Here's to a better year

Of all the years in the almost 3 decades since I was born, 2009 is ranked one of the worst that I can remember. Pretty much everything went wrong this year. But the good news is the year is almost over! I've never been more enthusiatic about a new year coming into the picture before. Hopefully this means 2010 will be a much better year.

I already have my resolutions list all set and ready to start breaking. Well, possibly not (and hopefully) breaking during the incoming year. I'll start with the possible and then head to the "will probably never happen in a million years, much less 2010".

1. Read more books, like all the ones I've bought that I never have time to read. Ever
2. Write everyday, even if it's just 30 minutes
3. Post on my blog more than I did this year
4. Finish writing my book so I can finally send it in
5. Get in shape so I don't feel so blah about myself
6. Work on my finances so I will have NO bills when I get out of the Air Force next year
7. I will no longer speak ill of Twilight, because I'm trying to teach my 7 year old "If you can't say anything nice, than don't say anything at all". And I choose not to have an opinion about the movies and books
8. Become more organized and less cynical
9. Finish a good portion of my Bachelor's
10. Catch up on my shows on DVD (which is a whole LOT, so maybe I should make a list I can cross off)
11. Take better care of myself than I have in the past, like getting actual sleep and eat better
12. Take more time to enjoy life and take nothing for granted
13. Keep in better contact with my closest friends than I have been

These are just a few that I've come up with and I'm sure there will be plenty more in the next couple of days, but it is a start for now. And I'm so ready for the new year, I've already started some of my resolutions.

So what do I have to say about 2010? Bring it on!

A Decade Come and Gone

It's hard to believe that 10 years have gone by so fast. Ok, it hasn't exactly flown by, but it doesn't feel like I was 18 THAT long ago. 10 years ago, I had graduated high school and joined the military less than two months later. In the last ten years, I've done plenty. I've lived in Colorado, Italy, and Ohio, all places I never thought I'd visit, much less live. I had my beautiful daughter, Brynn, in 2002, so I spent most of the decade being a mom, my most fulfilling role in life to date. I had a great job that I really loved that was essentially outsourced, forcing me to find new employment in the Air Force. I've dreamed of becoming a writer, but have yet to finish a book to my liking. Sad, but true. I've put a lot of things on hold during the last decade, including going to school.

Many things have happened over the years, but these are the few that have stuck out the most that impacted me the most. My hope and goal for the next ten years is to do the things I've put off and things I've been too afraid to do in the past.

I have a good feeling about the new year and the coming decade.

it really is time

Maybe I sound like a big baby or complainer. Maybe I just seem like a huge pessimist. But my main reasons for deciding to leave the military is: I'm just plain tired. I'm exhausted. I'm sure it could be thought that I'm just one big quitter because I can't deal with 10 more years of it and I truly don't care. I've already gave 10 years of my life to this job and its taken a toll on everything in my life.

And I'll be completely honest, if I wasn't forced to get a new job and I could have stayed in graphics for my 20, I think I would've been all over it. But they decided they didn't want to keep the job around, so everyone had to find a new source of employment opportunity in place of that job. I just happened to end up in a job I truly hate. Not everyone does and I'm glad for them, but most of the time I feel like there's no real purpose. That I'm forced to give up all of me and my family, for nothing. Basically as long as I'm another warm body filling the seat, me and mine don't really matter.

Everyone I work with tells me this job isn't that bad at every base, just this one. And yes, they're probably right and I should just wait to move somewhere else before I make a rash decision. And I probably should. But this place has left a bad taste in my mouth. It's left me feeling drained. I also feel that a job that tells me that my family is less important than my job (which my boss has recently explained) isn't a place I belong in. Maybe he can turn that switch and feels that dedicated, but I don't share those views. My family is the only reason I'm still where I am. I do my job, but that's it. I don't have some deep seeded need to go above and beyond that. Which really isn't like me at all.

