So first of all, I am almost done with my first semester of grad school!!! Wahoo!!

Secondly, I am 4 months away from being married and I am soooo excited! Things are all planned out. Everything is booked and things have been bought. Bridesmaid dresses are ordered, tux's are picked out, cake topper, favors, and decorations are all bought! I just got sean's wedding band and all of our invitations too! Now it is all REAL! We have a honeymoon destination picked and we are hoping to book it asap. Our rehearsal dinner is planned out and I am organizing welcome baskets for all of my out of town guests. ALMOST THERE!!!!!

Lastly, I went to France to visit my dear friend Brittany. This was my first plane ride that lasted over 2 hours so I was very nervous. I didn't get much sleep and the flight was very rocky but I got to Frankfurt Germany early in the morning. Then after a long layover I took a short flight to Paris France. There I met up with Brittany and we took a train to the city that she lives in. The next couple of days were soo much fun! We went to her school, traveled through her city, a rugby match, a wine cave, and I got to try some amazing French food. Then we went off to Paris and stayed the night in a hostel. That day we traveled EVERYWHERE in Paris and saw everything! Le Louvre, Sacre Coure, Place de Concorde, Effel TOwer, Notre Dame, Champs el esse, Moulin Rouge, Arche de Triumphe....and much much more. At night we dined on Crepes! Then the next day I was back on a plane to ATL. I am so incredibly greatful for the experience that I had. I will never forget how amazing it was being immersed into another culture. I learned so much over the course of the week and I can never fully express what I truly felt. Thank you BLT!
VIDEOS OF FRANCE!!!
Le Louvre

MOVIE SET

FRESH CREPES!

The Eiffel Tower at Night

Ok so this was a great weekend! First off, my sister Carrie(bridesmaid), came down to visit which is very rare because she has four children! Then, my MOH Meghan and BFF flew down also! Friday night it was girls night out and we all went to the Melting Pot and endulged on lots of yummy fondue.....and wine! There was soo much food!!!
Saturday morning it began to snow which is very rare here and we were supposed to go dress shopping. I had mapped out a day of gown gazing and our first stop was Formally Yours in Lilburn. I had a good feeling about them because they sold my ALL of MY FAVORITE designers! AFter searching I had appx. 7-8 dresses to try on....all tie backs! It took forever but we got through it! I give props to the girl tying me up every time and then untying it! As the snow began to accumulate people began to go home but we stayed. The second to last dres just made everyone say "WOW!" I knew it was the one but couldn't beleive it! It began to sink in as I kept repeating "this is it, this is it" and I began to cry tears of joy! I couldn't beleive that THIS was THE DRESS I will be walking down the aisle with and starting my new life in. So we bought the beautiful dress and veil! I will give a few details about the dress with out saying too much. It is by Mori Lee, strapless with a semi sweetheart neckline, and a corsette tie back with an amazing train! I can't wait to get it back once it is made. We got done shopping much earlier than expected so we went to grab a bite from the Diner in Duluth and later that night Meghan and I went to spend the night at my moms. We all had dinner, a few cocktails, and played fun games like Cranium and Scattagories till 2 am! Lots of fun!
Sunday I ran a few wedding errands like talking to hair stylist and makeup artists, and continuing on the quest for bridesmaid dresses. We also took a trip to Trader Joe's where I bought stuff for dinner to make an organic pizza! YUMMY! That night my bridesmaids and I all went to the movies to see a perfectly fitted movie for the ocassion and saw 27 Dresses. Very cute movie but very predictable and chick flicky! We laughed a lot.....mostly for the funny things that I told Meghan that she was going to have to do.
This morning I said good bye to my sister and Meghan but I was so greatful to be able to have them there to help me pick out my dress! And also for letting me document all of it on my video camera for countless memories. There is lots more to come but today marks 200 days from the wedding date so I must focus!

Luv Courtney

Ok, so it's been quite a while since my last entry and lots of new things going on! I am really looking foward to 2008 because there are so many new things awaiting for me this year.

In December I finally graduated from NGCSU with a B.S. in Sociology and I minored in Psychology. On the day of graduation I found out that I was excepted to the Masters program in Community Counseling! Wahoo! What an exciting day that was! So I begin working on my masters in January taking two classes at a time which may take me appx. three years to complete.

