Drugs are bad mmmm...kay

I do NOT understand why people do drugs. I do not see ANY postiives to doing them. None at all!

• They are a waste of money.
• They are addicting.
• They are bad for your health.
• Ruin ALL relationships.
• They are ILLEGAL.
• They allow you to make DUMB decisions.
• They mess up your brain permanently.
• They make you act like a freaking weirdo!
• Make you look UGLY!

I am sure there are several more but these are the major ones and I don't know about you but there are NONE of those that I just HAVE to HAVE!

I work at a convenience store and I had someone come in looking for something to smoke crack out of. He was getting mad because we didn't have anything for him. It was scary because you don't know what they're going to do next. Its sad the people that come in there and by the swishers, good times, zig zags, rolling papers, etc. Everyone in the world knows what you are doing... Just sad....

Needed to vent sorry.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

This year has been filled with LOTS of great things for me and my family and friends!

2011 Recap:
February 27: Dustin and I got engaged! (Can't find a good picture of my ring but this is where we got engaged.)

March: Baby nephew Carter was born!

May 12: Dustin and I got married!

June: Completed first year of teaching. Packed up my life in NC.
July: Dustin and I moved to Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. 
August: Dustin and I moved into our first apartment.

November: Rissa got her first job!We went back to North Carolina to VISIT family. Got to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 with my BESTIE!
December: First Christmas on our own.

As you can see this was a BIG year for me and mines!! While this was a very great year I am looking forward to 2012. There are several things I would like to happen this year which is where some of my New Years Resolutions come into play!! I made a huge LONG list of resolutions last year and only accomplished one, kinda. Well, technically I have no idea where that list is but the only resolution I remember is: To read as many books as I can. I accomplished this by reading 68 books! I am not sure if I can read this many next year but I will try to do at least 50!! (Resolution UN-numbered!)

My New Years Resolutions for 2012 are as follows:
1. To lose weight. I want/need to lose about 100 pounds. Seems like a lot and seems like it is unreasonable but it is necessary. I want to be healthier and we want to have a baby this year. (At least be pregnant by the close of the year). I want to take better care of myself as well.
2. I want to travel. I want to go on a cruise this year and travel to at least 3 places I have never been. (In state or out of state).
3. I want to be a better wife/homemaker. I want to learn to cook more meals and bake more. I want to try several new recipes. I also want to be better organized throughout my whole house.
4. I want to blog more and start my book. I want to blog about my weight loss, new recipes, books I have read and anything/everything.
5. Last but not least I want to get a teaching job. If I do not get a teaching job then I am going to look into the military thing again. I would rather teach BUT I need to think of a career.

I invite you to follow me this year!!!! I hope 2012 is as good as 2011!!! Happy New Years

P.S. Smaller New Year's Resolution... I need more pictures of me, me and Dustin and me and Tiffany! I was trying to find some for my blog... None of me and Tiffany. None at all.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

Well, this is me and Dustin's first Christmas without our families. It was literally just me and him, all day long. It was also our first Christmas as a married couple. He has been itching to open presents since we got sent home with them during Thanksgiving. (He did open one on the drive down, though I am not suppose to tell. LOL) Last year we spent Christmas with our friends who are like family but this year they went to Virginia.

Our first Christmas day as follows:
10:00 am- I woke up (Hey, I took a NyQuil last night, I'm sick!) I yell to Dustin to wake up because it is Christmas and I want to open presents now. He moans and goes back to sleep. So I come out to the living room and watch Christmas movies.
11:00 am- I eat a pop tart and yell in to Dustin. He doesn't budge. I keep watching my Christmas movies.
12:00 noon- I finally go in and jump on the bed for him to wake up. He gets up and we open gifts. We made out like fat rats. We got a crock pot, George Foreman grill, some casserole dishes, towels and pot holders for the kitchen. We got some things to decorate our house as well. Dustin got some stuff to go camping with. I got stuff to make me smell good and look younger. Guess they're trying to tell me something. LOL. I got a gift certificate to get a manicure and pedicure. I cant wait to get it! We are both thankful for our gifts, thank you everyone!
1:00 pm- Start laundry, argue, do dishes, Dustin takes down tree, argue some more (can you feel the love, lol)
3:00 pm- watch Christmas movies, make lunch
4:00 pm- watch more Christmas movies
5:00 pm- see above
5:45 pm- watch Christmas movies and cook Christmas dinner together (Dinner consisted of Ham, mashed potatoes, veggies, bread and pie)
6:30 pm- Eat dinner watch footage of Packers vs. Bears Rivalry
7:15 pm- Watch Green Bay vs. Chicago Bears game  (Go Green Bay)

8:45 pm- Still watching game... while I am blogging. Green Bay is winning!!

