New Blog

So here's the deal...I'm making a brand new blog! I feel like this blog is old and forgotten, and I want to start fresh. My new blog can be found at http://causetocelebrate.blogspot.com/ Thanks guys! -Deborah

Whoah

Well hello there. I forgot all about you. I'm terribly sorry, but it will probably happen again....

As for now....

The braces came off forever ago. In August. So really only 3 months ago. Here's a pitchaaaa....


I'm in school again...I'm actually almost done with this semester...Haha. I'll have my associates degree in April! Woo!

I'm currently doing Lent for 10 days for a school project. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a Catholic tradition where they give up something for a certain amount of time to honor God. I've given up Facebook and T.V. (Hence why I'm here right now.....) It's sad to realize how much of life revolves around material things....I need to be better....

Christmas break is in three weeks. I'm SUPER excited to be done with this semester of school.

So anyway. There's my random seven months too late blog update. :)

Spring Cleaning

Give me a break!

My list of things to do over my spring/summer semester break (I'm off track!) so that I don't go crazy and become a couch potato:

Go camping. In a tent without showers. Roughing it. :)

Go to Moab with my friends. Don't be afraid of four wheeling...

Go to Colorado with Brynn over Spring Break.

Go biking on Legacy Parkway. I did 51 miles last summer around Bear Lake. I'm going for that again...

Make a dress.

Write in a journal every day.

Go hiking.

Be artsy...Achieve a Megan compliment on being artsy again...

Read the entire Book of Mormon.

Go to the temple once a week.

Paint a picture. It will look like a first grader did it, but that's fine with me. :)

Have FHE every week.

Make a meal for my family at least once a week.

Attend the Single's Ward.

Read 3 books a month.

Read one encyclopedia topic every other day. Keep learning even though school won't be in session!

Learn "Shine" and/or "Liebestraum" on the piano.

This will be a fun break! And one more final thing that isn't on this list but has been on the front of my mind lately (Granted I'm just finishing my freshman year of college...): Look into graduate school. Ivy League. (As if...But still...) Get a Master's Degree.

Facebook Stalker

I was looking at my older sister's facebook wall today (yes, I was stalking her, but she's my sister, so it's okay :)) when I came across a comment that was left on one of her statuses. She was talking about how she couldn't take much more of what was happening this last week before her mission, and a woman who I have always looked up to (even though she doesn't know it but probably should...) replied with an article by Elder Holland. (ARTICLE HERE)

The article talks about receiving revelation and answers to prayers, and knowing that what you are about to do is right, but then feeling fear and worry, and having so much go wrong that it makes you think what you are doing may not really be right. I started reading the article out of curiosity, thinking I would probably read only a few sentences before stopping, but I wound up reading the whole article, and I had to stop myself from crying due to roommates being in the near vicinity.

I've always loved Elder Holland. He always gives such blunt talks, and I LOVE that. He tells you how it is, he reminds you that God loves you, and that's that. There's no room for questions when you listen to or read the words of this Apostle of God. All doubts are simply cast away. I needed that today. I needed that right now.

I'm here at BYU-I, and I'm constantly wondering, "Will I have enough money for next semester? Can I even afford to go home for my sister's farewell, cause if not, then that's just stupid. Can I really afford to pay my tithing? Can I make it through these classes with a passing grade and work every night until 11:30 and stay up until 2:30 every morning doing homework and be the FHE coordinator for my group and write a letter to a person who I haven't seen since I was ten and is now suddenly in my life again and find time to go to the temple when I don't have time and make it to devotional at least once this semester so I can stop feeling like the biggest sinner of all time and keep this dorm clean so I can at least try to think and make it to the gym so I can have me time and..."

I'm about to explode. I almost broke down in my Child Development class. It may have been because we were talking about abuse, and I just can't handle that topic at all, but I just walked home and I said to myself, "I'm done. I thought I was fine and could do everything, but I just can't."

