Save me from myself!

Yours truly here really woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning! I was just in a sour mood all morning..pretty much all day. I was so busy at work, people were getting on my nerves, I was tired, hungry..what else can I complain about?!

During my lunch break, I got a call from the Starkville Academy athletic director, and she offered me the coaching position again for the JV dance team. Since we had been going back and forth with me maybe coaching the Varsity, I was relieved to have the JV back, and I gladly took her up on her offer. This kinda lifted my spirits...kinda.

I spent the rest of the afternoon smothered in work. I took out a little aggression on the eliptical and bike at the gym. I'm now about to head to the Veranda for dinner with some friends. This will be fun, and I'm looking forward to closing out this BLAH day with a good time. The Veranda has an extremely bittersweet feeling to it. Gaskin and I had a really, really fun night there a few months ago, and he always texted me when he was up there. I know he'd be shocked to know I was actually going tonight! Gosh, I miss him so, so much. But here's to a good night with friends and maybe having a drink for my boy, Gaskin ;)

He Preserves Us

I meant to post this last night, but I didn't get a chance. Jade's post today inspired me to make sure I wrote this one tonight. For Christmas, my mom gave me a daily devotional for women called, Walking with Christ Everday. This devotion came along exactly when I needed it...

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

Women of every generation have experienced adversity, and this generation is no different. But, today's women face challenges that previous generations could have scarcely imagined. Thankfully, although the world continues to change, God's love remains constant. And, He remains ready to comfort us and strengthen us whenever we turn to Him.

God's Word promises, "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preservees all who love Him" (Psalm 45:18-20). This comforting passage reminds us that when we are troubled, we should call upon God, and in time, He will heal us. And until He does, we may be comforted in the knowledge that we never suffer alone.

You think you know, You have no idea...

Ok, so Jade Gaskin has tagged me in this fun little activity to share 7 interesting facts about myself! I am not sure what to share--I think I am very boring! But I'm glad she tagged me--here goes!


1. This HAD to be my #1 fact--I can write with both hands..at the same time! With my right hand, I write normal and with my left I write backwards all at the same time. For example, I will write my name going the right direction with my right hand and then backwards with my left hand. I have NO clue how I discovered this talent. I was born left-handed, but I also write with my right hand a lot of the time. My sister says I'm a freak of nature.


2. I am terrified of storms. In fact, as I'm typing this, it's thundering, and I don't like it! I'm a big baby when it comes to a storm.


3. I, like Jade, have threatened to tryout for American Idol! I love to sing, but I'm nowhere good enough to win that competition. I was the lead in my high school play, but when I look back at the video, I get a little embarrassed!


4. I have this obsession with keeping my kitchen counter clean. I wipe the thing down just about everyday. I don't know why I care that much. I am not that great at keeping everything else clean, but you can bet that counter is gonna be spotless!


5. I'm scared of clowns. I mean REALLY scared of clowns. When I was a student worker for the football office, I had to clean out Coach Sherrill's office when he retired...he collected clowns..all kinds. Miserable! In fact, I'm scared of Halloween too. I don't do mask/costumes.


6. Ok, this one will sound really strange. I don't like to touch paper (newspaper, notebook paper, paper sacks, etc) Weird, huh? Obviously, I have to touch it cause I wouldn't make it through life, but I can't stand the way it feels on my hands!


7. If I could have one wish come true, I'd be a Broadway star. I wouldn't mind having a part in Hairspray, RENT, even High School Musical. I think that's what I'll do in my next life. :)


Thanks, Jade. That was fun. I'm gonna tag Mandi and Kayla now.

What a Thursday

Lots going on today...

They are probably announcing the new athletic director today...lots of buzz around my office and people are beginning to ring our phones off the hook. It's an exciting day and lots of changes are in store for the MSU athletic department!

I made the "Phlog" on the athletics website today. Click the link below to view my phlog debut! HA--maybe I should try out for America's Next Top Model??

http://www.mstateathletics.com/Phlog.dbml?ATCLID=1394122&DB_OEM_ID=16800

I'm having lunch today with some of Gaskin's family, and I'm really looking forward to that. It means so much for them to take the time to get to know me. Talking to them helps me feel better. Wonder what ol' Matthew would have to say about it...

It's a rainy, dreary day, but I'm planning to make the most of it.

Shout out to TAMPA! :)

My friend Mandi wrote the cutest, sweetest blog for me, and I had to share. Please take the time to check it out. Thanks, Mandi :)

http://mandidaniellethoughts.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-miss-things-that-used-to-be.html

My Daddy

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now. I wanted to share the story of my daddy...

In August 2003, about a week before I moved to Starkville, my mom sat me down along with my little sister and told us news that would change my life forever. My dad had been diagnosed with Alzhiemer's Disease. He was 53 at the time. You rarely hear of this disease affecting someone so young. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and it scared me to death. I knew dad had had something wrong for about two years before that, but never in my life did I expect that. What happened over the next four years would take a lot more than one blog post to describe. When they call Alzhiemer's the "long goodbye", they know what they're talking about. We slowly watched him forget how to do the simplest things (tie his shoe, walk the dog, fix a sandwich...) Such a saddening experience to see this man that was the smartest, most business-savvy, most outgoing man I'd ever known go through this. In November of 2006, we made the very difficult decision to move daddy out of our house. He had gotten to the point where my mom and little sister could no longer take care of him. Around last May daddy got really sick, and on June 15, 2007, the Lord took him home.

