Isn't Life Great When It's Not Happening To You?

First Semester Over!

2006-12-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

*sigh* Well, the first semester of my senior year in high school is now officially over. I just finished my semester exams (math and independent study personal fitness) and now it's time to focus on the really important stuff...WINTER BREAK!! I'm off to Florida 12/23 and will be there until either the 30th or 31st, then it's off to Nashville to ring in the New Year with a Country concert with Jason Aldeen, Trace Adkins and Brooks & Dunn. This holiday season is gonna be great, just like it always is, and the only white I plan on seein' this Christmas is the white sand beaches of Sanibel Island in Florida (off the coast near Ft. Meyers and Cape Coral)!

I can't believe I'm actually a second semester senior!! Scary thought right there. I'm looking forward to college, but at the same time, I don't want to leave my friends and family. It's a bitter-sweet feeling to say the least. My top choice for college is Berklee School of Music up in Boston, MA and my back-up school is Murray State Universtity in Murray, KY. Murray is only like 2 hours or so from Nashville, so I'd be close to the Country music scene that I love so much. I want to pursue a career as a singer, preferably Country or Rock, which is why I want to go to Berklee. The way I've come to see it, Berklee is basically the Juliard of contemporary music. It's a phenomenal school located in the heart of the Boston music scene and that could really help me in my pursuit of a music career (especially considering Joey Kramer of Aerosmith graduated from Berklee and Aerosmith is based in the Boston area!). Murray is a good school too, don't get me wrong. It's a small school (public ivy-league) with around 8,000 students and is located in a small town (Murray, KY) and the school has an equestrian team that would be fun to join. But they're music program is too classical for me. As a matter of fact, that's all it is, classical music. I have nothing against people who are classically trained and/or are classical performers. I just get rather bored with Schubert and Handel and Mozart and Beethoven and all of the rest of them. Give me Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue or Lynyrd Skynyrd and I'll be happy (not the extent of my favorite artists, but just a few of them).

Well, that's basically the update with what's new in my life. If anything else interesting should happen, I shall update here again. Otherwise, see you in the new year!

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland...

2006-12-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

Woohoo!! We have snow! And might I add, today is the first snow day that the Clayton School District has had in around 3 years! I swear, I dunno what I'm gonna do with myself today. But thank god the snow day is on a Friday so now I have a 3-day weekend! Yay! As I write this, I'm listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's CD Christmas Eve and Other Stories. Lemme go off-track a bit here and say that if you've never seen Trans-Siberian Orchestra live, you need to go fall in a well and die. These guys are incredible. They take traditional Christmas songs and play them on electric guitars, electric basses, 7-string electric violins (thank you to Mark Wood for inventing those and for playing with Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and drum sets. They are turly a rock band that bring traditional Christmas songs to the 21st century. So if you get the chance to see these guys in concert GO AND SEE THEM! YOU WON'T BE DISAPOINTED! But I digress.

Anyways. Here's how the crazy weather came to be: It started off yesterday with a ton of what the Weather Channel called a "frozen mix" but in reality, it was ice fallin' from the sky. It fell most of yesterday and finally turned to snow around 9-10:00 last night. I got the call from my high school at around 7:30pm sayin' that we were gonna have a snow day today and I was so happy, I was bouncing around the house for ages. I called my friends and we celebrated over the phone. I must say, yesterday's weather was worse than anything I experienced in the 5 years I lived in Minneapolis. Sure, we had winter storms, but we never had ice fall from the sky. It was either rain or snow, never ice. So for once, St. Louis beat Minneapolis in the bad winter weather department!

Now, I'm off to enjoy this wonderful snow day. Below you'll find pictures I took this morning of my snowy neighborhood and my house (all taken from inside my house). Enjoy!

My next-door neighbor cleaning off her car

Part of my front yard

My other next-door neighbor's front yard

Part of my back yard

A glimpse at my neighborhood under cover of snow
The bench in the flower bed in the corner of my back yard
The bench in the flower bed in the corner of my back yard
My deck

The tree in my front yard

Sweet Emotion

2006-10-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sweet lord, last night was the Aerosmith/Mötley Crüe concert out at UMB Bank Pavillion. And it kicked so much ass!!! There's so much to say, so I'll just start at the top! So I got to UMB at 3:30pm for the VIP pre-show party hosted by AeroForceOne.com (official Aerosmith fan club) and I waited for about twenty minutes with everyone else for the AF1 reps to show. They finally did and took all of the Ultra-Sweet Spot members (that would be me) into UMB for a behind-the-scenes tour. We got to the stage and walked on to the end of the 70-foot catwalk one by one to have our picture taken with Steven Tyler's mic stand and one of Joe Perry's giutars. Below is me with Steven's mic stand:

After I had this picture taken, I was walking off stage when someone asked "Is that Brad Whitford?" I turned to look at the stage and was about to say "No, that's a roadie. Aerosmith doesn't do their own soundcheck" when the guy on stage turned around and we all saw that it was indeed Brad Whitford. We all cheered and waved and he waved back. Once all of the fans had their pictures taken, I looked at the above pic and realized Brad is in the picture! (He's the guy in the blue jeans, black shirt and blonde hair). So we all moved along and went to the backstage area. We were all just about to walk into the building that housed the dressing rooms, when the door opened and out walked Russ Irwin, Aerosmith's keyboards player! I exclaimed "Oh my God! It's Russ Irwin!" and he turned and exclaimed "Oh my God! A bunch of Aerosmith fans!" He came over and gave everyone a high five, and my high five turned into a hug. Hehe.

After our little backstage tour, we all met up with the other AF1 fans and partied in this little (and I mean little) tent until 7:00pm. Then we all went out and found our seats. I sat in the third row from the stage, but the first 2 rows were more like half rows, and my seat was right on the aisle, so all I had to do was take like three steps and I was against the stage. Finally, at around 7:40, the house lights went out and Mötley Crüe hit the stage. The crowd screamed and jumped to its feet as Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee hit the stage. The Crüe did an insanely cool show and in the midst of it, Nikki Sixx (bass player) splashed water all over me and handed me his empty waterbottle (which I still have). During "Looks That Kill", Vince Neil (lead singer) came over, took my hand and said into his mic "You've got the looks that kill" right to me! It was awesome. Tommy Lee was crazy as always, wearing nothing but a pair of black capris and a pair of black Converse shoes, and going nuts on the drums. Below are some pics of the Mötley Crüe boys:
Mick Mars (guitarist)
Nikki Sixx (bass player)
Tommy Lee (drummer)
Vince Neil (lead singer)

After Mötley Crüe did their set, the roadies set up Aerosmith's stuff in about 30 minutes or so. The lights went out again and the crowd screamed louder than it had for Mötley Crüe. The music started, the curtain dropped, and there stood Aerosmith. I took three steps and was at the stage, snapping pictures like crazy. The Bad Boys from Boston electrified the stage, performing such hits as "Toys in the Attic", "Dream On", "Devil's Got a New Disguise", "Last Child", "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way" just to name a few. Steven Tyler couldn't have sounded better if he had tried and Joe Perry absolutely tore it up on guitar. During "Cryin'", he came over to my side of the stage and all of the fans and myself reached out to Steven. Out of everyone, he grabbed my hand, kept hold of it, and sang the chorus of "Cryin'" right to me!! I about died.

About four songs into Aerosmith's set, I looked off-stage and saw none other than Tommy Lee partying with a small group of people. I waved to him and he walked out from behind the group he was with and came all the way to the edge of the backstage area he was in and we actually talked/flirted for I'd say a good 10-20 minutes!! Here's basically what our conversation/shouting match was:
Me: Hey Tommy!
Tommy: Hey!
Me: The Mötley Crüe set kicked serious ass!! You guys are awesome!
Tommy: Thanks! I love your jeans by the way! Very sexy! (I was wearing a pair of jeans slit all the way up the sides and covered in rhinestones)
Me: You're very sexy!
Tommy: So are you!
Me: *laughs* Awww...thanks Tommy! I love you!
Tommy: I love you too, baby. Hey, d'you know what the Cards/Mets score is?
Me: *smiles* Yeah. 12 to 5. Cards lost.
Tommy: Ooh, shit! Sorry to hear it!
Me: No biggie. We play again tomorrow!
Tommy: Nice! Well, I need to go, security is having a fit!
Me: *laughs* Alright. It was awesome meeting you Tommy!
Tommy: You'll see me again. Don't worry!
And with that, he was gone, back to his group to party. All of the girls around me had been trying to get Tommy's attention the whole time we talked, but he ignored them all. He only had eyes for me. I turned my attention back to Aerosmith and danced and sang to every song, but as the show went on, I looked over to see what Tommy was doing and every time I did, I'd lock eyes with him! It was so sweet.

