Finally legal... Turning 21 years of age

Realizing that you are surrounded by amazing friends is one of the best feelings in the world. I was lucky enough to experience this on December 19, my 21st birthday! Ever since i was a kid i was jealous of my peers who got to make big deals about their birthdays and have parties during class while all of their friends were able to wish them a happy birthday. My birthday has always been bunched in with the holidays considering it is 6 days before Christmas. I celebrated a lot of "Christmas parties... AND Caroline Birthday party" with my friends and the gifts ran together in a combination of both. I do have to thank my parents for always making an effort to take me out and make it a separate special celebration.

This year for my 21st birthday we made it a week long festival with the help of my loving family, wonderful boyfriend and fabulous friends. It all began the night before on Monday night during a Colts game. I went to visit a few of my friends that live here in Carmel and had a laid back evening cheering on the Colts counting down the hours until midnight when i was officially 21. Being the old age of 21 made me very tired and after the Colts game i went home to get some sleep. Tuesday, the 19th, i woke up early to have a very yummy breakfast at The Pancake House with my parents and Josh. Before breakfast my parents went with me to renew my license. Maybe it was my beautiful 8 AM look, or the fact that dad was taking pictures of me as i walked up to the front desk, but the lady working asked me if i was there for my Driving Test. Now please correct me if i am wrong but i do not believe that I look 16!! Anyways I told myself in 10 years i will be flattered when they mistake me for being 5 years younger than i actually am, and ignored these first comments. After passing the eye test and taking a horrifyingly non-flattering picture, I left the place with a fully adult operational licence.

I went home after breakfast to get ready for my wonderful friends to spend the day with. 20 + Zetas were planning on meeting me in the Indy area to celebrate me turning 21! I would have never believed that, that many girls would take the time to come join me and I was so flattered and excited to celebrate!! Instead of pushing so many girls into my parents house at 3 in the morning my dad graciously got a hotel room for us girls to reside in for the evening. Considering not all of my friends were 21 yet, I choose to spend the evening at the Champps Restaurant in the Keystone area. We enjoyed the hotel and the Champps staff was extremely supportive (especially when they wished me a happy birthday and played Sweet Caroline over the music system). Josh brought some of his roommates , Brandt and Mike, who i was extremely glad to see!!! The night brought long laughs, a little bit of dancing, several cartwheels, yummy popcorn and endless smiles!! Since not much sleep was received this night, I spent the day of the 20th catching up on sleep.. ALL day.

Finally I woke up to continue the celebration with my family, Josh and Joanna, and the Eaton family at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Everyone was tired, but dinner was delicious and I was so happy that everyone could take the time to come together. After dinner we enjoyed some cake and icecream and present opening. I will have to say how much i love my new jacket, vera bradley bag and catchphrase game! Thursday was spent all day with Josh running errands and seeing movies with Josh. It was the perfect day and I couldn't have asked for anything more!! That night after the movie, Josh and i picked up grahm crackers and went to my sisters house to make gingerbread houses. After a lot of struggle with the roof and the icing holding the house together we finished the neighborhood of gingerbread houses which actually turned out looking half decent. To end the night, we broke up into teams, couples against each other, and challenged each other in a catchphrase game. Overall, the night was fun and the week was very memorable. So far being 21 hasnt felt monumentally different but then again.... it has only been 1 week :)

Merry Christmas !!

Pictures are soon to come .... :)

We Reached our Goal !!!! $$ 109, 000

ZTA hopes BMOC will top $100,000

Friday the 13th might usually be associated with ghosts and ghouls, but this Friday's events will help raise funds for a more realistic fear -- breast cancer.

Big Man on Campus, hosted annually by the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, pits representatives from fraternity houses and other student organizations against each other in a talent competition to raise money for breast cancer research, said junior Hallie Jaeger, the sorority's philanthropy chair.

Last year, the sorority raised $96,000 and was able to donate $69,000 to its charity, the ZTA Foundation, Jaeger said. It was thehighest amount raised by any of the 239 national chapters of ZTA, she said.

This year Jaeger is setting the bar even higher. The sorority hopes to raise $100,000, while ultimately donating $75,000 towards cancer research after recouping costs.

The sorority is already well on its way. Last year, about 2,500 students attended the Big Man on Campus event. This year, ZTA has already sold 2,700 tickets. However, the women hope the number will increase since the IU Auditorium holds 3,400 people, and tickets will be sold at the door, she said.

