I'm a little horse, um, hoarse.

Actually, I have little to no voice left at all. So am I supposed to scream silently at the game today? Kind of like a hiss? Oh well, at least I am getting to go. I will probably pay dearly for it later though. I have lots to do today, so lucky for you, I won't be sitting here, frantically typing my life history for the world to read. I have to be at Michael's work at noon with the kids because his mom is keeping them for us while we go to the game. :::gasp::: I'm pawning off the kids! That's bad, bad, bad!! It's just long enough for us to get to Oxford, go to the game, get arrested, or wait, no, not get arrested, and get back home. As always, I will have pictures later.

For crying out loud!

These are my Top 10 Pet Peeves:

10. Finding balled-up socks by the bed.

9. Being the only person in the house that knows how to pick up anything and put it where it goes.

8. AOL...nuff said.

7. People that take forever to update their blogs.

6. Going to sit down in the passenger seat of someone's car and having to clear it out before I can sit down.

5. Getting in line at the checkout at the grocery store, and after standing there waiting for 10+ minutes, hearing the words "I'm closed."

4. Living with a house of boys, might as well get used to this one, but going to sit down on the toilet and realizing the seat is not down. I even offered a compromise: If they will put it down when they get through with it, I will put it up for them, lol.

3. Telling an important story/event to someone and the next day they don't even remember me telling them about it.

2. Stupid, idiot drivers that don't use a blinker. ESPECIALLY the little old ladies that drive the big Cadillacs and slow way, way down before they make their turn.

1. If you are going to be away from your computer to eat dinner followed by a 3-hour movie, please, I beg you, PLEASE turn on your away message.

Thinking deeper for a change

Have you ever been wondering through life aimlessly, and then you wake up out of fantasy land and realize that you need to do something with your life, because let's face it, life is too short to do nothing with it? I'm not really sure what opportunity I am waiting on, and I'm not sure if I really think this ideal "calling" for me will just fall into my lap out of nowhere or what. On that same note, have you ever told yourself you better tell the different people in your life that you love them, because it could be the last time you ever see them? At my unripened young age of 23, it is very easy to sit back and believe that I will live forever, but then there's always the obituary column reminding me that people die at all ages, whether it be from a terminal illness that drags out for years, or a freak accident. At least with a long illness, you have time to say goodbye and if you are physically able, you have time to do a couple things before you die. But it is the freak accidents that scare me. My husband could walk out the door tomorrow morning to go to work and never return. Would I be better off knowing this in advance? Maybe, because I could at least tell him goodbye one final time and make sure he knows I love him, but at the same time, knowing his fate in advance would make me miserable waiting on it to happen. And then I'd probably just lock him in the house so he wouldn't go out and have a wreck, and then an airplane would crash through our house and kill him. I know, that's a wee bit extreme. I am a firm believer that God knows when our time is up before we are even born. He is totally in control of everything and knows exactly what He is doing. Sometimes I think I don't want to live to be very old because I've seen how much my grandparents have suffered before they passed away, and the thoughts of spending the last several years of my life in and out of the hospital and burdening my kids with all of that just doesn't give me a pleasant feeling. It's like, you take an athlete...wouldn't you much rather see an NFL player retire in his prime of the game instead of watching him stay in, watching his talent dwindle because he's getting too old to play professional football, and even worse, ending his career due to injury, instead of getting to go out with a bang? Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, skin cancer, it ALL runs in my immediate family. I already have high blood pressure, and I've had what the dermatologist called "pre-melanoma" removed (melanoma is a very dangerous type skin cancer), so diabetes and heart disease are practically around the corner. My Dad had triple bypass surgery before his 52nd birthday. And these days, 52 is really not that old. I don't like to dwell on thoughts such as these, and I don't mean to depress anyone, it's just something I've thought about lately, and I want to do something with my life that will impact someone else in a positive light.

What I think about at 4 a.m.

For some reason unbeknownst to myself, I woke up around 4 a.m. this morning and remembered this little rhyme someone taught me years ago. I can't even remember WHO taught it to me. Was it someone at school? My cousins? I can't remember, and I have no idea where that person got it from either. I just wanted to put it down in writing before I become ancient and forget everything I know. For one reason or another, this was worth remembering:

One dark day in the middle of the night,
Two dead boys got up to fight.
Back to back they faced each other,
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise,
Got up and killed the two dead boys.
If you don't believe this lie is true,
Ask the blind man...he saw it too.

Just to prove that my head is in a million places at once...

I obviously didn't feel like cooking anything last night, so when Michael got off work, he called on his way home from work and said "Hey, you wanna just order a pizza tonight?" and I was like "Sure". So Michael said "Alright, well I'm in heavy traffic on the interstate right now, so once I get closer to home, I'll call you again and you can call in the pizza and I'll pick it up." All the while, I am trying to get everything done at one time, and then he calls about 10 minutes or so later, and says "Alright, call it in." I hung up the phone, and guess what I did? I went right back to decorating Jacob's stocking. 15 minutes later the phone rang, and my eyes got bigger around than saucers...OMG...I had forgotten to call in the pizza!!!!! CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!! Michael was standing there in Pizza Hut, calling me on his cell, "Candy? Um, did you call in the pizza?!?!" and I said "OH CRAP, I FORGOT!" So I told him to just come home and I'd call it in and he could go back in a little while and get it, to which he refused...he didn't want to come home and then go right back out again, so I called it in FOR REAL this time, and he toured the Dollar Tree while he waited.

Looks like my computer is spacing out again right now. I think it needs caffeine or something, because whenever I start to type, it takes 2 minutes for the first letter of the first word of the first sentence to show up. So I've sat here and typed an entire paragraph before I realize that the words haven't even begun to show up on the screen. Just freaking great. I have things to type and my computer isn't cooperating in the least.

I think I am going to be able to go to the Ole Miss/Memphis game tomorrow afterall, that is, if my kidney doesn't explode. I seem to be getting over the flu quite nicely, like the doctor said I would with that medicine he gave me, but my kidney hurts big time still. I've been overdosing on Tylenol almost all week, in hopes that once it wears off, my kidney will feel all better. This really really sucks. I have had kidney stones off and on since 8th grade, and there's not much, if anything, I can do about it. The last really bad spell I had with it occurred 2 years ago, and by the time I could get in to see a doctor, I was feeling fine, so all the x-rays in the world weren't going to detect any stones. The doctor then tried to tell me I'd never HAD kidney stones and that my kidney was temporarily shutting down. Mmmkay? So when organs stop functioning altogether, do they hurt? I've always wondered that, but didn't want to find out from personal experience. Plus, the first time I was diagnosed with kidney stones, they were most definitely there. This doctor I went to see 2 years ago wanted to run the exact same tests on me that had been run on me years ago for the exact same thing, and I walked outta there and said "No way...I'm getting a second opinion. I know I have/had stones." That doctor was a horse's you-know-what in my opinion. I have heard several women say this is as bad or worse as child labor, and after having experienced both, I would have to agree. If it's bad enough, they can do laser surgery, but there ain't no way I'm having surgery until after Christmas. Heck, there's no way I'm having surgery unless I come across several thousand dollars. Having no health insurance sucks, too. I could go get a job just for the insurance, but then I'd have to turn around and take off from said job to have surgery. I can't win for losing!!