And then I read this article, and I finally stopped and just...breathed. I'm doing good things here. I'm going to college to get an education to have a good future. I'm learning about things I LOVE so that I can become what I love. I have a job so that I can pay for my way here in Idaho. I am helping people by being the FHE coordinator for my group. Writing that letter to that person won't kill me. Going to devotional for one hour each week will be good for me, and I can spare that hour each week...I really can. I really can find the time to go to the temple at least twice a month. It's right up the hill. I can do these good things, because I have God on my side, and because they are right. I'm not running out of oxygen. And Elder Holland helped me to see that.

That's why I absolutely love this Gospel. I love how just when you think you can't take just one more step, you have God there giving you some little "nugget" of his glory through another person just to let you know that it's going to be okay.

Another comment on Adrianne's status directed her (And me, cause remember, I'm a stalker ;)) to Doctrine and Covenants 6:22-23.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?

I know that going to college is the right thing. I know that I'm trying hard. I know that God loves me and that he really does hear my prayers, the spoken ones and the ones I've kept in my heart. I know The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true, and I'm so happy to be a member of it.

I hope this wasn't too rambly....

Should I Really Post This?

Last night at work, I was talking to one of my co-workers/friends, and she said something that has really got me thinking.

“Yeah, but isn’t that how it always is? We gain such valuable wisdom and knowledge and talents through undesirable means. The refiner’s fire.”

I have been a complainer lately. There are things that I’ve come to desire so much, things that either can never happen or things that could happen but won’t happen for a while. My desire to know the future has grown so intense that it’s driving me up the wall, and I just want it to be five years from now. Anything in the here and now just creates insanity, so I spout out complaints. I don’t think it’s gotten to the point of annoyance for those around me; not yet anyway. It’s only been a few days. But I’m at the point of annoyance, and I didn’t even realize just how annoyed I was until my friend said the above to me.

Trusting God’s timing is one of my weak points in life. I feel like my whole life has been spent waiting for answers to prayers. I pray for something. I pray for something I think is so simple, something I actually really need, not even just a desire, and I get it years later. The longest I’ve waited for an answer was about five years. Yes, I got the answer, but 5 years later? It was really bothering me last night, and so I told my friend. And she said,

“Maybe the Lord is teaching you patience.”

I will admit it, my first thought was, “Don’t you think he’s taught me enough patience?”

And then I felt ashamed as my friend and I went to work again. I’m so selfish! All I’ve been thinking about this past week is what I want and how I want the timing to go. I haven’t once thought about God’s timing or about how He knows what I need, but better than that, He knows when I need it. I can’t see the future. Yes, that bothers me to no end. But He can, and I need to have more faith in him. He has proven to me time and time again that His timing is perfect. But I’m still not getting it. So maybe my friend is right. The Lord is teaching me patience, still, because I’m stubborn and won’t listen.

I’ve gained some of the most important knowledge and wisdom in my life through a refiner’s fire. Sometimes, I wish that everyone around me knew what my fire consisted of and still consists of, just so they might understand why I do what I do and feel how I feel. Patience is my next goal. It’s my late new year’s resolution.

I feel like such a selfish, rude, horrible person. I'm going to fix that.

I will trust in the Lord and will work to gain patience. I will live in and enjoy the present.

Maybe this post is too personal for a blog...

Gerhard

Three years ago yesterday, one of the greatest people I have ever known died. It blows my mind to think of how long it's been and yet how it still feels like it happened yesterday.

My grandpa, Gerhard "Jerry" Schwebach, was a man I looked up to with the highest of respect. He helped to raise my sisters and me; He was always there for us. He had the sweetest spirit about him. His gentle nature made you positive that he loved you so much.

