I've had my car back for a little over a week now. Nothing was too terribly wrong with it....I had to replace two tires, and get my car realigned. Last night in Dallas a man pulled up to the lane next to me and said that one of my tires was on the verge of being flat. I pulled into a gas station to verify, and the stranger was correct. I am VERY glad he took the time to let me know because I would have been in Dallas a lot longer than planned. Fortunately, the trouble tire wasn't one of my new ones! The last time I had tire troubles my #1 mistake was not having my owners' manuel in the car. I had that, but I didn't have my tire pressure gauge or air pump. Lesson #2 learned. We drove out of the way, but finally got things fixed.

I had to take my car in the shop today, and they showed me that the second layer of rubber was showing on the back tires. I bought two more tires, and now I have a complete set! Why couldn't I have fixed this all at once?

While I was at work today, I made up my mind that I would come home and blog. At that point I was in the mood to blog even though I had nothing to talk about. Now that I have something to talk about, I have decided to cut things short in order to avoid a griping session...

I have no car. My tire blew out while I was dropping Justin off from our walk tonight, and of course, I had to pull over to the side of Pearl Street. (a street where all the crazies drive) I don't know how to chang a tire, so Justin called Dave to help us out. (Dave seems to know a lot about cars, and I am very thankful that he came out to help) We called the police to our aid so that the crazies wouldn't run us over, and Dave attempted changing my flat tire. Yeah, the first thing he said was, "I'm not sure how to change a car's tire...I've only done trucks." I let him do it anyway. The jack fell over twice allowing my car to make a not-so-soft landing on the street both times. The police officer advised us to call a wrecker...he made the call for us...the wrecker used his truck to lift my car, changed my tire for me, and sent pitiful me on my way no charge. The wrecker did take the time to tell us one thing:

YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE EMERGENCY BREAK ON TO CHANGE A TIRE!!!

I did not know that, but lesson learned. Dave then pointed out that the jack actually said that little tidbit of information on it.....he then pointed out that it was funny he didn't see it when he read the rules on the jack the first time. Yep.

I'm not really angry or anything, but I am hoping that no harm was done to my little piece of trash car.

Afterall..."Ford is the BEST in Texas."



*****Just in case I fail to blog for another month or two you can read this blog here. I wouldn't bother reading the latest post, but my favorite is the one before that. ENJOY!*****

I've Only Just Begun...

No I'm not going on a "break" from blogging. Yes I'm aware that it has been a while since I've posted. The reason I have not been blogging is because I have a major-major paper to do and I can't possibly sit at my computer blogging away without feeling a tinge of guilt because I'm not pouring my Harry Potter philosophy out onto paper. Unfortunately, I've only just begun to do that and what am I doing? Sitting her blogging away!

My updates on life will have to come later. For now I must go and gaze into the Mirror of Erised...

Thoughts

1) I wonder what it feels like to be a squirrel...I took a picture to see:

2) I know someone who considers his nephew (born out of wedlock) illegitimate and refuses to think of this 2 year old as family. That confuses me...

3) I've been trying to remember who my pastor talks like and this is my conclusion:

4) It has been a long time since I've just sat on the couch and watched TV in the dark. I just love that glow around the room...

5) I enjoy eating ice.

Proud Pet-Parent

Today Mandi graduated from Puppy Kindergarten! She has really matured a lot since the first day I took her into PetSmart. I have to say that I am very happy with the results. :) Mandi can now sit, lay down, stay, up-sit, leave-it, take-it, high-five, shake, roll-over, drop-it, and watch me. Here's a picture of the big event:

On to Middle School...

A List

Things I've learned today:

-No matter how much I want to, I just can't sleep in anymore.
-Warheads were great when I was younger, but they can be a little overwhelming now.
-Some people are just doomed to drop their cell phone everyday.
-Having a couple as friends can be uncomfortable when they break up.
-Negativity is contagious.
-It is easy to get caught up in life and then several months later realize that your heart has hardened.
-A new background for each individual song in a worship service still makes me cringe.
-I have the best boyfriend in the entire world!

Here are some pics I took the other day:

The Eve

Today is Sunday, which means tomorrow is the first day of class for the fall semester! I'm still not excited, but I am a bit anxious to get the ball rolling. I cleaned my entire apartment today so when I get home from school-work-more school (also called "Monday Madness") tomorrow I can relax and feel at home. Nothing can beat the feeling of a clean home...well, maybe if I had more lamps cuz I LOVE lamps! So anyway, my clothes are washed and my scrubs have been ironed. I'm ready!

The only bad thing is that tomorrow is my first chance to wear my new shoes that I've had for several weeks now. I have separate work shoes so I haven't worn them to work....well, they still look very very white 'n' sparkly...nothing attracts more attention than a new pair of shoes. I'm going to look like a freshman....

Sad News

Today Carrie decided to take a romantic getaway with Doug (who really wasn't all that crazy about it). You see, Carrie read a magazine that said you had to build "tent poles" meaning strong memories that hold up your relationship...this romantic getaway was one of the "tent poles." Well, when Doug went to work his best friend Deacon told him about a trip he had planned that weekend for "the guys" to Atlantic City. What was Doug going to do? Choose his wife or PARTE with his friends (which is what he wanted to do). Somehow Doug convinced Carrie to go to Atlantic City with the group and she could go to the spa and stuff. Uh, how could she resist? They went, but something happened to where Deacon couldn't go anymore.

So the sad news is that Deacons wife left him. I mean I KNEW it was going to happen sometime...but that poor man is now left with nothing....what will he do? Too bad it was a re-run and I already know what he's going to do later on....

Wow, people can really talk about a TV show like they know the people....good to know.

More Books

After being encouraged by Justin to beat the return of the SFAers I went and bought my books for this semester. It turns out that one of my classes has 12 books in it. I'm just glad that it is my Children's literature class that has that many books instead of my geography class. (phew) And I guess those books really don't count considering they are books like Harry Potter, The Cat In the Hat, The Giving Tree, etc. I'm actually excited to read those books...in fact, I am giddy at the thought of reading them.

When I got home from work I decided to rearrange stuff in my apartment. I suppose it is called rearranging...maybe I'm just arranging stuff for the first time. Anyway, when I unpacked all of my stuff I really just dumped it out, shoved it somewhere, and threw away the box. NOW I can truly say that everything (except the stuff in this one closet) is unpacked AND has it's own little home.

My new television addiction is "The Newly Wed Game". I LOVE that show despite its age! I think the best part is when you see what they've won and realize that it really isn't all that impressive anymore. Or maybe that is just sad. Either way it has made its way into my Season Pass list. :)

I can't wait until tomorrow because it is "chinese food day" at work! Goodnight...

Got a Sweet Toothe for Online Shopping?

This morning I was listening to NPR on the way to work (afterall, Kidd Kraddick doesn't air on Saturdays) when I heard about this really cool clothing store in Boston. You see, I'm a sucker for appealing ads and clever advertising tricks, so this shop was right up my alley--Johnny Cupcakes. You might have already heard of this store and if you haven't just click the link above to visit their website.

Johnny Cupcakes looks like a bakery on the outside. Bakery shelves and jars are seen through the windows, but once you go inside you soon find out that it isn't a cupcake store. Shirts are folded in baking pans and the cashiers are wearing aprons. Various paintings are hung on the wall feauturing the famous cupcake. The Statue of Liberty is holding a cupcake instead of a torch...Marlyn Monroe has a tiny cupcake by her mouth instead of a mole, etc. The layout is really cute and people visit most of time thinking they are going to endulge in some sweet cupcakes. The shirts are neat too...rather expensive for just shirts, but Johnny purposely limits the amount sold.

If you go to their site and click on the "shop" tab you will see all the stuff they sell. Again, really cool shirts..a little expensive. BUT, another thing I like is how they arrange the models for that page. My fave is the baseball t-shirt model with cupcake icing for those little marks under his eyes...very creative. Oh, and I like the hippo shirt the best. :)

Man,..now I'm really hungry.

A Pain

School is just around the corner and I'm really not that excited anymore. I suppose I'd be more excited if I knew exactly what my "normal" week looks like. So far all I know is that I'm going to school and working. I have no idea when I'm working because the schedule hasn't even been made yet therefore I have no idea what I will be doing in my spare time. Will I work all Tuesday or Thursday when I don't have class? Who knows! Right now trying to get a schedule made for me at work is a pain.

On the other hand I am eager to see my friends that don't spend all summer in Nac! It is really weird thinking that school starts in about a week and I don't have to move. I won't have any suitemates. :( AND it won't be as easy for friends to just drop on by my room in between classes. Of course people don't have marker boards on their apartment doors, so I won't go home and have funny messages to read. This year will be wayyyyy different for me...

Hopefully better in some ways though. We'll see.

