Friday, December 31, 2010

Have you seen this? tl;dr: for a moment I thought intentions were good.

http://rockbeyondbelief.com/2010/12/22/mandatory-army-survey-says-atheists-are-unfit-to-be-soldiers/

http://rockbeyondbelief.com/2010/12/24/soldier-fitness-tracker-spiritual-questions-now-available/

http://www.maaf.info/resources/gatspirituality.jpg

Am I missing something? It asks if you're a "spiritual" person, I don't think it actually insinuates that you need to be a Christian. Many people feel "spiritual" about the earth and humanity and their connection with it. Think back to the family celebrating the solstice festival, they aren't Christian but they certainly feel like they are part of something with other humans and the earth. It simply shows they don't alienate themselves and they feel like their life is special and meaningful. I really think that this atheist was just being overly touchy and actually being the epitome of what they were trying to weed out in the first place. A person that didn't feel connected to other people and couldn't be part of a team, which he needs to be to be in the Army. The survey even suggested that he seek help in others, again reinforcing the purpose of the questions, to be able to believe in and depend on others. I don't think they were trying to weed out freethinkers here, I think they were looking for socially inept hermits who would probably harm the group as a whole before they helped it.

So here I am on my high horse thinking that this guy is over reacting and trying to find the meaning behind these questions and thinking to myself, surely the military isn't doing this. Until I read this: "Billy Graham Evangelical Associations, ‘Rock the Fort’ concert series came to Fort Bragg. It was allowed to convert several hundreds of soldiers on stage at a military base. At several bases, actually. It was their stated goal to convert as many soldiers, spouses and civilians as possible."

And then I went here: http://www.maaf.info/

And I found this: http://www.maaf.info/resources/CSF_Spirituality_Remediation.pdf IF you get low scores you can get help, its a list of suggestions for how to become more spiritual and to feel more connected. It seemed harmless, suggesting you listen to music or join the Army Band, write letters or poetry. But then it moves throughout the letters giving examples of excerpts from other military members thanking God and this leads into the suggestion that prayer be part of your rehabilitation. If you like, you can also visit the Chaplain.

The deeper I got and the more I read the more pissed off I got.

I try so hard to believe that people are good and that deep down intentions are good. Sadly, most of the time, they think the intentions are good. But I'm speaking about average people that have no bearing on my government or my way of life. People like a grandma who seek to spread what they think is right to other people. But making it a requirement and forcing it upon you in order to continue doing your job is wrong, its a horrible thing to do and I want nothing more than to help make it stop.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

I liked making this Alot!

I don't know about you but I think that Hyperbole and a Half is about the funniest blog I've ever read. I decided for Christmas to make Shannon something special because she shares my love for this blog. One of our favorite posts is "The Alot is Better Than You At Everything"

So I went to the fabric store and found the perfect fur for this project. Let me tell you, fur is not fun to work with. I liked it because there was tons of room for errors since the fur hides all of your stitches, but the stuff was EVERYWHERE! haha. I'm still cleaning fur off the floor. Anyway, after much fun and stitching I bring you:

The Alot!



Ginger also loved this Alot

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

LOL, you said butt!

Brandon: so, whats our space website
"SpaceTits.com?

me: I think it should go in our couple blog. Pictures and stories of the awesome things we do

Brandon: Works for me
"23 January, 2013.
Stephanie burped in my face. I punched her in the ovaries, then I broke out. Playin some CoD7"

me: Then I revoked head rubs

Brandon: headbutts are an unrevokable right
wait
headrubs
I guess if I headbutt you in the ovaries that could work

me: Lol you said butt

Brandon: lol butts

I think we have a mature healthy relationship :P

So Brandon and I have been planning to do a "space mission"! We're going to send some cameras into space on a weather balloon. like this one. Next Spring when he gets back from deployment. No, we are not calling the mission SpaceTits.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Friday, October 15, 2010

I bet you did what you did when you did it to do it again by the time you were done with it

This voice! This voice! Andy Hull does amazing things to my brain. Manchester Orchestra is what I'm referring to. I love this particular song today but I love all of their songs everyday.



First full week of my new job is down. I love it! Who knew property and casualty insurance would be as much fun as banking. I know what you're thinking. I don't care. Whats really awesome is that USAA is a values driven company just like BB&T was which means they actually give a crap about me and how happy I am with my job AND they treat their customers awesome. People I've met that work there really enjoy it so I'm looking forward to the months to come. I am in training for quite awhile before I actually start work. Anyway, things are going well :)

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

New Place!



Thanks to the help of my amazing friends and family, I was able to move into my new apartment on the first. Here is a little walkthrough of it. I don't have anything on the walls or any curtains up right now but I got some nails today to get started. I'm planning on making my own curtains once I can get some fabrics for it. The complex is really pretty and theres lots of shopping and dining and bars nearby, not to mention its only like 6 miles from work! So happy to be settled and ready to start working again. New job starts Monday.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

I get by with a little help from my friends.

I can't believe the tremendous support I've gotten from my family, my boyfriend and my friends. I can't say enough how important having a great circle of people is. I only hope that I return even a fraction of their kindness.

I was able to find an apartment this week and will be moving in next Friday! A job, my own place, my car back. Everything is going to be alright.

