Moving up...

Hello.

So, I'm done with my sophomore year of college. Just like that...2 semesters and a couple of tests later, I'm officially a junior in college. It's all going by way too fast. I don't like it. When I was little I was so ready to grow up, now...not so much. I would prefer not to grow up...it would be great if I could just build forts in the Sjogren's basement, ride my cousin's wagon down the hill in the backyard, rollerskate and bike in the parking lot, catch butterflies during the summer, play Barbies with my sister, go to the pool everyday of the summer, color for homework like in elementary school for the rest of my life.

Who needs work? I think I'll just be a kid FOREVER!

Competition...

Hello.

So my entire life, for whatever reason, I have always felt the need to have competition. This showed up mostly with my cousin Micah, but I still competed with everyone (even if it was just me competing in my head and the other person had no idea). I wasn't one of those "one-up" people, you know "I went to the zoo today." "Yeah well I went to the zoo AND the park." *little smirk* No, I was never one of those kids. I was the kid that if someone said I couldn't, I would compete against them to prove I could AND that I was better. Like when I was little and 2 heads shorter than everyone in my grade and one time someone was making fun of me because they thought I probably couldn't run very fast...let's just say his words came back and bit him in the butt (I was a speedy little devil and I was proud of it).

It wasn't always athletics though, Micah and I would compete over food, video games, games in general, movies, you name it, we found some way to compete over it. I think one of the most common phrases my mom and aunt used around Micah and I when we were together was "Guys! This is not a competition! Not EVERYTHING is a competition!" I still smile about it when I think about it.

I think competition with my sister started later, though. I was extremely, extremely gullible and she took advantage of that early on. I was talked out of my Teresa Barbie doll many a times. Then I finally got (at least) a little sense and maybe a few arguments. There were so many things I thought, and still think, she's better than me at and I always tried to make myself better to be like her or maybe just one step above her. I've also noticed that it is generally only people in my family who I try to compete with, don't get me wrong, I have and sometimes do compete with friends (probably more in my head), but family I openly compete with...a lot.

Anyways...I bring this up because this past Sunday was Mother's Day :) yay for mothers! and I put a simple blog up for my mom. I look at Jessica's the next day and she's got this whole tear jerker, sentimental, poetic...ish ode to our mother. The first thought that ran through my head was..."Really? Great. Jessica just one-up'd me on her blog for Mother's Day." A little ticked off my thoughts continued, "Now mom is going to like hers better, mine is lame. You know...she put hers up after mine, I bet she was waiting to see what mine would be so that she could make hers better." <-- Those are fer serious the thoughts that ran through my head. Thoughts that my own sister was scheming against me just so she could have a better Mother's Day blog. Really, Jaimie? After I thought about for awhile I realized how silly I was and I could hear my mom in my head, "Not EVERYTHING is a competition!"

Just because my blog to my mom wasn't as sentimental doesn't mean I love my mom any less. And best part is...she knows that :). My mom knows I love her. I think she's gorgeous, crazy intelligent, I can ask her anything because she always has an answer or advice, she's super mom (but not like the tv super moms...those ones are weird...I don't like them), she is just so...amazing!

My Mom...

Hello.

Here's to the best mother in the whole entire world :)

Augustana

Hello.

I saw the band Augustana last night. They played here on campus for free!

All I have are the way things go

I don't know

I just don't know

Make up some simple lies

And compromise

How I live

'cause either way I'll break your heart someday

But leaving you is the last thing on my mind

So when I go

baby kiss real slow so I don't forget my way back home

When I go

Sail away

On a wayward ship

With candy lips in my grip

Cheap perfume

Oh it never lies

It can't surprise

Any good advice

'cause either way I'll break your heart someday
But leaving you is the last thing on my mind
So when I go
baby kiss real slow so I don't forget to make my way back home
When I go

Well I miss you in the winter
Your friends say I should listen
Can't you see I've loved you all along
Well if America don't like me
You can say I finally
The kind of man who only likes the gun
Shoot anyone, shoot anyone

'cause either way I'll break your heart someday
But leaving you is the last thing on my mind
So when I go
baby kiss real slow so I don't forget my way back home
When I go

P.S. The lead singer definitely looked like Johnny Depp it was weird...

P.P.S. The band played their songs plus a couple other songs that were not their's and even a new song on their new cd and they were amazing. They left the stage and the crowd, as always, asked for an encore. The concert was going great, they came back on, and the lead singer started talking while the band members played in the background. He talked about how he was raised in a church and his parents told him there was only one way to heaven. Then he went on to say that he doesn't believe any of that anymore and that he thinks "Jesus and God aren't worth shit" (these are his words not mine). It was kinda weird listening to one of my favorite band's lead singer sit there and blasphemy my God. The concert would have been just fine without those words. A lot of people left upset and angry. He could have just sang a couple extra songs without throwing in his thoughts that to many are very offensive. I still really like their music, and I'll keep listening to it because his faith and viewpoint are not incorporated into his songs and he has an amazing, very different voice that I really like. It's just sad to me, I guess.

Hunting.

Hello.

I went hunting the other day. I got a buck. The inside spread was 18 inches and I used a .243 Winchester. I hit his vitals and he went down immediately. It was quite obvious he wasn't going to survive. My friend hit another Elk's paunch. It took 8 hours for that thing to go down; poor shot, but the animal moved right as he took his shot. Needless to say, that was a good day of hunting.

...That was for you Terry :) I wrote on as much information I could research on hunting haha!