Home Sweet Home!

I am now back home! For me, this is a bittersweet thing, because while I am happy to be back, I had a great time in Tampa and really enjoyed meeting Gretchen. Also, now that I am back, I have nothing exciting or interesting going on, with the exception of schoolwork(which doesn't really count) and the Kentucky Derby on television tomorrow. Kentucky Derby day is a day I look forward too every year, because it's an event I really enjoy watching and we ALWAYS have a great dinner that day, so it adds to the fun. If you aren't busy tomorrow, I definitely think you should tune in for the race, it's pretty spectacular to see such amazing animals trying their hearts out for one of the biggest titles in sports.

Now that I'm back home, I finally got to watch the American Idol results show that I DVRed. The guest performances were really good, and the end results were sad. I'll miss Siobhan on the show, but I know she'll have a career despite her elimination, and I for one will be purchasing her album when she makes one!

Until Next Time,
Live and Love,
Melanie

Busch Gardens, I am a giant Smurf, and Gretchen is awesome...(but I already knew that)

Let me start out this blog by saying that BUSCH GARDENS WITH GRETCHEN WAS SO MUCH FUN! We screamed incredibly loud on roller coasters, got incredibly wet on the water rides, and I am so tired it's hard to think straight to write this!

On to the giant Smurf comment...I am apparently much taller than Gretchen expected me to be, therefore I was taller than her. And also, because she MADE ME GO IN THE FRONT OF THE FLUME, and because I got really wet on the river rapids thanks to some kid using the squirter things and because the Tidal Wave ride gets you way too wet, the dye in my brand new denim capris turned my hands blue. Therefore, I am a Smurf. A giant Smurf.

After meeting Gretchen in PERSON, I can really say that she is completely awesome. She is every bit as awesome in person as online, really more so because of the whole being in person thing. And hopefully it will not be a year before we meet again!

I think this is enough for one blog...I go back home tomorrow...
Until Next Time,
Live and Love,
Melanie

I am in Tampa!

Alright, so I am now IN TAMPA!!! I am so excited to be here and I can't wait for Busch Gardens tomorrow! It's going to be a ton of fun. So far our stay in Tampa has been a bit boring, we looked at motorhomes this afternoon, and then went out to dinner at Bob Evan's. Dinner was really good, and our waiter was super nice and a lot of fun, so it was a great experience!

One thing I am upset about though is that I did not see the results of American Idol tonight. We couldn't get the cable in our motorhome to work, and so I have to wait until Friday to watch the DVRed episode. If I find out the results before I get to see it I'm going to be so upset! DO NOT TELL ME!

Until next time,

Live and Love,
Melanie

Tampa!!!

As I am writing this, I am super excited, because I am going to Busch Gardens in only two days! Tomorrow we leave for Tampa, Florida, and I am really looking forward to this trip. It's going to be so much fun! Not to mention I get to meet my friend Gretchen there, which will be amazingly awesome!

The one thing about going to Tampa that ISN'T fun is the drive to get there. From where I live, it is a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive to Tampa, and even though it's not that bad a drive when you're in an RV, I am still not a huge fan of driving long distances. The best boredom buster for me is usually music. I really want to buy some new CDs for the drive tomorrow!

I am not sure yet if I will have my computer or internet access while I am in Tampa, so I doubt I will be updating this blog until I get home on Friday. But you never know...I just might have a chance to update!

Until Next Time...
Live and Love,
Melanie

Rain, AT&T, and Customer Service

Good morning all! How is your day going so far? I hope it's going fabulous for you, and it has certainly been interesting for me so far. When I woke up, it was pouring rain with thunder and lightning, and that is still going on as we speak...odds are it will go all day, at least that's how it's looking to me. I'm not exactly a fan of rain, since I find it to be a huge inconvenience most of the time, but I can handle rain today as long as Thursday is clear. If my Busch Gardens trip with my friend Gretchen is messed up by rain, I am going to be one angry angry girl.

