Saturday, January 21, 2012

Tangled

Ahhh...it's almost Spring! I somehow missed February all-together it seems!

I did enjoy an excellent few weeks of warmer bouts of weather, a Valentine's week FULL of love, an interesting weekend with er...my favorite child-pre-teen-teen trio...which in itself threw me into these where does time go wonderings...

Valentine's Day--one of my favorite holidays, I had a fun date including flowers and chocolate--and I tried (and loved Calamari) for the first time.

I got a LARGE cupcake from my littlest Valentines and some yummy chocolate covered strawberries (and tootsie rolls and twizzlers...) and love notes from my favorite girls. Apparently one of the reasons they love me is because I let them stay up late... [WHICH I do not ACTUALLY let them do...I just say this about 50 times each week, "No, it's too late, no, it's already, like 15 minutes past your bedtime!!! It's so late!" usually in regards to finishing a movie, reading more books, sharpening a pencil RIGHT then because it absolutely cannot wait until FIRST THING in the morning, or any other number of unreasonable stay-up-longer tactics... (You are going to SLEEP, you do not need that pencil sharpened RIGHT now...) but often I am a pushover and they do stay up a LITTLE late.

But how do you stay strong when they also say they love you because "She wooks boo-tiful" and she "writes us pictures"? When they look at you with HUGE blue eyes and a large bow in their hair and ask, "Miss Cafin, can you sweep wif me?" and then they absentmindedly stroke your head like a little mommy and kiss you...and then they intentionally smack you on the head with a stuffed animal's paw and say in surprise, "Oh! Piggy! Careful!" it's so funny!

How do kids grow? How does it happen so fast? HOW does it even happen right before our very eyes? When you run across clothes that they wore everyday for a season...and they look like they might fit a doll now in comparison. When they used to say wook, wuv, and wowwypop...and now say look, love and l-l-wowwypop :)
How does it happen that you continue to talk to what seems like just yourself and you look down and the babies are nodding or shaking their head correctly in answer to your question--or DOING what you suggested you do, "let's get our shoes and we can go outside" and the next thing you know they've disappeared and returned with their tiny shoes!


Where do the cheeks go? The thighs? The rolls? My babies are GROWN. My first babies are in COLLEGE...and some kids that I have poured my life into in the last 15 years have no idea who I am. Face it, when you keep babies, unless you stay with them, oh forever...they'll never even remember you.

I'm having my 10 year highschool reunion this summer...and WHERE did the time go?

Surely that;s where all of this is coming from...and the passage of time how quickly is accellerates almost as I get older...I really think its a phenomenon that I wish I could prove and get rich off of...

Maybe it's because of how I organize my life, when its boiled down to monthly reports and weekly everything and the days turn to weeks which turn to months and years all the more quick...THAT way, not like college when everyday is different and you have several different lives and schedules and never sleep so the time just goes on and on forever...same like when you are a child and you just have no concept of the passage of time (because you change activities every 15 minutes anyway so of course you can do a million things in one day and endless summer days go on and on...

Maybe its how I cope, I countdown...I count down hours until I'll be finished at work, I countdown hours until I get to go to bed, I wake up and countdown the hours until I get to go back to bed...I just make it through the work week to weekend again...every...week...and just 4 weeks and it will be...
2012...
March...
Summer...
WARM...
THEN I will savor life, THEN I will at least be OK. And I countdown the years of my life.

My last job had me doing reports 3 times a day, at the end of each week and the huge monthly report...time FLEW. It felt like it was all I could do to finish (and recover) from one month when it was time to begin the next one. Its been 14 mo. since I've moved back here...It's been 21 months(!!!) Since I moved away from Athens...2 years since I FINISHED at LP...4 years since I've been finished with college (don't do the math)...almost 4 years since I've been to Jamaica for a month...since I've been out of the country...and 10 YEARS since I've been FINISHED with Highschool! And all I can think of is the song from Tangled, "When Will My Life Begin?"

"And I keep wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin' when will my life begin...?"

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Reflections on 2012 Thus Far



I have had a lot more time to think without my phone. My brain is tired. These are the things I have realized:

All of my worrying was founded (is that the opposite of unfounded...?) as evidenced by ALL these missed calls and text messages. SEE how much importantness I really was missing out on those 7 days?