As for work, since I have graduated, I am moving on to bigger and better things and I am looking forward to entering the "business world". I left St. Ives and retired my bev cart shorts for good! I am currently working full time as a substitute for an elementary school in Lawrenceville. At this time my applications are going out to many places that I am very excited to work at! It is sooooo nice to have weekends off finally!!!

With my wedding date quickly approaching, we have really started to get everything together. We have a florist, cake, DJ, Harpist, Photographer, Venue, Rehersal Dinner, and much much more already booked! I am freaking out because in about 3 weeks my sister and maid of honor are coming to GA to help me pick out my GOWN! WoW! This is when you know it is sooo real! Now I just have to be sure not to eat too much over the holidays so I can look hot in my dress, lol! Pretty much everything is all planned out. We only have to really think about the type of ceremony we will be having and who will be marrying us.

This March I am supposed to be traveling over seas for the first time ever to visit my friend Brittany and Teddy in France. I have my passport and I am ready to go! This is a once and a life time opportunity and I can't let it go by! This will definitely be an amazing trip!

Sean's sister is getting married in February and Sean is the best man and I am a bridesmaid so we have been helping her prepare along the way as well. It will be interesting to be walking down the aisle towards him in a bridesmaid dress!

We are also hoping to sell our house in Dacula asap (FINALLY) so we can buy a nice house to begin our future and family together. WE were looking in places like Buford and Flowery Branch. It will be nice to have a house where you have neighbors to talk to and a backyard to relax in.

So as you can tell there is soooo much going on for my 2008! I will keep it posted on more new and exciting things going on!

First and foremost I would like to state that if I am not friends with you then please do not read on. If you have a problem with what I write about then don't read it! Simple As That! :)

Ok so there are lots of new updates to let everyone know about since the last time I posted. So I started classes again this semester and I am on overload! I am taking four classes and going three days a week! That means that I am driving 50miles to class then 50miles back home!! But it is my last semester because I am scedueled to graduate on December 14th!! Wahoo! Who would have thought? I paid my graduation fee and have to hand in my cap and gown fee in two weeks. My name is also online under the graduation list. This is very exciting for me because I am the first in my family to receive a college degree. I am also currently studying for the GRE's which is the exam I need to do well in in order to start my masters in January. This test is expensive and way harder than the SAT's but with similar types of questions. SO thats for school.

Work is ok I guess. I am still working at the country club, substituting for Gwinnett County and working at the Jetski place but I am definitly looking forward to getting my degree so I can began working in my field come January. It will be really nice having consistancy and ONE good paying job. I've looked into a few places in the area that I would like to apply to. I am wanting to work with children and teens and as long as I am helping them in a way thats all that matters to me. So if you know of any places let me know. I have looked at behavoral health centers, private counseling, hospitals, and shelters.

Ok so now for the wedding stuff. We are at our 10 month mark and I am finally begining to make arrangements. We have our contract and will be putting down our deposit for the country club next week. I know the menu and we are doing some yummy cake tasting monday to see what we want. Obviously it will be chocolate because Sean is obssesed with it! I think we are going for a chocolate cake with almond flavor butter cream icing and a cherry filling. I want the cake to look simple and square three tiers. I will have ribbon to seperate each tier in the color of pink. We are still deciding what to do on top of the cake but I was thinking of a letter R on top or cRs. Our theme is roses so there will be plenty of those! I will be marching down the isle to Canon in D by a harpist and we will have a DJ for the reception. I am going to get my dress in January but I think we found the bridesmaid dresses and they are so cute by WTOO. Oh yeah and we also will have a Rolls Royce as our get away vehicle. I have found a photographer but before I put the deposit down we are going to sit down and look over everything first. My sister bought us a website to show all of our guests about our big day. www.seanandcourtneyswedding.com if you want to check it out. We plan on having a week of fun family activities for everyone in town so I know Im going to have a blast. As for the honeymoon we are looking mostly at Anguilla and Turks and Caicos.

So I know that was a lot but I havent been updating lately with my busy schedule.

