Changes

It has been entirely too long since I have taken the time to sit down and hash out some of what my life has been these past few months.  So much has changed.

For starters I finished my freshman year of college at Samford University and it was wonderful! I survived Chemistry, loved Anatomy, and tolerated my Cultural Perspectives class.  I even got 49 out of the required 60 convo credits taken care of.  I applied for and was accepted to be a RA on campus and ended the year on cloud nine.  Then summer came.

I went home for two weeks before I went to North Dakota for six.  I had a job with a childcare facility aligned for my six weeks in the arctic north.  They had informed me that I would be able to work full time and I was super excited! However, when I arrived I was informed that there were only four days that they might possibly need my help.  WHAT?! Only four days when I had been promised full time? Incidentally they never got in contact with me again.  I guess they didn't actually need me for those four days after all.  I did end up getting a job though.

The job I got was at a bird shop.  I know, I went from supposed to be working at a childcare facility to cleaning poop off of bird cages! In the words of Emily Finlay, "That would only happen to Lauren."  And thus is my life.  The job wasn't all bad.  My boss was great and the hours were flexible.  I'm just being dramatic.  The next huge change of the summer came soon after.

I had a sit down chat with my parents and we came to the realization that continuing to attend Samford was no longer financially possible.  I was devastated!!  Samford had become my home!  What would I say to all of my friends?  Why was this happening?  All I can say is that I had to trust that God's hand was in this change and trust that he would sustain my life like He had proved faithful to do in the past.  The next step was to find a new University.

Now in Bismarck there just so happens to be a University up on the hill above the house here.  I went in for a tour and decided that it would be the best option for the continuation of my nursing education.  This decision meant that I needed to enroll in a two week CNA program and move from sunny, delightful, humid Florida to freaking North Dakota! Who does that?  Oh yes, that's right, Lauren does.

So that's what I did.  I packed up my life in Florida, notified Samford and all my friends that I would not be returning and enrolled in a new University and moved to North Dakota.  Now I'm about to start my fourth week of classes and my friend count is zero.  I just haven't really had any opportunities to meet and talk with people and form friendships.  I'm not going to lie, it kind of sucks, but I know that it will just take time.

I found a church that I really love and am trying to get involved there.  I know that God has His hand in all this and that brings me great comfort.  My life is nothing like I ever would have thought it would be at this point, but the only way to go from here is forward. And that is what I fully intend to do.  I'm still working at the bird shop and I'm still trying to do my very best in all the courses I'm taking.  Just one day at a time and one foot in front of the other, that's my game plan.

The Never Ending Break (Only It's Almost Over)

So here we are, the last few days of winter break are upon us.  So much has happened this break, and at the same time I feel like hardly anything has happened.  It's been a while since my last update so let's begin with coming home.

It took ten hours and three stops for gas but I made it home.  Christmas was a  pretty wonderful event.  It was very relaxed uneventful and wonderfully warm just like it should be in Florida.  From Christmas we move on to New Years which was spent with a bunch of good friends and included a dramatic reading of the lyrics of Auld Lang Sine and altogether way to many incessant fireworks. Fireworks and I have this thing, you see, I don't like them and they are loud and terrifying, so I guess it's actually a one sided thing.

After New Years I got to sing during the 11o'clock service at church again and Kyle told me that he had resigned.  And as a matter of fact he just lead the service for the last time this past Sunday.  It was a bitter sweet time.

I also went to Ohio with my favorite Emily to just hang out with her during her first week of the spring semester at her university, and believe it or not I'm actually thinking about transferring there next fall.  Nothing is set in stone, I haven't even finished my application, but I'm more than willing to see where it leads.

As I previously said it's almost time to go back to school.  I'm so ready to see my friends again, but at the same time I do NOT want to leave home.  I thought that by the end of the break I would be chomping at the bit to leave, but honestly I feel like digging in my heals and refusing to go.  I don't want to go back and start classes and be away from home until March, but I'm sure that this is really a normal feeling.  It's just tough.

