The Twins Are Here!!!!

The family I work with finally had their twins Wednesday! It has been crazy. I'll post a few pics from my cell but let me warn you the high quality my astound you.

Vishal

Vimal

Pretty sure I spelled the names WRONG but I will figure it out soon! I haven't gotten to hold them yet because I have been at home with the big brother Vipul. I quickly snapped these pics when I dropped him off at the hopsital after work. More high quality pictures to follow.

The "Confederates" (Written as a freshman in college)

The soldiers gathered around the colonel swiftly and quietly. Plans must be made; for the enemy lie in wait on the other side of the valley. Every year about the same season the enemy came haunt the surrounding woods and forests. It had become quite an annoyance to the inhabitants.

"Quiet!" Colonel said as loudly and demanding as was possible under the circumstances. "The element of surprise is of the utmost importance. There is no way that we will win the battle if we are announcing our arrival!"

Immediately the rustling and whispering of the soldiers ceased. All of their attention was focused on their seemingly invincible leader. He had been in the thick of the battles for many years now and deserved the honor and respect due someone of his position.

Colonel had a grim outlook on life. His parents were killed in a battle when he was very young. Because of their premature death Colonel had no siblings. He grew up alone and it had made him hard. This was a quality much needed in the service. His anger at the foe for killing his parents stayed with through the years. It had festered a hatred for the enemy deep within. Despite the hard trails that life had brought him the colonel stood tall and handsome with tufts of chest hair protruding in every which direction. He had a demanding presence about him.

"We need to plan for the adversaries. The same plan that we use every season is good. They fall for it every time. Prancer, you run directly through the field. Run fast or they might have half a chance to shoot. Blitzen, you stand behind that clump of bushes on the east side of the battlefield. Make sure your chest and sides are well hidden. Don't give them a clear shot. The rest of you split into groups. Group One scatter yourselves over by Blitzen. Groups Two quietly work your way over to where Prancer will exit the field and enter the forest again. Your job is to help distract in case of an emergency. Alright, each of you have a job. Let's do it!"

As the colonel finished his analysis of the procedure, the members of the Confederacy dispersed to their assigned positions.

Once again, the deer would win against the dull-witted human.


*Remember I wrote this as freshman. All grammar and plot critiques will be ignored. lol
** Inspired by my brother's many "almost" stories during deer season.

And how does that make you feel?

As I sit at my computer on this dark, dismal day a poem came to mind. I hope it warms your heart as it did mine.

Homework! Oh, Homework!
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink,
if only a bomb
would explode you to bits.
Homework! Oh, homework!
You're giving me fits.

I'd rather take baths
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework,
my teacher assigns.

Homework! Oh, homework!
you're last on my list,
I simple can't see
why you even exist,
if you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Homework! Oh, homework!
I hate you! You stink!

Expertly written by Jack Prelutsky

Kaiden Wesley

Almost 3 1/2 months ago Ethan Michael received a little brother. I have yet to hold the little guy that I named, but the Lord is helping me deal with that!

At Last....

I will spare you the reasons and excuses for not blogging.

My life is currently very full of school and work. I did so much homework over Thanksgiving break that my mother banned me from it for an evening. My father responded with, "You yell at her if she doesn't and you yell if she does!" I laughed.

Work. Really it is not hard. I love working for this particular family. I babysit for a 3 1/2 year old named Vipul. The kid is a genius. He loves to read! This afternoon I gave him a book, one of those golden series books, and he read it to me! I am going to test him, but I am pretty sure this kid is on a 1st or 2nd grade reading level! The picture is of him at the computer with his reading glasses.

Vipulisms:
Oh, Tarter Sauce! (Working on a table leg with a plastic screwdriver and it doesn't go his way)

Come on...don't be shy...you can do it...TURN GREEN! (After I expressed my frustrations at a slow stop light.)

I will buy you a 2nd car. (He thinks everyone should have two.) I have at least $100!

Highlights

Just a few quick highlights of my life.

Another school year has started and so far it has turned into a rather light semester. Another big plus is the fact that I no longer live in the girls' dorm. I have two room mates and we rein terror on campus from our campus apartment. It is great. Bittersweet though. Bitter because it signifies the end of a chapter in my life. Sweet because it signifies the beginning of another. I am so very excited about what God has planned for me.

I work off campus too. My three year old charge is amazing. I love hanging out with him.

The electricity was out for a week so the school shut down. It was beautiful (for those of us that were FORCED to find lodging elsewhere! lol) I am very ready to go back to campus though. I am pretty much a home body and I love the comfort of my own room and my routine.