I am pleased to announce that most of my Christmas shopping is done. People just bring stuff to my doorstep from all over the planet...it's great. This is what I got Michael:

Oh, wait, I can't put that here...he READS this (although he knows about a couple items).

But I can safely tell what we got for the babies, since they can't read. But then again, Travis is so smart, it wouldn't surprise me if he COULD read, lol.

Travis: Giant Tickle-Me-Elmo, some new clothes from Old Navy (I know, kids don't give a rats pa-toot about clothes), an Elmo DVD, a huge box of like 20 matchbox cars, a WWE wrestling belt, and a couple other little toys and stocking stuffers I can't even remember now...

Jacob: Symphony Gym kicker thingy (will be very entertaining...transforms into a keyboard on a stand when her gets older), some Pooh blocks, one of those ring stacker toys, a baby Tigger, some clothes from Old Navy, and I know I am forgetting something...

We didn't get them all that much, because we are broke this year, but I have no doubt they (Travis especially) will be thrilled nevertheless.

I had like 15 other things I wanted to type, and then my computer has to go and pretend it has alzheimer's, so maybe I will remember it all later. Until next time...go get a flu shot!

Bluebird Cafe

Have you ever WATCHED that show? Well, in case you didn't know, Bluebird Cafe is this well-known place in Nashville where songwriters get together and perform for the patrons, and they do a show once per week (I think once per week) that comes on the Turner South channel, and some of the songs you've probably heard, and some of them you probably haven't. Most all the people on here performing are people who aren't stars themselves, but have written songs that big-time stars have done well with. (Every great once in awhile a pretty well known singer/song writer will make an appearance. Anyway, just now, this one song they just did on here blew me away, and what gets me is how SIMPLE it was. I am ultra-inspired now. I want to write a song that grabs the attention of people like these songs do. I want to tell a story, not just rhyme a bunch of words to music. I truly believe that if I could crack the code within myself, you'd soon see ME at Bluebird Cafe.

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

Or in English, Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...or something. Yes, my tree is complete. In all its glory and grandeur, it is beautimous, for a fake tree anyways. I think my angel atop the tree is too large for my tree, but if I got a bigger tree to go with my angel, I'd have to move the tree closer to the center of the room where the ceiling goes up. But yes, it is a nice tree, if I do say so myself. After untangling an enormous tangled ball of lights (I swear I did not put them away like that last year!), making sure they all worked, and yes, they ALL worked when I plugged them in, hallelujah, I got them all strung up on the tree. I am just waiting for the longest strand on the tree to start blinking or something. Anyway, I then took some wide silver ribbon (two different kinds) and I started by tying each long piece to the very top of the tree, and then I wound each piece down the sides of the tree in a spiral, curly-Q fashion, alternating both ribbon patterns, all the way down to the bottom of the tree. It looks as if these silver strands are streaming down from the silver angel on top, like they are part of her dress. Very pretty and whimsical-looking. I had a time and a half trying to locate my ornament hooks, but then I found them and, after reparing a couple ornaments with super glue, I got all of the ornaments on there. The kids were amazed at all the pretty lights, and surprisingly, Travis barely even messes with it, but I was smart...I hung all of the unbreakable ornaments/and or not-so-important ornaments on the lower branches, and saved my keepsake ornaments for the upper part of the tree. While I was decorating and listening to Christmas music, I started thinking about me and my mom and my sister decorating our tree every year. And then I started getting all sappy and weepy thinking about it because those times are no more. It was always such great fun. Back when I got married, my mom gave me several ornaments that have been on our tree every year since I was very small. It's just neat having things like that. My mom is a Christmas decoration nut. And every year, she adds more to her collection and I don't know how she has room for it all. Heck, sometimes I think I have too many decorations. I have enough to fill up my hall closet and then I still have to put a couple tub fulls in the attic. I guess I love Christmas decorations as much as my mom does. Every year she gives me and my sister a jumbo gift bag full of Christmas decorations, which is cool, because it's something I can put up and then get out the next year and have "new" stuff to set out. I didn't even get out my Christmas village this year :( I just didn't want to risk it this year with a 2-year-old in the house. I mean, I could threaten him within an inch of his life, but even still. Freak accidents are more than likely around here, and I really don't feel like vacuuming up fake snow for the next month because Travis dug his fingers in it, lol. Anyway, my mom always (and still does) made Christmas so special at our house, and I want the kids to be able to look back someday and remember the same thing about me.

Just how my day's gone so far

Vengeance is going to reign down upon my 2-year-old if he doesn't stop yanking the phone cord out of my laptop with his hooves. Said phone cord is already messed up to where it will fall out without warning, but when said 2-year-old is wallering all over the couch, it's inevitable...I WILL get disconnected.

You get what you pay for. I received a letter in the mail a couple weeks back letting me know when my next WIC appointment would be, which was TODAY at 10 a.m. This appointment was so Jacob could be seen by the nutritionist and get approved for the food package that has not only his formula, but also includes juice and rice cereal...it's very good to get those things. Well, me still being stricken with the flu, I called first thing this morning in hopes of rescheduling next week. The phone number on the sheet was apparently not the number I was supposed to call because the lady on the phone gave me a different number. So I called this different number, and this lady on the phone was quite the nicest person on the planet...umm, or NOT? She said I couldn't bring Jacob in until January 8. Yes, I said January. I explained to her that I have come down with the flu and am unable to get down there, and asked her if there was ANY way possible to be seen next week, even as a work-in. Nope. So to make a long story short, I got dressed anyway, loaded up the kids and went. I felt like I could throw up and/or pass out at any given moment. After signing in at the health department, waiting for about 15 minutes, I realized I'm supposed to fill out this little sheet EVERY time I go, not just the first time. So I filled it out right quick, then a few minutes later I was called back up to the window, and they said they HAVE no appointment down for Jacob and asked to see my letter. Lucky for me, I was smart enough to take this letter with me. So upon reviewing the letter, the lady behind the window said I had come to the wrong place and need to go BACK to the WIC Warehouse because that is where the nutritionist is today. UGH!!!! So after loading the kids up AGAIN, we go back up the road a ways to the Warehouse, and see the nutritionist. Well, the only problem at the warehouse was that the lady behind the computer said "And what kind of cereal would you like to get?" and I said "Rice" and she said "We only have Oatmeal," and so I'm standing there thinking "Then why did you even give me a choice?" lol I hate dealing with those people down there, but hey, it's free stuff, so I guess if you don't pay with money, you have to pay with frustration.

I had some other stuff I wanted to blog about, but now I can't even remember because my head hurts and I think I'm going to be sick. The smell of burnt bacon is still afloat in the air, so I had to throw open a couple windows because I feel like I'm going to hurl, and for that reason, Michael thinks I'm pregnant, and I'm thinking I better not be. I'm thinking I just feel sick to my stomach because of the fever/meds/just being sick in general.

That's all for now. More later.

A Few Final Thoughts

Just a few things before turning in for the night...

My kitchen smells like burnt bacon, and it's making me feel sick. My only question for Michael is "How the heck did you burn the bacon?"