Courtney

Last night was sooo much fun. Sean and I attended his work's annual Christmas party and we had a blast. First we showed up and sat down talking to all of our friends. It was nice to be able to meet new people at Sean's work that I normally do not get to see when I visit. They only know me as the girl who bakes all the cookies and cupcakes in for them. We ate lots of food and I drank chardonnay all night. I also realized that the bartender sometimes works with me at St. Ives! We received $2,000 in fake gambling money to start the night off. There was roulette, craps, texas hold em, black jack, and so much more. I spent most of my time hanging at the black jack table because I kept winning and the dealer kept hooking me up with lots of FREE chips! Sean's manager walked around randomly handing out raffle tickets and I just so happened to get 5. Then at the end of the night you get to cash in the chips for raffle tickets and they get put into a drawing. They began to draw the names and at about the 5th drawing my number came up. Sean took me to the front and everyone was screaming "Sean!". We had to pick a number between 1 and 27 so of course I picked 13 because that is our anniversary date. A woman handed me an envelope with the number 13 on it and I couldn't help but notice how heavy it was. I opened it up and saw lots of BENJAMIN'S!! There was $1,000 inside!!! My eyes nearly popped out of my head and the crowed started to cheer. It was the BEST! Plus it gives me extra money for Xmas and my trip to Jersey.

Today I made some holiday cupcakes and dropped them off at Sean's work and saved a few for all the guys who help me out at Lexus. I made chocolate cupcakes with red and green frosting (from scratch) and ontop put the cutest holiday sprinkles. There were gingerbread men, snow men, snow flakes, christmas trees, holly and berries, and last but not least candy canes. After I went there I had a dentist appointment to start the process of getting invisaline!!! It is a dentist I know through work so he promised me the best and cheapest so Im practically getting it for nothing. Then I had a hair appointment and I decided I wanted something different, something I have never done before. So I got dark brown chunky highlights mixed with blond ones. It looks so cute and perfect for Winter.

My Christmas cards are all out in the mail so keep a look out!

&hearts:Courtney

So lots of new things to let everyone know about.....

School has been going amazing! I love everything about it. Ive only been getting A's and B's so far and working really hard. I love my classes and the people in them! My professors are also amazing and I enjoy learning about the things that will help me prepare for my profession.

Sean and I have been talking more and more about getting married. He even took me out to look at rings!!! I probably wont get it though untill the summer next year because we are looking at Sept. 08 and thats a good ways away:) His sister just got engaged on Thanksgiving so the wedding bug is in the air.

Work is great! I love substituting and I love when the kids give me hugs and see me in the hallways and say "Miss D.!" its sooo cute. I even had a class all scream "YAY" when I walked in the room and they were all like "She's the best". Thats what helps me wake up early and go to work in the morning. We had a puker yesterday in the class. That was kinda gross:( but of course I handled it well and managed not to get sick myself.

I will be heading to Jersey this Christmas to see all of my family and friends. Im driving up in the lexy on the 21st and wil be arriving on the 22nd. Then driving home on the 28th. I can't wait to give Sean his present because I saved all summer for it. I love giving gifts:) We will be making or Christmas pictures this weekend so hopefully I will ge them in the mail next week and posted on here.

Oh yeah and lastly, I am applying for the GSGA scholarship so hopefully be getting some money to pay off my loans.

♥Courtney

Ok so this week was by far the best ever. Minus me kinda crashing my car, but its all good now:)

It all started Saturday when Brittany and I decided to go tax free shopping after work to get a rocking outfit for The Spill Canvas concert. We found some really cute clothes that we knew we would look hott in. That night we went to go see the movies Talladega Nights which has my favorite comedian Will Farrel. It was sooo funny and we can't stop quoting the movie!!! A definite must see!! I give two thumbs up. Oh yeah and too make everything even better Abby surprised me by showing up at the movies too!

Monday we got together a big group of people to go to Six Flags to celebrate the end of the season. Luckely it wasn't too buisy so we rode ever ride in the front row! At the end of the day Brittany, Samira and I all went on the bungie swing!!! Let me tell you that it was the most invigorating experiance ever! We were hooked up together with these jump suit harnesses and slowly pull back a couple hundred feet into the air. Since its close to BLS's birthday we let her pull the cord that would send up free falling in the air. At first it took a second for Brittany to pull it but then all of a sudden we felt like we were flying. The best feeling ever!!! I would definitly suggest checking it out sometime cuz I will go back and do it again! That night we picked up Abby grabbed a bite to eat at Zaxby's and ate the hottest chicken strips ever!!! My lips began to swell!!! It was hilarious! Then we all went to my softball game in Dacula. We had fun but my team lost...... acctually we got slaughtered, but I did well:)

