keeping up with the joneses

In the next 5 years...

2011-07-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

I would like to either be a teacher or be doing something that has to do with my degree.

Kyle will (will!) be done with school. Yes, he will.

I want to be living some where other than Merkel/Abilene. Still in Texas, just not this part of Texas. Probably the Dallas area, but I wouldn't disagree with Austin, or the coast. Or even farther east. Just some where new.

I will have at least one more tattoo. At least. The next one I get will be to commemorate my marriage. It will read "What God brought together, let no man separate" with our wedding date.

I hope to have a new ride. Even though I have vowed to be nicer to the Green Machine (aka Canadian Bacon, Squishy II, etc.), she isn't really my style. And she makes strange noises which constantly make me anxious while I'm driving her. Currently, I'm leaning toward a newer Nissan Altima, black with chrome accents, however I haven't ever been inside an Altima (they just look pretty on the outside), so I don't know if I would even like it. They are moderately priced, though, which is a plus. Really my only hope is to have a vehicle that will be safe to carry precious cargo.

Which brings me to my next hope/wish. I hope that Kyle and I are stable enough to start our family together. I absolutely cannot wait to experience the joy that is motherhood. I truly believe that God has been preparing me my entire life to be a wife and mother. And since I have already conquered the first, I'm excited to conquer the latter.

I want to be involved in a church.

I will make a point to be a better family member/friend/wife, etc. I will send all those I love cards for their birthday, Christmas and all other holidays. I will also make a point to call/email to stay in touch. I will do this. I will.

I will finish the blanket I started knitting before Christmas. It may take me all five years, but I will do it.

I will collect a significant amount of books to fill the library that I will have one day.

And I will turn this blog into something significant that will hopefully impact the lives of others. :)

Foody blog post!

2011-06-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

My first real foody blog post! And my second post in one day! The amazing things you can accomplish when you have a day off.

Kyle and I have developed a healthy obsession with ground turkey. We eat it at least twice a week. At least. So needless to say I am always looking for new recipes that use ground turkey. Hence: turkey meatloaf.

I found this recipe from Annie's Eats. How ironic, right? Well, I didn't have exactly what it called for so I made my own version:

Healthy Italian Turkey Meatloaf!

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped white onion

2 tsp. olive oil

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup chicken stock

1 lb. ground turkey breast

½ cups Italian bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup ketchup

Now, I'm not one of those cooks who is real exact with my measurements, so the measurements you see above are the ones that were provided by Annie's Eats. I'm more of an eye-baller, to taste kind of cook.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with two slices of bread to soak up the grease during cooking.

In a medium sauté pan, over medium-low heat, cook the onions, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme until translucent but not browned, approximately 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock and tomato paste. Mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well.

I mixed these ingredients together first.

Then added the onion mixture.

Press into the loaf pan.

You're hand will likely be all nasty. Ground turkey is more mushy than ground beef. See below.

Spread the ketchup evenly on top.

Bake for 1 ½ hours until the internal temperature is 160° and the meatloaf is cooked through. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

While it's cooking, sit back, relax and watch your favorite tv show. Or not. But that's what I did. Criminal Minds was my show of choice. I'm obsessed. Probably unhealthily so...but whatever. Judge me if you want. I also happen to find Dr. Spencer Reid, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, to be as yummy and delicious as this meatloaf. Of course not as yummy and delicious as Kyle.....but.....uhh...I think I just heard my timer go off! :)

So here is the finished product, along with some asparagus that I roasted at 400 degrees for 8-10 min with some olive oil, salt, pepper and minced garlic. Yum yum!

Okay, so it doesn't look impressive but it was really, really good!

5 things I have learned about or from marriage thus far

2011-06-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

So as our one year anniversary quickly approaches, (it's been a year already...can you believe it?!) I've decided to look back at the past year and share some things I have learned.

1. You will never be able to read your spouse's mind. You are probably thinking, you've only been married a year, so how would you know! What about people that have been married twenty years? Doesn't matter. How do I know this? Because since being married, older married couples are full of advice and kind words that they graciously offer which make you realize that you are not alone, strange or wrong. You may be able to accurately guess what your spouse may be thinking about something in particular, but don't assume you know exactly what they are thinking all the time because all that will do is cause misunderstandings and arguments.

2. However, having arguments is not a bad thing. You simply can't agree on everything and that is healthy. And you won't agree on everything, so don't think that you will.

3. As cliche as it may sound, communication is key. You have to talk to each other about what is going on inside. As I mentioned in number 1, even though we have been married a year, I cannot read your mind so I need you to tell me what is going on in there. Capisce?

4. And on the topic of communication, chances are you and your spouse won't communicate in the same way. One of you may like to talk things out via conversation and the other may want to think everything through before saying a single word to the other. Neither is right, or wrong, but you have to respect the other person so that when communication does occur it can be done effectively.

5. When arguing and communicating in general, choose your words carefully. Don't purposely say things to push each others' buttons. And don't bring up past fights or discretions. This makes everything worse. I should know because I'm terrible at doing this.

There are many other things I have learned, but as of now, I will leave you with these.

Marriage is work. It's as simple as that. Don't be fooled in to thinking that it is going to be all sunshine and rainbows, because I guarantee there will come a time when the thing you want to do the most is punch your spouse in the face. And that's perfectly okay. Just don't actually do it, because that's abuse and I'll have to call the people on you.

Future blog.

