Seasons Greetings!

Hello all! I don't have much to talk about, really. I know that Christmas Eve and Christmas just passed, but I think it's a little vain to blog about all the presents I just got even though I have done so on Facebook. Also, there's not much more to say than I  spent the most wonderful past three days with friends and family and could not have asked for anything more than that. Tomorrow I go see "The Hobbit" again with my immediate family and then have a family Christmas get together at my aunt's house.

I am writing a blog today, though. It will be short, I promise. My friend Laura and I have talked the past week and she decided that she wanted to start a group called "Books Not Bullets." I told her I would promote that and she made me an admin on the page. What we want to do with it is promote education and reading to hopefully stop bullying, violence, and to help recognize signs of mental health problems. This is what we hope to accomplish in the future. We feel that if you "Stop, Drop, and Read" when you're feeling angry or upset will help with verbal communication instead of physical confrontation. Resulting in the decrease of violence within schools. Also, this will help educate kids so that's a bonus.

We have talked about doing many things in the future like a book drive, donations, etc. Hopefully with your help and support we can accomplish so many things that will help troubled kids. All you need to do right now is log into your Facebook and like the page "Books Not Bullets." Showing your support will mean so much to us right now and in the future.

Here's the link if you need it: https://www.facebook.com/BooksNotBullets

Thank you. Happy holidays. -K.

All you need is love and a good book. 

Getting a little beh---HOBBITSSSSESSSS!

Wow has it really been 13 days since I last posted? Oh, goodness! I'm so sorry! I was planning to have this up by at least the 16th, but I had a hard time deciding what to post about. So much has gone on and I feel like one subject should not be touched upon because of all of the media hype. All I want to say is my heart goes out to all the families affected and effected by the Sandy Hook tragedy. I also would like to point out that because of the media, it has gotten way out of control. There's also a possible copycat situation that may affect me if it does happen. Rumor got around today that there is someone threatening to gun up my old high school on Friday. I hope that it is just that, a rumor, and nothing more.

As a result of trying to stay more positive, I believe I will talk about (with no spoilers) The Hobbit. As stated in my bio, I am a nerd and I can defend that title more so than some of the posts of girls going around on Facebook. "I'm such a nerd. I love Marvel comics. GO BATMAN!" Barf. Those girls give me and all of my other nerdy girl friends a bad name.

I read The Hobbit back in 8th grade as required reading. The English teacher loved Tolkien and gave extra credit to those who went to see The Return of the King. I didn't understand a damned thing. I also was not into half of what I'm into now and would have been insulted if I was labeled a nerd back then. I had issues with being bullied and being unpopular back then and therefore did not want to be outcasted even more. I didn't even understand any of The Lord of the Rings movies and still don't to this day (which will change, I promise).

This past week I reread The Hobbit and went to see the new movie. Amazing. Both. I doubted myself understanding the book the second time around, but it is now one of my favorites. I'm obsessed and I just loved the way Tolkien wrote it. Although, I must admit, I didn't guess any of the riddles exchanged between Gollum and Bilbo. I'm really bad at riddles. I would have been Gollum's dinner in an instant. "Tricksy girl wants to play riddleses with precious? If preciouses wins we eats it!" "Um...No...You win. Would you like salt, pepper, or both?" Yup. That's how it would go down, at least how I imagine it would.

The movie adaptation was just that: an adaptation. With that, you have to realize that some things will be played around with whether you like it or not, but Peter Jackson really didn't alter it too much, thankfully. Just having read parts of the book it covered right before it, I think I noticed that the most. Now, you also have to realize that one book is being split into three parts. If that's the case, which it is, there's only going to be 30-45 minutes worth of material that you can expand, which isn't much. So what did Jackson do? He threw in The Silmarillion. That, my friends, is the book that explains everything. Backgrounds, histories, the what happened betweens, the what happened afters, etc. So because of that being incorporated into the movie, we now know where Gandalf went when he left Thorin and Company during their journey. We know what other people were up to while the dwarves (and Bilbo) were adventuring! We know what is happening that leads up to The Lord of the Rings and why. This allowed the movie to come out to a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes. I loved the way they tied The Hobbit with The Lord of the Rings in parts. I was impressed with the movie.

