Day 8 of Thanks

... and 9.

So, it didn't take long for me to forget a post! Since I neglected to give thanks yesterday, today's post will be doubly thankful.

Number 8 on my thankful list is my friends. I have been so incredibly blessed throughout my life with amazing friendships. Just this week, I had dinner with my 4 best friends from high school, and it made me so appreciative of the bond we formed at such a young age. As our lives are constantly going in different directions, I believe it is so special that our friendships seem to know no time. Every time we get together it is like we've never been apart, and we always pick up right where we left off. These girls who I grew up with are the sisters I never had. We can always count on each other to be a source of support through the difficult times and a smiling face through the happy ones; and, it's amazing how one girls' night can make the stresses of life dissipate... even if just for a little while. We share more memories together than I could possibly list in one blog post... and many that I don't want to list in a public forum (thank me later, girls), but I would never trade one second of any of them for all the riches in the world.... well, that might be a stretch, but you get the idea. Chelsea, Jen, Kelly, and Kahla, I love y'all so much, and I thank God for you always!
A post about friends would absolutely not be complete without mention of my college girls. When I left my small town of Winnie, Texas almost 10 years ago, en route to Southwest Texas State University (now, Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas, I never truly believed that college and my fabulous sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, would give me the strong friendships I have today. My best friends from college know me in a way that no one else does, and we have a bond that can never be replaced. We have so many memories (from dorm life to spring break road trips to fraternity parties to post-college girls' nights where we like to pretend we're still in college), and have remained best friends through it all. These girls are always there when I need them, and enrich my life in so many ways. I feel so blessed that God put these beautiful ladies in my life, and honestly do not know how I made it 18 years without them. So, Grace, Brandi, Miranda, and Jillian, I love y'all dearly, and I'm so very thankful for all of you!! (and, yes, that warranted a double exclamation!!)
A "friend post" cannot possibly go forward without mention of my friends who, although they cannot necessarily be classified as a "high school friend" or "college friend", are equally valuable to my life. Friends like Siobhan, Jenny Dean (Who is actually a Latiolais now, but will always be Dean to me...), Whitney, and Sarah (and Charles, too, of course), Chrisa, and Andrea... and others who I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention right now. These girls bring so much happiness to my life, and I absolutely adore each of them. We share memories ranging from touring all over London, jamming to Easy-E before Dixie Dance Hall, making Twilight t-shirts for the midnight premier, attending cake decorating classes, and Royal Wedding viewings, among many other random, albeit always fun, adventures. I cannot imagine my life without you girls in it, and I love you all very, very, very much!

Clearly, I have been blessed beyond belief in the friendship category, and this blog, if nothing else, solidified that fact in my mind and heart. I absolutely adore all of my wonderful friends, and feel like the luckiest girls in the world to be surrounded by such beautiful, intelligent, strong, funny, loyal, and incredible women. I love you all and I'm eternally thankful for you!

Now, moving on to number 9...

The ninth thing I am thankful for this month is my dishwasher. I know this topic is a little lighter than previous ones but, seriously, as someone who has lived an extended period without a dishwasher, I know that it is something to be cherished and I, personally, will never take mine for granted again. So, as my dishwasher runs in the background, I write how thankful I am that God blessed me with a home in which I do not have to manually wash the dishes, and I pray that I never have to go without a dishwasher again.

There you go, friends- numbers 8 and 9. See you tomorrow as I reveal the long awaited number 10!

The 7th Day of Thanks

... Similar to the 7th Day of Christmas, minus the swans-a-swimmin'... and the song... and gifts, in general. So, really nothing like that at all.


As I begin my 7th entry in my list of reasons to be thankful, I'm torn between two topics. The good news: I don't have to think too long and hard to come up with a topic for tomorrow! So, that being said, topic number 8, know that you were so close to being topic 7...

Today, I am thankful for my students. I feel so blessed to have a job from which I can leave some most every day feeling as though I have accomplished something "worth it". My students have taught me so much about myself, my job, and life in general, and they continue to enlighten me daily. Even on the days when it seems as though I've said the same thing 100,000 times and no one is listening, or when I have to give a lecture on the importance of respect for yourself and others, I can truly say that I care deeply for each and every one of the young men and women in my class, and only hope that I teach them as much as they teach me. Because there is no doubt in my mind that I would not be the person I am today without the students who have sat in my classroom over the past 3 years, I do not feel that I could go another day without making mention of them in my blog. So, here's to you, kids! And, don't think this gets you out of writing any essays...

Goodnight, cyberspace! See ya on Day 8!

The 6th Day of Thanks

On this, the 6th day of November, I add number 6 of my "thankful list":

Today, I am thankful for my "aunt", LouAnn Rainey. LouLou, as we call her, is one of the most giving and loving people I've ever known. Because of a tragedy that took my mother's biological sister before I was born, my brother and I never had the opportunity to have a relationship with our maternal aunt. Knowing this, LouAnn, who has been my mom's best friend since they were born, assumed the aunt role and has been dedicated to that position for 28 years. She has celebrated with Dallas and me through all of our great milestones, been a shoulder to cry on and a source of support through the difficult times, and has been the friend we can go to when we need an adult, but don't want to tell our parents. (*wink-wink) I can always count on her when I need a sushi night, work advice, a home cooked meal, or a friend. I feel so blessed that God gave us LouAnn when he knew our Aunt Kelly couldn't be there, and I can't imagine my life without her being such a huge part of it. Thank you for everything you do, LouLou! I'm so extremely thankful for you!!

Thanks for reading, friends. Try to not to lose too much sleep in an effort to contain your excitement for DAY 7!

Hasta manana!

A Blog of Thanks

Like the Pilgrims, but online... and I didn't take this blog from anyone else and then force them to teach me how to use it...