In Which I Just Ramble About December Plans And Such

O hey December, fancy meeting you here at the end of November!  I really cannot believe that December is here.  It's gotten unrighteously cold here in Birmingham and I'm loving it! If only it would snow.  As of today there is only a week and a half until the end of the semester and a gloriously long Christmas break.

So since we last chatted Thanksgiving happened.  I got to go home for the first time this semester and it was so good!  I got to ride everyday, see two of my best friends, and all of my family.  I didn't realize how much I missed home until I got there.  Still though it was good to come back to campus and get back into the routine that I have formed up here.  You know the typical college student routine: class, nap, class, eat, sit around wasting time, study some, waste more time, eat, study a little more, vow to go to bed early, find something so fun you could not possibly live without doing it (ie. spending an hour laying on the floor of your friends room laughing while trying to guess what words mean in a language you have never taken), realize it's already midnight, waste more time, collapse exhausted into a very brief night sleep,wake up, and repeat.  So yeah, that's how I spend my life.  And it's awesome

As I said it's almost time to head home for Christmas and I am so excited for the ten and a half hour drive by myself.  I've already started preparing a roadtrip playlist for my trek.  It's going to be so good to just get home.

Also I've recently taken up painting and I left all my supplies at home (because I couldn't bring them with me on the flight back to school) and I am just itching to get back to them.  I have so many ideas floating around and I want to get them out of my head so that I have room for more.  I've just been feeling really, really crafty lately and I love it.  I'm pretty positive that my whole break will revolve around making things and sleeping.  It's going to be sooooo gooooooddd!!

Now that I've just rambled for a while I'm going to call it a day.

Gather Round You Guys! It's About To Get Thankful Up In Here!

It seems that the only time I ever have time to get my but over here and lay down some fat beats is when I'm either about to go on or am on break.  And by 'have time' I really mean that I have about a million things to do before class tomorrow and before break.  Oh the life of a college student.

Can I just start out by saying that I absolutely love where I am in life!  I have made so many wonderful friends, I love my classes, I love Birmingham, and believe it or not I love my classes and will be very sad to see them go at the end of the semester.  It's really difficult to believe that my first semester as a college kid is almost over.  It's bizarre really.  I wouldn't trade the experiences that I've had for anything.  I mean, mind you, classes have been tough, there have been mental and emotional breakdowns as well as a constant lingering pain in my knee that is only helped, I'm sure, by the billions of stairs on campus, but life is so good.  Even on one of my worse days I am so incredibly blessed it's ridiculous!!

One thing that God has really been teaching me this semester is to not just be content with where I am but to be joyful in every situation, no matter the circumstances.  Moving away to college has really taught me to rely on Him more fully than I ever have.  I mean essentially I am on my own.  Yes it's true that my family is just a phone call away, but I never really realized how much I relied on them from day to day until they weren't within an arms reach.  It's been tough to say the least, but it has been so incredibly worth it!  And now I'm just speaking in cliche's, so that's good.

I finally get to go home for the first time this semester tomorrow and I am so stoked!!  Emma called me the other day to tell me that she had bought a new lego set and was waiting till I get home to put it together because that's what we always have done, put lego's together, together.  When she said that I literally almost started crying.  It's little things like that that make me realize how much I miss home and how wonderful my family is.  Also just thinking about all the food that we'll be making for our Thanksgiving feast is making me realize how many foods I have not had since moving up here.  Lately I have really been craving avocado, greek food, and pizza (not all at the same time cause that would be gross).  I mean the food in the Caf isn't bad, but it's not the same as home.  But I guess that would be the same anywhere you go.

