My "Free Spirited" Friend

Emily is one of the most free spirited, healthy, happy people I know. She is Greek and Turkish. She is curvy but not fat at all-she doesn't believe in being stick thin and this only adds to her appeal. She laughs really loud and isn't embarassed by herself. She isn't afraid to show emotion. She is engagingly funny ( even though she is a little bit foolish sometimes, but who isn't?) and rapturously pleasant. She is inspiring.

She is also drop-dead gorgeous (in my opinion). She has beautiful eyes and immensely thick, wavy hair. But she doesn't make me jealous. Some beauties act condescending and overly-important, especially around guys, which only incites temporary repulsion in how I react to them. But Emily isn't like that. She isn't skin deep. She is happy with who she is, with the body God created her with and she won't hide her joy.

She brings out the best in me and it is incredibly helpful for me, physically, to be around her. When I am with Emily, I grow in contentment with the body God gave me because she is content. Also, she helps me, unconciously, in how I relate to guys.

Emily is a little guy-crazy sometimes. However, she is really at ease with them-not in a loose way either. But she isn't embarassed or overly flirtatious or... I don't know how to describe it but she doesn't make the guy-girl friendship thing to be a huge complicated issue, like I do sometimes. If she makes a verbal mistake, she doesn't dwell on it, like I tend to do, because most guys don't.

Emily is a free spirit, and an entirely unique one too because she has the personality that God has given her. I want to be a free spirit (with Christ) too but in my own unique way. I will never be exactly like her in every detail but I will and am learning to more at home in my own skin.

Thanks, Emily. I love you.

So wierd...

In case anyone is a big fan of David Duchovny- I found out that he has his own blog going on at this site: http://lionsgatedirectors.com/duchovny/2005/02/now-i-needed-spine.html#comments.

Personally, I really liked his acting job in "Return to Me." I highly recommend this chic flick. Hahaha! (Sadly, I cry everytime I watch it.)

Christ is RISEN!!!

Today is a celebration of life. Christ died and rose again so that we can LIVE. He gave us a reason for getting up in the morning, a reason to live for others and for yourself, an answer to all the questions in the universe.

I am so grateful for His sacrifice.

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Lifeguarding was fine. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I passed and I got qualified to use an AED (automated external defibrillator), those machines that the doctors use to restart the heart-you know the ones that make the unconcious guy jump a little. Anyway, all the teachers really liked me and I think I may very well get hired there. I hope so......

After Thursday...

I will be an official lifeguard.

I am wasting my spring vacation 8-5 at a pool-basically at school. Oh well, it should be fun some of the time.

Besides, it probably would be helpful to my career "plan" of becoming an EMT if God wills.

So after Thursday...y'all can invite me to your pool parties and not worry about anyone drowning. Hahahaa!!!!!

I finally know...

what I want to be when I grow up. Well, I want to be this but God may lead me in a different direction.

I want to be an EMT (emergency medical technician).

I want to save peoples' lives and experience the thrill and challenge of riding in an ambulance. I want make a difference, with the career that I pick.

My mom says she thinks that would be a great choice for me. I think so too. The only concern I have is the math side of it but if I want it badly enough, I think I could conquer math. Besides, I can do regular and medium level math but algebra is where it gets me.

My second choice if the EMT thing doesn't work is being a PR rep. (public relations representative.) I love working with people but that side of it doesn't have the excitement of really making a difference, etc.

Of course, WHATEVER God chooses for me is what I'm going to do- no question about that.

My "Worst" Fear Come True....

Okay-evidently, I am a sissy. I do not want to be a sissy and I have been trying to be more adventurous but when it comes to getting up at 7:15 and going to the dentist to get a massive shot in the roof and side of your mouth in order for the area to be numb for a filling...I am NOT an adventurous soul.

It isn't that I am squeamish. No, not at all. It isn't even that I am afraid of most shots. But I am afraid of needles that puncture bone and needles that look like they should be crocheting instead of being stuck inside my MOUTH or up my veins!!! I can prove I am not squeamish-sort of anyway. I gave blood yesterday. I told myself the minor, brief pain of the huge needle was worth it in order to help save 3 peoples' lives!!! But in this case, I am not saving anyone's life. But I guess I am preventing terrible pain later on for myself.....

I still don't relish the idea.

There are three things wrong with getting a filling. I call them the "Terrible S's." The first is the Shot, the second is the Smell, and the third is the Sound. I dislike all of them sooo I have discovered a partial remedy for both:

1) Solution to the Shot: Take two Tylenol pills or Advil about 30 minutes beforehand. The dentist said they have had people do that and it has helped a good bit.

2) Solution to the Smell: The smell of burning enamel is really, really awful. My solution is to get a little vial of lavender oil and put one or two small drops at the end of your nostrils (ewww). It's either that or get a highly "stylish" noseplug.

3) Solution to the Sound: Bring a really loud Cd player and/or earplugs to cover the noise some. But you have to remember that the sound will be vibrating your eardrums anyway, it just might eliminate it a little.

So that is my plan. I don't think I will be able to get the lavender oil and the Cd part of my Cd player doesn't work but I can play either a tape or the radio really loud instead. And the Tylenol is an experiment but we shall see.

