My annual list....Movies I Need to See

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons
2. Happy Go Lucky
3. John Adams
4. Cadillac Records
5. Burn After Reading
6. Tropic Thunder
7. Doubt
8. Revolutionary Road
9. The Reader
10. Slumdog Millionaire
11. Milk
12. Rachel Getting Married

I can't believe that I haven't written in here about this...or anywhere for that matter.
The biggest change I have ever encountered in my entire life is set to occur in t-minus 11 days. On July 18th, I will be leaving Michigan as my state of residence and moving myself and my life to Chandler, Arizona. I will be teaching fourth grade in an elementary school called Cheatham Elementary in Laveen, AZ. Shivon also secured a position in the same school, teaching fifth grade. We have an apartment that we're sharing with a third roommate, Kristi. Kristi is Shiv's friend from high school, who is going to be a speech pathologist in a school in the Phoenix area. Our apartment is beautiful--1469 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. We have a huge patio. I am very excited, however I am also becoming a mixed ball of emotions.

I am leaving everything and everyone I have ever known. When I initially got this job, I kind of looked at it as the same as going away to school. But it is so different. I won't be able to drive home when I need to. I won't be a car's ride away. Months will go by without seeing my family & friends. I am leaving this house, this house that has been my home for 11 years. A house I know like the back of my hand. I know all of it's sounds and paths. I remember when I was younger, in junior high and high school, and I'd lay in bed and think about when this house wouldn't be where I lived. It seemed like it was years away, and it always scared the hell out of me. Well, that is reality, and I don't know what I'm feeling right now. It all seems so surreal. It doesn't feel like it's actually happening. But it is.

In eleven days, I will be 1,000 miles away from my mom and dad, who have been my support system and my best friends. I will be across the country from my little brother, who is my freakin' everything. I'm going to miss everyone ridiculous amounts--astl & co, my family, Jaclyn, my intern girls, Ms KT & that whole crew. Buh.

However, I will have Shivon who will be my rock. We're both going to be going through the same things. Melissa and John Spray are also moving down there. We'll have a support system built in. I'm looking at this as my adventure, and I know I can do it. And I will.

This was easily one of the best weekends I have had in my entire life.

Wednesday, as you all know, the Detroit Red Wings took the Stanley Cup from the bitchass Penguins. Jac and I resumed our good luck position as patrons of Hatchy's in downtown Utica. We were joined by Shivon, Shannon, and Lauren, along with some of Shann's friends. It was a perfect Stanley Cup celebration. Jac and I couldn't sit down because we were so nervous as the game came to a close. But we won, and it was fabulous.

Friday, I went to the Victory Parade with my parents. It was 95 degrees, probably 105 with humidity. It was HOT. I drank more water than I have ever drank in my life that day. Despite the heat, though, we had a great time, great seats, right on the curb. I got some great pictures, which I posted on FB. Then, we hit up Cheli's in Clinton Township for lunch and the rally. Then, I went home, showered, and napped and Shivon came to pick me up for the Tigs game. We had a great time, saw some silly people, and danced to Latin Heat. Then, as we were walking across the street to meet my cousin for a drink, we watched the rain come to us. It was intensely downpouring, so we ran. I lost my shoe, like Cinderella, but went back for it. We get to the bar, and some guys that saw we were wet said that we, "still looked cute," so they bought us shots. We then sat down and talked with Katy for awhile, which was nice. Then we headed home, and I took care of some business. I also found out that Jac was partying in Royal Oak with Lebda and Rafalski, and I just about cried because though she invited me, I couldn't get there....

However, last night made up for that.
We go back down to Royal Oak, and decide to go to 5th Avenue, after going to Bastones for mojitos. We get into the place, and realize there's this huge long line to get upstairs. We heard a rumor that the Cup was up there, and we didn't buy it. We just figured it was a Saturday in Royal Oak. Oh, the Cup was there, along with about 20+ of the Red Wings. Seriously there were Red Wings everywhere you looked. We walked up the stairs, and up on a platform were Jiri Hudler, Johan Frahnzen (smoking a cigarette! Weird!), Brian Rafalski, and Nik Kronwall. My digital camera died THE SECOND I GOT IN THERE, of course, but I took some pics on my phone. We stood there and watched the guys for a few, then decided that we wanted to dance. We danced for a few, and then we needed to use the restroom. Here's a breakdown of everything that happened as we left the bathroom:

