First of all, sorry for the one post last week. Sometimes two posts feels overwhelming, which is bad, because it shouldn't be. But it was a busy week, and we're going for flexibility, and if you have a problem with that, then you should probably find a different blog to read.
Yep, it's going to be one of those nights.
As you know, I'm looking for a condo or townhouse to buy so my bestie and I can feel like real grown-ups. I went to two open houses this weekend, and while there are some great places out there, so much depends on my budget, which right now is limiting.
So I'm contemplating ways to make some extra dough, and I'm also considering what my dad told me: people who are really successful do things that other people don't consider doing or aren't willing to do. He gave the example that the garbage man is usually the richest man in town because he does what no one else wants to do. So he encouraged me to find something that I'm passionate about and make that into my job. Do something that others won't do or aren't willing to do so that I can live in a way that others can't.
It makes sense. Dad bought a gas station when he was two years younger than I am. Dad is a risk-taker and a man of reason and faith, and he calls it like it is. He's very black and white. I am too, but probably not to the same degree. So I feel stuck, because I want to do something unusual and out there and something that I'm passionate about and that I can make a living off of and that I can pursue and all that, but I don't know what that something is.
I want to work more with people than with a computer.
I want to work with a purpose.
I want to use my gifts and talents that God has given me.
I want to do something that hopefully I could continue once I have kids.
I want to tangibly advance the Kingdom of God.
Any ideas?
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Funny Friday: Blurb Edition
Here are just a couple funny things that have happened. This could also be called "Dad Edition" because both of these happened with Pops. And without further ado, here we go.
Story Number One:
Dad and I went to the jewelry story last night to finally sort out the problems with my birthday ring. The lady was showing me around, and there were a few that had very pretty engraving on the sides, or profile, rather, and so I was admiring them. I asked to see one in particular, since I was looking down at it. The lady handed it to me and I admired it, then turned it so I was looking down at the table through the circle {I hope that makes sense!} and lo and behold, in the profile of the ring the word "Mom" was engraved! I said, "Um, this one says "mom"...I don't need that yet!" And the lady laughed and said, "You know, let's not surprise Dad with that, shall we?"
Story Number Two:
Mom and Dad and I were on our way home from the bank. It's in a busy mall area, with lots of busses and pedestrians and apartments. Dad glances out the window and says, "Phew!"
Mom and I asked him what that was all about.
Dad said, "I saw a lady pushing her kid in a stroller and thought, geeze, that's an ugly kid! It looks like a monkey! And then I realized the kid was wearing a monkey hat."
Story Number One:
Dad and I went to the jewelry story last night to finally sort out the problems with my birthday ring. The lady was showing me around, and there were a few that had very pretty engraving on the sides, or profile, rather, and so I was admiring them. I asked to see one in particular, since I was looking down at it. The lady handed it to me and I admired it, then turned it so I was looking down at the table through the circle {I hope that makes sense!} and lo and behold, in the profile of the ring the word "Mom" was engraved! I said, "Um, this one says "mom"...I don't need that yet!" And the lady laughed and said, "You know, let's not surprise Dad with that, shall we?"
Story Number Two:
Mom and Dad and I were on our way home from the bank. It's in a busy mall area, with lots of busses and pedestrians and apartments. Dad glances out the window and says, "Phew!"
Mom and I asked him what that was all about.
Dad said, "I saw a lady pushing her kid in a stroller and thought, geeze, that's an ugly kid! It looks like a monkey! And then I realized the kid was wearing a monkey hat."
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Thoughtful Tidbits
In no particular order, here are some thoughts...
Grandma told me last night that she is very glad to live with us and that she's grateful she's not alone. She said that even when we're in different rooms doing different things, it's ok because she's not alone in the house. This really made me think, because Grandma and I are very much alike: we are both firstborns {that encompasses A LOT}, we are both very organized, and we both like to be around people. But it's been a big change having her with us... to be fair, I got home only a day and a half before she moved in, and that was less than a month ago, so everyone is still adjusting.
Like the new look? I finally sat down and learned how to make tabs up there- woot! Feel free to check it out and give suggestions, either for the Intro page or for future pages. What do you want to see?
