Thoughts, Updates, and Advice.

--I’m not a fan of the bus system. Too complicated.

--Never cross the street unless it is VERY clear in both directions. You will get hit otherwise.

--Do not confuse ombligo (belly button) and hormiga (ant). Especially when you are trying to explain that you found 100 ants in your closet this morning. It will cause mass confusion since they are trying to figure out how 100 belly buttons got there.

--I have classes at 8am Mon-Thurs. Yuck. But no classes on Friday:)

--When trying to open the house room, apparently is common to have to pull it back as you’re turning the key to unlock it. I did not know this and spent a good 5min trying to open the door while my brother sat inside, drinking lemonade, laughing at me.

--My last name went from McKibben to Mukibben to Muckibben to Mc Kibben. They only time it was ever right was when I sent in my application. After that, not so much.

--Never fall asleep while watching a move in the living room. You never know who is sneaking around the house with a camera.

--I have yet to sleep in past 8. I usually get anywhere from 4-7 hrs of sleep a night. And I’ve only taken ONE siesta. I’m a changed woman.

--I have perfected “the nod”. I know how and when to do it. It comes in handy when people are talking and you don’t have the slightest idea what’s going on. So you follow their movements and nod along. Works like a charm.

--I love coffee. I came to the right place.

--I still have bug bites from 2 weeks ago when I first arrived. And I keep getting news ones. Perfect.

--Classes start tomorrow. Oh. No.

--I have dressed in nice clothing (aka no gym shorts/tshirts—except for beach) for an entire 2 weeks now. Be impressed. I know I am.

Well, that’s all my randomness for now! I took pictures of the family and house. I will post them here soon.

Pura Vida.

--I spent 1 week in Liberia, Costa Rica, living with a family that wasn’t exactly the best experience I’ve had. But it's okay because I'm in CR:)

--My family in Liberia informed me that I was one of those “modern girls” who never eat anything. If you’re reading this, I assume you know me. It is quite the contrary. What I eat in the US is usually considered quite the decent amount, but here it’s not enough. For breakfast on the first day I ate a 2 pieces of toast, a big thing of yogurt, a café, and orange juice. I told the lady that this was a lot of food and I normally don’t eat this much…I didn’t want her to make so much next time. Bad idea. So for the remainder of my stay, they would make comments about how I never eat, but the exchange student next door always ate 2 or 3 plates of food. Aye!

--New Host Family. They are super great. They are all very nice and have a lot of patience. They also talk a very good rate, lol. I’m very happy with this family. The mom is very loving. The whole “mi casa es su casa” phrase applies.

--Mi hermana is getting married in November! And guess what? I’m going to be here for the wedding. They have already told me I’m coming:) She’s very friendly and I can’t wait to get to know her better.

--Mi hermano is in his first year of college. He’s going to be a gym teacher, lol. He’s very social and loves to talk, which is all to my benefit. The more I hear the more I learn. Whenever I don’t exactly understand something, he is like my translator….only he keeps it in Spanish. He finds different ways to say what others are saying. Super helpful.

--Mi mamá y mi papá are fabulosos. The dad likes to talk a lot and half the time I’m not even sure how he got himself on these random topics (Abraham Lincoln, the school system here, butter v. peanut butter….we had a 10 min discussion about what the difference was!).

--I now have a pet dog. Coqueta. She’s pretty and doesn’t bark or anything. She just sits there and lets you pet her.

--I start classes on Monday. Today we made our schedules. I won’t have classes on Fridays for the first time, and probably last time. I’m excited to get into a routine. Now I’m not even sure what to do, so I’m blogging while mamá is making some lunch.

--My Spanish is horrible, but I’m trying to practice as much as possible. I have learned a lot since I arrived a little over a week ago. I can’t imagine how much I’ll learn before I leave! Super exciting.

--Okay, it’s time to eat! Yummm. I’ll update ya’ll more later on.

Costa Rica.....only 8 days away!

So that I can keep more people up-to-date on what's going on with me while I'm down in Costa Rica, I will (hopefully) be able to post weekly updates.
Here's the latest:

Host Family.
I'm really excited about the family I was paired with! The mom is stay at home. The dad is an "agricultor" (farmer...ironic, huh?!). Not sure what kind though, but it should be interesting!
They also have two kids. A girl, age 23. A boy, age 18. I'm glad that the kids are around my age. I think it will make things a bit easier. They both are students also...even better!
The best part is I don't have to memorize too many names. The dad and son are both named Humberto. The mother and daughter are both named Yolanda. haha...I got off pretty easily there!

