MY CAMERA HAS GONE MISSING!!

I used it this weekend in Georgia. I was taking pictures at my cousin Lanie's wedding. I left it on the table while we were dancing, and it was fine. After dancing, we were given bubbles and told to go outside to wish the couple well as they exited the reception. Well, I returned to find the caterers taking all the tables down, including the one my camera was on. As the caterers found people's belongings, they put them off to the side nearby.

I looked all around and asked the caterers if they saw my camera and they did not. I asked a lot of family members about it and no one has found it yet.

I have a feeling someone must have taken it by accident because it may have looked similar to their camera. I really have no reason to believe it was stolen (it's kind of old and probably doesn't have much value; it's not fancy). I guess it could have been stolen, though... I just know it wasn't any of my family members. Maybe there was a crooked caterer...

Overall, I am very disappointed because I am usually 100% responsible when it comes to my camera, especially. I left it at a table where my parents were sitting, so it wasn't unattended (until we all got up to go outside and blow bubbles). I was upset with how quickly they ushered us from the dance floor to the outdoors, because normally I'd have liked to take my camera to take pics of the bride and groom leaving. Then, my camera wouldn't have been left there. It was also sucky with how quickly the caterers broke down the tables and whisked everything away. By the time I got back into the reception area, the table my camera had been on was GONE!

I keep hoping someone will find it and realize they took it by accident or something. It sucks to lose a camera, and it especially sucks because it had all of my pictures on it from this weekend. :( I hope it turns up!

Last week I enjoyed a DELIGHTFUL spring break. It was quite action-packed, though, and busy. Here is what I did.

1.) Spent 4 days in Georgia. My mom and I flew down and we helped to throw a baby shower for my cousin Ben and his wife Kelly! I also got to visit with my Grandma, my aunts and uncles, and see 18-month old little Sara (my cousin Max and his wife Kim's little one). It was areally nice time. I am also excited because I got to meet my cousin Lanie's fiance, Sean. They are getting married in June and I'll be going down to GA for the wedding, so it was great to meet him prior to the Big Day! I was also happy because I got to spend a lot of time with my cousin Katie.

2.) I spent one day in NJ with my mom and dad. My mom and I went shopping!

3.) THEN I had a massive Thesis Fest with Jaime. I spent 3 days and 2 nights at her house. We got a LOT of work done. We also did a lot of goofing around. We got some new FISH! My fish is a betta named Herman! Hers is a gourami named Jiesamfoek (they are named after our thesis advisor)!! As always it was a fun and productive Thesis Fest!

4.) Friday night we stopped thesis-ing and I met Paul (pgwfolc) and we went to see the movie "Coraline" in 3D! We both agreed it was really great, and even better that we got to see it in 3D! Hooray! It was also great to meet Paul, who has been my online friend for a long time, but we only just met this weekend!! We were friends through the Lois & Clark message board, so it was apropos to see "Coraline" together, since it features the vocals of Teri Hatcher (she did a great job)!

5.) On Saturday I had a SUPERFUN DAY that featured me doing NO WORK. First off, it was GorgeousWarmSunnyBeautiful out. It was also my friend Jim's birthday, and a week prior to Aly's moving day (she is moving to an apartment upstairs in her same building). Aly organized a get together in honor of Jim's birthday. I went to Aly's and waited with her while there was an open house in her apartment. Then we both went to brunch where we met Jim, Colter, and Amy. We had a GREAT brunch, then it looked like it was just going to be an overall great day. I ran home to get my computer (I actually THOUGHT I was going to work onmy thesis, but I was wrong!). I met Aly, Jim, Colter, and Amy for a secondary open house at Aly's, then once it was over we went to Prospect Park and I taught Amy how to hula hoop! Like me she was an adult beginner, and I certainly know how that feels! (See video in previous entry.) After the park hangout, Jim had to leave to go to a wedding (yes, on his birthday)! But I was invited to Jaime's 30th birthday FIESTA. So I called Jaime to see if I could bring three friends along and she said YES! So - me, Colter, Amy, and Aly went to Jaime's where we partied with her and her friends! It was super awesome - good food and drinks and fun and even a little Rock Band (I believe I sang "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Eye of the Tiger"). Now everyone knows I'm a diva. :) The night ended back at Aly's, where she game me and Amy some items from her giant "box o' beauty" (samples she gets from doing her beauty blogging). Amy drove me home and it was just nice getting to know her more (previously we were more like acquaintances, but now we are better friends!).