Mom and Pops are in Texas for a couple days, enjoying the 90* weather...I'm not jealous...well, not very jealous. 75* is my ideal temp, but I'll take 90 over 40 :(
Speaking of Texas, I'm heading there myself in a couple of weeks. My internship in the Frozen Tundra ended, but I agreed to go to Dallas and help out with their big event there. Yay for business travel! It will be fun to see my co-workers again, and the sunshine sure helps :)
My weekend plans consist of the Ladies' Conference at church and maybe painting my nails. How about you?
Grandma told me last night that she is very glad to live with us and that she's grateful she's not alone. She said that even when we're in different rooms doing different things, it's ok because she's not alone in the house. This really made me think, because Grandma and I are very much alike: we are both firstborns {that encompasses A LOT}, we are both very organized, and we both like to be around people. But it's been a big change having her with us... to be fair, I got home only a day and a half before she moved in, and that was less than a month ago, so everyone is still adjusting.
Like the new look? I finally sat down and learned how to make tabs up there- woot! Feel free to check it out and give suggestions, either for the Intro page or for future pages. What do you want to see?
Mom and Pops are in Texas for a couple days, enjoying the 90* weather...I'm not jealous...well, not very jealous. 75* is my ideal temp, but I'll take 90 over 40 :(
Speaking of Texas, I'm heading there myself in a couple of weeks. My internship in the Frozen Tundra ended, but I agreed to go to Dallas and help out with their big event there. Yay for business travel! It will be fun to see my co-workers again, and the sunshine sure helps :)
My weekend plans consist of the Ladies' Conference at church and maybe painting my nails. How about you?
Sunday, April 14, 2013
In Loving Memory...
Yesterday was my grandpa's "celebration of life" service. I wish the pictures were on my work computer so I could share some with you, but that will have to wait for another time. Tonight I'd just like to process it all out.
The day started with a yummy breakfast feast from Mums. Our cousins from over the mountains had come over Friday night and spent the night on our air mattress so they could attend the service. My aunt came to the house and drove Grandma to the church. We picked up Sister E from MCs. Sister J got a haircut. We were all running around the house getting dressed and borrowing jewelry and curling each other's hair, and you know how it is with sisters- we love getting dressed up together! It's fun to "get beautiful" together, although sometimes you just want to have the bathroom to yourself for just ten seconds! But really, it's fun. But there was this dimension of solemnity also, that we weren't getting dressed up to go out on the town; we were getting dressed up because we were going to be speaking at a funeral, basically. We were getting dressed up because my grandpa is in Heaven.
I'm so, so grateful that I get to see Grandpa again. There's no way to describe the peace that is within me, and that's good, because Jesus promised us peace that surpasses understanding, and He has been so faithful to provide that. What I'm describing here is just the atmosphere as we were getting ready. There was excitement, some laughter and teasing, and some grief because we miss Grandpa, but also peace, because he is in a much better place and we don't wish him back to earth. It was just different, and it was good.
We got all ready and then we drove to the church. It's only 10 minutes away, if you hit all 3 red lights. Seriously. So we get there, and our dear family friend Laurie has organized lunch for the family, a lot of whom were already there. It was weird to see these people, mainly because we hadn't seen them for at least 5 years. Thankfully, I knew most of their faces from the slideshow I had put together, and since Grandma had identified them to me for the slideshow, my sisters made me go first and say hello. What a good older sister I am. :)
After lunch, my sisters and I snuck into an empty part of the church to practice our speech. We were doing it all at once, popcorn-style, and we wanted to work on our transitions. I think we were all nervous, because we laughed more than we spoke. Somehow we got through it and were able to join the rest of the family and start welcoming guests.
Up to this point, it seemed very surreal. People would come in, hug us, ask how we were doing, and give their regards or say something sweet, and we would respond with "thank you" and "glad you came" and things like that, and then I would think, this is what people say when they've lost someone...I am the person who has lost someone... and it felt very strange.
It was not until we were sitting in the front row of the sanctuary and the pastor started speaking about Grandpa that it really, truly hit me, and I think it hit my sisters too, because all of a sudden there was a pile of used tissues between E and me, and there was more sniffing down the row.
