I've been a Xanga member 999 days as of today. :)

Last night was RMC's graduation. I have some very dear friends who graduated, and I wish I could have been there with them. Candice called me to let me know who was being initiated as Tramps last night. I was a founding member, so they wanted me to know. The Marines were retired as of last night. *Sigh* Has it really been a solid year since I graduated from Master's?

I had a crazy dream last night that I was dating one of my guy friends from home. (No, I'm not saying who cause it would just make things weird.) It's funny cause I liked him a whole lot in high school but not since. I haven't even seen or talked to him in over a month. We were at a football game, and we were holding hands. Haha, so funny!!

Christen

I had such a good time in Austin yesterday. Some of my really good friends from SAGU live in Austin for the summer, so I decided to go visit. I met up with Andy, Scott, and Chris at Chuy's Mexican Restaurant for lunch. It was really good (a little overpriced though). After lunch, we went down by the University to some shops. I had never been in Urban Outfitters. It's such a cool store! Then we got some Jamba Juice...yummm! Afterwards, Chris had to run some errands, so Scott, Andy and I went and saw Cinderella Man. HOLY COW!! It's an amazing movie. I cried through...well...the majority of it. I will never comprehend how helpless they felt during the depression. I cried just watching them have nothing to eat. I cried when Mae's husband went to fight because she knew how dangerous it was. Wow, you have to see it. Even if you hate boxing, the movie is so inspiring and the story really pulls your heart strings. Anyway, after the movie Andy had to go to work, so Scott and I went to Chris's pastor's house to watch the Texas vs. Florida baseball game in the College World Series. Texas won 4-2. Then, I finally drove home. I was exhausted, but it was a fun day!

Christen

My life has forever been screwed up because of my 3rd grade teacher. When I was in 3rd grade, they did an experimental teaching method for math. Instead of learning to recognize multiplication facts by just looking at them, we learned to count by each number. For example, I do not know that 6 x 7 = 35 because I just know. I have to count... 7, 14, 21, 28, 35. 6 x 7 = 35. Yeah, this is a ridiculous and time consuming process that I was taught for a solid year.

Now you ask yourself, why don't you just learn them like flashcards? No, no, my friend, I've tried. I sat and did flashcards, but I kept counting in my head. It's useless. I'm forever screwed up.

Christen

Just so that you believe me:
~2,4,6,8,10,12...
~3,6,9,12,15,18,21,24,27...
~4,8,12,16,20,24,28...
~5,10,15,20,25,30...
~6,12,18,24,30...
~7,14,21,28,35,42,49,56,63,70
~8,16,24,32,40,48...
~9,18,27,36,45,54,63...

EDIT: SEEEEE I am screwed up!! If you look at the above entry, you will see that I wrote 6 x 7 = 35 when in fact it equals 42. AHHH!!!

Thanks to those who commented on my last post. I can't read them cause they haven't been restored yet.

It's been said that I'm a Diet Coke addict. I realized at the family reunion this weekend where I got it. My immediate family consisted of 18 people where the majority don't even like Diet Coke. But between the rest of us (we'll say 6 for detail's sake), we had a 24 pack, 2 twelve packs, and a 6 pack of Diet Cokes. That right there is proof. 54 Diet Cokes for a 3 day reunion. Haha!

The Diet Coke-aholic,
Christen

It's family reunion time, people. If you've ever met my family, you know we like to get together for any reason at all. We've been known to make up reasons just to spend time together. We might drive to Van for dinner one night just to see a roll of film that got developed. haha, yeah, we're awesome.

But this weekend is the mother of all family reunions...Hilltop Lakes and Resort. Yes, my family doesn't go half way to celebrate; we hit the resort...for 3 days. I'm talking golf, swimming, laying around. :) It should be fun.

Christen

I felt like a good ol' country girl this weekend. My brother and sister-in-law and I went out to a hunting lodge with some of his friends. We shot skeet, fished for crabs, cooked hamburgers, went out on a boat, and just hung out. It was one of the most relaxing, fun weekends I've had in a while.

Last night was our dinner theater. We were raising money for our Fine Arts kids to go to nationals this August. They did such a good job performing human videos, rapping, everything. I'm really getting to know some of the kids down here. They're really cool and hilarious! It'll be a good summer.

Christen

Thank you for your sympathy. It's much appreciated. haha

The day has finally come!! My brother and sister-in-law found out this past week what they are having...a boy!!!! Mark was so excited (and I think secretly relieved). It's really cool to know that there is a little boy inside there; now if they could just settle on a name. I am going to be such a cool aunt to my little nephew. yea!!

Christen

I got home Tuesday night in the most frustrating way:

I arrive at O'Hare (in Chicago) at 12:45 for my 2:30 pm departure to Houston Intercontinental. I check my luggage, breeze through security, and buy a cookie because I'm almost two hours early for my flight. I check my phone because it's set up to send me texts of flight information. I have a text that says my gate changed to H10. Okay, I think, I have all the time in the world. I waltz down to H10 to see that there is no flight listed on the screen and nobody waiting in that waiting area. Hum, I guess the gate didn't change to H10. I walk over to a departure monitor to check the gate number. My eyes scan down to Dallas/Ft.Worth, 2:30 flight, Gate H13. Oh, I think, it's only 3 gates away. So I sit in Gate H13 for 2 hours. The plane becomes delayed due to pressurization problems. I call my brother to inform him that my flight is delayed. No problem. That is until they begin boarding. I get in line and look at the informational screen. An hour and a half flight? There's no way...it takes an hour and a half to get to...DALLAS!! I'm waiting in line to get on a Dallas flight, and I live in HOUSTON!!! I look at my watch: 2:50 pm. My heart sunk; my flight to Houston was at 2:30. (Que the sad music and me feeling completely stupid) I find the rebooking desk that should be called the "Hey idiot who missed your flight" desk. I talk to an agent who informs me it will be $100 to switch to a later flight. I yell "Oh my gosh, are you serious?" into the phone because I'm a poor little girl. He finally tells me that I qualify for free standby and there is a 6:50 flight. I go find a gate agent and tell him my sad story. He takes my old boarding pass and ID and hands me a new boarding pass. (He wasn't supposed to put me on the flight, just standby) But he whispers, "Just take it, you're set."

The moral of the story is: No matter how long you've lived in one city, after you move, you have to fly to the new city.

Christen

Thanks to those who actually read the above, it's pretty funny.

I go back to Texas tomorrow. What a wonderful time I have had. Tonight I get to go to small group and see my kids. Man, I love them. It's hard to believe I haven't been to a small group with them in over a year, yet it seems like yesterday. Six of them graduated from high school and Matt graduated from the internship. I'm so proud of all of them. Thanks for all your comments.

Christen

PS Happy 2 year anniversary to Mark and Sheila!!

Well, I guess I should update. I'm in Rockford, and it's wonderful. I have had a chance to hang out with a lot of old friends and classmates, which is great. Wednesday night my friend Nate played his guitar and sang for a few of us after church. He's so amazing, and he just cut a new CD which I am listening to as we speak (as I type). Last night we had tramp night. Stop shaking your head, it's not what is sounds like. We started it last year. Amy has a trampoline at her house, and a bunch of us girls would all go out there at night and lay on the trampoline and just talk, laugh, and look for shooting stars. It jokingly became referred to as "tramp night". hehe, at least we think it's funny. Last year it was kinda a running joke that everyone had seen one or two shooting stars except me. I never could see them. But I finally did the last night we were out there last June. *smile*

I love good friends that you can go long periods of time without seeing or talking to and still pick up where you left off. Those are the best. Anyway, I gotta go.

Christen