Day 42; Frenzies

I got together with some of my friends yesterday in Slidell and watched Secondhand Lions with them. Before we watched the movie, we ran to the mall to get some food. Naturally, we wound up playing around a bit, too.

I love Secondhand Lions. It's definitely in my list of Top 5 Favorite Movies.

I always love movies with great father figures. You don't even understand. I cried for Despicable Me and Morning Glory. Give me a story line where there are some serious fathering points, and I just liquefy into a puddle on the floor.

Good fathers are my favorite.

Here's one of my favorite lines in the movie. It's a speech Robert Duvall's character, Hub McCann, gives to Walter, Haley Joel Osment's character:

"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in."

Day 41; Black Friday

I'm not a very good person.

I went to Black Friday yesterday and it was pretty nuts.

The mall was packed and lines were ridiculous.

That is not what makes me awful. What makes me awful is that I brought my brother, Bobby.

I woke up, realized that it was Black Friday, and went to find Bob.

*knock, knock*

"Hey, Kel. What's up?"

Nothin'. Wanna go to the mall?

"Really? Yeah, I've never been to Black Friday."

Uhh...cool. Let's go...

We got in the car and he asked, "So is it pretty crazy today over there?"

Umm....I mean...a little...no big deal...

"Wait, are there long lines and all that?"

Pshh...no...they're pretty efficient, Bob. No super long lines.

Oh, okay. Cool.

Bobby can't handle the mall for long periods of time and so I knew that if he was aware of what he was about to experience, he would make me take him home. So I lied. I lied my little heart out. I am ashamed.

This is what I put him through.

For once, I'll be honest. This picture is a very mild depiction of what it actually was like...

About a half hour into it, Bobby started to lose it.

*inhales deeply* "Kelly, after this, are we going to any other stores?"

Poor thing. He was trying his absolute hardest to stay calm and patient.

I wanted to stop at Ann Taylor real quick...

*He exhales dramatically.*

But here's the thing about my brother. He can be bought. Not with money. No. Bobby can be bought anytime, anywhere, any place, for anything with FOOD. Buy him a meal, he's at your disposal. I know this and I have known this for a long time. In my defense, I don't ever take advantage of this trait of his, but I do keep it in my arsenal to be utilized whenever I need it most. Like in this case...Black Friday.

I'll get you Cane's after...

*Perks up* "Okay! To Ann Taylor!!"

*Hangs head in shame*

Day 40; Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was wonderfully delicious this year!

There is so much to give thanks for so here is a list of only a few things;

I am thankful for...

my Father

my mother

my brother

my stepfather

my roommate

Ashley

the chain gang

all of my friends

the Church

freedom

music

Adoration

the sky

my education

my jobs

flowers

literature

good men and women who give me hope and

unconditional, out-of-this-world, selfless love.

My mom wanted to celebrate my birthday early because that day falls on finals week this year so we had my favorite Chantilly lace cake and I got some amazing gifts!

Day 39; What I Came Home To

I came home to a ball of fur tonight.

It was more than I could handle.

It's becoming clearer that I will need a strong husband because I'm getting the feeling that there will be days when I will look at my children after they've done something bad, and I'll just become putty in their hands.

Oh, bother...

Day 38; Oysters!!

I have been craving Chinese and an oyster po-boy for soooo long and I got both of them today.

Because I have no self control.

Do you know how cheap Chinese is during lunch time?!? Let's just say I couldn't contain myself and the place went out of business. 

Because I have no self control.

Later that night, I met a bunch of friends at The Chimes and I got a root beer float, the long awaited oyster po-boy, and a side of french fries.

The po-boy was everything I could have hoped for and more. It was amazing and I have dreamed about it every night since.

I have this thing where some days I just spend money like I got it.

Because I have no self control.

Day 37; :)

Day 36; Papers are pretty lame..

Sunday was pretty awesome because Stone got confirmed and I got to be there! I teared up because I'm emotional and dramatic so it's what I do.

Hung out with Jason and Michael some more and then went to work on my paper.

Doing school work on Sundays is the worst, but hanging out all day with the guys was great so I can't complain even for a second! :)

Day 35; Thank you, Come Again

'Twas the last home game with Ole Miss on Saturday.