I am really starting to miss the replies to my posts. Is it because they are too long and drawn out and boring, that by the time you get to the end, you are bored to tears and don't even remember a thing you read? Heck, I am not looking for well thought out replies...mindless, off-the-wall comments would do nicely, and probably be all the more entertaining. I guess my readers don't love me anymore...:::SNIFF:::

Unrelated to the above, something is really bothering me lately, but I'm not sure how to put it into words without risking p'ing off certain people since there's a slim chance said people could read this. Just to give you a vague preview, have you ever had a friend that acted as if he/she was ashamed to let anyone know he/she was friends with you or had anything to do with you? (Okay, so maybe "ashamed" isn't the exact word I am looking for, but I can't think of THE word for it.)

Also, have you ever known of a group of friends, and you are friends with let's say maybe 2 people out of that group (so you aren't actually IN this group), and they are all supposed to be buddies and hang out and share common interests, but then one of those people that you happen to be friends with that belongs to this group will tell you that they don't like a certain person in said group? I just hate it when people pretend to like people and suck up to people, especially people that really don't deserve to be sucked up to.

And if that isn't vague enough, I have one more thing I want to mention, but I will take my vagueness one step further by saying that I do not feel ready to talk about it just yet until I can find the right words.

Sometimes a little vagueness produces some replies because then everyone starts getting nosey wondering if it is themselves that you are talking about. So I'll just sit back, wait, and see.

Good night for basketball

Quote of the week: "That must have been a jam 'cause jelly don't move like that."
(Michael, referring to a slam dunk by Rodney Carney)

The Tigers won their game against UT-Martin tonight. It should have been a total blowout the whole time though. The Tigers were sleepwalking through the whole game, and Coach Cal looked p-o'd to the max. Of course, when does he not look p'd off? lol. Now we just have to be prepared for Saturday. The game is on ESPN, and Barnes is going to have his players pumped because it's US.

The Grizzlies game has only a few seconds left, and it could STILL go either way, so I'm biting my nails until the fat lady sings. 1.2 seconds left. Okay, half a second remaining...Gasol is fouled...he could seal the deal right here. This is what I love about basketball. One missed free throw in the last second of the game could cost dearly. Okay, he made 1 out of 2 free throws. YES! The Grizzlies win against the Nets, 96-93!!!! YES!!!!!! The Grizz is now 9-8. That's a first!

Top 10 BEST Moments in Jr. High/High School

Since I am coughing up lungs and this flu bug is kicking my butt, I decided to serve up my readers with yet another piping hot helping of blog stew. Yummy. Jacob is as happy as he could be, and Travis has been coloring now for 2 hours straight, so what is there for me to do but this?

I decided that since I had provided my list of Top 10 Worst moments, why not go for the flipside? Although, I must say I've had a hard time thinking of 10 good things from that time in my life, lol. But I'll give this a shot:

10. Getting to school early. This began my 8th grade year because I had to ride the bus my 7th grade year. The first week of 8th grade, some idiot on the bus threw a Coke can at my head, so when I told my mom about it, she said "That's it...you are no longer riding the bus" as if this were a punishment! So instead, she would take me to my grandparents' house every morning, I'd finish getting ready for school there, my grandpa would always fix me an awesome breakfast, and then he'd take me to school. As weird as this might sound, I loved getting to school early because it meant I could hang out with my friends and get all the yacking out of my system before school started, because once the bell rang, you could forget about any chance for a conversation. Just wasn't enough time between classes. Notes were great and all, but sometimes a girl just needs to yack.

9. I adored my Algebra teacher, Mrs. Nichols. Math was, by far, my worst area in school, and if it was not for her, I never would have made it through Algebra I and II as well as I did. When I took Alg. I in 9th grade, she was out for a 6 weeks having a baby, and she wasn't even going to come back to work, but with this crazy substitute teacher we had, EVERYONE was flunking, so she got the word and she came back. I am glad I took Alg. II right after Alg. I (most people went into Geometry in between for some stupid reason) because if I had taken Geometry next, she wouldn't have been there for me to take Alg. II with her...she ended up going to another school after that year. It was a true miracle for me to be pulling off 100's in Alg. II, but I owe it all to her!! What is cool is that about a month ago, I saw her at the Wendy's in Olive Branch, and we talked for a few minutes. I told her what my name was, and she was like "OH, you're from Southaven!" and then I told her I have two boys now, and she said "Wow, you are making me feel OLD!"

8. Getting exempted from finals. I would go to school sick as a dog with a 103 fever to avoid taking final exams. We had a rule that if you missed 2 or fewer days, you didn't have to take exams, meaning you get 2 extra days for Christmas vacation or summer vacation, whichever applied. Anyway, the 2 days before exam days were basically "review days" and I loved getting to sit in class and be ALLOWED to ignore what the teacher was saying. I'd bring my headphones to class those days and write notes to my friends. It was great.

7. I also adored my English teacher in 10th grade, Ms. Thomas. I had her for Honors English that year, and I liked her SO much, that I decided to take REGULAR English my 12th grade year JUST so I could have her again. I actually ENJOYED Shakespeare with her, and I also learned to appreciate poetry, and started getting into writing myself. She was very inspirational.

6. Being 1st chair my entire 8th grade year in band, well, okay, so twice the band director felt sorry for this other guy and dug really really deep to find a reason why I shouldn't be first chair that day. Other than that, it was totally pointless to hold a chair test each week. Everyone would just roll their eyes, like "duhhhh, let's see, who's first chair in the percussion section this week?" lol

5. Sleeping in on Saturdays. After Friday night football games, I was beat. I honestly do not know how everyone else went out after the games. I was always way too exhausted and could not wait to get a shower and get in the bed. I would sleep until 2 the next afternoon.

4. This is one of those moments I will just never forget. Maybe it seems sappy, but I remember it and I always will. We had just gotten back to the school after being at this band clinic. My dad was down at the practice field cleaning out the bus he had driven us on that night. So I waited up at the front of the school for my dad to come back up there with his truck, and my then soon-to-be boyfriend stood there with me and warmed my hands. That was just the absolute sweetest thing a guy has ever done for me. I also had his jacket and I wore it home that night, and I can remember going to my room that night, feeling like the happiest girl on the planet.

3. Going to All-State tryouts and making call backs my freshman year. What made this doubly cool is that the other two girl drummers that tried out didn't even make call-backs...one being a sophomore, the other a senior. And they were mad. This kicked butt totally. I also went on to kick their butt at a band clinic later in the year. I missed 1st chair by a HALF A FREAKING POINT, TOO!!! Oh well, I could accept 2nd.

