what inspires me

things that have been inspirational to me as of late...

• the James Taylor Christmas CD
• Jamie Cullum
• white christmas lights
• driving home the long way down Ruggles Ferry
• sunrises and being up early enough to see them
• the rocking chairs on my front porch
• travel books
• jazz and candles
• filling up calendars
  

frowns and crowns, yo's and wo's

So I am totally taking this from my good friend and favorite former and fantastic Young life leader miss Erin McCabe...

I have been in a number of different small groups over the years, whether it was through youth groups, Young Life, or leading my Campaigner groups and they were all very different. Different girls, different leaders-but this particular thing we always did, though it had different names each time. (I swear on my Halls team we called it something different every week). Yo's and crowns are good things and Wo's and frowns are bad things.

So here are my yo's and wo's as of late...

wo's

• waiting until the last minute to do my christmas shopping and therefore, feeling stressed from trying to get it done in time
• hearing waaaay too much country music over the weekend
• feeling distanced from my closest friend
• not knowing what to say when people ask me what I want to do with my life
• not getting to run enough lately because of all the RAIN
• I kind of wish we could just hang out at our house on Christmas instead of being shuffled from house to house
  
• wishing I could just go ahead and graduate already

yo's

• having fun with Josh in greeneville and my roommates in bristol this past weekend
• playing Catch Phrase-I love that game
  
• being silly with Bethany and doing random things together (like hiding the creepy baby)
  
• looking forward to going to Nashville, seeing Transsiberian Orchestra, watching White Christmas and having Christmas Eve at our house
• the fact that the web design and creative suite classes I want to take are offered during my class breaks! So I signed up for a bunch during january and february!
• getting a Christmas card from my favorite family to babysit for
• renewing my library books and having two more weeks to finish them
• being introduced to peppermint ice cream
  

silent nights

Thanksgiving has come and gone. And now the craziness of the Christmas season is about to set in.

After spending time with my parents and extended family and being at my house, I feel even more in touch with how important family and traditions are.

This Thanksgiving was the first I have ever spent without my Granddaddy. My dad'd dad, Richard Priode, died almost a month ago, on Halloween, after a fight with Parkinson's and other ailments. Yesterday would have been his 77th birthday. He and Grandma would have been married 53 years last Tuesday. This is normally a big week, but this year it felt bittersweet.

This year has been the first time I have ever dealt with the death of a grandparent, and with me being 21 years old-I consider myself immensely blessed.

It's foreign to me to think of only seeing my grandparents a few times a year because I have lived within walking distance of mom's parents and fifteen minutes away from Grandma and Granddaddy my entire life. I can't imaging growing up and not being at one of their house's once a week.

My way of dealing with the loss has largely been to put it out of my mind, but that has been harder this week.

The song Stille Nacht(Silent Night) always makes me cry, but for some reason has lately been reminding me of my home. I think it's because when I close my eyes and listen, I picture a vast openness and a massive sky. And then I sit on the front porch of my house and see the same thing.

One of my favorite things about being home is getting out of my car and waiting until all the lights go out and then looking up at the sky. There is very little light pollution because there are no streetlights, no noisy traffic because we are on a dead end drive and there is just...space. It's the closest thing to a silent night I can picture. It has always been so moving to me to be able to look up and see the stars and just know there has to be something else.

And now to know that Granddaddy is there somewhere too.

Happy holidays to everyone and their families.

it's such, it's such a perfect day

What I thought was going to be a boring weekend with all my friends and family out of town has totally turned into something else. My family stayed in town...and so did my roommates!

I had dinner with my parents last night and talked about life and my potential trip to Australia. They are all for me going, basically all that stands in my way is finding out from the university whether or not I CAN go, haha.

The roommates and I watched the Grinch last night, the Jim Carrey version, which I do not like as much as the classic one, which reminds me of my childhood.

