Girl with the red balloon.

Oh, where do I start?

Well, I have a new job. I have been a pediatric ophthalmic technician for two weeks now. I absolutely love it! (Who would have ever thought I would say that I love my job? NOT ME.) On Dr. McCarty days, I do work ups for office visits and post-ops. My office got a whole new computer system a few months before I came on board, so there is a little more work to do in the computer than they're used to, but I am coping just fine. I really like that it's all in the computer. I find it enjoyable to work up patients; I get to put in dilating drops and use a tonopen to check their pressures (by touching the instrument to the eyeball; so cool). On Dr. Peterson days, I am a scribe, which means I go in with the doctor and type in and click what he tells me to while he is examining the patient. I was most nervous about my duty as a scribe; one, because this doctor owns the place and I didn't want to mess up and two, because it is so different from anything I am used to... and I'm not big on change. However, I started going in with him on Monday and picked it up pretty quickly, and I actually like it a lot. I do miss-type and miss-click at times, but he teaches as we go through the exam.

Dr. McCarty will see between 20 and 30 something patients in a day, so it's pretty steady. Dr. Peterson sees 60 something every time he is in the office, so it gets really busy. I don't get to sit down much when he's there, but it's alright because it makes the time fly so fast.

Anyway, I rambled on about it because I am so much happier now. I love the people I work with. They are way rad, man.

I woke up this morning with a semi-scratchy throat. I thought it was just from a night of the fan on medium and my snoring on high, but it has gotten so much worse throughout the day. A couple of people at work have gone through this too. I constantly had a cough drop in my mouth all day so I wouldn't break out into a coughing fit while I touched and breathed on patients. Sigh. I'm getting sick.

This past weekend, my siblings and I, along with my brother-in-law Mat, my soon-to-be brother-in-law Jacob, and my best friend Bubba, got to be in the same city at the same time! It's a rare but special occasion when such an event occurs. I wish the fun could have lasted longer than one weekend, but I'll take what I can get.

I feel so disjointed right now (and I really really want to give my full attention to this music I just bought on iTunes), so forgive me for cutting you off from my other thoughts. If you're interested in what will be playing on my iPod: The Civil Wars and Elenowen. Both duos have amazing abilities. I'd kill for their talent.

Say a little prayer for my health. (Thank you if you did!)

I'll catch you on the flip side.

PSA: The Words and the Keys.

It needs to be said.

Parents, it's time to talk to your kids about being textually active. We've all heard the story of the Words and the Keys, and it is time to pass it along to the younger generation. We now live in a world where kids are starting to be textually active at younger and younger ages. If they do not practice safe text, it could lead to SGDs (Serious Grammar Defects). Having to live with an SGD can negatively impact your child for the rest of his or her life. In most cases, someone with an SGD will have a harder time in school, inhibiting their ability to obtain a decent job. SGDs will also prevent them from having normal social interactions with their friends. It is hard to take someone seriously when 'dey txt lyk dis'. In order to give your kids a great, well-rounded life, you need to take the time to teach them about proper punctuation protection. Let them know all the options such as commas, word control, and capitalization. Giving your kids a detailed education on the subject will protect them in the long run, making you a super hero.

Tradition in the making.

Hey, you. So, I gave blood again today, and while the nurse was painfully digging around in my arm with a needle, I had an idea. If you read this post from my first blood giving experience, then you know I followed up with an iPod type survey. I had the thought that maybe this should be tradition after the giving of blood. Why not, right?


Well, here you go.


If you woke up as the opposite sex, whats the first thing you would do? Well, I'd change my name to Leonidas. Because it's so manly. I can't imagine in what situation 'Cassie' would be an appropriate name for a dude.

Are you addicted to anything? Oxygen. I can't seem to go very long without it.


Has an animal ever attacked you? I have been mauled by caterpillars.


When was the last time someone made you laugh really hard? I only make people laugh when I laugh - insanely hard.


Do you find piercings/tattoos attractive? I sometimes find the people on which they rest attractive.


What's the weirdest thing you've ever licked? My palm. So I could sniff and judge the rankness of my breath. It's very effective.


When you wake up, what's the first thought that runs through your head? "Curse the sun!"


Do you actually believe Alaska is covered in snow? Bombe (Baked) Alaska is covered in fire.


Are you ever purposely irritating? Only when I have nothing better to do.


If you could make someone disappear, who would it be? Toby.


Look behind you, what do you see? A hole in my vision from the blinding light.


