Happy Birthday K10!

Today is Kristen's birthday! Happy birthday to her!! I know she got the best birthday present ever by going to see DMB this past weekend. I am so happy she got to do that. Kristen is one of my very best friends. She is such an awesome person.

These are the things I love about Kristen:

She is real.

She will be as good a friend to you as you are to her.

She listens very well and gives great advice.

She wants nothing but the best for her family.

She will tell you like it is and that's why I ask her.

She is Perez Kristen and knows all the latest celebrity gossip.

She is the fashion police, therefore dresses to a T and helps me shop.

She has the best hand me downs. :)

She is grateful for any and everything you do for her.

She is keen on etiquette and never goes without sending a "thank you" card or gift for something you've done for her.

She knows how to make you feel special.

She is hilarious.

She has the prettiest smile ever.

She always smells of perfume, body spray, or lotion.

She can always be counted on if she says she will be there.

She is very caring.

She loves animals.

She is the best a friend could ask for!

I am sure there are more things I love about her, but I think you get the point. K10 - I hope you have a great birthday! It is your day! Go wish her a happy birthday!

On another note, there has been two possible cases of the swine flu at an elementary school 15 minutes away from my house. Hopefully, it will get treated and will not spread to anyone else. County and city schools are closed and some day cares. Maybe they will let us leave work early today? They have given liberal leave for today and tomorrow, but I guess I will still be here until they send me home!

Creeks and Batman

Behind on recapping the weekend...

Friday night, Kyle, Derek, Heather, and I went to meet up with his general manager. Kyle recently changed companies and is loving it. Another salesman also came to hang out. His co-workers were both really nice. The boys for sure had a good time. Heather and I just sat back and watched while trying not to fall asleep. Getting up early on Friday and going out till 2 just doesn't mix well. When leaving, we met a homeless man in the parking lot. He was cracking us up. He was trying to smash the two nuts that Derek found in the bathroom on the counter. We tried to tell him they were just potpourri, but he didn't want to believe us. It was so funny.

Saturday, I had a pedi. It was my first one since November, so I was so excited. The weather has been beautiful lately, so I really wanted to stay out and enjoy it. When I got home, I took the dogs out to play with them. I turned on the faucet to let them get wet so they would be cool outside...it was 80 something degrees. Well, that didn't turn out as well as planned. Be and Serenity got into a fight over the water. I couldn't break them up for a good 10 minutes probably. Their fights aren't small ones either. It was awful. I had to call mom over to help get them. I finally broke them up by myself. When mom got there, I was sitting on Serenity and holding Be with the other arm away from her. Be's leg was gashed open and she was limping pretty bad. Serenity's ear was pretty chewed up. It was so sad. Be went to the vet Monday though and they gave her some medicine to feel better. Its looking a lot better now. We have kept them separated so far until Be's leg gets better. We are hoping it won't happen again when they see each other for the first time again.

Well, even after writing about Kyle and Derek's crazy fishing story, I ended up going fishing with him Sunday on the creek. I have given him grief for months now about never taking me with him or going on days that I can't. I really have just been jealous, because I like to fish too. Especially when I know they are catching a lot of fish on the creek. He would come saying - I caught so many fish, they were huge, it is so much fun. Then, when I would say that I want to go, it turned in to - you would hate it, there are these huge spiders that look like chipmunks, you probably can't help me lift the boat, you have to get muddy and wet. I told him every time that he doesn't know how much of a tom boy I am I don't think. I finally got to go even after hearing about "bulls" trying to attack them last Thursday. Ha ha!

