Only 27 Days!!

Until My next Louisiana trip!! I had so much fun lasst time I went and I'm gettign excited to go again. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to go because it's more expensive than last time. I put in an application to our Putting People into Missions fund for $50 of the $25 but haven't heard anything yet, but Kathy and some other women and even Steve (the man basically "in charge" of it all) said not to worry about it, so I'm covered either by PPIM or by generous friends (this is why I LOVE my church!). And wanna knoow what else is exciting? Jerome is going, too!! As long has his request for PTO for that week is approved (which it will) he is game. Yay! Like last time, we're leaving on Saturday the 16th around 9AM. We'll stay in Hammond, LA for the night and go to church in the area, then begin the 4 hour drive west to Lake Charles, stopping at the Tabasco factory near Baton Rouge on our way. THen we'll work Monday-Thursday and spend ALL of Friday (and I do mean ALL... it's a looooooooong drive back to St. Louis) driving back home.

I am so excited for this trip. I have a lot of people that I'm close to going this time. Don't get me wrong I had a great time with the group I went with last time but it was a group mostly made up of people I hadn't spoken to a whole lot at church, moostly only in passing. but this time Kathy is going and Jerome and Kelly. Leanne and Mary and Charles are goiong again. And we'll hopefully get to work with Chester again. He's a fantastic work leader. I hope he's ours again. He's just a character.

I leave you with a few pictures from my last trip. Enjoy!

Sorry if you don't like American Idol, but...

...It's my blog and I can write about it if I want to. Ha ha.

OK, some people know exactly how to get on TV. Ben Haar wasn't serious about auditioning. He just knew that his get up would get him TV time. I mean, what the HECK???!!! The producaers must have known his motive, that he wassn't serious. Why waste our time?? I guess to get people talking about him. Like I am now. Duh...

I always feel bad for the people who are good, but not right for the competition (which is probably what I'll hear when I audition, but that's another blog foor a much later time...). They get so fired up and think that they said they suck, but in reality what was said was that they aren't right for the competition. Like "Glitter Girl." I believe Simon's exact words were, "You'd be great in a cover band, but this isn't the place for you." And then AI wasted 5 minutes of our lives with her flipping the bird and cussing out the judges. Fun... Ooh, or they try and show off their ranges like the girl who sang the national anthem; that girl was good, she just shot herself in the foot...

And this guy just creeped me out. I hope Paula kept track of his address and information so that when weird things start happening, she can tell the cops who it it. Psycho!!


But I really like Brooke White. I can relate to her; she's a nanny, I professionally babysit. She likes to sing, I like to sing. She's married, I'm engaged. I just really like her. I hope she makes it far. I also really like Kristy Lee Cook. I don't think that I've seen anyone sing Amazing Grace for their audition and that is the song I want to sing for mine, so it was nice to see it sung. But she seems really sweet. I hope she goes far, too.

I haven't watched the Dallas auditions yet. I might not even post on them. It just depends on whether something strikes my interest. I will write a real post later.

Autism Speaks

For every time soomeone views this Five For Fighting Video, the people who run the site will donate $0.49 to Autism awareness. It's 5 minutes of yoour time. Please take the time to donate even a little bit of mooney to this terrible disease. It's practically a mystery because noo one really knows exactly what causes it. Theories have surfaced, and they have found a few biological links, but it's still a very big mystery. My 9 year old neighbor has it and he's such a sweet kids, caught in a mind that is very smart but very scared of social situations and loud crowds.

What kind of world do you want?

Eight Days into January...

...And I've already had the flu. Yuck. I came down with it last Friday and freaked out 'cause I thought it might be Toxic Shock Syndrome because of something that had happened the day before. (I'm also a slight hypochondriac.) I went to the ER 'cause I thought it wass TSS; I'd rather be tald it's nothing and feel dumb than igonore it and have it turn into soomething bad, you know? SO I camped out in my bedroom all weekend. Yuck. Jerome talked me into going and getting some lunch on Saturday, but I just got some toast and chicken noodle soup (half of which I took home). Sunday I didn't go to church (yes, I was that sick). But I'm much better now.

On the wedding front, I wanted to go to the bridal show at the America's Center this past Sunday with my mom and Jen (maid of honor) and Laura (bridesmaid) and Veronica (a friend who is getting married in September), but because of the flu I wasn't able to go. :-( But, I am meeting with a photographer on Saturday night who offered to honor their bridal show price from the one I went to last month (a $1500 package for $1000). They have everything I like and the woman i've been corresponding with seems really nice. We can't put any deposits down yet, but when we do I have a feeling we'll be booking them. Also, Jerome and I FINALLY agreed on our color scheme. We've been back and forth many many times about the blue to use. I wanted to use an aqua and he wanted something darker. So instead of aqua, black and white, we're going with a marine-ish, sage, and white. I'm happy with the choice, though. The coloros look really nice together.

I haven't set any resolutions for the new year, mostly because I never keep them. But I do have goals:
1. Get out of credit card debt and save at least $3000 for the weedding.
2. Lose 50 pounds. (I was planning on going to the gym last weeekend, but the stupid flu decided to use my body as a gym instead)
3. GRADUATE!!!!
4. Audition for American Idol.

I know that number 4 seems really kind of... childish... but it's something I think I'm ready for.

School starts in 2 weeks, on Jan. 22. I'm excited about my schedule, except for my damn 60 hour practicum that i have to do for Analyzing and Correcting Reading Difficulties. Finding time for it without interfering with working will be incredibly difficult. Luckily, I hear that I have a teach who will let me do 20 hours at work. yay! I, thankfully, have roughly 2 hours of school time before my first class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I hopefully can kick it out then... But we'll see what all it entails on Jan. 22... I am also taking Introduction to Christian Theology which is independent study; I'm really excited about the subject.

I guess that's all for now...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing you all the best in 2008.