Lots has happened and I even have pictures for some of the events. For example, the night Lauren and I got locked, the demolition of the guest bathroom, Vipul, and pictures of the new edition to my "sister's" family-Kaiden. But for now I am going to end this very unorganized post! The sentence structure and grammatical errors are the result of my exhaustion after a church spaghetti dinner. Until next time.....

Update Part Two

Meet Morris the Taurus. lol

One of my main goals this summer was to buy a car. I have been without transportation for the better half of two years. This has become a great trial so I set out to remedy it.

I began shopping a few weeks ago and found this great car. I loved it, shopping for it, that is. My favorite part was negogiating with the car's salesman. He thought he was going to give me a run for my money, but I had done my homework and made him work hard to GET my money! As of last Saturday I am the proud manager of a 2007 Ford Taurus. What!? A family car, you may ask. Hey, it's a car. I am not going to get picky. When it came right down to it I just wanted a car that started when I turned the key and was reliable enough to get me from point A to B.

Update Part One

I keep meaning to blog, but I don't know where to start. I think it will be easier for my small brain to achieve my blogging goal if I organize my thoughts chronologically.

"Long-Long Time Ago"

After my origami flower bouquet I attempted yet another homemade gift. Brandy (see candy bouquet post) went on to bigger and better things and no longer works in our office. As a goodbye gift I found a really cool idea...chocolate covered fortune cookies! Donning gloves and armed with toothpicks, tweezers, and a fingernail file a co-worker and I pried all the fortunes out of the cookies. Allow me to digress...all the fortunes were pretty much the same. It varied between maybe three different fortunes. Anyway, we had people in the office write their own messages and stuffed the cookies. You maybe thinking, Jo, that must have taken forever. You're right it did. We had to be really careful because the cookies would break easily. The unstuffing and restuffing (I know that these are not words, but they are fun) was completed at work and I took them home to finish. The end result was amazing. We made 31 with revised messages so that for the next month at her new job she would have a message from one of us. We ate the leftover 94 cookies ourselves.

She left on a Friday and that day after work I took a road trip! Thursday I remembered that Mode Camp was in progress. A friend of mine had asked me to come so I took her up on it. It turned out to be one of the best weekends of my summer. Mode Camp is a quaint little place in Illinois about three hours from my parents home. Campers stay in small cabins that may or may not have a sink with running water or air conditioning. I am not sure about every cabin, but I got the impression that not all of them had these commodities. As far as I know none of them had a private bathroom or showers. Every one used the main bathrooms that turned out to be outhouses. It was a shock, but they were the cleanest bathrooms I have seen at any camp!

We have all heard about camp food. Worry no more. Everything was homemade and served to you at your table by the young people. In the mornings after breakfast, people volunteered to snap the green beans, peel potatoes, and help the cooks in any other way possible. In the afternoons everyone would gather in the shade to chat and just spend time with each other. Topics ranged from school to child rearing and from cooking to ants. Over all, it was the most relaxing weekend of the summer. It seemed like all pressure was off. It was a weekend to "come just as you are." I could go on forever about a wonderful little place in Illinois and the remarkable people I met there, but I will spare you.

"Long Time Ago"

VBS. Enough said. I had no intention of participating in this annual event because by the time I got off work and traveled home it had already started and I was afriad my patience would be to far gone to deal with children. One night, however, I decided to drop by. After sneaking into the sanctuary conviction set deeply in my heart. There was probably 60-70 children and maybe five able adults! An older lady in our church was getting beat up in the second row by a 3 year old, one of the young people had five girls crawling all over her, and my aunt was holding down the boys side rather unsuccessfully. To the best of my knowledge we have always had plenty of help for VBS. I have no clue what happened this year, but they were definitely short staffed. I attended the rest of the week.

VBS was different in many ways. In the past we have had very well behaved, calm children that were easily corraled and organized. This year, not so much. It didn't bother me that they misbehaved, didn't sit still, or loudly announced their dislike for the story. It was the hurt, anger, bitterness, and other emotions that you could see in their eyes that got to me. I know that it all sounds cliche, but it was the first time it has effected me so much. One little girl who was about 4 or 5 sat in my lap most of the time and just wanted to be held. She looked at me one time and called me mommy. I corrected her by saying something to the effect of, "Oh silly, I am not Mommy" and giving her a big hug. She looked up at me with big brown eyes and asked,

"Then who are you?"

