Breakfast at Timothy's

With the Christmas season upon us, and both of my brothers away in far off lands... (Okay, well...Georgia and Colorado), I thought this holiday might be a little boring.

I should just know by now that when I think something will go one way, it always always always ends up going another way.

My wonderful Timmy and I are house-sitting for one Michael "Hamster Pants" Hansen, and of course we have Ares the beagle to look after. The whole weekend started off with Tim competing in a grappling/Thai boxing tournament, and that went great. Tim went 1-1 in his grappling competition, and even pulled off some high risk moves like his "Flying Arm Bar". He lost his Thai boxing match, but it was to a friend of his, and I know he was okay with being able to see a buddy of his. But the week went downhill for me from there.

I ended up getting what is called a Bartholin Cyst. I'm not going to go in to major medical details to prevent you from getting grossed out (you're more than welcome to look it up if you choose), but the jist of it: i had a cyst that ended up clogging a duct, making it very sore, inflamed and infected. The crap thing about it is, is that you have no way of preventing these things. Some people are prone to getting them, and I guess I'm one of them.

It was absolutely excruciating pain for longer than I should have put up with. Tim had to help me walk to the bathroom, get up and out of bed, and I would become so drained of my energy after every movement I made. If I shifted my weight, the pain would flare up, and all I could do was collapse back on the couch to catch my breath. (I think I now know what it's like for men to get kicked in the junk...because the pain would make it all the way to my stomach). Tim had been telling me to call the hospital and make an appointment, but a) I was afraid to (I had been reading about what they would do to get rid of the abscess), and b) because I'm not in school I don't have health insurance. After a few nights of waking up screaming, Tim said that I had better make an appointment or he'd take me in there whether I liked it or not.

Tim had been wonderful to me this whole time. He made me breakfast every morning after he helped me to the couch. He cooked me dinner every evening and tried to spoil me as much as he could in between. He helped me wash my hair when I couldn't stand up in the shower, he brought me countless glasses of juice and water, he let me have control over the remote, and the week would have been much worse without him.

After spending too much time in pain for much longer than I really needed to, I went in to the hospital, was pushed in by wheelchair with Timmy right by my side. As I was afraid of, the physician had to drain the abscess by making an incision. As soon as she saw what she was dealing with...she didn't even mess around.

She started the procedure to drain the cyst right away, cleaning out the area, injecting the anesthesia, and anti-anxiety medicine. My legs started shaking so bad, and I began crying so uncontrollably that the physician's assistant placed a warm washcloth on my head, and they both took a break from the procedure for me to relax. Once they started though, they gave me a washcloth to bite down and scream in to.

I had never known that I would experience anything like that. I know that I never would have made it through without the quick hands of the assistant, my doctor Dr. Julie Becker, and of course, Mr. Tim Burton.

Now I simply have to recover and get well in time for Christmas. All Timmy has to do is carefully watch me, and enjoy his freedom of the TV and XBox. And it's time to truly enjoy breakfast at Timothy's.

Top 100 Books

It seems to be that I copy a lot of what CBB does and says because she is so worldly and wise. Therefore, I have copied another something or other from her blog Delta,What? and have posted it for you.

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. I'm going to bold the books I've read, italicize the ones I have tried to, and unsuccessfully, read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
34 Emma -Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

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Huzzah! Eat that BBC..."only 6 books from this list"

B.A. in English WIN!

Day 7: Cheating

Okay so I'm cheating by A LOT on this post.

But it's my blog so I'll cheat if I want to.

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I can't decide which I'm more excited for.

Day 07: A Photo that Makes you Happy





It's a good thing they're not coming out during the same month.

Too much excitement for one lifetime.

I'm probably going to cry at HP.

And by probably...I mean most definitely.

Coffee Shop Eavesdropping

I've been sitting in Starbucks for over two hours shamelessly using their free wi-fi (good call Starbucks. Thanks for not making me pay anymore!) and I've been listening to these ladies next to me for maybe ten minutes. I usually stick my earbuds in (handy trick I learned in college), because even if you aren't listening to music, people will leave you alone because you look busy. And by employing this handy trick, you can always hear funny or interesting things.

So this brings me to these two women...

These women are talking about their "me" time (and their "me" time is in the shower...because you can't be bothered in there...ironically...that is also MY "me" time), and how they need to purchase new dishwashers, and what they think their landlords are paying for, and how they feel about their children in college. While not listening to music and listening to these women, I just had a thought.

How far away am I from having these types of discussions?

Since not being in college any more, my conversations with friends no longer consist of what score you got on the last exam, nor what happened at the party over the weekend and I "should've been there...". I am having more and more discussions with people about the bed I want to buy with Tim, and what I should do with the girls when the men go off deer hunting, how you shouldn't have children if the thought of them creeps you out...(this gal I work with is absolutely disgusted by anything baby related...hopefully her and her husband aren't planning on procreating any time soon).

This thought creeped me out a little.

Just because I didn't think I was old enough to talk that way.

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Enough of that.

I'm 95% of the way toward my substitute teaching license.
I paid my car insurance today (wahoo!!)
Checked on my student loan repayment status (sadly my grace period is almost over)
Balanced my check book
Continued research on beds

Are we catching the irony of my day?

Food For Thought

Hey remember when sudoku puzzles were actually hard?

I do.

Heavier Things...A.K.A. Day 6: Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

I have recently come off of a movie high...

"Sex and the City 2" was so-so, but I still enjoyed it. The girls, the fashion, the city. I even got Tim to sit down and watch it with me after we cooked dinner together...bless his heart. (I should probably suck it up and watch some major martial arts films in the near future to make it up to him).

