Post #50...(Alternate Title: The Night Before the Night Before the Night Before Christmas)

Twas the night before the night before the night before Christmas
And all through the crib
Laundry was strewn by the slob we call Lib
Gift wrap was thrown all over the kitchen
After Libby wrapped all the gifts that she considered "bitchin'"
Shay and Libby remained unpacked the night before their trip
'Cuz Libby's a slacker and didn't give a flip
About washin' or dryin' or foldin' or packin'
So she'll do it last minute, Cuz her middle name is "Slackin'"
But tomorrow they'll leave on their journey to Georgia
And tell her parents and family "here's the presents we got for ya"
But Libby's most excited about the supper plans for tomorrow night's meal
'Cuz they're eating at the best restaurant ever--Frontera Mex-Mex Grill
So load up the Escape and fill it will fuel,
It's time for a Christmas homecoming, which is really quite cool
And as they head down 85, listen for Libby's call
"We'll see ya next week! Merry Christmas, Y'all!!"

Can't wait!

3.5 more days until Christmas Vacation!!!

PS--if any of you know someone with a really nice beach house in the Myrtle Beach area (or Pawleys, etc.) or down near Charleston (or Edisto or Skidaway or Fripp, etc.....) lemme know! :-D

Ohio turned Terence into a bummer.

Man. So like if you listen to T's most recent audio blog, he sounds so depressed. Totally not like him. But...he did get me to update!

And don't worry, T...I didn't take it as mean I took it as freakin' hilarious! You're the first one to call me out like that! ;) I love it!

Shay done real good!

Shay done good!

I'm goin' to the chapel...

and I'm gonna get married!!

Shay proposed on Friday night!! :-D I said, "YES!" I can hardly contain myself!!

No date set, yet. We'll get on that right away, though. Pictures coming soon!

AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! *Jumps up and down with excitement!!*

Countdown to Christmas (and other things)

Today is December 1, 2005.

There are 24 more days until Christmas.
There are 23 more days until Christmas Eve.
There are 15 more days until I get out for Christmas Break.
There are 10.5 more school days until I get out for Christmas Break.
There are 5 more days until Bailey's birthday.
There are 6 more days until my brother's 21st birthday.
There are 43 more days until my 24th birthday.


Oh, by the way. For those of you who know me well and know that my birthdays last more than a day, or even just a weekend....my birthday officially started today. I got my very first birthday card in the mail today. Actually 2 of them. Victoria's Secret sent me 2 birthday cards, each including a $10.00 gift card. What an awesome present! It's weird, though, because usually companies like that who send out gift cards or certificates as birthday gifts make sure that the card/certificate is good only throughout your birth month. Well, both of my VS gift cards are only good through December. Does this mean I might get more in January?! :-D

NEW: Libby's Friend of the Day

Okay, so...Terence started his whole Top 5 list page [Cinco de Piddy--Check it out sometime] so I considered doing the same. But then I thought..."Yeah there's a blog that won't ever get updated"...because I'd essentially be stealing the same Top 5 ideas from him, and just sharing my two cents instead. And because I didn't think I could keep coming up with Top 5 ideas. Well, if you've been a regular visitor to Cinco, then you noticed that I had my very own Semana de Libby last week! :-D I think I like being a guest blogger on that one, so any Top 5's will more than likely be on his page.

I also thought it'd be too much trouble to run a second page period. Because I already procrastinate enough as it is with this one.

BUT, I've been thinking a lot lately of all of my friends, and I often want to tell them exactly how much they mean to me. That, and, it's getting to be the Christmas season, and I have nothing but love and warm fuzzies for everyone. You know you enjoy hearing something good about yourself or hearing how you made someone's day special.

Well, in my auxillary blog, "Libby's Friend of the Day," I plan on designating one of my friends--past or present, close or acquaintanced, real-life or blog--as my "Friend of the Day." And I plan to do this daily. Hence the name of the blog.

But, I really just want my friends to know how much I love them and how happy they make me so very often. Think of this as a Terence-esque "Shout Out" page to my peeps. But anyway, check it out. And often. Because if I write about you, I want you to see it! :-D

Much love!

PS--The link is friendoftheday.blogspot.com. It can also be found over in the sidebar under "Other Blogs Worth Checking Out."

ATTENTION: ERIC C. LAWHORN, ESQ.

Ahem. You're fired. The end.

