Happy Girl

Persuasive Speech on Recycling-

SLIDE 1: Since the beginning of time trees have been used by humans for many reasons - to provide shelter, to build furniture and to find food. However paper was not originally made from trees. Papermaking started in China, where old rags were shredded and used to create paper. As this invention spread throughout the world and made its way to America, it was found that wood was much more economic, abundant, and efficient for making paper. SLIDE 2: Since then it is estimated that nearly 80,000 trees are destroyed daily in order to build roads, provide lumber, urbanize communities and make paper. This process is called deforestation and is defined as the large scale removal of forests. In this picture, taken by the NASA LandSat project, of the Bolivian rainforest, we see the effects of deforestation from 1984 to 2000. Deforestation should be minimized by recycling paper because it affects biodiversity, air quality, and even weather. SLIDE 3: Although tropical rainforests make up only 7% of the land on earth, they are home to almost half of all animal species on earth. Most of the species that call these forests home are so highly specialized and have adapted so much that they are unlikely to survive anywhere else on earth. When these trees are cut down, it not only leaves them without a home and source of food, but it forces them to retreat to places they weren’t made for. Deforestation leaves these animals very susceptible to extinction. This picture was taken in the forests of Sumatra, where deforestation is widespread. The large number of Orangutans this area used to hold has dropped significantly and even been declared an endangered species. SLIDE 4: Another factor of deforestation that affects us all is air quality. As we all know, trees filter out Carbon Dioxide in the air, which is a greenhouse gas. Forests replenish the earths atmosphere by absorbing and storing Carbon and releasing clean Oxygen. A common practice during deforestation is the burning of trees, which releases MORE Carbon Dioxide into the air. SLIDE 5: This Carbon Dioxide builds up over a period of time. The large amount of carbon dioxide retains heat from the sun causing climate changes, known as global warming. In this way, trees actually affect the weather. When it rains, trees absorb large amounts of water in a relatively small amount of time, but where deforestation is present, flooding occurs. SLIDE 6: Now that we know the detrimental effects of deforestation, we need to know how we can help. Recycling is the main way people feel like they can help the planet. Recycling 1 ton of paper can save 7,000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of land fill space, and enough energy to power the average home for 6 months. Americans recycle 55% of the paper they use in a year - That is around 340 lbs of paper per person in the United States. The paper industry hopes to beat that in 2012 with 60%. 87% of Americans have access to either curbside or drop off recycling. However, Alabama is among some of the lower percentages of recycling availability with only 40% access to curbside recycling programs. SLIDE 7: You may ask yourself, “How can I make a difference in such a large problem all around the world?” The answer is simple, reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce the number of tree products you use. Reuse the products you have. And recycle the products you don’t use anymore. The website recycle Alabama.com has great information on where to find recycled lumber and other paper products, as well as a bulletin board to post the paper products you would like to recycle. Some other ways are planting trees, reusing notebook paper, and choosing canvas bags at the grocery store as opposed to paper. Deforestation may be a global problem that affects biodiversity, air quality, and weather, but it is a problem that can be managed and even reversed with a little recycling.

~Did I persuade you?

I got a letter yesterday from the Wallace State Community College Nursing Education Department. It went a little something like this, "You suck!" Oh well. I expected that. I had to apply for RN because apparently they only do LPN in the fall. I didn't want to do RN because I knew I barely had what I needed (I'm talking 2.5 is the cut off GPA and I had a 2.51) and that it's more competitive than LPN. But instead of letting my application go to waste, I gave it a shot. I was told that they only send letters to those who get in, so when I got the letter, I was actually pretty excited. Then I opened it - not so excited anymore. I was a little bummed out, but it's okay.

