JUST FOR FUN

I haven't posted anything in a while. And sadly I am not going to take the time right now to write about all that is going on as I am not in the writing mood. Things are great though. The school year is off to an amazing start and things are running much more smoothly than last year.

For the time being, I am going to complete the following survey I was awarded by a fellow blogger and hs friend. This is called the Over The Top Award and you can only use one word in your response. ONLY ONE WORD...this should be interesting.... So here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? SIDE
2. Your hair? SHORT
3. Your mother? NURTURING
4. Your father? HUMOROUS
5. Your favorite food? BACON
6. Your dream last night? ODD
7. Your favorite drink? CHERRY COKE
8. Your dream/goal? PEACE
9. What room are you in? GREAT
10. Your hobby? SEWING
11. Your fear?
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? NORTH
13. Where were you last night? HOME
14. Something that you aren’t? UNHAPPY
15. Muffins? PUMPKIN
16. Wish list item? KAYAK
17. Where did you grow up? CHARLOTTE
18. Last thing you did? MESSAGED
19. What are you wearing? CLOTHES
20. Your TV? OLD
21. Your pets? SALLY
22. Friends? AWAY
23. Your life? AMAZING
24. Your mood? JOLLY
25. Missing someone? RONI
26. Vehicle? AWESOME
27. Something you’re not wearing? BRA
28. Your favorite store? TARGET
29. Your favorite color? BLUE
30. When was the last time you laughed? YESTERDAY
31. Last time you cried? MONTHS
32. Your best friend? RONI
33. One place that I go to over and over? WORK
34. One person who emails me regularly? JESS
35. Favorite place to eat? MOTO

The rest of the award requires me to give the award to 6 other blogs but I am feeling lazy and only have 4 blogs to award so I am going to skip that part. I promise to update soon.

Fun in NC

Well, I am the official blog slacker. I had hoped to keep this up when I moved to the Raleigh area so that my family could keep in touch but I have failed miserably. So here's to catching up.

I have been back in the great state of NC for 3 months now. I love it. My new place is fantastic. Much larger than my previous places with all the amenities, such as a dish washer! I know it is pretty sad that I get so excited about a dish washer but I loathe washing dishes. Now I just loathe unloading the thing, haha.

The community I am living in is great. Just across the parking lot from my building is the fitness center and pool. Within 15 or so steps from my door, I can see and enjoy the beautiful community pond. Sally rather enjoys this as well. She gets to wade around on occasion and attempts to chase the geese and ducks that swim there. It is quite amusing. In addition, I can easily walk to the grocery, doctor, dentist, bank, movie theater and to just about any type of restaurant. Sally and I often take advantage of this perk. Can you tell I am really enjoying life here?

The area is of course quite a bit larger than NE TN but you wouldn't generally know it. On average traffic isn't too bad. And I rarely have to leave the Wake Forest area, which is much like a smaller version of Johnson City, so it works quite well actually.

The school I am working at is fantastic. I had some troubles adjusting at first. The kids are not nearly as motivated as I am used to. Completing assignments is not a priority overall and studying is pretty much out of the question for a lot of my students. This mentality is hard to comprehend but I am beginning to find ways to work with it. Though I will never understand nor accept it. I truly love what I am doing. Seeing the successes of my kids makes me so happy. There have been many times when I was almost in tears over kids grades. Not because they were so bad but because a student had worked so hard to bring a grade up and had succeeded. I think I am usually more excited for the student than he/she is, but I am ok with that.

The job itself can be very time consuming. I get to work every morning at 7:15 and leave around 4. I spend a little time with Sally, usually taking her to the dog park for an hour or so. Then I come back home and work on lesson plans until around 9 or 10. It makes for long days but I enjoy it. I know next year will not be nearly as time consuming as I hope to have most of my planning done before the fall semester begins.

This summer I will be working from home for a developer in TN. This was a great opportunity I could not pass up. I was going to have to work this summer and hated the idea of being on some random schedule (I thrive off routine). I will have the flexibility to work when and how I need. I will have time to work on school things and to travel. I couldn't ask for a better set up.