Sincerely,
The Blog Squad

Thanksgiving Pics

Me and my brother's dog, Churchill

Me and my cousins, Sutton and Neely

(Ain't us McNeill gals so purdy?!)

Me and my baby bruvver, Ty

(By "baby," I mean "will be 21 on Dec. 7!")

Mandy and Terence

Mandy
I heard the very beginning of Mandy's radio show today on my way from Conyers to Clinton. It is SO awesome to know a broadcaster on the radio. Also, she sounded so awesome!!! :-D I even called and left her a voice mail which consisted of a bunch of rambling and freaking out. I doubt she even understood half of it!! But anyway, YOU'RE AWESOME, MANDY MCCASLAN!!!

Terence
So Terence calls me tonight to wish me a [belated] Happy Thanksgiving. And also to ask if I'm okay. Why? Because he had a dream last night in which he pushed me down some stairs, thought it was funny, and then started crying and freaking out because I landed on my neck weird and he realized I was not moving. So yeah. Terence likes to kill people in his dreams. Remind me to stay away from T next time we're in a building with more than one story. :-D BUT....it was awfully sweet for him to call me and make sure I'm not dead.

Pre-Thanksgiving To-Do List

Yeah, so...I definitely got sick of keeping up with the checklist. And I'm less than 12 hours away from having to get up and go to school tomorrow. I am declaring the Thanksgiving holiday officially over. :(

Random (if not weird) Tid-Bits of Information About Me

1. I LOVE plucking my eye-brows. It feels good to me.
2. Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday ever.
3. TJ and I used to make a game out of throwing hickory nuts into a USPO mailbox.
4. I want to marry Harry Potter.
5. I love having my feet rubbed, tickled, scratched, played with, pedicured, etc.
6. I love my feet--they're so pretty! They're probably my favorite feature.
7. Fried okra is my FAVORITE vegetable. Followed closely by cabbage. And then by broccoli.
8. I have serious crushes on Mike Alstott and The Rock. DAMN those muscles are sexy.
9. I used to be in love with Brad Pitt until all this Angelina Jolie crap took place. Now, I'm not so sure how I feel about him.
10. I HATE how people use nicknames for celebrity couples.
11. I can knit. Scarves. Haven't graduated to anything bigger yet.
12. My favorite place in the world is on a beach at night.
13. My second favorite place in the world is on a lake at sunset.
14. My favorite two restaurants in the whole wide world are: Frontera Mex-Mex Grill in Conyers, GA and The World Famous Oasis Deck and Restaurant in St. Augustine, FL.
15. I have fallen in love with Montana and Wyoming.
16. I love 5th grade Social Studies.
17. I am related to James McNeill Whistler. (The artist who painted "Whistler's Mother." His mom--the chick in the picture--was a McNeill.)
18. I am the spitting image of my father, but I act just like my mother.
19. My brother is my most favoritest person in the whole wide world.
20. I used to watch The Mysterious Cities of Gold every morning before school on Nickelodeon.
21. I get to be a bridesmaid in Adrianne's wedding in June! It'll be the first wedding I've ever been in, and I'm uber-excited!!
22. I would have wanted to be a referee for Halloween this year had I dressed up.
23. I want to go on more road trips. I LOVE THEM!
24. I want to learn how to drive a stick.
25. I am a very skilled swimmer and innertuber, but I cannot waterski.
26. I came up with this idea for a blog post just because I was trying to think of anything and everything I could do INSTEAD of writing lesson plans.
27. I'll probably be engaged by the end of this school year (at the latest)! :-D
28. You used to be able to tell the weather forecast by my hair. Barometric pressure, anyway.
29. I flipped my dream car--a cherry-red jeep cherokee--into a tree when I was 16, totalling it.
30. I can do a really damn good impression of "Rose" from Titanic whenever I have partially lost my voice.


Okay...I think that's enough pointless information about Libby for one evening. I hope you enjoyed.

If not, I don't really care. Because this is my blog space, and I can do whatever I want to with it! ;)

Clemson Homecoming 2005 Picture-fest

Jamie Cheung and I are up to no good! (It's a roommate thang!)

Mere and me!

"The Gang" Clockwise from top left: me, Dave, pKyle, Jen, Adam, James, Shay

Gotta love them ernge pants! They're undefeated, ya know!

I seem to always run into Eric when I go to Clemson...but it's okay...it makes my day!