"The Social Network" was much more worth my time, and I have to be honest...it really made me miss my freshmen year of college. Because as each advancement was made on that dastardly thing we like to call Facebook, it was made during my freshmen year of college. And I remember EVERYTHING.

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Day 6: Whatever Tickles Your Fancy

In the process of missing my freshmen year of college, I spied something in that little flick that REALLY made me laugh.

Mark Zuckerberg had a livejournal account...and why, so did I.

http://ikess7.livejournal.com/

So this is my fancy today...and you are welcome to peruse the thoughts of 17,18,19 year old me.

I find it quite funny.

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Edit at 6:35pm

"Sex and the City 2"?

Better the second time around.

"And a Goat"...A.K.A. Day 05 — Your Favorite Quote

Yes...my name is Cassie and I used to be one of those girls who collected quotes. In eighth grade I was quite the note writer. I had cool ways to fold notes, cool colored pens in which to write them in, and cool quotes to always stick down at the bottom next to my signature.

Yes. That was my thing.

I had several little notebooks in which I wrote them down in so that I could look them up whenever I needed to sign something.

So on this 30-Day Blogger Challenge, the favorite quote day should be a piece of cake. Right?

Wrong!

I now find them to be kind of lame...especially those that talk about landing among the stars. I recently took my Red Wing FFA chapter to the 83rd National FFA Convention where the keynote speaker was Josh Shipp, and he said that he hated that quote too. Especially because if you land amongst a star you'll burst in to flames.

But what he did say was something actually pretty great. He wasn't inspirational, (which I think was his point), he was realistic.

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Day 5: Your Favorite Quote

"Your life could be either lame or legendary. You decide."
- Josh Shipp

That works pretty well for me. Pretty well indeed. It also goes hand in hand with another quote (actually it's a song lyric) that I've grown somewhat partial to recently:

"We are once in a lifetime."
- Switchfoot

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So take those and meditate on them.

The Vinster

My younger brother has had many nicknames over the years. A few of my favorites include (but are not limited to): The Vinster, Vince, Vin, Buddy, Diesel, Dragon, (and my personal favorite) Cinco. But today, Vincent Harold La'anui Petrulo became a soldier of the U.S. Army and I couldn't be prouder.



Over the years, Vinnie has always been a constant member at the Petrulo household. Being the youngest of four kids, it was weird to come home to find that Vinnie was off somewhere. My other siblings and I were so excited to find that he had been to a few parties during his senior year of high school. He was such a shy kid, that him having friends over at the house was a rare occurrence.

Even my first memories of Vinnie were always that of him being the brother to be there to welcome us home. When I went of to kindergarten with Josh back in Columbia Heights, MN, Josh and I would have to walk to the bus stop and we could see Vinnie's little arm waving us on as he stayed home to play.




Now when I come home, his guitars are all packed up, his X-box is on loan to a friend, and the bathroom is surprisingly clean.

What I'm trying to say here is that I already miss him. He's going off to do great things with his career in the army, and I'm super excited to see what he'll be like when he comes back.

New Goals

I've set a goal for myself that I will finish before the end of the year:

to obtain my Minnesota Short-Call Substitute Teaching license.

I just have to get my fingerprints taken, get my official transcript from the U of M saying that I did indeed obtain a bachelor's degree and pay 90-some lame dollars for them to process my paperwork. But I can't wait.

I want to teach so badly, but taking time off from school has slowed down that process. For the time being, I will be a substitute teacher so that I may still be a part of the classroom, and I can have the flexibility to return to school to get my actual license.

Can't wait.

P.S. In order to take good fingerprints, I have to lotion my hands for a week prior. While that may be easy for some, I work in a restaurant and I have to wash my hands every 20 seconds..

not so easy.

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Also, Tim and I are apartment searching! I can't wait to live with him! I never thought I'd be excited to live with a boy, but he makes it worth it.

Best. Commercial. Ever.

I've seen this commercial for over a month now, but I still can't get over it.

Nor...do I want to.

Oh Boy! Day 4: Favorite Book

Am I really only on Day 4 already? Wowza! I need to get with the program!!!

However, I applied for more jobs today! Wish me luck!

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Day 4: Favorite Book

I honestly don't think I need much explanation for this blog posting, because if you haven't read this book then we're not friends any more. OR...if you haven't read this book but understand why I am listing it as my favorite...then we can work something out.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardbrobe by Clive Staples Lewis is my favorite book of ALL TIME. There is no other contender. Sure, I love books, and I love reading, but this book trumps all. Harry Potter came along and stole my heart away and one could argue that it could be a contender for favorite book series...but that might even be a lie because Narnia still exists.

Regardless, LWW is amazing, and makes me feel like an 8 year old all over again when I read it. HP is amazing, but LWW was there LONG before.

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P.S. The weather thinks Autumn has now come to Minnesota and I am A-OKAY with that! I LOVE it!!!

Legen...Wait for It...Dary!! (A.K.A. Day 3: Favorite Television Program)

We are in full swing of the State Fair folks, and I already want to pull my hair out.

Day 3: Favorite Television Program

I think this post hardly needs much thought. There are two tv programs that immediately stick out, and I will watch them over and over again. I think I'm justified in choosing two as well...since one has long since been over.

Yes...that first program being Sex and the City. I feel I hardly need to explain WHY I love this show so much. The humor, the fashion, the city...

I will say that I DO know an embarrassingly large amount of quotes from episodes, and often will say to Tim..."It's like from that 'Sex and the City' episode.

Lame. I know.

