I Officially Have an Apartment!!!

It's as official as official can be. I signed my lease for my apartment tonight and I leave a week from Thursday for my 2 days journey to Wilmington. Day 1 will be driving from here to Atlanta then on day 2 we drive from Atlanta to Wilmington. It's all very exciting. I'm picking out furniture tomorrow to order and SOOO EXCITED! This will be the first time that I furnish a whole apartment on my own. It will be my way and what I want. YAY!

My stuff is pretty much packed and I have a pretty full week of activities with friends and family around here before my birthday on Saturday. Tomorrow is golf, Tuesday night is Brad Paisley/Sugarland concert for Wal-mart shareholders, Thursday is my last 2 softball games, Friday is birthday dinner, Saturday the big 2-4. After that it is get everything ready to hit the road days followed by being stuck in the car days and I'm officially there. 

I'm off to empty out the last of my drawers and pack up some dishes. But I will keep you as updated on the whole process as I can.

Let the Farewell Tour Begin

I told myself I wouldn't blog when I was upset. That I wouldn't blog when I was emotional and things just spill out. But lately all I am is upset and emotional so it seems like I have no choice but to do it. I am moving in 2 weeks and the farewell tour to things in NWA officially kicked off tonight. I've been preparing myself for months for this but the feelings have never been more real. I received my copy of my lease to sign today, I got my car ready to drive to NC and I went to my last Friday night baseball game. Friday nights are the best nights at the ballpark. Fireworks, fun, baseball, friends. Who can beat that? I'm going to miss that and so many other things.

On top of moving, finding a job, enjoying time here, figuring out what the heck I'm going to do there, packing, storing, organizing, I have had to face the end of working at the TV station. This wouldn't be such a big deal if they weren't going through a huge transition bring up the station in Fort Smith and all the equipment that comes with it. It's cool to be able to learn how to block shots and set lights but I feel bad that I won't be there to help after it all gets done. I feel like I'm wasting everyones time by learning it and then leaving. I know I can't change this but I have a fear of letting people down and I feel like I am doing it in this instance. 

I want to apologize in advance for any random outburst I may lay on people in the next couple weeks. I am a stressed out emotional wreck and will be until I get settled in my new apartment.

To Brighten Your Day

I know most of you who read this blog have been working very hard on various projects and because of this I wanted to post something to help brighten your day. 

Now I know it is not the Holiday season but this one makes me laugh every time.

This next one is a classic that some might just need to be reminded of.

And finally...

I hope these helped make your day a little better.

Rediscovered Music

After playing a round of who knows what song at work I came across a lot of songs that I forgot about. I wanted to share some of them with you.

Curtains Only Hide the Scared.

Even the Wizard of Oz had to come out from behind the curtain and face the world. This being said I have decided to stop hiding, to put myself out there and to make my dreams come true. I'm going to shoot for the stars, ask for the moon, and hope that I am not disappointed in the end. I have been told by many people recently that you can't get what you want if you aren't willing to ask for it. I have lived my life scared to go after what I really want and I'm tired of it. 

I will be making big changes in the next couple weeks and in honor of stepping out of my comfort zone already I might as well go all out and see what could possibly happen. I have never been more scared in my life. I get knots in my stomach just thinking about it all but good knots and good fear.

The garage sale is over and can be classified as a complete success. I sold way more than I thought I would and got to help out charity with the items I couldn't sell. I am using the money to assist in expenses I have accrued in my time here as well as a contribution to a worthy cause. It was stressful, long, and boring at points but I'm glad I put in the work to get it done and mostly that it is over with. Now onto my next big task of actually preparing to move.

I started packing today and have pretty much cleared all unnecessary items out of my room and am going to start work on the other areas later tonight and tomorrow. I want to have as much packed as possible by the end of the week because the next week will be busy and I just don't want to have that to worry about. It's bad enough that I haven't seen my lease yet and I'm supposed to have it signed by Sunday. Lots to do and time is quickly running out to get it done in.

I don't want to have to spend so much time working on my stuff here because there are other projects that I would rather be helping out with. But I know that my first responsibility right now is to my move and getting prepared for that as well as enjoying the last couple weeks that I have with my family and friends here. 

After listing out all that I need to get done it is time to put on a pot of water, make myself a cup of tea and prepare for a long night. But first I have a couple e-mails to send out about my future. Here goes nothing.