At least I only have another 12 hours + to worry about it. But for some strange reason, I am freaking out about it far less now that I KNOW I have to have a filling.

I'll be fine. (I hope....)

Surprise, Suprise!!

I know I have been "avoiding" you and I deserve whatever punishment you think fit but I have been busy.

Plus,

I GOT MY BRACES OFF!!!! After exactly 5 years and one day, I got them off. (On Tuesday!) My mouth looked so foreign sitting on my face. I wanted them to put my braces back on, I wanted to wear a scarf over the lower portion of my face-something-anything to cover it up. For you see, I , actually everyone, had forgotten what my original smile looked like. And when my braces came off, I didn't appear anything like I had for half a decade (!!!).

The reactions:

My cousin didn't know me. We looked at some pictures that had just been developed and one was a full frontal of me with braces. He pointed to it and said that he knew her, not the girl standing in front of him.

My mom was really happy. I mean REALLY happy.

My best friend was ecstatic. She wanted my braces off practically more than me.

My sisters (my other best friends) had to do a couple double takes but they adjusted rapidly.

My brother was cool with it.

My swimming friends were happy for me but that is where any other emotion stopped. It isn't their fault. It isn't like we spend much time together.

Me? I was in shock. I was smiling the whole way home on my bike. I kept trying to shut my mouth but it wasn't working. At one point, I cackled. :) I know I am getting really honest but it was such a shock. Plus, my teeth felt really slimy.

I have to go to the dentist next week and I KNOW I will have to get a filling. I really, really, really hate the dentist and especially fillings. I wonder if a Tylenol would dull the pain of the local anethesia shot? I should try it. I can handle everything but that. (Well, I can handle that too but let's just stay I really don't like it.)

I have to get back to the W.W.W. (a.k.a. World Wide Web) because I have to do a speech on Tuesday on the heart (?) and I need to find some info. Thank goodness for the internet. Everything's just a click away.

My General State of Mind & Body is.....

..better.

I am recovering from my illness. Thank you for your patience. I am sure it was murder to wait and see how the whole boat trip went for me. (Suuuurrrre.)

It went roughly okay considering we had a motley crew aboard the ol' pirate ship. Harharr!!!......Oh, sorry. Obviously, better does not mean entirely well. :)

I didn't go crazy suprisingly!!!! We had beautiful weather the whole time and thankfully, God staved off my illness until 10 minutes (literally) after I had gotten home.

So, now you tell me you want a play-by-play? Well, I must leave out a few facts, change a few names, and omit the mutinous crew members we left behind on the desert island!!!!!!!!!!!!!........I am doing it again, aren't I?

ANYWAY!!!! The boat didn't sink, I didn't get wet, I didn't have to drive the boat (which is good, I probably would have run us aground), we got roughly enough sleep, we got to eat Mexican food when we went ashore in Rainier, Saturday night, and I didn't have any TERRIBLY clutzy moments except when I almost shoved someone overboard in a FIT OF ANGER THAT DROVE THE REST OF THE CREW TO BODILY CONSTRAIN ME AND THROW ME IN THE FISH HOLD........sorry. I couldn't resist.

The only really, kind of, sort of bad part of the trip that made me very grateful to have 6 strong men aboard was when we saw our motel for Saturday night. That is like a Hollywood gansta' movie all on its own and deserves a separate paragraph.

We reached Rainier, I dunno, around 3-4? We parked at the transit dock which was nice with big rusty-red metal pillar things (piers??) with those sparkly white cones on top that make them look like bullwarks to a fairy-tale castle. (I know I am mixing up my adjectives but it is my story, I can do what I want.)

Anyway, we reached the transit docks, and (duh!) docked. Those of us (M, B, JP, U.J., me, and B) who were going to stay at the motel gathered our stuff and walked the two blocks or so to the motel.

The motel looked like one of those druggie nests that you see on "Cops." The current tenets looked no better and appeared to be meth-users, and over half of them looked like they lived at the motel. I started to hyper-venilate as we waited for the owner to come back from grocery shopping. I was really beginning to be concerned and I thought it would be a good idea to check the post-office's "wanted" posters for his face. Maybe he was a murderer or an undercover drug-lord!!!!!!!!

I exaggerate too much in my mind. Someone needs to blindfold me the next time we stay at a 1/2 star motel.

Anyway, the owner wasn't too bad and the room was much better than the rest of the motel looked. It smelled though. I was still freaking out though and I split with Becki A.S.A.P. back to the boat.

Once back at the boat, the motel was out of sight but not out of mind. But I rapidly became grateful for the relatively safe life that God was blessed me with. Some people would be overwhelmingly grateful for one night in a motel like that, since it is better than sleeping under a bridge with murderers and druggies.

So I accepted the motel as a challenge as well as sharing an extremely uncomfortable futon and found that that motel was THE quiestest motel I have EVER slept in. (Possibly because all the other tenets were stoned.)

The rest of the trip went great. It was beautiful weather. We had gorgeous sunrises both Sat. and Sun. I got to practice my sketching and best of all, I got to hang with my cousins a.k.a. my adopted brother and sisters a.k.a. my best friends, besides my own brother and sisters.

I know this was annoyingly long. You can scan it, you have my permission. :) But if you are really bored, it is a good time-filler. :)