And now on to the second thing we're dealing with today. For the past few years, we have had Verizon Wireless phone service, as well as wireless internet through a USB device. Recently, we made the switch to AT&T, mostly because I wanted an iPhone, and also because they offer an unlimited DSL internet package that would work for multiple computers at once. When we switched, everything seemed as though it might go smoothly, but it's all been downhill from there. My parents' cell phones were shipped to our old address(thank goodness it's a UPS Store box that we kept open!), there were problems setting up the home phone service and DirecTV(which we ordered through AT&T), and my iPhone and internet(once we got that set up) have both been having some problems. Once we finally got everything set up, we thought we were finally done with it, but no. The home phones barely work, and to call down to the cottage, which is my grandparents' phone, you get weird noises as you are talking...dial tones, ringing, answering machine recordings. It's actually quite interesting to listen to, but a definite pain in the butt when you want to be talking to someone and not hearing strange sounds in your ear. Of course we called to get this problem fixed, and so far we have had three technicians out here, but no fixing has occured. We did find out that all the phone lines underground are tangled and need to be fixed, but all they are doing is sending more people out to tell us that's the problem, instead of sending out someone to fix it. Hopefully today we will finally get it fixed. It's really annoying, and my internet is affected by the tangled phone lines as well...just typing this blog is hard when my computer keeps freezing due to painfully slow internet.

All of this leads me to the final topic of this blog, customer service. Now I know most companies try their hardest, and I am sure that even though we are getting less than stellar service, AT&T is trying to fix this problem. But if you think about it, most people today do not get very good customer service when they go somewhere with a problem. How many times have you heard a story from someone you know about the ordeal they went through with customer service for their phone, or their furniture, or their television, or their returns in the grocery store. Generally speaking, customer service in most companies is falling by the wayside, and this could be partially due to the fact that most large companies are now growing so large that each customer cannot possibly receive individualized attention. This is understandable, but customer service is vitally important to a business, and perhaps companies should focus just a bit more on giving people quality service than on being the biggest and best. The true best company is the one that offers their customers excellent service at an excellent value and doesn't slack on customer service.

Until Next Time,
Live and Love(and good luck with any customer service problems!),
Melanie

Relaxing!

So this blog is going to be all about the importance of relaxation! Sure, we all enjoy relaxing now and then, but a lot of times we choose to do work because we feel it HAS to be done or that we have no choice. Don't get me wrong, this is a good attitude, but if you don't give yourself time to rest every once in a while, all you're going to do is make yourself insane and exhausted.

My advice is simple: Take at least one day a week and DO NOTHING. It doesn't matter what deadlines you have or what chores need to get done. There will always be time to do everything, and the best thing for a busy schedule is sometimes doing nothing at all. Eventually, everything will get done, and making yourself crazy in the meantime won't help at all.

Until next time,
Live and Love(and take a break!),
Melanie

Furniture!

So today was a very productive day! We finally got furniture, which is being delivered, and I cannot wait until I finally have a real furnished house! It's going to be so awesome! Also, my room will soon be set up completely, and I will be able to decorate.

Current I am video chatting, which is incredibly fun, although I do wish that skype had three person video chatting capabilities! Oh well, maybe one day, right? Besides the furniture, my day was pretty boring and typical, nothing of interest happened, and I am at a loss for things to blog about, therefore this will be a short blog.

Until next time,
Live and Love,
Melanie

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!

So, I think a very important thing to blog about would be the fact that today is my parents' birthday(I won't say how old they are, we'll just go with 'old'). Yes, you did hear me right, they have the same birthday, same day, month, and year. Personally, I find that very cool, but it's also a bit weird...and definitely unique! People always think we're kidding when we tell them about their birthday's being the same, either that or they think we're wrong when we write it down somewhere or something. It's really funny to get a call that you put your birthdate down wrong when in fact you didn't...

We didn't do anything major to celebrate today, we just went to breakfast/brunch at the Original Pancake House, which was excellent, and then spent a lot of the day furniture shopping and went to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Outback was awesome, and the waiter was incredible, really nice, funny, and very very CUTE as well, so it was a definite win all the way around. There were a lot of birthdays happening at Outback tonight, we kept hearing the waiters come over and sing to people(yes, they came to our table as well, with some complimentary hot fudge sundaes...yum!). So, on the slim chance anyone with an April 23rd birthday reads this blog, happy birthday to you as well! I hope you have/had a great day.

