End of June

Wow! June flew by. I can't believe that tomorrow is July. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer though. Today is June 30... do you know what that means? EXACTLY 2 months until classes start up for the fall semester. I'm sure not ready for all the school work, so I would like to enjoy the summer some more! :)

June was a great month! I moved to Connecticut and ever since then we have been settling and exploring the area. For the most part I have been hanging out with my family, but once July is here, we are going to have a bunch of visitors and I'm going back to Louisville. Next week, Nick's friend will be here and we are going to NYC for two days. Then two weeks after that I will be going to Louisville for a week! I can't wait. And then on my way home I will be taking two friends back with me! A family friend will be here at the end of July too. And then it's August. July is going to fly by too. Do you know what else is in July? MY JOB!!! I finally got one and I will be working hard and earning some money until school starts. YAY!

How was your June?

My next post will be in JULY!!

Did you notice this was my 50th post too?!?!

"Expect A Miracle"

My Home Parish Group: St. Patrick

It has been two years since I went on a mission trip to Nazareth Farm. It was an amazing experience where I lived simply, prayed, lived as a community, and served others. I will never forget the people I helped and met. It was truly a great experience and I want to go back so bad! I hope sometime in the future I will get to go again and discover God in a whole different way once again. If you would like to know more about it I would love to share it with you!

Mission Statement of Nazareth Farm

Nazareth Farm is a Catholic community in rural West Virginia that transforms lives through a service-retreat experience. We are devoted to living out the Gospel message through the cornerstones of community, simplicity, prayer, and service. We serve alongside our neighbors to address substandard housing by providing home repair. We celebrate the richness of Appalachia and experience God by building relationships between our volunteers and the local community.

From their website: http://www.nazarethfarm.org/index.htm

I Did Well!

For the Spring Semester I made the President's List! That means that I made a GPA 3.8-4.0. I was so happy to hear that I did really well and the hard work paid off! I hope that I will do well next semester.

Here is the link to find my name: (I am listed under Non-Bowling Green Area Students and it says that I live in Southbury, CT. You can always use the "Find" button too)

http://www.wku.edu/deanslist.html

Update on my Summer Reading List (2)

Today I just finished "A Time to Kill" by John Grisham. It was a really good book! I had a hard time putting it down. It was one of the longest books that I have ever read being 655 pages. I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish it, but I did! I would highly recommend it.

Here is a description below:

Near the rural town of Clanton, Mississippi, little Tonya Hailey is brutally raped, beaten, and left for dead by two drunken and remorseless men. The rapists are almost immediately caught in a road side bar, where they have been bragging of their exploits. When the men appear in court days later, Tonya's father Carl bursts out of the courthouse basement, and executes them with an assault rifle. Murder or executions? Justice or revenge? Carl trusts his life to only one man in town - local criminal lawyer Jake Brigance, who dreams of famous cases, headlines, and the big time. Jake is about to face the fight of his life, and he knows it. Not only is he up against Rufus Buckley - a tough, ambitious district attorney who realizes that a murder conviction could help him gain higher office - but he has a much bigger problem: the rapists are white, the judge is white - and Carl is black. This is a trial sure to change forever the lives of everyone involved. A Time to Kill is a riveting novel that challenges everything we think we know about justice and equality.

I also finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon a few weeks ago. It was good, but not amazing. Definitely an easy read. I'm not sure what I am going to read next, but I will be sure to update you!

One of my Favorite Movies

The Parent Trap

I love this movie! . The newer one with Lindsay Lohan. Although I'm not a fan of her, she was a great actress in the movie. It has been on TV the past few days so that is why I decided to blog about it. I could probably watch the movie all day any day. It never gets old! It was made in 1998, but I'm not sure the first time that I saw it. But a few years ago I asked for it for my birthday and I got it from my grandparents. So I watch it ever now and then. I also like the older one that was made in the 60's but the newer one is better for sure.

Here is the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ7aYy7fvYo

Update for the Week

Wow, I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in a week! It is so unlike me... But it was because I had a busy and fun second week here in Connecticut. In the beginning of the week I did some more job hunting, but it was unsuccessful. I had an interview at Kmart Monday but no luck because they weren't hiring. (Then why did they call me in for an interview!? It was frustrating and the lady was very rude!) I also did some shopping with my mom to look for mirrors for the bathrooms. A few days the weather was cold and rainy so we had to stay inside. But that meant that I had plenty of time inside to scrapbook! I got 3 pages done (Nick's China trip, Nick's Belize trip, and Spring Break) but I still have a lot more to do. Thursday was Nick's 18th birthday. We celebrated with dessert and presents and later went to a baseball game in Bridgeport. Also on Thursday I got to see my friend Alina who lives in California now, but used to leave here in CT so she was visiting her friends for week. I know her from KY though because we went to school together. It was great to see her because I hadn't seen her in a year. On Friday we went to Jennings Beach in Fairfield. It was really nice and a perfect day to catch some rays. The water was freezing so very few people were swimming. Overall it has been a great week :)

Jennings Beach

Bridgeport Bluefish Baseball Game (The Mascot)

Nick's Birthday Dessert I Made. Brownie, Chocolate Pudding, Blackberries, Strawberries and Whipped Cream.