"I am Ms. Kim. Do you miss Mommy? Where is Mommy?" I fully expected her to say that she was at home. I just wanted to reassure her that she would see her mother soon and in a more familar place.

"In jail." came the little reply. I sat there stunned and feeling very ridiculous for being so naive. I did the only thing I could think to do, I gave her a big hug and said,"You call me anything you want!"

From this point on I saw the children so differently. As I looked at the little people around me I saw beyond their behavior and saw more of the hurt. Because of my chosen profession I am being trained to see more than the surface, but it never ceases to amaze and shame me how many times God has to remind me that there is more than the exterior.

Odds and Ends

Some an instrument,

Some a brush,

But me?

Just about anything will do!

(I was paid $20 bucks to "decorate!" I am going into the wrong profession)

Another birthday occurred among the office staff this week. Her gift from me? A money plant! I fold paper and money to create flowers and wala (sp?)

A random pic of Kelly with the biggest chip in the bag. Seriously I did not zoom in!

Yeeppiii! I can post pictures now. Get ready. Here they come!

Remember my job in Michigan? Well, I worked a couple of weeks in Cincinnati for them and one week in Michigan. Bless their hearts, the house they were going to buy was taking longer than they thought so they were living in a hotel. I ended up going back to Cinci and then to my parents home and getting another job at a staffing agency. To the left is a picture of Lauren, the youngest charge. I know she looks adorable, but she was certainly a hand full. She kept telling me she didn't like me because I put her in timeout too much, but her dad called this morning and said she was really missing me. She needs a time0ut for lying to me! lol

My new job title is Administrative Assistant at Pro Resources Staffing. It has been a long standing joke in the library at school that when I answer the phone my voice inflection changes. Apparently I act sweeter than I am. hehe So a few summers ago I needed a job, but no one would hire me for just the summer. I finally thought of applying at a temp agency. When I talked to them on the phone they fell for my "voice trick" and hired me directly to work for them as the front desk receptionist. To make a long story short...I am working there again. I love it.

I have found a new talent. Several months ago almost a year maybe a friend's brother was killed. I couldn't afford a flower arrangement and I didn't think he would really want flowers. So I thought, Hey, he loves Reese cups...let's make a "flower" arrangement with them. So that is how it got started. Yesterday my new talent was put to use again when we celebrated a co-worker's b-day.

Below is the birthday girl! Brandy takes care of all the unemployment and workman's comp. claims in our office. Last Sunday was her b-day, but we were so busy that we had to put off her celebration until yesterday. The little nerd (meant in the nicest way possible) is leaving for bigger and better things soon. We will miss her. :(

Meet Ginger and Emma. They were adopted by my brother and sister-in-law a few weeks ago. Both are female so we call them The Ladies. What makes me laugh is that when talking to the crazy things Justin and Kelly refer to themselves as Mom and Dad, my parents are Grandma and Grandpa. So that makes me Aunt Jo! Well, guys meet my two furry twin nieces. Weird.

Just because I am proud of this fact....I wrote this blog backwards. When I tried to upload a picture it kept placing it above instead of below the other pics so I decided to post the one I wanted last first. Aww, who cares?! I was too excited that I could finally post pictures.

Martyr's Song

Martyr's Song

Sing O son of Zion

Shout O child of mine

Rejoice with all your heart and soul and mind

For you are finally home

I’ve been waiting to dance with you

In fields full of colors you’ve never seen

I’ve been waiting to show you beauty

You never dreamed that’s always been in you

I’ve been waiting to see you tremble as you’re embraced

By a world saturated with my love

I’ve been waiting for the day when at last I get to say

My child you are finally home

Sing O son of Zion

Shout O child of mine

Rejoice with all your heart and soul and mind

For you are finally home

I’ve been waiting to watch you realize

What all your longing was for

I’ve been waiting to show you the thread of grace

That ran through all your pain

I’ve been waiting to let you drink the water of which

Your greatest joy on earth was just a taste

I’ve been waiting for the day when at last I get to say

My child you are finally home

Sing O son of Zion

Shout O child of mine

Rejoice with all your heart and soul and mind

Sing O daughter of Zion

Cry out O child of mine

Dance with all the strength that you can find

For you are finally home

Every tear you cried dried in the palm of my hand

Every lonely hour was by my side

Every loved one lost, every river crossed

Every moment, every hour was pointing to this day

Longing for this day…

Written by Todd Agnew

'nough said.

