Beach Bound, Baby!

I'm done with summer classes. I'm over the nightlife of Knoxville. I'm annoyed with almost everyone. This family vacation can't come soon enough! For the first time in the 12 years that my family and I have taken our annual trip to Myrtle Beach, I have counted the days until our departure. This is the first summer I have spent residing in a completely different house and city than my family. I wouldn't take back any second of it, but I am so thankful that we worked it out so that we can all take this vacation together. I cherish the misty mornings on the beach, the homeade deli sandwich lunches, the countless hours in the sun, the reading time in the hammock, the multi-colored nights on the pier listening to the local band, and the quality time with my younger brother. I never fail to find myself wishing to stay at the beach one more day, one more night, one more minute before returning home. There's something about being away from home, away from familiar faces that makes the sunshine and the waves seem even more inviting and attractive. I never want to leave.

EW!!! Annoying...

Everyone has those few things that can REALLY push their buttons, really tick them off, really ruin their day. I, myself, have plenty. As positive as I try to be and as easy going as I am, sometimes those little bitty ticks can really throw off my entire day. Thus, my only solitude is to VENT! Here goes...my recent annoyance.

*Although I'm not the cleanest person, I do have my own sense of organization of my personal space--most importantly, my movie collection. They are alphabetized from left to right and can only be touched by others under my supervision. Therefore, when I come home after a long day or a short errand and find that a movie is missing without my knowledge of who took it, I go irate. That means that not only did an unidentified human take a movie without asking or informing me, but that same human also entered my personal bedroom and possible touched or took something else lying astray. And honestly, I don't have the best trust issues. So coming to terms with the idea of someone unknown trespassing in my 12 by 12 foot excuse for a room is not something I'm prepared to do. If I had the money and ability to install an alarm system around my movie collection, you can bet I'd have the top-of-the-line brand scaling every inch it--complete with a password, fingerprint scanner, and voice identifier. Everyone has their own pride and joy. Mine just happens to be my films, and I guard them with my life.

10 Guilty Pleasures

These are ten of my many guilty pleasures:

(1) Laying in a warm, comfy bundle of down comforter, just thinking, with nothing to do all day.

(2) Buying DVD’s. I get such a good feeling after making a new DVD purchase.

(3) Eating thin crust pizza. It tastes amazing and doesn’t fill me up, so I can eat as much as my taste buds can handle.

(4) The first sizzling sip of a freshly opened can of Sprite and feeling the carbonated burn run down my throat.

(5) Rocking in a hammock on a breezy sunny day.

(6) Waking up around 9:00 am at the beach and smelling the salt in the breeze and feeling this moisture in the air.

(7) Taking the first three sips of a mixed drink. The sharp tang of the alcohol is unexpected, yet guarantees an interesting evening.

(8) The feeling of sweat trickling down the side of my face, making me feel dirty yet accomplished.

(9) Being sick or ill, because then I can get out of doing anything all day long without having to struggle to think of a legitimate excuse.

(10) Reuniting with old friends or family members and telling funny stories of all our times together in the past. It always makes me grateful for where I’ve been, what I’ve done, and who I am.