Another thing I've missed is animals.  Yeah, sure we have squirrels and chipmunks on campus, but they are all a little psycho and I don't think that they would like it if I tried to hug them.  I miss being able to just walk outside and there's Tucker, or go down to the barn and be able to just hop on and go for a ride. Believe it or not I even miss mucking out stalls.  Am I crazy, probably but honestly I just needz some animalz time!!  I already have trail rides planned for every single morning over Thanksgiving break.  I am so excited!  I've been jonesin for a good hard ride for so long!

That's really all that has been going on with me recently.  Life is good, and I really have no room to complain about anything.

Fall Break! Woohoo...

And by woohoo I mean, "I am still on campus while everyone else is at home because I live too far away to go home and because I'm driving to South Carolina next weekend."  So my fall break is really, really exciting.  So far I've watched five movies, washed all my dishes, painted my nails, and cleaned my entire dorm room including the bathroom.  I'm just having so much fun I don't know what to do with myself.  I think I might go mad if I don't come in contact with some other humans soon!

This is really complainey, and I'm sorry, but I just can't handle myself right now.  I really want to be at home and it's starting to bum me out.  Tonight I do have a Skype date and I really can't wait for that, so I think I'm going to stop feeling sorry for myself right now and maybe make some crafts till then.

You Know, Just Living It Up...College Style

Oh, hey again! So a lot has happened these past couple of months.  I moved to a new town where I knew no one, started my freshman year of college, met some really incredible people and last night, had my first official college meltdown.  To say that life has been a crazy would be an understatement.

To start with, I'm officially a college student! Hooray! It's here!!  And I've got to say, for the most part it's been really excellent!  My roommate is alright, I mean we don't have much in common, but she's nice.  I love the girls on my hall and my RA.  All of them are so sweet and I know that they have my back.  I've made some really good friends on the second floor, and to say that we spend pretty much every waking second together would be quite accurate.

My classes are all going well.  They can be a bit stressful at times--hence last night's melt down--but they are ultimately good.  My favorite would definitely have to be psychology.  I'm really happy here and I feel like this is where God called me to be.  The weather has turned fall-ish and it is beautiful.  I broke out a scarf today, and yesterday I literally spent five hours outside on the quad.  And actually, as I'm typing this, I currently am in a friends hammock soaking in the beautiful outdoors.  It is excellent!  I've found a local church that I really love, and the ministries on campus are really great too.  Really I'm just so happy to be here.

There have been a lot of prospies (prospective students) touring campus lately and they are presh!  It makes me so excited to see them touring and thinking of going here that I nearly can't handle my self.  Also the wildlife on campus is so great! There are tons of squirrels and chipmunks, and as a matter of fact, yesterday I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree!  Literally he was up in some of the high branches of a huge oak tree, and I guess he got in a fight with another squirrel because it sounded like there was a scuffle going on.  Then next thing I know, there is a squirrel falling out of the air!  He landed with a thud and a squeak and then ran right back up the tree.  It was ridiculous!  I wasn't the only one who saw this either.  Two guys were walking by right as it happened and saw the whole thing too! Craziness, this is what I have to live with.

This weekend is fall break, and I may be going home with a friend.  Otherwise I'll just be here enjoying the emptiness of campus.  Next weekend I am planning to go visit some family in South Carolina, and my family is driving up there too, so I'll get to see them for the first time since August 25!  It's crazy how time flies.  It's already October.  I mean what is my life, where did the time go?

Also today the caf served soup...So it's a good day!

A Summary Of These Past Few Months

I've been meaning to write another post for quite a while now, but I just never got around to it.  So much has happened in these past months that I don't even know where to begin.  I guess I'll start with June because nothing of much consequence happened in May other than graduation.

On June 4 My mom and I left for Israel with SLU 401.  It was such a phenomenal trip.  We went everywhere and saw everything.   There would be about 4 or 5 things on our agenda for the day, but by the end we would end up doing 10 to 12 things thanks to the amazing Dr. Jay Strack.  I met some wonderful people who I truly love to be around.  I can really only say good things about this trip.

A week after getting back from Israel I headed up to college orientation.  It was a blast! I met some really nice folks and got all the classes I need at the times I wanted, so I'm pretty pleased with that.

