Hope Still Flies

what I really mean is, eventually.

I know in the last post I promised a full update soon, but, once again, school has gotten all of my attention. My crazy-long English paper is done, my biochem lab book is turned in (!!!) and I took the lab final today (which didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but it's over and that's all that matters.)

This week has been a weird one for me anyway. I went to all of my classes on Monday, and there was talk of a big snowstorm heading in, so I decided not to go to my morning classes on Tuesday. And snow it did.



That was what I saw when I looked out my back door Tuesday night. And while I had every intention of going to my classes on Wednesday, my car decided it was just gonna chill where it was. (aka my rear-wheel '93 Thunderbird decided just to spin the snow instead of drive on it.) So I made it to my mandatory lab Wednesday afternoon, but that was it. Wednesday night I convinced myself to go to my Thursday classes...

...but then we were in a little car accident in my friends truck. (Somebody slid on the ice and rear-ended us) So I stayed home from my Thursday classes and wrote my English paper. Today I did make it to all of my classes, and even got my car unstuck! (Well... it might be stuck again).

Anyway. Here are a few pictures of the snow...







Anyyywho. I have four finals this coming week.. but then school's done for a few weeks! (and I'm ready to start my new classes) That makes me wanna do a happy dance... it looks something like Jenna Fischer's...



After finals week, I'm heading back to my parents house. I will most definitely have time to update then, so I might try to get back into a blogging routine. I suppose we'll see.

My video this time around is from a band called The Civil Wars. The lead lady singer is Joy Williams, who is a popular pop Christian artist. Well, her singing in this duo is absolutely nothing like what I'm used to her singing on the radio. This band's stuff is very relaxed and awesome... so check them out.



Other than that, Christmas (only my favorite holiday ever) is quickly approaching, and I couldn't be more excited. Our tree's up and I've got most of the presents bought... I'm feeling pretty great about the whole thing.

For now I'm off to rewatch the last episode of Glee (oh snap how awesome was it?!) and the season 1 finale of How I Met Your Mother (Michael's brother let us borrow the first couple of seasons and we're hooked! It's absolutely hilarious.) So until next time...

I'll give a full update soon... Right now just a little photo preview of the past couple days....












much love,
alex

P.S. I know my pictures from the last post have disappeared. I decided to get rid of my old photobucket account and get a new one... and I haven't switched over the tags yet... It'll get done soon!

Okay... So I'm feeling a little bit better now (I give credit to PS I Love You giving me a good cry...) and I finally put the wedding pictures we ordered into an album. Things are kind of refreshed in my mind now... So I'm going to do a little recap thing with little details that I encountered first hand or I heard that I might forget at some point... with some pictures. =)

*The reception rehearsal was a lot of fun, and almost everybody showed up. We ate at 2 Brothers BBQ afterward, and the families got along. I got the bridesmaids and flower girls bracelets with each of our names on our own, and Michael got the groomsmen pocket watches that had their names on them.



* We couldn't set up the reception area until the morning of the wedding, because they had been having vacation Bible school. Mom = nervous wreck Friday night about the food. When I got there Saturday morning after getting my hair done, the place looked fantastic.



*I finished the programs Friday night... only with the help of Mandy and the rest of my family. They are all lifesavers. Those programs were a definite pain, (especially with the number of times I made spelling errors/left people out) but I think it was worth it.



* I was really calm throughout the whole morning, and I even ate a little McDonalds while we were waiting around. This is one of the things I was worried about most. My mom can be quite the worrier, but my dad is the complete opposite. Thankfully (with the help of God I believe lol) I took after my dad that day.

* Michael, on the other hand, was really nervous all morning and all he had to eat was a little bit of a bagel until our reception (around 2:30).

* The only semi-crisis we ran into was my dress being crazy wrinkled, and we couldn't get any of the steamers or irons to work. We finally gave up, and my dress was a little wrinkly. Honestly, I didn't care that much, and you could barely tell.

