Thursday, May 31, 2012

Musical Memories

Last night was the annual spring concert at my high school. Since I graduated in 2007, I have been to at least the spring concert every year. I always enjoy getting to hear the bands play and seeing everyone I haven't seen in awhile. It also ends up being a very emotional night because it is the night all the graduating seniors are recognized and the outgoing drum majors hand over their whistles to the new drum majors and conduct the band one last time. My senior year was important because I was graduating and for the three years after that I knew most of the seniors because I was in band with them. In 2009 Tim was graduating so that was an important year also. This year Tim's younger brother Derek is graduating. Their family is pretty much my extended family so of course I could not miss this year.
Copperas Cove High School Wind Ensemble. Derek is directly to the right of the director on clarinet.
I remember last year being so anxious during the whole concert leading up to the announcing of the new drum majors. It was so nerve wrecking. I also remember how excited I was when his name was announced. What a year it has been! I am so proud of my little "brother" and everything he has done. I can't believe he is graduating in two days! Of course I will be there to support him and whether he hears me or not I will be cheering as loud as I can. 

Derek during senior recognition.

Well last night they recognized the seniors and of course we cheered for Derek, then we sang the alma mater like every year. Then it was time to recognize the drum majors and I got just as anxious as I had the year before. They each got a cool little plaque from Mr. Kelley and then conducted the band through "Old Scottish Melody" like they do every year. The new drum majors were announced and the whistles were handed over. I only know one of the drum majors and only because he is friends with Derek, but the reactions are the best part because you really see how much it means to them. 


Passing the whistles.
I'm so proud of Derek and this past year and all the things he has accomplished and I can't wait to see what he does at Baylor! I've been working on his graduation gift and I would put a picture up so far to show how awesome it looks but he might see this so I don't want to give it away (I'll post on Saturday with all the graduation updates!) I wish the new drum majors all the best!

Monday, May 28, 2012

Bathroom Hoarding

Ok so today I started working on assimilating my apartment things and the things already at home in my room. This is a lot of work and I know I have a couple of crazy weeks ahead of me as far as that goes but I'm also taking this opportunity to go through things and really clear out the physical "clutter" in my life. At one point I was working on the top of my dresser where I keep all my beauty products. I must say that I am very pleased with how it turned out; I don't think my dresser has ever looked this organized.
Well I eventually came across some things that went in the bathroom. Let me just say we have a small bathroom with not a lot of storage to begin with. My mom and I have a love of Bath and Body Works which results in a stockpiling of their products. In our bathroom, the cabinets are already filled with stuff. So tonight when I went in there I had had ENOUGH! I ended up finding medicines from the early 2000s, 90s and even a couple from the 80s. I basically overhauled our bathroom cabinets and now all of my Mom's Bath and Body Works fits in the cabinet with a little room left over.
What I've learned tonight is that my parents really do have a problem throwing things away or at least getting rid of them. I hope I can help my parents while I'm living here to clear out the "clutter" in their lives. I also found a huge collection of hotel soaps and other toiletries we will never use so I'm going to donate them to a local shelter.

So tonight I accomplished:
1. Organizing my dresser top.
2. Cleaning out the bathroom cabinet.
3. Finding room for all the left out toiletries.
4. Being able to find room for my towels in the bathroom cabinet and not in my room.
5. Creating a donation bag for those who are less fortunate.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Medical Emergencies

Tuesday seemed like a normal day when I woke up. The only thing different was my appointment with the optometrist (eye doctor). That changed though when I got back from that appointment. I walk in the door to find my Dad holding a bloody handkerchief to his face and his eye all black and blue. Apparently while I was gone he went outside to work in his shop, which is good cause he needs to be outside more, but he tripped over an air compressor hose and fell onto the back driveway face first. His nose was bleeding, his eye looked like he got punched in the face, and his glasses were scratched.
Long story short he ended up going to the hospital because the paramedics wanted to make sure he didn't have a concussion. After spending FOUR HOURS at the emergency room and a CAT scan they determined that it was all just superficial injuries. Nothing was broken and there was nothing serious enough to keep him. It took another day for the nose to stop bleeding completely but his eye is open again and the swelling and bruising appears to be going away.
I have some really great people around me, like my BFF Tim who called the next day to make sure my Dad was ok and his Mom, who is like a mom to me, who texted me the next morning to check on my Dad and prayed for his recovery. I'm really grateful for the people God has placed in my life. It's beautiful.

