As promised, here are pictures from my birthday! Sorry it took so long, but I've been using the computer at work to maintain this thing, and I can't really upload pictures. Anyway, now I'm at home with the wonderful thing known as wireless internet. :) Thank you to everyone who made my birthday spectacular. Enjoy!

Wednesday, Brooke and I got pedicures! woo hoo!


Cute, huh, with the little flowers!


Then, Friday night, Scott, Erik, Sigi, and I graced Medieval Times with out presence. :)
Birthday girl and Sigi (we wore our crowns proudly):


Me and Scott goofing off before dinner:


Sigi and Erik (such a fun picture):


Though cheesy choreography, it was a great show:


And then Sunday night, we had a little girl fun at Magic Time Machine. :) I love my friends!!
Andrea, Jessica, and Danae being fabulous:


Danae, Birthday girl, and Esther:


I think this picture is SO cute!! Jeanene, Karissa, and Shelby:


Okay, here they are all smiling:


The group: Andrea, Jessica, Danae, Me, Esther, Jeanene, Karissa, and Shelby:


Yay, birthday!!!
If you'd like to see the rest of the pics (not that many more), go to: Birthday Pics

Birthday '06!

Thank you to all the well-wishers on my birthday!  I had a tremendous birthday.  You all made it so very special.

Wednesday, my dear friend Brooke took me to Midlothian for a pedicure.  Oh, it was awesome, and we have super cute little toes now. :)  Then we met up with all my amazing friends at Chick Fil A for dinner. Yum! That night, Scott and I got to hang out for a bit.  Good times on the day of my birth. :)

Then Friday night, Erik, Sigi, Scott, and I went to Medieval Times to celebrate.  (I have pictures, but I haven't had a chance to upload them yet.)  It was so much fun.  I kinda felt like a little kid all over again.  Afterwards, we had some game time, and yes, Erik won Catch Phrase in all it's glory. ;)

Sunday night concluded the celebration of me (just kidding...okay, I'm not) with a group of friends going to the Magic Time Machine (pictures to come). So...it was nothing like what I expected.  In my head, I was thinking Cheesecake Factory meets Chuck E Cheese.  I thought it was going to be semi-nice yet crazy.  Nope, just crazy.  Our waitress was the toothfairy, and she was to the point.  There was no fluff with this woman.  She was there to work; it was kinda funny.  Then, a magician came by, as did Superman.  Yeah, Superman was really in costume. Ekk.
   The food was great, but the whole atmosphere was borderline creepy.  haha  Oh well, it's impossible to not have a good time with those girls (Andrea, Danae, Jessica, Esther, Karissa, Jeanene, and Shelby).  Afterwards, we went back to the Karissa-Jeanene-Shelby household for homemade, made-from-scratch ice cream sandwiches.  I'm not kidding; Karissa is freakin' amazing! (Man, I miss my roommates!!) 
   Oh, I also took a personality assessment from a book Karissa has that could not have been more accurate.  I'm a "guardian provider," which basically means I thrive on family, social engagements, and routine, and I'm warm-hearted and a nurturer.  I don't do well with spur of the moment plans.  I like being courted in the traditional sense: flowers, having doors opened, being affirmed vocally and emotionally.  Relationships are about quality time and togetherness.  Anyway, I promise you, it was like reading a recipe for me.  I was freaking out on how perfect it was.  This guy John was the one reading me my results, and he was laughing so loud because I kept saying, "Oh my gosh, yeah, that's totally me."
  So, good times.  I've had a great birthday week. :)

Happy weekend to you!  Tomorrow is my very first football game as an SAGU cheerleader.  Crazy!  I absolutely can't wait though.  Home games start next week.  I'd love it to see your face in the stands.  Feel free to come anytime. :)  For those who have been asking, here's the home game schedule:
September 23 @ 6 pm
September 30
October 21
October 28
November 4

It's been a crazy busy week.  Sometimes I wonder why I do this school thing, but it's almost over (May!!).  Anyway, have a great weekend.  I'll be in Kansas starting tomorrow.  woo hoo!

OH- and my birthday is in 5 days!!!  I hear there's a plan in the works, but I really have no clue what.  Yippee- I love my birthday!!

Love you all!
Christen

Just so you know, my birthday is in 16 days :)

Life back at school is so weird and different and upside down.  I came into this semester with a lot of expectations, and to say the least, they aren't anything like what I imagined.  All of it's not necessarily bad- just different.  I have a bad habit of imagining, down to the detail, how I want an evening/an event/a situation to play itself out.  Then, when it doesn't meet, or exceed, my expectations, I'm disappointed.

I want amazing.  I want extraordinary.  Is it wrong that I don't want to settle for normal?  It encompasses every aspect of my life: school work, friendships, relationships, holidays, birthdays, cheerleading.  I have plenty of "normal" in my everyday life: watching tv, eating microwave dinners, running errands, going to work and practices and classes.  Is it too much to ask for the other times to be significant?

I don't know.  You probably think I'm crazy, but it's how I feel.  And I'm really being okay with my feelings (however illogical or unfounded they may be).

So, all of that to say, my semester is going okay; it's just super different.  Classes are tough, and my apartment is freakin fantastic.  I'm making a homemade meal tonight (first one since being here).  woo hoo!

Christen