It's not okay that I feel like I can't do anything right for a certain person (not Caleb). I would like some support, but I think that's asking too much. All I want is for him to let me be happy. I don't want to do RN yet. I haven't wanted to since I changed my major to nursing at UAB. It's wonderful that RN's make more money and that RN's are so much better, but I don't want to! It's my education. The fact that I'm even going into nursing school at any level should be good enough, right? WRONG! Unlike you, I don't do things because I want the money, I do things because I enjoy them. If I was only focused on the money, I would be in medical school, not nursing school. If you think RN is so great, YOU DO IT! I just want you to be considerate since I JUST got rejected, and I'd like for you to support what I do. I don't give two craps if you don't want me to do it because it's my life and I have to live it for ME, not for you! If it makes me happy, shouldn't that be good enough?

UGH!

On a light note, Caleb is always supportive. I couldn't have asked for a better man. He only wants me to be happy and he makes me feel like I'm awesome even when I don't feel awesome! I love him to death! :)

Every time I start to blog, I erase it all because I figure it's not important enough for anyone to read.

Sounds like a postsecret card.

I'm outgrowing my current living conditions. I'm twenty years old and I'm the only person in my house that knows this. I can't remember the last time I made up my own mind on a life decision. I get tired of being told what to do and what's expected of me. I want to do something that I want to do for once. I'm getting tired of being told I'm not capable of doing things on my own. I want to make my own choices and forge my own path and not be told what path to take. I want to be allowed to grow up. I don't have to be told to do my homework or to go to class. I don't need to be told when I can leave the house or who I can see or how often. I don't have to be at home at all. I choose to live at home. I could very well choose differently. I could quit school, get a job, move out, get married and do everything you don't want me to do. I'm capable of it - don't tell me I'm not. I want to do something with my life that makes ME happy. I'm tired of trying to make other people happy. I'm not happy here and I haven't been for a while but I can't find any way out. I wish you could be happy with me being happy. But you're only going to be happy when I'm doing what you want me to do.

Just keep pushing and pushing me. One day, I'm going to leave. I'm going to walk out and face the real world ALONE. I may disappoint you. But at least I'll be happy with my life. The more you try to tie me down, the harder I'm going to fight to get free. If only you knew that your attempts to keep me close are just pushing me farther and farther away.

Have you ever talked to an old best friend and realized you no longer have anything to talk about?

A few years ago, I could have spent days on end with her, but now we can't even carry on a conversation without it becoming awkward. It's not really either of our faults. It's just the fact that we don't have anything in common anymore. It's sad in a way because I spent so many great times with her and she's a wonderful person, but it's also good because in the past few years that we've lost touch, I've gained new friendships and taken a completely different course in my life. It's just weird how little we have to talk about and how a friendship that was so great could fizzle like that.

Just another great thing about growing up!

How handsome is my boyfriend?
=)

No thanks Jon and Kate.
I don't need your family drama.
I have more than enough of my own - thank you.

I just started reading Radical Cross by A.W. Tozer. I've had it for a while, but that's usually how I do things. I've been reading Redeeming Love since Valentine's Day 2008 and I'm just half way through. What can I say? I'm A.D.D. I usually don't read the Foreword and Preface in books, but I started reading this one and it looked good, so I kept reading and I found this little beauty.

"Until we see the price God paid for our peace in His own Son, we will be paying with our sons' and daughters' lives on the battlefields of our hates and brutalities, only to find peace ever eluding us."

I'm currently taking book suggestions.

**Before I get feedback, I want to clear up that this has nothing to do with my view of the military. It does have to do with my view of war. I don't like war and I don't think God likes war. I don't really think it's necessary, but we're humans and it's inevitable. I fully respect and completely appreciate the work and service of our military men and women. My Paw Paw forged his birth certificate when he was 17 so that he could join the Marines a year early. He was in Saipan during WWII. He was chased by Japanese soldiers to the edge of a cliff where we had to make the decision to jump off or get shot. He jumped and broke every bone in his foot. He's been in explosions and more life threatening situations than I could ever imagine. He went to Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. When he was walking down the street, a Japanese family came up to him and thanked him for his service. People from the same country that was trying to kill him and everyone with him appreciate his service. He must have been doing something right. I believe God works all things out for good and even though I don't believe God likes war or wants war doesn't mean I don't think He uses it to His glory. He's done it before. I just think if Christians embraced the message of the cross fully and wholly, trusted God, and pledged our allegiance to Him alone and not our politics or our country, that we would find ourselves in a very different America and a very different world.**

