"The Lord watches over you -- the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night."

Hey friends. I'm sitting in the Philly airport with 3+ hours until my flight will hopefully take off so I figured it was life update time! I drove home Wednesday. Stopped in Tally to visit Roger on the way. Such a nice time, just wish I could have stayed longer. We went to this place called Mr. Roboto. Delicious food and really cool atmosphere. I texted Chris that he would love it and he was like yeah, been there, it's one of my favorite places. Ha! So that was cool. Got home without too much incident from Tux. I gave him some meds before we left. Poor thing walked into a wall, but he didn't make a horrifying mess of my car, so I'll call it a fair trade off.

I spent all day Thursday scanning pictures that we got from Nagymama's house. Literally all day. I took a break for about an hour to go buy groceries, but other than that I sat at the kitchen table and scanned. I used this AMAZING thing called a VuPoint Magic Wand. It made it SO much easier and so much more pleasant. And the scans were pretty good too. While I scanned photos I finally gave in and watched Duck Dynasty. I had heard a little about it and Kevin sent me the link to watch the first season so I finally gave in and watched it. LOVED IT. Seriously, they are adorable and hilarious and it was a nice distraction from scanning aaaaaall day. Got through 13 episodes. Haha.

Friday we flew out of Tampa up to Philly. George and Diane picked us up and we drove up to Passaic. Spent Friday and Saturday cleaning and getting stuff in order. Sunday was the memorial service for Nagymama. It was really nice and we packed out the church. It was amazing to see that many people there to celebrate her life. After the church we had a get together at her house. There were easily well over 100 people there. We ate, drank and reminisced on Nagymama and our memories of that house. It was so great to see all of the family in one place. Monday Mom and I got up at 4:30 in the morning to get Kathy to the airport. She had a hell of a time and spent 14 hours traveling trying to get back to Jax. Poor sister. But I'm SO glad she came up.

Let's see. Monday afternoon we went to see my great uncle who is in the hospital. OY. He was on the 5th floor of St. Mary's, which is exactly where Nagymama was. Definitely wasn't happy to have to go back to that place, but it was nice to see him and see that he was doing better. Hopefully he gets well enough and strong enough to get out of that place soon. After that we packed up and headed south to George's house. Spent the night talking and bonding. It was nice. I'm SO exhausted today though.

We came to the airport reeeeally early so George could have time to work on his house, which is looking great. We had a nice lunch and now we have about 3 hours til we take off. I'm going to hang out in Florida until after Thanksgiving because there's really no sense in going back to Alabama for like 5 days just to drive back down next week.

I have lots and lots of other updates for you guys but they aren't developed enough to share just yet. Some are great, some are stupid, and some are really exciting. So I promise once they're share-ready, you'll get fully updated. For now, thanks to everyone for being swell. Life has been a little rough and it really means a lot to have the friends and family that I do. So really, thank you all.

"There is hope in dreams, imagination, and in the courage of those who wish to make those dreams a reality."

Alright, blog. It's been a month and a half. I guess I should update you. Morale has improved since we last spoke. The whole crying a lot thing is under control, and I've actually made some really awesome friends here in Greensboro. Taking doggie back to the shelter was the right decision, but I still feel like a horrible person and that there must be something wrong with me that I don't want a dog. But I'm sure that will pass eventually. Leaving my job at the magazine was 100% the right thing to do and I haven't regretted it even for a second. I'm sad that things that I spent so much time and effort on won't even be attributed to me, but I will live and I will know that it is my work. I finally started sewing again. I'm working on Rachel's graduation dress. It feels nice to get back into it. I guess I'm not technically unemployed anymore because I am working as a substitute teacher. And by that I mean I've been called in once and I'm praying I get more call backs. It was good, though. I subbed for a 6th grade reading class and I discovered I really didn't hate it. So hopefully I can work enough to pay my rent each month. Cause you know, that's important. Most of my time has been spent on a massive road sign collage for Facebook HQ. When I have photos and a better explanation, I will share. For now know that I probably need a tetanus shot and dealing with old road signs is definitely a great workout. Speaking of which, still going to the gym regularly. And I feel horrible when I don't go, so that's a good sign, right? Also walked a 5K last week. Yup, walked it with a friend. And we are awesome. Won 2nd place in my age group. Does that tell you how few people our age did it? Ha. But it was really fun. That weekend was really when I started feeling less like an outsider and more like a part of the community. People are starting to remember who I am and I don't feel so awkward walking around town. It's nice. Got left in charge of Pie Lab one day. That was an adventure. They were closed so I really just had to make sure not to burn the place down. Ended up scorching my elbow on the oven. Oops. Let's see, what else. Tomorrow I'm decorating my house for Halloween. SO EXCITED. I'm going to cover the front in spider web. Oh, I spent this weekend in Tuscaloosa. It was so much fun. Got to see good friends, eat good food and hang out in one of my favorite towns. Good, good weekend. Next week I'll drive home to drive/fly up to New Jersey for Nagymama's memorial service. Oh, yeah, I didn't share that. A few weeks ago Nagymama passed away. It was really pretty sudden and I'm still not sure how to process it. I spent two weeks in New Jersey with my mom. I'm really glad I could be there and that we had a day or two of coherency so I could talk to Nagymama. She means so much to me and I really am incredibly blessed to have spent three summers living with her. I know sometimes it was hard but I learned so much and got some incredible experiences that a lot of people don't get with their grandparents. I miss her like crazy but I can't help but smile when I think of the incredible welcoming committee she had in heaven. Marika, Palco, Nagypapa, everyone. How amazing was that reunion? So I know they are all watching over me. I made a cake last weekend for some people in town from Boston and I had to smile knowing she would be proud of me for making such an awesome cake but she would have insisted I make my own whipped cream.

So there's life. This week should be busy, which is always good. I'll try to update more but let's be honest, it's not going to happen. Oh, one more update, I'm studying for the GRE. I'm looking into some PhD programs and maybe some masters. I don't really know what I want to do with my life, but I'm pretty sure more school should be in my future. So we will see how that pans out.

“My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents and I lay them both at his feet.”

Let's be honest, this whole monthly posting thing is probably going to become the norm. Oops.

Oh well. Let's update you on my life. I've made a lot of mistakes. Some big, some little. But I'm realizing that there's no way to keep myself from messing up and as long as I learn something from each of them, it should all turn out okay, right?

So doggie went back to the shelter. I struggled with that decision for a very, very long time. He was the most wonderful, loving dog I could ask for, but I absolutely did not want him. He just wanted to give me love and attention and I just wanted to be left alone. I wasn't ready to commit to that much responsibility and unfortunately I didn't realize that until after the fact. I guess I really couldn't have known it without trying, but it was a huge mistake and one that still kind of hurts. I feel like a horrible person for taking him back, but I also donated everything that I had bought for him, including cage, leashes, toys, food, heartworm medicine, everything. So that makes me feel better and feel like he will have a good shot at getting adopted by a really awesome family.

