BUBS:report to austin please

bubs. todd is playing there sept. 7. please come for an early birthday treat! please.

permission please

everytime i walk by the cookie dough/cinnamon roll aisle at the grocery i am BEYOND tempted to grab a roll of that new pillsbury brownie dough. does that stuff not look divine? this coming from someone who can make an entire box of brownie batter and feast off of it for a week of meals. yum. someone tell me it's okay to buy it. only 5 days till you know what!

my favorite band was playing

so my trip to the beach got talbotaged...typical. anyways-there is a silver lining to this very black cloud. rek concert! yes! it's been almost a year since i've seen him live. sacrilige. anyways-i'm super super pumped. talbots can't keep me down. no sirree.

"you just might find...you get what you need"

i have the most vivid memory from back in the day of all my brothers singing "you can't always get what you want" to me. at the time-i'm sure i wanted to go somewhere my parents didn't want me to go,wanted a new toy that i really didn't need, or to go eat at a restaurant no one else wanted to eat at(forever the red lobster/chilis debate from orlando-1996) so my brothers would sing this to me. Especially emphasizing that I would GET WHAT I NEED. truth be told-i don't remember too many times when i didn't get what i wanted. i'm not talking about toys here-i'm talking about really wanting something or for something to happen-that didn't.there also haven't been too many situations where i couldn't ask for advice, mull something over in my head for a bit and come up with a solution. well finally at the ripe age of 24-this has happened. It's actually not that I didn't get what I want-it's that I don't know exactly WHAT i want. This is untraveled terrain for me. So I decided that the time for me to sort it all out would be my little 2 week vacation from school. I'd have time to really digest everything going on and figure out exactly what I wanted. I planned a trip to Rochester to see Rob,Ash, and Wheaton and then I planned a trip home. At both of these places i'd be surrounded by people who loved me and who had invaluable advice to dispense. So I went to Rochester. I had the best time ever. Wheaton can make anyone forget about anything except what an adorable boy he is. I'm telling you-that trip was just what I NEEDED. I thought Rob,Ashley, and I would sit around for hours debating my issues and come up with a solution. We didn't. We actually ended up debating some big decisions they will be making in the near future about where to move next. They don't know exactly what the future holds for them or where it will take them. They are at their own crossroads. What do they know? That whatever they decide will work out. Somehow, someway-it WILL all come together and work out. "It always does", Rob reminded us. It was the best visit ever. Not what I was expecting, but then things rarely turn out to be what we expect. During my visit to Rochester, I didn't get the advice I originally went searching for from Rob and Ashley. I saw them in action. Wondering what was going to happen and deciding to trust in their decisions. They "lived" advice. That-and Wheaton is the best therapy EVER. So then onto Memphis. Let me preface by saying that last Monday-the day before I left for Memphis-grandpa fell and ended up breaking his hip and wrist. So I had the gut feeling my "relaxing,calm trip" would probably be replaced with some caretaking. This was okay. I love my grandfather more than anything and was glad I would be able to see him- because I knew it would give him a little extra cheer. Still though-there would be plenty of time for figuring out my stuff. NOT THE CASE. From the time I set foot in Memphis to the time I left-it was pretty much constant go go go. When I wasn't visiting my grandfather, it was taking care of my grandmother. Mom and I went to Union City to visit my grandmom. We went wedding dress shopping for Erica. I had the greatest time hanging out with all these people. But did I ever really just veg out and ponder the complexities? No way. No time for all that. So when I finally got into the car on Sunday and headed back to Austin-I started thinking about the visit. It was definitely not the kind of visit home I envisioned. But it was exactly what I needed. Again, my parents just kind of "lived" advice. They worked together to make decisions about where my grandparents will be short term/long term. It's no secret that it will be tough for them to live right next door to mom and dad. I love my grandparents very much and so does my mom-but it will be tough on her. So I asked her-"what are you going to do?" Her response? "I'm going to do whatever it takes. I have no idea right now-but we have today figured out and tomorrow. When it's time-we'll figure out the rest." TADA TADA TADA. And then I heard bells. She doesn't know what will happen. My dad(who knows everything. seriously)-he doesn't know either. He says the same thing-that they will figure it out step by step. So I came back to Austin, caught up on my sleep, and now I sit here writing. I found that I got exactly what I needed(can't I just hear the brothers voices..."you just might find-you get what you need" -i love them all so much). Not through the way I had anticipated or hoped-but through the situations that life throws at you when you are feeling too comfortable.I didn't get advice from everyone on how to deal. I didn't have a huge revelation walking ali at shelby farms. I saw people handling things. Making decisions as they needed to be made. Day by day. And through that- I found my answer. What I know for sure(oprah) is that I just have to do what is right for right now. Eventually-I will live my way into the answer(that's from one of my favorite quotes found elsewhere on this blog). Until then. I'll be eating all the Phils 78704 burgers and onion rings that my heart desires(best ever burgers-no debate necessary). i'll make my decisions one day at a time and I'll just keep living. day by day.

