I Don't Know What To Post About...

Ah, crap. Another week gone by and I still have yet to post in accordance with my weekly posting pact. Well, here goes nothing.

I am literally doing nothing right now, which feels insanely good. I think we're waiting to start school until after we get back from our mini beach trip next week, since we've got a lot on our plates before we leave. Mom's working most evenings, and we have just not been able to get ourselves organized in the little down-time we have. Basically, we just want to sit and have dinner and watch tv with each other, and maybe work on a puzzle or watch a movie or just sleep. Lol, we're so fun.

Anyway, so we also have to prep for getting our picture taken for our yearly photo sculptures. We thought we were going to get ahead of it this year, and have the outfits picked out and everything ready before October, which is when they normally do them. But, the woman called and said they're doing them early this year, and that Kingswood (where Quinn and I went to preschool and where we've been getting them done practically every year) is doing theirs next Tuesday, the 18th.

So, it's working out just like it always does with us. I get to wear whatever I have in my closet that I like, and then we buy an outfit for Quinn to match it. So, I'm planning on wearing my new light blue lace dress from Delia's, with a pair of tan/nude wedges, and I don't know if I'm going to do a jacket or not. Or maybe no jacket and some cute jewelry or something. (Sylvia, you need to help me! Lol.) And I think we're going to put Quinn in a white button-down, black pants, black shoes, and either a blue tie to match my dress or some other pastel to contrast it. Pics to come afterwards. Probably.

Other random news... Our most recent Netflix rental, Dream House (with Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz), was pretty cool. I just finished And Then There Were None, which was awesomely cool. I really had no idea right up until the very end. I don't know if it's meant to be like that or if I'm just that clueless, but it was pretty cool just the same. I love my contacts...it's funny because I'm able to put the left one in quicker/easier than the right, but I'm able to take the right one out quicker/easier than the left. Must be the angle or something.

My mom and I are marathon-watching the second season of Downton Abbey, since the third season premieres in the UK this Sunday. It premieres in the US in January, but I am not waiting that long. I'm currently working on finding a way to watch them, either by finding a website that has uploaded them for others to download, or by watching it on the official UK website, which means I have to find a way to trick their servers into thinking I'm residing in the UK, because you can only watch their videos if you live in the UK. So, I'm working on configuring this anonymity program called Tor to work with Flash without giving away my real IP address. If that doesn't work...well, we can watch the first episode on Tunnelbear for free, and then, I'll have to find an alternative method.

Not much else going on. Just trying to get organized. I cannot wait for the fall. There was something I read on Tumblr somewhere about "I want fall to be here now. I hate feeling like hot, sticky, sweaty, gross death all the time. I want pumpkin spice lattes, and cashmere sweaters, and chilly days" or something to that effect, which I thought was a pretty accurate description of my feelings. I cannot wait to stop feeling icky everytime I go outside for even a few minutes. I want to wear jeans and sweaters. I want to watch the leaves change colors.

Alright, I think I've rambled on long enough for one day, don't you think? Anyway, hopefully, I'll find something better to write about for my next post, which hopefully, will come before the one-week mark.

Posting Pact...

Alright, so I have officially (okay, maybe not officially, but whatever) made a pact with Sylvia, regarding both of our posting habits. Basically, we're holding each other accountable for one post a week on our respective blogs, and that means good news and bad news for you guys. Good news is that you'll get at least one new post a week. Bad news is that they may be pretty boring.

Anyway, I'm cutting this one close. I posted last Thursday, so I'm six days into my week and finally posting something. Yay for me for not failing on my first week! There's really not much to tell you about, honestly. We ran errands and then went to Mac & Nelli's for dinner on Saturday, went over to my aunt & uncle's for a Labor Day cookout on Sunday, and ran a few errands on Monday.

We did get over to Edward McKay on Saturday, and my mom and I picked up a calculus textbook and a statistics textbook for me, and a electricity/science textbook for Quinn, and she got a book. I ended up combing through the shelves and bought And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, because I'd heard it was pretty good. Haven't started it yet, but I will soon. We took a box of my brother's old books to trade in, and ended up getting $40 in trade credit for them, so it basically covered the cost of everything we bought.

I went to the optometrist again today, for a follow-up appointment, and apparently, I have 20/20 vision with the contacts and they fit well and everything. They get blurry every once in a while, and I can't tell if that's because they just shooed me through and didn't really check to see if my prescription needed changing or if it's because my vision really has gotten better, and I'm just so used to the higher power lenses in my glasses. But, anyway, I ordered my six-month supply, and they said they'll call when they come in.