Aerosmith finally ended, and at the end of the encore song "Walk This Way", true to his word, Tommy Lee raced out to the edge of the stage where I was. Everyone reached up to him, myself included, and Tommy took my hand, kissed it, turned and started heading off-stage with Aerosmith. I shouted "I love you Tommy Lee!" as he left and Tommy shouted "I love you too!" over his shoulder, then he gave me a smile that can make anyone weak in the knees, and was gone. All of the women around me were so jealous that I had captured Tommy Lee's attention and that he had ignored all of them for me. I couldn't help doing anything but smile.

So there you have it. The greatest night of my life. Below are a few pictures of my beloved Aerosmith (Tom Hamilton sadly wasn't there...still recovering from throat cancer). We all missed you Tom! Get well soon! It's just not the same without you!!!

~Gem

Brad Whitford
Joe Perry
Joey KramerSteven Tyler

In Loving Memory...

2006-08-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

It's always hard to say good-bye to someone that you love. A family pet may be one of the hardest to lose.

It just came to my attention this afternoon that my beloved cat Magic had cancer. We had taken him into the hospital yesterday since he hadn't been eating for about a week and left him overnight. While I was at school, the vet called my mom and told her how bad it was and that he couldn't be saved. I came home and my mom told me how sick he was and that we needed to put him down. I screamed and collapsed onto the couch in tears. Magic, my best friend for 9 years was dying. I don't remember not having him. I didn't want to believe my mom, didn't want it to be true. No, there has to be a mistake, I thought, she can't possibly be talking about my cat. Even at this moment, I don't want to believe it.

It all happened so fast, we never saw it coming. My family and I have been in and out of town a lot lately and whenever we went out of town in the past, Magic would always act different for my mom's friend who pet-sits for us, but would get back to normal once we were home. We thought this was the same. We thought he was just getting bored with the same old food, so we changed it up, but nothing worked. We took him yesterday for x-rays and left him overnight. If I had known riding to the vet that I would never see my cat again, I wouldn't have even gone.

I don't know when, but sometime tonight, Magic will leave this world forever. My eyes are spilling over with tears as I write this, knowing that my best friend is leaving me. My love for Magic will never end. He has been with me for 9 years and has helped me through tough times in ways only a cat can. I won't be at his side when the vet puts him down. I wouldn't be able to handle it.

My vision is greatly blurred right now with tears, my face is streaked with fresh tears, and my heart is broken into billions of pieces, so I shall now close. Rest In Peace my friend and know that I always love you and will never forget you.
----<---<@
In Loving Memory:
Magic Haller
3/17/1997 - 8/23/2006
You Will Never Be Forgotten
----<---<@

Third Time's The Charm

2006-08-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

I guess the third time really is the charm. On Aug. 19, I saw Big & Rich in concert for the third time. The first two times I saw them, my seats were awful. But the third time's the charm. This time, I was in the 6th row. The first two times I saw them, I envied everyone who got to go backstage. But the third time's the charm. This time, I went backstage with my best friend and met "Big" Kenny, John Rich, Cowboy Troy and Two-Foot Fred. And the funny thing is, we didn't even know we were goin' backstage until about two hours before the concert. See, the guy that scored us the awesome seats is the son of the chairman of the board for the state fair, thus allowing us to get backstage.

It seems every time I meet someone famous, I start shakin' like a leaf in a hurricane. Back in 2004, I went backstage and met Toby Keith. I was trembling so bad, that he noticed and asked if I was okay. June 2006, I met Shooter Jennings and I was shakin' so bad, when I stuck out my hand to shake his, it looked like I was in an earthquake. This Big & Rich concert was no exception. And I managed to make a complete idiot out of myself. Now, for those of you who've been living under a rock lately, I am a HUGE Big & Rich fan. Not only do I think both "Big" Kenny and John Rich are very good-looking, but I also think they are incredible artists and I look up to them as a young singer myself. But here's how I managed to embarass myself in front of Big & Rich:

My friend and I got backstage with the other 30 or so lucky folks who went back and we all were herded into this room where we would wait for the band. My friend suggested we start singin' Big & Rich tunes to pass the time while we waited to meet the boys, so we sang "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", "Holy Water", and got halfway through "Comin' To Your City", before "Big" Kenny himself strolled into the room. I was the first person to notice, and I screamed. Kenny started lookin' around, tryin' to find the fan who screamed, and I was halfway to wavin' my hand so that he would know it was me, when John, Troy and Fred walked in, so everyone started cheerin'. So I blew that one. Everyone lined up and started filing over to Kenny, John Rich, Cowboy Troy and Two-Foot Fred for their picture. When it was almost our turn, I turned to my friend and quietly said jokingly: "I really hope I don't pass out." Unfortunately, Kenny heard me! 'Cause when I walked over to stand next to him (I was shakin' like crazy) he looked me in the eyes and asked, "You alright? I don't want you hittin' the floor on me." I barely managed to find my voice and replied, "I'm alright." Kenny smiled and put his arm around me and I put my arm around his waist. I was shaking so bad, there's no way he couldn't have felt it. No sooner was my arm around him, my legs started giving out underneath me. I did everything I could to act like nothing was happening, but I was still trembling and my arm was sliding down Kenny's back. Kenny noticed and tightened his grip on me, preventing me from hitting the floor. I didn't want to seem desperate, but I was really about to hit the ground, so I moved my hand from Kenny's waist and managed to find his left arm, which I used to pull me up a bit. Luckily, Kenny didn't seem to mind. After the picture was taken, my friend (who had been standing between John and Troy) came over and saw me sliding, so she grabbed my free right arm and started tryin' to haul me off, but Kenny still had a good grip on me. My friend threw my arm over her shoulders and I slid my arm from Kenny's waist. As I stumbled away, Kenny's hand and mine met for an instant and I turned for one last look into his gorgeous blue eyes and was met with the most genuine smile imaginable. He winked as my friend managed to drag me out the door and out to our seats. Since we were 6 rows from the stage, I figured that there was no way Kenny or John would be able to notice me in the crowd. I was wrong. They came out on stage and started into "Comin' To Your City" and halfway through, Kenny and I locked eyes and he waved at me!! I waved back and managed to get a quick picture of him waving to me before he turned and headed for the other side of the stage. The show went from 7:30-9:30pm and the boys sang a whole bunch of songs including: "Love Train", "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)", "Wild West Show", "Jalapeno", "Blow My Mind", "Kick My Ass", and "Big Time".

All in all, it was a kick-ass show. I got to hug one of my celebrity crushes/music idols and he ended up saving me from unimaginable humiliation (not that I wasn't already humiliated). I guess when you look at it, the third truly is the charm.

All pictures from the concert are on my facebook account.

Cat Scratch Fever!!

2006-08-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

I went to the Ted Nugent concert last night and it kicked so much ass!! I always knew that Ted was a crazy mother f-cker, but last night really showed it. But be warned: if you aren't a gun-toting, all-American, gung-ho, balls-to-the-walls person, read no further (and stay the hell away from Ted Nugent). Because The Nuge might be a bit much for some of you out there.