The second tv show is one that is currently on the air, and will start it's sixth season this coming fall. Who is excited??? ME!!!

How I Met Your Mother

For the love of everything that is comedy, please please please start watching this show. I started watching it last year in my down time as a part of the Dorm Staff at the State Fair (see how we've now come full circle?), and became hooked ever since. I can't say much here about how awesome it is...because you really do have to watch it.

And if comedy isn't enough to draw you in...then I certainly hope Neil Patrick Harris will do the trick.

Day 2: Favorite Movie

Today marks the first day of the Great Minnesota Get-Together...the 2010 Minnesota State Fair! I already feel like it should be over because I'm going to be a LOT busier than I originally anticipated, and truth be told...I'm tired of living out of a suitcase. This year I've also decided that it will be a good thing to take some breaks and sleep at home. Last year I did not leave the fair for two whole weeks, and it was such a bad idea. Breaks are good...especially when you are dealing with hundreds of children at a time.

But should you make your way to these hallowed grounds, come find me in the 4-H Building! I'll be here all 12 days of the fair, and unless I'm working at Joe's Crab Shack, you'll be able to see me.

Now onto the Blogger Challenege

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Day 2: Favorite Movie

I think I'm going to cop out on this particular post. a) Because it's a lame question and b) Because I honestly cannot thing of a favorite movie.

Those that truly know me, know that I own hundreds of movies, and I have an oddly accurate knowledge base of actors and the movies they've been in. So I don't think I can pick.

I have favorite movies of the moment...favorite movies that I badly want to see in the movie theatre...and favorite movies from long long ago. The point it is...I honestly LOVE movies.

So I will cop out and say that you should definitely go see Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio (probably my favorite actor of all time). I saw it with Timmy last weekend, and even though it was a 9:30 showing, and the movie was two and a half hours long, neither one of us fell asleep. It definitely messes with your head a little bit, but it was so much action, and a new plot that how could you NOT see it? So go see it.

Remembering: All Dogs Go To Heaven

Well friends, I wasn't able to get to my computer since my return to Minnesota so I am finally able to keep up with my promise and getting these thirty blogs out.

But before I do, I must lament on the situation that happened with my family. When I mentioned last time that I needed prayers for my younger brother's recovery, it was because our dog Ikaika had bit him. Normally, this is very uncharacteristic of the dog because he had never bit anyone before. But in the process of calling 9-1-1, the police had to come and take my statement while Vinnie went in the ambulance. And when I got on the plane the next day, I did not know anything that happened back home. When I returned to Minnesota hoping to play with my puppy, he wasn't there.

My mom had to give us the bad news that they had to put Ikaika down after what had happened. It's very quiet at my house, because at the beginning of the summer, we lost our first dog Anela. I'm so upset because the police had only given my parents two choices: either Animal Control takes the dog, or we must put him down ourselves. My parents opted to put the dog down, because they knew the vet would be gentle with our beloved pet and didn't want Animal Control to scare Ikaika.

I'm upset because this situation came completely out of no where, and it ended up taking my family away. I miss him, more than anyone could possibly know.

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When I was 12, my mom and I went to the pet store to pick up guinea pig food for the two or three guinea pigs we had at our home. And that's when I met him.

He was the most handsome looking dog I had ever seen, and I went right up to him. I knew he was mine because the instant I went up to the window to say hello, he licked the window right where my hand was on the other side of the glass. The sales lady at the counter knew exactly what she was doing because she went and got the puppy and gave him to me to hold. At that moment, I knew I was not going to leave the pet store without him.

I had never begged for anything in my life, but I begged so hard for this dog. My mom and I literally sat on the floor of the pet store and called up my dad to ask permission. My mom REALLY had to do some convincing because my dad had already said we would have no more dogs. But it was fate from the moment he licked the window. He had chosen to go home with me.

I was in love, his name was Ikaika, and he was mine.



Ikaika "Fruity" Petrulo
October 9th, 1999 - August 10th, 2010

30 Day Blogger Challenge: CP Edition

Because CBB is so wise and inspiring, I've stolen this challenge off of her blog (which is, I think the point!) Due to my lack of internet at home, we'll see how frequently I can pull this off, but I LOVE this idea. I haven't had many opportunities to just WRITE, and not being in college for the moment has made me a little antsy...

My wonderful Timmy encouraged me to write him letters while I was on my cruise this past week, and that definitely helped get my creative juices flowing. (I love him. He makes me better.) It also got me to think about writing again, and this is just what I needed. When I was in my ENGW 1101W class way back during freshmen year, I remember them specifically saying that if you truly want to write and be a writer, you must write EVERY DAY. Even when you don't feel like it.

So here goes:

Day 01: Favorite Song

Now, I had to think about this for awhile. I love all kinds of music, and I have never truly answered this question when I was ever asked, "What is your favorite song?" I have never answered this question truthfully, because which song of all the music that I listen to is the favorite? Which song moves me beyond all others? What lyrics describe me? What does the music do? What style of music should I go with?

And so, after much thought, my favorite song is "Into Jesus" by: d.c. Talk

The song is quite old, and I think I first heard it when I was eight years old. However, it has stuck with me and was a part of many life changing experiences. The lyrics are what makes it so relevant, and what sticks out the most:

"Hey you, I'm in to Jesus."

It describes my faith perfectly, and in the most simple of ways. The song is a rock song, has a great melody, and the band takes you on a musical journey. Those are the songs that stay with me.



AND because I wouldn't be me without it...

"I Want It That Way" by: Backstreet Boys

Such a classic. So good.



