Sorry for the long pause. Last week was insane. But, starting off Monday morning right--with a blog post. And I got an e-mail for a partial from a digital publisher-YAY! :)
So, where was I? Oh, right. Jacob and I were just about to move in together. This means it is January, 2005. We'd gone and looked at a few trailors. Yes, in the south college kids rent trailors, as well as live in apartments. We'd decided we didn't want to deal with people making noise right beside us or above us or on the floor beneath ours, so a trailor would be best for us. Not many places were renting right then, I recall. It would have been a lot easier had it been August, just before a new semester started.
We settled with a three bedroom two bath in a park named Windover Farms. It was a bit out into the more rural area of Auburn, and it was quiet. I was so excited. I'd never really been out on my own. I'd lived in Texas for those few months, of course, but it hadn't been on my own--I'd bunked with a family. I'd also moved in with a very good friend of mine from high school when I was 19, but that lasted all of two months. We didn't mesh well as roommates, and it was right on the cusp of my rough period, though it was in no part responsible for it.
Anyway. The day we moved in several of Jacob's friends helped us with our stuff. We didn't have a ton. I remember, though, pulling away from my parents' house, and seeing my Dad standing on the porch. My Mom was at work. And I was very sad. Because I knew this wouldn't be like the first two times I moved out. I knew in my heart that Jacob was it for me, and I would never go home again. I was excited, but it was a tad bittersweet because I'd grown up in that house, and it was just me and my parents, and I knew I was leaving a gaping hole for them by leaving. But, people grown up. Kids move out and start their lives. It's the natural process.
The first night in our trailor, I think, was the national championship football game. We didn't have a big TV yet, just this tiny one I'd brought from my bedroom, and it was sitting on the floor because we had nowhere else to put it. Jacob's friends were all watching the game together, and while he never would have left me there on his own accord, I knew he wanted to go. So I told him to. He looked at me, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, and said, "you're telling me to leave you here by yourself on our first night together?"
I was. It was something he wanted to do, and I didn't want us to turn into this, just because we're in a serious relationship and live together, we never do anything apart type of couple. So I said sure, I'll be fine. It's not like you won't come home. Jacob looked at me different then. I'll never forget how tight he hugged me, and the tone of his voice when he told me he loved me. I think I'd proved to him we made the right decision. So, he went off to watch his game, and I ordered take out and sat in the floor and watched TV.
Looking around, our things sitting in boxes and my bedroom suite from home not place in "our" bedroom, I was reassured, and happy, and completely in love with my situation.
The next year and a half were happy and fun. We went grocery shopping together, always. We hung out with our friends, we got a two puppies, Ace and Dolly, who made our little family complete for the moment. Of course we fought. Everyone does. I guarantee there is no couple out there who hasn't had an argument or two. But when you love each other, no matter how mad you are, you get through it. When you love each other, you find a way. Jacob and I never have been very good at being angry, anyway. One of us usually says we're sorry pretty quickly. I think compromise is one of our strongest qualities as a couple.
Then, things went to the next leve. On May 6, 2006, Jacob proposed.
To be continued!
Ryann
Monday, July 22, 2013
Monday, July 15, 2013
The Story of Us--Part One
Ten years ago today, my husband and I became an "official" couple. I would say, little did I know that this man would change my life in so many ways, but that would be a lie. I did know. I knew before we were "official" that I loved him. I knew I would marry him. I even wrote in a journal I kept back then, not three weeks after we started dating, that this was the man I would marry. So, see. I have proof.
Jacob is the most amazingly wonderful person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I thank God every day that somehow, some way, this man fell in love with me and asked me to be his wife. That for some reason he loved me back, as much as I loved him, and wanted to spend his life with me. But let me start at the beginning. After all, this blog post is meant to be a tribute to this incredible man of mine. The story of us, from the beginning until now. This is going to be a two parter. Maybe even three. But everybody likes a good romance, right? :)
I met Jacob when I was 20 years old. I was very, very green when it came to love. To life, really. I was a baby. I thought I knew things--I was wrong. Hell, I think I know things now, and I'm probably still wrong. You never stop growing, stop learning. But that, my friends, is a different blog post.
Back to the story. It was the summer of 2003. I'd just come out of the roughest patch of my life. So rough that I dropped out of college, alienated my best friends, and run off to Texas for 3 months to stay with a family I'd known since childhood. I had to get out of town. I had to get away from the things that seemed to be chasing me, to be gnawing at me. I'd lost what little confidence I had, and I was teetering on the edge of disaster. I won't delve into the reasoning for this black hole in my life--it hasn't had an effect on me for a long, long time now, and if I were to re-hash it, this post is definitely not the place.
I'd stayed in Texas from January to the end of March. I came home, half because I was incredibly homesick and half because I felt like an awful bum living off of this generous family I was staying with. I started speaking to my friends again when I came back, I got a job. I was starting to crawl back from the clutches of depression and emptiness. But I was in no way "there".
Then, towards the end of June, my cousin had gotten married. I'd left the wedding early, because I'd promised one of my best friends I would go with her to break some news to her parents. She chickened out, and here I was sitting at home, steaming because I could still be having fun at the reception, and I would have felt stupid going back. So I called my friend Mulan (remember her?) to see what she was doing, and she was at Jacob's house hanging out. They worked together and were good friends.
So off I went to Auburn. I'll admit, I don't remember the exact details of this night. There was a lot of alcohol involved, and I know I was underage, yadda, yadda, yadda. Oh well. It's in the past. I do remember Jacob getting very flirty with me, and running around tickling me. Again, we were so young. He was only 22. It was cutesy at the time. It wasn't the first time I'd met him. I'd even been to his place with Mulan and Rapunzel before, but we'd never really hung out. On this night, when we did, everything just fell into place. It's hard to explain and easy to explain at the same time. Here was this man, this sweet, caring, handsome, funny man. He made me feel so special and adored. He restored my confidence, which was key to getting me to a comfortable place in my life. He saved me.
We fell hard, and we fell fast. It was only a few weeks later that we decided that we were seriously dating. I remember laying on this massive couch he and his roommate (now my brother-in-law) had. It was yellow, and they called it Big Bird. Both of us fit on it comfortably, and we were lying there watching a movie, when the classic "what are we" question came up. Neither of us beat around the bush very long. We knew we were an us. From that moment forward, we have been.
For the next year and a half I spent most of my time at Jacob's house. He got along spectacularly with my friends, because of course, they'd been friends before we even started dating. Which made things easy and fun for me. There is nothing worse than your friends and your significant other being at odds. We crossed that bridge much further along in our relationship, but anyway. A month into us dating he took me to Gulf Shores to meet the family I had yet to meet (his older sister, like I said, was dating his roommate, and we all spent a lot of time together). He tried to make our first Valentine's Day so romantic, but we ended up waiting almost 3 hours at Provino's. It was still special and very much appreciated. I'd never had a man, boy, whatever, try and do special things for me. I was always the girl with the beautiful, popular friends, who was more of a "friend" than a girlfriend to the guys I went to school with. But with Jacob, he was lavishing all of this attention on me. He wanted me. He loved me. I felt like a princess then, and he still makes me feel that way now.He had made me whole again. It's just the sort of man he is.
We spent an incredible weekend in Atlanta in the summer of 2004 for our 1 year anniversary. I'd never dated anyone for more than a few months, an though he'd had a two year relationship in high school, it had been years earlier. We stayed in the most gorgeous hotel, the Georgian Terrace, and were upgraded to a two bedroom suite upon our arrival. We were thrilled and we felt like two of the luckiest people in the world. That was one of the best weekends of my life. We went out to nice dinners, we visited the Atlanta zoo and the Margaret Mitchell house. I love Gone with the Wind, and Jacob couldn't care less about it, but he did it for me. We swam in the rooftop pool at our hotel, with the skyline of Atlanta spread out before us, and we felt like we had the world at our fingertips. Jacob even treated us to third row seats at a Braves game, and had our own attendant! We were two young kids in love and having the time of our lives. I love our life now, but those memories are so special.
By the end of 2004, Jacob's sister and his roommate were engaged, and would be marrying and moving in together soon. So, we decided to move in together, too. I was 22 by then, and he was 24, and we felt we were mature enough and secure enough in our relationship to handle such a thing. I'm proud to say, we were right.
I suppose this post is long enough. I'll try my best to continue tomorrow with part II. Good night!
Ryann
Jacob is the most amazingly wonderful person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I thank God every day that somehow, some way, this man fell in love with me and asked me to be his wife. That for some reason he loved me back, as much as I loved him, and wanted to spend his life with me. But let me start at the beginning. After all, this blog post is meant to be a tribute to this incredible man of mine. The story of us, from the beginning until now. This is going to be a two parter. Maybe even three. But everybody likes a good romance, right? :)
I met Jacob when I was 20 years old. I was very, very green when it came to love. To life, really. I was a baby. I thought I knew things--I was wrong. Hell, I think I know things now, and I'm probably still wrong. You never stop growing, stop learning. But that, my friends, is a different blog post.
Back to the story. It was the summer of 2003. I'd just come out of the roughest patch of my life. So rough that I dropped out of college, alienated my best friends, and run off to Texas for 3 months to stay with a family I'd known since childhood. I had to get out of town. I had to get away from the things that seemed to be chasing me, to be gnawing at me. I'd lost what little confidence I had, and I was teetering on the edge of disaster. I won't delve into the reasoning for this black hole in my life--it hasn't had an effect on me for a long, long time now, and if I were to re-hash it, this post is definitely not the place.
I'd stayed in Texas from January to the end of March. I came home, half because I was incredibly homesick and half because I felt like an awful bum living off of this generous family I was staying with. I started speaking to my friends again when I came back, I got a job. I was starting to crawl back from the clutches of depression and emptiness. But I was in no way "there".
Then, towards the end of June, my cousin had gotten married. I'd left the wedding early, because I'd promised one of my best friends I would go with her to break some news to her parents. She chickened out, and here I was sitting at home, steaming because I could still be having fun at the reception, and I would have felt stupid going back. So I called my friend Mulan (remember her?) to see what she was doing, and she was at Jacob's house hanging out. They worked together and were good friends.
So off I went to Auburn. I'll admit, I don't remember the exact details of this night. There was a lot of alcohol involved, and I know I was underage, yadda, yadda, yadda. Oh well. It's in the past. I do remember Jacob getting very flirty with me, and running around tickling me. Again, we were so young. He was only 22. It was cutesy at the time. It wasn't the first time I'd met him. I'd even been to his place with Mulan and Rapunzel before, but we'd never really hung out. On this night, when we did, everything just fell into place. It's hard to explain and easy to explain at the same time. Here was this man, this sweet, caring, handsome, funny man. He made me feel so special and adored. He restored my confidence, which was key to getting me to a comfortable place in my life. He saved me.
We fell hard, and we fell fast. It was only a few weeks later that we decided that we were seriously dating. I remember laying on this massive couch he and his roommate (now my brother-in-law) had. It was yellow, and they called it Big Bird. Both of us fit on it comfortably, and we were lying there watching a movie, when the classic "what are we" question came up. Neither of us beat around the bush very long. We knew we were an us. From that moment forward, we have been.
For the next year and a half I spent most of my time at Jacob's house. He got along spectacularly with my friends, because of course, they'd been friends before we even started dating. Which made things easy and fun for me. There is nothing worse than your friends and your significant other being at odds. We crossed that bridge much further along in our relationship, but anyway. A month into us dating he took me to Gulf Shores to meet the family I had yet to meet (his older sister, like I said, was dating his roommate, and we all spent a lot of time together). He tried to make our first Valentine's Day so romantic, but we ended up waiting almost 3 hours at Provino's. It was still special and very much appreciated. I'd never had a man, boy, whatever, try and do special things for me. I was always the girl with the beautiful, popular friends, who was more of a "friend" than a girlfriend to the guys I went to school with. But with Jacob, he was lavishing all of this attention on me. He wanted me. He loved me. I felt like a princess then, and he still makes me feel that way now.He had made me whole again. It's just the sort of man he is.
We spent an incredible weekend in Atlanta in the summer of 2004 for our 1 year anniversary. I'd never dated anyone for more than a few months, an though he'd had a two year relationship in high school, it had been years earlier. We stayed in the most gorgeous hotel, the Georgian Terrace, and were upgraded to a two bedroom suite upon our arrival. We were thrilled and we felt like two of the luckiest people in the world. That was one of the best weekends of my life. We went out to nice dinners, we visited the Atlanta zoo and the Margaret Mitchell house. I love Gone with the Wind, and Jacob couldn't care less about it, but he did it for me. We swam in the rooftop pool at our hotel, with the skyline of Atlanta spread out before us, and we felt like we had the world at our fingertips. Jacob even treated us to third row seats at a Braves game, and had our own attendant! We were two young kids in love and having the time of our lives. I love our life now, but those memories are so special.
By the end of 2004, Jacob's sister and his roommate were engaged, and would be marrying and moving in together soon. So, we decided to move in together, too. I was 22 by then, and he was 24, and we felt we were mature enough and secure enough in our relationship to handle such a thing. I'm proud to say, we were right.