I keep thinking maybee this is the big neon sign I need to do something without always playing it safe. The last 10 years have been interesting to say the least and I'm grateful for the learning experience, but I really feel this is my time to step away from this life and finally do something I'd wake every morning wanting to do.

I wonder if that will ever happen or will I fail in the process? I fear failure as much as I hate liars. It leaves an awful feeling in my gut, especially when you're working for someone who is probably one of the biggest I've ever met. If you can't trust the person in charge, who can you trust?

My Life So Far

There's three things in the world I truly love doing, but I rarely ever have any time to do either of them: Writing, reading, and baking. When I was a kid my dream was to become a world famous pastry chef. I tried, oh, how I tried when I was 12 to help make the Christmas cookies. I begged my mom for days to make them so I could try my hand at baking. I got bored with the cookies before they hit the oven. There were more interesting things to do, like watching "Holiday on Ice" starring Nancy Kerrigan. Which was more important, of course, because when would I ever get to see that again?

So baking took a back burner in my life until I was about 20. But I still loved it, I still thought about it a lot. Even now, I try to bake as often as I can, but life and grown up responsibilities get in the way. I'd still like to try my hand at going to a culinary school. Maybe one day opening my own bakery or even working as a pastry chef somewhere awesome in the world. That dream is never going to die and one day I plan on making that dream happen.

My second love (I should mention that baking is my third) is writing. When I was 10 I wrote my first short story, one that wasn't mandatory for school and I still remember it. It was set during the WWII era and it was about a Jewish girl named Hannah, her 2 best friends and their families as they dealt with the outcomes of war. Of course, every character was based on someone I knew or someone I wished I knew. Hey, I was 10. As much as I loved writing it, I dealt with it in true Michelle fashion: I stopped working on it when it got too tough to finish which lead to ultimate boredom in the story. But I was determined to be a professional writer when I grew up.

I kept writing and stopping, writing and stopping. I started high school with notebooks full of stories, all half-finished, of course (to this day I have shelves of these notebooks in my closet). I spent most of my time writing in them instead of paying attention in school. I have a knack for words on paper, but my two biggest problems are confidence and the follow-thru. I have no confidence my writing is good and I have yet to finish any of the books I've started. I can say it's the normal issues of time, but it's not like I can't write when I'm working a weekend shift. No, I find there are more important things to take up my time so I can avoid my issues with becoming a failure. I feel like I won't finish a book because then I'd send it in. and someone would read it. Someone other than my mom and best friends (who, lets face it, are a little biased because they love me) and they might say it's complete crap. And then where would my confidence in my writing be? In a drain somewhere next to old salami. Lately, I've gotten a little better. I keep writing and going even though it's one of the hardest things I've done. I realize I'm not that bad of writer and I've even managed to write 123 pages. That's a major first.

Which of course leads me to my first love: reading (which actually goes hand in hand with writing, so I think it should just be a tie). Everyone in my family reads. It's like some kind of fluke gene that's guaranteed to be passed down from generation to generation. Our biggest thing is reading in the bathroom because it's the one place you can find some actual solitude. Let's face it: no one wants to know what's going on behind the closed door and they're not about to check (scratch that: everyone over the age of 10. Your kids will burst right in regardless).

What was the point of this blog? Not really sure. More a venting session, I guess, about the 3 things I love (outside of my family and friends, of course) that I rarely get to do often anymore.

2nd Grade Starts Here

Today was the first day of the 2nd grade for my little Brynnbug. She was excited and nervous at the same time, though she'd never admit that she WAS nervous. But nervous she was. So nervous in fact she posed like a 7-year-old diva:

I should point out right now that I didn't teach her any of these moves.



And while my brand new 2nd grader was enjoying her first day of school where was I? I was relaxing at the spa getting a well deserved pedicure in celebration of my 28th year in the world. Really? 28? Where have the last almost 3 decades gone? Somewhere in the past, I know. After my pedi, my mom and went out for a girl's lunch. We finished in enough time to pick up my baby.


