Day 9: A Picture of...

...the person who has gotten you through the most.

I have a lot of relationship baggage from my boyfriend in high school, and J has been so patient, kind, and understanding through it all.

Day 8: A Picture...

...that makes you laugh.

I have a whole album of stuff I find online that makes me laugh.

Day 7: A Picture of...

...your most treasured item.

This makes me feel really materialistic, but the wording is "item," so here goes:

When J got his Motorola DROID in November 2008, I was like, "I'll never want/need a smart phone. Those things are so expensive and such a waste of money." Open mouth, insert foot. I love my phone. I love that I have access to all my Google calendar, which I have color coded depending on what aspect of my life it affects (seriously, the OCD side of me LOVES this!!). Plus, when I do get a Nook, I'll be able to read those books on my phone if I don't have the Nook with me. I look up teaching ideas at school, I know that weather. Man, when did I become such a tech geek??

Day 6: A Picture of...

...Something You'd Like to Do Again

I would love to go back to the Goshen Valley Boys Ranch in Georgia. My friend T gets to go back in June or July and I'm SO FREAKING JEALOUS. Please refer to my blog post about this trip here.

Day 5: A Picture of...

...your favorite memory.

Besides the obvious:

This is also a favorite:

I had surprised J at our rehearsal with a song he wanted to be sung at the wedding but I vetoed. My stepbrother learned how to play it and I sang it to J during our slideshow, but I got so emotional I had to look at the ceiling while I was singing otherwise I would have LOST IT.

Day 4: A Picture of...

...your night.

WTF does this mean??

Haha. I guess my average night would look like this:

Mostly my night is used for doing absolutely nothing since my days are constantly go-go-go (but whose isn't??). Usually J and I end up in bed catching up on the DVR, which the boys get comfy at our feet...

Day 3: A Picture of...

...the cast from your favorite show.

Off-air:

{Image from http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs11/i/2006/203/e/1/Gilmore_Girls_Cast_by_kitsunegari16.jpg}

On-air, I can't choose. I have a few absolute favorites:

Day 2: A Picture of You...

...And the person you have been closest to the longest.

I big puffy heart my mom and my brother. My brother Matt and I have a GREAT relationship, and I blame my mom for that. Well, my mom and my dad. They never really played the "Why can't you be more like your brother/sister" game, and when they divorced in 1997, I had to stay home after school and take care of Matt. As a result, he and I became super close. I lvoe that I can count my brother as one of my best friends. Same with my mom. We've never really had terrible arguments about anything, or had any of those "I hate you" moments as I grew up.

Day 1: A Picture of Yourself...

...With 15 facts

1. I'm trying to teach myself how to play the guitar (I already know how to play bass, as you can see).

2. I think we overpay for our membership to the gym, but it's got a pool and 2 of my best friends work out there, so I'm willing to pony up the price.

3. I like to cook, but I'm terrified of burning what I'm making/totally screwing it up.

4. When I was a kid I really wanted to be an actress.

5. In fact, I still have dreams of stardom -- but as a Christian singer/in a Christian band.

6. I SUCK at video games. At least the RPG ones -- I'm pretty decent at Mario games and I really enjoy puzzle games..

7. One of my most favorite moments of my life -- other than saying "I Do" was when I surprised J with a song at our wedding rehearsal.

8. As huge of a role as camp has played in my life, I definitely feel that I left at a good time. I miss it, of course, but not in a "man, I really wish I could go back" kind of a way -- just a "man, those were good times," kind of a way.

9. I love my cats, and I love watching J interact with them.

10. I am a CPR instructor, and I used ot be a swim instructor; these two qualifications, I think, really helped me snag my job.

11. I'm planning on starting grad school in the fall for literacy -- reading specialist. I'm loving teaching my pre-K kids early reading skills.

12. I love jelly beans, but not cheap ones -- Starburst ones are my favorite.

13. I really hope to pay off as much of our debt as possible before we have children, because Jerome earns enough to pay for pretty much everything, which means I could stay home for a while with our kid(s).

14. I want to buy a Nook Color with my first wedding paycheck (I'm the facilities supervisor at church) and turn it into an Android tablet.

15. I love my youth kids, but I think God is calling me to a different ministry at my church...

Blogging Challenge

Just 'cause it's fun:

Day 1- A picture of yourself with fifteen facts
Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 3 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 4 - A picture of your night
Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 6 - A picture of something you'd like to do again
Day 7 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 8 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 9 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of a favorite summer activity
Day 19 - A picture of a phrase you live by
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Slimmin' on Down

It's been slow going, but I officially weigh 10 pounds less than I did at the beginning of the year, which puts me well on track to lose 30 pounds this year.

It got a little unsure there for a while -- I think I've only been to the gym five times this month (used to be three times a week) because I got so busy. I was still paying attention to what I ate, though, and while my weight went up about a pound a few weeks ago, I lost 2 pounds overt the last two weeks.

My best friend is getting married in 7 months and we went to try on bridesmaid dresses recently and I realized 2 things: 1) I'm excited about the weight I'm losing and 2)I really miss my swimmer arms. So while my goal is still to lose 30 pounds, I'm also focusing on getting those arms back. =)

And because I like cute videos, check out this video of a cute baby who is part scared/part amused by his mom blowing her nose:

Thoughts from My Brain (You've been warned...)