So, the opening band played and I must admit, they were pretty good (the singer's name was Huck Johns, and was rather cute I must say...). Once they wrapped up, the stage crew set to work pulling their instruments off the stage and setting up Ted's. Like most other performers, Ted's set was hidden from view until the stage crew pulled off some tarps to reveal it. And what a site it was: A blue drum set with "Ted" on one bass drum and "Nugent" on the other raised at least ten feet, maybe more, off the ground on a platform. Amps the size of my car (I drive a Volkswagen Beetle). Real skulls of buffalo (at least I think they were buffalo...) that had red lights in their eyes which lit up. A compound bow with two arrows. An American flag (Ted is extremely patriotic). The Missouri state flag. And guns. Real guns. And not just one or two. Try around ten to fifteen. One of them was this enormous machine gun that was used in WWII on the B-17s that I swear was almost as tall as me (and I'm 5'6.5"). You could name any gun in the world and he had it on stage, except for an AK-47 (everyone who knows guns will understand what I'm talkin' about). It was nuts. Fifteen minutes or so after Huck Johns and his band had finished, the lights blacked out and the loudest chord ever played on an electric guitar rang out. The crowd (myself included) leapt to its feet, screaming. The lights on the stage come up. The drummer is sittin' behind his drums, the bass player walks out on stage, and then...WHAM! Another chord rings out and from the left side of the stage comes a man larger than life. The Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent. He's dressed in a camouflage cowboy hat, camouflage t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. He stands at least 6'6" and even though I was up in the balcony (front row), he looked like the giant he truly is. The crowd screams even louder (if that's possible) and Ted snapped off a salute that could impress any military person. In his hand, an electric guitar painted as an American flag. And the first song he launches into...a rock version of The National Anthem. His electric guitar screamed out the notes and the crowd just loved it. At the end of the song, he snapped off another salute and slid into the show. Now, I haven't been a fan of Ted's for that long, so I didn't know very many of his songs, but like that mattered. He was phenominal and the crowd adored him. About four or five songs in, he actually stopped the show and said "let's give a big round of applause for my machine guns!" And the place went haywire. Then he added: "and did I mention that all children under the age of 21 get to leave tonight with a free machine gun?" Everyone cheered and laughed. He continued: "But don't worry, none of these guns are loaded...*crazy laugh from Ted*...Yeah right! And I'm gay!" The crowd burst into hysterical laughter. Close to the end of the show, he did a song called "Kiss My Ass" in which he rattles off the names of all the people and countries that should kiss his ass (it's a long list, trust me) and one of the names he lists was Osama Bin Laden. As soon as he mentions that SOB (if you don't know what that stands for, you need to get some help) a huge cardboard cut-out appears of Bin Laden on the stage. Ted finishes the song and as the crowd is screamin', he picks up his bow (which is painted like an American flag), puts an arrow on the string, takes aim, and then turns to the crowd for approval. He gets it and, from a distance of at least 25 feet, he shoots off the arrow and it lands square in the heart of the cardboard cut-out. The place goes absolutely bonkers. The concert ends at around 11:30 (after playing his most famous hit "Cat Scratch Fever") and Ted snaps off a final salute, then leaves the stage. The lights came up and we all headed out. I snagged a t-shirt on the way out, and my dad and I head back to the hotel. It was definitely a concert I will never forget.

"You can't do this in France!" ~Ted during the concert

Skynyrd Concert

2006-06-29T15:32:00.000-07:00

Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd/3 Doors Down in concert on the 27th and it kicked so much ass!! Shooter Jennings (son of the late Waylon Jennings) opened and after his performance, he and his band met fans and signed autographs! I got them all to sign my t-shirt and my mom got a pic of me with Shooter behind me. Then 3 Doors Down performed. I only knew one song, "Kryptonite" and they were okay, but I wasn't crazy about their performance. Finally, Skynyrd hit the stage and the place went totally nuclear. I took tons of pictures (all of which are on my facebook account) and loved the whole show, even though I only knew about 4 songs, those being "Sweet Home Alabama", "Red, White and Blue", "What's Your Name", and "Free Bird". All in all, kick ass show and now I have to wait until August 2nd for my next concert (Ted Nugent). Till next time!!

"The South will rise again!" ~Johnny Van Zandt (Skynyrd front man) during the concert

Summer 2006

2006-06-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ah! At long last, it's finally summer vacation! Woohoo! I'm now officially a senior and it's a bitter-sweet feeling. On the one hand, I'm finally in charge of the school (as all seniors are) and I'm one step away from college. On the other hand, I'm one step closer to leaving all of my friends...

Ok, enough of that! I'm gonna start crying in a minute here. This summer is gonna be great, I got a new boat, I'm seeing a bunch of concerts like last year, so here's what I have going down so far:

*June 3 - my 17th birthday
*June 26 - seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd/3 Doors Down in concert at UMB Bank Pavillion
*sometime in June - going down to Alabama to visit family

*July - wide open as far as I can tell

*August 2 - seeing Ted Nugent in concert at The Blue Note (club out in Columbia)
*August 19 - HOPEFULLY seeing Big & Rich in concert at the State Fair (my dad's workin' on tickets and backstage passes...hopefully he can get 'em!)
*August 21 - seeing John Fogerty/Willie Nelson in concert at UMB Bank Pavillion

*September 15 (i know its not summer, but still...) - seeing CSNY (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young) in concert at UMB Bank Pavillion

And of course, I'll be riding horses as often as possible and I'll be out on my boat practically every day. Oh, and I'll be going out to Six Flags with my friends as often as we can! And that's basically my summer. My friends have my cell number, so call me to hang out!

thoroughbred racing tragedy

2006-05-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (May 20) was one of the worst days in Thoroughbred racing history. 3-year-old Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro severely fractured his right leg, forcing him out of the Preakness Stakes after running only a few hundred yards. Dr. Larry Bramlage, of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, called it a "life-threatening" injury. "It's a serious fracture. This will require pretty major surgery," Bramlage said. "Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer. His career is over. This is very life-threatening." After a 28 year drought with no Triple Crown winner, the entire racing world was hoping for a Triple Crown winner in Barbaro, but with an injury like this, they're just hoping he lives. My thoughts and prayers go out to Barbaro, his owners and trainers.

---<--<-@

keith richards and palm trees...

2006-05-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, I was recently looking at a fan site for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and I came across an interesting post about Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Here's part of what I read:

Keith Richards Leaves New Zealand Hospital Tue May 2, 3:13 AM ET
WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Keith Richards has been released from a New Zealand hospital where the Rolling Stones guitarist was admitted with a head injury after he reportedly fell out of a palm tree. Richards, 62, suffered a mild concussion while on vacation in Fiji Thursday. Several Australian and New Zealand media outlets reported the fall from the tree. New Zealand's Sunday Star-Times also reported that Richards got on a Jet Ski after the fall and had another accident. Richards was treated in a Fiji hospital before being airlifted to Auckland's Ascot Hospital for observation.

Here's my question: How the hell do you fall out of a palm tree?! I swear when I read this, I couldn't stop laughing. Even now I'm laughing 'cause I don't think I've ever read anything so bizzare. I mean really, the man falls out of a f*ckin' palm tree, then the genius decides to go ride a jet ski instead of going to the hospital! As much as I love Keith (and I do...phenominal artist he is), I'm shakin' my head and sayin' 'what were you thinking?'

Spring Break 2006

2006-04-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, spring break is over for another year and as usual, I spent mine down in Florida. I had a great time, and below is an account of what went down when:

Sat. Mar. 25 - Up at 6:30am CST and on the road with my mom by 7:00. We cruised down to Tennessee where we drove on campus of two universities: Austin Peay State University and Middle Tennessee State University. After exploring both campuses in the car, we continued down to Georgia and spent the night in a hotel about two hours from the Florida border.

Sun. Mar. 26 - Up at 7:00am EST and on the road by 7:20. Seeing as it was Steven Tyler's 58th birthday, I played Aerosmith over the car stereo for most of the ride (and if you have no idea who Steven Tyler is, you need to be shot...he's the lead singer for the rock group Aerosmith). We got to my grandmother's house in Ocala (roughly 70 miles north of Orlando) at around noon and chilled until about three, then decided to go drive out in the country and look at all of the gorgeous horse farms (they don't call Ocala the horse capital of the world for nothin'). So after a brief call to my dad back in St. Louis, I got the address of the training facility belonging to two of the world's most respected horse experts: Pat and Linda Parelli. My mom, grandmother and I got into the car and headed off in search of the ranch. I was put in charge of the map and that ended up a disaster. We drove around for about two hours and couldn't find the place, but I refused to admit we were lost. Cause we weren't. We were temporarily turned around. We finally found the place, checked out the property, and Linda actually waved to me, which ended up being the highlight of my day.

Mon. Mar. 27 - Slept in till about 9:30am EST, then my mom suggested we go shopping. So my mom, grandmother and I hopped into the car and went to a local store called Bealls (it's kinda like Wall-Mart, but it only has clothes). After about an hour there, my grandmother said she knew where a really cool military surplus store was, but we needed a map to get us there since she wasn't sure how to get there. Once again, I was put in charge of directions. You'd think my mom would've learned not to trust me with a map, but she didn't. After driving around for three hours, we finally found the place and I picked up Marine Corps camo pants, two Marine t-shirts and a Marine sweatshirt. It only took us twenty minutes to get back home.