So, I've seen a lot of posts on my Facebook news feed about what people are thankful for this holiday season. Apparently the newest Facebook trend is to post one thing you're thankful for every day for the month of November. Being inspired by this, but not wanting to flood my friends' news feeds with the same status from everyone every day (you're welcome), I decided to take it to my blog. Since I'm already 5 days behind, I will list 5 reasons I'm thankful in this post, and subsequent posts will only contain one... unless I skip a day... but you get the idea...

Here we go!

1. I am eversothankful for the man in charge of it all, our Heavenly Father, Himself: God. Because I feel that none of my blessings would have been possible except through Him, it only seems appropriate that He would be my first reason for thanks. I read a quote once that said "Sometimes God calms the storm... Sometimes God lets the storm rage and calms his child." These words have given me so much inspiration and strength, and are a daily reminder to me that, instead of being down about adversities, I need to be thankful to God for giving me the ability to handle life's curve balls, and for constantly proving to me that His hand is in everything... even when I go through moments of doubt. So, on this the first day of my "thankful" blog, I give the glory to You, God. I look forward to many more opportunities to have my eyes opened to the power of Your unconditional love.

2. I am incredibly thankful for my fabulous, wonderful, handsome boyfriend: Mr. Zane Vayon. He has been such a blessing to my life, and a constant source of support. Zane always thinks of me first, and truly has my best interest at heart. He loves me in spite of my hard headed (and, yes, sometimes bossy) ways, and always reminds me of my strengths. I feel so lucky to have found a man who shares my morals and goals, who loves and seeks a relationship with God, and who always encourages me to be the best version of myself. More than anything, he is my best friend and he can always make me laugh. So, here's to you, Zane. I love you SO much!

3. My heart is filled with thanks for my incredible parents: James and Kemper Gibson. These two people are truly "home" to me. They are the two people who know what I'm thinking and feeling before I even tell them, and I feel so blessed that God chose to make me their child. They have always made my brother and me their priority, putting themselves second countless times. Though I didn't always agree with them growing up, I am so thankful for their "strict" parenting style, and the morals they instilled in us. I truly believe that Dallas and I are the product of wonderful parenting, and I hope that I can be half the parent that they have been to me. After over 30 years of marriage, they are the prime example of the way marriage should work, and that the strongest marriages are those who place God at the center of their relationship. I feel so blessed to be able to call my parents my best friends, and I know that I could never thank them enough for everything they've done, and continue to do, to enrich my life. I love you both more than you could ever, ever know!

4. I am very thankful for my little brother, Dallas. When Dallas was born 19 years ago, I could never have imagined the wonderful person he would become. I have always been so protective of him, sometimes moreso than my parents, and am admittedly hard on him so often because I always want him to be the best and most successful at everything he does. We are the perfect example of the old stereotype that big sister can say whatever she wants, but if anyone else picks on her little brother there will be "hell to pay"! In spite of my nagging and pushing, Dallas has proven to be an amazing person, brother, and friend; and, while I'd love to take credit for his success, I know that it is largely because of his inherent good. He has one of the biggest hearts I've ever known, and will always look out for the underdog. No matter what happens, we are always there to support each other, and I am so incredibly thankful for that. Here's to you, Dallas! I love you and am so, so, SO proud of you!!

5. While this is probably the most difficult to write, I feel that I cannot go forward with this list without making mention of my maternal grandparents: Butch and Beverly Morris. Aside from my parents, these two people were my perfect example of what it feels like to receive unconditional love. They loved me before I was born, and everything they did from January 11, 1984, until they both passed in 2002 and 2011, was evidence of their overwhelming love for their grandchildren. While I sometimes took advantage of the fact that they were always there, every day of my life is a constant reminder that I have so much to be thankful for because of them. I continue to see their hand in my life in so many ways and, while it makes me sad to think that they won't be here for the rest of my family's big milestones, I feel so blessed to have had a relationship with my grandparents that many people aren't lucky enough to know. I miss them both more than I can find words to express, and feel so incredibly thankful to have been their granddaughter.


So, there you have it- The first 5 blessings on my "reasons I'm thankful" list! I am truly going to try to keep up with this every day, as I think it is very encouraging and good for the soul to remind yourself of your many blessings every day.

Thanks for reading, friends! I'm thankful for you, too!

Because you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your.... brother?

Or, something like that...

Somewhere in the area of February 1992, my parents sat down for a serious conversation with their 8 year old daughter. It began a little something like this...

Parents: Leigh, what is the 1 thing you want more than
anything in the world?

Leigh: A trampoline??!

Well, as you may or may not know, my parents never got me that trampoline. (Convincing them that a Super Nintendo would improve my hand/eye coordination was hard enough. Arguing for a toy that could potentially result in a broken skull was a battle I would never win..) They were, however, announcing to me that, in just a few short months, I would be a big sister. (There were times I would have argued that the trampoline might have been a wiser investment... When my precious little brother ate my deoderant, for instance... But those are stories for another day.) Eighteen years later, and although there were times in my somewhat over-dramatic childhood when I was convinced my parents brought him into this world as some kind of cruel and unusual means to fulfill their need for my family to be a constant source of embarrassment for me, their sweet and innocent daughter, I can now honestly announce that I'm glad they didn't give me that trampline.

All joking aside, this school year has been a year full of nostalgia, as every event is Dallas' "last" something, and today is no exception. This evening, my 18 year old baby brother, along with many of his friends who my family and I have watched grow from 5 year old boys to 18 year old men (?), will embark on their last-first, of hopefully many, playoff basketball games as the East Chambers High School Runnin' Bucs. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the days of spending Saturday mornings at the EC Junior High gym watching him and his fellow 8 year old teammates struggle to get the basketball into that 8 ft. high goal, but I would never trade the relationship and bond that we have today.

So, here's to you, my amazing brother and best friend. I am so incredibly proud to be known as "Dallas' big sister", and can't wait to see all of the awesome things that lie ahead. After all, as our very own Mary Poppins (aka Mom) always says, you and I are the only people in the world who have our same blood! ;)

Have a super day, Cyberspace!

and, GO BUCS!!