*Last week was INSANE for me. With the exception of Monday (my day off) I worked everyday, then had church every evening. EVERY evening. Tuesday and Friday were all the way out in Warrenton, too, because I had agreed to help them out on the bass with a women's conference. No time to myself, no time to go to the gym. Yesterday was the first day I've been able to get to the gym in almost 2 weeks, AND I haven't been tracking my food. However, I maintained my weight from my weigh in on Feb. 15. That weigh in was 219.5, yesterday's weigh in was 220.6 -- but I had just eaten lunch so I don't count that pound, LOL. Oh, and I wore a pair of pants that hadn't been in rotation in about 8 months. =) This makes me very happy.

*Some changes are going down at my church and I think God is leading me in a direction involving that change. Very vague and nondescript, I know, but I can't go into details. Nothing is WRONG with my church; the change just involves a vacancy that I might be interested in. I'm just trying to figure out if it's for real from God or just me thinking, "Hey that would be cool..."

*I bought a bird feeder for out on the patio 'cause I knew the boys would like watching the birds. Paulie this morning went to pounce on one as it flew by and hit his head on the glass door. I didn't see it, only heard it, but J saw it and said it was hilarious.

*I officially applied to grad school. I applied to my alma mater, LU, even though everyone I know has been telling me not to go to grad school where you went for undergrad -- but the program I want to go for is AMAZING at LU so I'm tempted to say screw that advice, LOL. I'm still loving my job, too. It's a lot of fun and I love working with the kids. I had 2 girls the other day read "Green Eggs and Ham" to me. It was pretty much amazing.

*I'm researching getting rid of our cable. We have AT&T U-Verse and love it, don't get me wrong, but if I can reduce what we way for TV I will be a happy camper. We get the 200 channel package and pay $69 for it, plus $7 for a second receiver in the bedroom, which equals about $78 once you include tax. Right now they have an offer for $30/mo/6 mo offer going. I want to call and ask for the deal, but have never done something like that before. Even though I am thinking about getting rid of U-Verse, I don't want to threaten that I'm going to cancel my plan, mostly because I think that's kind of a shady practice. But if I can save almost $50?? I'm tempted...

*I've also been looking at options to watch subscription services on the TV. We have an older, "standard" TV which means I can't hook up the computer to the TV and be able to watch online content. We subscribe to Netflix on the Wii and the PS3 which is nice, esp. since recently they've been adding a whole lot of stuff. A FB friend of mine recently suggested a Roku box -- it will stream Netflix, Hulu-Plus, and some other channel options, but I can't access, say, NBC.Com to watch Harry's Law, or CBS.Com to watch How I Met Your Mother. J's big hold-out is soccer -- not that he watches even half of the games he records. So I'm looking into FoxSoccer.TV, which will not only give him access to the games but also a subscription to the iPhone app -- that will definitely make him a happy camper. (For those of you keeping track, we'd pay approximately $32 before tax for TV if we subscribe to those three services.) We would probably go the route of this converter box instead of the Roku, though, because we would be able to watch online content. Hmmm... choices, choices.

American Idol 2011: Top 24

There are only 2 guys I really care about making it through tomorrow night: Jordan and Casey. Not because I dont like anyone else, just because I feel more vested in them. I like James Durbin's story but not his music style. (Yes, I was and still am an Adam Lambert hater.) The girls, though, I care about. It's a really tough choice between them all. But before I get into my picks, ley me talk about the season in general.

I loved the new dynamic Jennifer and Steven brought to the table. I think that a lot of purple made it through this year who wouldn't have in years past simply because they were good singers and deserved another shot. (I think that some people have been overlooked in the past because they lacked "the look.") They seemed to be having fun, and they brought good advice to the contestants. However, I feel like they are being too nice now. They liked a majority of the performances over the last two nights, and then Randy got booed for starting what we were all thinking.

I think the way they're eliminating this year kind of sucks. I know they started way late and if they were to do it the way they have most often would have pushed the show into June, but we haven't gotten a chance to get to know any of the singers and their style. To ask us to choose 5 really stinks. I think were going to lose some really good contestants too early in the game.

That said, here are my picks for the girls.

Karen Rodriguez. Oh. My. Goodness. Can you say amazing? She really pulled me in with Hero, and even though I can't speak Spanish, I thought the language change was beautifully done. I worry, though, that she may alienate took many viewers if she does Spanish songs all the time. Then again, maybe there are more Latinos who watch than I think... She's beautiful, too; that dress was STUNNING.

Lauren Turner. Every season has to have a rock chick, but I haven't always been a fan. A few seasons ago there was Amanda something-or-other and I wasn't a big fan. LOVE Lauren, though. I'm worried she won't make it through, though, because we didn't see any of her throughout the auditions or Hollywood week.

Lauren Alaina. Wow, this girl is only 16? I'm not a fan of country, so I don't really foresee myself buying her album ('cause you know she'll get a deal whether she gets far or not) but I love her spirit and the power behind her voice. She really looked like she was having a blast up there tonight!

Pia Toscano. Are you freaking kidding me? What a way to end the show. She's beautiful, the song was beautiful. The end. Put her through.

Those are the girls I think SHOULD make it to the next round and for whom I seriously might cry if they don't. Here is who else I thought was good/deserve another chance:

Kendra Chantelle.

Rachel Zavida (I kind of liked her rendition of Fiona Apple's "Criminal"

I have a feeling Ashton or Ta-Tynisa will make it through, though, because they have the R&B diva-esque vibe going for them.

What do you think? Who will make it through?

All photos of contestants were taken from the American Idol website.