Yes, I know I need to blog

I am well aware of the fact that I have not blogged for a very long time. It seems like I just can't find the time to sit down and write these days. By the time I go to my room (I say room because I am at home in Pomona) I am exhausted and ready to fall asleep. I just need to set a time and actually write. My whole life goes into chaos when I don't write, and that is what I am experiencing now. I have experienced a whole range of emotions since I have been home, and I need to get them down on paper (or type them on the computer). But anyway, sometime soon I will blog again, hopefully!

The Thrill of the Hunt

Well, it's that time of year again. The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. Yesterday millions of Americans, myself included, feasted upon turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie, etc....(the list could go on forever!) But today is different. Oh yes, on Thanksgiving everyone counts their blessings and is at peace with the world. They are thankful to be alive and be in each other's company. But on the Friday after Thanksgiving, it is a completely different story.

They call it "Black Friday." A very appropriate name if I do say so myself. Yes, I know it is named "Black Friday" because it is the day that stores supposedly get out of the red and into the black on their profits. But the term "Black Friday" is appropriate for another reason as well. You see, on Black Friday all hell breaks loose. The dark side of people takes over. Once stores open, people forget their manners and all that is decent about them. Their animalistic side springs forth. They are rude, pushy, and if they get the chance, theives. Not everyone is like this, but this definitely describes the vast majority of Black Friday shoppers.

Am I like that? Do I run, push, and shove my way through? The answer: only when necessary...such as when you have waited eleven hours to get a laptop. But on a Black Friday like today when I really didn't need anything that big, I am calm and content. Actually, I love Black Friday. Some people cringe at the very idea of large crowds ravenging stores. As for myself though, I love it. I feed off that chaotic energy that radiates from the whole event. I love meeting new people, if only for a second. I love watching how crazy people get, and then how civilized they become once the sales are over and they have their treasured item. I also love the thrill of the hunt. Sure it is disappointing if you don't succeed, but at least you tried. And if you don't happen to get that one special item, life goes on and you go to the next store. The reason I don't just shop online is because of the thrill I get, the adrenaline rush of a good sale.

Five minutes before the store opens, it is almost as if a cloud of adrenaline has settled upon the crowd. Drowsiness fades as the pulse of energy throughout the crowd grows larger. People can no longer contain themselves as they wait for that holy hour of shopping to approach. They fidget, moving around more and more. They talk faster and faster with more energy and enthusiasm. Then it comes. A quick glance at a cell phone or watch tells that it is time, and before long you are able to take one step forward, then another, and another until finally you reach the pearly gates of heaven, well, grey automatic doors of retail. You step through the door, and you are greeted by a friendly employee or perhaps the disgruntled employee who is still pissed they had to get up at 3am. But it doesn't matter either way, for you have your eyes on the prize. You race down the aisles, you heart beating faster with every step. Will you make it before they are out?

Then when you finally spot that item, a ray of light from heaven above illuminates it...or maybe it is just a faulty lightbulb flickering on it...but either way, there it is. The item is right before you, but it seems so far. You see that there is only one left. You stop and look to your left, then your right. Most likely you will make eye contact with someone else, and they look at you with a look that says, "Bring it on." Immediately you turn your head toward the prize and start to walk briskly towards it. Then the other person starts to move faster and faster. You quicken your pace to keep up. Then it is as if everything goes into slow motion. You see everything, hear every sound around you, yet you are focused on that one single item. Finally, you are just a mere two feet from it. You look at the other person going for it again, and they give you a stare that says, "Back off bitch, that GPS is mine." You thrust out your arm and leap towards the item, but so do they. In just a second or two, the outcome of your whole adventure is decided. Success or failure? Do you dare look down and see if you have won? Did you make it first? As you gather the courage to finally look at the item you see that it is indeed in your hands and your hands alone. The other shopper has admitted defeat and left you to enjoy the spoils of your win. A smile creeps across your face as you pull the item toward you and finally into your cart. Victory is yours, and it tastes so sweet.


Now all you have to do is wait in line for two hours, fight horrible traffic, and try to set up the GPS using a complicated instruction manual. ; )

Oh Yes, I Do Whatever the Fortune Cookie Tells Me To Do

If you know me, you know that I have really been struggling with what I want to do with my life. For a long time, I had my mind dead set on culinary arts. I was going to be a chef. Then over the summer I started to question whether that was really the career for me. I didn't pay my doubts much thought though because I hadn't even taken any culinary classes yet. "Give it a semester." That's all I heard from everyone I talked to. Well, now the semester is almost up, and I am fairly certain that I don't want to be a chef anymore.

But if not a chef, then what? This question has been haunting me for weeks. I cannot deal with the uncertainty of not knowing what to do with my life. I was really torn. On one hand, I really didn't want to be a chef anymore. On the other, after this semester, I will already be half way there towards my A.A.S. degree in culinary arts. Plus, I know I can probably get a fairly good paying job right out of college, and it could always be my back up. Despite all of these positives, the plain and simple fact is that I am not happy in the culinary arts program. Sure I love to cook, but each day I am in class it only reminds me of the fact that I don't want to cook for a living.

After days of being torn on the subject, I had a plan. I was going to get the culinary degree as a back up and then get the A.A. transfer degree at the same time so I could have all my general eds out of the way for my bachelor's no matter what I decided on. Perfect plan, right? Wrong. You see, I looked up the A.A. program and it was going to be an additional 30 credit hours besides all of the hours for my A.A.S. degree. In other words, it was an extra year at OTC. Ugh. I knew I couldn't do that.

So what do I do? I started looking at other possible careers and the one career that stuck with me was psychology. I just felt like I was being pushed in that direction. I prayed about it every night, asking God to provide me some direction. I thought about becoming a Christian counselor for teens. I still couldn't decide on anything yet though. Part of me couldn't just leave all of the culinary classes I have taken in the dust. Plus, could I really be guaranteed a job in the psychology field right after college? This question scared me too.

With all of that weighing heavily on my shoulders, I went home one weekend and ate Chinese food with my best friend. Once the meal was done, I cracked open my fortune cookie and it read, "Do not play for safety. It's the most dangerous thing in the world." I gasped as I read it. It fit me perfectly. I was viewing the culinary career as a back up, a safety net, so to speak. But the thing was, it was not making me happy. I have to do what makes me happy even if that means taking a risk.

So with the wise words of my fortune cookie still close at heart, I researched into the psychology program at Missouri State. Looking at all of the classes, it is very exciting. Plus, for the degree I would have to have a minor. I can minor in religious studies, which fits what I want to do perfectly.

I was very excited about all of my findings and revelations, but I still wasn't sure. I continued to pray every night about it. Then I realized one day that everytime I thought about the psychology path, I had a sense of peace about it that I never experienced with the culinary arts career. I am content with it.

So what is the plan now? The plan is to trust God. I am a horrible life planner. I never get it right. For now I am planning to get my A.A. transfer degree at OTC and then go on to get my bachelor's in psychology with a minor in religious studies at Missouri State. If there is one thing I have learned though, it is to not let your plans be concrete because it is almost certain that they will change. For now I will trust God to guide me and of course, continue to do whatever fortune cookies tell me to do. :D

One in the Morning Fun

So tonight I hung out with a couple of my friends, and we watched The Exorsist. Don't ask me how they got me to watch it. I HATE scary movies. I can literally count the number of scary movies I have seen in my lifetime on one hand. But anyway, after being freaked out, scared, and spending most of the movie hiding my face behind a pillow, I was ready to go home. My friend Katie had brought me to Daymon's house so I had to rely on her for a ride home. Well, she basically passed out and fell asleep. Thankfully, Daymon offered to take me home.

After telling Daymon bye, I went inside my house and was greeted by my psycho puppy. Not long after sitting my stuff down, I decided that I needed a drink (not alcoholic). So I jumped in my car and drove to the Kum and Go just down the street even though it was one in the morning. I went inside and paid for my Dr. Pepper.

When I left the store, I saw a guy probably around thirty to thirty five years old scratching lottery tickets against the propane tank cage. He was kind of creepy. I had to walk past him to get to my car so I just walked off of the sidewalk and went directly towards my car. Well as I passed him, he asked how I was. I told him I was fine and asked if he was having a good night. He said that it was going okay and I made the comment that it would probably be a lot better if he won. He chuckled at my statement as I started to get in my car.

Then he surprised me. He asked if I was single. I panicked, but within a second came to my senses and said that I wasn't single at the moment. He looked disappointed as I got into my car and told him to have a good night. After that fun conversation, I went home and drank my soda happily.

One in the morning is definitely an interesting time in Springfield. Surely God will forgive me for that lie. Being asked out by a creepy man who was probably twice my age at one in the morning outside of a gas station is not my idea of romance!

A McCain Campaign, Hotdog, and a Pot Head

This year for Halloween I went home to Willow Springs to take Puggy trick or treating. I know I am in college, but I just can't pass up the opportunity to dress up in a costume! It is so much fun! I decided that for Halloween I was going to be a pot head. Okay, so I wasn't the type of pot head that comes to mind. I wasn't the pot head who was high off marijuana. Instead, I was a different type of pot head. I was Johnny Appleseed.

To pull off this fabulous costume, I went to Munch in Willow to find the perfect attire. I decided to get a plaid shirt and suspenders. When I got to my house, I cut up a pair of my jeans and the shirt I had bought at Munch. When I put on the pants and shirt along with the suspenders and some boots, I looked pretty good, but not complete. What completed the look was the kitchen pot I wore on my head. To finish off the outfit, I made a bag of "seeds" and tied it to my waist. I was fit to go.

