Xena is my hero... or... Girls just wanna have fu-un

So many people use the beginning of a new year to reflect and contemplate on the following year, and plan out the next. I have been doing this same thing, and I have realized that there are several goals that I want to pursue this year. I think if I write them down in my blog and put them out for the public to see, I will be more willing to follow through on the things I want to accomplish. But I may also be setting myself up for severe disappointment if I fail. I don't think many people read this, but at least I'd like to think that there are thousands of people flocking to my blog to follow my every craft-y move.

Submitted for your approval, here are my yearly goals:
1. Learn to knit socks.
To be fair, I started on this goal before the year began. I signed up for a six week Toe-up (I laugh inside everytime I say this) sock class at The Yarn Nook. I actually went to spend my $50 gift certificate (which I did very well!!), and I overheard the owner talking to another customer about this class. With just a little push from Aaron, I signed up for it. Six weeks of pure knitting and sock yarn bliss on Wednesday nights are starting the year out just right!!

2. Get into shape.
Yeah, yeah, everyone says this. I have a plan, though. I will work out with my Wii Fit on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. I will be cooking from my Biggest Loser cookbooks (this will help both my calories and my cooking skills-- which definitely need to be honed!) Drink more water. Those kinds of things.

3. Organize my home.
I hate being disorganized. My desk is a wasteland of old receipts, pieces of scrap paper with various scripture notes, new yarns, craft ideas, and the occasional piece of cat food. I still have Christmas presents to put up, a leaky toilet (that I stubbornly won't call about until I clean up my bathroom), and boxes from when I moved in six months ago. I devised a schedule to clean up, but it got a bit disrupted when... well, when I decided that I didn't want to clean anymore, and watching Netflix and knitting sounded more pleasing. I'll be back on track next weekend, though, and I'll be able to cross a few things off my to-do list.

4. Blog more.
Yeah, this one will also be a hard one to keep up. My plan is to blog every other Sunday (which I'm actually doing now that I think about it), and to post pictures of what I've started, what I'm progressing on, and what I've finished. I'm definitely a starter and not a finisher, so my hope is that doing this will push me to actually finish some projects.

That's pretty much it. It sounds like a lot to me, but I know that if I just do a little bit at a time, I will be able to look back in 2011 and say that this has been a successful year for me.

P.S. Go out and buy yourself an inspirational calendar. You can either use it to stay motivated, or to laugh at the people who believe in that crap.

What I did while it was snowing...

If you're not from around here (and we know who you are!), you might be suprised to find out that this is the biggest snowfall in quite a few years. Yesterday, the roads and schools were completely shut down... except for Best Buy, in which case was open for the idiots that wanted to drive in the snow, ice, and slush.
I had quite a time trying to leave the Big Blue Box. In fact, I'm home, but my car is not. In fact, this is where my car is supposed to be.Instead, it is parked in the Old Navy parking lot; with a delicious chocolate pie in the front seat. How unfair! I hear you moan. What a perfect waste of a delicious chocolate pie! I hear you wail. Yes, it is tragic.
My car is stuck at work, and I am stuck at home. What? Of course I'm keeping busy!! I (still) have tons of crocheting and knitting to be finished before Christmas. Here's what I've finished so far. In the tower of scarves there lies:
1 ribbed for Mama
1 shell pattern for Cathryn
1 stockinette switcheroo for Aaron
1 ribbed for Connie
1 stockinette for Jasmine
And I still have a couple more to go. I must admit, there are only two left in the picture that I need to fully finish. I just hate weaving in the ends. It's tedious and boring, and sometimes I'd just much rather let them hang in their unfinished glory than weave them in for a finished project! But, alas, not everyone is as cutting edge as I.
As it goes, I have a few days until I may be able to reach my car to go anywhere, so I have more than enough to keep me busy. Including the cardamom cookies that are resting in my fridge til I decide it's time to roll them in sugar and bake them. Then eat all of them. By myself.
Until I am rescued, here's a nice picture of the melting ice. Enjoy the day off, ladies and gentlemen; this may be the last productive day until Christmas!

Just a day at home

So, I have a few more finals left, one each day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And then I'm finished!! Hopefully, I'll be able to pass my Photoshop final, and then I will know everything in the world about masking!