July brought a whole host of things.  I ended up getting violently ill on the 2nd and was not well enough by the 4th to participate in any patriotic activities.  This is the second year in a row that I haven't gotten to celebrate the 4th.  Last year I was flying to London and this year I was puking my guts out. Hopefully this doesn't become some kind of horrid tradition!

The Last week of July Dori, Amy, Emily, Chloe and I spent a week up in the mountains in Georgia.  It was way too much fun! I hadn't seen Chloe since last summer and it was really great to spend time with her again.  We did so much while in Georgia.  We hiked, swam in waterfalls, rafted down the Chattahoochee River, went to a fair, and spent the afternoon on a boat in the middle of a gorgeous lake surrounded by mountains.  Not to mention we watched Pearl Harbor three times and fended for ourselves quite well.  It was a really great week.

August, thus far, has been a month of late nights and goodbyes.  This month I have been cramming as much time with my friends as humanly possible.  I have already had to say goodbye so many times a people head off to various states to begin their college adventures.  I'm the last of my friends to leave and let me tell ya, it's killing me!  I have one week left to pack up the last 18 years of my life and move into my dorm to begin my adventures.

That's pretty much all I've been up to.  We'll see if it's another four months before I get to this again.

BEDA #30: Last Day Of BEDA/Prom

Today is the last day of BEDA, FINALLY! This has been a good experience it's just that I feel more like it has been a chore, especially in these last days, than a fun challenge.  I feel like I might just be getting the hang of this blogging thing.

Today is also prom.  I'm quite excited.  My dress is dark turquoise and I got some really cute silver flats to wear with it.  My hair appointment is pretty soon so that's why I'm blogging in the morning as apposed to late in the evening.  I'm sure tonight will be fun and then tomorrow two of my bestfriends and I are going to spend the day a spring just having a blast.

That's all I really have to say.  I wanted to go out of BEDA with a bang, but I guess that's not going to happen.

BEDA #29: IHOP And The FREAKING ROYAL WEDDING!

I had my first IHOP experience today.  I'm not sure if it was a success or not.  I really don't like pancakes so I decided to get an omelet with a waffle.  The omelet was good.  And I'm sure the waffle was good, I just couldn't tell, because of the four different syrups I tried, I did not like one of them.  Maybe I'm too picky, but they were just nasty.

And HOLY CRAP, THE ROYAL WEDDING WAS TODAY!!!!!!  Kate was gorgeous in her wedding dress! Simply breathtaking.  And William looked dapper in his suit.  All of the pomp and pageantry was splendid.  The British sure know how to do a wedding.  And seriously I want Kate's dress.  The lace was gorgeous as was the embroidery along the bottom.  She just looked so elegant and regal today.  It was incredible.  I wish I could have seen it in person.

BEDA #28: Impromptu Piano Concert

I have been thinking about what I was going to talk about all day today, and finally I have something to say.

I had some plans to go to an awards ceremony with my friend but had to cancel because I was just feeling overwhelmed about homework and such.  Not long after my mom got a call from my PaPaw saying that the Curls (some very dear friends) were taking him out to dinner and that there would be a piano concert by Lucy Pat afterwards.  Needless to say, my mom and I had to say yes to that.

Now when I said concert I said it for a reason.  Lucy Pat is the best pianist I have ever heard.  She has played professionally for many, many years and can play anything in any key.  When she plays it is like you can actually see the music.  It leaps into the air and is almost tangible.  It goes deep inside you and touches every heart string so that you experience every emotion, individually and all at once.  It is breathtaking and beautiful does not even begin to describe how she plays.

The reason for this gathering is that tomorrow is the third anniversary of the day my grandma passed away.  Bill Curl has been one of my PaPaw's best friends for years and years, and Lucy Pat, my grandma's.  They called up PaPaw this afternoon and told him that they were going to take him out to dinner and have a concert afterwards, as I have previously said.

