Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Now What Do I Do?

Now that I have successfully turned in my thesis for binding, all I have to do is walk across the stage. Now I have all this "free" time. What do I do with it? Well I have a list of things to do by the end of June like clean out closets, air filters, deep cleaning...just get my house in order along with some other things. I'm planning on some trips; some work related, some not. I'm looking forward to what is in store for me in the future. It will be exciting! Some future self-improvment goals include but are not limited to: painting lessons, some continuing education classes, maybe working on my German language skills, serving in the community, saving some money for a major trip next year (Hong Kong? that would be awesome!!!). Serving others and self-improvment is my life goal. Always a never ending process.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005


This is our starting point at Wyman Bridge. Posted by Hello

White River. You can see the tip of the canoe my Dad made!! Posted by Hello

White River with me and my bro! Posted by Hello

Drew's fish. Posted by Hello

I caught the first fish! Posted by Hello

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Article on the exact area of the "River Incident"

Check out the link above. It was written three days before we went on our trip. It will give you a good idea of what the country side looks like!

The Weekend

Well I finally got home to see Emma. She is adorable!! However, all she does is sleep and eat, so she wasn't much fun. I had a blast with Alex! We played dress up and she made me wear the tiara, boa, necklaces and fairy wings. She laughed the whole time. Alex points to Drew and says "Daddy", points to Mandy and says "Mommy" and point to Emma and says "My baby." She pointed to me and said "da da da." (Jessica)

Well I had an adventure on Sunday. Dad, Drew and I planned on a lesiurely fishing trip down White River to the Twin bridges in Arkansas. Drew and I were in one canoe and Dad was in the canoe he built. I caught the first fish and Drew caught two and Dad caught one. We were all having a great time until the river split and then met up again. We decided to take the left fork because the right was too shallow. The left fork was deep, cold water and had a good current going. At the bend there was a half submerged tree that Drew and I slammed right into and then tipped over. The first thing I thought of was "No tipping!" which is what Drew said to me before we started this trip. Then I thought, "Oh, I'm gonna drown!" Then I popped up and started down stream. I couldn't touch the bottom, which really frightened me and somehow Drew got in front of me. He was trying to catch the canoe. Thank goodness it didn't sink to the bottom! Well I couldn't get my bearings very well and then I remembered to put your feet in front of you so you can stand when it gets shallow enough. So I made it out of the water in one piece. I did slice my finger open. I don't know what on though. I think the canoe. Drew said when we tipped he was sucked under and his shirt got caught on the branches in the water, but got free. He lost his fishing pole. The one he got for his first anniversary :( And his work cell phone is now ruined. "oops"

Dad went the same route but got out before the turns. He lost his paddle but we retreived it a little while later (along with all our other stuff that floated down the river, including bloated trailmix).

We all said we were done fishing for awhile.

My other brother Patrick and his friend David were fishing at our stopping point and he was going to take us back at the starting poing to pick up the trucks so we could load the canoes. Drew, Pat and I crammed ourselves into Pat's tiny Ford Ranger. I drove Dad's truck and Drew got his and Pat had his truck. We took a route that would bypass a steep incline (I didn't want to drive it). After watching Pat struggle with the alternate route Drew and I took the original and saw that Pat was stuck in a major mud hole. By that time it was about 7pm. Thank goodness Dad's truck had a towline. In the process of hooking up the line Drew fell in the mud. Drew dealt with that while I called Dad to let him know why it was taking so long. Finally Drew pulled Pat out of the mud hole. When Drew and Pat drove back to where I was parked, I heard a hiss. Pat must have run over construction staple because his back tire was leaking some major air! So Drew and Pat had to change an almost flat tire. I went to get Dad and David. By this time I think it was almost 9pm. Good grief!! We were all tired, smelly, wet and hungry. We hadn't had lunch or dinner.

I went by Mom's to say goodbye (I was leaving the next morning and wouldn't be able to see her). She poured Hydrogen Peroxide over the gash and bandaged the finger. Thanks Mom!! I probably needed stiches.

Drew and I still had to return the borrowed canoe and I had to pick up my car at Drew's place. I didn't get back to Dad's until 11pm where I promptly eat dinner, took a shower and went to bed. A relaxing five hour afternoon turned into a ten hour disaster. The moral of the story? Keep your cell phone in a plastic baggie or back in the vehicle. It would have taken a lot longer to coordinate our efforts. We could still be stuck in the mud!

Friday, April 08, 2005

*sigh* Of Relief (no not Rolaids)

Today is a red letter day in my life. I have successfully turned in my Master's Thesis to the graduate school for approval. It has taken me a long time to finish it, but it was worth it. I was at the Museum til 11pm last night and then came in at 7:30 to print off the last few pages. Whew! However, I won't be totally satisfied until I walk across the stage and receive the diploma! May 14th here I come!!!

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Women's NCAA Basketball Championship!!

GO LADY BEARS!!! They were awesome last night!! They smashed Michigan State 84-62. Whoo Whoot! Yeah Yeah!

Monday, April 04, 2005

LADY BEARS DO IT AGAIN!!

I'm so proud of the Lady Bears!!! They whooped up on LSU. YES!!! It looks like we will be playing Michigan St. Sorry Lady Vols!!! There's always next year!!

Friday, April 01, 2005

SIC 'EM BEARS!!

Even though I am not a huge sports fan, I have enjoyed the success of the Lady Bears, Baylor University. They have made it to the Final Four and I am anxiously waiting the outcome. This is what I hope to come true: Baylor vs. Tennessee with, of course, the Bears winning. My Aunt and Uncle live in Knoxville and are going to the games, they are HUGE Vols fans. We shall see... we shall see... :) HA Ha Hah ha haa HA!