I love my new apartment. I hope I'm not going to eat my words later since I don't actually live there yet but the complex is really nice, pretty courtyards, private balconies, 4 swimming pools with hot tubs and covered parking. Its everything I was looking for AND they are pet friendly and they waived all the pet fees. So I get to have Miss Ginger there and not pay extra for her! Oh and this time I got an upstairs unit so I don't have to deal with the baby hippo on a treadmill noise. I got a 2 bedroom which is a big upgrade for me. Its still small but it'll be nice to have a space for family and friends when they come to stay. Not to mention finally having a place to set up my sewing machine.

Speaking of my sewing machine! I joined a craft swap. I am stoked, its a autumn/halloween themed one. I can't say yet what I'm making because its going to be a surprise for my swap person but I'll post photos afterwards. The rules were to make 2 or 3 small items that take less than 2 hours to make. I have SO many ideas!! I think I'll do one Halloween one and a few Autumn ones because they can be used longer.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

I went to New Jersey this week to see Brandon. We had a great time even though the trip was really short. He brought me some funny Engrish shirts back from Japan. One that has a Stormtrooper on it that says "Smooth trooper lovers yo mamas flapjacks" and another one that says "only love is believed" with some Japanese characters on it. Some cookies that apparently are like eating cookie roulette because some of them are good cookies and some are nasty. I haven't tried them yet. Oh Japan.

We did some sightseeing and he took me out to Atlantic City where I learned that I am definitely not a gambler and that there is more to playing Blackjack than just making sure you get as close to 21 as possible without going over. I also learned that it only takes 2 vodka cranberries to make me start giggling. Geeze I'm a lightweight!

Last week was his birthday and I got him a Tshirt and made him this, its a few panels from the game Portal that I cross stitched and framed. I have never done cross stitch before but it was really fun and I can't wait to do some more.

I joined a craft swap between some girls online, I will get a survey next week from the person I'm trading crafts with so I have an idea on what to make her/him. Will post results when I'm done!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Forumspring

I made an account at forumspring. Its a neat little thing where you can ask random questions to users, you can make an account or you can just submit questions anonymously. Ask me anything!!

Friday, August 20, 2010

All in all the move to Arizona has gone pretty well so far. I've been here for a couple of weeks now and while I still haven't found a job, I do have lots of good prospects! My plan was to update and post photos while I drove out here, however, my super awesome phone was not being very super awesome and didn't want to stay online. So know this, it took three days to get here and it was a very pretty drive. If you are friends with me on facebook I posted some of my photos there.

While mom was still out here we took a little day trip to Tuscon and visited the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch. Which as corny as an ostrich ranch sounds, was super fun. We got to ride this big monster tractor thing while the guide talked about ostriches, the desert and all kinds of neat facts about both. I think the coolest part was feeding them grapefruit from a fishing pole, they are the weirdest looking animals! Afterwards we went to a restaurant called Jonathans Cork and actually ate ostrich! It was pretty good. Tasted like a very tender steak.

That day we also went to the Sonora Desert Museum. We took a night tour because its a little too hot during the day here right now. Its basically a big walking path through the desert that highlights the plants and animals seen there. There were zoo-like displays with common animals like the coyote, ocelot, mountain lion, and bears. I want to go back when its cooler because they have a hummingbird display.

I went hiking on South Mountain the other day, there are alot of places to hike and walk and run and take your dog here. Ginger is the happiest I have ever seen her. Shannon has a sheltie named Sundae that has become her new best friend/little sister. They get along great and its so much fun to watch them play.

So, overall Arizona is awesome so far.

Friday, August 13, 2010

How to be alone.

Ran across this today and it spoke volumes to me. How to be alone with myself was probably the biggest lesson I've learned in the last couple years. I've always struggled with being happy with myself, often times simply putting others before myself just so I had someone elses life to focus on. Living alone taught me to embrace my own talents, learn more about the way I think and the things I love. If you haven't embraced these things in yourself, take the time to. You will like who you meet.



HOW TO BE ALONE by Tanya Davis

If you are at first lonely, be patient. If you've not been alone much, or if when you were, you weren't okay with it, then just wait. You'll find it's fine to be alone once you're embracing it.

We could start with the acceptable places, the bathroom, the coffee shop, the library. Where you can stall and read the paper, where you can get your caffeine fix and sit and stay there. Where you can browse the stacks and smell the books. You're not supposed to talk much anyway so it's safe there.

There's also the gym. If you're shy you could hang out with yourself in mirrors, you could put headphones in (guitar stroke).

And there's public transportation, because we all gotta go places.

And there's prayer and meditation. No one will think less if you're hanging with your breath seeking peace and salvation.

Start simple. Things you may have previously (electric guitar plucking) based on your avoid being alone principals.

The lunch counter. Where you will be surrounded by chow-downers. Employees who only have an hour and their spouses work across town and so they -- like you -- will be alone.

Resist the urge to hang out with your cell phone.

When you are comfortable with eat lunch and run, take yourself out for dinner. A restaurant with linen and silverware. You're no less intriguing a person when you're eating solo dessert to cleaning the whipped cream from the dish with your finger. In fact some people at full tables will wish they were where you were.

Go to the movies. Where it is dark and soothing. Alone in your seat amidst a fleeting community.
And then, take yourself out dancing to a club where no one knows you. Stand on the outside of the floor till the lights convince you more and more and the music shows you. Dance like no one's watching...because, they're probably not. And, if they are, assume it is with best of human intentions. The way bodies move genuinely to beats is, after all, gorgeous and affecting. Dance until you're sweating, and beads of perspiration remind you of life's best things, down your back like a brook of blessings.