I was told, during my reading of The Hobbit, not to get attached to certain characters, but refused to be told which ones. I thought I was good because I was really starting to like Balin who I was told survives because he is mentioned in Lord of The Rings. Jen and Joe told me this because they knew I saw all the Lord of the Rings movies. My reaction: "He survived?! Now that's spoiled." Seriously, you'd think I have never seen any of the trilogy, but I swear I did. I remember the first time Frodo puts the ring on. I remember the spider. I remember some other stuff. That totally proves that I've seen them. Right? But I digress. Anyway, I thought I was ok with Balin, but halfway through The Hobbit I got attached to another dwarf. I will not name him and ruin this for others! Said dwarf dies in the end and although I did not cry at his and Bilbo's farewell conversation (and now some of The Hobbit die-hards will know whom), I will be bawling like a baby when the time comes in the third movie, if it comes.

I brought this on myself. So, I suggest you all go see this movie. It was awesome! And to all the naysayers: If you don't like the movie, then you cannot say you like the book. It was pretty spot on. "Some parts they added didn't happen in the book so they ruined it!" I say: THE SILMARILLION. Check it out sometime. I know I will. Right after I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I will be getting (and then I will watch the movies again so I can figure out what happened).

Now onto a new thing! This was suggested to me and I want to try it out. I will be asking questions and I want you to leave a response comment (I'm going to be taking down the approval that makes it go through me before it posts). I WILL BE MONITORING COMMENTS and will delete ones that are offensive. Note: Offensive, not to be confused with comments that are opposite opinions/views of myself or others. They're allowed and everyone should respect the fact that people may have different thoughts than you do.

So here's my questions: What movie do you think is closest to its book? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? If you could change it what would you do?

Please feel free to respond, even if it's not to answer those questions. I will read them all. :)

The picture below is mostly for Jen and all the other fangirls. -K.

Unless you're Dan. He's sneaky. 

Plugging! And other stuff...

Hello all! Thanks for the views! I appreciate them! Really I do. From the bottom of my heart. Also, I appreciate the feedback, although it's limited (fix that!).

Today I am really proud to say that my friend Laura Del (http://www.thefictionwriters.net) is now a proud owner of a published book! It's called "Graveyard Shifts." Here's the description:

"Sent on an assignment to find the best diner in New York, Pat Wyatt is more than happy to complete it, but not alone. Recruiting her best friend Christina Iglesias to join her, she sets out on her fateful mission, completely oblivious to what lies ahead. 

When a handsome stranger walks through the doors of the last diner of the day, Pat is not impressed with the striking man, and quickly leaves the restaurant...only to be followed out by the attractive mystery man. 

Following a whirlwind of marriage proposals and Hamptons' mansions is the creeping recognition that everyone seems to be afraid of her new husband and that he might not be as perfect as he seems. With everything inside pushing her toward an impossible realization, Pat must decide if she can trust the outlandish instincts she has inside and truly believe her husband, Samuel Satané, is a vampire.

Graveyard Shifts: A Pat Wyatt Novel is a captivating piece of fiction that forgoes the traditional love story that is prevalent in so many novels. Pat's story takes readers on a journey of love that happens after marriage, which adds real-world credibility to an otherwise fantastic scenario.

Not to be confused with other novels though, Pat's story is more about her strength of character than her reliance on any particular man. Written for women and men interested in horror fiction and romance, Graveyard Shifts is a gripping novel that is easy to pick up and hard to put down. With its sarcastic wit and dark tone, the novel keeps a perfect pace that never lulls. A fun, dramatic, and entertaining read from the very beginning, Graveyard Shifts is a wonderful new book that offers a unique take on horror fiction and the ever-popular vampire romance novels everywhere."


