Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down....

Well, on this fine Monday morning I am NOT down (I just thought it would be a good title)...I don't have to work at the office today. So my day has gotten off to a good start.
I have NOTHING to report on....to be honest I have no legit reason to be posting a blog today. EXCEPT, I have pictures to put on here from my own camera!! They're nonsensical, but I promised that there would be some -- so here there are.
Enjoy!

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You....

Many, many, many pictures taken by Diana. Hooray for the new camera!!

"I'll have a blue Christmas without you..."

Everthing here at home is going great..i finally got my christmas tree up, and then 2nights ago our family tree finally got put up, so its starting to look a little more like christmas.

I'm so excited for christmas. I love this time of year. I love most of all being able to spend time with my 2 best friends that i haven't seen for like 4months. Danielle got home from England last Friday and Ana will be flying in from Hyles this Friday, so i am so excited and anxious to see her again!
its so weird that even tho i am so happy to be home, i feel like a peice of my heart went home with everyone of my friends, especially jack random and brady. it is one of the weirdest feelings in the world missing them this much, but it wont last too much longer for only in a short time i will be on my way back for another semester at college. But, until then I have presents to buy, money to spend, ppl to see and carols to sing...and even tho I will be having a blast here with family and friends, part of me will be having "a blue christmas without you".
-graig

The Best part of break:

Man, I tell you what...nothin beats a meal thats not plastic chicken! Don't get me wrong, nothing against it. I mean atleast now i know the purpose of all those plastic chickens at Walmart...they are used to feed starving college kids...who'da thunk! Anyways...today I was by myself for awhile (thats usually NOT a good thing) and decided that i should make cookies. So i did!! Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee with some hot homemade cookies....Mmmmm!
-Graig

So obviously, we get bored and talk about making cookies and drinking coffee. Though, trust me there is no sweeter nectar of life than a good, strong cup of joe.
Funny thing about those cookies -- Grace had no intention of making cookies, because our little sis, Stephanie, wouldn't bake them Grace had to!! Grace begged and begged everyone else to make them so that she could take a nap....Slacker!! But it was all fine and dandy when she could take the credit from Dad for making such a good batch. LOL
It is nice and easy going for now. The sun is shining and the ocean waves hello every now and then to tell me she's glad I'm back. I have a really hard time on days like today remembering that I go to college and that life normally is a hectic circus. I love Break!!
I hope ya'll enjoyed our updates on the boring lives of the MusicFreaks -- Deege

Beach sand, palm trees, tropical breeze...

Oh there is NOTHING like it! I thought that I just missed being home a little bit, but there is absolutely nothing that can take the place of a good beach walk!

Since we've been back, it has been only sunshine. The weather does not make it feel like Christmas, but being home sure does. Its great being home and being with my family. Though the situation is by no means ideal right now, home will always be home no matter where it is no matter what is going on. So for this holiday season, it doesn't matter that there will be no snowball fights or snowmen to build even though that would be nice. I'm going to enjoy my sunshiny-palm tree christmas with the 6 people I love most.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Soooooo, my family came and picked us up!!! Grace and I are finally home for Christmas!! It feels so nice to be home....the only problem is that Christmas isn't supposed to have eighty degree weather and palm trees swaying to a tropical breeze, but hey it's home. LOL.
I am so absolutely thankful that finals are over and that the semester is at an end. I did very well on all my classes and 'ended strong'. Music Theory I's final was my favorite (duh), I got a 102% on that final and a 98% on my singing final for Vocal Tech. The other finals went very well as well... I think so at least I haven't gotten all my grades back yet.
On Saturday, Bri, Alaina, and Brittany came with me to the cabin. We had way too much fun. We played Star Wars Trivial Pursuit...of which Bri and I lost to Alaina and Jack AGAIN!!! Mom said that if I'm ever able to beat her that she'll shoot me for knowing too much about Stars Wars. It still drives me crazy, though!!
Now that I'm home I have tons of stuff to do. I was able to relax today, but tomorrow is the beginning of the end. Work, dentist, bus route, Christmas shopping, parties, church.....I think it'll all be a blur.
Enjoy the holidays ya'll!!

Hi-ho, hi-ho its back to school

So, we just back from thanksgiving break! It was so much fun! We rode all the way to Erie, Pa. with Charlie Shcenk (I'm not real sure how to spell it, but its pronounced Skank)

I really wasn't looking forward to goin but it really was fun. My view from the back seat wasn't the best


but it wasnt really all that bad i slept most of the time.


