haystack movie?

and more "finding a toy in a haystack" excitement...

As requested, swimming pool of hay pics :)

Happy Christmas!

I miss you gals already ;) That was a super fun, super sneaky secret stocking thing going on!

oh yeah!

DIDI NOW = MASTER DIDI

GREAT JOB! I NEW YOU COULD DO IT!!!!!

DEFENSE COMPLETED!

Ah, Turkey Lane

yippee

Who's excited about THANKSGIVING GALA???

kathy...this is why i love you

1) she's goes by the same name as my mom!
2) she made the most awesome scarecrow ever that's going to be so fun for thanksgiving gala!
3) she's pretty nice ;)
4) she made a halloween cat for me
5) she's got a happenin' car
6) she loves Bible study with us and teases certain individuals following Bible study
7) she can put up with didi (heehee, just kidding)
8) she's got curly hair

kathy is kool 'kuz....

• she's a hardcore business major..the fun major too!
• she shares my fondness for The Office.
• she likes to cook.
• she's a good student.
• she's italian

valerie: revisited

I like Val because:

1. she is logical and critical-everything she does has a reason.

2. she can always make me laugh

3. she makes me breakfast and lunch & coffee

4. she is patient with my fickleness

5. she watches The Office and Grey's

6. she is intentional and personal

7. she is caring

bye bye blogger

so...i made the ultimate change-my new blog is now on wordpress.

i've rebelled.

dinner

Roommate dinner - youre invited this Thursday at 7pmish...i think taco soup will probably be on the menu - and the next door girls are invited too!

our baby genius

YEA TRACY!!!

Congratulations on passing your defense!

I'm so happy for you!


Now you can go to Blue Baker without your computer :o)

yay Didi!

Top 10 ways Didi makes me smile:

10) i love eating her fried fish!
9) she's a pirate.
8) didi has helped me see lots more movies.
7) she's good at unloading the dishwasher.
6) i feel so calm and relaxed about grad school, comparatively
5) she makes me appreciate my advisor
4) she's a grad student!
3) she's sensitive, like me
2) we're both Rudder Rockstars!
1) BLUE BAKER BUDDIES!!!

I know I'm late but.....on Tracy and Alisha

Tracy:

1. I totally agree on the excellent sense of style. Especially the jewelry!
2. Loving the decorations and odd collections. I sometimes find myself procrastinating by looking at neat things about the house. (Ex: little wooden carved animals on a shelf by the kitchen.)
3. She is the ultimate bread maker!
p.s.--when do the themed parties start back up? I'm in.

Alisha:

1. Let's me borrow season 3 of The Office!
2. Total go-getter about the yard.
3. You're Italian? How awesome is that?

On Alisha.....

1. I love Alisha's causal but dressy sense of style. Its awesome! She can pull it off!
2. I love when Alisha laughs. She laughs whole heartedly and its contagious.
3. Alisha will always give a helping hand, advice and comfort anytime. She was super supportive as I slowly addes page after page to my thesis....
4.When she gets into something she jumps in whole heartedly (again) and gets things done! like the bike hooks, the front yard and.... everything! :)

okay, Alisha's UP!

wow, i feel so uplifted after reading y'all's posts - i feel so much better about how i dress and that y'all can put up with decorations out the wazoo...although i'm still missing my gnome, i can hide him in my room where no one has to look at him; he so doesn't have to be outside, i promise!

okay, now on to ALISHA MARIE LOMBARDI
1) i'm super stoked that alisha is also from cs and that i can remember what she looked like and what she did in Junior High :) yay townies!...if only i had a jr high pic saved on my computer
2) i love that alisha stays up to date about everyone, and so i can rely on her to have fun people over or keep me posted on the happenings in other people's lives that we've known through the years
3) i love alisha's italian, hot mama thing going on, heehee
4) i like that alisha wanted me to make her a shirt :)
5) alisha helps keep the house clean and the yard mowed!

T-bone

One of my favorite things about Tracy is all of the themed parties she throws. I love dressing up (as something, not like in a skirt or dress) for themed parties or extravaganzas and whenever there is a holiday or event, you know that Tracy has an idea for a party and will show up dressed to the tee.