6.) On Sunday I met up with Susan. She was back from PARIS where she had been with BOB! Bob's still there, on tour, but they got to have a nice vacation together. So cool! I only saw Susan briefly, but she gave me a GIFT FROM FRANCE: a SQUID WHISK!!!!!! Seriously - it is so awesome!!!

7.) I went to NJ to visit Claire and new baby Helia!!! I brought the ingredients for Pasta Rustico (my dad's special pasta and sauce recipe). I cooked dinner for Claire, her hubby, and her pal Loren. The four of us had a nice dinner, and I did a good job making Rustico. My dad will be proud! Baby Helia is the cutest baby EVER. I got to NJ, and Loren just put this sweet cute li'l baby in my arms and I just couldn't believe how adorable she was. I could have just held her all day! (But then - who would have made the Rustico??) :)

8.) Today it was raining and nasty. Back to school! I looked forward to seeing the kiddies. They are fun and I actually do look forward to seeing them when it is Monday. I gave a presentation about my thesis tonight at class. Claire was a trooper and came to class! Her dad drove her in with Baby Helia because Helia needs to breastfeed very regularly. I think Helia enjoyed my presentation. I was just glad to see her two days in a row! So fun!

Anyway, things are busy but GOOD!

I have been in Georgia for four days, attending a baby shower for my cousin Ben and his wife, Kelly! They are expecting a little boy in June. We had a GREAT baby shower on Saturday; it was a big success. I helped my mom and cousin do the decorations. We really helped a lot with the party planning, and the party was lots of fun!

Just my mom and I flew down to St. Simons, and we got in Thursday night. (My dad couldn't make it because he had to work.) However, it is my spring break so I could come! :)

It was fun, and we had some nice weather. I got to go to the beach for one day, and to sit outside on Aunt June's deck on another day. It felt fantastic to soak in some sun!!!! I am currently the palest I have ever been! So - I think that now I at least have some color on this skin!

Overall I had a great time with my cousins. Also, I finally got to meet Sean, who is my cousin Lanie's fiance. Sean and Lanie will be getting married in June on St. Simons Island. I had never met Sean before, and my cousins and I were able to get to know him some, prior to the wedding!

We were here for 4 days and it was really nice. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again in June for the wedding! Ben and Kelly's baby should be born by the wedding, so we'll get to see him when he is still very small!

NOW I am here at the Brunswick Airport (very small and cute airport), and it looks like we have a delay getting into Atlanta... which means (of course) that we're missing our connecting flight back to Newark. Bummer! My mom is currently on line trying to get our flight switched around. Maybe we will be stuck in GA forever!

I had a great time going to Georgia -- it was a wonderful trip in two parts. We (my mom, dad, Aunt Athene, Uncle Bob, and I) flew into Atlanta and rented a car. We drove from Atlanta to Blue Ridge, GA where my relatives co-own a cabin in the mountains. It was quite cold but we got to enjoy the fire place and the hot tub a lot! My mom and I went into the hot tub (which is outdoors on the deck) every day, even though this means going outside in a bathing suit in 5 degree weather! It was very fun and I enjoyed it (even getting out in the cold isn't so bad!). Still, my bare feet left wet footprints which instantly froze onto the deck!

The five of us had an enjoyable time just relaxing! My dad cooked a lot (I made a french toast breakfast one day). We also ate out at some of the local restaurants! My fave is a BBQ joint called Colonel Poole's.

I was kind of enjoying having no Internet and only spotty phone service! It was definitely nice to be "unplugged" for once. I finished a scarf I had been knitting for Megan, and it came out awesome! After that I kind of missed not having a project to do. (I almost considered taking Marty's crocheted afghan with me -- it DEFINITELY would have gotten finished! -- however, it has grown SO BIG, that it would have taken up my entire suitcase, so it was not practical at all.) But, one luxury I really enjoyed on this trip was READING!! I finished a book Susan got me for Christmas -- Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture." I really enjoyed it, and it was a fast read, filled with good advice and inspiration for anyone. (THANKS, SUSAN!) I am also almost done with Kurt Vonnegut's "Bluebeard," which is his book about ART.