Go to the woods alone, and the trees and squirrels will watch for you.
Go to an unfamiliar city, roam the streets, there're always statues to talk to and benches made for sitting give strangers a shared existence if only for a minute and these moments can be so uplifting and the conversations you get in by sitting alone on benches might've never happened had you not been there by yourself

Society is afraid of alonedom, like lonely hearts are wasting away in basements, like people must have problems if, after a while, nobody is dating them. but lonely is a freedom that breaths easy and weightless and lonely is healing if you make it.

You could stand, swathed by groups and mobs or hold hands with your partner, look both further and farther for the endless quest for company. But no one's in your head and by the time you translate your thoughts, some essence of them may be lost or perhaps it is just kept.

Perhaps in the interest of loving oneself, perhaps all those sappy slogans from preschool over to high school's groaning were tokens for holding the lonely at bay. Cuz if you're happy in your head than solitude is blessed and alone is okay.

It's okay if no one believes like you. All experience is unique, no one has the same synapses, can't think like you, for this be releived, keeps things interesting lifes magic things in reach.

And it doesn't mean you're not connected, that communitie's not present, just take the perspective you get from being one person in one head and feel the effects of it. take silence and respect it. if you have an art that needs a practice, stop neglecting it. if your family doesn't get you, or religious sect is not meant for you, don't obsess about it.

you could be in an instant surrounded if you needed it
If your heart is bleeding make the best of it
There is heat in freezing, be a testament.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Mmmmm beer

Part of my gift from brandon for running was a case of beers from brewdog.com. I haven't had a chance to taste them all yet but so far I'm loving them! Their ipa won the gold medal in the world beer cup, and for good reason, its awesome. Comprehensive blog of each one to come!

Thursday is my last day at the bank. Mom comes in saturday and sunday we hit the road to arizona. I'm nervous and excited!

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Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Success!

Running is starting to pay off, got weighed and pinched yesterday and lost 11.5 pounds! Feels good to see some results. In addition, my heart rate and blood pressure are down too.

Officially set for phoenix finally! I'm moving out of my apartment july 30 and hitting the road aug 1. Mom is flying down to drive with me, I am eternally grateful to my mother and all she's done for me, especially the last few years. She definitely caught me while I was falling!

I plan on blogging as we drive, it's going to be a 2-3 day trip!

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Sunday, July 18, 2010

101th post! I missed the 100th so we're having an after party

Someone on my facebook posted this photo yesterday. I posted the link because the comments really go right along with the ridiculousness of the whole thing, but here's the photo too.


Anyway the photo and the message he was trying to send, that planned parenthood (birth control and abortion) are a hidden agenda to kill off black people, is wrong. So, I emailed him mostly because he's always posting his opinions on life and the world and usually I laugh off the bs he's spewing but come on...this has taken it to a whole new level. Emails as follows:

Me
Normally I like a few differences of opinion and a good debate over things especially relating to anything a conservative christian believes and maybe it just caught me on a bad day but that post made me want to throw my monitor across the room.

That photo had nothing to do with where planned parenthood begun, the KKK invited her to speak there because their bullshit agenda of eliminating blacks seemed to jive with what she was doing (same way the nazi's used her ideas of eugenics for their ridiculous agendas). What was she doing? Talking about planned parenthood in inner cities. Why? Because thats where poverty is, ignorance, disease, drugs and dare I say..unwanted pregnancies occur. She wasn't trying to eliminate black people, she was trying to eliminate a society that turned out as ignorant and poor as ours is. Maybe if her efforts were taken more seriously half the ignorant, poor, lazy people that drag down productive members of society wouldn't exist today. instead, I have to see my government trying to take care of people that won't take care of themselves.

but hey, abortion is killing, its genocide, whatever you want to call it, its completely necessary. Even if a person didn't believe in abortion they'd have to agree that simply using birth control is a method worth teaching.


His Response:
Murder of unborn children is never necessary. If we lived in a moral society where people married and THEN had sex and had only as many children that they could support, we would have no problems with overpopulation or unwanted children. And this is not a "conservative" thing. It is a Christian thing. Whether you believe in God or not, if everyone followed the teachings of the Bible, regardless of their reason for doing so, this would have a much better world.


Me:
Well reality is that we don't live in a moral society and theists and atheists alike can agree upon that. The question is what do we do about an overgrown population that is increasingly under educated and living on generational welfare? Telling everyone to read a bible is about as useful as beating a dead horse. However, whether or not you or I are Christian or pro choice isn't whats in question here.

The purpose of your post was to suggest that somehow Margaret Sanger was in unison with the KKK trying to eradicate the black population. This is simply not true. Margaret Sanger was simply pro choice and spreading her ideas of planned parenthood. It had nothing to do with black or white but that sometimes people that aren't in a loving committed relationship do get pregnant and sometimes its not the best thing for them or the population to handle. I understand you don't agree with this theory and thats fine by me, don't use birth control or have an abortion. But, she was't trying to erase black people as your post suggests.

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Slow Club

I love Slow Club! It all started with "Me and You" and its snowballed from there. Youtube them! "Apples and Pairs", "It doesn't have to be beautiful"..all of them are sweet and quirky and pretty!