Valerie:
1. She's always motivated and excited about things, it makes me excited and motivated too.
2. She's a GEOGRAPHY major...enough said....
3. She's super cool to have helped me with my field work so much!


Tracy:
1. She's always thinking of super exciting things to do like going to SONIC! and renting fun movies or trips to hobby lobby.
2. I love that she was my RA! Thats so cool :)
3. She inspires me to be more positive!

Person of the Week: Tracy Rebecca Smith (the dr. is comming)

1. I like that Tracy always keeps the house so elegantly decorated and coordinated for EVERY holiday and season...yes its a little overwhelming...like right now, there is a lot of orange going on; but its nice to come home to.

2.I love Tracy's fashion. Its her own style. And she always pulls it off..no matter how many times I try and immulate her..i look plain silly.

well...

I don't know what the deal is with tracy and how she is always singling me out. but here goes....

1. i like the fact that i am not from texas (born or raised). it just makes me different. and i like the fact that i am from mississippi.

2. I also like the fact that I have some awesome roommates.

there you go tracy....(i want to pick whose next)

new challenge by tracy

yay for Alisha birthday guitar parties that include cake, baloon, and GUITAR HERO!!

new challenge - person of the week or two: one thing you like about Valerie
1) I like that Valerie can totally pull off a bandana around her head and she has completely differnet voices depending on the emotion or situation and i like that she was in the corps and got to enjoy/explore in the ****** ******* and that she was on ministry team with me as well as the PA mission trip, ah, the memories.

in light of my really rough week....

I'm most excited about my new job....

..and the semester being over! Being a full time grad student and having a full-time job is exhausting.

I'm also VERY excited about my birthday on Saturday. whoop for 25 & guitar hero and an awesome best friend!

The Most Exciting Thing

*My new marketing scheme! (Which no one in my group seems to be as enthusiastic about)
*Showing everyone the awesome place I live
*Realizing that your roommates love you enough to make you breakfast before class, when they don't have to be up
*and last....and most importantly.....

THE THOUGHT OF VALERIE IN THE JUMBO TRON CREATING MASS PANIC ON CAMPUS!!! (but in her defense, she's just trying to give you the heads up about the terrorists, and she may get whacked doing it)

You know we love you Valerie!!!

Thank you so much for all the great presents, breakfast, movies, and quality time that have made this the best birthday ever!

Definitley looking most forward to the time AFTER I have defended my thesis!

hmm

hard to tell stories online instead of in person - but how bout a personalized challenge: Valerie, who's your favorite psychology major?

another challenge...

ok, so the first week of the semester is almost over...

let us know what you are the most excited about this semester (a class, working/finishing a thesis, friends, living in foster) and how the week has been or any other crazy stories you might have from the first week.

awesome!

YEAH ALISHA!

So if you haven't heard, Alisha got a job with Big Brothers Big Sisters in College Station. so whoop! for her. It has really been fun to see the Lord provide for her these past few weeks. so congratulate her on her new adult job! and ask her all about it.

YAY DIDI!!!!!!

She's done......

....at least with her first draft!

I thought this classic would be a good choice :o)





yay for super smart roomies who write 80+ page thesises!!

My Grandma











My Great Grandpa

I would eat lunch with.....

Jim Halpert










Albus Dumbledore








My mom








Queen Latifah













Elizabeth Bennent

marathon

okay, answering post, i don't like thinking about roaches and bugs and rodents, i had a friend in high school who had a pet rat, which i thought was grosso. Little hamsters can be cute, though, in fact, in elementary school, it was all the rage for a while to buy the little toy hamsters/mice from the pet store that are normally used as cat toys. they were so cute and cuddly though! anyhow, i wouldn't pretend one of those were my pet today...i do like cats like my parents have, they have personality and are so cute :) but i like them living outdoors, i like animals as long as they don't invade my personal space. and these aren't actually reptiles, as mentioned in the post, but i like turtles...especially since their name begins with t like mine. bugs are a no-go, i had a roach crawl on my shoulder/back while i was lying in bed this past year...eew.
okay, lunch with anyone? that's super hard. i'll go with Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India, and Encyclopedia Brown.

umm..

i'm a little disappointed that theres a new challenge posted and not everyone completed the last challenge....

im just sayin' wheres the love roomies??

a new challenge....

if you could eat lunch with anyone ever (in history, in fanatsyland, alive, dead) who would it be.

ready.

set.

go.