After several days at the cabin, we drove to St. Simons Island, GA, which is where almost all of my extended family live. It was about 6 hours driving, which was unpleasant since I was crammed in the middle seat of the back. (I did convince my mom and aunt to switch off with me after a while.) We had a CRACKER BARREL LUNCH -- my choice. I love Cracker Barrel!

In Georgia, almost my ENTIRE extended family was there (except for TJ and Aunt Linda, Chris and Tyler, and Grant and Annaliza). It was really great!  Yum!We had a Mexican Fiesta for my grandma's 88th birthday! I was on the decorations committee, so my cousins and I decorated my Uncle Bob's garage with all sorts of awesome decorations. We got a pinata and filled it with candy and tiny plastic liquor bottles! I also made Marty's recipe of sangria, which was a BIG hit! The rest of the party was a pot luck, with everyone bringing a Mexican-themed dish. There was so much food!

I got to spend time with almost every relative which made for a good time. The party was on Saturday, then I stayed till Tuesday afternoon, so we had some quieter, less hectic time with everyone! It was very cold so I did not even go to the beach. I think it was the coldest I'd ever seen in GA! Still - it was not as cold as it is here. I came home, to be welcomed with snow and ice! Ugh! Wish I was still there, but it is good to be back in enough time to unwind a bit before grad school starts up again (next Monday)!

My Aunt Kate just emailed me this awesome picture of my Grandma. What a looker!!! ;)

Edited: to include THIS picture of my Grandpa that she just sent a minute after the last one!



Aunt Kate just got a scanner and learned how to use it! :)

GREAT news: Yesterday I reported that my aunt had numbness in her arm and she was hospitalized for possible heart disease. They were monitoring her heart, and it seemed fine.

The next thing that they thought it was was a mini-Stroke. She got a CT scan to see if there was any problem in her brain, and THAT was fine.

New Diagnosis: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Like auntie, like niece, I guess! Anyhow, I've never been so happy to hear someone has carpal tunnel. It sucks, but at least it is not heart attack or stroke!!! Thank God!

Monday night, our Sculpture professor showed up. I was really happy, since it was the professor that I was hoping for -- the one many of my classmates had last semester and really loved. I think it is going to be a fun class. We received a list of lots of projects, and we get to choose three to work on. We can also propose our own projects.

Last night, I had Writing Across the Curriculum. It is GREAT!! I am really excited about it. It is not what I expected at all -- I guess I thought it would deal with the kind of writing teachers need to do -- curricula, unit and lesson planning, etc. However -- even better, it is about incorporating writing into classroom subject areas, which is something I really believe in! I think it is really going to be an outstanding class. Additionally yesterday the professor distributed journals that we need to use, and they were mostly just plain solid-colored notebooks. However, randomly, there was one BARBIE journal. That's the one I picked of course! (Hee hee!)

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I just got the news that my aunt is in the hospital after having signs that a heart attack was approaching. She had numbness in her arm, and she called my mom (who is a nurse). My mom advised her to go to the hospital immediately! She is in the hospital now and doing okay, but she is being monitored, and she has heart damage. I'm not sure I understand what that means, if there was an actual heart attack or if it was somehow prevented. Please keep her in your thoughts!

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Mayranna officially moved into the apartment last Friday, and she has totally made herself at home. It is great! She's even had friends come and visit. She has just started her student teaching, and it is right in Park Slope (more convenient to get to from out apartment than from Williamsburg -- where she had been living). She set up her room really cutely as well. I think she really likes it here. A good sign of a new roommate: I was out in the living room, playing my ukulele, and she came out of her room because she wanted to SING ALONG! :)

Additionally, inspired by me and Alexandra's ukes, Maryanna has purchased herself a red Mahalo. Now we are a primary-colored trio! It has not yet arrived but it'll be exciting when it does! What a musical apartment we shall have!

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This weekend I got to see Susan's new place. It is really cute! As we approached her apartment, I knew roughly where it was, but I didn't know exactly which building it was. I figured it out quickly when I recognized all of her plants in the window! Susan's new place has these strange and awesome features, including a laundry drying rack that opens up out of this compartment in the wall in the bathroom!!

I sushi'd with Aly on Friday, and then spent the bulk of Saturday cleaning my apartment. It was quite gratifying! :) That evening is when Alexandra and I picked up Susan and the three of us went to Justin's birthday arty. It was a lot of fun!

