One Month Anniversary!!!
I'm Not Opinionated celebrated its one month anniversary this weekend!!!! I wasn't sure that I was going to keep up with a blog but I am having a blast so far! I think it will be awesome to look back years from now and read about what I was doing in 2005!! Just look at everything that has happended in the first month!! Thanks for reading and participating!!! If you are out there and haven't posted yet, let me hear from you!!! I want this blog to be interactive and we are off to a great start!!!
Semi-Hypothetical Question
This is number two in my series of hypothetical questions. However, this question may only be hypothetical to some people. On friday night, Deb, Lisa, Chel, and I (yes...me and three beautiful ladies) went to see the movie We Love Dogs (or something like that...Must Love Dogs....who knows???) I thought this was going to be a horribly sappy movie and to its credit it was sappy but it had enough humor that I actually enjoyed it! This movie spawned my question...
If you were single, would you use an online dating service such as Match.com or Yahoo Personals to meet someone? If you are currently single, have you ever used a online dating service or would you consider using an online dating service? Why or why not?
Again, this may not be hypothetical for some of you but I thought it might be interesting to gain some understanding of what people think of these services because I must admit there is a part of me that is intrigued. There is also a part of me that realizes that there are a lot of dishonest people on the internet as well. But is it worth it to try? Why limit yourself to the people around town when the person you could spend the rest of your life with might be across the country...or the world?
Thoughts?
The Girls In Myrtle Beach
Everyone needs some western wear while in Myrtle Beach!!!
A delay...
I think that this has been my longest delay in posting! For that I apologize, but I have a great reason as to why! My Aunt Lisa and cousin Chelsea arrived from California on Monday of last week and we have been having a blast!!!! We have had a great time this week!!! Wednesday night, Chelsea and Lisa made a wonderful dinner for us!!! Spinach lasagna roll ups, artichokes (I can't tell you how much I love artichokes), spinach salad, and Coke cake....yum!!!!
We went out several times throughout the week and went to see a movie on Friday...a review coming in the future. On Saturday, Lisa left to meet my Uncle Mark in Spain and Chelsea is staying with Debbie for a whole week! We started it off right by spending the weekend at Myrtle Beach!
Debbie, Chelsea, and I got to the beach yesterday about lunch time and started the day at the aquarium (because of the rain...ugh!) After that, we strolled around Broadway at the Beach and ate at Tony Roma's. From there we went to the hotel. Now I will admit this now because I am sure it will be told...but I booked what I thought was the hotel we stayed at last year..the Oceans Sands....unfortunately we stayed at the Sands Ocean Club last year. You see how I could be confused! We finally made it and Chelsea and I played in the ocean, and in the hotel's lazy river (really lazy), pool, and (lukewarm) hot tub. It was a great hotel thank goodness because if it wasn't, I would never hear the end of it!!! The evening was ended with mini golf. Chel and I tied so we can't hang it over each others head. On our way back to the hotel, we grabbed some ice cream and danced to the disco music on the radio....how cool are we!!
Today, we started the day at Myrtle Waves before getting rained out!! We hung out at the mall for a while and Chelsea picked out some clothes for me! From there, we went to have Chelsea's hair braided and I got a tattoo (ok...so it's fake)!! To finish the night, we had an awesome meal at Olive Garden and headed for home.
I think a great time was had by all but all are very tired!!!!
Sugarplop
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Hypothetical Question
I thought this might be fun. I'll watch the response and if the response is positive, I will try to post a hypothetical question once a week.
If there was a way for you to no longer require sleep--your body's physiological requirement of sleep no longer existed and you were in a permanent state of being freshly rested--would you choose to give up sleep?
Shallow Hal
Over the years several have compared me to Shallow Hal...in fact...just today I was reminded of this comparison.I don't think that being particular is necessarily a bad thing. As I have grown up (and old....see the last few posts!), I have watched many people not wait long enough to find the most compatible person for them and it has ended in disaster.Here is what I am looking for in a mate:- Intelligence
- Sense Of Humor
- Attractiveness
- Class
If I had to put those qualities in order of importance, it would have to be in the order they are listed. But 25% would be the percentage of importance I would assign to each. I am selective I know...but Shallow Hal I am not! I know that I am not perfect (please not too many comments from the peanut gallery) and don't expect anyone else to be. But I am ok with waiting for God to send me the person I was meant to be with. I will admit that I am impatient but any time now would be nice!