Just a little ditty to bring me back into the blogging game

or Yes, my students really do say my name before ever. single. thing. they say

So, my lovely friend Sally recently posted in her blog that her friend's blog is one of her favorites. That being said, I need to get on the ball to regain my spot on her list... take that friend! ha (Just kidding, Sal, I'm sure your friend is lovely.)

Anyway, since we've established in my previous blogs that I'm an awful blogger who doesn't deserve a URL, I'll skip over that topic today. Instead, we shall discuss funny things my kids have told me in class... usually when we're talking about something else... because, as Bill Cosby so eloquently pointed out, kids do, in fact, say the darndest things.

Situation #1:
Child: Ms. Gibson?
Me: Does this have anything to do with Charlotte's Web?
Child: No- I just wanted to ask you if you're rich?
Me: We're not talking about that right now, but no, I'm not. Why?
Child: Because, you're always wearing so much BLING!

Situation #2:
I'm standing across the parking lot from one of our kindergarteners and his mom.
Child: MS. GIBSON!
Me: Hi, (insert child's name)!
Child: I didn't know you *dwove a wace cah! (*drove a race car)

Situation #3:
Child: Ms. Gibson, where do you live?
Me: In Winnie.
Child: You live with your parents!?
Me: No- I live by myself.
Child: I was about to say, you're too old to live with your parents. You live by yourself, though!?
Me: Well, yeah. Who else would I live with?
Child: You don't even have a boyfriend???
Me: No, and even if I did I wouldn't live with him.
Child: That's weird, Ms. Gibson.

Ok, that's enough for now. Don't want to give you too much too soon.

Have a super day in cyber space, my friends. And don't look for me to be online this weekend, as my stupid *&*%%$#%$&*& wireless internet hasn't worked in a week. Blast you, Windstream!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace out.

Posting someone else's blog as my own...

but, not really, because I wrote it.

In lieu of my own original blog post, I will be posting my own "guest blog" from my dear, wonderful friend SALLY MITZNER's blog.

http://themitzners.blogspot.com/2010/03/guest-blogger-leigh-gibson.html

Enjoy! :)

Why my job is better than yours

...or, 10 reasons you should be jealous of me.

Let me begin my post by saying how much I really and sincerely love my job. I adore my students, even when I kinda don't... I get to "put on a show" every day while trying to make multiplication/TAKS Test prep/Complete Subjects and Predicates fun... Kids really do, as Cosby says, say the darnedest things... I get the satisfaction of, on sporatic occasions, seeing the proverbial light bulb go off in a student who just couldn't seem to "get it"...

That being said,

MY SPRING BREAK BEGINS AT 12:27 P.M. TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In honor of this joyous, joyous occasion, I have compiled a list of things I may do while all of my dear, sweet, non-teacher friends are sitting in their offices/cubes... Here, friends, is something for you to read during your lunch break:

1. Sleep late. Ride my bike around Winnie while narrowly avoiding large (and small) dogs; because, unlike in Austin, people in the country like to let their animals roam free and without collars.

2. Sleep late. Finish the 4 books I've started this school year but have yet to finish due to my extreme ADD when it comes to reading... unless, of course, it's Twilight or Jen Lancaster, in which case I will close myself up in my room and read and read until I'm finished.

3. Sleep late. Meet my parents/friends for lunch and talk about what the "other people" are doing... or make fun of my non-teacher friends/family who have to go back to work after our lunch-o-fun. (I promise to at least change out of my pajamas/sweats so as not to rub it in too much.... but I may tell you that I just changed so that I may rub it in a little...)

4. Sleep late. Art. Because I need to and I rarely have time after school. And because I need to make that dolla-dolla bill off of all this stuff I've had framed but haven't shown to anyone.

5. Sleep late. Go to museums and mingle with the other teachers who are bringing their own children, or with the desperate housewives who are trying to figure out what to do with their kids now that they, too, are on spring break.

6. Sleep late. Go to the beach. I figure I live pretty close to it, and drive almost all the way down there for work every day anyway, so I might as well. Plus, I've had a little bit of a hankering to go for a while.

7. Sleep late. Clean out my downstairs storage closet. No, it doesn't sound fun... but it needs to be done. (This should make you feel better, office friends. Be glad you're not cleaning out a storage closet right now...)

8. Sleep late. Take a nap. You know, because spring break is exhausting...

9. Sleep late. Play tennis with Whitney. Because I figure that, since she is the most awesome Tennis Pro to ever live, and since she's practically Venus Williams, I should probably take advantage and brush up on my skills.

10. Sleep late. Watch daytime television. Because I wonder what the ladies of The View are up to these days...

There you have it, folks-- ten things I will be doing next week while you're at work. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your week, because I know I will be enjoying mine.... sleeping late.

My brain is too tired for a witty title...

So, since it has been eversolong since my last post, I have decided to take the bull by the horns and blog it up a bit while I do my best job fighting sleep (I've really become quite good at it). In lieu of a super long blog describing every detail of the past month(s) of my life, I have decided to once again go the "list" route. So, here you go:

1. Sarah, Whitney, Melissa and I have recently taken up cake decorating. If you interpret "cake decorating" as meaning that we paid for a class at Hobby Lobby, went twice, and decided we already knew enough to open our own bakery. Below is a picture of the cakes we decorated for the East Chambers FCA bake sale benefiting Haiti.

And now you all understand why we believe we don't even need classes anymore...

2. Keeping with the tradition of the majority of the other posts on my blog, I will not leave out mention of Twilight. While I know it was a few months ago, the New Moon premier did come and go without mention on my blog. So, albeit late, here are my kudos to New Moon.


Yes, we are all in our mid-late twenties. Yes, we are aware that the movie is about high schoolers. Yes, that is a question mark after "Team Jacob" on Sarah's shirt. Yes, we feel like our obsession is justified by the fact that Robert Pattinson is close to our age and not 17 (or 100something) years old like the incredibly dreamy vampire he plays in the movies. Yes, we will be making shirts for the Eclipse premier this summer.

