Oops...

Well, everyone, it's halfway through December. And I had a total of three (count 'em, three) posts for November and went over two weeks into December without posting. I want to apologize repeatedly (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry) for not getting something posted. I have, like, no time during the day, and being sick just fueled the "I just want to lay here and not do anything" attitude. And then all the holiday busy-ness started, and I just...well, I just got a teensy bit lazy. Hope you'll forgive me.

Basically, my life has consisted of being sick (which I am now pretty much cured from, thanks to prescription antibiotics from the doctor...apparently, it wasn't anything serious...Mom kept fearing bronchitis or pleurisy or something), doing my homework, and watching tv. Our most recent Netflix movies were Black Swan (very weird, but still cool) and Super 8 (pretty awesome). And most recently, Thor, which was pretty cool.

We ended up driving to Jacksonville, NC to pick up my cousin, Matt, from Camp Geiger (a branch of Camp Lejeune), and he spent Thanksgiving weekend with us. Which was fun...we ended up really just chilling out, doing a little bit of running around, and eating and all that good stuff. Mom worked at 4:00am on Black Friday, and she said it was pretty crazy, but neat, and she ended up bringing me home a couple of nice jackets that were on sale for only 6 or 7 dollars apiece.

And we went for a hike with my aunt and uncle, and I worked at Catered Affairs on Friday night, working the dinner for the football team. And then, I worked the game on Saturday, which was fun, and my aunt & uncle (who both work at the tower) ended up taking me home because Dad was helping move tables. And he ended up getting his car locked in the Senior Services lot. So, the next day, I had to drive him over there to pick it up, and then Mom and I dropped off the car at the body shop, and she got to drive around the rental, a Dodge Durango, which was the hugest vehicle I had ever seen. But very cool, because it had a back-up camera, and satellite radio, and all sorts of cool stuff. But, the car's fixed now, so we have it back.

I worked a couple of days at Catered Affairs, doing the Wake Forest School of Business luncheon on Thursday and then the Reynolda Rotary Club luncheon on Friday, and you would not believe who I saw/talked to during the rotary club event - Mrs. Hudspeth, our retired middle school gym teacher. It was crazy-weird. She's definitely mellowed since she retired because she was a lot nicer than I remembered her. But, anyway, that was interesting.

Mom, Quinn, and I helped out a Messiah Moravian's "Breakfast with Santa" on Saturday, and Quinn and I worked the reindeer food station again. Mom ended up in the adjoining room supervising the coloring-page station, and it was pretty fun. We ate at Panera afterwards, and then I helped Mom make some gift tags. And I got to listen to holiday music all day, which was nice.

On Monday, I went to the mall and did some shopping. And here's what I ended up buying...

H&M - Tan lace dress...$24.95 with a 20% off coupon brought it down to $19.96. Well, technically, I bought this the week before, but whatever.

Matching feather hairclip (also H&M)...$4.95

Delia's - Knit print sweater...originally $24.50, with a 20% off coupon, bought for $19.60. Lace trim long-sleeve shirt...originally $19.50, with a 50% discount and a 20% off coupon, bought for $7.80.

American Eagle - Skinny jeans...$29.99. Yellow cable knit sweater...originally $39.50, with a 40% discount on tops, bought for $23.70. I would have spent less, because I had a 20% off coupon, but apparently, you can't stack discounts, even if one is a store discount and the other is a coupon. Boo. By the way, all these pictures turned out really weird...the coloring is off a bit. Like, the cable knit sweater is a little darker yellow than what the picture shows...

Barnes & Noble - Ruthless (the next PLL book...yay!) and Newes from the Dead, which I just randomly picked up and thought it sounded interesting. Although, technically, I have to give it to Mom so she can wrap it and make it into a gift from my grandmother, but whatever. At least I don't have to give up Ruthless...that's all mine. :)

Since yesterday was my mom's birthday, we went over to my aunt & uncle's house and had a nice birthday dinner (lasagna, salmon casserole, salad, and strawberry cake for dessert, which I forgot how much I loved). And Mom opened all her gifts...a watch, a digital photo keychain, and chocolates from us, and a set of work-out clothes from Lynne and Herb. And Lynne and Mom both opened their ornaments from each other, and from my other aunt in Buffalo. That's their sister-thing...instead of giving gifts, they give ornaments each year.

I guess I should note that it's been a bit different around here. My parents are currently in the process of separating. I guess I should have made note of it earlier (the initial decision occurred in August), but I suppose I thought maybe they'd work it out. Well, that my dad would work it out, as he seems to be the only one somewhat happy about the whole thing, but it's not my place to say that to him. So, according to the latest discussion, Dad will be moving out at some point, but he'll be around to do some of the yardwork and things that he normally handles around here. Yes, I'm fine. To be honest, I sorta saw it coming. They'd been drifting apart for a while. So, that's my big-crazy life-change for the year. Lol.

On a much happier note, I'm having this awesome creative streak...I've been on a card-making binge. And I've actually been doing a ton of Christmas shopping. Gifts are done for my dad, almost done for my mom, done for Quinn, and almost done for Sylvia, Anita, and Emma. Well, 'done' as in 'bought'. I still have to wrap them, but I want to make that into an event. Like, turn on the holiday music, make myself a cup of hot chocolate, and just wrap.

Oh, and I have now officially signed up for the SAT...January 28, 2012. I am not looking forward to it, but I'll have to get over it. At least I'll have a buddy - Sylvia - which is awesome. Um, did I forget anything? Oh, still trying to convince Mom to take me to Seminar. Apparently, the aunts are all just letting the cousins go into the city by themselves, so the whole 'leaving Quinn with one of the aunts while we see the show' idea is out. Mom is also not interested in letting me go by myself, even if she drops me off right there at the theater and picks me up right outside. Boo. But, hopefully, maybe I can convince her otherwise...

Okay, Sylvia, how's that for a post? Still gonna hit me, huh? Or do I get off with a warning this time? Lol.

I'm Still Kinda Sick...

I'm sick of being sick...seriously not all that fun. I'm getting better though...the nasal congestion's gone, and the coughing's not as bad, so I guess I'm on the mend. Mom's still worried...everytime I cough, she looks at me, and says, "We really should get you a doctor's appointment," to which I tell her I'm fine and stop worrying. It's getting annoying. I just hope I can get over this cough before Saturday...I cannot be sick for football.

Anyway, nothing much has happened here since I last posted...I finally started back into my homework again though. I took last week off...I wasn't planning on it, but being so sick made it hard to do much of anything, let alone homework.

Dad was home on Friday, so we went out to Best Buy and got the 8-disc Harry Potter collection. We ended up making it a lot more complicated than it should have been, because we went to Target, and they had it for $70, and then, we went to Best Buy, and they had it for $80, and I knew they had it listed as $50 online, so we went out to the car, and got on Dad's phone, and ordered it for in-store pick-up, and then we killed some time at Sports Authority, and then went back to Best Buy to pick it up.

Mom and Quinn went out to pick up dinner on Saturday night, and they got hit by a deer. And they filed a report with the police, and the insurance company and everything. And Mom took the car yesterday to the insurance adjuster/bodyshop/whatever it was, and the guy basically told her, with the age of the car making it practically impossible to find the right parts, that it was going to be totalled, but he filed the report anyway, and sure enough, they had the parts they needed. So, Pffaf's Auto Glass came over today and replaced the windshield (which was totally cracked), and the body work will be done the week of the 28th. But, the car is drive-able, so we can still use it.

On Sunday night, Mom, Quinn, and I went over to Sears for their Friends and Family night, and did some shopping because they were offering some good discounts. So, I got three shirts and a skirt, and Mom got a bunch of stuff, and Quinn got a hat and a few shirts. We also stopped at Macy's, and I picked up the hat I wanted. I needed something to match my winter coat, because I know I'm going to need it when we go to NYC, so I bought this cloche-esque grey hat, which I love.

