Day 8: I now work for the Royal Caribbean cruise line

Here is the daily list of random things that do not fit in the blog:

1.) I didn't drop anything yesterday so the whole bending at the waist disability I had didn't prove to be a problem! I can now successfully tie my shoes without tear shed.

2.) They guy who was supposed to come look at the Jeep didn't show up or even call. I was very disappointed, but I am hoping more offers will start rolling in soon. I miss Marky :-(

3.) Tomorrow, if I don't burn the house down, I will have two blogs. One will be the daily challenge and the other is going to be devoted to my cookbook challenge. Which reminds me, I still need a double boiler.

4.) IT'S MY FRIDAY!!



Moving right along, it is time for Day 8! Today I get to share with you all the places I have been to on vacation. I wish I could quote Mr. Johnny Cash and tell you that:

I've been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert's bare, man.
I've breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I've had my share, man.
I've been everywhere.

 But, unfortunately, I have not been everywhere. Here is an overview of where I have been not including the Bahamas because they did not show up very well.

 

Please do not judge my crudely colored map. My sister sucked all the creativity out of my mother's body four years prior to my birth.

Oh and I just found out this challenge is about ONE place you have been not ALL the places you have been. I could have erased all this and pretended like I already knew that, but I worked really hard on my map.

Sooooo, let's start over shall we? I'd have to say that my favorite place I've ever been to was Coco Cay in the Bahamas. It is an island owned by the Royal Caribbean. I've been there twice and loved it both times! Here are a few pictures...

 This is the entrance to CoCo Cay.

They had a really cool inflatable water park out in the ocean!

 It was so beautiful both times that I went! 

Don't get me wrong, I think America is beautiful with the mountains and valleys, but I am truly amazed by God's power when I see the beauty of the Caribbean islands. The water is a pretty blue that you can't find in Florida, and the sand is so white! You should definitely take a cruise with Royal Caribbean and visit CoCo Cay. You won't be disappointed! (This message has been approved by the ad council for Royal Caribbean.)


Well, that wraps it up for today. Make sure you check back tomorrow to see how my experience with the double boiler went!

And that's the way the cookie crumbles...

Day 7: I'm Your Huckleberry

Here is the daily list of things I want to tell you but you don't necessarily care about.

1.) I have decided to choose a "Reader of the Week". Dave McKinley read yesterday's blog about how sweet tea makes me happy and he surprised me at work with a sweet tea. Let's all give Dave a round of applause for being this week's "Reader of the Week." Dave, your prize is world wide internet fame. If you google yourself this might pop up...you're welcome.

2.) Anyone interested in being "Reader of the Week" next week can nominate his or herself by buying me Junior Mints, Buckle Jeans, or Oreos.

3.) I decided to do an ab workout two days in a row and now I have lost all ability to bend at the waist. This could prove to a problem later on today. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Now on to today's challenge! Day 7 is all about my favorite movies. I tend to get stuck on movies. If I find one I like I will watch it over and over and over again. But don't worry, I'm not one of those people who ruins movies by quoting every word right along with the actor or actress. Unless it's a Disney movie..then I tend to sing along energetically. Anywho...here is my list!


I honestly believe Forrest Gump is one of the best movies of all time. He is just so darn lovable! Plus, I inadvertantly learn things about history while watching it!

I made a chick flick category. Yeah yeah, I know what you are thinking. "Courtney doesn't watch chick flicks. She is way too awesome for that." But it is true. I like the occassional romantic comedy. They have to have way more comedy than romance. Or have an exceptionally attractive male actor. These three are my favorites....

 

I could make an entire post devoted to only Disney movies. So in an effort to save time, space, and dignity, I am only going to show you my two all time favorites. Those two are...

Now for the good stuff. Most people think that Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. And they are almost right. However, there is one movie that will beat out Forrest any day of the week. That movie is.....

I will admit that I quote Val's lines with him. So you probably don't want to watch this movie with me.



That was actually a scaled down list of movies I like. I was going to make an honorable mention list but I got really tired of typing. And when I get tired of typing I just assume you are probably tired of reading. So that concludes Day 7!

And that's the way the cookie crumbles.....

Day 6: Brittany Spears doesn't have nothin' on me!

Let me just start this post off by saying that I've had an awesome day so far! Usually Fridays suck really badly because it is just my Wednesday, but today has been an unusually great Friday! Let me tell you why!

1.) My hair is straight. Very straight. And it will be straight for 8 to 10 weeks! How cool is that? I had a Keratin Straightener put on it. Look!! 

                                                                                              

2.) I completed one of my New Year resolutions. I now weigh what I did in high school! I just wanted to see if I could do it, and I did! Woot, woot!

