going home

there's nothing quite like being home. walking into your parent's house after not living there for years and yet knowing you still belong; entering the kitchen, seeing your mama cooking like a maniac because her babies are home; the love, the excitement... its really something else. THAT'S what i get to experience EVERY time i come home. i pray that i never have to live without it. i love my home and i wouldn't trade it for the world. =)

this past weekend, my family went to my baby brother's COLLEGE graduation. he FINALLY did it! we are SO VERY PROUD of him! my mom, dad, and grandma pilled into one car (the BORING car) while jeffrey, allyson, and i went in our own car (the SUPER COOL car with LOUD music) and drove three hours to see jonathan.

after the graduation ceremony (which surprisingly WASN'T unbearable), we all headed to texas road house where we proceeded to stuff ourselves in a way only AMERICANS know how:

i got to spend time with galilee and jonna... i have missed them BOTH so dearly. jordan tries to act like an adult but don't let him fool you with his "serious menu-reading face". two seconds into eating, he NEVER FAILS to break out a fart machine and entertain the family for HOURS. yeah... we're like that. =D

while home, i got to visit with my girls, amy and ruth. as SOON as i got off the plane, we headed STRAIGHT for the pool. they know me SO WELL! hahaha. my girl ruth truly has a heart of gold. she’s such a great listener and has always been there for me. i'm so grateful to have BOTH of them in my life. =)

leaving on a jet plane

my usual flight order: coke, pretzels, and a DELICIOUS book. =)

morning view

every morning, i get up and ride my bike to work.
this is one of the views i have during my 3 mile trip.

i LOVE it. =)

buckle up!

when i was a little kid, i'd go spend two weeks every summer with my aunt & uncle in ohio. my aunt was hard-nosed about safety and made me promise to ALWAYS wear my seat belt. now, i was a kid then and didn't really care about seat belts or driving, but you know what? to this day, every time i get in the car, i remember the promise i made to her. for those of you who don't have hard-nosed aunts that make innocent naive kids promise things they might not ever keep, here is a BEAUTIFUL video to inspire you each time you get in the car. =)

parental spring break

i had a WONDERFUL time with my parents these past two weeks. below are a few "photo highlights" of our times together. =)

my uncle scott and aunt kathy visited as well and we all went to the sponge docks in tarpon springs and enjoyed the board walk that had tons of neat little shops; we ate some salt water taffy--that stuff tastes so good but it ALWAYS gets stuck in my teeth and i'm forever trying to suck it out of the crevices. its a mess. we also enjoyed a fabulous greek lunch at hellas. below, my dad and i were FORCED to drink out of the same drink because the waiter only brought one glass when both of ours were empty. hahaha.

we went to sand key beach in clearwater. it was GORGEOUS! the weather was perfect, the beach wasn't too crowed, and i was with my favorite people--my family. =) (ruth, when you come down to visit, i'll take you there. you'll LOVE it! i so can't wait. =D)

my dad and i walked the beach and collected all sorts of things and made our very own "leafy collage". =)

i was HOPING to get a chance to see david hasselhoff but alas, he wasn't there. he must have been on break or something. and i didn't understand the strange look i got from the lifeguard when i asked him where david was. odd, huh.

my dad picked this... this THING up and asked me what it was. i had NO clue of course but i told him in my very informative, i've-lived-here-my-whole-life-and-know-everything-there-is-to-know-about-my-surroundings voice and told him is was a "sea turd". funny, he didn't drop it right away. instead, he held it up for a picture. hahaha!

my mom and i had the pleasure of experiencing "chase customer service" at wal-mart. HOLY CRAP! it took FOREVER for us to resolve the issue. i'm GRATEFUL for fraud protection and really shouldn't be complaining but come ON. TWO hours while standing at the wal-mart auto center? (waving finger) "ish don't sink so."

my sisters, mom, and i went to the pool. IN APRIL. it was so much fun and so relaxing. I LOVE LIVING IN FLORIDA! =D

I GOT A NEW STARBUCKS MUG! HOW long have i been living in florida and i JUST NOW got the state mug!? (shaking head) for SHAME.

and that my friends is the end of my parents "spring break"! =D

clouds illusion

ever since moving down to florida, i've been in love with clouds. and on occasion, i snap a few here and there making quite the collection. i thought i'd share a few of my favorites. don't mind the poor quality of the cell phone photos. i can't take a camera with me EVERY where i go. =)

i'm being followed

guess who has followed me to florida..?