The following day, I actually slept LATE, and then worked on some stuff. I also went YARN SHOPPING at a little store in Park Slope, where they were having a "Superbowl Sale." (A yarn sale is the anti-Superbowl, I guess!) I met Kristen (my uke teacher friend) there and we yarn shopped in this itty bitty store for about an hour. I got some yarn so that I can make the "Kittyville" hat in the Stitch 'N Bitch book. I have always wanted to make that! This will be my first more-advanced knitting project. I am excited!

After getting yarn, I immediately headed into Manhattan and met up with Stacey who was in town visiting her boyfriend. We went to JOHN'S PIZZA, which is our favorite! It was a lot of fun hanging out and catching up! :) Overall an outstanding weekend!

Congratulations to my cousin Lanie and her now-fiancee Sean! They got engaged yesterday, on Christmas Day!

I am back in the BK after a lovely time at home in Jersey! I had a great Thanksgiving, despite having quite-a-cold. I am still a bit sicky-sick, but I al headed off to bed shortly.

It was so nice to see my Grandma, and also my Aunt Kate from Colorado. T.J. and Aunt Linda were there too, and I got to meet their new puppy, Lily (SUPER cute!). We ate a lot of food, played a lot of fun games, and had a good time all-around.

Today, my Dad drove me (along with Mom and Grandma) back to Brooklyn, and they all got to see the apartment and the new furniture (and the fish and squids). It was very nice.

Gracie, a.k.a., The G -- our family dog -- slept with me on the air mattress I was stationed on. It was the cutest ever. She even spooned with me!! 77 pounds of golden retriever! She is quite the dog! I am always afraid she is going to "forget" about me when I have not seen her for a while, but she always remembers who picked her out of the litter!

I got to have a visit with Doris. We were BOTH sick! I was not very great company, but we had a LOT of laughs when looking at our old drawings, I selected a few drawings and scanned them to supplement my project fro Creative Projects. Woo hoo!

I wish I didn't feel so crummy the entire time I was home -- that part was a drag! Hopefully I am on the upswing. When I get sick, I am always secretly a little fearful it'll slip into pneumonia like Pneumonia2004. Fortunately my Mom listened for the tell-tale pneumonia "crackling" in my lungs and did not detect any! I think Pneumonia '04 made me into a little bit of a hypochondriac! I never was like that before. Boo.

In other news, I have discovered (thanks to my Aunt Kate) Ebates.com. Have you heard of it?? It is possibly the GREATEST WEBSITE OF ALL TIME for anyone who shops online -- especially during the holidays. At first it appeared to be one of those sites I'd be inclined to "write off" as a scam or a hoax. But my aunt has been a member for a while and has told me that she's earned hundreds of dollars back. The premise is, you sign up to Ebates. You shop online at the regular shopping sites listed on Ebates, and you earn cash back on all your purchases! The cash back is sent in the form of a "Big Fat Check" that comes on a quarterly basis. Let me know if you want to join and I'll send you an email invite (we'll both earn $10 cash back automatically!).

I feel a bit behind on work because I thought I'd accomplish more over the Thanksgiving break. Sadly I was more like a tired ol' bump on a log instead of peppy, productive me! Alas!

I better go to bed so I can perk up for tomorrow! I hope everyone had a happy and fun Thanksgiving!

TODAY is my FIRST DAY of GRAD SCHOOL! I am really excited. For July-August, I'm only enrolled in one summer studio class, Printmaking. Come late August, I begin my fall semester (I'll be taking 3 courses). Anyhow, I think easing into grad school with the one course will be cool. Well, it is not really "easing," because this course has some rigorous hours -- 5-10 PM on Monday and Wednesday night! I am looking forward to printmaking. Maybe I can actually make some things for my Etsy store.

After school, I'll be going to see Spiraling play at Club Midway. It is going to be an awesome show, and I hope I'll make it in time. I am really hoping my class will get out early today!!

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I had a GREAT time in Georgia! My baby shower gifts were all well-received by Max and Kim, including the blanket, hat, and booties set I made them. AND they loved the TOTALLY awesome onesies Susan and I got them, which included a squid onesie by cleodee, a lobster onesie, and a hippo onesie. This baby will be the hippest kid on the block. I want pictures of her in all her garb!

I loved meeting my cousin Christopher's son Tyler for the first time! He is 6 years old and very cute and smart! He lives in California, so this was mmost of my family's first time meeting him!