The best thing about Christmas is being off of work. The next best thing is the Christmas movies. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE Christmas movies. I could watch them all day, every day. Thank goodness for Dustin's sake, they're only on around this time of year. Also, cannot forget the reason for the season... Jesus. Happy Birthday!!!

Update on life for us:
Dustin is still loving his job. I am still hating my 2 part- time jobs with full- time hours. I have asked one to cut my hours though so I am getting more sleep BUT, I am sick now. Seems like now that I have slowed down I have gotten sick. Booo. Stuffy nose and ears, bad cough, wheezing in my chest, sore abs and sides from a horrible cough= NOT COOL. All this coughing gives me a headache. Hopefully I will be better by tomorrow. School starts back not this week but next week and they will be seeing my white behind up there. I want/need a teaching job ASAP. I want to make a difference and want to feel like I am doing something with my life.

Last thing before I sign off: I have been hearing about people paying other peoples layaway's off and it has just melted my heart. One guy in California paid $15,700 to pay off everyone's layaway. Another guy in Destin paid off  $2,700 worth of layaway which was 20 peoples stuff. Those stories are amazing to me. But should Christmas be the only time we do that? I don't think so. And so with this I am going to try and do things like this for people when I can. While I can not spend $15, 000 or $2,000 I can buy someone drink or dinner at a drive through. Dustin and I have come up with some other things we are going to start doing. Think about what you can do to make someones day and do it!

Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way. ~Native American Saying

It is November... that means Thanksgiving and a time to GIVE thanks. Every day this month I have put things that I am thankful for as my Facebook statuses. I feel like I have a lot to be thankful for! Number 1:  I am thankful for knowing God. Thankful that I have a relationship with Him. I feel like this is so important. Since it is November and this is MY blog I here are a list of some of the things I am thankful for. (In no particular order.)

-To be alive, breathing and healthy.
-My 5 senses. I can taste my food and enjoy it. I can see all the beauty around me- leaves changing, beautiful ocean view, etc. I can hear music (I LOVE music!), people talking, regular noises you would normally dismiss.  Smelling and feeling, well most people can do that.
-My husband for doing everything he does. He cooks, cleans and is a handyman plus so many other things. I would even go as far as saying that I am thankful that he gets on my nerves as well. (Like this morning ;-D )
-My mom, sister and family (this includes in laws.) I love and miss them all!
-Thankful for my jobs, even if there are several aspects that I do NOT like about them. My job at Pyramid has humbled me and made me VERY appreciative.
-Thankful that we were able to move to Florida and get our life started on our own. Thankful for my apartment and everything in it. (As little as we have.)
-Thankful for having an AMAZING best friend, Tiffany. Tiffany has been my friend through ups,  downs and upside downs. You name it we have been through it! She has never bed mouthed me, nor I her. She has always been there... whether we went 6 days or 6 months without talking we ALWAYS pick back up to where we left off.
-^^ The previous one includes her kids! She has the most amazingly fantastical kids in the world. To say that Dustin and I love them would be an understatement. A HUGE one. I am SOOOO thankful that I get to watch them grow up and be a part of their lives.
-^^  ^^ This includes Brandon... Tiff's hubby and the amazingly fantastical kids dad! Brandon has helped Dustin and I SO much! He found our apartment for us, told Dustin where to apply for his current job plus he makes my BFF happy. :-D
-Thankful for my ability to read and write. I could not imagine my life without doing either. I LOVE reading and am trying my hand at this writing thing. (Hopefully I will start my book soon.) There are so many people in this world who do not know the joy of reading. My hope as a teacher is to get several students to LOVE reading like I do.
-Thankful for anyone and everyone who prays for me. Anyone who mentions my name to the man upstairs, thank you! I need it!
-Thankful for everything that has led me to where I am today despite all the trouble I had to go through to get here.
-Thankful for the relationship my dad and I now have after 20 years.
-Thankful for my mom, who NEVER gave up on me when I know there were several days years she "wanted to put me through a brick wall!" (Her words, not mine.)
-Thankful to the women who always seemed to know I needed a mentor.... Rita Johnson and Norma Gould (Momma G). Rita Johnson was in my life during my Fort Bragg years and I really have no idea if she understands the impact she had on my life. My mom was a single mom in the military and she took me into her home with her son and family. She would take me on trips when she went to Carowinds, sleep over at her house and watch movies, etc. She was there when I needed her. I am forever grateful that she was there and I plan on repaying the favor myself one day!
Momma G... she had my rougher teenage years. LOL She is the mother of one of my other best friends, Debra. Debra has a confidence that I want... Love her! She is so smart and beautiful... she is going places. Mark my words! Momma G gave me the self- confidence I was lacking, helped me see the dumb decisions I made and helped me realize my potential. She is the reason I went to college. Ms. Rita and Momma G are the reasons I went into teaching. I want to be like them! I want to help kids the way they helped me. I am thankful for them Ms. Rita could have just seen me at the Youth Center M-F but she took me under her wing. I love her for that and it meant the world to me then... even more now because I see and understand she did not have to do that. Momma G could have just let me go to bed that night I stayed over at Debra's and not listened to a word I said but she didn't. She listened and believed in me.... all I wanted. Thank you.
-Thankful that I will be in North Carolina in the next 48 hours. I can't wait to go to my home town and see my friends and family. I miss them.