I really cannot get over how incredibly Lucy Pat plays.  I never get tired of listening to her play.  She could play for hours and hours, and when she stops it feels like only moments have passed by.  She played quite a few of my grandma's favorite songs tonight, including Clair de Lune, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, and I sang along as she played Amazing Grace.  My grandma sang all four verses of amazing grace the day she died when she heard that she was coming home from the hospital.  I cannot even begin to say how honored I am to have sung it tonight, especially alongside Lucy Pat.

The Curls are just some of the most special people that anyone will ever meet.  They have been missionaries all over the world and now, in their retirement, they minister to the missionaries who are actively serving all over the world.  I remember when I was in AWANA as a little kid one of the pages in my Sparky's book included an activity in which you prayed for missionaries and wrote them a letter.  I chose the Curls.

I do hope that someday I can be like them.  I would love to live in the UK as a missionary (which they did for many years in Wales).  Mr. Bill even got to meet the Queen by some providential chance.  I really can say nothing but good things about them.

Days till Israel: 37

BEDA #27: Today Was Just The BEST!

Hello again interwebs.  I very nearly forgot about you to night, but hark I did not.  

Today was just the best day ever!  I am officially done with highschool classes, I had a fantastic time getting coffee and a Chipotle burrito.  Then I went to church and got to just have the best time with some of my favorite people ever, and lastly I went to Bible study which was just wonderful!  Basically today was just a party.  I have not laughed so much for so long in quite a while.

Going to my last highschool class today has really got me thinking about how different it will be next year when I am away at college.  I hadn't felt truly sad about leaving until today.  But at the same time today has been so wonderful that I haven't  had time to feel sad really until right now.  I'm going to miss the fantastic car rides with all my friends and the wonderful conversations we have.  The good thing is I don't have to give it all up right away.  I still have this summer to continue to forge these bonds that will hopefully not be broken.  That last sentence was way cheesy, but that is really how I feel.  I think I'm going to be done for now before I get all weepy up in here.

Days till Israel: 38

BEDA #26: Oh The People (And Creatures) I Wish I Could Meet

I wish I was a hobbit.  Or at least that I knew one.  The way Tolkien describes them makes me want to find one and sit down and have a chat.  I deeply wish that these little creatures were real.  They just seem so endearing and fantastic.  I think that most of all I should like to meet Bilbo, Pippin and Merry.  They have always been my favorite of the hobbits introduced in LOTR.  Don't get me wrong, Sam and Frodo are great too, but I just feel that the other three would be more interesting to talk with.  Especially Bilbo with all his adventures and tales to tell, and I think that Pippin and Merry would be fantastic for a laugh.  Why couldn't I have been born in Middle Earth?

I would also love to meet the Weasleys, Arthur and Molly especially.  The Weasleys are my favorite characters in the whole HP series.  Well except Percy, of course. He's just a prude.  But to spend a day with Fred and George, or Charlie, or Arthur and Molly would be truly fantastic.  I can just imagine how my sides would ache after a day laughing with the twins.  And to hear of the places and things Charlie go to do with dragons would be thrilling.  I would love to discuss the functions of silly muggle trinkets with Arthur and hear stories of the trouble the children got themselves into from Molly.  JK Rowling sure did something right with the Weasley family.  That is until she killed of Fred.  I don't think I'll ever forgive her for that.

Now as for Narnia, I would like to meet Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, and Edmund.  Aslan really because he is just Aslan.  I mean seriously he is freaking amazing!  I feel like the conversations with him would be truly remarkable and always satisfying.  Mr. Tumnus has always been one of my favorite characters.  I would like to have tea with him and hear him play his flute.  I feel like he is the kind of friend that everyone should have.  Edmund has always been a favorite of mine as well.  The way he was redeemed and truly changed after the mistake he made is remarkable.

I wish I could visit these realms and magical places, but I guess that's what books and imagination are for.  So until I can visit I will just read about them.

