Day 10: Movies That Make Us Cry

Day 10 (12/30/10)

With basically no agenda all day, we woke up late and lay on the couch, partaking in the glorious act of watching movies on and off all day. As our first of the day, we decided to watch Freedom Writers, a movie both K and I love. This was followed by a small break and then a viewing of Eat, Pray, Love before scampering off to Lazer Blaze for an NOHS mini-reunion.

Day 10:

- Two hours of sleeping in

- A plethora of fantastically poignant movies

- One wonderful meal of leftovers

Also on Day 10: Three rounds of lazer tag, one reunion with three wonderful friends, one lint covered black shirt, and one adorable puppy in the basment.

Day 9: Forced Coinciding Schedules

Day 9 (12/29/10)

Today was filled with a fantastic amount of hugs, stories, and good ol' southern comfort in the most rushed of situations. K went with me to visit my former speech coach for lunch, to work with Sarah, and then to my dad's house to catch up with some friends who are in town from Oregon!

Needless to say, it was a rushed day, on a tight schedule, but one full of reunions and familiarity.

Day 9:

- Reunion with friends from across the country

- Recalling eccentric family members

- Delayed Christmas presents

Also on Day 9: One lunch at Zoe's Kitchen, one afternoon with two beautiful little girls, a single game of Scooby-Doo Trouble, three Papa Murphy's pizzas, and one brief spurt of rain.

Day 8: The Arrival of a Sister

Day 8 (12/28/10)

It was an amazing day revolving around the arrival of my roommate from up north! Her flight landed at around 1:30 so we had almost a full day for her to get adjusted and meet most of my family.

I am filled with wonder when I think about the fact that she flew in the air, which she discovered she is not a fan of, all the way to come see me 13 hours away! We then pigged out on internet "junk food" (Facebook) and watched part of The Zeitegist. We then met my mama for dinner and went to go see Little Fockers. It wasn't the best movie in the world but was definitely a great one for a few laughs.

Day 8:

- Two safe plane rides to Chicago and on to Louisville

- Baggage fully intact

- One whole roommate down to visit me!

Also on Day 8: one funny movie, a delicious veggie sandwich at Schloztky's Deli, wonderful time my little angel, Sarah, one shared apple turnover, 3 favorite songs on the radio (in a row), and one time-accurate GPS

Day 7: Invasion of the Critters

Day 7 (12/27/10)

Today was filled with very necessary but obnoxious amounts of waiting for things to be done. My windshield got replaces...and in the process, my rearview mirror was broken. I waited some more and then took the dog for a walk. I waited some more and the exterminator came to check out the noises that I was hearing in the attic last night.

This last visit resulted in a diagnosis of the invasion of birds, definitely, squirrels, probably, and mice too many in number to count. The consequences being - you guessed it - more waiting. We waited for the screen to be installed and for mouse bait to be placed and an invoice to be written. All in all - a lesson in patience.

Day 7:

- A kind man who helped remove the critters in the ceiling above my bed

- A poor bunny who got stuck in the fence to McGregor's garden

- A lovely walk with Mama and Bear around the chilly and beautiful neighborhood

Also on Day 7: One pair of comfortable pajamas, the delicious smell of Christmas dinner leftovers, one great U of L basketball game, and T minus 18 hours until K arrives at the Louisville Airport.

Day 6: The Joy of Children

Day 6 (12/26/10)

Today was a fantastic day filled with family. my aunt, uncle, and two little cousins came down from Indiana last night and we had Christmas at my dad's house. I know 20 is not old, but it seems like already I have forgotten the magical bliss of being a little kid. To experience a re-enactment of Christmas morning with a 5- and 7-year-old.

Every present was the end all, be all. Every stuffed animal was a new best friend. Every book was a new adventure to dive into. Every smile had enough wattage to power the Northpole for a year. If only we could remember what it is like to be filled with that joy and surprise at every detail on Christmas (or the day after) morning.

Day 6:

- Wrapping paper mountains that hide the floor

- Uninhibited excitement in my sisters and cousins

- Contentment in seeing one entire side of my family together

Also on Day 6: great football games, lack of blizzard hitting our house, one Dairy Queen Home Blizzard Machine, one afternoon nap, the innocent stare of a completely deaf dog, chips and dip, buying three new books, and purchasing one present.

Day 5: An Important Birthday

Day 5 (12/25/10)

As most of you know, today was Christmas. Without getting preachy or cliche, I just want everybody to think about what origins this celebration has and remember how lucky we are that we have what we have.

Today should have been about love. It is about hope. Joy. Contentment. Warmth. Family. Friends. Candy. You get the picture.

Day 5:

- Celebrating the greatest love in all the world

- Seeing the love between generations of parents and children

- Appreciating a room lit up a night

Also on Day 5: Great laughter, ridiculous movie and television marathons, cuddling up with my puppy, sleeping with the Christmas tree, and being surrounded by family.

Day 4: Southern Cheer and a Good Cry

Day 4 (12/24/10)

It's already Christmas Eve! Actually, in T minus 29 minutes it will be Christmas!!! Fantastic!

Well, Day 4. An early morning waking up with my puppy on my bed was a great start to the day. I then began the search for a fun new fruity desert recipe to take to Northern Kentucky for the annual Christmas Eve party. Then came braving the grocery store over egg replacer, which they didn't have, and a debate about whether or not clementine rinds should be blended into the cake, which they were.