Heather and Derek brought their canoe that K&D usually use. Kyle and I used dad's flat bottom plastic boat that is bigger. I caught the first fish from the bank before ever getting in the boat. It was almost the biggest one of the day. It was still a small brim, but that was bigger than all the others. And the float begin about 2. We stopped here and there to get off and fish when we saw a good spot. I was after a bull frog (imagine that) when we stopped once, and I scarred a snake into the water. Yikes! I caught the most fish all day, but they were all tiny little brim or sun fish. Kyle caught a few pretty big bass. He so did not want me to try with his reel. I asked him to let me try since he caught 3 in a row. He knows I'm not got at the technique of bass fishing. I kept messing up. He said, "We are in prime real estate and you are messing it up." Ha ha! So, I gave it back to him and stomped off to do my own fishing. Derek almost caught this huge bass! I wasn't close by when it happened, but they swore it was the biggest bass ever. He stayed by that spot to try forever to catch him. Later on, I went back where he was and threw in my worm. He said he may take it since he was tired of seeing his top water bait. I threw it out there and after a few minutes, under it went! I was sure it was just a brim or something and there in the clear water swam the huge bass on my hook! I started squealing and reeling as fast as I could. The fish twitched once and off he went. Dang!! I was so close! I saw him though, so I know he was big. Oh well...maybe next time.

The sun started setting on us, so we hurried along. We kept thinking the bridge had to be close by now. It was another 20-30 minutes though that we were paddling in the dark. H&D had a trolling motor on their canoe, so they were lucky. I don't think they used it much, but they had a lot less weight to paddle than our huge boat. It felt like forever in the dark we were paddling. We would run into tree limbs covered in spider webs not knowing if they were all over you or not. Gross!! When we were almost back, I realized what an idiot I was. I left the keys to my car, which is parked at the ending bridge, in Kyle's truck where we started. I had to call mom to come rescue us. Heather's mom already send her brother after us, so he was also there waiting. Mom slipped on the rocks and almost tumbled into the creek trying to help us out of the boat. Luckily, she didn't and was ok but just a little muddy. Boy was it still an adventure. I don't think they are ever normal. I guess that's what nature is like...you never know what is going to happen. I had a great time though. It was so weird to ride in a car after being on the creek all day. It felt like we were still rippling and going to crash into all those trees again. So funny. I would totally do it again though.

I have now seen it all today at work. I was just introduced to Batman. He had on a cape, a batman shirt, and a batman belt. His business cards say his name with batman in parenthesis with a batman symbol hole punched in it. He said he drives a very recognizable black truck with batman symbols on it. He passed out a batman iron on patch to those of us who came to see him. He said he found them on ebay for all the shirts he has that aren't batman. He has been to the real bat cave and came running out of it. He has been to the museums where 3 of the bat mobiles are. He was really obsessed. It was cool to see, but I could not believe it. Everyone at work knows him as Batman. I've heard of him before, but it was my first time meeting him. It was wild. I guess I have just never been that into something. But hey, whatever makes you happy.

Tag, You're it!

Kristen tagged me!

DIRECTIONS:
- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture
- Save the image for use in this note.
- Use this website (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php) to make your collage.
- Tag the people whose mosaics you want to see.

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name? Melissa
2. What is your favorite food? lasagna
3. What is your hometown? Harvest, AL
4. What is your favorite color? Blue
5. What is your favorite movie? The Notebook
6. What is your favorite drink? Diet Coke
7. What is your dream vacation spot? Australia
8. What is your favorite dessert? mom's Apple Pie
9. What is one word to describe yourself? Forgiving
10. How are you feeling right now? Ready to be off work to enjoy this pretty weather.
11. What do you love most in the world? My family
12. What do you want to be when you grow up? I am still trying to figure that one out remember. Maybe an Engineer, Architect, or Drafting...but I guess I will settle for Accountant, since I graduate in two weeks.

And... here is my mosaic!

I tag:

Sarah

Alyse

Candace

Do The Ricky Bobby...Stop...Pose for the frame

If you're not first, you're last! Ha ha!

Ok, you know I bring you all of the latest dance moves. Here is the latest dance coming to Huntsville. I don't understand. This actually makes the Stanky Leg look really good.

P.S. The Stanky Leg has grown on me. ha ha! I taught my mom how to do it in Tunica. Wow.

Kyle really needs to make a video of his dance. It is so much better than this. B Hamp just came to Huntsville, and they had a Do the Ricky Bobby dance competition.

Updates

Since the last time I posted, I have just been busy. I haven't made the time to get on to post. So, here goes the updates.