Recap

As I was walking around the apartment in my fuzzy gorilla slippers I remembered that it was time for my monthly post. I now have my very own apartment with high speed internet and I STILL don't blog! In fact, I get on the internet several times in one day so it isn't like I am too lazy to open my laptop. That reminds me! Here is my *new* favorite website. Shinyshiny.tv reviews all the latest high-tech gadgets that is some way or the other geared towards women. I am addicted to it and it has officially made it to my bloglines.

Life at the Nacogdoches Medical Center is the same. I still enjoy my job and am getting the hang of it more and more. :) I think the doctors are starting to get used to me as well.

A lot of stuff is going on in my family so please keep my parents and younger brother in your prayers. Speaking of brothers...my older brother Jan (pronounced "yawn") came in for a visit last week before moving to Fort Hood. All summer I have been blessed to see my two nieces and they have truly been a joy to hang out with. Unfortunately I was only able to see my brother once so we really didn't get a chance to talk. Oh well, maybe I'll be able to visit him some time without all the people around. Here's some pics of my nieces:

Meet Katarina (left) and Sashia.

THE most positive people I know. Last summer when they stayed in my room they'd wake up and no matter what the weather was they'd say, "Oh what a beautiful morning!"

So that is it for now...I have to be at work in the morning. Hopefully I'll take the time to do this again before the month is over with. Until then........

I'm Alive Daniel Rowe

Finally, I can post a picture of Mandi using dial-up! Isn't she cute? I've decided to post mainly because Daniel Rowe was complaining about it. He said all I have to do is say that I'm alive, but if I'm on here to do that I might as well take the time to type a post.

I have chosen an apartment to live in for this school year AND I find out when I can move next week. I should be able to move early August I think. I will be living by myself because I couldn't find a roommate that wasn't wishy-washy. Oh well, that's what I get for procrastinating...

My new job is going well. I'm not sure if I every explained what I actually DO there. It is very simple really...I just hang films, handle the phones, and run errands for the radiologists. I think I'm catching on pretty well. The only really HARD thing is learning how to hang different types of films and knowing what different body parts look like. So far so good though. This week I get my FIRST pay check!! YAY! :)

Well, I better go walk my dog and feed my boyfriend...

Planning Ahead

HELLO WORLD! (or the extremely small group of people who actually read this and have been checking my blog for the past several weeks just to see if I've posted) Mandi, my puppy, is acting a lot better now, but is still biting like crazy! I'm happy that the training has progressed as much as it has...she can sit, come, and lay down. (when she wants to)

Here lately I've been planning ahead for my living arrangements and job when I move back to Nacogdoches in August. A short version: Paul James told me that his friend Abbey would be leaving her job at the Nacogdoches Medical Center at the end of June. Knowing that I'd need a job when I move back to Nac and after a lot of pushing from Justin, I decided to just give Abbey a call and see if I could possibly apply for the job. Abbey gave me the supervising doctor's number, I had an interview Monday, and my first day of training was today! All of this happened in less than a week. I am very excited to have a job already in Nac that pays well and one that comes with benefits. If everything works out, this job should put me through college. All of this happened so fast and I wasn't even expecting to start working the day after my interview...so of course my job at the CLC is no more. I know I should look out for myself and do what's best, but I wish that I could have given the CLC more of a notice. (afterall, they got me out of a bind when they asked me to work for them) I suppose a notice wouldn't have been so important a week ago...but this week is Vacation Bile School, UM ARMY (so Mark is gone and doesn't even know about my leave), and two of the employees can't even work. Then again, up until this week I only worked on Fridays. Oh well, it is all said and done with now...I have a job that I can keep for a looooong time and all I need is an apartment!

For some reason I am getting the WiFi Justin has been using in his room, so I can start to blog again! We will see when tomorrow is actually here though...

It's a Girl!

So Justin, Katie, and I drove to Hempstead, TX on Saturday to pick up the newest addition to our little family. I am now a proud owner of a 9 week old black lab/border collie mix puppy named Mandi! She came with the name Savanna, but I decided that 3 syllables is too long of a name for a puppy you are trying to train. Mandi is very very cute and I'll post some pics of her soon. I am just really frustrated with her right now because of her puppy ways. All she does is chew on things--including me! I continue to correct her bad habits, but I just feel like it just isn't sinking in. I am ready to see SOME form of improvement!

The last couple of days have been stressful for me. I am almost completely moved in to Nick's room, and have ALL of my laundry to do. I need to get someone to show me how to work those stinkin high efficiency machines! This puppy thing is stressful because I now think that I decided to get her too soon. I don't even have a place to live next semester and now it will be harder to get a roommate. I was going to be able to pay all of my laptop off today with my $1000 my parents had for my education....unfortunately my mom already spent it w/o telling me or my dad. :( So, I can't get rid of that debt.

On a lighter note I was a victim of mass vandalization yesterday. I went to my car and didn't notice until I was driving around that a body part was written on my back windshield. That was embarassing...for one instant I looked like a rebel.

Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me...

...GUESS I'LL GO EAT WORMS!! I used to sing that song all the time when I was younger. It is amazing how things change when you get older, and you don't notice them while they are changing. One day you just look back and say, "Man, things have changed!" The other night Justin and I decided to look up our old private blogs we had earlier in our relationship. It was funny to think that at one time blogging was one of the two only lines of communication we had with each other. I was really embarassed to read a lot of the stuff I was thinking then...I wouldn't have even THOUGHT half of those things now! I think I have matured a lot since I've moved out of the house and not to mention learned a great deal too. Hey, I'm still typing blogs at work though!

I worked a lot yesterday so my day went by fast. I can't wait until tomorrow because I'm off here and I get to work at Dr. McClain's office. After work Justin chose to stay at the church and give Todd some company. I stayed for a while because I hadn't seen Justin all day and I wanted to take advantage of my nonexisting curfew. (uh-huh, I'm 20 years old) Yeah that's right...I like to live on the edge and hang out at church.....AFTER DARK! I got tired so I left after a while.

Now I'm sitting here bored at work. The Project Celebration people are trinkling in and I've completed all of my assigned tasks for the morning. I think I might go read Living by the Book by Howard G. Hendricks now....

Little Demons

Nothing out of the ordinary happened to me today. I woke up, played Paper Mario, and went to work around 3:00. I was scheduled the Afterschool shift. For those who don't know, Afterschool is a program the CLC at First Methodist has for middleschool students that simply gives them a place to stay while their parents are still at work. Things were a little different today because the Lufkin HS senior breakfast is tomorrow and they had to decorate the facility. So.....we moved the kids to the contemporary worship building. (ugh) I'm not sure if it is because these are the last few days of school for them or what...they were horrible! Running around, trying to watch MTV, messing with the pool tables, running upstairs, breaking into the coffee shop and stealing big cups for coke, and so so much more. My thought was since we were in the WORSHIP building the students should respect the facility a bit more. THEY WOULDN'T LISTEN TO US! What makes it worse is that I do not look authoritative at all. I was standing at a table serving triple chocolate cake (the snack of the day) and I turned around to see a bunch of kids lined up behind me. I asked them why they weren't getting cake and they said they were waiting for me to get my piece. They thought I was one of them!! I guess I have to wear shoulder pads or something to look older....who knows!? All I know is that those dang kids pushed my buttons on purpose and made me not want to have kids that live up to the 6th grade.

After work I went home, sat around, made a trip to Walmart with Justin, Katie, and Sean, watched American Idol, and here I am now. I am really excited about the finale of American Idol. I really think Taylor will win based on the final performance tonight. Ya never know though...

I have to get up early tomorrow morning and go work the senior breakfast. That should be interesting considering I have to direct traffic or something. Free food may be involved though...and that is worth it to me!

Plans for Friday have evaporated like the water at NRh20...I got the day off, but we are no longer going. I'm not upset, at least I get to work at the doctor's offie and go to Nick's graduation. I might get some Paper Mario playing under my belt too....man, we still haven't watched Saw 2!

Whata Wifi!

I'm back at Whataburger this evening...my computer is all charged up so I decided to take advantage of it! We (Justin and I) drove to this one and they were really rude to us when I was ordering our drinks, so we went to the one near Walmart just to find out their internet stinks...we decided to just drive back to this one after buying our drinks at the other. Tomorrow the NEW Whataburger opens up right down the street from the house! :)

Today I slept until I just woke up or really until my boss, Claudine, called me. One of our employees quit so I get to take over his shifts. Heck, more hours is more money to save. Now I work every day this week except Friday and Saturday. Justin's family and I are going to a waterpark in Dallas on Friday. His family is driving up there Thursday and we'll just meet them there on Friday. I'm excited because I've never been to a waterpark in Dallas before and I've been in the mood to play in some water other than my shower.

I'm happier today because I am more settled in at the house. My stuff is no longer all over Katie's room! I felt really bad about that, but now my belongings are safely tucked away in their own cabinet. Living out of a suitcase was no fun...