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Day 01 — Your favorite song
Day 02 — Your favorite movie
Day 03 — Your favorite television program
Day 04 — Your favorite book
Day 05 — Your favorite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

New York State Of Mind

I finally made it to New York this summer! I'm sitting here with the Peterson side of the family watching the Mets game (sadly, they don't get the Twins here). I'm sad to see my summer winding down so fast, because before I know it I will be working at the MN State Fair and it will be fall.

I get to go to NYC this week, and am leaving for a cruise on Saturday. My goal is to not gain ten pounds on the cruise like what is to most likely happen to 95% of the passengers.

However, if people could pray for a quick recovery for my younger brother, Vinnie, that would be great. He had to get stiches last night because he was bit by our dog. It was very uncharacteristic of our dog to bite, but they always say to let sleeping dogs lie. It was the scariest situation of my life because he and I were alone in our house by ourselves and I had to make the 911 call. He is fine now and the plastic surgeon and doctor who stiched him up are very optimistic, but being away from my family just makes this situation very hard.

A Few Things

1. It is hotter than I'd like to admit here.

2. I am venturing to Iowa once more this summer? Where did the time go?

3. I applied for a job with the University of Minnesota Office of Admissions as one of their admissions counselors. Thinking about that job opportunity brings back old memories of when I worked in the Visit Office.

Holy cow, I'm old.

If you could please send a happy thought or a prayer my way, that'd be greatly appreciated!

There's No Place Like...Iowa?

Aahh yes, here I am in Iowa for the first of two trips this summer. Normally I don't plan my vacations into this state since I have an inherited sense of hatred for anything Hawkeye, but I am here for one very very important reason.

Mr. Timothy Richard Burton is fighting in his first ever Muay Thai Kickboxing tournament, and I am here to support him as a part of 10K MMA gym's crew and your resident girlfriend. This should be an exciting event since I know he's been ready for this his whole life!

The proof is already in the pudding because while other people are frantically trying to cut last minute poundage at the weigh-ins this afternoon, Tim strolled up there and confidently weighed in two pounds under! He's been training for this fight for a year, and steadily dieting for three months instead of dangerously cutting like so many of the fighters were doing. We overheard some guys saying they drove from Minnesota with the heat on FULL BLAST because they were still over weight...let's keep in mind that this week has been in the upper 80s temperature-wise.

That's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

Ah well...some people are just plain dumb.

I do have to say that while I wait for all the guys to get back from getting their fight passes, and all the rules and regulations that Iowa was a little bit more exciting to drive through than the last time I was here. I was looking at all the crops and livestock so it made it more interesting (call me a nerd if you must).

However...never to fear. I'm not loving Iowa any time soon...when the state capitol's largest grocery store is a Hyvee...I know where my loyalties lie.

Sunny With A High of 75

Despite it being a slow writing summer...I can assure that there has been nothing slow about this summer at all. I miss those days where I sleep in until 1 and then lounge around in the heat with no agenda... This summer has been rainy and hot, and I am melting in my skin nearly every day.

But here I am at 10k MMA awaiting the arrival of all the gentlemen. My dad asked me to sit here and I've finally had the opportunity to just chill with my lab top. The internet at my parents house is now gone, and I must say that it's kind of nice when I don't know everything that is going on in the world of Facebook. I have had an opportunity to see my friends so much more, and the gossip seems much more juicy when I'm not looking at my News Feed every twenty minutes.

However, there are some important updates that I have been waiting for the chance to dish...

1. I'm taking a break next year from school. Now that I've told all the important people in my life this huge news, I now feel safe letting the internet know. I just need to make money in order to pay for school, get my own place, and do something different with my life. I have been in college for five years already and I'm getting a little burnt out. I don't feel so bad about taking a break right now because I already have a degree, and I don't see this as quitting on my education. It's just a pause, but perhaps it's a new stepping stone into doing something different. I need this break to figure out what that could mean.

2. Ikaika (my other puppy) has new life. I was initially worried about him when we had to let our other dog go, but he has some new pep in his step. He had surgery a few weeks back to remove a cancerous lump from his shoulder, and he continually amazes me with how well he has been recovering. My dad said that if the cancer was bad, he would not put the dog through chemotherapy (after all, he is almost 11 years old). However, it really does not seem like the dog will need it. The removal of the lump must have been so great for him because he is running and jumping all over the place despite his arthritis. It's fun to have my dog back again.

And that's it folks.

It Is Now Summer

Today, we said good-bye to our dog Anela. Wow...that is too weird to think about.

Anela Petrulo
August 7th 1995 - June 1st 2010

Every Now And Again

Welcome to May. I was digging up old stuff, and thought I'd share.

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"Old Things"
9.28.06

He is an old man trapped in a
twenty year old body. His broad
shoulders buckle under the weight
of the world he put upon himself.
He likes to go about his day,
portraying a carefree boy of
twenty...but there's much more
under the surface. I think most
people have given up on trying to
figure out just how he became
that way. I think most people
give up on those they don't
understand. I think this is why
he and I are drawn to one
another. I can sit with him, and
just emanate from my body that
I want him to pay attention. But
he'll sit silent and silly with all
the dignity in the world. He has
what he wants, but I don't. And
I'm still drawn there to him.
What makes him drawn to me...I'll
never know. I can only speculate,
and think that I've got
something going for me.

