Thank G-d

I don't have anything else to lug up the five flights of stairs to my dorm room.

Yesterday was move-in day. Theron and I were able to get everything upstairs in a relatively good amount of time. We got most of it done early, so maybe that's why it was easier. It seems like most people waited until a little later to show up and start moving.

I got everything done yesterday that I needed to, which is so nice. We had a floor meeting last night and I guess most of the girls on my floor are freshmen, so it was a little awkward because no one wanted to talk, but they seemed nice.

My bed is extremely comfortable. I actually woke up at a regular time because I didn't feel as though I slept poorly. Theron gave me a whole bunch of his posters, so it doesn't feel naked in here... and his cow ottoman - it's so cute!

I know that the biggest thing I will have trouble with is being more outgoing. I tend to isolate myself when there are people I don't know very well unless I'm at work (don't ask, I don't get it either). Hopefully when I get home from work one night, I'll be able to branch out a little more and be a little less anti-social.

I Now Know All Of Downtown Milwaukee

Not too long after admitting to the world that nobody really likes me and I didn't have any friends, the ones that paid attention more than I thought stepped up to help cheer me up.

I went to Milwaukee with Ali yesterday, after eating tasty Culvers kids meals for lunch. We parked not super far away from where we wanted to go, but we weren't paying attention and we pretty much ended up walking all the way out to the lake, then all the way back over to the river. We took a boat tour, which was pretty fun. Although we had planned on going shopping a little, we didn't end up getting to because of how long we walked.

We watched part of "21" which ended up being a lot better than I thought it would.

Then another friend called me and we ended up going bowling over at AMF. I made a couple of new friends there.

We went back to the Bergs, a set of dorms at Carroll. One of my new friends is an RA, so we got to hang out in her room... and she showed me where I'll be in September. It could be because of the lighting, but that room looks terrible. :( It felt like a prison cell, and I am definitely not excited about that. Next year, I'm aiming for Charles House or being an RA.

It was a fun day, but I'm definitely paying for it right now. My calves are aching something terrible and I STILL have the headache that I had yesterday afternoon.

My Whole Week Has Been Full O' Suckitude

Like, seriously.

I had a dentist appointment at the Marquette Dental School and it sucked. The lady basically called me a big fat cow. :( I'm in the middle of writing a complaint letter. She didn't take me seriously at all and it was upsetting and demeaning. I didn't expect the red carpet to be rolled out, but at least some sort of respect.

I was supposed to go to the fair on Friday with Theron and his mama. Not only did we not go, but the water heater in his house sprung a leak and his mama is sick!

Oh, and then today was the Brewers block party. We got there at about 1030 and spent roughly two hours in Braun's line (no, we didn't try for anyone else's autograph) and didn't get to see him at all! We were only maybe 10 minutes away. If they'd just stayed an extra fifteen minutes, everything would've been fine. But no, not only did they not show up until 1130 (which I guess is normal), but they barely stayed long enough to get anything done.

Theron snuck around and got me some pictures while I was waiting in line. Enjoy.

An awesome picture of me and my sunglasses. Theron's hot torso is reflected.

Bernie Brewer and fans.

Riske, Torres, and Counsell on stage during the Q&A session.

Braun signing OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF!!!1!

Memorial Day

I missed blogging about the day that we use to help remember people who have served our country! To my defense, my parents were out of town and Theron was over all weekend, and I had to work like all day Sunday, and all night yesterday.

I just want to take the time out to say that I am so proud of the people who serve(d) our country, and I hope that each and every one of them is safe, happy, and healthy. I have two uncles who served in Iraq, and an aunt who was also in the army. I don't know words to express how very proud of them I am, and how very lucky we all are (and grateful too) that they are all safe and sound. I don't know what I would have done had any of them gotten hurt or worse.

So Theron and I went to Chocolate Fest in Burlington on Friday night.It was a lot of fun. I went to my first real concert there. If you guys haven't heard of The Bucket Boys, you should look them up. They're like a two man version of stomp, with silly banter added. They were fun, but I really liked the other group that we went to go see. Todd and Emma Greene are a father/daughter musical duo. He has his own music studio, and a band aside from the stuff that he performs with Emma. They performed with acoustic guitars and an acoustic bass. The songs they performed were really fun songs, and they always added their own spin to it. It really made me want to start working more on my music career...

Theron's dad is covering the Brewers game again tonight. He invited Theron to go, so I get to go too! I'm excited, and it'll be fun to see his dad again.

My parents' car broke down on their way back from Missouri... they're still not home yet, but I know they were taking the car to a mechanic, so hopefully everything is fine.

I hope everyone had a nice, peaceful, and fun weekend.

A Matter of the Heart?