I could not ask for a better daddy, and I miss him as much today as I did yesterday. He taught me so much and set the greatest example of what a husband and father should be. God has been so good to my family. We have gone through so much in the last five years, but we could never have made it through without our faith. We may not always understand God's plan, but it is HIS plan. He is completely in control, and we have to trust.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

Weekend in Texas

I just got back from a weekend in Houston, TX. My boyfriend Casey lives there and works for Exxon Mobil. We had a good weekend. I got there Thursday night, and we just hung out at his apartment. Since he had to work on Friday, I enjoyed relaxing and having some peaceful time to myself. I really needed it. We went to a nice restaurant Friday night called The Oceanaire. (DECLICIOUS). Saturday we watched the State game--GO STATE!!. It was nice to not have to work and scan all those tickets! Saturday night we went to the Alamo Draft House. The Alamo is a movie theater close to Katy, TX where you can order food while watching a movie. There are waitors that come around and quietly take your order. It's really neat and was something new and different for us both.

I enjoyed my weekend. It was good to get out of Starkville for a few days and get my mind off some things.

I can't wait for the summer when I will head down to Tampa, FL to see my friend Mandi! I am looking so forward to seeing a part of Florida I have never seen before. It will be so much fun to hang out with her again! We have had some GREAT times together. :)

It's Hump Day (Thanks for the idea, Mandi)

Well, it's Wednesday, my third favorite day of the week. (1st-Saturday; 2nd-Friday). Not much happening in the town of Starkville today, except that it's freezing! As I walked into work today, snow flurries hit my face. That was kinda fun. Work is exceptionally boring today. I have work I could probably be doing, but I'm just not in the mood!

I'm excited about tonight--My friend Rachel and I are going to eat MUGSHOTS! -After we workout of course- I've been wanting to eat there for a long time. Then, I gotta pack. I'm headed to Houston, Texas tomorrow until Sunday. Going to Houston is fun, but the flying, not so much. I DESPISE flying. I'm scared the entire time - from the driving to airport, to the sitting and waiting at the gate, to the flight itself, right up until we reach the terminal! I get that from my mama...

I miss my friend...

DANCE, DANCE!

As mentioned in my "About Me", I'd rather be dancing. I LOVE to dance. I took dance for about ten years, and then I taught dance my first two years of college. I taught cheer-dance, clogging, and beginner tap. I don't go much anymore, but a couple years ago, if you needed me, you probably could've found me on the dance floor somewhere in Starkville! (Thanks MANDI and friends!) Good times...


Back in the fall, I coached the JV Dance Team at Starkville Academy. I had a very small squad of only seven girls, but we really had a great time. We worked really hard and came a VERY long way. I miss them! They were lots of fun.

Of course I watch all of the reality shows concerning dance: Dancing with the Stars, Dance War (with Carrie Ann and Bruno), America's Best Dance Crew (MTV)..I enjoy them all. I've always said I wish they made a show called Dancing with Regular People--I'd take home the trophy! :)


"Dance like nobody's watching..."

My weekend

After a little rocky start, I ended up having a pretty good weekend at home. I finally got to see my niece this afternoon. I miss seeing her almost everyday. (They recently moved to Southaven.)

Today was fun. We went to the NA High School play--High School Musical. I haven't ever watched the movie, so I was a bit curious as to how this play might turn out. I'm only used to the school producing broadway plays. When I was a senior, we did South Pacific. (yes, I was the lead). That was probably the most fun time of my entire senior year. The play was really good today and lots of fun to watch. It really made me miss doing stuff like that. For those of you reading this that know me well--my passion in life is dance and performing. I LOVE it--enough said.

Got a pretty busy week ahead. I pray that the Lord will help me have a positive attitude. I've kinda had a bad (sad) attitude lately. God is good. Let us not forget that.

NA town

I'm headed home to NA for the weekend. Haven't been in a couple weeks, and I'm ready to get there. Just wish my niece was going to be there!

Thanks to Jade for the link on her page. I appreciate it :)

Hope the weekend is a great one for all.

Don't forget the lyrics...

I had a really random thought for a post this morning. I've decided to make a list of some of my favorite lines from songs. I'm sure I'll think of more later, so I'll come back and add them to the list.

-One more kiss could be the best thing, or one more lie could be the worst...
-On a night like this, I could fall in love...
-Can I get some fries with that shake shake booty!
-I don't want no scrub...
-I wanted you to know, that I love the way you laugh...
-How great is our God. Sing with me, how great is our God...
-It starts in my toes, makes me crinkle my nose, wherever it goes, I always know...
-I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E!
-Light 'em up and watch them burn, teach 'em what they need to learn HA!
-Yall gon' make me lose my mind, up in here, up in here
-Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound...
-I'm bringing sexy back...
-So I CREEP, yeah, just keep it on the down low...
-My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be...

My Sweet Friend, Gaskin

Recently, I lost a very special friend, Matthew Gaskin. Gaskin and I were neighbors last year, and we had developed a close friendship. He NEVER failed at making me smile. The last time I saw him, he was smiling his great big smile and joked with me about being old--something he liked to remind me of often ;) I am so thankful for that night.

I will miss my friend so very much, but thankfully the Lord had a much greater plan for him than I did. We are not promised tomorrow, and I hope that I will continue to live as Matthew did--living life to the fullest, never worrying about what might come.

About a month after my dad passed away, I sent Gaskin a text saying how much I missed him. What he texted back I will remember forever, as it is now true about him.."I know you miss him, but you will see him again. He is part of you, he's in you."

See you soon, Gaskin. :)

My very first blog

Well, after a little push from my friend, Mandi, I decided to try this out. My initial thoughts on blogging were, hmm..weird. I didn't think I'd ever do it, but I enjoyed reading a few random blogs every now and then. I'm gonna give it a try. Maybe it'll help relieve some stress. Bare with me. I'm not the best writer...