* I was kind of hoping Beth would go into labor with Garrett.

* I love that I wore Converse. The only things I was very adamant about with the whole wedding were my shoes, and my nieces (flower girls) outfits. I picked the tutus and Converse for them because one of the memories I have from when I was little was my dad carrying my little sister and I out of ballet recitals in our tutus and converse.



* Songs we used during the wedding (That give me chills everytime I listen to them now...):
"Shh/Peaceful" by Miles Davis .... for seating his parents/grandparents.
"Now my Feet Won't Touch the Ground" by Coldplay.... Michael, the guys, and the bridesmaids
"Turn to Stone" by Ingrid Michaelson... What I walked in to
"Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzalez... Sand ceremony
"Backrow Politics" by the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band for the recessional. =) (It's an upbeat contemporary jazz song... it suited us)

* Madi and Megan had been on an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie watching spree, and I am told that when they walked down the aisle they were saying "Bow chicka wow-wow" and cracking themselves (and everyone else) up. I was hiding in back, confused why everyone was laughing. Leave it up to these girls.



* Aidan (ring bearer) refused to walk down the aisle, which I figured would happen. His daddy (Aron, Michael's brother) carried him down the aisle, Aidan hiding in his shoulder the whole way. Yet, during the ceremony, he stood next to his sister (Shae, junior bridesmaid) the whole time, with the pillow in his mouth.

* I only started getting nervous right before I walked down the aisle, when my dad hugged me and was already getting teary-eyed. (Which is huge for my dad. He's never been one to really show much emotion.) Mom and dad both walked me down the aisle, which I loved.

* Michael started crying the moment he saw me.

* We wrote our own vows. Michael said his first... he didn't have his memorized, but they were long.. I wouldn't have had them memorized either. Mine were shorter, and I had them memorized. I was a sobbing mess by the time he finished his vows (as was he) and I cried all the way through mine, my voice cracking and everything. I heard everybody sniffling in the chapel, too. I'm surprised anybody could understand what we were saying, and I had to keep wiping my nose with my hand. (Graceful, right?)

(My older niece, Madison, leaning on my dad, and my mom's on the other side of him)


* We did unity sand instead of a unity candle, and it's now sitting on top of our entertainment center.

* When he kissed me, I playfully pushed him away after a second. He had such a devious look on his face, and most people said it was definitely a "me" thing for me push him away.



* When we went out to get ready for the receiving line, my dad (6' 4") full on picked me up in a hug like he used to do when I was little. That is one thing I will never forget. (Then he said "I taste like snot, I'm going to get Altoids. Hahaha)

* I loved the receiving line, and I'm very glad I got to see everyone that way since we didn't make it around to everyone during the reception. We got lots of comments about making people cry.

* We took more pictures after the receiving line... I wasn't sure about this picture, but my mom's extremely stubborn, and she wanted it... It's now a favorite.



* I didn't realize it until I was looking back on it later, but the music I had picked out for the reception didn't get played.

* I was in love with our cake.



* We fed each other the cake nicely, but then I seriously considered shoving it in his face. But I didn't.

* Loved all of the food we had there... Sadly, I didn't eat anything but the bite of cake I had, plus the goldfish my dad shoved in front of me so I wouldn't pass out.



* The other thing no one will ever forget... During his best man speech... Jon was telling a story about him and Michael from when they were kids... and Jon said "Scott" (Another friend) instead of "Michael". Our reactions:



* They only decorated Michael's car... it was covered in magnets from our local movie theater (?!) and they wrote "Just Married!" and all that jazz.

* We had all the presents packed up in the car, and we drove two cars the two and a half hours back to Manhattan so we could spend our first night together in our apartment. (We saved ourselves for each other until our wedding night...)

Let's see.... That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll think of more and update this post every once in awhile. I'm pretty sure that's enough for now, though. =) You're amazing if you read all of that.

Yeah...

