Blogger Break...

(I was going to post a cute picture from this weekend.. but i didnt take any because it was spent at a rodeo and then watching tv all evening saturday ..because the rodeo that night was canceled...and playing/cleaning on sunday...)

Due to the:

• excessive amount of Marketing 300 pages to read... 
  
• the endless oil paintings to paint... 
  
• the various design assignments to complete on my slowly dying mac book.... 
  
• the several side jobs that i have to complete before people began to grow ill...
  
• the many slides to go over for art history...
  
• the mega wordy case study to complete for APR 424...
  
• the quite lengthy and annoying HY 417 essay to write...
  
• after reading the 3 lovely books regarding the subject i have to write about... 
  
• and possibly having a nervous breakdown somewhere in between...
  

I am taking a blogger break.

I will be back ASAP to post comments and make posts of my own!

Hope you week goes swell and your weekend is happy!

see you all soon :)

tired of it...

I know I talk about it a lot, but I cannot wait until graduation.

I am tired of home work, painting, art in general for that matter, taking history classes that are waaay above my head, walking all over this campus, sitting in a classroom, listening to the meaningless chatter of people i don't know that need to be quite and paying attention in the classroom, having to much to for class, and driving to this ever so lovely but not really place. I am over it. I want to work a normal job with normal hours that allow life to happen in the rest of the time. I want to be able to visit friends again without having to be at home painting or reading or writing papers. I want to spend an evening without having to check email or study while RD watches tv. I want to to be able to go visit my bff and her sweet boys on a random tuesday night. I want to be able to go to work and NOT do homework the entire time. I want life to be fun 7 days a week, not 2 or 3. 

I want May to be here. 

ahh...  

Yah for May...

It is really happening...

Today Momma and I took a special trip to Tuscaloosa... to buy all the graduation stuff!

She wanted me to have a class ring... and I love it! It won't be here for 6-8 weeks but it is so pretty! It even has diamonds!!! Yah...

I also got to get my graduation get-up. Each college at The University has a different color tassel... luck for me I am a Communication & Information Science college kid... which means RED tassel... not the baby blue or the Auburn orange.. RED like RTR!!! Yah!

 
The ever lovely grad get-up....
And finally... the diploma frame! I wish it was in there and all this was over with!
I am so excited! I also got to order my invitations, thank you notes and take my picture with my gown on. Yah for May!!!

down on the farm...

Though the pictures posted in a totally different way and order than they were uploaded... the excitement can still be understood and hopefully enjoyed. 

Sunday... we went to church. Ate chinese food in Childersburg. Came home and DID NOT NAP! That is a record of some sort. Instead, RD cleaned up around his bull pen. He cut grass and tilled up the pen, while I laid around taking pictures, reading and just enjoying the sunshine. :)

This is RD truckin' along... 

This is Super Dude. He is a sweet boy that you can pet and likes people. I like to think he does at least... 

This is Farmer's Tan. He never stopped staring me. He was really hungry and wanted me to feed him. 
This is Shaq. This guy is OLD and does not really like me that much. He is now officially retired, as of yesterday. No more bucking for him. 
This is Chase at the Farm. We had a small gathering so we threw him a small birthday party. This is when he opened his new iPod Touch. I am jealous! Those things are awesome!
This is June Bug. Her mom died when she was born. She was born in 2003. My Momma brought her home and bottled fed her several times a day. She rode home in the Range Rover she had at that time in the back seat. Now she is the biggest cow at the Farm. She still lets us pet her and comes to you when you call her name. 
We played horse shoes. Me and RD lost. Susan and Creed cheat :)
I drove a tractor... well I pretended. They were determined I would knock the fort over... 
This is the fort they constructed that say. I named it. "Fort Mash" It smells like the set of MASH the tv show. It's old and army like.
This is me and RD watching the building of Fort Mash.
More construction...
Here is the topped of the weeknd...

