Wii!

I plan on writing a longer, more detailed post about the holidays later, but for now I just want to share a story with you about one of my Christmas presents. For about a month now I've been thinking that Gagoo was getting me a washer for Christmas. I think we already have a dryer somewhere just waiting for a washer to go with it before we move it to my apartment. About two days before Christmas, I mentioned something to my mom about finding a Wii Fit on ebay. I know, I know, what does this have to do with a washer and dryer? Just hold on. I'm getting to it. Anyway, Mom had been talking about wanting to get a Wii for her and dad since they're currently sharing mine with me. I said there was no point in her buying one now because she'd have mine at the house since I've been playing the playstation a lot more (we switch between the Wii and the Playstation). I'm starting to get confused as I'm writing this so I'll just get to the point. After I mentioned looking for Wii Fit online, she gave me a funny look, suggesting that she had either already bought a Wii Fit or had been looking for one. I thought I might be getting one for Christmas, but actually forgot about it entirely. So Christmas morning came and "Santa" didn't bring me a Wii Fit, or any Wii games for that matter. I didn't really think much of it because I'd forgotten about that look mom had given me. When it was time to open presents from Gagoo, I had sort of given up hope of a washer (which actually disappointed me) because there were two boxes for me from her. I opened the first one. It was a shirt (that I haven't really even looked at yet). The second one was a Wii Fit! I was really excited because I've been wanting to try it. Alison and I are determined to lose weight but we're too lazy. The treadmill I bought has only been used once and is now collecting dust in our kitchen. So I figured a Wii Fit would be a fun way to exercise.

Christmas night, we set it up. Hailey, the girls, Mom, and Gagoo were watching, so we decided to let Libby go first since she's the lightest and wouldn't get embarrassed at her weight. I decided not to let anyone see me do it. When the girls begged me to go on and do it, I jokingly said, "As soon as I step on, it'll yell at me and tell me I'm fat!" The girls laughed at me and kept telling me it wouldn't do that. I felt really bad for Hailey because it ended up showing that she's overweight. The thing is, we didn't know her exact height, so I guessed, which could have made the BMI a little off. Also, it isn't always accurate for people under 20. She was kind of upset about it but got over it once they started playing games. It was fun watching the girls play the games.

Anyway, after everyone had left (except for Mom who was half asleep on the couch), I decided to take my turn. The first thing you have to do is tell it your age, height, and the weight of your clothes (light or heavy). Then it weighs you and calculates your BMI and center of balance. You don't get to see your weight or BMI until after the whole test is finished. My center of balance was pretty good, but slightly to the left. It started doing its calculation and all of a sudden the little Wii voice yells, "THAT'S OBESE!" I kid you not. The thing actually yelled at me and told me I was fat. And every time I step on the darn board, it goes "OH!" like it's surprised. After it yelled at me, Mom woke up and said, "did that just yell at you?" It's very depressing, but at the same time incredibly motivating. I've been playing it for about an hour everyday. I'm the hula hoop queen. You should see these hips move! Even if it doesn't help me lose weight, at least it's fun!

Uh Oh!

I'm really nervous right now, but can't get a hold of anyone in my class to bitch about it. So I guess I'll just blog about it. I was all set to start some major studying. I have a HUGE final tomorrow that's supposed to be pretty hard. I was gathering all the necessary equipment; books, paper, donuts, pencils, chocolate milk, highlighters... I decided to check my email first. Well apparently we're supposed to get some pretty bad weather tonight. I had an email from Dr. Cranfill, the professor whose final I was about to study for. In the email, she proposed that she give us the final online, but not on blackboard. She would email us the final by 9:00 am and we would have to complete it and email it back to her by 11:00 am. For every minute after 11:05 that it was late, she would deduct points. Well, for someone who knows that computers aren't always the most reliable things in the world, this worried me. Thoughts of computer malfunctions ran through my head as I read this email. Aside from anything that could go wrong electronically, I think I would completely SUCK at taking this final online. For starters, I guarantee I won't study as hard for it because I'll think "Oh yeah, I can just use my book if I don't know an answer." But seriously guys, this woman's tests are ridiculous. The book wouldn't really help me much. Also, on Thursday she was going to let us come in and make corrections (without using our books though), but now she won't let us do that because she can't prove that we didn't use our books in the first place. I don't know what I'm gonna do if this thing is online. I'm screwed! On the plus side, I wouldn't have to get dressed and drive to campus. I just wish she would go on and tell us what she's going to do. I guess I'm off to start studying. Wish me luck!