Nothing else has been happening. We still haven't watched Saw 2 and I have been playing Paper Mario in my spare time. Maybe I'll have something more exciting to talk about tomorrow...

Internet Snob

I am so desperate to serf the net at highspeed that I have driven across town to Whataburger. The ONLY reason I haven't been blogging is because we only have dial-up at the house. I am an internet snob. French fries and a Dr. Pepper is a perk too.

Not too much has been happening to me lately. I've been settling in at the McClain's household and refreshing my memory up at the Christian Life Center. Rooming with Justin's little sister Katie hasn't been too terribly bad. I will say though that I've never had a younger sister so it is taking some time to get use to.

Tonight was the season finale of Desperate Housewives!! It was crazy, and I am already excited about next season. :) There are so many twist and turns in this show and that is what I love about it. Every episode has you on the edge of your seat. Will Bree hook up with a murderer after saving her daughter from one? Is Gabriella going to forgive her husband for cheating on her? Oh, and poor Susan might have lost the man she was going to propose to. Enough about that...WEDNESDAY is the finale of American Idol. I am especially excited because the last two contestants are my favorite male and female...I can see myself buying either ones' cd. So that is a plus.

One thing I really miss is going to Grace Bible Church. I know I will be here only for the summer, but everything is just different now. Oh well, maybe I'll be off one Sunday so I can make the drive.

I better go now, I am using Justin's computer...mine died. Man oh man, I'll be happy when I can use my computer again. Until whenever...

Final Exam Day #2 & #3

Yesterday was my dreaded Poli Sci final exam, and wonders of all wonders I actually pulled it off! I made a C on the test and ended the course with a high C. I was EXPECTING to earn a D or low low low C overall. That made all those boring days trying to figure out what the heck the Prof was talking about worth it. :) Not much more happened yesterday...Justin and I headed back into Lufkin, I dropped him off at First Methodist so he could set up his drums, and I drove to get an oil change. Last night during .5ive I worked Hebrews, then went home to study for today's exam.

YAY! I can officially say that I am finished with this semester! My last exam was today and I think I did very well on it. Com 101 is easy so if I didn't, I will be ashamed to admit it. I won't find out for sure though until next week because this Prof takes his time grading.

There is still a lot of today left, but I just had to take advantage of the high speed internet in Justin's dorm while he is packing. I can barely use my laptop now at Justin's house because they have dial-up and two boys already battling over the internet is quite enough w/o me trying to connect as well. Guess I'll just have to use the WiFi at Whattaburger.....

I'm off to assist Justin in moving out and transporting his drums later! BYE!

Movin' Along

Today was my dedicated "Move Out of Steen Hall Day." I thought it was going to be easy since I borrowed Sean's Expedition, but boy was I wrong! Evidentally I was able to cram more stuff in that dorm than I thought. It would have helped if I had been a bit more organized throughout the entire school year. Since I'm moving into Justin's house I had to drop a lot of my stuff off at his Town House for storage. No room in the Inn here in Lufkin.

To top it off today was VERY humid. At the end of the day I was glad that I had worn shorts. :) I am happy to be out of the dorm, although it had turned into my home. Steen became the place I felt most comfortable sleeping. Hopefully I'll find a roommate to get an apartment with so I won't have to go pot luck in a dorm again.

Tomorrow is my Poli Sci exam and I just got finished making the review. I will most likely study for the next hour or so and then hit the hey! TA-TA!!!

Final Exam Day #1

THIS IS THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL! I am very excited about that for sure...of course, finals come along with the last week of school. (blek!) I had my Math In Society exam today and I stunk it up. Justin and I stayed up until 3:30am studying for that thing and I don't think I made as well as I wanted. I fully understand that it is my fault though...I have been a horrible student this semester and haven't been keeping up with the material. You would think that I would be a little more studious since I'm the one who will be paying back the loans when I graduate. Next semester will be different though...

After my final, I had to fix the dilemma of getting the couch I bought out of Emily's apartment. (the girl I bought it from) My final took longer than expected, but she needed the couch out today. I packed a load from my dorm room, put it in my car, picked up Justin, and headed to Lufkin (again) to pick up Sean's Expedition. Nick, Justin's bro, has been helping us move furniture and he was the hero of the day! He met us back in Nac. and helped move the couch to Justin's town house. Since Justin isn't moving there this summer we are using his bedroom as a storage unit.

I just got back from hanging out with Mike and Paul. THEY COOKED THE BEST BREAKFAST BURRITOS IN TOWN! We also watched a movie...so I didn't get any packing finished this evening. I will be glad when this whole moving thing is over with...it is tiring.

New Job, New House, New Furniture!

Monday is my first final and I'm not so sure I'm ready yet. Math 110 was pretty easy when I went to class so hopefully it won't be too bad. I'm very glad that I will have tons of freetime to study this week...

Why? Because I did quit IHOP on Friday. That was totally unlike me, but I'm in Nacogdoches for a reason and if studying doesn't fit into IHOP's schedule--well, I don't fit into their's either. I apologized...that didn't change anything so they really didn't care. I felt really bad that night, but I feel much better about my decision now that I've had more time to ponder on it.

I was called in to work Saturday and today at the CLC/Hebrews Cafe. Man, I really remember why I liked this job now! It is so easy and you get to work with different people. The only downfall is that it is boring when no one is in the building. I tried to entertain myself by cleaning the windows--yeah I stink at that and streaks were everywhere. I am TERRIBLE at cleaning glass...maybe I'll find an easier way to do it this summer.

This morning was my first time to work at the Hebrews Cafe in the youth/contemporary Worship building. Making the coffee drinks isn't hard at all! When I get more comfortable with things I'll be able to go faster. I really think that coffee shop can be used as a wonderful ministry tool. People come for the coffee, you chat with them for a while, and invite them to .5ive, church, or whatever. I love interacting with people! Now the only gripe I really have is the fact that we close RIGHT when church is starting. Then people (students especially) kind of wander around until they are finished drinking stuff while the service has already started. I have a bad feeling about that. I don't like the fact that people lounge around at their leasure finishing their drinks or just waltz into the sanctuary w/ their cookies and drinks. Some people don't even go into the sanctuary and just sit outside drinking cokes and coffee. Personally, (and I'm not the boss) I think we need to close earlier and make the cafe a sort of before Sunday school thing. That's just me and I might be wrong.

Last night Justin and I stayed up really late moving him into his room here in Lufkin. We hope to both be moved in by Wednesday and then all we have to do is check-out after our last final on Thursday. Stress-free! I will be living with Justin and his family this summer. My room is taken by my Uncle Virgil...I'm happy about this because I'll be treated like the adult I am. What, I can stay out after midnight??

Soon I will be going over to Suzanne Russell's daughter's house to see about some furniture she is giving away. GIVING away?! It might be a dud, but I figured I'd try to see what they have to offer. I mean, my love seat and couch are in AWESOME condition and they were only $100. Fun, I love getting furniture!!

I Can't Stand the Decisions!

GOOD NEWS: I have a job in Lufkin! The deal with Mark Gipson worked out. (a gift from God) Remember? How the job just fell into my hands and all I was worried about was the amount of hours. Ok, I dropped by the CLC yesterday and Mark was like, "Do you wanna start working today?" I didn't even know that I had the job! So now I am officially on the schedule. I work this weekend too! And I am so excited to be able to go to church! Hopefully if there aren't too too many events on Sunday nights I can go to Crosspoint as well. :) This job in addition to the one at Dr. McClain's office will be enough to allow me to save money for the school year. Everything worked out with that...I'm happy...the CLC needed me so they are happy too.

BAD NEWS: Ummmm, yeah...I didn't think they needed me to start working now, so what about IHOP? They are under some big time stress. Everyone is quitting! So, of course I feel bad about quitting. Do I give a two weeks notice? That would be the best for IHOP, but it would also not allow me to study as much for finals. The only reason I'm in Nac is for school, so I know if I quit today that I would be able to study and move stress free. That would be nice...I just know it is very wrong not to give a two weeks notice. Then again, I haven't been treated the nicest either....didn't get Wednesdays off when I needed them...I get stuck hostessing when everyone is making money. AND then again, an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth isn't the way to go. "Two wrongs don't make a right."

MY DECISION: I will say that I have made a decision. I'm not going to say what it is, but I have made one. Am I sure that it is the right one (either for myself or IHOP)? No. We will see how everything works out...