I have very fond memories of playing the piano with his hand on my shoulder while he looked on with a smile. He even threw money down the stairs once and started clapping for me; He never accepted that money back. "I don't know what you're talking about, Deborah," was all he said. He liked coats. I have one specific memory of him saying, "Well don't you come crying to me when you get all sick because you decided it wasn't cool to wear a coat." I just laughed. I remember his breakfast cake, and every time he would make it, excitement would be running throughout the house the whole night before as it was a rare treat. I remember playing chess with him and how he let me win once just so I would be happy. I remember him falling asleep wherever he sat. I remember him paying my sisters and me to rub his feet for him. I remember combing his few strands of grey hair for coins as well. I remember him making mac and cheese for my sisters and me to eat while we waited downstairs, eyes glued to the coo coo clock just waiting for it to go off. I remember him stuffing so much food into his mouth and then just smiling. I remember him informing me for the first time what a charly horse is as I ran around the house screaming that I was going to die and my leg was going to have to be chopped off. I remember him eating sardines... I remember the last hug I shared with him and how it lasted so long.

I miss my grandpa every day of my life. I would not be the person I am today without his amazing influence. He raised me right alongside my mom, and for that, I will forever love him.

2011

I felt it would be appropriate to reflect on the year 2010 and make some resolutions for 2011. So here we go! :)

2010 Reflections:
The Good:
I got accepted to BYU-I!
I received a scholarship and federal aid for BYU-I!
I met Brynn!
I graduated high school!
I won a car!
I went to Massachusetts and Rhode Island!
I completed my first semester of college, passing all of my classes!
I started dressing how I want to instead of how I think people expect me to dress!
I started smiling more and walking with my head up!
I made a few college friends!
I spent Christmas and New Years surrounded with family and friends!

Exclamation marks go to all of them for being so fantastic!

The Bad:
Hm................Holy cow. Nothing bad happened this year! I mean, the little stupid things every now and then that make you a little sad happened, but nothing big happened. 2010...You've been the best year yet!

2011 Resolutions:
1. I have this problem with people. They scare me. Correction: New people scare me. As a consequence, I don't talk to new people unless they talk to me first. Resolution-I will talk to people I don't know and make friends in Rexburg because of this. I will be friendly instead of quiet and in the shadows.

2. Another problem of mine - I get offended easily. I take what has happened in my life in the past, and I bring it to the future and put it in situations where it doesn't belong, and thus, people offend me quite often. Rather, I let people offend me often. Resolution-I will brush things off easier and not bring the past into the present. I will work on not being offended by stupid things that weren't meant in offense.

3. I like to serve, but I don't get much opportunity to serve. I don't seek it out. Resolution-I will find opportunitites to serve and help others in need.

4. I have a problem allowing others to help me. It's a pride issue I guess. Resolution-I will allow others to help me when I need the help. I will not act like I can do everything on my own.

I can't wait to see what opportunities and lessons 2011 has in store for me and those around me...Happy 2011!

Sarcasm and Robots

South Koreans are thinking of replacing their teachers with robot teachers. 30 test robots have already been sent out to classrooms to collect data. This idea is said to be completely great because now, no one will have to deal with paying teachers, giving teachers sick leave, building retirement funds, etc. And, the best part...

Students who are too afraid to talk to human teachers and ask questions of human teachers will feel more at ease with a robot teacher!! Isn't that great?! Ingenious I tell you.

Stupid.

If this idea spreads to America, I might just move far away, probably to another planet. Dramatic? Not when it comes to the education of children.

Let's teach our children to talk to people of their own species, not to shy away from them and lean toward technology for communication. Seriously, what a hindrance for them...to have to rely on technology to get thoughts across.

Here's the link so my rambling might make at least a little bit of sense.

CLICK ME!

Thankful

Isn't it weird how often times you don't know how necessary and useful something is until it's gone?

Today, I've become incredibly thankful for teeth. Such a silly thing to be thankful for, right?

That's right. I've sunk low enough to blog about teeth...

Yesterday, I went into the orthodontist. Dr. Heath put some intense stuff onto my bottom teeth, saying he would put it onto the top in December too. It's the final stuff. 4-6 months of this wire with diligent use of rubber bands and I'm born free. Sounds great, right?

Dude, this stuff kills. My mouth is in constant pain. You wanna know why? My jaw is moving. My teeth are unrooting themselves thanks to the lovely wires the nice doctor put on and the tiny rubber bands he told me to wear constantly, and my jaw is moving over to align itself properly so I can get these suckers off and never have to get them on again.