I'm sure you've all seen this video clip somewhere. Apparently it's a pretty big deal, but I haven't figured out why yet. Although I think she could have answered the question a little better, I genuinely respect her answer. As a disclaimer, I'm not sure where I stand on this issue quite yet. I'm still searching out and asking God about it. I know what I've been told and taught my whole life, but I want to find out what the Bible says about for myself. As of right now, I'm leaning toward the right. But whether I'm for or against it, I still think the circus around her answer is completely ridiculous. I find fault mostly in the Miss USA organization and here are some reasons why:

1. Perez Hilton asked. If he asked me the same question, knowing he is the most famous gossip blogger on earth and that he could destroy my reputation with a click of a mouse, I probably would have just said what I knew he wanted to hear. It took a lot of courage for her to stand in front of him and millions of people and say something that she knew she was going to get hassled about.
2. I heard one of the executives say that Miss USA is not a place for politics or religion. I agree - it shouldn't be. If this is true, then why did they approve this question? I honestly don't think the question should have ever been asked if they have no interest in the contestants political or religious beliefs. Gay marriage has very little to do with the roles of her being Miss USA.
3. Don't ask if you don't want to know. I tell people that all the time. If you want me to lie to you, I will, but don't ask me a question if you don't like the answer I'm going to give you. If they honestly didn't want to know her opinion, they never should have asked.
4. I'm gathering that they would rather have a Miss USA that lies about her opinion to please the majority, than a Miss USA that is an honest "bigot". Read this. It shows just how much integrity there is in this organization.

I heard her called a "bigot" today on a morning talk show. I looked up bigot on dictionary.com and it said the following:
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but is Perez Hilton himself not being a bigot? She never said anything derogatory about the gay community. All she did was answer the question she was asked. She's said many times since then that she loves gay people. But yet she is "utterly intolerant" of them? I just don't see it.

Perez wrote on his blog a few weeks ago, "When YOUR 'opinion' gets in the way of my rights, privileges and protections, I'm supposed to smile and be nice? Hell no!" Seriously? He REALLY thinks that her opinion is going to get in the way of his rights? It's not HER opinion that does that, it's the opinion of 55% of the United State. Maybe he should find nude photos and dig up dirt about the millions of people that have the same opinion as her.

The only time the bible uses the word "homosexual" is in 1 Corinthians 6:9. I completely understand that any kind of sexual immorality outside of marriage is a sin - gay or straight. What I've yet to discover is if God finds fault with married gay couples that don't commit these sins outside of marriage. The main thing I always fall back on is the fact that man and woman were created together in the Garden for the purposes of reproduction. I'm still sorting all of this out.

I'd like help trying to figure this stuff out, Bible scholars (this means you Jamie and Joseph)! I don't just want your opinion though. I really want hard biblical evidence to back it up. And don't tell me about Sodom and Gomorrah because that was the Old Covenant and I haven't seen God send down hell, fire and brimestone lately, or in the New Testament. He also killed people on the spot and opened up the earth to swallow folks whole, which he also hasn't done in a while. God doesn't have to punish us for our sin anymore because Jesus took all that on Himself for us on the cross. Therefore telling me the ways God punished homosexually immoral people back then isn't going to answer my question.

I have no idea how to conclude this random, probably contraversial blog.

Happy trails!

Those are some fantastic looking kids. :)

The only thing I want for my 20th birthday is for my family to start acting like a family again.
I miss the right half of that picture more than words can express.