Famous

Did I mention that I'm famous? Yes that's right folks! I, Angela Nicole Janisch, am in a total strangers' blog. I assume this person is using his blog as a project, but I'm in it none-the-less. If you are interested in the pic just click here. Yeah, I don't like the picture too much--I look really young and it appears that I'm "embracing Larry." I was really just shoving him over so Justin could take a picture of us by my favorite flowers. Oh well, I'm famous anyway. :)

I wish I could say that I have been really busy lately...unfortunately, I've just been working and going to school. IHOP is short on staff and I got to work a 12 hour shift this weekend. Man, this next week we are going to be even shorter on staff!! Finals week and I will be working non-stop. Yuck. That's ok, we probably won't have much business anyway. (famous last words)

Dead week this week. Finals next week. Back in Lufkin the one after. I seriously hope that I can just find a job for the summer in Lufkin...I would love to stay in one town most of the time. I have to pay for and pick up my new furniture. One problem: Where the heck am I gonna store it? I think they are too big to go in Justin's house...my house has no room with all of my Uncle's stuff he had to move out of his house...so I think I might get a storage unit. Any tips for that? Things I need to watch out for? Just wondering...

Four people left on American Idol. Desperate Houswives is still suspensful. Awww, and Ryan Seacrest & Terri Hatcher have broken up.I didn't know they were together...just thought it would be cool to tie my favorite shows together.

THE END.

If I Ever...

~If I ever make my own CD I would put all the songs that I've butchered the lyrics to on there. Possible tracks would include (but aren't limited to):

* "It's A Good Shop, Lollipop"
* "Ba ba ba, ba ba ba-rant"
* "A Winga Wak, A Winga Wak" (In the Jungle)
* "I'm Not Crazy, I'm Just A Little Bit..."
* "I Love You Always Forever, Mi Re Do In Sunny Weather"

Of course, I'd have Marilyn Manson's "Lonely No More" as my cover song.

~If I ever join the circus I'd be a little girl clown who likes to play with elephants.

~If I ever go to the moon I'd make the first moon dust angel and take a lot of pictures! Oh, and in one of my pics of earth I'd hold my fingers up to the lense so it looks like I'm holding earth in my fingers.

~If I ever start my own business I would have a petting zoo that is not only fun, but also very educational. Every animal would have someone there talking about them in a fun way. Ummm, kind of like Sea World, but everyone gets to pet all of the animals. (not just certain kids from the crowd)

I Want to Know

The end of the semester is near and I want to know what to do next. I'm currently looking for a job in Lufkin so that I can actually save money instead of spend it all on gas. Cotton Patch isn't going to work out like I thought it would. A weird thing happened though: I was up at First Methodist for .5ive this past Wednesday and I really wanted to go and just chat w/ Mark Gipson. (a member of the church that I've known since I was old enough to and my former boss) Well, everytime I walked up there something came up and I wasn't able to talk to him. Then Justin walked up to him and I followed...when he got up there he forgot why he walked up there and that gave me the perfect chance to talk to Mark. Basically what ended up happening was Mark started the convo offering me a job at the CLC this summer. Ummm, I didn't even have to ASK for a job!! So that was really cool...they are gonna see how many hours they can give me and if it is enough that would be a BIG blessing.

Here lately I've really been struggling with the fact that I still don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I really wish that I had grown up doing something that I was passionate about and could apply to my future. (teaching, music, sports...something!) Nope. I just I want ONE thing that I can work on and feel moved to pursue. PLEASE!! I'm just stuck right now taking classes and wasting MY money on classes that I may or may not use for my final degree. I mean, I LOVE serving people and always have...so, what am I gonna be? A waitress or a shoe-shiner?? Ugh.

Housing for the Fall still hasn't ironed out. I didn't get my scholarship from the Alumni foundation. Tuition is going up, up, up. IHOP has s-l-o-w business. I don't know what I wanna be! Bleh.

Just Another Day in Paradise...

Sunday. Usually I get up and go to church, but today I slept right through my alarm! Why was today so different? Mainly because I didn't get off of work until between 4-5am. I couldn't go straight to sleep so I was really tired. After I woke up today I decided to look up a monologue to "workshop" on Tuesday. I have known about this assignment for months and I am just NOW starting on it. Bad idea? Yes. Can I pull it off? Hope so. Luckily I found a monlogue out of The Importance of Being Earnest. Now I just have to memorize it and practice the diction. I also have a test on Tuesday in my Communications class that I need to prepare for. I have already planned that Tuesday is MY "hump day"...once I get past that, it will be less stressful.

A good side of Justin being out of town is that I get to use his dorm room as my personal study room. Afterall, it is hard to memorize something when your roommate is playing Mario Sunshine and you are tempted to just sit there and watch. THANK YOU JUSTIN!

Crosspoint was awesome tonight! I love the new Ruth series that we are starting...the story is amazing. :) Michael tought us that when we are wondering "What's next?" (like we all do) we are fueling a void that can only be filled by the Grace of God. So, we are learning about God's Grace and how to react. That entire theme really hits home with a lot of people. I don't even know what I DESIRE to do when I'm out of college, yet alone what my degree will help me with. Even now, I may know where I'm living this summer, but what about the fall? Am I going to have to go to the dorms again? Or will I find roommates for an apartment? Some people are in relationships and just wonder where they are going. Is it leading to marriage or should they just cut it off now? Everyone questions their future...I can't wait to see what else God reveals to me in the book of Ruth.

The Search Begins

Last night I stayed up too late completing my review and then playing Mario Sunshine. I am super clumsy at that game, but it is fun to play. Due to last night's adventures I ended up sleeping a little late today. Soon enough though, I was off to Lufkin to begin the great search for an alternative job.

I really forgot how much more there is to do in Lufkin than Nacogdoches now. There are so many places hiring people older than 18 it is crazy! Already I'm pumped up about this summer and hopefully will be able to save some money. I grabbed a lot of applications and will fill them out this week. I'm tired of going job to job so hopefully I'll land a job that I can keep for a while. Who knows?!

No more news on the apartment hunting. I'm kind of waiting now for things. I know that was just totally broad, but it is the best way to describe things for now. <--Still, very broad.

Justin seems to be having a wonderful time in Maryland. I am so excited for him b/c this is an awesome experience....not to mention a nice vacation. :)

I went to CVS and chatted with my mom for a while. This is her last day at CVS and she has been there over 25 years!! (I think that is right) The change of pace will be good for her and less stressful. She also, is 100% happy with my plans for the summer and that is a load off my mind. I'm the type of person who will feel guilty just thinking that someone is mad at me or if I've hurt their feelings. While at CVS I picked up some CUTE lip gloss and finger nail polish that was on sale for the spring. And yes today was...you guessed it! A COUNTRY DAY!

In Between

At this moment I'm in the part of my day where I've gone to school, ran errands, and am now in that little gap of time before I get ready for work. I am very happy to announce that my DPS problems are o-v-e-r! I just got finished turning in my driving record, so hopefully I am no longer on the naughty list. Classes went by very fast today! Since Justin is going to be in Maryland for a while I am trying to take extra-good notes so I can keep him up to speed before finals. I normally don't take notes in Poli-Sci and today I found out why: it is impossible! She skips around so much that I just get annoyed by the disorganization of my notes. Anal? Possibly.

Fridays at IHOP were once very fruitful. I am praying that we have some sort of business tonight. I have had FOUR days off this week, which on the surface might seem as a good thing, but no work equals no money. :( I'm not a money-hog but I've got bills to pay. It is looking more and more possible that I'm going to have to find a job in Lufkin this summer...in fact, I'm picking up applications on Saturday.

I've got a lot to do this weekend due to my procrastination. I have a test to study for, and a monologue to pick out and memorize. Yuck.

Well I'm off to do a little reading before work....buh-bye!

That Shower Feeling...

Well, I just got finished taking a shower after my first class of the day. Don't you just love that feeling after you've taken a shower? You feel clean, relaxed, and delighted at the fact that people can smell your shampoo from far away...yes, showers are fun.

If you've read Justin's blog you might know that we went to Dallas yesterday. It was fun learning the directions to different places. The more I go to Dallas the more I'm reminded how much there is to do there! I love driving around with Justin, and have a great time watching him drool over stuff in large music stores. Oh yeah, we ate at Taco Bueno on the way out of town...yum,yum! We were only able to have fun yesterday b/c his eye appointment was a success though! <---to see the details go visit his blog, if you haven't already.

Dorm life is driving me crazy right now and I am sure this stuff won't be eliminated even when I get an apartment. So maybe I shouldn't call it "dorm life". It's that time of the semester when everybody is kind of AAAH! and it is making me freak out too. Finals are just around the corner, my roommate is having more problems other than being sick 24/7, and now people are being picky about what the proper way to hang the toilet paper roll is. Maybe there is one, maybe there isn't. Is one way germ friendly? Or do we value convenience when we go to grab a piece of toilet paper? Could it look more appealing if we hang it over instead of under the roll? I could honestly care less either way. I just put it on however I feel like at the time. No worries, I went into the bathroom and now we have a nice little diagram drawn on the wall of how we should hand the toilet paper. I'm not mad or anything...just astonished that a person could feel that strongly about how everyone hangs the toilet paper.