I left my job at the magazine. It was no longer a good situation and it was time for me to take my leave. I'm still a little panicky about being jobless, but I also know that something better is waiting for me. I know for sure that leaving was not a mistake. Taking the job in the first place very well may have been, but it served its purpose at the time. I'm applying to be a substitute teacher in Hale County, so hopefully that will help me cover rent and whatnot.

Let's see, what else. I'm volunteering a lot, which is awesome. I volunteer with Project Horseshoe Farm, which is really cool. I'm tutoring middle schoolers in math, which is interesting since I haven't had math since senior year of high school. But it should be good. And they have a day program and that is really fun to work with. Everyone has really great stories.

I'm also working with HERO on some projects. Pam is amazing and I kind of want to be her when I grow up. She also has a background in fashion so that's a nice link. We have some cool stuff going and I'm going to work on some cool new stuff for Pie Lab. I'm excited to do that.

Hmm other than that.. well, I'm working on the weight loss thing again. I know I've restarted this way too many times to count but this time I can really devote myself to it. I've been going to the gym twice a day and eating a lot of fruits and veggies. The beauty of Greensboro is there are maybe 4 restaurants (if you really want to call them that), no bars and no temptation really to eat bad things. So I'm hoping it continues to go well and I finally get to be the brand new me when this year is up.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing after this year. And what I'm doing now, really. But I committed to a year off and I need to follow through on that. This year is about getting healthy and figuring out what I really truly want. After that, we will see. I'm going to look into grad school and see if that is where I belong. I have a funny feeling the answer is yes, because I don't see myself being satisfied with just a 4 year degree in fashion. I need to learn more and do more. So I'll keep you posted on that.

Other than that, I'm just trying to get to know people in town. There are a lot of people my age here for different things. It's strange to be the one that is here for no real specific reason, but I'm slowly meeting people. Everyone has been great so far, so that helps. I'll just keep on keeping on and see where the road leads.

So yeah. There's my life at the moment. Not too exciting, a little terrifying, but it is what it is.

“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”

I figured I should wait for a good mood before updating this thing. I don't want to be mopey dopey about life.

So it's been...almost a month since I last posted. Fail boat. I think now that I have time, I should probably make it a regular thing, though I don't know how much exciting stuff I'll have to talk about.

After Chicago, I finished up my last 2 weeks at work. It was pretty sad to leave since the Honors College really has some amazing people. They all got together and wrote encouragements on a tape measurer which I will treasure forever. It was SO thoughtful. After that, Mom came to Tuscaloosa and helped me pack my whole apartment up in two days. Whoo! On the 30th we drove down to Greensboro, dropped the van off, went to Eutaw to pick up the U-haul (which was super ghetto but rode great and the guy running the place was precious) then went back to Tuscaloosa and let the lovely, lovely men from Two Men and a Truck load everything up. It only took them an hour. AN HOUR. HA! It would have taken my mom and I a day and a half. They even got the couch down without taking the legs off. Wonderful, magical men, those two.

Oh! Fun story. So I was trying to stay out of their way, but I also needed to shut off my water and internet and everything, so I hid in the bathroom and sat on top of the toilet with my computer. So one of the guys comes into the bedroom to move stuff out and he looks over and just goes, "I thought you were taking a dump." HA. Hilarious. I was like, what would he have done if I was? I think you had to be there...it was really funny. But that just kind of set the tone. They were awesome dudes. When I told them we had to take the feet off the couch they were like, well we didn't! We're professionals. It was grand.

ANYWAY. Got the truck loaded up, got the last minute things in, got Jimmy Johns, then headed down to Greensboro. Got everything unpacked in an hour and a half (seriously impressive) and took the truck back to Eutaw. Side note: it's a teeny tiny town. Surprised? Nope. So then we came back, unloaded the van, then set to work unpacking. Good golly miss molly, it took the entire week to get everything unpacked and put away. Did you know I have a lot of stuff? I'm sure you did. I think everyone knows that. So yeah, we spent the week doing that, and we also went up to Tuscaloosa Metro and found me a new doggie friend. His name is Sammy, more updates on him later. We're still in our trial phase.

Mom and I had a blast last week. It was nice to have mommy daughter time and she's just as crazy as me so everything was an adventure. Did I tell you I got my car stuck in a mud pit that appeared in my backyard when it rained? THAT was fun. Took 45 minutes but we finally got it unstuck. My determination not to call USAA to tow it out was seriously what got us through. I met my neighbor when he came over and offered to mow the lawn for me, since it hadn't been mowed in like 3 weeks. He is really nice and his kids are adorable. He came over, mowed the whole thing, and then came back with the weed whacker to finish it. SO awesome! I need to bake him something soon.

Let's see, what else have I discovered about small town America...I walk 2 or 3 times a day and most people wave, so that's fun. I'm still working on meeting people. I start volunteering this week so I'm hoping that helps. I've gotten a few "hey sweetness" calls while walking, which is definitely skeevy, but these things happen.

Yesterday I had to go to Birmingham for a doctor's appointment so I decided to meet up with Heather afterwards and get some photos done for work and then just hang out and have best friend time. It was amazing. We got great pictures and I had a great time catching up and exploring a bit. We went to the farmers market this morning, which definitely puts the G-boro one to shame. I got muscadines. I LOVE THEM. I ate them all when I got home. Oops. But I think it's a standing plan for me to make the trip to Bham every few weeks. It'll help my sanity to see my best friend and to spend some time in the "big city" as it's called here. Actually, Tuscaloosa is the big city...scary.

Oh another fun side story. I went to the hardware store looking for a toilet paper holder. They said they were out but the truck would be in in two weeks. So then I asked for a hose extender. Out, on the truck. Then I asked if they would cut the dowels they were selling and they stared blankly at me and said, "you must be from the big city." YUP. So I bought a saw and cut them myself. WOO.

Let's see, what else...the vet is really nice, sitting in McDonald's to use the wifi is strange, and my garden is really starting to grow. HUZZAH.

Now I guess it's honesty time. I was an absolute wreck the first few days after my mom left. Like crying, hysterical wreck. I don't know anyone here, there are some things wrong with the house that I didn't realize when I signed the lease, and the dog is super overwhelming on top of everything. I basically wanted to quit and go home. But I know I can't do that, and I have to remember the reasons I'm down here. (I'll spell those out later.) I need to focus on my goals and do my best to meet people my age. That's why I'm going to start volunteering with Horseshoe Farm, and I'm excited. But really, don't let anyone tell you otherwise; moving to a new town where you don't know anyone, have no way of naturally meeting people and are considered the minority is a terrifying experience. Add a new dog that has SO much love to give when you just want to ball up and cry and it's a perfect mix for a break down. But fear not! Doggie can be trained, best friends are within 2 hours driving distance and focusing on your goals will remind you why you made the crazy life decisions you did. Now I'm not saying tomorrow (or an hour from now) I won't be crazy Theresa again, I'm just saying that right now, I'm remembering why I'm here and I'm going to do my best to make it a great year.