There were plenty of stories of new friends and old friends. Not enough math for her, but I have plenty of worksheets to keep her mind occupied. After catching up, we all headed to Texas Roadhouse for a nice family dinner. That of course meant me sitting on a saddle and wearing a cowboy hat (happily I have no blackmail pictures of that). At home, I got my presents. Well, present. Brynn got me the cutest purse that's fully wearable under all conditions and can fit my entire life in it (just the way I want my mom purses to be).

My other present couldn't be wrapped as my mom bought it for me when I was in desperate need of a phone that didn't do things all on its own. My extremely early birthday present is my Blackberry. Most important part of today was spending time with my family and not worrying about work.

All in all, it was a great birthday for only turning 28 the first time. We'll see how 28 it in a couple of years.

It's All In The Genes . . .

Every parent always looks for similarities between yourself and your kids. It's a given to find more things in common. I can see myself in B, in a lot of ways. I used to think that it was her just copying me, but I've found lately that's not true at all. Her dirty looks are all me and the fact that she's always talking (not a bad quality, it's something I really love about her) and she's a big fan of being overdramatic. The last one I chalk up to the fact that she's a girl and it's just what some of us do sometimes. She catches onto any new kind of technology pretty quickly. Like scary kind of quick. She's the girliest girl I've ever met, dresses, skirts, and boots and all, but insists she's a "tomboy girl". She's a tomboy because she likes to play baseball and watch football (she's a huge Patriots and Tom Brady fan, just like her mama. You don't want to be in our house on game day). I love it.

But, I digress. She loves to read. I'm really loves to read. She can sit and read for hours if you'd let her. Everyone on both sides of the family are big readers, so it isn't much of a shock. She started reading "Harry Potter" around the end of June. She finished the first book about a month later. She really wanted to watch the movie (and all the rest, too), but we had a deal that before she saw the movie, she had to read the book first. She can be very stubborn (another family trait) when she wants to, so she finished, and we watched. She was absolutely enthralled and started reading the 2nd book the next day. She was done reading three weeks later (Tuesday afternoon, to be exact) and immediately began reading book 3. As part of our deal, we had a slumber party watched "Chamber of Secrets". She loved the book more, but the movie was pretty good, too.

She's finally starting to understand why I'm such a big fan of reading the book before I see the movie. I'd rather compare the book to the movie, so I at least know where the author was going with their idea. As silly as it seems, the whole books ruinned for me if I watch the movie first because then I'm always comparing the book, thinking in my head "well, that's not what happened in the movie". My brain works a little funkier than most.

It's amazing, though. She's really enjoying those books and is practically eating them up. She can't get enough of books in general. It's great! I love everything about my baby girl, because everything about her is just so her, but this is one trait I'm really proud she has.

Sometimes Life Really Does Suck

I realize life's not fair and I don't expect it to be. But every once in awhile, I'd just like to catch a break. Just have everything ease up, you know? Between lawyer fees and fighting to keep my boo in school in Ohio, I also have to add getting B a retainer sooner than I'd anticipated. I know I'll never stop worrying because I'm a worry wart, but this is one of the those times I wish everything took care of itself, like money magically appearing out of thin air so I can pay off all my bills and mortgage. Or everything just being absolutely perfect and nothing ever goes wrong. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'd give up just about anything to not have to worry about losing my baby. If everything would work out on that end, everything else would fall into place and fit right where it's supposed to. And the crick in my back would probably disappear like it had never been there in the first place.

I Can't Lie

I won't lie. I watched the Michael Jackson Memorial. And I won't lie about how I started crying when his daughter got up on stage and let the whole world know how much she loved her daddy. Nothing tears me up more than a crying child. I just can't help it. As I watched the memorial, I remembered him in my childhood and I can't deny how I had planned on marrying him at the tender of 4. Or that my mom bought me one of his albums during a visit to Germany so I would feel less homesick. Or that when I was really sad as a kid, I would pull this:

out of its special shelf, hold it close and snuggle with it for comfort. Ah, the memories of childhood. It seems like so long ago, doesn't it? The whole thing, all of it, makes me feel very sad.