What's your fav thing about the opposite sex? That they are the opposite sex.


What would you be doing right now if you were kicked off your computer? I would browse the net on my cellular device. Because it's 2011.


Who do you want to be with right now? The South Carolinians that I love.


Are you fun to hang with? Depends on who you ask.


What country would you love to visit? Narnia.


What's on your mind right now? Physically, a headache.


When was the last time you went to a good party? My cousin had a totes awesome haunted house 12th birthday party. We got crazy.


Can you lick your elbow? I do what I want.


Do you like anyone you can't have? Mr. Darcy. 


What song is stuck in your head right now? That headache.


What do you think is at the end of the rainbow? Not rainbow.


If a blind guy started hitting on you, what would you do? I'd hit him back. 'An eye for an eye.'


Ever been in a fight? With my earbuds.


If so did you win? Always.


Done anything illegal lately? I threw a penny in the garbage.


Ever been in trouble for something you didn't do? Yes. I was spanked with a hairbrush (which broke in half by the way) because I looked similar to my sister. It was for something she did.


Are you hungry? A pinch.


If you could speak another language, what would it be? Na'vi.


One word to describe yourself? Female.


To describe your friends? Friendly.


What's the last present you've received? Black high heels to sell in my virtual boutique.


What would you rather have as a name? Princess Consuela Banana Hammock.


Could you outrun a bus? Buses can't run.


You and your friends are bored. What do you do? Stop being bored and start being awesome.


What's your middle name? Danger. 


What would you do if the world were coming to an end? Eat at Moe's.


Biggest regret ever? Having regrets.

Bananas and Circus Peanuts.

Funny story. Last night as I was getting ready for bed, I was so ready to lay down that I was doing all of my nightly rituals at once. I grabbed the bottle and poured a huge swig of what I thought was mouth wash into my mouth. I strained the goo through my teeth and soon found out that I had, in fact, poured my face wash into my mouth. It does not have an appealing taste or texture. It was not a shining moment. In my defense, both the mouth wash and the face wash have the same exact flip top. I was trolled.

Awesome story. I was contacted by Pediatric Eye Specialists through my sister (who works at SouthEast Eye Specialists) and they asked me to come interview for a job. I went Monday and talked with the office manager and one of the doctors. I thought it went pretty well, but the office manager told me they were also considering two others for the job. Honestly, I didn't think I would get it because of the concerns they expressed when talking to me. However, this morning as I was getting ready for work, their office called and left me a voicemail offering me the job! I called her back right away and accepted.

Only now, I had to tell my boss I was putting in my two weeks notice. I decided to do it at lunch since we had patients first thing that morning. I was a nervous wreck for hours. I don't think I have ever been that stressed out. I guess it was rather silly to be nervous about that, but I knew what this was going to mean for Dr. Montgomery. For most of the four years that I have been there, I have been in charge of all things insurance. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but they really will have a tough time for a while without me... unless they can find someone with that type of experience. That's why I was so nervous and feel so bad for leaving. It's hard to do this to a boss that has been so great and understanding. On the other hand, I can't just stay there for her sake. I've got to get on with my life, and with the way it all worked out, I am positive this was God jump starting my next move. I can't wait to see what other changes and challenges come my way! If you wouldn't mind, would you keep me in your prayers as I start my job in two weeks? It will be much appreciated because this job will be a big change with so much I will have to learn. I'm a little nervous.

It's late. I'm sleepy. Goodnight, lovelies.

Baby, I'm a dreamer for sure.

Because my brain never rests, I have a couple dreams I can share with you.


DREAM 1:

Those who know me can testify to this fact: I have never let alcohol touch my tongue. So of course it can be a temptation every now and then. What strikes me as odd is that in my dreams, when I do partake in adult beverages, I go out of control. In this particular dream, I did just that; the effects of alcohol, even in dream land, turn out to be very odd and unholy.

Also, you need to know that the night before this dream, I had a Twitter conversation with Lo. BREAKING DAWN SPOILER ALERT: We were quoting Jacob and Renesme like they were discussing their relationship after she grew up. Jacob, of course, imprinted on Edward and Bella's daughter, which means he is tied to her in a complicated way. But in essence, he is going to eventually fall in love with and marry this girl. When she grows up, duh. But he imprints on her as a baby, meaning he knows when she is born that this is who he wants to spend the rest of his life with.. That makes it weird. Our conversation was quite humorous.