2011-06-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

In my mind, I have this awesome plan for my blog in the future. You see, right now, there is not much for me to write about because all Kyle and I do is work, eat and sleep.

So I guess I could write about food. Or at least share recipes with the interweb. But when I start cooking, I always forget to like take pictures of the steps and all that jazz...and I mean, the pictures really do make a good foody blog.

So yeah. I have this super idea for my future blog but I can't share it yet. It's just not the right time. But eventually, you all really will get to keep up with the Joneses, meaning Kyle and I, unlike the present time when you just get to hear random rants from me.

In other words, hang tight, you loyal three followers. Better things are to come.

Dude. I suck.

2011-06-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Since it is already halfway through the year (crazy, right?), I decided to look back at those "goals" I created for myself back in January.

And the consensus is: I suck. The only thing I can say that I have absolutely, positively done on my list is move out of my parent's house. I can't promise that I have been a better wife, although I have tried. I have also been trying to be a better friend, but again, can't promise that I have been the best friend I could be. Haven't been a better blogger, haven't saved money. Kind of been eating more healthy...and have been strengthening my relationship with God...but over all...I suck.

Suck.

Well, that's all I got. For now. Well, except that in just two short months Kyle and I will be celebrating our first anniversary. Can you believe it? I can't. Seems like just yesterday I was walking down the aisle with my dad on my arm freaking out that I forgot to turn on the fake tea light candles that were lining the aisle and Kyle's ring in my purse. Ha.

Patience. Edit: Letting Go. Edit: FAITH.

2011-02-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

Breathe in, breathe out. That's all I can do right now to keep from screaming.

I used to take pride in the fact that I was one of the most patient people I knew, but now. Now, not so much. I know that God is taking this time to teach me that I need to be thankful for what I have and I need to wait for His timing, because His timing is perfect, but it's hard. It's hard to just be still and know that God has it covered.

Kyle is pretty good at being still and just knowing, but not me. It's hard for me because I am a control freak. And I just realized that. So I guess the title of this post would be better suited as "Letting Go" rather than patience. Because, I suppose I do have patience. Actually, you know what. No, not I "suppose," I do have patience. I do. I do. I do.

(Completely unrelated, I just thought of the song Letting You Go by Faktion and I looked it up on YouTube...they got a new singer. Sick. And not in the good = bad way either.)

SoOoOo, now that I have official pulled myself around in a circle, I guess I just need to learned to relinquish my "control" to God. I mean, He is and always was in control but I just need to accept that and just breathe and have faith.

Faith is such a wonderful, scary thing.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

The Grammy's

2011-02-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Hoookay, so, this is the first year I really watched and payed attention to the Grammy's. Kinda sad, I know. Don't judge.

During the whole 3-hour fashion/music marathon, I noticed a lot of people were tweeting and facebooking their comments about what was going on. Well, I just could not do this because I just had way too much to say.

So in retrospect, here are my thoughts:

1. A womb?? Really Gaga? I mean, I know you have the need to be over-the-top, but putting yourself inside of a "womb" and saying that you are "incubating" until your performance? That's just a little too much. I mean, I was never a die-hard "Monster" fan of Gaga, but now. Now, I'm over it. Just go back inside the womb..egg..whatever the heck you want to call it. Maybe if you stay in there for the entire gestational period, you will actually come out with a fully developed brain.

Okay, that was a little harsh. But seriously. Just go sit down somewhere.

2. Florence Welch. You know, from Florence + the Machine. First off, let me just say I really like her. I think she is fun and cute and I dig her music. But..she just did not fit in with the other ladies that were doing the tribute to Aretha Franklin. And she obviously did not get the 'wear black' memo as she was the only one wearing cream. I thought that was rather odd. But you know what? No one asked my opinion before they went on stage. Probably should have, but they didn't.

3. Also, while on the Aretha tribute. Christina is another one that just needs to sit down. I know she is going through an "emotional" time or all but she just needs to calm it down. If you didn't feel the need to fancify everything you do with all those runs, you probably wouldn't forget words/whole phrases to songs nor would you get so light headed you almost fall off stage. Just saying. Take a personal day and hang out with your kid. And your boyfriend. Oh and your ex-husband too, since you all live in the same house.

4. Gwenyth Paltrow. I want to formally apologize. I was a skeptic when I heard you were performing. However, you surprised me. And I applaud you for this talent I was unaware you possessed. You also looked smoking hot in that unitard. Don't listen to what anyone else says. You looked sexy. Period.

5. Rhianna. You are another one that just needs to go sit down. Girl. I think I saw your crotch one too many times. And completely unrelated to the Grammy's, what is the deal with you song S&M? Seriously, go sit down.

6. Skylar Grey. Who's that, you say. Well, that is the girl that performed "I Need a Doctor" with Em. That's what we refer to Eminem as at LSTL. He and Marlene are on a personal level. Anyway, although I never once saw her face..I thought she did well and I like her voice. That's all I really have to say about that.

7. I am a Bieleber. Ya know, I was hater. Okay, maybe not a hater..but a skeptic. I just wasn't so sure about this Justin Bieber kid. But now, after the Grammy's and seeing some of his interviews, Bieber fever has hit. Hard. I excitedly volunteered to take my nephew to see Never Say Never so that I wouldn't look like a pedafile going to see his movie. If I wasn't a married woman...nevermind. haha Inappropro.....

