instruction manual to win Amy's heart

Item #1:

Guys: if you want to win Amy or any other high caliber, beautiful, witty, smart, all around perfect catch, the first thing you must do is to listen to quality country music and internalize its messages. Once you and Tim McGraw feel pretty much the same way about matters of love and life, your chances have grown immeasurably. Also, cowboy hats don't hurt.

Marry me Juliette !

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My sister introduced me to the Taylor Swift song, Love Story. My life is a fairy tale just like Taylor Swift's/Juliette's in this song. I feel like a princess.

This morning I went running in the rain. I had meant to go on a walk, but the crisp air was so glorious I broke into a run. Mist hung in the air and the rain was so light it didn't seem to be actually falling, just suspended there. As I climbed up the hill, each step forward seemed to be symbolic of the upwards climb I have made through life in the last few years. I imagined someone interviewing me. "Did you really use to be that far down there" she asked. "Yes" I replied "It was really that bad." "How on earth did you ever get out of it, you have beaten the odds--one in a million" "Well" I said, "It was God, he helped me." "God, He just gave this to you?" "Well no, it was a fight. I fought with everything I had, and I didn't give up, and I made it."

I finished my run and I came home and bowed myself on the ground and offered sweet thanks.

It was overcast today, but in my life the sun has finally broken through the clouds and finally the tears coming out of my eyes are ones of joy.

It is Unfortunate I am Too Old for a Ring Pop

I don't mind being older. I like it, no I love it actually. It's just fun to be grown up. I guess the only drawback is that I can't carry around a ring pop (a ring where the diamond is actually a sucker) and suck on it occasionally and maintain any sort of dignity. Or a candy necklace, eating those in public is probably out too. I guess you just can't have everything.

First Impressions...

I'm an Aunt !!!

This morning my wonderful, amazing sister Julia became a mother! Perfect, little blonde William Eric, weighing in at 6 lbs 12 oz. And let me tell you,William is so lucky because he has an awesome mom! Julia is one of my greatest inspirations, the kind of girl that makes the impossible possible—from running a marathon, to surviving off of no sleep as she went through college and culinary school and juggled a hundred other things, to moving to New York City at a young age and making it her own. But most of all, Julia is a great friend, and one of my favorite people in the world. I wish her and her husband all of the best of luck in this new endeavor. Love ya Julia!

Jack Handey

quoteworld.org

"Somebody told me it was frightening how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around the campfire and nobody got scared."

-Jack Handey

don't worry, I'm still alive

Don't worry, I survived the first day of fall semester. If you'd known what I'd be subjected to in accelerated Spanish 101 and you cared about me at all, you'd be thankful for that reassurance. The first half of the class, we were given no evidence that the professor spoke any English whatsoever. He jumped right in, pointing to people and asking them questions in Spanish. Fortunately I knew enough to survive.

To one girl he asked "Are you nervous?" Not totally sure what he was asking, or if it was the right answer, she replied "No." He had her stand up in front of the class. "Now are you nervous?" She realized she should say "Yes." "OK, you can sit down." He then began asking the class how they were doing. One guy told him that he was doing well. "Do you have a girlfriend?" "No" "Aren't you sad?" "Well a little" "Oh" Professor Meredith shook his had sadly. He pointed to the guy holding out his hand and made an appeal in his behalf to the women in the class: "girls..." We laughed. He asked the girl next to me if she had a brother. She replied "Yes." "What's his name?" She looked at him blankly. "You don't remember the name of your brother?" A little confused, she replied "si (yes)." The class laughed a little bit and I realized I better come to her rescue "He wants to know the name of your brother" I whispered. "Oh" she replied, relieved "Mike." And so the class continued.

The professor finally broke into English long enough to explain straight faced that he expected us to give 80 hours a week to the class, and fail all of our other classes, but at least we would be proficient in Spanish. He listed chapters we would blitz through at lightning speed, the hours we would spend studying with partners, the hours we would spend speaking in a lab, and I gulped. I looked at the rest of the class. At least we were in this together. And I'm sure most of them, like me, were a little overwhelmed, but I think we were also a little invigorated by the challenge. Hope that invigoration lasts.