I Sucked It Back In Part 2: It's a Big One

James never fails to entertain me and keep me on my toes. Yesterday I was alone with 8 campers. Sounds easy, right? Wrong! Throw in some hitting, whining, name calling, and crying and it makes for a pretty long day. We finally made it to afternoon snack. When everyone was finished eating, I asked each kid individually if they needed to use the bathroom. A few went, but not James, the kid who has to pee every 10 minutes. With bladders emptied, we headed outside to the scorching hot playground. Not five minutes after we got outside, I see James running toward me screaming, "I HAVE TO POOOOOOOOOOP!" I tried to keep a straight face and asked him why he didn't go before. I couldn't leave the rest of the kids outside and I wasn't about to drag them all back in again so I asked if he could just hold it for a few minutes. His reply was, "It's a big one." Keep in mind, through this whole conversation this kid was dead serious. So I said, "well can't you just suck it back in like last time?" "Nope," he said "I can't suck the big ones back in." I think I laughed for about 5 minutes straight on that one. Gotta love him!

Another James story from the other day. All summer this kid has constantly rubbed my arms with his hands when he's talking to me or ttrying to get my attention. The other day I really didn't want to be touched so after 5 straight minutes of him rubbing my arm, I asked him why he's always touching me. His reply was, "I just can't help it. I really like you." So I asked him why he likes me and he said, "Because you have really soft skin." lol so the rest of the week I've been asking him if other people have soft skin and he says no, that mine is the softest. He's so funny.

Wedding, apartment, and 4th of July posts coming soon!

I sucked it back in!

I've been so busy with weddings, trips, and camp that I haven't had much time to blog. I'd like to share something that happened at camp this past week.

Patti (my boss) hired too many counselors for my section of camp. We typically have about 7 kids a day, which isn't enough for 3 counselors. I won't go into the whole drama that's going on there, but Patti decided that I could handle the kids on my own all day.

So last Thursday, I was by myself all day with the whopping 3 kids that came to camp that day. I've got this little camper named James who is a typical outgoing 5 year old. I can yell at him and put him in time-out five thousand times a day and he'll still come running up to me to give me a hug the next morning and tell me he missed me. So on Thursday we were all playing in the gym. I was tossing a frisbee with James. At some point, I noticed he was standing really still with his hands behind his back. I asked him what he was doing and he got this innocent little grin on his face and said "nothing". I kept throwing the frisbee with him for a few minutes and all of a sudden he started running toward me saying "I gotta go to the bathroom". I watched from the gym door as he went into the locker room. 10 seconds later he emerged from the locker room and grabbed the frisbee out of my hands, ready to play. Knowing that 10 seconds wasn't long enough for him to use the bathroom, I said, "James, you DID NOT use the bathroom. Now go back in there and use it." Without skipping a beat, James said, "Well, I had to poop but I sucked it back in."



Yep...I love kids. They're so entertaining.

Progress

A week ago this is what happened every time she looked at me. You'd think I was trying to kill her...but no, I was just trying to play with her! This particular moment happened when I was sitting on mom's lap. Emma didn't like that too much. She's not used to me being around. We just kept hoping that since mom babysits her everyday she'd get used to me.

A few days later, we made it this far...




Then finally this...




Now if I could just get her to let me hold her...

Graduation!

It's hard to believe that I graduated on Saturday. Those four years went by so fast. In those four years, I met my best friends in the whole world and had so many fun experiences that I hope I'll never forget.

Friday and Saturday were really bittersweet days for me. As I was packing and doing other things around campus and in my dorm, I found myself saying "this is the last time I'm ever going to do this." I'd start to tear up then get mad at myself for almost crying. What was there to cry about? These were stupid little things, like putting on flip flops to go take a shower. Who cries over wearing flip flops in the shower? Apparently I do. After catching myself multiple times throughout the day before I really started crying, I knew that once I let myself cry, it would be a huge meltdown. And the meltdown came...on Saturday. My room was almost empty. My parents were waiting for me in the car. As Katie helped me put my graduation cap on, I could hear Karen, the cleaning lady's voice in my head saying, "you're really gonna miss Katie aren't you?" I thought about all the good times I've had in Walters, all the people I had to say goodbye to, and how thankful I am for the opportunity to meet such amazing people that have become my closest friends. All of this went through my mind in a span of less than 5 seconds and I found myself sobbing on Katie's shoulder. I just couldn't stop.

