Steph's Blog

The 2009 Miss Pike County is....Me!

StephF — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:10:00 GMT

So if you have read my other blogs from this summer, every once in awhile I have mentioned getting ready for my pageant...which was this past Tuesday. It was our county 4-H fair pageant, and I won! So now I am the 2009 Miss Pike County! For the past week, life has basically been non-stop for me. As soon as I got home from the No Doubt & Paramore concert in Indy, I went to our Open Cattle Show, and then later that day was our Demo Derby. Then in the next two days I had a lot of last minute things to work on for Miss Pike County, and we had a parade, and the Little Miss & Mr. and Jr. Miss Pike County pageants as well. It was a CRAZY few days....and it hasn't let up since then! Tuesday was the pageant, and we had both morning and evening portions of the competition. In the morning we each gave a speech and modeled our evening gowns and business suits, and we had our interviews. So the morning was very important. After that was all over, we got to go home for the afternoon and rest/relax a bit.....which I hated because I was crazy nervous all day long! Then the evening finally came, and it flew by! Before I knew it, the judges had made their decision, and I was being named the 61st Miss Pike County! After that we got about ten thousand pictures of course.... here is one of the 2008 Miss Pike County and I, Taryn, who just happens to be one of my best friends, and a Butler student! :)

And here I am with my sister and my cousin, the 2007 & 2006 Miss Pike Counties. :) 2007-Tia, 2009-Steph, 2006-Natalie

And you know in the movie, Anchorman, when they decide to go buy suits and they jump up in the air? Well some of my friends did just that when I won....so here we are, recreating that moment. :) They're wonderful....

So Tuesday was basically an outrageously exciting day for me. :) It felt so good to achieve something that I have wanted for so long, because I have wanted to be Miss Pike County for as long as I can remember. I showed cattle and pigs in 4-H for ten years, and every time the queen would come and hand out ribbons I would think about how that would be so great to be able to go back and do that and much more too. I love that now I am able to go back and still be a part of 4-H even though I'm not technically a member anymore (I'm too old now). I am also really excited to be classified with all of the amazing women who have been Miss Pike County in the past. There are so many people that I look up to that either have been in the court or who have held the title, and now I am one of them as well. :) I feel like the Miss Pike County pageant is really centered around tradtition because we have had the same crown since the early 80's. I didn't realize this until I went to the 4-H building and looked at all of the pictures of the past queens (every queen gets her photo up in the building), and saw that the crown looked exactly the same even back then! Of course, in some pictures you couldn't see the crown completely because their hair was so big, but what I could see looked basically the same...haha. I was really glad though when I was looking at the old photos that I am the 2009 Miss Pike County and not the Miss Pike County from like 1965. Back then they had the swim suit competition, and they even were crowned in swim suits. Yeah, I am really glad that I didn't have to do that....I don't think that I would have enjoyed that too much...haha. But you should all check out my next blogs too for the stuff that I did all week long at the fair... :) it includes hog wrestling, and some other pretty cool stuff....so check back soon!

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My Return to Butler & No Doubt

StephF — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:17:00 GMT

This past week has been absolutely CRAZY! Last weekend I went to Indy for the No Doubt and Paramore concert where I saw one of the other bloggers, Christina (you might've read about it in one of her blogs!). It was the perfect little get-away....mostly because I got to go to Butler for the first time since May! I went with my friends Taryn and Allyson, and we drove to Indy on Friday morning. When we got to Indy we walked around campus a little bit and we went to the bookstore so I could get some things for my pageant that I was in this week (more on that in my next blog!!!). But then we went to Broad Ripple for lunch and some shopping....we had to stop by Pitaya of course, it is one of my favorite shops while I'm at school, and I've been missing it ever since I have been home! Then we had to go and get cupcakes at the Flying Cupcake too....which is this amazing little place that is absolutely adorable....and best of all, they have delicious cupcakes. :) My favorite are the red velvet ones....mostly because they are HUGE....and delicious of course! Mine couldn't even stand up, it was side heavy!