Anyway, without further ado...

I was in what seemed to be not quite a church, not quite a house, but somewhere in the middle. I started out laying down on a pallet of blankets with a new, unopened bottle of vodka at my side. I screwed off the top and downed half of the bottle before sitting up right. As I felt the liquid poison my bloodstream, I stood up and walked out of the door. I found my friend Bubba. He told me his body was dying but that he could live on in a different body. So, he was somehow transferred to this 3 or 4 year old body. He could still talk, walk, think, etc. like he could as an adult, he just has to grow up again physically. I got one of those child carriers that you wear like a backpack, but on your front, and put him in it. I was walking around talking to him, and in my mind, I decided this is what it was like to imprint on a child. I decided it was completely sane.


As we were walking and talking, we ran into Will and Joseph. (They and Doug were really in Israel at the time.) I asked why they hadn't left for Israel yet. They told me they were going in a couple of days, when Doug was finished with his first three days of stuff. And then I had to explain to them about the Bubba child that was strapped to my chest. Quite embarrassing and hard to explain if I do say so myself. They were weirded out.


DREAM 2:


This dream really has no explanation. I haven't the slightest idea why I would have such a dream...

I was again, at a church, Christian Heritage to be exact. I was outside the Family Life Center under the awning when I ran into Tiffany Groves. Like a normal human being, I stopped to ask her how she was. She asked if I had heard about Daniel (her husband). I told her I had not and asked if he was okay. Tiffany told me that he was in a coma! I was shocked and trying to be sensitive, but I had to find out more details. I asked how it happened and she told me that he drank an energy called Ultimate Rockstar. This brand has six times the amount of sugar as a normal can of any energy drink. As soon as he finished it, he passed out in the coma and has not come back since. I asked her how long ago this happened and she told me he has been in a coma for six months. It was then that I noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin. She had been running ragged for those six months. It was terribly sad. And really weird.




I also recently had a lucid dream. (You know, when the dreamer can directly control what happens.) I don't really want to share the details of that dream, but I want to tell you how you can have one too... it really works! Bubba and I actually watched a YouTube video about how to do it. The video gives extensive ways to help you be able to manipulate your dreams; I only used one of the tips. I set my alarm, woke up about thirty minutes earlier than usual, and turned the alarm off so I could fall back asleep. As I was drifting off again, I kept repeating in my head "I will have a lucid dream. I will have a lucid dream." until I fell asleep. As soon as the dream started, I knew I was in the dream world and had complete control. It was so much fun to be able to do that! And even though I knew it was a dream, I could still sense things around me as if it was real, like I can when the dream isn't lucid. It actually felt more real than any other dream, if that is even possible. But maybe that was just because of the events... of what I wanted to happen. I can tell you it was a bummer to have to wake up. I was quite enjoying myself.

I haven't tried it since, but I think I will soon.

Fight or Flight.

Yesterday was my day off of work. Because of the migrane I woke up with, I stayed home pretty much the entire day by myself. (Pawpaw was the only visitor I had.) 8 PM rolled around pretty quickly and as it was getting dark out, I searched the channels for an interesting program. I settled on a movie about murderers, of course. About thirty minutes into the movie, I hear some sort of noise coming from my kitchen, to which I turned the volume down so I could get a better listen. It was a repetitive, kind of sawing or scraping sound. I shrugged it off and decided to assume it was something I didn't need to check out. About ten minutes later, the living room light flickered three times, causing my heart to race a little. The light was the only electrical thing that decided to do this so I laughed at the situation as I continued watching the thrilling movie, trying not to psych myself out.

Another ten minutes passed and all of a sudden, my entire house went black. From my seat, I could see the houses across the street from mine; they all still had electricity. The other two occurances that happened just moments ago flooded my mind with every possible hostage/torture/homidice situation that I have ever seen in a movie. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..." I repeated in a low, horrified voice. I fumbled with my phone for a moment before I could get it to dial a number, any number. I selected Bubba's number quickly and darted my eyes toward the kitchen door frame, although I could see nothing. In my mind, whoever had caused that noise earlier was about to stand in the doorway and let it be known he was there. Finally, Bubba answered. I couldn't really get my thoughts together of what I wanted to say, so I ended up asking if he was busy at that moment. As I waited for the answer, I felt a little ridiculous for not just saying what was going on in my house and in my mind. I got it together and told him in broken sentences that I was terrified and couldn't see anything. He would ask me questions, but I didn't know what to do or say. My words wouldn't come out right.