A Whole New Age

A birthday moment with me and B

My baby turned 7 today. Every year, I realize that time's going by a lot faster than I'd like it to. I can still remember the nerve racking last night I had before giving birth. I was so nervous and scared and completely convinced myself that there was no way in hell I was going to be able to push a little person out into the world. I was even more convinced I was going to somehow scar this child for life, because what did I know about raising a kid? I was barely 20, and I felt as lost as a puppy in the woods. I've always had the momma instinct, but motherhood was a whole new ballgame I'm still learning day by day. When I held her right after she was born, I was filled with such love and I didn't know you could love someone that much that you just met. And I swear, no matter how much she frustrates me at times, as every year goes by, I love that kiddo more than the last.

It sometimes still scares me a little when I think of that little person putting all her eggs in my basket, assuming everything will be all right and that I'll take care of everything so she can just worry about being a kid. It so much responsibility sometimes that I'm doing a good enough job. But then I look at her, she smiles brightly at me because she's just finished reading three pages of "Harry Potter" all by herself, and I'm filled with this overwhelming sense of pride. I realize she's a great kid and remind myself not to freak out so much. She's a smart, funny, and bright little girl and I'm doing a pretty good job so far.

I've also found that I've grown because of my kiddo. The things that used to bother me, like screaming kids in a restaurant, doesn't even phase me. Even strange things like becoming my daughter's personal towel when she's drying her hands won't make me blink an eye. 10 years ago, maybe, but these days, not even an eyelash.

It's strange how the scariest day of my life was actually the best day I think I'll ever have. I don't think there's anything else in the world that can top the day I became a mommy.

The birthday Princess in her "Princess" nightgown

But my baby's birthday started off with the princess (complete with her Enchanted "Princess" nightgown) opening presents. She enjoyed all her gifts, but in true Brynn fashion, wanted to open every last one of them before she even thought about playing with them. First on the list was the Bumblebee action figure my mom got her and her very first Wii game.

After making her Barbie pony jump a few hurdles and making plenty of money to give her nice and pretty things, we piled in the car to make our way to Chuck E. Cheese, the birthday girl's choice of fun. It was small party of three at her request. We played plenty of skee ball and win more tickets games. She walked away with a few cool "free" prizes. Tired and full of pizza, we headed back home so she could open her last present and eat some cake.

The obligatory Chuck E. Cheese pony ride

She made her wishes and we all sat down to eat chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (again, Brynn's choice). I told her a few stories about the day she was born. I got a little misty eyed as we went through our "Brynn" photo album and received a dirty look because I was "crying" again. All in all, it was a wonderful and relaxing day. Happy birthday, baby, I'm hoping you have another great year.

Homemade chocolate cake. I even spelled "birthday" right this time, ha, ha.

Another special birthday wish

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

We visited my friend Lili (we haven’t seen her since she left Italy in late 2007) in California for a few days and had a blast, even with the bumped nose in the pool fiasco. We spent the first day hanging at the pool before going to Carl’s Jr. The kid’s idea because it had an outdoor jungle gym.

My girl Lily

On Monday, we went to Six Flags that consisted with the normal kid complaints: “Can I get an Icee?” “My feet hurt.”, and my favorite, “Why can’t we just go to the pool?” This was followed by plenty of “Can we go to the pool when we get home?” With plenty of explaining and an absolute foot down because it would be too dark and we’d be too tired, there was still a lot of fun to be had. The log ride was the biggest hit and we waited in line for it to be fixed, though we didn’t know it was broke when we got in line. We just figured everyone in the park wanted to ride. But, it was worth it. It was a cooling off we really needed because it felt like it was at least 100 degrees out.

A very blue and beautiful Icee tongue.

The kids had fun and so did the adults. We ended the day with funnel cake topped with strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream. It was all for the adults, of course. After surviving a whole day at the theme park with six kids, I think we pretty much deserved it. And all three kids wanted to help us finish it off, which we refused because they had plenty of sugar before that. We finished eating the funnel cake after all of about 10 bites each and let the kids have at it.
Which of course they plowed into like that was their first meal of the day.