April 11 - Saturday - Was Kyle's mom's birthday. She requested a microwave for her birthday, since her apartment didn't furnish one. She didn't realize how much she wanted to use one until she didn't have one. I think she would just rather make something simple in the microwave than to cook a big meal for just her. I don't blame her because I do that too. I am all for a whole box of macaroni for dinner.

That night, Kyle got off and told me we could do whatever I wanted to do. He said he didn't want to talk to any of his friends and that it was our night to do something. I'm lame I guess and chose to go to the movies. We watched Knowing. It was pretty good, but it ended up being a biblical kind of meaning. We weren't expecting that. It is pretty scary to think that the earth really could be hit by a solar flare one day. After the movie, he gave into his friends and we met them downtown. It was Oakwood's reunion, so we watched DJ Fresh play at Crossroads. It was packed!!

April 16th - Thursday - I went to take my pictures with Candace right after work. **See previous post** Then, I met up with Sarah, Heather, and Jessi for the Cirque du Soleil - Saltimbanco show at the VBC. You should check out the trailer if you've never been to one. I had never heard of it until Heather brought it up. She said they have them in Vegas all the time. NASA employees got 50% off, so Heather and I could get the discount. It was amazing!! Our seats sucked at first, but since it wasn't full, we moved closer and towards the front after intermission. Those people are amazing. I couldn't believe the things they could do. It was unreal. I had never even been to a regular circus, much less this kind. I couldn't believe they were coming to Huntsville either. We had a good time!

April 18th - Saturday - My dad called me Friday night. He asked me what I was doing Saturday. I was supposed to try to read a book for a test I had on Sunday and proof my pictures with Candace. He has been off all week from work before his month long outage and wanted to go fishing Saturday. I said absolutely I will go with you. I was so excited!! Lissy and Daddy time! I was up early at around 7 to get ready and head to mom and dad's. I luckily remembered to ask about a fishing license and found that you can now do them online. That was awesome. I printed one real quick...or well dial up quick. We stopped to get a few snacks and drinks and hit the road. We put in a Priceville. We got on the waters around probably 9. Dad caught a fish right away, but it was a baby Stripe. We were fishing for Crappie. We had about 4-5 poles out with minnows on them. No luck for hours.

Luckily, I did get a license, because we got checked by a game warden. I had never had that happen before, but then again I have only been out a couple of times. Dad said that was a well spent $12, because it probably would have been over a $100 fine. I'm so glad we did that. After a few hours, dad needed to potty...so I figured I might as well too. So, we pulled over to a bank so I could hop out and tinkle in the sage grass. ha ha! I only got a little on my pants. ew! gross! ha ha! We only caught 4 small fish the whole time. Two crappie and two stripe. None of them were worth keeping, but we sure enjoyed the pretty day on the water. I actually got to drive the boat. Boy was I nervous! I've had my boating license since I was 15-16, but I've never driven one. It was hard to turn that big sucker to keep between the buoys for the creek channel. It was fun though. I'm just a little too short to see over the visor though.

Later on that night, we went to dinner with Angie, Josh, Heather, Derek, and some others. We had a yummy Outback dinner. We wanted to hang out, so we went to the Station for a while, but the band was not good at all. So, why not shake a leg. You know I like to. So, we went to the good old Horse and danced all night. Or Angie and I did anyway. We had a great time.

April 19th - Sunday - I read the Goal book for class. Or should I say read half the book. It was a book I had to read for class. I had only read a couple of chapters before then and the test was due that night. I read all day and only made it halfway through. I just quit and took the test. I thought it seemed pretty easy to have only read half the book. It was mainly definitions and stuff. I made a 41/50 = 82. I was disappointed in myself, but I couldn't get into the book to go faster. I will probably end up with a B in that class, because all he gave for work was exams. I have 3 Bs and 2-3 As. I am upset with a B! I wanted an A. Maybe he will curve the grades...yeah right...hopefully though.

Like I said before, tonight is my last bachelors class! I am so pumped. Wish me luck on my presentation tonight. My teacher is super nice and fun, so I am not at all nervous....yet. I think we will do just fine. I'll try not to go so long next time. I will no longer have homework, so I have no excuses now.