Apartment hunting is getting nowhere...and based on gas prices it looks like I'll have to find a job in Lufkin for the summer. IHOP isn't having enough business to warrant me driving back and forth all summer. I can't stand looking for jobs and looking for a place to stay isn't much better. Humph, do people need to adjust to what the gas prices are expected to be? If they don't they might be sorry...but if they do they could be wasting their time. Yikes! I better get to class...have a great day everybody!!!

Oh the Frustrations...

Today I got back my quiz grade in Poli Sci and my test grade in Math. (yeah, not so good) I also continued my apartment hunting. I am officially frustrated w/ it!! So I find these 3 bedroom apartments at a fairly decent price and they are fairly decent apartments as well....unfortunately none of these apartments are open for full time college students who don't have children or a spouse. I knew it was going to be hard, but this is more annoying than applying for jobs. I'm off Thursday so I will try again.

Work was dead as usual today. My manager scheduled too many people so she gave me the opportunity to go, but I said that I'd rather stay. We had a small rush near the end of my shift so that helped some. I found out my results from a mystery shopper. I was hostess the night he or she came so there wasn't too too much to judge....I didn't do too well though and neither did their server. So yes, mystery shoppers DO exist in Nacogdoches.

Justin ran by tonight to give me a CD of .5ive...the little I've heard so far sounds great! I love Todd's new song, and was able to see how Justin set up his kit. He sets it up different every time! Well, Justin left to go back to Lufkin. (he has an eye appointment in Dallas tomorrow) He won't be back in Nac until Fri. night, and then he'll leave to Lufkin again. Next week he goes to Maryland and I couldn't be anymore excited for him! Anway, he'll be out of town for a while and I accidentally didn't give his phone back to him. Oops. Now I can't even talk on the phone to him! Oh well, he'll have it back tomorrow when he gets back in Lufkin. I am just frustrated with myself.

Plus I keep forgetting to check my work schedule for the rest of the week...guess I'll do that tomorrow while I'm hunting for apartments. That's all for now...

Spring is In the Air

Not a bad Tuesday at all! I went to both of my classes this morning, ate some lunch, and then went to Emily's (a friend) to check out the couch and love seat that I was soon to buy. Yes, that is right people....I now have a couch and love seat!! It is my first piece of furniture to ever own that I bought w/ my own money!! Actually, I don't own them YET. Emily said that I could just give her the $100 before I pick them up in May. Not a bad deal for two pieces of furniture that aren't in too horrible of shape. After I got back from Emily's house, I decided to start apartment hunting. I didn't have much time left to find a lot out by the time offices closed, but I got a start.

Since I didn't have to work today, Justin and I planned to walk down Raguet and up North St. today. It was a lot of fun! We stopped at the church to take some pics (yep, MORE pics!):

This is Grace Bible Church--my church! We parked here for our walk.

Justin decided to participate in the picture-taking today. This is a great pic taken outside of GBC!

Isn't he just precious?!

Justin and Larry are a great team.

Me.

Okay, for some reason blogger won't let me upload anymore pics....so that ended that! Oh, we ended up walking 3 miles!!

Saturday

So Saturday was a pretty good day! I slept in a bit and then picked Justin up to head into Lufkin. Well, actually we went by Grace Bible first so that Justin could show Dave's friend the sanctuary. (I just talked to Kathy, Dave's girlfriend) When we got into Lufkin though, Justin and I dropped by his house and payed his mom a visit. After that, Justin, Katie, and I went to Old Navy, Best Buy, and then to John's baseball game:

Justin refused to let me take a "for real" picture of him, so I just got one of him thinking.

John's baseball game was fun, but we missed his homerun because we were late.

It seemed like John was at bat for a loooooong time. Oh, and this isn't just "little kid" baseball anymore, the pitcher was "picking off" people!!

We left right after we were able to cheer John to home.

After a few innings of his game we headed to First Methodist to meet Todd and then we were off to Justin's house to take Nick's prom pictures:

Nick, John, Justin and Katie. They were goofin' off the entire time so really this is the best picture I have of them.

This is Nick and his girlfriend Alex.

We stayed in Lufkin a litte while longer, but had to leave earlier than we would have liked b/c I had to go to work. Well that is all for now...Saturday was fun! :)

I Love My Boyfriend!

Today was a lot better than yesterday! I just got off of work not too long ago which means we were FINALLY busy and I actually made a few bucks. :-D No mean people or anything today!!

Just for the record: I LOVE JUSTIN! He is the sweetest guy ever and he didn't even care that I smelled like syrup when I got off tonight. We went to Taco Bell to get a late night "snack". (yeah, not too healthy) I am extremely lucky to have such a loving, funny, smart boyfriend. :)

I know this was short, but it is past my bedtime and I'm goin' into Lukin tomorrow before work...BUH-BYE!

Had a Bad Day...

Really, most of my day was pretty good. I went to my vocal class, took a nap, delivered my Defensive Driving certificate to the Woden courthouse (by the way, their courthouse was in a portable storage-type building), watched TV, and then went to work. The work thing is what made my day go down hill. I was in such a good mood at the beginning, but then people's attitudes got in the way. I was kind of bummed that I didn't have a section to wait on too...I understand that everyone has to share the "breaker" position though.

IHOP has just been so DEAD lately, which means I make below minimum wage. (blah) That gets me upset b/c I already have a hard time paying for my college and bills and I REALLY REALLY want to move into an apartment this Fall. I know everything will workout...it is just extremely hard not to envy all those college students who don't even have to get a job. God will provide though and I am very thankful for everything he has given me thus far.

Well I am off to bed and can't wait to start over fresh tomorrow!!!

American Idol--What Happened?!

Yes I have not posted in a while. No I do not feel like posting right now. To be honest I haven't really had anything to post about! On my days off I lay around or run errands, and every other day I run errands, eat, sleep, go to school, and work.

I have decided to start eating healthy. Lately I haven't been drinking many cokes, and I have been buying fruits and veggies to use as my snacks. My goal is to lose the weight I've gained just b/c of the abundant cafeteria food here at SFA. To me it is hard b/c I eat big portions right now and so my stomach is big...when I eat healthier portions I feel like I am STARVING! Hopefully I will get use to it soon though...

American Idol has been very dissappointing lately. I just feel like I am watching it so I can delete it off my TiVo. The contestants are picking the WRONG songs and they are just a bore. Hopefully things will spice up a bit next week...country week isn't as fun as I though it would be.

Until my next post...

Why Not...

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
1) Eckerd/CVS
2) Christian Life Center Staff
3) Telemarketing
4) IHOP

Four Movies You Would Watch Over and Over:
1) My Best Friend's Wedding
2) The Day After Tommorrow
3) Scream
4) Final Destination (I like all of them)

Four Places You Have Lived:
1) Central, TX
2) Spring, TX
3) Lufkin, TX
4) Nacogdoches, TX

Four TV Shows You Love to Watch:
1) American Idol
2) Desperate Housewives
3) Trading Spouses
4) Dr. Phil

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation:
1) Houston, TX
2) Roseland, TX
3) Eureka Springs, Arkansas
4) San Antonio, TX

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
1) Justin
2) Todd
3) Paul
4) Tracy

Four Of My Favorite Foods:
1) Taco Bell
2) Spaghetti
3) Cheesy Shells
4) Fruit

Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1) in my bed (it is so cold and rainy and dark today...)
2) Walt Disney World (well, not right now b/c it is rainy)
3) eating
4) somewhere tropical

What Happened to Saturday?

Man, oh man today was a busy day! This morning I had to get up earlier than normal so that I could go take defensive driving. Thank God I signed up for "License to Laugh"!! The instructor was obviously very entertaining and time flew by unlike any other class I've taken this semester. Did I learn anything that will add to my driving skills? Probably not, BUT I did get a lot of candy, donuts, laughs, and he even got the ice cream man to visit us. Yes, I think I'd do that again in a year! The only bad thing is because I've waited so long to take Defensive Driving I will not have my certificate in time...meaning technically I will have a warrant out for my arrest. Don't worry people!! Everything will be fine because the court looks at the date I finished the class, not the date I actually give them the piece of paper. (thank the Lord) I just have to go see the judge Monday and let him know that I took the class and that the paper is on the way.

About an hour after class let out I went to work. At first I thought it was going to be a long night because I was already yawning, but I got some tables and the sleepiness went away. I am so glad that I'm not hostessing every weekend now too! We are now rotating that duty so I can actually make some money now. :) YAY that is why I'm there!!

So even though I am tired now, I can say that today was a pretty productive one. Oh, and I cannot forget that my wonderful boyfriend, Justin, saved the day by doing the entire review for our test. THANK YOU JUSTIN!

Nothing Much...

Nothing too too exciting is happening in my life this week. I've just been trying to get back in the groove of things. Classes have flown by and I'm finding myself having to catch up on assignments. Work is still going well, and I think I'm even getting better at waitressing. Today the different teams from the mission trip got together to fellowship and share each group's experiences. It was very neat to see pics and hear everyone's experiences. That in itself was a wonderful witness. Thank you everyone, for praying for all the teams!