I am a part of this amazing group of about 20 young people. We call ourselves D.E.P.T.H. youth drama team. It stands for Directing Every Person To Him OR Dedicating Every Performance To Him. I'm not sure who came up with that, but it's really long.

I've been lending what small amount of talent I have to this group for almost 8 years. I came to a practice with Megan Picklesimer in the fall of 2001 and I fell in love. I remember the first drama I ever practiced. It was a spoken drama called "Sin Detector" or something like that. Megan Williamson and Patrick Galloway were in it with me. Apparently Megan was sinful and Patrick and I couldn't let her in our church or something. It was really silly.

Since then, we've kind of drifted from spoken drama and focused more on human videos. During the 2004 year, we learn SO many new dramas and did workshops and it's really paid off because we're still using those. For the last month, I've been really bored at practices. Let's just be honest. I've been doing and seeing the same dramas for like 5 years and I was getting pretty desensitized to them.

However, at practice last night, my hope was renewed! Ralphie, our fearless leader, told us that we're reinventing some old ones to have new meanings and incorporating new people and I must say, I'm really proud. We changed around an old favorite that I like to call "The Baby Mama Drama"; others call it "The Dead Baby Drama". I wont give it away, but I will tell you that Caleb and I are the parents in the drama. That should keep the rumor mill going for a little while. :)
Here is the song. It's "Made Me Glad" by Hillsong. I love this song!


Ralph was full of surprises last night! This is another oldy but goody that is getting a face lift. I love it. I'm a demon in this one, and I'm SO excited!


Unlike Jamie Golden, I love drama!

I go to UAB.

I failed two classes my freshman year and made a D in one.

I never had to study in high school. I made A's and B's without studying very much. I was excited about the whole "you never have to come to class in college" kind of college. Umm... I don't know who decided to tell me that, but I'd like to punch them in the eye. Because it is not true.
I decided that I could not go to my "easy" classes (dance) and I ended up failing it. I know that makes me sound really stupid to fail dance, but we rarely actually danced. If that had been the case, I could have passed easily, but I had to READ and WRITE! Two things I don't associate with a dance class. I also failed Western Civ. because I made a 65 on the first test, didn't show up for the second test, was absent or late a lot, and the professor just flat out told me that I wouldn't be able to bring my grade up at that point.

After looking at my current GPA and course plan, I would like to go back in time and kick myself square in the butt and these are the reasons why:

1) I'm having to repeat classes. I'm repeating Western Civ. right now and the lowest grade I've made is an 87. =]
2) My GPA was a 1.6 at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. At this current moment, it's a 2.0. And after this semester, it will be a 2.4. Have to have a 2.75 by Spring '10 to apply for nursing school in the Fall '10.
3) In a perfect world, if I continued to attend UAB, I would not have a degree until 2012.
4) I'm about to go take a final that I have not studied for because I've been spending every free minute to study for the classes I'm not doing good in and the classes that actually count toward my major, because
5) I took a lot of classes thinking I was going to do sociology and wasted a lot of credit hours and a lot of money.
6) And I have to take a summer class... and I don't like that.

BUTT KICK.

Because of all of this, I will be attending Wallace State Community College in the Fall.
EDIT:: GO LIONS!

Yes, I have had 8 or 9 boyfriends in the past. Yes, none of those "relationships" lasted longer than a few months. Yes, I did go through a period of my life when I tried to find love in a lot of different guys. Yes, I know that was stupid. Yes, I sowed my wild oats and I've reaped a lot of pain and insecurity. Yes, I have a horrible reputation in every way you could possibly imagine. Yes, I'm annoying. Yes, I used to cause drama constantly. Yes, I'm outspoken. Yes, sometimes I say things and don't think about other people's feelings. Yes, my natural tendency is to be controlling in almost every situation. And yes, I do like having things my way, but everyone does. I just verbalize it more than most. Yes, I know that if you have been my friend for a long time that you are a merciful person, because I probably don't deserve it.