Oh, pictures of the house and whatnot will follow soon. I swears.

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”

Oh man, I'm so bad about keeping this updated! Sorry guys. Let's see...4th of July was a lot of fun. Got to watch the t-town fireworks and the ones the yahoos next to us decided to bring. It was awesome. Um, let's see...I don't know. July has been kind of a blur, so let's just skip it and go into detail about this weekend. Okay? Okay!

SO this weekend my wonderful amazing friend Dan Gerber got married to his equally wonderful amazing fiance Cassidy. As soon as I found out about it I knew I needed to get myself to Chicago to be a part of it, so Roger, Hisham, Matt and I coordinated and decided to all go. I drove up to Birmingham Friday afternoon, only to find my plane had been delayed two hours. It's basically par for the course at this point for my flights to be delayed. So instead of taking off at 4:55 we took off at 6:45. I made it to Midway around 8 or so and met up with Roger, who had been waiting for an hour and a half. Sorry! So we got my checked bag, went to get the rental car, then decided to find a pizza place to get some deep dish pizza (of course!). We ended up at a little place called Positano's, a sort of sketchy but pretty delicious pizza place a few minutes from the airport. We ate and caught up. It was a tiny place but it was fun. After that, Hisham's flight had landed so we headed back to the airport to pick him up. From there we headed to Matt's place in Evanston.

We stayed up for a few hours catching up and laughing at pretty much everything. I was exhausted so everything was funny. Matt's condo was nice. He definitely needs to learn how to cook. Boys living by themselves are hilarious. So anywho, while we were hanging out chatting we all realized that it was stupid to come all the way to Chicago just to fly back out early Sunday morning. So we all changed to later flights so we would have all day Sunday to explore. After that, we crashed.

I woke up way too early Saturday so I got ready and just waited for the boys to wake up. I would totally have cooked a bunch for Matt if he had any food in the house. haha. Once everyone was up and ready we decided to find a fun place for breakfast/brunch. We found this place called m.henrietta that was amaaazing. Roger and I split two things so we could try them. Mmmm fried egg sandwich and blackberry hot cakes. Yum! Definitely worth driving a few minutes in the opposite direction of where we needed to go. After that, full and happy, we headed over to the hotel to check in and get ready for the wedding. It was a nice hotel and only like 5 minutes from the wedding site.

The wedding was definitely one of the most wonderful I've ever been to. The ceremony was outside overlooking the sand dunes and the lake and Dan and Cassidy looked so overjoyed to be getting married. So many couples get caught up in the little things of the day and don't spend enough time focusing on each other. Dan was grinning the entire time and Cassidy looked absolutely flawless. Her dress was lace and beautiful and so amazing. They centered their ceremony about their commitment to God and letting Him lead their lives and it was so inspiring. It's so great to see two people who are so perfect for each other. :)

Okay, enough mushy stuff. At the end of the ceremony they were both surprised by a bag pipe player that neither of them had any idea would be a part of it, but you could tell they loved it! It was a lot of fun. After that the reception was nice and relaxed and I think everyone had a great time. YAY CASSIDY AND DAN GERBER!!!

Sunday morning everyone slept in, except me. Curse you, internal alarm clock! So I got up, got ready and went down for breakfast. Then I waited around for a while and still no one woke up. Eventually they all got up when I said they had 15 minutes til breakfast ended. ha. So we all got ready, packed up and headed to Evanston to drop Matt off. It was so nice to hang out with everyone again. It's weird to think we aren't all getting back together in t-town in a month. So after that Roger, Hisham and I headed to downtown Chicago for Taste of Chicago. I accidentally missed the turn for parking and we ended up going several miles down the road before I was able to turn around. I'm so glad we did though because we ended up seeing the zoo and museum and beach and farris wheel aaaaand Soldier Field, which is apparently where the Bears play? Woo? Anyway. That was really neat. So we eventually turned around, parked in an underground parking deck and headed into the festival madness. It was hot and crowded but I loved it. The food was good, the atmosphere was fun and it was definitely an awesome experience. We found a place giving away free water bottles so we hit them up a few times. I spent my tickets on so many random things; fried plantains, sausage, tiramisu, breaded steak, a chicago hot dog, SO many things! It was great. I bought a few souvenirs (duh, tourist, hello?) and then we went back to the car.

We still had some time to kill before we had to get to the airport, so we decided to drive around downtown and see the Sears (now Willis) Tower. Driving in Chicago was awesome. I felt seriously BA in my moderately-sized SUV weaving in and out and making my way around. It reminds me a lot of New York except a little less crowded and with friendlier people. We eventually found the tower, paid a dollar for ten minutes of parking and got out to look around. Got a few pictures, got kicked out of the lobby (did you know it is not open to the public?) and then headed on our way.

Chicago is a seriously cool place. I'd love to spend more than just a few hours there. So from there we headed back to Midway, got gas, dropped Hisham off, returned the car and made it back just in time for Roger to board his plane. Mine got delayed (common theme...) so I hung out and eventually made it back to Bham around 10:45 and back to Tuscaloosa around midnight.

It was really seriously one of the best weekends I've had. I got to spend it with awesome people, seeing awesome people get married, in a place I've never been before. What's not to like?

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.”

I think I have to chalk most of my life up to "everything happens for a reason." I was pretty upset that St. Augustine didn't work out and really unsure of what I was going to do. I haven't really had a plan and I haven't really been feeling good about any of my options. I was just planning on moving somewhere in Birmingham and just hoping for the best.

Obviously, if you know me, you know I couldn't just sit still and accept that. So I have spent the last several weeks on craigslist at all hours of the night, scouring and hoping to find just what I'm looking for. Well, Tuesday night, about 1:30 in the morning, I was just about to get off the computer when I searched for places in Greensboro on a whim. I know Greensboro is a seriously tiny town with a lot of poverty but it is also one of the most hopeful, do-something towns I've ever encountered. HERO is an amazing organization and is well-respected in the community. I have worked with them before and I absolutely loved it. So I figured, why not? It's only 45 minutes from t-town and it would be an adventure. So I searched and what do you know? The day before, HERO had posted several of the Rural Studio houses for rent. I got super excited and emailed them, hoping for a response. Wednesday morning I woke up to an excited email saying of course they would love to show me the houses! So I called my mom and talked to Mrs. Batson and we all decided I should go down there that day so I didn't miss out on anything. So I worked until 1, convinced Cameron to come with me, and we headed down to Greensboro.