Above is a picture I took while in Memphis. I had never been there before although I had been to TN once. Everything there was just so beautiful...I loved the red brick everywhere. The team got to eat at a pretty good restaurant, and watch a movie in the biggest theater I've ever seen. Yes people, that was the first time I have ever seen a stadium seating theater of that calibur. What can I say, I was raised in Lufkin and have lived a sheltered life! By the way, Failure to Launch--not so good. Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot! Especially walking down Beale St. at night. Every restaurant and pavillion had a live blues band playing. Oh,oh....and the neon lights were so pretty too!

Below is a pic of some of the children in Jonestown. They were very sweet natured even though at times they would act very scary. These 3 kids were especially nice and even followed us around the neighborhood. You can tell how materialism is important to them--the youngest got out a wad of $1's just to take a pic. Again I say: I really hope those children as well as their parents saw Christ's love last week.

I'm Back, By the Way...

As my title says: I am back! I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend my Spring Break and I am so so glad that I mustered up the courage to ask off right after getting hired. Just in case you weren't paying attention to my other blogs or have just forgotten because it has been so long: this Spring Break I went on Grace Bible's annual Spring Break mission trip. We teamed up with Habitat for Humanity's Collegiate Challenge and were able to send out 5 groups of 10 students. (you are correct Justin, that does make 50) Speaking of Justin, we had both mutually decided before hand that we were going to split up for this trip. Wait, let me clerify that: we did not "break up" we were just in two different groups. Why did we do this? Well, we thought it would be easier to make more friends that way. Hey, now we have more stories to tell each other anyway!

My group--Team Tiger--went to Jonestown, Mississippi. (can you spell that backwards?) Wow, when we got there we realized just how different it was than we could have ever imagined. Jonestown was the most poverished town that I have been able to see with my own eyes. The kids don't even go to school! The houses there are horrid, and the local grocery store buys out-of-date food to sell. We had to go 30 minutes out of town just to buy supplies, groceries, and drinking water.

I'm not going to walk you through my everyday experience in Jonestown so you can keep reading without fear of too much boredom. My heart ached for the children of Jonestown...their houses were unlivable in our eyes, but their parents had enough money to buy fancy cars. The Wal-Mart in Clarksdale was the nicest place around.

My experiences this Spring Break will last a lifetime. I made new friends, saw places that I've never seen before, and learned many new things about the Lord. Not everything was perfect, but I loved this mission trip! I can say that now a few days later, but I have to admit that the day I got back I was a little bitter. Other groups were sleeping in cabins, canoeing, and made a lot of progress on their habitat house. We slept in what a lot of people would call a "ghetto", had to be escorted by a male most of the time, and made very very little progress on this house that has been under construction for 2 years. If you would look at things on the surface it would seem that my group accomplished little. God had his reasons why he put us in Jonestown. I can understand that now. Maybe, just maybe, we planted a seed somewhere. Hopefully the children were able to get a taste of God's love. And the fact that 50 college students spent their Spring Break working instead of laying out on the beach is a witness to other as well. So many good things for the Lord can come out of what we did...so I'm really not that bitter anymore. Heck...I would do it all over again!!

Spring Break At Last!

FINALLY! All of my midterms are over AND I am all packed for the treck into Lufkin tonight when I get off of work. My parents don't know that I am going home tonight so it will be a surprise when they wake up in the morning. After work the rest of my weekend should be a breeze. Tomorrow Justin and I have to go shopping for the mission trip (the only problem is I need to ask my mom if I can borrow some money...I hope she will lend me some) and then Saturday night Justin and I are going on a date before we part for a week. I am excited about the mission trip, but I will miss him too. O-o-o-okay, I better get goin'....if I don't blog tomorrow, I will be blogging after the trip! BYE!

One Day Until Spring Break Begins!

My tests that I've taken so far this week have gone well. (I think) Earlier this morning I took my Theater Speech Practicum Test and did well on the speech, but jacked up the Salute to the Sun. Now all I have are two more tests on Friday and I'm good to go! The only hurdle after that is packing everything for the mission trip, buying things for the mission trip, and finding a place to stay until the mission trip. I know everything will work out though and I am super excited about the trip...I have never gone on a mission that wasn't with the Methodist church so this will be very different than what I am used to.

Yesterday Justin and I went into Lufkin to return the Expedition to his mom and run a few errands. I actually had off yesterday and now I do today too!!! Justin and I went to the mall and he discovered that we have an American Cookie store now. Evidentally, they have those in Dallas as well and so he had to buy one for us....mine was rich, but it was GOOD! While Justin was at the church unloading the Expedition and setting his drums up I went to Applebees with my family for my mom's birthday. Sirloin was good, mashed potatoes were not like I remembered, and they cheated me on my broccoli. I saw a sign on the wall where we were sitting that describes me to a tee:

"If you hesitate you are not only lost, but several miles from the next exit."

So here I am sitting in my dorm room waiting for the cafeteria to open and my roommate to leave so that I can go back to sleep! (didn't sleep to well last night and I have tests to study for all day) Until later...

Yikes!

There are so many reasons to say 'yikes' today: Firstly, I have midfinals this week and unfortunately Poli Science is one of those. :( Not sure how I'll do, but hopefully I'll be prepared by Friday.

Also, my manager forgot that I had asked off for Spring Break the day I was hired and she had to re-do the schedule completely. When she did that she got me confused with the OTHER Angela who works graveyard, and so as of now I am going into work at 10pm Thursday. (ya know, the day before my Poli Science midfinal) I am STILL stuck hostessing on the weekends and I need the waitressing money! Hopefully I'll be able to sort all of that out b/c I am fed up with being the one who will go w/ anything.

Did I mention that I didn't know I was suppose to go into work today at 5 until 5:45? Yikes!

Remember how Justin and I got the new cell phone plan last week? Well, b/c we both love sharing pics we got a multimedia package and today we found out that it won't work with the phone Justin gave me. (dang it) So I ended up shelling out some $$ to get a phone that actually would work with our provider. Hey, at least I have a really good phone now!

All of my errands were planned out for the evening before I found out I had to be at work. So when I got off I had to clean the shower (which takes forever b/c we have to do it with a toothbrush to get all the mildew out of the tile cracks), and study for tomorrow's test.

Now, the thing that might make others go 'yikes!' : Sunday after Justin got back from Tyler I let him DRIVE his mom's expedition!!! He did a wonderful job parking and there were 3 cars around at the time too. He was so excited so how could I say no?? Anyway, look at the pics....I love my drivin' Justin! He might think Paul drives into trees, but he has redeemed himself....buh-bye!

A Country Day

I have this theory that it is better to listen to country music on days like today...blue skies, breezy, sunny, and just really pretty! So, I like to call days like this "country days". In fact, the picture above I took today is of my FAVORITE flowers on campus. I like to call them "sleeping flowers" because they close up during the night and open in the day. Aren't they beautiful? I THINK they are tulips though...anyway, the colors remind me of the field in the Wizard of Oz for some reason.

Nothing too terribly extraordinary happened today. I woke up and went to class, helped Justin get ready for his gig in Tyler this weekend, sent him off, watched some TV, and went to work. I really hope tomorrow is just as pretty as today was b/c I really want to clean my car and take some pictures of the ducks and more plants. I enjoy my digital camera...this is my favorite season!!! Everybody should take the time to look around every once in a while....everything is just so gorgeous.....

Great Day, Great Book

Gotta love off days! After I went to my theater class I came back to the dorm room and took a loooong nap. Around 2:30 I decided to get ready to seize the day! Brad Anderson (Justin's best "bud") gave Justin and me a ride to Lufkin to pick up the Expedition. Unfortunately, Nick (Justin's brother) had been out driving around in it, so we were running a bit late. Since they were unable to clean the Expedition, Justin, Katie, and I headed to Wal-Mart to buy a few supplies. A few minutes later we were on the road hunting for the "perfect" car wash to visit after dark. Settling for the one on Timberland we cleaned that sucker until it was sparkling! Several errands after that, Justin and I were on the way back to Nacogdoches....

Man, oh man! I just finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, and I have to say that I am actually sad that there are no more chapters. For those of you who don't know and/or don't feel like clicking on the link Redeeming Love is basically a fictional story based off of the book of Hosea. I absolutely would not have been able to put this book down if I didn't have things to do! The way Francine Rivers was able to capture and make the reader feel a taste of God's love amazed me. Reading this book has made me want to go back and read Hosea again. I'm sure I will look at it from a different light this time. Sometimes, it is just hard to think of the people in the Bible as real people who have lived before and had the same reactions to things as we would today. I think that is very important: being able to read the Bible and first understand it for what it simply is....not trying to read within the lines. These people were real even though they lived so long ago. If watching a movie or reading a book can kind of "suck us in" to what is happening...why shouldn't the Bible?