Other than that, I'm just trying to enjoy the last week of summer vacation before we get back into the school stuff. I've just been hanging around, kind of chilling out, which is really nice, actually. We've got a ginormous puzzle that we're working on, but we've gotten all the easy, fun stuff done (St. Basil's Cathedral and the street in front of it) and now, all we have left is the sky, which is really hard, so no one really wants to do it. Lol.

Also, I'm angry at my tv. No, I'm angry at the DVR. It didn't record the second-to-last episode of Pretty Little Liars for whatever reason, so now, I'm stuck, because I need to find somewhere online or whatever to watch it before I watch the finale, which is really hard because ABC Family only posts the most recent episode on their website, and I would really rather not spend $2.99 or whatever it is to buy it on iTunes.

Um, there's really not anything else to talk about. Except movies, because you know we watch a lot of them. The Iron Lady was very good, and Eragon was pretty interesting. Too bad there won't be any other movie versions of the books, because I probably would have eventually gotten around to seeing them.

Okay, I think that's it. But, I'll be back within the next week, because Sylvia's going to hold me to it. Hopefully, I'll have something more interesting to write about for my next post.

Something To Post About...

Yes, I know it's been two weeks. Turns out, I'm still as lazy as ever when it comes to posting...no surprise there.

Haven't been doing much, just starting to get ready for the school year and enjoying the last few weeks before we're back onto a regular schedule. This summer has passed by way too quickly, and I kinda hate that. I wish it was summer all the time, but then what would we get done with our lives, really? Not much, in my case.

Anyway, the real reason I actually decided to post was because Tuesday and Wednesday I went into the optometrist's office (eye doctor). It took two days of trying, but I now have contacts! Yay! Haha, anyway, the first day I could get them in, but not out (it ended up being because my nails were too long to allow my fingers to get a grip on the contact as I was trying to get it out), and then I spent the second day successfully taking them in and out and thereby proving to the woman who was helping me that I could do it so that I could officially take them home.

So, I got them yesterday, and am on a recommending-wearing-time schedule for the week. Four hours yesterday, six hours today, eight tomorrow, ten, twelve, and then by Monday, I'll be able to wear them all day and not bother with my glasses at all. I have to go back next Wednesday for a follow-up appointment, where they'll give me an eye exam to make sure I have the right prescription and that the lenses fit correctly and all that. So, here's what I look like with them in, since I know most of you haven't seen me without glasses since the beginning of sixth grade.

Also, please excuse the giant-head-syndrome. My mom calls it 'bobblehead syndrome', aka, having a giant head and a small body. Normally, we reserve the name-calling for actresses or people on the local news, but today, I think it applies to me. I need to work on finding a way to style my hair so that it hides my giant head. Lol.

Anyway, I think that's about it in terms of anything terribly important. I promise to post more soon, really, I do. I need to get back on a consistent posting schedule, because, really, I love blogging. :)

More Visitors...

Well, I'm behind on posting. Again. Haha, no surprise there, at least not anymore. I just can't seem to get back on the posting bandwagon. I am writing though, just not for the blog. I've got a bunch of little ficlets I'm working on, just for my benefit. I'm a lot better at creative writing than I am at recaps and essays and junk like that. Maybe I should be an author instead...haha, yeah right.

Anyway, I've been busy. Since my last post, my cousin Matt came into town this past Friday from Georgia, where he's in the Marines. My aunt, uncle, and cousins brought down his new car last week on their way to Florida, and so he made arrangements to come up and get it.

We ended up going out to lunch at The Loop on Saturday, then heading over to the mall. Quinn bought a video game, and I stopped at Clinique to get some foundation, which cost enough for me to qualify for the bonus, which was nice. And then, we went to Best Buy so Matt could get stuff for his iPhone, and then we went back to the house, got ready, and then went to my aunt & uncle's for a cookout.

We swam at the pool, and had dinner, and then ate dessert, and then Matt and I made a drink run without really alerting anyone as to where we were going. We just kind of snuck out, got in his car, and he drove over to our house to get the cream soda we had bought, and then to the grocery store for Yoohoo and Red Bull, which was fun. We came back, and ended up spending a few hours at the pool, chilling with everyone in the hot tub and swimming in the main pool.