So today as I sit here contemplating eating a piece of candy, I'm flashing back to thanksgiving dinner and how chewing one bite was so calculated, so careful. So painful. And I look away from the candy and decide to drink some water instead.

This is stupid. All I want is some food. I'm so hungry!

Basically, this post can be summed up into a few key points:

1. I'm thankful to finally have an orthodontist who knows what he is doing and actually cares about me. A doctor who actually cares about giving me the treatment my mom is paying for instead of one who claims to know what he's doing but very obviously doesn't after 2 years of having braces on and nothing but nothing happening. I'm not bitter...I'm not.

2. I'm thankful for the chance to have straight teeth. Orthodonture is barbaric, but hey. I'll have a great smile once all is said and done.

3. I'm thankful for the ability to chew whithout thinking about it. Or at least, I'm greatful for the chance I will have to do that sometime next year...

4. I'm thankful for FOOD!

That's all, folks!

November

I love November. It's a beautiful month, and it's full of so much thankfulness. I love that feeling. I thought I would start the month off right (on the 10th of course) with a few things I'm thankful for.

1. I am thankful for my trials and for the way they have helped to shape me into the person I am today.




2. I am thankful for my family.


3. I am thankful for my life and for the health that I have been given, regardless of my asthma and intense clumsiness.

4. I am thankful for all of the experiences and opportunities I have been offered.


5. I am thankful for friends and college.



Happy November!

Uncle Adam is a Genius

My Uncle Adam is a psychologist. He has his PhD and everything. He is a genius in my eyes as of this moment in time. Why? Because I have nearly failed every psychology test I have taken this year. Those questions are unlike any test questions I have ever seen. They are so indepth that it's confusing. I called myself a failure....until today. I got a 74% on my test today. And I nearly cried for joy. A 74 makes me immensely happy. Isn't that depressing? My uncle will forever be a genius for going through a billion insane psychology tests resulting in his PhD.

In other news, midterms came today. I'm going to have to get used to grades lower than an A. College is hard. But I'm doing better than I expected...passing every class and all that jazz. Maybe next semester, I will figure things out and get A's! ..........

To Bountiful tomorrow! I can't wait to see my family. :)

Halloween is a Scam

Once upon a time in a boring town called Rexburg, nothing ever happened. The end.

Just kidding. No but seriously. Nothing ever happens here. Downtown Rexburg looks like the street from South Davis Jr. High to Kmart in Bountiful. Tiny. So I'm afraid my blog is going to suffer. However, I do have one exciting happening in my life, and it goes a little something like this:

Two weeks ago, a timid "mother" of a Family Home Evening group had the fantasticly fantastic idea to take her "children" to a Haunted Mill in a certain town called Teton. Monday's were getting awkward as everyone sat in a circle inside trying to find exciting things to do, so "mom" decided it was time to get out and have a little fun.

(P.S. - I'm the "mom" in case it wasn't clear.)

We drove up in three cars and arrived at the mill just before the mad rush hit. It was Monday night after all, and many FHE groups from BYU-I would be coming soon. We all got in line in the middle of nowhere, blackness surrounding us as an eery old building stood off to the side of us. All was well, jokes being made, laughter being heard, until out of the corner of my eye, I saw two figures start to move, two figures who had previously been immobile: A dead bride with a wicked discusting face (Crap. I'm turning into Brynn. Who says wicked? Honestly.) and a gross zombie. And then it hit me.

My name is Deborah and I do not enter haunted houses of any sort or engage in any kind of halloween fun, for I hate Halloween and think it is a barbaric holiday made up just so people can get away with terrifying others.

And the panic set in. And I started to get this odd urge to smack the person who had the idea to bring us all here. Until I realized. It was me.

I'm a smart mom.

To make a long story even longer, near hyperventilation ensued until my "children" had to literally drag me into the mill. Kenyan, my "son," was in the lead, and I swear I broke his hand with how hard I was gripping it, although he says it didn't even feel like I was holding his hand. Maybe he was trying to act like a man? I don't know. Either way, I'm convinced his hand was broken by the end. And then Brynn was behind me. We broke each other's wrists.