I'm having one of those days.

Weekend. I'm having one of those weekends.

I'm not sure what's going on, but I just feel in a rut. Classes are okay, but my lab now seems never-ending, and then throw work stress in there and.. I don't even know. Mostly, I'm frustrated.

Frustrated that, while house-sitting this weekend, my wanting to buy a house and decorate just increased by ten-fold. I just kept thinking about how I'd decorate and what I'd put there... and having TV was nice, too.

Frustrated that I can't already be done with school and have a real job that will pay more than minimum wage.

Frustrated that I'm so far in debt from school loans, that I don't think I'll ever be not broke.

Frustrated that I rarely see my husband during the week, and then I feel like a horrible wife when the weekend comes around and he's tired and I get frustrated that he takes a nap and my plans get pushed back. Where do I get off getting frustrated for that? (Plus, then I think about all the girlfriends and wives who's husbands are in the army or military or whatever and never get to see their loved ones. Then I just feel worse.)

Frustrated to the point of almost crying at the most random things.

Frustrated that it's going to snow tonight, tomorrow and tomorrow night, and my car is really, really not good in the snow.

Frustrated that I can't skip ahead a few years so I can have a job, he can be on his way to getting a job, and we can sort of start to consider having kids.

Frustrated that I've lost touch with old friends, who I still care deeply about.

Frustrated that I've been meaning to write a wedding recap for myself before I forget all the small details... and I haven't.

And several other things that I won't even go into here... But, amidst all of this, I have to keep in mind how blessed I am.

I am healthy, I have an amazing husband who is so much more than I ever deserved to have. My family is and always will be there for me when I need them, and they're hilarious. (And amazing... I took this picture of my little nephew, Garrett, when I went home the other weekend...)



I have a roof over my head, food to eat, a car to drive, memories in my head... I have no right to be so frustrated with everything. I am lucky to be getting the education I am. So many people don't even get this chance. Heck, so many people have nothing. Some day I hope to be able to give to St. Jude's (or even do research for them) or Compassion International... Things that make such a difference for people. I want to be a part of that.

Anyway... I know this post is a bunch of randomness and complaining... Just one of those times I needed to get it off of my chest. I think I just need a break... a good cry. (I'm going to go watch PS I Love You... that should help that.) Things will happen in due time. Until then, I need to enjoy what's going on now. So... off I go.

"Be strong in the lord, never give up hope. You're gonna do great things, I already know. God's got his hand on you so don't live life in fear. Forgive and forget but don't forget why you're here."
-"The Words I Would Say" by the Sidewalk Prophets

Beautiful song. Heard about it through Jonah's site, and I've been hearing it a lot on the radio lately.

Anyway, again... with the lack of updates. School is still ruling and I've once again realized how horrible of a test-taker I am. I tend to overthink everything and it ends up biting me. This week and last week were pretty horrible between school and work, but there seems to be slightly more free time this weekend, which is good. But, in general, I've been feeling more like this:



and this:


(which is one of my favorite moments in Glee ever. Jane Lynch is hilarious.)

Anyway. But my anger turns to exhaustion and I sleep it off and I'm good. =)

On another happier subject, a friend of mine posted this video on her facebook...



To me, there's not much sweeter than a dad with his newborn. That definitely made my heart melt and didn't help with my baby fever at all.

ahem.

(*Disclaimer to now freaked out friends and family: No, Michael and I won't be having a baby anytime soon. That doesn't mean I can't look at newborns and get all fuzzy and want one. It's right then that my biochemistry book reality usually hits me in the face and I'm okay. Really.)

I'm wishing I had more time to work on my photography skills, but alas. One school-related thing that I've actually been happy to work on is my research paper for my English class. I'm writing a paper on pediatric cardiology, and how right now there are very few mechanical options for neonates and young pediatrics in heart failure. There's some really awesome research going on in that field right now, including a completely internal VAD that could branch kids over until transplant. I wish I could be part of that research, but for now I'll just have to write about it.

