beach babes.

my mom has a group of friends.  they call themselves the "beach babes."  when they started turning 50, instead of getting all upset and fiesty about it, they chose to celebrate.

...and celebrate they do!

my brothers and i always joke that my mom has a better social life than we as college students and young 20-somethings do.  these girls have parties to plan bigger parties.  they get together and sing into wooden spoons and hairbrushes, play the plunger game, indulge in overflowing liquor, and enjoy every second of it.

tonight is a planning party.  i'm well hidden but their laughs are contagious.  i hope to have a group of girlfriends like that some day.  it's good for the soul.

gone fishin'.

i love coming home for the summer and spending time with my brother.  we don't see each other often anymore but it's always an enjoyable time when we do... for the most part. 

we've been fishing a lot.  we went on a hunt for a live bait and tackle shop.  there aren't many places around here but we found one, purchased some minnows, and have been trying our best to catch some killer fish.  hah.

 Please forgive the gross hair and the closed eye.  It was hotter than Hades and the sun was in my face.  Promise.  ;)

we've caught a few 22"-24" catfish, 16"-18" large mouth bass, and then a few "babies".  it's been fun, but most of all, it's great to spend some time with him.

:)

there are two ways to spread happiness. either be the light that shines it, or the mirror that reflects it.

happy 234th birthday, america!

does God exist?

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. They eventually touched on the subject of God.

Barber:
I don't believe that God exists.

Customer:
Why do you say that?

Barber:
Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.

-------

The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again.

Customer:
You know what? Barbers don't exist.

Barber:
How can you say that? I am here. I am a barber, and I just worked on you!

Customer:
No! Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.

Barber:
Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.

Customer:
Exactly! That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.

sister, sister.

i talked to my sister the other day.  you say, "you don't have a sister" and biologically, you'd be correct.  but... i have a sister.  and she lives in california.  way too far away from me.  and unfortunately, the physical distance has caused distance in our communication. :(  but, i talked to her the other day and it pretty much made my life.

so much to catch up on.  so much has changed.  so much is exactly. the. same.  it's crazy to see how far we've both come over the last several years.  the life we've seen.  the personal devastation.  the highs.  the lows.  the people that have come in and out of our lives.  the people, friendships, and relationships that we've cried about or laughed about.

oh, how i've missed our chats.  love ya, sista!

clean up.

clean up, clean up.

everybody do your share.

clean up, clean up.

everybody, everywhere.

it's time to move out.  i do not like moving out.  not at all.  it's a pain.  it's inconvenient.  and i just plain do. not. like. it.  after way too many hours organizing and packing and three trips to the storage unit, i still have a ton of stuff to figure out what to do with.  add it to the large pile of junk in the backseat of my car?  probably.

it's weird moving out of here.  it's my first apartment.  i've lived here almost a year.  plus all my friends will still be here.  i want to go home.  i want to work and make money.  but i wish i could take my life here at school everywhere i go.  my friends.  my freedom.  my life.

no such luck.  so instead of reminiscing...

...i'll keep packing.