Monsters jumped out at me. I hit my head and knee on the walls like the klutz that I am (I somehow knew I would be getting hurt. After all, if anyone were to get hurt, it would be me.) A chainsaw man chased after me and tried to saw my face off. A creepy monster ran his discusting fingers along my face. In short, I was dragged through that mill saying, "Don't let go, Don't let go, Get me out of here, Don't let go," the whole 30 minutes.

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure the "mom" is supposed to comfort the "children," not the other way around.

Basically, I quit on Halloween. I've had my scare for my lifetime. I'm movin' on to Thanksgiving and Christmas now.

THE END

P.S. - My older sister is going to the Phillipines in March for her mission. :) :)

Nope

I'm not cut out for college at BYU-Idaho.

My whole life, I have received great grades. I have done all the homework asked of me, and teachers have loved me for that. BYU-I is different. They aren't here to teach you how to memorize facts and repeat them back like in high school. The teachers here actually put stuff into your brain. They actually want you to learn, to become an intellect, to grow in that way instead of wanting you to just be able to spit out memorized facts. My whole life has been focused on memorization.

I don't know how to learn. I haven't been taught how to learn. I've been taught how to remember things for a test and then to forget them and move on.

I'm not cut out for BYU-Idaho.

Rexburg

I've been in college for only a week and a half, and yet it already feels like an eternity. It's a weird feeling being here at the place I have thought of for so long: The place I thought would be terrifying, the place I thought would be too much to handle, the place I didn't want to go to at the very end. Now that I'm here, this place, this blessed spot of Rexburg, Idaho is so amazing. It is so far from scary that it scares me at times. ;)

Walking around campus, I feel at peace. I feel at home. I've started calling my dorm home, which I told myself I would never do. But this campus, this college, BYU-Idaho feels so....right. I am meant to be here at this time. I know this for a fact. I have felt it through my classes. I have felt it through the people I have come to know. I have felt it when I think about how I've been here for eternity having this great time, and then I remember I've only been here for a week and a half. It feels that right. I have felt it through all of the Mormon aspects this school offers. Prayers at the beginning of math class are amazing to me. Science mixed with religion feels so fantastic. This place...I'm meant to be here.

And at the same time...I'm having the hardest time of my life. I'm already an independant person. I've been that way practically my whole life. I like doing things for myself. It feels good. I like depending on myself. But this is different. This kind of independence is complete. I'm responsible for every move I make, and that is starting to break me down. And it's so hard.

But I know for a fact that I am meant to be here. I can't prove it physically, but as my science teacher said, not all things can be, and that's okay. I feel it with every fiber of my being. So I know everything will be okay no matter how my college experience plays out.

College.....Man I'm old!

To Save a Life

Lately, I've been thinking about life. I've been thinking about how important every one person is to the way the world works. Everyone has a purpose on this earth. Everyone was guided to where they are for a reason. I know this. However, I've often found myself having trouble applying this knowledge to myself. It's easy to think that someone else is so important to the world and to the people around them. It's harder to accept the fact that you are of importance too.

A lot of my life has been spent wondering if I make a difference to anyone. I think everyone wonders this at some point. I've wondered if my life means anything. Am I doing what I'm supposed to be doing? Am I leaving a mark on people's lives? Will I die when I'm old having done my part, having fulfilled my purpose?

I just finished watching the movie To Save a Life for the second time in two days. It has had a powerful affect on my thoughts. Every person in that movie was important, even Roger who committed suicide in the beginning because he felt no one cared about him and he wasn't making a mark on the world. Even he meant something to SO many people. He saved lives! Someone who spent years thinking he had no purpose....he did. But he never knew that, because no one cared until after he was gone.

I've always known that everyone means so much to God. But what if they don't know that? What if they spend their life not understanding that they are significant to God's eternal plan? How sad! It tears me apart to think that someone may not know how important they are, how crucial their life is. But then I wonder.....Do I know that about myself? I know God loves me. I know that for a fact. But do I leave a mark on anyone...That I don't know.