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — A man who received a heart transplant 12 years ago and later married the donor's widow died the same way the donor did, authorities said: of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No foul play was suspected in 69-year-old Sonny Graham's death at his Vidalia, Ga., home, investigators said. He was found Tuesday in a utility building in his backyard with a single shotgun wound to the throat, said Greg Harvey, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Graham, who was director of the Heritage golf tournament at Sea Pines from 1979 to 1983, was on the verge of congestive heart failure in 1995 when he got a call that a heart was available in Charleston.

That heart was from Terry Cottle, 33, who had shot himself, Berkeley County Coroner Glenn Rhoad said.

Grateful for his new heart, Graham began writing letters to the donor's family to thank them. In January 1997, Graham met his donor's widow, Cheryl Cottle, then 28, in Charleston.

"I felt like I had known her for years," Graham told The (Hilton Head) Island Packet for a story in 2006. "I couldn't keep my eyes off her. I just stared."

In 2001, Graham bought a home for Cottle and her four children in Vidalia. Three years later, they were married after Graham retired from his job as a plant manager for Hargray Communications in Hilton Head.

From their previous marriages, the couple had six children and six grandchildren scattered across South Carolina and Georgia.

Cheryl Graham, now 39, has worked at several hospices in Vidalia. A telephone message left Sunday at a listing for Cheryl and Sonny Graham in Vidalia was not immediately returned.

Sonny Graham's friends said he would be remembered for his willingness to help people.

"Any time someone had a problem, the first reaction was, 'Call Sonny Graham,' " said Bill Carson, Graham's friend for more than 40 years. "It didn't matter whether you had a flat tire on the side of the road or your washing machine didn't work. He didn't even have to know you to help you."

Courtesy of Fox News

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How sad for that lady... This is the second time her husband's off'd himself.

I think it's interesting that the two of them got together. Was it out of pity? Genuine attraction? Or even creepier, the young man's heart longing for his wife? *spooky noises*
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I feel lame for not having posted in forever. I've had so much going on. I went to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee last weekend, which was super fun. Everyone there was so nice. The Imam (basically the priest-type man) gave me his card and told me that, if I ever needed anything, I could get in contact with him.It was pretty nice.

I did my nails yesterday. This is the first time I've ever had fake nails. It took a little bit to get used to, but now they feel relatively natural. Plus, they look pretty. They're pretty durable too, because Theron and I played catch yesterday and they didn't break. He's teaching me how to throw like a not girl. I'm getting better, which is nice.

I had two Sundays off in a row for some reason. I know I asked for the one off, to go to the mosque, but yesterday was for no reason. It was nice though, because I had a nine page paper I needed to finish among other things.

This morning when I was coming home from taking Kelsey to school, a turkey just ran across the road in front of me. He had his wings up and was gobbling the whole way, reminding me of people who run across the highway, both arms up, kind of screaming like it'll help them not get hit. What a turkey!

Cookie Dough

and sparkling apple juice don't mix. Maybe a ham sandwich would fare better?


I'm having a lazy day.

Last night I finished The Time Traveler's Wife. It has to be the best book I've ever read. I was so entangled in Care and Henry's lives that now I feel so lonely. Sure, now I'm going to read the Amber Chronicles, but it's not the same. Clare isn't waiting and hoping for Henry to return; Henry isn't narrowly escaping death and maim. Ah, the depression that strikes once people you feel so close to are out of your life for good. It's almost like they're both died... or perhaps I'm Clare, waiting by the window for my Henry to come back in the form of a movie.

The most productive thing I've done today is take a shower. I just feel no need to get out of bed and do something important. I'll do some cleaning and laundry here in a few, then put music on my stepbrother's mp3 player so he doesn't bug me anymore about it. Maybe study for Calculus? Eh, maybe not. I'll try anyway.

What does my weekend hold?

Well, in the morning I have to stop by my education classroom to pick up the last of my graded assignments and get my final grade. Then Theron and I are probably going to run to Half Price Books to grab his sister's Christmas present. Sunday I get to finish my Christmas shopping with extra discounts at work.

Monday night my 'little brother' Will goes back to Chicago. He's going to Concordia next semester, so I won't get to see him as often. So sad. :(

I don't like school-less time. I feel like I have no purpose. Maybe it'll be better with working. I hope.

A Weekend of Time Traveling

First off, I squared everything away with Susan. She just had forgotten to give me the days off, so I took an extra one off too and lied about my finals.

If I had been super smart, I'd have requested the 20th off as well, for Theron and my anniversary. Maybe I'll call in, maybe by then we'll have spent almost a full week together and we'll be annoyed with each other so it'll be good to work again. Nah. The only time we really get annoyed with each other is when there are outside influences/people making things harder on one or the both of us.

My weekend went well for everything that was going on. Theron was at home, and I was stuck putting up with my stepbrother.