WINKY has! hahaha.

afraid no more?

i've always been a wee bit afraid of flying. ok, that's a lie. i've ALWAYS been afraid of flying. my dad even once offered a cast mold of his hand for me to hold. i figured the poor sap sitting next to me would think it too creepy so i passed. on the offer. hahaha. thanks anyways dad. =)

my flight home last night was not in my usual sitting area [window seat on the wing, just before the emergency exit row--as close as one can get to escape without all the responsability. =D]. THIS flight home, however, was right by the JET ENGINE. and oddly enough, i wasn't freaked! it proved to provide me with a pretty cool photo.

maybe, just maybe, i won't be so afraid anymore. naaaa... who am i kidding? of COURSE i'll squirm like a little kid the next time i have to fly. cast arm or no cast arm.

christmas time has come and gone

christmas time has come and gone--how quickly it has passed--and i'm back home uploading photos from the trip. it was bittersweet, going back home for christmas. bitter because it was hard to go back and face some memories that i wasn't quite prepared for and SWEET because it was so wonderful to be with my family and visit with my fabulous friends. =)

i walked around in my pjs (A LOT) and slept (A LOT), i ATE my heart out, went sledding with stacy, natalie, and franklin (who squealed like a little kid. hahaha.), watched SO many movies (my favorite--sherlock holmes), went SHOOTING with the family, shopped with my friends, and got some SUPER cool gifts (like my STARBUCKS MUGS from my dad!). i'd say overall, even with the shadows, it was a very good trip and i'm glad i got to go home.

here are a few photos:

family christmas

mom's florida vacation

my mom came down last week to visit her girls: natty, bethany and chello... ME. we all had SO much fun together. those four days passed way too quickly for me.

we...

giggled,
shopped,

ate chipotle,

drank coffee,

had a cook out,
went to church,

made a bon fire,

visited clearwater,
went for a bike ride,
gauked at the mansions,
dug our toes in the sand,

toured the sponge docks,
dined at a greek restaurant,

had breakfast at mcdonalds,
cooked lasagna and roast beast,

took a boat ride to anclote island,

and even made homemade biscotti!!

 

it was quite the vacation. =D

mom's florida vacation

little harbor

last week i was able to attend a sales rally with my team at little harbor in ruskin, florida. it was so beautiful out there! they put us in the room looking straight out on to the beach. talk about distracting! ...but i'm not complaining. it was gorgeous. =D below are some photos i was able to take while there.

(a building at the resort.)(the lobster soup--that i ATE!)(my view from the conference room.)(some photos of the beach.)(i took dibs on my spot--and no, i did not lick the chair. hahaha)(saying goodbye.)

by the way,
i'm a freaking sales animal. =D

horge in motion

here is a glimpse at what traveling with a cat is like... =)

(here, poor george is all looped out from the drugs that we gave him so that he wouldn't have to be awake the whole time. he did eventually fall asleep but this was shot right as they were taking effect. i hated giving them to him.) =(

(it truly amazes me--cats can have to go potty SO bad, but as soon as you put them in a different environment (aka the HIGHWAY... hahaha) they FREAK OUT and refuse to go. who'da thunk i would find a cat who is just as stubborn as i am. hahahaha.)

(here's george. roaming free inside my car. i couldn't wait to arrive so i could vacuum all the cat hair out of my car!)

too many numbers!!