Shay and I sat on The Hill on Saturday! I was a Hill virgin until then!!

I can kick my own ass!

The time now is 6:00 AM. What time did I wake up, you ask? 11 o'clock. AM. Yesterday.

Yes, that's right, folks, I have pulled an all nighter. Why, you ask?

Because my name is Libby, and I like to procrastinate.

Grades are due today, and since I had about 2 1/2 weeks of grading to catch up on, I had to take care of that before I could enter the grades on the computer. Then, I had to make a social studies test. (Actually, I made the test first, but it really doesn't matter.) Then, I had to write my weekly lesson plans. Now, that doesn't seem like that large of an amount of work does it?

Well...it certainly is when you don't start it until 10:00 PM on a Sunday night.

I do have good news, though!!

I usually have to spend my first 30 minutes at school on a Monday morning running around trying to finish my lesson plans. But, since I got done tonight...er...this morning...I don't have to! I can spend that time straightening up my room and getting my sleep-deprived head on straight.

Also, I have everything but one social studies grade entered (they're testing today), which means that as soon as I get them graded, they can go right in the gradebook, and the final grade can be transferred to the correct spreadsheet! I've even already gotten all of my comments filled in, so I should have nothing left to do as far as grades go after that test is in.

Finally, since I didn't sleep at all, I don't run the risk of over-sleeping! I will actually get in the shower and get ready on time for Bailey to pick me up at 10 to 7! Woo-hoo!!

Now. The only problem is:
My back hurts, my neck is killing me, my eyes are starting to do that weird jumpy thing that they do when I'm not rested, AND I've still got to teach for 6.5 hours today and make it through a testing meeting this afternoon--all without falling asleep! At least I won't have any school work to do when I get home, so I can go to bed at 5:00 PM and sleep through the night!

And you better believe that's what I'm going to do, too!

I had an awesome weekend with all of the people I love, and I have some great pics from Homecoming, too! They will be posted as soon as I've recovered from the sleep-deprivation. Don't look for me until Tuesday afternoon-ish. It will probably appear as if I've fallen off of the face of the planet today and tonight (and possibly right after school tomorrow) while I catch up on my sleep.

Have a Marvelous Monday, everybody!! :-D

Mac

This is Mac. He was a bartender dude at Savannah Smiles. (A dueling piano bar in Savannah.) He was so cute. That is my friend Lisa with him because I was too chicken to get my picture taken with him. But he was a sport about it. Such a hot personality!!

What's even funnier, though, is that at Target on Woodruff road a couple of weekends ago, there was some other kid wearing the same shirt, but he was only like 13. And it was then that I realized it's not just a random 'trendy' shirt. It's a Holister shirt. Which means I reckon a bunch of guys have it. But Mac is the first I saw, so he'll always be "the keeper" to me. And Carla. And Lisa. And Taffi and Cary and Jane. But you know what I mean.

I cannot even describe how much time I've wasted on this damn machine tonight. I enjoyed every minute of it, but did I get work done? Definitely not.

I'm really excited about Clemson's Homecoming this weekend. I get to buy Tigeroar's new CD at Tigerama on Friday night and hopefully see Clemson win over Duke on Saturday. I also get to hang out w/ pKyle and the kids and pKyle's kickass parents for a little bit. I also hope to see Meredith. I'm most excited, though, about breakin' out the orange pants with Jen this Saturday. We are undefeated when Jen and I wear our orange pants. I sure hope they work their magic on Saturday, though. We used to be undefeated in overtime until this year. But let's not jinx the pants, ok?

Since I did not dress up for Halloween this year, here is a picture "from the vault." Halloween '01. Sophomore year. Damn, I feel old. Anyway, this was obviously prior to my whole "I hate Britney Spears with a passion" phase, but it's cute none-the-less. Enjoy!!

Triple Falls

This is a picture of Shay and me in front of the middle part of Triple Falls in the Dupont State Forest right outside of Flat Rock, NC. :-D It was beautiful!! The picture above is one I cropped so that you can see Shay and me better. The picture below is the full shot where you can see the falls. You should definitely go there...it's awesome!!

This quiz is sponsored by Nick Owens, who took it from maxismeg who posted it on his site and who I henceforth stole it from (through Nick)...and since Nick had me listed as one of the two people he wanted to see take this quiz, I decided I'd oblige him and do so...