People.
As it turns out, another girl from Indianapolis is going on this same trip. We worked it out so that we will be able to fly from Atlanta to Costa Rica together. SSOOO glad. I can't even imagine trucking it through an airport in a foreign country alone. We have also just found out that there are 2 other girls on the same flight! I'm sure we will have lots of time to get to know one another on the 4 hr flight.

Fun.
We stay in Liberia for a week. Here we are going to start our intensive advanced Spanish class...whatever that means. We will also have a chance to hike up a volcano, go horseback riding, and go to a beach. Then we will have a 4-ish hr bus ride (motion sickness meds are highly recommended...yay) to Heredia (right outside of San Jose) where we will move in with our host families. During that week, we will be touring the town and university, schedule classes, and really just get familiar with everything.

Other.
I'm pretty sure my Spanish is nowhere near enough to get by. My current plan is to just hope that it will all "come" to me once I'm fully immersed. That's the best option I have! haha
I'm not sure how much internet access I will have, so I might not be able to update the first few weeks.
I will have many opportunities to do volunteer work during my stay. I'm probably most excited about that aspect of it. During orientation, we will receive info about all the various choices we have. Cannot wait!

End.
I think that's enough for now! I'll keep you guys updated on everything. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! They mean the world to me:)

Why, yes, I am still alive.

This post is fully and 110% dedicated to my little brother, Kevin J. Ives.

It's been quite some time since I've posted anything....oops. But I have decided that I probably should since this blog will be what I use when I'm in Costa Rica to keep family & friends updated.

You know how there are certain things you see in movies, read about in books, and only hear stories about? Well Amy and I got to experience one of these events for ourselves.

What? Smash Tournament.

Translation: Nerd Fest 2009.

I learned that Smash is a videogame released about a year ago. Basically people just try to take each other out. Sounds like just about every other game.....except guitar hero. There's no violence in that one.

Where? Springfield.

After Amy and I got in the creepy, talking elevator and made it to the basement, this is what we saw. 25 tvs, wiis, and about 100 people. All coming together to determine who is the best Smash player of the Midwest.

When? Satuday.

Who? Men and possibly some women from all over the Mid West.

Representing Butler University were 2 men of Sigma Nu. Kevin and Albert. Kevin basically tore it up all day long. Best player in Indiana. Albert lost in doubles due to the fact that he killed his own partner.

Like any other human being, Amy and I had certain expectations going into this. We expected to see capes, plastic swords, and mainly just capes. Instead, we saw power ranger shirts, pilot goggles, and that---->

Enough said.

I feel like my horizons are broadened. None of us are your stereotypical Greek students....or even Geek students for that matter. Everyone has their own special talents. And no matter how nerdy they might appear to the outside world, I think they're pretty darn cool.

Amy and I reached a conclusion. We miss the days old days when we were kids. We had a little elementary/junior high throw back this weekend. Friday was spent at the movies watching Hannah Montana and slipping on slurpies. Then Saturday was spent at the above event along with the cousin's aau tourney afterwards. It was a flashback to our days of aau basketball and j.o. volleyball. Those days...the ones we had prior to this stress of life.

All this makes me remember how much I miss everything and everyone in the great state of OHIO.