We had walked down the river a ways so a place named "the beach". It is called this rightly because it looks identical to a beach except a river where the ocean would be. Well I was playing in the sand and walking on the rocks. When RD discovered what we were sure was a skeleton. We knew it was a skeleton, obviously. But were determined it belong to a human. We were going to be famous and they were going to make a Unsolved Crime series about us. We took about 150 photographs of it. Then I persuaded him we needed to pull it out of the water. Our human turned into a deer. Poor guy. But still better than finding a human skeleton... Random but interesting all at the same time...

So that was my weekend that was full of adventure and not a drop of boredom. Yah for sunshine and yah spring! 

Today I am in Tuscaloosa... tomorrow I will come back to Tuscaloosa, but not for classes.. but to buy all my graduation gear! 

Yah for May 9!

it's not right...

First let me say... (this is lengthy...my bad...)

I had the best weekend ever. Seriously, it was one of the best weekends of my life. For real. I went to a rodeo on Friday night, laughed the entire ride home (which was a 45 minute ride), spent the whole day Saturday at the Farm in Hayden (had a blast!) and Sunday was spent at church and then outside until the sun was in and bull riding was on.

A post about this past weekend is in the works... but I left my camera in RD's truck and the post needs pictures to portray the full effect... have I mentioned lately that I love that boy. Cause I sure do! :)

But today was not magical or filled with laughter (except for when I called RD to ask him what he wanted for dinner and he answered the phone saying something about a poot factory...idk). It was hectic. It was stressful. It was full of screaming children and rude mothers. It had men that were sent to vet to pick up their dog's medicine **correction** their wife's dog's medicine. In no way was it their dog until it was time to pay the bill. I have heard it all. Especially today. 

Today is Monday. Monday at full force. A Monday with no boundaries that was in no way hiding her true colors. Monday. Oh Monday... This one was no different except that maybe she had more power than her regular self. After the what the seemed like thousands of Spring Break boarders were picked up, the daily medicine's were given and vaccines were administered, reality set it...

Some people really should not have animals.

I have seen them all. The pet obsessors: those who would truly die without their animals and would go to all mean s to save them . Haul them every specialists that can be afforded and set up a payment plan for those who cannot. The pet lovers: they truly love their pets as they do their children but realize at the same time, their children come first. The pet owners: the ones who like their pets just fine. Give them the care they need and play with them often. However, they understand the role of the pet and want the best for them but can live to see another day without them. The pet flaunters: are those who have pets because they think they need them. But when the going gets tough, they give up. Then their are those who have pets because they just want to have pets. I am not saying that any of these are bad... Just clarifying what I tend to see on a daily basis.

Today I saw the mother of all vet clinic sightings.

Had you called me at 2:00 I would have said that the lady (human lady - not an animal) that was having seizures in room #3 was the sightings of all sightings. She convulsed and flopped around like a fish. I surely thought she would die before I could get off the phone with the 911 operator. She lived. Walked out of the clinic and I am pretty sure to back to McDonald's for a snack. Mean you might think. But true. The car was full of bags and fast food trash. Ask anyone that was there. Including the 17 people from the rescue squad. 

Then the family came in that would put their pet to sleep. This happens a lot and it no longer bothers me at all. Until I realized that the patient was sitting happily on the floor. Panting from just running around the clinic yard. Red bow in her newly groomed hair. Basically smiling at me as I checked her in to meet her death. Yes I said it, Death. 

The owners: wealthy. VERY wealthy retired people. Nice foreign car. Convertible. Big diamond rings. On both hands. Louis bags and designer jeans. Did I mention that they are loaded? They even have one of those American Express cards that is made of Titanium. Yes real metal. Loaded. 

But they put their sweet, smiling, happy dog to sleep. At there mere age of 12 years. 12 years may seem old. This dog had zero health problems minus that she had to be given insulin one time a day. 

Insulin is $32.99 for a month. Syringes are $23.99 and last for 3 months. Chump change for these folks. 

But needless to say, they walked out without their dog. Louis bag in tow. All because they were tired of giving a shot everyday and because it was a hassle. Frustrating was the exact word that was used. 

Frustrated?