Graduating!

I know, I know! It has been a while. I have much more to fill in about from the last week or so. I just had to get this one posted.

I took pictures with Candace from Simple Sweet Photography. We took them downtown Huntsville in any little nook and cranny that we could find pretty. She did a great job! Go check out my pictures in the slide show. Give her a call for any of your picture needs. She will meet you on location.

It is always hard for me not to smile, because that is what comes natural to me. So, I feel like the not smiling ones make me look funny. ha ha! I need to learn like Tyra says, "Smile with your eyes!" Funny thing is I think i thought I was. Not so much like Tyra! I wish I was that good.

I took these pictures for my graduation invitation. Candace made me a collage of several of them for a post card type invitation. I think they will be so cute. I hope to get them tomorrow, so I will scan them in to show you. Tonight is my LAST CLASS! I am so excited! I have to present tonight on our business simulation game. I can't believe it is all over.

Anyway, I hope to update you more soon on the rest that I have done in the last week or so. I have been extremely busy with doing last minute homework. I'll try to get better when I get out of school.

Time to Retire the Fishing Poles!

Wow, my crazy husband. I’m beginning to think he should give up fishing. He has Thursday off, and since it was warm out yesterday, he and Derek decide to take the canoe out fishing on the creek. This is something they always do. Derek just recently bought the canoe, so before it was my parent’s flat bottom type boat.

Well, I am sure I won’t get the story all the way straight, because it was all over the place. I am telling the story as it was told to me, so please know there could be some slight exaggerations here. These are the things their day entailed:

• They were 300-400 yards away from where the truck was parked, when they ran into rapids. They went right towards a tree branch and ran a foot of the boat into the bank and mud.
• Kyle jumped up and wrapped around the branch like a monkey and hung there as the boat started to sink. (ha! I’m picturing this in my head.)
• He waits for Derek, who is standing in the creek, to tell him how deep it is. So, he lets go.
• The canoe is wedged against the tree branch and water is gushing down both sides of the canoe past them.
• As the canoe flipped, it dumped Kyle and Derek’s cell phones, Kyle’s jacket with wallet and car keys in it, and a fishing pole. Luckily, Derek stepped on Kyle’s jacket to get the truck keys and wallet back. Not so much for the phones.
• They went back to the truck to figure out what to do and Kyle wanted to change out of his cold wet clothes before trying to get the canoe out. My poor honey didn’t think he would have to get wet again…luckily, we only live down the road.
• Due to his key chain buttons being soaked with water – there was actually a bubble in it – his truck alarm went off when he unlocked it with the key. He had to ride all the way home with it going off down the road. Everyone was looking. Ha! He said never have all of our neighbors been outside until his alarm is going off.
• They head back to get the canoe. They thought they spotted a trail that went behind these people’s property that would have been right where the canoe was. They figured they might as well ask before just doing it. It was a truck trail by a cotton field. Derek talked to the husband who couldn’t understand what he wanted, so he sent his wife to the door. Derek explained again what he wanted to see if they minded if he drove back there to get it. The lady didn’t say no, she said Hell no! ha!
• While walking through the woods on the edge, they saw at least 3 snakes. Kyle killed one of them after almost stepping on it.
• They tried to decide at the fork in the creek which way they dumped at. Kyle remembered, but the only way across was on a tree that had fallen. Kyle, Mr. Football feet, jumped one foot at a time on two branches to jump across. Derek said he couldn’t do it, but tried anyway. Off he fell into the creek. Ha!
• They finally found the canoe. Kyle started axing away on this tree limb to free the boat, because the water pressure was so much that they couldn’t get it loose. It wasn’t an average axe. It was this medieval looking curved, not sharp axe. He chopped for a long time at the branch while Derek shivered on the bank. Ha ha! The axe cut his finger, for which he thinks he needs a tetanus shot. He said it also bounced off of something and hit him in the back of the leg. Finally, he cut it loose and here comes the rest of the tree towards his head, but thank goodness if caught on something else. Geeze.
• Finally at some point, the canoe was out of the water. During all this craziness, Kyle got stung by a wasp. It was in his shirt. Derek described it as the huge red wasp that had a string hanging out of it when it flew off with no stinger. Ha! Kyle took off running and hollering across the field when it stung him. He has a huge welt on his back with a red dot on it to prove the sting.
• If they couldn’t get the canoe out, they planned to tell us that they were robbed at gun point for the canoe, wallets, and phones. I think the old lady at that house could have been a good culprit!