But that....That is what I plan on finding out....And through that process, I hope to make a difference in the lives of those new people around me who I will meet in exactly two weeks...

The trailer for To Save a Life HERE.

I'm Less Than Those Kids Deserve

I was called to teach the 10 and 11 year old girls in Primary at the beginning of the Summer, and every time I have taught since then, I have come to realize just how difficult it is.

In all honesty: My knowledge of the Bible is very limited. I know basically nothing that I should, and I'm ashamed of that. Give me anything from the Book of Mormon, and I can tell it to you straight. I know that book. Give me that book to teach and I could actually make something out of the lessons. These lessons that I am supposed to teach, however, are so new to me that every time I open the lesson manual and I flip to the pages in the Bible, I get so confused in all of the old english and all of the history these stories involve that I forget the whole purpose of why I'm teaching these kids. I forget the whole purpose of the lesson, because I get so caught up in knowing the story line as if I'm going to be quizzed on every little detail later. I forget to teach the purpose of the lesson and turn Sunday School into the worst story time of those kid's lives as I stumble over my words and fumble with the pages and try my very best to get things right so I don't send them home to their parents where they will relay false information that their 18 year old teacher taught them. :ALSKDFJAS:DGHSDF

To make matters worse, I have the biggest Bible wizz of all time sitting two feet from me during every class. I team teach with another woman in the ward, and she knows everything. EVERYTHING. So I'm sitting here, knowing absolutely nothing, hoping that I'm not going to say something wrong with this genius sitting by me that I just forget even more to actually teach the point of the story.

I'm less than those kids deserve.

Remind me again why I want to be an elementary school teacher. Please. Because I've forgotten.

I'll just go have another pity party now while I sit and try to figure out what this King Solomon is all about...........

I'm Warning You, We're Growing Up - Turpentine, Brandi Carlile

It seems every day lately, I come to the realization time and time again that I'm growing up. I am done with high school forever. College is less than a month away. I'm doing things with my life that scare me so much but exhilarate me at the same time.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to my hometown, to the place where I grew up. I visited all the old sights, soaking in all the memories that seemed to bombard me more than ever before. Ever since my grandpa's death two and a half years ago, I have had it in my head that Colorado Springs is an awful place where bad things happen. My solo trip there in December wasn't the best trip of my life. I loved being around my family, but I spent most of my time in my aunt's home avoiding outside. I never wanted to go there again, to be honest. But I went to witness my sweet cousin Mara Jade be baptized into the Mormon church. And while there, I took advantage of the time I had in an area I had previously shunned from my thoughts to try to make peace with myself and with the place that built me.

I visited my grandpa's old home with my friend Heidi. We walked the path from her home to the elementary school where I spent many years playing imaginary games. We walked the same path to my grandpa's home that we walked every day throughout the school year, and even in the summer. We saw the home, and I realized it was completely different. The new owner fixed it up so nicely...It wasn't the same house. That bothered me so much in December that I couldn't even look at it. But for some reason, this time I made peace with it. Maybe it's because everything is changing lately. One more thing isn't a huge deal. But maybe it's also because I'm selfish. And now I know that no one else will be able to have the memories my sisters and I had in Colorado growing up. No one else will be able to play dare devil to see who could walk around the cactus without falling in, because the new owner took it out. No one else will be able to climb behind the bushes at the front of the house while playing hide and seek, because the new owner took out those bushes. No one else will be able to run through the backyard picking apples from the trees with neighborhood friends, because the new owner took out the trees. Those memories are mine to keep forever. That house, the home it was, is mine to keep.

For the past nine months, I have been making huge changes in my life. I have rid myself of everything that was ruining my spirit, and I have tried so hard to surround myself with people and activities that show myself who I can be and who I want to be. One example: I just recently completed the most emotionally challenging experience of my life, not the most physically challenging experience oddly enough. I finished a fifty one mile bike ride. New challenges keep coming my way, some that I thought I was done with. They came creeping back, people came creeping back that left before. But this trip to Colorado, this trip to my hometown changed my thoughts. Colorado isn't a scary place anymore. I can go back with no fear and only admiration for the place that gave me the boards and nails to start building me into who I am today.