We won! :)

After the game, Jason, Michael, and I went to Mandeville and hung out with some friends over there. We got a little too comfortable at Benjamin's apartment, though, and kind of, sort of made ourselves right at home.

Benjamin is a friend of ours from out of town who we met through our friend, Daniel. He was kind enough to have us over at his house Saturday night so that we could all visit with each other. Daniel had been travelling all day and was exhausted so he wound up having to call it an early night.

Did we leave when Daniel left? No. We stayed. We stayed for a long time. So long, in fact, that poor Benjamin wound up falling asleep.

We are the guests who never left. We drank his coffee, put on a movie on his TV, and made ourselves very, very comfortable.

We are the guests who never left...

Sorry, Benjamin!

Day 34; The Knights

If you know me well enough, you probably know that I love the Knights. And by Knights I'm referring to the Knights of Columbus.

KC is an organization for men that give back to the community. They raise money for families and organizations in need and they are pretty much there to do anything for you that you are unable to do yourself. There is a lot more to the Knights as a whole but you can just go to the link I put up here to find out more.

A friend of mine started a Knights of Columbus at Christ the King and I kind of love it. Just this group of men who are eager to give of themselves and help anyone who needs them.

Friday night they held a benefit dance/dinner type of deal to raise money for a local family from Burma.

NBD. They're just the Knights.

Day 33; Harrrrrryyyy

Went to Hammond to see the Harry Potter 7 Part 1 midnight premiere.

Hermoine is BA.

Harry is just there.

I love Rupert Grint.

The movie was crazy good. Done.

Day 32; Zzzzz...

I don't sleep much during the week. I average about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. However, I sometimes take naps during the day to give me some more energy.

I can't take naps in my bed though... It's too wonderful. There is no such thing as sleeping for short periods of time in my bed because laying in it for just a minute sedates me into a mini-coma.

I'm actually sitting on it now and I feel the mental pull to just forget what I'm doing and what I have to do and just snuggle right on in and drift into a nice, peaceful slum--WAIT. NO. I will not fall for this again. Must get off bed. Must stay awake and study French.

Zzzzzzz.....

Day 31; Legal Cocaine

Have you ever seen a cat when catnip is around??

If you haven't, here's a little idea for you.

People. Catnip is a drug for cats. My cats at home go ballistic when we sprinkle the stuff on their scratch pads. It's crazy.

Well, I found something similar for humans.

Iced animal crackers...

I am to these delightful pieces of goodness what cats are to catnip.

If you took everything on the planet that is good and balled it up into little bite size cookies, you will have yourself an iced animal cracker. They make me want to be a better person. When I eat a few, I feel the urge to move mountains. I consume one and decide to go to the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and bring peace to the people there.

These cookies make me want to tame a polar bear so that I can snuggle with it...

I can't even explain to you the glory. I am addicted. My life has forever been changed.

Day 30; Case of the Bad Cheese

I love me some macaroni and cheese.

It's classic and it's delicious.

Except when it's not...

Yesterday in the office, there was some macaroni and cheese that almost ended my young life. When I took it out of the microwave, I swear the stuff growled at me.  I took one bite of it, realized I had just consumed a rotting corpse, and promptly chugged back some bleach to make sure I wasn't poisoned.

Need a visual?

I burned the remains so that it wouldn't spawn and slept with one eye open just in case.

Day 29; Ender's Game

I took this weekend to rejuvenate. Catch up on sleep, do some reading, and really whatever I decided I felt like doing.

I was talking about Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card with a friend of mine recently and about how I really need to read it because I have a lot of friends who love it. So Friday night I went out, bought it, and wound up reading the whole thing this weekend.

It was so not what I was expecting but I really loved it!!

I recommend to all who are interested!

"Come on, let's fly away and live forever."

Day 28; The Sky this Weekend

Anyone else in Baton Rouge notice the sunsets this weekend?

This picture is from my cell phone. Doesn't even come close to portraying what I was seeing first hand.

All weekend the colors in the sky were so alive and vibrant that they literally took my breathe away. I can imagine God thinking something like, "Oh yeah? You think that was pretty? I can do even better..."

And then BAM! Hit us with a kitty wig. 

Day 27; A Gift to 210

Stephanie and I received a beautiful little giftlet Friday night!

These lovely flowers and a cute little note.

