It’s not a picture, but it’s a video and I think it counts! =P

I love my doggies so much. They are always going to be there for me and they won’t ever stop loving me and I will never stop loving them. I was so skeptical of Karlie at first. I mean, we went through some pretty hard stuff together (ie her bolting out the door the first night I had her and me spending 2 hours chasing her down as she tried to get hit by cars. I also skinned my knee and got a bunch of glass in it. I have a pretty good scar from that.). But she’s my baby girl and I love her so much. I can’t wait to be able to get some hard core agility training in her, she’s going to be amazing.

[Still not sure how I feel about not going to Nationals with Taufie this year. I don't think I want to think about it too hard right now. I'll end up crying again... That's a post for another time.]

So now it’s just a matter of taking life day by day, and remembering that “life is about the journey, not the destination” and that “it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”. Just got to keep remembering those 2 quotes and I just might make it through this semester unscathed.

I’m gonna go eat my Poptarts now.

~Aubs out

I apologize now for the randomness =P

Well, today is day one of Spring semester. Thankfully I got 14 hours of classes after the tuition mishap. Now I know to not wait till the week before to try and get tuition paid. Oh well. All’s well that ends well I suppose. Now to get all unstressed so maybe I can eat something without puking it back up and sleep more than an hour or two.

For now though, some Starbucks to keep me awake through my 2 classes today and maybe a tiny bit of writing. I knew I should have brought a book…. *sigh*

Speaking of books, I read the Hunger Games Trilogy recently. OMG. So amazing. I was a bit of a skeptic to be honest, it seemed like a kind of stupid plotline. No, it’s quite fantastic. I highly recommend it. Also, I got a wonderful gift card to Barnes and Nobles (I’m pausing here to cry a bit at the loss of Borders) and I used it the other night as a bit of retail therapy for the whole tuition mess. 12 new books are coming! I’m pretty pumped. Nothing soothes the mind like a new book.

I shall leave off with an amazing quote by the great Albus Dumbledore =)

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

It fits with my theme for this year- Life is about the journey, not the destination =)

Ya’ll have a good day!

~Aubs

And Happy Birthday to ME!!!! I turned 20 on New Year’s Eve so that was all kinds of fun! It was the first birthday I didn’t spend at home and I had quite a bit of fun! Because of people being in various places and going various places, I had TWO birthdays! It was pretty freaking sweet. I can’t say it was perfect, there were some things that were…upsetting I suppose one could say, but overall? Great experience.

And about 2012. Everyone says it’s a clean slate, a fresh beginning, that you can start all over.

But let’s get real. You can’t completely start over. If you’re dying of cancer, January 1st doesn’t cure it. If you’re heart is broken, January 1st doesn’t automatically repair it. If you’re in a dead in job, January 1st doesn’t guarantee a promotion. If you’re homeless, January 1st doesn’t magically produce a house for you to live in and make you able to pay the mortgage. Their is always a little chalk dust residue left on the blackboard. But that doesn’t mean the residue should hold you back, if anything, it means you should press forward even harder. Fight your battles, party like you don’t care whose watching, love deeply like you’ve never been hurt, and work your butt off. True, sometimes you have to walk before you can run and baby steps are needed, but still, you have to have the courage to take the first baby step.

Last time I posted about the ring I got for Christmas. I think that’s what my 2012 will be about: Journeys. No, not the shoe store, though I do ADORE those shoes (in case you were wondering), but rather the events that happen in life. The ups, the downs, everything that’s a part of the rollercoaster. So I made my goals for this year:

Blog more- I have found that blogging is a bit cathartic, and it gives me a weekly goal to maintain: One good picture a week, one good meaningful blog a week.

Take better care of myself- Typical, I know. But I need to. And I’m not just talking lose weight, eat better, blah blah blah. I’m talking about that, plus my mental health. Another reason for the Blogging goal is because I need to take care of numero uno first. I’ve been so caught up in so many things, job, school, friends, family, everything, that I’ve forgotten about me. So I’m blogging in order to clear my head and preserve that clear headspace.

Train more- I know living in San Marcos and working as much as I do training the dogs is hard. But it needs to be done, especially Karlie. She has a world of potential, and I am so excited that she has chosen to trust me after all she’s been through.

Love more- I feel like I’ve loved too much this past year, but I haven’t, really. People are going to hurt you, that’s inevitable, but you have to learn how to grow and I couldn’t. So my goal is to grow, to learn, and to love again in 2012. You never stop loving somebody, not really, they always have a small piece of your heart, but you can move on and love someone else, and that’s what I need to do. I’ve closed all my doors, put up huge walls, and refused to let anyone in. It’s time to take the wall down, or at least open the door a crack so someone could attempt to get in. I’m ready for my baby step.

So there’s my New Year’s Blog. Happy New Year everyone. I’m 20, and I’m determined to be at peace this year. What are you going to do?

“Life is about the journey, not the destination.”

~Aubs

P.S.- I love taking pictures of Amanda’s dog! Motion is too cute =P

But I’m trying this again. Call it a New Year’s Resolution if you will. At least once a week I need to post a picture and at least once a week I need to post a meaningful blog. I have a new camera, so I have no excuse to not take/post pictures. And I think typing a meaningful blog would be helpful to organize and put down on words what I’m thinking. It will at least help me from going crazy I hope…

So now a picture of Karlie! Since I have a bunch =)

Karlie is ridiculously cute!

There, one picture. I’ll be adding more I’m sure.

Since it’s after  Christmas, I’ll do a bit about that. Lots of Harry Potter stuff, gift cards, clothes, just general awesomeness. But then there was this ring. And I know the giver didn’t intend for it to be so profound of a gift, but it was. It’s a rater simple silver ring (and if you truly know me, you know I don’t go for simple lol) but the inside is inscribed. Now I’m also not the type for motivational mumbo jumbo, but this really spoke to me.

“Life is about the journey, not the destination.”

I’ve been SO worried about the destination lately. What I want to accomplish, where I want to be in 10 years, the type of person I want to be… I’ve forgotten that I have to get there first. I have to finish this year to get to the next, I have to finish next semester to start the next movie project, I have to graduate college before I can start working on my own, I have to write my ideas and thoughts down and form something like a novel before I can get published. There is so much I have to do before I can think about being anything, or being anywhere in 10 years. Those 10 years have to pass. William Ernest Henley had it right:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I know now that I have to play more of the role in my own life, however I cannot change the past and should not dwell so much on it. Mistakes have been made, and yes, the memories are bittersweet, but I think I am better for the those mistakes. I have grown, I am not the person I was a year ago, or even 6 months ago. I’ve changed, and I think, for the better. What ever happens, happens. I must accept this, and try to enjoy everything and learn from everything that happens.

I leave you with another picture, this one is little miss Ella Bella!

And, as a final note, Norbert passed a few weeks ago. We think he jumped off his rock ledge and paralyzed himself, but we’re not too sure. So rest in peace my little lizard, chase cricket’s to your hearts content!

Norbert

So with being sick and my internet being none too reliable, Picture of Day has been hard to keep up with. I’ve been TAKING pictures…just not always been able to post them. Ugh.

Also, the amazing little red camera is really about to die unfortunately. This makes me very very sad. It has had a full life though, almost 4 years of use and abuse and it’s on it last legs finally. It can’t quite seem to get anything in focus anymore. Poor baby is going blind…. =( So it shall be retired offcially and put in a shadow box because…. ***DRUMROLL***

I GOT A NEW CAMERA!!!!! It’s a Canon T2i and it comes with a lens, but I ordered another lens that has a faster shutter speed so I can take better action shots (i.e agility, dogs wrestling, kitten being a psycho, dragon being a beast etc…) and a bigger memory card. 256 megabytes isn’t gonna cut it anymore I’m afraid….but 32GB should be enough for LOADS of pictures =D Plus a 3 year warranty that also covers accidental damaged including complete submersion in water. Yeah, I dropped a big chunk of change, but it’s an investment, and it’s going to be worth it in the end.

I am really excited, and it will be here Thursday-Friday time period. I’m sooooooo happy!!! Finally I can get started doing some real work =D

So here are some of the pictures I’ve taken but haven’t been able to upload.

Bestest Buds Furever~

I'm pretty impressed that I caught this with the little red camera actually....

Bama is such a creeper lol

Again...Creeper Bama lol

Bama isn't sure what to do when Ella loves on her lol

I love taking picture of this dog, she's such a special girl and so gorgeous. She makes me happy =)

I also had my first semi official picture taking gig =) Here are some of the Officer Pictures of the Collegiate FFA Officers!

And I took Bama to the River… That was a BLAST!!!!!

Can you tell Bama wasn't a fan of the water?

But I don't wanna go Mom...

IT'S SO COLD!!!!!!

Finally out of there....

We got Ice Cream afterwards lol She was pretty happy about that

Funny dog lol

Karlie and Teddy  (My roommate Maggie’s RottenDog aka Rottweiler Cattle Dog cross) went to the river too!

Teddy is just really not good a swimming. Poor dude lol.

Go my little water rat, go!

And I got a Bearded Dragon! I named him Norbert! =) He has quite the personality.

He's so TINY!!!!

My awesome finger puppet!

-Does he have a cool belly or what?

Aren't we cute?

Well…..I’m pretty sure that I’m now up to speed with everything.  So here is my catch up, however there probably won’t be any more PoTD’s because the little red camera is pretty much dead. I might try to wrangle a few more out of it, but I might have to go through my pictures and post some of the amazing things it’s done over the past few year as a tribute to it. =’(

I can’t wait for my new baby though!!!!! =D

Signing out for the day,

Aubs~

Anywho, I didn’t get to post all of yesterdays photos because my laptop battery was dying before Biology class. So here is the rest of yesterday!

Reminds of that Mulan song "Reflection"....*goes off to go sing disney dongs all day lol*

It kinda looks like a nature poster lol

TURLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now the AWESOME truck I saw!!!!!!! Only in the Theater department I swear….

Isn't it a sexy beast of a truck?

In other new, Aubrie did cook a FULL meal by herself for the first time. I made hamburgers (that fell apart for some reason…), Mac n’ Cheese, and green beans. It was yummy! Not too many left overs because we all ate it =) Though the grease did pop at me when I was getting a burger out and burned my finger pretty bad. I had to take my class ring off cause it was irritating it so much.

And we still don’t have a 4th roommate. And if she never showed up that would be fine with me lol. Stephanie, Maggie and I get along great. =D

Oh and yesterday after walking Bama around I figured I’d go say hi to the neighbors Andy, Levi and Juan are all super nice and their dog Chloe is a pretty red heeler/red tick coonhound mix. Their gonna have a slip n slide party and they invited us to come =) The best part about college? Acting like a kindergartner again. Nap time, slip n slides, bouncy castles, all that good stuff. I really want to go to Amazing Jump SO BAD! Though, a bunch of college kids playing on wall to wall trampolines just SOUNDS like a bad idea lol.

Well I think I’m done for now. Picture of the day will be up later! (hopefully!)

Signing out,

~Aubs

I knew it was going to be a hardish class. I knew it was going to be hot. What I wasn’t counting on, was that the gym wasn’t going to have A/C. No A/C and yesterday it got up to 112 on campus. I was melting. I might as well have been a puddle of melted skin and muscle over a pile of bones. It was SO hot!

Anywho, Pictures of the day. Previous Post was Sundays pictures.

Precious Memories:

The Theater Building Swamp:

More later!

Aubs

And second thing today, after I buy books, I’m going to get my camera!!!! Work 20 hours a week at 9 bucks an hour will make paying for it easy. Cannon T2i here I come!!!!

As for POTD, I had the pictures, however my internet at the townhouse wasn’t cooperating. So the pics for the day are as follows:

Playing Dead Gets Me Cookie Right????

Crazy nutcase.....lol

"I'm Innocent!"

Clearly cuteness was the theme today lol.

So today was basically working all day. But hey, at least I get to bring my dog to work, right?

Still having some trouble getting people to actually buy the friggin classes. Oh well. Hopefully tomorrow will be better selling wise. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll get to take either Bama or Taufie up to San Marcos with me. *fingers crossed*

More CUTE pictures:

More cuteness to come tomorrow. Slow interwebs at home vs fast interwebs at the townhouse. =/

Signing out for now.

~Aubs

However, today rather sucked. Didn’t hear my alarm but still got to school on time enough to get a good parking spot, but only had my 9am class because labs don’t start till next week and the CFFA Officer Pictures I was supposed to take at noon were cancelled. Ugh. So I went back to the apartment after finally getting gas (I had a 1/2 a gallon left O.O Stupid Debit card not working and it being impossible to find a place that takes checks.), crashed for a few hours, was almost late for work, and just in general had a bad day at work. Oh well. Such is life unfortunately.

On a bit brighter of a note, I still did manage to get my Picture of the Day taken! I think they look pretty awesome. Today’s theme is circles. =)

Window to the Soul

Mirror of the Soul- Taken of my little mirrors on the wall opposite my big mirror by taking a picture of the big mirror. Rather fun stuff. =)

That’s all I have for tonight! Can’t wait to see what opportunities present themselves to take pictures tomorrow!

~Aubs