Everything I need to know about life I've learned from the Gilmores

-God is a woman and lives in London
-Almost anything can be "dirty"
-Oy is the funniest word in the world.
-The four food groups consist of: fast food, junk food, frozen food, and take out.
-Always carry a book, you never know when you'll need it.
-Oy, with the poodles already!
-Coffee is essential for survival.
-Snow is magical.
-The difference between cows and humans is hay.
-Childbirth is like doing the splits on a case of dynamite.
-If men can name their kids after themselves, why not women?
-Never buy something just because its furry.
-Backwards baseball caps and flannel never go out of style.
-CopperBoom!
-You can never have too many thanksgiving dinners.
-Booze is grown up milk and cookies.
-If you're frustrated with someone try pushing him into a lake.
-When stuck in a hopeless situation, climb out the balcony window.
-The answer to problems in the mid-east is, "I have to poop."
-Answer the pepperoni.
-Beware of jeep-hitting deer.
-Keep that horoscope, it may bring you luck.
-The last supper cannot be funky.
-How to communicate with your parents
-Floor boards are a great place to hide things.
-Green is the new pink.
-Pro/con lists are the only way to make important decisions.
-Devil egging someone's car is kathartic.
-The fish flies at night.
-The plural for cul-de-sac is culs-de-sac.
-You can't watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory without massive amounts of candy.
-Bloaty is not a word.
-It's very ladylike to feel drafts.
-Don't take mints from a restaurant, they contain urine.
-If all else fails, you can marry rich.
-If there is any impulse buying, make it chocolate.
-Rich people have hilarious sock drawers.
-Don't keep your valuables in the bottom drawer.
-If you die, your automatic vacuum will pick up the pieces and no one will ever find you.
-You can't order crispy fried without first ordering fries.

I would like to dedicate this to Miss CamCam and Marissa:)

I'm officially 19!

But there isn't really anything exciting that goes along with being 19, you know? I've always had something to look forward to: 15-only 6 months until I got my permit; 16-got my license; 17-I could get into R movies; 18-I could join the army, buy lottery tickets, and all that jazz.

But 19...just another notch in the stick of life.

I did have a good birthday though! My parents came the weekend before and brought cake:) ALL that cake was gone within 3.5 days...and no, I didn't eat it all myself!

The monday before my birthday, some girls from my unit and Spencer went to Naked Chopsticks (a japanese restaurant). Good food and good times.

On my actual birthday, I had to get up at 7am (yuck!)..but it ended well. Mike and I went to see Atonement. I love that movie now! It's really sad, but a powerful movie. Totally recommend it! And then I had some more cake.

Having your birthday in college is kind of funny, though. You get like 80 "notifications" on facebook of people writing "happy birthday" on your wall...and you have only really talked to less than half of them. During high school, everyone knew it was your birthday and whatnot...but at college only the select few who know you (and don't have to have facebook remind them!) know about it. But it's still a lot of fun.

Last Saturday, Mike and I were supposed to go to the Indianapolis Symphony--I have to go for a class. We went to his house to get the tickets, and he realized he got the dates wrong. So we ended up cooking (yes, I helped) dinner. It was a lot of fun. He gave me the job of grading cheese b/c he said it was the easiest. WRONG. I ended up with 2 broken nails and a bleeding pinky. So much for that.

Which somehow brings me to the weather. Within a weeks time we had 2 tornado warnings (in pic, we are in the basement), 1 class cancelation because of winter weather conditions, downpouring rain, sleet, and a lots of snow. HHmm...A Day after Tomorrow, anyone?

Now it's time to glide across the ice and go to the cafeteria! Never thought I'd miss my dad plowing off the roads.....the snow removal in Indy is HORRIBLE!

Stay warm:)

Welcome to the House in which I will be residing for the next 3 years: Alpha Chi Omega. Recruitment was a very long, stressful week. It all began on a super rainy Tuesday (some people couldn't make it that day because a major interstate was closed from flooding! Then on Wed. was the first official day. It went from 8am-9pm without breaks. Not so much fun. We were all dressed up and walking and talking nonstop. Exhausting. The second day of recruitment you go to up to 4 houses (our of 7). So that was a little less busy. But that next morning, Friday, I woke up with sharp pains in my back AKA kidney stones...again! Ugh. I had to wake up my roommate and have her take me to the ER b/c my RA isn't allowed to drive us anywhere (trust me, I was NOT happy about this). Needless to say, I took that day off. Painkillers are nice though:)

So Saturday, the next day, was the last day of all recruitment stuff. I was able to sit out the meetings and such in the morning and then that night I went to 2 different sorority houses. But I knew which one I wanted--Alpha Chi Omega.

The girls in that house were so nice to me. They really seemed like they cared. There are many Christian women in the house, and their philanthropy is the Julian Center. This is a shelter for abused women and children here in Indianapolis. The ladies of AXO volunteer there and help out with basically every aspect.