One day, at the beach, Susan got smashed by a giant tsunami. A huge cruise-liner came by when we were in the water, and generated these giant waves. One knocked me down and took my bathing suit off a little. As I was laughing about that with Susan and fixing it under the water, an enormous wave came toward us. I yelled, "SUSAN! LOOK OUT!" It broke on top of us. When Susan emerged from the water, her face completely bloody, it was quite scary. When we got her cleaned up we figured out that she had a bloody nose and lip. Fortunately we had a cooler with ice and were able to ice it right away! Susan remembers somersaulting under water twice and smashing her face on something hard. Scary, scary! The good news is, Susan recovered with a little ice and TLC!

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Yesterday I walked to Coney Island! It was really fun! Susan and I did a trek. We are good at trekking. It was a throwback to last summer when we were gearing up for the 3-Day! We walked and walked, got giant blisters (on the same foot, the left one only), ate sushi lunch, laid on the beach, talked about boys, and listened to our iPods (with splitter)!

Setting: St. Simons Island Pier, 9:00 PM.
Scene: Some men are fishing. Tyler, 6-years-old, looks into the man's bait bucket at the small fish swimming around. Inside the bucket, there are dead fish and live fish. Tyler admires them and talks to the man. Suddenly, Tyler comes running over excitedly towards his dad, Christopher.

Tyler: (holding up small dead fish) "Dad! The man gave me a dead one [fish]!"
Christopher: "Did you say 'thank you'?"

So I think I may have failed to mention that we Gallands have a NEW FAMILY MEMBER on the way! My cousin Max and his wife Kim are expecting a baby in September. We just found out that the baby is a girl, and that her name will be Sara Laine. Very pretty!

I have to get crocheting!!! She will definitely get a hat and blankie set, but I think I may even tackle booties for the first time!! I have not yet chosen a theme for the set. I think Max and Kim would really like to have a bright/colorful set instead of all pastels. Maybe another fruit set like the Apple Twins...? Any suggestions??

I would like to introduce you to someone. This is Gordon Riker. It would be unfair to say that I "knew" him. I think I may have met him once or twice when I was very little. He is the son of my mom's cousin. (Making him... my second cousin?)



I just found out this morning that he died on April 4th in a tragic accident while riding his bike in Boston. His friends said that he was a very safe cyclist, wore a helmet, and had extra safety precautions installed on his bike.

I don't know what the purpose or the message of this blog is. Except, when something like this happens, it reminds us all that anything can happen, and we are not invulnerable, and we should not take our lives (and those special people in our lives) for granted.

When I read online about all of the things Gordon accomplished during his too-short life and what his friends and family had to say about him, I know that he did not take the things in his life for granted. He was a devoted son and brother, a friend, a boyfriend, a music-lover, a bike-rider, and an extremely gifted artist. He was generous, kind, and a good listener.

He was 22 years old.

My prayers go out to those who knew and loved him.

Here's what's been happening for the remainder of me and Susan's Georgia trip!!

* Lighthouse Museum & Coast Guard Museum tour with Uncle Frank and Dave
* Afternoon being lazy with Grandma
* Brogan's lunch one day, and dinner one night
* 16-mile walk around St. Simons (!!!)
* Boating with Ben and his friend Whit -- to Mosquito Creek and Pelican Spit!
* SWEET MAMA'S for dessert and for lunch! (RED-VELVET CAKE? What-what??!!)
* Crab Trap dinner with Aunt June, Uncle John, Ben, Kelly, and Katie (Did somebody say HUSH PUPPIES?!?!)
* Savannah Trip!!! Drove down with Kelly and Katie, did some shopping, then went to The Lady & Sons which is Paula Deen's restaurant (of Food-Network-fame)!
* Shopping in the Village with Katie
* Susan got MAJORLY recognized from What Not to Wear in the stained-glass store
* Horseback riding on the beach!!!!
* Chilling at Aunt Paula & Uncle Bob's house
* Dinner at Ben & Kelly's house
*Beaching with Katie
* Cafe Frederica lunch with Katie
* Driving around the Island
* Two Jell-O pies MADE.

Tomorrow, around mid-day, we are heading back to NYC... I have truly-truly enjoyed this relaxing trip!!! Lots of time-spent with Susan and with my fun-and-funny family members!!! Yaaaayyyy! It has been a nice and restful time prior to moving-day! :-)

Meet the newest member of my family!!