# of miles to florida? 1134

# of hrs taken? 21

# of bathroom stops? 5

# of dirty jokes we told? 7

# of accidents in kentucky alone? 11

# of starbucks city mugs bought? 3!

# of billboards along 75, in florida? too many to count!

# of meows after george's medicine wore off? 9,537,293

# of waffle houses south of nashville? 73 (NO JOKE! we totally counted.)

i wouldn't have had such a blast if my little sister hadn't gone with me. jubs, you made the trip TOTALLY bareable. thanks. =) (...shifting)

my day trip

i went down to good 'ole muncie indiana to help my srubbin' of a brother with his very first apartment. we had a bet that if i didn't think it was epic then he'd buy me lunch and if i did, then i'd buy him lunch.... he bought. =)

we ended up going grocery shopping because the boy had NO food. we played with our computers (because of course that's the first thing that needs to be set up). and then we went to see the movie UP. it was hilarious. we laughed through the whole thing. (that's one of the things i love about jonathan. he laughs so easily and it makes life so much more enjoyable.)

for an early birthday present, i bought the scrubbin' a brita filter so that his delicate taste buds wouldn't have to suffer from the un-softened water. (big baby.) he loved it and i yet again solidified my role in the family as the bestest sister. man! i'm unstoppable! =D

his "epic" computer system. (rolling eyes) he's such a nerd. =)

jonathan has AMAZING driving skills... =)

all in all, it was a good trip and i'm glad i got the chance to see him before i leave. =)

roadtrip

my sister-in-law jonna graduated this past weekend from mtsu with her master’s in psychology. (congratulations jonna!) my mom, dad, and i drove down to join in the festivities and to visit with family there.

friday--the trip down:
i65 was obnoxiously bumpy all through louisville and most of kentucky. it was so bumpy that if i had known, i would have planned ahead and worn a sports bra. whoever was given the responsibility of road repair must’ve used paroled convicts who were fulfilling their community service, as cheap labor--either that or it was done by a bunch of hillbillies. thankfully it didn’t last forever and the road soon evened out and we were able to thoroughly enjoy the hills of kentucky--in all their limestoney splendor.

we stopped at a kfc to grab a quick bite to eat and to relieve ourselves from the excessive strain on our bowels. i hurried into the tiny restroom just as a lady was leaving the only available stall--score! i went in and crouched down to do my business only to realize after it was too late that there wasn’t any toilet paper left. just great--thanks a lot lady… and then it occurred to me. either she was just plain rude in not telling me that there wasn’t any toilet paper left or she didn’t use any herself! ew. thankfully my mom ended up in the stall next to me and saved the day. [thanks mom. =)]

saturday--graduation day:
we woke up early--too early--and drove an hour over to murphysboro to mtsu where we spent three hours people-watching. there were A LOT of people there. it was pretty neat though, watching jonna walk up to get her master’s diploma. =)

[jonna is riiiiight... there.]

after the ceremony, we headed to the mellow mushroom to celebrate. [every time i visit nashville, i have to eat there. they’ve got the best toppings in the whole wide world.]

later that night, we all went to the music strip in downtown nashville. it was pretty sweet. we saw some very colorful people. =) and i got to see my best friend stacy! she lives near there and was able to stop by and visit for a bit.

[a band my sister galilee knows.]

sunday--leaving for home:
jordan, jonna, the ‘rents, and i went to the opry mills mall before heading for home. we ate at the rainforest café--its a pretty neat place. you walk in and it looks and feels like you’re in the jungle. they have all sorts of trees, vines, and plants everywhere, jungle sounds coming from all over, and there are even gorillas and elephants that move to music. every 20 minutes, you “experience” a thunderstorm--lightening flashes, thunder roars, and water falls from the ceiling (from designated areas of course). its all quite exciting. mom had never been there before and she absolutely loved it.

back home:
it's good to be back home again. i get to sleep in my own bed, i can pee with the door open, and no more 8 hour car trips for a while. =)

oh wait....