I'm sure you have figured it out by now, but I got into AXO. All the girls find out what house they are in, and then we run down the street to that house. The whole road is blocked off and it's a huge party! Every Greek person is there and you just socialize and see what house everyone else is in. Mike and Sean were the only people that I hung out with on a regular basis that rushed (that's Sean in the pic). It was SO overwhelming! Later that night, the ladies of AXO went bowling. That was a blast....but then we had to get back because school began the next day (at 8am for me!)

It's been really great so far. Being in a sorority is a huge time committement, as I'm becoming more and more aware of. But I don't think I'd trade it in just yet. I have met some amazing girls! A girl in my unit and I are in the same house...so that's really exciting. And there's even a semi-formal in April that I get to go to....now to find a date..haha:)

So let's see...what else has happened..... Here's some randomness to explain college life:

Naps...lots of those are involved. Can't say I've taken that many this semester though. I'm so much busier. Which reminds me of a story. So I'm taking SP305, which is an oral communication class. I had to drop another class and wanted to fill the void so I would be taking 18 hours and not 15. I decided to take another Spanish Class. The class is SP300: Service Learning in Spanish. I have to go to a high school once a week and tutor hispanic kids in whatever subject I am good at. It is a lot of fun and I am really enjoying it (I help with Chemistry and Biology). BUT..the class also meets once a week. I went to class this past Monday for the first time (keep in mind this is after the add/drop date). The profesora informs us that the course number is in the process of getting changed to 350! But it takes a while to get approved. Yeah, so I am in a 350 class. Let's just say that it's not going to well. All we do it talk, talk, talk, and then write, write, write. I'm pretty good at the writing part (muchas gracias mrs. Finch!)..but the speaking part...not so much. So I'm kind of freaking out. 2 Spanish class in one semester at totally different levels, not a good idea;(
The next pic.....this is what it looks like the night before college students go on a diet. Yes, it's a necessity to get all good foods in before it's too late. Which results in a late night store run!

Meet Spencer...he's a friend of my friend, lol. We had some late night fun in Broadripple (like 3am)...yup, it's great to be in college

This is me finally discovering where the football field is (took place right after the late night grocery store run). I never went to a football game. I mean, after growing up in Ohio and watching out team win (most of the time), who wants to watch Butler lose every single game? Not I.


And lastly...the not so glamorous side of college. We are still persuing suspects and have to have a unit meeting now because people are ridiculous. Yup, welcome to the

real world I guess.

And as my sign off story...one of great irony. Tomorrow is "Scholars Day" here at Butler. Which means that a whole bunch of high school seniors and their parents will be wondering around campus and crowding up the dining hall all day. BUT.. I got this email from my last semester business prof. He wants me and another guy from my business team to come to the business school's presentation to these people. Mike and I are to be a "panel" of real, living college students that the kids/parents can ask questions about our business class, the Top Dawg Competition, and just life in the college of business. Kind of funny seeing how I am not a business major, nor was I ever..and how Mike and my's group did not go to the Top Dawg (we are still upset about this...long story though). I find it hilarious but am also honored to have been chosen (apparently it's a big deal).

I'm good at making up answers and making Butler sound better than what I know it to be. Mike is too...so this should be interesting:)

OOHHH...but this may not happen if we get as much snow as they are calling for! I want to do it, but I don't because I want my classes canceled! But I don't, because I was planning on coming home this weekend....to eat some birthday cake with the family! Such a delima.
p.s. CamCam--I did this just for you:)

p.p.s. Happy Birthday, Mrs. Finch!

Winter Break

After a crazy week full of tons of studying, winter break finally came. Let's just say that a vote has been taken, and according to the results the word RANDOM sums up the break. Here's some pics and stories.....

It was a wonderful way to start off my break--SNOW. Logan, Kyle, Amy, and I had a blast 4wheeling, snowmobiling, and riding sleds. Somehow, Logan, Amy and I managed to fit ourselves in a sled and we were pulled around by Kyle. Logan liked to "rock the boat", and of course, Amy and I would be the first to fall out, since our we were so tangled together. And then Logan would claim himself "Champion".

That is a pic of me and Amy after we fell off the sled once. It wasn't as awkward as it looks, lol. Kyle would try to make us fall of by taking us over these crazy hills and sharp turns. Amy and I did pretty good..until then. I love the snow..and can't wait for some more (and none of this 65 degree weather in JANUARY!)