When I got to Willow Springs, I stopped by my grandma's house to eat supper. While there, I got Puggy ready to go trick or treating by putting on her adorable hotdog costume. After leaving my grandma's, I went to get Amber. I was kind of disappointed she didn't wear a costume, but she did get decked out in her McCain and Palin stuff so it was okay. She had also made flyers in support of McCain to hand out along the way. She was on a mission to get the whole town to vote for John McCain. I was on a mission to get candy.

We spent the rest of the night traveling from house to house handing out flyers. I only ended up with like five pieces of candy. Apparently people are reluctant to give college age kids any candy. : ( Everyone did comment on how cute Puggy was though, and we did get the word out about McCain, so it was all worth it in the end. Overall, it was a good Halloween, and I am glad I got to spend it back home with the people I love! : )

A Fun Homework Assignment

For a homework assignment in my food prep class, we are required to go to an outside event and write a report on our experience. A couple of my classmates and I decided to meet up and go to the Springfield Grocer's food show today at 11am. I didn't really know what to expect.

About half an hour before the show, I threw on my chef's jacket and headed to the show. When I got there, I saw the other two people who I was meeting and we went inside. We went to the registration booth and signed in. We got a big bag and a packet of coupons and brochures for different booths.

We entered the food show and our nostrils were overwhelmed with all of the different scents. It smelled absolutely amazing. We started in one corner and worked our way through the rows trying all of the various samples and grabbing all of the prepackage food we could to take home. Then someone came up and said that they had met Christina from Hell's Kitchen and had her sign their shirt. I immediately forgot all of the yummy treats and made it my personal mission to find Christina. I went to the booth where I could get a free shirt, grabbed the shirt, and nearly sprinted to Christina. If you know me, you know that Hell's Kitchen is my favorite show ever. I watched every single episode last season and Christina was definitely my favorite!

I got in line to meet her, and I mentioned to another person standing in line that I was probably going to be one of those psycho obsessed fans who security has to pull off of the celebrity. Apparently Christina heard me, because she said that I worried her. When I got up to her I said that knowing my luck her sharpie would run out of ink and she smiled and said that she had more. She asked where I was going to school and what year I was in. I told her that I was going to OTC, and I was just in my first semester. She said that she remembered her first days of cooking and told me to stick with it. I thanked her and walked away, totally stunned that I had just met the person I had watched on tv every Tuesday night in the spring!

As the for the rest of the food show, well, nothing could compare to meeting Christina. But I did eat my way through the show, and left with a bag that weighed nearly thirty pounds. Overall, it was a good day, and I know I have plenty of writing material for my report! : D

Oh how I love Pumpkin Pie

This weekend I traveled home to Pomona. (I am sure I will be blogging about this in more detail later, but for now I am tired) Anyway, today my mom made the dessert I have wanted for the last two weeks. PUMPKIN PIE! A lot of times I am not very happy with things in my life, but today I found true happiness in my slice of pie which was warm out of the oven with whipped cream on top. Yum! A perfect pie for a perfect fall day!

If College Isn't Going to Teach Me Anything, Then I'm Going to Teach Myself

If you know me or have read any of my previous posts about college, you know that it hasn't been the most challenging thing ever. While my culinary classes and nutrition class are very informative, my other two classes are proving to be a complete waste of time. I have tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and just roll with the punches but they are seriously sucking out my soul each day I am there. I am not learning anything new or of value. Anyway, yesterday I was sitting in the library center and I was working on nutrition crap, when an idea hit me. Why not teach myself? I don't know what I want to do with my life yet besides write, and believe me that isn't coming along great so I think it is time I explore other options. I have decided that I am going to read nonfiction books on a variety of subjects to gain knowledge about everything. For example, say I was reading a book on psychology. Well, after I finish that book, I might choose a book on how to knit. I want to learn as much as I can. I am the kind of person who gets bored very easily and has to move on to new subjects so this knowledge enhancing plan is perfect for me! I may not be an expert on any one subject, but rather I will probably end up being the weird person who is filled with useless knowledge. That's okay with me though! I will keep you, my faithful blog readers updated on my various undertakings and the many books I plan to read!

It has been WAY too long since I have blogged

I have been meaning to blog for days, but I just haven't had the time. It seems like everytime I think I will have a moment to blog, something comes up that I have to do. But today I decided that no matter what, I was going to sit down and write. Writing is so theraputic for me. I have literally been going crazy these past few days without writing. But anyway....now for an update on my life since it has been so long since I last wrote. ; )

Well, for starters I have a lot of homework to do with midterms being this week. I have a test I need to study for, two online quizzes to take, and I need to clean my apartment. I haven't got any new tattoos in the last few days although I have considered it. I have $13.00 left in my checking account and I am praying my bright flight money will arrive soon. I still have no clue what to do with my life. I am absolutely thrilled that gas is now. $2.46 a gallon. I have been on a banana kick lately and have eaten several a day. I have also been on a Funyun kick, but I do not eat the bananas and Funyuns together...ewww. My academic future plans are being reduced to a pile of rubble before my eyes (I will probably end up expanding on this in another post). Puggy has destroyed one pair of my flip flops. I got a sweet Darth Vader mask while yard saling on Saturday. I also bought the Oregon Trail game. I beat the Yoshi's Island game on my Super Nintendo on Sunday, and I made it to level four on the Lion King. I need to do dishes. I need a vacation. My cold is getting better. I am stoked to be going to Willow this weekend. I love the fall weather. I can't wait for it to get even colder...like upper 50's for a high. Finally, I am thinking about getting up from the recliner I got for free to get some Dr. Pepper out of the fridge.

And that, is the update of my life. :D

I have a cold

You have to love it....waking up to a sore throat, runny nose, and feeling like your head is the size of a small planet. Oh the joys of having a cold. I am hoping to get over my cold soon, as fun as it is to sound extremely weird when I talk. I have been on a steady routine of taking Dayquil, which unfortunately makes me very loopy. It seems to be helping though. I am hoping everything I made today in baking class tastes good because I can't really taste anything! They say a cold lasts about one to two weeks....well, I am counting down the days until my immune system fights off this foreign invader!

I Need A Vacation....

If you know me, you are probably asking, "why would you need a vacation?" I will admit it; my school work is not particularly hard. I don't have a job either. Lately I have just been feeling so trapped in my own life. I know it sounds crazy but it's true. I need to get away and breathe. I don't care where I go. I just need to leave.

I Love Yard Sales!

This morning I was awakened to the sound of my phone vibrating to signal that I had a new text message. I looked and saw that it was from Rachel. She told me that she was yard saling with her sister and wanted me to come. I was pumped! I love yard sales. You never know what you will find.

After taking a quick shower and throwing on some clothes, I went outside to wait for them to pick me up. We went to yard sale after yard sale, following all of the neon colored signs that guided the way. We dealt with nice people who were just looking to get rid of stuff and the mean ladies who were in it to make a profit. After 4 hours of going to countless yard sales, I came home with the following:

-A wine cooler (not the drink, the actual refrigerator)...it was free
-A 1970s model lazy boy recliner (somehow I managed to fit it in my car)...it was also free
-A Gigapet
-Pocohantus VHS tape
-The Sixth Sense VHS tape
-A Beautiful Mind VHS tape
-Meet the Fockers DVD
-DC Talk CD
-The Mummy Returns VHS
-2 Christmas music cassettes
-5 packs of glow in the dark stars
-4 giant candy canes with complimentary spool of ribbon
-A light up sign that says "Bar Open"
-A gold medal that reads "I said my 50 states and capitals 2002"
-A book...not quite sure of the title
-A magic set
-Monopoly game
-Cabbage Patch Kids game
-Dracula puzzle
-A set of 4 cups

All of this was under fifteen dollars total....Overall, not a bad day of yard saling! : )

My Phone is Haunted

Yes, in the true spirit of this ghoulish Halloween month, my phone is haunted. Okay, maybe it isn't haunted, but it is a piece of crap. My phone likes randomly turn itself on and off. It won't charge on a wall charger, only in my car. I have to send texts to receive texts. I am constantly texting myself, because it is the only way to get any texts sent to me to register in my phone! My phone also likes to die half way through the day, even when it was fully charged in the morning. Oh and finally, my phone doesn't ring! That's right...if you call me, 9 times out of 10 I won't answer because my phone didn't ring! Thankfully all of my friends and family who call me know to leave a voicemail so I know they called. My phone is on the verge of dying completely. Luckily, I get a new phone the next time I go home to Willow! Maybe my next phone won't go completely insane like this one!

I Have Officially Doubled the Amount of People I Hang Out with in Springfield

It is true....I have officially doubled the amount of people I hang out with in Springfield. You may be asking "Did you go to a rad party?" but no, this is not the case. You see, it is easy to double the amount of people you hang out with when the original number is 1. lol

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to my friend Melanie on Facebook, and I was telling her how I didn't have but like one friend in Springfield. She told me she knew a guy up here and would have him add me on Facebook as a friend. Sure enough, within the next 24 hours I had a request from this guy to be my friend. I added him and we started talking through the messaging on Facebook.

Finally after a week of talking online, we exchanged phone numbers and have been texting back and forth a lot. After about a week of just texting, we agreed to meet up on Monday (tonight). Well, I got home early in the afternoon yesterday and he texted me. I told him I was back and he asked if I wanted to do something that day. I agreed and got ready to go.

We met up in a parking lot, and we decided to go check out a corn maze. We had a hard time finding it, but eventually we made it. When we got there, we entered the corn maze thinking it would be easy, but it turned out to be pretty difficult seeing as we passed the same piece of corn four times. It was fun just talking and hanging out while trying to find our way out of the maze.

