Christmas with the Criswell/Weghorst/Cherry/Johnson's!

Christmas this year has been full of firsts! It was Kaitlyn's first Christmas, the first Christmas I could buy everyone presents with my own money (something I was VERY proud of) and the first Christmas in a long time we had all of my siblings together :) It was awesome.

I realize some of you aren't fortunate enough to have met my entire family, so this post is dedicated to them and our wonderfully crazy/dysfunctional holidays...

Christmas Tree!!

This is my beautiful sister Devon and my brother-in-law Justin...Together, they produced the cutest baby ever known to man, aka Kaitlyn Grace.

My other sister Kelly and her bf Ryan.

My crazy brother Kyle...

My "rents" overseeing the festivities ;)

Me with my favorite neice!

Here are some of my fav's of Kaitlyn...I got a little carried away, but how could I not?!

To My BFFAE

Who would have known
when we first started out
that the two of us would make it
through all the muck and clout?

We were young and reckless,
well i guess we still kind of are
but we managed to stay together
even though now you're really far.

You used to like frogs
but then they started to creep you out
and we used to always argue
and then you would inevitably pout ;)

We struggled through Jr.High
through bad haircuts and boys
you almost even hooked a few
even if they weren't so choice.

Then there came high school
and we both did separate things
you'd watch me throw
and I'd listen to you sing.

But graduation crept closer
and we chose our own schools
We both chose B.U.'s
so I guess that's kind of cool...

I'm glad you've stuck it out with me
I like to think I made you tough
and even if you're far away
you'll always be the "stuff".

At Last

Today I finished my last final! It's crazy to think that I am halfway through my freshman year of college :) Anywho, I am super-dee-duper excited about Christmas break and all that that entails.

I don't know how much I'll be able to post over break, but I'll see what I can do...

Here's to you...

Many Ginobili: My favorite all time basketball player, personal hero and potential spouse. I have been drawn to you since I saw you play your rookie year in one of many Spurs Championship games. Honestly, it was you that opened my eyes to the greatness that is The Spurs. Your hustle and aggressive playing style has served you well, taking you from an unknown Argentinian ball player to an NBA Champion and Olympic Champion. I will never get tired of defending you and cheering for you. To me, you are the epitome of basketball and everything I would ever want in a player.



Matt Bonner: My favorite redheaded player. I love you because you remind me of myself. My heart soars when you actually get to play. Though most people probably don't know who you are, I will always be your number one fan. Your physical mentality in the paint and excellent 3-point percentage has made you an excellent contributor (when you actually get in the game). But hey, I don't care that you don't play a lot... I'm content to see your red hair sitting along your teammates offering encouragement and relief when you can. I like to think if I was a NBA player I would be you.



Fabricio Oberto: My second favorite Argentinean. You my friend, are a grease monkey, but your powerful play in the post has been tremendous these past few seasons on the Spurs. You came into the NBA a virtual unknown from Argentina and I have watched you blossom in to a smarter and more agile player. I am always impressed by your heads-up play and determined mindset. Even when I'm angry at stupid mistakes you make I know you were a great investment. I have no doubt you will continue to grow into an excellent ball player.



Steve Nash: My little buddy. I hate when The Spurs play The Suns because I respect you so much. Your quickness is unmatched and I am hard-pressed to think of anyone who's basketball knowledge and passing skills can match yours. Even though you are in your mid 30s, you can outplay any 20 year old put in your path. You are so fundamentally sound it's scary...watching you play reminds me of why I love basketball.



Chris Paul: You are one crazy little ball of fury. You have taken The Hornets from virtually unknown to Championship contenders. I admire your determination and hard work. It's not everyday a rookie can carry his team farther than they've ever gone before. It's hard not to be a Chris Paul fan when you play basketball the way you do and still manage to keep your attitude in check. I have high hopes for you mister...



Beno Udrih: Oh Beno...where do I begin? You are another player that is vastly underestimated. Not only are you a lefty, which for whatever reason is a big plus in my book, but you are also from Yugoslavia. How cool is that? I first noticed your awesomeness your first season on The Spurs... and even though I can't claim you anymore, you still hold a special place in my heart.