8. Can someone please eliminate Lady Antebellum from this world? Or at least destroy all recordings of the song "I Need You Now"? I think my ears were literally bleeding once the Grammy's were over. Bleeding. Okay, not literally. But I'm sure I had a headache. Ugh.

9. Overall, the Grammy's were kind of boring. The only thing somewhat exciting was the egg/womb. And that was just dumb. My boy JB got jipped out of all his awards. There were no wardrobe malfunctions. There was no Kanye incident. All cuss words were bleeped, minus a few f-bombs that must have snuck by. There weren't even any really crazy outfits, other than Nicki Minaj and she just needs to sit down too.

So I was going to add pictures..but my internet blows.

On an unrelated note, Kyle and I should be out of the rents' in two weeks! Hooray!

Please help!

2011-02-09T18:36:00.000-08:00

So one of my old bosses' daughters is trying to win $2,000 in scholarship money. Pretty awesome right? I wish I would have had that much money to go towards school. $2,000 can make a lot of difference when it comes to paying for college.

So all I ask is that you please help her out and vote for her picture. I mean, it is a pretty freakin cute picture anyway.

So just do it.

Show Us Your Best Facial Feature 3
Brickfish

All three of those paragraphs started with so. So yeah, do it. Now.

Goals for 2011

2011-01-29T17:59:00.000-08:00

I hate the idea of new year's resolutions. They are basically setting you up for failure. Not cool.

Instead, I'm going to set some goals for myself this year. Webster defines a goal as the end toward which effort is directed. And all I can say is that the definition of resolution is not as forgiving.

So on to the goals:

1. Be a better wife. I realize that I have only been a wife for 4 months 22 days and approximately 5 minutes or so, but I know that I have not been the best wife I can be and I want to work on that.

2. Be a better friend. I have never been one of those people who have had a lot of good friends. I'm one of those who has a few great ones. And as far as friends go, I've been a pretty crappy one. Being busy is not excuse to not spend time with friends--actually being busy is not an excuse for anything. Want to know why? Because you make time for the things you really want. And I really want to be a good friend.

3. Move out of the parent's house! This goal is actually very close in reach. With the blessing of my new job and the up-coming income tax return, Kyle and I should be in our very first place as newlyweds very soon! Sooo exciting.

4. Be a better blogger. I want to be able to make someone laugh, inspire someone and maybe even teach someone something. I would like to think that some how some way I will have a positive impact on this world.

5. Save money. I have never, ever, ever been good at saving money. But I want to learn. I want to learn how to budget and save and all that good stuff. So if anyone has any tips that would be most excellent.

6. Get healthy. And no, my goal is not to lose 10 lbs (although I would gladly accept that) or to cut out sweets and cards (uh, yeah right people). My goal is to be healthy. Eat in moderation, be active and get enough sleep.

7. Have a better relationship with my Maker. God deserves so much more than I have been giving him. He gave me life so why shouldn't I return the favor and live for Him?

Well, that's all that I have for now..but I'm sure that I will add more later.

On a completely unrelated note, my nails are mint sprint. That's the color they are painted. And it is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty awesome. (You'll get the joke if you are a Larry David/Curb fan..if not, I do not apologize.)

Also, I'm obsessed with House. That's all.

Face Lift!

2011-01-27T21:23:00.000-08:00

Of course on my partial day off I decide to do something totally productive. Ahem.

So what do you think of the new look?? I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Also, check out this super cute collage that I got from Shabby Blogs!

Super cute right?

You should totally go check it out over there! She designed my new look -- minus the font (check out my buttons for that!) -- and she has a plethora of other really cute stuff!

Well, it is WAY past my bedtime folks.

G'night.

A job!

2011-01-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

Praise the good and gracious Lord above! I have a job! I am the new customer service representative at the local LoanStar Title Loans. It isn't the job I want, but it is a job none the less and I am pumped!

Want to know whyyyyy?

Because now I can finally be the grown-up married woman that I am and moved out of my parent's house! Can I get an Amen?!

So my first day is Monday and I can't wait to see what it's going to be like...I know you are all on your seats waiting to hear about it, so I totally let you all know. All one of you who read this blog. haha

On another note, I reconnected with an old friend today. We kind of had a massive falling out almost two years ago but we have forgiven and forgotten and we talked like no time had passed..even though all we really did was catch each other up on our lives.

All I can say is that God has perfect timing. He knows the perfect moment to open the door and let you walk through.

I just feel so very blessed today:)

Life, love and the pursuit of a job.

2011-01-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, the job hunt continues. God's plans did not involve Kyle and I moving to Amarillo, but at this point we aren't really sure what they involve. I did have a job interview at a title loan place yesterday. The interview lasted a whole 5 minutes. The regional manager was the one conducting the interview and she asked me some where around..oh say four questions. Either I am definitely not what she is looking for, which by the description of the job an idiot could do it, or it is as simple as an idiot could do the job so she didn't feel the need to patronize me with menial questions. Who knows.

Either way, I need a job. And Kyle and I need to get out of my parent's house.

I know that there are several young married couple's who start at living at the rent's due to financial hard times or they want to save money or whatever..but I'm over it. I mean, living rent free and getting free food is nothing to complain about, but we need our own house. We need our own kitchen to cook our own food and our own bathroom and even a full-sized bedroom that doesn't have someone else's stuff in it. We need our own living room so we can watch whatever we want on our own tv. We also need our own backyard so that our dog can run around in it. And our own neighbors that I will bake yummy cookies so that they won't complain when Laney barks. So even though the job mentioned above is so easy an idiot could do it..I want to be that idiot so that we can move out.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. I plan on posting some of my Christmas time crafts on here later..but for now, you can just listen to me complain.

