Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.The first one that came to mind was my grandma on my mom's side. Unbelievably, she died over 12 years ago now. I don't think you ever really stop missing people like that though, and yes, I still think of her quite often. Anyway, since it has been so long I don't have any digital pictures of her. I did recently bring up some old pictures of James, however:
He was my most serious high school boyfriend. A part of me thought I was going to marry him, but he broke up with me when he went out of remission. James had Hodgkin's Disease, which I didn't know about when we met (though I was a minority in that respect), and he died in October 2004. I never got to say goodbye. I never told anyone, but the next spring I went to his grave with flowers that I picked myself.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.Ok, so being that this is my blog & I can do whatever the heck I want, I am once again cheating & posting 2 photos of completely unrelated things. The first is aww-worthy, and it's a picture of one of my favorite people in the world, my godson:
Beautiful moment, right? I sure miss that boy.Ok, and now the second is just goofy & fun-spirited. My surprise kiss on the cheek from Mr Liles of Love & Theft. :D I feel like the look on my face is priceless. ha As is the look on Eric's face (toga boy in the yellow shirt ;))
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.Alright, I found the perfect image here. However, being "all rights reserved" or whatever, the best I could do to share that one is the link there. Go look at it. It PERFECTLY conveys my feelings toward an immensely evil creature... bees. Yeah, my arch nemesis:
Scary, right? Those who have spent time with me outside in the summer already know this fact about me since just hearing a buzz by my ear makes me jump & squeal & run for cover. I can't help it, seriously. And yes, realistically I know it's not that bad. If I see a bee, I can usually suppress my reaction now, but if I'm caught unaware, well, the neighborhood will know there's evil lurking near me. Also, you can save your "if you stay still it won't bother you" spiel for someone who doesn't know better. The only 2 times I've been stung were when I was standing still & unaware. No more!
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
I already featured my mom, so here is my dad & me in Frankenmuth last Christmas. :) He sorta spoils me & dotes on me. I don't mind. ;)
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Ok, admittedly I have a bunch of Chuck Wicks autographs, and I love them all. But I really love this picture, and it means a lot to me because Alea (my friend in the picture with me of course) got it signed and sent it to me right before I left for Dominica. It's always nice to know someone is thinking of you, and the picture was in this wonderful card, both wishing me well.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.So it's not a holiday here, but it's hard enough to be away from all your loved ones, let alone on a holiday, so a few families organized a wonderful potluck dinner on the seaside deck. Actual turkeys, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, the works. 100x better than the pathetic excuse for a Thanksgiving I had last year buying dinner through SGA. That's a story for another day though.
And here is a group photo of everyone who came (minus the photographer who was all too glad to escape the photo). 
The End. Happy Thanksgiving!
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
If I could change anything right now it would be the date. Screw November. If it could be December 18, when I'm done with my ICM practical, mini 3, and that terrifying cumulative final, and back home, that would be amazing. It's so time.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
I don't even remember why I decided that I wanted to read this book, but I got it off of Bookins.com which is a website that lets you trade books with people all across the country. Sadly you have to pay almost $5 for shipping now, so it's only worth it if you are wanting to acquire books that would cost $10+ at a store. Anyway, back to the book. I wasn't disappointed. It might be a little hard for some people to follow since he's bouncing around in time, but I didn't think it was that difficult. And actually, it helped me keep up with the happenings in the movie (also good, but they changed some things). If you haven't seen the movie yet, please please read the book first. A little warning though, some people may cry.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
I don't have a picture of my own guitar here, but this one looks like it. I've already decided to pick it back up when I return stateside next month. Even asked for new strings for Christmas. :) Gotta finish learning "Stupid Boy" - beautiful guitar part. Any other song suggestions for me?