Home Sweet Home

I have never appreciated the world around me until I have been faced with leaving it for what I can only assume would be for a semi permanent amount of time. I swear that the sky has never been bluer, the leaves on the trees have never been greener, and I'm discovering things I have never noticed before. I am going to miss NWA and everything it has to offer. I love my hometown and always will. I was born and Arkansan and will be until the day I die. 

I have took my break from everything to focus on getting my life together and spending time with the ones I love here. I can tell you I have never felt as reenergized and ready to face everything as I do right now. I worked through my doubts, had a couple crazy emotional days, slept very little, worked pretty hard but it has been the best couple of days.

Wednesday I went to the afternoon baseball game with my mom and it was nice to have some quality time just me and her. I'm going to miss days like that. We talked, joked, people watched, complained, laughed, and got really sunburned because I have a thing against sunscreen. It was a great day to just relax and spend sometime with one of my best friends.

Thursday was my day with my dad. Granted we were stuck in my garage going through all of the stuff we were selling in the garage sale but it was fun. My dad is the quiet type but we talked and joked and got a lot of work done. I very rarely get to spend time with just my dad. In fact until recently when I started going to his work to help him out I think the last time we spent time just us was when he drove out with me to Florida 2 years ago.

I have also got to spend a little time with my sister. We may have had some rough times lately but I'm really going to miss her. It's going to be weird not coming home and catching up on life with her, playing softball with her, just general sister stuff. Her life is changing to and I know both of us will find our ways through these changes and be there for each other. Not to mention I'm going to owe her big time for taking care of my cat for a while until I can move him.

I'm going to miss home but I have so many precious memories to take with me when I'm gone. This new adventure and life will be fun and exciting but my heart will always have a piece of my heart at home. 

I have also started creating a playlist on last.fm you should check it out tomorrow or the next day when I finally get it done.

Taking A Break From It All

I'm taking a break from everything for a couple of days. I need to focus on packing, garage sale stuff, spending time with the family, and enjoying my last couple weeks at home. I will catch up with everyone when I feel better about things in the next couple of days. 

Before I go I wanted to share one more thing that I was reminded of today.

You May Hate Me For This But...

I loved tonight's One Tree Hill. I was shocked and confused and intrigued all at the same time. It didn't feel like a season finale. It felt more like a series finale which reminded me a lot of Season 4 when we left them in high school. No one knows what can possibly come next. We didn't know what would happen to these characters, what would they do during college, where would they be, who would they be with. We are left with the same burning questions. To top it all off we know that CMM and HB won't be coming back. So where did Lucas and Peyton go? I don't see this as a bad thing right now but as a new adventure with these characters. Nobody died, nothing truly bad happened so why would they be gone? 

These and so many more questions burn my mind. It's worse than a cliffhanger season finale because the lack of cliffhangers give you nothing to look forward to. The possibilities are endless. I am more unnerved by this season finale than by Grey's Anatomy's season finale. (If you haven't watched it yet you might want to skip the next couple of lines) We know that Izzie and George's lives hang in the balance and that one or both or neither of them could die. (Ok you can read again) But even all of that doesn't get my mind racing more than this episode did. It might be the creative side of me, or the writer in me, or just my weirdness but I love stories like this. It's like what can they do with the characters now because it seems like their lives are perfect and happy.

Thank you Mark Schwan for not killing off Peyton. Thank you for giving us the happy ending with Lucas and Peyton that we have all been waiting 6 years to see (unless your a Brucas fan which I'm sorry but Lucas and Peyton were always meant to be together, it's time to face it). Thank you for 6 amazing seasons of one of the best ensemble casts on TV that I would rank up there with the cast of Friends. Thank you for taking a risk and bringing the show back next year and daring to take a established show and yet again throwing it in a different direction. 

Thank you Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton for your 6 wonderful years of entertaining us through Lucas and Peyton. The work you did on the show was amazing and something none of the fans of the show will ever forget. Whatever life brings you personally and professionally you will always be able to look back at One Tree Hill and know that you have fans from the show who will support you through. Your time on this show was amazing and it will not be the same without you.