In a move to encourage more participation for the event, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan declared today to be "Zeta Big Man on Campus Day," honoring the event.

"Mayor Kruzan often likes to recognize special events in Bloomington by issuing a proclamation," Maria Heslin, Kruzan's communications director, said in an e-mail. "These proclamations help publicize the event within the Bloomington community, hopefully helping to raise awareness for and increase attendance to these worthwhile fundraising efforts."

Audience members will witness 19 fraternities and one student organization, the IU Student Foundation, send a man to compete for the top title, Big Man on Campus, Jaeger said. Each man creates his own act, but all relate to this year's theme, "Viva Las Vegas: Beating the odds against breast cancer."

Junior Brad Bauer, a member of Kappa Sigma, will dress as Neil Diamond and sing "Sweet Caroline," he said.

Fraternity members and the InMotion Dance Company will perform dance numbers, as the competition will open with a performance by all 20 participating fraternity members, who will be paired up with Zeta dancers, Jaeger said.

"We are telling these boys to dance in front of 3,200 people, and they are actually willing to do it," said senior and Zeta member Brooke Stingelin, choreographer of the dance. "They make it easy for us to be in charge."

Two-time Grammy winner and guest judge Sylvia McNair will also perform, Jaeger said.

Signing up for Big Man on Campus is no small commitment. During the course of a month, participants practice four days a week for two hours at a time in preparation, Jaeger said.

"Every one of our representatives has to be so dedicated before they even think of signing up," Jaeger said. "It is amazing."

Each contestant pairs with a coach from one of the sorority houses, said sophomore coaches Andrea Druml and Nicole Staffin, both of Phi Mu. The coaches spent about three hours a week practicing with their contestant, she said.

"We don't work nearly as hard as the guys," Druml said. "Our main responsibility is helping to raise money and sell T-shirts."

Winning the title is not based solely on talent, Jaeger said. Of the total score, 70 percent is based on the amount of money raised and a man's dedication to the competition, she said, and the rest is for talent.

Each competitor is required to sell 50 T-shirts and 50 tickets for the competition, Jaeger said. Tickets cost $12, and T-shirts cost $10, she said.

"I've sold shirts to people at the bars at 3 a.m.," Bauer said. "I'm always looking for the chance to hawk them."

Despite all the preparation for the performance, the most important moment comes after the new Big Man on Campus has been announced, Jaeger said.

"The culminating moment of the show (last year) was to be onstage and get that envelope and find out we'd raised $96,000," Jaeger said. "Everyone has been so touched. When so many people come together for a cause, wonderful things tend to happen."

Components of a Great night :)

The Adorable guests

The Delicious meal....

The Romantic memories ....

The Perfect Hosts ...

The Cheers to happy futures ...

I would like to thank my sister so much for putting on such a fun fondue party for Josh and I! Their new apartment is perfect for them and together they are wonderful hosts. The Food was delicious and the dessert i probably ate too much of :)

Love you Joanna and Josh!

file:///C:/DOCUME~1/CAROLI~1/MYDOCU~1/PICASA~1/SUMMER!/INDEX~1.HTM

Summer Recap ...

Numerous factors contributed to why my summer was new, exciting and unforgettable :)

50 Reasons I would never want to change my Summer of 2006 ....

1. I endured the most stressful semester so far in my college career
   
2. I learned to deal with people and groups in a variety of ways
3. I went to Cedar Point for the first time
4. Made the most Chocolatey pancakes ever cooked and Josh still managed to smile and eat them
   
5. My fire alarm would go off randomly when we did our laundry and we had to assure the neighbors it was normal
6. I paid bills for the first time ( with the help of my loving dad)
7. I was able to grocery shop and cut coupons and cook my own food finally!
8. I learned the new meaning of Micorwavable meals
9. I experienced the privacy of having my own room
10. Learned how to set up an internet/cable modem/ all the cords that go along with it after endless hours of talking to insight on the phone
11. Stayed up until all hours with my girlfriend talking about life , love and more
12. Went camping and learned how to play euchre
13. Lived with our invisible dog
14. Watched man capris and wakeboarding with Amanda every Monday night
15. Missed my wonderful boyfriend more then ever but am the happiest girl in the world now that I get to see him
16. Learned the meaning of true friendship :)
17. Drank delicious strawberry smoothies made with the neighbors blender
18. Ran more then ever and was motivated mainly by my roomie
19. Loved the 15 minute destressing walks at night
20. Lived at the Dollar Store
21. Did not have gas for 2 weeks which included no hot water or gas to cook with.
22. Had homeless people living in the basement
23. Had the time of my life on a pontoon boat with my favorite girls in the world
24. Ate fondue with my sister and her husband
25. Experienced my sisters wedding as the Maid of Honor
    