Tues. Mar. 28 - Up at 8:00am EST and on the road with mom and gramma by 8:30. We were off to Tampa where we were gonna meet my dad, who was flying down for a business meeting. Getting to Tampa was no problem, but once we were there, things went nuts. We didn't have to meet my dad till about 4:00, so my mom decided to search for this ferry that she had discovered online that toured around Tampa Bay. Of course, we needed a map of Tampa to find this thing and guess who was put in charge of the damn thing. That's right, yours truly. I swear to God, I've never been so lost in my freaking life. We drove around Tampa for four and a half hours and never did find that stupid ferry. Instead, we wound up in St. Petersburg! Talk about a wrong turn. I realized that we had gone the wrong way the moment I saw the Welcome to St. Petersburg sign. Well, we had never been to St. Petersburg before, so we drove around for a while, listening to Aerosmith. At one point, I looked out the window to see what street we were on and we just happened to be on Tyler Street. And Aerosmith was cranking out of the stereo. I pointed this out to my mom and we laughed. We managed to get back to our hotel in time to meet up with my dad and my mom told him the whole story about our day and he just laughed.

Wed. Mar. 29 - Up at 6:30am EST and on the road with both parents and gramma to Orlando by 7:00. My dad had a meeting, so we dropped him off and then it was just us girls (yet again) so we headed to Disney/MGM Studios. I had been dying to ride Rockin' Roller Coaster (starring Aerosmith) for ages, so as soon as we got into the park, I looked at the map and charged right to it. My gramma didn't wanna ride (don't blame her...she's 77) so it was just me and my mom. We stood in line for an hour and a half, then finally got on. Now, the coaster is inside, in the dark, goes upside down and every which way, and the train itself looks like a stretch 1950's Thunderbird. When you first get on, the coaster goes around this little turn, then stops in front of a tunnel. Aerosmith music starts blasting in your ears from two speakers set at ear level, and you sit at a dead stop for a good thirty seconds or so, then get blasted 0 to 60 mph in about a second and a half. The whole ride, you're going 60 mph in the dark with Steven Tyler screamin' in your ears and you're flippin' and turnin' every which way. I basically screamed the whole time and when it was finally over, I got off and yelled "that was AWESOME!" My mom had a good time too and we went into the gift shop where I proceeded to buy a black t-shirt that has the Aerosmith logo on the front in red and on the back in red letters it says: Property of Aerosmith. I ran to the nearest bathroom and changed intomy new shirt, then asked my mom if we could go ride it again. She said she wasn't waiting in line for another hour and a half, so I went by myself. Two more times. Yeah, I'm that dedicated to Aerosmith and I had that much fun. After my third time, we headed off to check out the rest of the park and caught the stunt show from Paris, France called Lights! Motors! Action! And I must say, it was really good. That night, my mom, dad, gramma and I all drove back to Ocala.

Thurs. Mar. 30 - Slept in. Hung out around the house. Went to the golf course with my parents and drove the golf cart while they played 9 holes.

Fri. Mar. 31 - Slept in yet again. More golf with the parents. My grandmother's friend came over for dinner. Packed up all of my stuff and went to bed early.

Sat. April 1 - Up at 5:30am EST. Had breakfast and said bye to my grandmother, then hit the road with my parents for St. Louis by 6:00am. We hauled ass and made it a 15 1/2-hour day, non-stop (except for gas, food and bathroom breaks). Got to our lovely house here in St. Louis by 8:30pm CST. I showered, went to the basement and fell asleep on the couch watchin' TV.

So there you have it. That was Spring Break 2006 for me and my family. I have pictures, but unfortunately, my computer is being stupid, so I'll post them later.

For all of my fellow Clayton High students: 43 more days until Summer!!!

kinda late, but that's alrighty

2006-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, I realize this post is a bit on the late side, but it's all good. Here are the two pics from when I saw The Rolling Stones live here in St. Louis back in January (told ya this was late). The first one is supposed to be Mick Jagger playing an electric keyboard, but it's seriously blurry because I took the picture of the big TV screen hanging behind the band, but I swear it's Mick!! Just use your imagination! The second one is of the whole band on stage (the little white dot at the bottom of the pic on the right side standing in the spotlight is Mick Jagger and the little black dot on the far left of the stage is Keith Richards) .

And there you have it. My photo proof that I was at the concert.

i think my high school's cursed

2006-02-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

I know that sounds weird, but get this. Today, two students' cars caught on fire in the parking lot. And no one knows the cause of the fire. But here's where it gets really interesting. Every year I've been attending high school, at least one car has caught fire/exploded.

Freshman year: two students' cars exploded, causing two more to catch fire
Sophomore year: my chemistry teacher's car exploded upon arriving to school
Junior year (this year): two students' cars catch on fire

For all three cases, the cause of the fire/explosion is unknown. Now, let's make all of this just a tad bit stranger: all of the above accidents have happened sometime in February (if my memory serves me correctly). So now my friends and I have decided our high school is cursed.

Coincidence? I think not!

A Bigger Bang 2006

2006-01-28T11:44:00.000-08:00

Holy sh*t!! Last night The Rolling Stones were here in Saint Louis in concert down at Savvis Center and I was there!! Woot!! That concert kicked so much ass even though my seats were nosebleed. I was on the right side of the arena at an angle, but I didn't give a damn where my seats were, just going was enough for me! The opening band was good (I can't remember who it was, but oh well) and they started at 7:30. Then the stage crew cleared their stuff off and started getting everything ready for The Stones to play at 9:00. My parents and I had gotten to the arena at like 5:50 and they wouldn't let us in 'till 6:00, so we just sat in the lobby until we could go through security. Now, you know how at a lot of concerts, they don't allow cameras/video recorders? Well, that was the case here, but I knew that people were gonna sneak cameras past security and I was determined to do the same, so I hid my digital in a black sock and put it in my purse (also black) and when the security people looked through my purse, they thought it only had my wallet and cell phone. So I managed to sneak my camera into one of the tightest security concerts I've ever been to. *pats self on back*. Anyway, at 9:00, the stage still wasn't set up and the crowd was starting to get anxious, myself included. I bought the tickets to the concert back in August and now that I was finally there and it was 9:00 and The Stones weren't on stage, I was getting rather anxious like every other person. So we waited until 9:10 and then....blackout. The arena went dark and the fans went absolutely insane. Music coming from the stereo system cranked out super loud and a little mini-video played on the screens set up around the stage. The backdrop curtain for the opening band dropped at the end of the mini-movie and there they were, The Rolling Stones in all their glory. Keith Richards walked out on stage playin' his guitar, dressed all in black, hair crazy as always, a black bandana in his hair, and a half-smoked cigarette in the corner of his mouth. Then, from out of nowhere, Mick Jagger skips (literally) out on stage in this insanely hot pink jacket and skin-tight blue jeans. Throughout the entire concert, Mick was bouncing around the stage like he was 20. I don't think he realizes he's 60. He had total command of the stage and anything that he said/sang that he wanted the audience to repeat, we would do it, no matter how stupid we sounded. I mean, these guys have the power to make their fans do pretty much anything and the fans will comply without hesitation. It was crazy. About halfway through the show, the band all stood in one area on stage and then we noticed the stage starting to rise up and then start moving forward. That's when a little stage in the middle of the crowd lit up and the fans realized that the part of the stage that Mick and Keith and the rest of the band was on was moving straight for that spot and it became part of the mini-stage when it got there. After singing three songs on the mini stage, the section from the main stage rose up again and started moving back to the main stage, all while The Stones rocked the house. The show lasted till around 11:30 and included such great songs as Paint it Black, Brown Sugar, Satisfaction, Start Me Up, You Can't Always Get What You Want, and Sympathy For the Devil.

All in all it was a kick-ass concert and I snagged a t-shirt on my way out the door after the show. I managed to take 2 pictures (I couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash...new camera) and I'll post them here as soon as I figure out how to do so (you can tell I'm not exactly a tech nerd). This was definitly one concert I will never forget.

Happy New Year!

2006-01-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been a while since I last posted! And now we're in a new year! My holiday went very well. I stayed in town for Christmas, but my grandmother came up from Alabama to spend the holiday with us. It was great to see her and we all went and saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert, and boy was it sweet! I was expecting a symphony from Russia or something to that effect on stage boring me to sleep, but boy was I wrong. They were a rock band with three or four electric guitar players, two keyboard players, a drumset player and the St. Louis Strings group and they rocked the whole stadium! And their lights kicked major ass. They had strobes and lazers and fog machines and......wow. It was just so incredibly cool. If they come to your city, go and see 'em!