I suppose this post is long enough. I'll try my best to continue tomorrow with part II. Good night!
Ryann
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Rainy Day Blues
Rainy days, people. We've had about a hundred of them here lately. Okay, not really, but that sure is what it feels like. I think we've seriously doubled or maybe even almost tripled our normal average rainfall for the month in my area, and it's only the middle of the month!
So this has got me thinking--when you're stuck inside on a rainy day, what do you do? For our family, we watch a lot of TV/movies. I'm addicted to the tube, I'm not afraid to admit it. During the year, I have a show I watch nearly every night of the week, often more than one. I've always been sort of a homebody, or a hermit I guess you can say. And I love to veg out in front of the TV and let my mind rest after a long day. Especially after my kids go to sleep. I just need to decompress!
So anyway, since it's summer during this monsoon we've been having in Alabama, I don't really have a DVR stocked full of goodies like I normally would, and I've been turning to my DVD collection. It's pretty depleted right now, because probably 75% of our movies are packed up at my parents' house. Yeah, don't ask.
And that, my friends, brings me to the purpose of this rambling blog post. I thought I'd share some of my favorites, TV shows and movies. I suppose the top 5 would do. Because probably nobody cares, but I wanted to blog and I'd like the audience I do have to know more about me. I'd love to know more about anybody else that cares to share, too :)
And awayyyyy we go!
Top 5 TV shows:
1) Charmed. Definitely. I have a serious love for Holly Marie Combs, and I'm a big fan of Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty as well. I wasn't too happy when Rose McGowan joined the show in season 4, and I actually stopped watching for a while, but I warmed up to her. There is just something about this show that intrigues me. I love their sisterly relationship, I love their romantic relationships, and the element of fantasy and magic completely draws me in.
2) I Love Lucy. Who doesn't love Lucy? All four characters on this show are simply amazing, but of course, Lucy and Ricky are my favorites. Even my kids like to watch it! I keep this show on my DVR constantly. I have 4 episodes on it right now. Because if I'm ever in a bad mood, or sad, or just need a tiny pick me up, I can turn on Lucy and all is right in the world. She is the miracle cure for a lousy day.
3) Dawson's Creek. This show defined my teenage years. Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen were in my house every week, teaching me about growing up, friendship, and love. Sure, they led pretty different lives in Capeside, Mass, than I did in the heart of the south, but it still translated well and I was obsessed. My friends and I would meet up Wednesday nights and watch the show together. It was tradition. They graduated high school on TV the night before I graduated high school. It was a show that I will always look upon with love.
4) F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I am so Monica. OCD and grumpy when I don't get my way. I have/had friends who were pretty classic Rachel and Pheobe personalities, too. And I had the biggest crushes on Ross, Joey, and Chandler at different points in my life. I don't know anybody who doesn't laugh when they watch this show. Again, it taught me so many lessons, and it's classic in the way that it feels like I'm watching something new everytime I catch a re-run.
5) Dancing with the Stars. The only reality show that I'm putting on the list. I love the glitz, the glamour, the beautiful people, the music. I love everything. It takes you to a place where the world is just a fun, cheesy dancing show, and it gives me two hours on Monday nights when I don't have to think about anything. I can just watch people dance and smile.
That was hard! There are so many shows that I love as well, but those take the cake with me. Onto Movies!
1) 13 Going on 30. Jennifer Garner. An amazing, wonderful actress who I respect and would watch in pretty much anything. This movie makes me happy. I love her character and Mark Ruffalo is sort of dreamy. It's fantastical in that it shows you how you can grow so quickly, and I love how it depicts friendships from childhood to adult. I still have friends from my childhood, whom I couldn't imagine my life without.
2) Pearl Harbor. Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. Need I say more? No, really though. I love history--I think I've mentioned that before. I think this movie was so well done and I love how they made it into a love story, too. I love seeing depictions of how people from different eras lived and interacted. It might not be that true to the relationships of the 40s, but I still love it.
3) Gone with the Wind. The only reason this is number 3 and not number 1 or 2 is the length. Scarlett O' Hara and Rhett Butler are two of the most incredible characters of all time, and I could watch it over and over and over. Again, this movie takes me to a different era. One that I would never truly want to live in, but I love being transported places. It's why I love reading and writing so much.
4) Steel Magnolias. Julia, Sally, Darryl, oh my. Love love and love. This movie is a classic, with strong women who stick together no matter what.
5) Sweet Home Alabama. Do you really need to ask? And I love Reese Witherspoon. Anything she's in is pretty much going to be watched many times.
Okay, another hard list! It will probably change through the years. But right now, this is me!
So this has got me thinking--when you're stuck inside on a rainy day, what do you do? For our family, we watch a lot of TV/movies. I'm addicted to the tube, I'm not afraid to admit it. During the year, I have a show I watch nearly every night of the week, often more than one. I've always been sort of a homebody, or a hermit I guess you can say. And I love to veg out in front of the TV and let my mind rest after a long day. Especially after my kids go to sleep. I just need to decompress!
So anyway, since it's summer during this monsoon we've been having in Alabama, I don't really have a DVR stocked full of goodies like I normally would, and I've been turning to my DVD collection. It's pretty depleted right now, because probably 75% of our movies are packed up at my parents' house. Yeah, don't ask.
And that, my friends, brings me to the purpose of this rambling blog post. I thought I'd share some of my favorites, TV shows and movies. I suppose the top 5 would do. Because probably nobody cares, but I wanted to blog and I'd like the audience I do have to know more about me. I'd love to know more about anybody else that cares to share, too :)
And awayyyyy we go!
Top 5 TV shows:
1) Charmed. Definitely. I have a serious love for Holly Marie Combs, and I'm a big fan of Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty as well. I wasn't too happy when Rose McGowan joined the show in season 4, and I actually stopped watching for a while, but I warmed up to her. There is just something about this show that intrigues me. I love their sisterly relationship, I love their romantic relationships, and the element of fantasy and magic completely draws me in.
2) I Love Lucy. Who doesn't love Lucy? All four characters on this show are simply amazing, but of course, Lucy and Ricky are my favorites. Even my kids like to watch it! I keep this show on my DVR constantly. I have 4 episodes on it right now. Because if I'm ever in a bad mood, or sad, or just need a tiny pick me up, I can turn on Lucy and all is right in the world. She is the miracle cure for a lousy day.
3) Dawson's Creek. This show defined my teenage years. Dawson, Joey, Pacey, and Jen were in my house every week, teaching me about growing up, friendship, and love. Sure, they led pretty different lives in Capeside, Mass, than I did in the heart of the south, but it still translated well and I was obsessed. My friends and I would meet up Wednesday nights and watch the show together. It was tradition. They graduated high school on TV the night before I graduated high school. It was a show that I will always look upon with love.
4) F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I am so Monica. OCD and grumpy when I don't get my way. I have/had friends who were pretty classic Rachel and Pheobe personalities, too. And I had the biggest crushes on Ross, Joey, and Chandler at different points in my life. I don't know anybody who doesn't laugh when they watch this show. Again, it taught me so many lessons, and it's classic in the way that it feels like I'm watching something new everytime I catch a re-run.
5) Dancing with the Stars. The only reality show that I'm putting on the list. I love the glitz, the glamour, the beautiful people, the music. I love everything. It takes you to a place where the world is just a fun, cheesy dancing show, and it gives me two hours on Monday nights when I don't have to think about anything. I can just watch people dance and smile.
That was hard! There are so many shows that I love as well, but those take the cake with me. Onto Movies!
1) 13 Going on 30. Jennifer Garner. An amazing, wonderful actress who I respect and would watch in pretty much anything. This movie makes me happy. I love her character and Mark Ruffalo is sort of dreamy. It's fantastical in that it shows you how you can grow so quickly, and I love how it depicts friendships from childhood to adult. I still have friends from my childhood, whom I couldn't imagine my life without.
2) Pearl Harbor. Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. Need I say more? No, really though. I love history--I think I've mentioned that before. I think this movie was so well done and I love how they made it into a love story, too. I love seeing depictions of how people from different eras lived and interacted. It might not be that true to the relationships of the 40s, but I still love it.
3) Gone with the Wind. The only reason this is number 3 and not number 1 or 2 is the length. Scarlett O' Hara and Rhett Butler are two of the most incredible characters of all time, and I could watch it over and over and over. Again, this movie takes me to a different era. One that I would never truly want to live in, but I love being transported places. It's why I love reading and writing so much.
4) Steel Magnolias. Julia, Sally, Darryl, oh my. Love love and love. This movie is a classic, with strong women who stick together no matter what.
5) Sweet Home Alabama. Do you really need to ask? And I love Reese Witherspoon. Anything she's in is pretty much going to be watched many times.
Okay, another hard list! It will probably change through the years. But right now, this is me!
Monday, July 8, 2013
Bucket Lists
Does anyone out there have a bucket list? I know most people probably have the whole, I have to do these things before I leave this world kind of idea, but I mean a real, true list that you have somewhere and you check things off as you go along. You dream up things that would fulfill you in some way, and you are bound and determined to go through with them sooner or later, no matter what. The sooner the better, too, probably, am I right? Because let's face it. This life is a gift--our time here can be over in the blink of an eye, and who wants to leave without actually living? Which, admittedly, can have a different definition for different people. Different strokes and all that good stuff. Which is why I'm discovering that actually having a bucket list is pretty important. Only you knows what would make you happy.
My family makes me happy. I'm fulfilled in every way when it comes to that. But, there are things that are important to me that might not be terribly meaningful to them, which is what makes this little project so personal. Everyone should have one. I hope to encourage my husband to make one, and for us to go through both of our lists together. Because it would mean more to have him by my side. I hope for one day to inspire my daughters to have one, and if they want me with them, I'll be there every step of the way. There are some things on my list that will obviously be family adventures, also, so they're kind of stuck whether they like it or not. Because a good bit of mine consists of traveling.
So, I encourage everyone to really think about what they would like to accomplish or do before they leave some day. Make a list, stick by it, and make yourself sublimely happy. You deserve it.
My Bucket List:
Stay for a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge in Disney World. A Savannah view room. It would be beyond breathtaking, I think, to wake up and have coffee while watching a zebra graze just below my balcony.
Publish at least 5 books, either traditionally or as an Indie author. This one is proving to take longer than I'd thought, but I'm working on it.
Be able to give both of my daughters the wedding of their dreams one day.
Visit London. I'm a huge history buff, and I love, love, love the history of the English monarchy. I would be thrilled to visit Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London. Sigh. One day.
See Miranda Lambert in concert. She kicks ass.
There are so many places within the U.S. I want to see, it would take forever to list them all. But I think the number one place would have to be Los Angeles. I've always had stars in my eyes. Plus it would make the next two items on my list much easier.
Be on a game show. I think I would rock that so hard. Except, don't put me on Jeopardy. I wouldn't be as good at that one. Haha.
Attend a taping of Dancing with the Stars. I'd better get a move on regarding this one. Who knows how long my favorite cheesy ballroom show will be on the air.
See the Northern Lights.
Have a white Christmas. Because I live in the south, I've never had one of these. We may have had some flurries before, but I want so much snow on the ground that I sink to my ankles when I walk outside. I want to look out the window from my place in front of the Christmas tree, and see a blanket of white, and more falling. My husband and I are planning to do this one once our children are older and don't believe in Santa anymore. We'll go to Colorado probably. Because that would knock out my last item--to ski. Note I did not say learn to ski-because that would take too long and I would probably suck at it. I don't have the best coordination. But I'd like to try it. Oh, and while we're at it, I'll add surfing to the list. I would like to try that too. Though, I'm deathly afraid of the ocean and all of the sharp toothed things that lurk in it's waters, so my surfing experience will probably happen at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. When I'm staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, of course.
I know I have readers--my stats tell me that. I don't know how you guys are still hanging with me, since I'm such a slacker. I'm trying to do better though--see, I blogged two days in a row! Anyway, I don't normally have comments. If anybody would like to comment with their own bucket list, I'd love to read them!
Bye for now,
Ryann
My family makes me happy. I'm fulfilled in every way when it comes to that. But, there are things that are important to me that might not be terribly meaningful to them, which is what makes this little project so personal. Everyone should have one. I hope to encourage my husband to make one, and for us to go through both of our lists together. Because it would mean more to have him by my side. I hope for one day to inspire my daughters to have one, and if they want me with them, I'll be there every step of the way. There are some things on my list that will obviously be family adventures, also, so they're kind of stuck whether they like it or not. Because a good bit of mine consists of traveling.
So, I encourage everyone to really think about what they would like to accomplish or do before they leave some day. Make a list, stick by it, and make yourself sublimely happy. You deserve it.
My Bucket List:
Stay for a week at Animal Kingdom Lodge in Disney World. A Savannah view room. It would be beyond breathtaking, I think, to wake up and have coffee while watching a zebra graze just below my balcony.
Publish at least 5 books, either traditionally or as an Indie author. This one is proving to take longer than I'd thought, but I'm working on it.
Be able to give both of my daughters the wedding of their dreams one day.
Visit London. I'm a huge history buff, and I love, love, love the history of the English monarchy. I would be thrilled to visit Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London. Sigh. One day.
See Miranda Lambert in concert. She kicks ass.