Wishhhh listttt

2010-12-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? for everyone to be happy and no arguing...that always ruins the holiday spirit

2. What is your Christmas morning / Hanukkah Nightly tradition? PJs, read the letter from Santa, stockings first and one person passes out the gifts to everyone else

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? A JOB! I would love love love a job.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? decorating the house, baking cookies, making crafts, Christmas movies and, my most favorite, Christmas music!

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? Pretty Pretty Princess, Life, Candyland and Nintendo

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? a REAL Christmas tree

7. Where would you go for a Christmas/Hanukkah-away-from-home trip? possibly NY to visit the husbands family

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?XBox 360 (for the hubbie), Zumba fitness, Wii fit

If you want to enter, copy this and post it (with your own answers, of course). But you don't have to...gives me a better chance to win :)

Feeling crafty

2010-11-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

So today I put off my book and decided to do something else creative. I recently started following a few craft/design blogs and they have got me antsy to do some crafting. Needless to say, today was the big day and I decided to try my hand at something I had never done. Paint. Well, the kind of painting I did didn't really require any talent..but whatever.

My inspiration came from That Village House--she got her inspiration from a kids pottery barn wall art.

Isn't that adorable? Yes, it is. So anyway, I decided to try it out and this is how it turned out.

My canvas is much smaller than the original and I decided to change up the colors--I didn't really want to do pink, plus I got this book of paper on sale..it was too good to pass up. Anyway, mine is definitely no where near as cute as the PBK one or the one Tiffany did, but I tried my best. And I must say I am pretty darn proud of myself.

Side note, my little brother just told me that I get the most random urges to do things, i.e. write a book, create wall art, etc. He asked me what I am going to do next..and I'm not quite sure but I'll let you know when I find out.

Chapter 2

2010-11-18T00:09:00.000-08:00

Fantastic. This is absolutely fan-tas-tic. “Well Claire, I’m so very glad to meet you. My name is Daisy Windam, of the Victoria Windams. And I suppose you already know Amelia.” My mother has this way of unintentionally patronizing everyone she talks to, but Claire genuinely seems unabashed by her lofty attitude. “So you are from here? That is so great! I am not familiar with the area at all, so it is definitely good to have a friend who knows where they are going! Maybe we can all go to Wal-Mart later? I need to pick up a few things.” There she goes already assuming we are going to be best.friends.forever. “Oh. Absolutely not. No Wal-Mart for us, deary.” And there goes my mother, yet again, with the “greater than thou” nonsense, even though it’s true. We don’t shop at Wal-Mart. We get everything we need from Lawson’s, a high-end market owned and operated by my severely absent boyfriend’s parents. It’s not entirely Carter’s fault that he is unavailable. Busy is practically his middle name. He is Social Chair for his fraternity at Ainsworth, Sigma Xi Theta, and the co-director of marketing for Lawson’s. Once he graduates, his father plans on naming him Chief Marketing Officer. At least he isn’t letting his family down.

“Oh, does Victoria not have a Wal-Mart? I figured every city with at least three stop lights has a Wal-Mart, but I guess not, huh? Funny, I live right outside of Mt. Pleasant in a town called Talco. We only have one stop light. I figured since Victoria is a pretty good size city there would at least be a Wal-Mart…” Claire lets out an exhaustive sigh. All is lost with Claire. Amazing. Someone who is unaffected by my mother’s egotistical demeanor. Either that or she really is as unpretentious as she seems. I suppose I should rectify the situation, otherwise this poor girl is going to believe, heaven forbid, that we do not have a Wal-Mart in Victoria. “Claire,” slow breaths, “we do have a Wal-Mart.” It took everything within me not to roll my eyes just then. “Oh, thank goodness!! I don’t know what I would do! At least back in Talco there is one close by in Mt. Pleasant!” Her excitement is uncontainable. Never in my life have I seen someone so worked up over a supermarket. I take back what I said about this year not being that bad after all. It’s going to be worse than bad. Atrocious. Repulsive. Detestable. I’m going to have to pretend to be nice to this insolent girl for an entire year. Maybe I should add a few acting classes to my schedule this semester. “What my mother was trying to say earlier, is that we do our shopping at Lawson’s, not Wal-Mart. My boyfriend’s parents are the owners.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh my goodness! I want to meet your boyfriend! What is his name? Does he go here?” she squeals. I am honestly beginning to believe that she is a five-year-old child stuck inside an eighteen-year-old’s body.

I look over at my mother only to see that she is blatantly staring at Claire with as much disbelief as I was when I met her earlier that day. “Well darlings, I would love to stay and chat, but it is getting rather late and Mr. Windam is expecting me home. Amelia dear, the movers will bring rest of your things tomorrow morning.” And on that note, my mother bid us adieu and gracefully waltzes out of room 513 without missing a beat. I suppose I inherited more than just my brown hair, bright, blue eyes and thin physique from her. That woman can certainly move.