As for knitting/crocheting, I've been doing so much! But I can't reveal any of it just yet, because it's all for Christmas gifts. I have all of my Christmas shopping done, but I still have several hours of knitting and crocheting left to actually be done.

I have always loved Christmas. When I was younger, it was mostly about the magic of seeing my parents' Christmas trees lit up in the dark of the living room, rooting through all the presents to find mine first (when no one was looking!), and getting to hand out all the presents for my families. It's kind of weird, but I loved being able to have a separate Christmas with my dad and step-mom. With my mom and step-dad, it was very... family. I have a little sister, and when she was young, it was fun to watch her open her presents. At my dad's, it was all about me. Just different family dynamics.
Now that I'm older, and I understand more about both spirituality and marketing, I want to keep that warm fuzzy feeling going. I like to think that when I make gifts, I'm taking some of the spotlight away from the commercialism. I like to think that people I care for are more appreciative of the gifts that I make because of the time that goes into them. Especially the people that are interested in the same crafts as I am. I think my mom would understand the time it takes to finish a cross-stitch project because she has done so many, and my step-mom understands the time it takes to crochet a lap blanket, because she is the one that taught me to crochet. And who doesn't like homemade cookies and brownies? One of my favorite things at Christmas are the Haystacks my mom makes.

I think this Christmas will be awesome, not just because I'm buying great gifts that the people in my family will enjoy, but because they know the time and money that goes into these gifts, and being able to appreciate the ACT of giving, not just the present.

I have been looking at a lot of knitting and crocheting projects recently (see second paragraph), and have been wanting to start reading more craft blogs. When I read them (especially Abby's Yarns, I'm a HUGE fan!), I get so motivated and inspired to do my own thing. I want to knit like a pro, crochet more, take up spinning, and learn to dye with more than just Kool-Aid (although I've made a really gorgeous variegated red sock). I want to be done with one school, so I can go to another school for a Fiber Arts degree. I want to have a big space to organize my stash, my needles, my hooks, my books. Ultimately, I want to teach. I love to teach, and I love to crochet, so what better profession than to teach others to crochet?! Because of the inspiration I receive, I want to make more of my blog, and turn it into something that will inspire others. It will just take time and patience, and a lot of pictures!

How Frankenstein changed my outlook

I went to Ann's son's birthday party, and it brought up some memories of my best friend. She was 17 when a car accident ended her life. Shortly after, I read Frankenstein for school. It had a huge impact on me, and those thoughts and love of this book resurfaced last weekend. I traced my finger along the books I have read in my school career, and found Frankenstein again. I started reading, and remembered why I loved this book so much during my time of grieving.

"I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance. It is so long before the mind can persuade itself that she whom we saw every day and whose very existence appeared a part of our own could have departed forever- that the brightness of a beloved eye can have been extinguished and the sound of a voice so familiar and dear to the ear can be hushed, never more to be heard. These are the reflections of the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the evil, then the actual bitterness of grief commences. Yet from whom has not that rude hand rent away some dear connection? And why should I describe a sorrow which all have felt, and must feel? The time at length arrives when grief is rather an indulgence than a necessity; and the smile that plays upon the lips, although it may be deemed a sacrilege, is not banished."

A loss of a close friend, a daughter, a sister, and aunt, cannot be healed. It can be covered, and looked over for a time, but it will not leave a scar- it leaves an open wound.
On our way home from the birthday party, I was thinking about how different my life would be if she had lived. I don't think I would have met Angela, or lived with her, or joined the Church. I wouldn't have gone to Angela's graduation, and met Aaron, again. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to know Jess, Makayla, Bailey, or Ty. I may have already been through college and onto a career. I may have been following Jessica wherever she was going, because I know that she was more driven than I. I would have had a different perspective on life, and would be more liberal in my thoughts, actions, and forgiveness. I would not have known the sting of grief, and the understanding of the importance of life would have missed me by inches. I would have had different life experiences, and I would be in a very different place. I don't know how my life would have been different; I just know that she changed my life for the time that I knew her.