Once we had made it out of the maze about an hour later, we went to Arby's for supper. It was delicious after all that walking! Then we went to his apartment and just sat and talked. Eventually, his friend came over and we all decided to head to his friend's apartment to watch a movie.

When we got to the friend's apartment, we went inside and quickly decided that we wanted a Fruitista from Taco Bell. We walked across the street and got our tastey treats before finally settling in and watching The Love Guru.

After the movie was over, my new friend took me back to my car. It was definitely a fun night, and I didn't get home until two thirty in the morning.

Today I got a text from my friend asking if I wanted to hang out again tonight. I agreed and he said he would be over after his class got over at seven. We hung out at my apartment for awhile. He loved Puggy, and believe me, she loved him. He played fetch with her for like a hour.

We decided to watch a movie, and he asked if I had ever seen Star Wars. I said that I had not, and he was appalled. He said that we had to go rent it. He didn't see how I could have made it this far in my life without watching Star Wars. So we got in the car and went and got the movie.

Once we were back at my apartment, we watched Star Wars and played with Puggy some more. I tried not to fall asleep, because I was still tired from the previous night. I am officially no longer a Star Wars virgin.

After the movie was over we said good night, but we have plans to hang out again tomorrow night. I am definitely excited. I am glad I have another friend here in Springfield to hang out with instead of sitting at home bored every night!

Going Home...

This weekend I took a much needed break from the every day routine of life in Springfield and headed back home to good ol' Willow Springs. I was very excited to come home and see my family and friends. When Puggy and I arrived at my house, no one was home. Mom called and said she was on her way home from work. I had to go though to meet Amber for lunch, so I left Puggy for mom to puppy sit and left.

When I got to Willow, I had to stop at my former place of employment, Town and Country, to get batteries. When I went in, all of the workers were excited to see me, even my former boss who asked me if I was ready to come back and work for him again. I just laughed.

After leaving Town and Country, I went to Pizza Americana to meet Amber for lunch. When we walked in, we were greeted by three of our former classmates. We went over to their table and said hi and exchanged hugs. After eating with our friends, we all went outside to watch the homecoming parade. It was a blast yelling and cheering for every float. We may have looked like idiots, but at least we got candy!

After the parade, I went back home and saw my family, minus my brother who was getting ready for the football game. Once it was 6o'clock, I headed back to Willow where I dropped Puggy off at my grandma's and picked up Amber for the game. I had fun at the game getting to watch my brother play, even though we lost. I also liked catching up with some of my friends.

That night after the game, Amber and I went to McDonalds and ate chicken nuggets. I was highly disappointed when I was told that the chicken nuggets I had thought my whole life had looked like little Missouris, actually looked more like the United States. It was devastating.

Anyway, after McDonalds, Amber and I went to Carl's house and hung out. All I can say is that it was one of the most hilarious nights of my entire life. God bless my best friend. Unfortunately, around 11:30 I had to leave, because I had to pick up my brother from the homecoming dance. After getting Joseph, I was exhausted and fell right asleep when I got home.

This morning I woke up to the smell of biscuits and gravy. Oh how I miss this. Mom made a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, and homemade blueberry muffins. No matter how many cooking classes I take, I will always like my mom's cooking best!

After eating breakfast and getting dressed, I headed to Willow to hang out with Amber. The day was filled with many activities. We cleaned her car (she sprayed me with the water gun thingy at the the car wash on accident). We rode the four wheeler in circles in her yard. We cruised town...she drove while I sat in the passenger seat wearing a four wheeler helmet. We had a scrumptious picnic lunch in the park. We roamed Alco...I bought fake tattoo sleeves which I wore for the rest of the day. We finger painted. We cruised again...this time I drove. Overall, it was a very exciting day.

Once I had said goodbye to Amber, I drove back to Pomona and hung out with my family for the rest of the evening. We had a campfire and roasted hotdogs. We watched a movie and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a great time.

Sadly, tomorrow I will be heading back to my Springfield apartment. I love Springfield, but everytime I come home it is always hard to leave. I love my family and friends, and I definitely do miss them. I am very thankful I got the chance to come down and see them again. I look forward to the next time I can come home and sit around a campfire or finger paint with my best friend. : )

A Not So Peaceful Shower...

This morning I literally dragged myself out of bed so I could get ready for my baking class. Once I had hit the snooze button at least four times, I decided it was time for me to get up. After pulling back the covers and getting a sleepy look from Puggy, I went to take a shower. I hopped in and tried to hurry seeing as I was already late from hitting the snooze button so many times.

I was enjoying my shower, and I was very thankful that it was waking me up. I was just rinsing the shampoo out of my hair when all of a sudden I hear a loud siren like noise. Within seconds, I realized it was the smoke alarm! I sprinted out of the shower with Puggy chasing my heels.

Once I had made it into the bedroom, I looked around and saw that there was clearly no fire. I knew I had to get the smoke alarm to turn off. I knew it had to be waking up all of my neighbors at 7am, because no one in their right mind would be up at that God awful hour.

I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a chair from the kitchen table which was quite humorous. The reason it was humorous: I had had no time to put on any clothes in my mad rush to save Puggy and I. Luckily, all of my blinds were shut. Anyway, I grabbed the chair and quickly stood on it fanning at the smoke alarm. I figured if I could clear the invisible smoke, then it would shut off. Bad idea. Apparently, invisible smoke doesn't go away.

After the first failed attempt to get it to shut off, I decided to yank out the batteries. I unscrewed the alarm from the ceiling and just my luck, it was wired in. Immediately I went to the breaker box and searched for something that would turn it off. Thankfully, they had actually labeled it. I flipped the switch and things returned to normal....well, after Puggy stopped barking and I put clothes on.

So now if there is a fire in my apartment, I can only pray that my dog is a fire fighting dog, and she will wake me up in case of an emergency. But as I watch her shred a paper towel, I am reconsidering and think maybe it would be best to just tell the apartment people and have them fix it. : )

Happy Fall...

With all of my stupid nutrition homework yesterday, I totally forgot that it was the first day of fall! Fall is probably my favorite season. I love when the leaves change colors, and the air gets cooler. I love nothing more than waking up early in the morning, putting on a hoodie, grabbing a cup of hot chocolate, and going outside to take in the crisp fall air.

It is my hope that with the new season, change will also come. Sometimes I find myself feeling like I am stuck in my current life situation without any escape. I hope fall brings happiness, and the breath of fresh air I have been searching for.

To all of my beloved readers: HAPPY FALL!

Spongebob can be extremely scary...

So tonight I was going to get my stupid nutrition book off of my bookshelf to aid me in doing my ridiculous homework. My nutrition homework is another story for another day, because if I get into it I will just get worked up again and end up even more pissed off than I already am. But to give you an idea of what happened, I have been working on a group project by myself for the last 7 hours. Anyway, back to my story.

I was going to get my book off of the bookshelf. I reached for it, and I guess I accidentally hit the Spongebob alarm clock that is also sitting up there, because it started singing the Spongebob Squarepants theme song. Puggy went nuts. She started barking and jumping on and off the bed. Spongebob really scared her. She didn't know what to think, and to top it off, I couldn't figure out how to get it to shut off. The on and off button didn't work. So I had to sit there through the entire song, listening to Puggy bark before it finally quit.

Once the song stopped, I went back to my bed to work on nutrition, but Puggy kept barking. She didn't stop for a full five minutes. After she quit barking and growling, she jumped on my lap and just stared at the clock, occasionally looking up at me. Apparently I was supposed to protect her from this enemy. Now it is a full ten minutes later and she still won't quit staring at the clock, as if it is going to go off again. God bless my pug. Watching her bark at the clock and go nuts made me laugh for the first time tonight.

The Hot Guy...

So, I am not boy crazy. I never really have been, but there is this one really hot guy who works at the Kum and Go by my apartment. My friend Rachel actually said something one day about a hot guy at a Kum and Go. I asked her to describe him, and sure enough, we were talking about the same guy. Now we joke that we share him as a boyfriend.

Last night I had to get gas so I went to the Kum and Go. Of course, I always hope my hot guy is working. Sure enough, he was. So I immediately hit the "Pay Inside" button and got my gas. I am at that gas station enough that all the workers at least recognize me. I went to the counter and he asked how I was. I said I was good and asked how he was. He said he was great and smiled at me as he handed me my change and told me to have a great night. I know this may sound like a typical clerk/customer conversation, but you had to be there. He wants my body. Ok, maybe not, but I can dream!

Yes, I am the world's WORST procrastinator.

This morning I had every intention of doing my nutrition homework as soon as I got back from my human communication class. Well, when I actually got to my apartment, I decided to wait until afternoon and do it. Afternoon came, and well, the homework didn't. Instead of doing my homework, I opted to watch movies. I vowed that I would do my homework as soon as The Simpsons were over. 4:30 came and still no homework. Now it is eight o'clock, and I still haven't done anything. I am bored out of my mind, but I cant seem to bring myself to do my nutrition. Oh well, I guess there is always tomorrow! ; )

Happy 18 1/2!

Today is my half birthday. Most people do not celebrate this occasion, but today I chose to. My friend Rachel and I went to Wal-Mart and bought a birthday tiara, blue Hawaiian Punch, a pin the tail on the donkey game, balloons, a cheesecake and Goldfish crackers to celebrate. I was stoked. It was probably the best half birthday I have ever had. We ate cheesecake after I blew out the magical relighting candles, played pin the tail on the donkey, and ate Goldfish until we were full. It was a very fun evening. It was most definitely a half birthday I will never forget! : )

Different Day, Same Story

Today I had my oh so wonderful political science class yet again. Nothing out of the ordinary happened in there today. It was just another boring day, but there was one thing the instructor said that I found blog worthy. Someone asked about our midterm and what exactly was required for it. I swear we go over it every single time we have class, but maybe I am wrong.

