nichole's blog

So, anyone who knows me knows how busy my life already is between Micheal and his activities and my job and my  personal life.  I feel as though I am running,running,running all the time. It is about to become even more so. Today I went to Grand Rapids to take The College Board Accuplacer test at GRCC only to find out that the test was technically unnecessary.  Of course, never having been there before,I didn't pay attention to the name of the building I parked my car in or which floor it was on. I started the test at 1:30 pm, and it was supposed to take up to two and half hours.  I got done in 1 hour with a 95% overall.  So my afternoon was pretty much shot because of construction on Bostwick Avenue and time spent searching for the evasive parking ramp. I got back to Lake Odessa at 5:00 pm to pick Micheal up from my mother's.  Grand Rapids is only 30 mins. (give or take) from Lake Odessa.  Where did the afernoon go? Not sure.  All I know is if I plan on working 40 hours a  week and being a fulltime student I need to get organized and scheduled. I just have to meet with a couseler and sign up  for classes.  Business and Design baby!  My long term goals are 1 year GRCC, 1 year Kendall University, 2 years Shaumburg. Goodbye Michigan.  This is the plan.

Show us the book you're reading right now.
Submitted by Strive2Be.

My Life

Bill Clinton

I have not read very much of this so far but I am finding that I can really relate to him as  a person. I am also realizing that I knew a little somethin' about who should be running our country way back in 5th grade at our mock elections. I voted for Clintion.  Too bad Hillary is out becuase I was going to have a tee made that said "Billary 08!".  aahhhh well.

Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
and now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my bestest
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate, I'm yours

Scooch closer dear
and i will nibble your ear

I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror
And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer
My breath fogged up the glass
And so I drew a new face and laughed
I guess what i be saying is there ain't no better reason
To rid yourself of vanity and just go with the seasons
It's what we aim to do
Our name is our virtue

I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
this is our fate, I'm yours

(not the complete lyrics)

It is refreshing to see that the generation I am a part of is finally producing some incredible talent.  The stuff on the the top 20 list is fun, but let's be honest, nothing really compares to good music played by a true artist, and not just some corporated produced "singer".  Maybe I am being too harsh because I actually do believe individuals like Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Fertado are artists in thier own right. I had planned on adding the official John Mayer cover of Tom Petty's free falling from You Tube but Vox-inator won't allow it.  :(

"You better know that in the end, it's better to say too much than to never say what you need to say again."---John Mayer

This past Saturday I went to my Uncle Robby's and Aunt Kathy's for a small family function.  Even though I had to work the next morning and am just now recovering from lack of sleep, I am really glad I went.  I ended up drinking wine (of course),doing some of my Aunt's Jell-O shots, and eating some nearly petrified hot dogs.  A bunch of my cousin Josh's friends showed up and although they are slightly younger than myself I still managed to  have a lot of fun with some of them.  Josh and I beat a couple of his friends at beer pong and I think the one guy ( whom I'll just call Cowboy because I don't remember his name and he was wearing a cowboy hat) was a little miffed at us because he lost. Well, I am deeply sorry "Cowboy" that you sucked at Beer Pong and Josh and I rocked it.  Robby and Kathy tried hooking me up with their employee, Hunter.  I was just like thanks, but no thanks. He was probably not even 21 and had that Beatles haircut that is rediculuosly popular among young guys in Michigan, and possibly all over.  Robby took me for  a ride on the John Deer Gator and we had a nice talk, although shortlived.  I really think I got to know my Uncle this weekend and I think from now on we will have a certain repor.  He even snuck me some shots out of some liquor he had hidden in his gun cabinet. Shhhhhh!  I know all of this sounds sort of "hillbilly" but it really wasn't, and my  Uncle is really a pretty cool guy.  I know this sounds sort of immature but Robby bet me I wouldn't walk right up to "Cowboy" and take his hat. This was probably only 15 min. after he had got there and I hadn't even talked to him at that point.  So...of course I had to do it.  I sort did my little "here I come boys" swagger ( the people who are close with me will know exactly the walk I speak of here) out of my Uncle's garage to where a bunch of people were playing volleyball and walked straight for Cowboy staring right at him and smiling the whole way.  I am pretty sure he was wondering what was up.  He noticed I was coming and started smiling back at me and I walked right up to him, took the hat off his head, put it on mine, and turned right back around, and swaggered back into the garage. Everyone seemed to think this was pretty funny, even Cowboy. Then he yelled back to my Uncle, "Nice one Rob!".  I think my family saw a side of me that night that I generally don't let them see.  I had to work the entire weekend so Micheal was allready with David, otherwise I would have of course filtered my behaviour.

