there is no need to stress about it until its here. It's not healthy. This is true, but I can't help it. Every time I think about it I start to worry, and I get all worked up. This was a pretty hard semester, and I wish they wouldn't make me wait so long. I should be able to sign up for fall classes on Wednesday.
I'm going to eat something and help Danni now.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love you Mom! You are the best mom I could ask for! You know what I'm especially Grapefull for? The great job you did Raisin me! I can't wait to see you... even though I don't know what that will be.
I'm not really sure when I'm going home at this point now that Luke has secured his spot to nationals! I'm so proud of my starfish! Two PRs in one day! First he jumped 16'2.75", and then went 16'6.75"!!!! CT was really excited because that secures her chance at going to nationals. I am just really proud of him. He said he is excited because he gets some free stuff. Luke and I are going to have to make some plans.
My top, left, back tooth is hurting. It started yesterday. It isn't like an ache, just hurts when it gets pushed on by my bottom tooth.
Julia and Leah are moving out, so the living room is a mess. All their stuff is everywhere. They are taking some of it to the house and some of the more expensive stuff to Julia's house. They have decided to leave us the trash can because we still need it, but they already took the tv. WHY!? I have my own trash can, and we don't even generate as much garbage as they do! I would much rather the tv because I can't stare at the trash can to entertain myself. Sometimes I wonder where their brains are. A lot of times they don't think very logically. Oh well. I guess I'm just used to my family that has good brains and common sense.
Tomorrow I have 2 more finals and I'm done. I already know that I got a B in Physics and an A in the lab. I'm waiting for my economy grade. Hopefully I can get it tomorrow. I'm nervous about it.
I think I may have found a "new" friend, but I don't want to talk about it like last time and jinx it.
I'm going to shower now, so moms... you have a wonderful Mother's Day, and dads... rub your wife's feet. Maybe I just say that becasue my feet are tired from all this track business.