Ready For All of This?

Wow. The past two days of my life have been wonderful, and drastically different from eachother.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. It was a very relaxed day with family (and that lovely girl called Eli). We ate some delicious food, watched Father of The Bride (well, the girls did anyway), and just....chilled. We were lazy. Although, I did get a chance to go running and biking earlier that morning. That was fun.

My mom finally is back in the blogging world, so if you feel the desire to read more in-depth about our Thanksgiving, check her blog: http://christiswritingthewaves.blogspot.com/

Today...well, today is Friday. But not just any Friday. Black Friday. Also known as the day of unimaginable sales starting at unimaginable times in the morning. Eli and I decided it would be fun to check it out, so we got up at 4:30 and headed out the door, ready to shop! It was a strange feeling, being out at what feels like the middle of the night, yet seeing herds of people in every major retail store you can think of. It was funny. The odd thing is, we didn't even buy that much. The sales were good, but...I don't know. I think we were both just feeling floppy. I got a shirt, some PJ pants, and a dress. Eli got a shirt, and maybe something else. You'll have to ask her. Anywho, it was an experience. I'm really glad we did it.

So, after shopping for what felt like a full day, we headed to Tim's house at 7:45 to meet up before going to work out. Tim, Mr. Joe, Josh, Eli and I swam laps for a while and then went to a spin class. It was great! It had been a while since I had swam laps. I did swim team a few years ago, so it brought back lots of memories. I also loved the spin class. I have officially decided that I like biking.

AND I've officially decided that I want to do a triathlon! Hopefully semi-soon-ish. (They don't call me the prefix/suffix queen for nothing.)Swimming, biking, and running. I want to do it! I just think doing a triathlon would be such an awesome experience.

Anyways, after the spin class, we all got some breakfast at a restaurant that makes dangerously huge pancakes. They are delightful; this I know from personal experience. However, today, my gluten-free self settled for a ham and cheese omelette. Although it really wasn't settling at all. That omelette was absolutely fabulous!

So, at this point, it was about 11:00 am. Eli and I had shopped for around 3 hours, gone swimming, gone biking, and eaten at a restaurant all by this time. It felt totally wierd. We were exhausted from not sleeping last night (we talked until 1. Oops.), so after eating, we headed home and slept until about 1:00.

Whew. Sounds like a full day, huh? Well, it was definitely not over yet. At 1:30, Eli and I met up with our sweet friend Rebekah to see a movie. We saw Morning Glory. I don't watch very much TV, so I never see commercials for upcoming movies. So, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I knew Rachel McAdams was in it, and I think she's a great actress. And I'm glad I saw it, because it was really adorable! Nothing life-changing, but it was cute, funny, and had an overall good message. If you like movies with that kind of description...go see it.

Yes, all that I've been talking about all occurred today. But it's still not quite over. After the movie, I came home, and my family headed to Hot Springs! Yes, I'm serious. We went to an amazing garden that is covered, and i mean completely covered in Christmas lights. There were all kind of Christmas-y things to see- gingerbread houses, candy canes, Christmas trees, and many more bright and cheerful things. Not gonna lie, it made me very ready for Christmas! I can't wait.

So now I am done with today. Ah. It's been a long, crazy, jam packed day. I could use some sleep right about now. And I think I'm going to sleep in. Scratch that, I KNOW I'm going to. I rarely sleep in, so this will be wonderful. I think I hear my bed calling my name.

Farewell.

-caylielane, one tired and happy girl.

Rambling Once Again

I just got back from the Athletic Club- it was quite a great work out! I always feel happy after a really good workout. Today is a good day.

I spent the night with that wonderful, fabulous, beautiful, silly, brilliant girl named Gracie last night. We had quite a ball. I never say "quite a ball"; that felt weird. Please forgive me. Anyway, yes. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning painting, watching movies, and talking. It was great. Girl nights are wonderful to me.

This morning I had to go to Chemistry class...yes, I know it's Thanksgiving break. It was a bit of an interruption to the break-mode that I'd allowed myself to settle into, but it wasn't all that bad. I like the people in my class, and I understand the material. We had a few good laughs during class yesterday, actually. Good times.

