Aww Archibald (I mean Ace)

Archibald died yesterday :(

He was a good fish, I'm convinced he died of a broken heart after Betty died. I got him a new friend, Guy (or Gary--whichever you like) but things were never the same. It took him a long time to die too, I didnt want to flush him if he was still kinda alive, so i gave him a last meal and he died about 5pm yesterday...took him like 7 hours! maybe i shoulda just killed him. mighta been nicer.

oh well :)

Summers going great, off to clean my room and make door decs for the fall! yep. i'm THAT bored.

An Ode To Betty...

R.I.P. Betty

She was a great fish, and was always there.

Jeesh It's Only Been Like FOREVER

Nope...Pictures wont work...

Sorry. This post has been difficult for me to write. I swear I've sat down to post like 5 times, and each time I'll start and have to leave, or I'll start, add in some pictures, they dont work, and then get frustrated and leave.

Lets think back...

MIG weekend was AWESOME. Hopefully at the end of this blog I'll be able to add in some awesome pictures! I was really excited to go, and I had a blast. I really think that what I want to do when I get outta college is to be some politician's chief of staff. It would basically rock. I got to see some old friends, and meet a ton of cool people. The Capitol Building was beautiful as usual, and it was fun to have just a few responsibilities so that I could go back and forth between chambers all day. Plus I got to wear a COOOOOOL nametag. It's metal. Maybe I'll post a picture :)

Then came...Midterms. Whoa. Not bad though, but being an RA and taking midterms at the same time...WHOA. I didnt really think it was going to be this hard!! I'm getting used to all the extra responsibilities though!

Then was...Spring Break! WOOHOO! I got to sit on the couch at my house for like 4 straight days, only leaving to eat, shop, or go to church. I went home on Saturday afternoon, and then came back to UIS on Wednesday night. Thursday morning we got up early and went to Kansas City, Missouri to watch our boys play basketball in the national tournament. We lost in the first game but whoa how fun!!! You can watch a video thing on MediaQuad, Brad's latest project :) Its called a Season Of Firsts.We arrived home on Friday Night, and I hung out at LRH until Sunday when everyone else got to come back!

Before we move on, I almost missed it. On March 12, a series of really bad storms came through Illinois. Tornados ripped through Springfield and caused major damage to a lot of the city. We were lucky at UIS and we had no damage. I bet the tire guy (statue) on Wabash wishes he was us...he was decapitated in the storm. I hear though, that they are going to reattach his head :)

A group led by LaTrice Nettles (soph. Captial Scholar) has been volunteering since the storms on the 12th, I was able to drive the University Bus over to the Salvation Army one Saturday, and we got to fill boxes with food for families and this really nice guy from the salvation army showed Erin and I how to fold boxes! We had a blast helping out.

Whats next...oh! Babysitting! I got to babysit two of the cutest little babies the week after we came back from spring break! They are twins, one month old, and I got the night shift (which cooincidentally didnt work so well when it came to waking up for class the next day). I was there from 9pm-7am. I know. Whoa. I did the midnight feedings and realized something very important....
















I dont need kids for a LONG time. Well. Lets rephrase. I dont need kids until I'm married and can have someone to help me with the late night feedings and changings and cryings.

Next (I'm looking at my calendar here) Well last friday, my dad and the boys rode the train to Springfield, and I went out with them after my shift at the desk and we went to Gallina's Pizza for lunch. It was really good. And it was fun to hang out with dad and the boys, even though JP told me that the worst part of his day was when i got there. haha. He was kidding...i think...

After they got on the train, I went back to LincolnLand for the Springfield Area College's Relay for Life. I stayed to help set up our campsite, and then left to go back to the PAC to help Lindsay and Rachel with the Battle of the Bands. I was kinda sittin there, and all of a sudden Lindsay and Rachel decided it prolly wasnt the best idea to have a judge pulled from the crowd. So I got elected to be the 4th Judge, the rest of the panel was boys, and so they decided I was the Paula Abdul of the group...Let me tell ya, I wasnt as nice as Paula. It turned out great! L & R did a FANTABULOUS job on it! Also the guys decided that I got to take home the beautiful flowers that decorated our table.

