Justin's Birthday Weekend

This weekend we decided to celebrate Justin's birthday early so that we could celebrate twice:once together, and once with all of the family. It turned out to be a spectacular weekend.

When Justin got to Greensboro on Friday we decided that the first thing we would do was just hang for a little while then go to the festival of lights in downtown Greensboro. Well, in our haste, we decided to go ahead and leave home, go to the library on UNCG's campus and rent a DVD to watch later, and then head to the festival. We rented a movie called Defiance about WWII and the holocaust. When we made it downtown, we realized that we had come too early; everyone was still setting up. We began at the top of Elm street and worked our way up. It was a really beautiful site: there were lights, live music every few feet, Christmas carolers dressed up in early 20th century attire, and fake snow. All of the art galleries and shops were open to promote local buisnesses, and there was plenty of places along the steet that was selling hot dogs, hot chocolate, pizza and more. It wasn't quite as fun as we had hoped, but it was definitely good time spent together and we had some good laughs along the way (like seeing a dog fully clothed--Pants and all LOL).

We were going to go home and rent pizza and watch movies but Brittanie begged us to go to a Thai restaurant with her and Jay. We met them at home and drove together. The place we went was called REARN THAI and we had a good time making fun of the name lol. When we were seated Brittanie ordered spring rolls as appetizers and they were absolutely delicious. We all ordered pretty much the same thing, chicken fried rice, except Brittanie and I got ours "extremely hot." Justin just got "mild." Well needless to say, my mouth was on fire the whole meal, so bad in fact, that Brittanie and Justin asked me if I had lipstick on because my lips were so red! The food was soooo good and I definitely can't wait to go back!

After we went to "REARN THAI," we all decided to go to Cold Stone Creamery. Justin and I got the same thing we always get, Apple Pie A La Cold Stone, and it was great but, of course, Thai and ice cream don't exactly mix and made me feel a little nauseous. Regardless, we still had so much fun and it was a great night!

When we got home, Justin and I watched Harry Potter until we fell asleep.

The next day was just as eventful! I woke up early and Brittanie and I made breakfast for Justin which included Eggs, Bacon and Grits. It was great (although I felt like I was going to have a heart attack after eating the thick bacon slices...but I took the risk.) I loved cooking in my own apartment for Justin with not clutter, mess or anything else--it felt like we were married :) Anyway, after that Brittanie wanted to go to Ed McKay's which is a store that sells used books, video games, series, etc. for really cheap. Right when we were getting ready to leave, it began snowing outside! It was like the perfect topping to our weekend--the snow was so beautiful and it didn't stick to the roads so it didn't prevent us from continuing with out fun. When we got to Ed's it was fun to look around in but we ended up not getting much. After that we went to T.J. Max and we all bought toboggins out of "need" for protection from the small amount of snow ;) Justin got a red and black plaid one with ears and a little fuzzy part in front that was really cute, I got a red, pink and black one with hearts and diamonds, and brittanie got a multi-colored one with bright pink, green and yellow--Jay already had one, and he was the one who gave us the idea.

After we went to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and bout a dozen and finally went home. When Justin and I got home, it was already nearly dark so we decided to go ahead and order pizza (I got pepperoni on one side and Spinach on the other, Justin got just Pepperoni), and we ordered wings from East Coast Wings and Grill (BEST WINGS EVER). We finally got around to watching our movie, "Defiance," and it was a really really really really great movie! I love moves about holocaust survival, and it was really action packed! After that we watched like the 3rd Harry Potter (it was a marathon and Justin had to fill me in on the details,) until we couldn't keep our eyes open and finally fell asleep.


The next morning, we just got up, talked with Brittanie for a while, and then said our goodbyes. We were supposed to go to a really expensive uppity restaurant, but why? Sometimes it is way more fun to just rent pizza, snuggle, and watch movies. I can't say when I have had that much fun and I can't wait for round two after Christmas! :) <3 Perfect weekend!

Shutterfly 50 Free holiday cards

So I was reading some of the other blogs that I follow and came across this little nugget of preciousness--Shutter fly has an offer. All you have to do is write a few paragraphs about the offer and talk about your shutterfly experiences and you are allowed to get 50 free cards! FREE! I am DEFINATELY down with that :) I just wish they could arrange to send them to. unfortunately the holiday card special is only open to bloggers and not facebook or any other social networking devices. I think this is awesome because on Shutterfly you can edit all of your photos, make them look perfect and then print instead of going to Wal-mart, waiting in line, and unfortunately having to delete the pics you don't want because you can't do much editing.
My absolute FAVORITE card design on shutterfly is the "have a groovy holiday" one. I just love the colors and the laid back message of just enjoying time with you family and I plan on using it for my card to send out of Justin and I for the holidays this year. Hopefully I can get them in the mail before Christmas this time.