2. Band trips. Ahh, the memories. 'Nuff said.

1. And the #1 Greatest Moment is...

My 10th and 11th grade year, I got chosen to go to the University of Memphis Honor Band. Which both years were absolutely great. My 10th grade year, we (me and Elisabeth) were in the top band (the blue band) with a bunch of long-haired West Memphis guys. They were incredible, and I think they were having a really hard time fathoming that two chicks were in there with them, lol. There was this one long, boring song our director chose, that had NO percussion in it until the very end, and so while the rest of the band was working on the song for the next hour or so, we all sat down in the floor on the back of this stage we were practicing on, and talked and laughed, and almost got in trouble a couple times. I had gone to Wendy's earlier that night during supper break and they had Felix the Cat with their kids meals, so I got a Felix the Cat, and took it back to practice with me. We ended up sitting back there, throwing it up in the air to see who could throw it the highest, lol. All the while, NO ONE noticed. One of the West Memphis guys, he had a very thick, healthy head of golden blonde hair. He was playing the crash cymbals during one song, and every time he'd crash them together, his hair would like fly out, almost in slow motion or something. It was a site to see...guess you would've had to been there. Believe it or not, I did learn a lot over the course of those 3 days. But anyway, the part that stuck out in my mind the most was when I went my 11th grade year. Prior to auditions to see what chair placement/what band you would be placed in, I was in the warm-up room designated for percussion. My mom was waiting outside this room, probably to protect her ears from all the racket. Well apparently, people had been noticing me, because these two black guys walked outside where my mom was, and this is how their conversation went...my mom told me about this later:

Black guy #1: 'Ey man, did you see that white gal in thera?
Black guy #2: Yeah, man....
Black guy #1: That white gal's gonna whoop our ass!

And I did. And the Director that year was 10 million times better. Some of you know him as Holsinger. He reminded me of Santa Claus, lol. I didn't have the awesome band mates I'd had the year before...most of them were rather cocky, but HE was awesome, and we got to play some of his own music he'd composed. It was great. I will absolutely never forget it.

Okay, so there you have it. Sorry if my Top 10 were boring, but such is the life of a high school band nerd. They weren't boring to me.

P.S.

Oh, in case you are wondering, I am feeling a smidgen better today, I think. At least I was able to stand up long enough to get a shower, although afterwards I felt like I could faint. The coughing started today, which the doctor forewarned me about yesterday. I want to be better by Saturday, but not sure if that one's gonna happen. I guess I could go spread my flu germs to all those Ole Miss fans, lol. I still don't feel quite up to cleaning up the mess the rest of my household members left behind yesterday. And I have a basket full of laundry to fold that has been sitting there for 3 days now, and is probably too wrinkled to wear. And you can forget about me making up the bed right now. When mom is out of commission, the whole world shuts down.

Happy Birthday to Jacob!

Well, it's his 6 month old birthday atleast :-). It just doesn't seem possible that he's 6 months old already. We were JUST in the hospital, man! The day my babies were born were the happiest days of my life. There is this mysterious "fog" over the whole experience though. I think this is God's way of making you "forget" the pain and stuff. Of course, I can sit here and recall the whole experience, but at the same time, I can honestly say that I could go through it all over again. I didn't have an actual labor with Jacob because he was born via scheduled c-section, but I had plenty of complications to make up for it.

I can remember me and Michael waiting in this little room they put you in where they basically get you ready for the c-section. There was a TV in there, so for the next 3 hours, we were entertained by I Love the 80's on VH1. The nurse came in to get my IV started, and I forewarned her that she had better be really good at it or I would demand someone else do it. I have an enormous fear of needles, ESPECIALLY IVs. If there is a word for fear of needles, I am that word 10 times over. Needlephobic? I doubt that is the word for it.

Anyway, they had me hooked up to the fetal monitor, so I could hear the baby's heartbeat good and strong. This was really neat because it made it to where I couldn't wait to finally meet this little person that had been living inside me for the last 9 months. But then I got to the point to where I started feeling scared. It was almost like I was more scared the 2nd time around just because I knew what to expect, wheras the first time I did not know what to expect. Some people, the unknown scares them. I am just the opposite.

Anyway, the nurses were freaking out because my blood pressure was like 203 over 106 (no exaggeration) and so my doctor finally came to check on me, and he just told me not to worry, and that once the baby was out of me, this would probably solve the whole blood pressure thing.

My Dad came back to see me, and he asked us what we were naming the baby, and all we could tell him was Jacob because we wanted to surprise our dads with the middle name....Charles-Dennis. (Charles is Michaels dad, Dennis is my dad.) So my dad stood there and literally tried to come up with a middle name that sounded good with Jacob! LOL

So the nurses said it was almost time. I was up next. Talk about feeling a million emotions at once...I was scared/excited/nervous/relieved/happy all at the same time. What I hated about this part was when they took me to the delivery room, or was it operating room, Michael was elsewhere getting his scrubs on. I kept asking over and over "Where's Michael?" because I was scared he was going to miss the whole thing. The guy that gave me my epidural was very good...it's just the weirdest feeling having an electric shock going down both legs!! You see these women on Maternity Ward on TLC that scream and cry when they get theirs, so I figure either those women are whimps or they had someone administering the epidural that didn't know what the heck they were doing. Maybe I just got lucky with both of my babies...I dunno. ANYWAY, I could not feel anything from my chest on down, and still no Michael!!! So the operating room nurses were naming off all of the scalpels and whatever other sharp objects they have spread out, which is an unnerving kind of experience. They were getting ready to cut me open with this stuff and FINALLY Michael showed up. They let him sit right next to my head and he held my hand. I looked up at the monitor thingy that shows all my vital signs, and my blood pressured had dropped really low to like 114 over 47. Dang. What was really really bad is that the way the big light they had over me was angled, I could SEE the reflection of what they were doing to me. Surprisingly it didn't bother me that much because I couldn't feel much other than this man practically sitting on the top part of my stomach trying to push the baby out...and you think I'm kidding. Later on during my hospital stay, I got to know this person quite well, but I'll get to that part in a minute.

So anyway, within a matter of 10 minutes or less, I heard Jacob's cries for the first time at 1:25 p.m. that day. I cannot begin to explain how awesome that is! So as I was being sewn up, the baby was getting cleaned up and weighed and all that good stuff, and the nurses started calling out all those scalpels again. I guess it's like a checklist so they can make sure they didn't accidentally leave one in you or something. LOL! Imagine that! The one thing you don't want to hear while on the operating table..."Oh, crap!" So then they lifted me up and put me onto a hospital bed and they put Jacob in my arms. I was honestly surprised they let me hold him because I swear I could not feel my arms. Then they wheeled me down to where my room would be for what felt like an eternity. Problems started setting in AFTER the baby was born. Most people don't expect that to happen, but it does. So they let us get kind of settled in our room before they allowed people to come in and see us, which was VERY nice because it was quite the opposite when Travis was born. Once they okay'd it for us to have visitors, EVERYONE came into the room at the same time, and that is when we announced his full name. My Dad started crying!!! It was so sweet!!

So after the room started clearing out, the nurse came back in and said she had to put me on magnesium (in my IV) because my blood pressure had gone way up again. She described the side effects to me...she said it'd make me feel edgy and maybe even really hot. That stuff burned going in, and edgy was an understatement. That stuff made me feel like I was on pins and needles. Every time I'd attempt to doze off, I'd wake up almost startled. It was as if I could fall asleep, but I was extremely alert at the same time. I had to stay on the magnesium for 12 hours. Great. All I wanted to do was go to sleeeep!! On top of that, my whole body itched allll over, which was caused by the drugs in the epidural. So I begged them to take it out of me. It took forever and a day to get this okay'd and get someone to do it. I literally clawed myself to death that night. I scratched my legs so hard they bled. So anyway, the next morning (Wednesday) one of the doctors in my doctor's group was making the rounds that day, and said I could be taken off of the magnesium. Hooray!