Sally has done really great with the move. She did not handle the long hours alone very well at first. Can't really blame her though. Ten hours alone Monday through Friday really was asking a lot of her. After the second or third week, she began tearing up the carpet by the patio door, which is unacceptable. I was afraid I was going to have to get rid of her, this idea tore me apart. However, I found out that there was a doggy day camp within walking distance. I took her there one day to try it out and she has been going every Tues and Thurs since. Not only does it break up the long week, it has helped her learn how to play with other dogs. She was very skiddish and afraid to play at the dog park when we first moved here. But now she does great, though she is a bit of a snob.

Sally is truly a great dog. Overall, she is very well behaved. She gets excited when meeting new people but calms down relatively quickly. She has been house trained since she was 3 months old. She likes to do anything I do such as having her teeth brushed, hair dryed and so forth. She is quite funny really. Since I have had such a great time with her, I have decided to add another member to our little family. So, I am in the process of looking for a second dog. I am deciding between two currently. One is a year old female and pretty much a mirror image of Sally. The other is a 4 month old boxer rescue (I can do male or female with the boxer). I hope to have my mind made up and the puppy adopted by the end of May. I am hoping by getting the second dog, I can save money each week by eliminating trips to day camp as the dogs will have companionship during the day.

Well that about wraps up what has been going on and what is and will be going on. Here are a couple pics. (I will post pics of the inside of the apt eventually but I am still working on some design things).




Sitting by the community pond. Enjoying the beautiful weather and working on lesson plans. Sally was out there too but wouldnt stay in front of the camera. (the beauty of this is it is only 15 or so steps from my door)







At Lake Gaston last weekend. Sally enjoyed her first boat ride. And she finally swam. Prior to this, she was jumping from place to place in the water. It was quite cute but I wanted her to swim after balls and such. Thankfully this dog absolutely loves the water and just about anything I do.











Me with Laura at Lake Gaston. I work with Laura and she and her boyfriend Jason (weird I know) live just two buildings over. I have really enjoyed getting to know them. Jason has nicknamed me 'The Chef' as I am almost always cooking something. I rather like the nickname though.

Update

Well, it has been a while since I last blogged. Much has happened. I have moved to Wake Forest. Started a new job as a math teacher. Made some new friends. And started a new life for myself. I am loving it. I thoroughly enjoy living in the Raleigh area. I love teaching. And I love hanging out with my new friends. Amazingly, I have been very active in social activities which is very odd for me. In fact, I went out with people from work during my first week here and have hung out with my teacher friend Laura every weekend since. It is great! We clicked right away and the best part is, she lives in my complex! Well, just thought I would give a brief update. Things have been so busy I haven't been able to blog. We were out of school yesterday and today due to snow but I have been catching up on grading and planning. I will try to blog more about my teaching experiences and such in the near future.

Better get some rest. No delays or closings for tomorrow.

ON THE MOVE....

Wake Forest, Here I (and Sally) Come!!!

Can you tell I am excited?

I have been offered (& accepted) a job teaching math at a high school in Franklin Co., NC just outside of Raleigh/Wake Co. I am very excited about the move and the new opportunities it will bring. I look forward to working with the children and impacting their lives as I know they will impact mine.

I am excited about getting back to my roots. My grandmother (and grandfather?) were from Wake Co. I hope to find a genealogical library or the like in the area to do some family tree research. Also, I look forward to being close enough to visit my beloved granny's grave for the first time.

I am very anxious and nervous about this process also. I have never lived this far from home. Though I am not really concerned about that. I love the adventure and the distance doesn't bother me greatly. I am quite upset about being so far from Veronica. Six hours is a great distance but at least we have phones and the internet. Otherwise, I would be lost. In addition, the process of moving is a bit overwhelming. The initial costs are quite high and getting furniture and such to Wake Forest could be a challenge, financially and logistically. But all will work out I am sure.

Nonetheless, a new chapter in my life is beginning. A fresh start is what I will be making. I couldn't be any happier. I look forward to seeing what joys, challenges, triumphs, obstacles and so forth come my way. It is an exciting time!