On Life,Being a Twin, and Self Discovery

This blog is just about self. Lately I have been trying to evaluate myself in a new way. I have been on a search to rediscover my past and understand who I am presently. I can't describe this journey because I am confused about where to start. As many of you know, I recently wrote a poem about my past experiences and being multi-racial in a racially divided world. This, however, is only part of my experiences, part of my past, and part of who I am today.

I have really been on a search to understand my self-worth. I have been reading a lot of books on intimate relationships, expectations, and what I should be trying to do to be a better mate to Justin. It's not like I am not already or anything, but I feel like I need to think more about what I should expect from him and what I should feel about myself. I have had a very confusing childhood. All of the things expressed in the poem were very true about my experiences. Then there is also being a twin.

Being a twin has been an extremely positive experience for me. Nobody can make me laugh like Brittanie does and we have a funny relationship that is filled with a lot of very wonderful things. But there is also another dimension to being a twin; People who are not twins, cannot fully understand it. It is very difficult to understand who you are when everyone refers to you as "twin," "Reeder twins" or "twin twins." You begin to wonder, who am I without Brittanie? Am I confident? Am I beautiful? Would I be able to weather certain situations without her? How do I deal with conflict without her input? Where are the lines drawn, and what is my personality? Brittanie and I can both agree that being a twin is wonderful but it does have the effect of making you unsure of who you are at the end of the day? Identity crisis. The individuality a normal person is born with is blurred within the twin relationship--from the time you're born you are forced to dress a like, and people act like you are one person regardless of how hard you show them you are different. People very close to us, who know the vast differences, still refer to us as "twins" like we are not two different people, with different views, likes, and personalities. It is very difficult to understand who you are when there is someone else who has always been there with you. People call me "Brittanie" so often, that, on more than one occasion while introducing myself, I have had to stop myself from saying "hello, I'm britt-Brandie, nice to meet you." So this journey of self discovery will be a long one but I feel as if it is important for both of us to gain insight into who we really are. I feel like with this knowledge I will be able to appreciate life more, love deeper, and have mental clarity.

It has been very difficult for me, as a multi-racial person, as a twin, as someone's girlfriend for almost 6 years, and as a female, to define myself without these categories; to go beyond what society sees of me and understand WHO I AM. To reach a quiet place within myself and have full knowledge of what my personality is, how I react in difficult situations, and what makes me happy. I don't know because I am different depending on who I am around. That defines me, and as much as it is hard to admit, it is true. So my journey begins.

Anybody Gotta Wrench?

When I was little I remember complaining often about having a loose tooth. I constantly wiggled and jiggled and twisted my teeth until I could confidently go to my grandpa (who we called 'deddy') and tell him I had a loose tooth. Of course, my motive for having a loose tooth was financially drive. We used to get anywhere from $1 to $5 from the tooth fairy and this was a great incentive for teeth ripping lol. With my grandpa's threat of "takin care of [our loose teeth] with a pair a pliers" the complaining ceased. lol. I miss my daddy so much. Anyway, I certainly wish life were still that simple. As hard up as I am for money, if all it took was faith, I would believe with ever morsel of my being that the tooth fairy was REAL. LOL. Not only do I need money, I desperately need dental care.

So on Saturday I woke up at the crack of dawn, got dressed, and set out to take advantage of the free dental clinic they were doing in Greensboro. Unfortunately that (along with another one) was canceled, so I will have to live with these wisdom teeth until the next opportunity presents itself.

Anyway this weekend was fantastic. I went to Davidson and stayed until today (bad I know) and Justin and I just had a great time being together, as usual. We made cookies, cooked dinner, watched movies, and just did the normal stuff. I definitely was NOT looking forward to coming back to Greensboro today, but at least I get to see Brittanie!

Anyway this weekend I watched this movie called "The Last King of Scotland." It was by far one of the best movies I've ever watched. The movie was set in 1970 Uganda during a critical juncture in Ugandan history: the rise of General Idi Amin to power as the president of Uganda. The movie told the story of a doctor named Nicholas Garanger that, bored with his mundane life in Scotland, decided on a whim to travel to Uganda and work as a doctor. A series of events led Nicholas to the threshold of Idi Amin's presidential palace and he found himself inextricably wound up in a situation that was not only precarious but a daily threat to his life. Anyone who knows anything about Ugandan history knows that Idi Amin was a typical "big man" in African society, ruling under a single party government by which he single handedly massacred all political opposition. Thousands died under his heavy hand and he increasingly became more and more paranoid and suspicious of everyone. At first glance, Amin's presidency didn't look like terror; he put on a smile for the international media and Dr. Garanger had no idea what atrocities were taking place in the country side; as this mass murder and violence is revealed to Garanger, he begins desperately trying to find a way out. The movie was absolutely wonderful and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