Michael ended up having to go into work that day, so my mom came to stay with me, and boy am I glad she was there. I had the stupidest (yes, I said stupidest) nurse that day that did not have a clue what she was doing. This stupid nurse was trying to take my IVs out just as my mom was getting there, and the nurse was taking her own sweet time and she was HURTING my hand, and I was turning more and more pale by the second, and I finally said "For crying out loud! Would you just go get someone that knows what they are doing?!?!?!" So she went and got another nurse, and this 2nd nurse took out my IV within a matter of a half a second. THANK YOU!

So anyway, I was allowed to get up out of bed for the first time to try to hobble into the bathroom, and trying to get out of bed for the first time after a c-section is a major ordeal and requires assistance. My mom had to tell the freaking nurse how to help me get out of the dang bed. So you should take notes if you are ever planning on having babies someday, because you could be in the same boat...you will feel like you are going to bust some stitches, but this is how it is done:

1.) Lower the bed all the way...another words, the bed should be completely flat.
2.) Using your legs and using your arms by holding onto the side rails(this takes a lot of effort), scoot your body back so that your head is at the very top of the bed.
3.) Raise the back of the bed as far up as it will go.
4.) Dangle your feet off the side of the bed closest to the bathroom. You may need help getting your feet off the bed at first.
5.) Grab the side rail closest to the bathroom. Pull on it so that you lift your upper body off the bed and twist your body to the side of the bed you have to get off on.
6.) Make sure someone is there to hold one or both arms for you while you try to stand up. Standing up straight for the first time is nothing more than pure torture.

ANYWAY, my Dad came all the way from work that day and brought me McAllisters for lunch! How sweet! My mom kept me company and kept the nurses in line, and then Michael came back as soon as he got off work. That night, Michael just HAD to turn on Jackass. Now if that won't make you bust a couple stitches, NOTHING will. He had me laughing so hard and I was in such pain after that. Michael said "Ah, it's good for ya!" LOL.

Let me just go on and say that when you are given 2 Percocets at once, life is a wonderful thing. Before passing out from taking them, I was delusional. We were watching TV and I swear I felt like I was wearing those 3-D glasses. Needless to say, I slept great that night. The next morning (Thursday), the doctor came by as usual, checked my incision (ugh) and asked me if I wanted to go home that night. Well, DUH, of course I did, but then again, I felt like I needed one more night in the hospital, plus I knew the car ride home would wreak havoc on my poor belly.

Everything was great, I was going to go home Friday morning. That is, until all hell broke loose and my blood pressure (for some unknown reason) sky rocketed again. Thursday afternoon, every time the nurse would check my blood pressure, it had gone up, up and away. No, seriously, my blood pressure went up every 30 minutes she checked it. They ordered all this blood drawn, and according to the nurse, once your blood pressure gets to a certain point, she is required to call the doctor to see what the doctor wants to do about it. Well, just as luck would have it, my doctor wasn't on call, so some other doctor said I needed to go back on the magnesium, which ultimately meant I'd have to have my IV put BACK in. Hello! I already went through getting stuck once...I was brave...I was a big girl...I deserved a lollipop. But I had to do this AGAIN? I was hysterical. I demanded to speak to the doctor that ordered this. Well, actually, I demanded to speak to MY doctor, but he wasn't on call so I guess that means they are not allowed to be bothered. So I expressed my feelings about the whole situation, and she said "Okay, you don't have to go back on the magnesium, but if your blood pressure gets any higher, you have to go back on it." Okay, fine. I could live with that for the moment. I tried to calm down. I tried to take my mind off of it. Michael tried to make me laugh. But once again, the nurse walked in, and I think just seeing her made my blood pressure go through the roof, because sure enough, it was even HIGHER than last time. I kept asking what could be causing it, and they could not answer me. They were just as clueless. Just the thoughts of having to get an IV again made me cringe. Not only that, but I definitely wouldn't get to go home Friday morning. I'd have to stay probably until Saturday, or longer. I just wanted to take my baby home! I was so hysterical, sobbing, crying, boo-hooing, you name it, and Michael didn't know what to do. He called my mom and tried to get me to talk to her, and I could not get one word out. This was like 10:30 at night and my mom said "That's it, I'm coming up there".

So I dragged myself into the bathroom one last time without having to drag an IV pole with me. While I was in there, I prayed. I told God, "Okay, fine, if I have to go back on the magnesium, fine. But please, please send someone that knows how to do a good job putting in IV's." Almost instantly I heard a knock at the door, and Michael answered it, as I was still in the bathroom. I heard another man's voice talking with Michael. I walked out of my bathroom and back towards my bed. It was the person who sat on my stomach to push the baby out. His name was Jeff. Jeff could tell I had been bawling my eyes out. He said "I just happened to be up here, and thought I'd stop by to congratulate y'all. I had no idea I was walking into THIS." And he sat down on the edge of my bed beside me and asked me what was wrong. So I told him all that was going on and why I was so upset. He basically put things in a different perspective for me. He said that it would be better for me to go back on the magnesium NOW, than to go home, get worse, and then have to check BACK in to the hospital without my baby. At least this way, my baby got to stay in the hospital with me until I went home. So he asked me, "If I can find the best person in this entire hospital to give you your IV, will you do it?" and I looked at Jeff and said "Okay." Wow, God was answering my prayer. I have had a lot of prayers answered, but I can't think of one that was ever answered so instantly, exactly and automatically as that one. So within like 10 minutes, Jeff came back with this lady. He said she was the head operating room nurse of the hospital and he described her as one who knew how to give IVs to 500 lb 90-year-old ladies with bad veins, so she should have no problem whatsoever with me. LOL. So right about then, my parents showed up, and Michael went out in the hallway with them. Jeff was such a sweet guy! He sat there with me and held my hand while the nurse lady put my IV in. I swear Jeff had to be an angel sent from heaven. I was tempted to mention Jeff to someone else in the hospital just to see if they said "Jeff? Who's Jeff?" LOL So anyway, my parents and Michael came back into my room, there I am, IV and all, and my dad starts having a conversation with Jeff. Turns out Jeff was from NY and he did some time in the Navy. Jeff then told me that if I need anything else, to let him know.

My mom decided she would spend the night with me, and Michael took my dad home. After we got kind of settled again, my mom and I got to talking, and what my mom said to me gave me chills. She said that on the way to the hospital that night, she prayed during the whole way that God would send someone to my room that could do my IV right. She knows the hard time I have with that stuff, so I think my mom was upset FOR me. But when she told me those words, it gave me goosebumps. She said she'd never in her life had a prayer answered so instantaneous like that before. I never had either. Wow. That night, the nurses that came in kept telling me that my baby was so sweet and that he was stealing the attention of everyone in there.

Anyway, to save you from the last boring details of my hospital stay, that is if I didn't lose you way back in the first paragraph, my bp finally went down enough so that I did finally get to come home that Saturday. I was never happier to see home in all my life.