Help yourself out, shoot history in the mouth,
It's all that's left to do.
Look me up in some phonebook
Under, Me and You.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Goosefraba

THERE IS SERIOUSLY A BABY HIPPO ON A FUCKING TREADMILL IN THE APARTMENT ABOVE ME OMG THIS IS MAKING ME CRAZY.

whew.

I am listening to this song over and over because it makes me calm


Tuesday, June 22, 2010



This girl does a fantastic version of this song, absolutely beautiful

I went to a cobbler
to fix a hole in my shoe
he took one look at my face and said
"I can fix that hole in you."
I beg your pardon, I'm not looking for a cure
I've seen enough from my friends
in the depths of the God-sick blues

You know I am a liar
You know I am a liar
Nobody helps a liar

'Cause I've been down to Dixie
and dropped acid on my tongue
tripped upon the land 'til enough was enough
I was a little bit lighter and
adventure on my sleeve
I was a little drunk and looking for company
So I found myself a sweetheart
with the softest of hands
we were unlucky in love but I'd do it all again

we built ourselves a fire
we built ourselves a fire
you know I am a liar
you know I am a liar

and you don't know what I've done

and by the rollin' river
is exactly where I was
there was no snake oil cure for unlucky in love
to be lonely is a habit
like smoking or taking drugs
and I've quit them both
but man, was it rough

and now I am tired
it just made me tired
let's build ourselves a fire
let's build ourselves a fire

Monday, June 21, 2010

28.6

Final stretch in the run your ass off competition and I have gone 28.6 miles total. Friday is the last day and I have to say 30 days of routine and I'm really enjoying myself, I almost feel bad if I don't go at this point because I enjoy it so much. Spending time with my dog, I love how it makes my body feel and I love being outside. I've found some pretty places to run, too.

Last week I got back from my 2 weeks in Alabama. I had a fun trip, the people at the bank I worked with were super nice and I did lots of fun things while I was out there. I attended Bamajam, a country music festival. I didn't know much of the music but I did walk around drunk and barefoot so I fit right in! I drove down to Panama City Florida for a day and oh my oh my was it pretty!! I would love to go back there someday. I heard just after I left the oil was nearing the beaches there, its a shame :(
I took a Zumba class while I was there too, that was fun. I have zero rhythm but just trying to keep up I worked really hard!

July 1st I am driving up to Illinois to visit my family. I didn't go back last year so I'm pretty excited to see everyone. My dad is going to be out of town but he's going to have the house all ready for me to stay in, that was sweet.

Anyway, another wonderful summer. Exciting things to come in the next couple months, big changes!!!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Run away little girl, run away!

I got a neat app for my phone called Cardio Trainer. It tracks via gps where I went, how long, how far and how fast it also says how many calories but I think that's inaccurate because I keep pretty much the same pace and its always giving varying results. Anyway, when I save my workout it then posts to my facebook feed, which is cool because my friends encourage me and stuff. I also like how I can compare my results from the last time.

I added another app called C25K pro which basically puts you on a 9 week routine to build stamina and speed. Here's how it works, you turn it on when you begin your workout and there are a list of workouts labeled Week one Day 1, Week 2 Day 2 ect ect. Each week you increase the number of seconds you run and decrease your walking. For example in week one you walk 5 mins for warm up then alternate running for 60 seconds and walking for 90, then walk 5 mins cooldown. The whole routine takes 30 minutes. Since I like to walk Ginger for one hour I just run each of my day routines twice. Lately that's been getting me about 3.5 miles in because I run slow. It makes a sound when its time to run and when its time to walk (you create the sound scheme) that plays over your music. I really like it and by week 9 i *should* be able to run 30 mins without stopping to walk (its sad that I can't do that now but whatever, I'm working on it).

So Brandon decides to tap into my competitive nature and encourage me to push harder today by giving me a competition with him. For the next month starting today (May 25-June 25) we will both use Cardio Trainer app to track our mileage and if I go more miles than he does, he will buy me a present. No word on what the present is but it doesn't matter, I want to win and given his track record with presents (Zune HD, HTC Incredible) I think its' going to be something totally badass.

So yesterday doesn't count but I did 3.1 miles in 51 minutes. In a couple minutes I'm going to head out for the first day and hopefully beat yesterday and with any luck increase each day. Will try to post results as often as possible.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I got a dog!!



This is Ginger!

I have been thinking for awhile that I would like to get a pet. I need something to take care of, something to motivate me to get out of the house and be active, and a companion. SO, when I got back from Japan I made a trip to the Columbia Humane Society. I looked at all the dogs there for quite awhile and didn't really click with any of them in particular. I was walking between 2 cages deciding on them when Ginger caught my eye. She must have been outside and just came in. She was so sweet looking and the dog in her cage was jumping all over her and barking and she was keeping her cool. So I took her outside for a walk and when I kneeled down to greet her she put her paws up on me and gave me a hug! I fell in love and adopted her that day. lol.

I've had Ginger for 3 weeks. She's perfect for me. She has a good demeanor, she loves to cuddle and she listens to me! We go for walks (we're working on jogging...well she's got jogging I'M working on jogging lol), meetups with other dog owners in the park, we play and she's learning tricks. Having a dog has changed my daily activities for the better, I highly recommend it to anyone.