Until Next Time,

Live and Love,
Melanie

I apologize, but I must rant once more

I bet you didn't think I'd be ranting in a blog again for a while, did you? Well if you thought that, you were wrong. I am sorry, but a rant is necessary today.

On Sunday, my family and I went out to purchase beds for the new house. We asked if they could be delivered on Monday, and after assuring us that that would be fine, we were told(AFTER they charged the credit card!) that the bed was out of stock, they only had one(we purchased two of the same model) and they couldn't deliver them until Thursday. We agreed, although we were disappointed, and expected that the delivery on Thursday(today) would go smoothly. Of course, that couldn't be the case.

This morning we received a call that our mattresses would be delivered around lunchtime today. Fifteen minutes or so later, we were told they would be here any minute. When they arrived, the two delivery men came in, rushed through the setup of the beds, and as they were about to leave, we noticed that my bed tag had a different name on it than my parents' bed(again, they were supposed to be the SAME MODEL). When we pointed this out, the delivery men were very upset and confused, and the store really didn't have an answer when we called them about it. Currently, we are still working on a resolution, the general manager doesn't wish to speak to anyone about a complaint, and this entire thing is incredibly annoying. I don't understand how customer service can be so awful in a retail business, but perhaps this is why so many businesses are going out of business in our world today...

Until next time,

Live and Love(and good luck dealing with mattress stores!),
Melanie

Happiness!!!

As I am writing this blog, I am incredibly incredibly happy. I just got some wonderful news, a friend of mine will be coming to Florida, and if all goes according to plan I shall be meeting her!!! So this is wonderful and incredible and awesome news...I have a right to be happy, don't you think?

Today was a fairly boring day. I am doing testing for school this week, and so that occupied part of my morning. Also, I had a voice/piano lesson today, always a lot of fun! This week I must practice, practice, practice my voice and piano and try to have an AWESOME lesson next week!!!

And of course, today I watched American Idol! It was inspirational week thanks to Idol Gives Back, and while the only "wow" performance was given by Crystal Bowersox, I have to say everyone was fairly solid. It's going to be interesting to see who goes home tomorrow night, and of course I can't wait for the Idol Gives Back special with all the wonderful guest stars and fabulous performances that will undoutedbly be airing.

Well I think I've said enough for one blog...until next time,

Live and Love,
Melanie

If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best

You may or may not have heard the quote "If you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best" by Marilyn Monroe. It is, in my opinion, a fabulous quote, and lately it has been my motto. It is especially true when dealing with a certain ex-friend of mine who decided recently that she no longer wished to speak to me. The thing is, as hard as I have tried to care, I really can't. Why should I miss someone who doesn't even miss me? And why should I put effort into caring about someone who doesn't care about me? The answer to both is that I shouldn't. And this doesn't only go for me. People shouldn't put effort into something that they get no return from. If it isn't making you money or giving you joy in some way, don't do it. And if you're putting effort into a relationship(romantic or friendship) with another person, and that person isn't putting the same effort in, there is a very good chance they are not worth your time at all. It can be hard to end relationships that once made you happy, but if that same relationship is now making your miserable or that person is now driving you nuts, you should move on. And anyone that wants you to change how you act or has double standards isn't someone worth your time. You deserve WAY better.

Live and Love,
Melanie

This is a rant, just so you know

I dislike people who bend rules and systems, ignoring logic to get what they want. Corrupt people are really twisted, and when they are in a sport, things get incredibly unfair because people are cheated out of awards and honors they deserve, due to jealousy and unfair practices being disguised as "protocols". A friend of mine just experienced a situation like this, and while I won't go into it in order to protect all involved and not cause problems in a situation that doesn't involve me, I just want to express how unfair and twisted it is that situations like this occur in our world, and corrupt people and practices should be abolished from everywhere, especially any kind of sports-related activity which should be objective and fair for all.