So after we were stuffed from our wonderful cupcakes....we just chilled out for a bit until the concert. Of course, it took forever to get there because there were 25,000 people there eventually....but it was soooo worth it! Not only were Paramore and No Doubt absolutely amazing, but I got to see friends of mine who I haven't seen in awhile. :) I ran into my "old" friend Matt Strandmark randomly when I was trying to find my other friends from home who were going to sit by us...I was really excited to see him though, because this time last year when we were both getting ready to start college, we were the best Facebook friends ever....and through the course of the year I only got to see him every once in awhile. So, it was a very pleasant surprise! :) Here are Matt and I, enjoying Paramore!

And once I found Matt, I also found my friends who I was looking for, so here we all are, being cool and such... :)

Even though I loved seeing all my lovely friends and tons of amazing Butler people that we just ran into... :)......I loved seeing No Doubt even more! I'll admit it, I wasn't really excited about seeing them because I was mostly excited about Paramore. But No Doubt basically amazed me. They were absolutely AMAZING....and I am basically in love with them now. :) I haven't been to a lot of concerts, but they completely took the cake for the most amazing concert that I have been to so far. Most of all, because Gwen Stefani is my new hero. She wore some awesome outfits, especially her last two....(they were really glittery)....and she was just so talented it was unbelieveable! Here is a photo I tried to get of her amazing glittery polo that I am going to try to find....haha.

She was the best performer I have ever seen basically. :) So if you ever have the chance to see them in concert.....you have to do it!!!! You will not be sorry, even if you don't know every word to every one of their songs. That's basically it for my little return to Indy/Butler.....but probably my next 2 or 3 blogs will be about the rest of my week.....so be sure to check back!

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My Schwitzer Dorm Room: Before and After....

StephF — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:24:00 GMT

So some of you will be official college students in about a month and a half....and I bet that you are getting really excited! (or at least you should be...) You might already know what your dorm room will look like, but a completely empty room is very different from one with tons of stuff in it! Before I moved in to Schwitzer last year, I took pictures of my empty room....so I am going to show you all the before and after of a Schwitzer dorm room....and some little hints/more info possibly!

Here is one side of the room.....and the other side looks basically the same....

This is one of the closets....they're rather large for a dorm....and you can fit the dresser inside, or put it outside...

Everything you see in those pictures will be in each room for each person in the room (ex: each person gets a dresser, desk, etc.). And each room in Schwitzer is basically set up the same....there are windows on the opposite wall from the door (unless you have a corner room, then you have two windows), and the closets are on the same side as the door. The only thing that differs from room to room is what order your closets and door are in. For instance, in my room, the closets were side by side on the left, and the door was on the right, but other rooms have the door in the middle of the closets, or maybe on the left with the closets on the right. I hope that I haven't confused you all too much...haha... :)

So that was the before...and I guess that I never took pictures of the after of my room....but I do have a video that I posted on one of my blogs wayy back then....but here it is again so you can see what a Schwitz dorm room looks like when there is stuff in it...haha.

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I hope this helps some of you out as you are buying things for your room and such....but if you have any other questions, then feel free to ask us on the forums, comment on our blogs, or just contact us! You all either already know who you are rooming with, or you will find out very soon....so I hope that you all love your future roommates and that you are really excited for college! :)

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What is better than movies and Harry Potter? A Harry Potter movie!

StephF — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:24:00 GMT

One thing that I absolutely love is watching movies. I love going to the movies....renting movies....watching them on tv....everything that has to do with them. :) That is one thing that I am not a big fan of with going to school in Indy....the movies are crazy expensive. To most people, it's not too bad.....but since I am used to paying around $6 or less to go to a movie at home, Indy is crazy for me! I only went to 2 movies all year while I was there...so now I'm trying to make up for it while I'm at home. I recently discovered Redbox....which I think is amazing. Only a dollar per rental? And there are even ways to get free rentals! It is basically my best friend. :)