He finally just resolved to come to my house but I couldn't sit there and wait for a deranged psychopath to kill me with inevitiblity. I felt around on my couch and found my purse sitting there, thank God. I told Bubs I was just going to come to his house. I found my keys in the front pocket and darted to the front door. As I opened the door, I just imagined someone coming right up behind me. This put a little more fire under my step. With no shoes on, I slammed the door behind me and I frantically walked into the rain to my car. Hands trembling, I fumbled with the keys until I found the right one. It was one smooth motion once I got the key into the lock; I hopped in the car, shut and locked the door, and cranked the engine before I took in another breath. My dark house looked so out of place on my street of lit up ones. I drove out of there as fast as I could.

On the way to the Johnson's, I noticed that, of course, I was out of gas. If this wasn't a scene of a scary movie, then I don't know what is. I drove for a bit and pulled over at a gas station that I am well familiar with. For my bare feet, I scrounged up a pair of flats that happened to be in my car. I only pumped $10 into my car before deciding that was enough, I wasn't waiting around like the stupid girls in movies to see if it would turn out the same way. If movies have taught me anything, it's to be smarter than their characters.

Finally in my car and on the way to my destination, I called my sister to let her know what happened, as she would be returning home soon. I had to leave a voicemail because there was no answer. I turned on Christian radio to calm down my nerves a bit. I was a little shaky from this entire episode. One line of a song stuck out to me; it kind of nudged me that it was what I needed to hear. The lyric said "you just call My name and I'll be there." So, I did. I prayed that everything at the house was okay and that I was truly freaking out for nothing; better an embarrassing freak out than a real life horror scene. Half listening, half praying, the next song truly made me feel better. At the moment, I can't remember what song it was, but it kept repeating "do not be afraid". It was the only thing I heard and I really felt God saying it to me.

My sister called me back when I got to the Johnson's and I told her the story and advised her to wait until her boyfriend got to the house before going inside, to which she agreed. In the end, it turned out that everything was okay in the house, praise the Lord.

I am very thankful I can tell this story in slight embarrassment and humor. After the fact, the whole thing is quite funny, but if it happened again, I would react the exact same way. And don't pretend you wouldn't have thought or done the same.

It really is Halloween time, isn't it? ;)

The $500 Movie Ticket.

I just had a NaNo freak out! There are about 24.5 days left until the month of November begins and I have no clue of what I am going to write about. I am starting to question whether I actually want to do it now or not. I made it through last year, but my story failed to even keep my attention, so it wasn't worth trying to resuscitate. I haven't even read the bulk that I wrote since day 30 of last November. Maybe I'll pull that out and try to convince myself to do it and be better this year.

I neeeeed a story to tell. It's so hard to come up with a fresh story from the recesses of my mind. I feel like every story possible has already been told, even though that's a lie. Only after the fact of reading an interesting book/story do I think hey, I should have and could have written that first.. psh, another lie.

Someone give me a brilliant story for my NaNo novel and if I use it, I will dedicate the entire book to you! Such an honor. ;)


I've lost count of how many movies I've seen in theaters this year, but the last known documentation was 47 on August 31st, and I've seen quite a few since. Let's say I have roughly seen 50 movies this year. IF I paid the full, average price of $10 per ticket, I will have spent $500.00 on movie tickets alone since January 1st.
That. Is. Ridiculous.

However, plenty of those movies were seen for the price of $1 or $3 at the cheap theater and there have been many occasions the ticket was free (friends in high places). Still, movie ticket prices are outrageous, but that doesn't keep me from seeing them. #cinemafangirl

Officially Autumn.

The first day of fall certainly warrants a blog post. I have been waiting for today since the first scorching hot day of the summer. Are we in agreement that the summer was unbearable? Yes, we are. ...I thought so.

I'm not typically a morning person - usually I will not talk to you until I completely wake up, which takes a couple of hours - but I am feeling particularly happy today. I think because the events of today have been quite comical, and I have only been awake for less than 2 hours.