Last but not least, I am thankful for ANY and EVERYTHING that you can be thankful for. Mostly for things we take for granted.

Time is what we want most, but... what we use worst. ~Willaim Penn

Wow... So my last post was 2 months ago!!! Since we have moved to Florida time is passing by so fast. I cannot believe I am 27 years old. I am so close to 30 it scares me. I haven't even accomplished close to all the things I plan to do by 30. Because I see time ticking by so quickly, now you better believe I will be knocking those things off my list at a rapid rate!

2011 is coming to a close. I can say that this year was pretty good to me, definitely better than 2010 but I am looking forward to the new year of 2012!

I had my first teaching interview in Florida today. It went well. During the interview they asked me a question about Fluency and for a split second I forgot what it was. I was so nervous.... but I recovered. I am hoping I receive a good call next week. It is for a 3rd grade position and the school seems absolutely amazing, all the staff are nice. It was just a great experience and I want to work there! I have all my paperwork turned in for 2 counties now so I am hoping I hear something soon. I put packets in for teaching and/or substitute teaching in both counties and have been praying hard for one or the other!

Dustin started his new job on October 18. He loves it so far and it's good pay. It is pretty much a tie between his electrical background and Papa Johns driving background because he delivers electrical supplies all over the panhandle and Alabama area. I am glad he likes it! He is also looking into going to school to pursue a degree so he can be a park ranger! I think that is a good choice, he loves the outdoors so he would be GREAT at it.

I am still working at the gas station for the time being but I picked up another job on October 19 (my birthday). I work at a "school" for disabled adults. I give mad props to everyone who works there. It is NO walk in the park. I have had to see/hear/do things that are not pretty. My heart aches for some of these people. In the 3 weeks I have been there, I realized that this is not something I can do for much longer. I would have quit but I was taught never to 'burn your bridges' and I just cannot being myself to quit after only 3 weeks. So I am in a dilemma. Like I said, I admire everyone in any "care-giving" field. It is just not something I can handle.

The time change has got me all messed up. Here in Florida it is bright at 6:30am and getting dark by 4:30pm and it is CRAZY!! LOL I guess we will get used to it! Still, I love it here in the "Sunshine State!"

Unless I get this teaching job, we will be going home or to our hometown as Brandon would say, for Thanksgiving! (Because Florida is our new home!)  Also, Dustin's best friend is getting married and he is the Best Man. :-D I know I am excited to see some friends and family! Oh and my kitties!! :-D

Well, that is about all that is going on here. I guess I will get off here and finish this Bears vs. Eagles game with my boo! Go Bears! (Only time you will ever here me root for them is when they're not playing the Packers!)

P.S I wanted to share this link. It is Awesome!

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can." ~Danny Kaye

     Today was an eventful day. We got Directv installed and I didn't even have to call and hassle them about why they were late or when they were coming and it felt GREAT! Unlike the issues I had with Century Link, Directv called me at 7:30am (Yes, a little early- especially since me and Tiff didn't get back from watching The Help till Late) to tell me they would be at our house right at 8am! I was impressed. Not only did they call to announce themselves but they were on time with what we were scheduled 2 1/2 weeks ago! Century Link missed an appointment on one day and was almost 2 hours late to the second one. (Calling ahead would behoove them.)
     Of course I was excited for internet (which we got last week) because were not living in the dark ages anymore! Dustin, on the other hand has been DYING for cable. He has been EXTREMELY excited about the NFL package we got because not he can watch football 24/7. (God help me!) Luckily we have more than one TV and room in our house! LOL This was Dustin as we were given the instructions to the remote.