For all of you doubters out there who are writing off the show, saying you will not watch next year, that it should have ended here I challenge you. How can you call yourself a fan if you are so quick to abandon it? I have supported the show since the pilot episode. I have not always liked the direction it has gone in, or the way storylines played out but every time it aired (except for that one freakin year it was on The CW and I couldn't watch it) and so did you. Why should you turn your back on it now? We all had our doubts about jumping into the future. We all didn't know how the show would be the same after that and I would have to say we were all pleasantly surprised with what we saw. The show (in my personal opinion) got better. Now who's to say that this change in direction can't be the same. Don't count something out until you see what is coming. Nobody knows what next season will hold. So how can you say that it's dead, or crap, or anything else? 

I personally will be tuning in premiere night, anxiously awaiting what has come out of the mind of Mark Schawan and the writing crew. Because lets face it, it's One Tree Hill it always has been and it always will be. 

Fitting In

What do you do when you want to be part of a crowd but you don't want to fight to stand out?

Lately I have wanted to fit in, be part of the group, feel like I'm a part of something but at the same time I don't want to fight to stand out. I don't want to force myself to be seen. I don't want to have to try to fit in. I just want to fit in, to feel connected. So what do you do if you don't feel connected where you want to? What if you are kidding yourself by thinking that you are like them? What do you do then?

I am me. No more no less. I have lived my life the way I have, had the experiences that I have, and done it all the way I wanted to. They have made me the person that I am today. I don't regret this at all but do these experiences mean that I don't fit in where I want to belong. Can I be the person that I want to be?

I can't change who I am, and I refuse to change myself to fit in. I have seen to many people do this and you never truly do. You just pretend and lose yourself in the crowd. I am very proud of the person that I am, the decisions I have made and the places I am headed. I am moving in less than 4 weeks. I am starting a brand new adventure. I am doing something on my own. But the thoughts of what if I don't belong there, what if I don't fit into that world, what if I can't make it work keep running through my head. I have never done anything like this. I have never experienced anything like this and it scares me to death. But through all this fear and all this doubt I know that it will be ok because I know this is the right thing for me.

I have been the person who changed myself. I tried to fit in but the truth is that I am me. I'm a band geek, a sports nerd, a theater wanna be, a music junkie, a secret writer, a closet romantic, an outright bitch, a loner, a party girl, a TV/movie freak, and overall mystery. I am a human and I fit into so many different categories and groups that I can't really change myself to fit in. Because I fit everywhere. I have so many interests, so many dreams, so many loves. 

I'm tired of trying to fit in, I'm just going to be and if you like it then you are going to get a wonderful friend (if I do say so myself) but if not then I hope you find someone who you do connect with because in the end we are nothing with out friends and support. I have had the pleasure of having some of the best friends in the entire world and I'm sure I will find many more along my journey but no matter what I will always be myself with them because I am Kim Christie. 

Funny Videos

I wanted to share some videos that make me laugh every time.

Wanted to Share

I wanted to share this story that my news station did tonight after the Grey's Anatomy season finale. I am glad that we were able to use something to help save a life later on.

Random Trips Down Memory Lane

While packing up the contents of my room and preparing for the garage sale that I put off to next weekend I have been having random trips down memory lane. Random items or groups of items have brought back some wonderful/not so wonderful memories.

This all started right before I left for my trip to Wilmington. In a rush to find a printer cable at my parents house I came across an old coke bottle piggy bank that I had when I was younger (ok so it was my sisters and I stole it from her but whatever) full of notes from high school and junior high. Now I had to get them out and read them so I put them all in a ziplock bag and packed them in my carry on bag in hopes that I would read them on the plane. This goal did not happen and it wasn't until I had come back home and was trying to fall asleep one night that I was brave enough to open them.

You can tell a lot about who you were by the notes you received in the past. The ones that were particularly hard to read were from my ex-boyfriend. But I powered through and read them all and it actually brought some peace to the situation. I am not the same person I was then and neither is he. We probably wouldn't have made it this long had we stayed together but at the time I thought we would last forever. The notes did inspire a new story concept which was pretty cool. They also were embarrassing, childish and funny to read. I will be keeping them for my children to read one day and say look at what mom was like when she was your age.

Stuffed animals, cards, letters, ticket stubs, random trinkets. They are all little keys to our past. It is sometimes difficult for me to part with these items that meant enough to me at the time to keep them. In fact I was forced to clean out the boxes for the garage sale in preparation to move (luckily my parents have lots of my baby stuff stored away). The people who buy these things won't know the stories of how they got to me or the impact they made on me at the time or even now. But they will make new memories with new people and that's all that matters.