The enoromous (but yummy) funnel cake. You can't see the strawberries hidden under all the whip and ice cream, but it's there. It was a somewhat healthy treat. And by somewhat, I mean not really.

The starving children of America.

Tuesday consisted of IHOP and the kids all agreed that Mac and Cheese is the best dish to eat at any restaurant. Then off to the pool again. We had fun playing “Red Light, Green Light” until B swam under water right into the pool wall, hitting herself square in the nose in the process. The crying began instanly and I scooped her right out the pool within seconds. Her nose was a little red , but other than that, it was still in one piece. Placated with an offer of popsicles and ice cream after dinner, we left the pool with no arguments.

Our last night in Cali was pretty uneventful, some light packing and watching “Racing Stripes”. We did enjoy our time, but Wednesday afternoon we were on a flight back to Ohio. We had a stopover in Denver that made nostalgic over the time we lived there. Colorado was great, but then were most of our assignments. Minus one that shall remain nameless. We arrived home with no major flight problems. All our luggage arrived intact and nothing missing (unlike the time my underwear was stolen out of my suitcase, but that’s a whole other story). A pretty tiring, and uneventful day, which I have absolutely no complaints about. I’m a huge fan of boring flights and airports.

Boredom Overcomes Me

So I'm sitting in the hospital waiting room, well waiting for my mom. So very bored and so very tired. My eyelids keep closing of their own accord. Even my BlackBerry's having trouble keeping me awake. Only thoughts of my upcoming vacation (which starts in 5 days, but I'm not counting or anything) are enough to amuse me right now. Thoughts of my next 4 working shifts are not.

But on the bright side, I will be going on vaca. Also, I have written this much of my book:

At this rate, I might actually finish it before the end of the year. Now that's some serious motivation. I'm trying to get to 65% before I go on leave. Crossing my fingers very tightly on that one.

I love summer vacation. It includes spending more time with my kiddo, days lounging at the pool, and unplanned trips to nearby amusement parks. Can there be anything better in life? Not counting winning the lottery.

My Other Children

I couldn't help myself. The mini Uggs just called my name. They were practically yelling it. And they were so cute and cuddly, how could I say no? I'm such a sucker for cute pair of boots (shoes and purses, too). And I'm not ashamed to admit that they make the spending money part of me just a tiny bit happy.

Newly clean and rearranged almost 7-year-old's room

I finally finished with spring cleaning for B's room. I got rid of a bunch of toys that haven't seen the light of day since before we left Italy and in return, she got a brand new big girl desk. Minus the chair that we'll be picking up this weekend, of course. I'm pretty proud of my work, but we all know it'll only stay nice and clean for all of 2 seconds.

Troy Bolton's My Hero . . .

My baby girl would be so upset if she was old enough to watch it. Tee, hee. Poor B.

I Really Love My . . .

UGGs. Seriously. I try not to be too materialistic, but I ordered a pair online because, well, they just look so pretty and so much more comfortable than my Payless look alikes, and sometimes I just don't do well under peer pressure when it comes to things likes boots and purses (well, because I just love them too much. Not as much as I love all the little things in life, it is kind of close though). But I digress. So I got the chocolate pieces of heaven in the mail and wore them for the first time and let me tell you. Pure happiness ensued. It's like wearing socks, but better because you wear them everywhere. Except in the shower. I don't suggest wearing them in the shower. But, I love them so much I'm already planning my next purchase. I'm thinking some red ones.

The Return of the WiFi

Finally! I have real working internet again! I feel like I should throw a party and celebrate. Or at least eat something sweet and delicious. Like chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and sprinkles. Or Maggie Moo's "Butter Batter" ice cream. Yummy. I'm making myself hungry. Maybe I'll just do little dance that will completely embarrass B, since she thinks I have no moves whatsoever. That would a huge highlight of my day, having my six-year-old chalked full of attitude run screaming from the room.