Speaking of NYC, Mom and I got started on booking some stuff yesterday. So, the hotel is booked for Thursday night (Dec. 29th)...we're at a Holiday Inn Express on W. 45th Street. And we got Mary Poppins tickets for Thursday night...mezzanine, front row, four seats in, on the left side...okay, so the three blue seats in the picture below. Keep in mind that the mezzanine overhangs row P of the orchestra, so we're actually closer than it looks.

And after some careful asking, Mom is open to seeing a Friday matinee. I told her that seeing Broadway shows was my big thing, and that seeing New York at sixteen is going to be really different than seeing it at thirty or something, and she said that we could. So, tomorrow, she's home from Sears, so I'm going to try convincing her that we should see Seminar.

And that's about it...nothing much going on for the rest of the week. Just football on Saturday...it's a 3:00 game, and Rebecca said we have to be there at noon, which is cool.

I Might Just Cough Up A Lung...

I am sick. It sucks. I can't breathe, I can't sleep, I'm miserable. Pity me. Lol. Just kidding. But, I've still got one nasty cold/fever/something, and today's been the worst so far. It started off as a throat thing, and I've been coughing non-stop since about Monday, and today, it also spread to my nose, so now I'm stuffed up and congested and still coughing. Fun, fun, fun.

Nothing much has been going on all week, considering that I've been sick and all. Just watching some tv, and trying not to cough up a lung. Mom's been working at Sears most nights, and this week, Dad has a lot of meetings and Catered Affairs work (Rebecca called me this morning, asking if I could work tonight...um, no), so Quinn and I are alone most evenings, which isn't terrible. We just sit and have dinner and watch tv. And I've been playing some Words With Friends with Brandon.

Oh, and all those NCSSM people posting pictures of themselves with Colin Firth and/or Emily Blunt...I'm jealous of them. That's so cool. I wish they would have done something like that when they filmed that Leatherheads scene at Hanes. That would have been awesome.

Um, other than that, nothing much going on. Trying to work on our NYC trip stuff. Still haven't talked to Mom about Seminar...there's new pictures floating around, and the set looks gorgeous...but I think I'll talk to her tomorrow since she has off from Sears and she wants to get started on booking tickets soon. Problem is, she mentioned possibly only going to see one show, and then spending Friday with the family members who are coming into the city that morning, so I'm going to have a hard time convincing her otherwise.

I doubt she's going to want to leave Quinn, who I have a feeling is going to be crabby and whiny by that point, with my aunt, and I don't think she'd be all too keen on letting me see it by myself, even if she did drop me off and pick me up right outside the theater. But, maybe if I beg, and plead, and talk about how once-in-a-lifetime this is, and how she doesn't have to get me anything for Christmas or my birthday if she lets me see this show, then just maybe, she'll see where I'm coming from.

Oh, speaking of Christmas, we're also considering going to Buffalo to spend it with my grandparents. Mom thinks it would be a nice thing to do, considering that this will be the first Christmas in quite a few years that my late uncle will not be there, and Matt probably won't be there because of his Marine training, so it'll just be them and AJ, and then my aunt, uncle, and cousins would probably come over. Mom hasn't really decided yes or no about that one, it'll depend on whether she can get off work and stuff, but I think it would be a nice change from our traditional Christmas activities, which, to be honest, are getting kind of boring.

Okay, I'm sorry...it must be my sick-brain or something, because everything I've written has been really random. I think I'm about done anyway...I'll post again soon.

The Few, The Proud, The Marines...

So, I'm back. Well, technically, I got back into town on Friday, but whatever.

Basically, Mom came home from work on Wednesday, and then, we packed up and went over to my aunt's. She came home from work, and then we packed up all our stuff into her car and started down the road. We stopped in Orangeburg (about three and a half hours down the road) for dinner at Subway, and then got on the road again and drove another two and a half or so, and finally arrived in Beaufort at around 8:30. We went up to our room (the NY group had already checked in), and then walked up to the grocery store to grab some doughnuts and juice for the morning. And then, we all just chilled in the hotel room until we went to bed.

We all got up early on Thursday morning, got ready, had a little bite to eat, and then drove twenty minutes to Parris Island. The line of traffic coming in was so long, but it gave you a really good idea of just how many people were coming in. So, we got on base, then parked the car and stood on the sidewalk to watch the motivational run of all the graduates.

And then, we went into the All Weather Training Facility, and waited around for the Liberty Ceremony. And they brought all the graduating Marines in, and dismissed them, and then we all ran down to greet Matt.

And then, Matt showed us around base, and we went to the MCX store (Marine Corps Exchange), and had a picnic lunch, and went to the Parris Island Museum, and Matt showed us around their barracks, which seemed pretty roomy until he explained to us that 83 guys shared that floor.



We ended up getting ice cream sandwiches from the commissary (grocery store), and chilling in the parking lot towards the end. And then at 3:00 (Liberty started at 10:00am), we said goodbye to Matt, and dropped him off at the All Weather Training Facility, and drove back to the hotel. The guys had approached us the night before regarding possibly going to Savannah while we were there, so we all hopped back in the cars and drove to Savannah.

We had dinner at this place on the river called Tubby's, and the food was amazing. I had a crab cake sandwich, and some of Mom's crab soup, which ended up being passed around and tried by pretty much everyone. And then, the guys split off, and Gramma and Poppie started back toward the car, and Mom, Sharon, and Quinn walked around a bit, and Lynne and I ended up heading to the city market and listening to some live music before we all met back at the car.

Then, it was back to the hotel, and I ended up going over to the boy's room to help AJ with his environmnetal science homework (two quizzes and a test, which basically consisted of him reading the question & me skimming the chapter to find the answer). And then, I went back over to our room, and took a shower, and headed to bed.

We got up early again on Friday morning, and headed to the base for the graduation ceremony. Except it was so cold out...it was fine at the hotel when we left, but when we got out of the car at the base, it was freezing cold and super windy. So, Mom and Aunt Sharon went to the Parade Deck (where the ceremony was going to take place) and saved us some seats, and then Aunt Lynne, Quinn, AJ, Phillip, Brandon and I braved the cold and got in line and got into the stands, and finally, Gramma & Poppie and our cousin, Katie, and her friend, Katie (they'd driven in from Greenville, Sc, where they're going to college).

And finally, the ceremony began. The Marine band played a bit, and then, they marched all the graduates onto the Parade Deck, and the band played some more (it got really jazzy right in the middle, and the whole audience was like, "Whoa! Cool!"), and then they parched the graduates around some more, and then, presented awards to the best marksmen (and women...there were two platoons of female Marines graduating) in each platoon, and finally, the officers gave the final dismissal order. The graduates took two steps back, did an about face, and were now officially part of The Few, The Proud, The Marines.

So, we grabbed Matt, took a few pictures, and headed to the car, because everyone, especially Matt (who had to stand on that Parade Deck for an hour in dress pants and a short sleeve shirt), was cold. It took forever to get out of the parking lot, but we finally did, and Mom, Quinn, Lynne, and I got to Orangeburg so we could eat at that same Subway, and then headed back home. Everyone else got in about an hour and a half later (they had stopped to have lunch with the two Katies before they headed back to Greenville).

So, we went over to Lynne & Herb's for pizza dinner, and then I took AJ, Matt, Phillip, Brandon, and Quinn out to play a round of mini-golf, and then we stopped at Starbucks for drinks. And then, we swung by the house to grab my swimsuit, and headed back to Lynne & Herb's. We changed into our swimsuits, and I ended up chilling with AJ, Matt, Phillip, and Brandon in the hot tub for a little while. And then, we headed home.

I got up semi-early on Saturday morning, and went over to pick up the four guys. I ended up driving them around the Wake Forest campus for a bit, and then, we drove to the mall, and shopped for a while, and then we all went to Sonic for lunch, which the guys loved. And then, I took everyone back to our house, and they guys played around & shot some hoops, and I got ready for work. I left, and drove over to Senior Services, parked, and Dad met me at the check in area at the loading dock.