Anyway. More randomness, I apologize. But for now, I'm signing off again.
much love,

alex

"I Believe."
- from Spring Awakening.

Yup.

Just a warning, this is pretty much a crazy post about seeing Spring Awakening last night. A bunch of randomness. Because I have no one to rant to here. Michael will listen, but I know he's not interested. So..my poor blog friends... you get to listen.

It. Was. AMAZING.

Just like the first time. I'd just forgotten how amazing it is.

Two of the main characters were played by different people this time. Jake Epstein is playing Melchior now. I will admit, at first, I was a bit wary. Jake was on Degrassi, which I watched for awhile. He was great on there, but his character, Craig, didn't get with Ellie and I got mad and stopped watching didn't make me sure Jake could do Broadway. But he can. Most definitely. He threw some acting stuff in there that was different from the last time I saw it, and it was great. He has a great voice, too. I think he kind of approached Melchior differently, than Kyle Riabko, which is cool. He made Melchior his own. Amazing. I'm pretty sure his "Left Behind" is my favorite so far.

And then Taylor Trensch played Moritz, and I think he just started a couple weeks ago. He was great, too. He did a fantastic job, and especially "Don't do Sadness/Blue Wind" was ... gah. He and Steffi D got so into it that I wanted to get up and rock out.

I didn't think the people around me would appreciate that. Especially the old couple behind us who wouldn't shut up. People.

But, I digress.

Everyone else was just as amazing. I heard so many compliments on everyone's voices and they are so right. Every person on that cast is extremely talented. They always give it their all, and I love how into the music everyone gets. Even the band. And the swings that are sitting on stage. I definitely teared up at several points during the show. At first because I was so excited to be there (lame) and then during "Touch Me", just because it's one of my favorite songs and the harmonies and... yeah. Of course I teared up during the sad parts, and then during "Song of Purple Summer". The harmonies of that song are so amazing. Even Michael made a comment about it. And it was over. So. Sad.

But the raw energy of "Totally F'ed" is just.. insane. When Jake screamed "Yes!" people were cheering and then, of course, I got major chills after that when they stop and turn and shout the blah blah part to the audience. It was intense. And after some consideration, I decided I like the new "Whispering". *thumbs up*

And I'm pretty sure I could go on for forever about the amazing-ness and how everybody should see it, and how I was excited that I only saw one couple get up and leave (silly Kansans) and all that jazz. But I should probably stop and go do homework.

But if you haven't listened to the soundtrack and you aren't too easily offended... check it out. So. Much. Love. Forever and ever. If the tour gets near here again, I'm definitely buying stage seats, because that's the next steps. Hopefully I wouldn't have a complete breakdown.

I'd be good.

Okay... No lyrics... just this new Michael Buble song... I love it. The video is awesome and now I have to dance everytime I hear the song. =)



Oy. Once again, it's been forever since I posted. Wouldn't ya know that life got crazy busy again.

Huh.

But yeah... school has once again gotten ridiculous, between papers and homework and exams, it's a miracle I have time to sleep. And, of course, I got sick. A nice head cold to add to the mix. Gotta keep life interesting, ya know? Ha. So my nose is clearly out to get me and be my demise. Poor Michael has a chest cold, he's coughing up a storm. Swine flu? Maybe. More likely bronchitis. If it gets any worse, I'm forcing him to go to the health clinic here. Hopefully we'll both be better by this weekend, because we're having a little getaway in KC to see Spring Awakening!

I'm way more excited than he is. He is really dreading it, but he loves me, so he's gonna put up with it.

=)

Other than all that jazz, just the usual. Family's great. My littlest nephew is already in 6-month old clothes at 3 months and my other nieces and nephew are growing like weeds too. I told them all they had to stop.

We'll see how that works out.

So I'm sure all of you saw the wedding entrance to "Forever"... (If you didn't, check it out...) Anyway... Jim and Pam's wedding on The Office was this past Thursday... and they did this.