I hope you will all check it out, order it, and enjoy it. I do support my writer friends and I will be ordering this book and I will most definitely read it! You can purchase it here: https://www.createspace.com/4022649

My quest to become more positive is a bit of a struggle, but it's coming along just fine. So here is a post about someone I like and have a difficulty understanding on why some people decided not to from one little mistake:

Joe and I like to watch videos from a guy on YouTube, popularly known as Boogie2988. He does game reviews and very funny videos of a character he made named Francis. He is hilarious. He even made us want a new Furby because of one of his videos. Luckily, they're too expensive for us. Anyway, if you haven't already check him out.

According from what I gathered he did this charity of event or something of the sort of eating mayonnaise. It's a pretty disgusting video just because eating a jar of mayonnaise in one sitting is nasty no matter who does it. I really don't like watching videos of people eating random things. Even in the great movie Matilda when the fat kid is forced to eat the chocolate cake makes me squirm. Being a girl, that is saying something since I do indeed love chocolate.

Anyway, so he does this charitable thing (I don't know how the charity comes into play). Just last night he posted the same video but edited it to be in slow motion. So a 6 minute video of eating a jar of mayonnaise even longer and added effects. Gross. I don't like it, but you know what? I find his other videos as Francis very entertaining. I find his serious videos quite intelligent. His gaming reviews, I can't say that I have seen, but I'm sure they're full of things that you might require before buying a game.

You know what bothers me? That because of this one video that he posted he lost 40 subscriptions in 10 minutes. I really don't get it. One video. So you subscribe to a guy you find amusing and because he makes one video you do not like you completely delete him from your list. I would understand if it's something you're morally against. I would get it if it was something you feel politically strong for/against it. I don't get it when it's just a stupid video on YouTube with no other point than just being there. I stopped listening to a band because they became so very political with their music. I decided not to spend my hard earned money towards funding something I do not believe in. You can chose to or not to spend a few minutes of your day watching a silly video. Your money is not going to him. You're not supporting something that may change the way you think. You're just being pretty dumb.

But hey! It's your choice right? And I choose to continue watching Boogie2988's videos. In fact, I did so while typing some of this. YOU GO BOOGIE!

So check him out if you feel like it. You can also comment, text, e-mail, facebook, or send me mail through the USPS of something you want me to check out on YouTube. Or you can leave feedback so I can fix what you don't like about my writing!

Thanks so much. Much love -K.

"I can't afford Mountain Dew. Ok?! The economy is rough right now. OBAMA!" 

Random Week...Positive Thinking

Hey there! First off I want to say thank you to a few people who have responded to my blog: my dad, my sister, my boyfriend, and my friend Thom! Yay! I'm sure others read it, and if they don't that's ok. I'm doing this for myself, and if people enjoy it, then they can read it. I always appreciate feedback! Thom will tell you that. I was very happy to hear what he had to say.

A couple of things happened recently that were random. A friend that I've had since high school decided to be a real jerk to me. Our conversation started off ok. It was about him and his fetishes. I don't really like discussing anyone's sex life. If anyone knows me I'm pretty private. I feel that with that subject it's too personal. That is something between you and your partner(s). I'm not involved and I would like to keep it that way. However, I let him talk. We discussed that horrible piece of trash "50 Shades of Grey" by E. L. James and he told me the only reason I did not like it was because it was a "Twilight" fan-fiction. Boy! Was he wrong! I don't like it, not because of the content, but because it is written horribly. My almost 5 year old nephew tells me more interesting stories with better vocabulary.

Next, we get on the subject of some girl we both know. Let me set this up. She is not a very good friend. She is selfish and has a big problem with attitude. I was going through a rough time in my life after my friend from high school committed suicide. It is still extremely hard for me to talk about him and that situation even now. It has been about a year and a half since it happened. This girl considered me a really good friend of hers (from what she told me) and the only that she said when I mentioned what happened was that she was sorry to hear that. Afterwards, she proceeded to ask me if I would attend her wedding on a game that we both played online. Take a moment to let that soak in. Seriously, I just lost a very good friend of mine and you're concerned with whether or not I could make it to a fake online bullshit ceremony that was part of a GAME. Of course I had a problem with what she did! Not to mention she treated this same guy like crap. He was unworthy of her time and all she did was talk behind his back to me. Then she would go hang out with him! Wow! If you admittedly don't like him and you hang out with him, there's something more going on. I don't know if he paid for her or what, but that is shady.