I quickly decide it best for my sanity to briefly ignore Claire’s mumblings while I survey the room. It is definitely no suite, but it is a decent size room. It smells of new paint and carpet, which is definitely a plus. There is no telling how many people have lived in this room since the 1800’s, when the university was founded. The stark white walls were bare, except for the large, arched window along the posterior wall. It looked as though someone was holding a giant mirror down the middle of the room. On either side of the window were identical worn desks with identical, appalling green chairs. The walls perpendicular to the desks, on either side, housed two naked twin size beds and next to the beds stood carbon copy chest of drawers. The university must have gotten a steal on this furniture because it definitely left a lot to be desired.

“If we are going to be living here for the next year, we need to make this room a little more inviting because right now, I feel like I’m standing in a mental hospital.” Stark white room, unnatrual smell, crazy person mumbling. A huge grin spread across Claire’s face as she ran toward me. “I am so excited to be your roommate, Millie! Can I call you Millie?” She threw her arms around me and gave me a quick squeeze. “Uh, sure,” I lie. I loathe that pet-name. With a fiery, burning passion. But there was something about Claire that was beginning to grow on me and I just couldn’t say no. I’m definitely more like my father in that way, always being nice and incapable of saying no. “Great! So, I was thinking, Millie…” she skipped over to her bed and plopped down indian-style, “I was thinking that I really don’t know much about you and you really don’t know much about me. Sooooo, I was thinking we should play twenty questions!!” Twenty questions? Are we in high school again? I’m not sure what it is with Claire, but it seems as though she was very sheltered growing up. Perhaps I’ll learn something revealing during our little game of twenty questions, or maybe I’ll just want to scratch out my eyes.

After two draining hours and what seemed like two hundred questions later, I know that Claire is from Taclo, Texas, a small town where everybody knows everybody. (The size of her hometown is quite ridiculous, actually. When she was thirteen years old, she decided to drive her mom’s car to the grocery store. A local police man saw her, but instead of issuing her a citation, he only told her to be careful. He also told her to tell her mother hello and asked how her brothers were doing! Ridiculous.) Her parents filed for divorce when she was in middle school and she has two brothers, one older and one younger, whom she loves more than anything. Although her parents have been divorced for almost ten years, they still work for the same company. She has a full academic ride to Ainsworth; she never would have been able to attend otherwise. She has never had a boyfriend. She skipped prom every year because she never got asked, she likes cats and one of her best friends is also attending Ainsworth this year. So far, we have absolutely nothing in common. Except for the fact that we will now be sharing a room.

“Wow, that is so awesome that you are a ballerina!” Claire squeals. “I’m so clumsy. I don’t think I would ever be able to do that.” She waves her arms in the air to mimic, what I assume, is her interpretation of a ballerina while she speaks. All I can do is nod in acknowledgement. It is already midnight and I still need to unpack my bedding. I lazily roll off the unmade bed and reach for the box marked AMELIA—BED. “You know, you are really lucky that you are a legacy at Ainsworth. I’ve heard that legacies get treated like celebrities around here. But honestly, I think you would get treated like a celebrity even if you weren’t a legacy. I mean, really, you are gorgeous! Beautiful long hair, sparkling blue eyes, super skinny and legs for days…you might as well be a model, Millie! Not to mention you are dating a fraternity guy! I bet you’ll get invited to all the parties…,” her voice begins to fade. I can’t decide whether to be flattered or concerned. Claire obviously has a lot to learn about the Magnolia way of life. Not just any pretty girl off the street can roll in to an Ainsworth fraternity party—the politics go much deeper. I reach into the box and pull out the leopard, Egyptian-cotton sheets Carter gave me for my birthday. “I’m sure you’ll get invited to plenty of parties, Claire,” I lie as I unfold the sheets and begin to make my bed. The minute she opens her mouth and allows all that “down home” talk to spew out, no frat guy will think twice about inviting her to their party.

“Well, maybe, but I’ve never been to a party. Plus, if I want to have a 4.0, I’m going to have to study an awful lot. Speaking of, I think I’m going to go buy my books tomorrow. Want to come?” she asks while finally beginning to make up her own bed. “Books? Already? You do know school doesn’t start for a whole week, right?” I plead while trying to relax in the impossibly, uncomfortable bed I just finished clothing with designer sheets. Seriously, this is a Magnolia school, not just any public institute of education. You would think they would be able to afford a decent mattress. “Oh, I know, silly Millie. Ha, silly Millie! I like that!” she laughs to herself while straightening her comforter, from Wal-Mart no doubt, atop her bed. “I like to get my books early so I can get a jump start on all my classes.” Well, if she is studying all the time, maybe she won’t be bothering me? I can only hope. “I think I’m just going to wait until the first week of class to get my books. Plus, I don’t know how many books dance classes require and that is the majority of my schedule.”

I roll to face the other direction hoping she’ll get the idea and let me sleep. No such luck. “Millie?” she murmurs. I hold my breath and pray that she thinks I fell asleep instantaneously. “I know I’ve already said this, but I’m really glad to be your roommate. I was so nervous moving in today. I thought that I was going to be stuck with some rich, snobby girl who assumed she was too good to be my friend,” Claire’s voice is so soft I can barely hear it, thankfully, because my eyes are getting heavy. “It just means a lot to me that I have a friend at this school. I mean, yeah, I have one friend who is transferring here this year, but that’s different. Speaking of my friend, Georgina is going to be here tomorrow and I can’t wait for you to meet her! I think y’all are going to hit it off great!” I’ve noticed that Claire basically talks until she runs out of breath. I’m not so sure about this Georgina; how can any friend of Claire’s be a friend of mine? With continuing thoughts of my new roommate and the impending year floating in my head, I can feel the unconscious abyss slowly creeping upon me.

