25 Things

There is a phenomena that is circulating around Facebook right now... here's my "25 Things" post... sorry it's not me writing, but those words, they still haven't come. Soon my friends, soon (I hope)!

1. I just watched Top Gun for the first time this week… felt like I had already seen it 20 times though - (Chris Brown totally stole the ‘hearts all over the world tonight’ line from Meg Ryan in Top Gun)

2. I have a scar that is about 1inch long on my right thigh from my bathtub here in Ghana… I know, I know… the bathtub??

3. I would really rather sing every sentence that comes from my mouth and dance every step of every journey I take than simply talk and walk… impractical?

4. Pretty much every time you speak to me there is a song that is playing in my head, the lyrics matching or coming after whatever you just said…

5. Isn’t it funny that in the US during the winter 50 degrees can feel warm, but in Africa during dry season when there is no humidity 90 degrees can feel COLD?!?! I know you don’t believe me, but it’s so true!!

6. The thought of even the possibility of moving to Nashville on my own makes me more nervous than the thought of moving to Ghana did.

7. Three days ago I had the joy of having a 20 minute heart to heart with 10 5ish year olds about why kissing people who aren’t your family on the lips is not appropriate (“Yes, when you get married you can kiss your wife on the lips all you want, but not in Kindergarten!”).

8. Once I went on a 3 mile bike ride through the African bush… might not sound very far… but I will never do that again (certain death awaits if I try, I’m just sure of it).

9. Once I went on a 4 hour hike through the African jungle… I will never do that again either… although I would LOVE to swim in the waterfall we stopped at again. Do you think I could arrange to hike down and then just get airlifted out after swimming??

10. I have athletic induced asthma. I did not have my inhaler on either of the 2 above trips… bad plan.

11. It probably wouldn’t actually be too hard to convince me to do either of those two things again...

12. I had my first ear infection at the age of 21.

13. I cried almost every day after school in first grade. I think I learned more that year than any other because my teacher pushed us so hard and was so ‘mean’ (read: I was too sensitive). I also think that year of my life has something to do with why I am an overachiever with some things but extremely unmotivated for others.

14. I love the way the antiseptic they used at the clinic in my elementary school smelled. I went there almost every day after lunch in 3rd grade. I don’t remember much about that year, even my teacher’s name (ok, now an hour later after thinking REALLY HARD about it, I *think* I remember… Mom, was it Mrs. Brown??), but Mrs. Osbourne was the nurse’s name and I can tell you the exact layout of the clinic…

15. Come to think of it… I don’t really remember much about 2nd grade either… there seems to be a black hole (give or take snippets here and there) in my memory where a majority of the memories of 2nd and 3rd grade have disappeared.

16. I wear my feelings in my eyes instead of on my sleeve… they change colors depending on my mood and emotions. If you can figure out the color that comes with a mood/emotion, you can read me like a book.

17. I love that my eyes change colors… it’s pretty much a superpower ;)

18. I feel like a bad sister/cousin/friend/daughter for missing things like showchoir competitions, graduations, award ceremonies, dances, performances, weddings, engagements, parties, game nights, birthdays, births, vacations, and road trips, but it’s really the small things like text messages just because we can, talking on the phone for 5 minutes or 3 hours, sitting down for a meal in or out, hugs, and being able to say I love you to your faces that I miss the most.

19. It takes a minimum of 20 minutes from the time I start typing a text to the time it gets sent. I will re-word it 10 times before you ever see it.

20. Unless it’s so crowded there is no choice, it stresses me out to no end to have people sit right behind me in the movie theater. Please choose the back if I go to a movie with you :)

21. I don’t like feet… not afraid, just don’t want to touch yours.

22. I am afraid of clowns. Not like I’ll go run and hide, I just really don’t like them, especially if they won’t talk.

23. One summer I lost weight even though I pretty much only ate ice cream. The Ice Cream diet… it works (or working at an ice cream shop almost every day for the whole summer).

24. I can make one killer chocolate, peanut butter, and cappuccino chip ice cream cake (in Ghana… I’ll have to re-invent it when I get home).

25. Ice cream is my favorite food. Yes, it is a food. Hence the killer ice cream cake, working at an ice cream shop, and eating it all the time. Hands down, all time best flavor ever (don’t even try to argue with me, especially if you’ve never had it) is chocolate peanut butter but ONLY if its from Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio… other than that I’m not really a one-flavor gal.

** Bonus fact… kind of like when they put an hidden track on a CD, but maybe better… It took me 4 days to complete this list.

words

Sometimes they fail me...

I can't tell you how many times I've come and opened a blank post and then just sat staring at the empty screen... the words, they just will not come. For that I am sorry, but I know they will come eventually... but I didn't disappear, just incase anyone was worried :)

coming soon... maybe some... words?

2008

JANUA​RY
1.Who kisse​d you on new years​?​​ that would be no one...
2.Did you have a New Year'​​s Resol​ution​ this year?​​ I don't remember... ha
3.Does it snow where​ you live?​​ right now - definitely NOT, in 2 days - TWO DAYSSS - YES!
4.Do you like hot choco​late?​​ mmmm yes!!!
5.Have you ever been to Times​ Squar​e to watch​ the ball drop?​​ No, but I REALLY want to

FEBRU​ARY
1.Who was your Valen​tine?​​ 9 lovely Kindergartners
2.When you were littl​e did you buy Valen​tine'​​s for the whole​ class​? of course, still do!
3.Do you care if the groun​dhog sees its shadow or not? nah
4.What did you recei​ve for valen​tine'​​s day? lots of little handmade cards & a few store bought ones
5.What did you give for valen​tine'​​s day? I gave my class cards, candy & some stickers :)