I have a strong desire to go to my parents house this weekend and pull out all the old baby photo albums and pour through them before I leave. I'm going to miss the people and the memories that random things remind me of around here but I am ready to make new memories in my new place.

Just call me a sheep because I'm following the crowd.

100 Random Things About Me

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? I have a scar on the top of my head from when a street sign fell on my head. 

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? right now movie posters, pictures and a bulletin board, in the next couple weeks nothing as I pack it all up.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? I'm told I occasionally snore and talk but I don't believe them as I have never heard myself do either.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? if you ever got a hold of my iPod you would find a little of everything and all in complete random mixes.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? not the exact time but it was after 10 pm because that is the time that my mother threatened to walk out of the hospital at if I wasn't born yet.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? to be done with the build up and moved already.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS? playing 4 square like I did in elementary school and middle school. I kicked ass at 4 square. 

8. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GETTING YOUR NOSE PIERCED? No because I thought it would constantly feel like I had a booger in my nose and that is not a feeling I enjoy.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'9"

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC? yes, one time when I was spending the night at a friends house they thought it would be funny to lock me in a closet, I had a full blown panic attack and they almost had to take me to the hospital.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? not as much as I used to, but I still turn on a light if it is available.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? person in real life, Lindsay, thing, OTH on Monday.

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR? not making my mark on the world.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? dark hair and green eyes.

15. WHAT DOES YOUR HAIR LOOK LIKE RIGHT NOW? tangled ponytail, was straight earlier

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? Both, especially lately

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Sausage

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Special K cereal bar in my purse.

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? Blue.

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH? cracker yes, fish fish no.

21. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YOUR BEST FRIEND NAKED? Ummm not that my brain remembers

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?? Yes and have had for sometime now.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? No and that looks like it hurts.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? Old Navy

25. WAS MIDDLE SCHOOL A BAD EXPERIENCE FOR YOU? awkward but good.

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW? Yes, 3 that are mine 2 dogs and a cat and 2 that are part mine 1 dog and 1 cat

27. WHAT KIND IS IT? see answer above

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? yes and I have before

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: 32

31. HAS ANYONE EVER BROKEN A PROMISE THEY MADE TO YOU? Yes several major ones

32. WHO IS YOUR LAST TEXT MESSAGE FROM? Amber

33. FAVORITE PLACE? driving down the road, anywhere

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA? Yes

35. WHAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE WITH YOUR CELL PHONE? Sent drunkin text messages to an ex-boyfriend when he is married.

36. WHO HAS THE SAME BIRTHDAY AS YOU? No one that I know of, but I never really checked.

37. FIRST JOB? Aquatic park concession stand. Got paid in cash and got to swim for free. AWESOME JOB!

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? Can anyone honestly answer this question no? Did one less than a week ago.

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE? Yes but I don't think it has to be a romantic connection, plenty of my best friends have been my soulmates on many different levels.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? catching up with friends that I have missed recently. 

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? 2 knee surgeries and 1 mouth surgery.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? I don't react well to compliments so I don't really know.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? All of my teenage years, I have very stubborn teeth to go with my stubborn personality. In the end they still moved back to where they were.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? considering it's in like 3 weeks I should have some ideas but I really just want to spend time with my family before I leave a week later.

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES? 2 1 boy - Landon 1 girl - Emma

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Egos

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKED ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL? Spending time with my friends and Friday night football games.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? Ummm I'm not sure because it depends on the day and the amount of damage to my hair.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? For the most part yes, except when I write in a hurry.

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH? Quiche from Spring Street Grill.

52. ANY BAD HABITS? Too many to list.

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSOn? Only when I'm stressed and emotional

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would hope so.

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS? To a point. I have been in FWB situations and they didn't turn out well. 

56. DO LOOKS MATTER? Looks attract but personality lasts.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? Angry driving with the radio blaring or the occasional punch of a wall or inanimate object.

58. WHO WAS YOUR FIRST BEST FRIEND? Allison

59. DO YOU LIKE BRITNEY SPEARS? Sadly yes.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? My Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles action figures.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE? 100+ but I don't call half of them.

62.WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID? I didn't watch him as a kid but I was forced to watch while "babysitting" so yes.