We just found out yesterday, though, when my Aunt called to check on my Dad, that their half brother had a heart attack on the same day all of this was going on with him. He survived and they had to put a stint in to clear the blockage. He had 90% blockage. It's kinda scary to think about how my Dad's side of the family is so much older and they are having all of these medical issues.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Technical Difficulties

Sooooo this past week my computer started acting weird. The screen kept going black and sometimes it would recover and others I would have to restart it. One day the display crashed at least five times within  two or three hours. I got fed up and started browsing for computers and, although I know computers don't have consciousness, I think my computer got scared because the next time I used it, it worked perfectly fine and actually seemed to be running faster haha. Well the next day I guess it just couldn't keep up the facade and quit turning on completely. After talking to some people it was determined that my computer had bit the dust permanently.
I have to give a moment to my Dell XPS. I got it right before going to college in the summer of 2007 and it was the first computer I could call my own. It got me through college and was a wonderful computer. I've dropped it off of several beds, had a friend spill coffee on it and through all of that it continued to run. After 5 years I think it served well. The most likely cause of death was old age. I almost feel like I should give it a proper burial or something lol.

Well after years of saying I would never own a Mac in my life, I bought one. Well technically my mom did but lets not split hairs. Now I am the proud owner of a 17-in. Macbook Pro. It is so big but much thinner than the Dell. It almost feel like the Mac is reading my thoughts sometimes. It's taking some getting used to since I've used PCs for my whole life but after having three iPods, an iPad, and an iPhone it's not as hard to get used to as I thought it might. I'm really excited that I have an awesome movie maker so I can make my own. Maybe I'll share my first attempt whenever that is.


Now I can continue applying to jobs. I feel like I'm close. I've applied to a job and I would really like to get it since it's at my old elementary school and it's only a few blocks from my house. I could really use the job to help pay for gas and help my mom pay off my computer. Please be praying for favor with the human resources people and interviewers.

Hometown Traditions

The color guard. I really miss getting to march.
So this weekend was Rabbit Fest weekend in my hometown. I've been every year since I've lived here (which is all 23 years of my life lol) and went to the parade every year also. During high school I actually got to be in the parade since I was in the color guard and once in elementary school I was on a float. It's not a big celebration but it is special to me just because it is sort of a tradition for me. This year I went to the parade and cheered on my "little brother" Derek who is drum major and will be graduating in a couple weeks. I'm so proud of him. He's so passionate about band and such a smart cookie. I also enjoy any chance to see the band or guard perform.

Derek (in the middle) with the other two drum majors! Look at that smile! :)

Later on I went to the carnival with my friend Cassi and her fiancé Rob. It was a lot of fun. They went on some of the rides while I held their stuff cause I did not feel like paying $23 for a wristband lol. Cheap I know. We walked through the vendors where people sell homemade stuff or other stuff like Scentsy (which I LOVE! :D) I usually can't hold myself back from buying stuff but there wasn't really anything worth it. I bought two new scent bars; Hendrix which is kind of earthy and spicy and Cucumber Lime which is more clean and citrusy. The best part was the food. I actually didn't eat any food but I got a sweet tea (duh I live in Texas) and a Jumbo Hawaiian flavored snow cone with extra syrup and cream which was only $3.75. So delish!


I have to say the best part was just getting to hang out with Cassi and Rob. Cassi and I recently made a vow to restore our friendship to what it was in high school and our first couple years in college. It's good to know that now that I will be living in Cove I will at least have one person who will want to hang out with me after everyone else leaves. It's only been a week and I'm really excited for the rest of the summer.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Back Home

So it's been about a week since I moved back home and I have to say it has been kinda stressful. Moving everything was stressful because we had to stop at least 3 times to fix the tarp because it decided to rain the whole 3 hours home. Everything made it in perfect condition though so that was good. God was looking out for  us.
Since being home everything was just shoved in a spare room until I can figure out how it will all fit in my room. I did get my TV hooked up the first night and got all of my DVDs/Blu-Rays put away. I honestly did not realize I had such a huge collection. I really am like a movie store lol. I still have lots to do before everything is where it should be but until I get my bed moved it won't be right. I've also taken this as an opportunity to go through all my stuff and really evaluate what I keep and what is it time to get rid of. I can't wait for it all to be done.