On Sunday, we did our grocery shopping, and then went to the pool for the afternoon. We came back to the house, got ready, and then Matt picked me up, and we went to Walmart, Target, and Best Buy to price out cameras because Matt wants to buy one eventually. When we got back, my aunt and uncle had arrived, and we took some pictures of his car, and then had chicken fajitas for dinner, and cake and ice cream for dessert to celebrate Matt's birthday early. And then, we watched the closing ceremonies, which were...well, interesting is the only word I can think of.

Other than that, not much going on. Just chilling out, trying to get in my last few weeks of relaxation before school starts, and I have to deal with thinking about college and touring Forsyth Tech and applying to college and researching financial aid and all that grown-up stuff. I don't really want to be an adult. I just want to stay a kid forever. But, that's life.

Well, I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else, it'll give me an excuse to write up another post. Haha, like that's going to happen. :)

Today's Project...

Oh, my gosh, so today, I actually worked on a project that I've been meaning to get done for a while now. And it felt so good to be productive again...I need to do this more often because it's so fun. And the project itself was so cheap, I couldn't resist sharing.

So, today's project was to frame a few photos for my room. I bought three frames at Rose's - two 5x7's (one blue, one green...$2 each) and one green 4x6 ($1.50) a few days ago. Yesterday, I spent the day uploading, saving, cropping, editing, and otherwise digitally enhancing the photos I had decided to use, and today, I uploaded them to Snapfish and ordered them to be picked up at Walgreens (5 glossy 4x6 photos for $1.01). I think I ordered them at 1:05, and they were ready at 1:25, but I waited to pick them up after I dropped Mom off at work.

I updated the picture in one of my older frames, then did the new 4x6 frame. I used scrap paper from my mom's scrapbooking supplies to mat the other two 4x6 pictures to fit the 5x7 frames, and matted them in the opposite color of the frame to make them pop. The final products look like this:

Finally replaced the old photo of Aaron & I with something more current. (I think that's a glitter speck on the glass over my chin.)

The new 4x6 frame.

The new 5x7's with 4x6 photos and opposite matting.



So, I now have five frames instead of two, which is nice. And the whole project cost me just over $6.50 total, which was surprisingly cheap for as much as I got out of it. Also, remind me to do more projects in the future, because I forget how much I like working on these types of things.

Thinking Back...

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently, and I've come to realize that a lot has changed in my life over the past year or so. A year ago, my parents had not yet announced they were divorcing. A year ago, Aaron was still in North Carolina. A year ago, my uncle was still alive. A year ago, I had (was just getting ready to start, really) my first job.
Needless to say, all of that has changed. My parents have separated, Aaron has moved away, my uncle has been gone almost a year now, and I don't have a job anymore.

I can't say that any of that hasn't sucked, because, let's face it, it has. I've gone through more this past year than I've ever really gone through in my life, and I can't say that it hasn't affected me, because it has. If I'm honest with myself, I'd say I'm not as happy-go-lucky anymore. I'm more closed-off, more introverted. I've always been a creature of habit, of routine, and the changes that have come from this past year have not always been welcome.

This past year has been filled with a lot of 'downs', and as much as I try to only focus on the 'ups', it's a hard thing to do. I mean, I can't even go back to Catered Affairs to work the football season this year, which would have made me between $700 and $900 dollars over a total of seven days of work. And as much as my mom tries to hold it off, my dad wants us to move out of the house so he can put it up for rent.

Honestly, I've never felt so conflicted about either of my parents in my entire life. I feel bad because we don't spend much time with my dad, and yet I'm angry at him for starting all this, because if it wasn't for him wanting a divorce, we would never be in this situation. I would still have a job, we wouldn't be practically living paycheck-to-paycheck, and I could have at least had some semblance of a normal life. I can't get past the fact that he says he has me and my brother's best interests at heart, and yet it feels like we're getting screwed over just because he doesn't want my mom to be happy. My mom's trying her hardest to keep things going, but at the same time, she can't 1) get past all this animosity she has toward my dad and 2) realize that I'm old enough and mature enough to have a say in decisions that involve me.

In all honesty, I can't say that I'm "okay." That seems to be my answer to everyone lately. "I'm okay." "I'm fine." "It's alright." I've just now started to realize that I can't keep lying to myself. I can't keep telling myself that I'm okay, because in reality, I'm not. Some days, I can stay busy enough and not think about any of it. But, there are days like today where things come up and I hate my life.