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"Writing in the Dark"
7.17.08

I'm writing in the dark,
and it'll be very interesting to see
what comes out.
I have been trapped with my
thoughts for days,
and tired out by routine and
muscle memory.
The dark is the only time I find
peace
except for Spanish clips flashing
before my eyes.
My tired eyes,
and my tired thoughts
attempt at discerning and
translating
but I give up
and give in to the dark.
I just want to daydream again,
and give in to the warmth of the pillow
that I imagine as your body
pressed against mine.
The dark allows for this.
I try to find rest
but the day continues and the nights
get shorter
and I'm left with little time for
thoughts of you.

I'm writing in the dark -
this is bad for my eyes.

---

"Letters to a Little Me, #2"
11.17.09

Take a deep breath

and remember.

There was peace there. There
was green there. There were
waves upon waves of ocean and
endless thought.

But they were good. And they
were still.

And He was there.

Remember this place when you
are lonely. Remember the
feeling when you are sad.
Remember that he was there
to orchestrate wind and water
and life

and take a deep breath.

I Gave Up...Then Came Back

Just when I was getting redonkulously sick of Lady Gaga...I hear her new song, "Alejandro."

Sigh.

Lady Gaga...I'm back.

I'm sorry I doubted you.

Is It Wrong?

Let me set up this scene for you:

After another night of work at Joe's Crab Shack, a fair amount of the servers are utilizing their employee discounts on the food, and kick their feet up a bit. Somehow, the topic of babies was brought up...maybe because one of the flex-managers/bartender's is pregnant.

Either way, one of the guys says this right here...

"Yeah right. I don't want to have babies. I don't want to ruin my life. I could just cut off my toes if I wanted to do that..."

And then I laughed. I laughed so hard the one remaining customer stared at me. But I was tired. And it was funny.

Is it wrong for him to have said that?

Maybe so.

Get Carried Away

WHOO HOO!!!

And the best part about this is? I won't spend DOUBLE the amount on a ticket on account of not being in London to watch the film.

On the other hand...it was way sweet to have seen the first film in London. Darn it! I want to go back!

Too Good To Be True

WHOO HOO!!!

http://perezhilton.com/2010-04-09-new-sex-the-city-trailer

WATCH IT!!!

The Rules of the Game

Apparently in trying to pick up women...there are certain rules. Now, I'm such a lame-o that I wouldn't know the first thing about dating. I don't date really...I meet people, and if we like each other, we immediately jump into a relationship. I've never messed around with the dating scene...it's just not my style.

However, for those that it IS their style...I guess there are rules we must follow.

And I just experienced some tonight whilst out with my brother at Stella's (true...not the first place I'd personally go to meet people).

---

CASSIE's bedroom.
CASSIE is on her computer youtubing and in her baller shorts. Enter JOSH.

JOSH: "Hey, we should go to Stella's and grab food."
CASSIE: "Dude...I already ate."
JOSH: "I know, but let's go."
CASSIE: "Fine...just let me change into actual clothes then." CASSIE changes into jeans, sweatshirt and hat because hair is a mess.

---

Stella's Bar and Grille.
CASSIE and JOSH fine BRANDON and TIM (from 10Kmma) celebrating first successful class at gym. They grab a table in the bar and order food and drinks. There is much talking and laughter.

An hour into the evening, the bartender JAHAN brings a drink over to the table. Sets drink in front of CASSIE.

JAHAN: "Here...the guy over at the bar sent this over for you."
CASSIE: "For me?" Looks around table to JOSH, TIM and BRANDON. "I don't do shots..."
She uncomfortably looks toward the bar to see a weird blonde looking man salute her, and even more uncomfortably takes the drink.
Resumes conversation when JAHAN comes over with another drink from other male at the bar.
CASSIE takes the drink.
CASSIE: "I can't take any more."
BRANDON: "That's ballsy. Sending a girl a drink when she's at a table with four dudes."
JOSH: "That's not ballsy. He hasn't even come over to say hello."
BRANDON: "Yeah, but you never know if one of us is her boyfriend. That's a little weird."

JAHAN comes over again with a third drink.
JAHAN: "Sorry...they just keep sending them over."
CASSIE: "I seriously can't do this one...any one want it?"
BRANDON: "Well, if you're not going to drink it..." BRANDON takes the shot. "I purposefully did it when the blond guy was looking."

JAHAN comes over with two more drinks.
JAHAN: "They said she has to take these two now."
CASSIE: "I don't want them. Any one?"
TIM hands the shots over to his father, BEARD, who takes them both.
BEARD: "I've got nothing to prove."
TIM: "Man, it must be hard to be the best looking chick in the room every where you go."

JOSH walks over to the guys at the bar and speaks with the weird blonde.
JOSH: "You know, a conversation will work a lot better."
BLONDE: "F--- you!"
JOSH: "Hey man, I'm a bartender here, you watch it!"
BLONDE: "Aww man...I'm just kidding!" Tries to high five JOSH.
JOSH: "Don't touch me! Watch yourself pal!"

---

The scene ended with the three bar admirers going outside to have a smoke and failing to say hello to me at all.

That really didn't bother me. I normally go to the bar with boys to avoid that whole awkward, getting hit on thing...but this was just bizarre. We mostly stuck around to see if it would escalate to anything, which if it did, I wouldn't have had to lift a finger. I was with three guys who all study mixed martial arts. They would've had all of those guys on the ground so fast, my cherry coke would have hardly been touched at all.

SO....here are the rules I've learned from this encounter:

1. Don't buy girls drinks. Apparently, it's a bad move.
2. If you do buy a girl a drink, don't fail to talk to her, and don't fail to acknowledge the friends she is there with.
3. Don't mess with the bartender in his own bar.
4. Should things hit the fan, hang around dudes who fight mma. You get free drinks and a show.