Ginger is a 2 year old pointer mix. She was brought to the Humane Society by her owner who said she couldn't afford to care for Ginger and her brother Roscoe anymore (if you know ANYONE that wants a dog please PLEASE go adopt Roscoe!). She left a sweet note talking about what Ginger likes and even said when she likes you she will hug you with her paws :)

Friday, May 14, 2010

She's your lobster.

Phoebe: Hang in there, it's gonna happen.
Ross: What? Okay, now how do you know that?
Phoebe: Because she's your lobster.
Chandler: Oh, she's goin' somewhere.
Phoebe: Come on, you guys. It's a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You know what? You can actually see old lobster couples walkin' around their tank, you know, holding claws like...

Yes it’s a Friends quote and I'm just a silly girl for thinking this but I take comfort in the thought that you always end up with your lobster no matter what else happens.



Thursday, May 06, 2010

My sister calls me at work to tell me she's got a Steph and Lindsy thought. What she means is we will sit and ponder the weirdest things. The existence of Santa, what dogs might be thinking, random things you may sometimes wonder but usually keep to yourself. Todays topic was what people did prior to the invention of jogging.

Lindsy: Every time I hear the phrase "jogging was invented in the 70s" I think to myself….
Me: Wait wait wait, "jogging was invented in the 70s" what do you mean every time you hear it..why would you hear that more than once in a lifetime?

Lindsy: Doesn't matter, I hear it all the time.
Lindsy: So what, if I had to run an errand I either had to walk to it or full on sprint? I'm calling dad to ask what they did.

Me: Yea there was no happy medium, it was awful. And you always got made fun of for either walking too fast or running too slow.

Me: Until one day someone was like, back off man, I'm run-walking. And jogging was born.


Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Happy Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you


Lotsa updates (I went to Japan, I got a dog, made some life changing decisions recently! Will post more when I can!)

Sunday, April 04, 2010

learning a new craft.

I've always loved sewing, mostly little crafts and home decor. I have 2 really nice machines but I don't have the space in my apartment to get a table, ironing board and place for my machine in so I haven't done much in a long time. So, I'm trying to teach myself how to crochet. So far I've learned the slip knot, yarn over, slip stitch and a chain stitch. I think the needle and yarn I bought were a little small for beginners, might go back and get some different stuff to practice with. Getting a good hang of it though, pretty soon I might be able to turn it into something! yay crafts :)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Music, traveling, friends and family. Life's good.

I always tie music into times in my life. Certain songs, genres or artists that I was really into during a particular event or time in my life. Even if those people aren't around anymore or whatever was happening is done now, the music brings me back to that time. This morning made me smile, I was flipping through my Zune and 3 songs in a row that directly related to a happy time in my life played. Silversun Pickups-Kissing Families, Radiohead-15 Step and Led Zepplin-No Quarter. I love my Zune, I love my life, today is a good day.


Travel season for me has officially begun! Two weeks ago I was in VA Beach for 4 days visiting my sister, her boyfriend and their two adorable (gigantic) dogs Sam and Lexi. I got strep while I was up there and had to find a doc and I felt awful but it didn't even matter because I was so incredibly happy to be around my sister. We went to a Mystery Dinner Playhouse and solved a "who done it" during dinner, Lindsy turned 21 and we went out and had her order her first shot, beer, pitcher of beer and drink with dinner. We went bowling, I got to play at the dog park with Sam (german shepherd) and Lexi (Doberman), they are the sweetest most cuddly dogs ever! Before I left VA I went back to the tattoo artist that did the bird behind my ear and I got a tattoo of a plumeria on my foot. It is the tattoo I wanted to get last year in Hawaii but didn't have a chance to. Very cute!


Last weekend Nicole and I went to Myrtle Beach for 2 days. We went to a beerfest in a new little area they built up called the Market Commons. Had a great time sipping lots of yummy beers and listening to a live band. After the fest we had dinner at PF Changs, one of my favorite places to eat! It was kind of chilly so we didn't spend a whole lot of time on the beach, but we're planning on going back in June when its warmer. We also went mini golfing at the tallest mini golf course I've ever been on. The place had blue water. It reminded me of when I was a kid, my dad took me mini golfing at a place with blue water. The water fascinated me to no end and all I wanted to do was touch it but my dad kept telling me no. Of course, the moment he turned his back I went down by the water to check it out and I fell in!! Dad will never let me live that down. So to commemorate my second trip to blue water, I took a photo (and I never fell in, however, I did putt my ball into it and I had to share Nicoles ball the rest of the time). We got some "wild west" photos done at one of those old time photo places. We were gangsters, cute pic and fun dressing up. All in all it was a great weekend away from home and great time spent with one of my best friends.


Also, while we were in MB. Nicole got a tattoo (cute little daisy on her toe) and her ear pierced. We went to the piercing place that I got mine done at last year and the girl that did mine was there, she was so sweet, I liked the jewelry she had and so she replaced mine for free! The tattoo place was awesome, the artist was Israeli and had a cool accent! He was singing and dancing for us and telling jokes. At one point one of his friends came in and was trying to talk him into doing the "grandma from Alabama" impression but he got shy and didn't do it. Haha, I woulda loved to see that! We did get some video of him doing the tattoo with my new Flip HD camcorder, I posted it on my youtube…Youtube.com/shynnee !


In 17 more days I will be boarding an airplane to Japan! I am so excited, my first trip out of the country, yay!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Food!