Tuesday started as a sad day due to the fact I crashed my car into a Kauffman Tire truck. But I'm ok...as for my car we will see but if my car passes away it will all be good cuz I will get a newer better car to replace it. But since I am a hard core fan I still attended The Spill Canvas concert that night. We talked to the band and of course they remembered us from last time and pinky swore to hang out with us when they come back in October. Thier performance was awesome as ususal. When Mae played I decided to get some air and watched from the sidelines. There a guy approached me and asked if I would like a backstage pass. And I was like HELL YEAH!!! Unfortunatly he only had one so the next thing I knew I was on stage with Mae. It was soo surreal!!! Ive never felt like that before. Everyone was just looking up at the stage I was on singing and jumping around. It kinda makes me wish I was in a band.

Wednesday night I had a girls only party while my man was outta town!! We had a huge open bar, snacks, s'mores, pizza, and lots of dancing to music. Whats a girls night with out some pampering? So we did face masks and stayed up till 5am! It was soo much fun!! I can't wait for the next! The next morning I made a huge pancake breakfast while we all recovered from the night before.

That night we all went to Karaoke to sing our hearts out. Well I know I did at least! It was kinda a slow night for Karaoke but we still had a great time! Brittany kept me company one more night at my house and then it was back to reality the very next day!!!

So that is why I had the best week ever!!!! Check out some of our pics and videos!!

http://gpc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2015853&l=9c665&id=71103170


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHiwGAHLinM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5MLEDWzoTU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3wAmHLx2o

"You cold hearted whore"

"She left salt in my wounds and she enjoys nothing more"

In one fell swoop it became clear to me, that I despise you entirely!"

"Your allergic to honesty"

"You've got me eating out of the palms of your hands"

I'm on my knees and so are you, unfortunatly for the wrong reasons"

"CRACK OPEN A BOTTLE OF RED" For you Brittany

"I hate you, no I hate you more"

"It's obvious they reek of jealousy"

"I Hate To Break This To You But Being A Coward Is Not a Legitimate Career"

"Ten Bucks Says You Don't Have It In You, To Conquer Fear And Quit believing What They Tell You Too"

"You fill up to the brim with all that he said she said trash and you exist behind your keyboard then your gone in a flash "

"You will live alone with all your chemicals and gin"

"At least I'm not a liar, at least I'm not a cheat, at least I don't care what these god damn mindless people think of me"

"I'm utterly disgusted with the path you track, as inebriated as you can get off your latest paycheck"

"Things aren't what they seem as we stand at the edge of the world"

"With out you here, I could not be anywhere"

"Eternity, will never be enough for me"

"I am at a loss for words"

"Heaven's not a place that you go and you die, it's that moment in life when you acctually feel alive"

"Live for the moment now"

"Quit believing what they tell you to"

"I'm the king of this pity party with my jewel encrusted crown!"

"When the guilt sets in tell me what are we going to do?"

"Are you crazy, you don't even know me"

"I would be lying if I said that things would never get rough"

"All this cliche motivation it will never be enough"

"I hate you, no I hate you more"

"It's obvious they reak of jealosy"

"I Hate To Break This To You But Being A Coward Is Not a Legitamate Career"

"Ten Bucks Says You Don't Have It In You, To Conquer Fear And Quit Believing What They Tell You Too"

"You fill up to the brim with all that he said she said trash and you exist behind your keyboard then your gone in a flash "

"You will live alone with all your chemicals and gin"

"At least I'm not a liar, at least I'm not a cheat, at least I don't care what these god damn mindless people think of me"

"I'm utterly discusted with the path you track, as inhebrehated as you can get off your latest paycheck"

"I am at a loss for words"

"Quit beleiving what they tell you to"

"Im the king of this pitty party with my jewel encrusted crown!"

"When the guilt sets in tell me what are we going to do?"

So yesterday I came home from my long vacation. I can't even begin to describe how much fun I had.

First we drove to Fort Lauderdale, FL where we stayed in a beach front hotel. It also had an amazing pool and beautiful beach. When we got there we had a nice seafood dinner at a great restaurant nearby. I had some Ahi Tuna and a Mai Thai to start the vacation off right. The next day we visited Sean's family and went out to eat with them all in Miami. That night we checked out a local hot spot and I had the best mango martini in the world! The next day we took his dad out for father's day breakfast and spent a few hours on the beach.