Once we got to PA there was like no snow on the ground (minus some dirty snow that was melting in a pile in the Walmart parking lot) and i wasnt very happy cuz i wanted snow. Then on thanksgiving we got a light dusting and Friday we got like 5 inches and i was sooo excited i took several pictures. This one was at Marks house
It was so gorgeous, I really loved it.

So everything was a blast! I hope to go back again soon, i really miss that side of my family. But right now i'm happy to be back at school getting ready for finals. And the countdown begins.....11 days left til we go home! I cannot wait to leave here, even though I do not wish to say good-bye to my friends. That will be very hard but only one month till we have to come back, so it shouldn't be that rough....but then again, only time will tell!
--Graig

Ya, it was a total blast. Grace basically covered it all; I have nothing else to add because she said exactly what I was going to say (I hate sister-lepathy!!) I enjoyed it all, especially being with Grandma for Thanksgiving -- it was the first Thanksgiving without Grandpa and the 12th was his birthday. I am so absolutely ready to be done with this semester. I can't wait!! The family will be up on Friday night and then just a few days and Florida bound I will be. I do have to admit that I will miss the people here, but hopefully work will keep my mind off it. And then Danielle will be back ASAP. That's all that's going on. Enjoy finals ya'll.
-- Deege

Music, Music, Music

Ok, so I finally have a chance to talk about my weekend (yes, it's taken me till Tuesday to write about the weekend). But it was all about music!!! It was so awesome. So let me start.....
The Lord answered my prayers and I was able to go to the symphony. Oh, it was so awesome and wonderful -- very relaxing, too. And you know me, my eyes were closed for about a quarter of the time just soaking up the sounds and feelings of it all. (If I had a camera I would insert a picture of it right here....hint, hint)But I found out basically at the last minute that I was able to go. I had prayed for nearly two and a half days that the Lord would be able to let me go, and He did. He reminded on Friday that He, as my Father, cares enough to answer my small requests in the same way as my big requests.
So, on Saturday we had the Crown Music Recital. That was highly enjoyable as well. My only problem was that I have an extremely hard time keeping the music INSIDE me while others are sining. It really is painful trying to hold it all in, but I somehow managed to succeed and didn't embarrass myself or Alaina!! Bri did an absolutely superb job on the trumpet (but that's not any new news). My sister, Stephanie, would have died if she could have been there to hear it. I'm glad it went well for her because I have heard that piece on a number of occassions (i.e. Music Theory class with her RIGHT NEXT TO ME!!) and she's worked hard for it.
Then on Sunday I play for the Rally Time in Second Hour Sunday School. Renal is teaching the kids a new song that is way too fun to play. And I now play the synthesizer in the orchestra -- that's a keyboard that plays a reduction to back up the strings (just in case you're wondering). Practice is on Sunday afternoons and I play for Sunday and Wednesday evenings. I think it's quite interesting, very different and that makes me nervous. My face must be red during every service!!!
The Messiah is coming along, but I just pray that it will all come together -- not for our glory, but that we can be a blessing again to Pastor Sexton and give honor to the Lord. I just love the testimony and message that is in the Messiah. I hope the people of Temple are blessed by it. We'll just wait and see because it all happens on SUNDAY!!! ahhhhhhh
That was my weekend. I loved it, it was very relaxing....all except for being banned from the Parson's room (nearly indefinately). It might have something to do with braking their door or something like that. It's not my fault that I grew up in a large family and can "push" my way through.
We leave tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving Break. Grace and I are going to Pennsylvania. Grandma sounded very happy that we we're gonna be there. I just can't wait!! I'll write about the break when we come back until then ..... ttfn TaTa for now.
--Deege

Home

......"and i'm surrounded by a million people I still feel alone. Let me go home. I miss you, you know".......I can't really say that I have ever wanted to be somewhere so bad in my life. College is going ok, but tension is continuing to build between roommates, dormmates and friends..not to mention the tension between enemies :D lol. But, the good thing is - - break is only 1 week away!!! I cannot WAIT to get away and just relax.

Besides being sick of this prison we call college, my little group of friends has recently expanded so here is where I mention them!! Chad - - one the coolest retarded kids I know and Brad - - who understands why we are friends.....black ppl always die first in the scary movies!! (just kidding Brad- not that you will ever read this, but if you do I don't want you to be upset). So now our group consists of Steph, me, Brady, Brittany, Lindsay, Chad and Brad.....and occasionally Ben Pence when he decides that he is bored enough to hang out with us.