My grandma wrote a letter of sorts, and my mom read it for her. Thankfully I had heard it before, so I was prepared and could make eye contact with Mom as she read. It was so well done, and I'm glad that people could have that understanding of Grandpa's life before the rest of the people spoke.
My dad was next, and this part was surreal again, because my brain couldn't reconcile the fact that my grandpa had died, which meant my dad had lost his dad. I cannot imagine losing my dad, so I think there was still shock or denial going on inside me while Dad spoke. But he spoke so well, and he made people laugh and cry, which is good at Life Celebrations.
My cousin spoke about Grandpa's generosity, which is funny because that was one of the themes my sisters and I found when we were preparing our speech. When it was our turn, we were all composed and doing good, and it all went smoothly except when J started to speak about how Grandpa made everyone feel special and was so giving to everyone...she cried, and she did it gracefully, and I think it brought reality to everyone, because my sisters and I are used to public speaking, so we were all prepared and composed and it was almost easy to forget that we were doing this because Grandpa was gone from us, but her tears reminded everyone that we are all grieving and that even while we shared funny stories or great memories, it hurts! It hurts like hell, and it was a miracle that we all got through it so composedly.
After we shared, most of my tears dried up. There were a few shed when Grandpa's best friend Roy shared and he had to wipe his eyes, and then when we ended with Matt Redmon's song "10,000 Reasons" because this song now has three teary times associated with it. But anyway, the service was completely beautiful and wonderful, and people were so nice, and we came home with literally bags of food that we will have to freeze because there is so much!
I shared my funny Grandpa story on Friday, and now I want to share the story that Sister P shared.
We were at Sunrise for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, and we asked Grandpa "Do you want water or juice to drink?"
He replied, "Water is for bathing and putting out fires. I want juice!"
The best part of this story is that Grandpa never drank water even before Alzheimer's. He always preferred milk or cocoa or juice, but never water. Too funny, especially considering my love for water...obviously not from that side of the family!
Anyway, the service was great, and my family talked about it and prayed together afterwards, and we recognized that this was some good closure and our hearts are healing and we've had time to grieve and we're doing good. I'm so grateful that everything went smoothly and that there were laughs as wells as tears, and that Jesus was honored through my grandpa's life. That's the point, after all.
The day started with a yummy breakfast feast from Mums. Our cousins from over the mountains had come over Friday night and spent the night on our air mattress so they could attend the service. My aunt came to the house and drove Grandma to the church. We picked up Sister E from MCs. Sister J got a haircut. We were all running around the house getting dressed and borrowing jewelry and curling each other's hair, and you know how it is with sisters- we love getting dressed up together! It's fun to "get beautiful" together, although sometimes you just want to have the bathroom to yourself for just ten seconds! But really, it's fun. But there was this dimension of solemnity also, that we weren't getting dressed up to go out on the town; we were getting dressed up because we were going to be speaking at a funeral, basically. We were getting dressed up because my grandpa is in Heaven.
I'm so, so grateful that I get to see Grandpa again. There's no way to describe the peace that is within me, and that's good, because Jesus promised us peace that surpasses understanding, and He has been so faithful to provide that. What I'm describing here is just the atmosphere as we were getting ready. There was excitement, some laughter and teasing, and some grief because we miss Grandpa, but also peace, because he is in a much better place and we don't wish him back to earth. It was just different, and it was good.
We got all ready and then we drove to the church. It's only 10 minutes away, if you hit all 3 red lights. Seriously. So we get there, and our dear family friend Laurie has organized lunch for the family, a lot of whom were already there. It was weird to see these people, mainly because we hadn't seen them for at least 5 years. Thankfully, I knew most of their faces from the slideshow I had put together, and since Grandma had identified them to me for the slideshow, my sisters made me go first and say hello. What a good older sister I am. :)
After lunch, my sisters and I snuck into an empty part of the church to practice our speech. We were doing it all at once, popcorn-style, and we wanted to work on our transitions. I think we were all nervous, because we laughed more than we spoke. Somehow we got through it and were able to join the rest of the family and start welcoming guests.
Up to this point, it seemed very surreal. People would come in, hug us, ask how we were doing, and give their regards or say something sweet, and we would respond with "thank you" and "glad you came" and things like that, and then I would think, this is what people say when they've lost someone...I am the person who has lost someone... and it felt very strange.