How awesome would it be to say your wedding inspired part of an episode of The Office?!?! Lucky ducks. Anyway, I had to find that ending to the video, because 1) it's sweet & 2) I would have bought the boat tickets, too. Haha.

All righty. Off to take more decongestant. That stuff works miracles.

"My chains are gone, I've been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy reigns. Unending love, amazing grace."
-"Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" by Chris Tomlin

Apparently I'm a little late jumping onto this song... My little sister introduced me to it. I think I'd somehow avoided it when listening to the Christian stations, because I'm not a big fan of "Amazing Grace" remakes, but this is different. If you haven't listened to it, check it out.



Tonight, I heard this song on my way home from my friends' house. It came on right after "Sea of Faces" by Kutless (another great song), which happens to be one of the first "Christian songs" I loved. Kutless was also the first CCM CD I bought. (besides Plus1, but that's a way different story). Anywho, I heard both of these songs, and I just felt God's presence with me. It was completely overwhelming, because it's been awhile since I've felt that way. Completely tingling and in-tune.

No big miracles happened today (though, little miracles happen everyday... If you read Jonah's story, you know that...), and nothing terrible happened. It was just another day. But now, the stress I'd been feeling is gone and I'm completely at peace right now. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it's nights like these that I'm brought back and grounded, and I remember that I need to be extremely thankful for what I have. I have an amazing husband and family, my friends are some of the best out there. I have a house, food, I'm getting an education. Another reason to be happy. To do good deeds.

I'm also not sure exactly where this post came from, I just felt the need to express how I'm feeling. And also to let people know that if they need prayer requests, I am constantly taking them. It's one thing I can do from anywhere for anyone.

Until next time (which will probably be back to my boring old self), much love,

Alex

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
~Frederick Keonig

How true that statement is. I have many favorite quotes, and was trying to pick one to start off this post, and this one just jumped out at me.

Happiness.

I've been trying to figure out how to begin this little shpeal.. I think I'll start off with some personal experience from work.... For those who don't know, I work in a cafe that's part of a bigger book/movie/music store. I have my fair share of run-ins with all sorts of different people. Happy, sad, angry, nonchalant... pretty much every kind of emotion. I've found it true that happiness is contagious... but so is anger. When I get a happy, thankful customer, it puts me in a happier mood. Angry or bitter customers just put me in a bad mood.

But then, in that bad mood, I've wondered, "Who is this person to come in here and make me unhappy? I shouldn't be catching their bad mood, I should be extending my happiness out to them." And so I have been making more of a conscious effort to be extra helpful and happy to those who look like they need it. Sure, sometimes it just backfires and people just withdraw more and push back. It's then that I decide that there's only so much I can do, and I hope that they can find happiness somewhere. I smile and thank them for coming in and that I hope they have a good day, because it's true.

My grandma was always happy. It was one of the things I admire about her. She was an amazingly loving, giving, happy person. I'm hoping that one day, I can love and give as much as she did. When we would visit she would always be laughing and smiling and it really seems like nothing ever got her down. If she burned something while baking, she would say, "Oh shoot," and then just carry on. I know so many people who would be so mad that they had ruined something that they would just be upset for hours. I used to do that too.

But now I realize that life is way too short to be angry or upset. For every second that we're unhappy, a happy second is lost, and can never be gotten back. At the end of my life, I want to know that I was as happy as much as I could, and made the best out of bad situations. I want my happiness to spread to other people, so they can spread it on. There are enough bad things in this world, and not nearly enough good ones.

So, the next time you spill something, instead of getting upset, laugh to yourself and say, "Well, I should be more careful next time!"

I spill things. Often.

But I find that smiling or laughing about it and cleaning it up and getting on with my day feels so much better than getting upset or mad at myself and being in a bad mood.

