A Very Lucky Girl

I undertook a 40 hour roundtrip roadtrip at the end of my summer. From Oklahoma City to Nashville to Wilmington to Carolina Beach to Raleigh and back through Nashville! It was an 8 day whirlwind of the best kind.  40 hours in a car gave me a lot of time to think. And eat lemonheads. And listen to audiobooks. And sing songs at the top of my lungs. I actually didn't think all that much. But I did take note of several things during my cross-country journey. photo by E. Bell Thank God for Google Maps. I would be at a loss without the calm and collected automated voice telling me which exits to take. She didn't even yell at me when I took a wrong exit and had to backtrack. A human navigator probably would have.  This was the first summer I visited every single state I lived in. In late May I first took to the highway to surprise Moriah Jo, and my overnights in Nashville and Raleigh fulfilled the other state requirements. What a treat to reconnect with so many friends in t...

I truly have negative time to watch, let alone write about, the first week of the "two week Bachelorette finale, most dramatic ever" tonight! I'm so very sorry, but I think I have some good reasons.  This week is one of the busiest of my entire summer. My dad moves to Houston on Wednesday morning so I want to be free just in case I have any extra time to spend with him before he leaves me in Oklahoma. So much sad face.  I work Monday through Thursday and leave for Vegas at 7:05 PM on Thursday evening. I'm hoping to find some time to pack on Tuesday night.  This is the last week of my online Sociology of Gender class and we have a test I need to take between Thursday morning and Friday night. I'm hoping to squeeze it in between work and leaving for the airport on Thursday. Studying will have to be done while the kids have swim practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.  I'll see Tyler for the last time for two weeks in Norman on Wednesday night and also need to pic...

If I had to pick a favorite out of all the educational institutions I've attended, New Hope Academy in Franklin, Tennessee would take the number one spot. For two reasons: 1) I left after third grade, the drama in elementary school is fairly minimal; 2) the people. Kindergarden was my first year there. I narrowly escaped being homeschooled by Shari but Miss LaVerne (I'm 95% positive of her name) called in August, announcing that a spot had opened up. I think Shari and I were both relieved. I couldn't have asked for a better kindergarden teacher, they don't come much better than Tracy Utley. She homeschools her own boys now and I'm jealous that they get her teaching for more than one year; I would learn from her any and every day! I weirdly remember a very specific leopard print belt that she would wear sometimes, guess I was a wanna-be fashionista. Still am--a wannabe that is. Samantha Wilson became my very best friend and I started crushing hard on Nick Ingham. ...