On a Terrible Tuesday, Failed Car Inspection, and Voting

So the past few days have been tumultuous to say the least. Yesterday I had a whole list of things I was going to do; so many in fact, I had to actually categorize them by priority.
I woke up Tuesday morning, got dressed and was determined to do two things: get my car inspected, and vote. So first I decided to get my car inspected. I walk in, and of course it smells heavily of automobile oil and cigarettes. I stood there for a moment to let the man who, obviously not caring whatsoever about my presence continue to ignore me and talk to his friend. Finally, he finished his conversation and shortly asked me how I could be helped. I said I needed to get my car inspected and he said okay leave your keys right there and have a seat. So I walked over to the couch and sat down. I proceeded then to wait, and wait, and wait for over an hour and a half at which time he finally came back and told me that my car had FAILED and listed four reasons why. He “recommended” I get them fixed there (hmph, yeah right) and told me it would be a little over $400 dollars to do all of the work. For those of you who don’t know, I drive a 2007 Suzuki Forenza. How in the world could my car be in such bad shape in three years? Since my grandpa passed away, we’ve had to deal a lot with these issues on our own. Before,since he worked at a car dealership, he would just inspect it himself and, obviously, approve it. Now that he is gone we have to deal get the problems fixed by oppertunistic mechanics whos main goal is to rip you off and get your money.

So of course, when I was pulling out I broke down crying and called the only person who always tells me what I want to hear: Nanaw. When I talk to Nanaw (my grandmother) she always tries to help and offer good advice and she makes me feel better. My grandmother, just like most, likes to be needed and is very good at making sure we are taken care of, even though we are 21 and not babies anymore. Unfortunately however she didn’t answer the phone, so I called Justin and talked to him which made me feel much better. It wasn’t until I posted my dilemma on facebook that I really began feeling better; I talked to Justin’s sister Sonya and my brother in law Spank and they both just said to bring it to Laurinburg and it would pass. So now that worry is gone and I can’t wait to get that over with.


Not only did my car fail inspection, my voting place changed because I moved five minutes from my old house and me and Brittanie had to go all the way to Jamestown NC to vote. We drove almost twenty minutes—now what other people do you know of our age that would have done that? Not many. But I knew it was important. Unfortunately we lost the House to the Republicans but the wonderful thing about a Democracy is that because we have faith in the legitimacy of our process, we have hope that in 6 years (and 4 years) we know we can vote again, so all hope is not lost, especially when they only won the House and picked up a few seats in the Senate. The most disheartening news of it all was not that the tea baggers won so many seats in the House though; what was really sad was that less than 5 percent of African Americans voted yesterday. If you only knew the history of what black people went through to vote, you would not hesitate to exercise the right that many died for. During slavery, of course slaves were prohibited from voting, and although they "technically" received the right to vote with the passage of teh 15th Amendment in 1870 afterwards many blacks were still beaten, intimidated, lynched and brutaliy murdered by vigilante groups for attempting to vote. The real protected right to vote for blacks did not come in this country unil NINTEEN SIXTY FIVE!! (1965) after the passage of the Civil Rights Act. The fact that we take that freedom for grated today is really sad. The only way anything is ever going to change for minorities in this country is if we make our voices heard and elect the right people. As long as so many of us (95%) sit back and let others speak for us, our needs will never be met. A lot of people think their vote doesn't count but if they knew the facts they would know that THEIR VOTE DOES COUNT and the only way an official can get elected is if we vote for them; that was proven with the election of Barack Obama-- had it not been for the minority and youth vote, it never would have been possible. Okay I'm done ranting about voting.

Anyway last night I had a good night watching the returns and hanging with my sister Brittanie. We took Freddy to campus for a night walk around campus, went to Food lion to get some groceries, and then came back to watch the election results and eat Ramen. I was really glad she came over and we laughed and just “talked junk” all night lol. Good times.

Side note: I really think when I graduate, I will miss UNCG. It is such a beautiful school and the professors are really great. People in my town (including myself before I came) have the misconception that UNCG is easy or not a good school; but it really really really is underrated as a public university and I’ve grown to love it. I stayed up late nights studying and watched plenty of people fail out. It definitely isn’t an easy school and I wish it got the credit it deserved. But like I said, I think I will really miss my undergraduate university and this experience has been a great one.
P.S Of late I find myself having Beiber fever and being obsessed with watching the Kardashians….something has to give!

Later

Best Halloween Ever!!