Ash woke me up this morning so that I could braid her hair. She told me my alarm had been going off for a long time and that she herself was almost late for work. This gave me the idea that I was running late. In a hurry, I checked the time; it said 7:30 on my phone but my brain registered that it was 8:30. So, like usual, I let myself lay in bed for 10 or 15 more minutes. I had planned on getting up early to straighten my hair, but at this point, I threw my hair up in messy pigtails. I rushed out to my car and was on my way to work, running just a few minutes behind... like normal. I walked up to our office door and almost unlocked it when I noticed that there were no lights on in LensCrafters and they are always here before the doctor's side. I checked my phone to see if someone tried to contact me because they were late and that is the point that I noticed it had just turned 8:03 am. Not 9:03. I was one whole hour early to work. There was nothing I could do but laugh. I felt a little dumb. And a little embarrassed.

But I quickly absolved my embarrassment by treating myself to a Pumpkin Spiced Latte for the first day of fall. How convenient is it that Starbucks is just across the parking lot from my work? I am one lucky optometric technician. ;)

I enjoyed the latte in Starbucks for a while before retreating to my car to finish it off while listening to The Cab. (BTW, they have a new album "Symphony Soldier" that is to die for. I am in love with the entire album and have been able to listen to nothing else. You must go out and buy it!) While sitting in my car, a few drops of the orange colored latte dropped onto my light green scrubs. I had a napkin so I dipped it in the cup of water I had with me and scrubbed the two spots until it was only semi-noticeable. A few minutes later, I did it again - this time, it was more like splashes of latte. I then happened to notice a random pair of nicely-folded-and-ready-to-be-worn scrubs in my car. I just had to chuckle at the situation.

Nothing went "right" this morning but everything turned out better than I had wanted/planned. I think it was God who orchestrated this entire thing. It's Friday. It's Fall. It feels fabulous outside. He sure knows how to make me happy. :)

Happy Friday, lovelies!

Locks of Love.

Kind of hard to see, but
this was the night before.



Cousin It.



12 inches.



New hair.



Half a century.

Daddy is 50 years young today! In celebration, here are 50 things you probably didn't know about him...

1. He is the youngest of four.
2. He is an engineer for SRS.
3. His transportation is a motorcycle.
4. He is the funniest person alive.
5. He calls me Bucket.
6. He has taught himself to play many many instruments, including guitar, banjo, piano, drums, etc.
7. His mind is incredibly creative; he used to help my siblings and I with projects and such.
8. His middle name is Alan.
9. He played soccer in college as a goalie.
10. He filmed hours and hours of our lives as we were growing up.
11. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
12. He used to DJ for all of our school dances. (The high school pageants, too.)
13. He gave me my middle name. (Brooke)
14. He  is the parent from which my siblings and I learned our sarcasm/humor/quick wit.
15. He's a trekkie.
16. He looks exactly like his father did.
17. He is relatively a quiet person (I take after him).
18. He helped coach the softball teams I was on.
19. He used to rock a mustache.
20. His favorite movie is The Blues Brothers.
21. He watched all of the Harry Potters so he could go with my siblings and I to the Deathly Hallows
part 2 midnight premier.
22. He is an avid reader.
23. He has two brothers and one sister.
24. He broke both arms when he was little. (I think he fell off of a tree.)
25. He can fix anything.
26. He gave his physical genes to Cody and Brandy.
27. He is a runner.
28. He rode the dragon on his motorcycle. (a winding, narrow, curvy road in the mountains)
29. He will "hit the deck" at every rapid.
30. He chews on toothpicks until there is barely anything left.
31. He is the master griller.
32. If our old (long time dead) dog, Scotty, was a person, he would be my dad.
33. He once burned me with boiling water on accident. (we were making macaroni and cheese)
34. He was the tooth puller and fairy.
35. He would call every single one of our pets "Biscuit."
36. He taught my siblings and I the Smartt family secret.
37. He knows how to turn a phrase for a paper. (He helped us plenty of times.)
38. He has done (possibly is still doing?) the Caveman Diet.
39. He used to play "Everybody Dance Now" on the stereo for us in the living room so he could
watch/film us dancing.
40. He tried a Krystal at the Krystal Headquarters in Chattanooga before it came out.
41. When he was little, he used to lay under the record player to watch the gears turn.
42. He wears contacts. (In fact, he is the one that contributed to my bad vision. :P)
43. He built us a fort in our backyard.
44. He is very handy with tools.
45. He is an incredible artist.
46. As a teen, he had perfect helmet shaped hair.
47. He had a red '68 or '69 Camaro. And I think he had it until Brandy was born; they traded it in for a
Ford Aerostar aka The Pimp Van.
48. His first worked at TVA before moving us to North Augusta to work at SRS.
49. He tans very quickly.
50. He used to put all of our drawings on the wall in his old office behind his computer. It was
completely filled.