Anyway, the instructor explained that for our midterm, we have to write three, one page papers. In each of these papers, we have to take a stance on some controversial issue such as abortion or gun control and support our opinion. Then the lady asks how many references we have to have. This is when the instructor surprised me. He said that we didn't have to have any sources. WTF? How can you support your opinion if you don't have to prove that what you are saying is fact. This means I can make anything up...hmmm...I can see it now in someone's paper..."half of all people who buy a gun shoot someone." These papers will turn out to be just like the debate over seatbelts where supposedly according to one of my classmates the same amount of people die wearing their seatbelt as those who don't in car accidents. I am sure they will be interesting papers to read, but let's face it, they probably won't be the best arguments. Oh well, it isn't my job to read them....thankfully.

Bittersweet Volleyball

Tonight I had the chance to go watch the volleyball game in Marshfield. I was excited, because I knew I would get to see a lot of my old high school friends, and I love volleyball. Watching it is very exciting for me. When I got there, I watched the JV play. Unfortunately they lost.

Then it was time for the varsity. They wanted me to go to the locker room with them before they went out so I did. Hearing their pregame rituals and pep talk from the coach really made me miss volleyball. I swore that I would never miss it, that I was glad to be done, but sitting there, I realized how much of a part of my life it had been.

When the team when out to warm up, I took my place in the stands, wishing I could join them. As I watched them hit, I felt excitement for them and their upcoming game. I felt the same excitement I felt when I was one of them.

The longer I sat there, the more I thought about volleyball and all of the good times I had. Sure their was a fair share of bad times, but I truly did love the sport. I found myself almost to the point of tears as the teams went to their individual huddles. It made me wish that I had a chance to relive my senior year again. I love Springfield and the freedom I have, but I would love to go back to high school for one more year. I spent the majority of my senior year just wanting out and not really caring. If I had a chance to go back I would cherish every moment and enjoy the time I had left.

Right before the game started, I was asked to line judge and I agreed although I don't particularly like doing it. Throughout the game, I did my best to make the right calls, watching intently as the ball sailed back and forth over the net. I tried not to get too involved, restraining myself from yelling as the game progressed. Being on the court where the action was almost made me feel like I was in high school again, playing my favorite sport. But unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to participate, and I had to just be a mere spectator from my corner. Now I am just a has been who can only talk about the glory days. : (

Halloween...

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! I mean, what other time of the year can you go knock on random doors and have them give you candy? So in honor of this holiday (yes, I know it is over a month away), today I made delicious sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and ghosts. Unfortunately, I do not own any pumpkin or ghost cookie cutters, so I had to free hand them with a paring knife. In my opinion they turned out great! I decorated them with colored frosting to make them extra delicious. After decorating the cookies, I dressed my pink flamingo (I have a yard ornament flamingo that wears clothes) in her Halloween attire, and then I strung purple and orange lights in my room. How festive! Now Puggy and I can celebrate in style.

Wedding Dress Shopping

Today was a day filled with many dresses. This morning around 9:30 I met my best friend, Amber, and her mom, aunt, and grandma in Mansfield so they could pick me up and we could drive to Lebanon to look at wedding dresses for Amber. I am happy for Amber, and I am excited to be the maid of honor, but wedding dress shopping really isn't my thing. I told Amber that we were getting the first one she tried on so she had to choose wisely. Unfortunately she did not fall in love with the first one she tried on. I was a good friend though, and I sat there patiently as each dress was tried on.

Eventually, though she did find a dress she loved. It was absolutely beautiful. After picking out the dress, she picked out a veil and all of the other accessories that she needed. As we all sat there, her family talked about their weddings and about the future wedding. I was even asked if it made me want to get married watching Amber try on all of the gorgeous dresses. Sorry to disappoint everyone, but the answer is no. I don't plan on getting married for quite some time, if I ever do get married.

Later on I was mentioning how I felt to Amber and she said, don't worry Jordan, you will get married someday. Obviously I wasn't clear. I am not worried that I won't get married. I don't know if I want to get married for a long time if I even do. Who knows what the future will bring, but for now I am perfectly content living the single life. I am happy for Amber, and I wish nothing but the best for her and Carl, but as for me, Puggy is enough of a companion right now! : )

I JUST GOT MY SECOND FREAKING TATTOO!!!!

So, I just got my second tattoo! I was just sitting at home today, looking at white ink tattoos, and I decided that I wanted one. Tonight after my brother's football game, I went to the tattoo parlor just to ask whether or not they did white ink tattoos. They said they did. I also asked if I would have to make an appointment. The owner of the shop asked what I wanted, and I told him that I wanted "Just Write" on the inside of my right ankle in white ink. He said that they could do it right then if I wanted. I thought about it a minute, and then I just thought, "What the hell, why not?" I said ok and before I knew it, I was filling out the paperwork. He quickly made up the design on the computer, and I loved it. He printed it off and got it to the size I wanted just as I was finishing up signing the release form. I stood there for a minute waiting for them to get ready, when he turned to me and asked if I wanted the UV Reactive ink instead of the white ink. He said that it won't show up as bright during the day as the white would, but for twenty dollars more, I could have a tattoo that glows under a blacklight. I have seen them on the internet before, and they are pretty sweet. So after a little debate in my mind, I agreed to get the UV ink. As they were getting everything ready, I talked to the wife of the owner of the shop. She was great! She asked if I was a writer, and I said that I was working on my first book. She said that I should include the tattoo experience in my book, and I said that it would be a great idea. I told her that if my book with her in it got published I would give her a copy. She was thrilled about that! Anyway, right after that conversation, they were ready for me, and I nervously went back to the chair. Even though I had gotten one tattoo already, I was still scared! Five minutes later, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. It was over. It hurt more than my first tattoo, but not too much more. After getting the aftercare instructions, I paid and left. When I first sat in my car feeling the sting of the fresh tattoo, I had to take a moment just to calm down and let reality sink in. I just got another tattoo!!!! It was so random. I love it so much! I can't wait to see how it looks under the black light when I take off the bandage! Hopefully I can post a picture really soon too!

Dumpster Diving...

Oh yes, today I had the joy of dumpster diving. I cleaned my apartment for the first time in like two months today. (It looks totally amazing now!) I had everything done, except taking out the trash. Well, I loaded myself up and headed to the dumpster. I had three whole garbage bags, if that gives you any idea how trashy my apartment had become. I threw them in the dumpster and came back inside to get ready for my culinary class.

I changed into my chef's uniform and grabbed my keys to go. I looked around for my wallet, but it was no where to be found. Then I realized something. I had gotten Wendy's for lunch, and I had thrown my wallet into the Wendy's bad when I brought it inside my apartment. By that point, the Wendy's bad was in one of the magical three trash bags.

After realizing where my wallet was, I knew I had to go dumpster diving. I was disgusted with the thought, but I had to get my wallet back. So, I went outside and grabbed the three bags out of the trash. Naturally they all had gross crap on them by them. I started going through them one by one until I found the Wendy's sack. Relieved, I opened it up and guess what. My wallet wasn't there!

I searched the rest of the bag, but I still couldn't find the missing wallet. After a little while, I knew I had to be leaving to get to class, so I threw the bags back into the dumpster. The wallet had to be somewhere in my apartment. I went through every single bag. I just resolved to look for it later when I got back from class.

Coming back inside to wash my hands, I walked into the bedroom portion of my junior suite to get my bag, and I happened to look up. There it was. My wallet was on the top shelf of my shelf divider thingy. I said some choice words, and grabbed my wallet as I headed out the door. I had gotten all gross going through the trash for nothing! Ugh.

I told you my paper was amazing...

Remember the paper I posted on here like a week ago? The one about the Russian boy who I became best friends with, but unfortunately he had to travel back to mother Russia? Well, this morning I got my grade on it. I was hoping she didn't grade really hard, because I knew the paper was crap. I wrote it in five minutes, plus I made it all up! But anyway, as I am getting my paper back I see a few blue marks out to the side in the margin, and I was thinking they would be critiques of my work, but no, they were in fact praises. You see, not only did I get a twenty out of twenty points possible, she also wrote that I had a great example and my paper was well written! Go me!

Side note: Besides being absolutely thrilled about my grade today, I also learned to expect hundred percents on everything. She said that if we do the homework, we will get the points! I like her grading system! : D

Oh the Joys of Political Science...

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday but keeping up with tradition, I figured I needed to blog about my political science class. God bless it. As always, I took notes, and this is how the class played out. Enjoy!

2:30-Instructor is talking with eye patch man about computers and not having used them and having to learn how.

2:33-Class begins. Joy.

2:35-Instructor begins by saying that some people did really well on the last test, and others didn't do so hot. WTF? It was an open book test!

2:40-Went over more of the worksheet that he was giving us answers to the last time we had class.

2:44-Not really paying attention....but instructor says that Jean Jacques Rousseau and Charles de Secondat are the same person....well at least he thinks so. I don't follow the logic of them being the same person...Maybe it's because they had similar beliefs? I don't know.

2:50-And once again, the questions begin from the ladies in the front.

3:06-Instructor hands out more worksheets....when he gets to me, he comments on my shirt (Kansas City Chiefs shirt) by saying that the Chiefs didn't do too well, but at least they did better than the Rams. I nod my head and he chuckles while walking away.

3:14-COLORING TIME! We actually got to color our maps....kind of reminds me of elementary school, but it's coloring so I wasn't going to complain.

3:20-Take notes off overhead....happen to notice that Canada is spelled Canadia...neat.

3:29-Went over the story of Pocohantus....secretly hoping we will get to watch the movie.