Everyone keeps telling me that this is just another chapter in my life and it's time to move on to the next. I guess they're right. It's just tough. I guess I'm headed toward the real world. Ready or not, here I come.

Before I post some pictures from my last few days at EKU, I'd like to thank everyone. Please excuse my cornyness. First, I want to say thank you to my parents who have given me so much. They've supported me in everything I've done, paid my huge cell phone bill, and even managed to feign interest when I talked about my classes. I know that they are my biggest cheerleaders and they always will be. Next I'd like to thank my friends for EVERYTHING...the fun times, goofy adventures, and for always being there for me. FAT CHICKS RULE!!! In particular, I'd like to thank Katie for being such an amazing friend. I know that our friendship started out really rocky and we've had more than our share of ups and downs. Thanks for sticking with me through everything. You're awesome!

Ok, now that I feel like I've just accepted one of those stupid awards (I feel like I should thank my agent, the academy, my fans...) I'll share some pictures. Enjoy!

Movie Monday

This video is old, but hilarious. The song is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for days. Enjoy!

My Little Piece of Paradise...

It is no secret that I am a nerd, so the following statement will come as no surprise to those who know me. I LOVE the library. I love books. I love to read. I have recently discovered that the library here at EKU has an amazing plethora of literature just sitting there collecting dust, waiting to be read. Sadly, this discovery was not made until my last semester here. Had I known about it sooner, I would have spent the entirety of my four years at EKU in this little piece of paradise.

I made my discovery on a lonely Saturday afternoon. All of my friends had gone home for the weekend. The weather had just started to turn warm and I was itching to go to the park. But what was I going to do there? Homework? No way! Walk? Nah. Read? Aha! What a great idea! But what should I read? Maybe I can find something at the library. Book list in hand, I made my way across the deserted campus. Entering the library, I looked around. There was only a handful of people on the main floor. I made my way to the fourth floor, ready to find the perfect book. I entered a huge room full of rows and rows of bookshelves. As I wandered among the endless shelves of books, I stopped. It was quiet. I was completely alone. I breathed deeply and took in the musty smell of old, dusty books. I was in heaven. Thousands of books surrounded me. Thousands of worlds for me to explore, characters to meet. I spent hours in the library that afternoon. I never made it to the park.

It was over a month before I made it to the library again. With no homework or projects due this week and no one to entertain me, I decided I was in need of a good book. Not wanting to look like a complete loser going to the library for fun on a Tuesday night, I grabbed my backpack and made the walk across campus pretending to be on my way to study. Everything was different this time. It was dark. There were people outside. The library's main floor was packed with students. I hurried to the fourth floor...to my oasis in this desert of college life. As I made my way through the maze of shelves, I took a deep breath. That familiar musty smell filled my nostrils. I was alone again with whole worlds at my fingertips. I like the library at night. There's a certain air of mystery. It's slightly creepy. I jumped at every little sound. Yet strangely, I felt at home. Without a book list, I was unsure of where to start. I soon realized that there are so many good books that much of the world doesn't even know about. Why should I limit myself to those best-sellers and classic novels that everyone has heard of? I browsed row after row of books, stopping at all of the titles that caught my eye. I leafed through yellowing pages, read and reread inside covers, and laughed when I found myself face to face with the entire collection of Harry Potter books. There were so many great books to choose from. Finally deciding on two seemingly thrilling novels, I took one last deep breath and made my way towards noisy world of campus. I can't wait to go back to my little piece of paradise.

Wow...

Check out this video I found. This guy is talented...a little freaky, but cool. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Today is Megan's birthday! She is one of my best friends and one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. For those of you who don't know Megan, aka Moo, I'll tell you a little about her. She's extremely intelligent. She's 2nd in her class in law school. She's hilarious and can always make me smile. I love visiting her after a rough week because I always feel so much better after spending a weekend with her. Our adventures together have been so entertaining.

Aside from being the best damn lawyer Sturgis, Kentucky has ever seen, she hopes to marry a gas station owner/mechanic and eventually live in the woods.