The morning after!
Quite a good name for this post if I do say so myself!!
Well, it is early the morning after I turned 26. I have to say that it was a great birthday! It one one of the best in recent memory!! I heard from many of my friends and family and just had a great time! We had the party on Saturday, cake at work today, and Rachel and I made an impromptu trip to the Olive Garden in Columbia tonight! She also made me a cake!!
It has been a great day! Several have told me that 26-28 are the best years of your life...and if the way it started is any indicator...I would have to agree!
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this a great day!!!!!
Party at Roger and Michelle's!
We got together at Roger and Michelle's house Saturday night. The pic shows the gift Michelle and Roger got me for my birthday. It is a long running joke as she has always commented on the pink shirts that I wear to work.
We had lots of great food!!! We played cards and hung out. We had a great evening!!! It took a while to recover though....slept most of the day today! Quite nice! Though I guess it is a sign of getting older...must nap for a whole day after an evening of fun!!!
I hope that everyone had a great weekend!!!
Gorgeous!
The last post was serious so this is a much more lighthearted post. My cousin Chelsea worked hard at putting this picture together to send to me...and I promised I would add it to my blog...no matter how much embarrassment it caused...but I must admit that if I were a woman....I would be gorgeous....don't you agree???
Guardian Ad Litem Program
After my recent post about wanting to volunteer my time to help kids, several people mentioned the guardian ad litem program. Before now, I had never heard of this program. It sounds like a phenomenal match for me. You are basically a child's advocate in court. This is a poem from the South Carolina Guardian Ad Litem's website (
http://www.govoepp.state.sc.us/children/guardian.htm):
*
One Hundred Years From Now
It will not matter
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much I had in my bank account
Nor what my clothes looked like
But the world may be a little better
Because I was important in the
Life of a Child!
Anonymous
*
This sounds exactly like what I want to be doing to help children! Please pray with me so that I know by doing this I will be doing the right thing. I need to know that I will have time to fully devote myself because being involved could potentially affect the child for the rest of his or her life. The website states that one case could last up to eighteen months so this is a major commitment. At any rate in the coming weeks and months, I am going to begin to do more research on the program and find out if we are a good match!
The mid to late twenties...
I remember the days when I couldn't wait for my birthday. I remember those days because it was this time five years ago I couldn't wait to finally become legal! Time could not pass quickly enough. Now, a short five years later, the years seem to fly by. It seems like Christmas 2004 was only yesterday but in a few short months Christmas 2005 will be here. Suddenly, the thought of my birthday fills me with dread! Ugh! How is it that a short five years can make such a difference?
Maybe the fact that we learn so much during our early twenties has something to do with it. Like every teenager, at the age of 18 I thought that I knew it all. What a laugh! Looking back, I don't think a person knows who they are until they are at least 25. I think that my friends would agree that we are all totally different people now then we were five years ago. I guess that hopefully you continue to grow (emotionally - though, unfortunately, I think that most of us continue to grow physically as well) and learn from your experiences (good or bad) as long as you are blessed to be on this earth.
When you reach the milestone of a quarter of a century however, I think that the realization that there is so much to see and do on this earth and such a relatively short time to do it in causes most to hate to see another year go by. Why is it that one-third to one-fourth of your life has to pass before you really learn to appreciate it? I guess if we lived forever, we would take life for granted like we do many other things. This is God's way of showing us what a gift life really is.
Life is a gift! I thank God for mine everyday!! He has blessed me in so many ways that I can't even count them all!
The evolution of this particular post has surprised me. I started a post about how my upcoming birthday was a cause for dread...but I came to the conclusion that I should celebrate every day that I am given and live life to its fullest. Don't let anything get in your way of living life! I want to live a life without regrets knowing that I have lived my life to the fullest it can be. I know that it will not be easy to do all the time....but in the long run it will definitely be worth it!
On a lighter note...I just want to remind my friends I went to college with and work with that even with the above said and my birthday quickly approaching...I will always be younger than you!!!
Vacation Pics
I know we hate those people who force their vacation pics on people (I am one of the hated)...but at least if I post them this way....it is your choice to view them.