Christmas 2008

I decided to change things up a bit this Christmas season and made all my gifts. I had a great time coming up with ideas and even more fun making and giving these gifts. For mom, I made a pair of wide-leg lounge pants. I used Amy Butler's pattern from her In Stitches book.

I also used an Amy Butler pattern for Emily's gift. I made her the In-Town Bag. This was the first purse I had made and found it to be much easier than I had expected.

For Brett and Kevin, I made fleece blankets. Brett's was a Beatles print and Kevin's a UNC print.

My last gift was for Veronica. I also made her Amy Butler's wide-leg lounge pants. All the gifts turned out great. I can't wait to do it again next year.

I even managed to use some excess fabric to make myself a pair of lounge pants before I left for Disney.

As far as gifts for me are concerned, I received Seasons 1-3 of House (which I am thoroughly enjoying), some sewing supplies and storage tote, gift cards and a much needed flashlight. It was a great Christmas, possibly one of the best actually.

Disney Vacation 2008

For Christmas this year, my mom's parents took the entire family (aunt, uncles, cousins) to Disney World for a week, there were 14 people in all on this trip. I must say, it was an awesome gift. I had never made this trip before so I was quite excited, and a little skeptical.

A large part of me was dreading this trip as I do not handle extended periods of time with other people very well. I live alone and have for the better part of 5 years now. I am not a very social person so I am not used to being around a lot of people for more than a couple hours at a time. I am also the kind of person who desperately needs my alone time. Somehow, I did manage to do quite well. I flew down to Orlando/Sanford on the 26th (everyone else was driving) and left on the 30th. Unfortunately, I do not get paid vacations or holidays so I had to return early in order to work and make up as much of the time I had already missed. (Which by the way sucked! I even worked on Christmas Day to make up some of the hours.)


Anyway, here is the rundown of my part of the trip.

Friday: We didn't do much that night since most everyone was tired from traveling. My flight down was quite amazing. I flew Allegiant Air (which I highly recommend). I paid $200 round trip for my flight, which was an amazing price flying out of the Tri.

On the flight to Orlando, they hold a raffle. You can enter anywhere from $5-$20 and receive anywhere from 10 tickets to 70. After all the money is collected, numbers are drawn for various tourist-like prizes. At the end, one last ticket is drawn and the winner receives all the money collected. (there are approx. 185 seats on the plane so the cash could be quite substantial). Well, I am not the gambling kind so I was going to opt out of this event, especially since I only carried $50 with me to last the entire 3 days I was there. Well, after much consideration, I decided that $5 wasn't much money and I could do without one meal if needed, heck, I could win the money. I entered my $5 and got tickets ###60-69 (I can't remember the first 3 #'s). It was a long shot but it could happen.

Well, they started drawing numbers and giving away prizes. It came to the last prize before the $$ and my numbers still hadn't been drawn. The ticket was drawn and again no prize for me. Finally, it was time for the big drawing...the cash drawing. The stewardess allowed a little one sitting at the front of the plane to draw the winning ticket. They spend some time dragging out announcing the winner. They state that the prize is more than $100, more than $120, more than $140...it's $160. This entire time I am saying to myself ###6 something. Well, they read the numbers FINALLY and it was ###61. I won $160 on my flight! How awesome is that!?! I was so excited I didn't quit smiling for the remainder of the night. I came home with all the money I had taken and more. What a great feeling.



Saturday: We all ventured to Animal Kingdom. Brett, Emily, Courtney and I (is that correct?) managed to get away from the rest of the group and we had a blast. Around 5 we decided to venture over to the Magic Kingdom at which point we met up with the others. We decided to call it a night and went back to the condos where we played a very entertaining game of Phase 10.

Sunday: Kevin and Mom decided to join Brett, Emily, Courtney and myself at Magic Kingdom. We had a great time. Kevin found his alternative personality (a velocaraptur) and kept us entertained most of the day. I don't think I have laughed that much in a really long time. I truly LOVED hanging out with my amazing siblings and my wonderful cousin Courtney.