I have decided to have much more mercy on people who abbreviate, misspell and just don't respond to texts all together. Because it requires WAY too much energy on a non-iPhone. And TALK about why they don't want people texting and driving--you really could kill yourself trying to text and drive on one of those old dinosaur phones.

My children, who will never know a time without smart phones, have no hope for not being lazy, spoiled, and as dependent on technology as I have realized I am this week.

Chick-fil-A IS about the only company out there [that I have encountered this week] that gives a darn about customer service anymore. [Instance #1. Earlier this week I decide I'm just going to have to try and have AT&T unlock my old black berry, even though I'm with Verizon now, to use in the mean time...So I go to Verizon and they act like I'm an idiot for even asking, say there is NO option for a temporary phone for me...until one guy says if I had a friend with an old Verizon phone he could turn that on for me. Instance #2. I email support over at Amazon trying to figure out all the Kindle trouble I had been having and the answer I get back to my question is this, "Sure." [Eyes narrowed] Sure? Sure? I FIGURED THAT..."Can you tell me HOW?!?!?!" Instance #3 I am saving for a post ALL it's own but sneak peak, its called CHASE HEALTH ADVANCE AND HOW THEY ARE IN LEAGUE WITH SATAN.]

BUT here is the even better news. Better than deep lessons I have learned about how good CAN come out of this situation...My PHONE actually made it back to me. I know. It arrived. Exactly 8 days after I lost it. It truly had to be a MIRACLE of GOD because the label read as follows:

I'm not afraid to put that address on the World Wide Web because it is SO FAR from correct that only God could inspire a postal worker to sit and figure THAT logic out...

I ABSOLUTELY TAKE BACK the mean things I said about WDW Lost and Found, I will furthermore retract the specific phrase of "Stupidest response of the century" and will hereby re-adopt the philosophy that most of the time close is good enough...

Disney Recap Part II

This ACTUALLY has nothing to do with Disney, except the continuation of the lost phone saga...In case you missed it, here are the details...Lost iPhone 4 at Disney's Hollywood Studios Wednesday, December 4th, 2012 around 6 PM
Filed a report at Guest Services at 9 PM upon park closing
[completely legibly wrote my name, the phone's number, gave my mom's number for contact info and her address to mail it back to.

Description of the phone, small case, picture of me dressed as a Santa with 3 little elves around me. Other identifying factors, if necessary, which apparently wasn't tons of pics of twin babies, baking failures and most recently Cinderella's castle. The last picture taken was of the Scrabble board over the Toy Story area in Hollywood Studios.

Call as soon as 9 am rolls around the next morning, December 5th, Thursday, the day we left to go home. Took literally 15 minutes to get to a representative who told me that no, there was no phone there with that description but took down all of my info again in case it came in. THIS must be where the misinterpretations came in.

Get to Alyssa's around 7 that night, lost and found is closed, and learn how to track my phone. Lo and behold the phone has been found and appears to be moving (over a lake) toward guest services. Praise the lamb. Call the next day to confirm, Friday the 6th. Here we are present day...

Call. 15 minutes on hold, listening to Disney classics nonetheless, until a man answers. Oh, yes, it showed that that phone had been mailed early the morning of the 5th. Whew, great...but I [compulsively] track the phone again and it hasn't moved. Who is right, Disney or track my iPhone. I decided to research the whole thing and was pretty convinced that if the phone was powered off/battery died/etc., the last know location of the phone would be displayed for awhile before it couldn't be tracked at all and that MUST be what the dilemma was...and I would call Disney again Monday morning [just to be safe].

All weekend long I felt lost. I felt compelled to have my computer with me at all times so I could email or facebook from there if needed. I wasn't able to make any spontaneous social plans, and I attempted to gather a few numbers so that whenever I encountered a phone I could borrow, I could attempt to get a little text fix or her another human's voice over time and space, of course...to only discover that I could no longer use a phone. I kept trying to touch the screen...when I had an old flip phone at my disposal, it took me an hour to type one text message because I had to tap the 5 THREE times just to get one "L" for love of God! When I moved on to a phone with a keyboard my fat fingers pressed ALL of the tiny buttons around the letter I was choosing and wouldn't EVEN correct itself. I mean who even knows how to spell anymore?!? And my phone is supposed to know come on, haven't we been over this, I ALWAYS mean "y'all" when I type "yall" and don't mean "tall." I'm disappointed in this behavior, I expected more out of you." I seriously couldn't take it anymore. Basically, I was starting to lose it. I had to use my real alarm clock...luckily I didn't throw it away like I've done with many other things I deemed no longer necessary like a real dictionary...map...CDs...sigh...