Try being the vet that by law has to put the dog to sleep if their owner requests it. Try being the tech that had to hold the dog's leg while the needle is injected. Try being the receptionist that has to kindly tell you to have a nice day even though you are a dog murderer. 

Find it a home. Leave it on our front step. Take it to the pound. It was cute. It was sweet. It had many years left to run, pant and smile. 

It's gone. Because of a medical condition that people have all the time. We don't put them to sleep because medication must be bought and shots must be administered. 

It's just not right. And I had to vent about it.

Thanks for listening. 

Spring is wonderful...

These 2 little numbers are now members of my closet... the top one is soo comfortable.. and the bottom one is sooo comfy and cute!!! I got the top one just like the one shown and a solid blue.. and the bottom on in purple, green/blue, and pink/brown... i know you are thinking.. really why? Answer : They were are $15. Enough said. Go now! 

This weekend officially started when I woke this morning... after a day of bargain buy at Old Navy (You all should go... $15 to die for dresses!!) with my Momma, lunch at Edgars and the purchase of a cake for Chase's 18th birthday, a trip to walmart and the bringing in of the groceries... the smallest nap ever... and a phone call that sweetly said "be ready at 6".. so now it's rushing to be ready to go to another.. Rodeo. 

Yah for rodeos... these boots make it waay more fun though :)

Then tomorrow will spent at my favorite place in the world, the Farm in Hayden! Food, fishing, family and fresh air! yah!!! And Jessica is coming along so I won't be the only girl there besides my Aunts, Momma, and Mamaw! She is so fun! Pictures to come later! 

Hope everyone had a happy 1st day of Spring... if not.. read this blog and take on that attitude. We all should :) 

blog headers anyone?...

My dear friend Ashley emailed a few days ago and asked me how to make a blog header... I told her I would more than happy to whip her up something.. this is what I came up with.. and she loved it! I was so excited!

Check out her blog : Heath Bars & Reese's Cups to see it in action!

If you are interested please contact me :

codiehoyle@yahoo.com

it's gonna be big...

This is the graphic I designed for the annual Easter egg hunt that my church hosts every year. Yah for Easter! :)

Tuesday : enough said....(prayer request)

**Read the bottom of the post PRAYER REQUEST**

Today was an awful day. I ran out of gas because my truck has decided that when the gas light comes on, it is going to die 25 feet later. Not 25 miles. I was mean to RD because he was the first person I saw all day that would understand why I needed to be mean. I had a stressful day. I felt bad and then cried because I was mean. It was just one of those days. Nothing was going right. However, dinner at the Cheesecake Factory with Susie and a quick shopping spree to Barnes and Noble, American Eagle, Urban Outfitters, and then lots of random stories in between made everything better. 

And yes.. I apologized to RD who then asked my why I was apologizing.. sweet boy :)

On a lighter note:

This is what happens when RD figures out that you already have his birthday present more than a month early... He makes you go ahead and give it to him. Yep. He meant he was getting it. Actually... I couldn't wait either. I like giving presents... I can't help it. :)

He got a toolbox for his truck.. but not just a normal toolbox, one that is deep enough to hold his lovely bull bag. 

RD and Creeddaddy putting his new get-up on his truck (that he is madly in love with might i add).
Yah for RD!

On a sad note... 

Please pray for my Aunt Boots (Virginia Lambert). She lives across the street from my Nannie, right in front of my house. She was leaving (walking) my Nannie's house and was accidentally hit by a car. She was air lifted because she has pace maker and is on several medications. She seems to be doing fine with minor injuries. Please keep her in your prayers! :)

Also pray for the little boy who accidently hit her. I do not think he was able to go over and talk to her and I heard he was really worried. He was leaving from my church. He had been playing basketball and didn't see her. 

Something fun...

I am big fan of discovering new blogs to follow. 

Here is my newest favorite : inside a black apple

Umm... simply lovely. She  has been featured in several places, including the Martha Stewart Show. He blog is fun and quirky while her work is magical and enchanting. 