That is all I can remember for now, but as you can see why it is hard to remember. Sooooooo much stuff happened. I laughed the whole time he was telling me the story. I felt so bad for them. Heather and I were on the phone with one another wondering where our husbands were. Both of Kyle’s vehicles were home with a trail of soaking wet clothes in the house. Derek wasn’t home, the canoe wasn’t either, but he left her a note he would be home soon. It was 2 hours later. We were worried as we always are, because neither of their phones worked. The panic set in right as they were at the door coming home.

Then, we went to eat. That was an event in itself I think. Kyle knocked his drink and spilt it all over the table and our seat. Derek raked half of his salad into his lap while trying to eat. Ha ha ha!! I think they just should have stayed at home yesterday. And they wonder why we worry!!?!?

Apothecary Jars

I follow this blog: Living with Lindsay. You should check out the post today about apothecary jars. She always has really cool ideas for things. When I read her blog this morning, I thought the first jar looked familiar. I thought to myself...I have one of those. It was right here by me at work filled with Reece Pieces easter eggs. I located my jar in a tub that was in the attic a few months ago. I had mine filled with one of those old Nokia cell phones that you could change the face plate on. I threw those out and washed it. I was thinking it would be a pretty good candy jar. I first dumped some peanut M&M's in it, because my Mexican kitchen is so colorful. They kept getting eaten, and I wouldn't refill it. I brought it to work, where I try to keep some candy. Everyone at work loves Easter time for these eggs! I keep a spoon in there so that no one has to reach their little hands in there. Check out what all Lindsay has found would look cool in a jar like this. Have any other ideas?

Sorry these pictures aren't great. I'm at work with only a camera phone.

Rotten Eye

Ha! Well, this is what my eye decides to do today. It started running yesterday, so I took my contacts out. I wore my glasses all day yesterday and today. It is worse today. This stinks!! Surely that margarita I had last night didn't make it this much worse! ha ha! Now, I will probably have to put off my pictures with Candace again. I can't be looking like red eye willy in my graduation pictures. *Frown* Before anyone starts getting on to me, I plan to go to the doc this afternoon AFTER I go to the dentist to get the chipped tooth fixed. What a fun evening. I can't wait!

Understanding Alabamer

LOL! I couldn't help it. I got this email today and just laughed to myself. For those of you who may read my blog from other states, if you have never been to Alabama...this can sum it up for you. I laughed because I understood most of them! ha ha! Enjoy YALL!

First you must learn how to pronounce the major cities...Burminham; Huntsvul; Mobeeeel

Driving Information:

Alabama has its own version of traffic rules. The truck with the loudest exhaust goes next at a four-way stop. The truck with the biggest tires goes after that. Note: Blue-haired ladies driving anything have the right-of-way anytime.

To find anything in Burminham, it is required that you know where Malfunction Junction is, which is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. It may be one of only two 'cloverleaf formation' interchanges in the world. We invented it and only one other city was stupid enough to implement it again Atlanta -- making them only a wee bit dumber than we are.

The morning rush hour is from 6:00 to 10:00. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning. If the term 'merging delays' is ever used by the person reporting the traffic, even in passing, call in to work and tell them that you will be at least 30 minutes late regardless of where you are in your commute.

If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be (at the very least)rear-ended, cussed out, and possibly shot. This applies to male and female drivers alike.

You must know that 'I-459,' 'I-59,' 'I-20,' and 'I-65' are the same road.They just loop around, cutting in and out of each other's path. We think this was a ploy utilized to confuse outsiders and discourage visitors after the War of Northern Aggression.

Always, always, always, find out if it is a race or football weekend before you get on any of these highways to travel somewhere. If it is a race or football weekend, stay home. You won't be pleasantly going anywhere else.

