Things I'm Thankful For

I've been a little down lately, thinking about how done with 2009 I am, and I realized that I need to do some deep thinking and remember back to what I'm thankful for in 2009.

I'm grateful to have the most generous, loving, and supportive family in the world. I have 2 amazing parents who both by example and actions have taught me to be the person I am. I have 2 excellent brothers who have also influenced me and I'm proud to have them both as brothers.

I'm grateful to have found a wonderful person. Seth is so caring, loving, supportive, and responsible. In the short 7 months we have been together we already have so many fun memories and experiences.

I'm grateful for the difficult times that I've gone through this year. That might sound strange, but I know that I will be a much stronger person when all of this dust that is my life settles.

I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to teach an amazing set of students the first half of this year. They grew so much in just the little time I had with them and I'm grateful to have had a chance to influence their lives.

I'm grateful for the parents of the students I taught this year. They were all extremely supportive and that makes for a very smooth year.

I'm grateful to have some really awesome friends. Two couples I am friends with brought beautiful children into the world. I'm thankful to have been able to meet these precious little ones as well.

Ada Louise White
Parents: Robert and Stephanie White

Oliver Seth Middleton
Parents: Levi and Lisa Middleton

I'm thankful to have been able to go to 3 Alabama games and watch the others, it's great to be an Alabama graduate. ROLL TIDE!!!

I'm thankful to be in good health and even to have lost some weight this year, yes!

I'm thankful for the seasons changing. It's always fun when the seasons change each year. I find it amazing how the seasons change at just the right time too!

I'm grateful to live in this country. I'm grateful that I have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I'm thankful for great TV shows. My current favorites are The Office, Friday Night Lights, House, One Tree Hill, Nip/Tuck, Big Bang Theory, Accidentally On Purpose, True Life, and Two and a Half Men.

I'm grateful for the Dave Matthews Band.

I'm thankful to have been able to travel a little this year. This year I traveled to the following places:
- New York, New York for Alix's Bat Mitzvah and other events.
- Austin, Texas to meet Seth's sister, her husband, and her kids.
- Memphis, Tennessee to go to a race with Seth.
- Bristol, Tennessee (Got to see my first NHRA race at the beautiful track in the mountains with Dad)
- Dallas, Texas to present a paper with my professor at Montevallo.
- Gadsden, Alabama to check out Noccalula Falls with Seth and Dad.

And finally, I'm grateful to be who I am. I'm not perfect, I have a lot to learn, and I have a lot to accomplish. But I'm grateful for who I've become and the people that have influenced me to become this person.

My Favorite Time of Year

This is by FAR my favorite time of the year. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. Family time.
2. Thanksgiving.
3. I get to wear sweaters. (which is like getting a hug all day)
4. The beautiful leaves.
5. Starbucks red cups are back!
6. Nonfat White Chocolate Mocha. (with whip)
7. No humidity.
8. Super-soft pajamas and socks.
9. Sales!!
10. The New Year, I'm so done with 2009.

I haven't updated in a while. I've had a few nips in the job department. The one I'm pulling for the most is a job working for Virginia College. If I get this job, I would be a Student Advocate. I would be in charge of contacting 50-100 students throughout the semester. I keep up with them, see how they're doing, if they have any questions, problems, or concerns. The interview is December 2nd. A recruiter pulled my resume off of CareerBuilder.com. That made me feel good, knowing that having my resume on all of those sites can actually lead to potential jobs, because until now I've only had one other contact because of having them there. So my fingers are crossed for that. It's definitely up my ally.

As far as the holidays, I really am not sure what the plans will be. Seth and I are going to my house in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. I'm super excited about that because it feels like it's been forever since I've seen my parents. The day after Thanksgiving, mom and dad are going on a cruise that starts in Rome then makes it's way to Florence, Nice, Barcelona, Cartagena, Madeira, then Ft. Lauderdale. They will have a great time, they love cruises.

