Everyone's excited about the end but....

...I have no concept of the end!

Everywhere I look there are signs that the semester is ending...

• away messages on AIM,
• names on MSN,
• status updates on Facebook
• Undergraduates in my lab talking about it
• Fellow grad students taking exams

BUT

I do not have any classes and the end for me is not the end of the semester, and this is a very weird feeling. I'm usually counting down the classes, final exams...days till it is over and summer begins. This however won't happen for me this year.

I have an "end", but it's not the semester. My end is the defense of my Thesis. Which is actually nearer than I thought, not two weeks, but 4-6 weeks. I found out yesterday that for a defense date in late june/early july I have to be done writing with a good version in about a month. That means I'm going to be a bit crazy busy! I've got just about 3 of my chapters written, 2 more big ones to go! Now should I be sitting here watching American Idol tonight? No, but I am...and will pay for it later. I'm hoping that with some luck my model runs will be done by the end of next week and writing and analysis is all I have to do! If not, I may have a reoccuring junior year fall semester. I recovered from that hell semester by going to England, and I will again recover and reward myself by going to England and Europe! The end is in sight, just nearer than I thought (writing anyway)...it will all be done soon I will have my Masters!

Oh and tonight I'm on the Idol Gives Back Kick! I don't usually get into the whole donation things...being selfish, figuring I'll donate when I actually have a steady income. But tonight with the amazing Idol Gives back Show, I decided to actually give something to help the kids in america and africa. I have seen the poverty in america and other countries and it's sad. I figure if I can afford to go out to eat with my friends, I can afford to give some money to those who need it.

Going to the Melting Pot tomorrow, have you ever been? I've not....but think it will be very exciting! The food will be amazing and not cheap! Emily and I have talked about it for months and months now...saving up..eating in on our recent Thursday night get togethers so that we can splurge this week. With that I think I'll watch the Pursuit of Happyness....should be writing or sleeping, yes I know....but movies are so much more fun! I'll get down to the grind very soon! Promise! I'm not stressed out yet, can you tell? beware, it will happen soon and very soon!

Love!

The Holiday

I am currently watching and have already watched The Holiday today! I LOVE this movie!!! I didn't really like Jude Law before this movie, but I LOVE him in this movie! If you haven't seen it check it out!!! My favorite scene is when he first arrives on the door step and he and Amanda meet for the first time, that whole next part is my favorite! If only this could happen to me on a vacation! Well if you get the chance, watch this movie!

Love!

Fun!

Because I thought it was fun when I saw it on Kristen's blog!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Personality: Moods Sofisticat

You're romantic, sophisticated and love the beauty of wide open spaces. You can be a little nostalgic and love revisiting familiar laces and memories. When it comes to art, you appreciate precision and hard work - real craftsmanship. You appreciate the history of a piece, the stories that it holds - you are a touch sentimental! As for music, it's the soundtrack to your world. An open road, your favourite tracks - cliches are there to be enjoyed! Your choice of treat shows that you really care about your appearance, if you feel good on the outside, you'll feel good on the inside right?

Personality: Fun Escape Artist

Oh - insatiable! Your thirst for affection never drops. You've got a high sex drive and appetite for lurve. For kicks you like to indulge in your great passions. You are probably happy spending time alone, and your drive and curiosity will take you all over the world. When it comes to holidays, you seen them as a perfect chance to further yourself - to learn more about the world around you. You like to be immersed in a completely different world and would be really bored just sitting on a beach. What grosses you out? You favour the natural look and can't stand a pumped and plumped, plastic appearance.

Personality: Habits High Time Roller

Even if you have a healthy approach to life, you still have your vices and a craving hunger drives your needs! So you'll supersize it, you love convenience and that taste...Your choice of drink reflects your classic taste - yes you're a bit of glamorous one. You probably like to get dressed up, go out, and be seen! As for the home, you are traditional: you invest in quality and history. You like your home to be as stylish as you are.

Personality: Love Love Bug

You're a real romantic and a bit of a dreamer. OK, life may not be a movie, but what's wrong with thinking it is? When you think of freedom - you think of living for the here and now. You're pretty fearless and take any opportunity given to you.

An Aunt 6 times over!

I am an aunt again, this time however, i'm the furthest away physcally I've ever been!

Brynn Kenedi Billings

Grandpa and his newest granddaughter

Brynn was born at 11:17am CDT at 9lbs and 21" long. Middle name to be determined

3 Nieces, 3 Nephews!

Deveony
Jocelyn
Brynn

DaKota
Dillion
Derick

Pretty good for not even being 25 yet!

Yay, finally photos!

Grandma Judy and little Brynn

Brynn and her Mom

The Family, Brynn, her mom, dad and grandpa

Congrats Kurt and Jessica!

Happy Easter

I wish all a joyous Easter holiday!!! Much love from Raleigh!