There are so many places within the U.S. I want to see, it would take forever to list them all. But I think the number one place would have to be Los Angeles. I've always had stars in my eyes. Plus it would make the next two items on my list much easier.
Be on a game show. I think I would rock that so hard. Except, don't put me on Jeopardy. I wouldn't be as good at that one. Haha.
Attend a taping of Dancing with the Stars. I'd better get a move on regarding this one. Who knows how long my favorite cheesy ballroom show will be on the air.
See the Northern Lights.
Have a white Christmas. Because I live in the south, I've never had one of these. We may have had some flurries before, but I want so much snow on the ground that I sink to my ankles when I walk outside. I want to look out the window from my place in front of the Christmas tree, and see a blanket of white, and more falling. My husband and I are planning to do this one once our children are older and don't believe in Santa anymore. We'll go to Colorado probably. Because that would knock out my last item--to ski. Note I did not say learn to ski-because that would take too long and I would probably suck at it. I don't have the best coordination. But I'd like to try it. Oh, and while we're at it, I'll add surfing to the list. I would like to try that too. Though, I'm deathly afraid of the ocean and all of the sharp toothed things that lurk in it's waters, so my surfing experience will probably happen at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. When I'm staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, of course.
I know I have readers--my stats tell me that. I don't know how you guys are still hanging with me, since I'm such a slacker. I'm trying to do better though--see, I blogged two days in a row! Anyway, I don't normally have comments. If anybody would like to comment with their own bucket list, I'd love to read them!
Bye for now,
Ryann
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Plotting on Pinterest
I've recently discovered this handy little plot device, Plotting on Pinterest. It is so much fun! I seriously can't even descripe the inspiration I get when I'm perusing through pictures of people, fashion, home decor, etc, and see things that would fit perfectly into a book I've already written. Better yet, when I see something that makes me want to write about it, to have a better picture in my head of the cast of my book, the places they go, what they would wear.
It's like a whole movie playing out in my head. I know that might sound sort of ridiculous to some people. But I get excited thinking their story is my creation, I can throw them into any situation I want and give them heartbreaks, happiness, or anything else I can dream up. And with Plotting on Pinterest, I'm well on my way to having book number 5 in the can.
Hopeful for some more writing news soon!
Ryann
It's like a whole movie playing out in my head. I know that might sound sort of ridiculous to some people. But I get excited thinking their story is my creation, I can throw them into any situation I want and give them heartbreaks, happiness, or anything else I can dream up. And with Plotting on Pinterest, I'm well on my way to having book number 5 in the can.
Hopeful for some more writing news soon!
Ryann
Monday, June 24, 2013
Too Much. Too much too much too much
Well, here I am again. Blogging once per month. I'm sorry. I really want to maintain this blog really well, because I enjoy doing it, and because one day, hopefully lol, my book(s) will be published and I want to be able to speak to whatever audience I might have.
These days though, everything seems so hard. My 4 year old is going through a very trying phase. She's stubborn, and she's pushing my limits every chance she gets. I've tried everything I know to make it stop, and I'm at a complete loss at what to do next. I know kids will be kids, and I know it's likely to be over soon, but I want it to stop now!
I feel like I have no time to breathe. I'm going to be completely honest, there are days when I want to sit down and cry. I've had zero time to write, which is such a huge creative outlet for me, so not being able to do that leaves me feeling very stifled. I'm under a time crunch to finish a blanket I'm crocheting for my new little neice, and I have to have it finished by this weekend. So not enough time. Work has been super busy--I've been given many new responsibilities over the past couple months and I'm constantly running. The main thing though, is that it seems like my husband is NEVER home anymore during the week. He leaves the house at around 7 and doesn't get home at night until 8 or 9 a lot of the time. I take the girls to daycare. I pick them up. I take them to dance class when they go, which right now is two nights a week. I give them their bath, feed them, read to them, put them in bed at night. There are so many nights lately that I'm doing this by myself. I'm so tired of calling him and asking, "should I go ahead and feed the kids, or will you be home" or telling them when they go to sleep, "Daddy will come in and kiss you when he gets here, I'm sorry you didn't get to see him tonight." It's not fun.
But I take a deep breath. And then I remember. I remember that there are so, so many single parents out there who do it every day all day alone. When my husband is here, he is beyond wonderful. And the reason he's not here is because, pardon my language, he's working his ass off to give the girls and I everything we need, and most of what we want. He's not out at a bar drinking, he's not running off to have guys night. He's not home because he's working, and he's securing our future.
Everytime I get frustrated because I feel so weighed down by all of my responsibilities, I try to remember all of the blessings I have. We have a home, a nice car, we both have good jobs, and our children are well taken care of every day by people we trust beyond measure.
My girls are healthy, and happy, and even though they have their moments when they push the boundries, especially my youngest right now, they're still good kids.
And my husband. We've been married 6 years now, together for 10. And I know it sounds cliche, and cheesy, and whatever else, but we're still just as much in love as the summer we met. I knew right away with him. I'd been through a lot of ups and downs throughout my romantic history. I never felt pretty enough, or special enough when it came to guys. But with Jacob, it was never, ever like that. From the moment he hugged me, and kissed me, I was his. He truly had me at hello.
And to this day, every day, he makes me love him even more. There are so many little things that people overlook, but I try and pay close attention because those are the things that make you feel special. Like the other night after the girls were asleep, when he wanted to play a video game, and the Wii was hooked up in our bedroom. Instead of just going in and playing his game, leaving me to watch TV in the living room or whatever, he asked what I was going to do for the rest of the night. When I said I didn't know, he said he thought maybe I could come in our room and read while he played Call of Duty (I know, I know, he's a man-boy, but I love him for it). The point is, it was just so we could be in the same room. He only would have been down the hall, but he wanted me to come in so we could be together, even though we weren't even talking.
Or like yesterday, when my shoulders were so sore, and I'd barely done more than mention it in passing, but he noticed and rubbed my shoulders for me. It's the times he brings me home a little snack, like BBQ flavored sunflower seeds, which I LOVE, just because he saw them and thought of me.
I'm so incredibly lucky to have a husband who loves me so much. I realize this every day, and even though there are times, like tonight, when I feel alone and frustrated, that knowledge keeps me going. Because one day things won't be so hard. But I'll still have Jacob. And we'll still have a strong marriage. And everything will be okay.
Short book news, because I'm trying not to get too excited about this part. I'd sent out some queries back in January. Not many, just a handful. I'd gotten one no, and I thought the other two were a "no response means no." Well, imagine my surprise last week when an e-mail came from one of the agents asking to see the first few chapters. So, I have a partial floating around out there in agent land. Until I hear an answer about that, I owe it to myself and to the agent to hold off on self-pubbing. But I promise, one day Hearts Don't Break Quietly will be availble for purchase! One way or the other!
Ryann
These days though, everything seems so hard. My 4 year old is going through a very trying phase. She's stubborn, and she's pushing my limits every chance she gets. I've tried everything I know to make it stop, and I'm at a complete loss at what to do next. I know kids will be kids, and I know it's likely to be over soon, but I want it to stop now!
I feel like I have no time to breathe. I'm going to be completely honest, there are days when I want to sit down and cry. I've had zero time to write, which is such a huge creative outlet for me, so not being able to do that leaves me feeling very stifled. I'm under a time crunch to finish a blanket I'm crocheting for my new little neice, and I have to have it finished by this weekend. So not enough time. Work has been super busy--I've been given many new responsibilities over the past couple months and I'm constantly running. The main thing though, is that it seems like my husband is NEVER home anymore during the week. He leaves the house at around 7 and doesn't get home at night until 8 or 9 a lot of the time. I take the girls to daycare. I pick them up. I take them to dance class when they go, which right now is two nights a week. I give them their bath, feed them, read to them, put them in bed at night. There are so many nights lately that I'm doing this by myself. I'm so tired of calling him and asking, "should I go ahead and feed the kids, or will you be home" or telling them when they go to sleep, "Daddy will come in and kiss you when he gets here, I'm sorry you didn't get to see him tonight." It's not fun.
But I take a deep breath. And then I remember. I remember that there are so, so many single parents out there who do it every day all day alone. When my husband is here, he is beyond wonderful. And the reason he's not here is because, pardon my language, he's working his ass off to give the girls and I everything we need, and most of what we want. He's not out at a bar drinking, he's not running off to have guys night. He's not home because he's working, and he's securing our future.
Everytime I get frustrated because I feel so weighed down by all of my responsibilities, I try to remember all of the blessings I have. We have a home, a nice car, we both have good jobs, and our children are well taken care of every day by people we trust beyond measure.
My girls are healthy, and happy, and even though they have their moments when they push the boundries, especially my youngest right now, they're still good kids.
And my husband. We've been married 6 years now, together for 10. And I know it sounds cliche, and cheesy, and whatever else, but we're still just as much in love as the summer we met. I knew right away with him. I'd been through a lot of ups and downs throughout my romantic history. I never felt pretty enough, or special enough when it came to guys. But with Jacob, it was never, ever like that. From the moment he hugged me, and kissed me, I was his. He truly had me at hello.
And to this day, every day, he makes me love him even more. There are so many little things that people overlook, but I try and pay close attention because those are the things that make you feel special. Like the other night after the girls were asleep, when he wanted to play a video game, and the Wii was hooked up in our bedroom. Instead of just going in and playing his game, leaving me to watch TV in the living room or whatever, he asked what I was going to do for the rest of the night. When I said I didn't know, he said he thought maybe I could come in our room and read while he played Call of Duty (I know, I know, he's a man-boy, but I love him for it). The point is, it was just so we could be in the same room. He only would have been down the hall, but he wanted me to come in so we could be together, even though we weren't even talking.
Or like yesterday, when my shoulders were so sore, and I'd barely done more than mention it in passing, but he noticed and rubbed my shoulders for me. It's the times he brings me home a little snack, like BBQ flavored sunflower seeds, which I LOVE, just because he saw them and thought of me.
I'm so incredibly lucky to have a husband who loves me so much. I realize this every day, and even though there are times, like tonight, when I feel alone and frustrated, that knowledge keeps me going. Because one day things won't be so hard. But I'll still have Jacob. And we'll still have a strong marriage. And everything will be okay.
Short book news, because I'm trying not to get too excited about this part. I'd sent out some queries back in January. Not many, just a handful. I'd gotten one no, and I thought the other two were a "no response means no." Well, imagine my surprise last week when an e-mail came from one of the agents asking to see the first few chapters. So, I have a partial floating around out there in agent land. Until I hear an answer about that, I owe it to myself and to the agent to hold off on self-pubbing. But I promise, one day Hearts Don't Break Quietly will be availble for purchase! One way or the other!
Ryann
Friday, May 24, 2013
I said I was trying to do it all...I didn't say I had time to!
So I guess I disappeared for a while, huh? Sorry about that! There has been so much going on in my life! We had our big Disney trip, which was FANTASTIC and I will blog about that soon. Then the week after we got home I had to have emergency gallbladder surgery. Let me just tell you how fun THAT was. Okay, so not very. But, I've recovring nicely and am just about 100% again.
With everything that has been going on, I haven't had a whole lot of extra time for writing or prepping Hearts for publishing on KDP. Hearts is pretty much ready to go--it's edited and as shiny as I think I'm going to get it. I don't have a cover yet--there may be an image rights issue with the cover model I'd planned on using, which I can't expand on right now, but we're waiting to find out on that. Hopefully if it doesn't work out, it will still be okay, because I do have another beautiful model in mind! As soon as all of the kinks in that are ironed out and the picture gets taken, we'll be in business! These things take time though--nothing in publishing happens overnight, and I guess self-publishing is the same way! I want my book and the online packaging for my book to be the best that it can be, because this is my big splash, my first impression with readers. And we all know first impressions mean A LOT. So maybe I jumped the gun a little when I announced my big writing venture. I thought since the book was finished I was going to get right onto KDP and do my thing. Not so, I'm learning. But soon. I promise!
As far as new writing goes, I haven't done much in the past month or so. Nothing actually. I do have a full time job that helps pay my bills (where writing does not, and may not even after I publish 10 books), and a family and home to take care of. So sometimes, my love of writing gets pushed to the side, and I can deal with it. It's my husband and children and our well being that matter the most. Our oldest daughter is gearing up to start kindergarten in the fall, so we're trying our best to prepare ourselves for that. She had her assessment test this morning and she scored 101! We're so proud of her. I know she will continue to make us proud, no matter what she does.
Aside from the real world stuff, I'm struggling a little bit with what to write. I have two manuscripts started--I'm exactly one chapter into each of them. The hardest part, for me, is the beginning. Those first three or four chapters, when I'm getting used to my MC (main character) and their journey, and plotting out in my mind where they're going to go. The manuscripts are completely different from one another. One is a young adult romance, and I'm not sure if it could even be classified as historical or not. It's set in the mid 90's (ancient history, right? haha) and centered around a girl just dying to get out of her one horse town...until her father hires a young rancher to help him out on their property. The other manuscript is a new adult, featuring an MC who's 21 and has just lost her very best friend in the world in an awful car accident, and she's trying to learn and grow from the experience, but can't find an outlet for her grief.