Allow me to introduce you to the Halderman's Christmas Tree. It is by far, the largest tree I have ever seen in my entire existence as a human being. Marissa and I aren't even covering half of the tree! This was right after we went on our 3rd annual trip to see Christmas lights in Eaton. This year it did not go over so well. Many people wanted to leave and not see the lights. Although, we did get a picture with Santa this year:) haha...the line was full of little kids, and then a group of like 8 college students. What can I say? We still have some kid left in us!

ICE SKATING. That was a crowd favorite over break. I actually went twice in one weekend, lol. I am proud to report that I did not fall down once--unlike some other people;) Here, Marissa and I are showing off our skills. And yes, I am standing on one foot; I am that good.

Bret, aka Jose el guapo, also showed up at Hobart. So me and my dance partner reunited again...this time on ice. Needless to say, we tore it up once again. Goes to show that true dancing partners can dance anywhere and on any type of ground!

Guitar Hero...always a crowd favorite. We played a ton of this over break. I think my skills have improved and I'm ready to take on the guys back here at school! I'd have to give the Most Improved Award to Kelsey. She mastered the easy level all in a matter of 2 days. Congrats to Kels!

So back in the spring, we had a girls v. boys wiffleball tournament. The boys won (although, I think they rigged the score, but oh well). The deal was whoever lost had to cook the other team dinner. We finally got around to doing that over break.

Amy, Marissa, and I cooked our *homemade* mashed potatoes, chicken, corn, and applesauce. We tried to make chicken fingers, but we didn't think they turned out right. But actually, they were amazing (and we didn't share them with the boys:) We were able to put our cooking skills to the test, and everything turned out okay, if I do say so myself. It was a lot of fun!

NEW YEARS EVE

We had a New Years Bash at my house. It was an interesting night. We played a lot of games, which some people were good at b/c they know random stuff

(aka Jared). There was a ton of Euchre going on (as seen in the pic). None of us has played euchre in a while, so I think we got enough playing time in to last a long while!

We are rather proud because of the fact that we had 5 different types of dips to offer. That was pretty much all we had...guess we didn't plan that out very well, lol. But you can never have enough chips and dip, at least that's what I think. BBQ Fritos were also a favorite...not for me though..:yuck:


So 2007 came to a close. For some reason I felt a little weird about it. That was the year that I graduated it..and now it's gone. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it does to me!

My last night before I went back to school as spent watching the Ohio State Buckeyes LOSE. It was not a good night. Some people left at half time, and the rest of us left halfway through the 4th quarter. It was an embarrassment to the whole state. But we did agree that we'd rather lose in the national championship than lose to Michigan, haha.

Now I am back at wonderful college for recruitment week. It started on Wednesday and lasts until tomorrow (sunday). I had to take all of yesterday off and half of today due to the fact that I currently have kidney stones (again!). My roommate had to take me to the ER yesterday morning and it was all just downhill from there. I am happy to report that iv pain killers work WONDERS. I am starting to feel much better now, but do not have a lot of strength yet. I will post and let ya'll know how the whole sorority thing turns out tomorrow!

Well...here's 6 months of catching up to do:)

As I'm sure you know, I went to Butler over in Indianapolis. I've just completed my first semester of college! Here's some pics/stories from that first semester....

My roommate is Mary Ellen. She's great. We get along very well and have had some great times! That pic is our room the day after we moved in. Little messy, yes. But we are actually the neatest people on our floor now!

As it turns out, the Dominican isn't the only place with bug problems. My dorm room has had numerous encounters with large bugs (and they are actually large) and even the

occasional spider. Kelly, our brave neighbor, kills the little monsters and then writes up a report so our room can get sprayed again:) And, yes, that is Mary Ellen on the side of the pic standing on a chair freaking out. Contrary to popular belief, I am not as scared of bugs as I used to be! I even walked up close to it, haha. And I did not stand on the chair...okay maybe I did once..but that was only because it was a spider!!

Time to meet some friends.....It was hard at first, since (as I know you know), I'm not very outgoing. But things just seemed to fall in place after a while. That's Kelly, Liz, and me making some cookies. I met Kelly b/c she' my neighbor and Liz was her friend, so it all just worked out like that. And then we have Mike. He and I are in the same business group, along with Sean and 2 other people. These 4 people mentioned have become some pretty close friends over my first few months here..and I'm grateful for all of them! Which leads to story time....