I had to make my computer play my music for me, and only had [gasp!] the regular radio in the car--no AUX jack that I usually plug into my phone...I even had to rely on the radio to tell me the weather!!! And really, how accurate could that be?!? I TRIED to get books onto a borrowed iPad, or just my computer. That ended in tears and storming upstairs to make Alissa try FOR me...still with no result. I may or may not have cried, screamed, flung myself on my bed, on other's couches and mentioned how AWFUL my life without my phone was every 5 to 10 minutes or so. Mind you, this was day 4. I was pathetic.

Monday morning rolls around again and I just needed to call again to make sure they hadn't missed my daily phone call over there at Guest Services...This time I got a male representative, now after wasting 45 minutes of my life on hold, who confirms the package was mailed the 5th. Good, good, I believed that somewhere deep down inside but OK...
"Now why didn't anyone call me and tell me it had been mailed?"
"Well it appeared the number had been disconnected."
"What number did you dial?" WRONG.

[oh no...] "Can I get a confirmation number and/or tracking number on that and can you confirm the address...?" [More holding] Something about tracking only available upon receipt or some bs...and the address...ALL MIXED UP!!! I.Fell.Apart.[Again.]

"Well that's incorrect as well, now what? I guess the phone will be mailed back to y'all? Am I correct?"
[Stupidest response of the century...] "Well the address is very close, it might still get to you."
Right, how could I be so negative!?!
"Can you just change the contact number and let me know immediately if it arrives back y'all and if it does DO NOT attempt to mail it again." I had already asked for overnight shipping and he informed me that they don't do anythign but standard ground shipping so I had made up my mind I would have someone personally pick it up from them and overnight it to me...or drive to Orlando and get it myself. I was not above that at any point.

SO...I don't know where the heck my phone is, or when it will arrive. I have gotten a temporary phone to use in the meantime since I've mentally given up hope that I will ever see my phone again...and have decided that WDW has no idea what this little blunder is costing my sanity. I decided they NEED to realize that they have done a VERY poor job of getting my personal belonging back to me. They need to know how much information and a persons life is wrapped up in a phone that really just cannot be lived without for 2 weeks or more at this point. What do they plan on doing to make this better for me? (Their ideas will be more efficient and reasonable than mine. Season tickets for life would be deemed acceptable. A job being Tinkerbell or a one day park hopper pass is the least I will accept.) I would also strongly suggest they get some capable people on the lines at Lost and Found... The letter might read "Dear Walt Disney World, I figured out where you can afford to hire me and my friends, if not as beautiful princesses...your lost and found department needs some quality brain power. Thanks."

And if they are kind enough to NOT take my suggestions, because firing people is really mean and HARD...I suggest the invent and implement some kind of online form or a kiosk even, to report lost items where the owner types in the information so that if it is wrong it not their fault. And I could update the contact info and etc...AT LEAST they need to go back to the "Charlie-Alpha-Tango" system or ask "G-as-in-goat-girl-googoo-goggles-G-G-G" system in place. Lastly, they should allow guests to be able to opt for additional shipping costs if desired. And be able to track my package. The end.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Disney World 2012 Recap Part I

So, by some happy chance, I was offered a trip to Walt Disney World over Christmas break. Unbelievably excited, seeing as how Walt Disney World remains one of my most favorite places of all times, I couldn't sleep or sit still or anything the nights leading up to January 2nd.

I'm a list maker and a planner, and I make grand plans down to the tiniest details like playlists and snacks...so GRAND plans for this trip, I was starting 2012 the BEST way possible, in sunny Orlando, FL!!!

And although it isn't saying much, since I wasn't all by myself this trip and it didn't dip into the 20's, rain torrentially, and end in my crying and convinced that I was going to be arrested for running through tolls on 408 in a borrowed car...this year was WAY more fun than last time! Best of all it was shared by friends who are equally as enchanted by the magic as well!
We rode the Teacups--always my fav, and we rode all 3 mountains: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain rides. We ate lunch in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which is something I would HIGHLY recommend if you are like me and do not like to waste one second or dime on getting park food and stopping for lunch breaks...