I've changed. I know what's important now and my priorities have shifted. I know what God wants me to do with my life and who God wants me to grow old with in this life. A little over a year ago, I was boy crazy, partying, filling my lungs with smoke, trying to be a typical college student. I had no idea what I wanted to do or how I was going to do it. I was failing 3 classes and honestly just screwing up my life. I was completely aimless. Then in the spring, I started seeking God and not boys or friends or parties. God blessed that in so many ways. He gave me Caleb, a guy that really couldn't stand me when he first met me, and allowed me to fall in love with him. He showed me that He wants me to be a nurse. He gave me passing grades and even A's in a few of my classes. He changed my school this fall. He changed everything. He gave me a path and I'm following it hard. I'm not aimless anymore.

I say this in hopes that you can get to know who I really am now
and not just who I used to be then.

Expressing your opinion or not.
It hurt.

She was born November 9, 1926 in either Campbellsburg or Louisville, Kentucky (the jury is still out on that information). She grew up on a farm there with her dad, Charles Singleton, her mother, Laura Montfort Singleton, and her sister Mildred. After high school, she worked at the local White Castle, where she soon found love. She met James at said White Castle. He had just come back from World War II. She married him in 1946 and they moved back to his hometown of Sayre, Alabama. Over the next 5 years they migrated to Graysville, Alabama, where James built them a house, with his own hands, and started a family. That's the kind of man he was, always wore overalls, always had sawdust in his hair. They had a little girl, but due to complications, she died shortly after birth. In 1950, they had my dad.
They were simple country folks, never had a lot of possessions or money, but they had all they needed. Anne made a lot of her own clothes, and James built most of their furniture. I've never seen my granddaddy in anything except a t-shirt, overalls, and boots, with a carpentry pencil in his overall pocket and a tape measure on his hip.
James had a huge family with a lot of neices and nephews, and a lot of those kids lived with Anne and James. They took them in, cared for them, and treated them like their own. They served in their church for many years, doing maintenence work, teaching bible classes, singing, and ministering to the members. They never turned anyone down that needed anything.
Anne never learned how to drive and never got a license. My grandmother was known in Graysville for many years as "the walking woman". Well into the 21st century, dear Anne walked everywhere she needed to go and a lot of the times, just for fun. She also loved drawing, writing stories, and birdwatching. However, this (see picture) is my favorite memory of her. Every summer, she would pull out this authentic (they had an outhouse and no electricity when they built the house), tin bathtub and fill it up with water. Seeing as how Anne was a very conservative, modest lady, instead of wearing a proper swim suit, she would take one of James' shirts, wrap me up in it, fasten it with a safety pin, and call it the years latest swimming fashion. As a 4 year old, I thought it was the coolest thing ever... and I still do :)





**Who is a descendent of the 37th King of Ulster, Ireland?
Answer correctly and you get cool points!

Thank you, Kelly Clarkson!

Kelly Clarkson: I Do Not Hook Up (Audio)

For finally singing a song for the good girls in the world. I heard this song on the radio the other day and it made me so happy! Then I heard it again on the radio this morning, and the dumb DJ said "Kelly... this song is why everyone thinks you're a lesbian." WELL ISN'T THAT FAN-freakin-TASTIC!?

Apparently, having morals and standards makes you a lesbian! That's good news for all of us. So, if a girl chooses not to go to a club, get wasted, and sleep with any person she finds attractive, that makes her a lesbian. HOWEVER, when Katy (freakin) Perry sings a song about kissing a freakin girl and liking it - THAT'S NORMAL HETEROSEXUAL BEHAVIOR?! That's really good to hear. Obviously, I've been going about this "straight" thing completely the wrong way! I'm really glad I don't know the DJ that said that, because I'd probably hunt them down and punch them in the eye. I'm so sad for teenage girls right now that heard that song and liked it, and then heard that stupid comment.