Monday: The six of us plus Courtney's brothers Tradd and Brandon, went to Hollywood Studios/MGM. We didn't have much time here as we had a lunch scheduled at Epcot later in the day. We did manage to ride Tower of Terror though. I was a nervous wreck. I will ride just about anything but I am not a fan of free falling. The ride was a blast though.

For lunch, we ventured to Epcot to meet up with everyone else. We had reservations at a German restaurant and the food was fantastic! I have never eaten German food before but I am a major fan now.

After lunch, we enjoyed a candlelight procession in an amphitheater in the American section. Noone really knew what to expect but it turned out great. There was a 50 piece orchestra, 386 choir members (80 Disney cast members, 6 professional singers, and 300 guest singers from various churches and schools) and 2 narrators, who happened to be Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance on this particular evening. Chrsitmas songs were sung and the Christmas story was told.

Afterward, we rushed back to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic. We waited in line for a ridiculous amount of time as the show was running behind schedule. People were packed in to a small area and most were becoming quite annoyed. I know we were. Finally we started moving and it seriously seemed like a herd of cattle. People were trying to push others along, one almost pushing Courtney down. It was absurd. The show was amazing though. A laser, water and fire spectacular. It was indeed Fantasmic...haha.

(Ursula is being shown in the water that is shooting up...quite cool)

Tuesday: Nothing exciting really happened. I flew home in the afternoon and did nothing in the morning. No raffle was played on the flight home unfortunately. Part of me was sad to leave. I had such a great time and miss so much hanging out with my siblings. But another part of me was desperately needing my space and schedule back. Plus, I missed my puppy. It was a wonderful vacation that I will not soon forget.

Thank you so much Papa and Grandma!

To the Year's End

Well, another year has come and gone. What an interesting one it has been. Most of this past year was quite rough, but in the end things are looking up. I am hopeful that 2009 will be a great year. Here's a recap:

The year started off shaky. Jason, the man I had been dating for nearly two years, and I were no longer together. We were still talking and working through some things however. By February, we were back together and things seemed to be better than ever.

Meanwhile, I continued taking graduate classes at ETSU, which was more of a pain than anything really. I was quite burnt out and stressed. My internship in Greeneville didn't really help my situation at all. Politics just don't agree with me and it made (makes) for a very unpleasant work experience.

By June, I couldn't take anymore. My relationship with Jason was deteriorating at a rapid rate. There were issues there that I could no longer handle. It was affecting every aspect of my life and turning me into someone I did not want to become- bitter, hateful, and extremely unhappy. In addition, finances were very tight, which was only adding to my stress level. Thus, I began looking for jobs anywhere and everywhere. I had high hopes for a couple job opportunities in Greenville, SC so I quit my job in Greeneville, TN and made plans to move a little further south. However, this plan failed after Jason and I talked and worked through some things again. So, I decided to stay put and came back to my job in Greeneville, TN a few short weeks later.

By late July, I knew I needed to move closer to work. The commute was horrible and gas prices hovering around $4.00/gallon didn't help my financial situation in the slightest. After a long, frustrating search, I finally found a phenomenal apartment through the help of a co-worker. I finally moved the last week of August.

August was, in general, a great month. In addition to moving, I was able to get an adorable puppy, Sally. She has been so great for me and she couldn't have come at a better time. I hadn't planned on getting a puppy quite yet. I had wanted to get moved in and settled then find one. However, when I heard about Sally and saw her, I couldn't resist. She was one of 14 puppies (2-3 litters) found on the side of the road by a co-worker. They were approximately 4 weeks old and all near death. They were all so sweet and sad looking. Sally stole my heart from the first moment as she looked so different from the rest and had been the lone puppy walking along the street when they were discovered.

A few weeks after moving, Jason and I broke up again, this time for good. Things weren't improving and my emotional and mental states were in horrible condition. I needed to move on and I think having Sally around really helped me move on all the more quickly. After the break-up, I rediscovered my passion for creativity which I had pushed aside and ignored for the last 2 years. I find that I am happier now than I have been in years, even on those harder days.

