WE'RE ENGAGED!!!

And I couldn't be happier.

Chattanooga, here we come!

Savannah countdown: 3 days!!!

Chattanooga countdown: 2 days!!!

Nathan & I are going to take a day in Chattanooga on our way to Savannah! My uncle & his wife are going to take us out on their boat, and then hopefully we'll get to go to the aquarium!!!

I'm so excited to go to Chattanooga. I used to go there a lot as a kid, but it's been a while since I've really spent time in Chat-town. My dad's whole family is from there, so I have a personal connection to it. I love spending time where my dad grew up; something about being in Chattanooga is really special to me. =)

To make our day even more special, the boat we're going out on used to be my Great Grandpa Max's boat. Max & my Great Nana threw my parents an engagement party on that boat. I can't wait to hear all of the memories made on the boat, and to make a few more memories.

And my uncle is awesome, as is his wife, so I'm really excited for Nathan to meet them & spend the day with them. And hopefully they'll give the seal of approval.

The Aquarium!!!

Countdown: Savannah

Days until Savannah: 4

AHHH! I'm so excited!

I can't even believe it's so close. I will admit, I'm really going to miss the kittens. I've seriously grown really attached to them. They keep me company when I'm lonely, they play with me when I need cheering up. I think they've actually gotten almost as attached to me as I have to them. They come cuddle with me in the night and seem to love my company. =) Today, Fiero & I got in a little bit of a fight. He managed to get poop all over himself, so I had to wash him. He was VERY angry about the bath & proceeded to claw my hands to shreds. Once I got the place cleaned up, I had to give him some kitty medicines to harden up his stools. He wasn't happy about that. But, we made up & forgave each other. He loves me, I love him. All's well.

In other news, Tomorrow is a BIG day. I've been working with a local racial profiling committee, and we're hosting a racial profiling hearing with Rights Working Group. I think it's going to be a really powerful event, and I'm excited to have had such a big role in it.

Notice the Urban EpiCenter logo!

A New Day

Today is my first day free from my sickness. I had some sort of yucky virus, which turned into a meningitis scare. Saturday morning, I went to an urgent-care clinic, and the doctor there said he was concerned and sent me to the hospital. He thought there was a chance that I could have meningitis because of a couple symptoms. The doctor at the hospital wasn't convinced enough to put me through a spinal tap (thank goodness) and sent me home to monitor my symptoms and get some rest. I slept for pretty much 2 days straight. Now, normally I LOVE the idea of a long nap, but this was definitely not enjoyable, in any way. At least my kittens kept me company. I think they knew I was lonely & miserable, cause they cuddled with my quite a bit.

Today I woke up free from a pounding headache and with an actual appetite, and the heavens rejoiced. I went to Home Depot with Nathan & then painted his new room! He has a wonderful new house, and I can't wait for him to be all moved in so we can have a house-warming party!

Afterwards, I went to the pool with Amy & Liz, which was a nice way to relax after sweating buckets while painting & moving in the heat.

Since I finally can stomach food, I decided to treat myself to something yummy for dinner..... sooooo, I made myself a veggie burger & got some mcdonalds fries, complete with a large diet coke. I figured I ought to treat myself.

Now I'm relaxing at home and watching TV (which I haven't been able to do for 2 weeks because we somehow lost our remote, hah).... for some odd reason, I'm watching The Bachelorette. This show seriously makes me doubt humanity, but it also makes me so grateful for my relationship with Nathan. Our actual, legitimate, committed, loving, honest, serious, wonderful relationship. I can't imagine not knowing the kind of love that Nathan & I have, and instead having this shallow, lustful, selfish attraction.

So, here I am. Getting ready to change the channel from what may legitimately be the most ridiculous, ludicrous show (yet, entertaining indeed), and thinking about how blessed I am.

To add to my infinite list of blessings, Nathan & I are meeting my parents at Tybee Island near Savannah on Sunday!!! I can't wait to have a nice, relaxing week at the beach with the love of my life & my wonderful parents. Our dog Tucker will even be there! I'm just imagining walks down the beach at night with Nathan, lounging by the ocean during the day, eating out with my parents, and touring Savannah! I'm excited for Nathan to spend more time with my parents, too. I think we'll all have a great time. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. =)

ugh.

sick day.

no fun.

Haircut & Vet

Well, this week has already been full of excitement.

First of all, I cut my hair super short!


I've never had my hair anywhere near this short, so it's a bit scary. But I already love how easy & comfortable it is. So far, I've been compared to a 20's flapper girl and Shirley Temple. Both seem to be pretty fair comparisons. haha.

Second of all, the kittens had a visit to the vet today. Corduroy had her last shot! Fiero still has a couple to go, but it's a relief to finally be done with one of the kittens.

Big news for them, though- 3 weeks from tomorrow, on July 5th, they will be losing their abilities to procreate (thank god). I will be honest, although I'm really not looking forward to dropping about $200 all at once (the day before rent is due, no less), it will be a relief to know that there will not be any more kittens running around my apartment. The last thing I need is a brand new litter of kittens. We all know that I would just wind up keeping them all because I'm obsessed with cats.

So, it's been an exciting few days. Might I add that it seems a bit pathetic to me that this is what I consider "an exciting few days".... a haircut & a visit to the vet. wow.

In other news, my internship is going wonderfully. I've been working on grants for the organization, and I just got us signed up with Center for Nonprofit Management. I'll be taking grant-writing classes and using their resources to try and find the best funding grants for our organization. I'm having a lot of fun and learning so much more than I could've imagined.

Also, I'm completely and utterly in love with Nathan Dryden. Seems worth mentioning.

Last bit of news- STEPHANIE COMES TOMORROW!!!!!!!!! I finally get to hang out with her again, and Amy too. I couldn't be more excited. goodness.

The Color Purple

I finally read Alice Walker's The Color Purple. It was beautifully written and incredibly moving. I think every American should read this book, and I'm a little bit sad it took me this long. Now I want to see the movie version, though I'm sure it won't be as incredible as the book.

Some of the most beautiful, human emotion and understanding of the spiritual is in this book.

I'm so glad I finally got a library card.... it's already coming in very handy! Up next: Iris Murdoch's The Bell, The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh, and Jonathon Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Yay, summer!

My Mother's Strength

This year has been a really hard year for my mother, who is perhaps the strongest, bravest woman I've met.

Today I spoke to my momma, and found out some really bad news. My grandmother, 2 months after the death of her husband, is in the hospital. She had a breakdown this weekend and became very upset and aggressive. Over the past 2 months, her mental health has rapidly regressed.

Now, while still getting over the death of her father, my mom has to figure out how to care for her mother with Alzheimer. My heart is broken for my mom, and I just want to be at home with her and to somehow express just how much I love her.

Please, keep my family in your thoughts/prayers. My mom has been so strong, but I hate seeing her bearing such a heavy load. And of course, she always seems more concerned about how everyone else is doing than how she is coping. She is the definition of selflessness.

Me & mom being silly (2 or 3 years ago)