I find it pretty interesting that Katy Perry, the girl that hooks up with other girls and likes it, co-wrote this song. I really have a strong dislike of her character and her voice.

Proverbs 31:10
"A wife of noble character, who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."

Even then it was hard to find a decent woman! I'm just tired of it being considered crazy for a girl to save herself and to not act like a complete drunken whore. I know a lot of girls that bought into the party girl scene, and they have no respect for themselves, and no one else has any respect for them. I was watching a talk show the other day and this 15 year old girl had bought a promise ring and made a promise to herself to save herself for marriage. The unbelievable thing is that HER MOTHER thought her daughter saving herself for marriage was a bad idea! She was trying to change her mind and take away her promise ring! How completely insane is that? What have we gotten ourselves into? Off the top of my head, I can count 11 girls that I know between the ages of 17 and 20 that either are pregnant or are already mothers. All of these girls except 1 were unmarried at the time of conception.

I understand that people make mistakes, and I'm in no way judging the girls. I'm judging the culture and the things that we label as acceptable and unacceptable and our incredibly skewed view of morals and standards. We've accepted a really bad cycle of impurity and we let it happen for the sake of tolerance and not offending people.

Rant - complete.

There are too many social networks. I'm getting too bogged down with url's and followers and friends. I just can't keep up any more. First it was livejournal, then myspace, then facebook. Now I've got blogger and twitter and they all say the same thing. I'm beginning to lose interest in them all, except blogger. But since I only have a few friends on blogger, I believe I'll keep facebook too.

DECISION: I'm only keeping facebook and blogger. Even though I just created a twitter, I will be deleting it soon.


I ramble too much.

For my Spanish class, I have to go to cultural events at UAB and in Birmingham from time to time. These events include festivals, foreign films, and lectures. Today, I went to a presentation done by my professora about Holy week in her native Andalucia in southern Spain. I had really planned to multi-task during this time because I have a lot to do and very little time, but something caught my attention, and no multi-tasking occured.

Caleb and I had talked about his heritage before. He told me he has some Spanish in him. Sam told me Granade means "one who sits under the pomegrenate tree" in some coocky language. His grandmother said they had Moorish in them, which I don't quite remember exactly who they are, but I do know they had something to do with Muslims and Africa.

While I was sitting in the Husley Center, the first thing la professora talked about was the Moors that invaded Spain from Africa through the Straight of Gibralter. I started putting two and two together and then she said they set up a kingdom called the Kingdom of Granada!

Maybe I'm completely off my rocker, but I just found this to be one of the coolest things I've heard all day. I mean, it's not everyday you learn that your dating Spanish/Moorish royalty.

You should really research Semana Santo in Andalucia, Spain. It's really weird and interesting. The different churches make a float type deal of Jesus' last week and one of their church's virgin and they have a procession all through the streets all week long from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday. The floats are made of silver and gold and they are extremely detailed and elaborate. I just think that's kinda cool. I'm rambling.



*A dollar to the first person to understand the allusion in this title and where it comes from.

I just admit- I have a small obsession with these people-moreso, the little ones than the big ones. I've been anticipating the season finale which aired tonight ALL WEEK! I think the reason I love this show, and almost every reality show, is because it gives me an excuse to be nosy and then talk about people. I've fallen so hard for this show that the thought of having more than 2.3 babies crosses my mind from time to time. I've got it bad.

These kids are like Billy Kinnaird when it comes to the funny things they say. My favorite line is when Leah (the little girl sitting on the floor) said to the cameraman "Hannah pooped...in Hannah's underwears". Hannah is the one in Kate's lap. YES- I do have them all memorized and I can tell them all apart.



Tonight Jon revealed that they may not come back for Season 5 and I honestly almost cried. This is the only show on TV that I even remotely care to watch. I could go without any other show, but I must have my Causasian-asian baby fix! They're just sooo cute!