3:31-Talk about John Smith and his love affair with Pocohantus. I almost couldn't resist raising my hand to ask if there was a talking willow tree that Pocohantus turned to for guidance. I refrained though.

3:34-Lady in front asks questions about the Pocohantus story....watch the damn movie!

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM! :D

Missing "z" key

So everytime I am trying to type on my laptop, my pug thinks it is a great idea to try to walk across my keyboard. Of course I get onto her everytime she does this, because I don't want her to break my computer. Well, it finally happened the other day.

You see, while I was typing away on my assignment for human communication class, my dog ran up and walked on my keyboard. I threw her off, but it was too late. She knocked off the "z" key! So now all I have is a little spike poking up from the keyboard to hit where the button used to be. The button the actually says "z" is off. Hopefully I can fix it soon, but for now it definitely looks like I have the ghetto keyboard. Neat. Thanks a lot Puggy.

A nice warm hoodie and a cup of hot chocolate...

Days like today are my favorite. The late summer days when it is cooler outside, truly showing that fall is just around the corner. The days where you can sit outside in the morning with a cup of hot chocolate in a warm hoodie. It's not too hot, not too cold. It's days like these that are rejuvenating. Its days like today in which I am able to see the beauty in the wonderful creation that our planet is. It's days like today I find myself thanking God for allowing me to be here and see another glorious beginning to the fall season.

Shingles...

So remember how I said I wasn't feeling too hot a couple of days ago...well, it is getting worse. I still feel really weak and have a low grade fever most of the time. Now in addition to all that, I have rashes all down one side of my stomach...too much information, I know. I went home yesterday, and my mom (who is a nurse) confirmed that I most likely have shingles, and no, that doesn't mean the things that go on you roof. Shingles is actually a form of the chicken pox virus that people get when they have already had the chicken pox. Neat. Not. It sucks. Unfortunately I did not have time to go to the doctor while I was home. It is my hope that it gets better over the next week. If not, however, I am going to go to the doctor sometime next weekend. Oh and I should probably take the time to mention that I am not contagious...so you can still talk to me if you see me on the street...you don't have to avoid me like I have the plague. lol Hopefully I will be over this soon. Being sick is not fun, and when you are in college, you don't get to miss school!

Not Feeling Too Hot

This whole week I haven't felt very well. I have been aching all over, and I have had a fever almost everynight. I also have very frequent headaches. Not good. I looked it up online, and it looks like stress is causing this. I haven't been stressed about school work, but there are definitely other things in my life that I am worried about. I just have to try and keep my mind off the negative and look at the positve and hopefully I will start feeling better again.

You've Got to Be Kidding Me!

I just saw a commericial in FAVOR of high fructose corn syrup. What the hell? I mean seriously. I would have put the commercial on here but it wasn't on Youtube. Saying high fructose corn syrup is good for you is like saying soda is good for you. They claim it is good for you, because it has corn in it. Hmmmm...does that mean candy corn is also good for you? I guess so. Eat up America! Contrary to popular belief, high fructose corn syrup is part of a well balanced diet! What's next? I can see it now...."Researchers find that eating a diet of pure lard helps to fight obesity." This ad for the syrup could not possibly be a ploy to take away the bad reputation of high fructose corn syrup and boost sales, could it? No way, because if the tv says it, it has to be true! Yay for high fructose corn syrup!!!!!! Not!

Political Science is Slowly Sucking Out My Soul

As you may have read before, my political science class is an absolute box of fun. I can't think of any other way I would want to spend an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week. Every single day in there is a joy. Here are the notes from today's class:

2:21-Long talk about sharks between the two people in front of me.

2:25-The three chicks next to me all compare to see who has the most key terms done. Apparently it is a fierce competition.

2:27 Two people in front of me start to talk about McDonalds. They get really fired up about it. One chick mentions, "If it tastes good, you should eat it."-I would have to disagree along with the many nutritionists in the world who would go nuts if they heard that statement.

2:30-Instructor walks into room.

2:31-Two ladies in front of room begin to ask questions.

2:37-Instructor says something about how the Chicago police gets the job done and a lot of heads being busted.

2:39-Instructor mentions something about women truck drivers. I note that every single example he gives, I wasn't alive for. He refers to the 70s as being a few years ago.

2:45-We discuss good Japs and bad Japs....and how we should start using gold again instead of paper money. I think I will pass on that one.

2:49:-Two chicks in front of room ask more questions. I am already counting down the days until I am done with this class.

2:51-HUGE debate started over whether or not wearing seatbelts and helmets if driving a motorcycle should be a law. Most of the class thinks it shouldn't be a law....I thank God I am not wearing my Arrive Alive shirt today.

2:53-Healthcare lady in front of room argues with chick in my row (same chick who told me the Constitution quiz was easy.) Healthcare lady argues that it should be a law because we have to absorb the costs of the injuries as we pay insurance premiums.-a valid point I think. The chick in my row argues that it is their choice and if they get in a wreck, they have to deal with the consequences. Healthcare lady tries to point out that in the end we all end up paying for it through insurance. Chick in my row keeps arguing the same thing. She is obviously not getting it....but all the power to her for being opinionated.

2:55-The battle rages on.

2:57-Eye patch man says that there are some places the government shouldn't intervene and seatbelts are one of them.

2:59-Girl in back of room gives the statistic that just as many people die when they are wearing their seatbelts in an accident than when they don't.-What the hell?

3:00-Healthcare lady goes nuts over the previous statement.

3:02-Look at clock. What did I do to deserve this? What kind of sick joke is this?

3:03-Debate switches to be about health insurance.

3:04-Chick in my row says something about how she has a disease and is having to pay ten thousand out of pocket....totally irrelevant to the current discussion...I am sure she isn't paying it either. I am sure it is her parents.

3:07-New debate begins....No Child Left Behind...everyone who voices their opinion is against it, yet somehow they manage to argue with eachother! SHUT UP already!

3:10-Somehow the discussion went from liberals and conservatives to school breakfast.

3:15-Another new debate...lowering the drinking age. Most people agree it should be lower, except chick in my row. She argues that it won't be any better. Guy with no shoes on argues that in Europe they have almost no problems from having a lower drinking age and it would remove the exciting feeling of it being illegal. Girl in my row changes her argument and is now for lowering the drinking age...am I seriously the only one who noticed that she totally changed her opinion?

3:17-Instructor is laughing. He is thrilled at the debate. He says we are his most opinionated class. Yippee.

3:20-Instructor says, "Conservatives and liberals are not evil."-Thank you for clarifying...I was really worried there for a minute.

3:25-Worksheet time!!!!!

3:26-Start to go over worksheet together, which means that the instructor talks about each question and gives the answer. Neat.

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM! God Bless my class.

The AMAZING Human Communication Paper on Intercultural Communication.

The following is my three...well actually four...paragraph essay I wrote for my Human Communication class. We were supposed to respond to intercultural communication and how we can improve it or how we have improved it in our everyday lives. For added enjoyment, I decided to add my own commentary along the way in parentheses. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Improving Intercultural Communication

Intercultural communication is a vital part of our world today and is almost impossible to avoid. I have personally dealt with intercultural communication many times throughout my life (ok maybe like five times total, but who's counting?). Whether it is a person from another nation or even just a person from a different part of the United States, cultures can be vastly different. Communication can be difficult if you are not prepared, but if you take the proper precautionary (precautionary is a big word people in college use! Yay for me!) steps and are aware of the other person’s beliefs and customs, communication between the two parties can be successful (a successful communication? Neat.).
When it comes to improving communication, there are many steps that should be taken to ensure the success of the communication. These include, preparing yourself, reducing ethnocentrism, confronting stereotypes, increasing mindfulness, avoiding overattribution, recognizing differences, and adjusting your communication (I can't take credit for this part, it was straight out of the book). An example of when I took these necessary steps was when I had to communicate with a foreign exchange student on the first day of my math class (And so begins the story of Vladimir, the made up Russian student). Vladimir was from Russia, so it was obvious his culture was very different than my own (duh!). Even though this difference was present, I took the proper precautions (<---once again, big college word) so we could have a successful conversation.
I prepared myself for the conversation by asking a friend (Dallas, this is you) who was taking Russian that year how I should approach the student (Apparently they were an alien so I couldn't just approach them by saying hi). I wanted to appear friendly and not offend them in any way. Then I reduced my ethnocentrism (<---nice word choice, unfortunately straight out of the book) by trying to see his beliefs, values, and customs as equal to my own even though they were much different (We all know Americans are superior though. haha). Next, I confronted my stereotypes that because he was an exchange student he was smarter than everyone else in the room. Just because he was an exchange student, it didn’t mean he was any smarter than the rest of the class (Of course exchange students are just as dumb as the rest of us...except the Asian ones. They are all geniuses, but Vladie was Russian so that ruled out that he was a genius). After that, I increased my mindfulness and avoided overattribution by not making any assumptions or jumping to conclusions before I actually got to know him. Finally, I recognized our differences (Vladimir was a boy and I was a girl. Took a long time to recognize that difference) and adjusted my communication.
Through that conversation we got to know each other a little better, and even though our backgrounds are very different, we came to be friends (awww...I have an imaginary friend). Our conversation opened my eyes to many differences, but it also showed me the similarities we had. We are still in contact today (BFFs!) even though he has traveled back to his home in Moscow. (I was really tempted to say he had to travel back to mother Russia but that might have been a little over the top. :D )

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day to all my avid blog readers...yes that means you Dallas and Sweet Casey....and anyone else who happens to be stopping by! : )

I don't have much else to say today...I have been working on my stupid nutrition homework, and it is frying my brain. It's not hard. I just have a hard time staying focused, especially when facebook is calling my name. : )

Anything else new in my life? Nope. College is still slowly sucking out my soul. I still don't know what to do with my life. Puggy is still just as rowdy as ever. I need to clean my apartment. My car is filthy and needs gas. Yep, everything is the same as always in the wonderful world of Jordan! : D

Oh That's Real Attractive...