It was unseasonably and quite unreasonably cold and so no one [in their right minds] wanted to ride Splash Mountain and be wet...so the wait time was historical--5 minutes. Have you EVER seen a single digit number on that wait time. Never.

We watched Mickey's Philharmagic show, and rode Pirates of the Caribbean (and I jumped out of my seat as a particularly life-like animatronic Jack Sparrow caught me off guard. I did not, howwever, shriek. #accomplishments #itsthesmallthings #notlikeseeingharrypotterinthetheaters).

We heard a little of the Celebrate parade...which looked magical, as we left the park that day and the next day I was going to Animal Kingdom for the first time EVER! We went on Everest two times in a row and it was awesome! Then, we went on Dinosaur, which I liked because it was so similar to the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland--and nothing at Disney World has compared to that yet! I loved it. I would've like to have ridden the Dinosaur Land carnival rides be we were trying to do all 3 parks that day so we had to MOVE!

We did the safari, which made me think how much my mom would like this park (she wants to go on a real safari one day) and I almost fell out of the cart. I know they say to stay seated at all times, but that warning is obviously for children who may fall out...but just as the driver pointed out something we were driving over, I rose from my seat a bit to get a better look at what he was talking about, the truck lurched over to that side and I was almost pitched out. Luckily, someone grabbed me by the shirt and tugged me down just in time.
The Tree of Life is AMAZING, I loved it and seeing it in person is kind of surreal. And then, the best part of all...The Lion King show. We sang along and watched the amazing acrobatic monkeys and the dancing animals of all kinds...and then the birds. In the video I took, I captured the moment I decided, "I want to be her." and my life goal expanded from just being Tinkerbell-who-flies-from-the-castle-to-start-the-fireworks to beautiful-ballet-dancing-bird-on-a-wire by day and Tinkerbell by night. If these things could happen, I would die the happiest person on Earth, I think.
THEN we left and went to Hollywood Studios. My girls got Mickey Mouse Ear Ice Creams, we excelled at the Toy Story arcade ride and we rode Rockin' Roller Coaster, me for the first time. Since it wasn't open the only other time I had been to Hollywood Studios. And Tower of Terror...'nuff said...I'm just going to go ahead and say that there aren't many years of roller coaster and frightening experiences like that left in me. I've started getting much more motion sick from these things...and the drops, I really think make my heart stop beating in my chest. Its not one of those thrills like it used to be. Now I just get scared to death and cry. With that being said, lets plan a great theme park adventure before I turn 30 and do some MAJOR DAMAGE to Islands of Adventure or Six Flags or something.
Then the magic stopped...also the heart stopped and the wind was knocked out of me when I realized...I had lost my phone.

I had this thought earlier in the morning that "I am going to lose my phone today." But, as I am supposed to do, I told myself that was an irrational thought, I had no reason to believe that I would really lose my phone today...but I'd kept it even in my inner jacket pocket that zips shut most of the day. Everytime I thought about it I put my hands on it to make sure it was there. I had been texting and taking pictures the whole afternoon...and then, right after Rockin' Roller Coaster... I couldn't find it. We were heading to do Tower of Terror and I just forced my self to relax...but my night was over. No Voyage of the Little Mermaid, no Beauty and the Beast show...just dread at losing my phone. I had a little trouble breathing, but I didn't panic or even cry once. We looked all the places I remembered, the bathroom, one wall we waited on, the curb on Sunset (more waiting), and then the worst thought, it might've fallen out on Rockin' Roller Coaster...so no phone, we tried calling it and texting...but that was it...So we walked through the street that had all the Christmas lights still lit up everywhere and the [incredible] fake snow falling and headed for guest services at the front of the park for closing. I filed a report and we left...for...the last little bit of magic--the fireworks at Magic Kingdom...