Not much really occurred between September and December. I did decide to go back to education. Working in politics for the last year has really made me realize that I cannot do this for the rest of my life. So, I have done some research and will be looking for a job to start next fall teaching math or economics. Also in the fall, I will begin working toward obtaining my teaching certificate. I am quite excited about this opportunity and kick myself for not sticking with education many years back. But, everything happens for a reason, and I may not understand it fully right now, but I will in a few years I am sure.

The year did end on a high note. I was able to go to Disney World for the first time last weekend. It was amazing! My grandparents took my family as well as my aunt and uncle's families. We had a great time (well the rest of them are still having a great time, I had to come back early because I couldn't afford to miss any more work). I can't wait to go back though.

As this year ends, I look forward to what is to come in the next. Though the past year wasn't the greatest overall, I learned a lot and for that I am greatful. I have high hopes that 2009 will be the best yet. And I look forward to bringing it in tucked quietly away in my warm bed with my wonderful puppy lying beside me. Just the way I like it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
HAPPY KWANZAA!

WHATEVER YOU CELEBRATE, MAY THE MEMORIES & TIMES SHARED BE GREAT!

ENJOY THE TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Must See

I highly recommend this film.


http://www.iousathemovie.com/

Another good song

Icicles by Patty Griffin

Tonight
I sing soft and low
Just like the moon
Over the snow
I hear icicles falling in the dark

We're just like anyone else
We just want a little bit
Of sun for ourselves
And a little bit of rain
To make it all grow
Maybe a minute or two
To get lost in the glow of love

There's always someone throwing matches around
Waving the shiny new knife
The first to run when the house burns down
I've seen it everyday of my life
I must confess there appears to be
Way more darkness than light
I want to fall like a pearl
To the bottom of the sea
There no one will find us tonight

Tonight
It might look pretty bad
We might lose everything
We thought that we had
But shadows will pass
Smoke, it will clear
If something survives of us around here
I'll be glad 'cause I know
I was lost in the glow
Of love

Sappy...very sappy

I am in a very sappy mood today and songs like this really seem to sum up my thoughts from the last few days. I have been listening to Pandora Radio and have the Gillian Welch station going at the present time. I dont think it is helping my current state of mind in the slightest. Probably only nurturing it actually.

I truly dont know why I am like this right now. I am completely fine with being single. But something has come over me lately which causes me to dream/yearn for a mate. I really just dont understand it at all. And it is driving me insane!

Which Will by Lucinda Williams

Which will you go for which will you love
Which will you choose from, from the stars above
Which will you answer which will you call
Which will you take for for your one and all
Tell me now which will you love the best

Which do you dance for which makes you shine
Which will you choose now if you won't choose mine
Which will you hope for which can it be
Which will you take now if you won't take me
Tell me now which will you love the best

Amazing Raffle!

Wow, would you like to have the great opportunity to win a HUGE prize package and help out 3 wonderful organizations in the process? Well, you can. Simply click the link at the top of my page or go to MckMama's blog to enter.

A $10 donation will purchase one raffle ticket and enter you into the drawing for the package containing a 12.2 Megapixel black Digital SLR Camera, a Canon 75-300mm zoom lens, a Jill.E camera bag, an ATP ProMax 2 GB SD card, a custom-made, adjustable camera strap from VM Jess, a 16 x 20 canvas print from iPrintCanvas and a complete blog makeover from Uptown Design Studio.

Seriously!

And each $10 donation you make puts YOUR name into the drawing. How amazing is that???? You get a chance for a great prize package and you help out some deserving organizations in the process.

All proceeds go to help: String of Pearls, No Hands But Ours, and The Elison Project.

You can find out more information by clicking on the link at the top of my blog.

Please do all you can to help these organizations.

Note: The raffle ends Dec. 14

The Marriage.