It was not until we were sitting in the front row of the sanctuary and the pastor started speaking about Grandpa that it really, truly hit me, and I think it hit my sisters too, because all of a sudden there was a pile of used tissues between E and me, and there was more sniffing down the row.
My grandma wrote a letter of sorts, and my mom read it for her. Thankfully I had heard it before, so I was prepared and could make eye contact with Mom as she read. It was so well done, and I'm glad that people could have that understanding of Grandpa's life before the rest of the people spoke.
My dad was next, and this part was surreal again, because my brain couldn't reconcile the fact that my grandpa had died, which meant my dad had lost his dad. I cannot imagine losing my dad, so I think there was still shock or denial going on inside me while Dad spoke. But he spoke so well, and he made people laugh and cry, which is good at Life Celebrations.
My cousin spoke about Grandpa's generosity, which is funny because that was one of the themes my sisters and I found when we were preparing our speech. When it was our turn, we were all composed and doing good, and it all went smoothly except when J started to speak about how Grandpa made everyone feel special and was so giving to everyone...she cried, and she did it gracefully, and I think it brought reality to everyone, because my sisters and I are used to public speaking, so we were all prepared and composed and it was almost easy to forget that we were doing this because Grandpa was gone from us, but her tears reminded everyone that we are all grieving and that even while we shared funny stories or great memories, it hurts! It hurts like hell, and it was a miracle that we all got through it so composedly.
After we shared, most of my tears dried up. There were a few shed when Grandpa's best friend Roy shared and he had to wipe his eyes, and then when we ended with Matt Redmon's song "10,000 Reasons" because this song now has three teary times associated with it. But anyway, the service was completely beautiful and wonderful, and people were so nice, and we came home with literally bags of food that we will have to freeze because there is so much!
I shared my funny Grandpa story on Friday, and now I want to share the story that Sister P shared.
We were at Sunrise for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, and we asked Grandpa "Do you want water or juice to drink?"
He replied, "Water is for bathing and putting out fires. I want juice!"
The best part of this story is that Grandpa never drank water even before Alzheimer's. He always preferred milk or cocoa or juice, but never water. Too funny, especially considering my love for water...obviously not from that side of the family!
Anyway, the service was great, and my family talked about it and prayed together afterwards, and we recognized that this was some good closure and our hearts are healing and we've had time to grieve and we're doing good. I'm so grateful that everything went smoothly and that there were laughs as wells as tears, and that Jesus was honored through my grandpa's life. That's the point, after all.
Labels:
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Alzheimer's disease,
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change,
death,
family,
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grief,
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passing,
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Wat Bot
Friday, April 12, 2013
Funny Friday-Football Edition
First of all, I'm totally not into sports, but I do know that it is baseball season, not football season. Thank you. I am aware.
Alright, onto the story.
Background:
Previously in my life {Miranda reference, anyone?} my high school teacher told us stories of her Powder Puff Football games and how she was a beast at it in college. When I entered college, my knowledge of football covered these areas:
Alright, onto the story.
Background:
Previously in my life {Miranda reference, anyone?} my high school teacher told us stories of her Powder Puff Football games and how she was a beast at it in college. When I entered college, my knowledge of football covered these areas:
- There is a game called football.
- There is a version called flag football.
- There is a version called powder puff football {does that remind anyone else of the Powerpuff Girls? No? Just me. Awesome.}
Seriously, that's it. I could identify a football and I know that the teams try to make touchdowns. They wear helmets and tights, and they play in the snow.
Scene:
With this knowledge in my head, I went off to college. My school's football team has been undefeated since like the 1930s, mainly because we haven't had a team since then. Butforrealztho!
My lovely and kind friend texted me and said "Would you like to join our Fantasy Football team? We need one more player."
I think to myself, well, why not? So I text her back: "I've never played before, but sure, why not?"
She responds: "Great! Just send me your email address and we'll get you set up!"
Email address? Why would she need my email address to play football? Probably to send the costume details...
Yes, friends. I thought that Fantasy Football meant that players dressed up as "fantasy" characters and played football like that. I imagined a field filled with Gandalf, Aslan, the Wicked Witch of the West, Tinkerbell, and other fantastical beings. Never in my mind did I equate "fantasy football" with "my imaginary team managed online and played against my friends' imaginary teams but the points are based on actual games by actual players." Nope. Never got that. Guess my years on stage got me hooked on costumes.