See. Night and day, right? So I don't know which one I want to pursue right now. But, once I get Hearts pub'd and I can sit down and solely concentrate on one of my ms's, I know that one will break through and speak to me. I'm excited to find out which one.
So I guess that's all for now. I promise not to take so long of a blogging break next time!
Ryann
With everything that has been going on, I haven't had a whole lot of extra time for writing or prepping Hearts for publishing on KDP. Hearts is pretty much ready to go--it's edited and as shiny as I think I'm going to get it. I don't have a cover yet--there may be an image rights issue with the cover model I'd planned on using, which I can't expand on right now, but we're waiting to find out on that. Hopefully if it doesn't work out, it will still be okay, because I do have another beautiful model in mind! As soon as all of the kinks in that are ironed out and the picture gets taken, we'll be in business! These things take time though--nothing in publishing happens overnight, and I guess self-publishing is the same way! I want my book and the online packaging for my book to be the best that it can be, because this is my big splash, my first impression with readers. And we all know first impressions mean A LOT. So maybe I jumped the gun a little when I announced my big writing venture. I thought since the book was finished I was going to get right onto KDP and do my thing. Not so, I'm learning. But soon. I promise!
As far as new writing goes, I haven't done much in the past month or so. Nothing actually. I do have a full time job that helps pay my bills (where writing does not, and may not even after I publish 10 books), and a family and home to take care of. So sometimes, my love of writing gets pushed to the side, and I can deal with it. It's my husband and children and our well being that matter the most. Our oldest daughter is gearing up to start kindergarten in the fall, so we're trying our best to prepare ourselves for that. She had her assessment test this morning and she scored 101! We're so proud of her. I know she will continue to make us proud, no matter what she does.
Aside from the real world stuff, I'm struggling a little bit with what to write. I have two manuscripts started--I'm exactly one chapter into each of them. The hardest part, for me, is the beginning. Those first three or four chapters, when I'm getting used to my MC (main character) and their journey, and plotting out in my mind where they're going to go. The manuscripts are completely different from one another. One is a young adult romance, and I'm not sure if it could even be classified as historical or not. It's set in the mid 90's (ancient history, right? haha) and centered around a girl just dying to get out of her one horse town...until her father hires a young rancher to help him out on their property. The other manuscript is a new adult, featuring an MC who's 21 and has just lost her very best friend in the world in an awful car accident, and she's trying to learn and grow from the experience, but can't find an outlet for her grief.
See. Night and day, right? So I don't know which one I want to pursue right now. But, once I get Hearts pub'd and I can sit down and solely concentrate on one of my ms's, I know that one will break through and speak to me. I'm excited to find out which one.
So I guess that's all for now. I promise not to take so long of a blogging break next time!
Ryann
Monday, April 15, 2013
#PrayersForBoston
Hi All. I know it has been a while. I'm sorry about that.
I wish my topic today were more light hearted, or fun, or anything but what it is. I just had to get my thoughts on this topic heard, and as my blog is my forum, for my opinions, this seemed like the "duh" way.
The explosions...I know at this moment nobody knows why. What for. Who. All of the questions we all want answered. There are so many scenarios running through my mind, just like everyone else I'm sure. Was it political? Religious? It could be so many things.
I have a lot of opinions on politics AND religion. But I mostly keep them to myself, other than in my very close circle. It's not as much of a "I'm scared to let my opinions be heard", though there is always that thought of offending somebody in the back of my head. It's more...that I don't want step on anybody else's beliefs, and I'm not about to push mine on somebody. I wouldn't want those thoughts pushed on ME, because I am strong in my own opinions and there isn't a lot that's likely to sway me. So I figure why try and sway anybody else, who has every right to their own beliefs and every right to be strong in them? To me, there is no definite, absolute right way. There are SO MANY beliefs in this world, and I just wish we could all be respectful of each other.
So to think that somebody put a bomb at the Boston Marathon, where thousands upon thousands of people would be to support each other in a completely innocent way sickens me. Like I said, I don't know if politics or religion were the source of the guilty party's reasoning. Of course those are the two main ideas out there right now. But to go to such lengths that you are willing to hurt innocent people in the name of your beliefs...I just don't get it.
This hit close to home, because my aunt is a runner. She could have easily been there. She's run races in other cities before. I'm not sure if she's run one in such a big arena before. But what if she'd been there? What if she'd been hurt by this person? The people who were killed and injured were at a race, for crying out loud. And even if they had been at some sort of political rally or religious event, that is their right, their right as a HUMAN BEING, to stand up for what they believe in. Nobody deserves to be hurt for what they believe in, not in my eyes.
I just hope that whoever is guilty doesn't hurt anyone else, and that maybe we as a people can learn from this. I hope that the world can one day learn to respect each other. We may not believe in the same things, or think the same way, but that's okay. It's what makes the world go round.
And I'll end with what I began with. #PrayersForBoston.
I wish my topic today were more light hearted, or fun, or anything but what it is. I just had to get my thoughts on this topic heard, and as my blog is my forum, for my opinions, this seemed like the "duh" way.
The explosions...I know at this moment nobody knows why. What for. Who. All of the questions we all want answered. There are so many scenarios running through my mind, just like everyone else I'm sure. Was it political? Religious? It could be so many things.
I have a lot of opinions on politics AND religion. But I mostly keep them to myself, other than in my very close circle. It's not as much of a "I'm scared to let my opinions be heard", though there is always that thought of offending somebody in the back of my head. It's more...that I don't want step on anybody else's beliefs, and I'm not about to push mine on somebody. I wouldn't want those thoughts pushed on ME, because I am strong in my own opinions and there isn't a lot that's likely to sway me. So I figure why try and sway anybody else, who has every right to their own beliefs and every right to be strong in them? To me, there is no definite, absolute right way. There are SO MANY beliefs in this world, and I just wish we could all be respectful of each other.
So to think that somebody put a bomb at the Boston Marathon, where thousands upon thousands of people would be to support each other in a completely innocent way sickens me. Like I said, I don't know if politics or religion were the source of the guilty party's reasoning. Of course those are the two main ideas out there right now. But to go to such lengths that you are willing to hurt innocent people in the name of your beliefs...I just don't get it.
This hit close to home, because my aunt is a runner. She could have easily been there. She's run races in other cities before. I'm not sure if she's run one in such a big arena before. But what if she'd been there? What if she'd been hurt by this person? The people who were killed and injured were at a race, for crying out loud. And even if they had been at some sort of political rally or religious event, that is their right, their right as a HUMAN BEING, to stand up for what they believe in. Nobody deserves to be hurt for what they believe in, not in my eyes.
I just hope that whoever is guilty doesn't hurt anyone else, and that maybe we as a people can learn from this. I hope that the world can one day learn to respect each other. We may not believe in the same things, or think the same way, but that's okay. It's what makes the world go round.
And I'll end with what I began with. #PrayersForBoston.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Countdown to Disney! Part Two
I'm going to go ahead with the second part of my Countdown to Disney post. Wow, two blogs in one day! I'm on a roll! :)
Day Four
A full Magic Kingdom day! I'm most looking forward to this day. You'll see why in a minute.
The first thing we'll hit here is Enchanted Tales with Belle. It's a new attraction in New Fantasyland, and my research points to the lines getting crazy long, and fast! You can't fastpass this one, and it has limited capacity, which is why the waits are so long if you don't go first thing. Once this one is done we'll hit the rest of Fantasyland. Depending on crowds, we'll decide where we want to go next..Adventureland or Frontierland. I don't think there is a single attraction in any of these that we don't want to do, but our must do's are...everything in Fantasyland, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Carribean. We're really bummed that the Teapots are going to be down for refurb while we're there. :( Oh well...reason for another trip, right? :)
Early afternoon on this day, our little girls have reservations at...Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! They are so excited to become princesses. We've gone all out and booked them the Castle package, where they will be able to have their hair, make-up, and nails done, and they'll get to select a princess dress and accessories. This is a once in a lifetime experience for us and them, so we're not wasting it. I don't know which princess they'll pick once they get there, but I have a pretty good idea. I'm almost certain I'll end up with a 5 year old Sleeping Beauty and a 3 year old Snow White.
Where are we eating dinner after this magical princess experience? Well, Cinderella's Royal Table of course! With (from what I'm heard) Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and I've recently learned they've taken out Belle and replaced her with Jasmine. I guess this is because of the Belle attraction I mentioned earlier. My mother also really wanted to eat in the castle, so this meal is for her, too. :)
Day Five
We'll follow up our Magic Kingdom day with a trip to Epcot. First attraction here? Soarin! Love that one. We also want to experience Test Track, and I'm sure the girls will enjoy the Innoventions pavillions. I'm thinking our mothers will love World Showcase, so I'm excited for that. My favorite pavillion there is Canada--it's just so beautiful! We'll be there during the Flower and Garden Festival, and this year they have food kiosks there. Yum!
I hope we'll be able to see the mime in Italy, the acrobats in China, and the juggler...I can't remember where he is. But if we miss them it won't be the end of the world. I definitely want to the show the girls the trains in Germany, and let them pick a pearl in Japan. I've told my husband that after they pick their pearls, I would love to have my Mother's Day gift be a piece of jewelry containing said pearls. So we'll see!
We have dinner reservations at San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavillion. My mother-in-law loves Mexican food, so we selected this for her. When hubs and I were on our honeymoon, we also like the Mexican pavillion a lot and thought we might like to eat there one day. Well, the day has come! Almost.
Day Six
This is our Animal Kingdom day. We have pre-park opening reservations for a character buffet at Tusker House, which I'm really looking forward to. When we're finished eating we'll go straight to the Safari. I can't wait for that! Also at Animal Kingdom we want to experience Flights of Wonder, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, all of DinoLand EXCEPT Primeval Whirl, and the Jammin Jungle Parade. And I want to meet Pocahontas! She's my favorite princess, and I've never gotten to meet her, because she is practically nowhere! AK is the only place. :(
We plan on heading over to Downtown Disney for the evening, b/c Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks. We have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe, and I hope for relaxing evening of strolling around and shopping.
Day Seven
Our last day. Boo :(. Maybe my husband will let me book a bounceback while we're there, though. I LOVE Disney. I would go there every year if I could. I don't care if anybody thinks I'm crazy because of that, either. It is my happy place.
Anyway, we'll be hitting up the other water park this day, Blizzard Beach! I had a surprise planned for my husband, but he found out about it. Oh well. I booked us a Polar Patio! It was pricey, but I think it will be worth it. Blizzard Beach, I think, gets much hotter than Typhoon Lagoon, because there isn't nearly as much shade and because the sun really bounces off all of that white! The Polar Patio will give us a shaded place for the day, with a cooler stocked full or cold water, a service attendant, and towels and a locker we don't have to pay extra to rent. So, that sounds like a win to me.
For our very last night of course we'll head over to Magic Kingdom again. You really do need to set aside a lot of time for that park, because there is so much to experience there. If there is anything we haven't gotten to yet, this will be our time to do it. Or, if not, we'll do our favorites one more time. Our dinner reservations are at Crystal Palace, where we'll be dining with Pooh and friends. We'll watch Wishes and say good-bye to Disney. :(
Okay, hope you've enjoyed my Disney obsession. It won't be long until we'll be there! I promise to post some pictures when we return.
Until Next Time,
Ryann
Day Four
A full Magic Kingdom day! I'm most looking forward to this day. You'll see why in a minute.
The first thing we'll hit here is Enchanted Tales with Belle. It's a new attraction in New Fantasyland, and my research points to the lines getting crazy long, and fast! You can't fastpass this one, and it has limited capacity, which is why the waits are so long if you don't go first thing. Once this one is done we'll hit the rest of Fantasyland. Depending on crowds, we'll decide where we want to go next..Adventureland or Frontierland. I don't think there is a single attraction in any of these that we don't want to do, but our must do's are...everything in Fantasyland, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Pirates of the Carribean. We're really bummed that the Teapots are going to be down for refurb while we're there. :( Oh well...reason for another trip, right? :)
Early afternoon on this day, our little girls have reservations at...Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! They are so excited to become princesses. We've gone all out and booked them the Castle package, where they will be able to have their hair, make-up, and nails done, and they'll get to select a princess dress and accessories. This is a once in a lifetime experience for us and them, so we're not wasting it. I don't know which princess they'll pick once they get there, but I have a pretty good idea. I'm almost certain I'll end up with a 5 year old Sleeping Beauty and a 3 year old Snow White.
Where are we eating dinner after this magical princess experience? Well, Cinderella's Royal Table of course! With (from what I'm heard) Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and I've recently learned they've taken out Belle and replaced her with Jasmine. I guess this is because of the Belle attraction I mentioned earlier. My mother also really wanted to eat in the castle, so this meal is for her, too. :)
Day Five
We'll follow up our Magic Kingdom day with a trip to Epcot. First attraction here? Soarin! Love that one. We also want to experience Test Track, and I'm sure the girls will enjoy the Innoventions pavillions. I'm thinking our mothers will love World Showcase, so I'm excited for that. My favorite pavillion there is Canada--it's just so beautiful! We'll be there during the Flower and Garden Festival, and this year they have food kiosks there. Yum!