I hope I didn't make you not want to have babies, but believe me, it's not that bad. Like I said before, I'd do it all over again. And if you are the baby's daddy, you better treat the baby's mommy like a queen!!!

Totally random...

Let's see...

The medicine is starting to work. I took my 2nd dose shortly ago. I HAVE to get over this by Saturday for the Ole Miss v. Memphis basketball game. I'm sure we'd have no problem selling the ticket, but you just don't understand...I WANT TO GO!

I think my AC adapter I spent $100 on several months back has problems. Actually, I think it's the actual tip that is made to specifcally fit my computer that has problems...I looked at it, and upon observation, I found that one of the metal contacts on the inside is gone. So as I sit here, the computer flashes back and forth fron AC power to battery power. It's all in the way the computer is sitting. So, if you don't hear from me anymore after this, you'll know that I had to scrape together $10 to buy a new thingy.

And AOL...IT definitely has some issues, dude. Every version of AOL has its own set of glitches, I have found. 8.0 was having a butt load of problems, so I just said "screw this" and upgraded to 9.0. Heck, with 9.0, I can't even get the modem to dial through. The only real problem I have with 8.0 is if I get kicked off, I can't get back on without restarting my computer, which takes forever and a day. Of course, and then there's the part where AOL starts acting like it's on crack...certain portions of the screen will go black or blue or white or your color of choice, and the only way to temporarily fix this is to find the Sign Off button (everything gets really distorted and out of place), sign off, close AOL, and restart AOL. What a hack!!

Strange song playing on the radio right now...Stevie Nicks singing "Silent Night". Just totally odd, indeed.

Last but not least, Charlie Brown's Christmas Special comes on tonight at 7 p.m. on CBS. I am soooo there come 7 o'clock!!

$93 poorer

Michael came home to keep the kids so I could get to the doctor, and sure enough, I have the flu. Driving myself to the doctor was a chore in itself, because when I got there, I vaguely remembered getting myself there. Scary thought to know there are lots of drivers doing the same thing on a daily basis. Anyway, when I got there, I had a temp of 103.2...wowzer! The doctor told me it was a really good thing I went ahead and came in because he was able to prescribe me some pills that I take for 5 days that will shorten the duration of the flu, and minimize the symptoms somewhat. So after the doctor took 68 of my dollars, I made my way to the Walgreens near my house to drop off my prescription, and I decided to sit there and wait on it...I sure wasn't up to touring the store while I waited. My medicine was $24.99. Great. There goes the money for my car note. Just great. So I got back to the house, managed to get back into my PJs and crashed on the couch. My house looks like a tornado hit it because I'm the only one around here who will actually pick up after anybody, so as you can imagine, toys are everywhere, scattered all over the floor, along with many other objects. Not to mention, my kitchen counters are piled with dishes and all kinds of crap. Please tell me THIS is not my house!! I may not keep my house spotless 100% of the time, but this is something I wouldn't want my mother to show up unexpectedly and see. It just blows my mind that within a matter of a few hours of being out of commission, the house looks like a tornado hit it! Why didn't God make Moms immune to getting sick? Because when Moms get sick, everything falls apart. I did, however, talk Michael into going to McDonald's and bringing me food. For whatever reason, whenever I am sick, the one and only thing that tastes good to me is McNuggets and sweet & sour sauce. I think this stems from the fact that when I was a little kid, whenever my mom would take me to the doctor when I was sick, she'd go through the McDonald's drive-thru for me every time. Strange how we carry little comforts from childhood into adulthood like that. Anyway, food is here, so I am out of here for now. Thank goodness for laptops so I can sprawl out on the couch with it.

I'm doing really good right now......

......just to type this. I am sick as a dog. I fell asleep on the couch after my last post last night, and when I woke up around 10-ish, I was FREEZING, so I went to get in the bed, but the sheets had still not been put on the bed from the fiasco the night before...they were still in the dryer. So I beggged Michael to help me, and he gets really frustrated sometimes trying to make up the bed because he thinks it doesn't look right when he does it, but at that point, you could have put me on a bail of hay, I was soooo sick. I am weak, my body aches alllll over, my throat hurts, and the weird thing is my kidney on the right side hurts. This is really scaring me. I have a fever of 100.8, so I am about to have to find someone to keep my kids so I can drag my butt to the doctor. It totally feels like the flu, except I don't understand the kidney thing, unless I have a kidney infection that's giving me the fever, but then explain the sore throat. Anyway, I need to get off here, get on the phone, and ball up in pain again.

My throat hurts

Yes, you read that correctly. My throat HURTS. It's not just a little scratchy, it hurts to swallow to the likes of having tonsils removed. It started this afternoon and now my body is aching. Last night we had a horrible night. Travis was in the bed with us and he woke up in the middle of the night, threw up twice, so we had to strip the bed, strip Travis' clothes, and we were too half asleep to remake the bed, so Michael took the couch and me and Travis took the recliner. Travis got sick AGAIN, so I had to clean up the chair, and so we ended up crashing in the middle of the living room floor. Michael ended up taking off from work today, and after Travis finally got it all out of his system, he was back to his usual self. Must've been something he ate.

So I decided I was in the mood to get out my Christmas decor this afternoon, and while Michael was home, I sent him to the bank, to Walmart, and then I had him dig around in the attic for the tree and some other decorations that were stashed up there. The tree was no biggie getting down. It was the huge plastic container of ornaments that was very tricky getting down. I held my breath the whole time, but we finally got it down. So I decorated the mantle with my snowman family, hung my big Christmas wreath and got out all the other decorations I set out everywhere, and the ornaments are ready to be hung, except Michael hasn't put the tree TOGETHER yet. Of course once he does, I'm not even sure if I am going to be up to decorating it. And then my mom has to go and scare me about all the flu cases that have resulted in death, and how some kids start out with a tummy ache and fever, and they don't realize what it is until they don't recover. Thanks, mom. Just what I wanted to hear. I know it's a good idea to be aware of these things, but geeze. I really am hoping I get over whatever I have because for one, I don't have insurance. For two, we have A LOT going on over the next several weeks...the Memphis v. Ole Miss basketball game this Saturday, the New Orleans Bowl in two weeks, and our church Christmas party Dec. 19. And I'm supposed to decorate my mom's house this week since she's so busy with school and doesn't have time. She said she'd pay me to do it, so I took the job offer, and I could surely use the extra money, but here I am getting sick. Any e-soup would be greatly appreciated! :-)

I am about to have to lay down because I am starting to feel weak, but before I go, I just wanted to mention....BANG BANG! Well, um, actually, Mick Foley (not Cactus Jack), better known as Mankind, has made a return to the WWE...not for a wrestling role, I don't think, but STILL. This is great!! I LOVE Mick Foley! He's like a big teddy bear I just want a big bear hug from!!

Anyway, I am going to crash on the couch now. More later, I hope.

Give me a cold piece of ice...

As opposed to what?

Travis wanted something to drink, so I said "there's a coke in there, but it's hot, so give him a couple pieces of ice," to which Michael replied, "You want me to give him a warm piece of ice?" and I looked at him like "Do huh?" and he said "You said give him a cold piece of ice" and I said "Nooo, I said give him a "couple pieces of ice." I love things like that...when you are saying one thing and another person hears something else and it makes for a good laugh. Yeah, I am easily amused, so bite me.