Nothing Happens In My Own Time

You know how they always say that nothing happens according to our own plan, and that nothing ever happens how we want it to?

I have to admit that for the bulk of this past year, I had been angry with God for really stupid reasons. Mostly because I never felt that my life was where it should be, or that I was not at the place I should be at age 23. I have friends getting married, getting awesome jobs, and I'm just the old fart in the back of the classroom getting annoyed with all the freshmen.

However, nothing ever happens according to our own plan. Nothing ever happens in my own time.

This past month has been amazing for me. I first got the job with Joe's Crab Shack, which helped my confidence soar. I had been feeling so down for such a long time that this made me realize that I COULD do things with my life.

And just when I had stopped looking, my dream internship opened up to me after I applied in January. I had not heard from them for two months, but a week after I had solidified my position with Joe's, I got a call from AgriBank. The position they wanted to interview me for was their Communications Internship, and they were looking for someone with a background in agriculture and working toward their English or Communications degree. I knew I could fulfill what they were looking for, because...CHECK..Bachelor's Degree in English is displayed on my bookcase. Aside from the degree already in hand, I was now pursuing Agricultural Education, giving me the slight edge on agriculture that they were looking for.

I first had a nerve wracking phone interview (because I know I can sound a little monotone over the phone...and I tend to mumble when I don't think about what I'm saying). However, right after I hung up the phone for my phone interview, I got a call back saying they'd like to interview me in person at their headquarters in St. Paul. My friend had the internship last year before he left for an even more amazing one in Washington D.C., and he filled me in that I was chosen out of 10 phone interviews for 3 interview slots. I really felt the pressure this time, but I was more at ease...I don't necessarily want to toot my own horn, but I excel at in person interviews. The only thing that made me nervous was that this was a two-hour, two-part interview. But exiting the elevator after it was all said and done, I felt like I rocked it. I sent a thank-you card to my two interviewers promptly the Monday following my Friday interview, sent in my formal application with my references, and got the call today!!!

It has been amazing to look in hindsight at how God works everything out. Granted, there are still some things that haven't completely panned out for me, but this was a huge lesson for me. Last year, I could've said with confidence that God works everything according to His own plan, and believed it. This year, I got a little lost along the way, but this revelation has brought me to the center again.

I start on April 5th as the Communications Intern, making $16/hour. I will be working closely with one other person in ensuring the internal communications run smoothly for AgriBank as a part of the Farm Credit system, and proofing/editing their external communications. This could range from anywhere in website management, to company brochures. I will also be utilizing my Agricultural Education knowledge to begin educating the staff at AgriBank about agriculture, as there are so many people working for this company that are 4th generation-6th generations removed from the farm, and have not had much exposure, despite the company they work for. This will be a part of the internal communications, creating a more unified front for AgriBank.

I'm so excited...I did so many fist pumps when I checked my messages before class this morning.

So...that's that. Nothing happens in my own time.

Photo Flashback!!

Check out this badass m'fer!





Rulo...in his old army days.

A Website OVER LOAD!!!

I have been mega busy this past week completing my early experience for teaching down in Red Wing Minnesota! It was a great time, but it was severely exhausting. I've already established a great connection with the students and staff as I am their Assistant FFA Advisor for the Red Wing FFA chapter, but being in the classroom every day was a something that I had yet to experience. On top of that I would drive in to the cities to work at Joe's...

...what a great way to spend my Spring Break. Sigh. Today is my day off...the only day off I had all during break, and I slept in until 11am. Yessssss!

Other than that, I have not had many things happen in my life that are of great importance to mention.

So here we go:

1. Keep me in your prayers for the position at AgriBank! I interviewed last friday and we still have yet to hear back!

2. Brothers are working hard getting their MMA school off the ground so visit their websites and check them out!
http://www.10kmma.com/
http://twitter.com/10kmma
And they have an Open House coming up on April 2nd to watch some free demonstrations and get some grub!
Open House!

3. And for those who wanted more information for the Relay for Life at the U of M (i.e. Kristina Cruz) here's my personal web page...but it has many links to the U of M's page as well!
Relay for Life

TTFN: Ta ta for now

The Bigger Picture

Last year, I participated in Relay for Life as a fundraising effort with my sorority. This year, I have an increased vigor to relay.

For those who do not yet know, my dad was diagnosed with liver cancer this past October. He has been steady in his fight, but I would like to take his fight in my own hands and do what I can to battle cancer with him. He's gone through hair loss, nauseating chemo side effects, and now we're still determining treatment. However, my family is still 1000% behind him.

So I relay for Rulo.

Why do you relay?

Relay for Life

Join the cause!

Through The Looking Glass

It took the mind of Lewis Carroll to dream of the Jabberwocky, and it took the mind of Tim Burton to bring it to justice on the screen.

Tim Burton's rendition of "Alice in Wonderland," based on the book "Through the Looking Glass" was every bit as acid tripping as the original tale intended for it to be, and it was every bit as magical as I hoped it'd be.

Johnny Depp is my favorite Mad Hatter there ever will be.

But it was beautiful. So go see it.

---



---

"The Jabberwocky" by: Lewis Carroll

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! and through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Reminiscing

I've been thinking way too much lately...

and that thought is that I miss my old friends.

I miss my old life.

What Is Mae

Multi-Sensory Aesthetic Experience is the study of sensation, perception, emotion, and meaning in art and music.

----


Go experience.

whatismae

YES!!!

"Stairwells"

For those of you who may not have noticed, I'm such an advocate for Kina Grannis.

Go and buy her new cd, "Stairwells". And if you are too cheap, she is streaming it for free on her website until March 1st. So then go listen, be a Kina Grannis convert, and THEN buy "Stairwells."