I hope we'll be able to see the mime in Italy, the acrobats in China, and the juggler...I can't remember where he is. But if we miss them it won't be the end of the world. I definitely want to the show the girls the trains in Germany, and let them pick a pearl in Japan. I've told my husband that after they pick their pearls, I would love to have my Mother's Day gift be a piece of jewelry containing said pearls. So we'll see!
We have dinner reservations at San Angel Inn in the Mexico pavillion. My mother-in-law loves Mexican food, so we selected this for her. When hubs and I were on our honeymoon, we also like the Mexican pavillion a lot and thought we might like to eat there one day. Well, the day has come! Almost.
Day Six
This is our Animal Kingdom day. We have pre-park opening reservations for a character buffet at Tusker House, which I'm really looking forward to. When we're finished eating we'll go straight to the Safari. I can't wait for that! Also at Animal Kingdom we want to experience Flights of Wonder, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, all of DinoLand EXCEPT Primeval Whirl, and the Jammin Jungle Parade. And I want to meet Pocahontas! She's my favorite princess, and I've never gotten to meet her, because she is practically nowhere! AK is the only place. :(
We plan on heading over to Downtown Disney for the evening, b/c Animal Kingdom closes earlier than the other parks. We have dinner reservations at Rainforest Cafe, and I hope for relaxing evening of strolling around and shopping.
Day Seven
Our last day. Boo :(. Maybe my husband will let me book a bounceback while we're there, though. I LOVE Disney. I would go there every year if I could. I don't care if anybody thinks I'm crazy because of that, either. It is my happy place.
Anyway, we'll be hitting up the other water park this day, Blizzard Beach! I had a surprise planned for my husband, but he found out about it. Oh well. I booked us a Polar Patio! It was pricey, but I think it will be worth it. Blizzard Beach, I think, gets much hotter than Typhoon Lagoon, because there isn't nearly as much shade and because the sun really bounces off all of that white! The Polar Patio will give us a shaded place for the day, with a cooler stocked full or cold water, a service attendant, and towels and a locker we don't have to pay extra to rent. So, that sounds like a win to me.
For our very last night of course we'll head over to Magic Kingdom again. You really do need to set aside a lot of time for that park, because there is so much to experience there. If there is anything we haven't gotten to yet, this will be our time to do it. Or, if not, we'll do our favorites one more time. Our dinner reservations are at Crystal Palace, where we'll be dining with Pooh and friends. We'll watch Wishes and say good-bye to Disney. :(
Okay, hope you've enjoyed my Disney obsession. It won't be long until we'll be there! I promise to post some pictures when we return.
Until Next Time,
Ryann
Countdown to Disney! Part One
I don't know if there are any Disney obsessed people out there reading...but I am going to Disney World very, very soon, and lately it's all I can think about! Everybody I know, especially my husband, is probably getting tired of listening to me talk about it, so I thought I'd blog about my upcoming trip. And I'm sure I'll blog about it again when we get back...but then, with pictures!
We are lucky enough that soon we will be experiencing a week long stay at the Art of Animation Resort, in a Finding Nemo suite! Art of Animation is considered a value resort, but the suites are far from value prices. We opted to stay here because not only will our little family be going (my husband, myself, and my two daughters, 3 and 5) but my mother and my mother-in-law will also be going. So, we needed space for six people. We didn't want to have two separate rooms, we definitely all wanted to be in the same room. Which meant our options were limited. The deluxe villas were out, they were way above our budget. Which pretty much left the cabins at Fort Wilderness, the suites at All Star Music, or the Art of Animation suites. The cabins were something I thought about for a while. I liked the idea of them. But, I didn't want to have to rent a golf cart to get around the resort, and I wasn't crazy about the set up of the sleeping arrangements. So, it was between Music or AoA. AoA won due to theming and being new. From there, we let the girls select the theme of our suite--they got to choose from Cars, Lion King, and Nemo. Nemo won, and I was very happy because it was my favorite theme as well! My husband could care less. Haha. Anyway, it was a little hard to swallow that the suites are a bit MORE expensive than we would have paid at some deluxes for just the 4 of us (including Animal Kingdom Lodge--my dream resort). But, having our moms here to experience this trip with us and our girls is priceless, so it's worth it to us. There will be plenty more trips and plenty more resorts to stay at. ;)
We have a jam packed schedule! If you're a Disney fanatic like I am, so you probably won't think I'm crazy and are interested in what we're planning on doing. Haha.
I'm not a park commando, I don't have a by the minute or even by the hour plan for us to follow. I've researched via the Disboards, and EasyWDW (great tools for Disney vacationers!) and I do have certain parks planned for certain days. Beyond that, the only things I have planned are ADR's for where we'll be (dining reservations--the good Disney restaurants are impossible to get into if you don't make a reservation in advance, USUALLY) and what ride we will go to first--the most popular rides get lines fast, and sice we plan to arrive at the parks at Rope Drop, we'll go to these first and get them out of the way. Other than that, we'll wing it. See, I'm not TOO bad. And away we go...!
Arrival Day
We hope to be pulling into AoA's parking lot around noon. This is the time we figure my mother-in-law will be getting there--she's flying in and will be riding the Magical Express bus from the airport. Disney is about 7 or 8 hours from us, so we'll start driving the night before and spend the night about 5 hours into the trip.
After check-in, we'll head to Magic Kingdom. I can't be at Disney and my first park (and the one introducing my girls to WDW) NOT be Magic Kingdom! Hopefully we'll be able to spend a good 6 hours in the park that night, depending on when the kids start to get tired. We're definitely renting a stroller, so that will help their stamina, and if they need a quick nap they will probably sleep while we roll them around. But, if they NEED to go back to the room, I won't hesitate to take them. I'm going to try and avoid melt downs as much as possible.
We have reservations at the Plaza for dinner on this night. It's new to us (as are all the restaurants we'll be dining at on this trip), but it is supposed to be a great little sandwich shop/ice cream parlor. We did purchase the Disney Dining Plan, but we will be 2 table service credits short for all of the meals we want to do, so the Plaza is going to be an out of pocket dinner, and the price point here is perfect for this. We'll still get a relaxing sit down meal and yummy food!
Since this is not a full day at the Magic Kingdom, I know we might not get a lot of attractions in. I'm planning on hitting Tomorrowland for sure, because it's so pretty at night. We'll be skipping Astro Orbiter and Stitch. AO scared the crap out of ME last time, b/c it's so high, and I don't think the girls would like Stitch. It's pretty harmless, but they're little and it's an attraction where they won't be able to sit terribly close to any of the adults, so I'm going to play it safe and not do this one. We'll have to use rider swap or fastpass for Space Mountain, which is fine. And all of us will be able to enjoy Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Speedway, Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!
I'm also hopeful that we'll be able to hit Liberty Square this night, because there are only three attractions. We might skip Hall of Presidents, unless one of our moms really wants to see it. It's not one of our favorites, but defnitely not something we dislike, so we can take it or leave it.
Day Two
Hollywood Studios Day! We'll be up bright and early so we can be there at rope drop, to join in the crowds heading to Toy Story Mania. That's the most popular ride at HS, so it's the one we want to get done first thing. Other than that, we'll meander and hit things as we pass them. I know for sure we will want to see some of the shows: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets 3D, Indiana Jones, and Disney Junior. We'll let the girls enjoy the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and the adults will ride Tower of Terror (my FAVORITE) and Rock and Roller Coaster (Hubby's favorite). I'd love to get to the Great Movie Ride, too if we have time, and the Animation Academy. One thing I know I won't ride is Star Tours! My husband and I both had terrible headaches after this ride when we were on our honeymoon. If our moms want to ride it we'll wait on them, but they'll be on their own! We have reservations at 50's Prime Time Cafe this night, which will be our other out of pocket dining experience. It's supposed to be so fun, but not a terribly expensive place, so I think it's a good option to just pay for instead of using our dining credits.
Day Three
This will be a pretty relaxing day, I think. My husband LOVES water parks, so on this day we'll be headed to Typhoon Lagoon. It doesn't open until 10, so we can sleep a bit later! Once I'm there I'll have one thing on my mind...Crush N Gusher! That ride is so much fun. I think hubs and I literally went on it like 20 times during our honeymoon. Ah, the memories.
Our dinner on this night is the Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Club resort. Another of my husband's request. He loves seafood, and so does his mom. We may stroll on the Boardwalk if we feel up to it after dinner, and just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy being on our vacation.
Okay, this one is probably long enough! I'm write a 2nd post with the rest of our plans. :)
We are lucky enough that soon we will be experiencing a week long stay at the Art of Animation Resort, in a Finding Nemo suite! Art of Animation is considered a value resort, but the suites are far from value prices. We opted to stay here because not only will our little family be going (my husband, myself, and my two daughters, 3 and 5) but my mother and my mother-in-law will also be going. So, we needed space for six people. We didn't want to have two separate rooms, we definitely all wanted to be in the same room. Which meant our options were limited. The deluxe villas were out, they were way above our budget. Which pretty much left the cabins at Fort Wilderness, the suites at All Star Music, or the Art of Animation suites. The cabins were something I thought about for a while. I liked the idea of them. But, I didn't want to have to rent a golf cart to get around the resort, and I wasn't crazy about the set up of the sleeping arrangements. So, it was between Music or AoA. AoA won due to theming and being new. From there, we let the girls select the theme of our suite--they got to choose from Cars, Lion King, and Nemo. Nemo won, and I was very happy because it was my favorite theme as well! My husband could care less. Haha. Anyway, it was a little hard to swallow that the suites are a bit MORE expensive than we would have paid at some deluxes for just the 4 of us (including Animal Kingdom Lodge--my dream resort). But, having our moms here to experience this trip with us and our girls is priceless, so it's worth it to us. There will be plenty more trips and plenty more resorts to stay at. ;)
We have a jam packed schedule! If you're a Disney fanatic like I am, so you probably won't think I'm crazy and are interested in what we're planning on doing. Haha.
I'm not a park commando, I don't have a by the minute or even by the hour plan for us to follow. I've researched via the Disboards, and EasyWDW (great tools for Disney vacationers!) and I do have certain parks planned for certain days. Beyond that, the only things I have planned are ADR's for where we'll be (dining reservations--the good Disney restaurants are impossible to get into if you don't make a reservation in advance, USUALLY) and what ride we will go to first--the most popular rides get lines fast, and sice we plan to arrive at the parks at Rope Drop, we'll go to these first and get them out of the way. Other than that, we'll wing it. See, I'm not TOO bad. And away we go...!
Arrival Day
We hope to be pulling into AoA's parking lot around noon. This is the time we figure my mother-in-law will be getting there--she's flying in and will be riding the Magical Express bus from the airport. Disney is about 7 or 8 hours from us, so we'll start driving the night before and spend the night about 5 hours into the trip.
After check-in, we'll head to Magic Kingdom. I can't be at Disney and my first park (and the one introducing my girls to WDW) NOT be Magic Kingdom! Hopefully we'll be able to spend a good 6 hours in the park that night, depending on when the kids start to get tired. We're definitely renting a stroller, so that will help their stamina, and if they need a quick nap they will probably sleep while we roll them around. But, if they NEED to go back to the room, I won't hesitate to take them. I'm going to try and avoid melt downs as much as possible.
We have reservations at the Plaza for dinner on this night. It's new to us (as are all the restaurants we'll be dining at on this trip), but it is supposed to be a great little sandwich shop/ice cream parlor. We did purchase the Disney Dining Plan, but we will be 2 table service credits short for all of the meals we want to do, so the Plaza is going to be an out of pocket dinner, and the price point here is perfect for this. We'll still get a relaxing sit down meal and yummy food!
Since this is not a full day at the Magic Kingdom, I know we might not get a lot of attractions in. I'm planning on hitting Tomorrowland for sure, because it's so pretty at night. We'll be skipping Astro Orbiter and Stitch. AO scared the crap out of ME last time, b/c it's so high, and I don't think the girls would like Stitch. It's pretty harmless, but they're little and it's an attraction where they won't be able to sit terribly close to any of the adults, so I'm going to play it safe and not do this one. We'll have to use rider swap or fastpass for Space Mountain, which is fine. And all of us will be able to enjoy Carousel of Progress, Tomorrowland Speedway, Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin!
I'm also hopeful that we'll be able to hit Liberty Square this night, because there are only three attractions. We might skip Hall of Presidents, unless one of our moms really wants to see it. It's not one of our favorites, but defnitely not something we dislike, so we can take it or leave it.
Day Two
Hollywood Studios Day! We'll be up bright and early so we can be there at rope drop, to join in the crowds heading to Toy Story Mania. That's the most popular ride at HS, so it's the one we want to get done first thing. Other than that, we'll meander and hit things as we pass them. I know for sure we will want to see some of the shows: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Muppets 3D, Indiana Jones, and Disney Junior. We'll let the girls enjoy the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, and the adults will ride Tower of Terror (my FAVORITE) and Rock and Roller Coaster (Hubby's favorite). I'd love to get to the Great Movie Ride, too if we have time, and the Animation Academy. One thing I know I won't ride is Star Tours! My husband and I both had terrible headaches after this ride when we were on our honeymoon. If our moms want to ride it we'll wait on them, but they'll be on their own! We have reservations at 50's Prime Time Cafe this night, which will be our other out of pocket dining experience. It's supposed to be so fun, but not a terribly expensive place, so I think it's a good option to just pay for instead of using our dining credits.