3. Speaking of obsession, another one of mine is textsfromlastnight.com. I'm not sure why I find this website so funny, aside from the fact that I always find inappropriate things hilarious, but I find myself checking it every day, without fail, and laughing out loud. It is for this reason that I only allow myself to check it at home so that I may avoid the embarrassment of having random people witness me laughing alone at my computer.

4. My beautiful bundle of furry orange joy is still just as rambunctious and fiery as ever! He recently took a liking to the Jersey Shore when he realized that their Affliction tees would wear nicely with his name emblazoned across his collar in rhinestones. (Yes, his name really is on his collar in rhinestones... as if a cat named Basquiat could wear anything different) Now that he has finally identified with his guido brotheren, I swear I see him fist-pumping every night out of the corner of my eye.... saying something along the lines of "the beat hits you, and then you have to hit it back...".

"I had a late night of fist-pumping, Mom. Time for GTL: Gym Tan Laundry."

5. I had the dubious honor of designing the Gibson Family Christmas Card this year. While my dad has complained every day since about the "extra lines" on his face, I think it turned out pretty good:
On that note, my computer battery is about to die and I don't feel like going all the way downstairs to get the charger. It is my hope that this blog has fed your Leighville hunger for the time being and, as always, I do have good intentions of making my posts more frequent... but my good intentions as far as blogs are concerned obviously hold no weight, so do with that what you will.

Jen Lancaster is my hero... but you already knew that.

Hello, all!

I know I haven't written in a while (I'm sorry!), but educating the youth of America is a very time consuming task; thus, my blog has been resting warmly on the back burner for the past few months. All of that will change soon, though, as in 2 short days I will begin my much anticipated CHRISTMAS BREAK!! Until then, I leave you with Jen Lancasters blog entry from December 10 on www.jennsylvania.com. She's hilarious, and no blog I could write about the whole Tiger Woods fiasco could hold a candle to her comedic genius. Click the link and Enjoy!

www.jennsylvania.com/jennsylvania/2009/12/swing-and-a-miss.html

Winnie... and I ain't talkin' about the Pooh...

So, after much urging (see: griping) from my friends, I have once again decided to join the wide world o' blogging. It has been a while, and I can assure you that eversomuch has happened in my time away... so much that I may not even be able to contain all of the excitement that is my life into one blog post. I hope you're reading with bated breath, because this is going to be a wild ride...

For starters, I am now officially a resident of Winnie, Texas, U.S.A....... again. It is with little surprise that I proudly report that not much has changed in my 7 years away. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have made frequent visits to my lovely hometown of rice and southern hospitality, or maybe it truly hasn't changed much at all; regardless, I am pleased to report that it is still the small, humid, flat utopia it has always been (give or take a fast food joint or 2, and with the added bonus of my friends and me being of legal age to finally get into Al-T's bar... for when you wanna go where everybody knows your name). All joking aside, it is truly great to be once again surrounded by the people I love and who, mostly, love me back.... and most of all to have the added comfort of knowing that, when I don't know what I'm doing, someone else will.

On another note, I had a minor surgery on my scalp a month or so ago when my dermatologist diagnosed me with the curse of the ginger kid: Basal Cell Carcinoma (cue the horror movie music). While I did feel some (but not much) anxiety over the whole ordeal, it was really more of a pain in my neck... err, head. Seriously, though, I had a terrible headache for about 3 days, and had to put this really thick, neosporin-esque junk on my head that made my hair look oily, forcing me to cover my head with a plethora of scarves and hats for roughly a week... or two. I know what you're thinking: "Wow, that sounds awful... I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Leigh!" Well, my friends, you haven't even heard the worst of it. The day of my surgery, as they were prepping me for the whole ordeal, (and after the nurse stabbed each of my 2 arms approximately 6 times with a needle while trying to find a vein for the I.V.... seriously) I heard the 4 words that would change my life forever: "Please remove all piercings." (because they had just created so many new ones in my already bruised and bleeding arms...) So, with much reluctance, and as I watched the past 7 years of my life whiz by, I removed my belly ring. It was a bittersweet moment and, while I could easily have replaced it after surgery, I have come to terms with the fact that I am now an adult (in theory) and it was probably time to remove it anyway. (Side note: My dad had absolutely NO complaints about the belly ring travesty, and is sitting pretty in the knowledge that I would never get it repierced based soley on the fact that the original piercing experience was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life). So, that's that.

I know I said I had a ridiculously exciting life to blog about, but that was just a prank I pulled on you because I really don't. I just love to draw people in to my blog with a really exciting cliff hanger, and then leave them with nothing. Just like The Hills, except less flesh colored facial hair and staring off into space. One really great thing to report, though, is that Chelsea and I went through Jason Gardner's Facebook today and "liked" everything on his wall all the way back to 2007. Yes, we think we're funny.... scratch "funny", replace with "hilarious".

That's about it, folks. Until next time...

"You think it's bad now? When I was young we had to worry about catching the flu from pigs..."- Me, circa 2050

I saw this someecard today, and couldn't resist posting. Sometimes I feel like the writers of someecards understand me in a way that no one else does. But, regarding the Swine Flu, first birds are carrying the flu, and now pigs!? Don't worry, I took the liberty of WebMD'ing Swine Flu (you can never be too careful, and I want to know immediately if I may have it), and it has the same symptoms as the regular flu... and, also, as allergies (and AIDS, but we won't go there). So, the good news is that you should be able to easily recognize the symptoms, and the bad news is that someone who is not as knowledgeable as, say, I am about the symptoms could easily mistake it for the regular flu or allergies (or AIDS), and then we're all screwed. If everyone would just, please, avoid contact with pigs for a while we may be ok... and, for goodness sake, wash your hands.