Either way, I love it.

http://www.kinagrannis.com/



(The video that started it all for me)

P.S. Got a job at Joe's Crab Shack!!! Love it already, so come on in and party with us!!!

The Double McTwisty Big Mac and Fries

Being 23 never felt so sweet! Because I share the age of the gravity-defying Shaun White! And normally, I look at these Olympic athletes and feel like I've done absolutely nothing with my life, but I was so amped after last night that it didn't matter!

I have waited four years for Shaun White to return to the Olympic stage and he did not disappoint! The Men's Halfpipe was the only event I wanted to watch, and I even found illegal streams of it online so I could watch ALL the action (and not just what NBC aired). I had gut aches all day because of this event, I screamed when he did his two runs in the finals, and it was all worth the angst to watch him take home the gold for the good 'ole USA!

Red Bull - I'd say your secret halfpipe was worth the money.

Double Cork 1080? Check!

Cab Double Cork 1080? You bet!

Double McTwist 1280? HELL YES!!!!

Battling For Battle Studies

Dear Perez,

THIS is why you will never be able to shut John Mayer up. That is all.





---

Gosh, I love watching this man play. I've had the fortune of going to his Heavier Things tour at the Xcel, and it's still to date one of the best live shows I've ever seen. It didn't matter how bad of nose bleeds my seats were. His faces are clearly from learning to groove by himself in a basement...but who am I to judge? The day I can melt someone's face off better than him is when I will have said my piece.

The Thing We Already Knew

The one thing I hate about social networking is when something happens...EVERYONE starts blowing up their twitters, facebooks, texts about this huge huge drama. The latest being, John Mayer's innate ability to say "screw you" in an interview, and everyone is shocked by it.

Now, let's not pretend that we didn't know that he's somewhat of a douchebag.

But in all honesty, if I could play guitar like that, I'd probably be a douchebag too.

The thing that just really gets me...is that PEREZ HILTON, the nation's most well known man for saying crap that will get him into trouble, is the one who is calling out John Mayer. PEREZ HILTON, who has made a career of putting other people down, is saying that Mayer's comments have gone too far?? It's just laughable. Because really, John Mayer gave an interview for Playboy Magazine, not the New York Times.

If you think about it, him and the interviewer were probably smoking a cigarette and talking about porn and guitars like rockstars do.

The Playboy Interview

Read it for yourself, and you'll see that Mayer isn't any different than the guy who played guitar for the Battle of the Bands in high school. They're all that way: too many thoughts in their head, and the only time they make any sense is when they can put their thoughts into a song.

Mayer said it best, "Battle Studies is that feeling between 10 p.m. and two a.m. when you have this wild level of arousal and optimism." "I don’t believe in guilty pleasures; I believe in pleasures."

Let Your Love Grow Tall

More.

---

BEGIN:

This began as an attempt to tell a story and a way to help a friend in Spring 2006. The story and the life it represented were both things of contrast – pain and hope, addiction and sobriety, regret and the possibility of freedom. The story’s title “To Write Love on Her Arms” was also a goal, believing that a better life was possible. We started selling t-shirts as a way to pay for our friend’s treatment, and we made a MySpace page to give the whole thing a home. Our friends in Switchfoot and Anberlin were among the first to wear these shirts. In the days that followed, we learned quickly that the story we were telling represented people everywhere. We began to hear from people in need of help, and others asking what they could do to help their friends. We heard from people who had lost loved ones to suicide. Many said that these were questions they had never asked and parts of their story that they had never shared. Others were honest in a different way, confessing these were issues they knew little or nothing about. It seemed we had stumbled upon a bigger story, and a conversation that needed to be had.

Over the last two and a half years, we’ve responded to 80,000 messages from people in 40 different countries. We’ve had the opportunity to bring this conversation, and a message of hope and help, to concerts, universities, festivals and churches. We’ve learned that these are not American issues, not white issues or “emo” issues. These are issues of humanity, problems of pain that affect millions of people around the world.

We’ve learned that two out of three people who struggle with depression never seek help, and that untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide. In America alone, it’s estimated that 19 million people live with depression, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death among those 18-24 years old.

The good news is that depression is very treatable, that a very real hope exists in the face of these issues. We’ve met people who are getting the help they need, sitting across from a counselor for the first time, stepping into treatment, or reaching out to a suicide hotline in a desperate moment.
(http://www.twloha.com/vision/)

Love Is The Movement

As someone who battles with depression daily, and growing up suicide prevention wasn't something that was cool to talk about, this is an organization I can get behind. Not everyone wants to hash out their feelings with a therapist, and take medication because they have a mood disorder. For some people, it is easier to carve hateful things into their arm and burn that message into their brain.

I first heard about To Write Love on Her Arms a few years back when it was something a little more grassroots, but I believe in what it stands for.

One day of the year is statistically shown to have the most suicides on record: February 13th. TWLOHA is here to combat that, and show you that you are loved. This Valentine's Day, remember that you are loved, and love yourself.

Write "love" on your arm. It's simple, but it stands for a bigger message.

LOVE IS THE MOVEMENT

---

"Renee is 19. When I meet her, cocaine is fresh in her system. She hasn't slept in 36 hours and she won't for another 24. It is a familiar blur of coke, pot, pills and alcohol. She has agreed to meet us, to listen and to let us pray. We ask Renee to come with us, to leave this broken night. She says she'll go to rehab tomorrow, but she isn't ready now. It is too great a change. We pray and say goodbye and it is hard to leave without her.