I'm excited for Matt's new adventure also. He will be in Europe for 6 weeks giving tours and touring himself all over Europe!

I'm sad that I won't see Danny this Holiday season. It's been a while since I've seen him too!

I know that Seth is going to take off the week of the 21st through the 25th and go to Roanoke. He's asked me to come with him, but I can't really commit until I find out what will be going on with my own job prospects. So that's still up in the air.

Seth and I were able to go to the last Alabama home game this year vs. Tennessee Chattanooga. We won 45-0, so that's always fun. The weather was great and the view was fantastic.

That's all I have for now. Here are some pictures from recent fun times/events.

Seth and I at Bama vs. VA Tech

Out and about...

My neighbor, Erin and I

I'll lean on you, and you lean on me and we'll be okay.

So here it is, now August 28th, and I'm still jobless. Aside from several small leads here and there I really have nothing in sight. I'm registered with hot jobs, monster, career builder, and I look on Craigslist daily. I'm not sure what I'll end up with, but I am mainly applying for receptionist and front office positions. Maybe I'll get a bite here soon.

Other than the job search things are going really well. Seth and I are doing great. We had a long weekend last weekend. On Saturday we spent the day at Barbers Motorsports Park, Seth was given the opportunity to ride around the track in a Corvette (his dream car). He had a blast. See below.





He added it to the list of very expensive and adrenalin filled hobbies he'd like to continue doing such as skydiving. He likes his thrills. Then on Sunday we went to Hunters farm, that was so much fun. I really like his parents. I shot a gun for the first time in my life, it is a bit liberating I will say. I couldn't shoot Seths gun though it had too much recoil, so I'll stick to the little ones. Although, I did shoot this gun....that was insanely loud even with ear protection!! Here's a picture of me shooting an AK 15.


This weekend we don't have anything too big planned, we'll probably just lay low. Next weekend is the first Alabama football game. My friend Richey was able to give us two tickets, that will be a ton of fun, I'm excited to go to that. Seth's never been to a bama game. It's in Atlanta, so I will be able to see mom and dad again for the weekend, it's nice that it's a long weekend too. My brother Matt is living with them until he finds a job, he's been having a bit trouble like me.

Other than that, not much else to report. I'm going to add some more pictures just for the fun of it. Enjoy!

A little dancing...

Hunter and Shawn

One more of Seth and I

Limbo

My life is in a bit of limbo at the moment. I'm not really sure what I'm going to be doing. I recently interviewed for a nanny position. I can tell that she really liked me, I'm not worried about that, I'm more worried that she'll go with someone else because of how much I asked as a weekly payment. But, the day after the interview the mother emailed me and told me how great it was to meet me and told me some more information. I responded to that and asked her to keep me posted. She then emailed me yesterday and explained details about how my vacation would work. So I know I'm on her mind. She ended the email by saying she had a few more interviews but would be back with me soon. I am thinking positively since she continues to initiate contact, but I'm still a liiiittle worried.

Another option presented itself thanks to my friend Brian. He put the word out that I was in need of a job and his friend Will called me and asked if I'd be interested in a receptionist position for his boss who is apparently a very well established insurance agent. I could do that as well. I haven't heard from his boss yet, but I also told Will I wouldn't be back in town until Wednesday, but it's another option, nonetheless.

In other news, I made some AWESOME pineapple chicken the other night, it was so perfect for a hot summer day. I felt really domestic and I'm so not, it was weird. I posted on facebook I was looking for some new chicken recipes and several people commented with some delicious sounding ideas. I love the idea of fruit in any dish. Seth likes fruit a lot too, so that helps.

My dad told me yesterday about a cool program. If you click this link one hundred pushups you compete an initial test to see where you start the training. Supposidly, in six weeks, you will be able to do 100 pushups. That seems like a LOT of pushups to do at one time, but I'm doing it more to strengthen my core and arms. I also joined the two hundred situps program, which should also help get me in shape. I'm a lot happier with the way I look as of late, so now I'm more interested in toning my body and being healthy.