I'll never forget all the fun times we've had together: our trip to the zoo, almost getting kicked out of the planetarium, our trip to the peddler's mall when she confessed that she had already been there before she told us she was in town, the death of the non-halogen lamps, and so many more...

To sum it all up, Megan is an amazing person and a wonderful friend. No words, and certainly not this little post, could ever do her justice. I can't imagine not having her in my life. I'm so glad we're friends and I hope that we can be friends forever.

Adventures at the Zoo

I'm going to take you on a trip to the Louisville Zoo--an amazing adventure full of elephant aerobics, mating lions, wrestling gorillas, and colorful birds. Please remember to keep your arms, legs, and head inside the tram at all times.

First we need to get our tickets. We wait in line and talk excitedly about what animals we hope to see. With each step toward the ticket window, our excitement grows. Finally, tickets purchased, we grab a map and begin our adventure.



As we make our way down the path, we come upon what looks like two large boulders. We move in for a closer look and discover that those boulders have ears tails, and horns. We leave the sleeping rhinos and go for a ride.




Turning the corner, we hear what sounds like a waterfall. A huge shower of liquid is flooding the ground under a large gray mass. As the flow stops and the mass moves, a trunk appears and the elephant makes his way toward the door where three trainers are entering the area. It's time for elephant aerobics! The three elephants, linked trunk to tail, parade around doing tricks. Scotty, the baby elephant, wows the crowd with his amazing display of skills.




Suddenly we hear a roar. We head towards it and see a lioness standing at the edge of the rock, roaring at the crowd. She lays down to sleep and is soon awakened by the male lion. They appear to be wrestling, but soon the crowd erupts into laughter and parents attempt to cover the eyes of their children.



As the laughter dies down, we head towards the petting zoo. Along the way we pass zebras.



camels



and giraffes



We stop to pet goats.



And make our way through the gorilla forest. We stop to watch gorillas wrestling and playing as a huge silverback gorilla, "The Blob", sleeps in the sun. The monkeys and gorillas come to the glass to say hi.



After a quick stop in the family restrooms...




...we head down to Lorikeet Landing to feed the birds. Cups of nectar in hand, we wait anxiously at the gate while the trainer teases the already terrified member of our group. The gate is opened and the birds flock towards us in a huge blur of colors and land on our arms, shoulders and heads.







After shaking the birds out of our hair and inspecting our clothes for bird droppings, we hop on over to the wallaby walkabout.




We visit a few more animals







And hop on the train for a quick ride around the zoo.




After one last visit to our favorite animals, we head toward the car with sunburnt faces and sore feet. As our adventure comes to an end, we stop for one last group picture.



Then head home to relax and plan our next big adventure.

We're goin to the ZOO!!!

I'm sitting here in Megan's apartment in Louisville. We just got back from dinner. We're having so much fun already. I'm so excited! Tomorrow morning we're getting up bright and early and going to Lynn's for breakfast and then to the zoo! I can't wait. We'll take lots of pictures and I'll post them tomorrow.

First Post

I decided to start this blog in case anybody wants to know what's going on in my life. I'm pretty sure very few people will actually read this, but at least it gives me something to do. So if someone is actually reading this, feel free to leave comments.

My exciting news for the week (even though it really happened last week) is that Hailey is now living with us! Her mom (Kristian) and baby sister (Madison) are living with us too. I still miss her lots because I'm at school, but it's so cool to be able to call and talk to her everyday. I can't wait until this summer when I'll get to see her everyday. I really hope she's happier now.

Only 4 weeks of school left and then finals week! Graduation is May 10th!!! I'm so glad I still have a couple years of school left. I don't think I'm ready to get a real job yet! Now I just have to figure out where Alison and I are gonna live. Anyone have a sturdy carboard box we can live in for a while?

No fluency class again today! Yay for sick professors! I still have a busy day though. Clinic from 4-5 then night classes from 5-8:30. Fun stuff. Oh, just for future reference, I don't recommend the Yoplait chocolate mousse yogurt. It's disgusting!

I'm going to Louisville this weekend to visit Megan. I'm so excited. But that means I only have today left to fix up my webkinz house so Megan and Katie don't make fun of me for having such a small house. I'm just so indecisive when it comes to doing things on webkinz. I have 4 pets that I still have to put on, but can't think of names for them. So here's my question for today. Does anyone have any suggestions for names for my kangaroo and duck? Please help!