Lime n' Violet are my heroes

I've been listening a lot to the podcast, Lime n' Violet, www.limenviolet.com. I've been completely overtaken by yarns, hooks, dyes. If you can crochet it, or crochet with it, I've been drooling over it. I've also signed up for a spinning class at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, www.saffsite.org. There's also The Yarn Nook, www.theyarnnook.com close to Enka/Candler. I love it there! I bought 1300 yards of laceweight, and the super-nice ladies wound (most of it) into a ball for me. It took over an hour, and they were so great about it! I'm working on a shawl right now, which may or may not take until the end of eternity to finish. We'll see.

I'm listening to Stephanie Meyer's Eclipse. This is probably my least favorite in the Twilight series. I seriously would like to strangle Bella. She's whiny, and I want to strangle her. I want to strangle her so much I said it twice! Still, it's a great story, and very easy to get lost in. I feel like I don't have to think too much about it (in a good way). I can let my mind wander, and daydream about a love as strong as vampirism. I have pretty much decided that I would want Aaron to change me if he were to become a vampire. But I would mainly just spend a lot of my time taking classes, crocheting, travelling. What wouldn't I do if I could live forever?!?

Other than that, school is still going... I can't wait til it's over! But I know that as soon as I graduate, I will want to do something else that will require more education.
Well, the peppers are roasting, and smelling delicious! I will go pick up Aaron, skip class, and enjoy the rest of my night.

I want a Dooney & Burke purse

So, I'm seeing that it's been a while since I've been here. I wonder if people actually read this stuff.
It seems like everywhere I look, I see engagement and wedding rings. I just went on FaceBook, and found out that every single, non-gay person from my high school class is married... to each other. My favorite Elders are married (or engaged STEVEO), my friends are married, my coworkers are married.
I feel like this should tell me something.

Meanwhile, I actually do enjoy not being married sometimes. I can come and go as I please, allow my leg hair to grow full, long, and lusterous, eat cake first, clean up and do laundry only when absolutely necessary... the list goes on and on.

Aaron and I have been together almost two years... wow. When I first started dating him, I never thought that we would be so well matched. Maybe it's because we don't actually have that much in common, and we talk about everything, that makes us such a good couple. We have our moments; he's always right, I disagree and pout, he pouts, then we agree that it's not worth it to be mad at each other, and to try and see it from the other person's point of view (although I think I do a better job at that than he does).

I have a thingie on FaceBook now... look me up with the name Brooke Bright.

School's good. I should be doing some studying, but instead I'm updating my blog and looking in on everyone. Does that make me nosey?

Until next time...
~Brooke

I am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me

Wow, this time it really has been a long time! Steve, I just caught up with your summer... Sounds like so much fun!!

I'm in school now, at AB Tech. I was sitting on the toilet one Sunday, and decided I'd go back to school. So Monday, I went and filled out an application, and paid tuition, and now, two semesters later, here I am, still going! I work all day, then come to school for a few hours a night, so the only times I really have to myself are the weekends, but then I'm with Aaron, or Darla or Angela (although definitely not as much as I should be), doing yard work, or washing the clothes or dishes. It's a very hectic life, but I love it!

I'm getting ready to move; that's been sort of frustrating. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get the apartment because of my credit, but I did, and I'll be moving into Asheville. It's actually the farthest I've ever lived from home!! My boyfriend was acting like a turd this weekend. He said that he WOULD NOT help me pack, although he'd help me lift things. Well, that doesn't help a whole lot!! Plus, there's also the cleaning and unpacking that I'd have to do myself! Well, he finally came around and said that he was being a turd, because since I helped him move, twice, he was going to help me out a little more. We have plans this weekend to pack and deal with the yard. Because of work and school, I only have about 3 whole days in two weeks to finish everything, even cleaning and the yard. But, I know that we'll have it done. It's just a matter of not slacking and balancing my time.

The picture is of Aaron and I at the beach in April, during his and Hanna's spring break. Hanna's the pretty one in the blue dress she wore to prom. Apparently, I don't know how to rotate pictures... you can just turn your head! I really need more practice...

As far as spiritually, well, I'm not doing things I should, and doing things I probably shouldn't. But, I try, and I know that in at least one area in my life, I'm doing what the Lord wants me to do, which is go to school. I'm planning on getting my AA here, then transferring to a four year, pretty much wherever Aaron goes, to get my degree in Nutrition. I'd like to do either pre- and post-natal nutrition, or counselling.

Well, it's time for me to fly, but I hope that you've been caught up on all that is Brooke!