Well, what can I say? Life is going pretty well, except we are still waiting for the judge to pass down an order in my parents' child-support/custody case. It has been over six months since we went to court, and yet no order is in place. But that is a discussion for another time.

In other news: Cross country has started back. It appears we have a very large turnout which is great! We have a new head coach: Coach Jamar Bryson, and two assistant coaches: Coach Lachance, and Coach Brongo. The first day, we just did some stretches, an easy run, and then some more stretches. Eleven people came to practice that day. Yesterday, we did circuits, but only four people showed up. Two girls, two boys. There were fifteen circuit stations. I'll try my best to remember all of them:
1. Jumproping
2. V-ups, an alternate to sit-ups
3. Sit-ups
4. Push-ups
5. Leg kicks
6. Butt-kicks
7. Mountain climbers (hard to describe)
8. Lunges
9. Squats, which weren't really squats. You stood in front of a bench, and jumped up onto the bench, then jumped off, then on, then off, over and over again.
10. Alternating leg-ups on a bench (put one foot on the seat of a bench, then hop up, placing your other foot next to it, and put the first foot back on the ground. Repeat until you think your legs will fall off)
11. Stair runs
12. Weight running. (we swung our arms as though we were running while holding weights)
13. Leg lifts
14. Reverse push-ups (or at least, that's what I call them). You sit with your legs straight out in front of you, your feet on a bench, and your hands behind you on another bench, so there should be a good two feet or so between the benches. Then you lift your self off the bench, and lower and raise your self between the benches, using your arms. I loved this one!
15. There was one other one, but I don't remember what it was.
Today, we ran down to Fletcher park, where we did four hill sprints, and then some drills, just strides and deer runs. Fun stuff!

I work a lot, but I enjoy it so it's all good. I worked 5-11pm last night, (Thursday night) and it should have been an easy, laid back night. And it was, until about 10:30. About this time, three drunk guys came into the theatre, and at the time we didn't know they were drunk. All of a sudden, they began harassing one of our door people, who takes tickets. They got all in his face and shoved him at one point. Ms. Teresa, a temporary manager, threw them out. Meanwhile, Justin, who is a projection manager, was talking to these six teenage girls (like thirteen or fourteen years old), and they told him that the same guys had lifted up one of the girls' skirt, and then talked about some very vulgar things. So Mike, one of the managers, calls 911 to get police down to the theatre quickly. The guys finally left the property after some threats to bring their "people" down to the theatre. The police got there, meanwhile, and we found out that the guys had been pulled over about a mile from the theatre for drunk driving. Much too much action for a Thursday night. You know the managers are overwhelmed when they don't bother to check your inventory sheet or count your money to see if you are off. They just put it in a drawer and tell you to go home. They didn't even nag me to clean up, which was good because I was annoyed. Tim, the guy who worked next to me, should have cleaned up, but he left an hour early, and told me he wasn't "cleaning nothing." It ticks me off when people don't pull their load. Alas alack, I ended up cleaning up anyway, reluctantly. It seems to me that cleaning up and picking up the other employees' slack could be good or bad. Good: I know I'm doing what I should be doing, and I think it's fair. The managers shouldn't have to clean up after us. It's not their job. Bad: It's happened multiple (5 or 6) times in the past week and a half, and it only furthers the problem because I'm too scared to tell the managers. I don't want to sound like I am complaining, but it gets on my nerves when I have to stay an extra hour and a half to clean up because the person I was working with left me. Certainly, by me cleaning and keeping my mouth shut about it, let's the others get away with not doing squat. But it's not my place to enforce the rules. Oh well. *sigh*

Today, four movies open, so I am sure that the theatre will be busy. I work until 11pm tonight, until 1:30am tomorrow, and then until 11:30pm Sunday night. But I enjoy those late-night times, because we always have police officers onduty. The four movies are Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, The Manchurian Candidate, The Village, and Thunder Birds.