And then, it was just crazy. We had two groups of media, and all the hot food for the suites was late, and the timing was weird, and yeah. But, it was fun. Wake lost, but they put up a good fight, and then, we cleaned up, and I didn't clock out until about one in the morning. And we brought home a ton of stuff - pulled pork bbq, hot dogs, cake, salad, rolls. And we even got a couple of drink cozies, towels, and fleece blankets that they were handing out in the President's suite.

I didn't get home until 1:30 in the morning, and then I stayed up to watch the clock turn back at 2:00am, and ended up getting up at 4:00am to get ready, so we could take my aunt (who was staying at our house) over to Lynne & Herb's to leave. So, we got there, and hung around for a bit, and then said our goodbyes and they hopped in the van and left. I came home, and went back to sleep until almost 1:00 in the afternoon, and had lunch, and just chilled out.

Halloween...

I'm just posting this because I thought it was so cute...

The Today show did such an awesome job with their Halloween costumes this year. Normally, I don't really pay much attention (last year comes to mind), but oh my gosh, this was so creative.

So we have Hoda Kotb as Princess Eugenie, Kathie Lee Gifford as Princess Beatrice, Savannah Guthrie as Prince Charles, Al Roker as Prince Harry, surprise guest Meredith Veira as the Queen, Matt Lauer as Prince William, Ann Curry as Kate Middleton, and Natalie Morales as Pippa Middleton. I was standing there giggling and laughing and trying not to scream at how cool and creative it was. They really did an amazing job.

Anyway, today's been sort of lazy. I did my homework, watched some tv, had lunch, washed the dishes. Mom came home, and she put a couple of stitched in Quinn's costume, and I made some 'drop and bake' cookies, and I tried to clean my room a little bit. And then, basically, we just chilled out, and then, Dad came home, and Mom and Quinn left to go trick-or-treating. Dad and I watched some tv, and I let Ella out, and watched The Sing Off.

Mom and Quinn came home, and Quinn sorted his candy, and right now, we're watching The Sing Off. I don't know what we'll be doing for the rest of the night...we taped Halloween and Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred, but it'll be 10:00 at that point, and I really should get to bed on time. And I'm tempted to see what Rock Center is like, but I don't know.

Anyway, right now, I'm just chilling out...dentist appointment tomorrow...ugh. I hate the dentist.

Mall Excursion...

So, today was pretty amazing.

I got up, got ready, had lunch, and then took my mom to Sear for her shift. Then, I picked up Sylvia, and we headed over to Uptown Cheapskate and met Anita over there. Sylvia sold some of her clothes, and the three of us tried on some clothes and, Anita and Sylvia bought some stuff. And then, we drove over to the mall, and parked and started our shopping.

Basically, we went everywhere...Delia's, Abercrombie, Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, Hollister, American Eagle, Wet Seal, Macy's, Dillard's, Belk, JC Penny, and even popped into Build-A-Bear for two seconds to look at the bears. Sylvia and Anita both got a ton of stuff...they brought a ton of money. I ended up returning one of my American Eagle shirts from last week's mall trip, and then purchasing a jacket (pics tomorrow) from Charlotte Russe. So, the returned shirt gave me $21, and then jacket was only $16, so I actually came out of the whole excursion with more money than I started with.

Oh, and we all got to tease each other about our 'guys'. Sylvia has her boyfriend, Anita has a guy from the band, and well, apparently, Sylvia and Anita count Brandon as my 'guy'. So, the whole day it was, "Ooh, you should wear that on your date with Brandon," and yes, I got teased the whole day about him being a college guy, and all that, but it was fun, because I could tease the two of them back.

Anyway, we went into Belk's to wait for Anita's mom, and I ended up seeing Sharon, who I work with at Catered Affairs, and we talked for a second, and then we left the mall. Anita's mom picked her up, and I drove Sylvia home, and ended up going through the bag of stuff Uptown Cheapskate didn't take, and finding a couple of really cute things, so Sylvia, awesome friend that she is, let me have them. I love her.

And then, I went back to the mall to pick up my mom from her shift, and then, we came home, loaded a couple of sleeping bags into the trunk, and dropped them off at my aunt's in preparation for Tuesday, when the family is coming in. And then, we came home, and had dinner (buffalo chicken chili...a new recipe, which was amazingly good), and watched The Black Cauldron, which we borrowed from my mom's co-worker. I always see it in their DVD cabinet when I go over to babysit, but Nathan never picks it, so I never get to watch it. So, we watched that, and it was pretty cool. Not as cool as I remember it, but still.

And then, I cleaned Ella's cage, and Mom called my aunt Sharon, who's coming down for Matt's graduation, and they talked for a while, and then we basically said goodnight. And that's it.

Tomorrow...nothing much going on. Gonna watch The Sing Off and just chill out. I'm going light on my schoolwork this week...just finishing up my chapter in math, which is three lessons and a chapter review in three days...totally do-able. Tuesday...dentist appointment. Wednesday...leaving for SC. Thursday...Family Day at Parris Island. Friday...graduation. Saturday...football game.

BTBAM At The Fillmore...

Let's see...pretty cool week. Wednesday was normal. Yesterday though...

So, Mom came home, and we went out to the Little Theatre to see if they had anything for rent for Quinn's Halloween costume. We ended up finding him a green two-piece suit and a skinny black tie, and that was all he needed. He's going as Agent 6 from the animated tv show Generator Rex, by the way. And then, we came home, and Mom left to go to yoga, and I fixed dinner.

Dad came home, and we ate, and then we got ready to go. We headed out at just before 7:00, and got to the Fillmore at about 8:30. We met my uncle out front, got our tickets and bracelets, and then my uncle showed us the inside of the tour bus, which is tiny if you consider that they sometimes fit ten people in. But still very cool. And then, we went in through the back, and met up with my aunt in the backstage band sitting/waiting room. My uncle led us out to the main area, where one of the bands was performing, and Dad bought me a t-shirt from the merchandise table.

My cousin, Blake, came out and said hi, and we talked for a bit, and then, we watched a little of the next band who was performing. And then, we went backstage and chilled out for a little bit, until the last band finished. Then, we headed back out onto the main floor and watched the set-up for Between the Buried and Me. And soon, the lights dimmed and the performance started. We started off watching from right beside the stage, and then made our way toward the back to get the feel of the whole thing, and then went backstage, and actually got to stand right on stage, just off to the side of the band.

And then, Dad and I went back to the side of the stage, and then back to the back again, and then ended up going back up and watching the rest of the show from the on-stage perspective. Which was very cool, by the way. I couldn't see much of the guitarists and singer, because of the screens they had up so the audience couldn't see the speakers and gear boxes and stuff, but we had an awesome view of Blake pounding away on those drums, like ten feet away from us.

I ended up going the whole night without earplugs, and oh my gosh, it was really cool how you could feel it in your whole body, it was that loud. The whole sound was really different, depending on where you stood. Like, standing in the back, you could hear more of the lyrics and guitar, but standing right on the stage, you mostly heard the drums. And the audience...oh my gosh. They knew every word, and were singing, and pumping their fists, and head-banging, and everything. I swear I saw about a dozen crowd-surfers throughout the performance, and I wasn't even watching the whole time, so there were probably more.

So, they finished their set, and then came out for an encore song, and then we talked with Blake for a few minutes before saying goodbye to everything and walking out with my aunt and uncle. I think it was midnight when we finally started on our way home. We got home at about 1:30 in the morning, and I ended up staying up until 3:00 before finally going to bed. My first concert experience, and it was so awesome.

Today, I woke up late, and did my homework and just chilled. Mom came home, and I took the car so I could go to the bank to deposit my paycheck, and then, we watched The Big Bang Theory (which was hilarious) and just relaxed at home for a little bit before Mom left for work. I made dinner, and Dad came home, and we all ate and then watched the news and Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. And then, I let Ella out and just chilled for the rest of the evening.

Nothing going on tomorrow. Shopping with Sylvia on Sunday, then chilling out on Halloween, dentist on Tuesday, going to SC on Wednesday, Family Day on Thursday, Matt's graduation on Friday, working the football game on Saturday...busy, busy, busy!