Sooo....the movie that I have been looking forward to for about a year is....Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince! Yes....I love me some Harry Potter. I was really into the books when they first came out, which was when I was in Middle School I think? I was basically obsessed....and I read 1-4....but then I stopped for some reason that I am sure was not worth it....it probably was when I got in high school and I got crazy busy, and I didn't love reading as much as I used to. But I have now redeemed myself by finishing 5-7, and this summer I have been rereading them too, all in preparation for the movie. I love the books so much though that I think that I will be disappointed when I watch the movie. That's the way that it usually is for me...so I am trying not to get my hopes up big time...or else I probably will be let down. And this weekend on ABC Family they are having a Harry Potter marathon....so I am getting really excited! Yeah that's how exciting my summer is....I am excited for movies to be on ABC Family. If it makes it any better, what makes me excited mostly is that I will be able to record them and have them readily available on my DVR. :) So I have reread books 3-5...(I would go on to book #6 but I am making myself stop reading so I can get some things done for my pageant next week) and I will try to watch movies 1-4....therefore I should be thoroughly prepped to watch the next movie a week from today! I don't know if I will make it to watch it at midnight....but I will catch it on Wednesday or Thursday for sure. So yeah....that is what I have been really excited about lately. I have a pretty long list of all the movies I want to see still this summer....but for now I am mostly excited about Harry Potter. Check out my blog next week for my reaction to the movie.... :)

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I love the 4th of July!!

StephF — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:57:00 GMT

So I totally can't believe that this week is already over! It has basically flown by. When I got home from HGS, I had just over two weeks before Miss Pike County, the pageant I am going to be in. So this week I have been getting my outfits all together, making signs, keeping up on the news, and figuring out everything else! Before Girls State I was in this rut where I was never productive whatsoever, but since every day last week I was up around 6:30 and doing things every day...now I feel like sleeping in till 9 is crazy, and I am just in this mood to get lots of things done! It has been a pretty successful week for me! :)

The beginning of school is getting close....it's only a month and a half away, which is so hard for me to believe! So if you are an incoming freshman....I sure hope that you are getting excited....because college is wonderful! And if you still in high school....enjoy your time there, but remember to look forward to college too!!!! :) But back to the incoming freshmen, as you are getting excited to get to college and as you get all of your stuff together.....also prep yourselves for the massive amounts of icebreakers that you will have to do when you get to school. That is the one thing that I remember being tired of after my welcome week, doing ice breakers. By the time classes start, there is no longer any ice to break....and you will be soo glad.

So I am getting rather excited for the 4th of July. :) It is basically the best holiday ever, besides Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving....I just love holidays basically! But I love the 4th so much because a nearby town has a huge festival for the 4th every year....so I go there and have the best homemade ice cream and fair food and I get to see all of my friends....and my Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Stu always have a 4th of July get-together...and I love going there too! So basically it is lots of amazing food and company....all at the same time! They even have tractor pulls and a demo derby at the festival.....which are so "Southern Indiana" but still tons of fun. So the next few days for me will be spent celebrating the 4th of July.... :)

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My HGS Wrap-Up...

StephF — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Now that I am home and done with Hoosier Girls State, I've been thinking about last week a lot and just wrapping up some loose ends. Of course, I still haven't completely unpacked....but I'm kind of planning ahead for next year...for instance, I am going to stock up on clearance 4th of July decorations....since patriotic items are always good to have around during HGS. But since I have been home, I have been thinking about the differences between my delegate year at Girls State, and being a counselor this year. Here are the most prominent ones that I have been thinking about...

