OHHH FIVEEEEE!!!!

Today is the last day of '05.
I'm kind of sad.
I'm kind of happy.
It's been a pretty good year all around.
And 2006 looks promising.
Happy New Year everyone!

tHiS MoMeNt SeEmS sO LoNg

I've discovered that Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas if there weren't little kids around. I woke up this morning to my four-year old cousin, Anna, jumping on my bed screaming "santa's coming tonight! santa's coming!"

We're spending the day baking cookies, putting together puzzles, and finishing our last-minute wrapping. There's 12 of us here, and as you can imagine our tree is overflowing with presents.

We played a family game of kick croquet in the back yard. It's interesting when you find games that 70-year olds and 4-year olds can enjoy. We've also played Bingo and Scatagories, as well as Wheel of Fortune and Hide and Go seek.

We took a family picture with our Auburn shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. on, and though argued, "War Eagle" was a definent pick in the "Things you shout" catagory of Scatagories last night. I'm pretty sure my entire family will disown me if I don't go to Auburn.

Anyway, it finally feels like Christmas...which is good considering it's tomorow. Tonight will be our traditional family feast, and tomorow we'll open presents and lay around in pajamas all day.

Remember to keep Keila and her family in your prayers for their safety as the travel to New York City tomorow.

Merry Christmas!!

i'LL bE FiNe...YoU'll bE FiNe

Much like my good friend Brent, my family and I made the 13 hour drive from Dallas to Birmingham today. We're staying with my grandparents just outside of the city until next Thursday. This was one of those days when I really wished my mom was a flight attendant.

The five of us and the dog set out this morning around 6 am. My mom had been to the donut shop and starbucks by 5:30. I somehow ended up with more leg room than my brother or sister, and while it's probably unfair considering I have much shorter legs than Brandon, he didnt complain so I stayed put. The portable DVD player was extremely convenient, but the one movie that I actually wanted to see, March of the Penguins, was scrathed. We settled for Monster-In-Law staring Wanda Sykes and Jennifer Lopez. Enough said.

Fast food is not exactly ideal for those of us on a liquid diet, so we ate lunch at Shoney's. Talk about your southern cooking. I loaded up on the mashed potatoes and was forced to watch the rest of my family eat fried chicken and biscuits. Major life-suckage points.

I tried to mix up my CD choices so I didn't get sick of one particular band, but I relied mainly on the All-American Rejects to get me through the last half of Louisiana and most of Mississippi. Basically every song reminded me of Chris, which made me even more bitter because he happens to be in Costa Rica right now. Today his family explored a rainforest. And I spent 14 hours in a mini van. SPLENDID.

We survived though, and we're here. Good old Sylacauga, Alabama. My aunt, uncle, and three cousins got a late start and shouldnt end up getting here until around 3 am. They're all pretty young, and this house is extremely small, so needless to say, I'm enjoying the quiet while I can.

Tomorow we're getting a family portrait done, which will be really fun with my mouth in its current condition. Then Monday we'll drive down to Atlanta to stay with my Dad's side of the family. Wednesday my parents and I are touring Auburn (my dad is really set on me going there), and then we'll drive back to Texas on Thursday.

It's nice to visit extended family, especially when they live this far away because seeing them is pretty rare...but I am looking forward to getting back home. I miss my bed already.

TwO fRoNt TeEtH

(( Tomorow is my follow-up appointment with the surgeon. Please be praying for me. He can either give me really good news, really bad news, or very little news at all, which I've decided is the worst case. My teeth feel pretty loose in my mouth which I dont think is a good sign. But most, if not all of the swelling has gone down, and for that I am very thankful. ))

(( Exams are tomorow and Wednesday. Half of me is really freaking out because I don't know anything, and the other half is too tired to care. I finished all my reviews during class so I don't actually have any homework tonight, meaning I'll have no incentive to get them out, meaning the chances of me actually studying them is really not likely. ))

(( My family leaves Thursday for good old Alabama. Please be praying for that too. Prayers for safety mainly, but also patience. All five of us, plus the dog, plus all our luggage, plus all our Christmas presents which my parents are going to have to try to continue to hide...there will be very little room. We got the portable DVD player as an early Santa gift yesterday which should make the trip a little better, but 14 hours in a car sucks no matter which way you spin it. ))

(( Sweet Sixteen...29 days and counting! ))

(( I'm ready for school to be over. Not just the semester, but the whole year. This summer is going to be ten billion times better than any other summer. Mainly because I'll be driving, but also because of Holland '06! Talk about amazing. Like seriously. No I'm not kidding. Amazing. ))

aLL i WaNt FoR ChRisTmAs iS My...