These albums include most of my vacation. It includes everything from skydiving, Shan and Jaymeson, to my outings with friends in OKC and Tulsa. Sorry to my friends in Ada...for some reason I missed getting any pictures there...and my camera was with me the whole time.
Anyway...here is the link to the pictures. I hope you enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=3gbqy4rt.4to3adgl&x=0&y=-k6u8i2P.S. Ofoto makes it look like you have to sign in, but if you don't want to save the album, there is an option to view the album without signing in.
Question for the gallery...
Most of you know that I have always been good with kids. In fact, early on my plan was to become a teacher. Several factors changed my mind about teaching but I have always felt that I should be working with kids. I have really been thinking about working with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters organization. Have any of you ever worked with this program? I would love to help make a difference to kids who really need someone that can help to point their lives in a positive direction. I am just curious to find out if anyone has worked with the program and would love any suggestions about getting started with the program.
Catch Up Time!
I am back home but want to catch up on the last few days of my vacation. After this, the posts should not be so long...but there is so much to tell about catching up with friends from home!Saturday evening we met a group of friends from college at the Olive Garden followed by a trip to the Loony Bin (a comedy club in OKC). It was great! We had a great time catching up with some great food and great comedy!! We saw Billy Gardell from the show "Yes Dear". He was hilarious!!!Later, Stacey, Lora, and I went to Henry Hudsons near the hotel and had a great time! We stayed out too late and had a few too many drinks (not to offend anyone...I know some of my friends do not agree with me but my belief is that everything should be done in moderation and drinks with friends once or twice a year does not present a problem. I will not lie about it so...lets just agree to disagree!) but it was fun catching up! It is also easier to flirt with the waitress when you have had a drink or two!!On Saturday, we went to breakfast with some of the same crowd. Pearl brought baby Grant again...so that of course was the reason for going!!! Tena and I then went to lunch with Sarah, Nabih, and their beautiful daughter Isabell. We had a great time catching up. I can't tell you how much I miss my friends from college. There are many times I look back and wish that I went to a bigger college farther away from home and majored in something totally different...but things always happen for a reason. I have a great group of friends...and we found out this week that no matter how much time passes or how much things change we will always be friends and jump in where we left off! This will sound cheesy....but how cool is that!!
Free Falling
Here is the post that you may or may not have been waiting for. I'm still alive! Skydiving was a blast!!! I am ready to go again!!! I have a video that I will try to get uploaded to the web soon. That is on my project list. I can't tell you what a rush it was!!!! The surprising thing was that I never once thought about hitting the ground while I was falling. The coolest thing was bursting through a cloud!I did have a reflex to grab the plane that caused us to flip around a bit...but we survived. I can't wait to do it again. If you want to go with me....Tell me when!!!!!
Returning to Ada
I went to Ada on Thursday. For those of you who don't know, I spent 4.5 years of my life there during college and met many of the friends that I have today!I had lunch with Holly and Richie. We had a great time catching up and sharing pictures. I think I have even gotten Holly interested in blogging! Hopefully there will be a link to add to my website soon!!Before dinner, I went to Wal-Mart because, well, that is what you do to kill time in Ada. The strangest thing happened!!! I haven't lived there in forever and I saw several people that I knew in Wal-Mart. Kim (friend from K-Mart in Ada) screamed my name and while I was talking to her another person I knew walked by.Later, Michael and I had dinner along with his friend Rusty. I really had a great time catching up! Going home keeps getting better!
A Hurricane's A Comin!!!!
Well, I am back at the airport! My flight was to leave at 5:35pm. But my flight from Atlanta to Greensboro was cancelled. Of course! I am now flying through Cincinatti. I don't get in until after 12:00 am. I have a 2.5 hour drive home and am exhausted from my trip....just booked a hotel. May be a little late to work...but it is not my fault....a hurricane's a comin!
I'm going to try to catch up on this weeks posts while I am waiting. Hope you enjoy. I will post links to more pics this week. I have a list of things to accomplish.!
Vacations go by so quickly!!!!