I have order 3 prints and a journal from her Etsy shop. Navigate to her store through her blog. Her prints would be avery cute theme for a nursery or little girl's room. She also makes cute little dolls that have interesting names and sometimes come in the shape of onions. Very sweet.

Anyways... I enjoy her blog and thought I would share. It's a bit on the artsy side.. that's the art kid coming out in me :)

These boots are made for walkin'...

Yah for my new boots! RD and I stopped by this lovely little western wear store in Cullman on our way to his rodeo. He was going to buy me some new boots! I looked and looked for some boots... I could not decide on the perfect ones. Then.. from across the store I heard him say "What about these Coco?" Hmmm... YAH they are perfect and oh so boots! And very comfortable... and fun! :)

Then... we were off to Cracker Barrel to eat with my Momma, Creeddaddy, Chase, my Mamaw, Robert, Aunt Sharon and my little cousin Cade. And then off to the rodeo... My Aunt was halarious the entire time. She was scared to death every time some one was on a bare back horse, a saddle bronc horse and especially when someone was on a bull... especially ones named RD. She was more nervous than his momma and my momma was having to calm her down. However, Cade had tons of fun. Too funny! Anyways... RD got a really good bull but did not cover. Next time bud. 

Then Sunday brought a quick visit at church, a bite to eat at Logan's and a trip to the BJCC... for what? The PBR!! Yah! Here were are when we got back... We are about to eat Susie's home cooking and then watch the PBR event all over again on TV.. we ever saw ourselves! RD looked like a nosey old man.. Anyways...

We had AWESOME seats! We were on the second row right by the bucking shoots! Yah! However... I was so excited Sunday morning that I forgot my good camera so the pictures are not so wonderful.. but they will have to work...

This is the man. JB Mauney. He is my favorite.. and RD's favorite. He likes him because of how he rides and his structure is similar to his own. And I like him because he looks just like RD when he rides! Really. Story Time... The first time I saw JB ride I was like dude RD that looks like you when you ride. He grinned ear to ear and was like really? Cause that's who I want to ride like. It was funny. He really does though. We were sad though cause he bucked off and didn't get to ride in the short round! Next time bud.

This is the whole set up. I could get used to going to these every weekend. And did I mention that the winner won a check for $24,500? Yeah. I could sit through those easy. :)

This is Marchi. He is the reigning world champion. Looks pretty cool huh? They introduce all the riders before the show and he was standing on the shark cage in the middle. (There is a camera and man in there.)

We had so much fun! It would be awesome to get to go to these every weekend! Really. They put on a really good show. I hope everyone had a great weekend!! And Happy Monday! :)

Today I...

Today was Friday the 13th. Besides almost being hit my a car that went from sitting still at a red light to running the red light in down town Pell City, all was good. I woke up and went to pick up RD's toolbox for the second time. The man ordered the wrong size the first time... and the second time. So now I will go AGAIN on Monday to HOPEFULLY pick up the right toolbox. Anyways... then Jayme and I went to lunch with her Mom and went antique shopping. One of my favorite things to do! I found this.... yellow and lovely! And the best part.. it was $12.50!!

Then some girls from work went ice skating... Jayme (James as I call her), April Nicole, Elizabeth and myself! So much fun... we didn't last the whole two house because I could have sworn my ankles were breaking in my skates, along with everyone else, but we had a blast!

James took one with her camera of all of our feet.. it was too cute. But it was on her camera because I left mine at home... oops :( So you just get my ice skates... ugly and painful. 

This is April Nicole. She decided that she was going to skate and slide. Over and over. It was hilarious!  

Then there is me... that is my triple (single) axle or whatever it would be classified as... idk.

We had an awesome time :)

I finished....

Over the years I have spent many hours doing homework, writing papers, researching, reading and the various art project. There are few I could name that stick out in my mind because they were either difficult but I succeeded, or those that were just fun to do. Then there are those that you could have sworn would be the death of you. The ones where you wanted to pull your hair out and cried for no reason other than that you hated that you were being forced to it in the first place. That is the case with this project.