Then it was time to board our cruise. I ordered some drinks and off we went! The bahama mamas were the special of course. Dinner was amazing and everyday the menu was different. You can order everything if you want! At dinner we met this other couple from Chicago that were doing the same vacation as we were. Sean didn't feel too well so he went back to the cabin while I hung out with the other couple. I played bingo and won $65 then we went to the casino where I won and lost some money. But they taught me how to play blackjack! There was this amazing spot on the bow of the boat where there were no lights and you can see everything. I even saw some shooting stars. I have never seen a night sky that clear! The next day we ported in Nassau. There we bought a package to go snorkeling and to enjoy a day at a nearby resort. The snorkeling was a lot of fun. The water was sooo clear. You can see right to the bottom at 15 feet! We saw a lot of fish and even a school of Grouper. Afterwards we went to The Breezes resort where the food and Alcohol drinks we included in our package. And boy were those drinks STRONG! They had lots of pools and a tiki bar in the middle of the pool where you can swim up and order a drink. They also had a private beach where we went swimming. When it was time to leave we stopped at the local straw market and bought a bunch of souveniers and rum TAX FREE!. Then it was time to get back to the ship. That night was the captains reception and we got our formal picture taken infront of a backdrop of the Titanics grand stair case. There was free champagne and snacks. Sean and I sat on the top deck and watched the sunset together and it was the most romantic thing ever! Later we went to the casinos and also watched one of the shows. The next morning we ate breakfast and docked back into Fort Lauderdale.

Once we were back in Fort Lauderdale we went to the beach and pool to get a nice tan. We also went out with his dad again for some really good Cuban food. That was our last night in Fort Lauderdale.

The next day we went to Cocoa Beach, FL to visit Seans grandfather and again go out to eat! We also stopped at Ron Jons Surf Shop. Then we were off to Orlando for the rest of our vacation.

Our hotel in Orlando was so close the Disney that we could acctually see the fireworks. That night we met up with our new friends from Chicago and had a few drinks at the tiki bar while playing pool. That was thier last night there so we said our good-byes. The next day we woke up early and went to Universal. We bought a special SPEED pass so we didn't have to wait in line. We rode every ride in Universal and in Islands of Adventure in ONE day! Thats nearly impossible. We ate lunch in Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville where of course at had a Margarita and a "Cheese Burger in Paradise" only since I don't eat beef I had a turkey burger. The rides were soo much fun and I could not beleive the detail they put into this park! Everyone was acting their part and the atmosphere was right on . I can't wait to go back. The next day we decided to play some putt-putt at the Pirates Cove and we also did some outlet shopping across the street. I wanted to buy so much but I spent too much money on drinks so I just got one shirt at Armani Exchange. Later we went to downtown Orlando where we ate at Wolfgang Pucks restaurant that was delicious! That night we partied it up at Pleasure Island where you pay one price to go club hopping to many different clubs with different themes. I wanted to celebrate my birthday somewhere fun!

The next day we drove home:(

This was by far the best, most romantice vacation ever!!! I can't wait for the next one!!!!!

Pics are on my Facebook and if you give me your email I will send them to you on kodak gallery!

Only five days left until total relaxation! This Friday Sean and I will be heading to Fort Lauderdale staying ocean front for three days. While we are there we will stop in Miami to visit some of his family and of course check out all of the hott spots on South Beach.

We will then be heading on a three day cruise to Nassau Bahamas. I know someone that lives there so they will be hooking us up with a tour, snorkeling, cliff diving, swimming with the sharks, and visiting Atlantis. Not to mention tax free shopping where there are tons of designer shops!!!

Once we are back on land we will be heading to Orlando and staying right next to Disney World where I have never been. Yes, I know I was a deprived child. We will be there for three days and enjoying Universal Studios, Islands of Adventures, and of course City Walk.

This past week I worked a four day tournament at St. Ives and in those four days I made well over $1,200!!! That is my hour pay plus tips in FOUR DAYS!!! HELLO!!!! I am going to have THE best vacation ever and not have to worry about any money. Plus I get a huge paycheck on the day we leave!!! I am sooooo excited:)

I will be coming back on the 24th which is my 22nd birthday. What an awesome way to celebrate! Of course I will have tons of pictures ready to be posted, which hopefully will be on my new camera that I asked for my birthday. Can't wait to tell you all how it goes. Oh yeah and I'm not going to be sitting on a computer all day while I am on a beach vacation because that will be just stupid so I won't be on for a whole week. So leave me some messages!!