Live and Love(And fight for what's right),
Melanie

Nature(and DisneyNatures Earth)

Ever since it came out in theaters and then on DVD, I have wanted to watch DisneyNatures Earth. Tonight, I finally got around to it, and I was very impressed by what I saw. The movie told the touching(and sometimes heartwrenching) stories of some of Earth's most interesting creatures, including in-depth looks at the Polar Bear, Humpback Whale, and African Elephant. The movie, full of breath-taking scenes and incredible images, also gave a solid warning about the damage we are doing to our world, folded carefully in with facts about the Earth and the creatures and places in and on it. Watching Earth, I was reminded again just how much we owe to this majestic world, and just how much we should be striving to give it. I know some people don't agree that we are causing harm to our world, and others simply ignore the harm and believe that it will somehow go away or be resolved without their having to pay any attention. Sadly, it won't. Every human being can do something to help our magnificent planet. Things as small as turning off light switches and making energy-saving choices in our daily lives can make a surprisingly big impact on the world. I don't want to tell anyone how to live their lives. Admittedly, I myself am not the "greenest" person, something I would like to change. But small, simple actions can help, and if we each go out of our way just a little bit, we CAN make a difference, a difference that is much-needed on Earth.

Live and Love,
Melanie

People are Crazy

Hello people of the internet!

So today I thought I would focus on a line from a song of mine that I find to be incredibly true. "People are crazy". That line is from the song also named "People Are Crazy"(go figure!) and sung by Billy Currington. If you've never heard it, I strongly suggest checking it out, its an awesome song with a surprise at the end that makes me laugh every time.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking about a random song lyric in a random song, but hey...I'm random, and thats all there is to it. There also happens to be a lot of truth in that line, don't you think? People ARE crazy. We've all met at least one crazy person at some point, we might even know a crazy person now(we could even be one ourselves!). Now, I don't mean to suggest that "crazy" is a synonym for "bad". Crazy people aren't necessarily bad people, and I would never suggest they are. In fact, I consider myself to be crazy, so crazy is hardly an insult coming from me. If I start calling you normal, thats when you should worry!

People do crazy things. Even the people most "sane" have done at least ONE crazy thing in their lives. But thats a good thing, because our lives shouldn't be defined by boundaries and walls, limiting us to boring and colorless normalcy. Doesn't that sound awful? Yeah, I thought so. Personally, I'm thrilled to not be "normal". And of course, this opens us up to the question: What IS "normal"? Is there even such a thing? Normal is defined by humans, and who has the ability to truly define it? We are not all the same, and therefore there can be no "normal".

I am crazy and proud of it! Until next time,

Live and Love(and let yourself be crazy!),
Melanie

Television!

Mostly, today was a boring day. A lot of it was spent on the computer. But today we did get DirecTV installed, and I am thrilled to report that our new TV is amazing to watch! We watched American Idol tonight...(farewell Andrew and Katie!) and it was so much fun to watch with HD on a bigger screen than I am used to....

My grandparents also moved here to the farm today. I am looking forward to having them around, it could be fun. It will be a bit of a change, I haven't had them living with us for a while, but we shall see...after some getting used to, I'm sure things will go fine.

Live and Love,
Melanie

I didn't blog yesterday! (And American Idol)

I can't believe I didn't blog yesterday! I missed an entire day, and I'm really very sorry about that. Not much has been happening with me, so I don't exactly have much to blog about. Last night I went to see "The Last Song" movie, which wasn't bad, but I much prefer the book...which I did finish, and which I absolutely LOVE.

Tonight was American Idol! The contestants were performing the song by the one and only Elvis Presley, a true icon in the music industry. Everyone did a pretty good job tonight, and even though there were no performances that made me say "wow!", there were none that made me say "ew!", which is always a good thing! I can't wait for the results show tomorrow night, and then next week is Idols Give Back, which is always a fun episode.

So I think this is enough blogging for one night. Until next time...

Live and Love,
Melanie

Books!

Alright, so thanks to an excellent recommendation from my friend Stephanie, I have decided this blog will be about one of my favorite things...books! I have loved books for almost my entire life, and I've been reading since I was about three, so this is a great subject for me!

Currently I am finishing up "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks. It is a fabulous book, a new favorite of mine, and should definitely go on anyone's must-read list if you enjoy a heart-warming(and heart-wrenching in parts) story. I am going to see the movie tomorrow, and cannot wait, so I will be sure to mention it in my blog, or perhaps just write my own review of it tomorrow!