Dwayne Wade: You are one of the few "big hype" players I bought in to. I'm not going to lie, I like that you seem to be a genuine good guy that doesn't let his ego get to him. You took The Heat to new heights and even though it didn't last forever, I have no doubt that you will do great things (regardless of your team).



Tim Duncan: I love me some Timmy. You are one of the quietest superstars on the court today. I have no doubt that The Spurs would be minus quite a few championships if you hadn't been on the court. I have watched entire games before I realized how much you've impacted it, and believe me, I mean that in the best way possible. Please don't ever get old.




Shane Battier: Now that Mutombo is retired, you reign as my favorite Rocket. I love your hustle and smart play but most of all I love that you give me a reason to cheer for The Rockets. You single handedly redeem them.



Rasheed Wallace: Oh Rasheed...I don't even know where to begin. You are the most ridiculous, foul mouthed, insane player and for whatever reason, I can't help but love you. You always make me laugh, but I still respect your great play on the court. I would never want my children to imitate you, yet I find myself wishing every team had their own Rasheed to shake things up.

"Lazy Sunday"

You're Welcome.

If my life were a movie...

Now I realize this may come across as incredibly vain, but I think it would be really funny to see my life played out in a movie. Granted, I should probably wait a few years to see if there are any major plot twists, but if I were going to have a movie made of the past 18 (almost 19) years of my life I would want it to be acted out with the best possible cast.

Cast Members Include:

Laura Prepon as Me:


Geena Davis as my Mom:


Maurice Bernard as my Dad:


Rachel McAdams as my sister Devon:


Jimmy Fallon as my brother Kyle:


Sarah Silverman as my sister Kelly:


My grandparents played by James Garner and Gena Rowlands:


Ellen Page as Marie:


Tom Hanks as Jeremy:


Adam Goldberg as Andrew:


Vanessa Hudgens as Danica:


Katie Holmes as Lauren:


Amber Tamblyn as Allison:


Katherine Heigl as Jessie:


Eva Mendez as Danielle O:


Topher Grace as Daniel:


Bradford Anderson as Ian Dabomb Deetz:


Alexis Bledel as Molly:



I tried to include as many people as I could think of, but if you are reading this and aren't on the list let me know. Also, if you would like someone else to play you, just write who you think would be a better you in the comments...I'll take it in to consideration ;)

Instructions

I wish people came with instructions. Think how much simpler life would be if every time you were interacting with someone that you didn't know that well (or someone you don't understand) if you had the option of just peeking at their tag. Ideally it would be similar to clothing tags, but instead of instructions to wash, there are instructions on how to handle this person.

I think mine would look something like this...

"Handle with care: Loves sunshine and smiles, but is known to get a bit carried away. Do not mix with obnoxious personalities. Needs Jesus, laughter, naps and the Spurs."


So what would your tag look like?

Forbes gets it right

Forbes just released the best "prime-time bargains"...basically, the best basketball players for the buck. They compared player statistics to pay to see which players are making the biggest impact and are basically settling for less pay than they deserve.

Guess who was number 1...MANU GINOBILI. He beat out Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant to take the spot of #1 prime-time bargain for a guard*!

Now I finally have proof :)


*I realize that part of the reason some of these guards (like Kobe Bryant) aren't at the top is because they make WAY too much money to qualify as being a "bargain".

The View

Can I just say how much I HATE The View?! Seriously, it is the worst show ever...I'll try to present my argument in an organized way:

1. Any show where they are going to discuss political and world issues, but have an unbalanced panel, is like a bomb waiting to explode. It just needs the right issue to make it go off.

2. Though the women on the show might be mildly intelligent, it usually just leaves me thinking about how utterly ridiculous and foolish they look when they argue and yell over one another.

3. For me, it's hard watching women make fool's of themselves, but remain totally serious about it. It's different if I'm watching Paris Hilton's Super Awesome Fabulous Fun Life on MTV...she KNOWS she is ridiculous (or at least I hope she does). But the women from The View seem to think they are God's gift to womankind. Bleh.