It was a wonderful little surprise from an anonymous friend, and it truly made my whole week!

Thank you again for the gift! You are amazing!

Day 26; Traffic.

Traffic is God testing me. It really is.

I can usually hold myself together. I can be patient, deal with people's unpleasant habits, and I can even be graceful sometimes. But stick me in the driver's seat of a car in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic and I lose all sense of propriety.

If you ever want to see someone's true self, have them drive you through gridlock traffic. You'll find out all you need to know about them. If you find someone who can handle such a situation, hold on to them. Never let them go. I'm telling you, a patient person in traffic is like a unicorn.

I am not like a unicorn. I cannot handle traffic.

I am an aggressive driver who likes to move quickly and efficiently to get to my next destination and so I find traffic very difficult to deal with.

I become the Hulk and it isn't very pretty.

Granted, I've cooled down a lot in the past year or so. I am, fortunately, a little less hulk-like, and I've found a good, solid amount of patience in me that I've learned to channel. But catch me on a bad day and it's over...

Hell hath no fury like a redheaded woman sitting in traffic!

Day 25; When the Office Crumbles

Angelique is the student minister at church. This is her first year as an employee there but I'm starting to wonder how people ever functioned without her...

You see, the employees who work in the office with the exception of the priests and those who work after hours all get off at 4:30 each evening. The evening receptionists close the office up at 8:30. Angelique is one of the few employees who stay late. And by late, I mean till PAST 8:30. That's because she works hard and is amazing at what she does. I think everyone has gotten use to the fact that she's always there and have even come to rely on it.

Is Angelique here?!

Nope, she went to go get some dinner.

*Dramatic huff* ...okay...

Sorry..

Umm..It's okay. Do you know when she'll be back??!

Not sure, I'd give her an hour or so.

*Deep breath* Okay, okay...

Hey, Kelly! Angelique in her office???????

No, she's upstairs in a meeting.

Oh man...Did she just go up there? What meeting?

She's been up there for about 30 minutes, I guess. It's a mission meeting.

Oh, I see. Do you think it's a meeting I could go in and get her from?

I don't know, I would--

*Already running out of the office and headed up the stairs in the middle of my sentence.*

I wish I were exaggerating. But I am not. I dread when Angelique leaves because people fall apart over there. They do. How did any student do anything ever before her existence in that office?!

She left for two whole days this week...

Two entire days!!!

There was an earthquake, a tsunami, 57 tornadoes, and riots...so many riots...

And that was only the first day.

Day 24; For Your Own Safety

Yesterday I attempted the New York Times crossword puzzle.

If you ever have the opportunity to do it...don't.

Don't do that to yourself. If you want to have any hope to succeed and live your life, for the love of God, don't attempt the NY Times crossword puzzle!

I was told that yesterday's was a little harder than usual but it was my first try and it took me down. It took me down hard. It threw me against the wall and then it socked me right in the eye ball. (That rhymed.)

I have bruises people...*sniffles* Please, just don't do it...

Day 23; I am.....Weak...

Look, we all know I'm made of muscle...

I mean look at me...

But I had a huge blow to my ego yesterday when it took me a little while to open this jar...

And when I say a little while...I mean 30 minutes.

A. HALF. HOUR.

*hangs head in shame*

I know...I. KNOW. What in tarnations is wrong with me?! Am I really this feeble? No one was around to help me so I just worked at that thing for what seemed like forever. I wanted the salsa bad...

By the end of it I was out of breathe and exhausted...

Never have I ever felt so powerless...

*faints*

Day 22; Goodbye, Cat

Left home for Baton Rouge on Sunday.

Those kind of days are always weird because it means leaving the comfort of my home and coming back to face all of my responsibilities up here.

I say goodbye to my family, and then my mom always walks me out to my car. She gives me a tight, little hug and then goes through the rules. "No talking on your phone and no texting. Pay attention, Kelly. Go the speed limit!" I know she misses me when I have to leave and I definitely miss her.

But the one who takes it the hardest is this guy...

[Sorry that it's so dark...]

That is my cat, Lucky. He's fat and he's cuddly. I've talked about him plenty of times on here.

Anyway, that cat is the clingiest little thing I've ever seen. I go to sleep with him sleeping at my side and wake up with him practically tangled in my hair. He follows me all around the house and then climbs into my lap once I settle down somewhere. I admit that I am one of the reasons he is this way. From the time he was a little kitten, I carried him around and snuggled with him all the time.