♥Courtney♥

So I started my summer classes and I am so happy to have graduated!!! Its a really big deal in my family cuz no one else has ever done it, and I am the youngest! Im really excited about starting school in the fall but even more excited to find out that I can now get into UGA!!! Finally, my grades are doing really well and I can transfer to UGA after the fall!!!! I am soo excited because I was supposed to start at UGA a year ago but couldn't because my GPA. But now I can and it looks like my major will be early childhood education because in order to be a school counselor you need to have a few years teaching experience. Since I am a substitute teacher already, it shouldn't be a problem to find a job.... I hope. Also it will be a better commute for me since I only live like 30 miles away from the school and North GA is way farther.

I think this summer is going to be great because I will be working, making lots of money, and having tons of fun! Me and Sean will be going on our long vacation on June 16-24. WE will be heading to Fort Lauderdale and staying in an ocean front room. Then we will be going on a cruise to the Bahamas, we will also be stopping in Miami to visit his family,and then off to Orlando and Universal Studios!!! Uhh, I can already taste the pina coladas:) Then it will be my birthday, which isn't really a big deal condidering I will be 22. Then through out the summer lots of my family will be in town visiting as well as my best friend Meghan. I couldn't ask for anything more.

I am getting so excited! The walk for autism is 11 days away and things are going great! Everyone has been very generous with their donations and wanting to know more about autism awareness. So far and my team and I have raised $495!!!! And it keeps rising every day. I still have my family that will donate, my brothers work, my fundraiser, and I know a few people that promised to donate as well. I have been making autism pins with puzzle pieces that I've been selling along with autism awareness wristbands I bought along with Cure Autism Now pins. It is so amazing to see how many people are willing to help such a great cause especially since it directly affects my family. Keep up the good work!!! Only $505 left till we meet our goal!
Courtney

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have a nephew that was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's is a high functioning form of Autism. He is the smartest 7 year old I know and will one day solve all the problems of the world. I love him with all my heart and will do anything to help his future. So please help me help him.

Here's a quick summary of what Autism is:

Autism is a complex neurobiological developmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive or severely limited activities and interests. Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.
• In 1994, 1 in 2,500 children were affected by autism

• In 1999, the stats were 1 in 500

• In 2005, the numbers have risen to 1 in 166 children.

• Today, in my family, we are all affected by autism.


Saturday May 6th at Turner Field there will be a walk to raise money for Autism. The organization sponsoring this event is called Cure Autism Now.

Walk NOW is Cure Autism Now's grassroots fundraising and awareness initiative uniting thousands of parents, children and families in a fun, friendly, empowering environment. The Walk is a 5K (just over 3 miles) with lots of water, food and fun along the route. And each WALK NOW event includes a Resource Fair. Parents can meet a variety of autism service providers while kids enjoy arts & crafts, moon bounces and other fun activities.


By participating in this WALK NOW event I am increasing the pace and progress of autism research for my child. Your generous donation of $25, $100, or $1000 will accelerate this pace.

Please visit my site to join my group and support me on this very important day. http://www.walknow.org/06atwk/jaredsfuture
I will also be selling Autism wrist bands and pins to help raise money. If you know of anyone else that would like to help, please inform them of my web site so they can show their support.

Thank You
Courtney

Today me, Sean, my mom, and my grandmother (who is visiting from Jersey)all went to visit the new Georgia Aquarium! Me and Sean visited the Tennessee Aquarium before but this one is supposed to be the largest! When you first walk in we got our pictures taken and saw that their were so many places to go. We decided to go to the most interesting first so my mom wanted to visit "The Ocean Voyager". This is where we got to go underneath the aquarium and see the whale shark, sting rays, hammerhead sharks and other species. Then we went to "The cold water quest". This is where the Ballooga Whales and penguins were. Then we went off to the "Tropical Diver" because I love tropical fish. There we saw Nemo or "Clown fish" and other bright colored fish. After that we went to "River Scout" which had the Piranhas and they were pretty freaky cuz they just stay so still in the water waiting for something to eat. Last but not least we went to the "Georgia Explorer" and got to touch a bunch of sting rays, star fish, and horseshoe crabs. PLus there was a tank with a large turtle in it and a big area for the kids to play. After all that excitement we got a quick bite to eat at the cafe where they had the most amazing looking desserts and pastries. On our way out we stopped to pick up our pictures that were taken and went through the gift shop. Overall it was a lot of fun and I know I will be returning soon to take my nieces and nephew in a few months.
Oh yeah and I am trying to get pics up on here but I am having a hard time! Help me Brittany!!!
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I haven't had a chance to write lately due to the fact that I was sick. Friday was when I really noticed something was wrong. I totally felt like shit and couldn't eat a thing. This carried on until Monday when I finally decided to go to the doctors. He said I had a bad stomach bug and gave me a bunch of medicine. I'm finally starting to feel better but my tummy is still recuperating. One good thing that has come out of me being sick is again loosing some weight!! I am finally back down to my freshman year of high school size!! Haha, to all the people who ever said I was fat! People are even noticing the 12 lbs I have shed since last summer. It feels so good to be skinny again. Only five more to go and I will be happy! Bikini season, here I come!! lol!