I've been eating the same foods over and over for a few months. Trying to watch calories and such. Its working great but its getting so BORING! I was at Target this weekend and I saw "The Biggest Loser 30 day plan". What I needed was some easy to cook, simple meals that I can prepare in advance so I don't revert to eating out or buying too much "quick food". This book so far has been great. Here's what I ate yesterday:

Egg whites on an English muffin with a slice of ham and cheese
Blueberries
Milk

Apple and string cheese
water

Turkey wrap with carrots and an orange
water

Chicken breast and asparagus
water

Deviled eggs (substitute the yolks with hummus! Yum)
water

But nothing has been as wonderful as the oatmeal I had this morning. Prepare yourself!

Life changing Oatmeal
1 banana mashed with 1 tsp pure vanilla, set aside
1 1/2 c skim milk to almost boiling
Add 1c oats and cook for 2 mins
Add mashed banana mixture and take off stove and let sit covered for 5 mins.

Oh oh oh so yummy. This makes 4 servings, so just eat a 1/4 of it and save the rest for later! I ate some hard boiled egg whites, too.

Friday, March 12, 2010

I can kill you with my brain.

Ever since getting hooked on LOST via netflix I've decided to try out
other tv series on DVD. My recent obsessions are Heroes and after months
of Brandon pestering me about it, Firefly (as usual you know what's best
for me, I love it).

If you haven't watched Heroes you must. The show highlights normal
humans that have special abilities, like precognition, flying, speed,
ect. and the events that fit them all into each others lives. I'm into
season 3 right now.

Firefly was short lived and I'm not sure why as the story was good, the
characters are likable and there's a ton of possible storylines in
there. Its about a crew of people about 500 years in the future. They
travel around in their spaceship named Serenity smuggling goods and
causing trouble. Each character is uniquely funny and interesting. I
really like it.

Musically I've been listening to Gorillaz new album Plastic Beach. I
hadn't thought about Gorillaz in ages. Since Clint Eastwood (their song)
was popular. This album is great though. My favorite song is Rhinestone
Eyes. Its one of those songs where when it ends you almost get sad its
over and start it over again. I also like Superfast Jellyfish, which I
can't quite put together a meaning for and that's the allure to me, its
about breakfast cereal and King Neptune and his undersea crew. Yea, I
can't put it together either. Listen to it.

Finally consistently back at the gym after the whole breaking my arm
issue. Feels good to be working out again.
Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Weird!

I suppose if someone was going to steal my identity applying for colleges isn't the worst they could do to me.

It all started about 10pm last night. I started getting emails thanking me for my interest in their particular college. Then this morning the phone calls started. Calling to give me more info. As if having a boatload of colleges calling and emailing me wasn't weird enough, stranger was the info they had to contact me. They all have the same info: my maiden name, an address to the bank I work at but not the branch, my cell # and my personal email.

A spambot prolly got hold of my info and added me to some list. Not sure where they woulda pulled the wrong name and address from but I'm blaming Facebook for this. Luckily I have identity theft insurance so I called them just in case it ends up being more than calling list spam.


Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

EL O EL

I got a message from Adam this weekend that he thought he had a stroke. He's had problems with heart and nerve damage since his accident so really, it was only a matter of time before something like his happened. He's worked really hard over the last couple years going to the gym and trying to get his body into shape and its really hard on him knowing that no matter how hard he tries that accident is going to haunt him his whole life. Since I was really the only person around him during all he went through, I would be one person he calls when he's having a hard time dealing. So I tell him I'm sorry and that I hope he's getting the kind of encouragement he needs from his family and girlfriend and to call me when he has some time to talk.

Like a couple hours later I get a text from his phone saying "don't you worry he gets all he needs from me, don't you worry". Clearly that came from his girlfriend. And all I'm thinking is, he's not getting anything from you but more stress if all you are worried about is what he says to me. Also, a normal healthy Adam is very high risk for a stroke and a heart attack due to his injuries and adding job related stress, something he's had a lot of recently and stress at home is probably what caused the high blood pressure in the first place!  So, in my opinion, you need to stop acting like a little child and realize that you are one of the main causes of what happened. Get over yourself.


On a happier note, I bought a Flip HD camcorder this weekend and I am SO excited. I had them mail it to the bank so I didn't have to wait at FedEx jumping out of my skin for it. In case you didn't know, I LOVE getting new things, especially gadgets. I want to use it for all the places I'm planning on going to this year. So I can post them online and share with my friends and family. I got a GREAT deal on it too. The camera is normally $199 but Newegg.com had them for $156 AND they gave you 2 HDMI cables free, which usually run $30. So new toy and I saved money!!


Now that I have my TV and my Xbox 360 to myself again I have been getting back into Dragon Age: Origins.  It had been so long since I played I had to get back into it and since I really hadn't gotten that far to begin with I decided to start over. I made a human rogue instead of the elven mage I was using. Its actually kind of cool starting from a different viewpoint like that since I know part of the story. The human noble origin story isn't as interesting as the elven one but neat nonetheless.


Anyway, this is getting long. More later :) 59 DAYS UNTIL JAPAN!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Karma Karma

When I got into that car accident last week, as I said there were like 8 cars involved total. A young girl was in front of me, she walked back to my car and her and I went up to the cop and the trucker together. She was very nice and we chatted a bit while waiting. Her boss kept calling her while we were out there, telling her she needed to get to work and was really just being completely mean about the whole situation. After the SCDOT guy changed her tire she ended up leaving. Her car was definitely messed up but she was worried about losing her job and upsetting her boss. I felt bad that I didn't get her phone number, she said she had called her insurance agency and they knew about the accident and would help her get the truckers info though.