Making Bulletin Boards Is Actually Kinda Fun...

Okay, recap time...

Saturday, I went to the mall while Mom worked at Sears. I went through quite a few of my usual stores - Forever 21, Delia's, Hollister, American Eagle, and really didn't find much. I guess I wasn't really in the right mood for shopping. But, I did find a couple of shirts at American Eagle, and saw Sylvia, too, which was totally awesome! And then, Mom showed me around Sears a little, and then I left and went home. Quinn was watching Blizzcon, and I ended up having to call customer service because he lost part of the live feed, and we got that fixed, and then I picked Mom up from work.

On Sunday, Mom and I went grocery shopping, and chilled for a bit, and then she left for work. Dad and I left for Groves Stadium at about 5:00, and got over there, and got seats in the end zone area by Bridger Field House. And we waited around for a bit, watching some of the little kids run around on the field, and then the movie started. I'd never seen The 5th Quarter before, and I really didn't know much about the story either, but it really was a very good movie. Very touching. And overall, it was really cool to see it while at the football stadium...totally cool. And then, we came home, and I cleaned Ella's cage, and Mom and Quinn brought home Subway, and we basically chilled for the evening.

Monday was pretty normal. We went to Enchanted Cottage that afternoon to get some paper, so we could start the new bulletin board we were making for my aunt up in NY (the teacher). So, while Mom was at Sears, I got started by cutting about 65 4-inch circles out of red, yellow, green, blue, and black posterboard, all while trying to watch The Sing Off...some very cool performances, by the way. Especially liked the Dartmouth Aires, Urban Method, and Vocal Point this week.

Today was...busy. I did my homework in the morning and early afternoon, then chilled on the computer for a while. Mom came home, and we immediately started into the bulletin board project. And we basically did that the whole night, with probably a 30 minute dinner break. But, it's finally finished. I'll add the picture of it tomorrow, because right now I'm way too tired and lazy. And that was really it for the night...didn't have time for anything else. Speaking of no time, I've yet to talk to Mom about Seminar...she's been so busy working and all.

It should be a normal day tomorrow. Thursday, Dad and I are going to the BTBAM concert, and then probably a normal weekend. Well, it'll probably be a lot of cleaning the house in preparation for company, and getting Quinn's Halloween costume ready, but whatever. And I almost forgot! I'm going shopping with Sylvia on Sunday!

This Horoscope Is Really Freaking Me Out...

So, I'm back again...with this really weird tidbit that came up a couple of days ago. My Seventeen magazine horoscope for November...

Here's what it says: You and an adorable guy from class have been chatting online, and his cute IMs always make you smile! Why is it that you two never seem to hang out face-to-face? On the 3rd, the stars will be perfectly aligned for a real-live date--though you may have to do the asking. He'll say yes!

Okay, so weird, right? Although it doesn't really fit exactly...like the whole 'guy from class' thing. But, whatever. I found it kinda interesting.

So, the past few days have been a bit boring. Just doing schoolwork and then waiting for Mom to get home. Yesterday, though, she got home early, so we mailed something at the post office and then went out to Casanova's for coffee beans (pumpkin spice blend, this time). We ended up going through Enchanted Cottage and getting a few things, and then we went over to the coffee shop, bought the beans, and ordered ourselves Pumpkin Au Laits, and had devil's food cake pops and chocolate chip pumpkin bread with it, and sat and talked for a while.

And then, we went over to Cato's, so my mom could look around, and she ended up buying a shirt, and I ended up buying a dress. Okay, so I have a ton of dresses already, but I really needed something holiday-ish, and it actually fit pretty well. It's a red sweater dress with a cowl-neck collar, and I'd been wanting a knit/sweater dress for a while, so yeah. We paid, and then headed home, collected my brother, and went out to Gamestop so he could see about a game, which they didn't have in stock, but we did pre-order some 3DS game for him and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 for both of us. And then, we came home, and made dinner, and then watched tv, and that was basically it.

Today was interesting. My dad was home from work after having a colonoscopy this morning, and so, we basically chilled around the house for the day. Quinn has been glued to the computer since about 1:00 this afternoon, because he bought a Bliz-con (kinda like ComicCon, but for online gaming) virtual ticket, so he's been watching all the events online.

Mom came home, and the two of us ended up watching our Netflix dvd, Perfume, which was pretty good. The ending was really weird, but still...it sorta had the same feel as The Red Violin, but dealt with a man born with a very acute sense of smell, who wanted to replicate the smell/essence of woman, but ends up having to resort to some very...how shall I put it?...disturbing/evil ways of creating such a perfume. Very...ummm...weird, but still pretty neat.

And then, Mom left for her shift at Sears, and so the three of us had dinner and watched some tv, and then Dad went to the grocery store because he wanted something sweet. And he came home with ice cream, bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. So, we made ice cream sundaes, which were yummy. And then, I let Ella out until Mom came home, and then we watched CSI: NY together before saying goodnight.

Um, in other news, well, there's not really much other news. I might go to the mall tomorrow afternoon, because Mom has a Sears shift at noon, so I might drop her off and go shopping, because I currently have a pair of brown boots that go with absolutely nothing in my wardrobe, with the exception of my rust-orange dress. And then, obviously, pick her up after her shift is over at closing time.

And then, of course, Dad and I will be going to the Wake football stadium on Sunday to see The Fifth Quarter. I will definitely be bundling up, as it is only forecasted to be a high of 68 degrees, and the event starts at 5:30 in the evening and lasts until about 8:30. So, I'm sure I'll be freezing. And then, we have the BTBAM (Between the Buried and Me) concert on Thursday night, which should be fun. Actually, it'll be my first real live concert experience, so yeah.

And we're currently trying to work out the basics for our New York/NYC trip in December. Quinn decided to come (not what I was wanting, because all he wants to do is go to the Nintendo Store, and I'm sure he'll complain the whole rest of the trip, but oh well), so Mom's thinking we'll rent a car and drive, probably halfway, then get a hotel, then the other half the next day, get into my aunt's that afternoon, spend the night, take the train into the city Thursday morning, spend the night in the city, and then come back on Friday for New Year's celebrations on Saturday.

So, that means I have to look at three-ticket blocks of seats, instead of two-ticket blocks for my shows. We've decided that Mary Poppins is a definite, considering that Quinn has sorta been pushing for it (well, not really, but that's really the only show he's looked at). Plus, I found a code online that will give us normally $144 seats for $104, so we'll be saving a bit of money there.

My other show has yet to be decided...well, I've pretty much decided, but I have to convince Mom. Because the more I look at it, the more I really want to see Seminar, instead of seeing Anything Goes. I started thinking, and with us seeing Mary Poppins, we're seeing a musical, with a large cast, in a very large theatre, and as much as Anything Goes is a completely different story from Mary Poppins, I'm kinda curious to see the other extreme - a play, with a small cast, in a small theatre. Of course, Mom's been dropping hints that perhaps we shouldn't see Seminar, mainly because she's concerned about Quinn being bored because, of course, it's a play, and she's worried that there won't be enough stuff going on to keep him engaged and otherwise interested for ninety minutes.

And while she's saying all this, I'm internally going, "But it's my New York City trip, too! And that's the show I really want to see!" Mom's probably going to freak, though, when she finds out the whole storyline. I was watching the live chat on Facebook that Jerry O'Connell was doing with some of the fans tonight, and it sounds like a pretty edgy play...the main writing seminar storyline, but with alcohol and some hook-ups and that sort of thing along the way. Of course, I'm cool with it...like, I'm pretty mature about all that. But, I highly doubt Mom will be okay with Quinn seeing it. And that's why I'm kinda mad that he's going...because I would have been able to see the shows I wanted to see (Seminar and Anything Goes), and I wouldn't have this whole dilemma...and yes, I know that's mean to say I wish he wasn't going.