Happy Birthday, Fah-jah!

I love you so much!!

Blood & Music.

The deep crimson hue of a half a liter of blood is quite pretty. I watched that amount of my own blood flow from my arm through a long, clear tube and into an IV bag. It was my first time to give blood. I hadn't planned on doing that for my afternoon off, but Ash did and she asked me to come along. I was pretty excited because I have always wanted to donate. The tube sat on the length of my arm as it transported life juice from my body; I could feel the warmth of the blood. It was rather neat. I could definitely feel the change in my body as I sat in that chair. It's been a couple hours now and I can still feel the after effects. It's not bad, just uncomfortable; I'm a bit woozy. And they gave us a free T-shirt! That's always a good thing, and the shirts are actually really cute. Win-win, eh?

You know, the iPod song shuffle survey thing...

How am I feeling today? Ordinary - Candlefuse
How do my friends see me? Forgiven - Sanctus Real
What is my best friend's theme song? Enchanted - Taylor Swift
What is the story of my life? Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship ..haha
What is the best thing about me? Miracle - Paramore
What is today going to be like? The Broken - Coheed and Cambria 
What is in store for this week? The Moment - Safteysuit
What song describes my mom? I Don't Need a Soul - Relient K
What song describes my dad? Just Like Somebody Else - Big Daddy Weave
To describe my grandparents? Beautiful Words - The Afters
How is my life going? Enjoy the Silence - Anberlin
What song will they play at my funeral? Last Flight Home - All Time Low
How does the world see me? Thinking About You - Norah Jones
Will I have a happy life? Next Year - Corey Smith
What do my friends really think of me? Burn This City - Cartel
How can I make myself happy? Promise the Stars - We The Kings
What should I do with my life? Crank Dat Soulja Boy - Soulja Boy
What is some good advice for me? She is Love - Parachute
How will i be remembered? From the Bottom of my Broken Heart - Britney Spears
What is my signature dancing song? The Party Scene - All Time Low
What is my current theme song? Perfectly Lonely - John Mayer ..haha, great.
What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Word of God Speak - Kutless ..dang.

LIFE STORY:
Opening Credits: One Sweet Love - Sara Bareilles
Waking Up: The Real - Nevertheless
First Day At School: Brighter - Paramore
Falling In Love: Endless Love - Glee version
Fight Song: One Time - Justin Bieber ..haha
Breaking Up: Forgiven - Alan Lastufka & Luke Conard
Prom: You Got It Bad - Usher
Life's OK: World of Warcraft Ruined My Life - All Caps
Mental Breakdown: Left All Alone - There For Tomorrow
Driving: Decode - Paramore
Flashback: Love Like Woe - The Ready Set
Getting Back Together: Other Side of the Door - Taylor Swift
Wedding: Lullaby - The Spill Canvas
Birth of Child: Brink of Disaster - Mae
Final Battle: You Make Me Sick - Pink
Death Scene: This is How I Disappear - My Chemical Romance
Funeral Song: Party Foul - Family Force 5
End Credits: You'll Be In My Heart - Usher singing the Disney song from Tarzan

What song describes my mood right now? Shackles - Mandisa
What song do I listen to when Im depressed? Somebody to Love - Anne Hathaway
Happy? Billionaire - Glee version
Scared? Yule Shoot Your Eye Out - Fall Out Boy
Bored? Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson


Movies seen in theater: 47
DvDs bought: 72 (it changed!)

The (not-so) Great Pyramid.

Instead of writing what I actually want to write, I am going to write about those things that I want to write about. Confusing, eh?

I have several unfinished posts that I eventually want to put on here, but it just requires so much thinking right now. I am currently listening to some great music and it seems that is where my attention is going to stay.

So, the posts I need to get to soon:
...Smartt Sibling Staycation '11
...an awesome dream from last night
...The Wonder Years (elementary age but looking at life outside of school)

There, now someone can hold me accountable. (Bear Jew? Loretta? Ace? Jacques?) Make me do these this week.

I know I have skipped two days in a row (oops!) but here is my excuse for last night:

My friends and I went to Leah and Chris' house for game night. (Ash was there too, but she isn't fully pictured. That's her arm in the background. Ha) And the night before, I just chose not to do it. I had all day to write something, seeing as I was off of work, so I had no excuse. I was just being a lazy bum.

