Puppy Sitter

My very trust worthy puppy sitter, Katie, is unable to watch Bailey this weekend. I understand that Katie has plans, but Bailey really loves her and I just don't trust anyone else to stay in my apartment and be with Bailey. So the hunt for a good doggy hotel was on. I must have called ten different places Sunday and they were all full for Thanksgiving and Christmas! So last night I was a work asking friends if anyone wanted to make an extra 50-75 bucks by watching my "daughter" Bailey. One of my managers jumped at the offer and refused any money. He has a one and a half year old rat terrier and thinks that the two of them will get along really well. So tomorrow night after work I have to give her over to him and sleep alone. :o( It actually makes me a little teary eyed! I know Bailey will be fine but I'm not really close with this guy and I just worry that she'll get lose and get hit by a car or something. I know I will be calling everyday to check up on her! This will also be the first holiday I don't have her with me.

I've Overlooked Her

In families, there are roles that evolve naturally. When you have a family with more than two siblings, each sibling takes on a role. The eldest is very special to the parents by being the first. There are a million pictures of them in every single pose imaginable, while Mom & Dad are learning how to be parents for the first time. The youngest is very special for other reasons. They are the baby that the whole family seems to take care of and feels an obligation to protect. The sibling in the middle sometimes may feel less special because they aren't the "baby" or the "oldest." I feel my family is no different.
My mother learned a lot with Mommak being her first child. My mother was a single parent through some of Mommak's hardest teenage years and mom tired her best to keep the lines of communication open. When it was time for AM and myself to creep into teenage years, we both had very different ways of relating to our parents. I have always been the type that shares EVERYTHING! I confessed every good and bad grade as well as every good and bad choice. AM, on the other hand, has always chosen to be more independent and self sufficient. She didn't run to mom when things were a little tough, she sucked it up and went it alone. There are still things I'm learning about now that she never shared with me for that same reason.
Her independence has not worn off with age, I just think it has been over looked. This past year has brought huge change to our family but I noticed this past weekend that AM and I really are doing the same thing, she is just going step by step whereas I am just jumping off the cliff! After AM's graduation from college, she received a position in a top county teaching 2nd grade. After only two years of teaching, she became a mentor teacher and is now training new teachers. The last few years she has been taking graduate classes as well as teaching full time. I don't know how she has the energy to do progress reports for the little ones and assignments for grad school! But step by step my big sister has climbed out of college debt, bought a home, and may very well receive a promotion at work! She has done, or is doing everything she said she would and she is only 27!
AM has been behind my decision to move since the beginning and has kept me motiviated with inspirational words, but I didn't see that her words were more from experience then from admiration of my choice. I was too caught up in myself and the fears I had, that I didn't see the struggles my sister was going through. For that selfishness I am sincerely sorry. Maybe it is time for other people to look at the people around them and make sure they are appreciating and motivating the ones they love.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Tera and I have become more than just Harry Potter fans! Last night we joined a packed theater of teenagers for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Of course I already read the book but I just had to see the movie the instant it came out! It really was worth the way I feel this morning!

No movie can be completely accurate with the book upon which it is based, but this one was really close. There were only a few parts that were not consistent with the book and just a few small pot details that were left out. But the way they brought J. K. Rowling's words to life really was amazing. There was a lot more humor in this movie and it wasn't AS dark as previous releases. Go check it out and tell me what you think.

My first Tornado!

By my Tuesday night class yesterday all my tests were over! My History of Recording Industry and Mass Media tests both went really well but my math test made me break out into a cold sweat! I'm not even kidding. So Tera and I decided we would go downtown to celebrate the end of our nasty test schedule after my evening Audio of Media class. I heard the news about thunderstorms but they were supposed to pass by before I was out of class. So I got ready and put my "going out" boots on and got all decked out so I could leave right from class. About half way through us learning the difference between Analog and Digital recording, the emergency siren sounds. The voice said that we should take cover immediately. Out teacher canceled class and told us to seek a safer shelter. Well I was not about to get in my car and drive home, I was afraid I'd drive right into the damn thing. So I went to a dorm with a girl in my class. She is the girl I did my Reba presentation with and I have learned since that project that she is not the kind of person I would like to be stuck with for any length of time. Well for two hours we huddled in the base of a stairway with about 10 other residence. It was HELL! When her RA finally said that MTSU was clear of danger I ran out of there. It wasn't raining when I left her dorm but about 100 yards from the door, it starting pouring from the right, then left. My umbrella flipped inside-out three times and I was completely soaked by the time I made it to my car.
The tornado never touched down in my town but did do a lot of damage to surrounding counties. I learned last night that Rutherford county (my county) is number five on the list of top counties effected by tornados! They don't put that in the brochure!

Let Me Catch You Up!