63. Do you use sarcasm? All the freaking time.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? Mashed Potatoes

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL? Personality and compassion

66. WHO HAS THE SAME PHONE AS YOU? My sister, Sarah, Bartley, tons of other people.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER? flight.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? OTH, Friends, Las Vegas, Reba oh wait just one can't pick.

69. WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES? I try to avoid them or having them in general.

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Half Baked Ben and Jerry's

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES? Yes but I almost cut off the top of my thumb when I was little.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM? Yes my laptop and have had since I was like 14

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT? Softball game (if it doesn't rain) BWW, setting up for my garage sale.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER? Near a beach somewhere.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTION? If they really want to take the time to sure.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? TV (sadly the Disney Channel)

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK? Coca-Cola (aka Coke)

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Lindsay

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? Arm muscles

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Spare time??? Watch movies or TV I guess because that's what I do before I sleep.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE? I try not to hate.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: Late spring/early summer

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY? Sweettarts Chicks Bunnies and Ducks, an Easter requirement in my family.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND? Several, I have the bestest best friend too.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? Brown, and when I dye it lighter brown with a hint of red or blonde.

86. EYE COLOR? Brown

87. SHOE SIZE? 9

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE? Taco Bueno

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Abuelo's

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? LOVE IT!

91. WHO WERE YOUR GOOD FRIENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL? Faye, Allison, Cassie, Daniel x2, Drew, Tim, Tiffany.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS? Guitar, Piano, Drums, Clarinet, Keyboard.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? Umm I've never really picked a side. I just flow in between.

95. KISSES OR HUGS? Hugs

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? Relationships

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? Music on iTunes

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A STAY-AT-HOME-MOM? I will struggle with having kids let alone being with them all the time.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? No time to read but I started The Secret Life of Bees on the plane a couple weeks ago.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE. MIA recently but working on getting it back.

Sweet Silver Lining

I don't have much to say today, just to much going on to process and really write it out but I heard this song on Monday's OTH and bought it that afternoon and have fallen in love with it. It speaks so much about things that I am feeling right now. This is why Kate Voegele's songs play on repeat on my iPod.

I’m going home down hearted and hoping 
I’m close to some new beginning 
I know there’s a reason for everything 
That comes and goes 

But so many people are looking to me 
To be strong and to fight 
But I’m just surviving 
And I maybe weak but I’m never defeated 
And I’ll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining 

Most days I try my best 
To put on a brave face 
But inside my bones are cold 
And my heart breaks 
But all the while something’s keeping me safe 
And alive 

But so many people are looking to me 
To be strong and to fight 
But I’m just surviving 
And maybe weak but I’m never defeated 
And I’ll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining 

And I won’t give up like this 
I will be given strength 
Now that I’ve found it 
Nothing can take that away 

So many people are looking to me 
To be strong and to fight 
But I’m just surviving 
And I maybe weak but I’m never defeated 
And I’ll keep believing 

So many people are looking to me 
To be strong and to fight 
But I’m just surviving 
And maybe weak but I’m never defeated 
And I’ll keep believing in clouds with that sweet silver lining 

Sweet silver lining 

Out of the loop

So I feel like I'm neglecting my duties as a friend. I am so out of the loop on current events with everyone else. It's time to stop being so wrapped up in my own life and the changes that are coming that I haven't took the time to really talk to anyone lately. Well no more. I want to know how everyone is doing. I have missed all my chat buddies. Between my vacation and the craziness that has followed since then I have been MIA and a horrible friend.

Tie me down, text me, call me whatever. I want to know how everyone is doing. I miss you all very much. My SGP family is the reason I am going for this dream and I have fallen on my duties to be a part of it. Thank you all for your continued support and I will always be here to support each of you. 

It's Official!!!

The first part of making my dreams happen is that much closer. I am officially moving into an apartment in Wilmington, NC on June 12th. I was approved today and will be signing the lease in the next week or so. I am so excited. Now all I need to do is find a job to pay for the rent and I am on my way!!!!!

More Videos

Here are a couple more videos. They may just be funny to me but I wanted to share.

Driving around looking at apartments I discovered the beach randomly (that is what happens when you don't have a map or the Tom Tom). We decided that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get out and walk a little while.

After sitting around trying to figure out what we were going to do to kill some time we decided that we would go to the batting cages we passed on our way to the beach. Now I play softball every week but Lindsay has never played so this was an adventure.