Today was a great day in RiverKidz at church! We had 11 youngsters... not too shabby, eh? We tried to make a human pyramid, but we couldn't get everyone to stack that high without casualties. So, here are a few of the kids and the other 3 RiverKidz workers doing their best:

I sure do love being in there with these awesome kids!

Movies seen in theater: 46
DvDs bought: 70 (this number hasn't changed in quite a long time.)

These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eye lashes

Silver white winters that melt into spring

These are a few of my favorite things.

I once saw a book that was just one long list of the things that made the author happy. Really, it listed anything and everything the author could think of. I decided to make my own (significantly shorter) list:
(You may think some are cheesy. If so, bite me.)


Rain

Lessening the impact of a horror movie by filtering it through my fingers

Old movie posters

Smiling

Home videos

A true friend

Holding hands

Laughter being the best medicine

Lazy days

Sharing a secret with only one other person

Driving

Daisies

A non-humid, warm day

 

Scavenger hunts

 

Getting off of work early

Waking up earlier than needed and just laying there in bed

Making s’mores by the fire

Backyard football in the fall

Jesus

Winter

& Fall

Texting

Tennessee Mountains

Doodling

Old photographs

Weddings

Star gazing/seeing a shooting star

Lovely Facebook comments

The atmosphere of a hotel

A full tank of gas

Seeing the sun set and moon rise

The “snuggle right in” feeling

A dark room while relaxing

New ringtones

Reading a journal I kept from some time ago

Pleasant dreams

A saxophone playing softly in the background

Singing as loud as I want to my favorite song

Writing

Reminiscing 

Finding the perfect outfit

Using a word I just learned

Stating a useless fact for the heck of it

Taking a much needed nap

A sea breeze on a hot day

Finding something I thought I’d lost 

Learning something new and interesting

Falling asleep listening to my favorite CD 

The love of my family

A fresh pair of contacts

Excitement about seeing a movie in theaters 

Watching someone’s face as they open my gift

Compliments

Getting my work done and having time to spare

Reading a great book, then wanting to reread it

Girls night out

Putting on warm clothes from the dryer

Long, hot showers

Getting the last piece of Mawmaw’s chocolate cake

Sharing clothes with my sisters

New hairdo/color

Freshly painted toenails

Sunlight through the trees

Taking pictures

Seeing my family after a couple months

Cuddling

Homemade cooking

Playing make-believe with my little cousin

Movie extras

Seeing old friends

Watching favorite TV shows and movies from my childhood

Chapstick

Softball

Sweet love songs

Cute AND comfortable shoes

Recurring dream.

I don't know what it is with my subconscious, but I have some of the most disturbing dreams. What's worse is that this particular dream occurred last night for the third time. You know, after the first time a disturbing dream happens, I think to myself I don't ever want to have that dream or a dream like it again. Sadly, I can not control my subconscious or the dream itself no matter how hard I try. It's awful. Anyway, here it goes:

In my dream, I lived back in SC in my old house. I was of a preteen age and Cody just happened to be around 5 or 6 (not our normal age difference). Cody and a little girl friend he had visited this elderly couple almost everyday in our neighborhood. The couple would feed them treats. I could feel in the dream my uneasiness towards that house every time I passed it. The particular day of the dream, Cody and his friend were over there and I told my mom that I just didn't like it anymore and that I was going to get them.

As I walked nearer to the front door, all sorts of bad feelings flooded my body. I heard Cody and his friend talking to the man around the back of the house. The man started to usher the kids inside so I asked if I could join them. The man looked to the window and gave his wife a suspicious expression at my request, but in the end, he invited me inside.

The lady sat us down at their kitchen table and handed us each a plate of - well, I'm not quite sure what it was. I didn't eat any of it. Anyway, the man pulled the lady from the room and that is when my nightmare had been confirmed. Cody and his friend whispered to me that after they eat what was prepared, they would have to go into a room and the couple would do things to them. (I will spare you the details.) The kids were always told that if they tell anyone, bad things would happen and that had to keep coming back or those same bad things would happen.

At that moment, I grabbed them both by the arm and we ran out the side door. As I looked around, I saw Brandy and Mom getting ready to walk to the front door so I called them to where we were. Luckily, the couple did not return to the kitchen to see that we had fled. Instead, I heard the back door open and we ran as fast as we could to the only thing we could hide behind - this "wall" of windows. There was a small amount of wood covering the bottom area of the wall, so if we layed still enough on the ground, it could have possibly hidden us. Brandy had Cody wedged under her and I had the girl. We told them they had to be really still and quiet until I told them to get up.