Of course, this wouldn't be a very good book blog if I didn't mention some of my other favorite books. One of my all-time favorite series is the Warriors series(and also the Seekers series) by Erin Hunter. These books are found in the childrens/young reader section of your bookstore/library, but they are not childishly written, and I have been captivated by them and their incredible stories and brilliantly written characters for many years now. Now if you haven't heard of or read these books, you should definitely go check them out!

Now, how could this be a book blog if I didn't mention two of the biggest teen/young adult/adult book series in the country(and the world!) Twilight and Harry Potter. Now, I am a huge fan of both of these series(yes, that IS possible!) and I have read all the books and seen the movies for both. I think they are both fabulously written, and on the INCREDIBLY slim chance Stephenie Meyer or J.K. Rowling were to read this(hey, it could happen...in a dream), I would just like to take this moment to request more books from the both of you! I know you both ended your respective series and are working on new projects(at least I certainly hope so, because we can't get enough of your work!), and I have no wish to see either series drag on just for the sake of having more books, but a follow up story to catch up with your characters would be an AWESOME touch, in my opinion, and certainly something readers would love!

Well, I think I have gone on enough for one blog! Thanks for reading, and until next time...

Live and Love(and read!),
Melanie

Awful Day(I love my iPhone)

So today was a really really horrible day. Quite awful. Honestly. It stunk. Badly. I've been in one of those "moods" all day and I'm really just bleh today. One bright spot in the day was that I put my iPod in my iPhone on shuffle and it decided to be awesome and play some great songs, which really made me feel better. My day went up about a million notches, so life is betterish, and that is a very good thing.

So I love love love my iPod for being so sweet to me. Really showed just how healing music can be in many different situations and made me love it all the more. Don't you agree?

Live and Love,
Melanie

Stuff

Ok, so this is going to be the most random blog post I have ever done(and possibly the most random one ever). I am currently listening to music(recommendations from friends). Today was a rather boring day, we went shopping...I bought bubble bath! Yay! I can't wait to use it! Hopefully tomorrow...

I have a video chat planned with some friends tomorrow! I can't wait for that, so excited! And...that is about all I have to say at the moment. I apologize for the short and stupid blog post.

Live and Love,
Melanie

My name

Hey everyone.
So yesterday my friends and I decided an interesting thing to do would be to look for songs named after one another. Surprisingly, there were a LOT of songs named Melanie, including one by "Weird" Al Yankovic(who I had never heard of...Martina promptly gave me a great education). The song is wonderful and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! So funny to put myself into it, since it is named after me.

So if you'd like, you should definitely check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEs8_1LUaBU This is going to be a short blog, but perhaps I'll blog some more later. Until next time...

Live and Love,
Melanie

Painting

I have never painted anything. Nothing at all. And so today was an interesting day for me. I spent it painting walls in my grandparents' cottage, and I have to say it was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work too. Using a roller and watching the walls slowly become covered with paint is a really cool feeling that I enjoyed, but feeling your arms get sorer and watching your hands get covered in paint is a bit less fun! But despite the sore arms and paint on my hands and clothes, I am proud to report that the walls in my grandparents' cottage are now a lovely yellow, and I did(if I do say so myself) an awesome job. :)

Also, I watched American Idol. I was right! Michael "Big Mike" Lynche was saved by the judges on tonights results show. Which means two go next week...so they all need to bring their "A" game!

Live and Love,
Melanie

I didn't blog yesterday! *gasp*

Oh my! So it turns out, that I missed a day of blogging! Technically, since it is 12:23 am, it is now Wednesday, April 7th, and I did not blog at all on Tuesday! So this must count as a double blog.

My Tuesday was fairly normal, I went to my voice and piano lesson, ate pizza and watched American Idol. It was a really good night on AI, some people really impressed me, and I thought everyone did a pretty good job...my dad and I are thinking the judges save might be used this week, but we'll see...

So this is going to be short blog...I really can't think of anything else to say and I don't want to ramble on aimlessly. Oh, but before I go, I felt it was worth noting the fact that my cat is sleeping on my legs at I write this...