Next time you're walking on campus or down the street, make eye contact with people and smile at them. Because you really never know how much of a difference that can make.

And if they think you're crazy... their loss. =)

Next time someone's being negative and you find your own mood deteriorating, change the subject. Or just remember that there's no reason that a bad mood should win out.

I understand that there will be times to be upset or sad or mad. I just don't think that these moments should outnumber the happy.

There is also way too much hate in this world. People not accepting other people for whatever reason. I don't want to step too far into religious boundaries here (that's a completely different post). I consider myself a Christian. I believe in God and Jesus. But I don't think it's fair to shove beliefs on other people, or to tell them what they believe is wrong. (I don't consider going to different countries and teaching people about Jesus shoving beliefs, just for the record.) All that is doing is creating hate. I am all for love. Telling someone "I'm right and you're wrong" is usually just going to make that person push back harder, which is not going to help the situation. Just because someone is different or believes something different than me doesn't mean that I tell them that they're wrong and I'm right and that would could never be friends.

Love, people... Love.

I apologize for the disorganization and everything of this post. Of course, nothing came out quite like I wanted it to. I've never been the best with writing. (No matter what my mother tells you.) I just... wish there could be more happiness. There's never enough off it.

I'm going to end this post with a song that's been popular on the Christian stations recently. It's called "Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)" by Chris Rice. The first time I heard it, I was a mess. Even now, if I sit by myself, really think about it, and sing along, I'm a mess. I hope you like it.


Much, much love.


P.S. Tomorrow I might be trying to redo my blog layout again. So I apologize if it's a mess.

"The sky looks pissed. The wind talks back. My bones are shifting in my skin, and you, my love, are gone."
"The Chain" by Ingrid Michaelson

I definitely can't relate to this song... but it's my favorite Ingrid Michaelson song... so you should check it out.

Just sayin'.

I had a great weekend... last weekend when I went back home to help my parents. There was lots of packing and manual labor involved, but it was well worth it to hang out with all of them. My parents are all moved mostly moved into their new house. I love the new place, and think it'll be a great fit for them.

Of course... I took the opportunity to take plenty of pictures of my sister's kids...

Garrett's two months old now... and loves his blanket. My mom was babysitting him while my sister went to yoga with my dad, and Garrett was inconsolable for the whole time, until she gave him that blanket, and then he quieted right down.



I wanted use what little amount of creative juices I had on my older nieces and nephew, but I forgot how early it gets dark now...






They're great kids... all full of amazing personality. I can't believe how old they're getting.

Last picture... I got Garrett to smile and giggle a little bit from tickling him...


I'm all for making babies smile and giggle. It's pretty awesome.

I'm still feeling pretty overwhelmed with school... it seems like there's never a free moment, but I think that I'm going to try to get a little ahead this weekend. But I did have a dream last night about my research paper for English (Written Communication for Engineers. Sound like fun, right?), except I decided to make a heart out of clay. (I'm probably writing about how to improve pediatric artificial hearts) Which was found in the unformable materials in the store. lol. And then woke up in a cold sweat. Oh, school.

Michael and I are doing great... No matter how rough the day, I know that at the end of it, I get to fall asleep next to him, which makes everything okay. We're planning our trip to KC next month to see Spring Awakening (!!!), and I'm getting pretty excited about it.

Understatement.

Uhoh... The new New Moon trailer is out. Here's to hoping it's better than Twilight. (Which wasn't horrible.. I'm just not a fan of some of the acting...) Which reminds me, that all of my shows are coming back! Not having any TV channels makes this not so fun... But Mike and I watched Glee finally last night (LOVE IT!). I haven't had a chance to watch SYTYCD yet, but I think I'll watch it while I do homework, before work... I'm planning on having One Tree Hill watch parties with all of my old roommates... The Office, Fringe, Grey's, Private Practice and all the rest I'll just have to watch online. But I'm excited, nonetheless.

I'm hoping to write another post tomorrow... Nothing fancy... just about being happy and everything.