Texarkana and a New Cell Phone Provider!

Sunday Justin and I (in pic) drove to Texarkana to hang out with Tim and Rhonda (Justin's Dad and Step-Mom) at The Cracker Barrel. I had never eaten there before and I have to say that I wasn't all that impressed with their mashed potatoes and gravy. On the other hand, their chicken fried steak was delicious! The trip up there was awesome, since it was one of our first full days of sunshine and I actually got there with no trouble. (phew) I have had trouble with mapquest in the past, but this time they didn't fail me!

Today Justin and I went to Lufkin to inquire about our cell phone plan. Yesterday Justin had called our provider and found out that we were no longer in a contract due to a mix-up on their part. Yay! We had been having problems with the service lately and this was our open door to get out pain free. So now I am happy to say that we have a new service provider!! On top of that we took a chance to see if I could have it in my name and lo' and behold I have credit now! It feels nice to be able to pay a bill that is actually in my name and not my mom's. The bad news was that my phone with the pretty flashy lights won't work with our provider...sadness. I wasn't able to get a new phone for myself, but Justin got one and gave me his old phone. The phone isn't even a year old so I was happy to get it AND I got a C-U-T-E pink holder for it to make it last.

As you might have noticed I finally broke down and got a MySpace. I've never really liked it because of the massive amount of advertisement on the profile, but I found a way to customize it just for me!

Oh! And if you want something to entertain you for a bit go check out Todd Wright's conversation starter on his blog and comment on it! Until later...

Tired...

Alright, my day was a complete waste! I slept in way too late because I stayed up way too early washing laundry, watching American Idol, and reading. Justin and I went to Lufkin to get his eye drops and to ship off his ebay stuff. I raced home to get ready for work. That's right, fresh, clean work clothes! Work was great. I have been trying extra hard this week to just do my job the way it should be done. Not that I've been slacking in the past, but this week I've decided to give it a bit more elbow grease. Oh, I partly have been trying harder so that I can ask my manager if they've stuck me as hostess for the weekends just b/c I'm a bad waitress. I don't think I am, but all mothers think their children are beautiful too. Anyways...I waited tables, cleaned tables, spilled Tobasco sauce in my eyes, and was off for the night! I just finished re-washing one of my work shirts (Tobasco sauce stains), and watching American Idol. Now I have to go look for a couple of monologues to show my Prof. tomorrow...yep, I'm tired and for no reason at all.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Well I suppose it is typical for those who have not blogged in a while to address the issue so: Man, I have not blogged in a long time! Things have been going crazy non-stop in my life. I've been having to get used to my new sleep schedule due to the new job, family stuff has been bringing me down, and I've been sick for the last week or half of a week. Last night I started to feel a lot better, and today I am a new person! I just love the feeling you get when you've been sick for a while and then you just aren't. :) Anyway, it is like a breath of fresh air!

School has been going pretty well. I kind of feel guilty because I haven't been giving it as much effort as some--it hasn't affected my grades at all--I just haven't been reading like I probably should be. Political Science is going to kick my bottom! I just have that feeling...everything else is good.

Okay, 2.5 more weeks until the mission trip! The support letters have been sent out, and I have already received as much as I need (and more). Everything extra I raise goes to my group and the other groups. My designated area for the trip is the encouragement team. Just what I love: behind the scenes work and serving others. I can't wait for the trip!

Today I went and picked up Francine Rivers' novel Redeeming Love. Tracy Austin, Justin's cousin, recommended it in her blog so I decided to check it out. I haven't read much yet b/c I had to work, but I will say that I am slightly skeptical about fiction Christian books. We'll see...she said that it was a great book! Until tomorrow...BUH-BYE!

How Would You Like Your Eggs?

This week has been very busy between school, training @ work, and just thinking about decisions that need to be made. Friday night was my first night on the floor by myself as a waitress, and so far I LOVE this job! I don't mind being on my feet all night b/c it makes the time go by very fast. With this job I get to just help people, and tidy up. Hey, it even reminds me of a game I used to play on the computer where you were the waitress and you had to sit everyone and give them their food as fast as possible. I'm a dork, but it's fun!

Today was my 2nd meeting with the team for the Spring Break Mission Trip. I can't say enough how much I enjoy the way we are going about everything from raising support to preparing ourselves for the actual trip. This is gonna be a great Spring Break and I can't wait!

I've been having to think a lot of things over this week. (sorry for being so vague) The one thing that I really want to learn though is how parents are suppose to treat their children--in all aspects--Biblically. I don't mean on decisions like when are the children suppose to start dating or anything like that. I mean: what are the parents suppose to provide for their children? How do healthy families act? Are the parents responsible for their children over the age of 18? I know a lot of those things are up to the parents and are a matter of opinion.....just something I've been thinking about.

Oh, I have a little side job now. For only a couple hours every other day or so I sit in a room at disability services and read text books out loud to be recorded. It isn't the most interesting job in the world, but it helps the visually impaired students AND earns a little bit of money. Well, I've gotta go to bed b/c I've gotta be up early to read and go to class!

Good News

A lot of people already know this, but IHOP hired me Monday. I am so excited! I don't feel like a lazy bum anymore, I can pay all of my bills, and no more applications for a while! YAY! This will be my first time to work with food ever. I'm actually really nervous about it because when it comes to food people are picky, and HUNGRY! I am also a klutz. My first day on the job was yesterday so I showed up in my TredSafe shoes, black paints, boy dress shirt, and a pink tie. Luckily my trainer is my friend Kali who worked at ETI with me. She is very very sweet, and according to the managers the best server. The manager plans on getting me on the floor by myself by Saturday because she really needs the help, so I have a lot of homework to do in the meantime. (memorizing the menu and the 6 Service Steps)

MORE good news: I actually still get to go on the GBC CrossPoint Spring Break Mission Trip! I am super excited about that. My team is going to Mississippi...yep, that's right, a 7 hour drive! I just love how Michael puts the mission trips together. We are handed a notebook that has everything we need in it. Our team will be taught how to write support letters to raise the money, and we will be meeting every week to have a devo and just get to know each other. We also learn a lot about the place we are going to before hand. For instance, my place is drenched in poverty and Justin's place was hit pretty hard by the hurricane. I have so much more to say about this, but I need to go get ready for work. BYE!

College Experiences

Wow, this week has flown by! Classes are going very well...Political Science is still uninteresting to me. I KNOW I should be interested; I think it is very important to be educated about what is going on with our leaders. Everyone's probably getting tired of hearing this, but I LOVE my math class!! Theater Speech is a different class than what I'm used to. I've found out that the theater people are obviously more cultured than I am, and on top of that--they are kind of creepy. Don't get me wrong, I love those guys...just some of our exercises are weird. Today for instance, we became aware of the ground and laid on our backs in the dark imagining that a large glowing ball of energy was floating above us. Okay, all the exercises helped us to meet our goal...and maybe I shouldn't have used the word "weird"...it is just a different experience for me. (I kind of liked it too) To say the least I am looking forward to the rest of the semester in that class.

My brother, Bryan, graduated from Stubblefield today. I am really happy for him; there were times when people thought he wouldn't even do that. The graduation was obviously a lot smaller than a public school system's, but it definitely taught me a great deal about what Stubblefield is about. Many people view that place as a school where drop-outs go when they want the easy way out. Hey, maybe part of that is true...Stubblefield is also a place of hope for people. There was a 55 year old man that graduated. That man couldn't easily get into high school, but he really wanted to turn his life around and make something of himself. Some students dropped out of high school and joined the workforce quickly realizing that that wasn't a good decision for them...Stubblefield gave them the opportunity to finish what they started and not be judged by their peers. Pregnant teens go there because people at school judged them, and they still want to get their education. No matter what the reason is...whether lazy or not...I think it is important to know that Stubblefield exists for the good too.

School, Applications, and TiVo

CrossPoint was awesome last night! We are doing a relationship series called "Before You Say 'I Do'" and the first focus was on being a husband. Women around the room definitely appreciated what Michael had to say, and it made me think of different relationships that I know of and how they did not have Biblical love. Anyway...the boys (Tracing Mason) did a great job as well. I've always said that it is nice to have a fresh face up on stage every now and then. After CrossPoint the elders had made a fabulous pancake dinner...yum,yum...I'd rather have breakfast for dinner any day!

I think today was the first official day of classwork. Political Science is boring for me, and Math is more interesting than it has ever been! I can't get over the fact that we don't even talk about numbers. :) So far classes are great though; especially since I only have two a day.

After classes I hit the streets to look for a job. Everyday this is getting more and more depressing. There are only so many businesses in Nac. and I'm afraid that I'm about to run out of places to apply. PLEASE HIRE ME!