The drive down really isn't too bad. I think it took us about 35 minutes at the most, which is awesome. We met at the HERO office and Pam, who remembered me from the apron show (yay!) and one of the other people who work for HERO took us to see 1, 2 and 3 bedroom houses. The 1 was definitely too small for me. I go crazy in that little of a space. The 3 was awesome, but just didn't feel quite right. And thennn we hit the 2 bedroom. It was perfect. I knew as soon as I saw it I had to have it. So they let Cameron and I sit and talk about it, then I went back to the HERO office and explained that I loved it but I was hesitant, so Cameron suggested we drive around a bit and think about it. I called my mom and 2 minutes later pulled a U-turn in the road, pulled back in and marched into the office. Everyone laughed because I probably looked like a crazy person, but I told them I had decided and I definitely wanted it. It was amazing. I paid my deposit, gave them all of my info, and we are good to go as soon as I sign the lease!

My new house is amazing, by the way. It's energy efficient, made with rammed earth walls, insulation made from recycled blue jeans and pressed straw insulation in the floor. It has a huge backyard, a front porch and a back porch and amazing sliding glass doors in every room. Once I have better pictures I will try to share them. :)

After that, Cameron and I got some pie, then drove around to explore the rest of the town. It's small, it's quaint, and it feels just right for me. If you know me, you know I wasn't meant to go to New York. Most people would go insane in such a small town; not me. I'm absolutely giddy at the thought of having my own garden, a huge backyard and being able to walk to Main Street. The best part is how excited everyone was for me to join the community. They want me to get involved in HERO, help teach people how to sew, and come up with any grand ideas I might have. It is the perfect place for me to reflect on myself, work on my designs and do my part to make a difference in other people's lives.

So there you have it, folks. From New York City to Greensboro, Alabama and not a single regret in the process. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunities I did at Macy's and I cannot wait to start the next chapter in my life. Maybe someday I'll end up in New York, but for right now I cannot wait to go to my town of 2,500 people and a 25 mph speed limit.

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

Oh boy what a month it has been.

Jersey was an adventure. Fell through a dock and banged up my right leg quite a bit. The bruise is just now starting to fade but the weird pains in my knee are certainly new. I also have a lovely case of poison ivy on both of my legs, even though it's been three weeks. Oy. The cabin on the lake was amazing, though. I could have stayed there forever. We paddled the canoe, swam, I fell out of the kayak (a lot), and just had a nice time. Went to the wedding, then it was time to head back. Gabrielle and I flew to Charlotte, then I flew to Tampa and met up with my parents and Chris. Had to rent a car from Enterprise. Terrible experience. I absolutely hate them. Went to St. Augustine. Stayed at Casa Yallaha. Was terrified at first but it turned out to be pretty neat. $35 for a private room, can't really beat it. Met a man I assume was a Canadian drug dealer, but he was quite lovely and we had a fun time watching soccer. Left a day early, went back to Spring Hill. Hung out at home for a few days. We had a lot of fun the Friday night before I came back. Made pasta and pesto from scratch, played Yahtzee and baked carrot cake and vegan chocolate cake. It was so fun. Flew back the Saturday before my birthday. Hung out for the weekend. Monday was my birthday. Worked all day, then went to Mellow Mushroom for birthday dinner. Then swam a bit. Worked the rest of the week. Friday night we had my birthday party. Roommates did a wonderful job. It was a lot of fun. Spent the past weekend vegging basically. Worked today. Long day. Ready for the summer to end so I can move on with my life.

“Joy is not in things; it is in us.”

It seems I've spent a lot of my time lately in airports. Today, I'm in the Philly airport after flying from Charlotte. It was Gabrielle's first flight! How exciting. We were on a 767, which is huuuge! We ended up in the middle row, but we had it to ourselves so it wasn't so bad. This past weekend was grand. After the 7 hour wait in BHM, I finally got on the 7 pm flight and got to Charlotte. Had no problem getting my rental car, ended up with a Jeep Compass. It had 4WD and was REALLY fun to drive. I took my time getting to Hudson and stopped to get a toothbrush and some other stuff. I got to Hudson and being the idiot that I am, I decided it would be a GRAND idea to drive by Marika's old house. Of course, I lost it. Utterly and completely lost it. It wasn't pretty. So I called my mom and she calmed me down, then we had a hysterical laugh fest for a good ten minutes because I bought toilet paper. Only Marika, my mom and I know how funny this is. Every summer that I spent there, I brought my own toilet paper because Marika was convinced having me in the house depleted the toilet paper supply. So every year I would stop at the store on the way in and buy a big pack of toilet paper. I decided that I couldn't come here now without any, so I stopped at Walgreens and got a 59 cent roll. It seemed appropriate.

Spending time with my cousins was amazing. They have really grown up a lot and it's amazing to see how close they are. They really look out for each other. I know Marika must be proud.

We went up to Boone Sunday just to hang out and explore. Went to Price Lake, stopped at all the tourist trap souvenir shops, then went back to Randy's to hang out for a while. Yesterday we hung out, went to Nick's game that ended up not happening, then hanging out at Randy's again. It's amazing how easy it is to just sit and talk to them for hours.

Oh, side note, I have a funny story. I was sitting in the BHM airport trying to charge my phone when this super creepy dude started hitting on me. He told me he was a rapper and told me to add him on facebook. I was like ahhh no! So I told Joe to call me to save me. Well, he did one better. He called the AIRPORT and had them call me over the loud speaker so I HAD to get up. So brilliant. That definitely improved my mood.

Ok so back to today. We got up and got to the airport early and got on the 2:45 flight instead of the 4:05 because I saw it had a ton of seats and I didn't want to sit in the airport again. Easy flight, and now we are just hanging out in the Philly airport. I'm SO excited to see George and everyone, and I can't wait for Tom and Meghan's wedding! It's going to be a good week.

Bleh.

Y'all, I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Life didn't slow down much after graduation. Let's see: working 40 hrs/wk for CBH, working for the magazine, flew to Gainesville for Kathy's white coat ceremony, lots of hanging out with friends that are in town, AMAZING photo shoot for work, and five bajillion interviews for work as well. It's been busy. But good. Having roommates for a few months is lovely. I'm sorry, I thought I'd give a long lovely update but I'm exhausted. I got 3 hours of sleep and now I'm sitting in the Bham airport waiting endlessly praying I get on the next flight. Maybe next time.

“The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.”