26. Realized my dad doesn't have two left feet and enjoyed dancing the night away
    
27. Discovered Fondue is fried food
28. Found the new meaning in shopping to help relieve stress
29. Fell in love with Bloomington in the summer, quieter-less busy - and beautiful
30. In an act of unconscious extreme high level of stress got confused that my phone was a stress reliever and it... "hit the floor hard"..... and broke....
31. Learned that my family does have a sense of humor and supplied me with a new phone
32. Had my first road trip to Wisconsin
    
33. Was "forced" to shop in Chicago while Josh had a consulting meeting for a few hours
34. Ate delicious cinnamon ice cream that was homemade by Joanna
35. Washed more dishes, Cleaned more clothes, scrubbed more bathrooms and picked up more dog hair then i wish to ever do again
36. Learned to appreciate my mother more than ever before and all of the hard work she put into raising us
37. Celebrated my dad's 50th "over the hill birthday" with a homemade devils food cake and a surprise visit home to enjoy dinner.
38. Enjoyed our two pet bunnies in our backyard "Peter" and "Pan"
39. Realized that studying in the sun doesn't work
40. Saw a guy with a huge afro, without a shirt having an indebt conversation with a friend on our front porch.
41. Installed 5 extra locks on the doors to ensure a safer house.
42. Experienced a variety of temperatures, ranging from scorching hot to ice cold
43. Was able to shove an unbelievable amount of stuff into my car to drive home
44. During my last day of I core I broke into tears, laughed harder, screamed at the top of my lungs and felt an overwhelming since of accomplishment all in a 4 hour time span
45. Represented formula one as a U. S. Grid Girl for possible the last year.
46. Found more use out of my pink tool set than I ever thought possible
47. Realized that inspiring notes left by someone you love can truly help cheer up a day
48. Baked cookies that ended up tasting like pancakes ( sorry girls :))
49. Talked endless hours to my boyfriend on the phone which in turn ran my bill to a record high on minutes
50. Loved every minute and every experience that I had all summer long.
    

Happy Fathers Day :)!!!

If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right
-Bill Cosby

“A father is a fellow who has replaced the currency in his wallet with the snapshots of his kids.”

“Every father should remember that one day his daughter will follow his example instead of his advice”

“Children learn to smile from their parents.”

The most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

My sister is now officially Mrs . Burress :)!!!!

Map of how the wedding went....


Before anything as important as my sisters wedding you have to practice the night before to perfect it... and enjoy good food and excellent company:)


I have never met anyone more difficult to put make up on ... but I love her anyways and she looked beautiful!! {we found out that if you are already crying when you put on "waterproof mascara"... it kinda looses its meaning and doesnt work.}


My straps would not stay up!!! I wanted to tuck them in and turn it into a strapless dress.. creative and still cute :)


I dont think we could have had a cuter flower girl... She informed all of the girls in the dressing room that "WE DONT KISS BOYS!!!"

Curtsey for the camea :)


The Whole Gang.. as we counted down the final minutes...








My sister looked so happy !!!!









And shes still smiling...









Now she just wants to get out of Indiana .. and on to the important things of the week.. her honeymoon!!!








Cant forget about dad!! he has been putting up with a lot of "wedding talk" for the last year and a half.. and i think he handled it beautifully :)

My Wish...

Artist/Band: Rascal Flatts
Lyrics for Song: My Wish
Lyrics for Album: Me & My Gang

I hope that days come easy and moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you want to go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
and if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
if it's cold outside,
show the world the warmth of your smile,
more then anything, more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
to your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and you always give more then you take.
Oh More then anything, Yeah, and more then anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it,
to your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more then you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day!! We had fun eating at Camille's Sidewalk Cafe for our 2nd annual mothers day lunch there... It was Josh's first time!