You know that feeling when you are so focused on where you are going in life that you feel like you are rushing and running all the time?  When you finally look back to see where it is that  you came from you realize how far you have actually made it.  Not just relationships and material things, but most importantly spirituality and personal growth. This is my state of mind today.  I am seeing the things that I have wanted so badly and for so long finally become reality.  I never thought I would actually allow myself a moment to appreciate what it took for me to even get this far. I am always so focused on what is next.

  On the surface, my life may appear like it has  always been easy because I am a person who really loves life and enjoys new experiences to their fullest extent, and am most generally happy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I just choose not to think and dwell on a less than normal childhood and my teenage years of being bounced around by my nomadic parents, or the fact that I don't have a real connection with either of them.  It has taken a lot of personal struggle to come to a place where I allow myself to love myself enough to believe in what I know I am capable of and now that I do,  I am a stronger person because of it.  As hard as it was making it to my twenties, I would not change a single thing about my past.  It has defined who I am , and for that I can always be thankful.  It has also made me appreciate relationships more than most people probably do.  When I love you and open up to you, I am true and loyal. It just takes a lot for me to get to that place.   I guess I am just reflecting on the last two years of my life and everything that has occurred in that time. (e.g.  "Me,you, and Carrie Dilley!".) The experiences I  have had and relationships of every kind that I have built and kept have helped me to learn and grow so much, I will never forget any of it.  Thanks.

So I am a little late with this post.  I seriously thought Jack was never going to play in Michigan and then a week after I had a conversation about that very thing with my manager, she informed me that he would be playing at the DTE in Detroit on June 18.  She also said that this was an amazing place to go so I was pretty excited all the way around. (The Secret...Thank you very much.) Fast forward to the day of the concert and as I am driving Chels-O's car (because she is the biggest chicken you will ever meet about driving in  heavy traffic), we got into a mild fender bender roughly one block from the Detroit Energy Theater. I like to call this  incident the case of the chicken nugget that slipped from my fingers and made me look back and cuased me to lightly tap the vehicle in front of me, but Chels doesn't like that story.  She likes to hear that traffic was so rediculous (which it was), and that the stupid lady in front of us slammed on her breaks (which she did actaully do), and that somehow that is why this unfortunate thing happened.  The Jeep in front of us sustained umm...a scuff mark, and Chels's car a broken "plastic grill thing" and a bent hood. We were probably actually only going 10 mph max anyway because traffic was allready slow due to a previous accident. I got a ticket, and we went on our way.  Got there probably 5 min. after Jack started to play so that was lucky.  Had a good time, and Jack was of course amazing.  I am officially in love with the DTE also.  On the way home we somehow missed our  exit (117) and ended up in Saginaw or by Saginaw, not really sure.  Ended up getting back to the apartment at around 3 am, and tried to catch some sleep before I had to be to work at 6 am.  

Jack Johnson concert ticket-$65.00

My share of total cost of gas-$30.00

McDonald's Chicken McNugget Meal-$5-something

Failure to stop ticket-$100.00 (ouch BTW)

2 Sodas which a dumb blonde girl knocked over even though I told her to "watch out for our sodas", which then caused me to have a strong urge to pull her hair as she came back through.  Chels thought this was funny,little did she know I meant business-$8.00 (which Chels paid for)

The money I owe Chels for her crumpled hood=$500.00

Seeing Jack Johnson and discovering the DTE...well you've seen the commercials, that's right-Priceless.

Well, I know this is sort of pathetic but...I was at G-Bomb's Friday into Saturday and got my free tequila shot after midnight. Then on Saturday night, I was back for round numero dose, and got my second free shot before midnight on Sunday. Hung out at Olivera's for about 1/2 and hour with my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Robby, then moved the party elsewhere. I am not a person who generally goes to bars, but I really like this place.  I had a one year reunion hug with ol' Brady Hamlin.  He walked up to me and gave me a bear hug and said, "Do you remember me?", "I am Captain Jack Sparrow.".  I can't believe he remembered that---he was soooo drunk that night.  Anyway, made some new friends that I am sure I won't keep in touch with. There was this Korean guy who when I asked his name, insisted that I call him "Gook", and I didn't so much feel comfy with that.  Hugged the bartender one too many times, sucked hard at game of pool, and over all had an awesome time.  Got hit on by a few people who were married; so not mentioning those names. Met this really cool guy who was a marine and had a great conversation about life that lasted about an hour until my best friend ripped me from it! Thanks betch!  His name was my son's name flipped; Jacob Michael. Ironic.  You never know when you are going to have that intimate conversation with a complete stranger, so when you do it is a nice surprise.  Anyway, I have been in a hungover stupor most of the weekend, but when I look back, I 'll never be able to say that I didn't rock it.  Why do I never take the time to get pics? Damn me!

Here he is holding up the card I helped him make for his preschool teacher, Mrs. Bogda.  She absolutely was the best teacher I have ever come across, period.  Micheal loved her and she loved him.  It's on to kindergarten this fall and hopefully another amazing teacher.

Micheal2