About a month ago I was playing with a lighter, when I accidentally caught my hair on fire. Before I could extinguish the flame, it singed my eyebrow and burnt a small patch of hair right down to about a fourth of an inch from my head. Scary, I know.

Thankfully the small patch of burnt hair wasn't that noticeable, that is until the other day when I looked in the mirror. You see, the hair is starting to grow back. Now that it is like an inch long, it stands straight up! So here I am with a small patch of hair right in the middle of my forehead sticking up!

Luckily though, it is a really small patch of hair, and you probably wouldn't notice unless I pointed it out to you. Even though it really isn't that attractive, I do think it is quite comical. Just one memory that will still with me for a long time!

I Miss the Old Nickelodeon...

Today as I was sitting at home, I was browsing You Tube and I happened to come across some old episodes of my favorite Nickelodeon shows. No, I am not talk The Avatar or whatever crap is on now. I am talking about the GOOD Nickelodeon shows. These include: Clarissa Explains it All, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Doug, Hey Arnold, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Double Dare, and the list continues on.

In my opinion, Nickelodeon has really gone downhill. Sure I still like Spongebob, but basically everything else is crap! Thank God for You Tube where I can go and still watch these awesome shows!

Oh yes, I am a has been

Today I went home, back to good ol' Willow Springs, Mo to watch my not so little brother play football. I went by and picked up Amber and headed to the game. When we got there, we had to pay three dollars each just because we weren't students anymore! Boo.

Once we were into the game, we saw all kinds of people that we once went to school with. I enjoyed talking to them, but as Amber and I walked around, I felt like such a has been! We were too old to be there! But we didn't care. We saw other has beens from our class as well, and it was great catching up. After the game we even went to the truck stop just like we did back in the day. So I guess it is true. I am just a has been trying to relive the glory days. It may have been a little awkward, but at least we had fun!

A Great Day In PLS

Besides Intro to Baking, I also had Political Science. After my baking class, I came home and took a shower before heading back to the college for Political Science. I quickly put on clothes, grabbed my shoes, and ran out the door.

I drove to OTC and got out of the car to walk to class. I started walking and just happened to look down at my feet. I had on one blue shoe and one black shoe! Now tell me that doesn't take talent! I just laughed it off and walked the rest of the way to class.

Once I got to class, I sat down and started to look over the material we had covered on Tuesday. I knew that we had a quiz. After studying a little, the instructor gave us the quiz and told us we could use our notes. Simple enough.

I was quickly done with the quiz and handed it in. In return for handing in my quiz, I received an assignment that was for extra credit. When I sat down and looked over the assignment, it turned out to be a 25 question quiz about the Constitution. I started and quickly realized I couldn't remember hardly anything I learned my freshman year in Coach Madden's class.

I was struggling to think of the right answers, when the instructor announces that once we were done with the extra credit, we were free to leave. With that announcement, I just said screw it about the quiz, after all it was extra credit, quickly finished, and headed out the door. I was in my car by 3:00, which meant I had only been in class for 30 minutes! If class goes like this for the rest of the semester, maybe, just maybe, I might survive!

The First Baking Experience

Today in intro to baking I had my first chance to actually bake. This morning when I went into class we had a short quiz. Then we went down to the kitchen to bake for the first time. When we got down there, we got a brief introduction to the kitchen. After finding out where everything basically was, we got our recipes, and we were on our own.

My partner and I got out the ingredients for our first recipe, double fudgy cake. We prepared it like the directions said, and surprisingly enough, it turned out great! Next we made a flaky pie dough. This recipe required a little more effort seeing as we had to freeze the butter and make sure not to over work the dough. In the end though, it turned out great as we put the dough in the refrigerator to chill.

Next on the agenda was to make a rhubarb filling. In the filling was rhubarb, cinnamon, ginger, orange juice, orange liquer, orange zest, raspberries, strawberries, and sugar. To start with we had to heat the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and rhubarb together. That was my job. It turned out that our rhubarb just turned to mush, but in the end it was amazing.

We poured the filling into containers and set them to the side as we rolled out the pie dough that would form a cookie to go on top. We cut out the individual circles, brushed them with an egg wash, and sprinkled sugar on them. Then we put them in the oven to bake. When they were done, we put the pie dough cookies on top of the filling. Finally, we were able to taste our product! It was fantastic! My first day of baking was definitely a success! I can definitely get used to eating delicious food every week!

A Parking Disaster!

This morning I was on my way to my Human Communication class which started at nine. I was proud of myself for being fifteen minutes early as I pulled into the OTC parking lot. Cruising the first lot, along with a lot of other people, I saw that there weren't any spaces to be had.

Despite the disappointment in the first lot, I traveled over to the second lot. I went down aisle after aisle, but there were still no spaces. So, I went to a third lot. By then I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't find one! I cruised the third lot, and sure enough, there weren't any spaces.

I went back to the second lot and look again, but there were still none. By then it was five minutes until my class started. I was starting to get really angry. I looked for people getting out of class who were going to their cars. There were a few, but there were so many people trying to get parking spots I didn't have any luck at getting one.

I glanced down at the clock in my car and it said it was nine o'clock! I was late, and to top it off, my class is on the third floor! By then I was furious. I finally said screw it and went across the street to park.

I got out of my car praying I wouldn't get a ticket in the fifty minutes I was gone. I had a long hike to my class, and I was already late. I went as fast as I could, but it took me awhile to make it across the treacherous street. I hustled up the two flights of stairs to make it to the third floor. Breathless, I finally entered the class a full ten minutes late. Luckily though, I hadn't missed anything important and the teacher didn't mind.

Apparently from now on I am going to have to arrive at the college at the crack of dawn in order to secure a parking space or else I will be subjected to parking across the street again. Parking is a disaster at OTC, and I can't wait to tackle the same problem every day for the next two years!

Political Science Will Be the Death Of Me...

So today was my second joyous day in political science. I don't think anyone could truly understand how wonderful that class truly is until they actually sat through it with me, but I will try to give you an idea.

2:20-Arrive at class, sit one chair away from a chick who wasn't there last time. She says hi. I say hi back.

2:22-Eye patch man walks in...doesn't sit by me. Yay!

2:25-A friend of the chick sitting next to me walks in and sits directly behind us. They begin talking, and the chick next to me tells the girl to move up by her. The girl replies by saying that another friend is coming and looks at me. I offer to move down so the three musketeers can sit by each other. I am such a nice person.

2:30-Instructor walks in.

2:33-Attendance sheet is passed around

2:34-Start discussion where we left off

2:35-Two older chicks in front of room continually ask questions.

2:43-Two chicks continue to ask questions.

2:50-Instructor says that ten percent of our age group will vote in the next election...that means ten to twelve of us sitting in room will vote. There are only twenty something of us in class. Nice math skills.

2:53-Chicks continue to ask questions...getting on my nerves.

2:55-Had to go over which candidate is conservative and which is liberal.

3:00-Glance at clock. Are you kidding me? Only thirty minutes have gone by? What kind of sick joke is this? God help me.

3:08-Went over what Congress is....Clarified that Congress includes both the Senate AND the House of Representatives.

3:11-Ponder if projector screen cord is long enough to hang myself with.

3:15-Chicks still ask questions...I look around for something to throw at them.

3:18-One of the chicks get fired up about Native American rights...even though we are discussing something entirely different.

3:19-Other chick mentions that we gave Native Americans blankets with smallpox.

3:20-Instructor chuckles and says, "Yes, we did do that."

3:33-Instructor mentions something about a boy in his class not wearing socks and later on in his life he went to jail for murder.

3:40-Instructor says there will be a quiz next time over the material... I am so tempted to raise my hand and ask if the sock thing will be on it, but I refrain.

3:45-SWEET FREEDOM!

And that, was my political science class

Human Communication Round 2

This morning I had Human Communication yet again. It proved to be just as interesting as the last time I had class on Friday. With self introductions and a corn rowed chick sitting next to me, what could be better?!

The class started out with attendance, and I noticed that my partner, Chelsea was not there. After attendance, Susan said that we were going to pick up where we left off with each of us getting up in front of the class to introduce our partners.

The first few groups went, and then I had a chance to ask what I would do since my partner was not there. She asked if I would be willing to introduce myself, and I said that I thought I could handle it. She looked overjoyed that I volunteered to introduce myself.

I got up and went to the front of the room. I told everyone that I was from Willow Springs, and I was currently enrolled in the culinary arts program. I also said that I lived in an apartment with Puggy. In addition to that standard information, we were required to say one interesting thing about ourselves. I couldn't think of anything! So I decided to say that I am currently working on my first book, which is true by the way! Boy if she wasn't happy before, she sure was estatic then!

I took my seat, and we went on with more of the introductions. After the introductions were over, we started going over the first chapter of the reading we were assigned, except apparently it was a suggestion, not an assignment. Before we began to go over it, the instructor asked how many people had a chance to read over the weekend. Note to self: reading assignments=optional at OTC.

Once we were going over the reading, she was asking questions that we would be able to read the answer straight out of the book. Easy enough. Time flew by, and soon it was time to leave. As Susan wrapped up, she thanked us for such great participation. Yes, it did take a lot of effort to say my name in front of the class and read one line directly out of the book. I felt this gratitude was much deserved.