My Mother taught me LOGIC - "If you fall off that swing and break
your neck, you can't go to the store with me."
My Mother taught me MEDICINE - "If you don't stop crossing your eyes,
they're going to freeze that way."
My Mother taught me ESP - "Put your sweater on; don't you think that I
know when you're cold?"
My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE - "What were you thinking?
Answer me when I talk to you... Don't talk back to me!"
My Mother taught me HUMOR - "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes,
don't come running to me."
MY Mother taught me PATIENCE - "Sure, you can do that. As soon as
you're 21 and leave the house!"
My Mother taught me DIPLOMACY - "I don't want to hear who started it,
It takes two to fight."
My Mother taught me SHARING - " Play nicely with that or I'll just
take it away from both of you."
My Mother taught me ETIQUETTE - "Use your fork! If I see that hand
on the table again I'll Slap it!"
But most of all, My Mother taught me LOVE - " You know that whatever you do or
whatever happens, I'll stand behind you because I Love you."
-unknown

Sweater, n.: garment worn by a child when its mother is feeling chilly.
~Ambrose Bierce

Josh

isn't he cute :)!!!!

Lessons learned from previous Icoreians.

Lessons learned from I-Core
By Joshua Claybourn | Indiana Daily Student |

ARTICLE TOOLS



I am officially in an academic nightmare. If you're in the business school, you know that I'm talking about I-Core. In the past five days I've taken four exams, each extremely difficult and each carrying a tough curve. That's just a glimpse of what my semester is like.

I-Core is essentially a business boot camp. Hundreds of students take four classes together, competing against one another for a place on the set grade curve. (I think the curve is communist, but that's another column). The drama climaxes at the end of the semester when small groups of students, or "Kelleys," as the business school likes to call us, present a long and detailed "case" to the professors.

So why am I telling you about all of this? Well, partly because everyone else is talking about "9-11," partly because I'm going to insist I get some material out of such a challenging experience, and also because I think everyone (yes, even you) can learn something from it.

A wise friend once told me, "Don't let school get in the way of your education." I liked that a lot when I heard it, and I still think it's a good principle to live by. Lately I've started to wonder if I-Core is cramping my style and getting in the way of my education.

Don't get me wrong, I love studying business. Why else would I be majoring in it? But I want freedom and time to get a healthy dose of other things that school just can't offer. (I'm not talking about beer and women). I'm talking about real world experiences that class lectures can't impart. That philosophy has treated me well, I think, and I've been happy with the results. Until now.

The first round of I-Core tests came at me like Cruise missiles headed to Afghanistan. I refused to be taken off guard for the second round, so I hit the books even harder. You might be wondering, "Why hit the books? They didn't do anything wrong." In this war a "Kelley" can spare no mercy (especially when getting into law school depends on it).

I still don't have some scores back from the second round of exams, but I don't need to know them. I already know I've learned a lot. There's something to be said for being pushed down, and having to fight your way back up. Given the right response, it makes you stronger. I keep a folder in my room of things reminding me of my rejections and failures, and you can be sure that some of my I-Core test grades are in there. I keep them because they drive me to succeed even more. And taking on those challenges is what I-Core is all about.

I've learned not all business professors are the evil robots in pursuit of destroying my life I thought they were. They're human, they do care, and they can even offer real-world lessons.

I-Core isn't cramping my style, it's strengthening it. It's not getting in the way of my education, it's making it richer. It just takes the right response when you meet a hurdle. To quote the great professor David Rubenstein, "Kelleys do!" To anyone with power over my grades, I say bring it on!

My Life This Summer... :( I-CORE!!

Coping with the stress of I-Core
3% of students fail. 10% earn A's. All must survive semester-long project.
By Elise LeBlanc | Indiana Daily Student |

ARTICLE TOOLS


Fifteen students stare glumly ahead at people who already have dibs on a work station in the fifth-floor computer lab of the Main Library. Some tap their feet or shift their weight, while others talk on their cell phones to maintain some semblance of a social life as they begin to glare at the people who constantly move but never leave.

The elevator behind them dings as five more bodies emerge with the hope of getting a computer, only to find themselves at the back of a line that is not going to move because there is no time limit on group computer labs.

With 11 days to finish an 80- to 150-page executive summary on BioChem4000 blood monitors, I-Core groups have been camped out in computer labs across campus for six to 16 hours a day doing qualitative and quantitative analyses. While some call Integrated-Core the "rite of passage" into the Kelley School of Business, others call it hell. On the way out of a consulting session with one of the four I-Core professors, a male student described it as "running backwards through a cornfield with no pants."