I'm almost as obsessed with them as Sam is with the Jonas Brothers... except in a completely different, non-pedaphilic way.

I have heard Joseph Kinnaird say a million times "One day you will look back at the way you look today and ask yourself 'What was I thinking?'" Maybe he is just saying this because he once sported an E.T. with a mullet and denim jacket look.
Last night at drama practice, we watched videos of two past dramas. Most of the dramas we do, we learned between 2002-2004. The ones we watched last night were to the songs "Waiting" by Stavesacre and "Heal Me" by Aaron Jeoffrey. I realized during the course of these videos that Joseph's theory is in fact correct. I've done a lot of changing since 2004, when both videos were made. Here is a list of things I noticed.

1. I was unbelievably skinny. My drivers license says I weigh 112lbs, because that's what my permit said (which I got in 2004), and at my last renewal I didn't have the heart to tell the lady my real weight. I've gained a 4 year old since then.
2. My hair was really short. Upon further observation, I had the "bangs in the eyes" look. In one drama, my bangs were covering one eye during 75% of the song. I looked ridiculous. Now I hate having my hair in my face. I wear it in a ponytail 90% of the time.
3. My shirts always looked too short. I used to go to the thrift store and pick out little boys size shirts. I still to this day don't know why I did that. I guess I thought it looked cute. In hindsight, it just made me look stupid.
4. I never smiled. I vaguely remember my 14th and 15th years of life, but I'm pretty sure at some point I tried really hard to be "scene" (which explains the bangs, the shirts, the belts -- and the pantyhose necklace, UGH!). I guess part of being scene included hating everything and looking sad all the time. For all of the uninformed, "scene" was a precursor to "emo", except on a less depressing and more "stick it to the man" level. Scene kids just wanted to beat up everyone.
5. I didn't see this one the videos, but I just remembered that one time when I was 15, I painted my toenails white, I wore a black Britney Spears T-shirt, dark jeans and a white studded belt. The night I wore that, Andrew Best made fun of me, and rightfully so.

I've come to the conclusion that being an adult is far better than being a teen. I may dress frumpy now, but at least I don't look like the thrift store, hot topic, a homeless person, and Pac-Sun had a baby and it threw up on me.


Related song:: Fifteen by Taylor Swift

This picture summarizes the last week.
Run down of my week:
Monday: Western Civ. Exam
Tuesday: Chem. Lab Quiz
Wednesday: STUDYSTUDYChurchSTUDYSTUDY
Thursday: Am. Lit. Mid-term & Spanish Exam & Babysit.
Friday: Chem. Exam

I'm not even sure I can make coherent sentences anymore. I feel like I've studied so much and been so stressed out this week that my brain just died after Chemistry today.

::I'm watching the Tornado coverage weather alert thing on Fox 6 and the meteorologist (it took me like five minutes to spell that right) just said "The storm is heading towards Snoddy, Alabama". Umm... Come on. Could we give the other states of the nation any more reason to think we're dumb hillbillies? SNODDY!?::

I made an 85 on the Western Civ. Exam I had this week. I'm actually really sad about that. Have I became "that student"? Who is "that student", you might ask? The student that has to make all A's and isn't happy with herself unless she does. I've always been the student that was overjoyed with a C. Could I possibly be straddling the fence of overachieverness? I think I could be.

--OH YEAH! Disregard my last post. Totally didn't turn out the way I had planned. Lol!--

Only 4 people can read this. I had some random 13 year old girl from Michigan comment on my blog earlier this week and I realized that I didn't like that, so I made my blog private. However, to do this you must have the account email of the people, and only 4 people that I follow have their email addresses on their profile. =(

Happy Lent! I am giving up social networking sites of lent. I've been told, by Caleb, that I'm addicted. And that's probably true. Facebook is crack for nosey people. If I give up Facebook and Myspace, I will have so much more time for things. I'm giving it up on my phone too, not just my computer. That's gonna be the hardest! I rationalized blogger as less addictive than the other two. Plus, I can blog about what the Lord teaches me for the next 40 days...WOW 40 days! That's a long time. I wish I was spiritually mature enough to give up something more meaningful... like food, or TV, or school, however, I'm not. Lol.