Well for those of you who dont know, due to some hardcore clumsiness on my part, and some even hardercore stupidity on another cheerleader's part...I got pretty banged up this week.
I was in mid-tumble, approaching the backhandspring oart of a round-of backhandspring (which i do all the time so it wasnt really a big deal) when out of the corner of my eye I see a girl start walking towards me. So i try to pull back my backhandspring by attempting a safety roll, but apparently my knee didnt get the message and proceeded to jam itself into my face.

Inital thoughts: "Ow that really hurt. " "%#&!" "my life sucks" and "Well at least its not serious"
Then I notice that Im bleeding, so I try to get up but only make it to my hands and knees when I'm like 'what the heck is in my mouth.' So I decide to spit it, whatever it is, out of my mouth and when I do... I see my tooth, the whole thing, lying on the ground (as well as a ton of blood.)

And as if that wasnt unfortunant enough...I realize on my way to the front door that the rest of my front teeth are now pointing straight back, to the point that I can feel them on the roof of my mouth with my tounge.

So I then begin to freak out. The gym called 911, I'm still bleeding, ambulance pulls up and the whole fun ordeal begins. Stretcher, IV, lots of drugs, ambulance ride to the ER, people staring, more blood.

Definently a humbling experience.

So to shorten the rest of the story, the ER doctor gave me four different shots to numb my mouth and pulled my teeth back in to place. I still felt it. And then, when i thought it was over, He takes my tooth that fell out and my mom was holding in a cup of milk, and shoves it back into my head. I sure as heck felt that. Then he puts this wax stuff in place to mold around my teeth so that they wouldnt move, and then topped it off with a football mouth guard and some gauze. Which I left the hospital wearing and had to wear until the next day.

So I wake up and my mom forces carnation instant breakfast down the side of my mouth with a serenge until the doctor calls and says no more food. So I'm pretty hungry by the time we get to the office. I took some x-rays, and then the put me to sleep and about an hour later my surgery is done. I've got this brace looking thing on my teeth as well as a bunch of that wax stuff which is just not attractive but they're stable for now. I have a follow up on Tuesday, liquid diet for the next three weeks, and hopefully they'll be able to tell whether or not I get to keep my teeth. Best case scenario is I do, and I only have a few minor surgeries...worst case would be I loose my teeth and I have to get permanent replacements.

Needless to say I'm thankful for doctors, and heath insurance, and technology, and ambulances, and smoothie king. I'm also thankful for family who loves me, and friends who stop by to visit. So thanks Brent, Nathan, Chris, Addie, Nicole, Zack, Keila, Alex Ehrich, Lindz, Shane, and Jenny. You guys really rock.

So just to warn you - if you see me in the next few days and I look a little bit like Shrek...don't be alarmed. It will heal.

LeTs GeT ThEsE TeEn HeArTs BeAtiNg FaStEr

As I'm sure I've said multiple times on this blog, Liz Spring is by far one of my favorite people in this whole entire world. Meaning, if she were to, oh I dont know, move to Utah, I would be extremely upset. Well she just so happens so be considering such a move. So I would like to dedicate this blog as a petition to convince Elizabeth Lee Spring to stay here in Texas where she just so happens to belong.
So all in favor...comment "I LOVE LIZ SPRING"
Thank you for your time.

iTs MuCh BeTtEr tO FaCe ThEsE KiNdS oF tHiNgS

I havent really had much of substance to blog about lately.

There's really not a whole lot of blogworthy things going on in my life as of late so I find myself writing completely useless information on this bad boy but I guess I shouldnt end the trend so here's more random facts about my life...

My brother moved back in with us until January. It's really weird to see him at night and have him give me rides everywhere again. But I guess it's nice. We're going to six flags sometime next week so I dont have to go to school! I'm really excited about that!!

Exams are coming up in a few weeks. I don't know why I'm getting so stressed about them already. I think it might have to do with the 7 college letters I've received this week alone. Since when do they send letters to sophomores??

My family has had a Christmas explosion in the living room. All the decorations are up and there is wrapping paper EVERYWHERE. My mom says she's finished Christmas shopping already which sucks because I never finished my list. I however, have bought nothing.

A lot of my friends have a lot of crap going on that they shouldnt have to deal with. It's always hard to see people you care about hurting.

I think big things are happening right now that no one is seeing. I don't know why or what but I think something big is about change and I'm really excited.

<3 i love Christmas season!