New Years this year was the best I've ever had. My parents and I drove to Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate. We stayed three days at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and I swear I've never seen a bigger hotel in my life! I think it was bigger than Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota (note: I lived in West Bloomington, Minnesota for 5 years, which is how I know about Mall of America) I mean, there was a freaking boat in the hotel that you could ride around in a tour the hotel! It was so sweet. The best part about New Years was that I spent New Years Eve at a Brooks 'n' Dunn/Big & Rich concert! The Warren Brothers opened, then Big & Rich played a bunch of songs (I knew every one of them and at the end, Big Kenny took his shirt off and I swear I thought I was gonna faint!) then Brooks 'n' Dunn played all the way up until we had like 10 seconds till midnight. Kix Brooks looked at his watch and counted us down into the New Year and as soon as it hit zero, balloons fell from the ceiling and confetti cannons went off and everyone was screaming and hugging and jumping up and down. Then Brooks 'n' Dunn sang one of my favorite songs "Only in America" and they brought out three members of the United States Marine Corps onto the stage (two men and one woman) and the crowd jumped to its feet, screaming and applauding. More confetti cannons went off and then it was all over. We had to wait until 1:00am to catch the shuttle back to our hotel, so we walked through downtown Nashville until it showed up and my dear lord, I've never seen so many people partying in the streets on one holiday in my life (but that's only because I've never gone to Mardi Gras or to Times Square for New Years). It was so crazy, but we had the greatest time. My one New Years resolution:

1). Find Keith Urban's wedding (he's marrying Nicole Kidman) and crash it. One of my friends will be joining me on this, and more are welcome!!

I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

Quoting Big Kenny (of Big & Rich) "Love everybody!"

Finals...dang it

2005-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

In two weeks from today, I start semseter exams. 3 days of testing, then 13 days of winter vacation. I can't wait. Winter break will be nice, with no school and christmas, and I'll actually be able to catch up on my sleep. My parents are hastling me about grades and college and "my future". My dad's the worst. He says if I don't go to college (I was kinda thinking I wasn't going to for a while and I'm still kinda having second thoughts about it) then he's gonna stick me in the Marines and I don't have a say. Which of course pisses me off. I want to be a singer, not a Marine. Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Marines. Hell, my biological parents were Marines. I think they're great people. It's just not a job for me. I wouldn't last 5 seconds in boot camp, let alone the barracks. It's just not my thing. Personally, if I was even considering the military, I'd try for the Air Force. One of my friends told me that would be the place for me, so if I ever go into the military, I'll take her up on that. But in the meantime, I shall begin cramming for the exams sometime in the near future...I think.

In Loving Memory

2005-11-20T09:17:00.000-08:00

Wow. I see I haven't posted here in a long time. For a while there, nothing was really happening in my life. I get up in the morning, get dressed, call my neighbor to tell her when I'm picking her up, eat breakfast, put my stuff together, get in the car, go to school, run the track (mon. wed. and fri.) go home, eat a snack, do homework, watch Criss Angel: Mindfreak (wed. only) eat dinner, take a shower, go to bed and do it all again the next day. Pretty routine. But on Nov. 8, the routine changed. I got home from school after stopping by Best Buy to get Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Johnny Depp re-make) and my mom told me news that shocked me to the core. My grandfather was dead. I didn't know what to say. I just stood there, mouth agape, staring at my mom in disbelief. He was 92 and his last few years hadn't been the best quality, but that didn't make it hurt any less. I went up to my room and sat on my bed for about an hour, letting it all soak in. I didn't cry, I was too shocked. My parents decided that I would go to school the next day, but I didn't have to do any homework that night and that on Thursday we would drive down to Alabama and stay till Sunday. And that's exactly what we did. Friday, Nov. 11 was the service. My whole family was there (on my mom's side that is) and the service was beautiful. When I got back to school on Monday, all of my friends greeted me with open arms and words of sympathy. Thank god for girlfriends. I swear if it wasn't for them, I think I would've had a harder time accepting my grandfather's death.

Now here I am, over a week later and I still feel an emptiness inside of me. I know it's gonna take time for me and my whole family to get over this, and I'm glad that I have great friends to help me through everything.

In Loving Memory:
Rev. William Dayton Hart
August 11, 1913 - November 8, 2005
-----<---<@

i think i'm finally getting somewhere

2005-09-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

I'm really loving my singing lessons right now. My teacher, Debbie Lennon, is the coolest and I'm working on some great stuff. It got even better two days ago (monday). Debbie knows that I want to have a career in singing, and when I say career, I mean making CDs that sell to the public, having my songs all over the radio, giving concerts and going on tour. Anyway, so Debbie knows of someone here in St. Louis that has a recording studio, so now we're starting on songs that, once I perfect, will go on a demo CD that I'll send to record labels to try and get a record deal. If everything works out, I'll be sending the demo to Nashville, TN (that's right, I wanna be a country singer) and MAYBE something will happen. I know I prolly have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than being accepted by a big-name record label, but hey, I'm one step closer than I was. If by some miracle I get the deal, obviously school will be out the window, seeing as I won't have time. If nothing happens, then it'll be off to college in 2007. I hope this all works out!!

Save a horse, ride a cowboy!!

2005-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last night was an awesome concert!!!! It was Brooks n' Dunn (left) with Big & Rich (far left) out at UMB Bank Pavillion here in St. Louis and it was a great time. I went with a friend and sat on the lawn and met a couple guys who were nice (and one was exceptionally cute). First up at 7:00 were The Warren Brothers. Now, I've never heard any of their stuff, but I liked their sound. At 7:40ish Big & Rich rocked the stage with Cowboy Troy. I knew every single song they sang and I successfully screamed myself hoarse. The songs they sang included: "Wild West Show", "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)", "Kick My Ass", "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" and "Love Train". Those two are my all time favorite country group. At around 9:00, Brooks n' Dunn lit up the stage to a roaring crowd. I only knew like three or four of their songs, but had a great time nonetheless. Their last song was "Only in America" and close to the end of the song, they had 4 Marines come out on stage, 3 men and one woman, bearing the American flag, the Marine Corps flag and the Missouri state flag. When they came on stage, the crowd went absloutely insane, screaming and waving American flags. My friend and I saluted them, even though we both highly doubt they saw us.

Well, that's all I have to report about this concert. My next concert is gonna be The Rolling Stones in January 2006 unless I get tickets to see Montgomery Gentry on October 1. We'll see what happens!

"I see people gettin' mad on CNN
Who's right, Democrats or Republicans
I don't care who's right or wrong
I know a way we can all get along

Let's take a ride, let's take a ride on the love train
Unwind, we'll be chug-a-luggin' all the way
Let's roll, like The Stones playin' all day, hey
Let's take a ride, let's take a ride on the love train..." ~exert from "Love Train" by Big & Rich

Waistin' away again in Margaritaville...

2005-09-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! I have returned from Chicago, IL with quite the tale to tell. I was in Chicago from last Saturday (September 3) to yesterday (September 5) to see Jimmy Buffett *pictured at left* in concert. Yes, that's right, I saw the undisputed king of Margaritaville and supreme ruler of Key West, FL live in concert! And let me tell you, I have never been to such an awesome party!!! The concert was on Sunday September 4th at Wrigley Field. Now, for those of you keeping score at home, there has never been a concert at Wrigley Field, ever. In the entire history of the stadium, there has never been a concert there. Until Sunday. And I was there. My fellow parrotheads (that's what Jimmy Buffett fans call themselves) and I were dressed in our native Margaritaville costumes and started the party at around 4:30pm. Music blasted from the sound system on stage and we all ate and drank until finally, at 6:15pm, just as the sun was setting, the stage lit up, the music exploded through the stereo and Jimmy himself appeared on the stage to insane applause. Now, if you have never been to a Jimmy Buffett concert and don't know what the 'traditional Margaritaville costume' is, take a look at the pictures below:

Jimmy played all sorts of awesome songs, including: "Piece of Work", "A Pirate Looks At 40", "Last Mango In Paris", "Margaritaville", "Chesseburger in Paradise", Hey Good Lookin", "License to Chill", and a whole assortment of others. He finished the night with the crowd favorite "Fins" and the entire crowd did the ceremonial dance, and it looked something like this:

This was by far the coolest concert I have ever been to as of right now. My next concert is Brooks n' Dunn/Big & Rich which is on September 11, then I have to wait all the way until January 27, 2006 for what will probably be the biggest concert of my life: The Rolling Stones. So until September 11, I say farewell unless something happens between now and then!

"People are always coming up to me and asking me 'Jimmy, how did you do it?' And I can safely say that it all started in a bar with a guitar and a hair-brained scheme..." ~Jimmy Buffett

Somewhere in the Sun...