Days till Israel: 39

PS I just found out today that I got into the nursing program at the school I am attending in the fall!!!  I have been waiting for forever to hear back and could not be happier!

BEDA #25: 40 Days

Today I wasted gas.  This morning I left the house as usual for physics  only to get a call when I was about halfway there telling me that it was canceled.  Then later tonight I got all the way to church for band rehearsal only to find Aaron walking out of the building, guitar case in hand.  I rolled down my window and it seemed that we were the only ones to not get the message that rehearsal was canceled.  So I made my way back home and decided to do something productive with my time, namely play Lego Harry Potter on the Wii.

When mom got home I read some of The Hobbit to her as she sorted laundry and tidied up a room.  I do like reading aloud and will probably be doing it with increased frequency these next forty days.  I say this because today marks forty days until I get to got to Israel this summer.  I decided to give up TV and movies as sort of a lent type thing in the forty days leading up to it.  My mom is giving up soda for this time.  Let me just tell you today has been pretty tough.  All day I've been wanting to watch something, it's probably mostly just because I have resolved not to.  It's going to be tough, but I know I can do it.  So here goes nothing.

I think I will end today with some more of The Hobbit and then if I finish that I'll move on to No Limits, by Michael Phelps, which I found in my sisters room when browsing her bookshelf.  I'm not infatuated with him, I mean he is a phenomenal athlete, but I'm not a screaming fan girl, I just thought it looked interesting. Now when it comes to JRR Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Winston Churchill, I go into major screaming fangirl mode.  I really just can't help myself.  They make me giddy.

And there I will leave this little blog for today.  Perhaps I will go more into my love for those three men tomorrow.

BEDA #24: Easter

Today is Easter.  I got to wake up at the ever pleasant time of 5:30am this morning to get ready for church, which I was at from 7:30 to 12:30.  I was singing in both of the Easter services today and they went really well. Everyone did a fantastic job.  My whole entire family came over for a little Easter celebration.  We had so much food and I ate way too much.  I spent a good portion of the day sitting on the couch, wearing my snuggie, with my light saber, reading the Hobbit.  If that does not equal major nerd I don't know what does.  My cousins made fun of me, but hey, if they can't appreciate the finer things in life it's their loss.  Once everyone had left my sisters, mom and I cleaned up the leftover food which took a surprisingly short amount of time.   Then my mom and I watched Anger Management.  Neither of us had seen it before, and it was pretty good; not as funny as I had heard it was, but it was still good.  Today altogether was a good day.

BEDA #23: Naps And Cleaning.

Today I hard core snuggie napped again.  I don't know what it is about that thing that makes me so sleepy, but is a wonderful napping companion.  I started reading the Hobbit again in anticipation of the movie release, and because Alex Carpenter started reading it in one of his youtube videos and it gave me a hankering for some Tolkien.  Tomorrow is Easter, and I am singing in at church for both services.  Then family is coming.  It's going to be a long day.  My day was pretty dull aside from a wonderful nap and lots of cleaning.

BEDA #22: Light Sabers, T-REX, and Snuggies! Oh My!

Today my lovely and wonderful friend, Emily, and I built our light sabers.  It was great fun and also super confusing.  I'm not sure if we made it more difficult than it should have been or if it was really just that hard.  Either way it was fun.  My light saber is purple and hers is a double blade one like Darth Maul's.  When hers is fully extended it's taller than me, and I'm 5'7".

After we built our sabers we went to lunch at T-REX.  It's basically the same thing as The Rainforest Cafe, only instead of jungle creatures it's full of dinosaurs.  We got to sit right next to the fish tank, and experienced a meteor shower every 15 minutes.  It was great fun.

On our way back to the car, we stopped to watch a dance company from NC preform.  They were all pretty young, and in my opinion weren't very enthusiastic.

Today is also my littlest sister's birthday.  She turned ten today, so we had the dinner she picked out and lemon cake.

