VBS + Dixie

So I'm exhausted from chasing 4-5 year olds this week. I've been doing craft projects at church and at home for these sweet [read: wild] kids and I'm beat! I've been with the boyfriend when I can since he's going to be gone to visit his sister again this weekend. So I'm putting off things like cleaning until then when I'll have more time. I'm finished the Vest/treatment at the moment which is why I'm still up. Mom and I just spent the last hour planning details of our Boston trip! It's so close!! I'm getting extremely excited. I'm not sure how I'm going to work Cayston into this trip, since I'll be on it while I'm there, but I'll manage!

I feel like posting a few pictures of Dixie, my last dog before McKenzy. Dixie died the summer before my senior year. I made the very difficult decision to put her down because she was so, so sick. I still miss her a whole lot, despite having McK. They are two

very different dogs. Dixie was very passive while McK is a much more active and crazy dog. They were/are both very sweet however. Dixie will always have a special place in my heart. I want to post a few pictures because I don't believe she really ev

er made it on the blog and she was such an important part of my life for so long (11 years) that it's only right she gets some air time!

So here we go: I love and miss you Dixie!

It won't let me post the last picture. Well I can, but it's rotated the wrong way. Never had that happen before. Odd.

-Annie

Dr. Appointment

Tomorrow is my next doctor appointment. Wish me luck... I'm really nervous, as usual. Mostly because of all the trips I've been on, I have not done as great a job of taking care of myself as I should have. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't come back to bite me with a PICC line and a sentencing to the hospital. We'll see. Report when I return, of course.

I thought for a while and realized that there wasn't much about camp I needed to post here. This is not the place. If you know me IRL, we've probably already talked about it because I have either talked about camp or the VBS I'm working this week with my 20 4-5 year olds.

I'm trying to do my Vest, but having trouble. I feel so sick. I keep having to pause it and let the nausea die down before starting up again. *sigh* 3 more minutes!

The Chili's CF Benefit went well! I know I handed out a lot of coupons (and left some with my server/management) and a lot of people I knew showed up with coupons they printed out. And that was only between 6:00-8:30 at one Chili's!! I can't wait to hear the total. I'll post it, of course!

2 minutes.

I have paper bags to cut (the big ones) and make into vests for the kids at VBS. I'm half way done.

1 minute!

lalalalala..... not sure what else to type. I'm pretty tired, but not ready for 1pm tomorrow.....

Go Vest, go! Hurry!

Aaaaaannnndd... we're done! G'night!

-Annie

Home Home HOME!!

Oh my GOSH. I can't even try to explain how happy I am to be home. I am EXHAUSTED and in PAIN right now, so I will not be giving an official update right now about how camp went and how I'm feeling since I have a doctor's appt in a few days. I will soon though. I'm just so tired. As an overview, camp is over and I'm not doing the second week. I can't. It was a very very very long week. I'm glad I did the camp, it was a great experience, but it's not something I'm capable of doing a second time.

The pain is mostly in my feet from doing a ton of walking and the pain finally hit when I woke up from my nap this afternoon (first thing I did when I got home). My thighs hurt from yoga, dancing, and other physical activities I did this week. My calves hurt from a 1.5 mile run I did (in not bad time). My back/shoulders/neck hurt from the stress of the camp. So right now, I'm trying to recover. I loved the campers I was in charge of, I hope they keep in contact, especially if they need to talk to someone. I made some awesome friends, the other counselors. I don't think I've ever bonded so quickly with a group of people I didn't know. As a group, we bonded so quickly because we had to! That was the only way to keep sane. I'm really going to miss our meetings and after-meeting meetings!

Ok. Time to veg out. I need my brain to shut down again. It's been waaaay too busy this week. This update was a little longer than expected, but hey- it's ok.

-Annie

Camp is coming...

I move to camp on Sunday! It's almost here! I've spent a large chunk of the day making phone calls to all of my campers to confirm they're coming, check shirt sizes, etc. It was quite the flurry of phone calls to and from me, but in the end it has mostly been sorted out. I have a few more phone calls to make tomorrow, some to my director and some to campers, but by tomorrow it should all be set in stone! I was assigned 9 gir.ls... and they are all coming!! It's going to be CRAZY, but fun. I will be exhausted, so if you want to add someone else to your prayer list, PLEASE add me. I will be running on tired and stressed nerves this week, but need to keep a positive attitude, and cheerful spirit, and a leader to these kids. Also, I need to stay healthy since I have a doctor's appointment in the middle of the week after camp!! So keep me (and my kids) in your thoughts and prayers next week. I won't have a computer so I can't update while I'm gone, but I'll give the report early the following week.

ALSO! CALLING ALL NORTH LOUISIANA/EAST TEXAS FOLKS!!! On July 19th, there is a fundraiser for the CFF at Chili's! Present a printable coupon to your waiter at participating Chili's (in that area) and 10% of your check will go to the CFF! I'm rounding up a bunch of my friends to go eat there that night. Hooray for funding!!

Boyfriend Chris got a new job today. He finished working at camp yesterday and started work at an air conditioning company today. He's told me before, and he wasn't kidding: he can always find work. :] I'm proud of him.