• We walk out and Lilja was standing right there, so we said hi, and he kissed us on both cheeks to greet us
• Huddler walked by, Jac and I yelled, "Jiri, Jiri, we just want to shake your hand." So when I went to shake his hand, he said, "Give me a fuckin' hug" pulled me in for the hug, and kissed my cheek
• Ran into Kris Draper talking to Valteri Filppula, who is gorgeous in person. Val acted very humble and modest in terms of his skating compared to Drapes, we shook both their hands
• Pavel Datsyuk was walking by, I stopped him, congratulated him and shook his hand. He was so quiet and shy. And adorable.
• Walk by Nik Lidstrom. Jaclyn tells him she LOVES him. I shake his hand and said something about how he's an amazing captain, the best choice they could've made. He holds my hand for a good three seconds. SIDENOTE: I have so much more respect for him after last night. He was the only one to have his wife there with him. I loved that.
• We walk to the dance floor, where Dominik Hasek walks up with a 20-something girl, and proceeds to dance with her. So I walk up to say hi, and he pulls me in to dance with him! He was so drunk he was wide-eyed. Then I was peer pressured into "backing it up on Hasek!" So I did.
• Then Draper got up on the DJ's stage, took his mic, and started emcee'ing the night, saying who was there, chanting his teammates names. After he was done, Jiri took the mic and started chanting DRAP-ER, DRAP-ER. Then the Cup was brought on stage, and they were feeding people drinks from it.
  
• They were all throwing their hats out into the audience, and Samuelsson's was thrown directly into my hands. I have Sammie's once sweat drenched Cheli's hat!
• Then, they hijacked the DJ's playlist and started playing country songs, and proceeded to kareoke to them. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. They sang "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue" and "How Do You Like Me Now?" They like their Toby Keith. I am pretty sure some Rodney Atkins was played as well.
  
• Jac and I then sat at the bar because Henrik was behind there with Dan Cleary. We just watched....which we decided was like girl porn.
  
• Al Sobotka was serving everyone...someone would ask for a beer, and he would bring like 7 or 8 EVERYTIME. He was hilarious.
• Dom came and sat down next to me at the bar, blocking me in. I couldn't remember one of the young ones names. So I leaned over to Dom and asked him...He says, "Meeeech! We call him Meechie" in his thick accent. Good drunk man that Dom.
• Then, once Dan Cleary started talking to people, I called him over, and my mind went blank. I said, "Hi Dan! I just wanted to tell you that I am a huge fan, and I wanted to shake your hand. And I wanted you to kiss me right here (my left cheek)." So he did. I got up out of my seat, found Jac and Hogan and said, "Okay, Dan Cleary just kissed me, I'm cool with leaving now."
• As we were hanging out before we left, Mattias Riotla started talking to me--just about the night, and I asked him what it was like to win the cup. Then, I asked him for a favor. I said, "I need to ask you for a favor. It might be a lofty one. My friend here, REALLY wants to shake Zetterberg's hand. She's not crazy, she just wants to say hi to him." He looks at me, shrugs his shoulders and beckons us to follow him to the bar. He tried so hard to get his attention by yelling, "Z! Z!" but, as Mattias told us, "He's just so drunk. He's just so drunk."
• As we're standing at the bar, waiting for "Z," I see Chris Osgood. I walk up to him, smile at him, hug him, congratulate him, and say he deserved the Conn Smythe just as much as Zetty, he thanks me, and I walk away.

Honestly, it was the most ridiculous night of my entire life. For me, it was honestly a dream come true. Those boys are like gods to me, especially the older ones (Lidstrom, Draper, Osgood, even Hasek). I've been watching them play hockey for as long as they've been Red Wings. And the kicker is that THEY'RE AMAZING GUYS. It was obvious they were there for the fans. They weren't hooking up with the girls that were throwing themselves at them, they were just drinking and taking it all in.  In what other sport would the professional athletes go out together, hang out with the fans, and bring along their Championship trophy. This team deserves every good thing that comes their way. Ah, last night was a good night.

Jaclyn and I agreed to make a list of our Top 25 favorite songs last night.
It was far more stressful than I imagined it would be.

Here are mine, in no particular order.
These songs have been my comfort when I needed them, and despite how many times I have heard them, can still give me chills.