It keeps hitting me. We aren't kids anymore, the class of 2010. I'm Warning You, We're Growing Up.

Information Overload

Massachusetts was absolutely beautiful. It was just the vacation from life that I needed. I was able to see my future roommate/my best friend, I was able to go to the beach for the first time since I was about 6. I was able to traverse through the bug invested forests without facing death (although it felt like death considering we got lost, we were being eaten alive by every bug known to man, and we had to sneak through someone's yard to finally get out of there). I was able to go to Six Flags New England where Brynn and I melted (literally) along with everyone else there (humidity is a lovely thing), and I survived my very first minor concussion. I was able to go to church in Amherst and experience a small ward again like those good ol' Colorado days. I was able to survive Brynn's limited driving experience on freeways and highways and roundabouts. I was able to relax and forget about the fear of college and about everything that is ending and everything that is beginning. It was lovely. :)

Upon getting back to the desert (I will forever miss the lack of dirt that Massachusetts offered), I went back to work, I bought all of my college kitchen stuff (I swear it feels like I'm playing house), and I changed my last day of work. It is now August 27th. Now I can actually have a week without work to pack up my belongings for college instead of one Saturday.

Basically, this is just an information overload blog post. But there you have it.

ABC

ABC's of Me:

A. Allergies are the bane of my existence. If allergies were a person, I would beat him to a pulp.
B. I become restless if I stay in one place too long. I can only handle one lazy day at a time. Any more than that, and I start to go crazy.
C. I enjoy reading, I really do. I need to do it more often. I could live in a library. My favorite authors are Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson. I mix them up often.
D. I can not focus on writing anymore with Summer in full swing. It's just too beautiful outside.
E. I enjoy melting outside no matter how much I complain about it. I wish I could melt all day every day.
F. Dusk is my favorite time of day.
G. I make weird screaching noises when something excites me. I try really hard not to, but it just happens.
H. I have an adventurous heart and would do so many amazing, kind of reckless things if I weren't so chicken. Instead, I settle for biking, running, etc. (Anything outdoors).
I. I want to be the kind of teacher that kids look back on and say, "Wow, they really inspired me." Like Mrs. Riley.
J. I love my Opa and Oma. I envy their marriage.
K. I love swinging. I love leaning my head back and looking at the sky while swinging.
L. I can't die until I see Coldplay live in concert.
M. I also can't die until I have been on the London Eye. And gone sky diving. And scuba diving. And tried to surf. And ski. And go cliff diving. Basically, I can't die until I do everything reckless.
N. I despise driving. It's a waste of my life, and it makes it so I can't look at summer.
O. Pay cuts are the dumbest things in existence.
P. Kendals (or however it is spelled) make me mad. So does giving laptops to fourth graders and up. I am passionate about education. Kendals and electronic learning are stunting the minds of children today.
Q. My piano is my life. Just touching its keys calms me down.
R. I say cran. Not crayon. Crayon takes too long. It's another waste of my life.
S. I don't fear flying. I actually love flying. It's airports that scare me. They are so busy all the time, and they are too large. I am sign stupid. I don't understand directional signs.
T. I love my family.
U. God is amazing. I can't believe how amazing God is.
V. I wear flats, not sneakers or anything of the sort. My feet, odd as it is, get claustrophobic. I only wear sneakers when I run, etc. And I only wear boots in the snow.
W. I fear everyday situations. For example, going to the store scares me.
X. I am very, VERY picky about what music goes on my IPOD or my blog playlist. If the song has no meaning to me personally, or if the words are just stupid and the song is only good for the beat (a.k.a. every single song that is coming out these days), then I will not let it near my IPOD.
Y. Simpleness is the best thing. I don't want a big home in the future. I don't want expensive things. The simpler, the better. I just want my family with me to enjoy good times together.
Z. I treasure speaking out loud with someone in person or over the phone. Actual communication. I will forever hate texting, facebook, and anything of the sort. However, I will forever use them.