I don't think I can do a whole recap of the last four years thing. I think you can read back through this blog and see how it went. There were a lot of ups, a lot of downs, and overall it was probably the best experience I could have asked for. In the moment I'm sure I would have changed a few things, but I think everything worked out as it should have. I made the absolute best friends, got my 4.0 and that red mortar board, and probably figured out a lot more about who I am and the kind of person I want to be. So there's that.

I forgot to relay this terribly awful/funny story. Our cat Bob was like 18 years old. He was mostly blind, could barely walk and couldn't seem to ever find his litter box. He was one of the best cats ever, but he's been ailing for the past few years. So when we all call home our question isn't, "how's Bob?" it's "so is Bob still alive?" and for the past few years, my mom and dad would laugh and say yes.

So we are at my graduation dinner at Mellow (which was AMAZING and Anders was our waiter which was so fun) and Kathy nonchalantly asks, "so is Bob still alive?" and my mom just looks at both of us and doesn't say anything. So we are like WHAT?! 

Turns out Bob died A MONTH AGO! So we just kind of look at each other panicked, cry a little bit, then it just melted into laughter over the thought of Bob finally offing himself by lunging off the box that he mysteriously became able to climb. I'm actually glad my parents didn't tell me he had died when it happened. I was in the middle of a meltdown at that point and really didn't need anything to push me over the edge. Bob was an amazing cat, and I certainly miss him. But he gave us 16 or 18 (honestly can't even remember how old he was) years of fun and we were just blessed to have the silly boy for so long. Now he, Sasha and Diamond get to run around (or in his case, waddle) like best friends in pet heaven. :)

So that was certainly an adventure. But God bless that cat, he was a fighter. He was looking pretty rough two years ago when I got Tux, but I think Tux rejuvenated him. He got a little bit of a spring in his step and seemed really happy to have another friend around. It was fun to see them together.

So anywho. There's that. This week has been interesting. Started my job with Living NEO Green on Monday but also am working full time for CBH. So juggling that has been intense. But I'm genuinely loving everything I'm doing for LNG. I can tell it's where I belong right now.

I went to the farmers market yesterday. It's amazing how well I eat when I get the chance to go there. All I crave are fruits and veggies and everything I buy there. I LOVE it. And I got the most beautiful gerber daisies. Yay!

Today Robert helped me move a bunch of my stuff to a storage unit. Did I tell y'all that Paula and Abby are moving in with me for the summer? I don't know if I did. But I wanted to save money and they both needed a place to stay, so I cleared out (well, I'm in the process of clearing out) my sewing room and we are going to have a wonderful super amazing summer. :)

Now I need to finish clearing that room out and work on some stuff for work. OH! I forgot to tell you! The people from the farmers market emailed me and asked if I would like to sell my crafts there a few weeks this season, so of course I said yes! I will be there next Thursday selling my record bowls and record coasters, so you all need to come out and buy things! :)


Pictures!!

“The things that one most wants to do are the things that are probably most worth doing.”

I am officially a graduate of The University of Alabama! It's so crazy how the past four years have flown by. Sometime in the next few days I'll get around to a recap of college post, but for now let's focus on the past few days!

My parents came in Wednesday. Wednesday night I went to Nicks in the Sticks with everyone from work. It was really fun and really yummy. A bunch of us went out after and it was really fun too.

Thursday was just spent getting ready for graduation and having people over and whatnot. It was just nice to have my parents here and to hang out. We went to Jason's Deli, of course, cause my dad loves it. hehe

Friday was the big day! We hung around the house in the morning, I had a shoe emergency around 1 so Amy and I ran to TJMaxx, then we headed over to the Coliseum at 4:30. Jackie and I were right next to each other in line so we got to make sure our hair was good and our caps were straight. Spent the hour and a half taking pictures and talking. Graduation was at 6. It was only 2 hours, which was nice. I didn't fall. Huzzah! After it was all over we met outside, took lots of pictures, then headed off to find Connie and Tammy who were roaming downtown trying to find Mellow Mushroom.

We finally found them, and Mellow had about an hour wait. We said eh we will wait, which was good, because it definitely wasn't an hour. Anders ended up being our waiter! It was great to see him and Michelle! We sat outside. It was really nice out. We all shared a bunch of pizza and chatted and laughed and had a wonderful dinner.

After dinner we came back to my apartment for cake, hung out a bit then everyone called it a night. I was so exhausted. Saturday morning I got up obscenely early. Mom and I drove Kathy to the airport, since everyone else's flights got cancelled and they got booked onto later ones. When we got back we went to Manna for lunch. It was delicious. After that Chris, Amy, Mom and Dad packed up and headed to the airport. It was so nice to have everyone here!

After they left I ran errands then took a nap. Everyone came over later, we watched Supernatural, then we went out and beat up the gloriously awesome pinata I got at K-Mart. It was a GIANT hideous elephant. It was so much fun. Then we went to see The Avengers. Such a good movie!! Clay, Heather and Erin came back to watch more Supernatural, then I went to bed around 3:30.

Today I need to get life in order because I start both of my jobs tomorrow.

OH YEAH I GUESS YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT MY NEW MYSTERY JOB.

So everyone already knows I'm working for CBH this summer. That has been a done deal for a while.

But y'all, I got a big girl job! Let me tell you the story.

So Heather came to BFW and took pictures. While she was there, she met a woman starting up a new online magazine, they talked, yada yada, and Heather ended up landing this wonderful amazing job writing for LivingNeoGreen, a wonderfully amazing online magazine that is just starting and is all about living a green lifestyle and everything that encompasses.

I was SO happy for Heather, because it's the perfect job for her. So we've been talking about it for a while and one day we off-handedly talked about how awesome it would be if we worked together. Well, I started thinking more about that, and decided it would be REALLY awesome and that the magazine sounded like such a perfect fit. So I sent in my resume, writing samples, etc etc and got set up with a phone interview. The interview was Wednesday morning, and I got the job!! I will be working as the Fashion Editor for LivingNeoGreen. :D I get to write about fashion and sustainability and work with the rest of the team on anything that encompasses fashion.

How crazy is that? It's the perfect job for me, and I couldn't be happier. And since it's an online magazine, I can basically live anywhere.

Which brings me to the other secret I've been keeping for a while!

Once I realized I didn't really want to go to New York yet, and I didn't want to work in a huge corporate environment, I kind of panicked. That was what I was supposed to do, and without it, what was my plan? So one day I woke up and realized I needed to not have a plan. I needed to just let things happen. So I let go of being anxious about finding a job and just let it be. Then, a gap year plan started to form in my head. I wanted to move somewhere I didn't really know anyone, get a job in retail and spend the year doing everything I have had to put off because of school. Make all my own food, make my own clothes, and finally get really serious about losing weight. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was exactly what I needed.

