So I just got around to going to the 4th Pic folder 4th picture..... Sorry Dinah. So this picture was taken In Oct 08 in Columbus, Miss in front of the Mississippi State College for Women sign. I had traveled down with my friend Emily to visit our friend Jessica Stephens and her family who had moved back to Columbus in the summer. MSCW was one of the schools my mom had attended in her undergrad years.

Pride comes before the fall.

I know I know it has been a while..... so for a short mini update Chris moved to Lincoln, NE in August 08'. I did not. BUT..... at midnight on Dec 31st we got engaged and so I will be getting married on May 9th and then moving to Lincoln as well. I plan to do a this is 2008 blog with pics from the year and everything, but right now I am just going to provide a short story.

Over the last 5 months Chris and I have been traveling back and forth between Dyersburg and NE about every other week or so, and taking turns doing the traveling. I have gotten really good at getting airline tickets, knowing when to get the best deal and everything. The one thing I have strived for most is to get the A1 seat on southwest. Really the only way you are going to get it is to buy the business select ticket, which is a more expensive ticket, but sometimes it is only ten dollars more. You can check in 24 hours before the flight so get a good number for loading, so I have also become good at watching the clock and checking in. I once checked in at exactly 24 hours before and was given the A45 seat. So this is a skill you have to practice at. You see, I like to get my favorite seat on southwest..... the very back row next to the window because I want to be at the back of the plane if it crashes since you always see the tail sticking up in a plane crash..... so this is where i want to be. Also, there is a door close for a quick exit.

Well, when I purchased my ticket to come to Lincoln this weekend, the cheapest tickets were sold out and the business select ticket was at a reasonable price so I dished out the extra 6 dollars and then began my wait for the on-line check in time. Tuesday came and when I checked in......BAM A3 for the first flight then BAM BAM A1 for the second flight .....SCORE!!!!!!! I finally did it .... I got the coveted loading number .... group A person ONE... the first out of many!! So I fly out of Nashville and into Chicago Midway. I take my time, get some grub with a smirk on my face because I have the golden ticket ... I have A1.

When I get to the gate at boarding time I notice that there are a lot of people already in line to board, but wait, the group numbers are not even posted yet... "what is this, " I ask myself. I ask some of the people sitting, thinking maybe this is a previous flight that still hasn't left yet. Then I found out...... there was a flight before that had about 40 people on board who were through passengers, but for some reason they need to make a aircraft change and had the passengers get off in order to board another plane ...... my plane.... and these 40 were going to get to board first!! In 1 sec I went from A 1 to A 41. I was no longer first, but somewhere in the middle.

As I was standing there at the Marker 1-5 watching the 40 pass me by as they boarded before me I realized something, or more exactly, I opened my eyes to what God was saying to me at that moment. He used this tiny insignificant event in my life to show me that we may think we are numero Uno, and that it is all about numero uno, but in reality we are just one number in a billion numbers. We are just one in the middle of many. What we do with our position in life is up to us. I could have caused a scene and demanded I be boarded first, since I did have A1, I could have gotten all the other A 1-40 fired up and rushed the skyway, but I did not. not because I didn't want to, because part of me did, but for two reasons. Because I knew that I was not any more important, or my needs were not any more important than the "40 through passengers" and because if I did storm the plane I would not be here writing this now, but sitting in jail in Omaha.

MRIs, MRAs and Gabapentin

So back in April I started having some sensation issues with the right side of my face along with some muscle twitching. I went to the MD back then and they thought I maybe had shingles without the break out. I got put on Gabapentin (Neurontin) and the symptoms seemed to go away. I was scheduled for an MRI but chose to see if the meds worked first. They did, so fast forward to July and i change jobs and run out of the meds. The symptoms come back and worse. Still no breakout. I finally had the MRI a couple of weeks ago and it turned out basically normal except for some "popcorn calcifications" in the right frontal lobe . There were 2 to be exact. Well, stupid me got on the Internet and typed in MRI and Popcorn calcifications......not a smart thing to do. I freaked myself out because apparently popcorn calcifications are seen in MRIs of people who have either migraines or MS- Multiple Sclerosis.....and I don't have migraines. Yesterday I met with the Neurologist and he walked in a said "You do not have MS." And I didn't even ask him that. I wanted to scream out " PLEASE tell me I don't have MS" when I was walking down the hallway and saw him going into another room, but I refrained. So Yay!!! I do however, they think, have shingles. I am going to have an MRA on the 30th to look at my vascular stuff and a couple of canals. He thinks the original diagnosis was correct and in my case I am just not having the break out, which is great since I do not want blisters on my face. God is great!

Seattle: or should I say Queen Anne

So last week I went to visit my sister and brother in law in Seattle. I used my Honduras ticket since I did not go this year (I will post on that later). Mary and Mark have lived in Seattle for almost 3 years and I have not gone to see them, so I thought that this would be the best time since I had 2 weeks before I started my new job. I flew out last Wed (July 2)and Marked picked me up at the airport. Lets just say that Sea-Tac airport has not mastered the art of the luggage transport from the plane to the carousel. After waiting forever I got my one bag and headed out. Mark to me to see Alki beach. It remined me of Miami beach on a smaller note.We then headed to their apartment. They live in an area called Queen Anne Hill that over looks downtown Seattle. See Wikipedia.
On Thursday we walked around Queen Anne which is seriously straight up and down. It was soo beautiful though. The yards were in full bloom and the weather was just right. There is some amazing lavender growing. I have never seen lavender that tall and thick. I had to educate Mary on Lavender. After the walk we went to Mars Hill Grad school where they are go and to Pike Place Market. We went to the first Starbucks and saw the place where they throw the fish. That night we went to eat with Jeremy and Wells a couple that are friends of M & M's. We headed to a "Kroger" to gets supplies to make potato salad and I was introduced to a really really cool device. The parking garage for the supermarket is below so you have to take an escalator. Well there is a escalator for the buggeys. It reminded me of the a rollar coaster ride. The buggy goes in through some swing metal doors and is pulled forward by a track and is lowered down as you are going down yourself next to it in the people escalator. Its cool.
The 4th we ate breakfast at Pecos. I had eggs with salsa and black beans with corn tortillas .... awesome!! Then we went to a house party at a classmate's of Mark and Mary's and then watched the fireworks from the park above Mark and Mary's apartment. It was so beautiful. It was the first time since 2003 that I have been in the states for the 4th. There were fireworks going off all around the city.
The trip was short but I really enjoyed spending time with them and in Seattle. I already planning a return trip for longer.

WALL-E

I went to see WALL-E the other night. I was a very good movie. For most of the movie there is no talking, which sounds dull, but was not due to the personalities of the robots. I suggest spending the money to see it.