Day Three
This will be a pretty relaxing day, I think. My husband LOVES water parks, so on this day we'll be headed to Typhoon Lagoon. It doesn't open until 10, so we can sleep a bit later! Once I'm there I'll have one thing on my mind...Crush N Gusher! That ride is so much fun. I think hubs and I literally went on it like 20 times during our honeymoon. Ah, the memories.
Our dinner on this night is the Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Club resort. Another of my husband's request. He loves seafood, and so does his mom. We may stroll on the Boardwalk if we feel up to it after dinner, and just soak in the atmosphere and enjoy being on our vacation.
Okay, this one is probably long enough! I'm write a 2nd post with the rest of our plans. :)
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
DWTS results, March 26th--Suprising. And Sad.
Wow. So I didn't really see that one coming. I mean, I knew Dorothy was hurt, but I wasn't sure she would pull out of the competition. Okay, well, before the show I didn't see it coming. When she was called safe up there with Andy, the look that crossed her face...I knew. I knew she was at that moment being eaten up with guilt that she was safe and couldn't really continue, while someone else who could was going to be going home. The woman definitely wears her emotions.
So farewell, Dorothy. You had so much potential and I was so excited to watch you learn to dance, but like I said before, your health of course is number one. Tristan is such an understanding and good hearted person. He was out first last season, too, so I hope if he is back for season 17 he gets a really good partner.
The suprising part of the show. DL and Cheryl being called safe! I was in shock. Had to rewind it a couple times to see the looks on their faces again, because THEY were in shock, too. There was a pretty big point spread between them and the next couples. I think it was maybe 9 points or so? I'd have to look back at the scores to know the exact numbers. Anyway, it is a large spread. Which means that Cheryl and DL have way, WAY more fans than I gave them credit for, or, what I tend to think is more likely, the bottom two couples have next to nobody voting for them.
Let's face it--Lindsay and Gleb are new pros. They aren't coming into this with hoards of fans of their own like Cheryl, Derek, Mark...and I'm going to count Val in this as well, because I would bet a lot of Maks' fans are behind him. And they don't have decent sized fan bases like the rest of the pros, Karina and Kym especially.
Lisa is a "real housewife". Not sure how many people would be voting for her, though I do find her likable. Victor comes across as a sweetie, but he, to me, is forgettable, and I'm a hardcore DWTS fan who tries to pay attention to everyone. The general voting audience...do they even remember him? I'd bet not.
Here's to next week. I'm very curious about this "DWTS prom" theme. I am a romantic and a pretty sappy person, so I'm sort of excited about it, too. Don't judge. :)
Ciao.
Ryann
So farewell, Dorothy. You had so much potential and I was so excited to watch you learn to dance, but like I said before, your health of course is number one. Tristan is such an understanding and good hearted person. He was out first last season, too, so I hope if he is back for season 17 he gets a really good partner.
The suprising part of the show. DL and Cheryl being called safe! I was in shock. Had to rewind it a couple times to see the looks on their faces again, because THEY were in shock, too. There was a pretty big point spread between them and the next couples. I think it was maybe 9 points or so? I'd have to look back at the scores to know the exact numbers. Anyway, it is a large spread. Which means that Cheryl and DL have way, WAY more fans than I gave them credit for, or, what I tend to think is more likely, the bottom two couples have next to nobody voting for them.
Let's face it--Lindsay and Gleb are new pros. They aren't coming into this with hoards of fans of their own like Cheryl, Derek, Mark...and I'm going to count Val in this as well, because I would bet a lot of Maks' fans are behind him. And they don't have decent sized fan bases like the rest of the pros, Karina and Kym especially.
Lisa is a "real housewife". Not sure how many people would be voting for her, though I do find her likable. Victor comes across as a sweetie, but he, to me, is forgettable, and I'm a hardcore DWTS fan who tries to pay attention to everyone. The general voting audience...do they even remember him? I'd bet not.
Here's to next week. I'm very curious about this "DWTS prom" theme. I am a romantic and a pretty sappy person, so I'm sort of excited about it, too. Don't judge. :)
Ciao.
Ryann
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
A DWTS week 2 review
Yay for DWTS last night! All in all I really enjoyed the show. Here are my thoughts on the couples and dances. Be warned though...there were a few that didn't hold my attention so I might not have much to say about those! And I don't remember the order they danced in, so the order I discuss them is going to be completely random.
Kellie and Derek. Wow. Let me say it again. WOW. I really wish Kellie had a different partner, because man does it tick me off to root for a Derek team, but I LOVE this girl. I have always been a fan, but she can dance her booty off! She stunned me last night. I'm not sure about the "jazz" part of the routine. I don't really know what constitutes a "jazz" dance, and the three we were shown last night seemed to have lots of different vibes. I love the song they danced to. Lights by Ellie Goulding has long been on my wish list for music on DWTS. I always pictured it as a paso, but it worked with the routine last night. Kellie is one of my top three picks to win this whole thing. I can't wait to see her do something soft and sweet like the V. Waltz or full of raw emotion like the paso. (Paso Doble is my very, very favorite dance, btw. Just for future reference.)
Zendaya and Val. I liked their routine, too. Zendaya's age still skeeves me out a bit, but she's just such a cutie and is really giving this her all. She's another one I have pegged to go all the way. I hope Val can keep up the choreo like he has these past couple weeks. Val tends to get cocky. I hope he doesn't let that happen this season.
Dorothy and Tristan. I felt so bad for this poor team last night. I know Dorothy was trying so hard and hated being seen as vulnerable. Her jive had no oomph to it, though, I have to admit that. Her kicks and flicks were almost non-existent. I hope they make it through, but her health and well being definitely comes first.
Aly and Mark. I was glad I got to see Aly this week! I e onjoyed their dance and it put a smile on my face, but...they ticked me off! Last season, I was hot when Derek and Shawn broke the rules in the QS by breaking hold in the middle of the dance AND put in a lift, and they rightfully got reamed by the judges. Last night, Aly and Mark did nearly the exact same thing and the judges didn't even mention it. I like when the couples play by the rules on DWTS--to me, it makes it more of a level playing field, because there are some the judges would skewer for breaking them (like Derek last season, as much as I don't like him I have to admit that) and some they would not say a word to (like Mark last night). So I was peeved with this pair last night.
Sean and Peta. I just don't really like Peta. I know nothing about Sean and he seems like an okay guy. I really liked Peta her 2nd season with Donald, but I think that may have been by association with Donald! She seems like she's trying way too hard, and I'm not fond of people like that. Just be yourself.
Andy and Sharna. Still not fond of Sharna. Still not fond of Andy. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Their routine last night was entertaining and that man is doing one million percent better than I ever imagined he would. The dance and music suited him extremely well. I have no idea how he'll do when he gets a more demanding dance though.
Ingo and Kym. I'm sorry, I didn't really pay attention to these two, so I don't have anything to say about them. Same with...
Lisa and Gleb. Gleb gives me the creeps. He is the male Peta in my mind.
Wynonna and Tony. Gosh but Wynonna is heavy footed! She's trying to hard and is really giving it her all, but she was not very quick in her quickstep. I would like to see her paso, though.
Victor and Lindsay. I tend to forget about these two. I'm not sure why I'm not connecting to Victor. Lindsay seems like a very sweet girl, but I can't help but resent her being there a tiny bit. I was a pretty big Chelsie fan, and I see Lindsay as the "Chelsie replacement" this season. Even though, to me, she does not measure up to Chelsie in any way.
DL and Cheryl. DL tried harder this week. Cheryl seems fed up. I almost think she'll breath a sigh of relief tonight when they're eliminated, because this is the team I do think will be leaving us on the first week. They both seem like they're over it. Cheryl has NEVER been voted off first, so that is sort of interesting to me. She has a pretty big fanbase all of her own, much like Maks and Derek, but I'm not sure the CherBears can pull her through this time. Hopefully she will take this time to re-charge and if she comes back next season she will be better than ever. I do so miss that season 3 Cheryl!
Jacoby and Karina. I softened on Jacoby a bit last night, seeing him dance with the little girls. I still think he holds himself in much too high a regard. Karina is awesome and I love watching her dance. I could just watch her dance for hours. I think they'll make it to the top three as well, and I'm really not sure who would win between them, Kellie/Derek and Zendaya/Val. Sort of boring to me since Derek and Val were both in the finale last season, but I love Kellie so much and I like Zendaya a lot, so I can deal with it.
That's all for now! :)
Kellie and Derek. Wow. Let me say it again. WOW. I really wish Kellie had a different partner, because man does it tick me off to root for a Derek team, but I LOVE this girl. I have always been a fan, but she can dance her booty off! She stunned me last night. I'm not sure about the "jazz" part of the routine. I don't really know what constitutes a "jazz" dance, and the three we were shown last night seemed to have lots of different vibes. I love the song they danced to. Lights by Ellie Goulding has long been on my wish list for music on DWTS. I always pictured it as a paso, but it worked with the routine last night. Kellie is one of my top three picks to win this whole thing. I can't wait to see her do something soft and sweet like the V. Waltz or full of raw emotion like the paso. (Paso Doble is my very, very favorite dance, btw. Just for future reference.)
Zendaya and Val. I liked their routine, too. Zendaya's age still skeeves me out a bit, but she's just such a cutie and is really giving this her all. She's another one I have pegged to go all the way. I hope Val can keep up the choreo like he has these past couple weeks. Val tends to get cocky. I hope he doesn't let that happen this season.
Dorothy and Tristan. I felt so bad for this poor team last night. I know Dorothy was trying so hard and hated being seen as vulnerable. Her jive had no oomph to it, though, I have to admit that. Her kicks and flicks were almost non-existent. I hope they make it through, but her health and well being definitely comes first.
Aly and Mark. I was glad I got to see Aly this week! I e onjoyed their dance and it put a smile on my face, but...they ticked me off! Last season, I was hot when Derek and Shawn broke the rules in the QS by breaking hold in the middle of the dance AND put in a lift, and they rightfully got reamed by the judges. Last night, Aly and Mark did nearly the exact same thing and the judges didn't even mention it. I like when the couples play by the rules on DWTS--to me, it makes it more of a level playing field, because there are some the judges would skewer for breaking them (like Derek last season, as much as I don't like him I have to admit that) and some they would not say a word to (like Mark last night). So I was peeved with this pair last night.
Sean and Peta. I just don't really like Peta. I know nothing about Sean and he seems like an okay guy. I really liked Peta her 2nd season with Donald, but I think that may have been by association with Donald! She seems like she's trying way too hard, and I'm not fond of people like that. Just be yourself.
Andy and Sharna. Still not fond of Sharna. Still not fond of Andy. But I have to give credit where credit is due. Their routine last night was entertaining and that man is doing one million percent better than I ever imagined he would. The dance and music suited him extremely well. I have no idea how he'll do when he gets a more demanding dance though.
Ingo and Kym. I'm sorry, I didn't really pay attention to these two, so I don't have anything to say about them. Same with...
Lisa and Gleb. Gleb gives me the creeps. He is the male Peta in my mind.
Wynonna and Tony. Gosh but Wynonna is heavy footed! She's trying to hard and is really giving it her all, but she was not very quick in her quickstep. I would like to see her paso, though.
Victor and Lindsay. I tend to forget about these two. I'm not sure why I'm not connecting to Victor. Lindsay seems like a very sweet girl, but I can't help but resent her being there a tiny bit. I was a pretty big Chelsie fan, and I see Lindsay as the "Chelsie replacement" this season. Even though, to me, she does not measure up to Chelsie in any way.
DL and Cheryl. DL tried harder this week. Cheryl seems fed up. I almost think she'll breath a sigh of relief tonight when they're eliminated, because this is the team I do think will be leaving us on the first week. They both seem like they're over it. Cheryl has NEVER been voted off first, so that is sort of interesting to me. She has a pretty big fanbase all of her own, much like Maks and Derek, but I'm not sure the CherBears can pull her through this time. Hopefully she will take this time to re-charge and if she comes back next season she will be better than ever. I do so miss that season 3 Cheryl!
Jacoby and Karina. I softened on Jacoby a bit last night, seeing him dance with the little girls. I still think he holds himself in much too high a regard. Karina is awesome and I love watching her dance. I could just watch her dance for hours. I think they'll make it to the top three as well, and I'm really not sure who would win between them, Kellie/Derek and Zendaya/Val. Sort of boring to me since Derek and Val were both in the finale last season, but I love Kellie so much and I like Zendaya a lot, so I can deal with it.
That's all for now! :)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole with a dash of Glitter
So, I guess I'm an awful blogger, because it's been a while! Sorry about that. Sometimes life gets in the way. I promise to try and be more proactive on here.
Book News: My cover isn't ready quite yet, but I promise as soon as it is I'm uploading that baby to KDP and it will be available!