Oh yea! Dad bought a Lightning Pickup! This truck is BEAUTIFUL. I was going to be able to see it, but someone forgot to get it out of the Arbor Place Mall in Douglasville, so I'll have to wait a while before I get to see it.

Yesterday I got to meet Ada, Stephanie and Roberts beautiful new additon. She's gorgeous!! I want kids, but WOW, being there with Ada, Stephanie, and Robert for an hour and a half really made me realize I'm in for a lot of work when it happens. There was a very funny moment. Stephanie has trouble bending down becuase she had to have a C-Section so Robert changed most of the diapers while we were there. In the middle of cleaning up a poo-ey diaper, Ada persisted to poop AND pee on Robert. It was quite funny. I learned something new - newborn poo looks like blackberry jelly! She really was adorable though....looked just like Stephanie!

My awesome mom got me an appointment to try to fix my knee problems stemming from my ACL repair surgery. Her massage therapist is working on bringing back the sensation in my knee. I learned that I am able to go through a lot of pain. I truly think that was the most painful thing I've experienced in a very LONG time. The ironic thing about me is, I will voluntarily go back to him, knowing I'm going to be in a ton of pain, yet I fret for months and days if I know that I'll be receiving a needle. I'm wondering if I should get some help or research ways to get rid of my fear of needles. I don't even like seeing needles on TV. I also need to fix the fact that if there's any possibility that a needle will be present, I need my mommy there with me. I'm 25, almost 26, (wow) that's not good!

That's about all I have for now. More posts to come!

Family

My Awesome Family

There's nothing better than going home.  Whether it's for a night, or a week, nothing compares to the comfort and ability to breathe around your parents.  They know you, they bore you, they raised you.  That was my night when I went home this past weekend.  I was really happy to see both of my brothers and my parents.  

My family, in general, has been EXTREMELY lucky and we are always thankful for that and speak about it often.  But in the past few months, we have been through a lot.  My mother lost her sister and her mother this year.  I have told both of my parents multiple times, even before this happened, that if something ever does happen to my parents, god forbid, I will be a changed person.  They are both such a huge part of my life that to think about a life without them, my rocks, is unimaginable.  

This weekend our entire family was home, and together again.  This doesn't happen very much because I am in Birmingham, Alabama, Danny is in Norman, Oklahoma, and until recently Matt was in Washington, D.C.  Danny planned a trip home, so my mom thought it would be a really great idea if we could all be together, even if just for a night.  

We had a GREAT dinner.  We went to Wildfire, and it was YUMMY.  There was lots of good conversation, catching up, and reconnecting.  I could tell that it meant a lot to my mom.  We all love our mother immensely and can't stand to see her sad.  

I was happy too because I got to spend some time with my mom alone.  When I go home, I can't ever sleep in late, no matter how late I stay up.  I LOVE sitting in front of the TV early in the morning, drinking coffee and just catching up with my mom.  It's my favorite part about going home. I also go tot talk with my dad a lot and that was nice.  I even got to take home some tomatoes and cucumbers from his garden, YUM!

Here are some pictures from our awesome dinner.

Mom and Dad

The Kiddos

I was also able to get in some time with some good friends in Atlanta.  It was Allison's birthday!

Me, Allison, and Ryan

Stephanie's boyfirend, Josh, and Ryan 

Me and the Allison

The last couple of days have been pretty fun!  On Wednesday, dad came to visit.  We had a great dinner at Firebirds then listened/watched the Braves vs. Yankees game on the computer.  For some reason Birmingham was blocked from viewing it.  So for 3 hours, ESPN2 showed a black screen.  I found that to be a bit of a waste.  They could at least air something else then have a small note in the corner.  Or, not advertise the game and tease people like me!