Rant.

2010-11-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

At this time of the year, I'm normally already playing Christmas music, getting super pumped about the holidays and spending time with family and generally just being in a fantastic mood.

That is not the case this year. It is difficult to be joyous and merry when all you did is sit at home and fill out job applications. I really don't understand why finding a job has been so hard for me. Every time I go on an interview it seems as though it goes absolutely fantastic, giving me fallacious hope. But time and time again, I sit around waiting for 'the' call, and nothing happens. I trust that the Lord has something in store for me, but it is hard to keep up the hope when I am continually being let down.

Blah. Okay, I'm done with my rant.

Underneath this Amarillo sky.

2010-11-12T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well everyone, there is a possibility that the Jones family (Kyle, myself and Laney) will be relocating to Amarillo, Texas.

You are probably wondering why..what is in Amarillo? Why would you want to move so far away from everything?

The answer is a simple. A JOB. Praise the good and gracious Lord above. On Thursday, I interviewed with Texas Panhandle MHMR for a position as an ECI case manager. What is that? Well, I'll tell you.

An ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) case manager performs service coordination and developmental services for children ages birth through three years. They work with a caseload of children and their families, assessing the parents' developmental goals for their child and then assisting the child to reach those goals.

Anyway, the interview went exceptionally well. The position seems like a really good fit for me and from the feedback I received, I seem like a good fit for it as well. I was even asked if I would like to observe one of the lead case managers on one of her visits. Of course, I said yes. So yesterday afternoon, I accompanied her Ruby and Rena's house, twin two-year-old's with delayed speech and cognitive development. Basically we just played with them for an hour, seeing if they could recognize shapes and colors. Their first language is Spanish, so I had to pull out my limited Spanish vocab--Que color es? Donde esta verde?--It was fun though and by the end of the hour, they had totally warmed up to me, sitting on my lap and playing with my scarf.

Needless to say, I really hope I get this job and I feel really good about it too. I should be receiving a call on Monday. So prayers said and fingers crossed everyone!

The Black Scroll Society

2010-11-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1

I distinctly remember the day I announced to my parents my decision to attend Ainsworth Victorian University. You would have thought the heavens opened up and God himself spoke to them. “Another Windam going to Ainsworth, how delightful!” were my mothers’ exact words. My father just sat there amiably, unable to control the cheshire grin that spread across his face. He knew that it would ultimately come down to this. Five generations of Windams could claim allegiance to the beloved school and I would make six. Fantastic. You see, my “decision” to go to Ainsworth was more of an acceptance of fate rather than a willful choice. My parents would much rather throw themselves into the Gulf than have their only begotten child attend a school that does not bear the initials AVU, even if it is one of her sister schools in the prestigious Magnolia League. And we can’t have that, now can we.

Oh, sweet, sweet Magnolia. The “Magnolia League” is probably known better for its other alias, Southern Ivy. All of the “big” Ivy League schools are known for their academic excellence, tough admissions and elitism and the world of Southern Ivy is no different. However, those of us ,Southern Ivies, prefer to have a discrete distinction between ourselves and our northern Ivy League counterparts—thus the name Magnolia League was born. There are five schools in the Magnolia League: Rice University, Southern Methodist University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University and of course, Ainsworth Victorian University. This is a world I am all too familiar. With my family history and growing up in Victoria, Texas, home of the Ainsworth Mighty Lions, it really is inescapable. At the age when most kids were being read fairy-tales at bedtime, I was being taught AVU traditions and history. By age five, I could recite the entire Ainsworth fight song:

Fight, Lions, fight!
Fight, Lions, fight!
Fight for the school we dearly love
Fight for the Pride of Blue and White
Fight! Fight! Fight!

It only makes sense that I follow in the footsteps of the Windams that came before me—why bother fighting your destiny, right? Well this destiny, however certain and predictable it is, is a difficult pill to swallow and it is leaving an awful taste in my mouth. I absolutely detest the idea that before I was even born, my great-great-great grandfather had decided the location of my post-secondary adventures. Woe is me.

It is this intense feeling of misery that haunts me as I slowly shuffle up the steps toward Stanley Hall, my new home for the next agonizing year. “Oh honey, you are just going to love it at Stanley!” my mother shouts over the clicking of her brand-new, Manolo Blahniks. She felt as though she deserved something new since her only child was going “off” to college. “My girlfriends and I had so many memories here…,” her hand grabs mine as we are gracefully confronted by the hall’s magnificent, large wooden door. I had been on campus a million and one times, but I guess I never noticed the subtle grandeur of Stanley Hall. My eyes wander upward to what appears to be an infinite amount of arched windows. “Amazing, isn’t it?” Startled, I let go of my mother’s hand and abruptly turn to find a rather burly blonde staring right at me with these huge, doe-like eyes. “Can you believe that all the freshman girls live in this hall? Let me tell you, they better have a lot of bathrooms or we’re all in trouble! And I hope you brought shower shoes because all sorts of germs and bacteria get spread around in communal bathrooms. I read all about it this summer.” I can’t help but to stare at this strange, robust girl. I continue to give her the once over as we head inside, noticing her very plain-Jane appearance. Once in the lobby, she continues to stand next to me, slightly pigeon-toed, looking back at me with this pronounced meekness about her. “Oh, gosh. I’m sorry. Sometimes I just start blabbing and I forget my manners. I promise I wasn’t raised in a barn, ha. I’m Claire. Claire Jackson. I’m a freshman, well obviously. And you are?” Her accent indicates that she is definitely not from around here. My hand extends to meet hers. “My name is Amelia and this,” I casually motion to my mother, “is my mother, Daisy,” who was now chatting with the front office worker, no doubt telling them tales of her glory days at Stanley. A flicker of sorrow appears across her homely face, “You are so lucky that you have your mom here.” As soon as the words escape her mouth, her eyes dejectedly meet the tile floor. I bite my tongue and try my hardest to avoid rolling my eyes as I manage to squeak out a sarcastic “yeah.” It is not that I don’t love my mother, but I hardly need her galavanting around throwing out the family name and expecting people to roll out red carpets in our honor. I am perfectly content paving my own way, but Daisy insists that I use the Windam legacy to my advantage.