All undergraduate business students are required to take I-Core, a 12-credit hour package that includes classes in marketing, finance, strategic management and operations management. At the end of the semester, students are required to produce a case study worth 25 percent of their grade that integrates all four aspects of the classes they took.

"They're literally eating, drinking and sleeping I-Core 24 hours a day," said Daniel Greiner, finance professor and I-Core coordinator. "Of course they're going to be a little bit ragged around the edges."

To ease the pain, many students comfort themselves with caffeine and snacks. The computer lab of the Main Library is littered with cellophane wrappers, Nalgene water bottles, packs of gum, 20 oz. soda bottles and styrofoam coffee cups that sit precariously close to group members' paperwork and laptops.

With sunflower seeds as sustenance, senior Johanna Miller has already been working with her group several hours before they decide to take a break at 5:30 p.m.

"I'm never home," Miller said. "My roommates have hardly seen me. When I go home for dinner, they'll come downstairs to watch me eat."

Schedules have remained hectic since April 21, as business students try to get the final and most challenging hurdle of I-Core done by Thursday: the case study.



The Four-Decade Tradition

The I-Core program has been around for almost 40 years and is a major tool for recruitment and assisting business students in choosing their concentration, said Joanne Namy, director of Certification in the Undergraduate Program.

Most business students take I-Core in the fall of their junior year after they have passed 15 prerequisite business courses with a "C" or better. Last fall, 750 students took it, while 350 are enrolled in it this spring and 250 more will take it this summer.

"People complain bitterly about (the case study) because it's so intense and requires them to bring together skills they haven't applied together before, but pulling the pieces together is what allows them to see the big picture for the first time," Namy said.

Six people are assigned to each group, and this is the first year professors have used a "blind system" (no names) to create teams with a balance of exam grades and areas of interest. Their objective is to write an executive summary to "upper management" describing a new product, providing an analysis, demonstrating a conceptual understanding and applying all four aspects of I-Core.

Professors hold consulting sessions when representatives of each group can ask questions, but the sessions only serve to guide students in the right direction -- not to give them the answers.

"No one's going to hold their hand -- they have to make things work out," Greiner said. "Fifty percent of the case study is about learning to work in an unstructured environment in a team."



'Crazy' at Kinko's

Junior Edward Reynolds, on autopilot after two-and-a-half hours of sleep, said procrastination is not an option during this project. Because all of the project's four sections are integrated, each group depends on its members to get their sections turned in on time.

"Lateness is strictly not allowed, but we've never had a case study turned in late," Greiner said. "Students are forced to plan ahead."

Kinko's, 2650 E. 3rd St., also plans accordingly by staying open 24 hours Monday through Wednesday to accommodate the I-Core rush.

Manager James Clark said Tuesday and Wednesday nights are when it starts to get "crazy," with anywhere from 20 to 40 students in at a time. Students usually don't interfere with other customers because they come in late at night until early morning.

"No one else will stay open for them," Clark said. "Sometimes they go to Kinko's in Indianapolis because it's busy here, but we've never missed a deadline for them."

The cost of each bound summary varies based on color and format, but Clark said the cost runs about $60 to $90 per group. Last-minute changes at one of the six computer stations cost 20 cents per minute, which can raise the total cost even more. While some have taken their frustrations out on Kinko's employees, Clark said they don't let it affect them because they know the students are under pressure.

"A few have not calmed down and they were asked to leave, but typically that does not happen," Clark said. "We let them do what they need to do so they can be relaxed."

When problems arise among group members, professors advise them to think of the case study as a work situation.

"They can't change matters, so they have to try and make the group as productive as possible," Greiner said. "They need to confront the person professionally and get the best work out of them."



Real-World Benefits of I-Core

Junior Sagar Desai and senior Vincent William said work ethic and recognizing the strengths and

weaknesses of each group member are crucial to producing a good case study. While fellow group member Kyle Thompson, a junior, rolled and unrolled a copy of their executive summary in his hands, the group members discussed how to fix a mistake they made in one of their formulas.

Desai digressed only long enough to jokingly lament that their group was all male, and to point out they should've chosen to be education majors because of the 80-to-20 female-to-male ratio in the School of Education.