How difficult it is to not talk about some things...as counselors, there are certain things that we don't talk to our citizens about until the very last night. For instance, if you are a young counselor who is obviously close in age to the girls, we don't tell them our true age, just in case they think that they don't have to listen to us just because we aren't much older than them. For some girls, they have tons of fun with this, because they make up big stories and such to tell the girls and make them think that we are older than we really are. I didn't do this because I was kind of scared to...haha. But there were times when my girls would try to catch me off guard and get hints from me about how old I was....and I ALMOST gave in. But I think I was pretty good at hiding it. :) We also don't tell our girls what political party we were in while we were at Girls State, and what offices we ran for. This was probably the hardest part for me, because there were so many times when I wanted to share things with the girls, like my past experiences and such...but at the same time, I am glad that I didn't say anything, because they each had to experience Hoosier Girls State for themselves. And I got to tell them about my days in Newman City on the last night anyway. :)
I loved getting to know the girls and especially the other ladies on staff. We always say that there are no words to describe Hoosier Girls State, and that is even more true now that I have been a counselor. It was just a whole new experience to know the people who were putting on all of our programs and organizing everything, and it made me appreciate every aspect of HGS so much more. At the beginning of the week it was sort of awkward, but by the end we were all like a family. Especially all of the counselors in my county. It was great because I knew that if I needed help, someone would be there for me no matter what, and they would make sure that I made it through the situation as easily as possible. :) I also loved seeing ladies who have been on staff for numerous years, you know why they come back year after year without even asking them. One of my favorite things to do each day was to just stop for awhile at the front desk of my hall and talk to the ladies who were volunteering to be our receptionists for the week. Being able to hear their stories about their lives, their husbands, their families, and just telling them about my day was always such a joy.

All in all, last week was amazing. So amazing that I can't imagine next summer without leaving a spot for HGS. I put together a video of different programs and such that we had last week just to give you a better idea of what it was all about. :) Enjoy!

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HGS 2009 - Stars & Stripes Forever

StephF — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:57:00 GMT

So I am officially finished with HGS 2009! It was an outrageous week....full of lots of long nights...lots of walking....lots of voting and speeches...and even more fun! I am crazy tired and I almost fell asleep on my way home yesterday...but now I am home, and in the air conditioning...and im not surrounded by 646 senior girls. haha. Here's a recap on the rest of my week.....

Wednesday was the two-party rally, where the girls get the chance to get all pepped up and excited about their party's canidates for office. Here are the Democracy County counselors....and don't worry....everyone dresses up crazy!

Thursday- This was the day of the general election....which was amazing! The primaries were sort of difficult since it was the first time around for the girls (they basically run it all, I just oversee things), and there were more ballots to count and all. But the general election went so quickly and smoothly, it was wonderful!!! :) Then we found out who was elected to all of the offices, and there were 3 inaugeration ceremonies: city, county, and state. It was a busy day, getting everything ready for inaugerations and such...and the girls stayed pretty busy in their free time by decorating our city and getting ready for Friday...the best day of them all!

Friday- This was the day where everyone who was elected to an office got to do what their real life counterpart does, or meet them. Senators, representatives, and state officials went to the state house in Indy to meet the real state officials and pass bills and resolutions, and the city and county officials went to city hall or the courthouse in Terre Haute. Everyone also basically got to do "whatever they wanted". Now we didn't let them just have free reign on ISU, they were supervised...but they staged assasinations, they arrested people, they got married...basically they had the time of their lives. When I asked them what their favorite part of the week was, everyone always said Friday....because it is the best day after all. Friday night there was a talent show.....which was so much better this year than I had ever remembered! Now here is a photo of our city on Friday night before our city closing ceremony.

Yesterday was Honor Day....and I was so proud of my girls!!! They got the Governor's Award, which means that the did the best job on Friday as they were carrying out their jobs. And one of my girls was Democracy County Outstanding Girl and she is an alternate for Girls Nation! How exciting is that?? I was blessed with a pretty talented and amazing city! Overall, the week was stressful and tiring....but it was still an opportunity that I am so glad that I had the chance to take part in, and I can't wait to go back next year! If I could do it every week of the summer....I totally would! I love politics and government...and being able to teach the girls about that was such a blessing. Check back on here for a video all about HGS soon!

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Back to Hoosier Girls State I go.....