Michelle in the 21st Century

As much as there are times technology frustrates me to the point of hating it, I will be one of the first to admit that when I'm without it, I feel completely lost without it. And I'm not even talking about when the electricity goes out. I'm talking about not being able to go on IMBD.com to check out the info on some new movie coming out or just to see what's going on in the world. Without the internet I am a lost little puppy. I don't know what to do with myself. This is what bugs me about technology. I get annoyed because I can't check my favorite blogs. How sad is that? now I have to go and do something productive. Like actually work on my book. And because my stupid cable company has decided to show up when it's convenient for them, by the time my stupid internet problem's fixed it will have been 6 days without productive internet access. So I'm forced to try and get an unlocked WI-FI signal where ever I can. Which really sucks because every few minutes I have to angle my laptop just so in order to get the slowest connection possible. I really hate technology sometimes. Like now.

Smiles All Around

I have a smile on my face, but I’m not entirely happy. Why then do I have this huge ear to ear grin on my lips you ask? Because Karma’s a really great thing. Take for instance you have a co-worker who gets away with everything, does nothing, sees nothing wrong with doing nothing, and has supervisors wrapped around their stupid little pinky? Yes, it pisses me off to no end. But I placate myself for the time being because I know one day (maybe not today, or tomorrow or even next week) Karma’s going to bite this person in the ass. And truthfully? It makes me smile. A lot. Even giggle a little. Okay, it makes me giggle fits. Especially when this person thinks that they’re so golden nothing can touch them. Or when they think they do sooooooo much because they’re actually doing their job. Did I mention their life is sooooooo hard with no responsibilities? And that the person tattles more than my 6-year-old and they’re older than me? Yeah, sad isn’t it? So you can probably understand my slight annoyance. Not to worry, I’ve found ways of making myself feel better. I put on a little Lily Allen and “Smile”.

Sprinkles Some Music

I've been hearing a lot about this cupcake company on the west coast (it's supposed to be better than the Magnolia Bakery that got so much attention thanx to "Sex and the City") that's apparently out of this world called "Sprinkles". I haven't tried it, being stuck in the middle of nowhere, and all. But they have a "Sprinkles" cupcake mix that I picked up at Williams-Sonoma (about the only thing I can actually afford in the store) and I'm going to make them this week to see if they're really worth all the hype. And if the little 'cakes are really that good I just might have to invest. If not, it'll just be more goodies I can give to people at work. *insert evil little laugh here*. Seriously, though, I'm hoping they're yummy, cause I really don't want to share.

Yummy looking, right?

Tom Brady's married, ladies. Surprisingly enough, I'm really not all that upset. I still like him and think he's one of the best football players ever (a little exaggeration, but hey, it's my blog), but I'm not in mourning or anything. Good for him, though. Everyone deserves someone, right? And he's found his.

But on another positive note, I found this really great band. They're called Rooney and they're not new or anything. They've been around for awhile, actually. Something like ten years. And yes, it's taken me this long to notice them. Anyways, I downloaded a couple of songs on Itunes and I liked them so much I went out and bought their two albums the other night. I've listened to them like 20 times. And I'm not the type of person who actually listens to a whole album, so I really like them. The lead singer's got this amazing voice, and they're music's kind of The Beatles meet All-American Rejects. All I can say is you should check 'em out.

Its time for me to go and listen to their albums for the 21st time.

Sleepless in the Snow

Yup, it’s official. I’m not a snow bunny anymore. After over a dozen years of living in Chicago, and then spending just 9 short years away living in Colorado, followed by Italy, the fascination with snow has completely disappeared. I’ve only been in Ohio for 7 months, but I’m all over the snow. I don’t ever need to see it again in my life, much less drive in it. Strangely enough, people around here really don’t know how to drive in the snow. Icy roads to some people here apparently means, “please, go faster and hit my car”. I missed the memo on that one. I want to go some place warm ASAP. And to top off my love of the snow and all things icy, I was leaving work the other day and guess what happened: I slipped and fell on my ass. Pretty hard, too. Hard enough to make my elbow feel a little useless and leave bruises in places I didn’t know could bruise easily.