I think I'll leave you with that. You are probably correctly assuming that my friends and I burst out belly-laughing over that one. We still do, and you can laugh, too; it's ok. Have a good weekend!
Yes, friends. I thought that Fantasy Football meant that players dressed up as "fantasy" characters and played football like that. I imagined a field filled with Gandalf, Aslan, the Wicked Witch of the West, Tinkerbell, and other fantastical beings. Never in my mind did I equate "fantasy football" with "my imaginary team managed online and played against my friends' imaginary teams but the points are based on actual games by actual players." Nope. Never got that. Guess my years on stage got me hooked on costumes.
I think I'll leave you with that. You are probably correctly assuming that my friends and I burst out belly-laughing over that one. We still do, and you can laugh, too; it's ok. Have a good weekend!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Um, yeah…hi.
Ei yi yi. Sorry about the Funny Friday fail. Haha, I just continued my own alliteration. Ok sorry, moving on.
Ok, so like I said previously, lots of things have changed around here and life is busy and crazy and isn't all life? It’s just the adjustment period of getting used to living in a new place and working with other people’s schedules and things like that. Gotta add blogging into the ol’ routine.
So I interviewed for a job on Friday and then another one on Tuesday. They’re for Saturday receptionist positions, which I’m thinking will simply help expedite the buying-a-house-like-a-grown-up process. Woot. The one I interviewed for Tuesday is not going to work- I already emailed the gal and told her thanks but no thanks, so we’ll see if I hear from yonder Friday interviewer today.
Also, hello! Babysitting jobs galore! I signed up for a couple of websites and applied for less than 20 jobs, and BOOM! People email me back! Apparently babysitting for 10 kids at a time makes for pretty decent experience, right, AJ? ;) The answer is yes, for those who don’t know.
Moving on from my weekend habits…
My grandpa’s memorial is this Saturday. Mom helped Grandma narrow the oodles and oodles of pictures down to less than 200. I kid you not. Mom and I went to the store and scanned 173 pictures for the slideshow. So we put those pictures into PowerPoint last night, and today I've sized and cropped and labeled them. Tomorrow I’ll sit down with Grandma and have her identify the people that I can’t. We’ll add music and then we’ll be good to go on Saturday.
My sisters and I are going to share our memories of Grandpa together. We've written down quite a few memories, and then we organized them and determined who is going to share which one, and when J comes home from college on Friday, we’ll run through it and time ourselves. There are several other people speaking, so we need to be timely. I’m sure we’ll do fine, though, since we have so much public speaking experience.
So that’s basically been the extent of life right now: work, work, and the memorial. I will do my utmost to post Funny Friday’s tale this week, but just in case, here is something funny that I’m going to share on Saturday.
Grandpa and I were in the car while Grandma went into the store. A bald gentleman walked in front of the car.
Grandpa: Well, I bet his haircuts are cheap!
Enjoy your week!
Ok, so like I said previously, lots of things have changed around here and life is busy and crazy and isn't all life? It’s just the adjustment period of getting used to living in a new place and working with other people’s schedules and things like that. Gotta add blogging into the ol’ routine.
So I interviewed for a job on Friday and then another one on Tuesday. They’re for Saturday receptionist positions, which I’m thinking will simply help expedite the buying-a-house-like-a-grown-up process. Woot. The one I interviewed for Tuesday is not going to work- I already emailed the gal and told her thanks but no thanks, so we’ll see if I hear from yonder Friday interviewer today.
Also, hello! Babysitting jobs galore! I signed up for a couple of websites and applied for less than 20 jobs, and BOOM! People email me back! Apparently babysitting for 10 kids at a time makes for pretty decent experience, right, AJ? ;) The answer is yes, for those who don’t know.
Moving on from my weekend habits…
My grandpa’s memorial is this Saturday. Mom helped Grandma narrow the oodles and oodles of pictures down to less than 200. I kid you not. Mom and I went to the store and scanned 173 pictures for the slideshow. So we put those pictures into PowerPoint last night, and today I've sized and cropped and labeled them. Tomorrow I’ll sit down with Grandma and have her identify the people that I can’t. We’ll add music and then we’ll be good to go on Saturday.
