Delayed

Memories Rewind will have to happen late this week. I'm not feeling good at all, and I don't want to post a so-so post that's no good. It will be up Thursday or Friday. I have a test on Friday, and I'll be studying for that. Send good thoughts my way. When Friday is over, I'll consider it an accomplishment that I made through this week.

Weekend Recap

I regret not being able to post these last few days. I had a really rough weekend. I was just trying to make it, you know? Even though this weekend wasn't the greatest, I went to bed believe today would be better day. I'm having to constantly remind myself what the Word says about my situation because I know nothing good ever comes from being negative. That's easier said than done, but God promised his grace would be sufficient through it all.

We had a small graduation party for my brother this weekend. He graduated from an electrical lineman program, and although it was a short program, he learned some invaluable skills. The whole family is proud of him.


This is a picture of all of the cousins together, which is rare because I'm not usually able to come.




The fun isn't over yet! We have my other grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary coming up this weekend. I'm sure it will be great. What did you do this weekend?

Memories Rewind: Sleepless Sleepover

In elementary school, you learn about geography, have spelling tests, and look forward to recess. What happens after school is even better.

My best friend, Amanda, had invited me to her birthday party along with our other friends. We celebrated with cake and presents and a little dancing. We pulled out our sleeping bags and settled in for the night. Little did we know there would be a turn of events.

Amanda passed out glow sticks to everyone there. I ripped open the black package that had Glow Sticks written on it in a variety of colors. A friend of mine, K, started chewing on hers. Soon, everyone was doing it. I was chewing on mine, when I heard a pop. "This can't be good" I thought. I slowly pulled the glow stick out of my mouth with a sinking feeling in my stomach. Phew! Green glittery goop went everywhere lighting up the sleeping bag that I had borrowed from my brother.

I turned the glow stick package over, carefully reading its contents. "Non- Toxic, but don't put in mouth." My mind went straight to toxic. "Oh my gosh! I'm going to die." This stuff is toxic, ya'll!" I exclaimed while spitting out the last of the green glitter. "My dad's going to kill me, ya'll if I do live." I said. I went on to tell my friends what to tell my daddy what happened to me if I did indeed die, seriously. It wasn't my finest moment-it may have been my most dramatic, though.

I immediately yelled for Amanda's mom to come in the living room. It had also gotten on her beige carpet. I felt so bad, and she was frustrated. That's not a good combination at 10 or 11 PM. She furiously scrubbed to get the glitter out of the carpet. I joined in and recruited one of my friends to get another wash cloth. We were the wash cloth brigade- we made a pretty good team.

Even though Amanda's birthday is all but a distant memory, everyone remembers my near death experience. That's what friends are for, right? To supply you with a list of stupid things that have happened to you so they can cry from laughing so hard? Yeah. That's what I thought.

50th Anniversary Surprise Party

We celebrated my grandparent'(on my dad's side) 50th anniversary this weekend. Let me say-that is a long time to be married to one person. Even through the roller coaster that is life, they have stuck together. Through the death of their young son, they stuck together. That means something. It's refreshing to know that marriages can last.

The best part was that they knew nothing about it. They decided to have it indoors because of the weather. Everyone had a great time talking about things that were done years ago, but the memory of it lives on forever.

My oldest cousin and me




My youngest cousin and me

I needed this one to be more cropped, so I tried something a little different.


My brother


The only thing that I forgot to get a picture of was the food, and I'm kicking myself now for not remembering. We had brisket, ham, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, and some kind of rice dish. There was a beautiful cake for dessert.



Unfortunately we had to leave right after the cake cutting because I was in a lot of pain. I guess I have a high pain tolerance because no one could tell. That's a good and bad thing I guess. My brother told me about the things that I missed. He said they got a clock, lots of cards, and gift cards to different restaurants. They know Grandaddy because he loves to eat. I'll be surprised if the cards last two months. :)

I was glad I got to celebrate with them, even if it was only for a little bit. The rest of my weekend consisted of studying and more studying. That drains all of your energy, but I think it paid off because I think I did good. Stay tuned for this week's Memories Rewind post!

P.S. Don't forget to leave me a comment about some good movies that will work for a presentation I've got to do. Read more about it here.

Need a Little help from my Friends

I'm doing a group project in Communication on rhetoric. For those who don't know, it means using language to effectively please or persuade. It has three main parts: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos.

Logos means using reasoning to have a logical argurment

Ethos appeals to the ethical side of things; source credability(perceived trustworthiness)

Pathos appeals to the emotional side of things; using vivid language

Here are a few that I thought of:

The Ultimate Gift

Black Beauty

The Beautiful Mind

Our goal is to have a clip of a movie to represent each one if possible. To Kill a Mockingbird has all three parts, but we want a few more clips if we can find them. I know my readers have some great ideas, so I thought I would ask everyone. Any movie suggestions that college students could relate to that fit within one of those categories? Book and movie lovers should love this topic.