Jo's Jolting Journey

Well, dear friends, I am considering a name change. Not my personal name, but the name of my blog. Speaking of a change in name directs my thoughts to the change of ones name when one is married. This in turn makes me think about dating which again causes me to ponder the "relationship status" option on the illustrious Facebook site.

***"Ahhumm." Clearing her throat she stepped up on her soapbox.

What is the purpose of this option? It makes my laugh wholeheartedly. Say you begin your Facebook page with the declaration that you are single. A few weeks into the new school year you meet your "one true love." Time to change your status. All is well for several weeks (some make it months) then the relationship status is on the proverbial rocks. So now "It's complicated?" This particular status, in my personal opinion, serves a dual purpose..."I want to date, but he/she won't date me." So at best "it's complicated" advertises that a relationship is struggling and reader should wait patiently for an update. If couples counseling (well intended friends determined to give well meaning relationship advice) works well status update is "in a relationship." If not "single" is the best option. Let's not forget that all of this is publically displayed for your "friends" on the Facebook home page. Then you have to deal with all your friends inquiring about why you are now "single." How stressful!

Now let me say that I am not, by any means, demeaning those who choose to utilize this option. You are simply stronger than I am, which is why I chose to remove that option from my profile. When I removed it the feed on the home page stated "Kimberly is no longer single." For all of my friends that are inquiring...wait patiently.

The explanation of a name change will have to wait. This post is getting too long.

I'm Glad that I Made It!

This title for this blog was inspired by a song title. Many times I have come through a crazy situation and then expressed myself by blaring Brooklyn Tab singing it as loud as my speakers and the Dean of Women would allow! I currently do not have a the song on my MP3, but if I did I would dance around the hotel with it at a volume higher than the recommended decibels. It has not, by any means, been a bad day. I have simply conquered the unknown and navigated through many unforeseen occurrences. Bet you're ready to hear (read) the story, huh?

Well, to inform the uninformed. After my last post I received two job offers. First, Sears Portrait Studio in the mall. Second, a nanny position that involved a summer relocation to Michigan. The benefits of this opportunity far out way the slight inconvenience of being on call 24/7. I accepted the latter offer. One of the perks is traveling. As it stands now I will spend most of my summer (what is left of it) traveling all over the country. One of my charges is a GOOD tennis player. She is ten and ranks 2nd in the Midwest, for her age bracket and like 19th in the nation. The tournament are everywhere and so I travel along to keep the younger charge occupied and the mother organized. Charge number two has ADD and then some :) She is seven. By the end of today I engaged her in a ten minute "quiet time" some I would have half a chance to catch my breath! She is a blast to hang out with and whether or not the munchkin would admit it, I know she has fun, too. I am rejoicing in the end of today because it was my first official full day. I have babysat for a couple hours for the past few weeks and helped as much as I was asked, but today was the day. I drove all the way to Kalamazoo, MI with a GPS system for the first time (Ever tried it? After I got the hang of it, it was great, but at first...I preferred Mapquest and a printer!), entertained a very hyper seven year old for hours without a TV, and gave several firm commands to our two canine traveling companions, Cutie Pie and Honey Bunnie! Over all, it has been a very fulfilling day.

Change of subject: "Peace that passeth all understanding." Have you ever taken a moment to reflect on a situation and realized throughout the whole ordeal you weren't worried? For the first time, probably in my life, I have been able to rest in God and just realized it. I don't know how to explain it, hence the "peace that passeth all understanding," but I know when it started and I know why. I know that I haven't conquered everything in my Christian walk, but this one thing I know "my Redeemer is faithful and true."

Ok, I think I am done.

On my list of things to do...

Find a job.
Find a job.
Find a job. Had one. Lost it. (Long involved story.)
Post resume on online nanny service.
Respond to email inquiring about an interview.
Set up the interview-Friday night-7pm
Find the house where the interview is to take place.
Enter duplex.
Find the mother of two children sitting in recliner.
Make small talk to aid in good first impression.
Inquire about her health.
Ignore the complaint of really bad headache.
Proceed with interview.
Note pertinent information in notebook.
Observe interviewer drop pen, clench hands.
Update health status.
Note comment about numbing hands.
Listen carefully to given info. about meds and allergies of son.
Observe interviewer clutching chest.
Stay calm.
Inquire about chest pains.
Suggest a trip to the ER.
Call cousin to help.
Stop talking to cousin.
Ask interviewer to respond.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Stay calm.
Hang up on cousin.
Stay calm.
Call 911.
Talk to rude operator.
Calm children.
Watch EMT's take now conscious interviewer.
Attempt to give three year epileptic his meds.
Note syringes.
Call trusted friend with medical experience-no answer.
Call another trusted friend with medical experience-no answer.
Call another trusted, smart friend with no medical experience.
Hang up on friend to answer call from trusted friend number one.
Get advice.
Give meds.
Stay calm.
Contact S's father.
Answer call from S.
Note that the Dr. thinks it was a mild heart attack.
Watch Jonah-VeggieTales with children.
Wait for S's sister to arrive.
Take a deep breath.
BLOG!!!!