My sisters and I are going to share our memories of Grandpa together. We've written down quite a few memories, and then we organized them and determined who is going to share which one, and when J comes home from college on Friday, we’ll run through it and time ourselves. There are several other people speaking, so we need to be timely. I’m sure we’ll do fine, though, since we have so much public speaking experience.
So that’s basically been the extent of life right now: work, work, and the memorial. I will do my utmost to post Funny Friday’s tale this week, but just in case, here is something funny that I’m going to share on Saturday.
Grandpa and I were in the car while Grandma went into the store. A bald gentleman walked in front of the car.
Grandpa: Well, I bet his haircuts are cheap!
Enjoy your week!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Hey, I'm Alive
So, sorry for dropping off the grid there, folks! I ride two airplanes and suddenly can't put my thoughts in order. Sheesh.
Actually, the airplanes are not to blame. I got home safe and sound, and so did my luggage. That night I stayed up really late with my two at-home sisters, and we laughed A LOT and talked about boys and sister stuff like that, and then we finally went to bed and thank God that we were all on break!
Wednesday, I seriously rocked. I unpacked all four suitcases into my new room {as in, my room was moved to another room without my presence, and then my sis on Spring Break crashed in there, and it was chaos...actually, it still is; it's just shut-up-in-drawers chaos now.}. Like a boss.
Thursday, #bestierunion!!!!! Totes fun. We talked about Doctor Who and sexuality and passion and oh yeah our future place together. You know you're best friends when...you talk about all of that during a 30 minute lunch period. Yup.
Also, my grandma moved in with us. We had the MCs come and help us load things in the truck and drive the mile down the road and then unload. We got it all done in just a few hours, which was nice. Grandma's been getting settled pretty well, and I think it's all going to work out for us.
I started work this past Monday. It's been fun. I'm learning a lot, mainly that getting up before 6am is NOT my favorite thing, but oh wait, I already knew that. :-p But seriously, it's been great. I've also been getting my name out there for some tutoring and babysitting jobs, and I have an interview for a receptionist position tomorrow, so hopefully I can start making bank and get a place sooner. Apparently the old saying "Cash is king" applies to the housing market too. So if you think of it, please pray that I find the perfect position{s}.
In other news, I'm really looking forward to sharing tomorrow's Funny Friday, because it's a doozy. AJ, you know what I'm talking about. Heck to the yeah.
Alright, peeps, I hope that I've convinced you that my heart still beats. Peace out til tomorrow!
Actually, the airplanes are not to blame. I got home safe and sound, and so did my luggage. That night I stayed up really late with my two at-home sisters, and we laughed A LOT and talked about boys and sister stuff like that, and then we finally went to bed and thank God that we were all on break!
Wednesday, I seriously rocked. I unpacked all four suitcases into my new room {as in, my room was moved to another room without my presence, and then my sis on Spring Break crashed in there, and it was chaos...actually, it still is; it's just shut-up-in-drawers chaos now.}. Like a boss.
Thursday, #bestierunion!!!!! Totes fun. We talked about Doctor Who and sexuality and passion and oh yeah our future place together. You know you're best friends when...you talk about all of that during a 30 minute lunch period. Yup.
Also, my grandma moved in with us. We had the MCs come and help us load things in the truck and drive the mile down the road and then unload. We got it all done in just a few hours, which was nice. Grandma's been getting settled pretty well, and I think it's all going to work out for us.
I started work this past Monday. It's been fun. I'm learning a lot, mainly that getting up before 6am is NOT my favorite thing, but oh wait, I already knew that. :-p But seriously, it's been great. I've also been getting my name out there for some tutoring and babysitting jobs, and I have an interview for a receptionist position tomorrow, so hopefully I can start making bank and get a place sooner. Apparently the old saying "Cash is king" applies to the housing market too. So if you think of it, please pray that I find the perfect position{s}.
In other news, I'm really looking forward to sharing tomorrow's Funny Friday, because it's a doozy. AJ, you know what I'm talking about. Heck to the yeah.
Alright, peeps, I hope that I've convinced you that my heart still beats. Peace out til tomorrow!
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