This weekend was the absolute best Halloween I have ever had, all thanks to my sweet heart Justin. Friday my old phone decided to die, so luckily I was able to get the new blackberry Bold from T-mobile at a reasonable price. I absolutely LOVE it! I can do anything –get on facebook, twitter, my email, listen to the radio, Google chat and MORE. So after I got that I headed to Davidson
Once I got to Davidson, Justin and I just watched TV until we fell asleep. On Saturday I got up, cleaned up Justin’s room, and headed to his football game. The weather was great (not too hot or cold) and although they didn’t win, it was still a good game. Justin’s mom and sister came up there with my little nieces SaVannah and Olivia. They were sooo cute and I was glad I got to see his family. Johnathan and his girlfriend LaKresha was there too and we had a good time laughing and talking. UNFORTUNATELY Ms. Sandra and Lasonya needed to leave right after the game so my babies could go trick or treating, so Justin and I headed back to the house to get ready for Halloween.
At first, I really didn’t want to dress up. I haven’t dressed up for Halloween since I was like 12, and most girls only use Halloween as an opportunity to dress as “risqué” as possible, but Justin was dressing up and assured me that it wouldn’t be fun unless I did to. So at first we went to the Halloween store where all of the costumes were $50. Justin was actually going to purchase a $54.00 costume but I insisted we try Wal-Mart first; of course nobody can beat Wal-Mart’s prices. We ended up getting both of our costumes for under $35.00. Justin decided to be Spiderman and I dressed up as a black cat.
So finally was time to get ready for the Halloween party. When I was about to go upstairs and get ready Harvey and his brother Julian walked in—Harvey was the grim reaper and his brother was a hula dancer. It was hilarious, and I was so glad at that point that I went ahead and bought a costume. Finally I went upstairs to do my make-up. I did pretty doing my makeup until it came to the whiskers. I couldn’t remember how they were supposed to look, so Justin came upstairs and redid them for me. It turned out perfect. Justin’s costume was 10-12 year old “husky” size and was completely hilarious!!! He wanted it to be funny and memorable for our senior year, and it definitely was!!
Once we got to the party we saw some pretty crazy costumes: a guys dressed up like a box of wheaties, pirates, hookers, A Jack-in-the Box, Harry Potter, Antoine Dodson, power rangers, and the list goes on. It was pretty hilarious to see what some people were willing to wear. I guess Halloween is all about releasing ones inhibitions and just having a good time. I feel like that is what we did and it was definitely a good “last” campus Halloween for both of us.
Anyway, Sunday was really Halloween so Justin and I decided to celebrate by staying in, cooking dinner, and watching scary movies. Well I failed to realize that the scary movie I chose was made in 1980 (30 years ago!!—they didn’t have cell phones, caller I.D or anything in the movie!) and it was really pretty much a bust. LOL. It was called “The House of the Devil,” and it was poor quality and not at all what I was expecting. But we had fun laughing at it anyway.
In the end, Halloween 2010 was the best Halloween ever and I am glad I got to experience it. It is always good to spend time with friends and family, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything! Adios!

My Life...As Usual.

Today was a completely neutral day. The reason I say it is neutral is because everything that went well was balanced out with something that went terribly. For starters, I got home today and my house was especially inviting. I love being home sometimes and sleeping in my own bed, and I opened the window to let the beautiful sunlight in. Right about that time I looked over and saw the “Tapinoma empire”. That is the name I gave the small colony of “sugar” ants that decided to make my hot chocolate mug their personal habitat.

So I freaked. I was like OMG. There are ants EVERY where. Undoubtedly everyone with a home has experienced the “ant” issue, so I very calmly walked over, got an all-purpose spray (which I'm sure the manufacturers didn't intend to be used for the annihilation of an ant colony) and drowned the noble little creatures. It was sad. Parting is such sweet sorrow. Not really.

Anyway so then I go check the mail. For weeks I have been waiting for a check from my former employer to arrive. The check was supposed to be for over $200, just enough to make my car payment. I looked in my mailbox and YIPPEEE, the check finally came. Two weeks late. But, nonetheless, it came. So I opened the letter and to my surprise!! A whopping....$111 dollars! I was so frustrated! So I decided to call her to tell her that she didn't send enough and explain how it wasn't the right amount. She said that she was sick, and didn't feel like getting up but that she would “look into it.” So I was thinking you know what, I am not even going to worry about it because what does the bible say? It says the wealth of the wicked will be laid up for the just. If she doesn't give me the rest of my money, I am not going to harass her about it. One day I will be successful and I won't be worrying about a measly 100 dollars.


Speaking of success, I am almost done perfecting my personal statement for law school. I am so glad it is almost done, I am so tired of messing with it. One of the most difficult questions someone can ask you is “tell me a little about yourself.” I mean seriously...where do I begin? But it is going pretty well and I just have a few more things to correct before I am ready to send it in.

I can't wait for my weekend to start tomorrow. There is so many fun things planned, and I am definitely going to enjoy my much needed break. Anyway until tomorrow blogosphere.

Brittanie, the One-Eyed Cyclops

So today's blog is going to be about the most alarming, hilarious, crazy dream I have ever had in my life.
My dream began in my old room in Laurinburg at my grandma's house. Strangely, my cousin Kanako (who lives in Japan) was there and my twin sister Brittanie was there. When I walked in Kanako had this crazy new technology from Japan (stereotypical right? LOL) and it was basically an eye styler; no, not an eye LASH styler, an EYE styler. It was like a little hand held circular vaccum and if you pressed the button up, it would push your eyeball in and give you an "asian" look and if you pushed it down, it would pull your eyeball out and give you a "western" look (LOL). I definitely thought this was strange but I was like, okay, I guess I have confidence that scientists are smarter than me, so..whats the worst that could happen?

