Day 12: Something I don’t leave the house without

I never ever leave without my phone.  I'm completely lost without it.

Day 11: A quote I love

Ok, so I'm gonna have several:

Day 10: Something I'm afraid of

UGH!  I hate snakes.  I guess I should tell the story that goes along with the heebie jeebies I get when I just see a picture of a snake!

When I was 18 & still living at home with my mom & dad, my mom had had surgery & my dad was in the hospital with her & my aunt was coming to get me so we could go see her.  I was on the phone with my mama while I was getting ready.  I was walking into my bathroom with my blue jeans, sandals & bra on & as I went to put my foot down I noticed something in the doorway of the bathroom, just under my foot.  I look down and there's a snake!  I start screaming, there's a snake in the house as I run into the kitchen & onto the dining room chair.  In the process I hang up on my mama & all she heard was "in the house" and she thought I meant someone was in the house! haha.  But anyway, I ended up calling my cousin who lives down the road & she sent her husband down to my house & he killed it & got it out of the house. Ever since then snakes freak me completely out!

Day 9: A favorite picture of my best friend

My favorite picture of me & my best friend.  We have been best friends since high school.  She's like a sister to me.  

My favorite picture of my best friend...Her, her husband, and her daughter.  They are such a sweet little family & I love them SO much.

Day 8: A place I've traveled to and where else I want to travel.

I'm posting 2 pictures of places I've been:  Gatlinburg, TN & Destin, FL.  These are two of my favorite vacation spots & I've been to both several times.

Now, for places I want to go...there's a long list!

Instead of posting a pic of all the states I wanna see...this is just easier, I have a long way to go though, I've only been to 9 so far.

Australia

England

Greece

Rome, Italy...I just love Rome & I want to go SO bad

Scotland...it's so gorgeous!

Ireland...also gorgeous!

There's more that I wanna see, but this is just a good start!

Day 7: What Makes You Happy

First off, my joy comes from the Lord.  He has richly blessed me with people & a few things that make me genuinely happy.  I am extremely thankful for everything He's given me. 

The kids in these 2 pictures make me happy!  The top picture is me with my 2 nephews; Jake is 15 & Trey is 6.  They are both a handful, but in different ways.  The next picture is my niece, Rhiannon who is 11.  She is my princess.  

The sweet little angel in this picture also makes me happy.  This is Alyssa, my best friends little girl, who I claim as my niece.  She will be 9 months old next week & she always brings a smile to my face.  

And crazily enough my career choice makes me happy.  Even though I haven't started working as one yet, I just love the field I chose & helping people makes me happy.

Other things that make me happy:  ice cream, warm spring days, Christmas-time, hanging out with friends.

Day 6: Pet Peeves

Hmm...what are my pet peeves??

1. People that constantly complain, and never have anything good to say about their life.  
2. People who post vague statuses on Facebook, but when someone asks "what's wrong", they don't wanna talk about it...well don't post it on Facebook for everyone to see...
3. People (specifically girls) who claim they are fat, when they obviously aren't.  
4. Guys leaving the toilet seat up.
5. People using your when it's supposed to be you're, and other grammatical stuff like that. 

Ok, so that's all I can think of at the moment.  I'm sure I have lots more, but none come to mind now. 

Day 5: Song that inspires you

Kelly Clarkson- Stronger



With everything that I've been going through with finding a job, among other things...just lifts me up.  Plus it's an awesome song to listen to while exercising & I feel like I'm about to die! haha

P.S.  I got a little behind so I may posts 2 days of this challenge in 1!

Day 4: My Parents

This is my Mama & Daddy.  They are quite possibly the greatest parents ever!!  No, seriously, they have done so much for me, I don't know how I can ever repay them. They have always been there for me & have been especially amazing since I've been in school & have had problems finding a job.

They have been married for almost 37 years & are still going strong.  They are an amazing Christian couple & a great example for how I want my marriage to be like one day.  Not that I'm saying they are perfect, because believe me...they both can drive me absolutely crazy at times.  Me & my Daddy are just alike so needless to say we butt heads a lot, but generally I get along with both of them pretty well.

Day 3: Your First Love

My first love would have to be Jesus.  I know, stereotypical "Christian" thing to say.  But it's true.  I asked Jesus into my heart at age 11 & He showed me what love truly is.  He's there for me every day, every minute.  He never gets angry or upset with me.  He allows me to vent my frustrations & cry to him.  He knows me inside & out.  He knows the things I've never told anyone, even my best friend.  He knows my past, my present, & most importantly my future.  He's silent sometimes, & other times He speaks loud & clear.  There isn't anything I can't do as long as He's my Strength.  Everyday is an opportunity to learn; to rely on Him more. To give him everything; to let him work.

Day 2: Nicknames

Okay, so I'm supposed to write about my nicknames, so here goes.

First, the obvious ones, Court & Court-Court, that I've been called ever since I can remember & most people end up pretty much calling me that especially once I kinda get to know them.  Even my nephews & niece call me Court. Mostly they just call me Court though, but I do have one friend who ALWAYS calls me Court Court.

Second, the 2 nicknames my aunt, who is only 14 years older than me, gave me when I was little--Bratina & Dirty Diana.  Not really sure where they came from, but she called me both of those A LOT when I was little...not so much anymore.  She does from time to time though & my mom has gotten my niece & nephew to call me Bratina sometimes. I was the youngest grandbaby for a while & I was pretty spoiled by everyone, so I guess that's where Bratina came from & as far as Dirty Diana, I really don't know except my middle name is Diana.

