*Little Survey to Pass the Time*

-I am going stir crazy being stuck in my house sick! It is driving me mad!!! I am SO ready to see the outside world!!! You know it's bad when I'm whipping out a survey. Kinda brings me back to my high school days.

Nine things about myself:

1. I dance everyday for at least a few seconds. (For instance, I did the 'walk it out' while turning on my tv today)
2. I love laughing more than anything in the world.
3. I really love chubby babies.
4. In the words of my best friend Kate: "When life gets tough, Abby gets tougher." (I'd consider myself a fighter/overcomer.)
5. I love to encourage people and I don't leave nice things I'm thinking about someone to myself.
6. It is against my nature to be disloyal…even when I try my hardest not to like certain people, I have no control in the matter!
7. I can't get enough of children and I know I am very lucky to be around them so much.
8. I love to sing, but I am horrible at it. One of my students raised their hand the other day after I belted out the 'Q' song and asked: "Um, why do you sing like that?" haha
9. I am very easily moved by things and very empathetic. I am known to tear up at every American Idol episode and Pampers commercial.

Eight ways to win my heart:
1. Be madly in love with Jesus Christ and love Him far more than you'll ever love me.

2. One of the most important things to me by FAR is to make me laugh and have fun/play with me. Life is hard enough without being around super serious people. I want someone that I can laugh with in the good and in the bad. It just makes life more endurable.

3. Eat A LOT and don't obsess about exercising…I don't want no skinny man or abs! Yikes!!! Teddy bear men or bust! haha (Not only are they more huggable, but they make me look great in pictures)
4. Don't always have the right things to say when it comes to romantic things... to me that means you've had too much practice!
5. Communicate openly because I hate miscommunications!!! Be willing to talk things out and don't play games.
6. Love kids and your mama.
7. Bring me back to reality when I get dramatic and don't let me walk all over you. (This is a MUST. I have a very big personality, so I need someone who is strong and will tell me no.)
8. Be a hard worker and able to do things I'm unable to do. That to me is sooo irresistible.

Seven things that cross my mind a lot:

1. Jesus and discovering more about who He is. There is so much my human mind cannot grasp.
2.My friends and family

3. My students
4. Past memories both good and bad
5. My to do list
6 . My future kids/husband
7. Heaven and my eternity to come

Six things I do before I fall asleep:
1. Brush my teeth (OF COURSE)
2. Turn my fan on
3. Read or get on my computer
4. Set my alarm a few times just in case I did it wrong the first two times. (It's a pain)
5. Journal
6. Think

Five songs I listen to often:
1. Holy is Our God-Starfield
2. Here With Me- Mercy Me

3. Revelation Song- Hillsong United
4. No Matter What- Kerrie Roberts
5. Closer- Shawn McDonald

Four things you're wearing right now:
1. The North Face fuzzy lounge pants
2.Twirp Shirt
3. Left pink sock
4. Right pink sock

Three people that mean a lot to you (in no specific order): (Are you kidding?! I can't choose just three!)
1. All of my wonderful family!!!
2. All of my precious students!!!
3. My few close friends that I am so thankful for!!!

Two things you want to do before you die:
1. Have a family (of course!)
2. I think the one above about covers it….my biggest dream is just to be a wife and mom. I want to be the one behind the scenes helping out the people I love the most in the world. It's weird to think I haven't even met the ones who will have my heart yet. I am learning how to truly guard my heart and make good decisions for my family now. It's going to be worth it.

One confession:
1. NSYNC "No strings Attached" is still my favorite concert that I've been to in my life. Nothing can outdo the dancing and flying saucers during the space cowboy.

*Not Mature Enough!*

Disclaimer:

-For Immature Audiences Only-

There are times in life when I feel like I've finally made my way into maturity, but today was not that day.

I can handle an old man or woman giving me a shot in the booty, but these days they are breeding hottie RN's in their mid twenties which is a CRIME if you ask me. How am I supposed to feel comfortable exposing my cheeks in neon lighting when a nice looking, not very much older than me man is the one making the poke? An old man probably has a nasty behind anyway, so it's not embarrassing at all. A woman makes me feel comfortable as well, but today I got stuck with an attractive male which was not okay.

My doctor was cute, my RN was cute, and EVEN my scribe was cute!!! HOW did that happen?! They were all three standing around me staring: "Tell us your weight, please." *insert scribe writing something* UHHHH…do you HATE me?! Can't you see I'm in enough pain already, mister hotties?! I came in with mascara all over my face from crying and I was not in a good state, yet these men rudely asked me how much I weighed. Even worse, I think it was to figure out how much meds to give me in my booty! They said I had the choice between a shot or pills, but the shot works faster. I asked if I could get it in the arm and one of them said yes, but the RN had already left and did not hear that conversation apparently.