For this blog, I thought I'd share one of my very favorite recipes. Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. My husband LOVES it. I seriously thought he might lick his plate the first time I cooked it. It's very, very good, but it is also a pretty heavy meal. I found it on Pinterest (of course), so I can't take credit for creating this masterpiece myself.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 ham steak, cubed
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
6 slices Provolone cheese
about 20 -25 crackers
dash of Paprika
dash of Garlic Powder
Directions
Pre-heat over to 350. Spread cooked white rice on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. On top of the rice, spread the cooked chicken pieces. Lay out the slices of cheese in two rows of three. Spread the cubed ham on top of the cheese. In a bowl, mix soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Pour/spread this on top of the ham. On a plate, crush up the saltine crackers, then sprinkle with Paprika and Garlic Powder. Top off the casserole with this.
Pop it in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Voila. A yummy dinner. A salad would make a great side, but we rarely have stuff to make salad in the house, so we usually don't eat anything with it.
Now for the side of glitter. I decided not to write a full review of the DWTS premier, since the new episode is you know, only a little more than 48 hours from now. But I thought I'd bullet point my main thoughts.
* Kellie Pickler was AWESOME. As much as I hate to root for the Hough, it looks like I won't be able to help it this season.
*I liked Lisa Vanderpump and thought she was funny, but Gleb skeeved me out a little. I can't put my finger on why.
*Andy Dick was much better than I expected, but I still don't care for him.
*Wynonna seemed very heavy on her feet. That woman has some courage though. She was out there trying her best and seemed to have a lot of fun. I liked seeing her mother and sister in the audience. I've always loved Ashley Judd. Some of her movies are my absolute favorites.
*I missed Aly Raisman and Sean Lowe b/c my TV fritzed. Couldn't care less about Sean, but I was bummed I missed Aly and Mark.
*Zendaya was incredible too, but her being 16 still turns me off a little bit.
*I couldn't believe how lost DL seemed. I cracked up at Cheryl dancing to Apple Bottom Jeans though.
*Karina, I love, love, love you, and you are still my favorite pro. But I am not a fan of Jacoby. He still seems cocky to me.
So Kellie was by far my favorite, and she is who I voted for. We'll see what happens this week. I'll try and write a proper review for you DWTS fans out there.
Book News: My cover isn't ready quite yet, but I promise as soon as it is I'm uploading that baby to KDP and it will be available!
For this blog, I thought I'd share one of my very favorite recipes. Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. My husband LOVES it. I seriously thought he might lick his plate the first time I cooked it. It's very, very good, but it is also a pretty heavy meal. I found it on Pinterest (of course), so I can't take credit for creating this masterpiece myself.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 ham steak, cubed
2 cups cooked white rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
6 slices Provolone cheese
about 20 -25 crackers
dash of Paprika
dash of Garlic Powder
Directions
Pre-heat over to 350. Spread cooked white rice on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. On top of the rice, spread the cooked chicken pieces. Lay out the slices of cheese in two rows of three. Spread the cubed ham on top of the cheese. In a bowl, mix soup, sour cream, and milk until smooth. Pour/spread this on top of the ham. On a plate, crush up the saltine crackers, then sprinkle with Paprika and Garlic Powder. Top off the casserole with this.
Pop it in the oven for 40-45 minutes. Voila. A yummy dinner. A salad would make a great side, but we rarely have stuff to make salad in the house, so we usually don't eat anything with it.
Now for the side of glitter. I decided not to write a full review of the DWTS premier, since the new episode is you know, only a little more than 48 hours from now. But I thought I'd bullet point my main thoughts.
* Kellie Pickler was AWESOME. As much as I hate to root for the Hough, it looks like I won't be able to help it this season.
*I liked Lisa Vanderpump and thought she was funny, but Gleb skeeved me out a little. I can't put my finger on why.
*Andy Dick was much better than I expected, but I still don't care for him.
*Wynonna seemed very heavy on her feet. That woman has some courage though. She was out there trying her best and seemed to have a lot of fun. I liked seeing her mother and sister in the audience. I've always loved Ashley Judd. Some of her movies are my absolute favorites.
*I missed Aly Raisman and Sean Lowe b/c my TV fritzed. Couldn't care less about Sean, but I was bummed I missed Aly and Mark.
*Zendaya was incredible too, but her being 16 still turns me off a little bit.
*I couldn't believe how lost DL seemed. I cracked up at Cheryl dancing to Apple Bottom Jeans though.
*Karina, I love, love, love you, and you are still my favorite pro. But I am not a fan of Jacoby. He still seems cocky to me.
So Kellie was by far my favorite, and she is who I voted for. We'll see what happens this week. I'll try and write a proper review for you DWTS fans out there.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
A Survivor Breakdown
Sorry it's taken me so long to write another blog. It hasn't been a particularly busy week, it just seems like there was never any time for "extra" stuff. Or maybe I was just tired and being lazy :)
As you know, I'm a big TV fan, and Survivor is one of my addictions. The current season is Fans v. Favorites 2. Brandon Hantz is part of the cast. He's the nephew of the notorious Russell Hantz, who has done 3 seasons of Survivor and not won yet. He's a despicable excuse for a player, in my opinion. He does things like hide important camp items, dump out food behind his tribemates' backs...and he might be the most arrogant person I've ever had the displeasure of viewing. And he doesn't even have reason to be arrogant! He has zero social game, he is far from a dominating factor in challenges, and he's a crappy provider or helper around camp. Anyway, that is a little background on Brandon. See, he came into the game the first time wanting to erase the Hantz legacy, make it better and not centered on Russell's disgusting escapades.
This time around, Brandon was set on proving himself a different player, because his plan didn't go so well the last time around. But Brandon seems really delicate to me. Not in a sense that he isn't masculine, because he is. In a sense that he hasn't always had a lot of support during his life. He's around 21 years old or so, and he is already married with two kids and one on the way. I don't think his home life was spectacular growing up, and I get a sense that he fell into the wrong crown at an awfully young age. There was a lot of pressure on his very young, shaky shoulders. And that can turn out to be a situation that goes very, very wrong. As it did Wednesday night.
You see, also on Brandon's tribe is a man named Phillip Sheppard. He might be the 2nd most arrogant person I've ever seen, and, like Russell, has no reason at all to be arrogant. He's a joke. He fancies himself the secret agent of the tribe (because he apparently really was one in real life) He is annoying, rude and just seems like a person I would tire of in about 5 minutes. Phillip and Brandon in close quarters for an extended amount of time? Bad combo, dude. Really bad.
Brandon tired of Phillip's attitude and rude behavior, rightfully so, if you asked me. And probably much like the rest of the Favorites tribe. But the difference between the rest of the tribe and Brandon? They know to bide their time with Phillip. Just like Boston Rob learned on Phillip's previous season, he is the ULTIMATE goat to take to the end, because nobody likes him nor has any respect for him, therefore they won't vote for him. You just have to be able to put up with him for that long. Brandon, on the other hand (while a pretty good goat himself, but still) just can't take it anymore. He has a nervous breakdown. Like, really.
He dumps out the tribes rice and beans. He is comabative toward Phillip without ever actually getting physical. So badly that the tribe decides to forfeit the next immunity challenge just so they can vote Brandon out of the game. Brandon isn't going to let this happen though. He's going out on his terms. So he tells the Fans tribe he is giving them this gift, and he proceeds to let loose on a tirade that lasted no telling how long in "real" life, but was a pretty good chunk of the episode, so it was probably a while. He was so irate that Jeff Probst had to separate him from the other players and rub his shoulders to calm him down.
I won't get into the whole spiel word for word, because I don't remember it and because that would be boring to read. But it's interesting, because do I think Brandon had a nervous breakdown? Well, yes, I've already said that. Do I think he was actually dangerous or is really and truly "crazy"? No. I think he's a kid that was fed up, and hungry, and tired, and missing his family, and had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to begin with. Who would I rather be on a survivor tribe with, Brandon or Phillip? Surprisingly, Brandon. I would take him any day of the week over "secret agent Sheppard." That man might drive me to my breaking point, too.
So, here's to Brandon feeling better now. And hopefully to Phillip being voted out SOON.
See Ya,
Ryann
As you know, I'm a big TV fan, and Survivor is one of my addictions. The current season is Fans v. Favorites 2. Brandon Hantz is part of the cast. He's the nephew of the notorious Russell Hantz, who has done 3 seasons of Survivor and not won yet. He's a despicable excuse for a player, in my opinion. He does things like hide important camp items, dump out food behind his tribemates' backs...and he might be the most arrogant person I've ever had the displeasure of viewing. And he doesn't even have reason to be arrogant! He has zero social game, he is far from a dominating factor in challenges, and he's a crappy provider or helper around camp. Anyway, that is a little background on Brandon. See, he came into the game the first time wanting to erase the Hantz legacy, make it better and not centered on Russell's disgusting escapades.
This time around, Brandon was set on proving himself a different player, because his plan didn't go so well the last time around. But Brandon seems really delicate to me. Not in a sense that he isn't masculine, because he is. In a sense that he hasn't always had a lot of support during his life. He's around 21 years old or so, and he is already married with two kids and one on the way. I don't think his home life was spectacular growing up, and I get a sense that he fell into the wrong crown at an awfully young age. There was a lot of pressure on his very young, shaky shoulders. And that can turn out to be a situation that goes very, very wrong. As it did Wednesday night.
You see, also on Brandon's tribe is a man named Phillip Sheppard. He might be the 2nd most arrogant person I've ever seen, and, like Russell, has no reason at all to be arrogant. He's a joke. He fancies himself the secret agent of the tribe (because he apparently really was one in real life) He is annoying, rude and just seems like a person I would tire of in about 5 minutes. Phillip and Brandon in close quarters for an extended amount of time? Bad combo, dude. Really bad.
Brandon tired of Phillip's attitude and rude behavior, rightfully so, if you asked me. And probably much like the rest of the Favorites tribe. But the difference between the rest of the tribe and Brandon? They know to bide their time with Phillip. Just like Boston Rob learned on Phillip's previous season, he is the ULTIMATE goat to take to the end, because nobody likes him nor has any respect for him, therefore they won't vote for him. You just have to be able to put up with him for that long. Brandon, on the other hand (while a pretty good goat himself, but still) just can't take it anymore. He has a nervous breakdown. Like, really.
He dumps out the tribes rice and beans. He is comabative toward Phillip without ever actually getting physical. So badly that the tribe decides to forfeit the next immunity challenge just so they can vote Brandon out of the game. Brandon isn't going to let this happen though. He's going out on his terms. So he tells the Fans tribe he is giving them this gift, and he proceeds to let loose on a tirade that lasted no telling how long in "real" life, but was a pretty good chunk of the episode, so it was probably a while. He was so irate that Jeff Probst had to separate him from the other players and rub his shoulders to calm him down.
I won't get into the whole spiel word for word, because I don't remember it and because that would be boring to read. But it's interesting, because do I think Brandon had a nervous breakdown? Well, yes, I've already said that. Do I think he was actually dangerous or is really and truly "crazy"? No. I think he's a kid that was fed up, and hungry, and tired, and missing his family, and had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to begin with. Who would I rather be on a survivor tribe with, Brandon or Phillip? Surprisingly, Brandon. I would take him any day of the week over "secret agent Sheppard." That man might drive me to my breaking point, too.
So, here's to Brandon feeling better now. And hopefully to Phillip being voted out SOON.
See Ya,
Ryann
Monday, March 11, 2013
Happy Monday! ...or maybe, happy that Monday is almost over!
I know I said I was going to blog Survivor next, but I've decided to wait until after this week's episode, because some craziness is supposed to go down at the Favorites camp. Put a Hantz on the island, expect pandemonium. But, I digress.
Anyway, today I've decided to post a little teaser! I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get my book onto Amazon in 2-3 weeks. It will be here before I know it! And so...I present to you the first chapter of Hearts Don't Break Quietly. You can let me know if you like it, or if you think it sucks. I just love feedback of any kind, and I've developed a pretty thick skin over the past few years!
I know I said I was going to blog Survivor next, but I've decided to wait until after this week's episode, because some craziness is supposed to go down at the Favorites camp. Put a Hantz on the island, expect pandemonium. But, I digress.
Anyway, today I've decided to post a little teaser! I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get my book onto Amazon in 2-3 weeks. It will be here before I know it! And so...I present to you the first chapter of Hearts Don't Break Quietly. You can let me know if you like it, or if you think it sucks. I just love feedback of any kind, and I've developed a pretty thick skin over the past few years!
When I was five, I’d
come home to find a stack of twenties on my mother’s bedside table and a
strange man in her bedroom. Nothing was ever the same after that.
I
tried my best to focus on the silver haired woman standing in front of me, the
craggy lines of her face sunken in around her eyes and mouth. She looked like
somebody’s sweet old granny. Just goes to show that appearances could be
deceiving, I guess. Because, sweet? She was more like satan. I decided to beg
anyway. It was the only thing I had left.
“Please,
Mrs. Golden. This is all I have right now.” I pulled a wad of crumpled cash
from my apron pocket. “It’s everything I made today, okay? I work a double
tomorrow, and I’ll give you whatever I make then, too.”
She
sighed as she counted out the money, clicking her tongue against her teeth as
one dollar bills slipped from one sandpaper hand to the other.