Stew Leonard's with Alina

Job Search

I NEED A JOB! I need money and I need to do something with my time, so I'm not stuck at home all day! It will be a great way for me to meet some new people here, and maybe some potential new friends :)

I've been having a hard time trying to find one. Most businesses don't want anybody for just 2 1/2 months. I had an interview at Stop and Shop but they didn't hire me because it was only for the summer.. boo. But I have an interview at Kmart tomorrow. Please pray that I will get the job or at least get a job from another business! Thanks :)

Here are the places I've applied:

Stew Leonard's (grocery store)

Hallmark

Staples

Stop and Shop (grocery store)

Kmart

Quassy Amusement Park

Border's

McDonald's

Dunkin-Donuts

Blue= Didn't hire

Green= Still in the running because I haven't heard from them yet

Purple= Interview!

Mystic

I've been in Connecticut for a week now and today my family and I went on our first site-seeing adventure. We went to Mystic, CT which is about an hour and half away from our home. We went to the Mystic Seaport which was known for whaling and building ships in the early 1900's. It was really neat and we had fun exploring. Since it was raining we only went to the seaport and not downtown where all the shops are.

Info from the website:

http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=71D629AE-DFE3-7BEE-77C24ABDB528DB9E

"Mystic Seaport -- The Museum of America and the Sea -- is the nation's leading maritime museum. Explore American maritime history first-hand as you climb aboard historic tall ships, stroll through a re-created 19th-century coastal village or watch a working preservation shipyard in action. Founded in 1929, more than 300,000 people continue to visit Mystic Seaport annually."

Some of the ships

The Lighthouse

In front of the sign

S CLUB 7!

Does anybody remember S Club 7? They were one of my favorite bands when I was younger. I own their CD. I used to love watching their TV show on ABC family!

Outside of New House

Here are some pictures that I took of the outside of my house!

Backyard (1.4 acres)

Front Door

The House

View from my street

Street Sign

Pictures of the inside of the house will be coming soon. The movers are here right now as I'm writing this post! So I will be unpacking soon and settling down.

My Room

Today my mom and I went shopping around town. Since there are only few big stores Southbury, we went to the next city which is called Danbury. We looked around for decorating ideas (bathroom curtains, mirrors, etc.). We took note of the things we liked but we didn't buy anything. At Target we found a new comforter for my room! It is a lot cuter in person, but I can't wait to put it on my bed! (once my bed finally gets here). The picture of it is above.

So...this isn't about my room but.... I went to Kohl's too and found this really pretty ring that I want. But I resisted and didn't buy it. But hopefully I will have a job soon and I will go back and buy it!! The picture of it is below.

I've made it!

After a 13-hour drive from Louisville, KY to Southbury, CT my family and I officially have a new home! Our moving truck doesn't come until Monday morning so we don't have any of our stuff. We will have to sleep on the floor until then. So far we have gone grocery shopping and I have organized the pantry and fridge. I have to make sure everything is in its spot! We have chosen our rooms. Since Chris will be living at home for awhile he got first choice... and of course he chose the biggest room. And who gets the smallest? ME! Oh well, I don't really mind because I have a walk-in closet!

I will be uploading pictures soon! Keep checking my blog for updates.

What to do in a car for 13 hours?

My brother Nick and I will be driving up to Connecticut together on Friday. It is a 13+ drive. I plan on sleeping, listening to music, and reading when I'm not driving. But I found a funny list on the internet of what to do while in the car. I'm sure I won't be doing any of these, but they were fun to read.

Write "X - BURIED TREASURE" in random spots on all of someone's roadmaps.

Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."

Specify that your drive-through order is "to go."

Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.

Leave your turn signal on for fifty miles.

Vary your vehicle's speed inversly with the speed limit.

Roll down the windows and blast talk radio. Attempt to head bang.

At stop lights, eye the person in the next car suspiciously. With a look of fear, lock your doors.

Two words: Chicken Suit

Write the works "Help Me" on your back window in red paint. The more it looks like blood, the better.

Laugh a lot. A whole lot.

Stop at the green lights.

Occasionally wave a stuffed animal/troll doll/Barbie out your window or sunroof. Feel free to make it dance.

Eat food that requires silverware.

Pass cars, then drive very slowly.

Sing without having the radio on.

Honk frequently without motivation.

Wave at people often. If they wave back, offer an angry look and an obscene gesture.

Look behind you frequently, with a very paranoid look.

Restart your car at every stop light.

Hang numerous car-fresheners in the rear-veiw mirror. Talk to them, stroking them lovingly.

Throw burning things in the windows of smokers who throw their butts out the window.

Cheer for firetrucks. Boo ambulances. Moon police cars.

Stop and collect roadkill.

Stop and pray to roadkill.

Get in the fast lane and gradually ... slow ... down ... to a stop. Then get out and watch the cars. Throw Spam at them.