StephF — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:34:00 GMT

So as I have mentioned in previous blogs....I am at Hoosier Girls State this week as a Government Counselor. :) Of course it has been the hottest week EVER, and our dorms at Indiana State do not have air conditioning...haha. It is so pleasant. But ever since the girls arrived on Sunday, we have been busy 24/7 and having TONS of fun! If you don't know what HGS is, it is a week long program put on by the American Legion Auxillary that teaches seniors in high school about our state government. It is basically like the most fun government camp you could ever imagine! Yeah I know, government camp doesn't sound like any fun whatsoever....but it really is tons of fun!!! :) It is the best way to learn about our political process-by doing it all yourself. Our citizens are divided into cities of about 28 girls, and then there are 4 cities in every county, and we also have two fictional political parties. The week is divided into three sections- forming the political party structure, running for elective office, and then doing what you were elected to do. This morning were our primary elections, and tomorrow is the general election... :) So today is my favorite day.....we found out who all the parties candidates are, tonight is the two party rally, and then we have whistle stops, which is basically like a town hall debate. So imagine the town hall debates between Obama and McCain, and then replace everyone with senior girls in a dorm. haha. It is pretty legit. The campaigning has been going rather strong since Monday, and this is my favorite....people love to write with sidewalk chalk to campaign...but the only problem is that you can't spell anything wrong. Well someone did....but they tried to cover it up....hahahahahahaha. Check it out...

Needless to say, she did not get her party's nomination for Governor. The rest of the week has been really exciting as well...here is a run-down of each day's activities so far...

Friday-Saturday: The counselors came in and we had meetings, set everything up, and made sure that all of ISU was ready for 646 senior girls to take over....there was even almost a tornado!!!

Sunday: The girls arrived and they started to learn all about government...Sunday is usually the worst day, since they aren't used to being hot, and they just got thrown into a city with 27 girls they didn't know....and we have LOTS of meetings....so usually, girls are terrified that day. I really like to think about what each girl was like as she got off the elevator on our floor, and then compare that to what she is like now. The difference is like night and day. The first day is pretty boring/overwhelming, and almost everyone regrets coming at the end of it.

Monday: By Monday, the girls are getting more comfortable...meeting more people....and starting to have fun! Monday is the day when the political parties are being formed, so it is always the first round of speeches for the city, county, and state levels.....and they consist a lot of the girls saying, "At my high school, I am in all these clubs and I am president of each of them" which gets really old really fast. Monday night is "Girls State Night" where the Governor, Girls Nation Delegates, and Outstanding Girl from the previous year come back to give speeches. They also had the Lt. Governor from Hoosier Boys State (which was last week), which made the girls go WILD! You would have thought that we had kept them locked up without seeing a member of the opposite sex for like 2 years. Some girls even had the guts to ask him for his number after the program. It was crazy...lol

Tuesday: Tuesday was the day when they started running for their elected offices...and all of the governor candidates gave speeches to their respective parties. So all the girls filed for their offices....and then that night we had Veteran's Appreciation Night. It was a VERY long day. haha. This was the day that I learned that you do not go without plenty of sleep at girls state....I got rather irritable. haha. So since then I have been trying to get PLENTY of rest....but it isn't really happening. haha....at least I try! :)

Well that is the week so far in a nutshell...soon I will have up a video and more info on my experience with HGS!!! :)

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This is some EXTREME procrastinating...

StephF — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:02:00 GMT

So right now I should be packing for Hoosier Girls State....but I'm not. I thought I should sleep in while I can, because for the next week I'll be getting up at the crack of dawn every day.... :( I don't know how this will go..haha. I have to be in Terre Haute at like 6 tonight, so I have a few hours still! But of course I waited till the last minute to pack and get everything ready....hhaha. Yesterday I tried to get a lot of stuff done around here, and my friends came over to swim and hang out.....and of course we had to go out to the barn and play with the kittens, who you all haven't seen yet. So I thought I would tell you a little bit about them.. :)

This is Duncan....he is my favorite and the one that we have had the longest. I've already showed you all a picture of him, but his eye was all messed up...but this is what he looks like now...haha...notice that he wouldn't even stop moving for a photo! His life's ambitition is to be a ninja cat....and he is doing really well with that. If you would like to see a pretty amazing ninja cat, search on YouTube for "Kill Bill Ninja Cat". That is what Duncan will be like someday...haha

This is Nigel, and he is one of our newer ones....he loves to be adventurous....oh so much. While we were out at my pool, he ventured out to the pool about 4 times, and the last time he even went under our deck...which was driving our dogs crazy....so I put them up in their cage so they couldnt venture out there anymore....haha.