Moving onward--

I'm a little freaked out by the "Craigslist Killer". I realize that I do have an irrational fear of sexual predators (as if any fear of sexual predators could be irrational?), but seriously!? He seems so normal. This guy is exactly why I would never follow up on a Craigslist ad by myself. I mean, come on people, did you learn nothing from the "buddy system" in elementary school?! I choose to implement the buddy system daily in my adult life, and I have not yet become victim to a sexual predator/murderer (::knock on wood::).... so, just think about that when you're going to meet some Craigslist shadester at his creepy apartment at midnight-- even if you are getting a really good deal on a barely used desk from IKEA. Also, regarding his fiance, this just goes to show that, if you find random women's lingerie around the house, maybe cheating (or crossdressing?) isn't the first conclusion you should jump to... you may have a Craigslist Killer on your hands. Either way, get out while you can. ALSO, the "breaking news" this morning is that he was using Craigslist to have trysts with men!? His poor fiance. Other breaking news, as reported by the Today Show, is that the August wedding has been canceled. So, there's the good news on that. At least she found out before the "I do's".

Alright, kids, that's it for now. Have a super day in CyberSpace, and don't bother searching for me on MySpace because I deleted my account.

Later.

"Oh, Danny, is this the end?"

"Of course not, Sandy. It's only the beginning."- Grease

Good morning, guys and dolls!

Today has the potential to be a day of epic proportions. I will (maybe) make a huge change in my life, and will need the support of all of you, my faithful blog readers. Your prayers will be needed as I muster up the courage to take this huge step: Delete my MySpace.

Yes, you heard it here first, folks. My long time relationship with MySpace will soon come to an end. It was a wonderful ride for the past (approximately) 3 years but, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and I feel that this is also true as it pertains to social networking sites. (Don't be ridiculous or hasty, though, I will not be deleting Facebook any time soon. One step at a time, plus I'm not sure my Facebook love affair is quite ready to end.) While I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on MySpace (filling out surveys, perusing people's pictures, messaging old friends), I have found myself feeling less than fulfilled by Tom's cyber networking masterpiece, and worry that, if I don't delete soon, I may not have anything new to learn about my classmates at our 10 year reunion.

Now that you've been made aware of my huge (potential) life change today, I'm sure you understand the urgency for your prayers, and will be asking for the Lord to send me strength today as I mentally and physically prepare myself to click "Cancel". (FYI: The words "maybe" and "potential" in parenthesis indicate the fact that this may or may not happen today. This is a huge step and not something to be rushed.)

Thanks, and moving on.

For those of you who don't already know, I have been planning, for about the past 4ish months, to make the big move back to my roots. I will be saying goodbye to the lovely Austin, TX, and hello to the rice fields and marsh lands of my first love: Southeast Texas (Spindletop, anyone?). (Don't feel bad if you didn't know, as I wanted to keep things somewhat hush-hush until details were finalized and I was able to talk to my boss.) While I absolutely love Austin (who wouldn't!?), I have lived in this area for the past 7 years, and have grown increasingly homesick for my family and friends. The thought of being back has made me so excited for the past few months, that I almost forgot to think about the fact that I'm actually leaving... until Wednesday. My beautiful, wonderful Austin friends and I went out for Sally's birthday celebration, and reality set in. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic to be moving back, but I'm getting so very sad to be leaving the amazing friends I've met here. I have been blessed to have met some truly incredible friends in Austin but, luckily, all of them are Facebook users, as opposed to MySpace, so keeping in touch should not be tainted by my decision to delete MySpace. So, there's the silver lining!

All of that being said. You don't have to worry about me canceling my blog. (What a relief, right?) I will continue to post random ramblings about my life (and sometimes not), and the only change will be that, beginning mid-June, you should probably picture me in a more rural setting, rather than in downtown Austin. (Oh, Leslie, how I will miss randomly seeing you parading down 6th on my way home from work...)

That's all I have for now, blog readers. Have a super day in CyberSpace!

Oh, and I almost forgot!:

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALLY!!!!!! I hope you have the most awesome day of your entire 23 years of life! Love you so much (even though you're from Oklahoma)! :)




*********UPDATE: I'm officially no longer a MySpacer. Thank you for your prayers.

The Color Purple. Or, how to get my vote for Mayor.

Yesterday afternoon, while watching the Chicago Bulls and discussing the effectiveness of sweatbands with Sally and Matt, I was reminded of my younger days when one basketball player, donning purple and orange, dominated the inside of my 4th grade locker. This basketball player was none other than Charles Barkley. What possesses a girlie-girl of 10 years old to host an obsession with a large, sarcastic professional athlete? Even I'm baffled by the thought. I think it might have been because his team was purple? I mean, we have to keep our priorities straight while choosing favorite teams, and uniform design obviously tops the list (besides, orange basketballs did match his jersey, which is crucial in improving the aesthetic quality of a televised basketball game). Still reflecting on this obsession this morning (after nursing my still aching sunburn), I was prompted to do a little internet searching on my old basketball idol, and came across some very interesting quotes that I decided to share with cyber space. Clearly, my childhood obsession has just been validated:

"I can be bought. If they paid me enough, I'd work for the Klan."

"You got to believe in yourself. Hell, I believe I'm the best-looking guy in the world and I might be right."

"Every time I think about changing a diaper, I run a little bit harder and a little bit faster to make sure I can afford a nanny until my daughter's old enough to take care of that herself."

"If you go out with a girl and they say she has a great personality, she's ugly. If they tell you a guy works hard, he can't play a lick. Same thing."

"I'd never buy my girl a watch... she's already got a clock over the stove."

"I heard Tonya Harding is calling herself the Charles Barkley of figure skating. I was going to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized I have no character."

So, there you have it. Justification for my 10 year old obsession with Charles Barkley. Remind me again, mom, why you encouraged this by buying me Charles Barkley/Phoenix Suns basketballs, and outfitting me in Phoenix Suns t-shirts??? Ok, who am I kidding? I still think he's pretty cool (in that whole bad boy, Dennis Rodman sort of way).

Moving on...