2005-08-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Last night was the Kenny Chesney Somewhere In The Sun concert at Savvis Center in downtown Saint Louis. It was soooooo good!!! Opening for Kenny was Pat Green ("Wave on Wave") and Gretchen Wilson ("Here for the Party" and "Redneck Woman") and they both did half-hour shows with a 15-minute break in between their shows. Then, 20 minutes after Gretchen finished, Kenny *pictrued at left* hit the stage. Now, keep in mind, the Savvis Center can hold 20,000+ people, and Kenny sold the place out!! So there was over 20,000 people on their feet and screaming when Kenny walked out onto the stage. The roar of the crowd was insane. He did an hour and a half show, singing great songs including: "When the Sun Goes Down" with Uncle Kracker actually there; "I Go Back" "The Woman With You" "Island Boy" and "There Goes My Life". He finished off the night with an encore, doing everyone's favorite "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" with the crowd at its feet, singing along the whole way. Despite the fact that I was in the absolute last row of the stadium with my friend, it was the greatest concert. It didn't really matter where you sat during this concert because it was a great show no matter where you were.

Well, that's all for now! My next concert is Jimmy Buffett on September 4th, then Brooks and Dunn/Big & Rich on September 11. I'll post again after Jimmy Buffett, if not before! Later!

Keith Urban...Alive in '05

2005-08-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!! I just got back from Sedalia, MO where I saw Keith Urban in concert!! For those of you who don't know who Keith Urban is, he is an extremely talented (and hot) Country singer from Australia *pictured at left*.

Anyway, so I went with my neighbor to the concert and being in Missouri in the middle of August, we were dying from the heat. It was like 100 degrees in the shade with like 90% humidity and a heat index of god-knows-what. The concert was kick-ass though. Keith started it off with one of his latest hits "Days Go By" off of his newest album Be Here. The crowd went nuts and the concert progressed. Keith played on stage with a full moon rising at his back, making for some great pictures, despite the fact we were sitting in the upper grandstand. About halfway through the concert, he hopped off stage and climbed up and sat on top of one of the metal barriers that separated the crowd from the stage. I was so jealous of all the girls who were standing literally a foot away from him. I was waiting for one of the girls to steal his guitar or something, but they didn't. They just got really awesome pics of him. After finishing that song, he climbed back on stage and some girl threw her bra at him!! Instead of being all upset about it, he put it on his mic stand like a trophy! It was so funny. So for the rest of the show, some girl's bra was on his mic stand. When he got to his smash hit "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" he got a little girl who couldn't have been more than 7 years old up on stage with him and had her sing with him while he sat on the edge of the stage and she stood on stage! It was so cute and she knew every word to the song! When the concert ended at 10:30, I went and grabbed a t-shirt, then headed back to the hotel with my friend.

So that was my Keith Urban concert experience! And on Saturday, August 20 I'm gonna be seeing Kenny Chesney in concert in downtown St. Louis with another friend, so I'll post on Sunday after the show! 'Till then:

"The sun is shinin'
And this road keeps windin'
Through the prettiest country
From Georgia to Tennessee.
And I got the one I love beside me
My troubles behind me
I'm alive and I'm free
Who wouldn't wanna be me." ~Keith Urban "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me

At a stand-still

2005-08-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I was about to improve in horseback riding, everything stopped. The horse I was leasing back in June is now being leased for god know how long and seeing as he's the only lesson horse that can jump 2'6", I'm not advancing in my riding. I don't feel like I'm being challenged in my lessons anymore and my showing career has ground to a halt. I've been showing at 2'0" for the past 3 years and have been doing really well, but now it seems too easy. I don't have the money to buy a horse, so that option's out, and I don't want to switch barns because I have so many awesome friends at the barn I'm at now. So unless something changes, I may give up riding altogether because I'm at a stand-still.

Oh, give me a home...where the buffalo roam...

2005-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Howdy y'all!! I'm back from my trip to Montana and I must say, it was exceptional. So here's what went down:

Sat. July 30 - Up at the crap of dawn and on the road for a 14-hour car ride to Estes Park, CO. (and we just had to go by way of Kansas...across the whole f*ckin' state might I add!!) My parents sang every Jimmy Buffett, John Fogerdy (sp??), Moody Blues, and Rolling Stones song known to man. I sang all the above plus every Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Montgomey Gentry, Big and Rich, Brooks n' Dunn song I know. We got to Estes Park and checked into our hotel by about 3:00pm Mountain Time. We bumed around the town till about 5, then my parents took me back to the hotel since I wasn't felling to good (which sucked) and ordered room service for me (which was delivered by a rather cute guy...sorry to my bf! nothin' happened! he delivered my food!!!).

Sun. July 31 - Up at 9:30 and off to the Rocky Mountain National Park (or whatever it is). We drove around there for a few hours, but after driving halfway up this mountain on a road known by the locals as "Oh My God" road, I started freaking out about being up so high (I'm terribly afraid of heights) so we turned around and headed back to the entrance to the park. We got back to the hotel at 2:00pm (remember: mountain time) and I called one of my friends who was competing in a horse show at the fairgrounds right across the lake from my hotel and we hung out for a couple of hours. Then it was dinner and bed early.

Mon. August 1 - Woke up at the crap of dawn, yet again, to drive up to Billings, Montana. Not as long a drive as the one to Colorado. We went to my dad's friend's house (a gorgeous house on 288 hilly acres about 20 minutes from downtown Billings) and had a great rest of the day going to a rodeo (yay cowboys!!) eating dinner at their house (super yummy) and then riding horseback on their property as the sun set (Western saddle). Now, for those of you who have never been to Montana, I now know why it is they call it Big Sky Country. There are NO TREES and you can see forever when standing on top of a hill. It's soooo gorgeous, but not exactly lush and green. It's realyl rocky and the ground is covered in sagebrush.

Tues. August 2 - My mom wasn't feeling to good in the morning, so my dad, my dad's friend (named Taylor Brown) and I went off exploring. Now, I think I should mention that in Billings and in quite a few surrounding towns, if you mention that you know my dad's friend Taylor Brown, it's practically like saying you know Brad Pitt or someone like that. He has his own talk show on the radio, has been on TV numerous times, and has been in the paper a ton. Anyway, so the three of us went to a place called Pompey's Pillar (if you're in to Louis and Clark, then you probably know about this). It's basically a giant boulder that Clark named after Sacagawea's son Pomp and he carved his name and the date into the rock and now it's a huge tourist attraction. I think that I should take the time now to mention something else fun about Louis and Clark. As some (ok a lot) of people know, there's this re-enactment of the entire Louis and Clark expedition going on where a group or re-enactors are tracing the exact route of Louis and Clark from Washington D.C. all the way to the Pacific Ocean. And what's cool about this is the guy who's portraying Louis is a drama teacher at my junior high school! So I can now say that I personally know Merrywether (or however he spelled it) Louis! Right, back to my story. After knockin' around there for a couple hours, we went back to our hotel and got my mom, then Taylor said he knew of this awesome restaurant, so we decided to go for lunch. Little did my parents and I know that this restaurant was in a town 40 miles away and literally in the middle of nowhere. The town's name is Ingomar and has a grand population of...4 people!!! That's right, only 4 people live in this town. And it's no wonder, considering it looks like you're in a ghost town on Mars!!! No lie. Food was good though. We went back home and ate dinner once again at Taylor's place. Then Taylor, his wife and I rode horseback again. When we got back, Taylor told me he had an English saddle and asked if I cared to see it. I said I did and he brought over this ancient, and I mean ancient saddle. I quickly learned never to give a cowboy (yea, Taylor's a real cowboy. he's got a ranch on 60,000 acres with 1,400+ head of cattle) an English saddle and expect good to come out of it. It was hysterical. He had no idea what to do with it, so I put it on one of his horses and gave a demonstration.

Wed. August 3 - My dad and Taylor had a seminar to attend, so my mom, Taylor's wife and I chilled in Billings all day. Ate dinner at Taylor's one last time and rode horseback one last time, then bakc to the hotel for bed early.

Thrus. August 4 - Up early to drive to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Relatively long drive, but tolerable. We drove through Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park to get to our hotel and saw tons of elk, buffalo, antelope and gysers. Checked into our hotel (after taking an hour to find it...my parents finally asked this guy who apparently had no teeth because he spoke in "authentic frontier jibberish"...Blazing Saddles fans, you should get that!) and chilled the rest of the night.

Fri. August 5 - Chilled in Jackson Hole all day.

Sat. August 6 - Up at 7am to start the journey home to Saint Louis. Drove all the way to just outside Lincoln, Nebraska then got a room at a Holiday Inn.

Sun. August 7 - Up at 6:30am (central time) to finish the drive home and here I am!
*********************************
Also, on the trip, I collected some very funny quotes that were said by my parents and others. I shall share them here. Enjoy:

"Whoa! Is that a buffalo?" "No, I think it's a shrubery." "A walking, eating, breathing shrubery??" ~my dad, my mom and me.