2 names I go by
1. Libby
2. Miss McNeill

2 Parts of Your Heritage
1. Scottish
2. English

2 Things that Scare You
1. balloons
2. people in masks

2 of your everyday essentials
1. the keys to my classroom
2. my cell phone

2 Things You are Wearing Right Now
1. my "Clemson Girls...Best in the World" long-sleeved Tee
2. my fave jeans ever from GAP

2 of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists
1. Toby Keith
2. Hootie and the Blowfish

2 of Your Favorite Songs (at the moment)
1. "Photograph" by Nickleback
2. that "I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut" song by Papa Roach

2 Things You Want in a Relationship (Other than Real Love)
1. honesty
2. trust

2 Truths
1. I tell long, pointless stories.
2. I love to laugh.

2 Physical Things that Appeal to You (In the Opposite Sex)
1. strong shoulders/chest
2. smile

2 of Your Favorite Hobbies
1. blogging
2. reading

2 Things You want Really Badly
1. a ring
2. an mp3 player

2 Places You Want to Go on Vacation
1. back to Montana
2. Hawaii

2 Things You Want to Do Before you Die
1. write a book
2. spoil grandkids

2 Ways You are Stereotypically a Dude/Chick
1. I cry alot
2. I like Reese Witherspoon movies

2 Things You are Thinking About Right Now
1. Sawyer on LOST
2. about the conversation I'm having with Weston and Vickie

2 Stores You Shop At
1. New York & Company
2. GAP

2 People I would like to see take this quiz
(need I say?)
1. Mandy
2. Terence

Shay can be pretty funny sometimes

If you are reading this, then you more than likely know how much I run my mouth. And how my stories often ramble on and on. And you've probably gotten a really long-ass voice mail from me. Well, tonight at dinner, I was asking Shay about 3 million questions about his business trip to Connecticutt that he leaves for tomorrow. Well, about question 2,764,851, he rolls his eyes in frustration of my battery of interrogatives. We laughed and I said, "I'm asking too many questions, aren't I?" (Keep in mind that these questions were in no way 'nagging'--it was more like I was just asking to know). Anyway, this is what followed...

Shay: It's a good thing talk isn't a pollutant...
Me: Why's that?
Shay: 'Cuz you'd have a permant hole in the ozone layer above your head.

I was rolling! I thought it was so cute and so funny! (And so true!)

I'm really glad talk isn't a pollutant!!

This is getting out of hand

Okay, don't get me wrong. I love pop-culture. As a matter of fact, I could sit and watch E! True Hollywood Story ALL day. Except for 9:00 pm on Wednesday nights, of course. (LOST). BUT, I'm getting SICK and TIRED of the stupid nick-names. While Benifer was *kinda* cute, Benifer II is not. And this whole TomKat shit with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Puh-lease. That is just ridiculous. ALMOST as ridiculous as their relationship to begin with.

LiLo is another one that I don't like. I LOVE Lindsey Lohan, and I have done so ever since the new version of The Parent Trap. I like her portrayal of the twins better than Hayley Mills'. But I digress. LiLo is the name of a stupid-ass little blue surfing alien dude from yet another lack-luster Disney animated film. Everything past The Lion King has been crap. (Even though I kinda do like Pocahontas a little bit. And I have the soundtrack on CD in my car. Guilty pleasure.) Lindsey Lohan should go by Lindsey Lohan.

And forget nicknames! What's with all the REAL names that stars are naming their kids? Apple? CoCo?? I know I'm over a year old with this, but they still keep a'coming! I'm just glad that fruitcake Britney Spears didn't name her kid something outlandish. I was actually impressed with Sean or Preston or whatever it is she decided on. (Okay, as much as I love pop-culture, I actually haven't gotten as much Entertainment Tonight in as I would've liked to.)

But anyway, what's going to be really hilarious is when the current starbabies grow up and start dating. I just hope Tom and Katie don't name their kid Pie or Puffs or something...Gwyneth and Courteney might not like their daughters' married names if either of them marry the Cruise kid!

And think of all the divorces and remarriages in Hollywood...
Ten bucks says that there's a kid in about 40 years named CoCo Fruity Pebbles Apple Pie A La Mode.



BTW...this rant comes from the fact that as I was reading the headlines on MSN.com, I noticed they refer to the former Joey Potter and the former Maverick as "TomKat." I was like, "What. The. Hell. That's the last straw."