When Battle was over, I went back out to Relay For Life, and stayed until about 2am, I had preview day in the morning and couldnt be toooooo tired for it. I did really like though that the winner from battle (Egon's Unicat) came out to Relay to play for like an hour (well...until the cops told em they had to stop). So at 2 I went back to the dorm, got up for Preview day the next morning and was WIPED OUT for the rest of the day...still had stuff to do...but I was TIRED.

Last night was Mr. UIS. Howard Kang, of 3west won the competition (i think) with his beautiful rendition of Ryan Cabrera's On the Way Down. Whoa. I'm just saying Howard. And he was nervous....The stage looked amazing, thanks to Heather and I (well and Chris and Kyle, and Stacey and Audra) but we picked out the decs :)

Yesterday was also the Red Cross Hero's Breakfast, which was awesome! LRH got an award for supporting the Red Cross, we raised $2000 last fall for Katrina Relief!!!!!

Ok. I think this is long enough...upcoming posts will include Springfest...and...Springfest since that is my life :)


See Ya
Shelly


oh and PS my 2 favorite Floridians have arrived home (although I still havent heard from them) I hear they were sposed to leave yesterday :)

WAHOO!!!

MIG is this weekend!!! I'm so excited...if you cant tell :)

I decided to throw in a pic from last year's MIG taken by the one and only BradJWard :) This week is NUTS for me, I have class, RA interviews, MIG and homework! and lots of homework...seems like all the profs just know that I'm freakin busy so they pile it on like no other!

Other than that everythings going good, i'm gettin a little sick but you'll have that

I'm sure there'll be a MIG update sometime next week or during Spring Break!


WOOHOO!!!!
Shelly

FINE I'M UPDATING JEEZ!

okay. i know. its been a long time. i cant help it, i'm a busy girl! Well lets start off by filling you in on my couple weeks since i've posted. Welp, I went home, that was a blast. I drove back and forth for MIG. MIG has like taken over my life in the past couple weeks, its like every free moment i get I'm doing something for MIG. Yesterday we really started practicing for the simulation and i'm so excited. I'd like to see us have a lot of people run for office. It would be nice at least, get some real leadership on the eboard.

I dropped Spanish...that was the best decision of the semester i think. I'm pretty sure I would have failed and its so much less stressful to not have that class to dread every other day.

I've gotten to hang out with cool people and meet new awesome people and it's just been a great couple weeks! I know these posts as of late havent been very deep, but I really dont know how to explain it but I'm just not feeling the whole blogging thing lately. So, if i dont update...sorry :) I'll leave you with a picture from Lindsay's Birthday:


Have a Great Week!
Shelly

RANDOM!

Well...I think I need to be provoked to update this thing. Thanks Brad. So last weekend I went to an AMAZING RA confrence called ISRAA, and it was an amazing time and I am on the Executive Board for next year as the Vice President of Administration!!! So yeah, met some cool kids, ya know...Got back to LRH on Sunday and went Ice Skating with Hillary!!! I love procrastinating and I'm good at study breaks :)

This week has been CRAZY! I feel like I havent stopped going since monday morning. Which is probly why i'm so exhausted lately. This probly is going to be the shortest post ever but I really dont have anything left to say :)

Hopefully things will run smoother once the semester gets going...

Shelly

Am I Missing Something?

Lately...well...lately I feel like maybe I'm missing something. Or maybe somethings missing from my life. I tend to jump to, oh! a boyfriend would do the trick :) but...i guess...i have to learn...that its not up to me. I read this book Marriable - the one I told you about before. and it really really kicked me in the face. Like hard. It basically pointed out all the things I do in relationships and said...yeah, those things? well they make a guy want to leave. I was like...wow...its so hard to hear sometimes.