Top 25 All Time Favorite Songs

1.       Cute Without the E – Taking Back Sunday

2.       Clavicle – Alkaline Trio

3.       Such Great Heights – The Postal Service

4.       Now You Only Speak In Vowels – ASTL

5.       Play Crack the Sky – Brand New

6.       Lover I Don’t Have to Love – Bright Eyes

7.       Logan to Government Center – Brand New

8.       You’re So Last Summer – TBS

9.       Dammit – Blink 182

10.   With Arms Outstretched – Rilo Kiley

11.   This I Promise You -- *NSYNC

12.   You and I Both – Jason Mraz

13.   Don’t Stop Believing – Journey

14.   1,000 Things – Jason Mraz

15.   Fake White Van – Short of 1st

16.   Any Dream Will Do – Andrew Lloyd Webber

17.   I Just Saw a Face – The Beatles

18.   Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen

19.   There’s No ‘I’ In Team – TBS

20.   Uptown Girl – Billy Joel

21.   Piano Man – Billy Joel

22.   Seventy Times Seven – Brand New

23.   Rock Show – Blink 182

24.   I Miss You – Incubus

25.   Forget the Streets – Forever Ending

i'm thankful for:

• my mom for always being there to listen to me and make me laugh while also giving me great advice. she's always the one who makes me feel like it is okay to be me.
• my dad for constantly protecting me and loving me and supporting me through everything i have ever done. he makes me laugh all the time and is my drinking buddy :]
  
• both of my parents for constantly recognizing my dreams and doing everything in their power to make those dreams come true.
• my brother for being jim. for being my best friend, and always there to listen and protect me. he is constantly the first one who will jump to my defense in every aspect of life.
• jake for being an amazing cousin. he will sit in a cold garage with a drunken me and listen to me talk to him about my life, and give me sound advice and truly care.
  
• all of my boys. while our relationships have changed and evolved and in some cases diminished, they are still in my life and will always be. i know they will always be the first ones to step up if i ever needed it.
• jacattack. although she is far away for most of the year, she is always the first one i want to call to talk to if things are going either right or wrong. she always gives the best advice imaginable because she knows me better than anyone.
• leah for being my brother's fabulous girlfriend. her and i can have completely silly conversations and also completely serious ones. we tell each other secrets. and it's fun.
• shivon and the rest of the intern girls. without them this year, i would seriously lose my mind. i am SO lucky to have a support group of five other amazing girls in my school. they know exactly what i am going through without me having to painstakingly explain it in order to understand.
• my placement. i know i could be in a MUCH much worse situation. i am so thankful to be placed in seminole academy.
• my life in general. i know that there are things that could be better, but there always will be. i'm thankful for the fact that i want for nothing and that i have an amazing support group of friends and family who keep me sane and love me for ME.
  

i know that the friends i have are lifers. no matter what. and i also know that i am a pretty damn lucky person. and all those reasons being said, i am a very thankful girl on this thanksgiving.

today was spent with my family at my cousin kelly's house. jake jim and i played a buzzed game of darts, which jake lost. about five times. but then won one match that made up for all the losses. then we played this ridiculous 80s game called "headbandz" (yes with the Z), which consisted of some mad charades on our parts. then me, jim, jake, leah, bob, joe, and jeff went and saw beowulf. which sucked, just like the poem. however it was in 3D and we got some sweet shades out of it. all in all, pretty successful day.

so i've come to the conclusion that teaching is actually a lot like improv. you're constantly on your toes & you have to react to whatever situation is thrown at you.
i'm trying real hard to be a good improv artist.

[[10 Bands You've Seen Live ]]
1. asecondtoolate
2. TheAudition
3. Rilo Kiley
4. The Starting Line
5. Taking Back Sunday
6. Brand New
7. aFundial
8. Bright Eyes
9. Jonathan Rice
10. *NSYNC

[[09 Things You're Looking Forward To]]
1. Living at home
2. Actually getting to see my family/friends on a regular basis
3. Starting my internship
4. Getting my loans
5. Spending time with Jac before she leaves
6. My Bed
7. Seeing my little sister all the time
8. High School Musical 2 party (EXACTLY 1 WEEK!)
9. Being DONE with my undergrad degree

[[08 Things You Wear Daily]]
1. My bling earrings
2. My heart necklace
3. Flops
4. Jeans
5. Shirt
6. underwears
7. a purse
8. my glasses