This is Tyson, and he is one of our newer ones and the smallest of them all. :) He is pretty submissive....and he just follows Nigel wherever he goes.....and watches Nigel and Duncan as they fight/play....haha. He is adorable though....and I really appreciate his timidness when he follows Nigel out to the yard, and then he doesn't follow him into the dog's area (they have an invisible fence) and he doesn't follow him under the pool deck. haha. Well I'm off to go pack.... :)

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Who knew I would actually be busy this summer?!

StephF — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:52:00 GMT

So for the past month I have been terrified that if I didn't find a job this summer, that I would have absolutely nothing to do. But this week I have been swamped! Yeah not really swamped like I am during the school year....but for not having a job and it being the summer...yeah I've been swamped. Getting things done for the pageant I'm going to be in in less than a month, spending time with friends, and getting things ready for Hoosier Girls State next week has been pretty time-consuming!

Tuesday was also my boyfriend's birthday....so I had been getting his present ready for him....and hoping that he wouldn't guess what I was getting him! It was pretty rough because I wanted to get him Sperry's (a kind of shoe)...but he hadn't ever tried them on or anything, so I didn't know what kind he would like and more importantly, what size to get him. So his sister and I formed a plan, that we would all go shopping in Evansville so that Susan could visit a friend, and he would just naturally want to try them on....then I would sneak away and buy him some....but it was a lot more difficult than that! The sneaking away without being noticed was pretty hard...but eventually I succeeded, and I got him the shoes....and then I just had to hope that I came back with a bag that wasn't mine, and that he didn't notice the switching around of things in bags when we got back to my house. I also wanted to make him his fraternity letters and mine to match...so I had to talk him into going to a craft store so I could get things for my mom, even though they really weren't for my mom...haha. I was really hoping that he wouldn't notice that I was buying three wooden I's to make his Pi, and a K and an A, and then another O, I (together they make a Phi), and an A....and he didn't...so SUCCESS! I would've thought ahead more, but then different things came up, and I realized that that was the only day that I could go shopping for him.

He also got a Wii for his birthday, which I am SOO excited about! I'm not horrible at anything but Baseball...but I'm awesome at these random games on Wii Play....which I don't know where that will get me in life, but I'll take what I can get. I am usually horrible at all video games in general because we never had a Nintendo or PlayStation when I was growing up....we focused on Barbies at my house. But Scott basically made bank with his presents...here he is...being all excited about his birthday...

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The similarities between Droopy Dog and I....

StephF — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Yesterday was a very, very eventful day for me. I started my day off bright and early at 7:30 a.m. by getting my wisdom teeth out....and I LOVED it! Or I at least liked the surgery and the ride home. I had heard horror stories from some people, and amazing stories from others....so I decided to just make the best of it and enjoy myself! It all started off great because when they started giving me oxygen, it smelled like strawberries....which I love. Then the surgeon gave me the IV and told me to tell him when I started feeling woozy.....and I asked him what that would feel like, and before he could answer me, I knew. Then the next thing I remember is the nurses raising the back of the chair, my mom came in the room, and they asked me how I felt, then I responded by waving my arms in the air and going, "Whoooooohooooo!" Then the ride home with mom was tons of fun because for some reason I just wanted to talk talk talk (she thought that I was entertaining, but she was kind of concerned too..haha.) So I just kept talking about everything, and I tried to text my sister and my boyfriend Scott, which was rather difficult at the time. But then we got home and I took some medicine and conked out on my "sick bed". That's one of my other favorite parts about this whole thing, my sick bed. :) We put soft old sheets on the couch, and I get to sleep here and my mom takes care of me. :) It makes me feel like I'm in Elementary School again, which is kind of nice for a little while! So since then I have been eating lots of applesauce and soup and jello, and sleeping a ton.....basically loving life. The only problem is that my cheeks have ballooned out, and they are now HUGE. I ice them like it is my job....(or actually, I frozen corn them?? the ice packs weren't too comfortable...) But they are still ginormous. I've always had rather large cheeks anyway, but now they are so swollen that I can't smile hardly at all...haha. So my mouth is tiny, and they are inflated, but somewhat droopy. The swelling is concentrated around my jawbone instead of being located centrally....which makes me look like the dog that used to be on Tom & Jerry...Droopy Dog. hahaha. He has huge droopy cheeks and a tiny mouth, which is basically me right now. haha. If you don't remember Droopy Dog from back in the day....here is a photo of him....haha....I'm so not posting a photo of myself anywhere until my face is back to its normal proportions.