Their group and several others were hesitant to openly discuss the details of their cases because collaborating between groups is prohibited. Sharing information could jeopardize the originality -- and

grade -- of a group's project. Thompson said the case study has enough variables that each group can interpret them in a unique way.

This year there is even more at stake because Ford Motor Company is sponsoring an award for the top case study -- $1,200 to be split among the group members.

The top 10 percent of groups receive an "A-" or an "A," while the lowest grades run around a "C-." The average grade being about 81 percent, Greiner said.

The four I-Core professors grade the professionalism of each of the 43 cases, while Ph.D. students use a grading key on each of the case's sections, so they can get the studies done within five days after they are turned in. Peer evaluations are figured in as well.

Both professors and I-Core survivors said it's difficult to realize and appreciate the educational rewards of such an experience until after it's over. Greiner said many students have contacted him over the years to tell him how much easier their jobs or internships were after going through I-Core.

The general consensus from groups currently working on case studies was that while I-Core might be difficult now, they've already learned more and are applying their skills instead of just regurgitating information.

"It pushes you outside your comfort zone and makes you apply things you may have only learned once before," Reynolds said. "You keep hitting walls and challenges and you have to work at it until it makes sense."

My Friend Maggie was in the paper!!! :) I love her!

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?adid=search&id=33868


i added the hyperlink for Joshua James

You know how when you were a little kid and you believed in fairy tales, that fantasy of what your life would be, white dress, prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill. You would lie in bed at night and close your eyes and you had complete and utter faith. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Prince Charming, they were so close you could taste them, but eventually you grow up, one day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears. Most people turn to the things and people they can trust. But the thing is its hard to let go of that fairy tale entirely cause almost everyone has that smallest bit of hope, of faith, that one day they will open their eyes and it will come true.

--Greys

AND IT ALL BEGINS...

So just to keep up with blogging ( since i havent been around in months) I thought i would share with all 3 people that read this! Now that i am in Bloomington and living in my own house i am having new experiences that i have never had before...
First off i am living with two wonderful girls, Bailey and Amanda. I know that my family and boyfriend are both nervous with me living in a house all alone, without their protection but i guess there has to come a time eventually that i grow and learn to cope without them....

In one of those had to be there moments... Last night after a 5-6 hour cleaning scrub down of our house, our carpets turned colors and our walls were no longer caked in dust. We went through rolls of paper towels and bottles of cleaning products but it was all worth it. Once the night was over we were content and excited to take our first shower in our clean bathroom. I was first and after getting in towel and turning on the faucet Bailey and I realized that there was one certain direction that the faucet went in... It was a full 360 degree spray in all directions soaking the wall, the floor, and both of us!!! Anyways in the midst of tryign to screw and bend and finangle the faucet into just the right position so it would no longer spray the entire bathroom, we saw probably the biggest mesquito we have ever seen in our lives ( i compare it to a flying daddy long legs).. Anyways watching two girls kill a flying bug is a sight on its own..

Bailey and i searched for anythign to kill it with and decided on a shoe. because the ceilings were too high the shoe didnt work and Bailey reluctantly let us use her barbie poster box. As we swung at the bug and ran out of the room in fear of the bug getting mad or it falling on us. Finally we think we killed the bug (we arent sure bc we were running out of the room every time we hit it) but we knew it was no longer flying around and we couldnt find it on the floor ( which still made us a little nervous.) After 30 min of the bug interruption and no prgress in the shower head predicament i decided to just jump in and try to make themost of it. After a very werid but very humerous shower, a wet bathroom and a still missing messquito , Bailey and I both had showered and are looking forward to the next time :)

the sad part is that amanda had to miss out on this excitement... im sure there will be more stories to come when she returns from Florida, three girly girls in a house what can you expect!! :)

COME VISIT US !!!

What i love about friends..

When you are sad
I will dry your tears
When you are scared
I will comfort your fears
When you are worried
I will give you hope
When you are confused
I will help you cope
and when you are lost
and can't see the light
I shall be your beacon
shining ever so bright
This is my oath
I pledge till the end
Why you may ask
because you're a friend.

In a friendship
We're free to expose,
Parts of ourselves
Nobody else knows.
But the thing that sustains it
And sets it apart,
Is not something spoken
It's a bond of the heart.
True friends are rare
In a lifetime two or three,
I'm so glad it happened
Between you and me!