Before walking out of class, the girl sitting directly to my left turned to ask me a question. Before going on with the story, I feel it is necessary to describe this chick. You see, her name is Juanita, but she prefers to be called K. Also, I should mention that she has corn rows in her hair, and no, she is not black. Now on with the story. So K who kind of creeps me out already turns to me and says, "What's your book about?" I reply by saying that it is going to based on my life. She just turned back to her stuff and never said a word back to me. Neat. I don't know if she approved or was repulsed by the idea. I just thought to my self, "Oh well," as I walked out of the room from yet another, wonderful Human Communication class.

A Very Strange Dream

Last night I had a truly crazy dream. It was actually two dreams, and neither one of them turned out good! The first one was where I was somewhere on the coastline and a tsunami was coming. Everyone was panicking as we prepared for the disaster.

As waves were starting to roll in, someone handed me a small child who clung to me. So now not only did I have to save myself, I had to save this kid. I grabbed my boogie board, the one I bought in Gulf Shores, and I braced myself as the giant wave approached. I tried to put the kid on the boogie board, but it wasn't working.

The giant wave hit and I along with the whole town was swept up in the current. It was kind of a Titanic like scene minus the freezing cold water. Everyone was in chaos. I held onto the kid with all my might, but when the wave came I lost him. It was so powerful that I couldn't hold on no matter how hard I tried.

Then it was as if I totally forgot about the kid because I was just riding the waves on my board. We all rode the waves until we were in another town, and then all of a sudden the water level dropped as we entered the town. It was as if we knew the wave would come again.

I ran into a grocery store and started stuffing food in my pockets. Someone yelled at me to stop stealing, and I said that the whole place was going to be underwater in about five minutes so why did it matter? I ran from the store right as the wave came again, and I was once again riding the wave.

I woke up right after the second wave came, and I ended up falling back asleep immediately afterward. My next dream was where I was in a tattoo parlor. I got a tattoo of a shooting star on my left forearm, and for some reason the artist left off the star and only did the tail of the shooting star. I hated it, so I decided to try and cover it with another tattoo. I chose a tattoo that was a blue pattern, and said something about being loyal to your family. Why I would ever pick that, I don't know!

So the artist did the tattoo, and then he told me that the last tattoo was washable. It was just a joke. I was furious as I washed off the fake tattoo. So there I was, left with a crappy real tattoo I had gotten just to cover a tattoo that was not even real. I wanted to get it removed, but it cost too much money, and I would be left with a horrible scar. I ran from tattoo shop to tattoo shop trying to see if anyone could help me. No one could do anything for me.

Fortunately I woke up before I had a complete breakdown in my dream. Overall, it was a very eventful night! All my dreams are pretty crazy, and most of the time they don't make any sense. That's what makes them so great!

Running On Empty...

It has been a long day! One of friends came over last night and spent the night. Naturally we stayed up until one in the morning, and then this morning another one of my friends felt it was necessary to text me at 9am and wake me up. Gee thanks, not!

Needless to say, I did get up after the nine o'clock text. I took a shower and watched a little tv before my friend who spent the night and I went to lunch with the friend who texted me at nine. She is now my ex-friend since she woke me up. ; ) After eating, my friend who spent the night went home, and I had a couple of hours just to relax, when I got a text from another friend saying she was coming to Springfield to see me. So that meant even more activities.

When she got to Springfield, she called me, and we went out to eat at TGI Fridays. Afterward, we went to the mall and walked around until it closed. While in the mall, I ran into yet another friend. She asked if we could hang out later on tonight when she got off work, and in my delirium I agreed. My friend and I went on shopping. While she was shopping for make up, I was leaning on clothing racks about to fall asleep. I was dead tired.

Thankfully after exiting the mall, she took me back to my car where I could drive home and get some sleep. Unfortunately when I got here, I realized I had promised my other friend we would hang out tonight. I quickly texted her and told her that I was just too tired, and we could hang out tomorrow. Now I am sitting in bed drifting in and out of consciousness as I write this post. My day was hectic, but fun. I would write more, but I have to go to sleep. : )

Welcome to Human Communication

This morning I only had one fifty minute class, human communication. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but as I walked in, I noticed that for once most of the students appeared to be close to my age. As the instructor walked in, she seemed just a little bit too excited to be there.

She began class by taking attendance, and then she said that we would be going over the syllabus, and if we were lucky, we would get to our first in class activity. Before she started to go over the syllabus, she explained how to log into blackboard. It is really difficult, trust me. Then she brought up the syllabus and started going over it.

When she got to the part about the textbook we were supposed to have, one guy raised his hand and started to give a five minute explanation as to why he didn't have his book. You see, he has been in the hospital for the last three weeks for something to do with his gull bladder, and he was late in filing for his financial aid. When he did file for financial aid, something didn't work out, so he had to file it again. Now he is waiting for the financial aid to come through before he can get his book. If the financial aid doesn't come through, it could be next Wednesday before he can get the book, and he may even have to drop the course. He isn't sure yet. Neat story, I know.

After listening to the story, the instructor told the guy that he would just have to play catch up when he got his book. He replied by saying that he definitely would because he had made sure to write down the assignment. The instructor continued on, and as I watched her, I couldn't help but think that she should have been a kindergarten teacher rather than a college instuctor. She was just too chipper. I am not anti-happy, but there comes a point when you are over doing it and talking in little kid voices. Oh well, better happy than mean I guess.

As the end of the class approached, the instructor said that she had an activity we could start and finish Monday when we have class again. She passed out index cards to each one of us that had a word written on it. What we had to do was find the person with the opposite of our card. For example, I had "day" so I had to find the person with the card that said "night."

Everyone was quiet as she handed out the cards, except for the guy with the gull bladder problem. When she handed him his card which said, "high, " and he immediately yelled out, "I resent that. I use Visine for my allergies." The instructor just smiled and moved on. God bless that man.

Once all the cards were handed out, we found our partners. Mine was a chick named Chelsea who had graduated from Republic in May. She has a boyfriend of two years, and she played softball her freshman year of high school. She was just going for general education classes at OTC, because she doesn't know what she wants to do yet.

I told her about me and tried to think of something interesting about me, but I really couldn't. You see, we have to introduce our partner to the class on Monday, and we have to say one interesting fact about them. I told her that I would have said it was interesting that I have a sweet tattoo on my wrist, but the man in the back, who was covered in tattoos, has me beat on that one. She did not find my comment even remotely amusing.

And so, my time in human communication drew to a close. It was an interesting fifty minutes, and I am sure it will be a class filled with plenty of good writing material throughout the semester.

How to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay....a Journey into Political Science

The second class I had today, was none other than good ol' political science. From looking at the book, I could tell it wouldn't be too difficult. I was just wondering what kind of people would be in my class.

When I first entered the room there were only three or four people in there, but it quickly filled up as more and more people entered. I was just sitting there minding my own business when all of a sudden an old guy with an eye patch walks in. Now I have nothing against people with eyepatches, I just found it rather strange that his highly resembled that of a pirate.

As he walked down the center aisle, I was silently praying he didn't sit next to me. I mean, after all, there were several other empty seats. But low and behold, he did sit right next to me. We didn't say a word the whole class time. He kind of scared me. I did however, have to keep myself from staring at the eye patch. I couldn't help but wonder how it would look if I painted on a skull and crossbones with some white out.

To keep myself from staring, I looked at the other guy who was sitting next to me. He looked to be about my age. He was drawing mountains on his paper. It was neat, I guess.

Finally class started as the instructor took role. He mispronounced my last name even though it isn't that hard. After taking roll, he passed out index cards where we had to write some information about ourselves and give our contact info. Then we went right into going over the syllabus. The syllabus didn't look any different than ones you would see in high school. On it was the basic course objectives and grading scale. There was also the rules for an essay we would have to do.

When we got to the point where we were discussing the essay, he explained that it would be our midterm and a due date would be given later. It was going to be a series of opinion papers. We had to take three controversial issues, pick a side, and write why we believe what we do, supporting it with facts. I was thinking it was going to be difficult until he said that they only had to be a page each, and MLA format was optional. Piece of Cake.

As we continued to go over the syllabus, we came to another portion that said something about writing five essays for a portfolio. The instructor then told us that portfolio was just a fancy term for binder. Then he explained that the five essays were going to be difficult, but we have the whole semester to do them. Then he said the length they had to be and I about cracked up right there. They only have to be 250 words minimum with a 500 word maximum! How hard is that?! Apparently it was hard for some in the past, because he went on to say that he has had people trying to cheat that minimum, but he will catch it.

He then decided to give us his secret method to writing a good paper. Waiting for some intellectual wisdom, I waited eagerly. Then he said, "Write a five paragraph essay." He then proceeded to explain how to write a five paragraph essay and even how to write a paragraph starting with the topic sentence and following with supporting details. Neat. Thank you oh wise sensei of college writing.

As the class progressed, I couldn't help but think that my instructor was exactly like Coach Madden, my 9th grade Civics teacher. In fact, I felt like I was repeating that class over again. I am not trying to be mean. He did seem like a nice guy. He had taught high school for 34 years, and he was now teaching part time at the college. The only problem I had with the class was that I felt like I was back in high school. I came to college looking for something to challenge me, and so far, it's not looking too good. But who knows, I could be surprised in the end.

After one full day of classes, two things are for certain. College will definitely be an experience, and of course, it will be great writing material!

Wikipedia, a Serial Killer, and Weird People....My First Day in Intro to Baking.

Today was my first day of college, and believe me, it was an experience. The first class I had was introduction to baking. I was excited because it was actually a culinary class. Walking into the room, I shook the chef's hand and introduced myself. Before long, everyone was there and class began.