I have felt terrible all afternoon and I took a pretty decent snuggie nap.  But even that could not make me feel better.  I am so over being sick.

BEDA #21: Sick, Sick, Sick

Ugghhh (insert giant squids of anger tantrum here).  I am so over being sick.  Today I have had the most intense sinus pressure ever.  I have never, ever had sinus pressure with a cold, so I'm a bit worried that I may have a sinus infection.  The only good thing I have found that comes with a cold is that when you breathe you sound like Darth Vader.  Other than that, it is pure misery.

Now I don't just want to be a Cathy Crankypants, so I figure that I should mention that I did get my senior pictures done today and it was pretty fun.  I had my ponies in a bunch of them, and my dog joined in the fun for a few.  Altogether it went well, and I got some pretty great shots.

Unfortunately I still haven't been able to go out and buy cold medicine, so I have to suffer yet another night of not being able to breathe.  I think I am going to attempt sleep I just a little bit, so I will leave this here for now.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, tomorrow is the day that I get to go build a light saber with my wonderful, and oh so Star Wars obsessed friend Emily.  I cannot wait!

BEDA #20: An Off Color Day

Today I have felt a bit off color all day, and not just because I have a cold.  I'm not sure what it is but I just haven't felt like myself today.  I really don't feel like bloging today, or really doing much of anything. But at the same time I've been feeling restless all day.  As soon as I get some place I wish I was somewhere else, and once I get to that place I wish I was back where I had just been.  I don't know, it's just been a strange kind of day.  Here's hoping tomorrow will be better.

BEDA #19: I Caught A Cold

So I don't know if anyone else does this, but whenever I start to feel like I am getting a cold or sore throat I try to convince myself that I am not getting sick.  I'll tell myself that it's just allergies, or that I'm making it up.  I hate being sick so much that I try to trick myself into being well.

Why am I writing about this?  Well I have been feeling a bit almost sickish for the past couple of days, and finally, today I had to give in to the fact that I do have a cold.  There is just no getting around it.  I have caught a cold and I'm just going to have to wait this thing out.  And the real bummer is that there is no cold medicine or decongestants in the house.  Now I'm not usually one to take medicine for pain or headaches and the like, but when it comes to colds, I take a rather aggressive course of action.  I take as much allowed as often as possible.  So tomorrow I plan to go out and buy some Niquil and probably a Neti pot and scare this cold off with as many remedies as I can get at my disposal.

BEDA #18: Ten Annoyances

So today is going to be another list day, because I really have no news to speak of.  Plus I'm feeling lazy and I don't really want to put in effort tonight.  In no particular order, here is a list of things that annoy me.

1) The sound of someone scratching.  I really don't know why I hate this so much, I just know that it makes  me cringe.  

2) People who don't know how to use their turn signal.  I mean seriously,  do not turn on the signal at the very last second and slam on your brakes only so I can have a heart attack and almost hit your car.  If you do this I will kick you in the face.

3) People chewing/talking with food in their mouth.  This really doesn't need any explanation.

4) 'That's what she said' jokes.  I have always hated them.  I find them to be immature and frankly, not very funny.

5) Licorice.  Licorice flavored anything.  It is gross, smells awful, and tastes even worse.  I think it should be banned from the world.

6) Mosquitos.  Again this one is self explanatory.

7) Shy people.  You know the folks who are too scared to even say two words.  I was a shy kid, but I had to buck up and get over it.  Just because you're uncomfortable with being around or talking to new people doesn't mean you can just hide away from the world, and only talk to people you know.

8) Hypocrites. Self explanatory.

9) Cats.  They are the most condescending animals ever created.  The sound of cats meowing is one of the most annoying sounds on the entire planet.  I really hate cats.

10) Delayed flights.  If the plane is supposed to leave at 7:30, then lets leave at 7:30.  Not five hours later.

So there, again in no particular order, are ten things that annoy me.