Part 2

So you hear about my immediate family all the time, but I've got some pretty cool extended family also.

Meet the Mayers:

My grandfather, Harry Sr., came over to the United States at the age of 15 by

boat from Germany during the Hitler years. He and his brother, Max, were the only two from his immediate family that made it over. From what I understand, only few were allowed on the boat and my great-grandmother sent them over to escape the concentration camps.

They reunited here in the States, my grandfather living in Mississippi and my Uncle

Max residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My grandfather came into the U.S. not knowing a word of English and the Loeb family in Meridian at the time were his sponsors who so kindly took him into their home. The remainder of the Mayer family that stayed in Germany were all sent to Auschwitz, and never made it out. My grandfather eventually got married and started a clothing business where my dad continues the tradition today. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting either of my grandparents considering they passed away years before I was born. My dad is a Junior, and I would have been a III (seeing as if I had been a boy). The extended Mayer family still resides in Philadelphia where we try and visit every few years.

Meet the Von Edwins:

I was very blessed to have grown up being so close to my mom's parents. My mom has two brothers, one in which resides in Arkansas, and the other in Florida. I have always been very close to my mom's side of the family and absolutely love seeing and spending time with them

.Here are the Arkansas Vons:

And here is one of three Florida Von cousins:

I wish that I could put into words JUST how fun these cousins are!! Absolutely cannot wait until Turkey Day :)

Blog Challenge: Day 4 and 5

So I'm cheating, because I'm ready to get this painful survey over with.

And I'm sure you are too.

So here goes,

Day 4: The Parents.

Day 5: Siblings.

I'll admit, these aren't the best photos that we've ever taken but it's all that I've got on my computer so they'll have to suffice.

I really do love my family.

I wouldn't exactly say that we're a "normal" family,

the older I get the more I realize that we've just got something special that not many other families have..

and that's the fact that we're extremely close.

As in, sometimes too close.

But hey, that's not always a bad thing, right?!

I will admit, my parents call me every day and if a day goes by in which we don't talk, that's normally a really big deal. And if you don't answer the phone the first time they call, they'll just call 5 more times to make sure that you got their original call.

But in all reality, I love them. They're crazy and they're fun, and I'm blessed to have the parents (and sister) that I do.

Now as for my sister, she is 20 going on 40 and her favorite pastime (although I'm the oldest) would be bossing me around.

We are absolutely complete opposites.

-I have short blonde hair, she has long dark brown hair

-I have big blue eyes, she has big brown eyes

-She's taller than me

-I'm wider than her

-I love chick flicks, she likes horror films

-I'm the socialite, she's the study bug

You get the picture..

Anything that I'm interested in, she's not. And we have our fair share of disagreements.

But all in all, I really do love her (even though some days are harder than others haha!). Not to mention that I really love to go shopping in her closet! She's so blunt and absolutely hilarious..and some days, I don't know what I would do without her!

Blog Challenge Day 2 (And 3)

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name.

I wish that my current blog name was just a little bit more creative, but unfortunately it's just not. I've considered changing it to "Michelle from Mississippi," but just haven't gotten around to it lately. Since moving to Birmingham almost a year ago, my name quickly went from Michelle to "Mississippi." And that would be my reasoning in changing titles.

Even though I do just live a very short 2 1/2 hrs. away, it's amazing how different some things really are.

I mean, you've just got to see for yourself!

"To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi."
William Faulkner

Day 3: Your first love.

Okay, I'm really starting to hate this survey! Can I just skip this question, or maybe even just plead the fifth?

Can I just say my dad or my dog?

Those will just have to suffice!

Very Superstitious..

I really try and make conversation with other classmates (I mean, I do need some friends), but in Income Tax class it just doesn't always go quite as planned.

Exhibit A:

Get to class tonight, try and make conversation with student sitting beside me. Might I add that this is the same girl that so sweetly informed me 5 min. before our last exam that my blue Mississippi State scantrons were not acceptable..only green UAB scantrons are (implying that I automatically fail the exam). Employees at the Barnes and Noble at UAB have better hours than bankers, and they expect full-time employees to buy these so called green scantrons at what point during the day might I ask?! My point exactly. My blue scantrons traveled 2 1/2 hrs..what ever happened to an A for effort?! I will get off of my bookstore soapbox. Back to the story, I tried making conversation again tonight with this oh so sweet neighbor of mine (hence the sarcasm). We have an Income Tax Return project due at the end of the semester so I politely inquire if she has started on it yet. I should have known that Mrs. Overachiever had already done hers. We found out about this project two weeks ago, and we still have one whole month to work on this. Done? Already? And then the worst part, the man beside her had done his already also.

Okay folks, I barely have time to breathe and you've already done your project? So maybe I'm just a tiny bit jealous? I mean, I used to be that student..you know, on top of things and all. But I'll tell you a really good cure..a full-time job. I mean, I haven't even looked at my test score from two weeks ago..let alone started on this project. I've got a lot of work to do apparently.

And about this test..yes I took it two weeks ago, and no I have not viewed my score yet.

And yes, grades came out approximately 24 hrs. after the test. You see, there's something that I often times don't like to admit, much less believe in...but I'm a tiny bit superstitious.

I get it honest.

My dad swears he has a bad day if he doesn't first stop at the convenient store for a cup of coffee and a pack of gum. And if he has a bad day, he will never wear the tie he had on again. As if his coffee, gum, and tie make for a bad day?! Well, I kind of inherited a touch of it.

It has been a bad two weeks. So I won't look at my test grade until I have a good day.

You see, today was better..so maybe tomorrow will be best?!

Maybe I'll check it then.

Until then,

I'll leave you all killing over in anticipation..