Friday morning Katie and I woke up at 4 am to get to the airport for my 6 am flight (thanks again mom for scheduling that flight). I was amazed I even got Katie out of bed! Though I wanted to sleep more than anything on the flight, I had to start writing up my note cards for my History of Recording Industry test Monday. You always sit next to a talker when you really don't want to talk. The man next to me on the United Express (which was about half the size of any other plane I've ever flown in) was intrigued by the fact that I was making note cards about Elvis, the Beatles, and Bob Dylan. He just HAD to talk to me about it, then about himself. That was a good 30 minutes I could have been studying!
I get off the flight 20 minutes later than expected due to a delay at take-off and proceeded to navigate through the Dulles airport, which if you haven't flown into is rather tricky. When mom picked me up we went shopping for a dress for the birthday party Mommak had been planning for weeks for my brother-in-law. I'm sure my mother thought this would be a two hour trip, little did she know I would drag her to every damn store in that mall. Four hours later we found a great black dress, painful but great black heels, and jewelry to match.
Then we headed back to the airport to pick up my uncle. We finally were ready to go around 6:15 and we were, of course, the first people to arrive at the Ritz Carlton for the big surprise. My brother-in-law would have been surprised if he didn't walk into the elevator with our cousin Tom and his girlfriend Jamie! But that was just fine, he was in the elevator and wasn't going anywhere.
We had a wonderful evening drinking wine, playing black jack and catching up with family and friends. I was so happy I was able to come home and share the evening with the birthday boy. I did, unfortunately, miss singing "Happy Birthday." A few of us were still in the "casino" room listening to the DJ and talking and never knew there were people giving speaks and enjoying cake until halfway through! Oh well!
Needless to say, we all had a GREAT time, thanks Mommak for throwing such a great party and for helping me get there!
Since I didn't have a car I was at the mercy of my family and friends. Saturday morning I hitched a ride up to Baltimore with AM and her boyfriend Jason. Later my best friend Amy picked me up from AM so I could spend the night with her. We spent the day finding the perfect shirt to wear and calling everyone I knew to tell them I was in town. Our plan was to kind of hop around a few spots, but we just stayed at one little bar where all my friends from work hung out.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't see Jessi who was in town from North Carolina, we just couldn't work out a way for me to see her and everyone else.
Sunday morning came very fast and by 11 am I was back at AM's house. I was going to ride down to DC with her for her boyfriend's Rugby game and Mom was going to meet us there to watch the game and to take me back with her to VA. It's crazy not having a car!
I learned a lot about Rugby. We first watched a girls game and saw a huge difference once the guys got on the field. The women were rough, but the guys were throwing punches and taking hits sometimes worst than football players! Mom was next to me making all kinds of noises when the men went down! It was entertaining.
Finally the two 40 minute halves were over and New Zealand bet our Washington team 16-12. Mom and I then went out for dinner at a little Italian restaurant that was employed by Spanish speaking servers! Mom had a battle for over 3 minutes about the last bite of her salad. Mom wanted to keep it and the server kept trying to take it away! We assume that the poor server just didn't know enough English to understand what Mom wanted. Finally Mom won and it wasn't 5 minutes later when the buser came by and took the salad bowl before Mom could finish her last bite! We laughed and laughed over that one!
We only had time for a cup of tea before I was off to the Dulles airport again. I got there really early since Mom had a choir rehearsal, but that was fine I had to study any way. The plane arrived on time and I was in Nashville by 11pm.
My first weekend home had flown by so fast and I was on such a schedule that I couldn't relish is the fact that I was HOME. I'll be back in a week and will hopefully have a little more time then.

She's Finally 21!

My best friend down here, Tera, has finally turned 21! This is good for me since all we have been able to go to are shady clubs and restaurant bars. I don't need to go out all the time, but I love Nashville and all the bars on Broadway and I WILL NOT go alone.
Her birthday was Tuesday and we really celebrated responsibly! We went to dinner with her mother, father, and next door neighbors and then headed down to Broadway for her first encounter with the Nashville bar scene.
Our first stop was the legendary bar, Tootsies.
It is usually one of my favorite bars because it
has a band that plays downstairs and another band that plays on the upper level. As we walked in the front door I realized this wasn't the right bar for her parents to be in. There were wall to wall people and I could see the look "I don't like this" in her mother's eyes! So, we fought crowd and walked up the stairs and out the back door.

Then we walked behind the bar right next the the Ryman (where the Grand Ole' Opry used to be held) to a bar more suited for parents, Legends. This is a large bar with a lot of tables that usually plays more "classic" country. We had a great time listening to the band and dancing.
Finally, we decided we needed something a little "younger."
We we walked down about three bars to The Stage.
The Stage is my all time favorite bar. This draws a younger crowd between 25-late thirties. I like that! There are no little drunk kids running around getting on your nerves, though drunk men are common in any of these bars. I am no expert on the Nashville bar scene, I just know what I like, and this bar is always fun. There is a dance floor and tables but also an upstairs loft that over looks the bar. Tera and I stood right in front of the band and danced until we finally noticed how tired her parents were :o) Tera had a wonderful birthday and I so happy I was there to share it with her.

* On a side note* I'M FLYING HOME TOMORROW! I'm much more excited about it now than I was a week ago. I think I'm at a better place with my decision to be here, and therefore don't feel awkward about going home. I do, however, have two test on Monday and one on Tuesday, so there will be studying going on this weekend. Well, I love you all and hope you are doing well!