Yes. So, after Chemistry, and a quick Tropical Smoothie stop (This time, I went for the Kiwi Quencher. I also recommend the Cranberry Truffle, the Tropicolada, or the Peanut Butter Cup with no bananas. Just saying.), I came home, changed clothes, and headed to the Athletic Club. You know what came after that. Workout, followed by happiness.

So, here I am, at the computer, sitting in my happiness. Not the worst circumstance I can think of. Tonight, my lovely mother and father are heading out for a date night, and I'm going to babysit Dash. He's a cutie. I'm sure I've mentioned that at one point or another. Yes. I do believe I have.

You know what I love? Christmas. I absolutely cannot WAIT for Christmas. I mean...it is partially already here to me; the Christmas season in general is wonderful. But oh my. I can't even find the words to even slightly, in any way, describe just how much I love Christmas. It's magical, enchanting, joyful, nostalgic, special, and just amazing.

I also love Thanksgiving! So much. It's in only 2 days! We will be having Mimi and Jeanna over our house for our lovely feast and togetherness this year.

Not only do I love the festivities, food, and fun of the holiday season, but it's also a time that God often uses to reveal amazing things to me. I'm realizing just how much I have to be thankful for right now. I know it's easy to tune this kind of thing out, because you hear it all the time, but when you allow yourself to take a fresh look at what Thanksgiving and Christmas are really all about, the convicting truth is often totally unavoidable. I don't want to get so lost in the fun that I forget why we are celebrating in the first place. Thanksgiving is about more than food, or making a list of the great things in your life. It's something deeper. Christmas is more than Santa, presents, or even the birth. There is such powerful meaning behind the birth; Christ's birth was the beginning of something amazing.

I'm getting ahead of myself, I suppose. I tend to do that. I think I may go hang out with Dashie now.

Ah. Happy is what I am.

-caylielane.

Always Pondering...

Good morning to you! It's Friday, November 19th, and oh boy has it felt like a long week to me. I'm so ready for the weekend. It hasn't been a BAD week, in fact, I did lots of great things this week. But it's just felt so very long. Weekends are like holidays.

I had a strange day yesterday. I did pretty much nothing but schoolwork yesterday (aside from a quick run), until 5:00. That alone is just unusual. Around 5:00, that dear friend Carolyn picked me up and we headed out for a fun night together! I've missed that girl. I haven't gotten to see her or talk to her very much in the past few weeks. First, we headed to Target and shopped like mad women. I even tried a couple of things on! If you know me, you know that I'm NOT a fan of trying things on. I don't even know why, so I advise you not to ask. But yes, last night I stepped out (or rather, in. To the dressing room.) and tried on a dress and a shirt. Both were adorable, and I decided to buy them! It was very joyful.

After Target, we picked up some smoothies. Yummy. I love smoothies. I do. Then, we went to a play at our friend Donovan's school. It was a modern...funny...more funky...version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. I don't think I'm capable of explaining it very well. It was good though. I totally followed, despite the Shakespearean talk throughout the whole thing. It was just great! We had fun.

From the play, we went to Carolyn's house for a bit. Well. Carolyn's family's house, I guess. But...it's still her house, even though she lives in an apartment, as far as I'm concerned. Yes. We went there. We hung out and talked to Emily, Kim, Angela, Julie, and Scott. It was all very silly. We were in a silly mood.

Last night was great. I've missed Carolyn. We always have great times together. We are so random and silly, but can also really be real with each other. Carolyn, you are loved by that Caylie friend!

Tonight, I'm going to see a play that Christian AND Gracie are both in! It's Christian's first play ever. I can't wait! He will be great, I just know it. And Gracie...well, I just KNOW she'll be fabulous.

Why don't people paint the fences in their back yards bright colors?

Why is it that people still buy ice cream and smoothies in the winter?

At the movie theater, which arm rest is yours?

Can something be "new" and "improved"? If it's new, what was it improving on?

Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs?

Do you yawn in your sleep?