So until next time...

"When no one looks the clouds come rolling in. And under darkened skies buildings grow big teeth and eyes..."
-"Giants" by Five Iron Frenzy

I will always love that band. And the lyrics are true.

Well... not really.

But.. maybe?

Anyway.


Yes.

And I wish. Haha.

I'm sorry for being such a horrible blogger... I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've blogged. Things have been kinda hectic. Apparently I way underestimated what I was undertaking this semester. Right now I'm pretty sure the goal of all my classes are to make me feel dumb. It's working. I can't seem to remember the simplest things for my biochemistry lab. Or any of my classes for that matter.

Plus it seems like I'm always doing homework right now. I'm definitely even more glad now that Michael and I got married this past summer. I definitely wouldn't be seeing him at all if we weren't living together. I'm not seeing him much as it is. We're quite the busy people.

I've even slackened off on my dinner making.

And I love cooking.

But, I did jump back on the wagon tonight and made some chicken cutlets out of chicken breasts and threw some olive oil on them and coated them in a panko bread crumb and herb/spice mixture. I just finished mine... pretty darn good. Plus rice... and corn.

Oops.

I abandoned the corn in the microwave. All's well now.

Anywho... Besides memorizing all twenty structures and names of amino acids (that weren't on the quiz today. Go figure.) I'm trying to remember my english skills, and how to stay awake in my biology class.

Glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, proline, phenylalanine, tryptophan, serine, threonine, glutamine, asparaginine, lysine, tyrosine, cysteine, histidine, aspartic acid and gultamic acid.

In case you were wondering.

Sigh.

Uh oh.. I've gotta be at the library in 15 minutes to meet my group to do my process analysis homework.

Yipee.

Heading home this weekend, because my parents are moving (they bought a house!!) so lots of pictures of the kids will definitely be up next week.

"Long walks in the dark, through woods grown behind the park. I asked God who I'm supposed to be. The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie. I said a prayer and fell asleep. I had a dream."
"Dream" by Priscilla Ahn

Priscilla Ahn is another one of those quieter indie girl artists... kinda like Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson and Rachael Yamagata. I love that song... you should check it out.

Michael and I are almost all the way through this past season of the Office.


I love it. So excited for this coming season, no doubt. And actually, today I bought a three pack of legal pads... that have to do with The Office. I don't usually use legal pads.. but they're awesome. and I'm sure Michael will use them.

My nieces and nephew started school yesterday. They're all all day now.. Megan in kindergarten, Madi in first grade, and Gage in second. I can't believe how big they are already! But baby Garrett is still stuck at home with mom.. But he's got a pretty awesome shirt, so that's okay..


He's six weeks old today, too. Pretty cute, huh? I also recently downloaded Gimp for our desktop, and got to playing around with it.. (It's a free image editor that's supposedly a lot like Photoshop...)


Now that I see it on my laptop, I see I've missed a spot... but I'll deal with it later. If you're looking for a free photo editor, I'd definitely highly recommend Gimp... it's good stuff.

I'm almost ready for classes to start... next Monday. I bought my engineering paper today ($7 for 200 sheets. ugh. Ridiculous) and have pens and pencils ready... I only haven't bought one book, plus my biochem lab stuff... but that'll have to wait for after classes start.

Michael and I went and saw the Time Traveler's Wife on Friday... and while (of course) I thought the book was better.... they hit a lot of the main points. And I still got teary at the end. Michael just thought it was horrible depressing. And if you're looking for a good book (trilogy) to read, I'd check out the Mortal Instruments Trilogy. That's a link to the first book. It has the same kind of sci-fi feel as Twilight... and it's considered a Young Adult book, but it's good. I'm on the second book right now. They're pretty quick reads, but still good. Anyway.. if you're bored.

And heck, if you're looking for a good musical, check out Next to Normal. Shannon saw it on Broadway and told me how great it was, so I've been listening pretty much nonstop. Consequently the songs have been stuck in my head all of the freaking time. So I listen some more. It's a vicious circle.