And it definitely still is. I'm SO ecstatic to have a wonderful job that makes me happy, and I'm so happy that it will still allow me to follow through on my original plan. More than likely, at the end of the summer I am going to move down to St. Augustine, or somewhere around there. I've always loved that area, and now is the time to move anywhere I want. I would love to be close to the beach, and the lifestyle there is slow enough that I can focus on my writing and achieving all of the goals I have set for myself.

SO there you have it. I will try to keep everyone posted on how everything plays out, but now you are all filled in on everything I have been keeping hush hush for the past month or so. :)

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

So technically I've got three days to go, but I think I'll try to get this out now while I have some time.

A year ago, the lives of everyone in Tuscaloosa changed forever. We lost family, friends, students, faculty, homes and livelihoods. The world changed for us. I lost my apartment. It seems so trivial, but I genuinely loved Cedar Crest and think about it often. How I always felt comforted knowing Tota and Teca were just downstairs, how I could open every window in my apartment and feel like I was outside, and how even though I closed them, none of my doors ever really stayed shut. It felt more like home to me than any other place in Tuscaloosa had. To lose it really took a toll on me.

It took me a couple months to finally realize the full impact of the tornado. I knew I wasn't myself, but I just attributed it to everything else going on; stress, New York, new experiences, and sure maybe the tornado a little. But driving down 15th Street still feels like a giant punch in the gut. Every time I drive by knowing what I'm going to see, but some part of me still hopes to turn down that road and see my crappy little apartment standing there waiting for me. The McDonald's is back, Krispy Kreme has started to rebuild, and so many others are on their way. But Tuscaloosa has a long road of recovery ahead.

I can't say the past year has necessarily been good. After the tornado I promised myself I would live my life as fully as I could, and stop putting off the things I've always wanted to do. I stopped letting money or homework or any other excuse get in the way of experiencing life and enjoying my friends. Sure, my bank account is a lot slimmer but I've done a lot more in the last year than I ever would have expected.

But like I said, I can't say it's been a good year. I've definitely felt the weight of the tornado, and seeing its destruction every day makes it hard to shrug off. I also lost my aunt, which left a gaping hole in my soul I have yet to find any feasible way of patching up. Three months later, we lost her husband, leaving her three kids without parents. That's not something to shrug off. That's something that stays with you everyday. How do I help them? Can I? Do they want my help? It's something I struggle with, and I know all of my extended family do too. We love those kids. We love Marika. And our hearts break every time we think of what they're going through.

I've dealt with a lot over the past year. I was down and out for two weeks with what I lovingly named the badgers, leaving me weak and pathetic in my bed. I discovered the value of the Counseling Center. It took me a very long time to work up the nerve to go there, but I finally did it. I don't think I'll ever be one of those people who can sit around and chat about my grief to a room full of strangers, but one on one time with my counselor helped me place a lot of my emotions. Don't let anyone ever tell you that getting help makes you weak. It's not a sign of failure, it's a sign of strength. I was finally strong enough to admit that I couldn't shoulder everything on my own. There's power in that.

Over the course of this week, we're going to have a lot of remembrance events and there will be a lot of emotions running through this town. That's natural; we've lost a lot, and the scars on our town are deep and wide. But over the past year, we've gained a lot. We've gained perspective on the important things in our lives. We've seen the true colors of our neighbors and friends. We've learned how strong our community is and how resilient its residents can be.

I know I've learned a lot over the past year, too. I'm not the same person I was a year ago. I don't have the same goals, and I don't expect the same things out of life. I'm starting to realize how important that is. Finding these raw emotions exposed has forced me to face myself and what I want to do with my life. Had things worked out last year how I expected them to, I don't think I'd be happy. It took a year of struggle and soul searching to realize what I truly want.

I know we are going to see a lot of "remember 4/27/11"going around this week. As if we could ever forget. Don't expect large shows of emotion from me. Let your emotions be genuine. This is a time to remember those we lost and the impact they had on our lives and to honor what our town can become. Don't get bogged down by everything; lift your heads high and be proud of Tuscaloosa. We have survived, and we will come back greater than we've ever been.

“To pay homage to beauty is to admire nature; to admire nature is to worship God.”

Graduation is almost upon us. How scary is that?

Let's see...last time we spoke my dad was here to take care of me during my wisdom teeth surgery. That went really well. My teeth hurt for like a week but then it went away and they are slowly spreading back to normal. Yay! Last Friday I had a cookout with my freshmen. It was so fun!! We had Full Moon and played volleyball and I seriously had the best time. I'm going to miss being their mentor. :P This week I finished my entrepreneurship class (yay!), picked up some honors cords, discovered that Mellow Mushroom has THE best beer selection and $2 night on Tuesdays, finishing my independent study, and discovered the only thing left standing between me and graduation is my marketing final. How crazy is that? Oh! and on Tuesday we had the Good Art show. I sold a good amount of stuff. We had a good time too.

This weekend has been fabulous. On Friday Heather and I went to the cliffs and hammocked for a few hours. Annie lent me the first Hunger Games book so I've been slowly working my way through that. Laying in a hammock reading in the woods is absolutely phenomenal. Yesterday I continued the process of sorting through and packing up some of my stuff. I'm going to be here for the summer, but I really want to take the time to go through everything and see what I want to keep. Last night a bunch of us went to Crimson Cafe for dinner. Please don't ever waste your money there. The service was terrible, it took an hour to get our food even though it was NOT busy, and when we finally got it it was cold and not very good. I don't know why Crimson Cafe can never seem to get it right.

Today Heather and I trekked into the woods by the retreat and hammocked by a creek. Getting to it was a nightmare. Apparently I am VERY allergic to something in those woods, because I coughed my head off the entire way and couldn't breathe. Oy. We traversed the creek a few times, slid down some hills and finally found a good spot. I was cranky, but God bless Heather we got there. Hung out for a few hours, kept reading, then it was time to head back. OY. We had to cross two pipes to get there, and by cross two pipes I mean Heather crossed them and I found a way around. I decided I could totally brave them on the way back, so I started across the first one. Got almost to the highest point, said NOPE! and jumped off. Got to the second one and was so concentrated on what I was doing I didn't even realize I was on the pipe. Of course when I did I panicked and almost lost my balance. To my left was a steep drop off, so I couldn't go that way. My second instinct was to crouch down and clutch the pipe but I knew that wouldn't end well, so I looked right. Hollow, rotted out tree and a little patch of leaves. Okay. So I jumped for the leaves. SURPRISE! The leaves were just covering up the rest of the tree. So I jumped and ended up knee deep in a rotten tree. Yummy. After laughing and trying not to die, I crawled out and spent five minutes trying to find my way across the creek. OY! Spent a little too much time trying to crawl up some hills, and we eventually made it back. I basically crawled through as many poison ivy patches as I could find. It was....an adventure.