“Thank you for being such a dear,” the haughtiness in my mother’s voice was something I had grown accustomed to over the years. She whirls around to face me, allowing her long golden brown curls to fly aimlessly. Before she can grace my mother with her presence, Claire wanders off to, undoubtedly, startle another innocent bystander. “Amelia, honey! You are going to be absolutely thrilled with me!” Which probably means I am going to pissed because she has, yet again, pulled some “Windam, greater than thou” crap and has the entire front office believing I am some sort of Southern royalty. “Amelia, dear, they had you stuck in some drab corner room on the second floor,” the words fly from her red stained lips with an entitled disgust, “but, your mother dearest got you moved to the very center room on the fifth floor! It has the absolute best view and it was my old room!! Room 513!” she chortles, obviously extremely content with herself. Most girls would probably give their mother’s an A+ for effort and generally just giving a hoot, however, I award my mother a B-. She only wants me to have her old room so that she can further relive her collegiate experiences through her only offspring. Her only saving grace is that the room does happen to have a spectacular view. “Thank goodness there is an elevator. After 12 hours of dance classes, I don’t think my legs would…” I quickly cut myself off as I realize my complete and utter negligence. My parents are not exactly aware of the fact that I plan on majoring in dance. They assume I will follow in the footsteps of my predecessors and go with something more academically challenging…and boring…like business. “What was that, Amelia? I’m sorry, I am just so mesmerized by this breath-taking view. It is more beautiful than I remember!” I slowly release the breath I was feverishly holding. Well, that was a close one. I walk over to stand by my mother, facing the large window at the rear of the bare room. The elegant window is the perfect frame for the absolute, serene view that the campus provides. Maybe this year won’t be so bad after all…

Without warning, our peaceful moment is rudely interrupted. “Hey there, Amelia! Isn’t that view the best! We get to see the beautiful Texas sunset every night! And, I heard, that the building right there“ she says as she turns our focus out the window and across the yard at the adjacent building, “is the freshman boys dorm! That means, that even though we’ll be stuck in our room studying all the time, we’ll at least have some nice things to look at!” As she continues to ramble on, which I quickly notice is her forte, my only thought is why is she here in my room and who is this “we” she keeps referring to? This girl is a serious piece of work. “Um, hi Claire. What are you doing up here?” The annoyance in my voice is apparent. “Well, this is room 513, right? I mean, I thought I checked…” she stretches her head around the edge of the white, wooden door frame to search for the room number. “Well, it sure is! And are you a friend of Amelia’s?” my mother asks. That word “friend” makes me feel uneasy. I just met this girl and she was certainly no friend of mine. “Claire Jackson, ma’am. And it looks like Amelia and I are going to be roommates!!” Seriously?? That B- I so graciously awarded my mother has now been marked down to an F.

Well, there you have it folks. The first chapter of my novel. :) This is the only glimpse I'm going to provide--I have intentions of getting it published, and in that case, I want you all to go out and buy it, therefore, I can't spoil it all now! I would greatly appreciate your feedback, though. :)

XO

Sneak peek!

2010-11-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here is the rough synopsis of the novel I am writing! Would you read it? Tell me. Does it suck? Tell me. Let me know what you think, feedback is valuable!

Every year at Ainsworth Victorian University, freshman girls are under the watchful, scrutinizing eye of the campus elite. After a full semester of unknowingly living under a microscope, 15 girls are chosen for what is sure to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

When Amelia Windam reluctantly decides to attend Ainsworth Victorian University in her hometown of Victoria, Texas, she doesn't expect to enjoy it. After all, she only agreed to attend to appease her loyal alumni parents. As if reliving her parents' collegiate experience isn't bad enough, she has to learn how to deal with an agitating roommate, an estranged boyfriend and a host of other trials and tribulations.

Amelia soon acclimates to life at Ainsworth, becoming absorbed in her classes and social life, that is, until she receives an ominous, black scroll that changes her life forever.

jklajdkie;skjfdk;aie''l;da;

2010-11-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to work on my novel for NaNoWriMo pretty much all day today (when I wasn't playing Susie homemaker and baking banana bread, doing laundry and dishes and cooking dinner). I basically got no where. I only wrote 101 words that I'm not even sure I'm going to use yet. Ugh.

So I'm just going to try to get my creative juices flowing by thinking/writing about something other than my novel (topic of which I may disclose soon..and maybe even a sneak peek, if I ever get started).