[[07 Things That Annoy You]]
1. Girls that drive pick up trucks
2. Asian drivers
3. People who expect you to read their minds
4. Boys who think blowing in a girl's ear is sexy
5. The sound of wine pouring
6. Ignorance
7. Drama

[[06 Things You Touch Every Day]]
1. my cell phone
2. my purse
3. a keyboard
4. my steering wheel
5. a cigarette
6. a diet coke can

[[05 Things You Do Every Day]]
1. Talk on the phone
2. Check my email
3. Speak fucking french
4. Eat
5. Drink a diet coke

[[04 People You'd Want to Spend More Time or Hang out With]]
1. Jaclyn
2. Danny
3. Deana
4. Ms KT

[[03 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over]]
1. Serendipity
2. How to Deal
3. The Breakfast Club

[[02 Of Your Favorite Songs At This Moment]]
1. Ladies' Choice - Zac Efron
2. Don't Talk to Me About Space - astl

[[01 Person You Could Spend the Rest of Your Life With]]
1. John Krasinski

www.myspace.com/asecondtoolate
www.myspace.com/asecondtoolate
www.myspace.com/asecondtoolate
www.myspace.com/asecondtoolate
www.myspace.com/asecondtoolate

my boys have three new songs!
you know you want to listen.

seminole academy

the office


the main corridor


the media center/library!!

this is the gorgeous school where i am interning next year. it was completely refurbished in 2004. i finally found out, and i seriously couldn't be more excited. the school looks absolutely beautiful. i will find out what grade and classroom i will be in after i speak to the principal on may 10th! i am so ridiculously happy.

what happened yesterday on the Virginia Tech campus is completely surreal to me. i was watching tv during the first news break, and i immediately just started crying. no just crying, almost sobbing. at first, i wondered, why is this affecting me so badly? as i continued watching, eyes glued to the tv, i realized why. it's quite obvious actually. it occurred on a campus, somewhat similar to my own. i spend much of my life on state's campus. this could have happened anywhere. those could have been my best friends, my ex boyfriends, my high school friends, acquaintences, classmates, professors, gone. killed in cold blood, without meaning, and without a second thought, or so it seems. they're calling it the virgina tech massacre. everytime i hear that i get a horrible feeling in my stomach.
my mom called me crying yesterday, just to make sure i was okay. she asked me if i was on campus, and when i told her i was at my apartment, it was as if she breathed a sigh of relief. it was almost like because it happened at another university it did happen here. i'm not big on praying, but i have been and i will continue to pray for my peers that died on that day in april, 2007.

apparently i am quite behind in my movie seeings...i need to see:

1. dreamgirls (saw it, loved it, completely understood why jennifer hudson won an academy award...beautiful breakout performance)
2. children of men
3. little children
4. little miss sunshine (saw it, fell in love with it...abigail breslin was adorable and so articulate for a child...steve carrell was amazing in it, my love for him definitely grew...though i loved alan arkin in it, i am not quite sure he should have beaten out mark wahlberg for the oscar, but okay)
5. the queen
6. babel

and i need to see them now.

she said 'it's good to hear your voice, because you know why?
two minds work together'
and that 'we've always been good friends'
she wasn't sure where she was or how long she'd be here
but she was sure of that

it's so funny how, after so long, he can still give me butterflies.
oh boy, i did not need to see him tonight. but i am very glad i did.

it is seriously riddick how much i love my friends.
we laugh, we talk, we cry (usually due to laughter), we have a bajillion inside jokes, & we have each others' backs no matter what.

i am so darn lucky to have such an amazing group supporting my every move.
i love you all. you know who you are.

last night was absolutely ridiculous.

seriously. i adore my best friend. we sat in our apartment, drank white sangria, talked to people online & laughed all night.
the quote of the night was "i am so HOT!"
and we are.