I'm telling him how I got rid of her as a friend and he asks me if I'm "done bitching?" Just like that. Now, there is many ways to tell someone you don't like what you're saying, and he chooses that approach. Now I'm angry. I start letting him know. He claims I'm making a big deal of her like I have some personal vendetta against her and am blowing it out of proportion. No, we're off the subject of her now and onto a new subject: "you're a dick" basically. It gets better. He decides to let me in on his point of view. I'm not a friend. No one is. We're just all "outlets" to him. We go to him with our problems. Mind you, I have not had a problem that I told him for a while and if I did, he always asked what was wrong and listened like he cared. The fact that he thinks I'm just using him to complain came as a shock to me honestly. I think I've heard him whine and cry more than I have.

So we're in this huge fight and I say to him "Well, thanks for making me cry. I have to go use Joe as an outlet now." He tells me that he does not and will not feel sorry for making me cry but he hopes that I will forgive him. Take another second, or minute if you have to, to process that. Yup. As Jen called him, "50 Shades of douche." After a couple of days, I decide to give him a week to apologize and I made that subtle hint on good old Facebook. He texted me to ask if that was about him. I decided not to say anything because if he can't figure that out for himself and man up and apologize for the way he treated me, then he can just be deleted out of my life. I don't need anymore Negative Nancy in my life. I'm too negative to allow more. I'm sure you've guess that by now.

On to the random stalker issue! I picked up my friend Jen and her brother from work tonight and had to make a stop at the bank. I'm at the drive-thru and I get this call. It's from a girl, Laura, that I made friends with back at college. After college, we haven't really texted, called, or hung out. We mostly communicate through Facebook now. So I said to myself "Laura?! I have to take this call!" Her voice answered mine and I could tell all was not well. She said she needed someone to talk to. I handed the phone to Jen, took care of my transaction, and put her through my nifty Bluetooth. Apparently, some guy was saying some really random, creepy, stalker-ish stuff to her on Facebook. It was really weird, as I come to find out later. She's shaking and no one she called picked up. I immediately tell her to text me her address (I only dropped her off at her house once and she gave the driver directions). Come to find out, she and this guy had one friend in common (which was how they met). I tell her to call anyone who would know where he was while I got a hold of someone to come with me. I dropped Jen off and luckily, my friend Justin was home a few street down, doing nothing, like usually (hehe). I told him he was coming with me and we were off.

When we got to her house she broke down and showed me the messages. I must say, she had the most entertaining stalker ever. He was not a competitive guy, yet he wanted her to let him know if he had any competition. He doesn't like competition, although he was confident that she would pick him over anyone else. What the...Ok. Next, he was crazy enough to go to war for her and his life was now in her hands. He was a "badass" and he always felt like he was Sonny's (from the Godfather) illegitimate son. Oh yes, this all came from him. No lie. After a bit of laughing and picking out his horrible spelling and grammatical errors (that's what happens when you get two grammar police together) we decided to call the mutual friend who was on the phone with the crazy guy at the time.

To make matter worse, this friend told the dude that Laura though he was a stalker and wanted to leave her alone. That is not something you tell a crazy man. Of course he's going to say he didn't mean it like that, he understands, and he'll leave her be. He did. Well, I get on the phone and I lay into him. He is siding with the guy. Honest to goodness! Laura's not happy with that either. The crisis is averted for the time being (averted...I think that's the right word, but it sounds weird saying it out loud). I hope it doesn't get worse when the kid's cellphone is on again. It should be activated next week, but Laura and I think it will be much sooner now.

All in all, it was nice catching up with Laura and getting to see her face in person and not on a computer screen. I wish it was for different reasons, but I'm glad I could be there for her in a time of need.