Third, other nicknames that I don't get called that often.  There's Red, who was given to me by a family friend, because my hair has natural red highlights & turns kind of an auburn color in the sun & the fact that I have a birthmark in the center of my forehead that you used to be able to see all the time, and it would get really red when I was mad or upset. You can still see it if I'm upset or mad now.  Let's see, that may be about it...

Day 1:Picture of Me & 15 Facts

1. I did Colorguard for 6 years (4 in high school & 2 in college)...I spun flag, rifle & in college I added sabre.  It was so much fun!
2. I never take my contacts out before bed...I hate not being able to see when I go to sleep & when I first wake up.  
3. My eyesight is 20/2000...which means I can see at 20 feet away what most people can see clearly at 2000 feet away.
4. I actually really like Justin Bieber's new song, Boyfriend.
5. If a movie is based on a book, I almost always have to read the book before I'll see the movie.  
6. I love getting pedicures. 
7. I actually like spending time with my nephew & his girlfriend & being the "cool aunt"/chauffeur.
8. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
9. Some days I actually miss being in high school & my first 2 years of college.
10. 8:00 am seems to be my natural wake-up time...no matter how late I go to sleep, most of the time. 
11. Reruns of Saved By the Bell & Boy Meets world on MTV is quite possibly the best thing ever!
12. I'm really quiet around people I first meet, so a lot of people think I'm really quiet...little do they know, once I get comfortable around them I never shut up!
13. I don't wear heels...at least not much & not high ones.  I can't walk in them & my feet hurt so I just steer clear of them.
14. When I am out in the sun, my hair turns kind of an auburn color...& I like it!
15. I used to not be able to sleep without the TV on, but before I went to Nicaragua in 2010, I had to get used to it since I wouldn't have it out there & now I hardly ever sleep with the TV on.

Starting a 30-Day Blog Challenge!

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts.
Day 2: Nicknames.
Day 3: Your first love.
Day 4: Your parents.
Day 5: What song inspires you.
Day 6: Pet peeves.
Day 7: What makes you happy.
Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to and where else you want to travel.
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend.
Day 10: Something you’re afraid of.
Day 11: A quote you love.
Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 13: Goals.
Day 14: A picture of you last year – how have you changed?
Day 15: Death row meal.
Day 16: Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it.
Day 17: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs.
Day 18: Something you miss.
Day 19: Things you want to say to an ex.
Day 20: Something you wonder “What if…?” about.
Day 21: Something you’re proud of.
Day 22: What do you want your future to be like?
Day 23: Favorite Movies and TV Show.
Day 24: Something you’ve learned.
Day 25: Something you are looking forward to.
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding.
Day 27: Photo of your city .
Day 28: What stresses you out?
Day 29: Who is you hero?
Day 30: A picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge.

What's New?

I haven't been on here for a couple of weeks.  So, what's been going on with me?  On Wednesday April 4, my little Chiweenie went missing.  His name is Rebel & I've had him for over 7 years.  He somehow got out of my backyard, like's he's managed to do before, but he comes back.  This time he didn't.  I miss him terribly & have done everything I can think of to try to find him.  I can just hope that someone found him and is taking good care of him. 

 Hmm...what else is new?  Still no job...but I'm trying to not get anxious about it.  I actually had another interview, but they ended up giving the job to someone with experience, but one of the physicians there is trying to get them to hire me as well. I don't know if that will work out or not.  I mean this job isn't my dream job...but right now any job will do.  Praying is the only thing I can do at the moment.  

I have been working on losing weight for awhile now...I've lost about 12 pounds since I started keeping up with it in about August.  I haven't really been doing a lot to lose weight, but today I've decided that I'm getting serious about it!  I am going to start the couch to 5K today, but as soon as I got my shoes on & stepped outside, it started raining.  Hopefully it'll clear up in a minute & I'll get to get outside & complete day 1!  I'm also going to start keeping up with calories too.  I joined this cool website www.myfitnesspal.com.  So far, I'm liking it a lot!  

No April Fool's jokes here

I know my last couple of posts have been kind of sad and depressing, and I apologize for that.  That's typically not me.  Things have been kind of crazy for me lately...and I just don't know where else to turn but to this blog to get it all out and not feel judged.  My depression has typically been bad around the end of the month/beginning of the new month because that means another month has gone by without me getting a job.  But over the past couple of days...since my last post, I have been feeling strangely optimistic.  I am really hoping that is a good sign.  I'm still kind of stranded on a job coming through... a few things "in the works", but they've been "in the works" for quite some time now.  Just feeling hopeful that April will be the month something pulls through!!

I've been thinking about making some changes in my life...right now I'm living with my sister, where I've been for the past 3 years, but lately that arrangement is becoming strained, which is causing our relationship to be strained...and we've always been pretty close.  We live roughly an hour from our parents, and lately I've been spending a lot of time over there.   So I'm considering kinda/sorta moving back in with my parents.  By that I mean, I'd be staying there all the time, but I wouldn't move any of my furniture or anything out of my sister's house because basically I don't have anywhere to put it right now.  I am extremely hopeful that once I get a job I'll be able to find someplace close to my parents to rent...that is if my job is over close to where they live. Point is, I'm just kind of aching to get my own place. I haven't always been the person who likes being home alone, but lately I've just wanted my own place so I can make all the decisions, have people over, whoever I want & not worry about it bothering anyone...cook what I want, ya know...stuff you have to compromise on with roommates.

So here's to April being a great month!