Church was fantastic, but short. A sermon on a gift, a promise, and a question. Then the invention of my new frosting for my new cake, a road trip up, a night of fun, and a road trip back.
And the best part of this Christmas Eve - snow.

Day 4

- Simple traditions like sitting at the table every year

- Curious discussions of the market of breast milk

-Remembering the people in our lives that have changed us forever

Also on Day 4: Tears over the ones who have passed, Papa (grandpa) being released from the hospital, new slippers, holding ridiculous poses for family pictures, too much wine for too many women, and snow falling in time for Christmas morning.

Day 3: Hustle and Bustle and Christmas Time

Day 3 (12/23/10)

Today was filled with last minute Christmas shopping,w hich I honestly hardly ever need to do. Even though, or perhaps because I am a broke college student, I for some reason feel like it is a small step toward adulthood to begin buying most everyone Christmas presents of my own instead of letting my parents pick out stuff that I slap my name on. The only problem? Part of my family is just ridiculously hard to buy for! You know those people, the ones who would be happy with anything but not really because they are a little picky so you want to get them just the right thing.


Well... yeah, my day was spent shopping for those people. And despite some extreme traffic and frustration (which I solved with Christmas music on the radio), it all got done. The wrapping is finished and all under the tree. my mom and I even got to watch Love Actually for the first time - which is, in fact, a great movie once you get past the odd beginning.

Day 3:

- Joy of picking out the perfect gift

- Wrapping gifts for under the tree

- Seeing a room filled with love and warmth

Also on Day 3, Contacts transferred to my new purple phone, quality time with Mom, curling ribbon, watching stories about children in love, and knowing that we have almost survived the year!

Day 2: Reunion

Day 2 (12/22/10)

My adventure dealt a lot with my step-grandfather, Papa, being in the hospital. He has an infection that could be affecting him because of the lymphoma he was diagnosed with last week. Hopefully he will be home again before Christmas.

However, after the struggles with hospitals and doctors, I was able to go see the little girl, Sarah, that I worked with last summer. She was so excited to have me there and be around her. Her childlikenjoy in every small thing reminds of how much true good there is in life that we ignore.

Day 2:

-A child's love

-Endless smiles

-The Princess and the Frog

Day One: My Excellent Adventure Begins

Subtitled: Beating Teen Pregnancy



Preface: A few years ago, I heard of a group people that set out to take one picture every day that captured the essence of their daily journey. At first, I scoffed and probably said something along the lines of "Yeah - that won't last very long. There wil be like dozens of pictures of the same things!" And then I jsut sort of let it go for a while. And then came my sophomore year of college. And I, the person usually advocating for slowing down and enjoying life, stopped taking her own medicine. And then it was gone - an entire semester full of uphill battles, and stress, and struggles... and laughter... and love... and hope. And I realized that I was losing my ability to remember the good things about this life and I panicked. For some reason, when I went running back to God that night - as we tend to do when things fall apart, this memory of these people came back. I bounced the idea off of several people and they mostly scoffed.


But here I am. It is my 20th birthday today and I have decided that this is where it starts. So every day for the next 365 days, I will take one, or multiple photographs each day representing the good in my life. If you follow this, you will begin this journey with me.


I am sorry if some days are tedious, lackluster, sad, or angry - but those days happen sometimes. However, rest assured, that this is an attempt for me to re-awaken to the beauty in this world. I am starting this journey and you are more than welcome to come along.



Day One: My rewards for beating teen pregnancy and making it half-way to 40 include the following items
-A gemstone embellished picture frame
-A white and turquoise homemade bracelet
-A beautiful gold ribbon because sometimes the wrapping says it all


Also on Day One: a ticket to Black Swan, one glove/mitten combo set, one set of pinking shears, two new nostril screws, a pair of earrings to match the bracelet in picture above, a DSW gift card, twenty dollars cash, Snowman with Sunglasses socks, a bracelet from a Fair Trade Market, multiple ridiculously goofy cards, and an infinite amount of love and joy from the people that fill my life.

The Secret

For centuries, the human race has been plagued by a continual battle. The battle is the Battle of the Sexs. I know it sounds ridiculous but lately, this concept has just got me thinking about how pretty much everything functions.

So, guys, listen up. Because I am only going to type this once. The secret to understanding girls and winning this ridiculous "battle" is knowing (drumroll, please) that women have absolutely no clue what they want. And if they tell you that they do, what they want is probably not what is best for them. Women have admitted before and men have heard it before.

But seriously. Please think about this. I have talked to most of my closest girls about it for years and they will all agree. We have no freaking clue what we want. I am not saying that to confuse you or mislead you or play a joke.

Every woman has a jumble of things that compose her and for the most part, these "ingredients," so to speak, are the same for every woman. The difference is the ratio. Just like you have the same basic ingredients that make cookies. Every recipe, the majority of the time, uses the basuc foundational ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, etc., etc.,. The interesting thing is that every recipe is a little different. Or even if you use the same recipe twice, you rarely get a batch of cookies that ever come out tasting the same. It's just the way cookies work. It's just the way women work.


SO on days when you want to pull your hair out or hit someone or break something over a woman, please remember this secret. It may bring you more trouble than it's worth... but I hope that on those days you can remember reading this secret or hearing it from someone else and know that we are just as confused and frustrated as you.


Soundtrack: Bitch by Meredith Brooks, Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind, Unwell by Matchbox Twenty

The Poet

Here is the link to an article about my new favorite author!

http://kodanshatimes.blogspot.com