So, my business class has this 8 page paper that we each have to write and Mike, Sean (below), and I all forgot about it (or just put it off...depends how you look at it) until the night before. We began our writing around 8pm. We road tripped it to White Castle around 11pm for a break. When we arrived back at Butler, we found out that the internet was down all over campus. So we went to Mike's house (which isn't too far from campus). And continued writing into the early morning. Around 330am, it was declared "tea time" and Mike went on to make us some tea....with a tea pot and all! (see pic above) Quite funny. At appx. 545am, we had all finished and were printing the paper out. Then what to do? Of course, we went to McDonalds for breakfast:) And I am happy to report that all recieved high A's on the paper. haha. That was the first night I actually felt like I was "in college". Sean and I have recently started this thing where we go to the movie theater at 10pm on "school nights". I mean, who wants to be in bed at a decent hour? Takes the fun out of things. Instead of studying for our business final, Mike, Sean, and I took a 3-hour break (can it be called that if you never started?) and we went to Chessecake Factory. Then we sort of studied. But, once again, we all got good grades. I actually got a perfect score..which is kind of funny, seeing as how I'm the only person in the class NOT a business major, lol:)

Throughout the semester I was able to see some old friends too! Marissa and I went to Chicago for the weekend to see RBD in concert--amazing! We had a blast. Guess what? We only got lost once. But it wasn't our fault; the hotel gave us the wrong directions! With Marissa's high quality map reading skills and my driving capabilities, we managed to make it to the concert on time! (After a few confrontations with the hotel ppl). It was a super fun weekend!
I also visited Kels over at Olivet one weekend.
And Kyle and I went to OSU to spend the weekend with Logan and Brooke over fall break. We were able to go to a football game...which was also a blast!

Good friends and new friends.....thankful for them all. Makes for some great, lasting memories:)

And there it is. My first semester at college at a glance. I did not like it at all at first, but it kind of grew on me after a while. My business class (mainly Mike and Sean) really helped me meet more people and they got me out and experiencing college, instead of always being in my room. I wanted to transfer at first, but I think I'm gonna stick it out. Things have been improving and--never thought I'd say this--I can't wait to go back!!! (except for the actual schooling part). Oh well...until next update!

I graduated....so let's look at some pics and read my thoughts:)


The "gang"--or at least as many as we could gather for a pic--Kels, Zach, Tyler, Nick, Nate, Kyle, me, and Logan. We've had some bad times and some good times together, but in the end we all came back out together as friends. And that's what matters. We may not all be friends during or after college, but when we look back at all of the pics, we will have some great memories to share with our new friends about all the amazing time we've had. I'm going to miss the randomness of our group!

This is me and Nate. We were "walking buddies". I was glad that I was able to walk with one of my good friends. Nate is such a suburb friend; he has always been there to pray for me or others in need or lend a helping hand. He's going to make a great pastor some day!

That's the Spanish 4 class--Logan (Diego), me (Elisa), and Bret (Jose "el guapo). As strange as it may seem, we three have become very close over the past year. Since we were the only ones in the class, we had to work together....and let's just say some of our Spanish skills aren't the same as others;) But we had so many great times together....often had inside jokes that nobody else could understand (Don Quijote, verb quiz mishaps, Logan's excitement when he was able to translate something.....classics). And we just liked to rub it in to the rest of the school that we are the only 3 who know all forms of the subjunctive in Spanish:) I'm really gonna miss our 6th period times together....but some day, somewhere, Spanish 4 will reunite again for a final time!

That's me and Marissa (duh!). Although some things on my graduation day didn't turn out like I had thought they would have, I look back at this picture and I don't think of that. I think of the army crawls, the star gazing nights on the road, the Dayton Dragons game, Dance Off '06 & '07, and the Dominican Republic. The good, by far, out weigh the bad. One circumstance should not define how things are always going to be in the future. Things happen, People change...and it's known that life goes on......In the end, though, I know that I'll always have a best friend in her:)

Me and Kels--what can I say? She's the girl that always took my phone calls at 1130 on a school night. We would talk for hours about our futures and how we don't know anything and how things are going to change--our thoughts, fears, and dreams. I am going to miss her so much in college, especially all of her random phone calls or voice mails just to tell me stupid stuff to make me laugh.