He's a great guy and all, but annoying as hell. My parents are fighting more due to his presence because now dad is torn between new and old family, similar to when we moved here. We never get time to ourselves now. If he's not constantly asking me about Buddhism or trying to impress/woo? Kelsey and I with his amazingness, then he's just standing in the same room, watching TV he's not really even interested in. He smokes too much, interrupts and doesn't let you return to the subject you were on, acts like he knows everything about everything, tries to relate completely unrelatable things, is too sensitive, and is stupid to put it mildly. Maybe it's just because I grew up in an intellectual home, but yikes. On top of all that, the kid (he's almost 24, but definitely more like 10) is going through withdrawals for sure from pot and drinking and his girlfriend/"family", but I think maybe even more than that. Apparently the day before he got himself kicked outta his girlfriend's house, he smoked several ounces of pot alone. He picks on Kelsey constantly, more than a brother should in my opinion.

I'm not scared of him, because I know I could take him, but it worries me the amount of time Kelsey and he are probably going to end up spending alone together as school ends for me and I start working more. I'm worried for her, for her well-being. I swear, if he even eyes her differently, he's gone in every sense of the word.

Work this weekend wasn't so bad. Saturday was hectic, and I don't care for Steve's way of handling stress and only having one or two people on the floor. Poor Nando was trying to do almost everything alone, and I can't let him do that. Sure, the kid messed me up good for a few months, but I learned a lot from him and grew tremendously as a person. He's one of my closest friends, and I can't let him do too much like that alone, not when it's this busy.

Sunday went much better. I had a few conversations with Grrr about scheduling and working and just life in general. We're doing much better. She was not upset at all at me being up at the service desk and helping Nando to run things smoother. Maybe without me there on certain days, she sees how much I do to help. I finally got to work on some of my PLCs for once. I got a good chunk of things done. It was a pretty productive weekend, as far as work goes.

So Theron's got me reading The Time Traveler's Wife. It's gotta be the best book written ever. Period. It is so sweet. I recommend it to anyone who is in love, misses love, has to deal with long periods of absences of love... pretty much anyone. Don't look it up on Wikipedia though, because it's got spoilers. I don't know about you, but I'm halfway through this book and I want to read the whole thing without hints (except the ones that Theron has given me). They're making a movie, but I'm leery of how it'll translate. The book is organized quite neatly, by whose perspective things are from (Clare or Henry) and what ages and where Henry is.

Knowing that he cried reading this book is helping me to understand that it's okay to cry. I'm not a weak person for doing so. I don't always have to be strong, stoic. I'm getting in touch with my emotions, which has been a little difficult, I'll admit, but definitely a necessity. When I have kids, I want to be able to raise them right, which means being fully aware of and in touch with myself.

Here's a little teaser from the book...

"Well, you know, I'm not kidding about wanting that much sex. I mean, I realize that it's not practical. But I've been wanting to tell you: I feel so different. I just...feel so connected to you. And I think that it holds me here, in the present. Being physically connected to you..."
-Henry

Hee hee....

Theron's so cute.

This morning, he texts me (in the middle of my music alarm, which was playing "Head Over Feet" by Alanis Morissette no less) and asks me if I want him to come pick me up. I think it was the best way to wake up, with the exception of turning over and staring into his gorgeous brown eyes or looking at his sleepy face.

He could be doing so many other things with his time... but he's not... he's with me. He's holding me, cuddling me, being so gentle. He always pushes me to be better, to do my homework, to get stuff done early, to clean my room.

I missed him so much this weekend. Granted, I was working most of the time, but when I was home it was like I had no clue what I wanted to do. I did some homework, watched some TV, spent time with my family... played Lego Star Wars :)

Here is what I'm thankful for...

• Kelsey - No matter how much we fight and act like we hate each other, I hope you know that I wouldn't be the same without you. I love you soooo much. I'm sorry that I don't spend as much time with you as I should. I had so much fun being your big sister all weekend, and your bff! You can kick my ass on Guitar Hero any day!


• Mom - I love you. I hope that you feel better soon. I'm so thankful that you made it through the night. Please sleep and try to get better. I'll take care of what I can as far as cooking okay? You need to take care of you now, so you can get back to taking care of the rest of us. X-P


• Dad - You're super awesome! I'm sad that we don't get to spend that much time together, but I'm so glad that you're in my life.


• Nicki - You make everyday at work worth it. You are the funnest and the silliest gal I know (well, okay, maybe tied with Mama Latonya :). Thanks for all you do to try and make work funner!


• Latonya - I know you're probably not gonna read this, but you are so much fun hun. I love being at work with you because we're always on the same page and always know what to do to get stuff done. You really are like a second mommy to me, and I wanna thank you for listening to me blab on and on about Theron and his cuteness, and for giving me advice.