I would peek through a window every few seconds to view the situation. The man was out back smoking a cigarette when the lady yelled to him that we were gone. They frantically searched the area and eventually concluded that we were long gone and then, he noticed the top of my head as I peeked for the last time. He started running at us, yelling in a deep, low voice and his face contorting into the scariest face possible...

Then, my body jerks itself awake.

Everything and Nothing.

I am using Barnes and Noble for their internet. I came here specifically to write a blog for the 16th day of BEDA and got so consumed in these documentaries, that I almost forgot.

I am somewhere in the second part of this documentary of "Everything and Nothing". The first part - "Everything" - is about space and the beginning of the study of space. It expands on the distance of stars, mathematical and physical theories, and paints the picture of "everything" to its edges. It is truly fascinating.

I have always been so interested in stars and space, and everything new that I learn about them blows my mind. It's like God was creating an incredible piece of art so beautiful and so detailed that it begs the question, how could a sovereign being not have created it and the world in which we know? For there to be that much detail in the vast expansion of the galaxy, of the universe, and also in the fleck of dust that is our planet and in each of its living beings, there should be no question at all.

The second part - "Nothing" - explores the voids, the emptiness, of the universe. The laws of nature go out of their way to make sure we can't create nothing until we can reach the specific weight of the atmosphere. The weight of the atmosphere was tested and proven to change at increased elevations. This lead to the realization that the earth is encased in an atmosphere that thins out rapidly as you go further into space. It's incredible how a single thought can be taken and elaborated so that new discoveries and advances are formed. I am in awe of our unique world.

I am only about ten minutes into "Nothing" so I am going to get back to it before B&N closes and I have to leave. I hope this semi-educational post has been a nice change. If this kind of thing interests you, I would definitely recommend watching them. And if you know of any other great documentaries, I'm always on the lookout for more!

Please RSVP to my cave party.

I walked outside this morning to a crisp, cool breeze! I soaked in the non-humid atmosphere for a moment before having to leave for work. This is the way mornings are supposed to feel.

Even as I left for lunch, it felt a bit warm, but still amazing. This is the first day of summer 2011 that I have not loathed. It has made me that much more ready for fall!

I am told it is preseason for college football, which doesn't really mean anything to me, but it has so many people excited. In the end, I don't really care all that much about stats and games, except when I am actually at the game. I do, however, like to rustle some feathers by talking banter and smack talk... that's always fun. :P Hopefully I will be able to attend a UT game this year. Go Vols!

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Would you rather...


Chew like a cow or laugh like a goat?
laugh like a goat; I don't like nasty chewing sounds.

Have a diet too heavy on grease or a diet too heavy on sugar?
Hello diabetes.

Be trapped in a cave full of vampire bats or put a large jar full of bees (opened) in your pants?
bats.

Have your house hit once every 6 months with graffiti vandals or have your house hit once every two weeks with toilet paper vandals?
graffiti can be great for photographs.

Have Xray vision or have the power to read minds?
read minds. There would be no secrets kept from me. mwah-ha-ha-haaaa.

Wear the same outfit of your least favorite color every day for 1 year or knock on your crush's door asking for toilet paper?
I'd ask for TP... really, guys, it's not that embarrassing.

Wear the same pair of unwashed socks for 2 years or wear the same pair of unwashed underwear for 1 year?
ew. just, ew.

Have eyebrows that make a complete circle around your eyes or have flat eyelashes that stick out 12 inches and can't be trimmed?
haha, funny visual. eyelashes.

Get on the really good side of Bill Gates or your favorite actor/actress?
depends on who would give me money... I would need to know in advance.

Kiss 10 monkeys or eat 10 spiders?
Bring on the poop slingers.

Do a job interview with your bottom lip 5 times it's size or with a cat face painted on you?
cat face. like Hazo.

Never show up in photographs or have no reflection in mirrors?
have no reflection. I would scare the poo out of everyone. On purpose. >:)

Smell like the sewer for a year or trade places with your sibling for 6 months?
I wouldn't mind being Ash or B.

Spend your life in the same cave or the same tree?
cave... more room to have parties.

For the same amount of money: Have a job you love and word 60 hours a week or have a job you hate and work 25 hours a week?
Job I love... I already have the other as full time.

Movies seen in theater: 45
DvDs bought: 70