<3

i met a boy yesterday who has given boys their luster back for me.

and his name is jason mraz.
yes, that's right friends. we spoke two sentences to each other, but we are destined to be together. i have pictures but they're on deana's camera, so they will be posted soon. we were honestly shaking after the sighting. the streets of royal oak are now holy ground, mecca, if you will.

all i need to meet is a little a-brody, and my life will be absolutely complete.

now i need to go get ready for the movie event of the century...or of the year...the da vinci code. i'm so ridiculously pumped.

boys are really losing their luster for me.
seriously.
every single one i am ever interested in is a liar. or immature. or a little bit of both.
i'm so sick of it. i'm giving up.
i just watched two hours of the abc show, "what about brian." and i have come to the conclusion that i am the brian of my group. single, and i honestly don't know why. the tagalong to everything. but the upside is that i do have my group. my group who can honestly get me through anything. i was freaking out last night, desperately needing to talk (of course about the first three lines of my entry), and i knew that i had someone whose house i could go over at midnight. to tell me that it will be okay. to talk up their sister's boyfriend's cousin to hook me up with. to ask me to spend the night. to laugh with and comiserate with and call him a jackass along with me. thank you, you.

so. after my whining, which is totally due to the weather and it's utter crappiness, i will end on a good note--i love my friends. i really really do.

and, scene.

so this entire entry is me being a big ol' dork:

i definitely had mixed emotions about the gilmore girls season finale. firstly, i'm majorly pissed they did they troubadour thing this episode--it was a big waste of time, honestly. i found myself fast-forwarding my tivo through taylor yelling at the wanderers. taylor doosey annoys me, plain & simple. secondly, i just wanted to hug lorelai. i never thought i'd say this, but luke pisses me off. i loved loved loved luke & lorelai together when they first started, but now he's a big doosh bag. this april thing is annoying too--jc, just let her & lorelai talk! april's mom sucks too. those girls are turning luke into something this girl definitely hates, and definitely does not deem good enough for her best tv friend, lorelai gilmore. thirdly, i am finally in love with rory & logan together. logan is uber dreamy and you can tell he loves her. i mean, i will always have a softspot in my heart for jess mariano, but logan and rory are just good. when she was standing in the doorway, crying, and watching him go, i cried too. and fourthly, christopher hayden is honestly the most gorgeous thirty-something man around. the look on lorelai's face though at the end of the episode. holy crap.

it was a good wrap up of the season, but god, they wasted a lot of precious time with the stupid troubadour story line. when it comes down to it though, this girl will be tuned in when this show comes back next fall.

oh my goodness, i have no clue why i felt the need to recount this in my livejournal; i think i just felt like writing.

i'm done being stupid & passionate about a tv show. peace out.

i have been really wanting to update this badboy lately, but i just have not had the patience for it. so now i will give it a go.

the end of my junior year at msu has come and gone. i really really cannot believe it. honestly, although throughout the course of the year it seemed like it would never end, it flew by. i can't believe that next year at this time, i will be graduated. from college. effing weird. i'm old.

this past semester was the most painstakingly horrible semester of my life. it's funny that when i was writing that sentence, i messed up "semester" and instead wrote it "smester", because that is what it was. sme (science for elementary students) made my semester what it was--full of work. if that was the only class i had to take, that would've been just fine, but it definitely wasn't. anyway, it's over and i'm done thinking about it. let's just hope i passed it. because if i did not, i am refusing to take it again, therefore not becoming a teacher. i'll be a writer or editor or just tour with astl instead?

however, there was one thing that made my semester livable--my friends. i finally got to live with katie. words cannot describe how amazing it is to have your best friend in the same living space as you. just knowing she was there for me to talk to was amazing. we're sweet and a lot of our intense conversations occurred with us sitting in our rooms looking at each other in the bathroom mirror. our lives have continued to be paralelled, we're just weird like that.

abbi & i have also gotten super close this year. we worked together almost everytime (being that we're sups and we can do cool stuff like that). if you would've told me at this time last year that abbi and i would be good friends, i wouldn't have believed you. we're a weird pair, but we're sweet. i can't believe i haven't written about this before, but i'm going to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! i'm so ridiculously excited, and i am in love with my (possible) dress. it's soo not a stereotypical bridesmaid dress. she's coming to see me on tuesday & hopefully i will get to see my dress live and in person.

so...it's summer. i'm home & already in love with it. i had my first softball game friday. i don't think i have mentioned this, but dan is also on the team with me. we're a coed team, called the softballs, and honestly, it is so much fun. i was so nervous to play being that i had only practiced once with the team, but i played alright. dan was real cute & called me today to tell me he was proud of me for how well i played which i thoroughly appreciated. me and ms. kt are kind of insane together (as per usual), and i love it.

i have a good feeling about this summer. i just want a certain part of it to begin, though. but i will be patient. because patience is a virtue. this part of my summer is real cute though. and something i've been waiting patiently for for about a year now.