Bang to Mess

Wow so much going on this last week, so much to talk about. For starters I will go back a week to the whirlwind weekend.

The weekend started early on Thursday night, Nicole, Emily and me drove down to Florida for the weekend. Nicole flew out from OKC, but after a lot of delays and tornadoes (could be exciting had it not been the cause of part of the delay), she got stuck in Chicago for the night. So our plans of leaving early and stopping in Savannah were out the window, but we are all nothing if not spontaneous. Nicole arrived the next morning at 10am, and after a few stops and finding a bruggers bagel store, we hit the road around 11am. The drive took us between 11-12 hours, we arrived in Panama City around 10pm, that's gaining an hour we crossed into the central timezone. We were all pretty tired, so we hit the hay, trying to get up early for Saturday.

Saturday was a BLAST! We started around 9:30-10ish at a beach in Panama City (of course after my stop to get a vanilla Dr. pepper from Sonic). At 10am on Saturday I was swimming in the gulf! I can't say I knew anyone else doing that, it's pretty exciting for a prior land locked person. I swam it up, even after my paranoia began, thinking about jelly fish and the crab on the sea floor. **I don't do well with the things in the water, I'd be happy to swim there without them!** After a bit of swimming, we decided to lay out a bit, I wanted some sun...for my white body! That ended with an alligator sighting, of course in the designated area. We stopped and got some sea food at a little shop along the way, and headed back to rush and get ready...very little time!

The wedding was beautiful and tons of fun! It was an outside wedding, a little difficult to hear the vows and what not, but beautiful and an enjoyable event. Shane joined us, and us OU/NCSU peoples hung out together. We ate, danced and danced and danced! Not only did we dance for about 5 hours, we were the spectacle on the dance floor with all of our lobster like skin..I was the worst, but it didn't hurt. Much like normal. An exciting thing for me, was that the father of the bride is from Nebraska and is a Cornhusker fan, so I had something in common with him and others there. He asked how I knew the couple, and I told him I knew Chris from OU, he said well that's ok, I'm a husker fan, I'm from Nebraska, and I shouted ME TOO! I found other family members from Nebraska the next morning, it was exciting to meet people from home! The DJ was great and had songs for all ages, and all the classics, I was amazed my feet in my high heels held out as long as they did, but it was fun! The night ended for us around 10pm just after the couple blew off fireworks. What an end to a wedding, fireworks, I've never seen anything like it. It was a wonderful wedding! After we got home we lathered ourselves in aloe and packed up.

Sunday was a long but good day. We started at 9:30 at a pancake breakfast at the home of the bride, same venue as the wedding. It was fun to see the couple and talk to them a bit more. We got out of town about 11ish, and of course that was really 12pm since we were quickly moving into eastern timezone! We got to Tallahassee around 2 and met some friends who go to FSU. A lunch at Cracker Barrel and an hour and a half later we were back on the interstate. Still in extreme western panhandle of Florida at 3:15 makes the return to Raleigh late. However, the time seemed to pass quickly and we made pretty good time. A lot of cops out, but I was lucky and was a smart speeder. We got back into Raleigh around 12:30, and by the time we got all packed up or unpacked depending on who you were, it was 2am. Nicole had to leave for the airport at 4 and we decided to not sleep. I dosed in an out, but didn't really sleep. She got to the airport and eventually got a seat and got home to OKC by 11am her time. I slept from 6-11am and headed on into work.

The remainder of my good news or BANG! Is that I booked my trip for Europe/England. I ended up waiting so long that I lost some choices, but eventually decided to leave on August 2nd, 2 days before the cruise, and I will be coming home September 27th, 8 weeks later. I'm very excited about it and can't quite believe it. I'll end up broke, but I think it will be worth it. It's only 4 months away and I have plenty to get done by then. I need to finish up my research, defend and finish up so I can be ready to leave in August. I know it will happen, I have do doubt! It's just that it might be pretty stressful

Thus comes in the MESS for the week! I have tons to do, but nothing ended up going right this week. I didn't have a full day to save my life! DHL made life very hard. I had to have a package picked up, and after 4 attempts, and me being there at the correct pick up time each time, I finally got it picked up 3 days later. Then the computers at work weren't to happy about me trying to get work done and decided to quit on me right before my presentation this morning. I'm ready to be back in a normal routine, which I hope will return next week. Even though tomorrow is a school holiday I think I will end up working some. I need to write this weekend as well, we'll see how much of that happens. If not this weekend, defiantly a couple days next week!

Easter plans are relax and go to a friends. It shall be fun, I hope you all have a joyous Easter! Love

Bang!

Now enters April!

It's been a good month thus far..yes it's only 3 days in...but much to tell...ok, so some of it is from the last couple days in March, sue me....however, I just can't find the necessity to sit here and write about it right now..so a short message to say, I love you!

Love