Today has been such a great day too. I went to the Market Square farmers market, which I think is one of Knoxville's redeeming qualities. I came home with some cookies, muffins and a pumpkin to make a pie with from my old friend Colleen :-)

The ladies I live with had decided it would be a good idea to take a little trip up to Pigeon Forge and get one of those old timey pictures made to display in our apartment. Borderline risque dresses, fishnets, garters, guns...that was an adventure!

We capped the day by going to a pancake house, which are synonymous with that whole area, and visiting the Incredible Christmas Place! That place is so crazy and at the same time puts you in the best christmas-y mood!

I also did one of my favorite things ever today, which is go to the downtown library. Being there reminds me of going to the library with my mom and sister as a kid and doing the summer reading program and getting so excited about getting stickers for the books we had read.

It's been a great weekend and it's not over yet...I just have to study and write a little paper now.

Oh and the Vols won today, who knew they still had it in them?!?!

in one ear and out the other

I have had this song stuck in my head for almost two days now! It's kind of self-induced because every time I get in my car it's the first song on the I-pod.

And to give a shout out to some "colleagues" of mine down at TVC, here are some links to some legit videos that some very talented guys have put together for various classes:

Streetwise
Curious George
Just Business
The Ace of Spades, haha!

Look and laugh!

Snow snow snow snow snow!

There was snow on the ground this morning! This makes me really excited because the first day of winter isn't until something like December 21st.

It makes me think of my all-time favorite Christmas movie, White Christmas, that my sister and cousin Lauren and I watch multiple times every Christmas season and sing all the songs.

This is my favorite song from the movie!

only time will tell

HOW is it already almost Thanksgiving? Does time just fly when you are having fun...or have I really been procrastinating that bad? Because somehow this semester is almost OVER!

As I am looking at all the days I have crossed off my calendar, the words of a Jimmy Buffett song echo around my brain.

Some of the words of this rather legit song go like this:

Is it the answer or just a suggestion?
Is love what we truly want or merely a protection?
Is this music made to last or crumble like a shell?
Is there Heaven here on Earth or is this really Hell?

Only time will tell, if I am right or I am wrong
Only time will tell, is there a message in this song
Will it ever make sense, will it ever ring a bell?
Only time will tell

So what I'm feeling like Jimmy is telling me is to not try and figure everything out because only time can tell what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Will it ever make sense? That's my question. Jimmy says only time will tell and he has yet to steer me wrong.

shoot the moon

So I could not be more ready to get out of America!

This is not for reasons that a lot of my fellow citizens are vocalizing, (ie: I am not upset about the election) but I am so pumped at the prospect of going abroad for my last semester.

I got the official transcript and one of my references today and finished the little "mission statement" the application requests. And tonight I have been reading Australia travel books and letting my mind wander to the far side of the world.

I have no idea what I to expect or what I am looking for, I just know I am ready for a new routine!

melissa thoughts

So here goes again!

I'm really trying to stay consistent with this thing. I mean, I was kind of into blogging freshman year...but after reading some of the crap I wrote I quickly deleted it. Then I started this one up for a class last spring and then fell off the wagon...

(PS: the title is a shout out to anyone who watches the Office...and remembers the one where Creed makes a "blog", but it's really just a Word doc that Ryan typed Creed Thoughts on the top of...LOVE IT!)

I have been sitting here trying SO HARD to be productive! I have made a little progress but have mainly been distracted by the noises coming from outside/the tv in the living room, and by playing with Google calendar...so not as much has been accomplished as could have. Oh well.

I went on an impromptu run this evening to clear my head, which always works. When I'm feeling out of control and crazy...I tie up my shoes and slap on an Ipod. It's totally therapeutic. Running in the cold takes a little more motivation because it's just that-COLD! But feeling the cold air in my face and in my lungs always keeps me going. It's a calming feeling to me to be able to know where I am going and at what speed, hear my feet moving...that sort of thing, when I am feeling pulled in a hundred directions.

This week is about to get crazy, well, more like just the next 2 days...but still.

I'm already looking to the weekend and this one isn't even really over yet! Ahh!

if you really knew me

you would know that...