MARCH​
1.Are you Irish​?​​ probably have some in me...
2.Do you like corne​d beef and cabba​ge?​​ I think so
3.What did you do for St Patri​ck'​​s Day? umm... was excited for it to almost be mybirthday?
4.Are you happy​ when winte​r is prett​y much over?​​ winter? what's winter

APRIL​
1.Do you like the rain?​​ I love the way the rain smells here :)
2.Did you play an April​ fool'​​s joke on anyon​e this year?​​ I probably tried to trick my kiddies somehow
3.Do you get tons of candy​ for Easte​r? Negative

MAY
1.What is your favor​ite flowe​r?​​ ohhh I like lots of different kinds... depends on what they are for
2.Finis​h the phras​e "​​April​ showe​rs…"​​ make the ground really muddy & gives me red feet
3.Do you celeb​rate May 16th:​​ Natio​nal Pierc​ing Day? nooo
4.Is May anyth​ing speci​al to you? Not for any reason in particular

JUNE
1.What year did/​​will you gradu​ate from high schoo​l? ​​2004
2.Did you do anyth​ing fun durin​g this Month​?​​ OH YES - I went to AMERICA :)
3.Have a favor​ite baseb​all team?​​ well I guess I'll just say the Reds

JULY
1.What did you do on the 4th of July?​​ I think went to my grandmas for lunch, then fireworks
2.Did you go to the firew​orks?​​ of course!
3.Did you blast​ the A/C all day? definitely not - I was probably wearing a sweater all day...

AUGUS​T
1.What was your favor​ite summe​r memor​y of '08? oh man! there were a LOT of good ones this summer - I loved being home so much!
2.Did you have a sunbu​rn? in the weak American sun?? nahh
3.Did you go to the pool a lot? nope

SEPTE​MBER
1.Are you atten​ding school​?​​ teaching
2.What happe​ned this month​?​​ tried out for the pantomime

OCTOB​ER
1.What was your last Hallo​ween costu​me?​​ Greek goddess
2. What is your favorite candy? Reese's and Snickers
3.What was your favor​ite thing​(​​s)​​ about​ this month​?​​ mm... Pantomime practice, cause thats ALL I did

NOVEM​BER
1. Where were you for Thanksgiving? At the Callis' house w/ all my roomies & fellow 20-something teachers
2.What are you thank​ful for? My Jesus, my rockin awesome family & wonderful friends :) and sooo much more!
3.Do you love stuff​ing?​​ love, I wouldn't go that far... like
4.Anyth​ing speci​al in this month​? Thanksgiving, Jumble Sale

DECEM​BER
1.Do you celeb​rate Chris​tmas?​​ because it is Jesus' birthday!!
2.Have you ever been kisse​d under​ the mistl​etoe?​​ don't think so...
3.What do you want for Christmas? to be homeee
4.Get anything good this year? I'll find out in 2 weeks :)
5.What do you love most about December? I'M GOING TO AMERICA TOMORROWWWW!!!

Mocha Club(s)

Watch the video. The Africa you see here is mine... the one I see. Poor and needy people everywhere, yet people who have joy overflowing - not circumstantial, possession-based joy you see in other places, but joy that knows no limit, no bounds and has no physical value.

Join Mocha Club.

Drink Starbucks Holiday Drinks (Peppermint Mocha Twist, Gingersnap Latte, and Espresso Truffle) .05 cents from every holiday drink from now until January 2, 2009 goes to support (red), a group fighting against AIDS in Africa

gobbledy gook

~ opening night of the Pantomime is tomorrow... I'm exhausted, my health is teetering on a very fine point, my body aches, my patience is waining - BUT - I wouldn't take it back for the world, and I am SO glad that I let the high schoolers convince me to try out - as my roommate Mariah just told me a bit ago, when I think about my 3rd semester in Ghana, this is what I will remember... because it's all I did :)

~ I am going to be finishing up the first semester of school and going to get on a plane in 10 days. This makes me very happy. I will also be losing a fantastic aid, who is heading back to the US for university, in 10 days... this makes me sad...

~ I need to stop shopping online (only 3 orders + 1 thing for my class... not too bad, but I still need to stop)

~ I WON SOMETHING!!! :) - I won the prize of an awesome framed print of an awesome photo for that last blog I wrote from Kate, a friend of a friend whose blog I found and have been loving (I can't wait to get it in the mail when I get home!!)!

~ Going home in 10 days means I'm taking the GRE in 14 days... eek... not so excited about this - but I am excited to get it over with, and hopefully complete the process of applying to both of the Grad schools I'm looking at right now (UC and WSU).

~ I should have been in bed a longggg time ago... I think I'm to that point where my body is on autopilot and sleep isn't something it's been doing much lately, so that's not the mode it is in... ugh.

~ My class did a rockin' awesome job on the Christmas art projects we did in class today - 3-D Christmas trees and snowman mosaics - I need to take pictures of the festiveness of my classroom... it far surpasses last years. Mom, you will be proud of my spontaneous creativity for these projects this last week or so :)

~ I found out the dates for my Katie's choir/showchior Christmas concerts, and I'll be homeeee :) - being in the pantomime has made me miss showchoir something fierce, and I can't wait to go sing Hallelujah Chorus and The 12 Days After Christmas up on stage with my baby sister for her last time doing it as a student!

~ and pretty much... basically... I'LL BE IN OHIO IN 11 DAYS (ya, the whole day-and-a-half to get there thing is pretty dumb... but hey, in the air is closer than here!!) :) :) :) :) :) :)