He just loved to love!

So when it comes times for me to leave...he gives me the cold shoulder. Doesn't even look at me. I'll say, "Bye, my Lucky. Love you." (Yes, I say things to my cats... Go ahead and judge me.) All he does is this little meow-grunt thing and continues to look away.

He doesn't handle goodbyes very well...

Day 21; Baumgartner Bash

We had a rockin' day on the Baumgartner property yesterday.

The day was filled with music, food, friends, games, hay rides, dancing, and more music!

The day was so perfect!

Day 20; Live Road Concerts, ftw

When I get in the car by myself, it's almost as if I'm walking onto a stage. Spot light's on me, the music begins, the fans go wild, and I start to sing.

I don't just sing. I belt it. I sing louder then anyone should ever be allowed to sing. I don't hold back and I just go. I rap, I sing the blues, I do musicals, and I do rock shows. You name it, I perform it. All in the comfort of my driver's seat. Hour long drives feel like two seconds.

The fans adore me and I adore them.

THANK YOU, I-10 EAST!! I LOVE YOU! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT!

Day 19; Albino Love

On campus we have the infamous Albino Squirrel. It's just this crazy squirrel with fur that looks more blonde than white.

Some people have gone their entire college careers without seeing him. Others like me, on the other hand, see the darn thing ALL the time.

I swear that thing follows me. I'll be sitting on a bench in the quad and then I'll hear some rustling behind me. I turn around and there it is....staring at me. I'm walking by the memorial tower and I see something move in the branches above me. I look up and there it is....staring at me.

I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow morning to find it sitting at the foot of my bed....staring at me.

Day 18; No Phone

At work they're enforcing the Stay-Off-The-Phone-While-You-Are-At-Work Policy.

And just in case you forget...

BAM! ;)

Day 17; The Day Jason Was Eaten

I went to visit Jason in the computer lab in Middleton.

But I found this...

His school bag, his stuff, his lab report...but Jason, along with his chair, was gone...

No where to be found...

It's pretty obvious what happened. Clearly, he had been eaten. Swallowed whole, chair and all, into the belly of a monster.

I can't think of any other possible explanations and this is the only one that makes sense.

"He's climbin' in your windows... He's snatchin' your people up..."

Day 16; The Stretcher

There was this guy who came and stood in front of the restaurant today and just started stretching.

It was really bizarre.

He pulled up, got out of his car, and started stretching all kind of muscles right in front of our front door.

When he was finished, he got back in his car and drove away.

What the heck, man?

I don't know what's creepier, the fact that he came, stretched, and left or that I took a picture of him..

Day 15; Green Tea with Lychee

My friend, Ashlynn, showed me how to make this awesome little drink at work on Sunday.

It's green tea with lychee and some other good stuff in there.

I lurv it. I crave it. I want it now.

Day 14; Went on Down to the Audobon Zoo

Jessica planned a day at the zoo and it was so fun!

The weather couldn't have been more perfect so the animals were all out and about.

We had a picnic lunch outside where there was this crazy Oreo eating contest where you're suppose to shake a cookie down your face from your forehead to your mouth.

Grace was such a great little competitor!

Get it.

Day 13; Staying on the DL

Played it low key on Friday night.

Went to Wal-Mart and picked up a few things, cooked, and watched some episodes of Parenthood, the best show on air right now. I'm serious. Look that puppy up. It'll rock your socks off your feet.

Literally...your socks will literally be rocked right off of your little feet...

Day 12; Crosswords Galore

My friends and I do crosswords sometimes. And when I say sometimes I mean every week day.

It's because we are extraordinarily intelligent. That's not even an exaggeration.

pfft.

Day 11; Creepy Office Window

It gets dark early nowadays.

I work two nights a week as a receptionist here...

That's my view.

PITCH. BLACK. DARKNESS.

Everyone can see me. I can see no one.

And then I cry...

Day 10; A "Magic"al day

I confess that I completely forgot to take a picture on Tuesday so I jacked this from facebook.

Homegirl knows how to use her resources.

I went to Rocket's to see Kori and Jason play some cards. I really like the people there so it's always a good time :)