So Brittanie decided she wanted to try out the machine. Well Kanako attached it to her eye, and began pushing her eyeball back. Well of course, what you expect will happen in a dream normally happens; She pushed her eye too far back and you couldn't even see it in the socket anymore. Needless to say Brittanie started freaking out like the one-eyed cyclops in Homer's Odyssey.

It is so funny how, in your dreams, exactly what you imagine would happen next, happens. Brittanie was like "hurry, use the sucker thing and pull my eyeball back out, for real, stop playing!!!" so Kanako attaches it back to her eyeball and sucks as hard as she can. Well...of course, her eyeball came popping out (I couldn't make this up LOL) it was the most disgusting gruesome thing EVER. I started freaking out at this point and thinking (but not saying) Oh my God she is going to be blind!! Oh my God! So Brittanie in a frantic rage begins to shove her eyeball back in as hard as she could. Well somehow, her eyeball ends up in her mouth (yeah, gross I know LOL) and I force myself to wake up at this point, I could not go on with this dream.

I have never had a crazier dream than that. LOL I woke up and looked at a picture of her on my phone to reassure myself that indeed, both eyes were in tact. LOL. Tis my life!

A day with my Sweetie :)

So today has been a wonderful day for me. Any day I get to spend with Justin is a great day. Last night Justin and I watched family guy, cooked dinner, and talked all night. Today we woke up and went to our favorite restaurant as usual- Sauza's.
Sauza's is a Mexican restaurant with really great food that is really cheap. We go there every time I come here and Justin doesn't even have to look at the menu, he knows he wants two enchilada's --One chicken one cheese, or if it is dinner, two chicken and two cheese. LOL. My boyfriend's predictable manner isn't boring to me, its quite adorable. He has everything down to a science.

Anyway my routine when I come to Davidson during the weeks is as follows: I wake up with Justin, we go some where, he has school from 1-2, treatment 2-3, and practice 3-6. LOL. Well if you calculate it (I'll do it for you don't worry it is 5 hours :)), that means I have to entertain myself for five hours. My favorite form of entertainment, among others, is sleeping. Could it get any better than that? So yes, I confess, I sleep five hours in the middle of the day so that way when I wake up, he'll be home!


On a different subject, I am really starting to get nervous about getting my LSAT scored this Monday. I just pray I did well; to put it bluntly, I think it is pretty BOGUS that my future as a lawyer rests on a standardized test. But I think I did well enough and hopefully I did GREAT and can get into NYU. Which reminds me, I need to talk about the other schools I am considering.

For practical reasons I am applying to most of the North Carolina schools, with the exception of a few. I am applying to Campbell, Chapel Hill,Wake Forest, and Charlotte school of law. These are all really great schools and upon being admitted, I wouldn't have to pay out of state tuition. I could also live with Justin or some of my family or friends so that I could get through law school without worrying too much about other expenses. Who wants to support me through law school? Any takers? Most likely my sweet boyfriend who has already agreed to pay all of the bills while I'm studying.

I keep getting mail from random schools, and if the application fee is free, I am applying I don't care where it is. Oh well, that is enough rambling about law school. I know it will all work out in the end, I'm too blessed to be stressed!

Right now I'm about to relax, rent a redbox and eat brownies with my sweetie! NIGHT!

Bonus Blog: Funny Childhood Story

Since I missed my blog on Sunday because I was so busy, and since I have committed to blogging everyday. I decided to supplement my blog today with an additional funny childhood story of mine. I hope you really enjoy it!

Ha. Life is so funny sometimes. My friend Morgan reminded me of a story I told her and her boyfriend a while ago. I'm sure you guys have all heard of the scripture about having faith the size of a mustard seed. Well I consider myself to have been a pretty intelligent kid. I listened in church. I heeded the scriptures and their words. So for a very intuitive child like myself, it was probably not best for me to have learned of the story of Peter who walked on water. Defying gravity and walking on water was a very cool concept to me. I mean just imagine how completely cool I would look if I simply had faith and could walk on water. Everyone would be looking at me like, this kid must be an angel or something, she can walk on water. Instead of Peter, I would be called Petrisha. LOL.Hmmm. I would be able to walk on water and be renamed out of respect for my new-found super human power.

