Let us pause for a moment of Erin...

One day this week, after work, I had to go to the dentist. I had put it off long enough. Even though I didn't really want to go, we get to a point in our lives where -our don't want to's - are outweighed by our responsibilities. Going to the dentist is something I know I must do, at least, semi-regularly in order to have healthy teeth. I am not fond of this practice. There are three main reasons why I lay in that chair holding my owns hands in a tight grip and stare at the ceiling with an intense look on my face. 1. I feel a bit uncomfortable at the fact that there is no designated place to look during the procedure. As I sit in that chair, my head and gaze are directed toward the ceiling. Yet there is nothing for me to stare at. I have often wondered why dentists don't post posters, or better yet a TV screen coming right out of the ceiling. Instead I lay there trying to find something to fixate my gaze upon. There are only so many times you can count the ti...

Tonight is one of the first nights that I have really used my laptop here at home in a few weeks. I realized that my busy schedule lately has left me checking both emails and facebook via Blackberry. Don't get me wrong, I love this feature of my phone, but when wanting to really browse my internet addictions, it leaves something to be desired. That is why, after fixing dinner and cleaning the kitchen, I decided to dust off the purple Dell and take it for a spin. As I checked my facebook and did the normal rounds, I realized that it had been a while since I blogged. This once outlet, de-stressor, and overall pleasure of mine has apparently gone to the waste-side. My last blog entry was MONTHS ago. I can't believe that I have let myself get this busy! So I took a few minutes and thought about what had been keeping me from my blogging. I am in the second month of a new school year. I must say that this is going to be a great year. This group of kids will be loa...

I live on a tiny portion of a street that could only be described as a drive way that is shared by neighbors. There are four of us that depend on this tiny pathway to take us to the bigger streets of Carrier Mills that will transport us to our desired locations. This has never been a problem for any of us. We all functioned on the same respect for the others and did not block this pathway. For the past couple of weeks, this has not been the case. One of our neighbors has been depending on outsiders to come and take care of them. These outsiders have not grasped the respect thy neighbors tiny road to the bigger street concept. These outsiders have been parking in our tiny road in such a way that can only be described as - more than half the damn street! I mean seriously...we all have tiny driveways to park our cars in. AND if we didn't have drive ways, we would park in our actual yards to not hinder our other neighbors from their travels. Courtesy....a lost art apparently....

We go through many stages in life. There are different times in our lives when different people are included. When we grow up, we sometimes don't always end up with the same friends we had as children. Having the same friends as an adult, that you had when you were a child is a rare thing. Even though it is a sad thought, we grow up - and the closeness we share with some, fades away. I am very lucky girl. My favorite person in the world has been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. My brother and I have remained so close over the years. When I think who I know the best, who can cheer me up with a single facial expression, and who I consider my favorite person in the world - the answer is always the same. Nick. Our lives have changed dramatically. We have grown up, gone on our own paths, and still remain such close friends. I don't know anyone else who understands me, can make me laugh, or love me unconditionally as Nick can. He truly is one in a mi...

One of the selling points of Southern Illinois is unpredictability. Weather is certainly something we can never really predict or think we have a "good hold on" in this area. It has snowed in March, had tornadoes in December, and you never really know how to dress to stay a comfortable temperature. For this reason, when I see the bright colors on the weather channels map of this area, the clouds change, and winds pick up - I ready the basement. I think "the May 8th storm" - may it live in infamy - taught us to be cautious of Spring/Summer transition weather. I also think it made every person a little cautious of bad weather, turn nutso. If I'm being honest, I will admit that I do fear sleeping right through a tornado. I don't why I should fear that, I mean it would be the best way to go. But with my sick and twisted mind, I fear that I will wake, mid wind sweep while I am whirling through the air, to panic and say to myself - Why didn't I fear th...

As I pull the curtains back on my front window, I look out and see a lake where fields used to be across the highway. When I go to get the mail, I look down the highway and see that water is beginning to cover the road, while it is completely swallowing my neighbors' yards. Here it is another evening where I am sitting in my house and all I hear outside is thunder rolling in. I know this means more rain, and the chance that flooding may be worse when I wake in the morning. Rain, rain, go away, come back in July when we will really need you! I could sit and get really down about the rain and how badly I need to mow my yard - but can't due to the fact that when I walk in the yard it's like poking a sponge! I'm trying not to remember a couple years ago when it flooded so badly here. I had never seen flooding quite like that before. And I am sad to say, that when I look down a few roads near my home, it looks terribly familiar. I didn't live at this house when i...

It began last Saturday and ended just this Friday - Spring Break 2011- Wilmington or Bust! Along with my friend Whitney, I took a road trip to the east coast. I had never visited this part of the country before, and was anxious and excited to experience this newness. Needless to say, there were many memorable experiences that I won't soon forget. We actually kept a notebook in the car and recorded memorable quotes and occurrences from the trip that can make me laugh by just reading them. In a nutshell, I would describe my spring break as - good times! The adventure started with a trip to Franklin, TN to visit my friend Rachael. Rach moved to Franklin back in December. I was so excited to see Gracie - it had been around 4 months! We read books together, played with toys, and watched TV. It was our normal fun times, and I loved it. I could've spent the whole week with her, but my time was cut short. Franklin had such a quaint downtown area. We went to McCreary's Ir...