Long time, no write

Its been quite awhile. Ok, its been over 3 months. Sorry. I don't think there's many that ever read this anyway. Quick update...school still keeps me busy. Busier than ever before. But here's some of what I've been up to:

http://www.unomaha.edu/broadcas/brctjrnfall07/carsey.php

Don't make fun. This was my first semester with an EFP camera. No laughing.

I also went to Dallas at the beginning of the month for a short trip. That was fun.

Thanksgiving was great. I did more cooking than ever before. After all that cooking I don't believe that he has the right to ask the question, "What's for dinner?" until at least January.

I noticed a new patch of gray hair yesterday. Must call Kylie for an appointment....

That's it for the moment. here's some pics to illustrate the last couple of months. enjoy.

To dream....

It seems I have been having a lot of dreams lately. Not dreams as in hopes and goals, but dreams when I am sleeping. Wierd dreams. Dreams that when I wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I think to myself, WTF? Did I eat something wierd before I went to sleep? (I have noticed that if I partake in a treat from Taco Bell before bedtime, crazy dreams ensue.) What causes a person to dream, and what the hell do they mean? I will describe bits and pieces of my dreams last night (there were a lot of them) and maybe you can help me. They are in no specific order, as my dreams are more often than not "out of order". Here goes.

I went to London with the International Communication class. I took the trip at the end of the semester, but I did not take the formal class. I can't remember who all was on the trip, but Dierdre was with me (she is my massage therapist and we worked at the salon together). We had decided to go to Italy as well while we were in Europe. I was very very excited to be trotting around the globe, but felt underprepared. I had packed poorly, and did not bring enough underwear, or my pepto bismol. I only had $120 dollars with me, and I was to be gone for almost 3 weeks! But not to worry, my parents showed up at the airport in England and brought me about $1000. Said it was a gift, and have fun. I asked them why they came all the way to London to bring me money, they said they forgot to give it to me before I left. It was in 8 small manilla envelopes, and 2 white envelopes. The told me that one of the white envelopes had come in the mail for me. I opened it and it was a letter from Von Maur. They said that they over-deducted my taxes two years ago, and $80 was what they owed me. Bastards.

We left the airport, and I seperated from the group for a project I had to work on. I went to a local farm where they were having trouble with their pumpkin crop. The pumpkins were getting abnormally large, but rotting on the vine. The vines were EXTREMELY oversized, and there were little to no leaves on most of them. I took pictures of all this. Then I drank some orange juice, they had a lot of it there, and left.

Then Matt appeared for a bit, and I will skip to the next part.

The next thing I remember was that I came upon this GINORMOUS tree in a prarie. It looked like a tree that came out of the Amazon, because it had huge vines growing out of the top of it. There was a small beehive and a couple bees in it. I looked toward the top and saw a family of sloths hanging on the vines, they were green and covered with a moss of some type. I studied the tree for awhile, decided I liked it, then decided to come back the next day. When I returned the next day, the tree was gone, uprooted, removed. There was one lonely sloth sitting where the tree had been. I asked him what happened, and he said that someone had chopped it down and he was now homeless (I'm crazy, who else has talking sloths in their dreams?). I said I would help him find a new home, so i picked him up by his long black claws, and we went searching for a new tree.

We searched and searched and searched. We tried out half a dozen different trees, but none of them were right, they weren't large enough, or their vines weren't strong enough, and so on and so on....

The sloth and I returned to the spot where the tree had been. There was a lady there, I asked here where the tree had gone. She told me that she had it chopped down, because it was dying. I yelled and screamed at her, " but where are the sloths going to live?" She didn't seem to care, and it made me extremely angry and upset.

That's all I really remember. Crazy, huh.

I do have a dream book. But where do I begin? according to the book...

• Dreaming about traveling signifies profit and pleasure combined. (hmmm, doesn't sound too bad)


• To dream about finding money, denotes small worries, but much happiness. Changes will follow.


• Envelopes seen in a dream , omens news of a sorrowful cast. (doh!)


• To take a picture, denotes that you will engage in some unremunerative enterprise. (what?)


• To dream of trees in new foliage, foretells a happy consummation of hopes and desires. Dead trees signal sorrow and loss. (hmmm....)


• To dreams of vines (they appeared twice in this dream), is propitious of success and happiness.


• Bees signify pleasant and profitable engagements.