So, I'll probably approach her about it tomorrow after her shift at Sears, and we'll see how it goes. Maybe because I've done my research, and (hopefully), if I present it well, she'll see my point. And I know my aunt and some of my cousins are going into the city, probably on Friday, so maybe we could meet up with her and leave Quinn with her for two hours while we go see the show.

I Must Be Going Insane...

Oh my gosh...I am so tired. And I have no idea why. Still not posting as much as I want to, but whatever.

Um, I really don't feel like doing much of a recap. Basically, I've been doing my schoolwork and just chilling out. Mom and I watched Source Code, which was really good.

Saturday was good. We were down one person, since Tyler had to be at his sister's wedding. So, Dad, Sharon, and I did everything, and it worked out fine. It was a fairly easy menu, and it all went pretty smoothly. And because Wake lost, we got more time in, because Mr. Wellman likes to sit in his suite for a little while after a loss, so we got to sit in the President's suite and looked at the field and watched people pushing carts from Bridger Field House up the ramp to the tower, and then, we finally got to clean out the suites. And we took a ton of food home...shrimp, fried chicken, pasta, brownies, and like, half a huge bag of popcorn.

So, today was pretty amazing. I got up, got ready, did my homework, and then chilled for a little while in my room. Mom came home, and brought the mail up as usual. And there was a ton of it, so I started perusing through it. And oh my gosh, it was an awesome mail day. I normally don't get any mail, but today I got a Delia's catalog, an American Girl catalog, a flier from American Eagle, and a letter from Aaron! So, I am now awesomely happy...

Anyway, then Mom left for her shift at Sears, and Quinn did his homework, and I chilled out. And then, I made dinner, and Quinn and I ate, and my dad went for a run, and then, we all watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and then, I went downstairs to let Ella out and watch The Sing Off, which was just okay. Some of the songs were really great, specifically Afro-Blue's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", Pentatonix's "Video Killed The Radio Star", Vocal Point's "Footloose", and Yellowjacket's "Wannabe".

And while I'm watching The Sing Off, my cousin's friend, Brandon, whom I've met only once when we were in Buffalo for my uncle's funeral, starts messaging me. Okay, so really, he friended me, and I accepted his request, and then, he and I started this sarcastic comment war on one of my posts. So, anyway, he starts messaging me to let me know that he's coming down with my cousin and grandparents and aunt and other cousin to see my cousin graduate from the Marines in two weeks.

So, it started with that (at about 8:15), and kept going, and at this moment (12:15am), we're still talking. Which, now that I think about it, is kinda weird. We've got a list of things we're doing when they come down, which includes going to the park, playing mini-golf, eating at Sonic (apparently, they see commercials for it all the time, but don't have one in their area), and I think that's it, but still.

And then, we started into how I should get contacts, because apparently, he likes the one profile picture where I don't have my glasses on (aka, the one of me modeling Sylvia's clothes with sunglasses perched on my head...he admits to browsing my profile page and pictures), and then we started into him missing the high school atmosphere (he's in college, by the way...he's 18), and then it was onto him asking why I don't get out more, and then giving me advice on what guys like abut girls, and then how I love using smiley faces during a chat conversation.

And then, it was onto Duke and Wake Forest sports, and then we finally said goodnight at 12:45. So, I'm trying to figure all of this out...like, what the heck am I doing chatting online with a guy I barely know late into the night? Oh my gosh, I must be going insane. Somebody help me...lol.

Um, nothing much on the agenda right now. Not much until next week...going to see The Fifth Quarter with Dad on the Wake video board at the football stadium on Sunday, and then the BTBAM concert on Thursday, I think. And then, it'll only be less than a week until the NY group comes down. So, I'll be busy, but hopefully not too busy to post. October's halfway over already, and I haven't even posted all that much. [Posting this as Monday, even though I'm writing it into Tuesday.]

School Is Really Messing Up My Blogging...

Okay, so I have officially concluded that my schoolwork is the reason for my lack of posting these past few weeks...four, to be exact, which is when we started our homeschool stuff for the year. Which basically means that I spend my morning doing work, then have lunch, wash the dishes, and then head back to my room to finish up my work (usually math). And then all I want to do afterward is work on the computer until my mom comes home. So, yeah, no time for blogging. No energy either, but that's another story.

Anyway, photo sculptures went well...it took us, like, ten minutes total, and I think we were waiting for the previous appointment to finish longer than we were in there getting our pictures taken ourselves. Mom's working tonight, so we won't be able to go and view/order them like we normally do, so Tori is just going to send them to us in the mail.

Got my hair trimmed on Wednesday...I hate getting it trimmed, because it always seems so short that first week or two, but whatever. The ends really needed it...they were starting to split pretty bad. So, now it's all better.

Saturday was crazy. I got up at 6:00am, got ready, Dad and I left. We got to Deacon Tower, went in, clocked in, went up to the 6th floor, and started working. And then everything went pretty fast. We served a breakfast buffet to the first media group, then lunch to the second, prepped the suites, got the hot food to the suites, cleaned the media buffet, put cookies out at halftime, and then Dad and I milled around, checking in on the suites and cleaning off tables and then we ended up standing in the President's suite and watching some of the game from there, which was pretty awesome, considering that Wake was winning and hadn't been expected to win.

And then, we started cleaning up the President's suite, and the visiting athletic director's suite, and then the IMG Sports suite, and then we basically hung around in IMG, and watched some football on the tv until Mr. and Mrs. Wellman were done in their suite. And then, we cleaned theirs, and took everything down to be washed, and then clocked out and left. And I clocked a total of 9 hours and 50 minutes for the day.

Um, other than that, there hasn't been much going on. Just chilling around the house, running a few errands, etc. Mom and I watched The Conspirator on Sunday, which was really good, and had Frank's for dinner and stuff like that.

Currently, Mom and I are working on the plans for going down to Parris Island for my cousin's graduation from the Marines in November. We worked out the hotel stuff with my grandmother, and apparently they're renting a van so that my aunt Sharon, cousin Phillip, grandmother, grandfather, cousin AJ, and possibly their friend Brandon can come down together. I think they're planning on getting here late Tuesday night (Nov. 1), and getting down to Parris Island on Wednesday. Thursday is Family Day, and then Friday is the graduation, and I think the plan is to head back to Winston on Friday, spend Saturday chilling (well, Dad and I will have to work a football game...I'm hoping for a 12:30 game so I can still have the evening to visit), and then they're heading back to NY on Sunday.

Mom and I are also trying to come up with a game plan for our NYC trip, but we're currently waiting on Quinn to decide whether he's going or not. Because if he doesn't, then Mom and I might fly instead of drive. So, he has until tomorrow to decide for sure what he's going to do, and then Mom can work on the transportation, and I can work on the Broadway shows and all the sightseeing stuff.

Nothing much going on this week...working Catered Affairs/football game on Saturday. I might be working this Friday, too, in place of Dad, who normally works the dinner for the football players the night before the game, but he has a meeting. That is, if Rebecca calls me. But, other than that, nothing much on the agenda.

It's October Already...

Okay, so I really should have been on here sooner, but I kept getting lazy, and then didn't have the time, and then back to lazy, and then back to busy, etc. No long post this time, because I really can't remember much of what I did last week...

This weekend was pretty nice. Chilly, but nice. Did a bit of shopping, because Mom called Kingswood (my old preschool) and asked what day they were doing photo sculptures, and it turns out it's this Tuesday. So, instead of Quinn getting to choose the color and outfit and everything, we had to scramble. Which means I get to wear my pretty orange dress & denim jacket, and we had to find a matching shirt and a pair of jeans for Quinn. And I got a pair of brown boots to complete the look, which are really cute, except they pinch in certain places around my ankles, and I'm hoping that with some breaking in, they'll loosen up.

And other than that, we haven't been doing much. I've been researching NYC stuff non-stop, because if you can't tell already, I'm really super excited about it. But, I have to get through Halloween, and my cousin's graduation from the Marines in November, and Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and five more Wake football games, and all kinds of other stuff. My Broadway show list is getting narrowed down, and I was able to convince Mom to let me see two shows during our two-day excursion, if I put up my own money for the second pair of tickets. Which makes my decision a little easier than having to pick just one.