This one is our recounting the story of the night we meet Hilarie in the bar. I have told this story so many times but this is the best retelling of it so far. Obviously we have 2 different tellings of the stories based on perspectives but this is our collaboration.

An Ode To Mothers

In honor of mothers day I have been reflecting on my mother.

I have been fortunate enough to have an amazing mother. She has been my biggest supporter, friend, caretaker, my everything. She has always supported my wild ideas, change in dreams, and everything in between. Even during my rebellious teenage years (actually I was 19 almost 20 and it lasted all of a summer) she stuck by me and helped me any way she could. We are a lot alike, have similar views of the world and can talk about pretty much anything. She is part of the reason that I am so sad to leave home next month.

As I am sitting here the sounds of an off key, struggling to learn trumpet player are floating in through my window. Oh man do I remember those days. First when my sister was just learning to play the clarinet and then again when I decided to play the drums. If you were to ask her I don't think she could tell you that either was worse but I am sure it's easier to tune out a quieter clarinet than a pounding drum. But she endured it all, from piano lessons to practicing songs for a performance, to the repeated bangs of the drum. It couldn't have been easy but she did it. All while toting us from basketball practices, softball practices, sleep overs, birthday parties, movie theaters, roller skating rinks, you name it we did it growing up.

We didn't miss out on many opportunities growing up either. If it was something we wanted to do, something we needed to do, or something that we wanted we did it, got it or saw it. My parents made sure we had every opportunity. From the vacations that they never went on when they were little, to sports camps, we had the opportunity to do it. They even went as far as to get us pets knowing that when we left home they would stay behind (they still have my first cat Sweetie, and recently took in my 2 dogs Scooter and Alex). 

My mother and for that matter my father are the best parents I could have ever asked for. So on this Mothers Day take the opportunity to look at your own mother and what she has meant to you in your own life. 

Happy Mothers Day Mom. I love you!

Fun Times in Wilmington

More Videos

Our first excursion at the Rivercourt. Trying my skills at interviewing.

This is at the 6th Street Bridge. Yet again with my interview skills.

Video Time

So due to an extreme lack of time and energy and a lot of planning and packing going on I haven't have time to go through and compile my videos. Until now. So here it is video #1. I hope you enjoy it.

This is our drive from the airport trying to find our hotel with my Tom Tom. Maybe I should have drove.

Random Thoughts Running Through My Head

I have been doing a lot of thinking since my return from Wilmington. Lots of soul searching and lots of randomness. All in all I feel more comfortable about my decision to move and to do it very soon. I am going to miss home and my family and friends that are here but I know that this move is what's best for me. I have watched others chase their dreams and have everything they ever wanted in return and I am ready for my chance at that.

I also can't help but feel like that 5 days changed my perspective on things a little bit. Ok maybe a lot. I had a once and a lifetime trip full of everyhing I could have ever asked for and so much more. I got to meet one of my idols. I got to meet someone that I look up to. I got to see what living my dream could look like. And in the process I meet some of the nicest people in the world.

Yes I met The SGP team but they are so much more. I'm not going to get into again because I feel like I'm beating a dead horse but there is something I do want to say about it. I watched this weeks OTh and was shocked to realize that the person I saw on the screen as Peyton Sawyer was just that Peyton Sawyer. She was not the person that I met at the bar or on the riverwalk. Now that shows just how great of an actress she is but also what an amazing person she is.

I am more than likely moving next month. Now this is so soon and scares the heck out of me because there are so many details to work out but I am so excited. This is the first big step I have made in a long time and I can't wait to see where it takes me. I have never loved an area so much so quickly as I did. From the moment I walked downtown I was hooked and every where else we went just added to that.

I know what I want to do, where I want to be and how I want to live. I know where I'm going, when I'm going to get there. All that I don't know is what will happen when I get there.

Big changes are coming my way very quickly and I have very little time to dwell on that. The journey has just begun, the road is laid out in front of me. All I have to do now is follow it to where I am supposed to be and right now I know that is Wilmington, NC and I will be there very soon.