Well, needless to say, when I went to the beach that summer, I was more than ready to test this theory. Walking on water.WOW. that's cool. And all I have to do is have faith right? Shoot. I believe. LOL. So I went to the deep end, and I remember thinking, “Jesus, I know I can't swim, but I’m about to show all of these non-believers in the house today, how far faith can take me. Right over to the other side. I believe lord. Yes I do. LOL. Well I remember stepping out and BOOM. Fell straight to the bottom. I remember thinking in panic stricken thoughts “I believe, I believe, I believe lord, what? How you gon let me sink like that lord, I said I believe!!!!” Well I think my “faith the size of a mustard seed” may have missed it by about a 100th of a centimeter. My measurements were off. Because had my uncle Anthony not jumped in and saved me, I would have been a goner. So, for my children, I hereby boycott the story of Peter walking on the water for fear that my children will be as blonde as their well-intentioned mother and decide to take the plunge (literally). I guess I missed the part of the story where Peter was actually walking TO JESUS and not across a pool, no Jesus in sight. LOL. I just thought I would share that funny childhood memory with the rest of the blogosphere. Until later.

Miserable, Monotonous, Melancholy, Mondays

Ew. I think that right before getting a flat tire,far right radical conservatives, getting bills in the mail, and stumping my toe first thing in the morning; above alllll of that, I desperately HATE Mondays. Hence my alliterative title for today's blog post. I don't know what it is about Mondays that is just so depressing. I mean, after having a wonderful, fun filled weekend, the LAST thing I want to do is wake up in my cold apartment on Monday morning, go out in the rain, and trudge to school. I guess it could be worse though; I guess I could have gotten mauled by a Jaguar in the Amazon or something.

I guess it didn't help that my grandmother told me, with all certainty, that she was 100% sure that it is supposed to rain all week. That cast a particularly dreary shadow on my week, but hopefully we can get at least one day of sunshine in there somewhere. Buutttt...there is something that I have to be very excited about.
Tonight I am going to see Justin :) For those of you who don't know, Justin and I have been dating since April 23, 2005. We decided to go to different colleges and experience life, and we had confidence that we would be just fine; and we have been. He lives about an hour and 30 minutes from my school (which is better than many long distance relationships) and since he has football, I literally go and visit as much as I can. This is our last year in undergrad and I can't believe how fast the time has flown. I was so scared in the beginning that something would happen and we wouldn't be together, but Justin is the most honest, faithful, loving person in the whole world and I have never doubted how much he loves me or our future together.

Okay I definitely just went from the most desolate description of my day to the sappiest paragraph in the world but he has that affect on me ;) Anyway I am going to see him tonight because I have no class on Tuesday's and Thursdays and I can stay tonight and tomorrow and then leave on Wednesday. Then I'm going back Friday. LOL. Anyway I love him so much and I could never be happy without him.

Another reason why I shouldn't be so hard on this particular Monday is because I get to see my sister Brittanie today. I wanted her to come with me this weekend but she had to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday. So I get to laugh and fool around with her for at least a few hours before I see Justin. From my description you would think my sister lives in some far off land, but in reality she lives next door BAHA. I love her though, every time I'm around her we stay "laughin up a storm" as she would put it.

In an early post, I mentioned how living alone can teach you a lot about yourself; Well I think one thing I've learned is how much I absolutely love my family. I have a way of thinking about things on a very cosmic level when I'm alone; I think about what my purpose is in this world and (dramatically) wonder how I would deal with something happening to my family members. Everyone has those moments when they tear up thinking about the worst, but I need to stop being a worrier and know that it is all in God's hands to keep them safe. I know this is random but I really feel like if a car was on top of one of my siblings I would be able to throw it off of them...can love take you that far? I don't know, I hope I never have to find out LOL.

Anyway, all of that is to say that I love my family--all of them. I can't wait for Justin and I to get married and THAT WAY I can finally be a WILLIAMS! YAY! Okay I am so random today, I need a nap. Until later.


Daily Confession: In my sleepy stupor this morning I got in the shower with my night clothes on BAHAHAHAHA. Shhh...keep that one to yourself. I was obviously TOO tired.

I Live for These Days

I had an absolutely stupendous day today. I started out the day, as usual, to the blare of my very annoying alarm clock at 10:00 a.m. Before I could even get out the bed, my mother was calling me to ask if I was on my way to Laurinburg. I sleepily told her that I would be leaving by 11:00.

So by 11:00 was all packed up and on my way out of the door. Of course, I had to stop by Brittanie’s apartment one more time to ask if she would please come, but she said she had too much work to do; so I started on my journey.

The drive from Greensboro to Laurinburg is one of the most monotonous two hours of my life; with no scenary and very little infastructure to look at, you only have two options for entertainment; the radio or CD player. I could have chosen sudden death by dosing off out of bordeom, but I decided against it (joking).It was one of those drives where you are constantly reminding yourself not to look at the clock because, undoubtedly, only three minutes would have passed; All of the Cds in my car are shamefully “played out,” so I constantly kept switching back and forth from radio advertisments to old Maroon 5. I hate driving two hours home; it just seems like it takes forever. Anyway, when I finally got there, I SHOULD have immediately gone and got my car inspected (which was one main reason why I decided to go home in the first place,) but of course I couldn’t resist stopping by my sister’s house first. When I got to her house, my niece Ramsey was sitting on the couch in her night clothes, and through the window I could hear her daddy saying “look who’s here lu” (lu is her nickname.)