She has known such great pain; haunted dreams as a child, the near-constant presence of evil ever since. She has felt the touch of awful naked men, battled depression and addiction, and attempted suicide. Her arms remember razor blades, fifty scars that speak of self-inflicted wounds. Six hours after I meet her, she is feeling trapped, two groups of "friends" offering opposite ideas. Everyone is asleep. The sun is rising. She drinks long from a bottle of liquor, takes a razor blade from the table and locks herself in the bathroom. She cuts herself, using the blade to write "FUCK UP" large across her left forearm.

The nurse at the treatment center finds the wound several hours later. The center has no detox, names her too great a risk, and does not accept her. For the next five days, she is ours to love. We become her hospital and the possibility of healing fills our living room with life. It is unspoken and there are only a few of us, but we will be her church, the body of Christ coming alive to meet her needs, to write love on her arms."
(excerpt from The Story/TWLOHA.com)

---

More Media Fire

Once again, the agriculture industry finds itself in a media storm.

I would just encourage journalists to put their money where there mouth is, and do what we were all taught to do...RESEARCH! I would encourage journalists to return to what they learned in school: understanding both sides of an issue.

The pork industry has taken a lot of heat recently because of the media's misbranding of H1N1 flu.

A lot of these scares happen because the public blindly follows what journalists are reporting. And it's not surprise that they do - Americans trust they are doing their job. However, in an age where information is available at every fingertip, this shouldn't be the case any more.

Read for yourselves.

National Pork Producers Council

Facts About Pork

Katie Couric's Report

Representative Rod Hamilton (R) was asked the other day if farming is just about making money. His response:

"You're darn right it is! If we weren't in it for the money, we'd be called gardeners!"

Return To Narnia

The first time they brought us through a wardrobe.

The second time the kids were transported from a train station.

Now, they venture through a painting.

SOOOO excited!

Check it!

Won't You Be My Honey Bee?

I have been in love with this song since last year when she first posted it on her YouTube account. Now it's time to share the love with her official music video!!



Yes!

Agriculture Awareness

Stupid people really make me angry.

But what I never thought I'd get so fired up about is the way mainstream media keeps portraying Agriculture. The most recent hijinx with ABC's portrayal of the dairy industry literally made me sick to my stomach because I so was angry.

What makes this even more outrageous, is that with all that is happening, there are people who are so relentless to attack the working AMERICANS...?

I wish people would get more EDUCATED!! Read Troy's comments at the bottom. Read his entire blog if you ever get the time.

If you are at the University of Minnesota on April 20th, come to the Northrop Plaza on the Northrop Auditorium Mall. There will be people representing many areas of Agriculture, as well as university students as a part of Agriculture Awareness Day. Come with questions, come ready to visit with animals and learn about agriculture.

I dare you.

As Long As I'm With You, It's Just Another Rainy Day in London

I'm sitting here looking at the impending snow storm thinking to myself that I left my heart in London. : (

Once I made this discovery, I looked on the U of M's Study Abroad web page...

the final deadline to go to London for May is March 1st.

I think that my Valentine this year will be the fair city that I left so long ago.



p.s. Check out A.J. McLean's solo album on youtube. It's mega sweet.

Yes I'm on a BSB kick...but like I said, it's snowing outside.

I Am Evergreen

Judge me if you must...but it's such a great song.

----



I've been on the run
slept under the sun
feeding off the clouds and eating them like ice cream
I've been all around
never left this town
blisters on my eyelids like it's spring in paris
Ive seen everything, i've dreamt every dream
I am every human
Oh I'm not even finished

Look how I go
Impeccable flow
wind in my face it hardly ever rains
always on top
I'm coming up
Im everything and I am everything
I know it all dont know a thing
I am changing, still the same
I'm every color I'm every color
I am evergreen

Ive been on the side
always stayed ahead
im so very fast give me a speeding ticket
me you cannot teach
I just wanna know
I've been tryin to stand but I will never grow
I've seen everything, I've dreamt every dream
I am every human
No I'm not even finished

Look how I go
Impeccable flow
wind in my face it hardly ever rains
always on top
I'm coming up
Im everything and I am everything
I know it all dont know a thing
I am changing, still the same
I'm every color I'm every color
I am evergreen

The truth is stranger than fiction
when you're a walking contradiction
when you're evergreen
you're always looking in
you're the first one left
but you're back again
don't be afraid to ask
but don't ask again
we'll forever last when you're evergreen

I Believe In The Dairy Industry

I hate PETA. There...I said it. I hate HSUS. I admit to that too.

THIS is just a little bit ridiculous!

THIS is just plain offensive!!!

---

It saddens me to find that most people don't give a second's glance at where their food comes from. I will admit, I did not either until recently. But agriculture unites the entire nation, whether people realize it or not...and it is disheartening to see how people continue to find ways to diminish the work.

Agriculturalists must take a stand, continue to move forward, and constantly fight the uphill battle to educate.

Get the facts straight.

I believe in the dairy industry. I believe in agriculture.

In Between

Yesterday I turned 23 after being born in a tiny island in the Pacific those many years ago.

Tomorrow I begin a whole new semester.

Today I am in snowy Minnesota.

---

Yesterday my father turned 50.

Tomorrow I will be learning about livestock and evaluating the grade of a carcass.

Today I have learned that as things have gotten quiet, when He speaks, you should really listen.

New Year Overload

Welcome to the new year...

This year I

1. will turn 23
2. moved home
3. will finish 1 year of my Agricultural Education degree
4. will get better at guitar
5. will overload you with things to ponder.

Starting with David Choi: