Last Day of 2004

Happy New Year to everyone! May your 2005 be happy, healthy, fun, and full of blessings. It's definately going to be a year of change for me. I will start the new college in a couple weeks (ahh) and I still don't know all of my classes. I plan on writing for the yearbook and newspaper to get more writing experience as well as some much-needed cash. Nice thing is that I can set my hours and such with those jobs. The yearbook is pay-by-story, so I can work as hard or as little as I need. I will still have my weekend cleaning job at Dad's office too. I'm paid for shoveling snow but there has been no snow in the winter of 04 to shovel! It would be great if it could snow on weekends when I don't have class. :)
Just think of all that's happened in the last year...sometimes I can't believe that certain memories took place in '04 since they seem so long ago. In this year I:
Started my job at Dad's (then new) office
Started my job working for the owner of Sonic Drive-In
Began this blog
Power blasted, scraped, primed, and painted the house
Tought Summer VBS
Quit my job at MPV/Rivoli
Took SCC classes all year (and probably did my last term there ever)
Helped deliver the kittens
Watched after the kittens
Got ringworm from the kittens (no---that is NOT an actual worm, it's a skin irritation)
Bathed the kittens and put Rx cream on them
Asked God why I ever took a stray in
Ended up with 3 new wonderful cats to join Milo in our home
Started a new drug--yay!
Got a new computer
Had the computer fixed
Ditto (5x)
Made new friends, stayed in touch with old ones
Got enrolled at CU and met with 5 music dept. profs
Had Christmas with my Grams, sisters, parents, and bro-in-law

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, TURNED 21!! (Glug, glug) jk
I'm sure there's lots of other stuff that happened, but I can't recall it all. Thanks to all who helped me make some big decisions this year, talked with me when I had my doubts and such, encouraged me in all I did, and kept reading, posting, writing, and chatting.

New Year's Resolution--find my abs--I know they're here somewhere. I've already started on this one by doing crunches everyday, my nightly walks, and better eating habits. Topic for discussion: What is one resolution you are making that you think you'll keep?
Last Song of the Day for 2004: "Across the Universe" by the Beatles. Rufus Wainwright did a note-worthy cover of it for "I Am Sam".
Much love,
Stephen

Last week of '04

A new year approaches and the old one becomes a part of the history books. How was your '04? I'm not gonna complain about mine. Maybe I'll list the highlights in a year-end blog...we'll see.
Well, Grams is here for another few days. She's in Lincoln with Mom today doing some shopping. Everyone got a few gift certificates for Christmas, as requested this year. We decided it's silly to ask for the actual gifts when they all go on sale the next day, so we got certificates so we could do after Christmas shopping. I'm using mine for new shoes and sheets. I got a griddle from Grams that's perfect for making pancakes, a portable CD/MP3 player from the 'rents that I'm exchanging (hopefully for something cheaper), a little water fountain with color-changing lights from my sis (which was missing the power cord to plug it in), "Austin Powers: Goldmember" DVD from the other sis, and a CD-ROM software set that creates a family tree. I've entered about 50 names into the tree so far and it's nice to have something to compile my 3+ years of research on. Bit by bit I'm getting my history figured out. I found a site online that a woman put together with info. about various linked family trees. Get this--my grandpa Brown and his parents were listed! I emailed the woman and it turns out we are related on my dad's dad's side. I'm helping her fill in the gaps in her website while she's helping me fill out my CD-ROM program. Small world.
I've sent my health forms and final financial aid form to CU. Now I just wait for the offices to open back up to register and such. I also have a parking sticker to get. Looks like I have a meeting to go to the day before I start classes to meet other new and transfer students.

Discussion topic: What are the 2 things you got for Christmas you like the most and why?
Song of the Day: "When it Comes" by Tyler Hilton. Great for John Mayer fans---very similar style.

