The CQ 10K and Pre-Vacation Excitement!

It's the night before I leave for vacation and I feel like it's Christmas Eve. I packed this afternoon, so now I feel like I have nothing to do but wait around until we leave in the morning. I hope I can get to sleep! Beth, Anna, and David are going on ten flights over the next two weeks to several places in South East Asia, while Kelly, Matt, Trum, and I are headed to the island of Boracay to chill in the sun with some fruity shakes and ride the banana boat! So tonight Beth and Anna ran a 10K over at the college track next door to our apartment complex. I am so proud of them, partly because it was a big accomplishment for them, and partly cause I know I would never do it myself. BUT, I did go to cheer them on and I ran one of the Kilometers with them. It was fun to have the chance to encourage them and I can admit that I'm a wimp and wasn't willing to run the whole way. They did it in just over an hour too, good time for a dirty cold rainy night. My feet were soaked when they finished but it was worth it to get to be there. Anyways, it's my last hurrah as I get ready to go, I was just bored so thought I could put one up. Holler at me while I'm gone, I'll check the AOL email a couple times!

One More for the Road

Well, I said that the last post was my last before leaving for vacation, but I'm thinking one more won't hurt. Xin Ba Ke (pronounced: Sheen Bah Kuh) just opened this past Thursday only two buildings away from me! Yes folks, that Chinese for Starbucks! So far I have gone every day they have been open (three), but today I'm tightening the reigns on my $3.30 an hour wages. It's funny how much something like a coffee shop can make us so giddy. But really, besides McDonalds and a few other little reminders, its really one of the best comforts we could ask for. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm in NO WAY "roughing it," but it's just nice to be able to have something familiar. So, I'm probably one of the few who can say that I truly appreciate a good cup of coffee in a place where coffee ain't so good. It wasn't very busy the first two days they were open, which worried me a little because businesses here come and go like the daily news, but Saturday proved to be the big teller...there were tons of people there and I had to retreat to the streets to feel a little less claustrophobic. (If you've been here, you could laugh at that because the weekend streets are a far cry from deserted.) Anyways, it's a fun deal. Today we're having a 24 Marathon to finish season 4. I'm so excited to watch it with my "family" here, even though I've already seen it. It's SO good! I haven't seen the sun in about 3 1/2 weeks, so as I pack my bags to head down to the South Pacific, I'll be thinking of you and how your skin is still darker than mine. No sun = gray skin...yuck! Gonna have to spread the SPF on thick! I can't wait to plop myself down on the island and sip a fruity drink from a coconut shell with a little pink umbrella and I'll think to myself....what a wonderful world. Good-bye cold...bring on the heat!

The Ceiling Fell In!...and other New Year's Happenings

Yes, that's my landlord's wife and a worker trying to help us put our ugly chandelier back into the ceiling. I was sitting on the couch the other day painting some characters and I heard a slight crash. I looked up, thinking an ornament had fallen off our Christmas tree, but as I looked, pieces of ceiling were still crumbling down. The chandelier had literally just fallen right out and hung there swinging by the wires. I laughed as soon as it happened because I was so oblivious to the whole thing. This was just before Christmas I think. So now that it's past New Year's, I'm just looking forward to vacation. School has recently been at that point where you just know you need a break. At this rate, I'll be crawling my way to the Philippines. Finals next week and my concern is growing smaller every day, not because I'm studying more, but because I'm not motivated to do well on the tests just to prove I can memorize 800 characters in a few days, only to forget most of them until the next time I study. Anyways, not a whole lot interesting at the moment. Everyone's been sick lately including my now-going-on-three-week cold, but I'd gladly take that over the one-day-strongly-cheating-death viral bug everyone else seems to be getting. Our New Year's night was pretty uneventful. Had dinner with Trum and the Castig's and some of their friends, played Mario Kart on Nintendo Game Cube until the clock struck midnight (and I might add that I beat all the guys pretty badly...no pride here, just stating truth!) and then I went home to snuggle up with my pillow. We watched a couple football games which was fun too, except for the losing part, but at least my Dawgs won the SEC Championship and got very close to making one of the greatest comebacks in bowl history. I'm SO glad Texas beat USC, it's about time they got beat. Whelp, that's gonna do it for this update...just to let you know, I'm probably not bringing my computer to the Philippines, so there won't be another update on here until mid-February. So Happy Birthday early to my brother Kevin, his girlfriend Lauren, my Aunt Deb, and all my other friend's birthdays in the next month! Love ya'll! P.S. The next pics you'll see of me will be when I'm tan! :)