I always love the expression my niece gets on her face when she sees me; from the expression, you would think that I was the Publisher's Clearing House guy and I'd just told her she was the million dollar winner. I love her so much; she never ceases to let me know how much she loves me and how glad she is that I came. The first things she said when she saw me holding my purple make-up bag was, “hey aunt BB, I see you brought that make-up bag to do my nails, right?” She is just too much. After speaking to Ramsey I went in to see my beautiful new born nice Bella Rose. She is sooooo sweet and the most perfect little angel you ever saw. We decided it was getting close to time to be at SaVannah (my future nieces) birthday party and we still needed a present. Needless to say, with all of the excitement, I happily forgot about getting my car inspected.

After going to Wal-mart and choosing a gift, we set off to Lasonya’s house (Justin’s older sister.) All of my favorite people in the whole wide world were there; Justin’s mom, sister, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins: I absolutely LOVE being around them. They always have the best food (SN: at the party we had hamburgers, hotdogs, fish, potato salad and sooo much more), and I love catching up with everybody and hearing about recent developments in their lives. Nate’s brother Willie brought his wife Shannon, and it was the first time I had ever talked with her; we laughed and had a good time throughout the day and I had a good time getting to know her. Jonathan also brought his new girlfriend, and although I was very sad (that he has decided to grow up on me and not be my little man anymore,) I have to admit that his little girlfriend was very sweet and perfectly adorable. SaVannah was so adorable eating her cake and she really had a successful first birthday! All in all, I left the party feeling quite nostalgic and looking forward to the holidays when I can spend much more time with them.

One of the best parts of my day is right now; I decided to take care of my niece Bella so that my sister and her husband Spank could go out on a date. I absolutely love my baby Bella. She is so sweet, she never fusses, and she just has the sweetest little spirit about her. My DIVA niece Ramsey should be coming home from a carnival pretty soon, and I will get to spend time with both of them. I love my family, the Williams family and being home in general; I can’t wait for the next time so Justin can be with us too and we can enjoy each other’s company. It was a fantastic day indeed!

Back To Reality, But At Least It's Friday

Today was a good day. Last night my house was so quiet I decided to try to sleep on my couch again and watch the same movie I fell asleep to the night before, The Age of Innocence. Needless to say, I couldn't fall asleep because it is very difficult for me to force myself to sleep. I was kind of afraid to fall asleep in my room. Something seems so dark and lonely about my room sometimes. Often times I won't sleep in there for that reason.

So the picture to the left depicts the way I felt this morning, LOL. I was begging for anything to prevent me from going to class. But of course, I woke up thirty minutes before class, took a shower, got dressed and, dutifully, started on my way.

Anyway, no real updates about law school. I got some mail yesterday from Elon and the University of Michigan (which, after further research, I am not even considering.) I have been procrastinating about finishing my personal statement, although I submitted the first draft to the head of the Political Science department and hopefully he can give me some good feedback on where to go from there (hence the procrastination picture) 10 days until I get my LSAT scores!

Daily Confession: Today we talked about salt in nutrition class; I have to admit, I have a problem. I NEED to stop adding salt to my food :/

Tomorrow is my 5 year, 6 mths anniversary!

Beautiful Thursdays

I've gone through several emotions today. I startled awake this morning and it took me a few seconds to figure out where I was; I realized that last night I had fallen asleep on my couch watching The Age of Innocence, a romance film set in 19th century New York. I love old movies, black and white movies, century old movies, whatever, I love them. My first love is history and I think that is what always draws me to the old movies.

Anyway, I decided today to write my friend a letter, who is in Australia right now studying abroad. So I wrote the letter (like 5 times until my hand writing was pretty) and then I went to wal-mart, bought some breast cancer awareness envelopes, and sent it. The picture in the top left signifies how I felt when I woke up. I don't have to go to work or class on Tuesday's and Thursdays so I felt completely free to do whatever I wanted.

Eventually however, as the day wore on, I began feeling a hint of loneliness. Living a lone definitely has its advantages: nobody telling you what to do, no animals (sorry Brittanie, I love Freddy and Onxy but..lol), and I can completely control what takes place in my house. I watch what I want, cook what I want, listen to my music loud or study in silence. But today seemed like a particularly beautiful day to be spending alone. I didn't really have much to do today, Justin left for an out of state foodball game this morning, so I really had no one to talk to or no one to laugh with. Brittanie has class all day, so it was just me.