So the RN comes back with the needle and asks if I'm ready for my shot and I get my arm ready accordingly. "No, you need to get it in your hip actually." Now, I'm smarter than that…I've gotten a "hip" shot before and that is NOT my hip. I was a nightmare patient and looked at him with a very serious "NO WAY" face on. He had to literally coax me into it, but I finally caved. Being in as much pain as I was, I kinda had to put that to the wayside.

People always say for doctors it's "just another booty", but I focus on what I'd be thinking. I could NEVER be a doctor because I would just laugh and giggle a lot which would make the patient uneasy I bet. I would accidentally be judgmental as well, so I think it's best I stick to Elementary Education for now.

My nurse was really calm about the whole thing which was very professional, but awkward if you ask me. What do you do just stand in silence through it all?! It's just so WEIRD. Where is an old man when you need them?!

Why all three of the people who helped me had to be cute is beyond me. It was just soooooo traumatic. Having your throat close up is scary enough, but losing a little bit of dignity makes it even worse. How is a girl supposed to leave not scarred for life in a situation like that? I guess when you feel that bad, you just do whatever you can to get better. And that's what I did.

*Yes, I did just give you that much detail into my ER visit today. You're welcome.*

*Friendship, Forgiveness, Loyalty, and Love*

Right now I smell like burnt popcorn and so does the whole house. Apparently the 100 calorie packs of popcorn do NOT need to go in the microwave as long as a regular bag. I actually like burnt popcorn more, but the smell isn't really worth it. I made popcorn because I needed it for the tail end of my movie. By the way, I'm about to give a few of my thoughts that might air on the side of nerdy, so beware.

I just spent the past three days of my life watching all of the Lord of the Rings in the extended version. I do this about every three years or so, and I'm always effected by it. It's a hard movie to watch, but it's so worth it in the end. The themes of friendship and loyalty are so powerful to me every time.

Companionship and loyalty are two of the greatest treasures on this earth if you ask me. I am a really loyal person and I could relate to the way the characters felt about each other. Just like the main characters, I have a few best friends that I live life with and would do anything for. The main characters didn't have a million best friends, but they stayed true to each other in a tight nit group, just like a family. We aren't made to do life alone but I don't think we are meant to do life with everyone either. To me, to be really loyal it has to be zoned in somewhat. Having the Lord send me a few people to have true relationship with has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. I may not have a ton of friends, but I have a few that are true treasures just like the characters in the movie.

The best part about the friendships in Lord of the Rings is that they are FULL of forgiveness. Pippin messes up so many times, but his friends forgive him every time. Frodo completely turns on Sam near the end, but Sam goes right back to fight for Frodo. Forgiveness without remembrance of a wrong keeps these friends close together. Forgiveness is an aspect of relationships that is essential. Without it, true loyalty and long lasting relationships are not possible. We WILL get hurt and we WILL hurt others. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. But forgiveness is the shining hope that creates a beautiful relationship between two human beings that couldn't exist without it.

I also love the fact that Arwen stays for Aragorn even though she knows a life of death and hardship will come afterwards. I believe that love for a time is better than no love at all. Arwin knew that love was worth any sorrow to come. She made herself vulnerable because she knew how valuable her relationship with Aragorn was. Life with hardships but having love and relationships was worth more to her than a perfect life alone. I love that.

I could go on and on about the themes that I love about it, but I have to go to sleep. I've been staying up too late watching these movies and I've definitely paid for it at work.

Goodbye for now LOTR, see ya in three years.

*Valentine's Day!*

If you are reading this tonight, it probably means you're home alone without a significant other or have tiny kids that have changed the meaning of Valentine's day. Human nature causes many people to be repulsed when reading a story about how successful or great a person's day is, and would rather hear a horrifying story to see how the person copes. Misery loves company, so I will tell you my embarrassing moment before I jump into how much I love Valentine's Day and how great it was today.

I went to the athletic club around 4:30 and by 5:45 I headed to Kroger to pick up some stuff for my school lunches. I was super gross from working out and looking like a ragga muffin. I didn't realize that Kroger would be hopping with people completely dressed up buying flowers which is obviously dumb on my part. (Note to self, always dress up on Valentine's Day no matter WHAT). Anyway, I'm super sweaty and all these men in tuxes are wizzing past me to buy flowers for their (I'm sure) fit fiances.