• To dream of anger, denotes that some awful trial awaits you. Disappointments in loved ones, and broken ties, or enemies may make new attacks upon your property or character. (good thing I don't have many enemies!)

I found no mention in my boook of pumpkins, orange juice or sloths. Bummer.

I am left with no clue as to what this all means. Maybe dream interpretation is a bunch of bologna. Thanks for nothing Freud.

Maybe I shouldn't have eaten those cashews before I went to bed......

Why is it, that every summer when August begins to rear its ugly face....I feel like I have nothing to show for the summer thus far. Last year was exactly the same...and the tear before, and the year before that, etc.... Accomplishments this summer thus far....I took 3 summer classes, and received A+s in each, went to St. Louis and toured the Budweiser Brewery, watched a handful of friends get married, watched a couple of friends have babies, worked a couple of Lauder events, worked a few Royals games, went to Bennington Daze, buried my grandfather, finished the Summer mini-tour at Old-Chicago, and am buying a new house. But I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment from any of it.

Maybe I will start focusing on next summer. Maybe I will plan as many things as I possibly can for next year. That way I can have an amazing summer before getting a real-world job; but after finishing school.

Hmmmm.....I love planning.

New things....

I have two new things to share.......

1.) My new MacBook Pro is on its way. get excited! I got a free nano with it as well. Shibby.

2.) I got a new gig for 3 days this summer. There's this show coming to town, maybe you have heard of it....they needed a production assistant while they are in Omaha, and well.....



that's right.

Goodbye Gramps

The cancer came quickly. We found out in the middle of May, and by June 24th he was gone. I suppose in most people's eyes, that's not a very long time to "suffer" from cancer. but my family and I beg to differ. Watching someone die of cancer is the most horrible thing I have ever been through, and I have done it twice this year. Needless to say, I don't care to do it ever again. I'll have to say though, I think my family did really well. We came out knowing that death is a part of life. It's going to happen sooner or later, and as long as one is prepared, there is no fear in it.

We have plenty of good memories to cling to. Times when Grandpa put on a funny hat to make us laugh, or took us out for ice-cream, or, for his granddaughters, when he reminded us of how beautiful he thought we were. I choose to remember those moments, above all.

His funeral was yesterday, at 11 in the morning. Grandpa had been a proud NAVY man. He had enlisted when he was 21, and served in the Phillipines during the Korean War. He was in the construction brigade, they called themselves the Seabees. I sat in my seat, in the front row and listened to the soloist sing the NAVY Hymn. Then I watched closely as the Color Guard marched up the aisle and carefully folded the American Flag that had been placed over his closed casket. The tears welled up in my eyes as they did so. They did not spill over until the soldiers turned, presented my Grandmother with the flag, and saluted her. As she stared at the neatly folded flag in her lap, I noticed how tired she looked, and I cried for her. The tears spilled over, and my family and I mourned together in that moment. There was not a dry eye to be found. As I watched my grandmother hold my grandfather's flag, Taps began to play, the military's call to "Exstinguish Lights". As the soldier spoke the call, "All is well, " I believed that it would be. Eventually, just not today.

These are a few....

...of my favorite things. In no particular order. I've been told that a person can, in fact, have too much of a good thing. But just how much is too much? For some reason, I CAN NOT get enough of these this summer thus far.

I guess I also shouldn't complain about the fact that I cannot seem to lose any weight lately either. But its summer time, and a girl's gonna do what a girl's gonna do. Henry David Thoreau says its ok.

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

Thanks Henry, I needed some assurance.

Fun with the Cuz

I went to KC this weekend. Had a great time seeing Mom and Dad, and was lucky to get to spend some time with my cousin Erin. I don't get to see as much of her as I would like. She took me to a wonderful sushi dinner at a new place in downtown KC. It was wonderful. They served wasabi deviled eggs. Delicious.

Then we went walking around. We happened upon a street dance/beer garden/people watching extravaganza for Kansas City's Gay Pride Week. Very interesting. I only counted three mesh shirts, so I was a little disappointed in that aspect, but I did get to see a 7 foot tall drag queen. It was one of the highlights of my day.

After partying with the gays for awhile, we went to Christopher Elbow's new shop. Erin hadn't checked it out yet, and I had not partaken in a delectable treat of Chris' in quite some time. I was elated to go. If you have never enjoyed his chocolates, you can order some here:

http://www.elbowchocolates.com/

If you have the means, I highly recommend picking some up. He makes a caramel/sea salt one that is my absolute fave. Then, $8 worth of chocolate later, we walked back to our car in the rain. Very fun evening.