I had to come home and shower almost immediately because I couldn't stop coughing. I've never really had too bad of a reaction to poison ivy so I'm just hoping that will continue this time.

Oy, life. This week is my last dead week, then I have one final at 8 am on Tuesday of finals week and I graduate on Friday, May 4th. How crazy is that?

Oh, and if you're going to ask me, "what are you doing after you graduate?" expect a loud I DON'T KNOW. Because I honestly don't. I'm staying in t-town for the summer to work and save up some money, and then it's a big question mark. Sure, I know what I think I'm going to do, but no one knows if it's going to pan out and I'm not going to shout it to the world if it doesn't.

So we shall see, world. We shall see.

“I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.”

I did a quick write up last...Saturday I think? But I didn't post it because it was mostly just blah blah. But Friday was Honors Day, which was fun. I got 4 awards. Yay! Hung out over the weekend, got lots of homework done, Did Easter church with Amber and lunch with Robert. Then went to the lab and got more work done. Monday I had meetings and such then Dad came into town to take care of me with my wisdom teeth. Yay! We went to Jason's Deli for dinner. Yum. Tuesday morning I got my wisdom teeth out. I was pretty nervous, but it was so easy. One thing I'm laughing at the doctor the next I'm being put in a wheelchair and wheeled to the car. So easy! Came home and slept for 3 hours and have been totally fine since then! It's amazing. Didn't have to take pain meds or anything!

Today Dad and I went to the SupeStore, then to City Cafe. Who knew I'd be eating normal foods the next day? But it was delicious. Then I got gelato at Mary's. Homemade strawberry with fresh grown strawberries from Snow's Bend. YUM!!

Nooow we're just hanging out. I think Dad's leaving tomorrow since I'm doing so well. It's been really great having him here. :)

“Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live.”

I always have to do these recap blogs soon or else I forget. So here goes.

We decided to go to Lake Forest Ranch this weekend. We being Heather, Ryan, David, Michelle, Billy and myself. I spent Friday morning making record bowls for my UH300 class, then I packed up, picked up Heather, Ryan and Billy and we started on our way. And by that I mean we inched our way in traffic to the Northport Walmart, spent an hour choosing bread and meat, and finally took off in the downpour. The drive was a lot of nothingness, but we had a good time and eventually made it to the camp. It was SO beautiful. We got ourselves situated in the bunks, jumped on some of the mattresses, then decided we were hungry. We had planned to go to Sonic for one of our dinners, so we chose that night since David and Michelle wouldn't be getting in until way later. So we set out through the back exit of the camp toward Louisville, MS, which was probably 30 or so minutes away. It was the closest town. So we made it a few minutes outside of the gates when BAM! tiny adorable bunny ran out in front of my car. I screamed, slammed my brakes, then continued. Not 5 seconds later BAM! another bunny decided it wanted to die too! So I scream some more, slam my brakes, and just inch my way a few more feet before I came to a stop and just stared at the road. I don't know if I actually hit either of them, but I was freaked out. And I couldn't feel my arms. That was a fun reaction. So Heather offered to drive, which was an excellent idea. I spent the rest of the drive yelling about how I probably killed one or both of them and everyone else made mean bunny jokes at me. Love you guys.

So we made it to Louisville, found a cute restaurant, but they were uber expensive and about to close, so we continued to Sonic. Ryan was stubborn (what else is new) so we kept driving to see what else was there, and I'm SO glad we did because we ended up finding this awesome little place called BJ's. They didn't close for another 45 minutes, so we went in. We showed our clear lack of any local knowledge by standing awkwardly in the doorway until someone told us where to sit. Yikes. Ryan and I ended up getting the country fried steak, which I don't believe I'd ever had before, but it was amazing. And the onion rings were perfect. Billy and Heather got ridiculously massive baked potatoes and Heather also got pork chops. Needless to say, we were all very, very happy. Heather drove back to the camp and they spent the whole drive convincing me we were going to come across rabbit carcasses in the road. I was horrified. Luckily, we didn't find any, so either I didn't actually hit them, or something ate them. Ew.

We hung out in the bunks for a while playing card games until Michelle and David got there. Yay! So when they did we let them get situated then we walked over to the fire ring to start a fire. Heather brought these weird fire starter things, I called them poo bricks, because that's exactly what they looked like. Though Michelle, Heather and I spent most of the time criticizing them (yeah, sure boys...), the boys got a very nice fire going with the wet logs! We sat by it for a while, then started tossing hot coals around. Don't ask me why, but it was pretty fun. We all got some lovely burns and blisters on our hands, though. After we let the fire die down we hung out in the bunks and went to sleep sometime around 2 or so.

Saturday we got up around 8:30 or 9:30, and by we I mean everyone but Ryan, who can apparently sleep through anything. I got a shower, which proved to be useless. We..sorry, the boys, made breakfast of eggs and bacon, then we decided to take the boats out. Heather, Michelle and I took the canoe and Ryan, David and Billy took one of the flat bottom boats. We easily out paddled them (duh) and then discovered a paddle boat stranded on the other side of the lake. Heather being the good LFR counselor that she is decided that we should save it. We sidled up to it and as I was trying to get it closer WHAM! Heather leaps from the canoe, taking Michelle and I down with her. I landed face first in the weeds and up to my calves in mud. Yummy. Oh yeah, we hadn't bothered to change into bathing suits, so my clothes were soaked. The boys laughed at us so we proceeded to splash them heartily, and Heather of course. We flipped the canoe back and Michelle and I took it while David and Heather rescued the paddle boat. We all got back to the docks. Unbeknownst to me, David and Ryan were plotting long before this and took the opportunity to flip my canoe again! Wonderful. So we spent the next little while shoving each other off the dock. I shoved David into the shallow part by accident so he hurt his foot. Sorry David!! The only one who didn't get shoved in was Ryan because of the stupid bro code and the guys protecting him. DUMB. Anyway. From there we played frisbee, discovered we were standing in prickers, changed, then moved our frisbee game to the big field. Played that for a while, hung out for a while, then it was time for horses.