Today, I decided to print out maps and start marking places where I'd like to go. They sort of look like little clusters...Tiffany's & FAO Schwarz (I just realized today that it was 'Schwarz' not 'Schwartz') are within a block of each other, the same goes for Macy's (Herald Square) and the Empire State Building. Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza aren't too terribly far away from each other, etc. And Mom said we could try to go to Serendipity 3 for Frozen Hot Chocolate sometime during the whole thing...which would be really cool.

Um, that's really it. Mom and Quinn went to the fair today. I opted out (see above paragraph for what I did while they were gone). They left at 12:15, and weren't back until 9:45, mainly because they met my aunt at the Grandstand to see Colt Ford (don't know if I spelled that right), a...get this...country rapper.  No kidding. Apparently, they didn't start the show, which was supposed to be at 7:30 until close to 9:00 because of the rain (speaking of the rain, I had no idea it was supposed to rain...WXII, why was there not a single word about this all day?). But, anyway, Quinn came home with prizes and a candy apple, and Mom brought me home some funnel cake...yum.

So, while they were at the fair, I did all that researching (well, after I did my homework, of course), and then Dad came home, and we went out to Walmart and Lenscrafters to look at new frames for his glasses, and then, we came home, and I watched The Sing Off. I think Vocal Point might be my favorite now...and not just because I have an awesome Mormon, BYU-loving friend of my own, but because I actually liked their version of "Never Say Never" and I hate Justin Bieber! And then, they sang Sinatra, and I was, like, "Oh my gosh, I'm gonna swoon," because I frickin' love that song, and oh if a boy ever sang that to me, I'd be so happy.

Anyway, and that was pretty much it for the night. Busy week...getting the pictures taken for our photo sculptures on Tuesday, I get my hair trimmed on Wednesday, and then I have two days of rest before the Wake football game on Saturday, which starts at 12:30pm. Which means I have to get up around 6:00am, because Rebecca wants us in at 8:30am because we have an extra set of media people to feed. But, that's more hours, and therefore, more money, because we'll be coming in four hours before the game even starts. So, add in game time, plus clean-up, and I think it'll be another 8 or 9 hour day.

I Will Never Be Able To Choose Just One...

I'll get to the reason for my title in a little bit. But, let's start with what I did today.

So, today was cool. Woke up at, like, 10:00, and then got ready and chilled for a while before Mom got back. And we basically had lunch and then went out to Party City to get some Halloween stuff. My mom is helping my aunt (who is a teacher in NY) put together something to put on her hall bulletin board. So, they came up with the idea of "Trick or Treating Safety Tips", and so since Mom is the crafty one in the family, she and I went to Party City in search of cute (not scary...we're talking about elementary school here) Halloween decorations that she could use on the board.

We ended up getting some green wrapping paper for the background, and then a couple of cheap pumpkin cut-outs, so we could use them as templates. And then we proceeded to come back home and start looking up and printing out safety tips, and drawing out sketches of the finished board, and basically spent a couple hours working on that. My dad left to work at Catered Affairs, and then Mom, Quinn, and I went to La Carreta for dinner. And then, we came home, Mom made brownies, and we watched Rango, which was cute.

And then Mom served up the brownies (peanut butter ones this time), and the two of us went downstairs to watch the final episode of Medium, which Mom said was amazing, and since it had just come up as an auto-play on Netflix, we decided to run it. And then, I cleaned Ella's cage, and Mom worked on the lettering and pumpkins for the board, and I worked on my computer, and that was basically it for the night.

Oh, except for this little tidbit...I might be going to New York City this winter! My aunt has invited us to her house for New Year's Eve, and she's only an hour by train from the city. So, if we decide to go up, we'll totally be going into the city for a day or two, either before or after New Year's. Which is so awesome. So, I've been coming up with a list (well, more like a mental list) of things I'd like to do in NYC. Which, right now, looks like this:

 - Empire State Building
 - Rockefeller Center
 - Times Square
 - FAO Schwartz
 - Macy's
 - Statue of Liberty (but only possibly, since it'll be closed for repairs, and we won't be able to go into the crown)
 - Central Park
 - Metropolitan Museum of Art (I highly doubt we'll have the time though)
 - See a (Broadway) show

And that's where my dilemma is...there are over thirty shows on Broadway during the week prior and the week following New Year's, a lot of which I want to see. Hmm, I feel a list coming on...

 - Anything Goes - Saw some of it during the Tony Awards...loved the costumes. Plus, the story sounds cool.
 - Bonnie & Clyde - Oh, come on, who doesn't want to see a play about two 1930's bank robbers?
 - Chicago - I love the story, plain and simple.
 - Follies - The story sounds so beautiful and touching.
 - How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - Two words: Daniel Radcliffe.
 - Mamma Mia! - Love the story.
 - Mary Poppins - Again, love the story.
 - Phantom of the Opera - Because Sylvia loved it.
 - Private Lives - Sounds very neat. Plus, Kim Cattrall is in it.
 - Seminar - Jerry O'Connell and Alan Rickman, and the story sounds pretty interesting. And I swear this is how the conversation with my mother went (I'm giving her titles, any famous cast names, and summaries for each show that I find interesting): Me: "Alan Rickman and Jerry O'Connell in Seminar." Mom: "You know I love Alan Rickman." Me: "Yeah, that's why I said it. {Pause} Let's go see Snape on Broadway." Mom: "Snape, Snape, Severus Snape. Snape, Snape, Severus Snape." And that's when I cracked up laughing.
 - Wicked - Because Emma loved it.

So, you see my problem. I only have time/money (I never realized how expensive tickets were) for one show, but which one? Decisions, decisions. And oh, how I hate decisions.

But, anyway, that's life right now. I really should be getting to bed, because it's almost one in the morning. (I'll be posting this under Saturday though, just to keep myself straight.) Like I said before, nothing much for the week. But, I'm sure I'll be back soon.

I Love Movies...

Alright, so I keep forgetting to blog. I have absolutely no idea why...

Anyway, the past week has been nice. Monday was nice. I indulged, and watched Sense and Sensibility, which was really cute. No, I have not read the book, although I think if you've read one Jane Austen book (for me, it was Emma), then you've read them all...but, I might just pick up the book and give it a try). And it had all the best (well, most of the best) British actors and actresses in it.

Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman

Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant

And this one just made me laugh...Imelda Staunton and Hugh Laurie

And I think that was it for the day. Tuesday, I watched The Sky's The Limit, which was cute, and then, that evening, Mom, Quinn, and I went to see The Lion King in 3D, which was so cool. I didn't know what to expect with the 3D, but it was actually pretty good. And, of course, I forgot how much I loved that movie. All the childhood nostalgia came back, and I was singing "Hakuna Matata" all night long.

On Wednesday, I watched You'll Never Get Rich, which was neat, and then started my school work for the year. I took it easy this week - only economics, Wordly Wise, and critical thinking, but I'll get into the rest next week. It wasn't as bad getting back into it as I thought it would be, which was good. I'm actually kind of enjoying it. And then, Mom came home, and we went to the doctor's office to get my second and Quinn's first Gardisil shots, and then we picked up McDonald's and had dinner with my grandmother at her house. And then, we came home, and watched some tv, and Mom and I watched Modern Family, and then Criminal Minds, and then we basically went to bed.

Thursday was normal...just did my school work, and chilled for the afternoon. Watched The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Whitney, and The Mentalist that evening, and then went to bed.

Today was pretty cool. I woke up late (I always seem to sleep in when there's either rain or dark skies, plus I hit the dismiss button on my alarm instead of my snooze button), and then got ready, had lunch, washed the dishes, and started my work. Mom came home, and we sat for a bit, and then I finished my work. We had a snack, and then headed downstairs to pick out an instant movie on Netflix, because we were so bored. We ended up picking a movie called The Red Violin, a 1998 movie with Samuel L. Jackson in it. And it was the coolest movie ever.