(tracy i beat you to it)

bugs, animals, creatures, oh my!!!

so i don't know if you guys knew but there was a wasp net on our porch. alisha killed it with some wasp spray, so whoop! for her.

yeah i am not a big fan of anything unhuman. i mean i can deal with it (really when they are in their enviroment) but when they are in mine you better believe they are going to die. that doesn't mean i am going to kill peoples pets or any animal for that matter, i was referring to bugs. i am not a big fan of animals either but i can handle them i just don't want one. i think they are too much work and money.

: (

oh where oh where is my little gnome friend? i'm starting to get very worried about him - i thought he was going to play the game again, but i'm no so sure now... has anyone seen him?

i think you know what i think

okay, so if you're in my inner circle of friends, you probably know that i hate animals.
the only conditions for me owning a pet (besides a beta fish) are the following:
1. i meet & marry a boy who already has one
meaning: he owns A dog-no reptiles, cages, excessive cleaning required.
2. its free

so you see, there are not many circumstances in which i will have my own pet.

okay, the reasons i dont like pets is because they dont reciprocate. all your time, money & effort seemed to be wasted. for something that demands so much time, care, attention, etc. i'd rather be investing in a person. in addition, i think im semi allergic. other people's pets are fine though :o)

back to the animals
Yes, God created them. Yes they are cute & cuddly..but i leave them to the animal lovers & vets. Zoos are depressing places. All those sad looking animals, caged, not in their natural habitat environment. I will say that animals in the wild are so cool...they are free, their own responsibilities.

Bugs...deserve their own space.
I'm not afraid of them. i'm not in love with them.
Reptiles are too mysterious & dangerous for me..snakes, spiders, alligators...yikes!

okay, so thats my take on the creppy, crawly, cute & cuddly.

peace, alisha

kathy's kurtains

okay so the big window is 56in long X 70in wide

and the smaller one is 56 in long X 34in wide.

cant wait to see & meet ya!

when will you be here?

love, alisha

Curtains!

Hey everyone!

I know I need to buy curtains for my room, but I don't have the dimensions. Could someone measure both windows for me?

Thanks!

EEK! Jessie, grab the broom!!!!

Ok, so I admit, I have killed my fair share of insects. I'm ok if they're enjoying the outdoors, but I'd rather not share a bedroom/bathroom or anything else with them....So we've had a few incidences (pre- the wonderful people at ENTEC spraying our house and lawn down) where we've had a few screams. But alas, what would we have done without those brave souls (namly Tracy) that were able to save us all, dustpan/broom/papertowel in hand. So I don't mind the amount we pay to get our house hosed down...

Cuddly things I love....Even rodents that some tend to think of as a nuisance: mice, squirrels etc. And I even love the possum we use to see in our back yard. I wonder where she is off to now...perhaps vacationing in Barcelona?

As for reptiles...I can't really say, I guess I'm up in the air about it. I don't hate them by any means, but I don't love them. They are a necessary part of our ecosystems. (OK, so are the insects but...yuk...) And I have taken a very strong liking to Mortemer the toad that comes out of hiding in the rainy season by our front door as well as the snails around that time of year (pic is of one on our porch railing). Sadly, I think the snails dissapear after the ENTEC guy stops by......


As an aside: The prof at Kentucky that could potentially be my advisor was wearing a shirt that said at the top "Homeland Security" Then had a painting of some Native Americans on horses. Then underneath that it said "Fighting Terrorism since 1492". Some food for thought.....

post challenge for the week per alisha

the internal house discussion or blog dialouge is...drum roll please...