Well, we bought a car today. I can hardly contain myself. We got a really good deal on a Mitsibishi Mirage, from 2000. It's in impecably good shape for a four-year-old car. It has power locks, windows, a cd-player, and airconditioning. The interior looks like its barely been used before. I even got to take it on a test drive! It drives very smoothly. The people at the Saturn Dealership are very, very nice. It's only 12 days till I get my liscense. In other news, not much is happening. Life is pretty steady, and I guess I can't complain! I'm nervous about the new school year. So far, I know of few people who will be in classes with me, and that is always a little unnerving. Lately, I find myself consumed on one of two topics: Chile and dance. Pretty pathetic huh? As far as Chile is concerned, I am saving all my money (that I didn't just spend on a car) to return next year. Those nine days were the best of my life, and I cannot wait to return. The people were incredible, the scenery was one-of-a-kind, and the experience was life-altering. Paola, one of the directors, has already said that when she and Roberto, the other director, get settled into married life and buy a house that I can come visit them for a while! That would be soooo awesome. As for dance, well I am doing a lot of "soul searching" and I'm finding that I have no real desire to return to dance classes in the fall. While the thought of no dance breaks my heart, I have realized that I don't have the passion or love for it that I used to. Maybe it's because Ms. Ali was jailed and I have finally realized that she's not going to return one day and reopen the studio. I guess I was dreaming of having my studio back, and when I know that I will never have it, I find that dance just doesn't feel as worth it. I lived for it at one time, and now....well, maybe it just wasn't for me. It's pretty sad, though, how I can fall out of love with something that has been a part of my life for going on 14 years, and suddenly, because one person fails me and abandons what we all poured hard work into, I find myself lost, without a passion in life. Wow, that is a scary thought. Work's fine. Same old, same old. I'll be sad when my buddies leave at the beginning of school, though. It just won't be the same without them....Cross country starts tomorrow, so that should boost my spirit some. My sister's running XC too, and I've been helping train her, but it's not going so well. She's not really into it, and I wish she would play tennis. She'd be happier there, but my mom insists that she should run on the team with me, so I can help her through the fall season. Woohoo. Sounds like fun....NOT. Oh well, I love my sister, though. More later.

This post is in response to "blank"s post. I will be the first to admit that I don't take everything the Bible says in a literal translation, and I am willing to bet a whole lot that "blank" doesn't obey everything or believe everything set forth in the Bible. I have done a lot of research in the Bible on this passage, and I have found a couple of things. One, Jesus never makes any call on whether or not same-sex marriage is unbiblical or against God's will in any way. Second, the Bible says that a man shall not lie with another man (Leviticus), but in the same passage, it also says that no one is to eat rare meat, have tatoos, cross breed livestock or wear clothing made of blended threads. While I have never done the first three, I wear clothes of blended threads daily. Who is to say that we can do one thing and not do another? God certainly hasn't come down, in a booming voice and proclaimed that we can do all of the once-forbidden things, except for same-sex marriage. Certainly, though, our country is not on its way to hell because we wear clothing of multiple threads. Also, in Timothy the exact translations of "homosexual" are not known and it is very unlikely that it is used the same way both then and now. Wait, don't forget that Timothy is also the one who is against women braiding their hair, wearing expensive clothing and jewelry, and does not permit women to speak at church. Now, as far as I am aware (and please, correct me if I am wrong), we allow women to do all of these things today! I do not take everything the Bible says literally. I also firmly believe that sexuality is not something people can control. I cannot comprehend why someone would choose to be homosexual, knowing full-well, all the torment and hatred they would be put through just because of their sexuality. I believe that being homosexual or heterosexual is part of who God made each of us to be. God made us unique and special, and He loves us for it. I believe that our sexuality is not our choice but rather an integral part of God's ultimate plan for us and for the rest of humanity. Disagree with me if you wish, but don't ever tell me that my way of thinking is unbiblical, especially when I go to church often and I have accepted Christ as my Savior.

Alright, it's time for me to rant about something. The Marriage Amendment.
I will continue to say about same-sex marriage what I have always said---- if they love each other, then who cares what sex they are? I believe that the government should stay out of people's private lives, unless the private lives of citizens interfere with or are causing harm in the lives of others.
President Bush can be really idiotic sometimes. Like this: "Our government should respect every person, and protect the institution of marriage. There is no contradiction between these responsibilities." Uhhh, yeah there is a BIG contradiction there. You can't respect every person, and at the same time tell them they can't be legally married to someone they are in love with. Somehow, that is VERY contradictory, to me.
"Ages of experience have taught humanity that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society." Okay, so let me get this straight. If a same-sex couple decides to adopt a child, then that child would not be as stable or would not have as loving a home? Hmmmm. . .how bout NOT! And the difference in the stability of society if we have no same-sex couples than if we do is WHAT!?!?!? That's complete and total bs. The truth is that, marriage isn't all that great in the first place, and I'll testify to that. My parents have been divorced for ten years, and ya know what? Nothing in the last ten years, not living in two different cities, not the lack of money because no child support was paid, not the many court visits, not the couseling, not the fighting, not the taking me out of town without telling the other parent, none of that made for a very good environment. And that was after they were NOT living together. Imagine the hell that went on when they were. Marriage is not some wonderful thing, because "for better or worse, as long as you both shall live" doesn't exist anymore. The president can't worry about the stability of society and welfare of children, if he hasn't made divorce illegal yet.
"Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all." Yeah, uh huh. Sure. Because we know that EVERYBODY wants same-sex marriage to be outlawed. Because everyone in America clearly wants the same thing. Ha. in your dreams!
Okay I'm done now. But c'mon. It's not as though legalizing same-sex marriage will bring our country down. Letting Bush run our country for another 4 years will be the end of America as we know it! Lol. [No apologies. So there] PS-go see Fahrenheit 9-11 at Brier Creek or Park Place (maybe?)