Do Chinese people get English sayings tattooed on their bodies?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

What's another word for "thesaurus"?

Just...think about it.

-caylielane.

Civilized.

Well, I've once again let time slip away from me. It's been a while since I last blogged, hasn't it? Why is this so? I know not. But I'm blogging right this moment, and that counts for something, doesn't it?

Well...what have I been up to? Hmm. It's always hard for me to remember what I did on previous days. It's best for me to blog at the end of the day about what I've been up to, because then it's still fresh on my mind. Yesterday, I had co-op. Well, actually before co-op, I slept. In, that is. I slept in until about 8:20. My mom woke me up saying, "you know co-op starts in ten minutes, right?". Haha. That never happens. It was pretty silly. So, I ended up getting to my first period art class pretty late, but it didn't matter at all. It was just...funny, that's what. Yes. So, art was fun. We are making organic, metallic sculptures, and they are quite fun! After art, I had Spanish and Math. Both were unusually easy.

On a normal co-op day, after math I have lunch and then Persuasive writing, but oh no. Not yesterday. Writing class was cancelled! I had lunch, followed by a study hall. It was quite nice. Tim and I went on this awesome trail. We got some running in, which always makes me happy.

So, from co-op, it was time for a dentist appointment. I was 96% sure that I had a major cavity, because the back left side of my mouth had been bothering me for quite a long time! The appointment was short, sweet, and straight to the point. If I want to be out of this pain, I need to get my wisdom teeth out. Hmm. Okay. That, for some reason, doesn't really freak me out too badly. But it is a bigger deal than...say, a filling. Although I can't say I've ever had one. Anyways. Yes. Those suckers are coming out sometime soon!

From the dentist appointment, I headed to Tim's house to hang out with him and Gracie. It was great, as always. Yes. Then, it was time for Orbit.

Have I ever mentioned that I love Orbit?

It's great. It didn't fail to be great last night. It's just what I need in the middle of the week. I'm so thankful for my amazing church, the different ways I've grown there, and the awesome relationships I've developed there.

That was yesterday. It was very good. Today, I think I'm hanging out with Carolyn, which will be fabulous! I haven't gotten to see her college self very much lately, so this brings me immense joy. I love that girl.

I need to take a shower, eat some breakfast, and get started on schoolwork. I really do. Yup.

OK, well, I'm off. This was a strangely orderly post if you ask me. I feel so...civilized.

-caylielane.

Spectacular

Ahh. Yes.

Today...was a spectacular day. The spectacular-ness began before today, actually. It started when I went to sleep last night. Why? Because I didn't have to get up, not even ONCE, in the middle of the night to blow my nose. I'm getting better!! It's exciting, I tell you. So yes. I woke up very pleased about that.

After I got up and around and saw my lovely friend Eli off to school, I started early on schoolwork. I ate a banana and some toast for breakfast around 9:00, which was yummy. I like those things. After that, the intense schoolwork continued. I was highly intense about school today. That was rare. But very nice. I got a whole lot knocked out.

I left the house around 12:30 with Tim, his brother, and his mama (after a lovely omelette for lunch!). We headed downtown, to a book sale that was happening at a huge library.

Oh....my goodness. I love reading, and I love sales. A book...sale?! I was nothing short of giddy. I was a kid in a candy shop. There was an entire section labeled "Old Books", most of them from before the 50's. I loaded up on them! Not only are they beautiful books, but they will be really interesting to read. Oh my...I got some great stuff. I got somewhere between 10 and 15 books for only $10! Wow...I want to go back. I could have spent so...so...so much money in that place. It was enchanted, that's what.

Anyways. After the book sale, I headed back to Tim's house, where I drank some Cran-grape juice, the only thing I drink, other than water and skim milk. The only time I drink it is at Tim's house, too. Haha. It's amazing. So yes, I drank some juice and hung out for a bit. We watched a LOT of Chuck. It's getting insanely great. Really. Haha.