-Annie

Calm before the storm

These next few days are going to be calm and then *BAM* my life is going to be hit by a hurricane of tasks, responsibilities, schedules... blah blah. While I'm doing Gear Up (July 11-17; 25-31), I will be phone-less and computer-less (and blog-less). And I will be too tired to give an immediate update.

Oh, and any day now my niece will be born!! We're just playing the waiting game until she decides to make her appearance.

I found a swarm of ants in my car the other day. While I was driving. In case you don't know, I'm borderline phobic about bugs. This was a pretty nerve-racking experience for me. I called Chris on my way over to his house to let him know, so when I pulled up, I put on the parking break, and JUMPED out of my car, leaving it running. He came outside and squished as many as he could find. My car is getting cleaned (inside and out) today.

No real exciting news or anything. Oh, well, other than I get to meet Lauren! I'm going up north to where she lives early August and we are going to rock the town, masks and all! I'm really excited!! There will be pictures.

-Annie

Stressed is an understatement

Short post because I have no actual free time-

I'm stressed. Words honestly cannot express how stressed I am. I can't even try. It's that bad. I'm missing mandatory things for other mandatory things. I have tests and homework that are being backseated because I literally don't have the time. LA GEAR UP is driving me nuts. Sigma Kappa is being backseated because of this. So I guess if SK is being backseated, school is being thrown in the trunk. I'm stressed so I take it out on others (aka Chris) and in turn ticks him off which stressed me out even more. I had to skip class to go to this GEAR UP thing on Friday that ended an hour and a half later than I thought it would. Then tomorrow, I'm going to be with them from 8-5. Then study or something if I have time. Then I have formal which I'm going to because A- I paid for it and for my date. B- Chris stayed in town instead of driving to help some people move into an apartment from Mississippi. C- I'm DDing. D- I already have a dress. I plan on making an appearance and leaving to try to get homework in. But alas, on Sunday, I have church from 9-12, nursing home at 2 (which I want to go to but probably won't) mandatory street cleaning at 4, mandatory Rush clothes trying on at 5, and mandatory meeting at 6. Oh look, then Monday rolls around and I have a test. I'm sorry Dr. Sellers, I didn't have time to study. *FAIL*.

And, not her fault nor am I mad at her in any way, shape, or form, but Liz went to the ER today because she's been really sick. So I stayed with her at her apartment for a while instead of studying because I felt she was more important. When her kicked in and she was almost as high as a kite and ready to watch a movie until she passed out, I left. But I only left to duke it out with Chris some more. Now I'm too exhausted from the long day to really focus on school. But I'm about to try.

So this post wasn't as short as I thought. I guess that's what happens when you need to vent. And Chris and I are fine. I just get mean when I'm stressed.

I highlighted all the mandatory things because it made me feel better somehow. And while "church" is not technically mandatory, it kinda is in my book, but there's a chance I might not make it this week. And "formal" is highlighted for the reasons listed.

-Annie

Spring Quarter, well, so far

I'm on day 2 of Spring Quarter and I can tell this quarter is going to be a doozy. My biology class, even with the same professor as last quarter, jumped up about 100% in difficulty. My psych class may not be hard, but it will be hard to focus! The room is long and narrow, and filled to the brim with students, and I'm about 9 rows back sitting behind a large boy. Not to mention I have 4 sorority sisters in that class with me. So seeing, hearing, and listening will be difficult! My chemistry class I will really enjoy. My professor moves at a fast pace, but I've seen all of this material before so it won't be bad. My math class... ugh. I don't predict it will be very hard either. The professor goes at a crawling pace for those who are taking the class for the 3rd time. No joke. And lastly, my bio lab, which I haven't been to yet. We'll see how that goes.

So about 1/2 the classes will be difficult, for one reason or another, and the other half I just have to not get behind. The most annoying part is the homework. Last quarter, I had minimal homework and it was wonderful! This quarter, I have online math homework, online chemistry homework, and the psych professor assigns stuff regularly. Not to mention bio labs being due. And while it looks like my biology class is being kind and not assigning homework, the studying will take up all of my time anyway! Unlike last quarter, each test is cumulative. Oh fun.

I applied for being a camp counselor for (mostly) under-privileged students in the area for over the summer and I got it! They assigned me to 3 different weeks of camp: one session in June and two in July. During those weeks, I'll be living on my college campus working with middle school and high school students from 8-5 every day, at least. I will be TIRED but it will be rewarding. I'm a little nervous (fear of the unknown) but also really excited. I know it will be a great experience!

Right now, I'm also filling out an application for my college's Union Board. I'll find out March 26th if I've made it through the first round of cuts or not. Then an interview. We'll see about that too!

I'm really trying to get involved more and build up a good solid resume'. I sometimes feel I have too much down-time, and I really want to be involved more!

So in 11 days, the boyfriend turns 21. How crazy!

Oh, and in case you hadn't noticed, I have clearly pulled out of my depression slump. Finals + TOBI + no sleep + monthly cycle + winter weather + homesick + just the normal ups and downs of life = the depression slump. It happens, ya know? But it's a new quarter, wonderful weather, and while I don't always want to go to class (already! haha) I love seeing a whole new group of people and friends I may not have gotten to see that often previously. :]

Also! My big sis Liz chopped off all of her hair over break!! She also donated it to Locks of Love. What a sweet family we are. ;]