As I said before, I'm a pretty negative person, but I'm going to try to be more positive. Things are starting to look up for me and I'm really excited about going back to school. This blog came into use again because I want to see if throughout the course of school (since I'm going for Writing Arts) I can hone my writing abilities. I want to see the changes, if there are any. I hope you will follow me to see it, too. I also hope I will be able to write about things more people want to see.

Definitely send suggestions, comments, questions, feedback or stop by and say hi! You might be mentioned in my next post! -K.

P.S. Check out the amazing Laura's website: http://www.thefictionwriters.net She is very talented and has a book coming out soon (hopefully!) and I can't wait! She also blogs on it, asks trivia, and lets you in on some things you might not know. So stop by her site. I'll let everyone who's interested know when her book comes out so you can pick it up, too!

I asked him what he thought of stalkers since he would know.

Holiday Weekend

Hello! I didn't feel like writing this for a couple days and especially today, but I figured I'm going to do it because the longer I wait, the more I won't want to write. I'm trying to keep this updated and bloggerish, so yeah! First off, before I write about my holiday and the few days after, I just want to tell you that I hope you enjoyed yours. Feel free to tell me how your's went in the comments! I'll read them. :) Second, let me set Thanksgiving up for you. In the morning (or afternoon depending) Joe and I travel to my parents' house where we eat breakfast, brunch, or lunch with them. We split for dinner (I go back to my parents's house while he stays at home with his family). Then I travel back home to eat dessert with Joe's family (and friends are welcomed over as well).

Thursday started off like normal. I didn't want to wake up, but the promise of bacon really helped motivate me. I tried to get Joe up but that didn't work at first. As I was about to leave, I couldn't find my keys. At home we have this basket right by the door that I always put my keys in. However, Wednesday night the basket had been moved for crock pot using purposes, so I kept my keys in my jacket pocket. Joe's mom, Dee, helped me look around for a bit and gave me suggestions as to where to look while appreciating the fact that I use the basket. She also stated that we had to clean the computer room. Not a problem. I wake Joe up yelling that I can't find my keys, look around the bedroom some more, and then continue my quest about the house. I walk back into the room and Joe's laying in bed holding the keys up on his finger. They were on the table next to the bed the whole time. I completely forgot that I put them there so I wouldn't forget them in the morning. Seeing that Joe is now wide awake, I ask him to come with me to breakfast. I am not a half an hour later and receiving texts from my mom that the food is ready. Joe drags his butt while I clean the computer room. By the time he was dressed and the room was picked up, we were an hour late and my family was already eating.

After breakfast, Erich wanted to play with his awesome nerf guns, so I, being the child at heart that I am, happily obliged. We were shooting the bullets at the curtains of the living room. After a while, I got bored and started bouncing them off the wall to hit my sister on the couch. This way I didn't directly hit her (because we're teaching my nephew that it isn't nice to do so), but the effect was the same. Of course she takes Erich's weapon for herself and we wage war around the house. Erich decides to defend his mother from his aunt and gets on his viking gear: a helmet, a shield, and an axe. I lock myself in the bathroom with his Captain America shield and nerf gun. Beth, my sister, goes to look for the key in my parents' room and Erich holds their door shut. I force the door open, shoot, let Erich's weight close it again. Repeat. My bullets then empty. I run down the stairs with my nephew pounding his axe against my back. I reload the chamber with extra bullets, hide, and pop out and shoot her when she comes down looking for me. When it was over, Joe and I cleaned up what we could and headed home for a nap.

When I went back for dinner, apparently there were bullets still being found throughout the house. My morning was awesome. My dinner was awesome as well. Best meal my mom has cooked. Every year the food gets better and better. I chilled there for a little bit and headed home for dessert. When I got there everyone was sleeping, so I decided to take a nap as well. When we all woke up, Dee's friend Sara came over and we had some of the most amazing cakes and pies I have ever tasted. I tried to go to bed afterwards, but I couldn't. I stayed up until I had to head to work.