A Few Weekend Recaps

For the first time in a long time, I stayed in B'ham this weekend.

And a quiet weekend it was.

An AT&T tower has been out in Ross Bridge all weekend so I've had zero cell service for approximately 72 hours. So if you try and call, be sure to leave a voicemail!

Friday night I met up with a few friends,

and as for Saturday..

I worked Saturday morning, went to the new outlet malls, cleaned, did laundry, went grocery shopping, put up my Christmas tree, made dinner, and...

I hung some blinds.

Now I must admit that I'm no handyman. But at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning, someone came banging on our door so to say that it scared me is an understatement. You see, we have blinds to go on our door but they only cover half of the window, so anyone can look in and see everything that my roommate and I are doing. So, after searching high and low for a blind to cover the full length of the window, I finally settled for a set of blinds wider than the window but long enough to cover everything.

And so the drilling begins. Three hours and five unnecessary holes in the door later, the blinds are hung. Now only if they would stay up when the door opens and closes.. at least they serve their purpose, right?!

So tonight I took a little break.

I cooked dinner and am currently snuggled up on the couch watching Christmas movies, drinking hot chocolate, and burning the latest addition to my candle collection..

Now I'm just waiting on the new BCS Rankings to come out, and my weekend will be complete! Whoever thought we would one day be excited to hear what we're ranked?!

Hail State!!

Blog Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: Introduce yourself, include a recent picture, and tell 15 facts about yourself.

This was the most recent picture that I had. Don't judge.

I'll be the first to admit that this isn't my most favorite thing to do. But here goes:

My name is Michelle, and I go by my middle name..it has caused for much confusion over the years and I think that I will respond to just about anything. I graduated from the Mississippi State University and am a very proud supporter of the Bulldogs.

-My favorite color is pink and I like all things Christmas. No worries, I've spent the past few nights putting up Christmas decor. There's nothing like getting into the Christmas spirit a few months early!

-I'm pretty sure that snow will never cease to amaze me, considering that I grew up in the south. I'm like a little kid at Christmas on the (rare) occasion that we ever do see any!

-I'm always on the go, I love to travel and wish that my job included more of it.

-I have the most amazing friends and family in the world. But I must admit...

my family tree is full of nuts! I love my family, they're crazy and we always have the best time together. We could easily have our own reality television show and I'm convinced that one week at the Mayer house is just like another week at the circus. My dad, of course, being the ring leader.

-I have the most precious Pomeranian puppy Sophie. She is most definitely the love of my life, she has an outfit for every holiday. She's very prissy and super spoiled..I kind of love it. She definitely runs this house.

-I never knew just how much I loved Mississippi State until I graduated. I absolutely loved college and everything about it. I miss it more and more with each passing day, and would do just about anything to go back.

-I hate that my friends and I don't live in the same city anymore. My friends are my life..as if you couldn't tell! I miss them all so much!

-I've always wanted to be a retail territory(wholesale) rep or a pharmaceutical sales rep. I hate working with the general public on a daily basis. I've met more stupid (literally) people within the state of Alabama than I ever care to meet in my life. I didn't know there was a difference between general public and "the" public..until now. But there is a difference, big difference.

-I tend to fly by the seat of my pants in all that I do, and I'm really spontaneous but I secretly love everything about a schedule. And I'm very anal when my schedule doesn't go as planned. Very.

-I have very little patience. I think I appear to have a lot (or so I'm told). But truth be told I don't have much.

-I'm learning what's most important in life. Friends and family come before all else.

-The longer I work, the more I'm convinced that I would make an excellent housewife...know of anyone taking applications?!

-If you made it to the end of this post, you deserve a medal!

Life just keeps laughing..

Life: 1.

Michelle: None.

Mondays are relentless.

A hell of a whole lot has been going on lately.

And so I cave..

Have you ever heard the saying,

"An apple a day.."

Well, I'd do just about anything to keep the dentist away.

I've never had any dental work done before but I hear that it's pretty awful..

until now that is.

In August, I found out that I'm not only going to have to have one dental procedure done but rather a series of two or three oral surgeries in which would be drawn out over the period of about a year.

So for the past two months of my life I've spent every holiday/day off at my (what seems to be newest home)..the dentist office. I have gone from having just one dentist to a series of four dentist w/in a two month time period and I'll be spending my half day off tomorrow meeting with yet again...dentist number 4.

I'm supposed to be having a bone graft on my jaw next Wednesday, and I call at lunch today only to find out that dentist number 2 put the surgery on hold until further notice...in which I was unaware of.

After planning around a dentist and an oral surgeon's schedules, my employers schedule, my class schedule, my personal schedule and already taking days off next week, to say I was a little upset to hear that is an understatement.

I already hate going to the dentist and I'm afraid that this love I have for him is only going to get worst before getting better. I'm just ready to get it all over with, and I surely hope that a year from now I'll forget that this ever happened. I know that I need be thankful that it's nothing more than what it is, but I'm absolutely sick of my life revolving around my dentists. You see, the worst part of it all is I'll have to miss a week from work and I won't be able to eat "real food" for two weeks after (and this is only for procedure #1)...I just can't think of a worst punishment! With each appointment, the process just continues to get lengthier and more drawn out, and we're trying to divide having to take these days off between two calendar years (2010/2011). I know that I'm going to have a much prettier smile when it's all said and done, and I know the sooner it starts the sooner its over...but to having it "hanging over your head" per say is just not much fun.

So to say that I'm a little overwhelmed is quite an understatement. I have a test tomorrow, a tax return project due in December, two comprehensive final exams, work, and of course a bowl game mixed in with the holidays..as if that's not enough in and of itself. Each weekend in both November and January are already filled. And they think I've got time to re-schedule?

Until next time..