I guess since right now I'm just getting over someone, I want so badly to have someone to occupy my time. I feel like I need to show that person that they totally missed out and not that they havent, but they probably dont care. ha. it sounds so mean when I write it, but its not that mean, theres just nothing between us. I guess I do that a lot ya know? I want to show someone that hey I'm okay look at me now! I can do whatever I want and you dont affect me anymore! Its okay for that person to not affect me, but I know that they dont, and so why do I need to prove it? Its like I want to so badly that I analyze everything that any guy says to me, and then when I think well...maybe? I've overanalyzed it waaaaaaay too far and shouldnt have even had the thought in my mind in the first place.

I think I'm just kinda in the dumps right now, I kinda feel like my life is missing something. That is why I'm starting to volunteer at the MERCY Community in downtown Springfield! Erin and I are going tomorrow I think and Jen and I are going Monday! I think I'm going to love it. I need something that occupies my time regularly where I can help people. I'm going to try this out for a couple weeks and then go ahead down to Big Brothers/Big Sisters! I consume my life with so many things that are just about me and I'm so sick of it! Yeah yeah yeah, last semester I went to Lousiana (twice) ;) and stuff but thats over! I cant stop doing things just because I took a couple trips!

welp, I gotta do some homework and then get ready for the Great LRH Roommate Swap of 2006!!
See Ya Around!
Shelly

Feels Like Home...

Well, after a week (or a couple days) of RA training, I think I'm ready for people to be here...well I'd better be ready kuz PEOPLE ARE HERE! I'm so glad for people to finally be back in LRH, it finally feels like I'm home!

I havent really done much lately, other than some amazing times with some cool guys (and girls) in the townhouses. Yesterday we played Risk. It was not so much of the fun. Probly woulda been funner (is that a word?) had I not been sick and slightly drunk on cough medicine. Me and Erin kicked butt for a while, but I hear Jeff won (only kuz he IMed me at 2am to rub it in my face) Good thing I wasnt awake.

I'm reading this book thats totally kicking me in the face right now. (ouch) Its called Marriable. I just bought it yesterday but I only have like 10 more pages and then I'm done! The other book I bought yesterday is called You DIDNT Complete Me. It looks just as amazing as this one.

I'm kinda missing the time with the other RAs on campus. Actually I really enjoyed training because of the new friends I've made! It was so amazing to hang out with people who understand exactly what I'll have to do/am doing and who understand how important my job is.

Well, I'm sitting at the desk. and I dont have homework. and I was late, so all I grabbed was my laptop. That's the reason for this post (as if I need one) But I have nothing else to say so I wont make this drag on...

Have a great week guys!
Shelly

Matt Wallace...You're Lucky

You're mostly lucky because since we're such good friends I wont be mad at you for making me do this :)

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: Brownfield's Dairy Barn :), Babysitting, Housing Services Aid, Resident Assistant

Four movies you could watch over and over: School of Rock, Zoolander, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, The American President (thanks Edawg)

Four places you’ve lived: Rockford, IL; Armington, IL; Minier, IL; Springfield, IL

Four TV shows you love to watch: American Idol, The OC, CNN...sometimes..., Law And Order

Four places you’ve been on vacation: Orland0, Florida; Gatlinburg, TN; Portland, Oregon; St. Louis, MO (i know to some of you southerners thats not really vacation but for me...vacation :)

Four websites you visit daily: itsmemattwallace.blogspot.com, Twosouth.com, pictureoftheday.twosouth.com, facebook.com

Four of your favorite foods: Mashed Potatoes, School Lasagna, Chicken and Rice, PB&J (thats what i've been eating for every meal the last 5 days :)

Four places you’d rather be: Not sure I'd rather be anywhere else...

Four albums you can’t live without: Carrie Underwood - Some Hearts; WOW 2006; Derek Webb - She Must and Shall Go Free; Rascal Flatts - Melt

Four magazines you read: People, US Weekly, Entertainment (only kuz its free), Cosmo

Four cars you’ve owned: Ford Escort (totaled by me on the interstate) Buick Regal (Hit by Drunk Driver) 1995 Mercury Topaz (aw poor girl, shes getting ready to kick the bucket) and soon a 2001 Chevy Malibu owned by my Aunt.

Four people I'm tagging: JennGebb, Gretchen, Micah, Holly


Thanks Matt :) that was fun...sorta :
Goin to bed, training all day tomorrow
Shelly

Jesus Take The Wheel...