3.) Someone is coming to look at the Jeep in the morning. This is my first big bite so I am hoping I sell it tomorrow!

I am particularly excited about this post today. Day 6 is where I show you a picture of something that makes me happy. I can't just pick one thing so I'll show you 3 pictures, but the third picture is something that makes me happier than anything else on this earth.

I knew as soon as I read what Day 6 was about that I had to mention this. If you know me at all you know that it always brings a smile to my face:

                                      

Now, oddly enough the second picture is not going to be of Oreos or Junior Mints. I know that is probably what you were expecting, and I don't blame you. But there is something that makes me happier than both of those things. And that, my dear readers, is a good ol fashioned country song. In particular, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", as performed by Mr. Willie Nelson.



                                     

 

Now on for the thing that makes me most happy. Here is a back story...Before February 11, 2010, I was scared of babies. Weird, huh? I was intimidated by their wobbly heads and tiny, fragile bodies. I always imagined that I'd drop the baby and be labeled as the "baby dropper" for the rest of my life. Maybe it goes back to high school when I had one of those fake babies for a class. I was docked 20 points because the poor thing had whiplash. I made Brittany Spears look like a good mother.

 

                                   

 

But I digress...what I'm trying to say is that I'm not scared of babies anymore. In fact I love babies now. The reasoning behind that is my nephew, Levi. He has brought so much joy into my life. I can't help but smile whenever he is around. When he runs up to give me a hug, it just warms my heart everytime. So my third picture is of Levi because he honestly makes me very happy. Even happier than Oreos and straight hair.

 

                                        

 

Oh and I have not dropped Levi, yet...he did fall off the bed one time when I turned around but I didn't technically drop him so it doesn't count.

 

And that's the way the cookie crumbles...

Day 5: Siblings!

Here is a random list of things I felt like you needed to know but did not fit into the blog theme today:

1.) I have had several nibbles on the Jeep. I have a few phone calls to make today to set up meetings for people to come see it! Fingers crossed!
2.) This butter cake with caramel icing is going to be tricky. I need to purchase a double boiler. I also need to learn how to use the double boiler without harming myself or others. Monday will be an interesting blog.

3.) Eating two king size boxes of Junior Mints will make your stomach hurt. They are only deliciously minty an refreshing when they are eaten in moderation.
4.) Just because a frozen dinner is $.58 doesn't mean you should buy it.
5.) If you are going to eat two king size boxes of Junior Mints and a $.58 frozen meal make sure you carry Pepto with you.

 

Let's begin Day 5, shall we. I must warn you before I start that I am more than likely going to write a lot today. I usually try to keep it short and sweet, but today's topic is something very near and dear to my heart. And it actually has nothing to do with food! Today, I get to tell you about my siblings! Don't worry though. When I feel I've rambled too much I will throw in a picture to keep you focused.

I should start off first by telling you that I am the baby of the family. My sister is 4 years older than me. (I am the slightly over weight cross eyed one on the left).

That being said, for the first 15 years of my life I did not have a name! I responded to "Meredith's Little Sister", "Little Meredith", or sometimes I even turned around when someone said her name because I just assumed they were talking to me. This didn't really bother me though, because my sister is not a bad person to be compared to or associated with. Growing up, if Meredith liked something, I liked it too. If Meredith wanted to do something, I wanted to do it too. I hated pink, Lisa Frank, and cheer leading but Meredith did and liked it all it so it must have been cool! Yes, I was a cheerleader for one year and I even had a sparkly unicorn trapper keeper. But I should have drawn the line here....

I mean come on now people. Does this look like something I would really be interested in?? Tragically, I learned at a young age (shortly after this picture) that my sister was much cooler than I was. She was skinny, I was fat. She could play the piano, I couldn't turn on the radio. She could tumble and flip, I fell down stairs. However, I eventually found my own things to be interested in like basketball, Ninja Turtles, and pimping around on my big wheel. Even though I've found my niche now and I'm comfortable in my own skin, I still strive to be like my older sister. She has grown up to be such a beautiful woman with the kindest heart. I can only hope that I can one day make her as proud as she has made me.

I also have a half sister named Sherrie. She would kill me if I told you how much older she is so we'll just say she is older than Meredith and leave it at that :-)  Me and Sherrie share a dad and we look a lot a like! More so than me and Meredith. She is one of the sweetest people that I know. I wish we got to see each other more than we do. I have a few pictures of us, but none are recent or very flattering of me. I mentioned I was fat right?

Here is a surprise twist. I have a brother too! Okay, I don't technically have a brother, but my brother-in-law is about as close to me as one. You remember Tom from my "first love" post, right? Well if you didn't already know Tom is actually my sister's husband, Jeffrey! We have seen each other through thick and thin for almost 7 years now.  He is the best big brother I could have ever asked for.