Construction is a permanent fixture in Alabama. The barrels are moved around in the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a little more interesting.

If someone has their turn signal on, wave them over to the shoulder
immediately to let them know -- you can be sure it was 'accidentally activated'. (Saw this happen this morning)

The minimum acceptable speed on 'I-65' (see above) is 85 mph.Anything less is considered downright sissy. This is also Alabama's state-highway-sponsored version of NASCAR --especially during rush hour (see above) and everyone in the city is driving at once, bumper-to-bumper. If you are in the left lane and only going 70 in a 55-65 zone, you are considered a road hazard, and will be 'flipped a bird' accordingly. (So true!)

Do not gawk at the woman in the car beside you in traffic who is applying make-up, drinking a Diet Coke, smoking a Marlboro, and maintaining a steady speed of 85 mph on I-65 in rush hour traffic. If she is coming from north of Burminham, she might be packing. If she is coming from south of Burminham, she IS packing and is not afraid to use it.

Weather Information:

If it's 110 degrees, Thanksgiving could be next weekend. If it's 10-20 degrees and sleeting or snowing, then watch out. Burminham residents consider this 'demolition derby' day and will be all over the roads(front ways, sideways, etc). Please proceed with caution, as you could be the next target.

Seasonal Information:

If you stick to the seats in your vehicle, it is Spring. (True! But I still love my leather)

If you need to let the car 'get some air' while standing next to it with the doors open for a minute before you can stick your upper body inside to crank it and get the air going, it is Summer. (Do this all the time or crack the windows to let it escape all day.)

If you are sweating even with the windows down, driving 55 mph, it is Fall.

If you finally turn the AC off and roll your windows up, it is Winter.

General Information:

Do not ever speak during the song 'Sweet Home Alabama' unless it is to sing along with the lyrics. This is a form of heresy and will erupt in a brawl if everyone doesn't show 'proper respect' to the band who gave us Free Bird (My senior class song). This is especially true if alcohol is present (notice I didn't say 'sold at this event,' but 'present').

Yes, we know that Vulcan is mooning the entire city of Burminham. It's not that funny to us anymore, and by now we're used to it.



If you ask someone for a 'coke,' they will often ask you, 'What kind?' This is not a trick question. Tell them what you want: Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Root Beer, etc.,
it is all 'coke'. (Yep - do it every day)

All tea is sweet. If it's not sweet, you are in a Chinese restaurant or have crossed the Mason-Dixon Line . (My coffee is just as sweet - 5 spoons of sugar for one cup)

Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air. (Here is even more of an example.)

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 of them live in Alabama.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Alabama, plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

Onced and Twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.

People actually grow and eat okra. (My parents do!)

'Fixinto' is one word. (Say this all the time!)

There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two.

We do like a little tea with our sugar! (And coffee)

Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.

DGeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?' (Also, Kyle's granddaddy's saying: If yur late, ya dun ate! ha!)

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see. (Daily at work.)

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in minutes. (Guilty! I cannot judge distance for anything.)

You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day. (Going through this at home right now. No wonder my utility bill is so high.)

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car. (Guilty - have some in the trunk now, but I am hoping for someone else's car one day.)

There are only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup. (Check)

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

The first day of deer season is a national holiday. (I am pretty sure daddy takes off for this.)

100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm'.

We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time. (I hate Wal-Mart, but I go weekly just about.)

Fried catfish is the other white meat. (According to D)

We don't need no stinking driver's ed ... if our mama says we can drive, we can drive. (Used to drive big black bessy in the pasture before I was old enough to drive or would sit in mom or dad's lap to "drive" down the road - Lord they would get arrested for that these days.)