I really enjoyed talking to my dad.  We always have good conversations.  While we were talking, the show Home Improvement came on.  This made me think back to my childhood when my family would all sit around the TV and spend time together.  As I look back, this really did have a great affect on me.  I remember wanting to race home on Fridays, rush through dinner, run upstairs and be the first one bathed and pajama'd so we could start friday night TGIF.  My dad would make popcorn, and we'd all enjoy the shows together.  I appreciate this now because my parents could have just as easily paid a baby-sitter to stay with us and gone out and had their own fun on Friday nights but they made that time special for us.  I hope when I have kids, I can do as many things as my parents did to make sure they spend quality time with me.  I think this may be harder for me to accomplish because I do feel like kids these days are faced with more distractions due to advanced technology and lack of values.  We did have video game consoles growing up and towards the middle of my teens we were definitely distracted by the computer.  Technology is a really great thing but I feel like it's having and adverse affect on family and quality time. 

In other news...I saw Transformers at the IMAX theatre last night with Seth and some other friends.  I really enjoyed it, but I'd like to see it on a screen that isn't quite so big. I feel like I missed a lot of the action because we were so close and it was so big.  Next time I see an IMAX I'm going to try to get there very early so that I can get up higher.  It didn't help that Birmingham's IMAX theatre is on a dome, although, I'm not sure maybe all IMAX theaters are dome shaped?  I really did enjoy it though, and had a great time aside from slight neck pain and a little bit of nausea from getting slightly dizzy.  haha...

I'm not sure what's in the cards for this weekend.  I figure I will spend some more time with JanieMac.  She lost her job.  I feel bad for her because she really loved that job and worked very hard at it.  Her new house is really nice though, I'd like to own a house.  

No news on the job front.  I did apply for a position posted in the Birmingham News job section.  It sounded like a lot of fun and still along the lines of what I like to do.  I would work for  Junior Achievement of Birmingham and organize presentations/teach sessions to parents and community members willing to conduct 5 lessons to Birmingham students that educate them about potential jobs in their communities as well as act as a mentor and positive figure. So we will see what happens with that.  I can be pretty convincing when I want to, maybe there's a future in that for me. Who knows?  

Headed out now to meet a friend for lunch.  Happy Friday!!

Semi-Productive Day

I had a great weekend!  JanieMac bought a new house!  On Friday Seth and I went to her new house for a celebratory BBQ.  Richey came too.  Then, Richey, Seth and I went to Barrister's for some always entertaining karaoke.  No, I didn't sing.  We had a great time!...

It's been a pretty productive day, I would say.  I got up, did some laundry and some straightening up, then piddled around for a little while.  The pool has been closed all weekend due to a sign and a lock from the Alabama State Health Department.  That was a little scary, but after talking to some of the maintenance men, I found out that the chlorinator was broken and the "pool guy" was out of town this weekend.  So no big deal, people are in the pool now actually. 

Around 11am, Knox asked if I wanted to eat lunch with him.  We had Full Moon, it was good, but next time I'm not going to be dumb and pay for the pork plate when the open faced sandwich is $2 cheaper, yet you get more meat.  Go figure. Oh well "funny the way it is." 

After lunch I went to Old Navy and found some shorts that actually fit.  Holy crap, they were a size 8!  I haven't worn an 8, like...ever, but I'm attempting to not get too excited, Old Navy tends to run a little bit bigger than other places.  Even better, I only paid $5.50 with tax for them.  They were $15 on sale then I had a $10 gap coupon from my awesome mom.  So that was super exciting.  

Then, I went to Target to get some groceries and check out their clearance rack.  I found a really nice top that I could wear to work for $5.98, so that was cool too.  

As for tonight, I think I'm going to just relax and watch a movie with Seth when he gets done working out. :-)

I may stop at Curtis and Knox's to see what they're up to. 

Giving Blogging Another Go

I used to keep up with a blog pretty regularly on a different site, but college and papers and life got in the way so I'm going to try it again.  Thanks to Marlo for inspiring me to give it another go.