BLACK FRIDAY

I arrived at the mall earlier than the opening manager. The mall was packed and ready to explode with madness. Luckily for my car (William), the traffic wasn't bad and I found a decent parking spot. As we were letting some workers in, crowds were trying to get in our store. Really? It's 11:40pm. The mall "opens" at 12am. Get out of here! One customer was nice enough to "guard" the door and look out for our late employee since our gate wasn't locking right. He was pretty cool. Dana and I got ready to ring and at 12:01am the gate went up. Three hours later Dana and I turned around during a small break and high-fived each other. I also got to see Dee and Sara out shopping, and my friend Jenna stopped by to say "hi." I made her visit me because I knew she was going Black Friday shopping and wanted to make sure she got there alright. I did have a semi-rude customer, but everyone else was quite pleasant. This man's girlfriend wanted jewelry and she had to wait for a manager to unlock the case. We have a piercing card and it gets stamped when you buy certain pieces of jewelry. I stamped her card and her boyfriend decided to be testy:

Man: "Stamp the card again."
Me: "I can't do that."
Man: "Yes you can. Stamp the card again."
Me: "I can't do that."
Man: "We were waiting for a while. Do us a favor and stamp the card again."
Me: "I. Can. Not. Do. That."
Man: "Sure you can. C'mon. Stamp it."
Me: "I literally can not do that."
Woman: (to me) "It's ok! (to boyfriend) I can't take you anywhere! Stop arguing with her! She can't do it. It's ok."

Finally, 4am rolls around and I instantly clock out and am on my way. I get home to discover Joe is up and I bound in to the room and give him a big hug. I told him work was long for a four hour shift and tell him I love him. An hour later I am headed to bed. It took me a while to fall asleep, but I did. I got up to take Joe to work, eat lunch, get a packed dinner from my mom (because she loves me!), and head back home for a nap. Then I went back to work the same day at 5pm. I was still groggy and it had hit me that I was tired. At 11pm, Joe and I met up and left the mall. He made me some food, we took showers, and pretty much played video games until we hit the hay.

SATURDAY

Nothing important. Just thought I'd throw that in there so I didn't have to do a mini time skip.

SUNDAY

I went to my parents' house to have lunch with them like I always do. They were talking about a movie called "Born Yesterday" with Judy Holliday. After they explained it (it seemed hilarious!), I went only and ordered a pick up from the local Barnes & Noble. I picked up my best friend Jen and went over to the store. She helped me pick out a book for my dad while we were there. I had to resist the urge to buy a Phantom of the Opera book, and a few others while I was there. I did get some good gift ideas, though.

Did you know they have a 50 Shades of Grey cd? Yeah. Mind. Blown. E. L. James apparently listened to music while writing that...fan fiction. I would have actually bought it because it had good music (Bach, Mozart, etc), but I can't financially support horrible literature and their authors. I know I'd get some negative comments for this if people actually read my blog, but I think I'm pretty safe. Before any of you 50 Shades fans start spewing arguments, just note that I do not hate the content, but the way it was written. Also, I don't think you ought to pay for adult Twilight fan fiction, or any fan fiction for that matter. I won't get into Twilight here, because I already posted 50 Shades hate. One mention of trash is enough for one post.

After the wonderful trip to one of my favorite and most frequented stores, we went to my place for Thanksgiving round #2. Here I got to help myself to Dee's cooking, which is vastly different from my mother's, but just as good. Jen brought over Honey Apple pie and if I could have eaten it all I would have, but unfortunately, I had to share. Joe came home after work and we all sat down for The Walking Dead (go team Asia!). Joe's best friend came over afterwards with the promise of a slice of Jen's delicious home made pie. We sat down after to have some fun on the Wii U. I took Jen home (and now I'm getting quick with everything because I am tired). Michael and Joe played Pokemon while I played some World of Warcraft. Michael went home and I went to bed.