After that, my lovely mama came over. We all ("all" being me, Tim, Tim's mom, and my mom) went to the movie theater and saw Red. It was hilarious and quite light-hearted. My mom's not much on action movies, but she laughed throughout it, which was good. I had already seen it with Gracie, Scott, and Tim a couple of weeks earlier. Then we ate a super late dinner at that wonderful place we like to call Wendy's. I had a baked potato. Yum. It was straight up great.

While all of this was happening, Dad and Christian were at a basketball game with Tim's dad and brother. It was all so symmetrical! Haha.

So yes, here I am, at home, after a happy day. I'm exhausted, but joyful. Very joyful. I especially loved that my mom and Tim's mom were thrown into the mix tonight. It just made it even better. Mommy, I love you. Yes, I do. You are amazing.

Today, Gracie got a shot. And tonight, she is not feeling well because of it. Gracie....I hope you feel not only better, but unusually great when you wake up in the morning. I think you are so great. And beautiful. I love you Gracayyy.

Well, I may sleep at this point in my life. Yup, I will. Or at least...get in bed. Affirmative. I have new books to read!

-caylielane.

In My Head.

Good morning to you!

It's Thursday, November 11th, 2010. That means that:

1) I have virtually nothing planned for today. Rare.

2) It's 19 days until my 17th birthday.

3) that I will get my license in 5 months and 23 days.

Yup. It's definitely late to be getting my license, at 17 and a half, I know. But it's a license, and that's what I need. And want. Wow, driving will be amazing.

I slept later than normal today- I woke up about 45 minutes ago, at 9:05. I still haven't been feeling too great lately. I got almost twelve whole hours of sleep last night. Honestly, I cannot remember the last time that happened. I can't remember. Ah, so nice. If only I felt good, this would just be an overload of goodness.

I have a lot to get done between now and Monday, schoolwork wise. I'm going to try to knock a lot of it out today, I've decided. So that I can have a relaxed weekend. I will. If it's the last thing I do....which it surely won't be...but I never know...I will.

Chuck. Yesterday, between co-op and Orbit, I went to Tim's house and watched Chuck with Gracie, Scott, and Tim. Surprise! Haha. That's become a very regular, but always wonderful occurrence. Anyways. Chuck is such an amazingly addicting and straight up GOOD show. If you've never heard of it, or heard of it but never watched it...I highly recommend it. Even more than I recommend oatmeal. And that's a lot.

I should get going on school work now, right? Right. Ok.

*sniff, cough, sniff.*

Alrighty, well...goodbye blog world. Good talk.

-caylielane.

Memories In A Box

*Sniff. Sniff. Cough. Sniff. Cough.*

This cold is still haunting me. Why, I do not know. But I do know that it is not fun to be the holder of a cold when you are trying to sleep. I do know that I don't particularly enjoy getting up 77 times in one night to blow my nose. But...at least I'm well enough to run now! Proof that I'm getting better. I want to go on another long run today...like the one I went on on Sunday. That...was one of my favorite runs I've ever been on. I can remember my favorite runs (the first time I ran 5 miles, running over the bridge with Scott and Kimberly, the half-marathon) and the one on Sunday was definitely one of them.

Eli just left for school. I made her oatmeal for breakfast. Did you know oatmeal is wonderful in many ways? Not only is it yummy. Not only is it fast and easy to make. But it's also quite healthy for you! I highly recommend it. In the apple cinnamon or maple brown sugar variety.

Today, I have chemistry class. Woohoo! I missed the last class while we were out of town, so I'm going a little bit early to get caught up. So far, I actually don't mind chemistry all that much at all. Strange, huh? Who would have thought?

Mary Cate. Eli informed me last night that you read my blog and I just wanted to give a little shout-out because WOW. I love and miss you very much, my friend. You are wonderful and we seriously, I'm not even playing around, should get together soon.

For those of you not fortunate enough to know Mary Cate, let me tell you- she is a fabulous human being. I've known her since kindergarten (woah...time flies). We had good times as little tots. Skiing, going to the beach, cheering at recess...ah, memories.

I wish memories could be dug up and put in a package, because forgotten memories would be all that I'd ask for for Christmas. Wouldn't it be wonderful?