Basically, it's the (fictional, although somewhat based off the "Red Mendelssohn" violin) story of this violin, made in 1681 by Nicolo Bussotti, and the many hands/owners it has passed through over the years. But, it is so much more than that. Nicolo intends on giving this violin as a gift to his unborn son, but his wife dies in childbirth before he even finishes the instrument. Grieving, he works late into the night, putting the varnish onto this violin.

Some years later, it ends up in the hands of a trader, and the violin is bought from him by monks at an Austrian orphanage, where it is used for a century by the many boys who come through. One of these is a young boy, Kaspar, who shows quite a talent, and the monks arrange for him to stay with a music teacher in Vienna who can help him hone his talent. Kaspar practices hard, and in only three weeks, is ready for an audition in front of a prince, who is looking for talent to take with him on his next trip. However, just before he is about to play, Kaspar collapses and dies, consequences of a weak heart that has been plaguing him for years.

The monks decide to bury the violin with him, but it is soon rediscovered after a band of gypsies dig up the grave, looking for anything of value. It is passed among generations of gypsies, until it is heard by Frederick Pope, a musical virtuoso who takes it in his possession, and creates some new works, inspired by his lover, Victoria. However, Victoria is in the process of writing a novel, and leaves him to go to Russia and look for her own inspiration for her story. When she comes back unexpectedly, she finds Frederick composing new pieces for a new lover, and grabbing a gun, she goes upstairs and confronts the pair. Raising the gun, not at Frederick or the other woman, but at the violin, she nicks it, and flees. Frederick soon after commits suicide, and leaves the violin to his Chinese servant.

The servant takes it with him to China, and it stays with him for a while before he takes it to an antiques dealer and sells it. The violin sits in the shop for years and years, until a mother and young daughter purchase it. The daughter grows up to become a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and after a little boy, Ming, sees her with it, and tells her party leader, she has to dispose of it. She chooses to hide it with a local music teacher, who promises to keep it safe for her. Years later, the music teacher is found dead at his home, and his collection of musical instruments is shipped to Montreal where they can be appraised and sold at auction.

Morritz (Samuel L. Jackson) is the man in charge of authenticating and appraising these instruments, and he soon starts to realize that this violin may be the famous "Red Violin", the last violin made by Bussotti, known for its dark red color, which has now faded in some spots, but is visible still on much of the violin. He conducts his own secret investigation, purchasing the only known copy (that was commissioned by Frederick Pope to be constructed), and sending varnish samples off to the local university for testing. What he finds from his research is that it is indeed the real thing - the organic compound identified in the varnish is none other than human blood, proving that the legend of Bussotti adding his recently-deceased wife's blood to the varnish mix is true.

The violin immediately makes news headlines, and draws the attention of some new bidders - the head monks at the orphanage, a man from the Pope Foundation, and a much older Ming - as well as a concert violinist, Ruselsky. However, just prior to the violin being put out on the auction block, Morritz secretly switches the copy and the original, and takes one home to his daughter. (Mom and I can't decide if he steals the original, or had already at some point made the switch and had second thoughts and decides to switch it back). Ruselsky ends up purchasing the violin (again, whether it is the real one or the copy is left up to the audience) for $2.4 million, outbidding everyone else.

All this, of course, is intertwined with scenes of Nicolo's wife, Anna, being told her fortune by one of her servants, using tarot cards. Her first card is the moon, signifying a long life. Her second is the hanged man, signifying disease and suffering. Her third, the devil, where the servant describes her meeting a handsome fellow, who will seduce her with his talent and worse. Her fourth card is justice, meaning tough times ahead, including a trial where she will be found guilty. And her fifth card is death; however because the card is upside down, the servant predicts a rebirth, where she will be pursued by many suitors and there will be lots of money involved. So, it is revealed that it is not Anna's fortune, but the fortune of the violin, to whom she unknowingly gave her blood after her death.

Oh gosh, I didn't mean to summarize the whole movie. Oops. Well, I didn't think any of you would see it anyway... But anyway, we loved it so much that we came upstairs, had dinner, watched a little tv, and then went back down and watched it again. And then, we came upstairs, had a snack, and then went to bed.

On the agenda for the week - nothing much at all, really. Just school...boring.

I'm A Working Girl...

Yes, I know I haven't posted since last week. Yes, I know I'm a lazy bum...don't remind me.

Another normal week. I've basically been chilling around the house all week...well, sorta. Only was able to watch one movie, The Man Who Came to Dinner, which was pretty good. Cleaned my room, and laid around... My life is so predictable.

On Thursday, I worked at Bridger Field House doing some work for Catered Affairs. The Winston Salem Rescue Mission was having a dinner, so we worked from about 5:00 to just after 10:00. And it was actually pretty fun. I was manning the drink table on one side of the event, and then after most people came through, we started bussing tables, and then headed back to the kitchen because the WSRM requested that the catering staff not be working while they were having their presentation.

So, we stood around in the kitchen, and had some of the leftover food, and got a few things washed, and then talked for a little bit before we were able to sneak to the farthest buffet table and start breaking them down. And when the presentation finally ended, we broke everything else down, and cleared the tables, and reset everything for a breakfast the next morning, and then we left. And I beat Dad home, even though we left at the same time, and I took the longer way around to University Parkway.

On Friday, Mom got home pretty early, so we went out to Target so I could get a few things, and then I took her home, and then went out to the mall for some shopping. Which was a very bad idea. I think it was all because I had just gotten my new Seventeen magazine, and was looking through all the fall fashions, and got some ideas in my head. So, anyway, I went to Forever 21, and tried on a ton of things, and ended up putting a dress and a denim jacket on hold, and then went over to American Eagle, and bought a pair of jeans and two shirts. And then, I went back to Forever 21, and ended up buying both the dress and the jacket. And now, I am self-imposing a ban on going to the mall for the next few months. And then, I came home, and picked up Mom and Quinn, and we went to Coppola's for dinner. And that was really it for the night.

[Edit: For Sylvia, here's what I bought. Obviously, I have trouble positioning my cell phone so it takes a centered picture.]

Blue top with boyfriend jeans (both from American Eagle).

 Dark grey flowered top from American Eagle (paired with the same boyfriend jeans).

Rusty orange dress (from Forever 21). 

Same dress paried with the denim jacket (also from Forever 21).

On Saturday, I slept in a little, and then chilled out around the house for the morning and early afternoon. Then, Dad and I left for the football game.  We got there, checked in, clocked in, and went up to the sixth floor, and started prepping. I made a couple of runs down to the first and fourth floors and then came back up and helped prep the suites with Sharon. And Dad floated around, and Tyler manned the media line. And basically, we did the same thing as last time.

When the game ended, we cleaned some of the suites, and then my uncle invited us all down to the fifth floor to dig into their leftover ice cream, so we went down and made sundaes, which were really good. And then, it was back upstairs to finish cleaning, and we ended up taking a ton of food home...chicken tenders, turkey, cookies, brownies, and a big bag of popcorn. So, we clocked out, and then walked out with Sharon, and then went home, and I ate, and then Dad (who hadn't slept the night before, and so was up for like, forty hours straight) and I crashed. Oh, and just for the record, this is what I ate during the game - potato salad, a roll with butter, ice cream, and two cups of sweet tea).

Today, I woke up super late, and Mom and I had asiago cheese and chocolate chip bagels from Panera for lunch-ish, and then we went to Sprint, and dropped off her phone, and then looked around at Steinmart, and then went to my aunt's, and then to the grocery store, and then home to unload everything, and then back to Sprint to pick up her phone. And we got really frustrated because no one at Sprint has a decent answer as to why her phone isn't loading the picture mails she's been receiving, and so all they do is do a hard reset and send you on your way, only to have to come back when the problem arises again.

