Thanksgiving 2009: In a Nutshell

This Thanksgiving was different than all the other Thanksgivings of my lifetime. For the first time ever, I spent Thanksgiving somewhere other than Newport, Arkansas.

My parents, Jonathan, and I piled up in the car on Sunday afternoon and drove to Seaside, FL for our "Planning Day" that kicks off the wedding plans. We drove half way on Sunday and finished up the drive on Monday. After eating lunch and taking a couple of minutes to unload the car, we piled into the car again and took off on quite the adventurous ride to look at reception venues. That lasted all afternoon and was immediately followed by dinner and extreme exhaustion.

Tuesday was our official "Planning Day" in Seaside and began at 9:00 in the morning. We met with our wedding coordinator, Heather, then we met with three photographers, met with Heather again to check out the chapel, had a cake tasting, and then met with two florists. Yet again, exhaustion ensued.

Wednesday, we met with a cake baker, a videographer, two reception venues, and looked at some dishes. I think by now you surely get the exhaustion routine.

Then came Thanksgiving :) Our last day in Seaside, we relaxed. We slept in, watched the parade, went to a movie, and had a great time.

Today, Friday, we drove all ten hours home.

Overall, the week was exciting and stressful and fun and frightening and overwhelming and exhilarating and a lot of other things all rolled into one extremely strange emotional package.

Anyway, I still don't feel like Thanksgiving has come and gone. This week was totally surreal; I still don't feel like it's time to plan my wedding, but I'm excited nonetheless.

The 'g word' and other thoughts.

Okay, so I know it isn't Christmas yet, but I get in 'holiday mode' a couple of weeks after Halloween. I love, love love this time of year. I always enjoy watching the color of the leaves change and stepping on crunchy leaves as I walk around campus (I know it's a weird fascination, but I enjoy it nonetheless).

Tomorrow marks the last day of school before Thanksgiving break :) I CANNOT wait. Even though I'm going to have a lot of homework to do over the week-long furlough, I'm still looking forward to it. A break's a break, right? I thought so, too.

The only issue I have with the approaching holiday is the approaching end of said holiday, because then it's crunch time in the school world. We're talking serious amounts of work. It always amazes me how much I can get done the two weeks before finals.

Now that I've brought up finals, I'll lay it back to rest (in a second), because the mention of finals means the mention of the end of the semester which means the mention of the beginning of the next semester which means the mention of the end of the next semester which means the mention of graduation which makes me nervous. I know I probably shouldn't be compartmentalizing all of the upcoming changes in my life, but I am. End of story. Okay, well, that's enough. No more mention of the 'g word.' Got it? Good.

You have GOT to be kidding me

I know the Twilight series is big; I know it's popular. I've read all four books. Were they terrible? No. In all fairness, I found the novels relatively interesting, and, for the most part, they held my attention.

Literarily, though, I was unimpressed.

Do we seriously need to compare Stephanie Meyer to the likes of William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Emily Bronte? Absolutely NOT.

Aside from the issues I have with Meyer's portrayal of women and love in the novels and any other issues I might have, literarily speaking, there is no comparison between the Twilight series and the brilliant works of literature above.

I feel very strongly that someone owes Shakespeare, Austen, and Bronte a big, big, big apology.

What I Just Finished...

Tender Mercies: Inside the World of a Child Abuse Investigator is a narrative written by CPS caseworker Keith Richards. I read this book for an assignment in my Child Abuse & Neglect class.

Literarily, this book has little merit. It does read quickly and easily, and if you're interested in a CPS worker's point of view on his job and it's difficulties with a few example cases thrown in, then this book is for you.

What I Just Finished...

I just finished reading Edward P. Jones' The Known World, and I LOVED it! The novel has several characters and lacks a protagonist, but Jones manages to weave a story together through the interconnectedness of his character's lives that is both beautiful and inspiring.

The novel is set in Manchester County, Virginia, before the Civil War. Centering around the activities of various citizens of Manchester County, Jones highlights the perversion slavery brings to a society. His beautiful language and attention to detail reeled me in from page one.

Now, even though I greatly enjoyed this book, I might hesitate to recommend it to just anyone. Since Jones chooses to use so many characters, it can be confusing, especially in the beginning, trying to keep everyone straight. However, once I got to know the characters, this problem went away. Another thing that some people may be bothered by is that there is no definite protagonist. Sure, there are characters who play a greater role in the novel than others do, but it would be difficult to pinpoint only one main character. I can see how this would be annoying or confusing to some people, but I found it interesting. The lack of a protagonist, for me, gave the opportunity to look at and experience the lives and feelings of each of the characters, instead of limiting myself to just one.

With those disclaimers aside, I must say that this book is definitely on my list of favorites.

I hope you'll pick it up and give it try!

Driver Calls 911 to Report Herself as Drunk

I read this on MSN today:

Associated Press

updated 8:08 p.m. CT, Mon., Nov . 2, 2009

NEILSVILLE, Wis. - The call came into the 911 dispatcher: "I don't want to hurt anybody. I'm drunk." And with that, Mary Strey, 49, of Granton, reported herself as a drunken driver about three miles northeast of Neilsville in central Wisconsin.

Clark County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Backus said Monday that Strey's call on Oct. 24 led deputies to cite her for misdemeanor drunken driving with a blood-alcohol level double the legal limit to drive. She makes her first court appearance Dec. 10.

Backus said drunken drivers reporting themselves is rare.

In the 911 call, Strey said she wanted to report a drunken driver and the dispatcher asked if she was behind the suspect vehicle. "I am them," Strey said. She then followed the dispatcher's advice to pull over and turn on her flashers, telling him she had been "drinking all night long."

"Backus said drunken drivers reporting themselves is rare." Really? Who would've guessed that? :)

At least this woman was honest enough to get herself off of the road before she hurt herself or someone else. I can't help but wonder, now that she is being charged, does she regret reporting herself? IF it were me, I'd probably be wishing right about now that I hadn't taken the high road and turned myself in, but I think I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, and say that she turned herself in knowingly, still remembers this action, and is willing to serve for her punishment in any way the courts deem necessary. A big part of me wonders if such will be the case.

Despite all my ponderings, I couldn't help but giggle a little at this story. We generally stop telling on ourselves at an early age, and I think it's humorous that this woman told on her self in such a way that she will face legal consequences. I also think this action is commendable and honorable. Perhaps life would be easier and the world a much better place if we were all willing and able to admit our faults and ask for help, if nothing more than for the sake of those around us.

Goin' to the chapel...quite literally.

In 264 days (that's July 24, 2010), Jonathan and I are getting married in the Interfaith Chapel at Seaside, Florida. Here's a picture >>>>>>>

Get excited.