Well about 2 days later I went to the grocery store in the middle of the night and I run into that girl! Very weird because its nowhere near where the accident happened as it was on my 45 minute commute to work. Anyway I asked her if she got her car fixed and she said she did but she had to pay for it since she didn't have an incident report from the police. I got her phone number this time and told her I would text her the truckers insurance info and the claim number. I was happy that when I gave my statements I made sure to tell them about her just in case she tried to call in. She texted me the next day thanking me, they covered all of her costs! Felt good to know I was able to help her and it was so strange how we ran into each other so randomly!

But that's not all! I was out Monday night with some friends and I met a girl who worked where this girl worked. I told her about what happened and she already knew the story, she's friends with the girl from the accident! What a small world.


Today I get my car back from the body shop. I really hope that its fixed right, I'm going to run over to the dealership and have my mechanic take a quick look at it to make sure its all good. It'll be nice to have my car back, I like the rental and all but I'm pretty attached to my own car.


Last week I booked my trip to Japan! Leaving April 17th. I really can't wait. I've never been to a foreign county and I can't wait to see Brandon again. I am anxious about the long travel alone but I am sure I'll be fine. I'll bring lotsa DS games and my Zune along. Scribblenauts can keep me entertained for long periods of time, haha.

I also booked a trip to Myrtle Beach at the end of March for Nicole and I. We're going to a beer fest, she's getting a piercing in her ear like mine and we're going to go parasailing! This is the beginning of what is probably going to be another good year for travel! I am looking at booking a flight to Illinois next month so I can just get that out of the way. I haven't been home since 2008, looking forward to seeing my family again!


Going to sing Karoke tonight with a couple girls I met on Monday. Hope we have a good time!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

How weird is it that my car was ruined by a driveshaft just days before LOST premiers. Charlie is my favorite character.

LOST

Where stuff happens and junk.

2010 is testing me.

Friday at work was very overwhelming and busy, I had a ton of things to do and right at the end of the day I made a mistake that, while fixable, was incredibly embarrassing. Wore out and wanting nothing more than to go home and relax with a cold drink I get home to my mom crying. My great grandmother wasn't doing well and she wanted to leave for Illinois Sunday to see her before she passed. Mom was planning on moving but not until next week. 15 minutes after hearing this news, great grandma passed away.


I did some shopping Saturday to get my mind off things. Sometimes its nice when you're feeling bad to buy something new that makes you feel pretty. I got some shirts and jeans. I went out Saturday night and had a good time, got a little carried away but I don't do that very often so I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Needless to say I slept pretty much all day Sunday.


Ready to start fresh and put the last few days behind me, I leave for work Monday morning. I was headed down I-26 near 378 in Lexington and the drive shaft came out from under an 18 wheeler. Seeing the 2 cars ahead of me hit the thing and go flying off the road with popped tires I thought I would be smart and straddle it. Only to find out it was taller than I thought, it ruined my car. After I pulled over I saw that this thing had caused a lot of issues for other drivers too. It took the police officer like 3 hours to get everyone's incident report filled out. He was so nice, he let me sit in his car while he filled out everything because my car wouldn't run and it was really cold outside. Finally, the tow truck got there and brought me to the body shop and enterprise picked me up with a cute, sporty little rental that I totally don’t mind driving for the next week or so. Luckily, the truckers insurance is covering everything and I will be well on my way by the end of the week (hopefully).


Yes it has been an eventful few days. I think I will be taking it easy for the next week or so.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Overdramatic Much?

 


From: Chris M.  
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 2010 11:24 AM
To: Stephanie
Subject:

 

Hi, we have talked briefly before my name is Chris, perhaps you remember me? Anyways I just thought I would drop you a line to see how you are doing and to point out that you are getting an F for lack of participation today. If it were possible to give a grade lower than an F I would do this.

 

If there was someway I could tell the world how much your conversational skills suck I would do that. If I could afford a commercial during the super bowl I would make that commercial about how absolutely pathetic you are with the talking to me today AND I would show it as many times as time would allow. Just sayin

 

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Tl;dr its just a rant.

I've been tossing this around in my head awhile and mentioning it to a few people here and there who thinks its crazy that this even bothers me but I have to say it. I hate dual facebook profiles. You know where a boyfriend and girlfriend or a husband and wife make one profile for both people "bob and nancy smith" instead of one for bob and one for nancy. It bugs me for 2 reasons because when I see them I think either 1. one of these people does not have their own personal identity (surprise its usually the woman) or 2. one of these people is incredibly insecure and can't stand wondering who the other is talking to and such. And both of these things are my 2 biggest fears about being in a relationship.


Over the last few years I've worked really hard at finding my own identity again, separate from Adam and then separate from Tim. For some reason in both relationships I let them tell me what I should and shouldn't be interested in. Adam telling me not to be a teacher and make more money (clearly for his own benefit) and Tim talking down about virtually every idea I ever had. I found myself making choices based on how I thought they would react to them and that's what made me so unhappy. Its great to have common interests, in fact its better that way because you have more things to enjoy together. But sometimes a person is going to like things the other person doesn't like and it means you just need to support them and let them enjoy what makes them happy.