I can't believe that Wednesday is coming to an end. During life there are many days that is seems to take forever to make it through...but that never happens on vacation!Yesterday, I took Shan to The Melting Pot. I forgot how wonderful that place is! We ate for 2.5 hours. It is so wonderful! 4 courses! Cheese fondue, Salad, Mojo fondue (Jamaican Style) with steak, chicken, lobster, and more, ending with a Turtle Fondue (chocolate and caramel - we left out the nuts) with fruit, cheesecake, marshmallows, and more!! I have some pics to add to the blog from this trip as well as the rest of the week...but for some reason I can't get them to load from Shan's computer. That will give me a project for next week!Today, we went to the lake! Jaymeson swam his heart out. We got back into the car and he was starving! Had to race home to get that boy fed. Looks like Shan may have quite the sunburn though! We are going to have Cube Steak for dinner....my favorite!Still working out plans for the weekend. Less than two days until our Skydiving appointment! We can't wait! Although, I am beginning to get a little nervous. Not nervous about getting hurt (my family has taken care of that for me!) but nervous about taking the initial leap!The good news of the day is that one of my friends who really has worked hard and deserved the job that came open in my area (actually my old job) found out today that the job is hers! Congrats to Stacy!Please keep my Grandma and family in your prayers as they leave for Seattle tomorrow! My cousin is getting married (Congrats Kerri!) Many of you know the troubles my Grandma has had recently. Please pray that she has the strength to really enjoy the trip as she is very excited about it!
Happy 4th of July....part deux!
Well, I guess that it is really July 5th.
We had a great time today! Jaymeson and cousins played on the water slide today...I'm still sore and didn't play again today. We played big people games at the casino...lost $30.00.
This was the best comment of the day....we are sitting on the porch with Shan's whole family when Jaymeson looks up at his cousin Emily (also about to turn four) and says "So Emily, how are things at home?" This is the epitome of small talk!
We went to watch the fireworks later...Jaymeson was in awe. Until the very end....he was sooo tired. He said "Uncle Daniel, I don't want to see any more!" Too much excitement for one day!
Well, I told everyone that this blog may not be the most exciting reading material...but I am sure having fun with Jaymeson. It so amazing to see how much he has grown everytime that I see him.
Hope you had a good holiday. Please enjoy work tomorrow....I will be on vacation all week.
Stay tuned....more to come!!!
Happy 4th Of July
Hope everyone is having a great holiday! It is raining here this morning. Jaymeson really wants to go ride the water slide at Gram's house again (more on that below) today so we hope it clears off. I also really want to take him to see the fireworks tonight!
I finally made it into Tulsa at 2:30 am Saturday morning. Quite a night...though I count myself as one of the lucky ones. There were many stranded in Atlanta overnight Friday night. We met Shan at Jaymeson at Incredible Pizza (AKA Chuck E Cheese III - this was the name acceptable to Jaymeson). The reception from Jaymeson is always enough to make me feel like the King of England! Incredible Pizza was really cool! It had go-carts, mini golf, bowling, plus all the normal arcade type games...and actually edible food!
Yesterday we went to Gram's house to play on the water slide. It was really cool! I had as much fun as Jaymeson. I am paying for my fun today because I am sore all over from lifting the boy throughout the day. I wish that I could be four again and do absolutely anything and my body would think nothing of it! I have some pics to add...but it is taking forever so I will add those later.
Happy Independence Day!!!
Posting Comments
I understand that the blog previously required you to be a blogger user to post comments. Sorry, that is part of my learning process...I had not changed that setting. You should now be able to post comments without having to become a blogger member yourself. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!
Raining In Atlanta
Atlanta's airport is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Yet every time it rains in Atlanta, the airport shuts down. At this point, I should be well on my way to Tulsa. Instead I have time to blog at the airport. My flight is now scheduled to leave at 1:00 am. That puts me into Tulsa at 2:00 am central time. Home by 3:00 (4:00 EDT) because I have to stop by Wal-Mart and get Jaymeson's prize tomorrow. That stop will be well worth it when I see his face tomorrow. Chuck E Cheeses and a prize! There is nothing better than that to a soon to be 4 year old. This soon to be 26 year old will be one tired puppy tomorrow though. That said, his reaction tomorrow will make it well worth any hassle tonight.
On a side note, one of my friends from work got some bad news today. It is personal so I won't go into it here, but please keep her and her family in your prayers.