I didn't have a hard time having fun, even though I was really upset about my phone...I mean there was the BEAUTIFUL castle, all lit up like a sparkling icicle, Tinkerbell FLYING from the castle, and FIREWORKS--my most favorite things EVER!!! I was practically bursting with joy and excitement as we watched. Alyssa got to pick new shoes from the Emporium, missing the first bit of fireworks, but had awesome new kicks to walk around in. And THEN we watched the coolest light show projected on the castle. I LOVED it all! It was truly freezing, had been a REALLY long day...but we couldn't leave yet. After the parade and fireworks and light show, DROVES of people left. The people with young kids, the ones there just for the fireworks...it was almost like the park vacated even though Magic Kingdom was open until MIDNIGHT that night. So we rode Small World and were trying to make a plan for the next things to do...but we ended up just leaving because we couldn't decide on anything as a group and everyone be happy. I think that's all I can say about the situation here...

Back at the hotel, I started to feel the reality of being without my phone and got really worried. I don't think I slept at all that night, again, for like the 4th night in a row for one reason or another, and when I did sleep I kept dreaming that people were dragging me back on Tower of Terror against my will. I woke myself up crying, "I don't want to!"

We left the next morning, shopped at Downtown Disney for a bit before heading out for real. It was a long, sad, car ride. I began to feel like a spoiled child though, because I was having such a hard time not having a PHONE. It's a phone, right? Yes, but it is so much more than that! I can't check the weather without my phone, I don't know the time without my phone, I know a grand total of three people's phone numbers to call without my phone. I can't check email or facebook or twitter or instagram or Hanging or Words or ANYTHING without my phone. No music, no camera, no Kindle/books to read...no TV without Netflix. My LIFE is contained in my phone...and it felt like I had just been severely disabled. We could barely even navigate without my GPS. I know, #firstworldproblems, whatever.

We'd called lost and found to check this morning and they hadn't received anything matching my phone. I had sent a facebook message to a friend hoping a friend of hers could have tracked my iPhone via an app that both of us have, Find Friends...but that didn't work, and they suggested I use Find My iPhone app...but I didn't have that app. Eventually around 7 PM the next night we arrived at Alyssa's house, the first chance we had with Wi-Fi in awhile...so I decided to try to track my iPhone...

It took awhile to figure out what to even do and finally, with the information it began to blink saying, "Locating my iPhone" When it finish I just started at the screen and couldn't believe what I saw. It didn't make since, it was nowhere close to where I had left it, was the app wrong? I had no ideas except that I couldn't handle the information. I needed to leave the room, but Alyssa followed, so I just turned around and burst into tears crying, "IT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF A LAKE SOMEWHERE!!!" She busted out laughing and went to go try and figure out what was happening and brought me her phone so I could call the person I call [every week] when I have my life crises...

In the meantime they realized that my phone was MOVING, likely, OVER a lake, toward Guest Services and Park Lost and Found. Whew, it had been located, they had my info, it would get back to me. Luckily, I didn't overreact at all...

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Happy New Year!

Alright, I haven't blogged in 6 months or something ridiculous. I hate it. It's not for lack of things to say, just time and work...

Since July (the biggest picture recap ever) I have really gotten good at and have been enjoying sewing.

I did play as a tap dancing mouse in the Gala mentioned in my last blog. Tap dancing, not my thing, but I was cute and it did get me involved with Cornerstone Productions and a little bit more theater in my life. More later...

I moved back to Athens into an apartment and out of Greensboro where I had been living with my mom. Super happy to be on my own again!

I started a full time nanny position for [currently] 8 month old twins...BEST JOB EVER! But keeps me SO busy!

Went to see Wicked at the Fox with my beloved Chittoms, continuing the 2011 Theater theme of my life. LOVED it.

I decided to do the Christmas play with Cornerstone and got to play a China dancer, a Santa (1 of MANY in the same scene) and an angel (my favorite). So rehearsals consumed my weeks it seemed.

I totaled my car...my paid for car

I don't know, that's probably a good enough recap to start off the new year right and with that little introduction, I will be posting the "traditional" [that I skipped last year] inventory for 2011. I also MIGHT throw a few things in from 2010 just to make sure I remember...

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Drove a moving truck, sewed a skirt, kept infant twins [full time], played a tap-dancing mouse, flooded a kitchen, totaled a car…made the airbag come out, played a dancing Santa, made cake pops.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I seem to make monthly "resolutions" or at least at the begging of a month find a new resolve to get my life back together...so obviously I don't keep them, but I refresh my trying every few weeks :) His mercies are new every morning...