We're goin bowling!

It is official! Word is out! We have been invited to and have accepted the invite to the New Orleans Bowl!!! So we cancelled our reservation in Mobile and made a reservation in New Orleans at the Hyatt. And then we bought our bowl tickets. We kind of found out about it from an insider before it was officially announced, so we were like hurry, hurry, hurry, call, call, call, NO, don't go through the website, just call!!! So after a couple phonecalls, we are set to go to New Orleans for the 2nd time this year. The tickets were $40 each, and we got our room for $69 a night, so on December 16, we're taking a quick trip...leaving Tuesday morning, the game is 6 that evening, spending the night at the Hyatt, and driving home the next day. I totally dig quick trips like that. And it was also officially announced to me that I am helping drive. YAY! Michael sleeps and I drive like 100 mph and he doesn't know that, but lucky for me, he trusts me and just snores away while I crank up the music. How does one sleep with blaring speakers? If he drives and I try to sleep, I am doing good to doze for like 10 minutes, and no matter how much he turns the music down, I'm still all whiney and can't sleep. Oh well. ANYWAY, we are playing the North Texas Eagles at the bowl game...they are the champs of the Sun Belt conference. It will be fun/different/new going to a football game in a dome...the Superdome, baby! And our hotel is connected to it, so it's an excellent thing to be staying in the Hyatt. Anyway, I need to go get lunch and stuff, so more later. GO TIGERS!!!!!!

Top 10 Worst Jr. High/Highschool Moments

I was talking to a friend earlier today about how some of the worst times of our lives were during Jr. High/Highschool. I agreed with this person 100%. We talked about rotten friends, sucky relationships, how naive we were back then, how much of a spoiled rotten little brat I was (lol), and the fact that I was a deceptive little heartbreaker. And I was sooo the type to waste my life away waiting around by the phone for a guy to call me. Weren't ALL girls stupid enough to do that? And I would spend two hours every day picking out clothes, putting on my makeup, straightening my hair, and for what?? Okay, so granted I wasn't the nicest person, I definitely wasn't popular, and I didn't really fit in with any given crowd. I was a "band nerd" but I had plenty of friends outside the band. And I think all Jr. High girls went through a period in their life where it was the thing to do to have a different boyfriend every month, and one week a guy could be "Ewwww, GROSS" to "I love you, my little sweety pea", back to "Get away from me!" but I had my fair share of disappointments and heartbreaks, too. So, for your reading pleasure, and without further ado, I have compiled my list of the Top 10 Worst Jr. High/High School Moments:

**Note: I am protecting all names by using that person's 1st initial, so if you are in doubt as to who it was that I'm referring to, just ask, and I'll tell.

10. This one guy, we'll call him "K", cheated on me with this trashy little hoe bag during my 9th grade year. At least he admitted it. Of course, he smoked weed, so it was probably for the best. Didn't make it hurt any less. I think I ended up selling at a yard sale the Green Day CD he bought for me in the Jackson mall that year while we were down there for band contest.

9. "J". He was a hottie...like the bad-boy-trouble-maker kind of hot. But he was so sweet, and not even a couple weeks after we got together my 10th grade year, he told me he had to move back to Texas. He said he wasn't sure when he would be leaving, and I never knew the last night we talked on the phone would be our last time to talk ever again. I honestly believe he was in some sort of trouble, from what all I gathered. I can remember waiting outside for him every morning to get off the bus, and then one morning, he didn't show up. And then the next morning he didn't show up. Then the next. Then the next. And I never heard from him again, and I was crushed. I can STILL remember how his jacket smelled.

8. People told me my 8th grade year I'd NEVER make snare my freshman year. The good thing about this is that I DID, in fact, make it my freshman year, thank you very much. :-)

7. My REAL best friend (still is today) moved away in 7th grade. Her mom got another job elsewhere, so they had to move. What was I going to do without my "partner in crime?"

6. I had an 8th grade English teacher from the "black lagoon" named Mrs. White. She was soooo evil. She literally HID some of my text books from me, which the principal mysteriously "found" and retrieved for me. And then the time I was really really sick, I had kidney stones (uncommon for a 13-year-old), and missed a lot of school and she wouldn't let me make up a test, and she told me instead of giving me a ZERO for it, I just wouldn't have as many grades as everyone else. But she DID, in fact, give me a zero and I ended up with a big fat "F" on my report card that 6 weeks.

5. Christmas of '95, my boyfriend at the moment, "B" (some of you know him, and may not even remember that we were a "couple" for a short time), stood me up. Yes, me, Candy, I was STOOD UP. That was THE worst feeling in the world. And at Christmas. I had known him since 1st grade, and he just didn't seem the type guy that would "forget" he had a "date". I had bought him a present...I think it was a CD, I don't even remember now. And he was supposed to come over to my house and we were going to exchange presents and my mom had made snacks for us, and so when 30 minutes passed and he still wasn't there, I called his house and his dad answered and said he'd gone out of town to Florida or something to see his mom. The fact that he went to see his mom on Christmas was all well and good, but for him to "forget" to tell me, that was just a real bummer. A phonecall saying he couldn't make it would have done quite nicely.

4. The time I saw my life flash before my eyes. It was my 16th birthday, and me, "M", and his sister went bowling with "M's" mom on a Sunday afternoon. It was that bowling alley in Memphis, on Mendenhall. After we left the bowling alley, she decided she wanted to go visit her boyfriend, who happened to live nearby, and I knew I had to get back home soon in time to make it to church Sunday night. Okay, so most responsible parents would totally respect that. Well instead, this psycho woman makes a freaking U-turn in the middle of a 7-lane street, cars flying everywhere, tires peeling, and she heads back in the direction of my house. She was driving waaay too fast, and then we got on Swinnea Rd., the really extremely hilly part in Memphis. The windows were rolled down, me and "M" are in the back seat, she turns the radio way up loud and she floors it. We are jumping these hills going 90 mph (NO JOKE) and "M" is literally cussing at his mother to slow the f*** down, and I am screaming "What the HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!" to his mom. Most scary incidents like this I could probably laugh about later, but THIS still scares me. We obviously made it safely to my parents house, and "M" refused to ride home with her, so we got out of her car, "M" slammed the car door and we went into my house. I didn't dare tell my parents what happened or they would have...well, I don't know what they would have done....but still. They probably would have never let ME go or do anything anywhere again.

3. When "M" tried to commit suicide in front of me. The gun wasn't loaded, or at least I don't think it was. I was on the verge of breaking up with him, so this was his little stunt to keep me from doing so. That little trick worked, for awhile anyways. Finally it got to the point where I said "Fine, do it!"

2. All the hell I went through with my band director that came my 10th grade year. Very very very long story. The only thing worth remembering about said band director was when my Dad got in his truck, drove down to the band hall, and cornered that jerk in his office for some crap he pulled. VERY long story, like I said.