*SNIFF! COUGH!*

I always have cross country on Tuesdays, but I do not today. Why? Because the cross country season has come to an end, that's why! It was great fun, but terribly short.

Well... I have an Algebra 2 test to take.

OH! Last night, my family (plus Eli) went to see a play with my grandparents. It was called You Gotta Serve Somebody, I believe. It was hilarious! One of Nana and Papaw's community group college friends was in it, and they have been wanting me to meet her for the longest time, and I finally did! She was adorable, and definitely a talented actress.

Eeeek, spring show at the Rep, please come my way very soon! I'm missing theatre more than I am capable of expressing.

I'm a bit wordy today. Ok. Well...toodloo.

-caylielane.

It's A Happy Day

The weather right now is on the verge of perfect, if not straight up perfect.

It's about 68 degrees- normally, that would be much to cold for a forever cold person like myself. I have two different ways of measuring the goodness of weather- living life weather, and running weather. When I spoke of perfection...I was definitely referring to running weather.

What I'm trying, in a round-about sort of way, to say is that I just went on a run, and it was the most amazing running weather you could ever dream of experiencing. It simply brought me joy. It was a long and slow run. I ran about seven miles, which I'm definitely happy with. I listened to music the whole time, which was great. I haven't had that luxury lately because of my lack of headphones. But, on the way home from lunch today, we stopped at the store and I bought myself some headphones! So I was back in business with my cute little ipod nano. It was just a great run altogether. The leaves are changing...ah.

Just....goodness.

Now I'm at home, doing this. Blogging, that is. I think I'm about to make puppy chow for community group tonight. (You know...the chex covered in chocolate/peanut butter and powdered sugar? Yeah. Good stuff.)

It feels like a fall day, and I like it. A good workout releases endorphins, I know. It makes me happy. I just...I think I'd be happy anyway. The run was just a bonus.

It's a happy day

And I thank God for the weather

It's a happy day

And I'm living it for my Lord

(shoo-bee-doo-wop-wop)

It's a happy day

And things are gonna get better

Living each day on the promises of God's word

(woah, woah, yyyeeeahhhh!)

Yes, that was necessary. I used to sing that song all the time when I was younger. I miss it. People should sing it more often. Maybe some big rock star should make a cover of it.

Haha, can you imagine? Hahahaha.

Yeah, anyways. Time to make puppy chow. Ciao!

-caylielane.

Roses and Sunflowers

And today is Friday. Yesterday was silly. I finally took my written test for my permit (yes, I'm about to be seventeen. Go ahead and laugh). I have to wait 6 whole months to get my license though! May 4th is the day of freedom for me. May 4th, please come quickly! I want to drive! I do, I do!

Yeah. So I did that yesterday. After that, I went with my dad to get some groceries (gluten free, that is). It was great! I bought mix for banana bread and cranberry bread. I bought some other stuff too, but when you're gluten free...bread is a big deal. Haha. Then, after I came home, I found out that I was to babysit 7 kids that night!

Why are there capital letters, but not capital numbers?

It was an interesting experience. The kids actually weren't too bad. I watched them for a bit over 2 hours. They played Lincoln Logs, drew, watched TV, and we all took part in a pretty intense rock-paper scissors tournament. After losing a round, the opponent got to tell the loser to do something ("anything"). Haha.

I did lots of chicken dancing.

Eli came along for the last half hour or so, and that made me really happy. SHE makes me really happy. After all the kids left (we watched them at my house), I was exhausted. Not only did-do- I still feel sickly, but I was behind on sleep. So I was asleep by about 10:00. Let me tell you, that is a rarity in the life of Caylie. But it was nice.

Today, I haven't done much...OH! I forgot to tell you that I made the banana bread last night. It was yummy. Sorry. Anyways. Today I haven't done much. Just eaten breakfast, showered, and written a partial blog post. Hopefully tonight I'll be going to a football game with Carolyn, Gracie, Scott, and Tim. So happy!

Ah. Headache. Why must my head ache?

I was a granny for Halloween, by the way. I'm just saying.