Let me just say that I l.o.v.e. driving down Mopac on my way to work and seeing signs campaigning for Brewster McCracken as Austin Mayor. I have always loved the fact that our current mayor's name is Will Wynn (who, might I add, knows the Thriller dance... awesome), but Brewster McCracken may just top that. I can almost hear his parents in the delivery room now: Mom: "What could we name our newborn baby boy that will sound equally as interesting as his last name??" Dad: "Hmm... We had a puppy named Brewster when I was little. Gosh, I miss that little guy." Mom: "PERFECT!" I know absolutely nothing about his policies or his platform but, I mean, it can't be too wrong to vote for someone on the basis of awesome name, right? His parents must have known he'd be a politician...

Ok, that's all I have for now. Peace out, y'all.

Dr. Leigh has red skin and speaks French... simultaneously.

Let me preface this by saying that I have no rhyme or reason for this blog.

Hi! How are ya? Happy Monday!

The first item of business on this sunny April 20th afternoon is WebMD (per Sally's request). Those of you who know me well may know that I have a slight addiction to this website o' medical genius. Not only has it helped me to diagnose myself with illnesses that I have, in fact, had (the flu, for example), it has also helped me to diagnose myself with illnesses that I do not have (diabetes being my most frequent diagnosis). I "had" diabetes last week, which is why Sally (who apparently thinks my addiction (obsession?) to WebMD is hilarious) suggested that I devote an entire blog to it. Misdiagnosis via WebMD is very easy because, as I've discovered on numerous occasions, many ailments have similar symptoms (who knew the flu had many of the same symptoms as AIDS!?). For instance, last week when I had diabetes, it turns out I was just hungry (with a bit of a sweet tooth) and/or thirsty... and my blurred vision could possibly have been caused by the fact that I'm supposed to wear glasses, but don't? Too bad all of those things are symptoms of diabetes... you understand my confusion??? Needless to say, you can all rest assured that I do not have Diabetes, ADD, Cancer, Meningitis, AIDS, Arthritis, or any of the other one million horrible diseases I've convinced myself that I have (based on the fact that I have a sore throat...).

Moving on...

I'm sunburned (or, more accurately, sunFRIED). Yes, it's true. I was outside at the pool yesterday, wearing sunblock (aka sunNOTblock), for approximately 2 hours, and I came out looking like a crawfish. (I would have said lobster, but wanted to stay true to my southeast Texas roots..) What makes it even worse, aside from the agonizing pain caused by merely breathing, is that my sunburn could easily be confused with some kind of skin problem, as it is blotchy (I'll WebMD it later to see if maybe I'm having some fatal allergic reaction to the sun or sunNOTblock...). I look like a red and white dalmation, and I do not like it. Also, my hand is swollen from said sunburn. Faaantastic. There are days when I love being a red head with pale skin, but this is not one of them. My skin hates me and, frankly, I hate it back. We're not on speaking terms right now.

On another note, I love-Love-LOVE La Madeleine. Oh, how I love La Madeleine. I went for lunch today and, aside from the terrible parking issue (Which is a problem all over Austin-- You'll be hearing from me soon, Mayor Wynn!), it was a truly delightful experience. Not only do they serve bread and jelly in an unlimited supply by the drink station, they have FRENCH LESSONS playing over the loud speaker in the bathrooms (or, more appropriately, toilette). I realized this today and it only intensified my love for this restaurant o' French bistro goodness. Yes, amazing. J'adore La Madeleine!

Ok, that's about all I have to say today, so we'll cut this off for now. Stay tuned, my faithful readers. Stay tuned.

Au revoir, cyber space!

Dans une nutshell...

As I was reading my friend Sarah's blog today, I noticed that she posted a list of random facts about herself. While I've already posted the "25 Random Facts" bulletin on Facebook, I still felt compelled to post again on here with no "25" rule (could be more.. could be less.. read on to find out). Also, my mom doesn't have Facebook, and I'm almost certain that she's the only person who checks my blog regularly; thus, this is the only place my mother, who already knows everything about me, will be able to read my "Random Facts". (Maybe you'll find some surprises, Mom!) So, since I know you're sitting with bated breath at the edge of your seat, let's get this show on the road:

1. I was constantly being fussed at in my high school classes for "doodling" while the teacher was talking. Everyone always thinks it means I'm not paying attention, but, really, I just have trouble focusing on one thing at a time.

2. I am a pretty laid back person as it pertains to most things, but I get extreme anxiety when I get lost. I once called my dad in tears because I was lost in San Marcos. When he asked what I saw around me, all I said (between sobs) was "Trees!". I still get stressed out just thinking about it.

3. When I was little, my parents had to take me to the emergency room for sticking a pebble up my nose. Yep, a pebble. What compelled me to do this? I still don't know.

4. In 3rd grade I wrote a paper for school on how I wanted to be just like Reba McIntire, and we sent it to her. She never wrote back. Rude!

5. I could watch ridiculous videos and read funny blogs online literally all day. I'm a sucker for anything that's even remotely funny. Even if it's not funny, but it's trying to be, I'll laugh. Because, I mean, what's more funny than something that's trying to be funny, but isn't?

6. The "That's what she said..." joke never gets old to me. Ever. I'm almost positive that I will still think it's funny 50 years from now.

7. After I finished with Drill Team my senior year in high school, I told my dad that the next time I ran it would be because someone was chasing me with a knife. And I was serious. Now, I love to run. Funny how things work out.

8. When I'm around my BFF, Chelsea, we immediately revert back to our 3rd grade selves, in that we act like 10 year olds. I like that about us.

9. I gauge whether or not a guy is "datable" on one question: "When my completely goofy side comes out (refer to #8), will I have to worry that he will break up with me?" Chelsea and I have had this discussion about every guy we've dated.

10. Believe it or not, I'm actually a shy person; although, I don't usually come across that way because I'm constantly giving myself pep talks when around people I don't know very well: "You're a rockstar! Everyone wants to meet you! Everything you have to say is interesting!"