i am woman, hear me roar.

i am proud. i successfully used the drill today and did not have to make a visit to the emergency room. i even had to change out bit sizes and everything. dad warned that this project would make me cuss every word in the book-and i can honestly say-i don't think i used any. not that i didn't feel like it at times. but-alls well that ends well. curtains are successfully hanging. i'm going to marvel at my work. happy monday.

long live the king

what is all the fuss about? i think the one and only elvis presley is still alive! no-seriously-was he not quite the looker. i know that we are/were cousins and all but if there ever were a reason to be "kissing cousins"-elvis was a reason. such a hottie. i missed the vigil last night-but john went and supported the ennis crew. hope you all have his music in heavy rotation today. i know i sure do. goodnight.

missing minnesota(especially wheaton)

wheaton is the cutest thing ever. obviously. he is also sweet,smart,and hilarious. i'll just let the pictures explain. oh-his auntie m misses him sooo much already. oh-and it was such fun to hang out with rob and ash! they are my life coaches and always put things in the best perspective! i miss my minnesota crew!

two roads to walk down and one road to choose...

and while i decide i plan on eating lots of cheese curds and yummy food! so i'm headed out of town to play with my favorite nephew and get counseling from rob and ashley! farewell.

freedom: day one

so-no school and no work=equals i'm red as a little lob from lounging poolside. nothing too exciting to report i'm afraid. just the usual day to day. talk a little. eat a lot. etc. etc. macaroni and cheese from whole foods might be the best macaroni and cheese ever. so yea-that's all i seem to be able to say at this point. special thanks to the folks at motorcyclist magazine for finally making it happen. geez. on a heavier note. do y'all ever think of how life is made up of tiny little decisions and a few big ones. these decisions can completely throw your life into a different orbit. it's tough stuff sometimes. i don't like decisions. i wish someone could just make up my mind for me. seems like it would be easier. did i mention i love the live guac from cantina laredo? it's a small slice of heaven. gosh. i talk about food too much. i need a life. sorry this is so darn scattered. obviously-i have a lot on my mind that i don't want to think about. it's much easier to deal with the piddly things. and on that note...i think i'll have a snack.

RESEARCH SEMINAR IS OVER!

research seminar is O-V-E-R! yay! just a few pics from the "celebration" night!
ps-why do i look like a demon with red eye in EVERY picture? ugh. sorry.

and can it be?

that this should be the last stressful evening that i'll have to spend... laying awake worrying about research seminar?(couldn't resist the cory s. shout out on a thursday?oh the memories,oh the memories)i think it is. yippee.

need a floor,need a couch, need an observation checklist?

special thanks to haley for being the best and receiving the OUTSTANDING friend of the week award for completing my observation checklist. lord willing-in forty eight hours i will be eating scrumptious food and drinking a bottle of fine, fine wine(petry? sp? inside family joke) celebrating the end of all this. end- as in either research seminar is over and i passed or i didn't pass-in which case-i am booking the first flight out of here and heading straight to coronado. either way-perhaps i'll have time to resume posting normal blogs. until then...you find out who your friends are.