*sarcastically* "I love technology!" *laughter* "Yeah, that stuff don't work out here in the West." "I was thinkin' about sending up smoke signals, but it's too dry for that." "Well, we would've seen 'em anyway seein' as you would've burned up the whole damn state! [Montana]." ~my dad and Taylor Brown (phone conversation)

"It's everywhere!!" "What, the sky?" "Yeah!!" "Well I sure as hell hope so!"~my dad, my mom, my dad, me

"Don't mess with shrubs out here. They'll kick your ass!" ~my dad (when he saw another buffalo)

this next one occured upon seeing a billboard advertising a KFC across the road from the Custer Battlefield: "Enjoy the historic battlefield while eating our fabulous chicken!" ~my dad pretending to advertize for KFC

"He went down to the bottom of the ocean in his one-man submercible submarine...*hysterical laughter* That was kinda redundant, but that's what it looked like!" ~Tom Shillue (comedian on Friday Night Stand Up on Comedy Central)

"What are those people looking at down there?" "I think there are things down there!!" ~my mom and dad in Yellowstone Natl. Park

"Wow, this looks so real." "Holy sh*t, dad, I can't believe you just said that." "The reason it looks real, Ted, is because it is real!" ~my dad, me, my mom in Yellowstone Natl. Park looking at a herd of buffalo
******************
And that was my trip!!!

Things are lookin' up

2005-07-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought things were starting to spiral downhill, everything's coming back. Starting tomorrow, I'm off for a week in Montana (my family and I are driving the whole way...) and then I start softball for school. Montana is gonna be great fun seeing as we plan to go river rafting, horseback riding and a bunch of other stuff. We're getting up there by way of Colorado which will be fun, and we're staying in Estes Park. I've never really been to Colorado, unless you count going through the very tip of it on a train on my way to New Mexico, so I'm looking forward to it.

Another really nice thing is that I think I may have meself (yes, I meant to spell it that way) a boyfriend. I met him at work (for those of us who don't know where I worked, I worked out at Six Flags Saint Louis) and he's really funny and sweet. He's gonna be a freshman in college when school starts up again (he's 18) and I really hope that things go well with us.

Well, that's pretty much what's going on 'round here. Peace! I'm out.

I Don't Understand It

2005-07-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

A pull of a trigger
A slice with a blade
And all of my pain will be over
Forever

It's so simple
It's so quick
But something's holding me back

Those who have made me suffer
Will suffer instead
And I will be free
But something's holding me back

I can't explain it
But I can't deny its presence
Something's holding me back
Yet I want to end this

I don't understand it

~Gem

Venting...

2005-07-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

Alright. It's come to my attention through so-called "annonymous" comments (yea, I know the identity of my annonymous commentors, I can figure it out by the context of the comment) on this blog that I need to 'take my sights off Johnny Depp and get a real boyfriend. I had one, but I lost my chance....' Ok, let's review here shall we?

One, my sights are NOT on Johnny. I happen to think he's an extremely talented actor who is also very cute. There are a great deal more celebs that I think are hot, but hey, I'm a 16-year-old girl, get over it.

Two, I do not think I'm gonna "score a date" with Mr. Depp. For one thing, he's 42. He's old enough to be my DAD for God's sakes! I do not want to go out with a guy who's 26 years older than me, thank you very much.

Three, Yes I did have a real boyfriend. I've had 2 boyfriends since entering high school and I'm not afraid to admit it. My first ex is a royal jackass and I had to deal with him being such after we called it quits (he was cheatin' on me with my best friend...) Homecoming just pushed me over the edge and if it didn't look like I was "telling him to f**k off, then that's one person's interpretation of what happened. He graduated, I don't have to deal with him, DROP IT ALREADY!

Four, I never 'lost my chance' with a boyfriend. Things weren't workin' out between us and so we decided to call it. That's not loosin' my chance. We were together for a year, which is the longest I've ever stayed in a relationship. You know who you are when I say this...I'm sorry if I hurt you, but now you're being more of a jackass then my first ex ever was. Just lay off me, got it?? We called this off in like December of last year and you're still being all pissed about it. Here's my advice: GET OVER YOURSELF AND GET OVER ME! It was fun while it lasted, but now it's over. Move on.

Well, I think I've covered everything. If I missed anything I know my "annonymous" commentor(s) will inform me.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-07-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory hit theaters July 15, 2005. And since I'm such a HUGE Johnny Depp fan (this being the 15th movie of his I've seen) and have been waiting to see this ever since I heard the first rumors that they might make this, naturally, I went and saw it opening night with a couple of my friends. And boy was it good! Sure, Johnny doesn't look as drop-dead gorgeous as he does in Finding Neverland or Crybaby, but that isn't really what matters here. What matters is the acting. This movie was really funny and the actors were awesome! My congratulations and two thumbs
way up go to all of the actors who took part in this outstanding movie, I absolutely adored it. Johnny, as always, stole the show with his sharp wit and all around quirkiness, adding humor to every scene he's in (which is practically the whole movie). The ending was quite a bit different from the original movie (starring Gene Wilder and was made in 1975) but I think it tied the story up nicely. If you haven't seen this movie yet, GO SEE IT!!! Probably the best thing about it is that oh so annoying theme song that plays before the five kids and their....*attempts to say 'parents' but can't*.... moms and dads enter the factory. It's as annoying as "It's a Small World" and will get stuck in your head for all eternity!! Oh well! Once again, I send my approval of this movie out to the actors and Tim Burton.

And that's a wrap!

Wow...I actually got a job

2005-07-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. I have officially done something that like no one ever thought I'd do. I actually got a job. As of yesterday, I am officially an employee of Six Flags Saint Louis. Go me! I had my *sarcastic* lovely orientation today...4 1/2 hours of it...and I go for job training tomorrow. I'm gonna be workin' rides and am hoping to ride the most popular ride...a kick-ass rollar coaster called The Batman (note to St. Louis ppl: If you've never ridden this rollar coaster...RIDE IT!). Employees get awesome benifits, including free tickets to give out to friends and family, which I plan on doing as soon as I get 'em.

So yeah, that's my deal on gettin' a job finally. It should be a lot of fun once I actually get to work the coasters.

Sweet Home Alabama!

2005-07-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got home from my annual trip to Alabama to visit my relatives and, as always, it was a blast! I took one of my girls along with me and since my dad hates flying so much, we drove the 12 hours down. Here's how the trip went:

June 29 - we left at 1:00pm, so we ended up spending the night in northern Mississippi.

June 30 - we got up early and drove the rest of the way down to Mobile, Alabama where we visited with my grandparents for a few hours before proceeding down to my aunt and uncle's beach house in Orange Beach (at the very tip of the state near to the Alabama/Florida border).

July 1 - my cousin Brian and his wife Kathleen arrived at the beach house and after eating breakfast, my friend and I went kayaking. Tiring as it was for me, it was fun. After lunch, everyone packed a couple of coolers with drinks and food and loaded my aunt and uncle's boat (a 20-foot speed boat with a 150 Mercury engine) and headed for some nearby islands in Perdido Bay to chill for the rest of the day. Once we'd made landfall at the islands, we all chilled and ate. After eating lunch, Brian took me, my mom and my friend on a boat ride on the Gulf of Mexico. Talk about kick-ass!!! The waves had to be 3 feet tall and we soared over them and my friend and I, who were riding on the bow, got soaked.

July 2 - early start at around 8:00am. We ate breakfast, then loaded the coolers and the boat again, this time to head for Pensacola, Florida to watch the Blue Angels, an hour boat ride on the Gulf of Mexico. And what a great time that was. The jets were incredibly loud and flew super close to us. Needless to say, we weren't the only people there. There had to be at least 100 other boats there partying up a storm. Great fun. When we got home, we unloaded the boat and just as I was about to go inside, I hear something running down the dock and I turn just in time to watch Brian launch himself off the end. I started laughing so hard. Brian asked if I was gonna swim too and I said the only way that was happening was if someone picked me up and threw me off the dock. What I didn't realize was that my uncle was right behind me and before I knew it, he picked me up, walked to the end of the dock, and hurled me off into the water.