And then, I hate myself because of how childish I'm being over all this. There are people I know who have it far worse than I do, who are having family troubles of their own, and I hate myself for being so selfish about things that probably seem silly to other people, and will probably seem insignificant to me down the road. But, it's just hard to see past it right now.

I'm sorry to all of you who are reading this. I really didn't mean for this to become a rant about my family problems, but in all honesty, I do feel better when I can at least talk to someone, or in this case, write it out. I seem to be having a lot of mood swings lately, in terms of feeling good, and then feeling horrible. The good days feel really, well, good, but then the bad days (or in this case, a total of about an hour) feel that much worse. I'm not going to do anything stupid or drastic or dangerous, I promise, so if this whole thing has you concerned for my safety, don't worry. If I had bottled everything up and not written anything, maybe, but this makes me feel a whole lot better to have it out of my system now.

I think this week will prove to be a nice distraction from everything going on, though. My aunt, uncle and cousins are coming back into town for a night on their way from Florida to New York early in the week, and my Marine cousin, Matt, is coming up from Georgia for the weekend to visit with us and pick up his new car. So, it should be a fun time. And I promise the next post will be a lot less depressing.

I've Been Busy...

Holy crap, y'all. I haven't posted in a long time. Sorry. I've been busy, and then lazy, and then busy again, and now I'm just lazy. Anyway, quick recap of what I've been doing lately.

I went to Lane's house a couple Fridays ago for a party. Aaron loved the high-low dress I wore, and we ended up starting a fire in the fire pit and burning a bunch of Lane's papers. We had pizza for dinner, and then sat around the patio table chatting with a bunch of Lane and Aaron's friends, and ate cupcakes, and then we burned some more paper, and hid from Ryan, and made s'mores, and then I finally had to leave because I really needed to get home and get some sleep. So much fun.

I spent a week at my mom's co-worker's house, starting on Saturday, taking care of her animals and house-sitting while she and her family went on vacation. I basically woke up, took the dog out, fed the dog, opened the chicken coop, watered the plants, took the dog out at noon, took the dog out at 5:00, fed the dog, checked the mail, gathered eggs from the coop, took the dog out again at 9:00, and then went to bed at midnight.

It was a tiring week. I did absolutely nothing in terms of activity, other than going to the mall on Sunday, taking things to the consignment store on Monday, and Enchanted Cottage on Thursday, but I was so tired by the end of it all. But, I made $200 and had a bit of a mini-vacation, so it was fun.

And then, I had two days to recover before my aunt, uncle, and three cousins came into town Monday night. They were on their way to Florida for a family reunion. We had pizza for dinner at my aunt's house, and then the cousins came over to our house to spend the night, and then we had breakfast in the morning, and then the five of us kids went to the mall and had Panera for lunch, and then went to my aunt's pool for the afternoon before coming back to our house for taco soup for dinner. And then, they left at 8:00, so they could get four or five hours down the road and get a hotel.

Um, other than that, I've been watching a lot of the Olympics. Mom and Quinn came over to Jeannie's (where I was house-sitting) for the opening ceremonies, which were okay. Not terrible, but it was no Beijing. I thought it started well, with the agrarian landscape changing to the industrial landscape, but then it got kind of choppy and disjointed. There was a tribute to the NHS (National Health Service), and then a bunch of creepy literary villains came out, and a ton of Mary Poppins' defeated a giant, 100-foot Lord Voldemort, and that's where I said, "Okay, I'm done. This is weird."

I though they focused too much on individual people/things. Literary characters, NHS, some guy who invented the world wide web...it was a little too specific. If you didn't know anything about Britain when the ceremony started, you still wouldn't have known much about their history by the end of the evening. Or at least that's what I thought.

I've been watching a lot of beach volleyball, gymnastics, and swimming, which is what's being featured in primetime. But, I've been watching some of the live stuff during the day, and the whitewater course is pretty awesome. Rowing is pretty fun to watch as well. I love watching the features on London itself. Beefeaters, and the Tower Bridge, and Horse Guards Parade, and all that cool stuff. I totally wish I was there.

In terms of movies we've seen recently, Big Miracle was cute, The Debt was amazing, Cowboys & Aliens was really dumb (I kept telling my mom that, and she kept insisting we put it on our Netflix queue), and Mirror Mirror was actually really awesome. I loved it so much more than Snow White & the Huntsmen.

And I think that's about it. Nothing much else going on. Just chilling out, which is nice. I'm glad I don't have much to do this week. I really just want to sit here and watch the Olympics forever, because I'm actually really enjoying it.