One disadvantage of living alone is the deafening silence. Every now and again, you see something funny on television or you get home from a good day, and you would like to immediately have someone waiting to listen about it. When I used to live with my sister Brittanie, I would come home and Freddy (her sweet dog) would run up and act like a celebrity walked in. He would jump and whine and go crazy (or what Brittanie and I termed "going bonkers.") Anyway sometimes I miss it, most times I don't, but today...I missed it.

Today wasn't a totally depressing day however; I went and bought some brownies (something I never buy for my house is sweets because, unfortunately, I will eat them all because I'm the only one living here.) For that reason, I don't buy sweets, but today, I rented a movie at wal-mart, bought the brownies, and enjoyed another movie called "New York I love You." If you haven't guessed, I am a hopeless romantic, and probably always will be.

Daily Confession: I felt extremely guilty passing a homeless man today who said he was hungry. I didn't have any cash, but I could have easily gone and got some. I just felt guilty, I always feel guilty about that.

Dreary Day

Today is such a dreary day; not particularly just because of the rain, but because I had to wake up at 6:00 am and drive home from Davidson. Monday night I decided (on a whim) to drive to Davidson and spend a few days with Justin. I didn't get to see him this past weekend so I thought it would be good to see him, even if it was only one full day. But we had a lot of fun, we went to our favorite restaurant and Justin (as usual) got his chicken and cheese enchiladas and I got a chicken quesadilla (not that good.) When we were getting ready to leave he told me that he wasn't going to be able to come and see me this weekend like we thought because his plane doesn't touch back down in Davidson until 3:00 (he has an away football game.) So I was disappointed but I know I will see him again soon, even if I have to drive down again next Tuesday.

So this weekend we talked about where our lives are taking us. It really is a scary thought having no idea where you will be in ten months. I HOPE I will be in law school and I HOPE Justin will find a job close, but who knows right now. When we were coming to college I let my fear of the future get in the way of our relationship but I am not going to make that mistake this time; this time I plan on just hanging in for the ride, knowing we will be together regardless.

So little by little I want to talk about the law schools I'm interested in (and applying to). I will start in this post by talking about my top tier schools, that way there are no surprises later. First of all, my number one, would die to get in, biggest dream EVER, would be to go to NYU. New York University is in the top five for law schools and they have just the types of programs I am interested in. I am a bit irresolute about my decision to go there (IF I am admitted) because, surprisingly, I've never been to New York City. It is not as much about the location as it is about the valuable education I will receive if I go there; it is almost certain job security and I think I would be really well prepared once I graduate. I would want to visit first, but from what I've seen, it looks fantastic. So that is my number one choice.

There are some drawbacks:
A. If I go there I will be pretty far from my family and Justin. I have thought about this but my conclusion is that it will only be for three years, and who knows, maybe I will get to visit often and with skype, it may not be so bad.

B. It is expensive. I am HOPING that with my grades I may be eligible for some scholarships, if not, loans it is.

C. I'm afraid it will take me a while to get acclimated to life in NYC. I know people, however, who are much more limited in exposure to city life than me, and have fared relatively well. I'll just have to see.

The advantages would be great experience, clinical programs, and a whole new experience in a very different place.

I am still undecided, but I still have plenty of time.

Good news for today: My transcripts finally showed up on the LSAC website--12 days until I get my LSAT scores back! Also I got an e-mail from Elon for an open house on Friday. I may go, we'll see.


Daily Confession: Today was the first time I have ever forgotten to put on deodorant before school. I pretended I was sick and went home early LOL

This Blog

It is a known fact that I am terribly inconsistent with anything dealing with putting my thoughts on a page. In general, I have a pretty good memory although I've noticed that over the years, many beautiful memories have faded from me; had it not been for the countless hours I put into putting scrapbooks together, I would have forgotten many of the fun times and moments I shared with Justin at the beginning of my relationship. For that reason, I have begun keeping a diary; This blog however is for the family and friends who want to be up to speed on what is happening in my life.
I have always wanted to go to law school; when I was younger I thought "there is no way I am smart enough to be a lawyer." When I got to high school I thought, "well maybe its possible." But here I am, at the end of undergrad, and I feel as though my education has fully prepared me for the challenge of law school. I am under no illusion that it will be easy, but I know that the skills I've learned over my life has helped me grow into a different, more earnest and determined person. So many people around me are always saying "I can't believe you want to go to school for another three years immediately after being freed from undergrad," but I am really excited and ready to go. These past four years have flown by, and my dreams are right at my finger tips.
So, I guess I should begin by telling you what has happened thus far; to begin, I am applying to ten schools. Now, I know that seems like a lot, but I really want to have a lot of options. I am applying to three top tier, four schools that are more within reach, and then three schools that I am sure I can get into. I'll reveal those later. I took the LSAT two weeks ago and was in the test for 5.5 hours. My brain was killing me. I just recently perfected my resume, and I am still editing my personal statement. Things are starting to come together so be on the look out for new updates!