Driving and Moving

Ahhhhh...what a tiring weekend. I got to leave work early Friday to go judge a dance team tryout in McMinnville, TN. Kristen was already a member of this company, but she needed some dance team help. Since I danced in high school and professionally in Huntsville, she asked me could I help. I asked one of my old friends Jennifer to help out too. It was a 2 hour drive from the arsenal. Jennifer met us on the way and rode with us. The tryouts started at 4:30. We had no idea what to expect, but they actually had some pretty good girls. There were 24 of them trying out. They got to do something I had never done before was to do their own dance as part of the tryout. The school paid a choreographer to come teach them individual dances. They were all dressed differently, did different styles of dance, and different kinds of music. It made it tough to judge them against one another, because it was pom, lyrical, and hip hop. We were all so nervous to judge. You don't realize how hard it is to judge someone 1 out of 10. You feel horrible to judge them lower than a certain amount. We got to take a break and go eat at chicken salad sandwich in the back while they changed into matching outfits. They did a clinical dance that was the same for everyone. As soon as they finished that, they had to do their technical stuff. They had a lot of technique on the team. There were probably only 3 that didn't make the team. It was so much fun though. It was a fun girl trip ride up there and a fun to judge.

I then stayed the night with Kristen Friday night. So, that was a 3 hour ride home because Arab is 45 minutes from the arsenal. Whew! That's a lot of driving. We stayed awake for a while and finally crawled in bed at midnight. We had a big day coming up with moving. Josh was sweet enough to let me sleep with Kristen so that we could watch TV. I was knocked out. Kristen was over there with her happy eye pillows. We got up around 7:15 Saturday and began the move. I got to meet Teri's husband Thomas for the first time. I felt like I knew him already from all the pictures I've seen. Kristen, Teri, and I had a good time despite all the moving. We went and recruited boxes from grocery stores. We found that it didn't pay for us to ask girls. They were not as willing to give us boxes as the guys. ha! We loaded the SUV with all the boxes and tried to find a way to sit. We packed and moved until about 5:30 when I headed home. It was an interesting experience to say the least. I will let Kristen tell that story if she wants to. The house did smell like a massive moth ball. It was awful! We finally located them under the house. There were hundreds in the crawl space. Gross! Why would someone ever do that?? I would rather have a snake than that smell. I think we took care of it the best with could with lots of Air Wicks and Febreeze. Even though we were working, I still had a good time. It was the first stn party I had with Kristen and probably the longest I've gotten to spend with her. I tell her all the time we are strangers in our personal lives. It was so much fun getting to sit back and see how she operates on a daily basis.

When I got home Saturday, we had a few people over. I was fighting to stay awake while the company was here. The boys were watching the game and playing cards. The girls went to my room to watch TV and hang out. I lasted till about 1 something...barely. I still feel asleep on Kyle's shoulder while company was still over. I think they are used to it though. They knew I had a long day and understood.

I slept in a little today. Isn't it funny how we think we "catch up" on our sleep. It sure felt good though. I was supposed to go take pictures with Candace today, but it ended up getting rainy. I will have to take them sometime this week. I'm taking them for my graduation invitations. I am so excited. She does such a good job already. I can't wait to take them and see the results. I'll make sure to show everyone. I hate we didn't get to take pictures today, but I was able to do my case study that was due today that I hadn't started on. Now, its back to work already tomorrow. I feel like I didn't get a weekend! I was glad though that it was pretty while we were moving Saturday. I do like to feel like I'm doing something and be outside when its like that. If i hadn't helped Kristen move, I would have just sat on the couch and not gotten to enjoy the weather.

Hope everyone has a good week!!

Bad Weather

I haven't had a whole lot going on besides trying to finish up my last couple of weeks in school. I am so excited. I graduate May 8th in Accounting! I have a few more tests and papers to finish though. We finished our last round in our simulation company Tuesday night. My group finished 4/5. Dang! Why can't I ever be #1 or at least 2! If you aren't first, you're last! haha Ricky Bobby. It was one of our better rounds though, so that was good. It was a lot of fun doing it and learning, but I am competitive so I hate to lose.

I am leaving work early today, but not for anything fun! I have a dentist appointment to go to. I'm sure I will get lectured on not flossing like usual. I am hoping that we don't get completely blown away this afternoon. I am hoping it will only be bad thunderstorms with no tornados. I am terrified of them. They've come pretty close several times. I don't like them at all! Here is a glimpse of what is coming our way today. Fun stuff!! There's no place like home!