Yeah, yeah, it occurred to me around 11 last night as I was trying to fall asleep that I didn't post yesterday's challenge. It was an easy one though. In fact, so easy that I already posted 2 pictures that qualified. BUT ok, I'll do it again (and even come up with a fresh new answer).Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
This would be a picture of Hamilton Pool Preserve in Austin, TX. Doesn't it look cool? I found it on this site. But in general I'd like to go to Texas/Austin, and then I could see my friend Veronica!Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.I feel like this is a dumb challenge, because who takes pictures of things they don't want to remember??Ok, here goes:
I wish I could forget how stupid/naive I was to believe that Luke Bryan was actually reading & responding to my messages on myspace. In retrospect, I should have known better, what with the likely large volumes of mail he receives, but honestly, it IS signed "Luke" as if he had written it. I asked him in person at his fan club party in 2009, and at least he was honest with me, but lying isn't cool, and the whole scenario made me lose a lot of respect for him as a person.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
That would be my 5th grade picture. Wasn't I a cutie? This is the only picture I have here of me when I was little because I had my mom scan it & send it to me to enter a contest. I won a Joe Nichols autographed copy of Country Weekly back before he was on the celebrity edition of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?". :)
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Yeah, the bathing suit body of course. Not a fan of my belly so I always wear tankinis to keep it in. It works to preserve my modesty too. ;) That pic is from Traverse City btw. I'm standing in the freezing Lake Michigan in August.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Well this is slightly disappointing. You can't read that, can you? [edit: it looks like you can click the picture & see it if you care] That's the e-mail I got telling me I get to move home to Michigan for 5th semester. Exactly 1 month from today I will be done in Dominica & going home for Christmas, and then I'll move to Saginaw in January, and I'll actually get to see my family more frequently than every 4 months again. Granted, yes, I'll be out of town where I have to go to classes, study, and do clinicals, but I can go to the mall with my mom on weekends. I get to hug my parents on my birthday, and go to my Grandparents' house on Easter (most likely). Aside from the specific joys that were the reason/s I wanted to go to Michigan instead of Florida, there's the general things about being back in the US that are super exciting too. Let me tell ya, you don't know think about how awesome Walmart and Target are until you can't go to them anymore. If I have a craving for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream at 2am or feel like renting a movie or realize that I forgot to buy post-its (for instance), I'm gonna be able to hop in my car and go get them. Even if it's a Sunday... Now somebody please remind me of this excitement in about 2.5 months or so when I'm whining that I can't feel my toes and don't want to die of hypothermia.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.Whew, let me tell you, this one took some effort. I haven't felt terribly inspired lately. I threw around some ideas, and even considered putting off this challenge until tomorrow, but I sort of felt like that would be cheating. Being at a loss, I decided to look up some definitions, and found this one from dictionary.com: "to produce or arouse (a feeling, thought, etc.): to inspire confidence in others." SO, I decided to choose someone who did just that, inspired confidence in me.
Dr. Van de Merwe was my college physics professor at Indiana Wesleyan University. I've gotta say, physics definitely was not my cup of tea. That stuff is hard! But he was super encouraging, and he went above & beyond to help me through the class when I was feeling hopeless. He actually met me in the student center after hours to help me work on problems once. He pushed me to succeed and made me feel like this insurmountable obstacle could actually be overcome. And in the end I made it through physics, so I can make it through the rest of this crazy schoolwork, right? Also in the picture is Jenny, another amazing & inspiring person, but that is perhaps a story for another day.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.After careful consideration I decided to stick with the classic: tour Europe. Particularly I want to visit:
Venice, Italy and
Valencia, Spain. I've been in love with Spain since high school Spanish class, and who doesn't want to go to Venice? Seriously, a city where the roads are water? Heck yes. Now if only we could solve that pesky problem of paying for the trip...
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Clay Walker - my first country love. :)
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Cuddles with Oscar. :) He is such a sweet wonderful baby. I seriously don't understand how anyone can not love animals. They're great companions, affectionate, and can behave crazy to entertain you. hehehe And another love:
My wall of musicians. Some of the pix are autographed, but mostly it's just good memories of good times.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
I think it's safe to say that I HATE smoking more than anything. I hate the smell. I hate the attitude that smokers have. I hate the fact that if someone is smoking within 50 feet of me, even outside, I can't freaking breathe. Pretty sure my right to oxygen trumps your right to this disgusting habit. And I chose this pic because that's how they sell the cigarettes here. It's perfect. ha
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.Alright, I don't think of myself as doing anything actually "messed up", so I'm gonna stretch this one to "crazy things", and since my range of crazy varies depending on who I'm with, I'll make today "A picture of the person with whom you've done the craziest thing". (noticed I fixed the grammar too. haha)
This is my best friend from back home, Tami, and this pic is from May 2009 at Coyote Joe's for a kick-off for the Downtown Hoedown. We went to see Luke Bryan, but that's not crazy. Then we saw him again the next night. No, that's still not it. But on Saturday, we got up at like 6am and drove 3 hours across the state to see him again at Walmart. I just wanted a hug. lol Granted, he was supposed to be there for 2 hours, and we only saw like 5 or 6 songs because he started early, and then left early as well. But ya know, it was still fun, and we got hugs & autographs & I got Kent to sign my drumstick. And we made it back in time to catch Bomshel play in the afternoon.Sorry if that's not "messed up"/crazy enough for you. ;)
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
My mom is amazing. If I ever have a problem, she's the one I call, no matter how ridiculous or embarrassing it is. She supports my decisions, encourages me to appreciate my life, and helps me feel better when nothing can really be done.
BTW, this picture is from the Eastern Caribbean cruise my family went on for spring break in my senior year of high school, and it goes everywhere with me.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.Alright, I decided to bend the rules & use 2 pix for this one. First there's the goofy pose with Chuck Wicks at his fan appreciation party - CMA Music Fest 2009.
Then there's also Alicia with the awesome chicken mailbox. 