We started by going over the syllabus. As chef was reading through the syllabus, we came to a part that said we would have to do a report over a certified pastry chef. Chef explained that the report had to be enough to please him, which meant about a page and a half. It also had to have the sources cited, but MLA format was not necessary. Oh and let's not forget, Wikipedia is a valid source. As I was sitting there, I couldn't help but think I didn't belong. I am not saying I am extremely intelligent or anything, but even I know that anyone can edit Wikipedia! Heck, I created an article about myself a couple of years ago, and I edited the article for Pomona and Willow Springs!

As class continued, we got to the portion of class where we played the, "get to know your classmates game." One by one, we had to stand up and tell a little bit about ourselves and why we were there. When it got to be my turn to say why I was there, I couldn't help but think, "I don't know, you tell me." Watching each of my classmates give their introductions, each one seemed a little weird to me. I mean, I know I am far from normal but some of these people were way further away from normal on the spectrum than me! I know this maybe a little, ok very sterotypical, but I did make notes about each one of my classmates and how I felt about them:

Girl who sat next to me: Very strange. Kind of ran/skipped everywhere she was walking. Kind of had the emo look going on...wants to bake wedding cakes. I would guess she was around 20 years old.

Chick who sat on the other side of me: Class suck up. She was in my summer online class, and I saw her the one time I had to come in to take a test. She laughed at all the chef's jokes and asked tons of pointless questions....and I thought I was a suck up. She definitely got on my nerves a little. She acted as if she knew everything already.

Random chick down the row: A little slower than everyone else, but still nice all the same. She was going into baking because she baked with her grandma at home.

Artistic wonder: Kind of cute. Acted as if he knew everything already. Has been in school 8 years. First wanted to get an art degree then switched to culinary....only one in uniform for the day....ate peanut m&ms which are gross....plain would have been a much better choice. Drank Dr. Pepper which was a good choice.

Business Lady: She came dressed in business attire. 46 years old, she worked in the corporate world her whole life. Decided it was time for a change....talked to me at fifteen minute break...I don't think she likes me because I am young, as if I control that.

Divorced Woman Harboring Deep Hatred: She stood up and explained in a tone that implied she was harboring rage deep inside that she had just gotten divorced and it was time to do what she wanted to do. I say all the power to her...you go girl.

Nursing Chef: This chick looks my age but is really like 22. She can't decide whether or not she wants to be a nurse or a chef and wants to find a way to incorporate both into her career.

Undying Love Chick: She is the closest to my age. She is 19 and is engaged to her boyfriend. She explained that they have been dating a year and will be married in a year and a half when she turns 21. She will then be moving to Kansas City. Chef said something about rushing into marriage and all of the old people nodded their heads. Undying love chick replied by saying that they will have been together for two and a half years when they are married so that is plenty of time.

35 Years in Manufacturing Lady: She had spent the last 35 years working in manufacturing when the plant closed. Now she felt it is time to do something she really enjoys. Her sister works for Taste of Home...she went into full detail about this and how she could get us all magazines.

Coffee Chick: She carried her mug of coffee like it contained liquid gold. She is originally came from New Hampshire but moved to Springfield for personal reasons. A criminal perhaps?-Note she is not the serial killer...we will get to him later.

39 Year Old Hick Trucker: He had been a trucker for a very long time, but then he hurt his back two times. So, his wife told him to go get his culinary degree. That's why he is there.

Blonde headed guy who looked sleepy: He was obviously too cool to be there. He looked like he thought he was much better than anyone else in the room.

Marketing Guy: He was enrolled in marketing classes at Missouri State, and then he decided to go into culinary. He was very quiet the whole time.

Chick with the Facial Piercings: She bakes a lot of stuff and just gives it away because it is only her husband and her. She seems kind of strange. Mental note: make friends with her so she makes me food.

Serial Killer: He was in the military for eleven years. Wears extremely thick glasses and makes a lot of nervous gestures like he is paranoid. Could potentially hold entire class hostage.


And that, is my beautiful class. : )

Time for School

Tomorrow is my first day of college classes, so I decided that today I would go see where all my classes were. After all, I didn't want to be the idiot running down hallways asking everyone in sight how to get to classes. Ashly decided she wanted to go with me and find hers too.

When we got to OTC, I had to run in the book store to get one final book they had to order for me. Once I had the book in hand, we stood in the long line. I am sure we were quiet entertaining for anyone listening to our conversation. Ashly explained to me that it wasn't that hard to cook, and all you had to do was throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, add some salt, and stir. She said her grandma could teach me all I needed to know about cooking, and I wouldn't even have to pay for the classes. Then she proceeded to tell me that I was so smart she thought I would become an astronaut, because of course, all smart people become astronauts.

After talking about how I should become an astronaut, she made me promise that I would go to the moon before I die. I said I would see what I could do. Then she told me that not only did she want me to become an astronaut, I had to build the rocket. I told her no biggie like it was no big deal and proceeded to check out.

As I was leaving, I turned around and noticed almost everyone in line was watching us. I am sure they thoroughly enjoyed our conversation in the book store. I could already tell that the short time we were on campus together was going to be interesting.

After running to my car and dropping off my book, we headed to student services so I could get my student id card and Ashly could get her schedule printed off. We got in the huge line and waited our turn. While waiting, an OTC helper came by and asked what we were waiting for. I told her, and she told me that the id card machine was broken at the moment and if we wanted to print Ashly's schedule we could just go to the computer lab as long as she knew her password. Thankfully she did, so we followed another chick who needed her schedule printed up the stairs to the lab.

While we were following the girl, she turned around and said that she had no clue where she was going. So that didn't really help us. We ended up asking someone for help, and they directed us the right way. After about ten minutes of searching, we did eventually find the lab and got Ashly's schedule printed off. We told the chick who had been searching with us goodbye, and we were on our way.

We spent the next hour going all over campus looking for classes, but it was a fun adventure traveling down many hallways that led in a circle and ending up in the wrong place almost everytime. We did eventually locate all of our classes though, so we will be ready come tomorrow when our classes start.

They Don't Sell Cocaine, Let's Get Crunk Drunk Instead

While in Gulf Shores, it was my personal mission to find a can of Cocaine energy drink and try it. We went to gas station after gas station picking out the trashiest looking ones in search of my controversial drink. I was very disappointed that after about an hour of searching, we were unable to find it.

Stopping at one last gas station, I got out of the car and ran in to see if they had any Cocaine. After seeing they didn't, I noticed another energy drink I thought would be worth trying, Crunk. I had heard of Crunk before, but I had never actually had the chance to try it. I decided to buy a can and try it.

Getting back in the car, Amber and Chelsea asked what I had picked up while inside and I showed them. I was eager to try it, so I popped open the can and took a swig. It tasted pretty good. Heck, with ingredients like pomegranate juice, horny goat weed, and ashwaganda what was not to like?

I had quickly chugged the can, and afterward, I immediately began to feel the "buzz." It made me feel really light headed and happy. So naturally, I told Amber and Chelsea that I needed more. Later that night we went back to the gas station where I had found the Crunk and bought more. They each bought a can, and I bought four. We started drinking them on the way back to the condo and before long, we were all feeling it.

That night was a blast. We danced to ringtones on our phones, sang at the top of our lungs, and took a ton of pictures. We enjoyed getting "Crunk Drunk" and just having a great time hanging out. Crunk is definitely a powerful energy drink, and I wouldn't recommend drinking more than one can at a time if you don't have a high caffeine tolerance like me, but otherwise it is amazing. I am just hoping I can find it in Springfield now that I am back home!

A Sleepy Farewell

This morning while most of the United States was sleeping, Amber, Chelsea, and I got up to depart from the absolutely gorgeous beach in Gulf Shores. We woke up around 4:30, got ready and took off. Although I truly did miss my family and Puggy, I couldn't help but feel a slight bit of sadness as I watched the beach disappear in the rear view mirror.

The past few days on the beach served as an escape for me. I didn't have to deal with anyone's problems or even my own. I could just forget all of them and relax. I enjoyed the chance to write and to just sit back, watching the waves roll in. Leaving the beach meant I would have to enter back into the real world. With a final glance back, I said goodbye to my vacation and to my summer. Heading back to Missouri meant that it is time to start college and make something of myself. I am looking forward to it, but I will definitely miss the carefree nights on the beach.

A Mountain of Fried Okra and More

Today for lunch, we decided to check out Lulu's. From reading on the internet, it sounded like Lulu's was definitely a local favorite, so we were anxious to try it. When we arrived, we were greeted with the sight of a local art market and the sound of live music. The place wasn't that crowded, but then again it was 2 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon.

We were seated and our waitress greeted us. We decided to start with a mountain of fried okra and some good ol' Alabama sweet tea. As we waited for our appetizer, we decided what we wanted to eat, and afterward we started taking pictures of the restaurant. When our waitress came back, she offered to take all of our pictures together. We posed and were satisfied.

As we ate the huge amount of delicious fried okra that was placed before us, a lone guitar player took the stage. He was fairly good, and we decided to take pictures of him singing. As we did, he started to look at us and smile for our pictures. Then when the song was over, he asked how we were doing, and we said we were great.

He continued to play, and it seemed like anytime one of us would look at him, he was looking directly at us. Eventually while we were eating our delicious meal, he came over and talked to us. He was extremely nice. He asked where we were from and told us to come back and see him if we were in town.

After chatting for a brief moment, he went back to play, and we went back to our meal. We finished, stuffed to the brim, and we paid the waitress. We waved as we exited the restaurant, and the singer just smiled as he played. Overall it was an experience I will never forget. I absolutely loved it, and I would recommend Lulu's to anyone looking for a great place to eat in Gulf Shores!