We have to close this stage in my life with the traditional graduate picture: the dad, the graduate, and the mom. None of this would have been possible without the love and support of my parents. They are truly extraordinary and I am thankful to have been blessed with my parents!

Here's to moving on... (poem not aimed at anyone in particular, just random)

I wish I could take back the things I thought.
But it’s hard to change the way I have felt.
For understanding I have so long sought,
Hard to find because of all I’ve been dealt.

Many words still spoken behind my back.
Why can’t those words be spoken to my face?
One of these days I know that I will crack.
All of this just seems like one huge disgrace.

You don’t know how I feel deep down inside.
You have never taken the time to ask.
After the long nights in which I have cried,
I instinctively just put on my mask.

You should have known that once I found it out,
My thoughts and feelings would be filled with doubt.


and, I bet you didn't see this one coming:
60 Days until I leave to move in @ COLLEGE:)

When did HONESTY stop
being the best policy?

Ladies and Gentlemen....

Allow me to introduce you to the 2007 Feats of Clay mug making team a.k.a. future champs of the Ohio region competition.

We are that cool.

The first day of practice we made a mere 12 mugs.....

last Friday (5 practices later) we made a whopping 78 mugs. That the highest any team has ever made at FM in practice or the actual competition.

Friday is the big day. I know we will work well under the stress b/c we tend to do a lot better when we are yelling a each other and bickering about little things during the actual competition.

In the pic: Tyler (purple) is the wheel master. He actually makes the mugs. Logan (silver) is the handyman, he fills in where ever we yell at him to go. He can fix anything Tyler messes up. Amy (middle back) is the handle putter on-er. She rolls out coils and puts then on the mugs. As for me (far right) I measure out 3/4 lb. balls of clay and make them into a perfect round cone for Tyler.

I'm pretty excited about Friday...the day of the actual competition....I'll have lots of messy pics of us there on here after I get back:) Wish us luck!

Prom 2007

"A Wish Come True"


Place: Best Western Hotel in Troy

When: Saturday, April 28, 2007



I went with Alex Johnson to prom this year. After he picked me up, we met up with the others at Kelsey's house--this time there wasn't 20 some, but it came pretty close again. Then after the parents were satisfied with all the pics they had taken, we headed to the Prom place. The food was okay, but everyone at my table thought we had eaten roast beef, but days later we found out that is was actually prime rib!


The dance was a blast! Beside from the fact that it was like 100 degrees in there, we all still managed to boogie down until 11. I think that it all went by rather quickly. But I guess the saying is right, "time flies when you're having fun." If you look closely in the pic of the guys, you can see that they all got the same patterns for their tuxes (ties and all), just different colors--yup, they are so cool.



After the dance, a ton of people went back to Kelsey's to change for afterprom. We played a quick round of "Catch Phrase", and then we headed out. Afterprom was at 36 skating ring in Piqua. Both Alex and I had not been roller skating since junior high. Alex tried to act like he knew what he was doing, but ended up falling countless times. I am proud to say that I didn't fall, except once. But it wasn't my fault, I promise. Alex and I were skating side by side, and he fell in front of me and tripped me! The little goofy things like that make things so much fun. Afterprom was just as fun as prom.





After the skating was all over (around 230), many of the seniors went back to Zane's house. We played Chris' (the German) Sing Star game. (He is sssooo obsessed with it!) I suck at it, lol. But if you can't sing, then of course, it'll be bad. Around 430, Alex decided that he needed to leave cause he was tired. So he took me home and I drove my car back to Zane's. Then the whole gang road tripped it to Waffle House for breakfast. After that everyone was sssoo tired (especially Marissa who slept the whole way there and back). So I finally checked into my bed at 630am.


It was my last high school dance. I am thankful that I had a great friend to go with, and a lot more great friends to spend it with. I liked getting all dressed up for one night of fun, but never again. Although, I do believe I'll get to do that once more now....the girls and boys played a wiffle ball game the other night. The losers had to make the winners a home made meal. Let's just say, we lost. So the girls turned the dinner into a formal one, hehe. So now everyone has to get dressed up again! I don't know when this will go down, but we'll see.