As you can see, we love the chicken mailbox. I don't remember which one of us pulled over the car for this, but it was beautiful. lol And this was in April 2010.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Yeah, I know it's kinda lame/sad, but I rely on my laptop for so much. This is my connection to all my loved ones back home, my source of entertainment, my study tool, and storage for all my pictures & music. Computers = awesome.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.Alright, I'm struggling with this one. I considered saying my aunt because she spent today shopping with my mom, haha. I also thought, well, maybe Clint, the Love & Theft merch guy so I could spend the day with those boys, but not sure I'd want to see the boys being boys. Might not like everything I see, right? Then I thought, maybe I should be someone who has a horrible life so I appreciate what I have more. Anyway, I've finally settled on trading places with...
the incredibly talented & beautiful Keith Urban. I'd like to know what it's like to play guitar like that man. Holy smokes. And to be so adored and stalked. I think it would be interesting to experience the talent & fame & fortune, both good & bad aspects, and I think it would give me a different sort of perspective & appreciation for my musicians. Plus, I feel like men are this whole other species, so why not be one for a day? lol
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
It's amazingly hard to pick ONE favorite memory, but CMA fest 2009 was wonderful. This picture was from Thursday night, after a 2.5hr storm delay that cut Reba's set to 3 songs & had like 50,000 fans taking cover in the halls of LP Field. Afterward Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley still played (tho shortened sets), and since a lot of people left thinking the rest of the night would be canceled security was more lenient with the photo line. For anyone who is unfamiliar with CMA Music Festival, if you buy a 4-day pass you have access to a photo line that walks right in front of the stage no matter what seats you buy tickets for, as is evidenced by this picture. Anyway, normally security rushes the crowd along, but with the lack of people they let us stand and watch for the last 3 songs of the night. I got my first (& probably only) picture with Brad Paisley (hahaha), and he reached down & touched my hand. woo. Besides that though, it's just a night that I'll always remember: going through the photo line for Reba, camping out in the hall waiting for the rain to stop, chatting with strangers, watching the storm in the stadium lights from the hallway, running barefoot back to the photo line so I wouldn't fall in my flip-flops... Yeah, probably not things most people would recall fondly, but it was good. :) And Dierks joining Brad onstage was incredible.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Being a Thursday night, I required 2 pix. I know, my life is super exciting, but this is just how it goes. Private Practice is going to be intense though since Charlotte got attacked at the end of last week's episode. Ya know, I keep saying I'm gonna stop watching because I hate that they killed off Dell, made Sam an immoral murderer, and had the characters all abandon Dell's daughter to social services. I actually dislike all of the characters now, but I have this problem that I have to know what's happening. I can't even stop watching terrible movies (like I sat through The Boogeyman, and Napoleon Dynamite).
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
So if you know me you know that Lois & Clark is my all time favorite show. Dean Cain is the reason I love Superman. hahahaIn other news, today is Independence Day in Dominica. Since we had no classes and just had a test, a group of us took the day off for some fun in the sun. We took a boat ride that was rough and wet and fast, and basically amazing. They dropped us off at Batibou Beach for a couple hours for snorkeling, and some of us played frisbee (fyi, we're not good. haha). The water was a little too wavey & murky, and I didn't see many fish, but I collected some shells. Oh, and Gabe cracked open a couple coconuts for us. Coconut meat is harder than I expected, but it was cool. :)Then we got back on the boat & went to a restaurant called Pagua Bay for lunch. They were super slow, but the food was good, and it was definitely a nice change. The view there is unbelievable. AND there was pretty much the best cheesecake I've ever had in my life. Unfortunately the weather turned and we had to take a bus back to Portsmouth. All in all, it was a great day.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.
So this is me & Sarah. We met when my family moved in across the street from her when I was 3 & she was 5. We sorta grew up together, and I used to drive her crazy by pausing the game when we played Mario. hahaha She taught me a lot about life, and we were apart for a while, but fate has brought us back together. That picture is from the May of my junior year of high school I think. It was a mock awards show at youth group. :)
So a friend started this 30-day challenge on facebook, and I decided to do it for the month of November. Enjoy.
Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
1. I love cats.2. My favorite color is purple.3. I still love & miss my undergrad school (Indiana Wesleyan University).4. Even if I have a lot to study I like to get my 8 hours of sleep.5. I used to want to be a country singer, and I wrote songs & played guitar.6. I don't mind being a moderately spoiled only child. :)7. My family means everything to me.8. I love to play board games.9. I am fiercely loyal & dedicated to each hobby I get addicted to - in no particular order: giraffes, Elvis, Superman, the Backstreet Boys, concerts...10. I like to create things.11. I have never owned toe socks and still feel deprived. lol12. Fire is one of my biggest fears.13. I am super stubborn when I set my mind to something.14. I want to learn to milk a cow.15. Cell phones annoy me, and I hate hate when I'm hanging out with someone and they are continually texting or talking on their phone.