Sorting my movies alphabetically
And the finished product, nice and organized!



Monday, May 7, 2012

My Mom's Birthday

Today was my Mom's birthday. This year is the first year I have had my own debit card that I could spend how I needed or wished and I've never been able to send my Mom flowers or anything special on her birthday or Mother's Day. So this year I took advantage of having my own card and sent her a bouquet of flowers. I ordered them about a month ago so I've been waiting since then to hear her reaction since I wouldn't yet be at home. So today I called to wish her happy birthday all the while knowing what would happen and about thirty minutes after hanging up the first time she called back pretending to be mad that I had surprised her. Of course she wasn't mad, but very excited to get the flowers. It was great to see my surprise to the end and hear how much joy it brought my mother to receive it.

I love surprising people and giving unexpected gifts. It just makes me so happy to be able to bring joy to others. It's also my way of showing others that I care. Just this past weekend I gave my three roommates gifts I had made as goodbye gifts to them. I also wrote a letter about what their friendship meant to me. When I give a gift I always hope that it's something that will help people remember me.

These are the gifts for my roommates!

Moving!

For the past week and a half or so I have been in super mover mode. I have been packing almost nonstop and I'm starting to get sick of it. It's interesting how you never realize how much stuff you really have until you have to pack it all up and move it. My brother once told me not to collect too much stuff because you will regret it when you have to move. I've never really had to move in my life except in and out of dorms and apartments while here at school. This is the first year I have lived in an unfurnished apartment and, as much as I love being able to pick my own furniture, it sucks when it comes down to moving it. I also don't have a car so it's even more complicated than just packing and moving stuff. Thankfully I have a wonderful friend from my hometown, with a truck, who is willing to help. He goes to Texas A&M which is only an hour away from me but he has to drive the hour to Huntsville then turn around and drive back that same hour plus the two more to get from College Station to home. He is such a great friend, which is why he is my best friend and pretty much a brother. His only condition to helping was that it had to be after finals, which I can definitely understand. I mean it was only last semester I was worried about the same thing, granted his degree is much more complicated than mine were. So this Thursday we are loading up his truck and moving as much as possible. I'm excited to be moving back home for many reasons but I'm also wondering how I'm going to fit all this stuff in my room where I already have a bunch of stuff. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there.

Things I've Learned While Moving:
1. The more stuff you have the longer it takes.
2. Not having a car really complicates the whole process.
3. Packing over a month before moving can be counter productive, especially with clothes, toiletries, kitchen stuff, and movies. You always seem to want to watch that one movie that's at the bottom of the box.
4. If you can pack stuff over a month before moving (depending on the situation) you should probably assess how much you actually need that item and is it something you can give away.
5. There are somethings that are just too light to go in the back of a truck and have to be accounted for when packing.
6. Not knowing the weather in advance can be annoying. (Do I need to buy a tarp or not. Can the counter top appliances be put in the back of the truck or do they need to be in the cab.) In Texas this is always a factor. Just because it was sunny and clear when you woke up does not mean it will be that way at noon.
7. I have too many pictures!!
8. And clothes!!!
9. Oh and shoes!!!!
10. It's hard to say goodbye to a place you have considered home for the past 5 years.
11. Keep the boxes. They may take up space, but they really are helpful when moving things like toasters and blenders and fragile valuables.

I know there are probably many more things I've learned but these are just the most notable.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Start of Something New

I've never had a blog before and since I'm starting a new season in my life this might be a nice way to get out how I'm feeling. 


So just a little about me to start. I'm from Texas, I grew up here and I currently live here. I went to college at Sam Houston State University where I double majored in Criminal Justice and Psychology. I graduated this past December but stayed in Huntsville until my lease ends at the end of this month. I'll be moving back home this month to start the next phase of my life. I'm crafty so don't be surprised if I talk about some of my projects. I can be extremely random as my roommates well know.