"We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid of age, we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone. Someone who doesn't drive you to commit murder or doesn't humiliate you beyond repair." - P.S. I Love You

I watched P.S. I Love You last night and this quote really stuck with me. It sums up exactly what I desire to see in my life. I want to grow old with someone. Someone who I enjoy being around even after many years. But really, I believe it is just a great thought and so well put. It saddens me how few people truly care if they spend the rest of their life with their mate. The word marriage has lost so much of its value. The vows one takes on their wedding day are so frequently said in vain. People don't truly mean 'for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health'. What so many seem to really be saying is 'as long as I get my way and as long as I am happy', 'as long as you can buy me everything I want and entirely more than I need', and' maybe in sickness and in health but it depends. I can only handle so much you know'. Maybe it isn't that extreme and maybe most people don't go into the marriage thinking they will end up divorced. But I think many, way too many, go in to a marriage much less committed to the other individual than they should be.

This is not something I want for my life. I come from a broken home because at some point in my parent's marriage, my father decided that he no longer agreed with the vows he took. He was no longer interested in 'for better or worse'. He was only interested in 'as long as I get my way and as long as I am happy'. He was and is very selfish. And his selfishness led to the demise of thier marriage.

I hope that when I get married it will be for the rest of my life. I hope that I can grow old with that man. That I can love him through everything, through good times and bad. I hope that the first thing I want to do every morning is roll over and see his face. I hope that I can fall in love with him all over every day. I hope that he desires the same. I hope that he values the marriage and the vows we took. I hope that he values my committment to him and seeks to return the same.

I know this is all a bit sappy but it is something I fear has been lost with my generation. I am not niave. I know that marriage is not easy. I know that there are hard times beyond belief. But I also know that a happy, committed marriage is not impossible. Many have succeeded at marriage. My grandparents for one have been married for nearly 51 years. And are still very happy. What makes is possible is selflessness. What makes it possible is communication. What makes it possible is love. What makes it possilbe is committment not only to the other person but to oneself. What makes it possible is compromise. What makes it possible is work and diligence.

This is my deisre. I hope I realize it. And I hope that if you too desire this, that it will be realized.








Are these sacred anymore?

Elf Yourself--The Johnson Family Breaking It Down!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sewing Projects

The background.

I grew up watching my mother sew. She made a good bit of our clothes growing up, especially church type clothes. I hated it! During my teenage years, she would frequently suggest that I learn how to sew. However, this was not even a small desire of mine. I could do the basics: sew on a button, hem a pair of pants. What more did I need to do? I certainly did not want to make my own clothes, much less anyone else's. So I passed.

Well, back in June or July of this year, 2008, I decided it was time for a new hobby and sewing sounded quite fun. Over the years, I have grown to love homemade items and desire to be more efficient with my purchases/consumptions so I thought sewing may be a great way to do this. Basically, I wanted the ability to create very unique apparel and gifts.

I called my mother and asked if I could use her machine for a while in order to give sewing a try. She had no problem with that as it was tucked away under her house, obviously not being used. She gave me a brief lesson on how to operate the machine and I left her house with the machine in tow hoping I could teach myself to sew. And I must say, I picked up on sewing much faster than I anticipated and I absolutely love it!

The blessing.

Sewing has really been a great creative outlet for me. For a few years now, I have pushed my creative desires/hobbies to the side. I stopped taking pictures on a regular basis, I listened to less of my preferred music (folk & singer/songwriter type stuff, I guess you could say) and more to mainstream crap (though not all is crap), I quit watching indy type films which I love, and more. Why? Well, a lot of reasons: time, school, work, relationships, rose colored glasses, etc. It is very unfortunate that I let my creativity and my hobbies fall away, but I am so glad that I am once again nurturing this side of myself. I must say, it is stronger than it ever was before. And I am loving it!

The projects.

My first project was a dress. It turned out much better than expected though not perfect by any means. I still have some work to do on it so I do not yet have any photographs of it.

The following photos are from more recent projects.

This is an apron I made from scrap pieces of fabric. (I apologize for the poor picture quality). I had actually cut the fabric for a skirt I was going to make. However, I decided that I did not like the fabric for this particular skirt so I started playing around with different ideas for the material and settled on an apron. I started just piecing the apron together with no pattern and no set design in mind, which was a little scary but I had nothing to lose. I was merely making it for the sake of making something, anything, as I desperately wanted a sewing project.

I am quite pleased with how it turned out.