The
sounds she was making made me want to smash my head into the ugly mustard
colored walls around me, and the apartment behind her was so foul smelling it
made my nose itch. It reeked of soured food and must. Her pet birds cawed in
their cages, flapping their wings as they bounced around.
“This
is only forty-seven dollars, Audrey. Your mother owes me over a thousand! It
would take you years to work it off at this pace.” She shook her head. “That
woman should be ashamed of herself. Sending you to work at that restaurant all
hours with her out doing God knows who—“She stopped, studying my face.
I chewed on my lower lip and shuffled my feet back and
forth on the thinning carpet. Ignoring what she said about Mama, my mind spun,
trying to come up with something, anything, that would hold her off just a
little while longer.
“Mrs. Golden, please. I’ll get the money somehow. Just…
don’t kick us out. We don’t have anywhere else to go.” I looked anywhere but at
the old lady’s face. Embarrassment flamed on my cheeks.
Mrs. Golden hesitated, closing her eyes and putting her hand
on her forehead. Finally, she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Audrey. It’s not my
problem. I have to have the money. You have until Friday.” She backed into her
apartment and closed the door.
I
blinked at the cheap brown wood that seemed to taunt me. I didn’t feel like I
could move. I could barely breathe. A lot of shitty things had happened lately,
but at least it had been somewhat bearable. But this? It made me feel helpless
and angry, because there was nothing I could do to stop the whole world from
crashing down around my toes.
I tried to calm myself down by taking a few deep breaths,
but it didn’t work very well. I had to prepare myself to face my sisters. They
would know something was wrong in a millisecond if I didn’t pull it off just
right. I raised my eyes to the ceiling, wondering if I should try to pray, but
the thought left my mind almost as soon as it had entered it. If there was any
higher power, he’d never been any help before. What would make now any
different?
No, I would do it on my own. I always had
anyway. My blood turned to steel in my veins and my mouth sat firm as I forced
myself back into the armor I normally hid behind. Turning, I headed for the
staircase. It only took a few seconds for me to climb the drafty old stairs and
trudge to the door of our one bedroom apartment. I inserted my key into the
lock and pushed, the door groaning as it moved forward. Piece of crap.
The plain white walls seemed to mock me, just as the door
had, as I entered the bare living room and looked around. Our one worn out couch
stood forlornly in the center of the floor. That was the only piece of
furniture we had. All of my money went to the electricity and food, there was
nothing for anything else. And Mama’s money…I didn’t want to think about it,
any of it. Not the powder she sucked up her nose or the needles she stuck in
her arms. They revolved through my mind anyway, pictures of her sunken in eyes
and glazed over looks, the result of many drug induced sleepless nights. Before
anybody could see me, I ran to the bathroom.
The door slammed harder than anticipated, making me even
more jumpy. I gripped the porcelain sink as I looked down, taking deep breaths
until my smile felt like it could look real. Finally able to muster up the
strength, I raised my head. What I saw only made me want to turn away, fast,
and the cracks in the mirror seemed to magnify it by a thousand. My thick chocolate
colored hair, which used to be my best feature, hung in greasy strands around
my face. I was too thin. My big brown eyes looked buggy in the pale face
looking back at me. Somebody who didn’t know me would have thought I was strung
out, at best. If they saw me and Mama together, they would probably think the
apple didn’t fall far from the tree, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
It
was still amazing to me that Zach Cochran had even asked me out. The name made
me pause, my mind wandering to the leather jacket wearing pretty boy in my
homeroom class. Zach hated that he was so good looking. He was extra tough to
make up for it. Which was probably why he had asked me out in the first place.
I sure looked like I was into guys who were tough, even though they kind of
scared me. Oh well. He was hot and I needed something to get my mind off of my
shitty life. Besides, the thought of me having a boyfriend at all would be
enough to make Mama blow steam out of her ears. I didn’t care. She deserved it.
Gulping, I smiled, even though I didn’t want to. I smiled
so hard my cheeks ached. When it looked halfway natural, I opened the bathroom
door.
“Hey.”
A voice came from the bedroom, and I whipped around. My
youngest sister, Sadie, was sitting on Mama’s air mattress. She held a notebook
and pencil, but a quick glance at the blank paper told me she hadn’t been
working on anything.
“Hey kiddo.” I said, walking in and sitting down beside
her. My voice sounded normal at least. “Where’s Sierra?”
Sadie rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me kiddo. I’m only two
damn years younger than you. And she went to look for a job.”
It felt like my eyebrows shot up to the top of my forehead
as my chest tightened. The fact that Sierra was looking for work got me
worked up so fast I hadn’t even noticed Sadie had used a curse word.
“What? Why? I told her to quit worrying about
it. We’ll be fine.” Hopefully my sister wouldn’t pick up on my frustration, but
it was hard to keep my voice from thinning.
“We know, Audrey.” Sadie looked around the empty bedroom,
decorated with only the air mattress and a three legged bedside table that held
a tattered picture of me and my sisters. “But I mean, it’s not like we couldn’t
use some extra money or anything.”
Dried ketchup and mustard painted the apron tied around
my waist, and I picked at it, watching a few flakes fall to the floor. I could
barely make enough to keep the water turned on, and we were pretty much eating
crackers and spam every day. The lights were still on, for now at least. But
none of that mattered, because we were about to lose the roof over our heads.
My nails picked at the apron more furiously. Mama could
whore herself out for drug money, but she couldn’t care less that her kids were
dirty and starving. One day it would be different though. Eighteen wasn’t that
far away, and I was getting the hell out of here…but Sadie and Sierra had a few
more years after me, and I wasn’t sure I could leave them behind. My mind
wondered to whether or not Mama would have me arrested if I took them with me.
Probably not. It wasn’t like she cared all that much about any of us.
“I might just have to go and get a second job, that’s
all.” The thought made my heart beat faster and my fists clench, but no way was
I letting Sadie and Sierra jobs and have to worry with school and work. No way.
My lips pursed together and my shaking hands burrowed
into my lap, hiding. Hopefully I looked calm, for my sister’s benefit. It
almost felt like she could see straight through my skin to my insides churning
with worry.
“You can’t do that.” She stared at me, but my eyes
refused to meet hers.
“Sure I can.” Keep
your voice above a whisper, Audrey. Make her believe everything is going to be
alright.
“But Audrey, you would have to drop out of school to do
that. You only have a few months until graduation.” Sadie’s mouth hung open,
and I wondered how hard it was for her not to say what I was sure she was
really thinking. That I was being a stubborn ass and sacrificing myself. Again.
My sister twisted her hands together as I shook my head. When
she was little, she would do it so much her skin would become raw and start to
crack. She could try to be tough all she wanted, but that was a sure sign that
she was more worried than angry.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just get my GED, it’s no big
deal. Sierra doesn’t need to get a job. You guys need to concentrate on getting
good grades so you can try and get a scholarship when you get done. It’s too
late for me to do that. It’s my job to take care of y’all now.”
“No, it’s Mama’s job to take care of us, and she sucks at
it. Like, major.”A sour voice spoke up from behind us, causing Sadie and me
both to jump.
Great. Sierra was home. I looked over my shoulder, and
there she was. Leaning in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, the
same disgusted look on her face as always.
“Hey, sis.” I forced my lips upward into a smile.
All I got in return was an eye roll. “Whatever.”
Sadie leaned forward. “How’d it go? Did you find
anything?”
“No.” Sierra sighed as she flopped onto the mattress with
us, her corn silk hair brushing against me as she landed. “Nobody will hire me
because I don’t have any job experience. Idiots.” She looked down and started
picking her nails. There wasn’t much to pick—she’d already bitten them down to
the quick.
“Duh.” I couldn’t help it. It slipped.
“Well how are you supposed to get job experience if they
won’t hire you for your first job because you don’t have any? It makes no
sense.”
Both my sisters avoided my gaze. I swallowed hard and
raked my fingers through my dirty hair, trying to figure out how to reassure
them. Not to mention myself.
“Guys…I know things have sucked around here lately.”
“Lately? Try forever.” Sadie cut in, her tone edging on
angry. I chose to ignore her and continue.
“I know things aren’t the best around here. But we’re
going to be okay. It could be a lot worse.”
“How?” Sadie spoke up again. She was scrubbing her hand
against her cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears rolling down them. The sight
of it made my heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. My breath caught in my
throat, but my head forced the words out.
“We could be on the streets.” Mrs. Golden’s image
splashed into my mind. I didn’t have a clue how to get the money we needed. My
entire body seemed numb from hopelessness, but I had to figure something out.
All I wanted was to spare my sisters that same feeling, just for a little while
longer.
“Yeah. Maybe.” Sadie wiped her hand across her face and
sniffled as she tried to come back from the moment of vulnerability she’d let
come to the surface. Her eyes were giving her away, though. The sadness was all
but pouring out of them.
Sierra didn’t say a word. She was more intuitive than
Sadie, and she was probably onto my act. Hell, I was having trouble convincing
myself. Why should they believe me?
I cleared my throat. “So, no more self-pity, okay? We’ll
be alright. After all, we’re together, aren’t we?”
“Til Mama sells us to the highest bidder.” Sierra
mumbled. She probably didn’t think anybody heard her. Sadie let loose an
audible gasp.
“Sierra.” My teeth ground together. “Don’t ever say
anything like that again.”
“You don’t think she’d go there if she wanted her stupid
crack bad enough? Grow up, Audrey.”
My mouth opened to yell at her, but someone knocked at
the door, causing us all to look in that direction. Frowning, I prayed silently
it wouldn’t be Mrs. Golden. The last thing I needed right now was for my
sisters to hear that we were going to get evicted. Given some time, I could
maybe fix it somehow.
My
stomach lurched as I walked to the door on wooden legs. The air in the room
seemed to close in on me, a knot forming in my stomach, knowing this couldn’t
be good. Nobody ever came here.
“I hope that isn’t anybody we don’t want it to be.”
Sierra muttered. It was a wonder I was able to keep walking instead of smacking
her. I knew she was thinking of Mama’s…customers. She needed to shut it,
though, before she got her hair yanked out of her head. She was going to make
Sadie even more jumpy than she already was.
“I guess we’re about to see.” My voice came out terse as
I turned the knob and pulled the door open.
An unfamiliar woman was standing in front of me, flanked
by two police officers. I took in the sight of her black suit and the tight bun
pulling her hair back from her face. She clutched a briefcase in her left hand
and a clipboard in her right. I knew this couldn’t be anything good. Did Mrs.
Golden already call the cops on us? I thought we had until Friday!
“Hi. May I help you?” My tone was polite, but my insides
felt razor sharp. A little voice screamed inside of me as I stared at the
woman. Panic was starting to set in.
“Are you the Emerson children?” The stranger asked. She
looked at the papers on her clipboard. “Audrey, seventeen. Sierra, sixteen.
Sadie, fifteen.” Her blue eyes flashed back toward me and I couldn’t help but notice
how emotionless they were. They were as blank as the expression on her face.
There was scuffling behind me. My sisters stood there,
hanging onto every word. My legs felt like noodles and the thought that I might
collapse entered my mind, but I forced myself to be steady. I looked at the
policemen. The older man was looking at me, his kind face wrinkled around his
mouth and forehead. The younger one avoided my gaze entirely.
“Yes ma’am. That’s us.”
“Is your father here?”
Father? Ha. We didn’t know who our fathers were. And we
were pretty sure they were three different men, since we didn’t look one bit
alike. Plus, our mother wasn’t exactly known for playing hard to get. It was
pretty much a given.
“We don’t know where our father is.” I couldn’t help but
put a sarcastic infliction on the word.
The woman didn’t even blink. “I see. When’s the last time
you knew where he was?”
My brain screamed at me to lie and warning sounds blared
in my head, thumping so hard it felt like my brain was moving. I tried to think
of something to tell her, but rational thought failed me. Besides, if this
no-nonsense woman was all of a sudden at our door asking these questions, my
hunch was she already knew the answers. I knew I could be a lot of things, but
stupid wasn’t one of them.
“A while.” I told her, holding her gaze. My hands were
shaking again, so I crossed my arms to hide them.
She looked past me to Sadie and Sierra, and her face
softened a bit as she saw them dressed in jeans and t-shirts that looked every
bit as old as they were. The woman sighed.
“My name is Mrs. Anderson, girls. I work for the state of
Alabama Department of Child Services.” She paused for a second before motioning
toward the police officers. “This is Officer Cane,” she said, pointing to the
older man. Her finger flicked toward the younger officer. “And this is Officer
Wilder.”
“Hello, girls.” Officer Cane cleared his throat. “We…do
you have somewhere we could sit down?”
I glanced toward the ratty sofa. “Not really. Why?” Cold
sweat covered my face and hands. I wished they would just tell us the
inevitable news and leave. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to get Mama
out of jail, and I was sure it wouldn’t be the last.
Officer Cane looked at his partner, but Officer Wilder
looked like he was about to hurl. He must have been new on the job. Poor
schmuck. The older man met my eyes, his unwavering. “Well, I’m afraid we have
some bad news. Your mother…I’m sorry to have to tell you that she’s dead.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)