 

     As you can see- he is ridiculously excited! You can imagine what he did for the next few hours! I can honestly say that I am excited we got cable now too because I was sick and tired of watching movies. For example, yesterday we watched "Into the Wild" which was a great movie by the way. Then we watched "Priest" (another good movie...kinda) . THHHHEEEENNN we watched ANOTHER movie "Dylan Dog"... which I didn't like at all. I know it was trying to spoof zombie movies but I didn't find it funny. If those movies weren't enough I went to see "The Help" with my Best Friend Tiffany. It was an amazing movie, as was the book.

     Speaking of books. I have read 56 this year! Moving right along... but I need to get as serious as I was before on it! I have kinda been lacking on reading as much as I used to. (Probably because I have other distractions like internet! And Facebook, and games, and True Blood on DVD.)

     After Dustin was fed up of watching TV for a few hours we went on a date... only dinner but that's more than what we have done since we moved down here. Next time I will talk him into going to Destin to go to watch a live band play. We went to Chili's and colored while we ate. Service was good but we were surrounded by kids (which I don't have a problem with) but these kids were bad. The parents spanked the kid at the table twice in which the kid started screaming BLOODY MURDER, twice! And the kid was just obnoxious. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at them, I kinda felt bad for them. But while we ate and talked we colored these and in turn donated to St. Judes Hospital.

Here is my Chili...

And here is Dustin's, of course his is better! He is way better in the art stuff. He even has the St. Jude symbol.

On the way home tonight the sun was setting and it was gorgeous. I took it with my crappy phone camera so it doesn't look nearly as nice as it did in person but you get the idea!

    

     All in all, I love Florida. I am so glad we moved down here. Things are coming together for us. House is coming together nicely and I must say that I LOVE living on my own! The weather is getting cooler so it is SO BEAUTIFUL here. Seeing the bear occasionally is a little frightening but its okay. Living 6 minutes from my best friend and my niece and nephews is GREAT! I love the Friday game nights we have. I love seeing the kids grow up and being a part of their daily lives.  Looking forward to several FUN years to come!

Remember, Remember the 11th of September

Tuesday September 11, 2001 is a day that I will not forget. It is a day that most living Americans will NEVER forget.
     I was in high school at good ole FTS. I was a 16 year old senior. I remember the bell ringing ending first period (ROTC) and walking down the concourse headed to my second period class (AP Biology). I remember knowing instantly that something was wrong. I could just tell by the mood and feeling of the other students walking and talking on the concourse. I remember a boy named Chris G. telling everyone that he just saw the news in his 1st period class about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Soon everyone was talking about it. When I got to my 2nd period class my teacher turned on the TV after the kids in my class convinced her. I remember sitting there in my desk watching the second plane hit. I did not know at the time that it would change so many things, did not realize that so many people would lose their lives, did not understand why someone would do this to our county. I remember sitting their feeling sad for all those people in the planes and in the buildings. I remember feeling scared because I had NO clue what this would mean. My mom has just retired from the military 3 years before and I was scared she would be re-activated. I was also confused because I didn't understand why this would happen. I remember thinking "two planes can not be a coincidence." Then when we heard about the pentagon I remember a girl a couple seats behind me calling her mom and dad because her dad worked there. (He ended up being OK.)
      The rest of the day was a blur. I remember several announcements about Ft. Bragg shutting down making sure the students having their military ID's otherwise they couldn't get on base. That is when Ft. Bragg went on lock down. Before 9/11 anyone could drive on or off base no problems. But from September 11, 2001 up to today you have to go through the gate with and ID or your car is searched. Security is very high on bases nowadays. I don't even want to talk about how the airport security has changed- we ALL know about that, whether you have been on a plane post 9/11, heard a joke about TSA or seen it on TV you recognize the change.
     Another thing that I feel like should NOT go unnoticed is all the United States Military people who died fighting this war. This is in addition to the lives that were shortened 9/11/01. So many INNOCENT people died. I want to take a second to thank EVERY SINGLE soldier: man, woman, past or present who has fought to defend America and our freedom. Thank you. Some risked it all and you are gone not forgotten! Thank you!
     Every September 11 since 2001 I have thought about where I was that day, about those tragic events that led to so many deaths and I REMEMBER and HONOR those who are not with us today. The Alan Jackson song below is perfect for my feelings.
     "Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?"