So I was told by a certain somebody (JACK RANDOM!! lol) that I had to update this so that every other loser that reads could be amused for atleast a minute or so.
As you can tell, not too much has happened. We only have several days left after break, so we are all hoping that it goes by rather quickly. But until then....we all have to focus on getting our projects and notebooks completed.

....."let me go home. I'm just too far from where you are, I wanna go home!"

--Graig

And Life Goes On

Hey Ya'll
Oviously we're back from Maryland -- safe and sound in good, ole' Tennessee. Everything is basically ca-ray-zay, but when is that out of the norm for a Crownie?
Mrs. Evans is back from her trip to Israel with the church. I did miss her, but now we have tons of work to catch up on in the office and finals are just around the corner. By the end of this semester I may have all of my hair pulled out. I thought I might go for the "Brittany Spears" look for my new haircut!! I think I can pull it off better, though.
Mom and Dad (and the rest of the family) will be here in nearly two weeks. I am so excited!! And then we go home. I don't think I could be any more bizzonkers over this than I am right now. We're gonna have so much fun in the cabin -- I think that my finals won't even matter. Who needs them anyways?? (Don't tell Mom I said that, she may lock me in the dorm!) This semester just keeps draggin' and draggin'. I feel like I've been here for about 2 years -- Wait a sec I HAVE!! My bad.
Thanksgiving, Messiah Sunday, Finals, and Home -- that's all on my agenda. We're almost there!!
--Deege

Jack Random: Strikes Again

So as we continue our lovely journey in Maryland, I must mention our wonderful joy-ride this beautiful Sunday morning. Jack, Deege and I all decided that we should all go out to breakfast at McDonalds, and when we left Jack's mom said that we had to be back by 10:15.....1 hour later. With that much time to waste, we ate at McD's then went on our joy-ride around Brunswick, MD. So while on our short (very, very short) road trip we finally got Jack to go ALL THE WAY around a round-a-bout...it was so much fun we were all laughing our heads off - (Esma, put your hands in the air!!). We'll just see if we're laughing when we have to tell Jack's parents.....or not..... - -Graig
So as we continue in our daily saga, I must tell you about our ... umm - interesting ... endevours to have fun with Mr. and Mrs. Random. First of I must preface this with the fact that Jacks mom is indeed NOT retarded. We had too much spare time after we returned from McD's that we decided that we should swap ringtones, seeing as I am the ringtone queen, I saw it fitting to share the wealth. Not thinking anything of it, I thought that Mr. Random might enjoy several of my obnoxious ringtones. So I showed him 2 of my ringtones (such as "ring" and "message" which end up screaming at the end). If I had thought he would've found such amusement in them I would have showed them to him earlier, much to the demise of the household. ANYWAYS...for the remainder of the evening he proceeded to play, replay and replay.....those 2 ringtones, and everytime he laughed just as hard and just as long as when he first heard them....he is INDEED Jack's dad.
Then there is the subject of Jack's mom. Now Mrs. Random, I love her. (I have a feeling she may one day read this blog and wonder at that fact, but i promise its valid) She is unaware to the fact that Jack gave me her cell phone number and I will be texting her QUITE often (mwhaha!). So as we continue to tell our late night adventure, I must admit that I got a wonderful amusement from her, and random fear of my camera. Its true, she hates all cameras. Why then she has a camera phone, I'll never know. I not only got beautiful shots of her, but also a movie that questions her sanity. I promised her that these would be blogged, so once again Mrs. Random, I must stay true to my word.
But all in all, so far, it is quite enjoyable. Another 24 hours in the Random household?? -- Graig

Maryland: Take Two

So we're in Maryland (for the second time in our lives) with Jack -- aka. Brittany Strine. It's Ministry Weekend at Crown College and we weren't able to go home to Florida so Jack said "Come with me". So here we are!!!

We've made cookies -- well, actually Diana did. And walked all through Brunswick taking pix as we went. It's been way too much fun and very, very relaxing. Of course, Grace has good shots of absolutely everything
(don't ask)
and Diana has just been Diana doing all the weird things while in broad daylight and studying for classes.

Pastor Turbyfield has said that our ministry can be giving him cookies and washing his truck -- singing in the church really is secondary. So far we'd rather please the man of God and relieve his ears -- we'll see about the actually 'ministry' coming to be.
Yes, this is 'take two' for us in Maryland. The first time we were here we HATED it. Not a good experience at all!! Thanks to Jack, though, we might actually have some good comments about the 'turtles' when we get back to Tennessee.