March's clouds bring April's showers

Whilst perusing the bulletins on myspace, I came across a post from an old friend of mine. It listed all 12 months and gave a description of the supposed personalities born during that month. For fun I had to see how accurate my own March Pisces sign meshed with how I really turned out:

MARCH SEXY
Suave and compromising. Funny and humorous.
Stubborn. Very talkative. Calm and cool. Kind and
sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal. Does
work well with others. Very confident. Sensitive.

Positive Attitude. Thinking generous. Good

memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look
for information. Able to cheer everyone up and/or
make them laugh. Able to motivate oneself and
others. Understanding. Fun to be around.
Outgoing. Hyper. Bubbly personality. Secretive.
Boy/girl crazy. Loves sports, music, leisure and
travelling. Systematic. Hot but has brains.

Well, what do you think??

Preach it, Brother Wiley

This is why I am the way I am. At a random fountain in Bath, England, my Dad had me take of pic of him 'preaching' (posed with his super cool striped umbrella and Bass Pro hat). I dedicate this post for those who wonder how I became the way I did.

My Dad's awesome. 

Happy Birthday...

...to my 6-year-old niece, Izabella! To celebrate, we had a pool party for her, her friends, and family. Complete with a 'Hello Kitty' pink cake and party favors, she loved the day -- and of course, her massive pile of presents!

I just adore all my little kiddos. Can you tell? 

The England Excerpts: Season Finale

It's been fun giving you a glimpse into My So-Called British Life, and I hope you've enjoyed it. While this is the last official "taste of Britain" post I'll have, I will, from time to time, display other photos from the United Kingdom as I see fit.

On Christmas Day, my dear friend Andrinette and her mother Lynette, invited me over to their house for a wonderful meal and, of course, presents! You can see their tree behind us, as well as some unwrapped gifts on the tables. Andy, as most call her, is such a beautiful example of passion and friendship. Originally from Empangini, South Africa, her family moved to England 3 years ago and I'm so happy they did. I miss her, and our many hours together, tremendously. 

The England Excerpts: Third Dose

It's no secret that Bonnie Mayes, my fellow English HIM worker, and I are fab friends. One of my favorite photos of the two of us, this was taken in Nottingham while we were shopping during Christmas time. You can't tell by the thin layer of GAP jean jacket covering me, but it was actually ridiculously cold. It wasn't bitter when I left Loughborough that morning, but as soon as I stepped off the train I knew I'd suffer for my denim decision the whole day. And I did. Some of my best memories are with her, H&M, Lush, Accessorize, Starbucks, our beloved weak arrow, the theatre and, of course, Wagamama! I miss you loads, Bonn!

And on a completely different tangent, for those of you who are equally obsessed with LOST as I am, I invite -- nay, urge -- you to check out the latest news that my brother found. It's not much, but I imagine it will adequately whet your appetite for the hatch-esque goodness that is about to commence. Dinner is served. 

The England Excerpts: Part Deux

Part of my work in England was as a volunteer every other Friday night for the Gateway Club in Loughborough. Gateway is a club for mentally and physically handicapped adults in the area and they usually play games, do crafts, have a bit of a snack and then end the night with some fantastic karaoke disco music!

One of my favorite club members is Vicky. In the two years I assisted at the club, she always met me with that beautiful grin, warm hug and "Hello, duck. You alright?" Her sweet spirit is showcased here at our Christmas party last year. She was thrilled to receive her gift (every member gets a present) and couldn't wait for Christmas morning, as she didn't want to ruin the surprise that night! I dearly miss these nights with them, as well as the other volunteers and coordinators.

"I am a member so just you remember that Gateway belongs to me..."

The England Excerpts: Part 1

I have decided to dedicate the next few days to some of my favorite English memories and friends. The group above is the Young Adults that became my family. As a class, we met every Thursday night for devos, visitations or just some good old fellowship. The folks you see are among the most sincere, encouraging and beautiful people that you'll probably never know. How tragic for you.

I miss you all so much that it hurts. "Highways, byways..."

*Also, Happy 6th Birthday to my niece, Izabella! We're totally having a swimming party for her! Life is good...

All you need is love...?

This is such a classic picture of my parents. I took this when they were in London visiting me a month before I left England and it was freezing. I'm not sure if it's the public display of affection or my Dad's awesome Members Only jacket that's embarrassing Mom.

However, I gladly would have worn that silky wonder last night. Oklahoma City had the makings of a pretty decent thunderstorm with that great lightening/thunder combo I missed so much in Britain. No one does thunderstorms like Oklahoma. 

Point of Impact

While I've never considered myself to be a connoisseur of video games (aside from those glorious Mario Brothers, PacMan and Tetris days), yesterday has me reconsidering.

My 7-year-old nephew, Nik, was playing the new game my brother bought for him yesterday afternoon when I went to visit them. Harmlessly, I watched him for awhile, never suspecting that I could be exposing myself to something greater than my willpower. Thirty minutes after he began I asked if I could play along. Five and a half hours later, and still in the same position, I reluctantly put down the controls. The drug? XBox game: Burnout 2: Point of Impact.

All about wrecking cars and wreaking havoc, this game can be used as a brilliant learning tool for our little ones. For instance, we can teach them that by driving on the wrong side of the road they can build up their booster, which will help them go faster and cause mass carnage later on. Or, if you crash into the first car in on-coming traffic, it will launch you into the path of the numerous semis and busses that are coming, AND, if you tip a bus or semi, you'll rack up some serious points! My personal best: $70,000,000 worth of damage in one accident. I dare you to beat me...or die trying.

I, for one, have never been so automatically addicted to something (well, besides the obvious: LOST). May I encourage you to play a crucial role in the development of tomorrow's generation; after all, the more points you get, the more zones you can unlock!

You're welcome.

Foreign Diplomacy

How kind to be welcomed to the Sagrada Familia in such a beautiful way. Barcelona is so polite.

Out with the Xanga...

...in with the times. Per the advice of my techno-savvy brother, I've decided to quit Xanga and Yahoo cold turkey to venture into the great lands of Gmail and Blogger. The past two days for me have been filled with sending out those annoying "Change my e-mail address in your book!" e-mails, downloading photos, uploading images, copying, pasting, renaming, simplifying, ammending, creating, designing and experimenting. Whew, it's a good thing I'm a typing whiz.

I've also recently joined the communities of www.myspace.com and www.livejournal.com, which greatly surprises (and annoys) those who have been trying desperately to hear what I've been up to in these weeks post-England. "Someone as big on networking surely must already be proficient in these areas," people smirk. Yeah, well...at least that's what they wrote on my Facebook wall.

What a silly, computerized generation we've become. Don't get me wrong, I love it all. Obviously. Dipping my ink in numerous Internet capabilities proves I'm pro-Bill Gates thinking. I've reconnected with friends from way back because of this web-amarole and it's all very exciting.

I would be remiss, however, if I did not mention how sad it is that people don't write letters with actual pen and fancy stationary anymore. And what about typewriters? Those things are classic. I remember during my summer vacations in high school when I would pull out my mom's typewriter and work that machine until the ink began to fade. Anything and everything would spill onto the paper in magical rhythmic time and it seemed to validate my thoughts the way tangible things tend to do. It was wonderful.

I want a typewriter of my own.

I could also use a car, apartment, career and cell phone, but I digress...

All of these meandering thoughts are summed up in this way:

It's so much fun living in this e-era. I'm having a grand time!

I welcome you to accompany me on my journey through the .com phase. Hopefully my blog and e-mail will begin to now look like I'm an adult who is Internet literate instead of a 26-year-old Info Super Highway virgin.