I am afraid of the dark and I sleep with a nightlight. Go ahead and laugh.
I collect soap from hotels.
I am a huge Parrothead.
I am also scared of horses.
I know all the words to We Didn't Start The Fire.
I want to be Tina Fey when I "grow up"."
I hate cats.
I love the way Pine trees smell.
Taps always makes me cry.
I hate having long fingernails.
I went to drum corps competitions when I was a kid with my parents.
I played trumpet in middle school.
I went to Girl's State before my senior year and ran for Supreme Court.
I love camping. There is nothing like falling asleep on a cold night in a sleeping bag and waking up with the dew.
I hate onions and I have a weird fear of them touching my food or accidentally eating them.
If I could live in any decade it would be pre-Civil War 1860's or the Roaring 20s.
I love big band music because it reminds me of my granddaddy.
I do NOT enjoy flights and I also found out that cruise ships make me sick...the hard way.
The phrase "pet peeve" really, well, peeves me.
I HATE SCARY MOVIES.
I never watched Saved by the Bell growing up. And I do not watch the reruns now.
My first sentence was "hey vern, know what I mean?"
I really didn't do the whole boy band thing and would probably mix up the names of Nsync and Backstreet Boys.
Tunnels make me nervous for some reason.
I eat uncooked spaghetti, frozen peas and plain tortillas,
I love love seafood, there's not much I won't try.
If I do not write things down I will most definitley forget.
I always spell the word definitley wrong.
Running is my high.
Running on the beach is even better.
I climbed Mt LeConte all by myself in 2006, which I know now was probably not a good idea. To go by myself, that is.
I passed out when getting my ears pierced at age 13.
I have had some form of glasses or contacts since 3rd grade.
I have also had braces and a cast, yep, I'm one of those kids.
I have broken my left foot twice.
I love to vacuum and dust. Cleaning is a a stress reliever for me.
My favorite Disney movie is Alice in Wonderland.
I have never shot fireworks. Only sparklers, and I burned myself.
I never had more than like 10 channels on tv growing up, which is why I read so much.
I want to collect tea pots when I have a place to put them.
When I get old, I am completely wearing my glasses on a chain.

what a beautiful buzz

You can tell a lot about a person by the songs they sing. For example, you can tell that I grew up listening to the same stuff as my dad. The most recently played songs on my I-tunes might help tell the story better...

(in random order)

1. Fishin' in the Dark by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Hmmm, not a huge fan of country. This one might be hard to explain. Except that it is used for background music in nearly every country-themed game played in Young Life. And it is quite catchy.

2. Summer Nights from the Grease soundtrack
I mean, I like musicals. And I also happen to like the younger John Travolta. So sue me.

3. Sexy Plexi by Jack Johnson
I've never really looked into the context of this song as far as "plexi" goes. I've never really noticed anything especially alluring about plexiglass. I love the album this song is from though.

4. Wheel in the Sky by Journey
Yes I know other Journey songs besides Don't Stop Believing.

5. Lady in Red by Chris de Burgh
Hahaha, this is on my Itunes? Oops...

6. Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show
I swear this songs sticks in your head all day long after you hear it

7. Rhythm of the Night by De Barge
Soooooo B97.5!!!

8. I Just Want to Celebrate by Rare Earth
Makes me want to get up and daaaannnnceeee!

9. Conga by Gloria Estefan
Makes me feel like I am 9 years old and dancing around the living room again

10. We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
My FAVORITE wake-up song everrrrr! And yes I know all the words. JFK...blown away...what else do I have to say???!!!??

11. Take a Chance on Me by ABBA
I just love how 1970s this is. And I love that this song was used in an episode of The Office.

12. Hey Katie by Josh Kelley
The clapping and cute words are my favorite! Hey Katie! You really look great tonight!

13. Loving Cup by the Rolling Stones
I am so obsessed with this song. And Keith Richards. Who really cares how old he is?

14. Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes
I am also kind of obsessed with Jack White currently. Can't explain it actually. Maybe it's the bad boy thing he's got going on?