I <3 Carrie Underwood, just so you all know :) But more on that later...

I promised a Christmas/New Years update. Here it is :)

Christmas in Rockford was good, The first time i've seen my brother Greg since summer so...ya know...here's a picture of all us kids at my aunt's house

aw how cute huh? course the little boys couldnt just smile normal in any of the pictures so this is the best one...lol...Some pictures of my house (mom went a little decorating wild this christmas, but it looks pretty!) so yes. Christmas=good. After christmas, I went back to my Twosouth Room and cleaned it out and packed it up (ok...I watched Chris pack it up, but who's keeping track, I mean really) So that was fun, Then there's New Years!

I went to Brad's apartment and it was SOOO fun. We all had a really good time. We watched The 40 Year Old Virgin and made fun of Kyle :) and then most of us didnt like the movie so we stopped it early and played games and sat around and ate lotsa food. At midnight we went outside hoping that we could see the fireworks from Brad's parking lot but we couldnt, we could hear them however. So we were out there and someone banged on their window so we'd shut up (good impressions huh) At about 1:30 we all headed back to whereever we were staying (my last night in twosouth) So got to sleep about 3 and woke up around 11 and as I was walking out the door to go have lunch w/Gretchen I got an email from Mae saying that my keys were in my mailbox!! So i ran downstairs and got them, talked to mae for a bit and then went to lunch!

Funny thing of the day was: I was in the parking lot of Panera in Springfield and a man walked to the car parked next to me and i thought to myself, wow that looks like Jim Dunnan (my High School Principal....ok he was my principal for a year and then we got a new one) and I was a little nervous to get out and see if it was really him but then i saw his wife! so I jumped out of the car and realized that it was them, plus my high school english teacher, music teacher, and librarian! Whoa blast from the past! So we stood there for a couple minutes while they asked me why I was in Springfield.

Lunch was good, I've decided to step down as the freshman small group leader, it'd just be too much to handle. So thats good I guess, but ya know, kinda sad. Hopefully I'll find a couple girls that want to do a small group and read Captivating (the girls version of Wild at Heart).

Anyways, since I had my keys I spent most of the afternoon cleaning and bringing all my stuff upstairs. This week has absolutely flown by! I cant belive that in less than 24 hours I'll be in Springfield for the semester! So i've been packing and realized that I'm not gonna be able to fit all this in my car, so I have to bring the Green Van down to Springfield tomorrow so I can bring in all my stuff and then Mom and Dad are bringin my car down on Saturday!





Ok now to the stuff I really want to talk about. So this song. ugh. It just kicks me in the face. Its by Carrie Underwood (American Idol) and ugh. Here are the lyrics:

Jesus Take The Wheel

She was driving last Friday on her way to Cincinnati
On a snow white Christmas Eve
Going home to see her Mama and her Daddy with the baby in the backseat
Fifty miles to go and she was running low on faith and gasoline
It had been a long hard year

She had a lot on her mind and she didnt pay attention
She was going way too fast
Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass
She saw both their lives flash before her eyes
She didnt even have time to cry
She was so scared
She threw her hands up in the air

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I cant do this all on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chacne
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel

It was still getting colder when she made it to the shoulder
and the car came to a stop
She cried when she saw the baby in the backseat sleeping like a rock
And for the first time in a long time
She bowed her head to pray

She said I'm sorry for the way
I've been living my life
I know I've got to change
So from now on tonight

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I cant do this on my own
i'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on



I guess for me these driving/car analogies are what hit me. Even looking back on old posts about getting in the passenger seat and stuff...I just...man...just been thinking a lot about that lately and how things have just come together, and not how I ever would have expected them to ya know? like finally when i let go of what I wanted and said, hey. do it. you know whats right for me, finally things have been working out. now I just have to keep that attitude about my CIY internship. I know, i havent posted anything about that lately. I wont know (or i possibly wont know) until the end of the month now. not gonna lie, im pretty nervous but it'll work out i'm sure :)

ok.

its time to finish packing, pack the car etc.

My last post from home :)
Shelly