A Wonderful Occurrence of Events

My amazing experiences with the SGP team were not limited to vlogs and bars. A little before my random and amazing meeting with Hilarie Burton at the Copper Penny I was told that we had the opportunity to go tour the OTH sets with KT. So the morning of the vlog shoot we got up and I called to set up a time to meet KT and headed out to the studio. After getting there and meeting up he took us through all of the sets which were awesome. Of course we took tons of pictures which will make there way to flickr sometime soon. He answered all of our questions and gave us some pretty cool behind the scene knowledge that only a person who worked on the show would know. This was really interesting to me because it's the things I've been reading in class but now I got to see them in real life. KT is awesome and so full of knowledge. We saw all of the sets on site like Lucas's room, Haley and Nathan's, Mouth and Skills apartment, Peyton's office, Brooke's house, Dan's beach house, the creepy hotel room that I swear could have been based off a couple of places I have stayed at, and my favorite Jamie's awesome room which if I was a little kid I would never leave. There was also the high school, and the locker rooms. It was so weird to see them in person to be able to see how they make such small spaces, cramped full of people when they film seem so big and bright. It was a once and a lifetime opportunity that was one of the highlights of my trip.

After the awesome tour we headed downtown to where they said they would be filming. What is funny is that I forgot to tell KT we were going down there when we were at the studio and I didn't tell Hil last night that we were meeting KT so we got down there and Hil couldn't believe that I didn't tell her we were meeting KT and as we are walking up KT is calling me saying Hil says you were going to meet up with us. 

KT setting up the tour for us was beyond amazing and way more than I would or could have ever asked for. Not only did I get to the sets but KT personally showed us around giving little insights along the way. He was willing to meet us at the studio and take a little time out of his day. Then to call and make sure that we were going to make it to the riverwalk for the filming was amazing. While we were touring Lindsay asked how he got into the industry and the subject got onto his mentor. Well he did a really good job with KT and I can see him as a great mentor to many people.

SGP and Me

Now you may be tired of reading about what SGP and what Hilarie, Nick, KT, and the gang mean to me but after returning from my vacation in Wilmington I need to share it one more time. It's one thing to share things with your fans over the internet and allow them a little access into your world but what they did for me this week was so much more than that.

As I have already posted I got to meet many members of this wonderful team during my visit to their fine city. But I am here right now to tell you that these are some of the nicest, most down to earth and conciderate people I have had the pleasure to meet. Who ever said that fame or money can change you have obviously not spent any time with any of them. I was welcomed by a group of practical strangers who have very busy lives to lead and took jus a little bit of their time to talk to a fan (a very dedicated one at that).

From Hilarie's graciousness at allowing me to take a picture and chat with at the bar while she was out, to inviting us to come out and be apart of the vlog and watch them in action, to her helpfulness and friendliness in trying to help point out things for us to do while we were there. This womans spirit is amazing and shows through her. She is the real deal, what you see on the blog is the real person. Now it may just be me but I am constantly shocked when people remember me. It's my own personal battle but I digress. As we arrive for the blog filming she greeted us like we were friends not 2 random strangers that she had just meet the night before. Critics and synics would say that she's an actress and she gets paid to act certian ways but I don't believe it from her. I can read people and am usually a good judge of character and I only got warm friendly vibe from her.

Nick is the perfect writer for this group. Because his heart and spirit are right in line with the others and his passion for Pedestrian and SGP radiates from him. I had the pleasure in meeting him at the blog filming and running into him again downtown. Not only did he recognize us (of course I was rockin my SGP shirt to spread the news in the airports) but he took the time to talk to us. The way he talks about the projects that they have coming up and are working on and the light in his eyes is the same look I get when I talk about my dreams and goals and plans. His heart is 110% in SGP and all you have to do is talk to him to see it. But on top of that he is an overall nice guy. Nothing said he had to take the time to talk to us, nothing forced him to share his time with us.

This wonderful group of people are the reason why I want to get in this industry. Their hearts are large and open and their passion is contagious. Thank you all for everything. I could never say it enough.

Good Luck, Good Times, and Amazing People

Preface: This post was originally written 4/30/2009 at 4:44 PM right after I returned to the hotel from filming the vlog with Hilarie and Nick. Here is what I wrote in reflection of what happened.

As everyone knows I am in Wilmington scooping out my future place of residence. Well as part of my plan I decided that the best way to know a place was to see it's night life, get a feel of the people and the area. So I had choice a couple of bars a night to hit up just to check out.

The second night we decided we would find a nice small bar/pub to go to with not a lot of crowd to just sit and get a couple of drinks at. After circling Front Street 4 or 5 times we found a small place just off of it call The Copper Penny. 