Justin surprised me and came over to my place to pick me up for dinner. It was weird having someone knock on the door for me. That's one thing I love about college though, I can walk across the street to eat. Maybe I should start walking across campus though...after dinner I settled in to watch a couple of my usual shows on TiVo...then I studied a little bit...and now I'm going to watch MORE TiVo before I go to bed...buh-bye!

That's A Wrap

Man, this weekend was a different one...I'm kind of glad that it is over though! Friday I dropped my ASL 2 class because my Prof. said that it would be very difficult for me to catch up with everyone else since I took ASL 1 last Spring. So I just signed up for a Math class that has absolutely NO numbers in it so far! (that's what I like) I had my interview for notetaker/reader with disability services too. Heh, I bombed the notetaking test partly b/c I was nervous, and partly b/c I couldn't understand the tape recorder. On the other hand, I aced the reader test...neither one of those jobs are enough to pay my bills with, but maybe it will help while I'm turning in applications elsewhere. Most of Friday evening Justin and I were getting ready for the Heart's retreat. Right before the group was going to leave it started raining hard, I decided to go up ahead so that I could carry in the groceries and to hopefully get settled in. Another long story story short: I hydroplaned, almost ran into a telephone pole, and the only thing damaged was my passenger mirror.

I thought retreat went really well, Todd did a wonderful job. It was mentioned many times that he was the best speaker we've ever had at a retreat. You could really tell that he had put some thought into the sessions and planned everything out. YAY TODD!

Saturday came and everyone was really tired. When I got back to my dorm I washed all of my laundry, took a shower, and hit the hay.

I went to church this morning (still raining) and the lights went out for most of the service. The sound and projection still worked though, so we just worshipped in the dark. Justin (pastor) said that we'd continue to worship if anything short of a fire happened. I kind of liked it anyway. Well, there you have it...now it is CrossPoint time!!

Back At School

Phew, the last several days have been very stressful and busy for me. Friday Justin and I moved back to our dorms. (by "moved" I mean dumped all of our stuff on our beds) Long story really really short I had to figure out how I was going to afford this semester, so I ran to the Financial Aid office to get some loans. Everything has basically been worked out even if it is the way I didn't want to pay for college.

This past weekend I was at the Wesley Foundation council retreat. Parts of it were fun, but because I disagree with a lot of what council does the meetings and moments after were driving me crazy! I don't have time now to go into anything in detail...just know that the weekend irritated me.

Yesterday and today were my first days of classes. Nothing out of the ordinary, just going over class expectations. (blah)

By the way, I left ETI...couldn't stand the management anymore! Now I am jobless and have been filling out application after application. I applied at the Sonic on North St. Monday and it looked very hopeful. The manager was nice, and funny...he said that he has to wait until his college students give him their schedules to decide what shifts he needs. I'm expecting a call from him Thursday. (I hope, I hope)

Alright, that's it for right now...gotta go to ASL 2!

It's A Laptop!

If you were noticing something different about my blog, it has GOT to be the fact that I've typed it on my BRAND NEW LAPTOP! :) Justin helped me pick out a laptop today that would fit all of my needs. I love it! It is a lot more updated than my PC and it is much more portable. I can now go to the library and type papers, study at the Wesley, or anywhere else away from my roommate for that matter. Oh, oh...I even have DESK space in my dorm room...yay! The only bad thing is that Napster and Rhapsody aren't working. I don't know why, but Justin couldn't figure it out, and I have to call the company tomorrow. Justin was very sweet and stayed at my house all day helping me install programs and delete the free trial stuff that came with it. (he's good w/ this kind of stuff)

Today we went to FUMC in Lufkin, and it was WAY different than what we are used to now. (that's not bad though) Saw some people that we haven't seen in a while...all in all it was a good morning. I've already explained what took most of my day up, and now I am ready to go to bed. Tomorrow I have to get a car inspection, vehicle sticker registration thing, appointment for defensive driving, and pay the bills. Oh yeah, I have to go to work too. Until then...

Word Searches Are A Life Saver

Today I went back to work, and could not stand it at all! I don't mind the fact that I'm calling people and being manipulative, but I DO mind just sitting there being bored all day long. They blocked the internet, games, messenger, and even stinkin' paint. Thanks to Cullen, I decided to buy a word search magazine, and it passes the time by like no other. Literally, that is the only thing I can do while I'm waiting on calls...no computer, no reading, no scrapbooking, no sewing, no nothin'. Hey, I'm not complaining, I'm not stocking shelves anymore...it just gets monotonous.

After work Justin and I went to drop off the projection screen at FUMC Lufkin. Wow! It has been a long time since we've been there. (fyi: that is the church I've grown up at...I now go to Grace Bible.) We got to hang out with Todd for a while, talk to the Ferdens, Chris Caraway, Clay Walker, and David McElveen. Makes me really miss going to church there. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE GBC! I just miss seeing people that have known me for a long time, and have known me as Angela Janisch--not Justin (the drummer's) girlfriend. I can't wait until next semester, when I have a little bit more freedom to get more involved. (being on Wesley Council takes a lot of my free time up) As for right now...I must go to sleep b/c Larry has a vet appointment in the morning, and I have to go to work afterwards.

No Dogs Allowed

I had so much fun yesterday! Sean (Justin's mom), Katie (Justin's little sister), Justin, and I went to the Metroplex for Justin's after-surgery check-up eye appointment. Everything was fine, Justin has been healing pretty well, but things are still kind of glareish for him. All-in-all his doctor seemed VERY proud of himself for the outcome of the surgery. :) Before the appointment, however, all of us went to the Parks mall so that Sean and I could get a haircut at Toni&Guy's. Oh my goodness! I have never been to a haircut place like that before. Tam (my haircut guy) took my coat, asked me if I wanted a drink, gave me a massage, styled my hair, AND gave me tips! I have never been pampered like that before. Then, Justin and I went to the Sunglass Hut and picked out some sunshades (Justin's treat, awwww) for half price. Yep, my first and only pair of Ray Bands!

Now to the title of my post...on the way back from Dallas we stopped at a gas station in Jacksonville. All of us wanted a snack and had to use the restroom. Justin and I were the last to walk in and as soon as we did the man (most likely the owner, but said that he wasn't) told us that Larry could not go in. Justin said Larry was a guide dog and that it was ok. Nope, the man told us that someone had to wait outside with Larry because no dogs were allowed in the store. I then emphasized the fact that he was a guide dog that helped Justin get around because he is blind, and that it was illegal to not allow him to come in the store. The man, STILL said that Justin and Larry could not go in. Sean then got involved and informed him that he was breaking ADA (American's Disability Act)...the man didn't budge. To say the least, Justin got the name of the store, we didn't buy anything, and all of us had to use the restroom somewhere else.

Whatta Day

I wasn't going to post today, but I just couldn't help myself! Phew, today was a long day for absolutely no reason. I went over to Justin's house to watch TV, play Mario Party, and to just hang out for awhile. Later on we went to see Fun with Dick and Jane ....it was pretty good, not as funny as I thought it was going to be, but it was cute. I just loved being at the movies with Justin! It isn't often that we get to do stuff like that. :) Afterwards, Justin, Larry, and I went on a 3.2 mile walk in the neighborhood. (brrr!) And here I am now! I love days like today...just relaxing is fun, and Justin is a great guy to hang out with. (I LOVE YOU!) I better hit the hay because I actually have to go to work tomorrow, and you know how it is when you have to go back to work after a holiday weekend. HORRIBLE!

Me and My Furby

Today was very uneventful, so I decided to introduce you to a new family member of mine. She is my Furby. I LOVE HER! Justin gave her to me for Christmas and I'm afraid that he thinks he has opened a very scary door in our lives. What is a Furby you say? Well, for those of you who really don't know: A Furby is a toy that you teach english to and take care of. Right now she speaks Furbish, but soon she will know our vocabulary. Even though she's a baby, she can sing, dance, laugh, talk, tell jokes, and play red light/green light. :) My Furby can hear me, and has a mind of her own. When I first turned her on, all she would say was, "No!" Now she is happier than ever. Maybe one day you can meet her...until then, *bye-bye* <---that's Furbish for bye. (Go figure.)

Disinfected

Yay! My hero, Justin Romack, helped me rid my computer of numerous pop-up ads and bugs...THANK YOU! I was starting to get very frustrated with this hunk of metal, but hopefully things will be better now. Nothing has really happened this New Years Eve/Day. I basically slept in as late as possible and stayed in my pajamas as long as possible. I finally got to use my Old Navy Gift Card today too. I love shopping--and who doesn't?--of course, it is a bummer when I can't find ANYTHING in my size. If my waste isn't too big I'm too short, if I'm not too short my waste is too big. Where do these sizes come from?! I admit, I have gained weight since I arrived at college, and I do need to at least exercise...but WHO was the person to decide on the sizes sold in stores? That is my question for the day....HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL! :)