The next day I mostly just hung out with mom. Then we made dinner; salmon on the grill, and whole wheat pasta with a vodka cream sauce. Wonderful. We almost singed our eyebrows off on the grill though. Nasty.

Then on sunday, I got up and went to church with Mom and Dad, then we went to Parkville for brunch at a French Restaurant, Cafe de Amis. It was wonderful, and we had a cute little french waiter. :)

All in all, I guess I mostly did A LOT of eating. Darn it. Oh well. Thanks to the fam for a wonderful weekend!!

Summer time, and the livin's easy

Summer quickly approaches. I consider it to be officially summer, as most people do, after Memorial Day.

Time for Pina Coladas by the pool, swim suits hanging up to dry in my shower, and the CWS.

Time for less makeup, more sunscreen, and a larger quantity of blonde highlights.

Here's to summer, and the reasons I love it!

sun . water . vacations . hot dogs on the grill . parties with friends . beer on the patio at night . Baseball season . the CWS . outdoor concerts . patio seating . road trips . Bennington Daze . parades . driving with the sunroof open . ice cream . going to the pool . pedicures . sangria . movies . thunderstorms . golf tournaments . random marketing/promotions jobs .

Goodbye Pop

Today we said goodbye to Matt's grandfather, "Pop". The funeral was at 10 am this morning. IT was your average funeral I guess you could say....flowers, good eulogy, all that. Pastor Leroy Gerner did the service, excellent job. We all went out for sushi tonight; most of us anyway. Myself, Matt, Don, Laura, Rick, Jurg, and Katie. It was a great time. We drank beer and ate sushi while revealing some of our favorite Pop stories. A "roast" for Pop you could say, without him being there. But in a way, he was there. That's just the way he would have wanted it. His loved ones together at dinner, sharing stories, laughing till they needed to wipe their eyes with a handkerchief.

Laughing all the pain away.

Pain from a hard week. Watching someone die slowly of cancer that eats you from the inside out. Pain from saying good bye to your Dad, your Father, your Grandfather, the one who raised you, believed in you, and sold caskets for a living so you could go to college and have shoes on your feet.

It was a great night. I felt that Pop was right there laughing along with all of us. We laughed so hard I think he heard us all the way from heaven.

I only knew you for about seven years Pop, but it was a fun seven years. You were a great guy. All the ladies in the retirement center loved ya, your family loved ya (even when you were a pain in the ass), your friends loved ya. And in the end, if a bunch of your loved ones can sit around at dinner and feel like you are still there, you must have done something right.

Surely. You did plenty of things right.

It's been awhile.

So, It's been awhile since I have put anything on here. School and work have kept me rather busy to say the least. I suppose it's time for a little update.

I got a new sister for my birthday. Joel and Danelle got married on December 30th. Yay for having a new sister who is also my best friend and soul-sister.

Mom and Dad officially moved to KC in September. It took a couple months for me to be able to drive past their house and not start crying. I miss having my MOM and DAD around!

Still working 2 jobs and going to school full-time. I somehow managed to pull straight A's last semester, putting me on the Dean's List. I also just found out that I received a Scholarship from the Communication Department at UNO. Awesome. I will no longer complain about being an average white girl who can't get any scholarships. Thanks UNO.

Within the last few months I have joined: The National Broadcasting Society, The Omaha Press Club and the Omaha News Crew (I run camera #2, and have the best two-shot ever seen).

Went to the Justin Timberlake Concert this week. AMAZING. He rocked my face off.

And, I am going to Mexico on Tuesday for Spring Break, and to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday. YAY!

That's all for now, more to come later......

Good-bye dear Robin....

Robin-
Thank you for all your years of knowledge. Nobody can get me as pumped up to sell lipstick and moisturizer. Nobody. I want to thank you for all the pep-talks, words of encouragement, tips and tricks, and advice. Thank you for teaching me my mad selling skills. If it wasn't for you, I would never have achieved "top performer". I would not have the confidence in my selling skills that I have now, or the confidence in my management skills.

Thank you for all the free stuff over the past 3 1/2 years. All the freebies at class....it was just like Christmas for a product junkie such as myself. You made me squeel with excitement.

Most of all, thanks for being real, thanks for being fun, and thanks for being a friend. We will miss you tons. Good luck with whatever you do.

(tear).