Fun Facts

For the last three days I've been working on a presentation for my Survey of recording Industry class. The project required us to follow the income streams of one artist and chart the money that they actually make after all the cuts to their manager, publisher, and promoters. Well my partner and I have chosen Reba McEntire and once we finally got going on the project we learned many things, but my favorite was a page on her website that has random facts about her personal life and career history. So I decided to do the same!

• I have had four cars so far. My first was an 1989 Ford Taurus that I totaled about 3 months after I turned 16. The second was a gold Nissan Stanza that I was really proud of. When that one died I was excited to find a "cool" car but instead my parents came home with a teal Ford Taurus STATION WAGON! I drove that through college and it died every 6 months. Finally we donated it and I went to CarMax to finally pick out a car that I liked. I chose a 96 Nissan Maxima. I wanted it in silver but got one in gold.
• I had HORRIBLE teeth when I was young and wore something mental in my mouth for about nine years! My favorite was a retainer that had one of my front teeth attached to it. I liked it pop it in and out. :o)
• I played the viola for one year and only learned one song!
• My family had a dog named Lexie that we had to keep in the yard or on the porch because it was too big and jumped on us. TO walk out in the yard we had to bring a broom just to keep her away from us.
• I learned I was highly allergic to horses when I was in the middle of horseback riding lessons!
• My favorite color is olive green.
• The friend I have known the longest is really just one I haven't been able to get rid of. We were in kindergarten together and stayed friends until about forth grade and then we went to high school together and worked at the same summer job. All through college we have remained friends but now she is married and moved to London.
• My favorite part of my body is a close tie between my feet and my smile.
• I only started to play music because my older sister AM was in the band and I wanted to do everything she did.
• I started to sing in public when I was in seventh grade. I was the youngest member in the St. Mary's Folk Choir. I think I used that choir to have a good look at all the young guys in the congregation. :o)
• I turned down an opportunity to play bassoon on tour in Europe to go to summer camp with all my friends.
• My favorite family vacation is a close tie between the first time we rented a house across the street from Sea Colony and the first time we had Thanksgiving in Deep Creek. I think every time we choose a new location for a vacation we have more fun.
• My favorite amusement park ride is very simple but could entertain me for hours. The Tilt-a-whirl!
• My first real boyfriend was in eighth grade, John Allen.
• I was almost arrested once. I was in high school and a few of us drove up to a house we were told was haunted. Diane, Nick and I took to separate car and were the first in the drive way of the house. We were also too scared to get out! There were about three other cars of our friends that were not afraid and went up to the house to try to get in. Well the next thing I knew I hard sirens and my friends were running back to their cars. Since we were the first ones in the driveway, we were the last ones out. So we got stopped by the police and they ran our names through the computer and made us take our shoes off to compare them to the foot prints by the house. Finally they let us go when our shoes didn't match.
• My first guitar was my mother's. She played when she was in the convent!
• I ran for Homecoming Queen my senior year and was runner-up.
• I have never been a smoker though in college I tried it like everyone else.

If you can't tell, I'm running out of things to talk about. My current schedule has nothing worth discussing in it, so I'm forced to talk about things in the past. Any questions you'd like to ask?

Don't You Just Miss Formals?

I was looking through my high school photo albums and I was reminded of how much I miss Homecoming and Prom! I thought I'd share with you all my high school formal dance scrapbook.
Starting from left to right, we begin with my first formal high school dance. November 1995 Homecoming. I don't remember a lot about the night, not even the guy's name! 1995-1996 was my Sophomore year but my sister's senior year. I was attached to AM's hip so every friend she had I tried to make them my friend. It finally worked with Joe. He was a sweetheart of a guy that was a fabulous clarinet player. We all made fun of him though because he moved A LOT when he played. Anyway, he invited me to be his date to his senior prom (which was also my sister's senior prom). AM was really cool to let her little sister go to her prom and sit with her friends.
My Junior year I went to Homecoming with my boyfriend at the time, Jim. This picture was taken in his living room with both our mothers present.  As that year went on I finally started to make some great friends. By the time May came around I had a best friend named Kelly and a great guy friend who went with me to many formal events. I went to DeMatha's Junior/Senior Prom with Pete and we all road in a limo that had a hot tub on the roof! It was awesome...But the water cooled down really quickly.




My junior year I technically went to Seton's prom with Nick though I had a huge crush on John Paul and spent the whole time with him! The theme for the prom was "If Only For One Night." It was so fitting because that was the one and only time I ever kissed John Paul.
So that brings me to my Senior year. That year I found the most beautiful red dress that I felt absolutely gorgeous in. My good friend Pete and I went to his Homecoming as well as mine together.  When May rolled around I went to DeMatha's prom with Pete but he had a girlfriend that went to my school and, of course, went with her to that dance. I decided to go with my other good guy friend Brandon DeBow who was dating my best friend Kelly. That sounds a lot more confusing than it was.   I think I had more fun the times I went with friends than the times I went with "boyfriends."
I miss going shopping for the gown and I miss all the girls coming over and getting ready together. Unless you are Greek you don't have the opportunity to dress up in college.
Hope you enjoyed my Formal Dance Scrapbook!