Memories Rewind: Backstreet Boys? Psh...Backstreet Girls is Where it's At

Girls have some creative imaginations. My cousins and I were over at my grandparent's trying to think of something to do. I think we spent more time deciding on something than actually doing it. After all, necessity is the mother of invention, right? It might have had something to do with a concert that I'd gone to.

I had the brilliant idea to get my younger cousins in front of the fireplace to do a one of a kind performance. Decked out in our Backstreet Boys t-shirts, we belted out "I Want it That Way", "Larger Than Life", "Everybody", "Quit Playing Games" (with my heart), and many others.

My Memaw had the camcorder nearby so she filmed it. Many on the couches asked for an encore, and we happily obliged. I played the part by singing into my hand. My younger cousins showed off their best dance moves. My youngest cousin would laugh during the performances."Come on y'all, make it fun!" I said. Sometimes the youngest one would break out in a dance solo, so me and my other cousin stepped back. "Take it away, M!" I shouted for encouragement. The music was blaring, so I don't know whether she understood me or not.

"Don't wanna hear you!" Ain't nothin' but a heartache!" I sang. My little cousin looked to us for the words. She didn't quite understand what the Backstreet Boys were all about, but she was determined to get some camcorder time! We finished our songs and collapsed on the floor. Being a rock star is hard work! At the end of the day, we were laughing at ourselves because we looked so silly on the video, but we made a memory that lasts forever.

What's a great memory that you want to share? Go ahead, I've embarrassed myself too. I've included Mr. Linky so that everyone can join in the fun.

Another week Passed...Another year Remembered

Whew! What a week. I finally have a moment to sit down and gather my thoughts. I've had lots of tests, quizzes, and preparing for presentations.

I love it when I turn in an assignment because it means that I've completed one more task. Even if that means gritting my teeth until the clock says 10:50, so be it. I'm not giving up. It's just not who I am.

I also want to take a minute to talk about September 11th. It's the day that we vecame more aware of the the safety of our country, of life as we know it. I stumbled across this great video that I think sums up my thoughts and sentiments perfectly.

Click here to view video.(Link has been removed because video isn't available anymore).  In the video, the kids start making something to represent their feelings. This reminded me of getting my feelings out in the open whether I'm happy, sad, or angry.

I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. I woke up with a very painful tooth. My grandmother thought it was nothing, but I persisted. I told her that I was really hurting and I needed to go to the dentist. So, off we went. When we pulled into the parking lot the abcess burst. I was so thankful. We were called back shortly to see the dentist. We were cordial, then he examined my mouth. A nurse interrupted to say that one of the twin towers had been hit. We were all in a state of disbelief. The look on my dentist's face was worth a thousand words at that moment. His face conveyed feelings of hopelesses, despair, and confusion. He asked the nurse to repeat what she'd said. It was hard for us to carry on that day. We couldn't act like nothing had changed because everything had changed.

Please take a moment to remember the victims and their families. While we lost a lot of great men and women, we became more unified as a country.



September 11th Graphics


Bruised but not Broken by Joss Stone

Been a lot that I been through
I cried a tear a time or two
Baby, you know I cried some over you, yeah
Had my heart kicked to the ground
Love ripped me up and torn me down, baby

But that ain't enough to break me
Cuz I'll rise above it
And I'll pick myself up
And I'll dust the pain off my heart
CHORUS

And I'll be alright
And I'll love again
And the wounds will mend
I'm bruised but not broken
And the pain will fade
I'll get back on my feet
It's not the end of me
My heart is still open
I'm bruised but not broken

Been a lot of tear stained nights
I thought the tears were here for life, baby
The hurt came on and held on tight, yeah
Took a chance, I took a fall
Love broke my heart and shattered all my dreams
But I won't be down on my knees
Cuz I'll rise above it
And I'll pick myself up
And I'll dust the pain off my heartAnd I'll shake the rain out of my heart

CHORUS

And I'll be alright
And I'll love again
And the wounds will mend
I'm bruised but not broken
And the pain will fade
I'll get back on my feet
It's not the end of me
My heart is still open
I'm bruised but not broken

Gonna pick my heart up
Take my life back
Shake the hurt away
Pull myself together, out the pieces back in the place
I learned love's so hard,
Love left my soul scarred
I was shattered inside

CHORUS

And I'll be alright
And I'll love again
And the wounds will mend
I'm bruised but not broken
And the pain will fade
I'll get back on my feet
It's not the end of me
My heart is still open
I'm bruised but not broken

Memories Rewind: The Great Tricycle Battle

I always loved to play with my brother outside. Unfortunately, I had to figure out a different way to do something because of my disability.

We were outside at my Granny's house. The sun was beating down on our backs as we ran to get our tricycles. Mine was a light pink with purple and sea foam green accents. Yeah. It was all girl. My brother's had red on it. I'm not too sure about the specifics now.

At the age, I thought our Granny and Papa's house had the perfect driveway for tricycle races. There was a hill at the top that gave us enough of a challenge to make it fun. Then, it dipped down and leveled out.