I don't have to go into much detail about the jealousy thing, most people have experienced it. I've been in one relationship my whole life where the person I was with was not at all jealous and it was fantastic. I am not a jealous person and its great when you are with someone who feels the same way.


I know its just facebook and the whole thing is kind of dumb anyway, but I really do think it says something negative about you and about your relationship when you can't establish your own profile with your own friends.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

You know, some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it's your last. Bullshit. Life is long. You're probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you're gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next fifty years. 

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Pants on the ground

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1l7f4Q6sTM

10 minutes later he's an internet sensation. Lookin like a fool with
your pants on the ground. Lol Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone
provided by Alltel

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

One handed blog post

Apparently I threatened 2010 to kick butt so much that it kicked my butt for being cocky. I fell Saturday and broke my elbow! So here I type slowly pecking away with one hand. Needless to say this will be a short post.


Saturday night Nicole, Allison and I went out. First we had dinner at Julia's in Columbia (fantastic German food btw), then we went to the Vista. Neither of them seemed to be having any fun, the bars were crowded and it just wasn’t their scene. Nicole wanted to go to the Skyline. I don’t know, I cant decide if it’s the country music, line dancing, lack of culture, lack of decent beer or lack of decent crowd that I don’t like but I hate the Skyline. Not to mention it’s a smoking bar so you leave stinking every time. But alas, we went. Nicole found us a table in the farthest corner of the bar so I had to get up and find some poor unsuspecting man to talk into giving up his seats. That was easy enough, not sure his buddies were thrilled when they got back though. We got a good spot right next to the stage though. People watching was the best part of that night.


Brandon finally got his package. But not before the USPS and International Postmaster got a piece if my mind lol. I was stressed, his expensive helmet cam was in there! I'm happy he's got it now though, one less thing to stress over :)

Friday, January 08, 2010

also

It appears my birthday is also the same as Stephen Hawking. COOL!

I sent a package to Brandon in Japan 17 days ago. 12 if you take away the days that the mail didn't run. At any rate its been way too long and I'm worried about it. I emailed the USPS but they said since its going to an APO that its no longer in their jurisdiction. So I had to mail a letter to some agency in Virginia asking them to locate it. I have something else to send him but I'm afraid to now!!


Today is my birthday! I have no plans so far. I assume I'll be going out and finding the best happy birthday drink specials! Its my moms birthday too so I suppose I'll be going out with her. Mom bought me a haircut/color for my birthday. Its really cute, short with bangs and dark brown with some caramel colored highlights. Very pretty.


Last night my friend Waylon called me and helped me set up a training routine for the gym. Waylon is a personal trainer but he lives in Illinois so he's trying to help me over the phone. I have a list of exercises to do on particular days, how to do them and everything. He also talked to me about how we build muscle and how different types of workouts do different things for your body. I'm not going to type all of it out here but its really great to have someone to be able to ask questions and get ideas from. I take classes in the evenings, whatever is going on in the 6:45 timeslot after my workout is done. I like doing the BodyPump class at Golds but they moved the schedule around and last night in its time slot was BodyCombat. Something new for me but it looked fun, karate, kickboxing and taichi. That class was TOUGH omg!! Not only was is constant moving, jumping and running but there were a lot of moves you had to learn and then coordinate quickly. I worked HARD. I'm definitely going back but its probably going to take me a few classes to be able to follow the moves!! In 6 weeks I will report back to Waylon and he is going to adjust my routine so my muscles don't get used to what I'm doing. YAY for free personal trainer :P



Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Me: My birthday is 1-8-81 it’s a palindrome!
Vince: Oh neat, that explains your personality!
Me: Really? What's that mean?
Vince: I don't know I just made that up.


My birthday is Friday! Mom gave me a gift certificate to get my hair done. I haven't had it cut in months so I'm going today, super excited. Saturday we're going out to dinner with some friends. German food at Julia's, I love that place. I have no plans for my actual birthday yet but I'm sure it is going to be going out somewhere. We shall see.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Mom and I decided to go out Saturday night. We tried a new place since the regular place wasn't very busy. They had karaoke and a girl I used to work with was there so we stayed. Sitting at the bar chatting away I can feel the person behind me starting at me. Trying to ignore it I swear I can hear him breathing. So mom tells me "steph I think that guy behind you wants your attention". At this point I haven't even looked to see him because I'm kinda creeped out by the vibe I was getting from his piercing eyes.

"he's creepy isn't he?"
"yep"
"give him a dirty look so he'll quit"
My mom's incapable of giving dirty looks apparently so she says "stop staring at her". Apparently that meant, stop staring and talk to her. So creepy boy in his Guns n' Roses t-shirt moves to the seat right next to me. Yes, I could feel him staring and hear him breathing from 2 seats away and now I can smell him too. Essence of stale cigarette with a hint of parents basement is what I would guess he smelled like. So I turn my back to him and try to ignore the fact that he's now trying to join in our conversation. I was telling mom I really wanted to sing karaoke so creepy boy practically falls out of his chair running to find a song book. It was at that point that we decided to leave. He tried to get my phone number and I was really polite saying no but he acted like it was the biggest shock he'd ever heard, throwing his hands into the air and staring at me like I must be nuts.


Also, next time there's karaoke I am going to sing Lita Ford's Kiss me Deadly.