I’ve also decided to write a self help book for mom’s called “I’m not a bad mom just because I don’t make cupcakes from scratch.” Because seriously? I’m sick of some of the P.T.A mom’s I’ve been running into at B’s school acting like it’s a sacrilege because I buy cookies from the store for bake sales at school. I don’t think they get it makes a person feel like they’re a bad mom. I have more than half a dozen things on my plate and baking at 2 in the morning so I can look like an oh-so perfect mom isn’t high on that list. I’d rather been an imperfect mom who puts things like that on the back burner so I can spend time with my kiddo.

And that whole thing reminded me of an episode of “Top Chef” I watched about a month ago. This is one of the few reality show’s I’ll sit down and watch because I enjoy it. Normally, I can’t stand reality shows. So, I’m watching this, and the chef’s quick fire challenge is using food items that you normally find in the canned goods isle at the store. All of the chefs are used to “fresh” ingredients. Nothing condensed or crappy for them. Everything’s got to be fresh. Their looks were the first thing that set me off. It was this disgusted “I can’t believe you’re asking me to this” look that everyone seemed to share. Now, there was this one chef I was rooting for. (and, yeah, I put extreme emphasis on was) Radhika, who said the one thing that really ticked me off. She said “This is what stay at home mom’s use to cook with”. Does she even have kids? She really shouldn’t open her mouth unless she has actual personal experience, because if she had kids she’d probably know that it’s not always possible to hand make your pasta or make your tomato sauce from scratch. She really irked me when she said that. Let’s just say I was really, really happy when she had to pack up her knives.

Well, I’m done with my high horse moment, so I’m off to bed.

More dysfunctional than the norm

I have a new favorite show, even though the show's been cancelled for three years. "Arrested Development" is a surprisingly refreshing humorous show. The Bluth's possibly the most dsyfunctional TV family I've seen in a very long time. I can't even begin to describe it. From Gob (pronounced Job), the talentless magician to Lindsay, the self-centered activist, everyone in the family brings something to the table. I've treated myself to mini-marathons in between the daily grind that is my life.

How can you not love this family?

I finished two of my classes and I just started two more this week. Strangely enough, one of the classes is being taught by an author I have a few books by. She's my English 102 class. I guess she tells me I suck at writing, I can probably give up my novel writing dreams for good.

I also stole, I mean borrowed, these photos my best bud uploaded on her myspace page from our time as bridesmaids.
I love this picture. Aren't we all purdy? We look happy, natural and not at all stressed about being bridesmaids. But I still stick by the theory that we were probably the worst bridesmaids in history and we should have been fired at the wedding. And my arms don't look that huge.

Also, I've actually written more of my book, and at this point, (but even that will be replaced soon) I have 57 pages. That's really huge for me. Like I might actually finish writing this thing for once.

Homecoming

This is completely inspiring for me.

Homesickness is where the Heart is. . . .

It's hard to believe that just a year ago I was still living in Italy. I never thought I'd miss it as much as I do, and to be honest, it still feels more like home than Ohio does. I'm afraid it always will. I won't say I ever hated Italy (I was SO stoked when I found out I was going), but for a time when I first got there, I was so homesick for the States, I would have given anything to be back here just so I could see a mall and have normal internet. After a little bit of time, I got used to Italy and the European way of life. I enjoyed it, I loved traveling, eating the local food (lots and lots of pasta, my favorite form of carbs), shopping in the shoe store down the street to pick up the latest pair of boots. It became home to me. Even now as I sit here writing, I'm homesick for Italy. Out of every place I've lived in the last nine and a half years, Italy was the one place I felt completely at home in. Right now, I'd drop everything in heartbeat if I was given the option to go back. It's HOME to me now.