4. Besides giving women a bad name, Joy Behar gives red heads everywhere a bad name...and I just won't stand for that. There are too few of us to be associated with the likes of her.

5. Your IQ actually decreases the longer you watch it (it's a proven fact).

Baby it's cold outside...

It is freezing 0utside (literally) and it is AWESOME! Though I'm assuming the grounds crew didn't get the memo because a few of our trees were covered in icicles...which leads me to believe someone left the sprinklers on. I'm okay with it though, they were really neat looking.

P.S. I don't know when I started saying "neat" but it really needs to stop. I feel like June Cleaver.

P.S.S. I'm really excited about Christmas! It's gonna be super neat ;)

Closing time.

16 more days, 2.5 more weeks and only a couple of finals stand in the way of me and the end of my first semester here. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I have hated it here or anything, but when all is said and done, I will be glad when this semester is over and behind me. It has been challenging in ways I hadn't anticipated and rewarding in ways I couldn't have imagined.

All that to say that now that the school year is winding down, I have decided to write down some of the things I have learned in my first semester of life at DBU. Enjoy!

• Never judge a book by it's cover. A great example of this would be my roomie...all the hot pink, pom pom waving and makeup had me hesitant at first, but she turned out to be one of the best possible roommates I could have gotten. We get along great, and as ridiculous as she is, I love her.
• I am naturally really optimistic. If there is a silver lining to be found, I WILL find it.
• God always provides, but rarely in the way I expect.
• I love learning about scripture. If I could take all Religion classes, and no core courses...I would.
• I thoroughly enjoy being spontaneous.
  
• College exams really aren't as hard as people make them out to be...or at least the ones I've had thus far haven't been too bad.
• There is nothing like sitting outside by yourself. It's a rare treat, but it's really refreshing and peaceful.
• Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
• Tofu will never be good...I don't care how you prepare it or what you serve it with.
• Working in the "typical" office as a student worker is really boring.
• I REALLY hate talking on the phone, especially to international students. Judge me all you want, it stinks.
  
• Using the weekends to catch up on all the sleep I missed during the week is FAWSOME*.
• I love teaching and sharing with other people about the bible. But I'm still working on what people I'm allowed to teach. I should probably stick to kiddos.
• Usually things are more complicated than I would like them to be.
• Cafeteria food gets old REAL fast.
• Being on a beautiful campus makes me happy.
• I love that all my classes are "Christ-centered".
• I study best early in the morning.
• Real work NEVER gets done if I'm in bed.
• College life is great and all, but I'm really excited that I get to graduate and be an adult in a few short years.
• I NEED alone time sometimes, but I am miserable if I'm alone when I don't want to be.
• I really took for granted having a car and going places whenever I wanted.
• Some things (like shopping) are much more enjoyable when done alone.
• I might have a learning disorder. I'm still deciding if it's legit.
• Hot chocolate makes me feel really good about life.
• Skipping class as a reward is excellent. But getting carried away and skipping too many is not.
• Freshman chapel stinks (the other two chapels during the week are usually really good).
• I miss being able to cook!
• I will never be one of those people that stresses about grades all the time...but I usually end up feeling guilty that I'm not concerned about them.
• Studying at the library is prime. But I get really upset when people are not completely silent.
  

*Fawsome: adjective, a term coined by Ernie Halter. It means freaking awesome...obviously.
Judge me if you must. Daniel will understand ;)

I'm cursed.

I've decided that I am completely cursed when it comes to electronics. I don't know what it is, but I always manage to break/leave behind/misplace my phone. This time I forgot my charger at home. Which means I will be without it for a couple of days till my mom ships up my charger. It could be a good thing. It's been a while since I've had to go without it. Maybe it will be refreshing, but my gut says it will just be frustrating. Ah well, I'll make d0 with what I've got.

I'm convinced life would be much simpler without technology. Or at least less stressful. But then again, maybe that's the curse talking...