MONDAY (TODAY)

I woke up and called the doctor because I've been having some problems. They told me everything was normal and just to continue what I was taking. This scared me, because if what I was experiencing was normal, I'd hate to see abnormal. Since I'm also an emotional wreck, I cried for a few minutes, but then got up anyway. I, like almost every day, went over to my parents' house. I ate lunch, watched the end of Legally Blonde, then all of Mean Girls while trying to figure out what's going on with my FAFSA and get some things for school in order. My sister and nephew came over and I got to spend some time with them.

When I got home Joe was actually up. We went out to dinner. It was very nice. We discussed some upcoming events. He's not going to see Les Miserables with me, but he will go to the rest of the installments of The Hunger Games since he already saw the first one. This upsets me, but it's alright. I do have a few people to go with to see Les Mis. I can't wait for it. Really, I can't! Joe and I watched "Clerks" while playing World of Warcraft together and now he's put on "The Terminator" after telling me he was going to put on "A Night at the Roxbury." I got extremely confused when I looked up to see a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger on the screen.

Sorry my post was long and boring! I hope you got to enjoy some of it. Let me know what you think, what you want to see, or questions and I will see to it! Facebook, e-mail, comment, text, call, or send me a letter in the mail. Whatever you seem comfortable with. I will respond, because I love you all (especially those who take the time to read this).

-K.

"You'd rather watch Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan's shitty movie?!"

Reflection For the Holiday

I see a lot of posts on Facebook saying what people are thankful for this holiday. It's the same old thing. Family, friends, health, etc. I just wanted to take the time to write out what I was thankful for as well, but not bother so many people with it. They'd scroll past it anyway. I figured I'd put it on my blog for a couple of reasons: 1. To give the people the choice to read this and 2. To promote my blog! Get some people to stop by and take a look. Hopefully, they'll follow me. Follow me. Follow. Me. DO IT. So without further ado, I bring you my list of what I'm thankful for.

My Family - Really? Was there any other thing or person I'd post first? For my whole life my dad, my mom, and my sister have been there for me. My sister remembers one of the first few weeks I was home we had company over. I was in my crib sleeping like a baby does and people were going upstairs to peek in on me. She was guarding my door telling them they couldn't bother me because I was sleeping. It makes me think that sometimes she did have a heart. I'm only kidding. Despite the fact that we always have our differences and have gotten into physical altercations (yes, girls do that, too, gentlemen), I know that if I ever needed her she would be there for me. I am very proud and fond of her son, my nephew. I can not wait until he's even older so I can corrupt him further and cause havoc for her through him. My parents have always and will always have my back. They have always given me what I needed and have instilled values in me that I don't get to see very often in my generation. The future generations are even worse. I am thankful for them and I cannot imagine being the person I am today if they were not there as much as they were. I only wish to help them as much as I can.

My friends - Some of you would think Joe would come next. To a normal female, a boyfriend would. I am not normal, although I think I should be once I explain. Although most of my friends now I have met through Joe, a few of them I've had since high school or before. I love them very much. At first I was afraid to go over to a public high school (I previously was in a Catholic elementary/middle school). Once I became a freshman, I met a core group of people that I do not or ever will regret spending as many hours with them as I did. I would definitely not be the person that I am today without them and my interests would not have developed like they did. I had bad times with them and later would even remove some of them from my life, but the crazy good times are what I will always take with me and remember. I know that one of them, Jen, will be there for me (and I her) forever (hopefully). She will be the maid of honor at my wedding alongside my sister, and she will be the godmother to my second child. I have stood up for her on many occasions and I consider her my very best friend. I would do anything for her. Her mom, too. She's wonderful! All my other friends are amazing people and I love them to death! I could type forever about them, but I'm afraid I'd bore everyone since not everyone will get what I'm talking about.