Ninja Turtles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9p-wmtIJc&feature=Favorites&page=1&t=t&f=b

This is so cute and reminds me of Kendal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCvImnD32os&feature=Favorites&page=3&t=t&f=b

Well after all of the stress and hard work, I finally handed in my huge project and did my presentation on Social work and disabilities. I hardly got any sleep last night and worked for hours on making it perfect. I was the last one to go so it was easy for me to see what things to do and not to do. Surprisingly I was nervous. I never get nervous talking in front of class! Anyway I drank a lot of coffee so I was jittery and had butterflies. Finally, it was my turn to present. Everything went perfect!! My teacher said I had the best paper and presentation! I definitely got an A. Plus I brought lots of yummy refreshments like coffee, oj, bagels w/ cream cheese, and fruit. I also gave out candy for those who answered questions that I would periodically ask. I made sure to have lots of visual aids, personal experience stories, and I made it fun by adding some movie previews to show examples. Also I've learned NOT to read off cards or the power point presentation, so I got extra points for that! In the end, I got my point across and everyone walked away with more knowledge on Social Work and Disabilities than they walked in with. I couldn't believe the response I got from other students. They kept coming up to me complementing my work and one girl even said that I inspired her! Whoa, thats big! It really felt good to hear the responses back and to finally have this stress of my back.

Oh yeah and my teacher, the one I was sort of bitching about was reported to the Dean! Someone actually decided to take it up with the big guy saying how she was unprofessional. Unfortunately, now she said she is now taking attendance everyday and class cannot end one minute early. I guess I don't mind it though. So now we have a week off for Spring Break and when we come back we will have 2 classes and then my teacher goes on maternity leave. We are then supposed to get 15 hours of volunteer service for those two weeks. By the time that is all over we will be done for the semester. Wow, do you think I will learn anything?

All my life I have been very fortunate enough not to have to deal with death. I never really lost anyone close to me or in my tight knit family. But over these past 6 months I have seen more sadness then I have in all of my 21 years of life. Those who know me well, know that my grandfather was diagnosed with skin cancer last year and it quickly spread through his body. Sadly, he passed away after only 4 months. That was a very hard time for me because I never dealt with that sort of pain before. Thankfully I have a wonderful boyfriend and amazing friends and family that helped me get through the hard times. A few other friends of mine I know had gone through the same as I did with losing family or friends. Last month my boyfriends grandmother passed away with out any signs of why. I felt like I was re-living everything that I had just learned to cope with. To see his family so sad and grieving was very difficult for me. Last week I received a phone call that one of my cousins who was only 40 years old had died. She was so young and pretty and we had a lot in common when it came to education and what we wanted to do in life. I know I'm very difficult person to sit and listen to, but she always did and asked me lots of questions. She didn't have any children but she was a teacher and those were her kids. Her family has always been so close especially her and her sister. I also have just found out that she died due to a massive brain hemorrhage. There is know way to really prevent something like this from happening. I just think about how she must have felt such pain and I wish I could have helped her. I also think about how easily this could have happened to one of my sisters. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to them! Even thought they are all living far away I love them sooo much and couldn't imagine the pain of loosing one of them. It really makes me think of how short life really is. I can't sit around waiting for things to happen. I need to make things happen! I need to live every day like it is my last and appreciate everything in it. Life is such a precious gift that we really need to un-wrap and take a good look at it. Otherwise it will just sit there never being used, and one day can be taken away in the blink of an eye.