( More here! )

Yes, the 'Rents have been married for 27 years! Good times!

NEXT TUESDAY I HAVE TWO JOB INTRVIEWS! Both are at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. This is the coolest thing ever!!! Tomorrow I will go shopping for a suit. I hope I can find an adorable one! I am SO excited. They should really hire me. I'd be SO great!

Yesterday I ordered a pair of white vinyl boots for Halloween. I got them at hottopic.com. I'm getting really excited. :-D

I have baked brownies for Ryan's birthday... I will be mailing them to him, considering I probably won't be able to make it to his birthday bash. (I'm working on Saturday and it will be hard for me to get into the city that late.)

I have lots to do tomorrow! Must get ready for Tuesday!!!!! Weee!

So... Today I went to a funeral of someone I didn't even know. "Aunt Virginia" was my mom's aunt, though they weren't very close. I went to do the obligatory "Hi! How ya doin?" thing with my mom... we were really there in support of my mom's cousin Matt. Aunt Virginia was his mom. It's weird going to a funeral without knowing the deceased person though... I learned a lot about Aunt Virginia today. She was born in Italy, and she knew how to yodel. Yodelling was her claim to fame. She yodelled at countless family weddings and events. She also had the most beautiful hair--long and brown and shiny. The kind of hair you would kill to have.

After the funeral, and after dinner, I started a huge undertaking... I pulled our oldest computer off of a shelf, put it together, and attempted to get my old files off of it. It was a project just getting it to turn on, but by some miracle, I did it! Man, it is ANCIENT! Anyhow, I finally got it on, and started transferring documents to disk. About halfway through, it froze up. I tried to reboot, and the computer hasn't been able to turn on since. Grr! I think I worked the Ol' Girl too hard. I think I'll try again tomorrow... I really just want my documents back! Old poetry, stories ("Murder With a Twist of Lemon," "Just Like Darts," "The Old One," Lois & Clark fanfic...), all kinds of junk. I deleted stuff I did NOT want, including Precis from Dr. Trautman and essays for Mr. Cullen!!

Tomorrow is back-to-work for me. It'll be fun! I still feel as though I should have accomplished MORE on my time off, though. Ah well. Everyone's gettin freaky about Hurricane Isabel. I found out that if it comes toward our house, we should go to the basement, or into a bathtub, and attempt to cover ourselves up with something. Just thought you ought to know. ALLIEGEE: Always the informative LiveJournal.

Kaitlinn accused me of having no heart because "Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas" did not make me cry. Well, I guess I can't be 100% heartless, because "To Kill a Mockingbird" really got to me... I refused to see the movie without reading the book first, so I finally read it. Seeing the movie may just kill me, after all, if the BOOK makes me cry, surely I'll be in pieces seeing Gregory Peck as Atticus! Such a good story.

Now I'm reading "Lolita," which is one of Doris' faves. It is great to be reading like crazy again!!!

My grandma broke her leg today! She tripped in her house. Of all the times to do it, all her sons are on vacation, and so are many of her reliable neighbors! She is the type of person who is mad that she has to slow down her daily pace now. Plus a family member is going to stay with her to make sure she is OK, so I am sure she feels like a burden. She is really the most active and independant woman, so it drives her nuts to have to be helped around. Anyhow I hope that the break is not TOO bad and will heal easily enough... we will find out Monday. Hold a good thought for her!!!

Wooooo! For the first time in my four years of college, I was able to come home for Easter. It was so great, I even got to dye eggs! I had a lot of fun with my parents. On Easter Sunday, Aunt Linda and T.J. came to visit, which was great. I won't be seeing T.J. for a while since he'll be interning in Georgia for a while. It was my last chance to see him!

I gave the dog a bath and everything. I went to the Easter Vigil mass on Saturday night... all two hours of it! I am excited to graduate and be at home for good! But there is also a part of me that does not want to leave! (This is the part of me who loves my friends and wants to remain close to them for EVER.) Unfortunately, I know this is not going to be the case.

Ah, well. Things are crazy... I have a whole lot of end-of-semester work to do! I thought as a senior, I would be "taking it easy." Oh well! I am doing the opposite! I have so much work and so little time. I even missed a late-night trip to Doc's Little Gem Diner... because I was out late working on a project! Insanity. On May 6, I *should* be able to relax.