1. The worst occurrence in this 6-year-long chapter of my life, which makes the aforementioned wrong doings pale in comparison, was when my best friend at the time (or so I thought), "L", and this guy she was friends with, "G", basically set me up to break up with my boyfriend, "C" at the time, (I do not even know why they did this) and "L" made me think that "G" liked me, all while filling my head with all kinds of crap about "C", so I broke up with "C", decided I would "go with" "G", and then the very next day, "G" dumped me. It was one big fat joke, which yeah, I fell for it and all, but it was still soooo cruel. When "G" broke up with me, he did so via note, and I read it before my 5th period history class, and before I could get through the note, I lost it. I asked the teacher if I could step outside for a minute, and she said "okay" and then a minute later, the teacher came out in the hall with me and asked me what was wrong, and I couldn't tell her anything but "I'm just having a really bad day" and then she asked me if I wanted to go down the hall to the bathroom, so I did, and I cried and cried, and another girl walked in and found me, and she asked me what was wrong, and all I told her was "things are never going to be the same again". And it wasn't "G" I was boo-hooing over...I could care less about that sorry you-know-what; it was because I knew in my heart that my "first love" would never take me back, and the icing on the cake was that my "best friend" literally screwed me over. Needless to say, I think I missed most of that class that day, and for the rest of the day my body was present, but not my mind. And for days, "C" would not even talk to me and I begged him to talk to me, I begged his friends to beg him to talk to me, and finally he eventually did talk to me, but I'm not even sure if he knew the whole story as to why I broke up with him, but I thought we might get back together, and for whatever reason, it just never happened. I guess part of it was he was afraid I'd break up with him again, okay, so maybe that was ALL of the reason. So I had other boyfriends here and there, but it just wasn't the same. Just the way that it happened and that my best friend turned on me like that. "C" and I still talked, but the day came when he started writing notes to this other girl we went to school with, which threw me for a loop, and then the "what about us?" conversation took place, and he told me he didn't know if he was ready for another relationship right then, and that very night he hooked up with this other girl, and I didn't even find out about it until the next week. I may have been a #$%^& for breaking up with him in the first place, but GEEZE. You know, if you're planning on moving on, at least TELL the person so he/she doesn't get the shock of his/her life when he/she finds out from a 3rd party that you are with someone else. So for the next however long it was, I spent every night of my life, lying in bed, imagining the two of them together, and it ripped me apart. And I didn't even know who I was angry at the most...him? his new girlfriend? my friends that played a role in "setting them up"? or myself? And I tried sooooo hard to like her anyway and be nice to her, but on the inside I wanted to be her. I couldn't pass him in the hallway without re-living it all over again in my mind. There is a whole lot more to this #1 worst moment, but I think I might get in trouble for saying much more, so I will just leave it at that.

So there, now you know my Top 10 Worst Moments in Jr. High/High School, that is, if you aren't snoring by now and drooling all over the keyboard.

Puccini & Plastic?

Last night overall was great. It was nice to go out, just us. We racked our brains trying to decide where we wanted to eat, and after much consideration, and factoring in of time restraints, we knew we had to eat somewhere downtown, and I was really wanting something Italian, so we ended up going to Puccini and Pasta, a fairly new restaurant in Peabody Place. So we get seated right away, no wait, and then they take our drink orders and bring out the bread. The bread was awesome and I could've just sat there and ate that bread all night. So we ordered our food...we both ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and Fettucini Alfredo. This was at 6:20. So 6:30, our waiter comes by and says "Y'all's food will be out in just a second." No problem. So then it's 6:40, 6:45, 6:50, STILL no food. So I said "Next time someone walks by our table, I'm going to ask for the manager," to which Michael replies "No, not yet, just wait," and I said "I know, you don't like confrontation, but this is getting ridiculous." So it's almost 7:00...40 minutes after we placed our food order...and so we grabbed the attention of the nearest waiter and asked him to send the manager over to our table. So the manager, who had been working behind the bar since we got there, made his way over to our table and introduced himself and asked what he could do for us. So we told him how long we'd been waiting, and he explained to us that they were really backed up in the kitchen, and that he would give us a 20% discount off our check. Cool. But what was really annoying, and even more odd, was that our waiter was hanging out at this one table, chit chatting the majority of the time we were there, in the far opposite corner of the restaurant, and the drinking glasses are so small that you need a refill after like two sips of tea. So by the time we got our THIRD basket of bread, our food finally comes out. It was okay, but my personal opinion is that the Olive Garden is much better, and you get your money's worth, and needless to say, it was NOT worth waiting 40+ minutes for. So there we are, chowing down because by this point, we are starving, and Michael has this look on his face like something isn't right, and he said "What is THIS?" and he held up a piece of something hard and black, and I examined this mysterious object to determine that it was a square piece of black plastic with a very sharp edge!!! So Michael wastes NO time and immediately proceeds to the manager back behind the bar, shows him this plastic thing, and the manager said "I am taking care of your whole check." So even better. Free meal. The manager ended up heading back into the kitchen to find out what the heck this unidentified paraphenalia was, but by that point, we were just ready to get out of there and head over to the orpheum.

Which brings me, finally, to The Lion King at the Orpheum. First of all, I'd never been INSIDE the Orpheum before, so that by itself was a pretty awesome thing, but the show itself was INCREDIBLE. The costumes, the acting, the music, all of it...AHHH! I tell you what grabbed my attention and held onto it the most was the percussion!!! I highly recommend you go see it. All I can say is WOW!!!

Now I just have one question. WHAT does a girl have to do around here to get a Vanilla Coke? After the Lion King last night, I was extremely thirsty and craving a Vanilla Coke. So we wait 'til we get almost home to stop and get one, and the Exxon on the corner by my house was completely out of them. Extreme frustration begins to settle in. The Schnucks Express across the street is closed. There is no other convenience store without driving a little ways down Goodman, which Michael was not about to do. So we go BACK to the Exxon and I had to settle for a Pepsi Vanilla. I have never tried one, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and by that point, I would have drank a Dr. Pepper (NASTY INDEED!!), so what is my opinion of the Pepsi Vanilla? It's actually more similar to Vanilla Coke than I thought it would be. It's just more sweet or something. It was almost coconutty somehow. Yes, I said coconutty. So Michael took a taste of it. He said it was bubblegummy. Either way, it just wasn't a Vanilla Coke. And so Michael says I'm high-maintenance.

Onto sports, Memphis lost their final home game yesterday to South Florida, 21-16. This was disappointing to me because I really wanted Memphis to go out with a bang. Oh well. And NOW we are at wits end wanting to know which bowl we are going to get an invite to. Is it the GMAC Bowl? We already reserved us a room in both Mobile AND New Orleans, and we'll just cancel the reservation that we don't need. The GOOD news is that Memphis (basketball) beat Austin Peay last night, which Austin Peay was in full deservance of that after last year. Now the REAL fun is going to be this coming up Saturday when we play Ole Miss down at the Tad Pad in Oxford. As lousy as Ole Miss's basketball team is this year, if they beat us, it will be a total embarassment. Michael has been practicing his Eli Manning impression just for the occassion. He's already decided he's going to jail and someone's going to have to bail him out of the Oxford jail.

So I guess I'm out of here. I have to go practice my music for tonight. More later or tomorrow or something.