Live and Love,
Melanie

Music(One of my favorite things!)

So, although I originally intended to post daily, that decision has been abandoned and I have decided to simply post when I feel inspired or have something to say. Right now, I have absolutely nothing to say, but I DO feel inspired to write anyway, so here goes.

If you know me, you already know music is one of the most important things in my life. If you don't know me, that is one of the first things you should find out. And since my blog is about my life(see title above), then music is something that simply must be mentioned.

I like to think I have broad musical tastes. That is not always true, as I tend to like what I like and stick with it, but I'll listen to almost anything you put in front of me, although I give no promises about liking it. (My friend Ryan knows how true this is!) I prefer to listen to country music, and there are very few country songs I dislike, but I also like pop/rock music, especially lately as I have been listening to it more and more. And thanks to my friend Ryan(yes, another shoutout!) I have become, in my mind, a bit of a Lady Gaga fan, particularly the song "Paparazzi". I also love love love Orianthi, and her song "According to You" is one of my favorites. Going back to country, I am a big Taylor Swift fan, Reba McEntire fan, and Brad Paisley fan, among others, and I also love The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and the Scene, and others.

All that being said, I can't talk about my favorite artists and entertainers without mentioning Carrie Underwood. As my friends know, I love every Carrie Underwood song ever sang, including the covers, know every word to them all, and when her album Play On came out, I drove said friends crazy with a description of just how incredible it was(as I listened to it 5 times in a row). Carrie is a brilliant singer and entertainer, and I truly admire her and her incredible voice.

So I think I have rambled on enough for one blog! I don't know how many people actually read this, but if you do, please feel free to comment! And if you'd like to talk about your own favorite musicians and songs, feel free, also if you have a suggestion for a good blog topic, I'd love to hear it!

Live and Love,
Melanie

I managed to wait until today....

So I'm sure you all remember how easily I broke my decision of not posting a second blog until the next day. Well, I managed to at least make myself wait until today to post my THIRD blog so yay for that.

Today is a day that is generally boring, so if I describe it to you, you will most likely be extremely bored and decide never to read my blog again. Therefore, I will give you a completely "true" account of my day.

I woke up this morning feeling like a superhero. That could be because I spent the night fighting crime, not really sure. I leapt out of bed just as my cell phone rang. It was the mayor calling with a cry for help. I dashed from my house, dressed in my trusty cape, ready to save the day as always. I dashed to the bank, which was being robbed, and I quickly put the criminal behind bars. I finished off my afternoon with a celebratory lunch and then headed home and polished off my schoolwork like the high schooler I am.

Now, if you believed a word of that, I have some ocean front property in Wyoming that I'd LOVE to sell you.

Live and Love,
Melanie

My Friends (A Blog Dedicated to Martina)

Well, I said to myself that I wouldn't blog again until tomorrow. Attention self: I lied. My friend Martina told me that I should blog about how awesome she was. I bet she was joking...I wouldn't seriously write a blog about her, would I? Why yes, yes I would.

But this blog isn't JUST about Martina. That would be strange...and very creepy if I do say so myself. This blog is about my friends, all of my friends. So here goes.

My friends are insane. They are crazy, wacky, nutty, goofy, annoying, weird people. They are as crazy, wacky, nutty, goofy, annoying, and weird as I am. And they're also, sweet, funny, caring, beautiful(inside and out), amazing, incredible people. I am so lucky to know them and lucky they even want to talk to me at all. And as cheesy as it may sound, I completely mean that, and I want them all to know it. <3

Live and Love(Until tomorrow for REAL this time),
Melanie

Let's Give This a Shot, Shall We?

You may have seen the movie Julie and Julia. Whether you have or not is completely irrelevant, but if you have you know a lot of blogging takes place (it is generally the base for the entire movie), and perhaps you can understand why someone watching that movie would be inspired to blog. This is the case with me.

And so I decided to start a blog. My blog isn't about a year spent cooking fabulous recipes, it isn't about a goal or a program...it's about me. And if you have any desire to know about me and my random ramblings, I hope you'll read.

Live and Love,
Melanie