Red roses and sunflowers are the best. I could doodle forever. I'm always cold. Always. I think I may go eat a banana. Carolyn, you are correct when you say that leggings are not pants. They simply are not.

Ok...well...bye!

-caylielane.

Oh Dear...

Hello, Thursday.

Thursdays and Fridays are a funny thing. I never have much of a plan on these days, other than to get some school work done. Hopefully, I can take that driver's test that I'm way overdue to take. If not today, tomorrow. For sure....fingers crossed.

I still have the gross sickly stuff going on. Ears. Nose. Throat. It's just not normal. Ehh. I do not enjoy such things.

*sniff, cough.*

Yesterday, I had co-op. It was good, surprise, surprise! After co-op, I went over to Tim's house for a while, until Orbit at the church. I absolutely love Orbit. It's really great. Eli is usually busy on Wednesday nights, so I was ridiculously excited/shocked when she randomly showed up. It made me so happy. Wow, I love that girl. She just left my house actually. I made her waffles and an omelette for breakfast. I take joy in making her breakfast on school days. She's just...great.

*sniff, cough.*

Christian and Carson are about to be heading out for school (Christian's version of co-op, and Carson's preschool.) Thursdays are calm and quiet, because it's usually just me and mom at home for most of the day. It's a funny thing, but really nice. No insanity, which is rare in my life.

I miss theatre; I am so ready for the rehearsals for the spring show at the Rep to start. I miss that place.

*sniff, sniff, cough.*

Have you watched Chuck? It's a good show. Quite hilarious, if you ask me. I highly suggest you check into it.

Why am I such a random person? This is one of those posts where, years from now, I'll look back and wonder where I pulled these random thoughts from. Oh well. At least my friends and family love me anyways. I think.

Ok, I should stop now, before it gets worse.

(:

-caylielane.

Wierd.

This blog has 104 posts...woah. That's a lot of posts. I've had this blog for quite a while, haven't I? That's pretty crazy. It makes me joyful that I've actually stuck with blogging, despite random dry periods where I was too busy/lazy/ADD to sit down and blog.

Today is a Tuesday. Tuesdays are usually always the same. I wake up, do some schoolwork, and then go to Chemistry. After Chemistry, I come home and work a bit more before going to cross country practice. Then, after practice, I usually either come home or go hang out at Tim's house.

Today, however, is wierd. Hope you don't mind if I go into my list mode. Here is why today is a wierd Tuesday.

1. I'm having ears/nose/throat issues. I just feel a little bit sickly.

2. It's rainy. I love rain, but it makes a day feel...different.

3. We drove to Chemistry-about a 20 minute drive- only to realize that it had been cancelled.

4. We ate lunch at Sonic. We always eat lunch at home. Wierd.

5. I called Scott to arrange carpooling to cross-country, only to find out that it was cancelled, too.

6. I'm done with schoolwork.

So, yeah. Today just feels a little bit...off balance, I guess.

Alright, I'm signing off for now. Bye bye, blog followers/random readers. (:

Hey, thanks for reading this.

-caylielane.

Lazy Is What I'm Feeling

It's been too long since I've blogged, and I currently don't have the energy or the willpower to go through everything that's been happening in the life of Caylie since I last posted.

College visits, Branson, and the youth group retreat. It's been fun!

I've been busy. Really busy. Lots of going, little sleep. Hahaha.

My family just had dinner together- it was really great. Pasta and green beans! Mmm mmm. It was a good thing after a really wierd day. Today, I had co-op, which is always good because of the people there. The wierd thing was, I was exhausted all day. And I didn't have an appetite. It was just...wierd. I don't think I'm sick or anything, and I'm pretty much positive that I haven't been glutened. I may just be recovering from a serious lack of sleep over the past week.

After co-op, I came home and slept for about two hours. If you know me, you know that's definitely not normal for me. Yes, I like sleep. But I rarely just...nap.

Oh! I got some rainboots. I love them very much. They're black and white plaid. Not only do they protect my footsies from rain, but they also bring me immense joy.

I'm due for a long run. Tomorrow. I will run tomorrow, and it will be fabulous.

-caylielane.