As if yesterday wasn't eventful enough with my oral surgery.....we almost had a tornado too! When I was 1, 3 tornadoes hit my hometown one night, so now we all take the weather pretty seriously. So yesterday when our weather radio went off and I saw on TV that the storm was coming right for us....we got kind of scared. Then the tornado siren went off, and we retreated to the basement....and we were terrified of course. We tried to bring the dogs into the basement, but they wouldn't leave the yard because of the invisible fence, so then we were terrified for them of course. But by the time we got all settled in the basement and everything, we saw on the radar that the storm had basically dissolved and then reappeared on the other side of my town....of course. lol. But, after storms the best part is always the rainbow....and my friend Sarah took this picture, which I love... :)

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Tyler and Stephanie do Louisville... :)

StephF — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:09:00 GMT

One of my very favorite things in this world are musicals, and this past Sunday I finally got to go see one! Spring Awakening is one that I have wanted to see for the past few years....and I finally got to see it! It's on its National Tour right now...and at first I was hoping to get to see it in February in St. Louis....but that one didn't work out because I was crazy busy with everything at school, so I was really excited to be able to see it in Louisville! My friend Tyler went with me, and we both absolutely loved it! Basically, our lives are complete now. Before it started, we had time to just wander around downtown Louisville, and we were somewhat confused by all of the painted horse statues all over the place....well maybe not most of them....maybe just this statue in particular. It had pictures of kids eating different kinds of fruit and sandwiches and such....and then this random man using a banana as a telephone. I personally appreciated how it came out of nowhere, and how random it is. Haha. Here is the horse statue in question....

Overall.....it was a super fun quick trip.....and I loved getting to experience my very first musical!!! :)

I talked about my kittens in my last blog...and they finally all have names! Apparently, they are all boys....and they are named Nigel, Duncan, and Tyson. They love to wreak havoc on our barn....and they basically think that they are invincible. I would really like to see what happens when they meet their first mouse, or one of our dogs by themselves....lol. When we are out there with them, we make sure they don't make it out to the yard where the dogs are, but whats stopping them when we aren't there? So we just hope that they stay safe!!! I'll post pictures of them as soon as they all slow down for long enough for me to actually take a decent picture....haha. I'll also have to post pictures of my dogs, our "puppy" Stella in particular....she is getting so big! She just turned 6 months old a few weeks ago, and I am starting to really miss the days when I could hold her in one hand and when she would just lay down beside me and fall asleep. Now she is crazy and all over the place all day every day!

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The joys of working with small children....

StephF — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:43:00 GMT

For the past few days, I have been able to go back to my old dance studio that I danced at forever and taught at during high school for their annual summer camp. It lasts for 3 days, and there are kids from ages 2-sixth grade. The little ones only stay for part of the time, their attention span doesn't last too long! Haha. But it was so much fun to be able to go back to the studio and to get to see all the kids again...and to be able to remember why I loved working there so much. I love my small town studio...everyone knows everyone... :) I was pretty jealous though of a couple of girls, they are getting ready to go to Disney World and the beach today....which I think sounds like tons of fun right about now. It was a pretty cool 3 days though, except for the fact that I had to get up early every day...let me tell you....it was pretty difficult! I've been getting real used to just sleeping in every day for as long as I want...so I'm very surprised that I didn't sleep in any of the days...PHEW! Being tired and working with small children was not always a good mix. I wasn't too tired, but somehow, they always had more energy than me, and they wore me out pretty quickly! I didn't get a picture of the really little ones before they left :(, but here is a picture of the youth class with their certificates.