Insects, Reptiles & Rodents: lov'em or leav'em?
The whys or the why nots of the domesticated and wild, including all things cute and cuddly or creepy and crawly.


and....GO!

pet peeves or am i just a crank

i was thinking about the notion of having pet peeves, and the thing is, sometimes i can think of lots of things that bug me, or my "pet peeves," and other times, i'm like, hmm, i can't think of any pet peeves of mine, though i know i have some...
so are they really pet peeves or just reflections of what kind of mood i'm in...or what kind of person I am...because maybe if i come up with a lot of pet peeves, i'm just being a whiner, a grumbler and a complainer, like we're told not to do in...Galatians? actually, i think it's Philippians. Maybe having pet peeves is just a symptom of living too cushy a life and taking for granted all the amazing resources and blessings that I've been given. Nevertheless, there's no instant transformation here - here's a few of my pet peeves.

not getting a little respect from people
lack of work ethic
when people act all sweet and then talk bad behind your back (or someone else's back)
using a credit card for a purchase under 2 bucks because I have absolutely no cash
getting charged a dollar a day for turning in a library movie late

for didi

I just noticed!

You guys found Sterling's blog...

He hasn't updated in quite a while. Landscape Architecture (summer school version) is pretty much keeping him up with projects till 4 a.m. He'll be fine.

If you want to look at some of his webcomics:

Bluehousecomics.com

Rawr!

I can't stand:

Hypocrits
People who mistreat animals
the sound of nail filing
being late
cheating
people who only own abercrombie, american eagle, and hollister clothes
(I can't say anything about slow driving...I am the slow driver)
However, being in the right lane at a light, and not turning right! Come on people!!
and finally....

roommates who throw up in my toilet after their party...

Yikes! :)

When slow traffic doesn't keep right...
The terrible maps created by meteorologists on the local news (hire a GEOGRAPHER!)...
Not taking a good friendship seriously...
littering...
immaturity with alcohol....
and my BIGGEST pet peeve....blaming/accusing me of something I didn't do!

i hate it when....

people don't drive properly

people don't do what they say they'll do

stupid people have stupid questions

the retail industry doesn't have good customer service



those are just a couple.

your errrcking on my nerves...

here we go...
people who always want you to entertain them when they are bored
giving bad directions
putting more syrup in the syrup container
always obessing about anderson cooper
worrying about our carbon footprint
criticizing weather maps
names that start with d


no but really...
bad drivers (including not using blinkers)
traffic
inefficiency
when people chew on ice in class
constant dripping

there are probably more but i can't think of any right now.



(didi- i was just messing with you)

Pet Peeves

Ok, now for another challenge....What is your pet peeve? Feel free to name several :) I know I have quite a few...

Would you rather...

well, i'd really like going to England/Scotland because people speak english there and i love jane austen...

however, since people have already mentioned there, i don't want you to think i'm completely trite and devoid of creativity...so i'd also like to go to Italy...although i think i'd most like to go to New England in the fall to see all the colored leaves :)

only in my dreams....

I would love to visit India.

In during my undergrad & recently this past semester I did a fair amount of reading and learning about India, and well, I think India is a fascinating country.

Delhi, Mumbai, Bollywood, the food, history.

thats where I want to go.

Scotland

I think I would definetly backpack through Scotland with a group
of friends. See Loch Ness and where my great grandfather grew up. We still have a 90 year old aunt there. I'd definetly bring back our tartan and some sort of bagpipe cd :).

My cousin brought me back water from Loch Ness, which I would definetly want to see. There are also tons of castles there that would be fun to take a look at and I'd like to see the historical sites of Rob Roy and William Wallace.

The MacGregor tartan-->

Backpacking

My friend, Claire, and I have already decided to backpack through Europe sometime soon. We would stay in hostiles and ride the trains to each country. I've already been to London, England and Wales on mission and I never wanted to leave. I especially love the difference in the European atmosphere. Creativity thrives in musical tones on every street and the food is new, exciting.
I would really enjoy going to Germany, because I am of German heritage (Marks. My grandparents names on my mother's side are Kizer.) Plus, I hear Germany is really clean. Wienerschnitzel, anyone?

dream vacation

this is a hard question to answer. i think that if i could go anywhere, i would go to italy. now we all know that alisha is an italian hot mama, but that isn't why i want to go to italy. i just think there are some really cool things there.













of course part of the main reason why i would want to visit there would be for the amazing food. but there are other cool things to see while you are in italy...





i know that the vatican isn't actually in italy but it's close enough