I am pleased to inform you that I have accomplished everything on my list of things to do.

The Long Overdue Thought-out Post

As I logged in to post the following profound and thought provoking statements I realized that when I changed my background (forever ago) that I didn't reload any pictures, making this site rather boring and unattractive. For those who care, please accept my most humble apologies.

So I asked myself "What shall I write about today?" It is been quite awhile since I posted anything of great significance so today I thought I needed to blog more than random ramblings. Some of it will be random thoughts, but hey, it's my blog and it is in the description.

Band Tour:
Only one word needed-AWESOME! I was really looking forward to tour anyway, but my expectations were definitely exceeded this year. Even though I attend a Bible college and the people around me are supposed to be focused on the same "stuff" as I am, there is no guarantee. Anyway, I looked at this particular tour as an opportunity to grow and set aside time to regain some perspective. I had specific prayer requests that I brought to God with an open mind that He may not provide the answer in the way that I thought was the best. By day two one of the top requests was answered in a marvelous way. Along with the answered prayer came dishearting news, but in the midst of it all I had a very really peace and calm assurance that I was going to see the other side of the storm. A verse from one of the songs we played kept coming to my mind.

Pardon from sin and a peace that ENDURETH.

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide.

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Great is thy faithfulness.

Great is thy faithfulness.

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed thy hand hath provided.

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

I made it. Another source of great joy was the prayer times we had together. You know how sometimes a group will go to prayer and all you hear is one person and, at least for me, it is hard to concentrate? Not so, my friend, when this band went to prayer we went to prayer. Overall this was a great tour.

(And you thought I was going to keep it to one word. hahaha)

Substituting and Library time:

Every once in a while the academy will call and ask me to sub when they are in a bind. This occurred not too long ago. I was in the first grade, which is not my favorite grade but for a day I don't care. There is a little boy in the class that stole my heart a long time ago. He calls me Ms. Cookie because I passed out cookies for snack time while he was in kindergarten. He always gives me a hug and smiles the biggest smile. His glasses are usually dirty and constantly slipping down his little nose. Anyway, three different times that day I had to repeat directions at least three times before he would obey. Finally, I pulled him aside and asked, "How many times have I had to ask you to obey today?" He hung his little head in shame and replied "At least a hundred!" It was so hard not to smile, but I think he got the point of the question.

I also interact with the academy for story time in the library every Thursday. It was raining a few weeks ago and a little boy was running after I asked them not to, but I assume the sprinkling was really getting to him. He fell. As any good overseer of children would do I asked if he was okay. Rubbing the arm of his leather coat he exclaimed, "Uuuugggghhh! And this is genuine leather, too!"

The Ah,ha! Moment:

Well, like I previously stated along with the answered prayer on tour came bad news. My grandfather had cancer and wouldn't make it through the week. On the way home from watching his father die, my father got REALLY sick and was admitted to the hospital for a bleeding ulcer. This was just the tip of the iceberg when considering my life for the past two years. One thing after another seemed to happen in our family. It has really stressed me out sometimes. After this past week I was feeling very insecure about life and what it had to offer. Change affects everyone, but for me it really throws me for a loop. For some reason it makes me really insecure and I feel like I have to fix the problem. As I was trying to wrap my mind around all the information I have gathered this past week about my family I had these struggles. Can I handle any more? What if the rest of my life is this chaotic? Will I ever feel secure? Then the moment came. The, "ah, ha! I get it!," moment. God doesn't change. I knew that, but I don't think I have ever appreciated it. In all the chaos and turmoil of living. The life changing situations that we as humans have absolutely no control over. God doesn't change. In Him we can rest assured that He will always be the one constant.

In the words of one of our favorite chapel speakers...."Can I get a witness?"

tagged

What was I doing ten years ago...
well, I was 13 years old living in Houston, TX.

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. go to class
2. unpack and repack
3. finish online class for Math Methods
4. meeting at one
5. go out to eat with Jenny Fikes

Snacks that I enjoy:
popcorn, doritos and french onion dip, anything gummy like fruit snacks or gummy worms (not to be confused with gummy bears)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Buy my parents a house
2. Buy a car
3. Pay off school loans and other misc. debts
4. Go back to South Africa

Three of my bad habits:
1. Trying to fix the world's problems
2. Throwing my clothes on the floor :) (my mom would kill me)
3. Procrastinating

Five Places I have Lived:
1. Anderson, IN
2. Evansville, IN
3. Linton, IN
4. Houston, TX
5. Cincinnati, OH

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Shift Manager at McD's
2. Taco Bell Crew Member
3. Administrative Assistant at ProResources
4. Head Teacher in 2 yr. old room at Kidz Zone Daycare
5. Library Clerk at R.G Flexon Library

Break

The rest and recuperation that I desperately needed has finally been made possible by Mid-Winter Break. I have spent my time in South Carolina with a few dear friends. This little man has put many of smiles on my face. We are taking him to the zoo tomorrow so I will post more pictures soon. (and better quality ones, I must say)

I am wornout.

My sentiments exactly

On Practicing

I am suffering from a serious case of blogger's block. There is a sufficient amount of feelings, thoughts, and events to discuss, but I can't seem to form them into a coherent post. Believe it or not I have tried several times. I begin, backspace, begin, delete, and begin again only to click Return to list of posts without maneuvering my mouse close to Publish Post. But alas, I have been dutifully reminded by a loving, faithful, caring, and knowledgeable friend, who leads only by example, to "practice what you preach." That being said I will continue in the way of the bloggers.

A prevalent thought lately is how blessed I truly am. God has been so good to me in many ways. My life has not taken all the turns I would have chosen, but I am reminded daily that God has my best interest at heart. Psalm 56:9- But this one thing I know, God is for me. How amazing it is to know that God is on my side. He is rooting and cheering for me. Not only does He want me to lead a successful Christian life more than I want to, He does everything short of making the decisions for me.

In the midst of all the warm fuzzies of serving Christ, He has also reminded me that I have a few more areas in which to convert myself to His likeness. For the past few weeks we have talked in Wisdom Literature about "abhoring sin." Abhoring is equivalent to hating. Do I hate sin or am I more conformed to this world than I thought. Worldliness is deeper in form than standards and dresscodes. It permeates your thoughts and conduct. As a Christian in a fallen world I must be vigilent not to allow my worldview to be formed by the "world." The way I view sin is part of a Christian worldview. If I allow myself to mock sin by entertaining myself with it in any form I will become accustom to it. Sin will not be a big deal. The ramifications of such I dare not imagine.

Announcer: And that is the end of today's broadcast. If you would like an audio cassette with today's show please write to:

1234 Bloggers Block Ln.

Soapbox, Timbucktoo.

On a lighter note, Pinocchio is Italian for "pine head."

http://www.funfunnyfacts.com/fun-facts/funny-useless-facts.html

Random Thoughts and Ponderings

Well, that's start at the beginning, Christmas day. I woke up very early Christmas morning to finish making my first ever batch of homemade bread. It was actually a sweet breakfast treat called St. Lucia's bread. It turned out awesome and I must confess that I was proud.

My poor sister-in-law did not have as much luck with the baking. It was her duty to make the pumpkin pies. They looked wonderful. The crust was perfect and the filling was even. However, in the words of my beloved younger brother, "They tasted like you just took a bite of the Pacific!" Kelly somehow not only doubled the salt, but quadrupled it! She is a great cook for real and tried the pumpkin pies again on New Year's. All was well.

Though being at home is nice I finished break with a strong desire to return to my dormroom, my stuff, my closet, my computer!, and my "normal" life. Right before Christmas break I moved into a new room with a new room mate and I was anxious to get back so that I could finish putting everything away. All that to say that the first night we stayed in the room was...interesting. We have a blast together. Probably too much of a blast. (Add Jenny to the mix and we are down right crazy). Anyway, to make a long story short I was lying on the bottom bunk while Lauren made the top bunk. All of the suddened there was a bed on top of me! The bunk had fallen and Lauren was hanging over the side of the railing kicking her feet because the crash made her loose footing. I didn't move for a few minutes. Finally, we were able to remove the bed and set it up again.

I pray every night that it doesn't happen again.

(Lauren wants me to clarify that she was NOT on the bed. She was standing on mine trying to put the sheets on the top bunk. She's a genius.)