Now, friends, some of you know and some of you don't, that I used to own a horse. His name is Rebel and he now belongs to my dear darling cousin Gabrielle. We had planned to move to North Carolina when I was in high school, but it never panned out. But when it was going to happen, my parents bought me Rebel and I spent several summers training him and being a good little country girl (yeah right...). But really, I loved it and the memories I have of Marika helping me learn to ride and to do everything I needed to do to take care of a horse are some of my favorites. But anyway. The way he ended up in my darling aunt's care was that 1. we weren't moving to NC and 2. I fell off of him. It was ugly, I was scared, and it just wasn't good. So since then I've been a little skiddish when it comes to riding horses. I got right back on, thanks to Marika, but after that I was still leery. So anyway. Long story short, I was nervous about our ride. We walked to the pasture to round up the horses, got them all ready, and luckily all of it started to flood back. I got all of my gear on correctly, and we got ready to go. I cried just a little before I got on the horse, not because I was scared, which I was a little, but mostly because it reminded me so much of Marika and how much she loved her horses. But thanks to the wonders of sunglasses, no one noticed. And then it was time to focus. Got bless Heather, she knows all of my crazy and helped me get on my horse like a pro. Once I was up, I felt good. I rode a horse named Missy, who looked a lot like Rebel. We rode them around the lake, and it was fun. Missy did NOT like mud, so she ran me into a few trees to avoid it. But it was really great to finally be back on a horse. Once we finished, I perfected my dismount and didn't land on my butt. It was glorious. We took off all of the saddles and such and then I drove my car down to the pasture so I could drive everyone back to camp. Unbeknownst to everyone else, well, I guess until they read this, that was the moment I took to completely lose it. Imagine how crazy I look, driving by myself down this dusty gravel road sobbing. Oy vey. It's just hard to do something Marika loved so much without her. But it brought back so many memories of all of the summers we had and I'm really blessed to have had that kind of relationship with her. And I'm really happy we rode the horses. Once everyone else got there, I was good to go. Heather fed all of them, then we went back to the cabin. We ate an entire jar of my mom's salsa (mom, I need to bring a bunch more back next time I'm home!), sat around for a while, then we gathered out food stuffs and headed for Jerry's house.

In our hour in Walmart, we did manage to buy 5 pounds of hamburger meat. The boys cooked again, and it was delicious. We got to spend some time with the couple in charge (kind of ) of the camp, who were really nice. We ate and talked and just hung out for a while. After that...what did we do? I know we all just wanted to pass out. Haha. I think we went back to the fire. Oh yeah. I drove the boys around so they could collect firewood and Heather and Michelle went to rescue a submerged canoe we had noticed on our horse ride. That was an adventure. But we got it! Then it was time for fire. We all realized how much my hammock straps sucked, but everyone took turns swinging 4 inches off the ground in it. Heather and Billy fell in Heather's hammock, which was kind of hilarious. We stayed by the fire til it got dark, then got bored and went to the rec room. Actually, I ended up alone taking my car back to the cabins and walking to the rec room paranoid that I was going to be abducted. Did I mention we spent the entire weekend strategizing for the zombie apocalypse? Cause we did. Anywho. We all went over there and played this ridiculously fun ping pong game. I don't remember what it was called, but I just called it utter chaos. Then we played some soccer and other stuff and ended our night with some intense four square. Hahaha yup. I never went to summer camp, so it was very exciting.

We got back to the cabin and David decided to bust out his jujitsu skills and teach Heather and Ryan some stuff. It was hilarious. Then we ate some sammies, threw goldfish around and passed out probably around 1 or so. Well, I didn't. I laid there for a few hours before I finally went to sleep. Oh well.

This morning we had planned to wake up at 8 and leave by 9. Our alarms went off at 8 but no one moved. I finally got up at 8:45, which triggered everyone else to get up. We left by 9:45ish. Then we went back because Heather forgot her phone. Then we left again. Haha. We made it to Tuscaloosa a little after noon, parted ways, then met up again to go to the air show. Billy dropped Heather, Clay, Ryan and I off as close as he could get to the airport. Well, we thought it was as close as we could get. We were WRONG. We walked forever around the airport until we finally found the entrance. My shoes failed me and I now have blisters on the bottoms of both of my feet. Ouch. We met up with Heather's family, walked around a bit, then settled in the grass to watch the Blue Angels. I felt like a little kid again. I absolutely loved it. Seeing all of the planes was really neat too. After the Blue Angels flew, we got our stuff together and trekked to Heather's parents' car, which was almost as far as where we had been dropped off. Not quite, though. So they took us back to our cars, Heather went with them and Clay, Ryan and I went to Mugshots. I chugged two glasses of tea and two glasses of water. And we are talking Mugshots glasses, not normal sized glasses. Dehydrated is an understatement. After that we parted ways and I came home for Tux to scream PAY ATTENTION TO MEEE!! He's now passed out on my leg.

Alrighty. Well, I guess I should get some homework done. As usual, I'm super behind. Woo! This weekend was really amazing, though. I'm so glad I went. Can you believe it's just under a month until graduation? It's unreal...

“Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.”

Good grief I'm tired. It's been a long semester. I'm sad to leave everyone, but really excited to graduate.

I think most of you know I've spent the past few months collecting prom dresses for Operation Prom Dress. We ended up with over 300 dresses. Last Saturday was our giveaway. We got Doster all ready, organized the dresses, and prepared.

Ten people showed up.

Yep, that's right. Of the 300 dresses we have, we gave away 12. It was disappointing, to say the least. I've spent a lot of time getting the dresses, getting them to the cleaners, making sure all of the high schools knew about it, and just hoping for the best. But it just didn't happen.

It's hard to get stuff done when you don't have a full team of people totally dedicated to the task at hand. I am admittedly over-committed and with my uncle dying and still dealing with Marika's death, I can't honestly say I'm totally here. I'm stressed, exhausted, and completely overwhelmed. So as President, I can't say I've been 100%.

I was definitely upset that things did not go as planned, but then I decided there had to be a way to get these dresses to people in need. I called around, got on the FB garage sale group, and eventually made my way to freecycle. I got to interact directly with the people in need. I met some people one night after class to give them a dress for their sister, I met 5 or 6 people today to get dresses for themselves and their friends, and I went to Bryant High School and met the most adorable girl who was ecstatic to have beautiful options for prom. I am happy to have gotten the opportunity to meet these people. I also got in touch with Wings of Grace, the Forest Lake Baptist Church relief center, who were overjoyed to receive dresses. I met a woman in charge of caring for homeless people and their children. I got to help her pick and choose dresses appropriate for teenagers because she had no idea, "what the children wear." And finally, I am able to help the YWCA offer so many more dresses at their giveaway in Birmingham this Saturday.

It's amazing how you can turn a failure into something positive. I was happy to take on the task of giving the dresses away after our giveaway did not go as planned. It gave me the best opportunity to meet new people and help the community in so many different ways.

And now it's time to look ahead. I have to make a bajillion record bowls for our Good Art show (April 17th, 4-6 pm in Nott Hall! Be there) and I need to make sure Tee Time is actually going to go off without a hitch (April 10th, 7:30, $5, front lawn of Doster! Be there!). But for now, I have to make sure I don't fail my marketing exam and that I actually finish my online entrepreneurship class.

Oy. Is it May yet?