15. Carry that Weight by the Beatles
Every kid is required to go through a Beatles phase in their life.

16. Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan
Make fun of me because I like Steely Dan, go ahead.

17. Slow Dance by John Legend
Oh wowwwww, i just looooovve his voice!! And the fact that he is now in Target commercials.

18. Barefoot Children by Jimmy Buffett
I am a Parrothead through and through and this song has one of my favorite lines EVER! "Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been..." yep, never getting Botox.

19. Nightingale by Norah Jones
Caution: do not listen to while attempting to read. It always mellows me out and makes me very very sleepy!

20. Ain't No Sunshine by Otis Redding
I love his soulful, bluesy voice. Makes me want to drink coffee.

21. Ain't Misbehavin by Nat King Cole Trio
I LOVE jazz and big band! It makes me think of flippy dresses and flappers and cute little hats! Oh the 1920s!!

22. Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
I'll take you right into the DANGER ZONE!
"We were communicating, you know? Giving him the finger?"

23. Blue Sky by the Allman Brothers
Great band. And not just because they wrote a song about me!

24. You Can't Hurry Love by Phil Collins
Oh how true. Such wise words.

25. The Wandererer by Marc Broussard
I freakin love this guy!!!

home stretch

Last week were my last two exams before finals, and aside from a paper due on Thursday, this semester is almost over folks!

Well I will be in summer school until July 3 so THEN it will be over. Or at least until August. When classes resume for the fall. Again.

The past few weeks have been a blur of my friends that are graduating next month as they rush to find a job...it all makes me worry about next year. I am doing the best I can to get myself ready for this time next year.

I am planning on becoming a computer geek this summer, but it's ok because I am already a book nerd-so why not keep the trend going?

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the whole "new media" term and all the innovative things that a job in the Web can do. It's all kind of appealing because of job security and the fact that the people with jobs now won't know all the new stuff.

I figure it's my own fault if I don't know what's going on with computers and stuff now because I have had plenty of time to get prepared.

stones are here to stay

Anybody interested in going to see the Scorcese Rolling Stones movie? Yeah! Go see it! I got to see a sneak preview of the show last night and it is really great!

vacuums, bikes and wax museums

I have been saying I'll clean out my pit of a car for a couple months, so when a semi-nice day rolled around, I was forced to finally commit to the lovely task. Armed with trashbags (did anyone else besides me NOT know there were scented trashbags?!) Armor-All wipes, and $6 in quarters I set out to clean up Goldie-my car, of course.

My trunk was a sight to see, and ended up being home to:

• 5 coat hangers
• 2 pairs of ski gloves
• box of colored pencils
• 2 umbrellas
• assorted shoes and dirty socks
• 3 legal pads
• annnnd...a shell from a Ninja Turtle costume??

After Goldie was good and vacuumed, the next activity was trying to find Melissa a BIKE!! So I wanted one last year for my birthday but I ended up having to spend the money on oh, groceries and rent...sigh.

One stop at Dick's Sporting Goods and I found exactly the bike I wanted-in my favorite color!



Ok that was easy! The salesman checked my new bike out and pumped up my tires and then I rode out to my car!

Then later on Saturday evening, I am sitting at my friends' apartment and we go through "where do you want to eat/oh I don't care/what should we do" routine, when one of us mentioned Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg...

There is just something about the lights of the pancake restaurants and tattoo parlors in Gatliburg that make you think of Christmas...so we listened to Christmas music, it just worked.

After passing up old time pictures, airbrush/camouflage/redneck/marijuana/hunting t-shirts, Ripley's Believe it Or Not and two haunted houses...we stumble across the Hollywood Wax Museum.

This place was hilarious! For $12, we walked through and took pictures with the wax lookalikes of Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Spiderman, Batman, Hugh Hefner, Orlando Bloom. Austin Powers, Charlie's Angels, I Love Lucy and others.

To end the night, the four of us shared a funnel cake, my very first one! Yeah!

Not a great experience though. I later threw up.