• Nate & Norene & Girls - I miss you guys so much. I wish that we were still around each other. I'm so excited for Munkey to graduate and be a teacher. Your girls are growing up so fast. They're so adorable and I miss every second of everyday that I used to spend with them, and you two too!


• Nette & Kiddles - I miss you guys. I worry about you a lot. You're so far away, and we don't talk as often as I wish we did. Jonathan, I can remember when you were just a teeny baby. You're such a good kid, and a great big brother. Micah, you're a princess!


• Gramma Patty - I miss you more than you'll ever know. Who else is gonna pick me up after finals and go shopping with me? Get me Dairy Queen? Talk about mommies? I love you!
  


• Theron - You brighten my days and light up my nights. You make everything I've been through worth it. I don't know what I did to be so lucky to get you, but I'll never question it. There aren't even words to describe you - that's what I resort to neology. I love how you push me to be better, how you cheer me up in two seconds, the way you look at me that just screams "I love you!". You make me want to be a better person - clean my room, do my homework, work harder. You keep me on the right track. I know that it's only been two months, but it feels like forever. I feel like I'm myself around you. You are the sweetest, kindest, gentlest man I've ever met, not to mention the most handsome, silliest, and adorable one too! You are more than I could've ever asked more, more than I could've even hoped for - you're my dream come true. I love you so much. I adore you. Be with me, not just now, but for an indeterminate amount of time... forever even. If there's one big thing that this whole weekend away taught me, it's that I can't be without you. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to. You're the only person who knows exactly what I'm thinking, exactly what to say, exactly what to do to make everything seem perfect, even if it isn't. The way you hold me, put your arms around me, kiss me... I've never seen anyone be so sweet. I love you more than you will ever know Mister Sir.

I'm thankful for so much more, but I suppose I can't find the words to say it. Even if I could, would you really want to read a blog 10 miles long? I wouldn't. X-P

Ahhh, the weekend update...

So my weekend was alright, I suppose. I've been super busy... well, and super lazy.

Saturday went well enough. Aside from getting some stuff at the store, there wasn't a whole lot of eventful stuff. Theron and I cleaned my room. It was nice to have him there to help motivate me, but at the same time, I feel bad... I should be able to motivate myself... I'm just super lazy and lethargic, I suppose. X-P

Oregon whomped Arizona State Saturday night, moving them to the number 3 spot in BCS standings. They play Arizona there Thursday night and in UCLA the Saturday after next before coming back home to play the civil war game against Oregon State. This game is legendary, for those of you who have no clue about it. Almost every year, these are the first tickets to get sold out. Go ducks!

We made dirt cake Saturday night, which was supremely fun. I got to crush all the loverly Oreos, but I didn't do a great job... We put sooo many gummy worms in there. I think the piece I had last night had like 5 or 6 in it!

Sunday was a terriblie day at work. I found out the price changer girl - who never does her job right - and my boss were talking about how I never do my job right. Between that, and then price changer girl telling me that I'm not allowed to put up the ad signs unless they're ringing up right, even though it's HER job to put them in the damn computer, I've just about had it. Poor Latanya was standing there listening to stupid girl talk to me like that, and SHE almost walked out. No one there is happy. Everyone is tired of trying to pretend, and our boss doesn't treat anyone right at all. She actually said to me the other day that this is not a job that requires thinking!!! I turned to Morgan (one of the newer girls), and she was just as floored as I was. I'm a college student - I've been trained for years TO think! Not gonna stop just stupid lady says so. It was so bad that, when I got off work, Theron and I drove around looking for places that were hiring. I'm gonna go apply at Tallinger's tonight after work. I know it'll probably mean a dock in pay, but I'll take it as long as the atmosphere is a little bit better.

Last night, Theron and I ate a whole box of cereal for dinner. It was pretty amusing, I thought.

On an even worse note, my arthritis is being terrible. I'm trying not to show it in front of Theron, because I don't want to freak him out or look like a complete doofus. I don't think it's gonna stop being this way for a while now though, so maybe it's time to break out the crazy tape.

I keep dropping things midway through holding on to them... My eyes are starting to get funky again... I actually had to get eye drops the other day. My ankle, which was already bad from me twisting it trying to be all cool and sportsy (which was a bad move, knowing my klumsiness), is hurting worse now. Thankfully, that's the only joint that's being attacked right now, but it's my friggin' ankle! Not a good thing to have problems with. Hopefully it gets better soon, but seeing as it's getting colder and colder, I highly doubt that'll happen. I had to start taking my Aleve again, which means I'm gonna start getting sick to my stomach.

Excitingly though, the main gene responsible for Rheumatoid Arthritis was found in the past couple of days. Maybe there'll be a cure or better treatment by the time I have kids so that they don't have to go through as much of this as I have. It's bad enough to have watched my little sister get sicker... I don't want to see this happen to anyone anymore. Stupid pain, grrrr!