So in my last blog I talked about my new kitten, who we decided to name Duncan, but now we have 3 kittens. Someone just left them near my uncle's house so he brought them here....and they're adorable! Duncan is still my favorite...which is probably because his hair is longer, and hes chubby! The others are really tiny and skinny, but they're growing! They don't have names yet....but they will soon. They looooveee to play around in the barn so much. Duncan even ventured into a pen of calves today..... I was cleaning out their cage, and all of the sudden I saw that he was going in there.....and by the time I got there he was in the pen and all the calves were smelling him and trying to figure out what exactly he was. Haha....but once we name the other two, I'll give them a photo shoot and post kitten pictures! :)

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Introducing: Rosie....or Maybe Not....

StephF — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:02:00 GMT

The other day, my mom was at my Grandma and Grandpa's, and on their back porch was a little kitten. Since we have a new barn without a barn cat, my mom brought it home to live at our house. At first we thought that it was a she....or we just assumed so, since every animal we get is always a girl. My poor dad is pretty much a loner around here. But then we realized that Rosie (thats what I named it) is actually a boy...haha. (We're really observant aren't we?) So, we haven't decided on a name just yet, but we are considering Nigel and Duncan. For now though, he is known as stink-eye...haha...since his left eye is kind of messed up. He is a little rebel....he loves to get into trouble, and he also likes to come in the house and lay in front of our a/c vents when it is hot outside...haha. Here are a few photos of him, check out the adorableness that is happening here.... :)

Here is the update on the "What is Stephanie doing this summer?" situation. I had an interview for a position today....YESSS!!! How exciting is that?? Hopefully that will turn out alright....or much better than alright actually! But I also just found out about a new program they are starting here in my hometown that is called "HomeTown Competitiveness". Basically, it aims to help small rural communities become stronger. This is a great opportunity for our community, and it is something that I really want to get involved in, so I've been talking to a friend from church about getting involved with that. I LOVE being involved!!! So with that and serving at Hoosier Girls State, and being in Miss Pike County, and doing cool things with my friends, I think I will be set this summer. :)

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My Day of Birth=Happiness!!

StephF — Fri, 29 May 2009 05:09:00 GMT

So something really exciting happened the other day....it was my birthday! I love to make my birthday celebration last as long as possible, for like a week, kinda like it's Hanukkah. I had celebrations with my friends, my grandparents, my parents, and even more combinations of those....haha. Getting older makes me nervous.....but at the same time I know that it's good and that it brings a fun time, and even better food! I got to go to my favorite Mexican place with my friends, my favorite Chinese place with my grandparents, and to my favorite Amish place with all of my family. Ohh how I love birthdays! Here I am with my birthday fried ice cream and sombrero....delicious....... :)

So if you have been following my recent blogs, you know that I have been searching for jobs, and I still have had no luck. :( I've applied at even more places....but everywhere pretty much has all of their positions filled for now. :( I am starting to come to terms with my lack of activity a little bit more every day...and now I think I will be content with my summer either way. I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out in about two weeks, I am helping out with some things at my old studio and with 4-H, I am going to be in a pageant, and I think that I will be able to work at Girls State as well! So I think that all of this will keep me pretty darn busy....and I will still have tons of fun things to do! :) But it would be even better if I could find a job! So let's keep hoping.....

I've been home from school for almost an entire month now...and I miss it so much!! It's really nice to be home, and I love getting to see all of my family and friends here, but that also means that I don't get to see my friends from school, which is really really sad!! I live really far away from most of my best friends from school, except for my friends Tommy and Taryn (she's from my hometown too), so I probably won't get to see any of them unless we organize a reunion or something in Indy....which is really sad! I knew I was going to miss them....but we're barely into the summer and I miss them soo much than I thought I would. It feels so weird just not going back to Butler at the end of every weekend....and never having to pack up all of my stuf...but I like that part, because packing and hauling all of my stuff is my least favorite thing about going to college. But hopefully I will get to see my friends sometime soon....because I don't think I can make it to August!

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