Dance, or the lackthereof in my life currently, is truly beginning to depress me. It hit me tonight, when I was in my kitchen, and a commercial with good music came on. I started crazily dancing around my kitchen, and realized I had inadvertantly picked up a clogging step I had never been able to master before. I haven't been in a clogging class since February, when the studio shut down, and suddenly I was longing very much for the old, busy, but absolutely wonderful routine of dance Monday through Thursday for three or four hours each night, and an extra private rehearsal or workshop on Saturdays. Suddenly I am longing to be deeply and passionately involved in something other than work.

I feel so isolated from my friends and everyone else. There was a time when I was doing basketball practice every afternoon, followed by rigorous hours of dance rehearsals, and of course I was totally immersed in the world of teaching dance. But suddenly, I feel like I have nothing, except a job, which I admit I am blessed and thankful to have. I work six or seven hours a day, five or six days a week, and on weekdays if I am not working, I am babysitting from 9-5. And when I'm not working or babysitting, I'm resting and trying to regain some energy.

Onto other current life happenings. My big current project is my novel, which I have begun to work on, once again. My mom and sister and I are probably going to move, once again, into my tenth or eleventh house in my lifetime. Argh, I hate moving. We've been in this house for nine months, and I am just beginning to unpack boxes and get truly settled in, and now we are house hunting again. Oh well.

Job update: My favorite manager, Josh has left and transferred to VA. I miss him a lot, because, though he has a sarcastic attitude, we got along very well. Overrall, my job is incredible. I dress for work everday, excited about another day on the clock, adn I say that in all seriousness. There is only one thing at work that I don't like, and I really hate to write publically about it, so I won't.

Song of the day: "Have You Ever Been In Love?" By Celine Dion
Have you ever been in love

You could touch the moonlight
When your heart is shooting stars
You're holding heaven in your arms
Have you ever been so in love

Have you ever walked on air
Ever felt like you were dreamin'
When you never thought it could
But it really feels that good
Have you ever been so in love

Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart is shooting stars
You're holding heaven in your arms
Have you ever been in love
Have you

The time I spent waiting for something
That was heaven sent
When you find it don't let go
I know...

Have you ever said a prayer
And found that it was answered
All my hope has been restored
And I ain't looking anymore
Have you ever been so in love
Have you

Some place that you ain't leavin'
Somewhere you gonna stay
When you finally found the meanin'
Have you ever felt this way

The time I spent waiting for something
That was heaven sent
When you find it don't let go
I know...

'Cause have you ever been in love
So in love

You could touch the moonlight
You can even reach the stars

Doesn't matter near or far
Have you ever been so in love
I said

'Cause have you ever been in love
Have you ever been in love
So in love

What's Wrong With the World??



Well, today is Independence Day, a day where we set off fireworks, and proudly wear red, white and blue, as we reflect on just how lucky we are to live in a free nation. Happy Birthday USA!
In other news, today I found out that my former dance studio director/teacher (the one who never paid the rent, and who kept all of our tuition and other fees) was arrested and jailed for possession of cocaine. She and a few others were pulled over in her car, and all arrested because there was cocaine in her car. As much as I would like to believe that she was driving around with the drugs unknowingly, I have to suck it up and face the hard reality that she may very well have been doing/dealing drugs. These are the times when it's hard to trust and have faith in this world. I wanted to believe her story of "my boyfriend ran off with my money. It's not my fault." But I guess people are going to let you down and we should just get on with our lives and make the best of it.