Christmas Eve Eve

Happy Holidays! This past week has presented more than enough stress. I can't really talk too much about it, but let's just say sometimes I wish this house were bigger with more rooms to hide out in! Also, my sister and her husband are in need of prayers.
On a lighter note, I have made sugar cookies and spritz cookies for tomorrow. I also made pretzels and pretzel sticks with white and dark almond bark--very fancy looking. I even tried a mint chocolate concoction of my own. Grams is here and she'll be around until the 31st. She's taking the couch, which she claims is comfortable (it may be since she's only 5' 2" or whatever) but for me it's not so great. I have my bed which is something new to me after almost 2 decades of giving my room away. I have offered to take the couch or the air bed but it hasn't come to that yet. Tonight we are setting the table for the big day. We celebrate Christmas Eve by going to mass (the one church service my dad attends), eating treats and drinking wine/champagne, having homemade pizza, and unwrapping presents. After that, we play games and/or watch a movie. Christmas Day is when we get up, find Santa's goodies in our stockings, and enjoy some leftovers and the new presents for the rest of the day. We pretty much chill out until New Year's Eve then.
I have been getting a ton of paperwork from CU. I have many things filled out but I have a way to go yet. Classes start the 10th and I need to be at a couple of meetings and such on the 9th. Here goes yet another new experience in my life...I hope this one works out well.
My prayers and thoughts are with you all...please remember me in the same way.
Songs of the Day: "It Wasn't His Child" by Trisha Yearwood and "Believe" by Josh Groban.

Stephen Brown

Very Quick

Hey. Finals are done and I got good grades. I'm off until Jan. 10 when the new school starts up. I'm making friends on campus and that's always good. Looking for an on campus job.
I might be going to Iowa tomorrow so I won't be online. I'm not online much anyway because the computer is getting a full diagnostic by people who should actually know what they are doing. Won't be done until Christmas.
God bless and keep posting.
Steve

Finals Week

Well, as is evident in the lack of posting, everyone's in Finals Week, including me. I had an assignment to do tonight that I'm done with. I have an exam and the paper to write and I'm done, so I'm gonna get going on that tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be done by Wednesday night.
***
The above was typed at 8 or so. It is now 1 in the morning and I realized I haven't finished this. Tonight (the 12th) and tomorrow night look in the east sky between the constellations Big Dipper and Orion to see a Geminid meteor shower (named for the Gemini constellation in the middle of the shower). I saw quite a few meteors tonight going north and east and there should be more tomorrow between sunset and midnight. Pretty cool stuff! Get a warm coat and some hot chocolate and face east!
God's blessings to all of us taking finals! May Our Lady of Guadalupe (whose image is made of stars by the way) whose feast day is the 12th (when I started this post) pray for all of us and ask her merciful son, Jesus, to be with us all.
Songs of the Day: "Star in the East (Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning)", "Do You Hear What I Hear?", and "I Wonder as I Wander".
Much love,
Steve

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Hey all,
I've got the tree up and decorated and so far, the only presents under the tree have been wrapped by yours truly. I've gotten everyone's gifts purchased and they've all arrived (for those ordered online) so I'm happy about that. I put up the Christmas village with all the figurines. It is my favorite thing to put out at Christmas. We have a saloon, a victorian house that looks like the first one my dad sold, a real estate office, post office, small church, cathedral, Dairy Queen, and opera house (which is mine). The house looks wonderful and I'm adding a wreath to the front between the picture window and garage for extra coolness.
Today is St. Nicholas Day (his Catholic saint day) and it is fitting because mom and I went shopping in Lincoln for presents. She's gotten dad taken care of and I picked up some minor things. I also got the Gavin DeGraw "Chariot" CD in the mail today from BMG. It is a special edition 2-disc version with a "Chariot Stripped" cd that has an acoustic version of all the studio tracks. Pretty good so far.
Cleaned the office Friday night and went next door when I was done to chill at the coffee house. Someone was playing and singing music and apparently he has been on some level of American Idol. I believe it by his personality. ;) Met Kyle and his gf there, which was great. Both are cool people.
I will post more soon,
SB