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Ashley and Christina both had beautiful baby girls, Brylee and Kate

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My mom’s dog, Dale, died

5. What countries did you visit?
None…again. Boo, so sad. I need to get back to Jamaica

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A husband, to be debt free, mad ballet skills, a softball team

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 7, I moved back to Greensboro, March 14, my birthday and Sarah came home to begin cancer treatment, August 12, the Gala

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Teaching myself to sew, getting involved in Community Theater

9. What was your biggest failure?
Flooding my kitchen, wrecking my car, another speeding ticket...losing my phone at Disney World

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was sick for about 3 months with some mysterious respiratory thing that made me miserable. I got bruises and a burn from my airbag when I wrecked my car.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My serger, I think. I’m also pretty happy with my iPhone 4…but I already had one, I just upgraded…I didn’t buy the awesome things for myself…my TV, my car, my Ninja, etc. my mom bought for me. My mom is awesome.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have no idea

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My boss at the preschool, some of my "friends"

14. Where did most of your money go?
Gas, food, and rent, paying off debt… Closely followed by fabric and craft supplies

15. What did you get really excited about?
My play people, dancing again, my skirts...and that my new car has an AUX jack. It's the little things. I feel like I have to say going to Disney World here, even though it was technically already JAnuary 2012 when I went...but I was SUPER excited.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Maybe "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars, "Hey Soul Sister" by Train "& Things I Hate About You" by Miley Cyrus...or the Wicked, Gala, and Overnight Christmas songs I love. Oh, no, maybe also "Firework" by Katy Perry

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

(a) happier or sadder? Happier
(b) thinner or fatter? umm...thinner?
(c) richer or poorer? Richer... sort of... working hard toward paying off debt…

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?


The fun things I love with people I love. Going places, mission trips, six flags, camping, adventurous things; game nights and card playing, having people over and parties, DANCING, sports, blogging…

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Driving, worrying, crying

20. How did you spend Christmas?
I went to two Christmas Eve church services, spent the night Christmas morning with the Chittoms and then dinner and playing piano with my mom It was great.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Maybe.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Ringer is the only new thing I’ve watched on TV. I did finish watching the seasons of Buffy that I’d never seen before on Netflix.
24 is always my fav though.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I probably do, the same person whose behavior appalled and depressed me.

24. What was the best book you read?
I read the new series by Francine Rivers this year, A Mother’s Hope and Her Daughter’s Dream or something…but probably haven’t read anything else I hadn’t read before…

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Wicked, One Step Closer from The Little Mermaid on Broadway

26. What did you want and get?
To move back into an apartment, a job, a serger, a new phone, tv, car…

27. What did you want and not get?
To go on a mission trip, an iPad maybe…a husband

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 and 2

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 27, Ashley and Tate came from out of town and several friends took me out to dinner at Mirko, a delicious pasta place I’d never been and then we all went back to one of their houses and watched the Bachelor or something and stayed up late. It was so much fun and I felt very loved!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not questioning my decision to move back home, away from the beach all winter; a husband

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Skirts that I made and dresses as often as possible, or else the perfect pair of jeans and basic tops with lots of fun accessories

32. What kept you sane?
David and Carolyn, their girls, my other kiddos, 3-day weekends, dancing and rehearsals, sewing

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy...? I love Tony Almeida on 24, and Zac Effron, and I’m still a big fan of Reese Witherspoon...and I do still love Miley Cyrus...Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to the list with Ringer this year. Those are my favs.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmm…don’t even know any political issues.

35. Who did you miss?
Madelynne, Allison, Sheila, Charlotte, Caren, Lindsay, Laura

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Laura, Alyssa, Heather, Stephanie, Cornerstone people, Donna

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Hmm...
"You can't always get what you want,
but if you try sometimes,
you just might find,
you get what you need"
Oh wait, should that be #38? Nope, it's my lesson learned.
Also, that God is bigger than everything I mess up and everything he allows to happen happens for a reason, even if I do not understand it, and for my good.
Also, that life is just worth living.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn
and we are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them
and we help them in return.
Well I don't know if I believe that's true,
but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you...
...who can say if I have changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have been changed for good..."
-Wicked, For Good