My brother was already hoisting his up the hill. I was having a little trouble. I couldn't figure out how to get beside my tricycle to push it. I would try, but the tricycle kept rolling backwards. Push, roll. Push, roll. This happened repeatedly. I was getting frustrated. I had a race to win. I didn't have time to be wrestling with a tricycle. It must have been quite a sight because someone in my family was videotaping it.

Finally, my Papa felt sorry for me. I guess. He tried to show me how to do it. I was thinking, "Man, why don't tricycles come with a pusher?" That way, I can play with it right out of the box.

It was still rolling. "Push it, Madison" Papa encouraged. I would get it going a little, and then all of my hard work went down the hill. I think my energy went with it. You can do it, girl! Keep pushing. I can't I wailed. Yes you can, he said. He put his hands on the handles, gently guiding it while I tried to get the hang of it. "I can't do it, Papa!"

I eventually did do it, and my brother and I got down to business. "Ready, Set, GO!" he yelled. We were off. My brother was off to a good start. I was falling behind, so I did what any respectable little girl would do. I took my feet off the petals and started putting my feet to the pavement, using my legs to help me along. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! Even if I lost the race, I was determined to give it my best effort.

Side note: I didn't really understand why it was so important that I didn't stop my foot on the pavement, and then bolt towards the house and have a good cry. It was important that I learn not to give up when things get hard. I'm so thankful for what my family has taught me. It has helped me in every aspect of my life. Now, it doesn't matter if my life "rolls" down the hill a little bit, I know that I have control over my life.

I'm thinking about extending an invitation for anyone that wants to join in Memories Rewind next week and the weeks after that. I'll put Mr. Linky up. I think it would be fun to read about my readers and your stories! Is anyone interested?

Inspirations in Everyday Life

A smile

This is one of the easiest things someone can do, yet it can make such an impact on someone's day. Best of all, they're contagious. :)

A child skipping down the street

This reminds me about hope and to find joy in the simple things.

Flowers because they remind me of my Memaw's beautiful rose garden

The roses remind me that there are seasons of growth, seasons of dying, and seasons of pruning. Sometimes things take longer than we want them to. Sometimes change is difficult. In the end, there is always a beautiful rose.

My Mama's jokes because they remind me to laugh even if I don't feel like it

These are a few of the things that inspire me each day. It's nice to stop and take a look around you. In this fast paced world, people forget the simple pleasures in life. I recently saw a quote on Molly and Marshal's blog that I loved. It said, "Don't get so caught up in making a living that you forget to make a life." That's so true.


What kinds of things inspire you?

What Keeps you Coming Back to a Blog?

I know why people blog. They want to keep in touch with family who are far away, they want a place to share their thoughts, whether it evokes laughter or tears. Some do it to catalog their recipes online and not scattered throughout the house on various note cards. Others do it to share their love of scrapbooking or photography.

What I want to know is what keeps you coming back to a person's blog. As I've said before, there are literally thousands of blogs to choose from. This is something I've pondered for awhile now. Is it the design of the person's blog, the content, their humor?

Memories Rewind: Monkey Bars

Kid's days are filled with play and fun. When in elementary school, one dreams of recess.

My friends and I met up for recess. We stopped in the middle of the chaos to decide what we want to do. We decided on the monkey bars. Crystal climbed up, followed by Amanda, Kiaya, and Samantha. I slowly made my way up, gripping the silver metal bars for dear life. My usual spot is about halfway up. I didn't like to venture up any further. We sat and talked about our day, which consisted of topics like, "Do you want to play freeze tag? Did you see what so and so was wearing today? I can't believe I got study hall (aka after school detention)!" We really thought we were something sitting high atop the monkey bars, surveying all of the "little people" down below.

Recess was coming to a close when I got a bright idea. I was going to climb to the top of the monkey bars. "I just want to see what it feels like." I told myself. I turned around, being careful so that my braces (AFOs) wouldn't get caught on the bars. I put one hand on one bar, and then cautiously brought my foot up to the bar. This process continued until I had reached the top. "I made it, I made it!" I sat there for a minute reveling in my accomplishment, but that wasn't enough. Oh no. I'd seen my friends hang upside down on the monkey bars, and I wanted to do that too.

I slowly lowered my body, while gripping the handle bars. Just when I thought everything was going right, things went from bad to worse in a hurry. My legs weren't wrapping around the bars the way they should. That's when I saw it: my AFO was hung on the monkey bar. A million thoughts were racing in my head. "If I fall, I'm going to eat a whole lotta sand. What will I do if I fall? Will I bust my head open?" So, I did what any kid would have done in my situation- I screamed. "Mrs. Fennel, HELP! My brace is hung and I'm about to fall!" I looked through the monkey bars to see her racing towards me. Everything after that is a blur. She reached up and helped me down. I must have thought that I was bionic Superwoman that day. Needless to say, my plan backfired.