July 3 - a lazy day for the most part. After lunch, we met up with one of Brian's friends and went out on the boat and stayed out the rest of the day. We came back and ate dinner, then Brian said that he and Kathleen were gonna go and watch fireworks from the boat and that if anyone cared to join them they had to be ready to leave in thirty seconds. My friend and I jumped at the opportunity and raced after Brian and Kathleen to the boat. It was about 9:00pm when we reached our spot on the Gulf where we met up with some of Brian's friends and tied off to their boat. We watched the fireworks, then cruised around the bay a bit in the dark, then headed home.

July 4 (today) - Got up at 7:00am and packed. Left the beach house at about 7:45am to make the long 12 hour drive home.

So there you have it, my wonderful trip to my sweet home Alabama.

Jack's Back!

2005-06-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow on the set of PotC 2 (Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest). JACK'S BACK!!! (I am so seeing this when it hits theaters summer 2006)

Alright. After searching online FOR-EV-ER, I finally came across the synopsis to Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest...

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOVIE UNTIL IT HITS THEATERS SUMMER 2006, READ NO FURTHER!!!!

Synopsis: The second installment will follow Captain Jack Sparrow as he tries to resolve a blood debt to the legendary Davey Jones, ruler of the ocean depths and captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. If Jack cannot figure a crafty way out of this one, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation. And as if that were not enough, Captain Jack's problems throw a huge wrench into the wedding plans of the blissful Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who quickly find themselves thrust into Jack's misadventures.

Depp shirtless

2005-06-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp on the set of PotC 2 in the Caribbean. And might I add how incredibly sexy he looks?!?! And can you believe he's 42??? I swear I'm gonna meet him one day.

Race for the Cure

2005-06-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

Race for the Cure was today and I participated with 2 of my friends. It was a great time. We enjoyed a 5K (3 mile) walk and were members of Team Breadhead from the Country radio station 92.3 WIL. We got downtown and got our t-shirts and numbers and got ready to start over to the starting line with our team. While we waited, one of my friends spotted a guy in a US Navy uniform, talking with a woman we concluded to be his mom. My friend pointed him out to me and my other friend and we decided that we wanted to go and say 'thank you' for serving. Unfortunately, when we all started for the starting line, we lost him in the crowd, so we were kinda thinking that we had missed our chance. A few minutes into the race, we saw him again, this time alone. So the three of us strolled up and started talking. We soon found out that his name was Brandon and he was 19. He seemed a lot older to me, but I think it was the uniform. Anyway, we got to talking about this and that and then Brandon remembered that his mom wasn't with him, and said "I've lost my mommie." My two friends and I started laughing and Brandon proceeded to yell "LOST MOMMIE!" really loudly. It was so funny. After a few more moments of laughing, we passed a stage thingy where they were announcing all of the teams that were part of the race. When we walked by, Brandon yelled "Navy, team of one!" Naturally, this started all of us laughing again. Then Brandon made the point that "everyone says there's no 'I' in 'team'. Well, there's an 'I' in this team because I am the team!" That's when one of my friends pointed out that although there is no 'I' in 'team' there is 'me'. And we all started laughing again. After a while, Brandon called his mom and told her where he would wait for her. My friends and I knew that this was where we would be saying our good-byes, so we each shook Brandon's hand, thanked him for serving, and walked off to continue the race. The cool thing is, while the four of us were walking together, like 4 or 5 people came up and thanked Brandon for serving. It was really nice to see that people appreciate the military, even though some don't support the war in Iraq.

Just thought I'd share.

Why me?

2005-06-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a land-side,
No escape from reality
Open your eyes
Look up to the skies and see
I'm just a poor boy,
I need no sympathy, because I'm
Easy come, easy go
Little high, little low
Any way the wind blows
Doesn't really matter to me,
To me."

~"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

Alright. With these lyrics, I don't mean that I'm poor and don't need sympathy like they state. I'm simply using them for their general meaning.

"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality..."

This part of the song, I agree with. I am caught in a landslide with no escape from reality. I can't seem to do anything right. My friends (all but one) seem to hate me. Going places that are fun without me is fine. I don't really care. But when they just keep talking about how they're going or how they went and how incredible it was and just going on and on really bugs the hell out of me. I mean, c'mon people! You had fun. I ask how it was and all you have to do is say you had a good time. Don't give me a play-by-play if I don't ask for it! It makes me feel bad and it's like you're rubbing it in my face that you went and had this kick-ass time, or you're going somewhere to have a kick-ass time and I'm not going. I'm really happy that my friends are going places and are enjoying themselves, but please, don't brag about it.

Why is it that I can't seem to say anything right? I recently said something about a very dear friend and I swear on my grandfather's grave I wasn't trying to hurt anyone. But somehow, I did. I was told off twice over, once by someone who I care about and again by someone whom I thought I loved at one time. I honestly didn't mean to hurt anyone, but it seems that I did and I made a royal jackass out of myself...yet again. I seem to be good at that. Otherwise I would prolly have a hell of a lot more friends than I do. But no. I always manage to say something downright stupid and make myself look like a f*cking idiot. God damn it. So to everyone whom I've offended, put down, made fun of, or was just a "dipshit claytonite", I apologize.

Why me?

One day I'll fly away

2005-06-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday,
Why live life from dream to dream?
And dread the day
When dreaming ends

~"One Day I'll Fly Away" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

There are a lot of times that I hear this song and know that one day I will fly away and leave this hell of a life that I'm living behind. I wish that could come sooner rather than later though. Going to school is for some people and not for others. I know that I'm not in school right now, but still. I seriously think that school is no place for me. Nothing they're teaching me is preparing me for what I want to do with my life. I mean really, how much is math and chemistry gonna help me in an acting or singing career? I tell you how much. NONE. I want out. I want off this non-stop carousel. I want to be someone now. Going to school isn't helping me to contribute to society. I want to be an actress or singer, not a mathematician. I want to perform, not study the Kinetic Molecular Theory. I'm dead sick and tired of school and all of its monotony. Ok, maybe using the word 'dead' there was a bad choice of words for me. Those of you who know me well enough know why I say that. The rest of you, it's too long and too personal a story to tell. I've tried to convince my parentals to let me out, to let me try and make it somehow, but they just push me aside. They crush my dreams. They say I'm being silly and that all of my dreams are nonsense and that I'll never make it. They have absolutely no faith in me. And that's exactly why I want this. That's why I want to become an actress, more than anything. I want to prove them wrong. I want to prove that this isn't just some stupid childish dream. That this is real and that I can do it if someone just believed in me. Thing is, I've been trying so hard, but no one believes in me. I don't even think my friends believe in me. They seem to think I'm crazy if I'm thinking I can become an actress. I made up a little quiz for them to take and, annonymous as the results were, they proved that no one has faith in me. That no one thinks I can do it. And I'm just so sick of it all that I think I'm about ready to give up on these "childish dreams".

A brief intro of sorts

2005-06-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

Alright. I finally decided to start a blog so that I can have a place to vent and to just let it out when things start going insane. Kind of like they do everyday. Lucky for me, school's out for the summer, making my life a hell of a lot better. School's a bitch (but most of us already know that) and if I never set foot inside my high school again, it will be too soon. But hey, 'nuff about school. Like I said, school's out until August, so I don't need to worry about it.

Isn't Life Great When It's Not Happening To You? A strange title, I know. But throughout my insane life, it's kinda become my motto. So that's where that came from, in case you were wondering.

Pirates. What a fascinating group of people they were. After watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl for the first time, I quickly came to realize how fascinated with them I truly am. But then again, any movie that casts Johnny Depp as a sexy pirate captain, who's just barely on this side of the line of sobriety when it comes to rum, is a movie that is going to make me want to know everything there is to know about pirates. Yea, that's right, I'm a HUGE Johnny fan. I think he's the sexiest man on the face of the planet and have concocted many plans to meet him. I've seen a fair number of his movies, those being:

~Nightmare on Elm Street (out in 1984)
~Platoon (out in 1986)
~Cry Baby (out in 1990)
~Edward Scissorhands (out in 1990)
~Benny and Joon (out in 1993)
~What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (I've seen parts of it; out in 1993)
~Donnie Brasco (out in 1996)
~Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (out in 1998)
~Sleepy Hollow (I've seen parts of it; out in 1999)
~Chocolat (out in 2000)
~ Blow (out in 2000)
~Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (out in 2003)
~Secret Window (out in 2004)
~Finding Neverland (out in 2004)

Now, I didn't see all of those when they hit theaters because I was either too young or not born (I was borin in '89). I saw "Pirates", "Secret Window", and "Neverland" in theaters. Everything else I saw on TV. But anyway, not only do I think Johnny is incredibly gorgeous, but I also think he's an absolutely incredible actor. And I vow that one day I shall meet him!! HAHA!!

So much for that being brief.