Prompt: A Picture Of Someone Who Has The Biggest Impact On You:

I bet there's a part of everyone that expects me to post a picture of Andrew McMahon, and that could totally be expected. I'd say that's true, but no one has a bigger impact on me than this woman right here:

This is the wonder that I get to call my mother. I don't express how much I love her enough. I love you, Mom. I'm so lucky to have you.

Prompt: A Recent Picture of You and 15 Interesting Facts About Yourself:

A new month, a new list for 30days. This one is a bit more fun than last months. I apologize for the horrid picture, as I took it with my cell phone while standing in the parking lot at the hospital yesterday. But today's topic insists I list 15 interesting facts about myself, so here it goes:

1. I'm ambidextrous. While I don't write with both hands, I do have the ability. My handwriting with my right is simply neater, therefore that's the hand I tend to choose. However, I do most things with my left hand. I can also bat right and left handed, and play tennis left handed. I tend to reach for things with my left hand, too.
2. I'm dual-majoring in Human Development & Family Studies and Social Work. I intend to get my Master's degree in Social Work, and would like to go on to either be a therapist or an adoption social worker.
3. I am a recovering self-injurer. I say recovering because every day is a step to not slip back into that habit. I was hospitalized in 2008 after a battle with depression and self-injury. I also have a tattoo on my left wrist that reads "swim" as a tribute to this battle.
4. I have a lot of friends in my life that I would consider "best friends", but I have three people that I consider my true best friends. They are Ruth, Madison, and Jessica.
5. My favorite band is Something Corporate, which I can thank Ruth for getting me into. While they stopped producing music, they are still a band I cherish. I am seeing them in three days for the second time live.
6. In the last six months, I have travelled more than I could ever imagine. I went to Chicago for the first time, and have countless trips to St. Louis. I've learned that distance doesn't change friendship, and sometimes your closest friends live far away.
7. I am extremely lucky family-wise. At nineteen, I still have one of my great-grandparents and seven of my grandparents. I still have both of my parents, and both sets of step-parents. I realize that this is a huge gift to have, and I don't take it for granted.
8. I have a slight addiction to LUSH Cosmetics. And by slight, I mean that I've probably spent $100 on soap this summer alone. I really love the Karma line, but you could probably talk me into anything in that store.
9. In three weeks I'll be beginning my Sophomore year at Mizzou. I'm taking political science, philosophy, sociology, nutritional sciences, intro to hdfs, and intro to social work this semester. I'm really excited to not be taking French.
10. In the Mac vs. PC game, I'm a Mac. However, not in the pretentious, asshole type way. I got my Macbook Pro when I was looking at a Journalism major. And quite simply, I wouldn't go back to a PC. Maybe I'm spoiled, maybe I'm an asshole, but my Mac works for what I need it to, and I like that.
11. My favorite color(s) are Blue and Red. In my dream house, I will have a kitchen that is mostly black and white with red accents.
12. I really enjoy Harry Potter. My dorm theme this year is Harry Potter, and I can't be more thrilled to participate.
13. At school, I do a lot of stuff. As in, I participate in ways that I didn't think possible in High School. This year alone, I am Co-President of Arts Advocates, a club that I lovelovelove, and I'm a CL (aka Community Leader). I also intend on joining Student Council At McDavid (SCAM) and Purple, the literary arts magazine.
14. I have two pets. I have a cat that I've had since I was four years old. She's gray and white and formally named Chablis (Cha-blee), but we just call her Kitty, or if you're me, Kitten. I also have a guinea pig that I call Lady Gaga (I really need to rename her) that I've had since March.
15. I grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, but I consider my home to be Columbia, Missouri. Which, if you didn't know, is where Mizzou is located. I think this is because I grew so much in personality while I was there, and I feel more physically at home there.

In case you didn't know, it's insanely hard to come up with 15 facts about yourself. I don't feel all that interesting. However, I'd love it if you'd give me a couple facts about yourself in the comments.

Dear You:

I’m so, so sorry for what you’re going through right now. You are too young to deal with these kind of problems. You shouldn’t have to. You never should have had to deal with these, but you did, and I can’t help but admire you for what you’ve gone through. You are such a sweet, loving individual.

The next weeks will be hard in ways that I can’t imagine, because I’ve never been through what you’re about to go through. But don’t you worry, I’ll be (spiritually, since distance separates me from you) there holding your hand every step of the way. It might not seem like it right now, but you’re going to be okay. You’ll pull through this and become even stronger because of it. I know you, I know what you’re capable of and what you can do. You are by far the strongest person I know, and I can only hope to be like you.

I love you, and I need you to know that. You’re so, so loved. Regardless of who loves you. It could be people down the street, or family, or people like me, who only know you online. But we love you, and we’re here. I’m here. Always here. I’m a phone call away, and if it was possible, I’d be in the car on my way to you.

Stand strong, You. But don’t worry, I’ll be here to catch you if you fall.

Love always,

Me.

Prompt: A Letter to Someone:

Dear You,

I wish I could drive up right now and meet you in your room. I wish I could lay beside you and talk about all the things in the world that I could do to make you smile. I wish you were okay. I wish I could be there physically to wipe this away.

Is this the way a toy feels when it's batteries run dry?

I am the watch you always wear but you forget to wind.

Tonight, I lost my Grandma Howard, and while I don't have the strength to write about it right now, I wanted to say that I miss her so, so much.

Prompt - Quote One of the Nicest Messages You Have Ever Recieved on formspring.

"I love how close we've become over the summer. Even though we lived close to each other, I never realized what an awesome friend you are until now. "

- Jessica Shearin

So there's this woman and..

she was uh, on an airplane. She's flying to meet her fiancé, sailing high above the largest ocean on planet Earth and she was seated next to this man who, you know, she had tried to start conversation and only, really the only thing she'd heard him say was to order his bloody mary. And she's sitting there and she's reading this really arduous magazine article about a third world country that she couldn't even pronounce the name of. And she's feeling very bored and very despondent and then uh, suddenly, there was this huge mechanical failure and one of the engines gave out. And they started just falling 30,000 feet and the pilots on the microphone and he's saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh my god, I'm sorry" and apologizing. And she looks at the man and she says, she says "where are we going?". And uh, he looks at her and he says

"We're going to a party. It's a birthday party. It's your birthday party. Happy birthday darling, we love you very very very very very very very much."