Since Jessica is having a baby in the near future, I had a great excuse for making some gifts. I made 4 burp cloths and 6 bibs. After Christmas, I plan to make a small play quilt with the remaining fabric.

The material I used is Woodland Friends, designed by Kate Honarvar for Timeless Treasures Fabrics. I just love the material. Jessica and Brian are very active in the outdoors and I thought this would be a great fabric for thier little Logan. But, when I learned of Brian's fascination with owls I definitely couldn't resist this fabric. (I had originally purchased some Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar fabrics for their gift, but my machine broke days before the shower so I had to put the gift on hold. Blessing in disguise I quickly realized.)

Aside:

I have decided to make all my Christmas gifts this year so I will post pictures from those in late December!

Four

My cousin Joanna linked me in her blog, asking that I post the fourth picture in my fourth picture file on my computer. I also have to list four things about this photo.

1. This is from a camping trip in Unicoi County this past Memorial Day (there were about 10 or so of us).

2. We traveled quite a ways down old logging roads to find our campsite...quite fun...and a little unnerving at times.

3. Around midnight, some people from a group camping close by came to our campsite, quite drunk and loud. By this time I was already in the tent asleep. Waking up to strange voices, made me quite uncomfortable. All I could think of was a gun fight...haha...a bit dramatic I know, but I was half asleep, we were in the middle of nowhere and drunk individuals are quite unpredictable. Thankfully no guns were displayed and they left after about 30 minutes or so.

4. This fire got quite large during the course of the night as one of the guys with us just kept piling logs on...and on...it is amazing that some of the trees above us didnt get a little scorched.

I will also link some people to create a similar post if they so desire: Danielle, Emily, Jessica

Great Lyrics

Lyrics from I Came Here To Hear the Music

Artist: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

I came to hear the music
I came to hear the sound
The music, God knows it brings me down
A long, long road
From now to then
I know your song, sing it again

'Cause there's so many things I don't believe I understand
How the days turn into weeks, turn into months
The years become a moment in the ever-changing sand
Did God make time to keep it all from happening at once?
All at once...

I came to love the music before I came to be
To know the music before it came to me
A long, long time ago, I don't know when
We sang a song
Along with the wind

And there's so many things I don't believe I'll understand
Why the days turn into weeks, turn into months
And the years become a moment in the ever-changing sand
Yes, God made time to keep it all from happening at once
All at once...

Photography

I decided to post some pictures I have taken over the years. Most of these are from my travels in 2004 to Nicaragua and Jamaica. The rest were taken around my apartment and Greeneville. Sadly, I haven't been as active in capturing images as I used to be, however, I am working hard to change this.

Jamaica

This shot took me a while to capture. Each time I was close to getting it, the girl would move her arm. Thankfully, she held the position just long enough for me to snap a shot. It was not posed at all, in fact, they had no idea I was photographing them at that time.

Nicaragua

There are so many photos from this trip that I love. I have included only a small handful. I may post more in the future. (Please note that none of these pictures were staged. All were taken as people were naturally, with no direction.)

This little girl was adorable. I love her eyes.

One of the girls I was with had just given out some gum, she is holding a pack in her hands. The kids went crazy over the gum. It really made me appreciate all that we have here in the states.

This little girl was amazing. Her looks were so sincere. It is as if you could see directly into her soul. Probably one of my favorite pictures of all time.

I love this photo as well. Pure joy!

Cool shot.

This girl was dancing for us at an orphange we visited. I will post more from this in the near future.

As you can see, I love photographing people. I especially love close-ups of faces. I have many of those that will have to come at a later date. You can truly see so much about a person through their eyes. I love capturing just a little of that.

My Name is Laura and I am a Sentimentalist

Ok, well, I have been experiencing problems when it comes to blogging about last weekend for some reason even though so many wonderful things happened but here goes. Warning: This is all over the place.

I had the great opportunity to travel to Charlotte to take part in a baby shower for a wonderful childhood friend, Jessica. It was a great day and the shower was wonderful.