Well folks that about does it for siblings and for Day 5. I tried to be brief but still get my point across. I got a little serious and a tad mushy so I hope I didn't lose you in the middle of a paragraph somewhere. Happy Thursday!

Oh, and that's the way the cookie crumbles...

Day 4: I pretty much made this blog into a picture book...

We interrupt this blog (that hasn't even started) for an important news bulletin!

 ***************************************************************************************************

 On Wednesday March 1, 2011, I found my dream car!

His name is Marky the Mach 1 Mustang. I realize that since I do not technically own him it is a bit premature to name him. It is probably also a bit premature to have mentally planned out fun road trips for us to go on together....

But all that aside, I am hoping to be his proud new owner very soon!

Moving on to the actual point of the blog!

Today is Day 4 of share-way-too-much-about-yourself-fest 2011. The topic for this particular day is supposed to be about my parents. However, my post is probably going to pale in comparison to my sister's eloquently worded masterpiece about these two very special people. I am not really sure where to begin...

I was born in a barn on a particularly starless night, aside from the lone star that was shining brightly above the manger I was....ohh wait. Wrong story. Totally not about me. Sorry....I was actually born in the wee hours of the morning on June 13, 1988 to Bobby and Tanya Sellars. My daddy and I got to spend the first year of my life together before he passed away in August of 1989. Since I was so young, I don't remember him but from what I hear, he was a pretty great guy to be around. I thought I would show you how much me and him look alike! On the right is his senior picture. The picture on the left was taken four months before he went to Heaven.

My mama did an amazing job raising me and my sister Meredith by herself (aside from the bonnet I'm wearing). I know Daddy and God helped her out. They were and always have been watching over all three of us. Pretty much anything I say now in this paragraph is going to be the standard things everyone says about their moms. So I'll go ahead and wrap it up by saying I am glad I can call my mom one of my best friends. We have one of those relationships where I feel like we can talk about anything. She is an amazing woman, and I can only hope that one day I can be half the mom she is to us.

Well that was Day 4 in a nutshell. I could have said a whole lot more because my parents are pretty awesome people but my attention span is extremely short. That's also why I put so many pictures. They are worth a thousand words though, right? Anyways, it is time for my new sign out slogan. You ready? And, that's the way the cookie crumbles!

Day 3: Aaron Carter...not as cool as he use to be

I have a mildly interesting news flash...my blog now officially has a theme!

I have decided to work my way through my great-grandmother's recipe notebook. I will be cooking or baking one thing a week and sharing my experience! And yes, I am aware there was a movie made about this very thing and I am being a copycat.

 Anyway, this Monday's attempt was Cowboy Cookies. I had fun with this adventure because I was remembering all the times me and my grandmother use to make them. Make sure you see yesterday's post for the recipe. Next Monday's recipe was picked by two of my coworkers. They both agreed they'd like to taste a yellow log cake and with caramel icing.

Now on to Day 3 of Blogarama 2011. Today is the day I'm supposed to tell you about my first love. I considered making my entire blog devoted to Aaron Carter, whom I thought I was in love with back in 2000. I was only 11 so stop judging me! And in my defense he was pretty cute!

After making the wise decision not to write about Aaron, I thought maybe I'd talk about my long standing love affair with Oreos.

But, I know what the challenge really means so I'll stop avoiding the topic and dive right in!

I met my first love when I was 15. We'll call him "Bob". Bob and I became good friends after a mutual friend introduced us. We started dating when I was 16. My mom was super protective of me and wouldn't let me go on unsupervised dates with Bob, so his best friend "Tom" had to go with us everywhere we went. Does that sound odd to you? It should. I thought it was odd. Anyways, Tom was an 18 year old hell raiser, but my mom thought Tom hung the moon! She of course had no idea and was content to let me climb in a rusty old Nissan truck and let me ride away as long as Tom was there!

Just so you can get a visual

 But back to Bob. After he grew on Mom she finally let us go on unsupervised dates. Love bloomed and died, then bloomed again and died, then bloomed one last time but eventually died a violent death my freshman year of college. Bob and I had just grown apart as most young couples do. We were going in completely different directions, and both of us were too stubborn to work things out. After a few years of awkward avoidance in such a small town, Bob and I are on friendly speaking terms. He is happy, and has a precious baby and a very sweet girlfriend. As for me, I am single and loving every minute of it. I really think it worked out for the best that we took those different directions. The best lesson I learned from our relationship was that God knows what He is doing. It was hard at the time but has worked out for the best for everyone in the end!

Want to know what happened to Tom? He and I became best friends soon after Bob and I started dating. We stayed best friends even through the break-up. And I am proud to say Tom is now a part of my family :-) See...everything did work out for the best in the end!