Upward and Onward!
=)

Phase 1: CD with all the song that remind me of him/us.
This is the cover. I made a little booklet with my favorite lines from each song.

Phase 2: A video of pictures of him and I. I wanted this to be a DVD, but it hasn't gotten there yet. Hopefully it will soon. :)

Phase 3: A CAKE! Because V-day is never complete without some sugar!



I had the best Valentines day. Caleb took me to Silvertron Cafe, where he gave me a beautiful diamond ring that I'm never taking off, then he took me to the bridge on 21st Street downtown and we danced-SO SWEET, and then we came back and ate cake!
He thought of the idea of recording it. I'm sure it's awkward watching 2 minutes of us dancing, so I don't expect you to. I just thought it was really sweet! :)

I'm probably not the person to be talking to about Valentine's day... especially considering most of the people that read my blog seem a little, shall we say, "indifferent" about today and it's festivities. However, I've always loved Valentine's Day! Even when I wasn't dating anyone, I still loved it because my parents always gave me chocolate... what is better than getting chocolate for no reason at all?!

When I do have a "valentine" I enjoy the gift giving process a lot more than the gift getting (depending on the gift). I like lending my talents (though limited) to making someone see how much I love them. This Valentine's Day is extremely special because it's the first of many, many, many more with Caleb. When I give gifts, I do tend to go a little overboard and get OCD about it. I don't just go buy something last minute. I really think about it and put a lot of time and effort into it. I'm just sentimental like that.

I've only been on two Valentine's dates in my entire life. One when I was 14, another last year, and then tonight will make three. The first one, my gift was very big card with a puppy on it and some other assorted goodies. I can't really remember. I try not to think about that relationship too much (Things that make you go "UuHhH~~"). Last year, I made a CD with some of my favorite songs on it. All I remember is rushing, rushing, rushing for about 3 hours before the boy arrived to try to get everything together and fixed. Why? Because I'm a procrastinator.

This Valentine's Day gift is better than all the rest! But this boyfriend is better than all the rest... so it works out! It has seriously been like a military operation trying to get this done secretly (having a boyfriend that works at Wal-mart is very tricky). I will divulge these lovely secrets in due time. Something to look forward to.

=)

By the way, Charlie and the Chocolate Factor is such a weird movie.

I can blog on my phone. This could make blogging a much more frequent activity for me now. Random tidbits: 1. I listened to old Blink 182 and GooGoo Dolls today. That is a guaranteed way to make any day better. 2. The Birmingham Police Homicide Dept was on The First 48 tonight. Some of my dad's friends were on it. He is a burglary detective so he wasn't. But it was still cool. Going to sleep now. Night night! :-)

I'm a controlling person by nature. God knows this and doesn't like it. It's not so much that I have to control everything, but if I know something is wrong, I'll do everything in my power to fix it, even though sometimes things are just unfixable.

Right now, God is throwing situations at me that I can't control. I know He is doing this to make my life easier. That sounds contradictory, doesn't it? I know that going through all of this will teach me how to handle uncontrollable situations and when I stop trying to control everything, my life will be a lot easier.

By trying to control everything, I'm telling God that He can't handle the situation and that I must help Him. How retarded is that? The Maker of the universe needs my help in working out the little drama's in my life. I mean, really? Of all things to be controlling about, I try to control the stupidest things. It's become painfully obvious that I don't do a very good job of it either. So I'm giving up. It's really a lot easier than I thought it would be. And I feel a lot better about life now.

I can already see a difference in myself. I can disagree with people, love them, and leave them be. I've NEVER been able to do that before. I've got a long way to go, but I'm really excited about what God is doing in my life right now.

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14