I felt a little bit awkward because I realized I was caught up in the frenzy of Valentine's Day that I didn't mean to be in! The worst part came when I was people watching and suddenly slammed strait into the frozen foods refrigerator only to have all these debonair men stare at me in disgust. RUDE! Haven't you ever let your mind wander and run into a shelf alone?! I mean hello! This isn't TOO out of the ordinary. Sorry that we have people that are too cool for school! Go have your boring date with no laughter or tripping or having your drink spill everywhere causing a scene. (Yes, that is how my dates usually go...I'm not exactly smooth)

So I completely embarrassed myself at Kroger and CLEARLY had no date plans what-so-ever, but hopefully that is bad enough to make this next part a little easier to read.... I LOVE Valentine's Day. I love the colors, I love everything it represents. I just really think love is a beautiful thing. Also, in Elementary School Valentine's Day is HUGE! We have a big party with lots of candy and prizes and celebration is in the air. Our entire day was full of fun and I got tons of gifts! My love language is gifts, so my heart is over flowing. My mom and dad got me a Valentine too which is always wonderful. My dad has always been so sweet to me on Valentine's Day, which is one of the reasons I love it. I feel so happy today! :) It was a Valentine's spent as a single, but it was far better than anytime I've had a boyfriend. In the past when I celebrated the 'romantic side' it really should of been called: "Find out your dating a dud day!". Disappointment CENTRAL!

On a final note..my favorite gift today came in the form of a plastic heart ring. I got it from a little boy who apparently goes home and tells his grandma how pretty I am. Talk about melting my heart! I told him I was going to wear the ring all day and he looked so pleased. He kept looking at it all day to make sure it was still there. I will for SURE keep it forever. My heart is so full. :)

*Treadmill Trauma*

Snow days have a horrible effect on me. They cause me sit in front of the tv all day watching sappy movies which makes my back hurt from immobility. Today I was tired of the ache, and decided that I should run on the treadmill to give my couch sores a little relief. (I know, I know...Richard Simmons would be none too pleased. I think he might understand the Hallmark Channel and snow days, though.)

I turned on the machine with my pink socked feet and jumped on in my penguin pajamas. (I was probably quite the site to see now that I think about it.) I turned the treadmill on high enough to run and started away. Everything seemed fine until I turned it up a little bit higher and my arms started flinging higher and faster into disaster. Before I knew it, my pinky got caught in some sort of reading tray and when I tried to take my hand out the skin peeled RIGHT off in a dramatic fashion! "AHH!" I screamed as I grabbed my pinky, legs still running fast. Turning off the machine did not cross my mind, so I kept running and holding my pinky at the same time. Blood began to pour and I decided it was time to let it go. My treadmill run was a complete and utter failure.

I ran into the kitchen holding my bloody finger when mom asked me what happened:"I was running on the treadmill and got my finger stuck in the tray!!!" "What?! Why were you doing that?" she said back in confusion. I cleaned off my finger and held a paper towel tight around it. I wasn't about to give up…

I was too afraid of the treadmill, so I ended up running circles around the house while my mom cooked. "Don't get blood on the carpet!" she yelled as I whipped past. I got the idea of running around my house from my grandpa who does it everyday. He walks in circles and Nana just pretends like everything is normal.

I probably looked like a crazy person running around the house, but it really did make me feel better and there was no way I was venturing out into the cold. Besides, I embrace the random moments of life. All of my closest friends aren't surprised by anything I do anymore. I have to have friends who are up for a lot of random moments and will laugh them off. People who don't laugh off weird moments freak me out! I mean…seriously. Get that chip off your shoulder and laugh or this is gonna be a lot more awkward than it should be! Do you know what I'm saying?!

My pinky is still in a lot of pain, but I'm gonna be alright. I think I'll stay away from that treadmill from now on, though. That reading tray is very dangerous.

*My Life is Average Moment*

I don't know if you've heard about the website mylifeisaverage.com, but I can relate to a lot of the comments on the website. One moment happened the other day that really made me consider writing on there because it was definitely an MLIA moment! Let me explain...

I know this is going to SHOCK you, but I am a dramatic person. Yes, I am known to make big dramatic scenes just because I think it's fun. When the robber made his way onto the college campus last semester, I made sure to take a few laps screaming around the coffee table for kicks. People say that doing things like that in a tense moment is not beneficial, but I completely disagree. It makes it a little bit more fun and I end up laughing at myself instead of balling in an unsuspecting person's arms. There are a lot of benefits to coffee table laps I'm telling you.

Anyway, the other day I was feeling passionate so I went into my living room and said to my mom: "I am the problem child! I have no money and nowhere to go!!!" *insert dramatic moment* The average came in when my mom gave me an answer I wasn't ready for: "Well, we like you being here...who else would feed the cats?". *insert enormous record scratch*

Who else would feed the cats?! WHO ElSE WOULD FEED THE CATS?!?! What has my life come to?! I AM the cat lady. My mom has made my life average by accidentally making me the cat lady. I always joke about being the crazy cat lady, but I'm not being serious! This was a little too close to home. Here, kitty kitty

*In reality I am MORE than happy to be home and my life is going great! The Lord is doing MANY wonderful things and I am so thankful. I'm definitely not the problem child, either. I wrote my mom a note the other day that she read to her moms bible study and you'll never guess what somebody said! Somebody said that they can only hope that their child would write a letter like that to them someday. I will let my mom know next time she's frustrated because I left a little mess, used too many towels, or completely ruined the dryer that there's someone out there wishing for a child like me! haha Who knew?