Going back to the Charlotte area for this type of event brought back so many fond memories and proved to me that I truly am quite the sentimentalist. I had the great opportunity of seeing many people from my childhood: my old preacher's wife, a classmate and cousin of Jessica's, and most importantly Jessica's family (aunts, grandmothers, parents and brother). All was great until I completely lost it though when I saw Jessica's younger brother Benjamin for the first time in probably 10 years (things were still great afterward, just a little unnerving for me for the rest of the day).

So here's the story:

Someone entered the house, so I turned around to see who came in. I didn't recognize the young man so I turned back around to watch the gift opening. A few moments later, I heard Patti (Jessica's Mom) say something about Benjamin coming in.

I quickly turned around again and asked the person next to me if the young man that just entered was Benjamin. When they responded with 'Yes', tears immediately filled my eyes (as they still do when I am typing this). I couldn't believe that the little boy I knew was no longer little. I quickly left the room for fear of making an even bigger spectacle of my emotional self.

By the time I made it the few short steps to the nursery I was nearly weeping. Patti and Rachel followed me in to make sure I was okay. I was but I couldn't even grasp why I was such a basket-case.

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Actually, I am still not exactly sure why I am so torn up about Benjamin growing up as my younger brother Kevin is less than one month younger than him and I am not nearly as upset about him growing up.

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Anyway, Patti called Benjamin into the room to meet this crazy 25 year old girl in tears because he is a teenager. I can still see his face: completely confused and uncomfortable with the whole situation. I must admit, I was too. He did vaguely remember me, well, my name more than anything. Once I gathered my composure, things were better. Although, I did apologize to Benjamin numerous times, ensuring him that I am usually not like this. (Really I am not). I truly felt so bad that he had to endure that.

The drive home later that evening was not much easier as I cried on and off the whole way (190 miles). I was in a great state of reflection, which is not a good place for an already emotional person with a predilection for sentimentalism. I think the problem is that so much time has passed since I have seen anyone other than Jessica and so much has happened.

Jessica and I have been friends since we were three years old (we are 25 now). We were, for the most part, inseparable as children, constantly coming up with schemes to go to one another's house, talking on the phone if we couldn't do that. There are so many wonderful memories I could share but I will not at this time. Well except this one as it's my favorite:

I am not sure what age we began developing this idea but we were convinced that we were sisters, twins actually. We believed that we were separated at birth and Dolly Parton was of course our birth mother. I mean who else would it possibly be??? (oh the imaginations of children!)

Since we were so close, her family was my family. In fact, I was closer to her grandparents growing up than I was to my own as they lived nearby and mine did not. Sadly, everything changed after our seventh grade year. While at youth camp in the summer of 1996, I recieved a phone call from my parents stating that my dad had accepted a job in Tennessee. Initially, I was quite excited about the news and if I remember correctly I did not handle myself well. Shortly after camp (a matter of weeks I believe), my dad and I moved so that I could begin the school year in Tennessee. This move greatly changed my life and my greatest friendship.

Looking back on it, I know that God had His hand on my life and on my family. We have had our fair share of problems but they have only made us stronger.

My family was torn apart as a result of adultry and selfishness. However, the trial only served to strengthen the relationships between my mother, my siblings and myself. The five of us are now a closer family than we ever were before and for that I am truly thankful.

We have lost loved ones but these losses would have meant much less had we not had the opportunity to develop the relationships in the first place. The move to Tennessee gave me the opportunity to develop a close relationship with my granny, my hero. During the nine years before her death, I developed a deep love and admiration for Granny and I am forever changed as a result.

Friendships have forever changed. Jessica and I are not as close as we were. Thankfully, we have managed to remain friends and despite all the time that has past, and the miles that separate us, when we are together, it is as if no time has passed at all. That my friends is the sign of true friendship. And somehow, I have been blessed with not only one great friend for a lifetime but two. I would have never met Veronica had I not moved to Tennessee. She too has been such a blessing in my life and I can't imagine it without her.

Though I wish some things would have never changed, that friendships would be as strong today as they were 13 years ago, I am thankful that the friendships still exist and that they continue to bless my life. But most of all, I am thankful for where I have been, where I am and where I am going.

There you have it. Many thoughts on my life, all scattered about in a bit of reflection. And all quite sentimental.