11. I have a birthmark on my knee. When I was little, I thought it was shaped like the USA. It looks nothing like the USA.

12. I still squeal like a little school girl at the sight of the New Kids on the Block. I know this because I saw them last October. When I told my mom I was going to the concert, her response was "Ok, after the concert, can you finally move on?" The answer is "no". At age 25, I still haven't given up hope that Joe McIntyre is my soul mate. (or, more acurately, I haven't given up hope that he will realize that he's my soul mate.)

13. One of my favorite things in the world to do is sing and dance to show tunes with my mom- loudly, obnoxiously, and often. My dad and brother LOVE it and practically beg us to force them to join in. They don't have to say it, we can see it in their eyes.

14. I love talking to people who are just now reading Twilight. I feel like I'm in on a huge secret that they know nothing about. Then, they finish the 4th book, and it's not fun anymore.

15. I am the reason stores have sales. I could go into a store not planning to buy anything, and come out with hundreds of things I "saved money" on. Even I don't get the logic, but I fall for it every time.

16. One of my favorite parts of doing yoga with Lindsey is getting out of class and discussing all of the ridiculousness that takes place in those 60 minutes. Oh the things you see and hear in yoga class.

17. I get really excited when I'm driving down I-10 and can finally see Winnie. I always have. I'm one of those weirdos who actually loves her small town.

18. Writing is one of my favorite things to do. I get excited after formulating a really strong, great sentence.

19. I think I may have lived in ancient Egypt in a former life. Not to make assumptions, but I might have been Cleopatra- for many reasons: 1. I love cats 2. I have always loved ancient Egyptian history 3. I love to draw (cave paintings, duh!)

20. I have twin freckles on the inside of my right arm. When I bend my elbow, the two freckles come together like a perfect stamp. I bet all you dark skinned people out there wish you were a ginger kid so you could do that, too.

Ok, so, 20 seems like a good amount. Making that list is a lot harder than I thought! I don't have much else to say today, except that I'm in the process of making a lot of (exciting) changes in my life that have been in the works for several months, so stay tuned for updates! (See how I draw you in to my blog by leaving you hanging... it's like a commercial.)

Also, shout out to my beautiful friend, Jennifer Dean, who I met at church camp in 7th grade and have been best friends with ever since. She and her boyfriend (fiance), Troy, just got engaged. Yay, Jennifer and Troy! I can't wait to be a part of your very special day. :)

That's all for now. Have a great day in cyber space!

Blowing the dust off my blog.

Greetings! Welcome back to my blog!

I've decided that, regarding this whole blog thing, I'm putting way too much thought into the whole process. Who says that a blog has to be about exciting adventures, or that it even has to contain incredible insight? I never said that, so here we go...

So many things to say, and not enough space in which to say (type?) them..... or, is it so much space in which to type, but nothing of substance to say? I'm thinking the latter. Staying true to the "blog about nothing" theme I mentioned in a previous post, this blog will discuss the following: Snuggies, Octo-Mom, and Jen Lancaster. If you feel any real attachment to backward robes or single mothers of 14 children, then maybe don't proceed. I'd hate to offend my faithful readers. (P.S.- Can you tell I was a Ready Writer in my younger days? Clearly lining out the paragraph topics in my opening paragraph. Thank you, University Interscholastic League for giving me the ability to effectively organize a blog.)

Topic 1: The Snuggie
First off, let us discuss the commercial. We begin this riveting minute or so of ridiculousness with a woman literally struggling to cover herself with a blanket. I have one important thing to say about this little scene: Get a bigger blanket. Clearly she is using a blanket created to cover an infant. This could, perhaps, be why she cannot get it to stay on, or to cover her adult size body. Also, an infinite number of generations of men, women, and children have been using blankets throughout history. Have you ever once heard a complaint about how ineffective they are? Their sole purpose is to keep us warm. Mission accomplished! If my arms are still freezing whilst the rest of my body is warmly covered by my blanket, I will either put on a sweatshirt or TURN OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER. On another note, I do know several people who have invested in this backward robe, and it does make for some hilarious photos and discussions. Kudos to you, Snuggie, for being the life of every slumber party!

Topic 2: Octo-Mom
Where do I even begin? Clearly this woman is not mentally stable. What single woman, in her right mind, would WANT to give birth to a litter of children... much less 14 children she cannot support because she DOESN'T HAVE ANY SOURCE OF INCOME!?!? AND, what DOCTOR can, in good conscience, allow this catastrophe to happen in the first place!? What is wrong with people!? Phew, now that that's off my chest... It was recently brought to my attention that the "father"/possible donor of these 8 little swimmers is now stepping up to claim responsiblity (publicity?) for his donation. Maybe I'm heartless, but I think that, if I were him, I would probably try to stay under the radar on this one. You might just be dodging a bullet having her say that you're not the dad. Let her wallow in her own crazy, and you just maybe don't make any more "donations"... for the sake of our future generations. I leave you with this: Where is CPS???

Topic 3: Jen Lancaster (www.jennsylvania.com)
I don't have much to say regarding this topic, except that she is AWESOME... and hilarious. And that I'm pretty sure we're destined to be BFF... if I could only meet her. And that I'm super excited that my friend Julie said that she pictures Jen Lancaster as being a lot like me. That being said, google her for many laughs. (Sorry for the excessive usage of "said", or any variation of the word... also sorry for starting 2 sentences with "And". I know you're not supposed to, but sometimes it just works so well.)

Welp, CyberSpace, this is all for now. I will cheese this blog up a bit and leave you with a quote that I feel describes one reason why my parents are, in a word, AWESOME, and which will give you a little insight as to why I must have done something really incredible in a previous life to have been born into my family. Take it away Kate Winslet:

“Mum and dad were very much friends, and up to life. There was no anxiety for anything when I was growing up. They just taught me to be me."

Random, Red-headed Ramblings. Or, A Blog Titled Using Alliteration.