I'm hoping once classes start back up, I'll start updating more again, as I'll be looking for ways to avoid studying. Heh. So yeah... For now, I'm off to cook dinner.

"Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am, and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're onto me, and all over me."
-"Gravity" by Sara Bareilles

I'm a big Sara Bareilles fan. So when they used this song for a dance on SYTYCD. I was pretty excited. The dance was about addiction... The guy playing the addiction and the girl the addict. I'd never thought about the song like that before... It's actually my favorite dance from this season.



Speaking of which, Jeanine won, which is awesome. She's only 18 and an amazing dancer. She's using the prize money to... 1. Go to UCLA 2. Buy each person from the top 20 a pair of sweatpants (lol) and 3. She's giving some money to the Alzheimer's foundation her and her sister started. In case... you wanted a SYTYCD update.

Anywho. My two icons for the post...

I am, once again, very very excited for ^ this movie to come out. The Time Traveler's Wife. Next Friday!

Oh, if only math were that easy. ( x = 5 cm., btw. In case you didn't know.) GEEK

Speaking of...



Oh dear. This book (along with my Biochemistry book) will be my best friend until I die, I hear. My Chemical Process Analysis book. The textbook is called "Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes". Doesn't it sound like a blast? If it didn't, just check out that picture. Now that looks like fun.



but really.. the summer's ending is fast approaching, and between working and sleeping, Michael and I have become addicted to The Office. I mean... really. After the wedding, we watched season 1, and it's all been crazy since then. We just finished season 3, and season 4's ready to be watched. And then I'll find season 5 online to be ready for this fall's season 6. It's hilarious... I don't even know what else to say about it.

Okay, I apologize for the randomness of this post... and that it's been so long between postings. I'm trying, I promise. =)

"Looking down I lay, I keep holding my chains. No longer bound, but here I stay. I scream, Father, please, I need rescuing, I need You and You alone."
- "Freedom" by Run Kid Run

I... don't really think that one needs further explanation. Amazing song.

I've decided I have way too many avatars, and no where to post them... So I'll start posting a few here... This time...


Oh, CW, you're like a freaking train wreck. I just can't stop watching. Especially OTH.
Plus, SYTYCD is on tonight... Evan's the only guy I really like that's left, and I feel really bad for him because he's not as strong in everything as the other guys, but he has a huge tween fanbase who vote fanatically for him. (Not that I've done that in past seasons....) But since he's not quite as good, the judges like to destroy him. Boo judges. Nigel and his stupid comments. (As a sidenote, I read in an article that Evan and his brothers play World of Warcraft. Aww. Yay nerds.) Really, I like a couple of the girls better... but they're harder to find icons of... (Mainly because, I think, most of the icon-makers are girls... ya know.) =)

And instead of Wordless Wednesday this week... I'm trying out Jenna's new thing....


So, let me see...

• I don't like the quiet. I usually have music playing if I'm home alone. Even when I'm studying or reading... I usually have some sort of background noise.

• I don't regret getting married at all. Some people are convinced I'm going to miss the whole "college scene" of going to parties, getting drunk and sleeping with random people. But I don't think I'll ever understand why people think that's fun.

• I don't do rap music... but I'll listen to almost anything else.

• I don't eat all that healthy. I'm trying to change that now that I'm cooking more often... but I've discovered I like baking more than cooking. Uh oh.

• I don't consider myself completely left-brained. (logical, objective, etc.) I definitely have a random, musical/artsy part of me.

• I don't understand why people have to hate other people, just because they're different. I'm pretty "middle-of-the-road" and unconfrontational about a lot of things... But when people just automatically judge and dislike someone for being "different"... that's not cool.

I think that'll do for now... I hope everyone's doing well... (and keep baby Stellan in your thoughts and prayers... along with all of those other sick babies.)