Joe - Where to start? I have spent over three years with this guy so far and I loved every minute so far. He's talented, funny, sweet, cute, amazing, and the list can go on forever. Sure, we had our fights. What couple doesn't? Ours have been over silly things such as "You threw out my magic cards!" "I thought they were trash because they were in a bag with empty bottles!" Or "You don't watch the movies I want to!" "Because they're all musicals!"Or "You drank my soda?!" "I was thirsty and it was there." Little things. He has made me laugh, made me cry (I won't let him live the Hunger Games situation down), protected me, fought for me, and even stayed by my side when I was in the hospital. It's hard to imagine my life before I met him. I can, but it's not worth it. I like the idea that he was always there...although now that sounds creepy...and a little bit odd. I love him. I thought I loved other people, but I was wrong. I love everything about him and I love spending as much time with him as I can. I had some trouble with friends over him, but you know what? I didn't need people causing drama with me over a guy. I'm so happy and I know there are many more happy years to come with him.

Joe's Family - I've always heard the horror stories of in-laws. I was relieved that it wasn't that way with Joe's family. Mel and Dee have been very kind to me and we get along. Like all people, we've had our ups and downs, but I know that they are also there for me and always will be. I couldn't ask for more. I enjoy playing video games with Dee, ghost hunting with her and her friends (and our friends as well!), and Mel makes me laugh. All the dogs in the house are amusing, too. I think I would have died if I got the nastiest set of future in-laws. I am so happy and thankful that I don't dread being related to them in the future!

Now that the preliminaries are over here's some secondary things that I am thankful for:

Books, video games, soldiers, freedom, my rights, having a job, going back to school, theatre, music, art, animals, my bed, my favorite blanket, my favorite pillow, Doctor Who, being smart, World of Warcraft, Phantom of the Opera, Wizard of Oz, Sarah Brightman, my favorite (and lucky) shirt, my glasses, alcohol (woo!), food, Mountain Dew Code Red, drive-thrus, cutting dramatic/dumb people out of my life, Dungeons and Dragons, YouTube, Google, Facebook, flip-flops, Atlantic City, girls' nights, being a nerd, the little things in life, tigers (rawr!), my cell phone, writing, pretty much everything. There is always something to be added to what I'm thankful for.

I was going to put in funny descriptions as to why I'm thankful for these things, but it's late. I'm tired. And I have not one, but two shifts on Black Friday. I deal with all kinds of trash. Almost as much as Walmart. I am so looking forward to this (sarcasm!). Luckily, I'll only be working the register from 12am-4am. I don't know what's in store for the 5pm-11pm shift, but I wouldn't mind ringing again. You meet with the attitudes on the sales floor.

Goodnight and please remember to be nice to your retail associates on Black Friday. They don't want to deal with you either. -K.

This multiplied by hundreds is what I have to deal with on Friday, give or take a wig. No lie.

Wow! Hello old friend!

Hello there! It's been a while. Much has gone on since I last posted on my blog. So much for trying to blog at least once a week (or was it once a month?)! Let me catch you up briefly on what happened:

1. Lost my job.
2. Moved.
3. Did lights and sound for a play.
4. Found a new job.
5. Quit.
6. Got a very minor part in a play.
7. Went back to my very first place of employment I ever had.
8. Applied to college with a new major.
9. Got accepted to said college for Writing Arts (goodbye theatre)!
10. Discovered this blog again.

That's it in a nutshell. I am planning to write a few short stories in the near future before working on a novel. If the short stories are well received by friends and family I will edit them to make them into a book, possibly. Depends on time management and interest on my part.

My goals for this blog (and some of you need to help me if you like what I write!):

1. Write once a week, if not everyday.
2. Cater to what my friends might like to see (reviews, stories, poetry, you decide!)
3. Help spread the word of my other writing buddies through here (like Laura, Kat, and Sam).

Please subscribe or check back once a week to see how it's going! Please send me some ideas as well! I'd like to know what you'd want from me. Please spread this out if you think someone might like it, too! I'm going to keep a lot of my personal information off of this for now, so it's ok to have someone I don't know view this.

Much appreciated!
-K.

P.S. I try to end with some pictures of something funny or inspiring. So here's your treat:

Books transport me to a place where I can escape from being me for a little while at a time. :)