So, apparently my life is a lot more boring than I originally thought, because I have found that I have absolutely nothing to blog about. From this point on, think of my blog as something like Seinfeld. Instead of a "show about nothing", it's a "blog about nothing". Or a coffee table book about coffee tables? You get my drift.

That being said, Jason graduated from college! YAY! 2 kudos for Jason! If you know of any available jobs, let him know.... because, obviously, he's looking.

Moving right along, Happy 2009! Aaaand, that's pretty much all I have to say about that.

Now, for those of you who don't know, I have a big birthday coming up on Sunday. The big 2-5. This is the first birthday which actually makes me feel like an adult. It's also the first birthday that I'm not all that excited about. But, alas, what do you do? As the eloquent country singer, Tracy Lawrence, says, "Time marches on..."-- or something like that. (No, I did not know that off the top of my head. Yes, I Googled who sings "Time Marches On"... although I did see Tracy Lawrence at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo one year.)

Well, folks, that's all I have to say right now. Except that I am going to try to update this more often, as several of my friends keep pushing me to do so.

Have a great day in cyber-space.

5 Steps to Happy Networking

So, there is an issue plaguing cyberspace that I believe needs to be tended to immediately. It's a little thing I like to call "Online Networking Etiquette". (Note: I am not griping or complaining, merely trying to make cyberspace a happier place for the masses.) The following are a list of things that, as a member of an online networking site, you should be made aware of:

1. Putting quotation marks/apostrophes around your maiden name. Ex: Leigh "MaidenName" Gibson, or Leigh 'MaidenName' Gibson. First of all, is your maiden name a direct quotation? (if so, please cite it in your "About me" section. MLA format will work.) Is your maiden name a nickname that people often call you? If you answered "No" to these questions, then join me in saying "NO" to the quotation marks around your maiden name. Believe me, simply placing your maiden name between your first and married names, with no punctuation, is sufficient. We get it. Regarding the maiden name enclosed in apostrophes... I don't even know why you would do that.

2. Leaving the "is" in your status when it clearly does not belong there. Ex: "Leigh is what are you thinking BCS!?" I could SOMEWHAT understand using an "is" where it does not belong when Facebook forced "is" into all status posts (although you could have placed words after the "is" such as "thinking", "saying", "wondering", etc), but now Mark Zuckerberg has made it possible to simply backspace through the "is" leaving us with a world of opportunity in expressing what we are doing, how we are feeling, or some passive aggressive statement directed toward someone we do not like. My recommendation for you unneeded-"is"-users is this, say the sentence in your head before typing it. If you would not use an "is" in speaking the sentence, do not use it in typing.

3. Fake relationships. It's just confusing and forces me to search through your pictures trying to figure out if you are, in fact, in a relationship that I was unaware of, suddenly gay/lesbian, or if you are joking. It calls for a lot of unnecessary Facebook stalking time which could be best spent checking out our mutual friends, or people I know on your friend list but do not want to friend request.

4. Posting pictures with the caption(s) "I'm so fat!", "Wow, this is a terrible picture of me!", "I take the ugliest pictures!", etc. The solution is simple: Don't post the picture if you think it's "terrible". You are obviously fishing for compliments, and that is annoying.

5. Incorrect usage of "I" and "me" in picture captions. Determining the correct pronoun for your caption is very simple. Allow me to explain: Say the phrase to yourself before typing the caption. For example, "I went to the store". When you decide to throw another name in the mix, "Chelsea and I went to the store." See? On the other hand, "Come to the store with me" would become "Chelsea came to the store with me". Simple as that. In captioning a picture of just you and another person smiling for the camera, it's "Chelsea and me." Always. "I" is never used in that situation. Erase it from your caption box now.

Ok, enough etiquette. I was going to post a copy of my final project for Digital Imaging (A CD cover for Bright Eyes' rap album) on here, but I think the file size might be too large, because it was taking forever to load. If anyone (Aaron Alford?) knows how to reduce the size so that I can easily place it in, please let me know!

This is all I have for now. Keep checking, though, because I finish school next week and will have much more time to update!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CATRINA!!!!!!!!

kthxbye.

P.S.-Is it just me, or are lolcats the funniest thing ever?

Welcome to the bandwagon. We've got chocolate.

This week has been one of bandwagon jumping for me. It all started with the movie Twilight. Before you start judging me, or jumping to conclusions, you should know that I did not want to see the movie. Frankly, I thought that people's (and by "people" I mean "high school girls") obsession with this "Edward Cullen" character was a bit ridiculous. Then, I saw the movie. After much toiling over the subject, I broke down and started reading the books. While I am fully aware that this makes me a 16 year old in a 24 year old's body, my interest in these books has moved beyond "pleasure reading" to full on obsession. Maybe the book is laced with drugs? Maybe it has secret undertones hidden in the text (I should try reading it backward...) that brainwash unsuspecting readers? Maybe it is linked to the occult? Whatever the case, I love Edward Cullen, and I don't care who knows it!

Moving on...

Bandwagon number 2: Obviously, this blog. (Welcome, by the way.) The idea of starting a blog is one I've been toying with for a little while now. I tend to believe that my opinion on things is, obviously, the best one, so why not share that opinion with everyone... after drawing you all in with secret undertones hidden in the text. (I've been reading Twilight, don't mess with me.) While this blog is sure to be riveting beyond belief, and full of very intelligent, educated, and witty comments, be warned that my life is also somewhat boring... which will be evident in upcoming posts. (This shouldn't be a problem considering Americans-- including myself --seem to be drawn in by reality tv shows such as Keeping up with the Kardashians, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, and Brody Jenner's Bromance-- seriously, Brody?) So, anyway, keep reading if you're interested.. and, if not, then don't. I'll still post on here while assuming that everyone is checking daily for updates.

So, that's all I have for now. Other than to tell you that my Adobe Creative Suite came in the mail yesterday. HOORAY! Oh, and also that the Time Warner lady I talked to today told me to "have a blessed day"... so I am.