We park right in front of it and go in and sit at the bar. Now to be honest I saw a big group of people sitting at a table and I didn't want to sit directly across from them so I made Lindsay move down the bar a little ways. It's a good thing we did because I was being my curious self and glancing up at the mirror behind the bar to just check out the happenings of others around us. 

As I glance one time I notice a white hair gentleman that looks an awful lot like Kris Kristofferson. Well after further glances (nothing to obvious you know) I realize it is him. Being from the south and a country music fan I was in awe. Here was in the same bar that I was. Now I might be a little slow on the up take because it took my brains a couple seconds to put together that he was in town shotting "Provences of Night" with Hilarie Burton. Now as you know I love SGP and HB so I start scouting the table a little bit more. Sure enough sitting on the end closest to me is Hilarie Burton. Now I will admit I had a "small" panic attack at this. After having Lindsay confirm that it was her we just sat at the bar and I pretended to be cool and casual.

After Kris and the rest of the gang left Hil relocated herself to the bar. By this point I was in no mental state to just walk right up and talk to her so Lindsay went for me. She was the sweetest person gladly took pictures (and a video by accident) and we let her get back to her evening. The funniest part to me was that she was just star struck by Kris and I was star struck by her.

She mentioned while we were talking to her that they would be filming the next day down on the Riverwalk if we wanted to come by and check it out. After watching them film a vlog, we did our piece with Hil. I can totally see why she was an awesome VJ because she made me feel totally comfortable and made talking to her very easy. After finishing filming we were standing around and the people writing the article from the Star News got our names, Hilarie suggested some places for us to visit and we parted ways.

Now I have been a follower from basically day 1 of SGP and have loved everything that this company has been and will be doing but this just put it over the top. The fact that these wonderful people would take an interest in me while I was here for these few days is amazing. They truly do care about their fans and are amazing people. They are just down to earth people doing something that they love and are willing to share it with the world. I will shout it from the rooftops, wear my SGP shirt with pride, and support these people until the end of time because they are the real deal. They are worth supporting. I have said it before and I will say it a hundred times you need to follow and support SGP. You need to buy the shirt, watch the vlogs, hop in the chat. EVERYTHING! Because giving them support is only a small way that I will ever be able to pay them back for the amazing experience they have given me here.

Video Preview

A 5 hour layover will cause you to go crazy if you let it. However I have enough stuff to sort through after my amazing trip that I am no where close to bored. I wanted to share 1 quick video that we shot while we were in Wilmington as a little preview of what is to come. Now our videos pretty much were me filming Lindsay and asking her a series of questions but there are a few on camera appearances by me. ENJOY!!!

(Sorry for the shakiness)

Heading Home

Blogging from an airplane. It might be offical that you can blog from anywhere. I am on my first flight on my way home and it is stirring mixed feelings in me. On one hand I can't wait to see my family, sleep in my own bed, play with my puppies and cats and do everything that makes it home but at the same time I don't want to leave Wilmington. I have never been anyplace like it and I have never felt more comfortable in a strange place before. It was like home away from home. A place where I could live and work and play and do it all on my own. It's the biggest feeling small town I have ever been to. That might make no sense whatever but let me try to explain.

I was in Wilmington for basically 5 days. In those 5 days I experienced things and feelings that I have only gotten from being in places such as Orlando and NYC but at the same time I had some if the quient essential small town experinces from people recognizing me after 1 meeting to finding some of the coolest shops that only a city like Wilmington could hold.

Though I have not shared all of my experinces with the group and believe me I can't believe some of the stories I have to tell from this week (the blog is written and waiting to be posted when other things fall into place.) I know that from this small experince that I have choosen the right place to move. I fit there, I can see myself in these places, making friends with the people and making everything I have ever dreamed of a reality.

I have so many people to thank for making this the amazing trip that it was and I will do so individually as soon as I get home but a general thank you will be sent out from here. You all know what you did and you might not know the impact it had on me but believe me you did. I have never been more motivated or ready to take a giant leap like this before. God puts you in places and let's you experience things for a reason and I believe that I was called to Wilmington that God made everything happen to erase thendpubta in my mind and set me back on the right path in life

I promise I will share every story and experince from my trip and I will post as many of the almost 200 pictures and 60 minutes worth of video I possibly can in the coming days.