So the other night I was at Wal-Mart with my mom and sister and as a proud Texan, I was sporting my red Hamilton t-shirt to support the Ranger's in their very first appearance in the World Series. Well, there was another woman in Wal-Mart wearing the exact same shirt, which is not surprising because..well, what I just said in the previous sentence--Texas, Hamilton, World Series. So, maybe it's just me, but when I see someone in public (that I don't know) wearing the exact same shirt as me, I feel as though I have to acknowledge them. Like smile, or nod, or something. It's like we're members of this secret shirt society or something. Ok, maybe not that intense, but I really do feel obligated to at least smile at them. Why is this? That is so strange. Does anyone else feel this way?

NaNoWriMo

2010-10-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Your first reaction to the title may have been similar to mine: uh, say what?

It stands for National Novel Writing Month, which just so happens to be next month. Fabulous. If you would like to learn more about it, which I strongly suggest, just click here.

I have always wanted to write a novel and now I have a goal and challenge to do so. I'm very excited! And maybe, if the novel doesn't suck too bad, I'll share it. We'll see.

That's all. K bye.

I want..

2010-10-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

I want to own a house so that I can paint it and plant flowers in the yard and decorate it to my liking. I want to be able to do whatever I want to it because it is MY house. I can have pets if I want and paint the walls whatever color I want and put in wood floors if I want. I can get all kinds of HGTV crazy on it because it would be mine.

In that house that I own, I want a library. A legitimate library with a plethora of books ranging from classics to reference books to Harry Potter. I want an entire wall of shelves with a rolling ladder. It also must have a fireplace in it...and slightly resemble the Gryffindor common room. (I warned you, I'm obsessed.) There will be no computers or televisions allowed because, well, it's a library. You read and contemplate the meaning of life in there. And perhaps, if you're lucky, have intelligent, meaningful conversations in there. I will probably live in my library. Can't wait.

I want to have a job I love. I want to wake up every morning, not dreading going to work, but excited about what that day will hold. I want to find joy in what I do. I don't want my job to be easy, that's boring. I want my job to challenge me, strengthen me as a person. I wonder if this job exists...because I have no idea what it is.

I want to live somewhere totally random, just because. Once I find out what my "dream" job is I want to find that job somewhere I have never been..attain that job..and move there. Easier said than done, I realize, but I know that I can't just up and move somewhere without a job. That is just ludicrous...I know, I've done it. Luckily, I have loving parents who were willing to take me in because I had no work. (Still questioning why I/we chose to "up-and-move" to Abilene..? Well, it was really my decision..and a poor one.)

I want to have babies..with my husband, of course. I'm kind of obsessed with creating a family with Kyle. It is going to be so flipping excited when the day finally comes that we start our family. We already know what our first child will be named, Hannah Beth or Henry Austin. I also know what the second child will be named..and possibly the third. I love, love, love babies. And picking their names. haha. If you haven't seen the documentary Babies, you should. It's amazing. Even Kyle liked it. (Just FYI, it will be a while until we have children..so don't ask...I'm just..obsessed like I said, haha)

I want to look like a grown-up. Even when I wear a business suit, I still look like a high schooler..maybe freshman/sophomore in college, if I'm lucky. Every time I substitute teach at the high school, I get asked if I'm a student by someone. Granted, it's not like I'm 30 and people think I'm 18. I'm only 22..but I want to look like I'm at least 22, maybe older. It's a lot harder to get respect in the professional world when you look like a kid. And yes, I'm sure I will just love the fact that I look young when I'm like 45...but I'm not 45..so I don't love it.

There are a lot of other things that I want...but I'll just leave it at that. Plus, I've gotta bounce. Yes, I said bounce. Deal with it.

Oh yes, keeping up with the Joneses

2010-10-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

In this case, I'm not talking about conspicuous consumption..I'm talking about me & mine. The Joneses.

Don't worry, I won't bore you with the daily routines of my family..wait, who am I kidding. We have no daily routines. Everyday is different, for now anyway. Honestly, I crave routine, normalcy. Well, just a little bit of normalcy..not too much though.

I will, however, subject you to rants, raves and all around repartee.

For now, I will start off with a top 5 list of reasons why I can't wait for Halloween:)

1. I am so super excited about carving pumpkins! I actually get to carve pumpkins twice! Once for my nephew's birthday/Halloween party and then again for actual Halloween. I've already decided I'm going to carve an owl:)
2. I am dressing up as Harry Potter. I have this healthy obsession with all things Harry Potter. I say healthy because I know that Hogwarts is a mere fairytale (although I wish it wasn't) and "magic" is non-existent. And no, I'm not going to be one of those slutty Harry Potter girls. I think those slutty costumes should be reserved for girls in college. Married women (wow, I sound old) should reserve themselves for their husbands.
3. Halloween means an excuse to eat candy. Lots of candy. And for no apparent reason other than the fact that it's Halloween.
4. Trick-or-treaters. They are so precious. I remember being so excited when Halloween came around as a child because it gave me the chance to be exactly what I wanted to be, which in my case was usually a ballerina, princess or mermaid.
5. Scary movies. I love suspenseful, scary movies. I've been watching scary movies since second or third grade. The first scary movie I ever saw was Cujo, the one about the rabid dog. And since then, I've seen almost anything from the original Exorsist to the Silence of the Lambs to the Ring. However, I do not like to be scared in person. Which might stem from a bad haunted house experience when I was young or from the time my dad dressed up in a black dress and pillow case and busted in the room while my sister and I were watched Scream (the year it came out)..with a huge butcher knife.