But, anyway, so we went back home, and then started dinner, and ate, and then watched some tv, and then I cleaned Ella's cage and now I'm just chilling out. Nothing much going on this week...all the new tv-show seasons start this week, so that should be good. And I think we're going to see The Lion King on Tuesday, because I really want to go see it, even though I've seen it a million times...childhood nostalgia, I guess. And I'm sure we'll start our school lessons this week...we got the rest of our books yesterday, so yeah. I kinda doubt it'll be tomorrow, since it's after 10:00 and Mom has yet to write out Quinn's planner for the week, but I'm sure it'll be within the next few days. So not looking forward to it...

Sixth Floor Is Awesome...

Okay, well, here I am again.

I'm kinda blurry on which day I did what, mainly because I'm really tired right now. But, basically, it was a normal week. I watched I Confess one day, which was just an okay movie, and then Mom and I watched Quigley Down Under the next because that was the movie my uncle would always pop in the VHS player anytime someone asked, "Wanna watch a movie?" And I happened to see the VHS tape as I was dusting at my grandparents' house, and so Mom and I found it on Netflix, and streamed it over the Wii.

And to be honest, I was expecting some dumb comedy, just because of how my uncle was. But, it was actually a decent western. Well, it was set in Australia, but whatever.

Anyway, Friday was where things started to get busier. Mom and I ran some errands...and then ended up at the mall at Bath & Body Works, buying handsoap and hot-chocolate-scented candles. And then, Mom, Quinn, and I went to Zoe's for dinner, since my dad was working at Catered Affairs, feeding the football players. And then, we came home, and watched The Lincoln Lawyer, which was good, and that was pretty much it.

Saturday was so busy. I got up, got ready, had something to eat, and then Dad and I left for the football game. We got there, parked, walked to the stadium, signed in, and then went upstairs and clocked in at around 11:30. Then, we went up to the sixth floor, and started prepping the suites and getting the food and drinks ready for the first batch of forty media people from 12:30 to 1:30. And then, we had to change out the food and feed another 100 or so media people at 1:30.

We got all the food out to the suites, and then basically just restocked the media line and kept checking in on the suites. Pretty easy, actually. And then we put cookies and brownies out at halftime, and kept restocking and checking in for the rest of the game. We did get to watch a little of the game itself, whether through the windows or on the tv screens, which was nice. And then, once the game was over, we did our clean-up work and headed down to clock out at around 8:15, so I got in almost nine hours of work. And then, we walked back to the car and went home.

Everyone on our floor is really nice. I've worked with Sharon before, Dad is obviously fun to work with, Tyler is nice, and so is Julian. I got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Wellman, the athletic director and his wife, and they're really nice as well. So, all in all, it's a very cool place to work...one game down, six more to go.

So, after all that craziness yesterday, today has been nice and relaxing. I slept in, and then Mom and I went to the grocery store, and basically have been just chilling for the afternoon. Making enchiladas for dinner tonight, and I have to clean Ella's cage, but nothing much other than that. Except maybe trying to write Aaron a letter, if I'm not too tired...I swear, my arms and legs hurt so bad right now, and I really have no idea why. :)

Finally Getting Around To Posting...

Okay, back again (finally). I've been so tired lately that I haven't been able to a) find the time and b) be in the right mood, at the same time. So, I think today might finally be the day.

Anyway, last week was...well, I don't think there is a word to describe last week. A blur might be the best description I can come up with. We ended up having the wake on Wednesday and Thursday, and the funeral on Friday...so that being said, here's my typical day during all of this: get up, take a shower, get ready, have breakfast, run errands with Mom, come home, have lunch, run more errands, come home, change clothes, go to the wake, come home, have dinner, visit with family, go to bed. And then repeat again the next day.

The funeral was beautiful...well, as beautiful as funerals can be, I guess. I'm not really a religious person, and I guess that's part of the reason, but every time the choir started singing, I started crying. It's sorta hilarious, now that I think back on it. But, it was a pretty service, and I'm sure my uncle would have loved it. We had a nice meal/reception afterward over at one of the fellowship halls at another church, and talked with a lot of people, and the guys ended up playing basketball, which was cool to watch.

Saturday was really the first day where everyone sort of slept in and just relaxed for the morning. My mom and two of her sisters went to see The Help, and Dad, Quinn, and some of the cousins went to play putt-putt and get ice cream, and I ended up tagging along with AJ and Matt (my cousins) and their friend, Brandon, and we walked around the mall, and then got ice cream, and played putt-putt, and then guys bought a bucket of balls for the driving range, and I think it was a nice distraction from everything. Plus, my grandparents' house doesn't have air conditioning (with the exception of a few of the bedrooms and a portable AC unit in the sunroom), so we all wanted to get out of the house and find someplace air-conditioned to spend the day.

And then, we all met at my grandparents' house, had dinner, and then went over to my aunt & uncle's place for cake to celebrate Matt's (he's the one in basic training in the Marines) birthday, which was on Wednesday, and then some of the uncles and all of us kids went to Dave & Buster's. My Uncle Jim works at the one in Rhode Island, so he got us power cards and refill coupons and we all had a ton of fun running around and playing the games. Matt won a thousand tickets on one spin on this giant wheel thing, and AJ won 500 tickets on the same game.

The first game I went over to was Cyclone, since I had had a lot of luck with it last time...and I won on the first try! And then ended up winning it another four times that night. I ended up just giving my tickets to AJ and Matt, and I think they put them towards a double iPod dock, which ended up being over 20,000 points. And then, we all piled back in the cars and drove back to my aunt & uncle's, and then back to my grandparents' house, and by the time we got to bed, it was close to one in the morning.

Um, other things that happened that week... My aunt got stuck in major traffic trying to get to Buffalo, because part of the NY State Thruway was closed, and she ended up peeing in a cup because there weren't any bathrooms within walking distance of her car. That same aunt brought her two-year old with her, my cousin, Ava, who I haven't seen in person since she was a month old. She's so adorable, and she speaks really well for a two-year-old.

We had a surplus of food that whole week. People were bringing over pizza, chicken wings, meatloaf, baked ziti, big trays of subs or sandwiches...we had a bazillion desserts, too. And we had three Edible Arrangements delivered over the course of about three days. Everything was really good...but I don't think we could have fit anything more in the refrigerator than we had in there, there was so much.

I cannot wait until we H&M opens at Hanes Mall. There was a Mercedes-Benz fashion show going on at the mall in Buffalo, and we stopped to watch. They were showcasing H&M clothes, and there were some really cute pieces that I absolutely loved. And we totally need an Urban Outfitters...or maybe not, because if we did, then I would be broke after about two trips to their store.

And then, on Sunday,, we bid our goodbyes and headed home. I ended up sleeping for about 3 hours, and then we stopped for lunch at Wendy's, and then I slept another 3 hours more. It rained quite a bit, and we stopped at Tamarack (this big arts/crafts/wine/gallery thing in West Virginia) just to walk around and stretch our legs.We got home around six, and ordered pizza for dinner, and just chilled for the evening.

Monday was good. Mom and I went grocery shopping, and then dropped off the rental car, and then we came home for a while. We went to the mall to make a payment on Mom's Macy's card, and we were going to go over to Bath & Body Works to look around, but there was some sort of alarm (probably fire alarm), and they were clearing people out of the building, and JC Penny's was closed off, and it was really weird. Probably just a false alarm, because there wasn't anything on the news about it.

And then, we went over to my mom's co-worker's house for dinner. Her husband had a meeting, so she invited us over to have dinner with her and her kids, which was nice. We had spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread and salad, and apple cake for dessert. And we talked for a while, and watched the kids play Just Dance: Kids, and then headed home for the evening.

Tuesday was pretty normal. Got up, got ready, watched Stand-In, which was cute, and then chilled out for the afternoon. Mom came home, we fixed dinner, ate, and then I worked on putting the pictures up to the computer and then uploading them to Snapfish, and that took up most of the evening. Other than that, I let Ella out, and had a chocolate banana for dessert, and that was it for the night.

Nothing much on the agenda for the rest of the week. Wake Forest's first home football game is this Saturday, so that means my Catered Affairs work starts again. I'll be up on the sixth floor with Dad, Sharon, and probably one more person, servicing suites and the media and such, which should be cool.