In painting class we had to do a self portrait. I do not like drawing things that have to be exact in order to look like it should. I like things to be a little abstract and let the viewer be able to decide. I do not like painting people in the first place. I hate it to be quite honest. Give me a cow or an elephant and I am your girl... a human face? Not so much.

So here I am... on canvas. As I starred in the mirror and then tried to put what I was seeing onto the canvas (that I HAD TO MAKE MYSELF!!!) I began to lose it. I began to be obsessed with making lines perfect and shades exact. I lost it. So I stopped for the day and bought it home to work on. Worked on it Tuesday night and Wednesday every chance I got. Then finished it up in class today. 

I know the lines are not perfect and the shades are not perfectly blended, but I finished it. I completed the task at hand. She does not look like me. Maybe a little, but no a lot. At all. I finished the one project of my college career that ranks at the top of the list. Had I been assigned this my freshman year, I would have dropped this class. Literally. 

The owl is my favorite part. He is the only thing on here I actually like.  I am in a way embarrassed to show this, but I was so proud that I finished I had to share. I prayed a lot while doing this project. Just a simple Lord help me. And he did :)

random is my middle name...

1. I was supposed to be born on Halloween in 1985 and was born on Thanksgiving.
   
2. I can wear the same jeans that I wore in 8th grade.
3. When I was in high school and got bored I would write on my ceiling when my bedroom was upstairs, along with all of my friends. (It's very low ceiling.)
4. I pretend like I am playing the drums when I am driving or riding down the road. Sometimes I play along with RD as he pretends to play the drums while going down the road. 
5. I hit the snooze button for exactly one hour before even beginning to think about actually getting out of the bed.
6. I drink enough water in one day to sink a small ship. My bladder hates me.
7. I watch Andy Griffin every week night before I go to sleep.
8. I love watching bull riding. 
9. I absolutely love mascara and black eye liner. They make my world go 'round!
10. I am allergic to perfume. 
11. I can only wear baby lotion and it as to be the pink bottle by Johnson and Johnson. Really. You can ask Shelley. She always laughs when I hold my nose in Sephora while she tries different fragrances. 
12. I look at the stars every night and think about how good we have it... even with all the stuff going on around us.
13. I am by no means a smart person...but....My brain never stops thinking. Never.
14. I once had a dream about a funeral. I had no idea who it was. Then I found myself at that very funeral 3 months later. It was dear friend Lacy that had terminal cancer. True story. Ask Patrick Scott. 
15. My cousin Josh lived with us until he got married in like 2003. He later divorced. But nonetheless, he is like my brother. I actually thought he was until I was like 7. 
16. My favorite color is black.
17. I love to go on road trips. Even if it means a rodeo at the end of the journey :)
18. I could go antique shopping all day long everyday.
19. RD and I have a list of names that we keep in our heads to name our children one day. They are really strange names that we think are lovely :)
20. I want to live in a log cabin. (We already have it picked out!)
21. I worry everyday that I will not find a "big girl" job.
22. I still get nervous around RD at times and sometimes find myself smiling from ear to ear for no apparent reason.
23. I have slept from my driveway to the state line of New York. That's 18 hours straight in a vehicle. My dad carried me into a gas station to pee, my momma held me up over the toilet. Then my dad carried me back to the truck. I didn't remember any of this. And had Chase not confirmed this, I would not believe it to this day.
24. I love the mashed potatoes that are flakes and come from a box. I prefer them over the real thing. 
25. Since my little brother was in 2nd grade, he has been smarter than me :)

Pretty random huh?

...randomly thought of & typed by codielee :)

An invitation...

Yah! I finished the invitations for Melissa's baby shower! Note that the address is not right and those are not the places she has registered, because she has not even began that process... I was just to excited to wait until later to share!!!

I am getting ready .. after i fix the address and such.. to send it to the printers! Thanks again Kristin for suggesting a good print company!! :)

...the front... 

...the back...

I am so excited about this baby child! :)

I love...

i love random acts of sweetness :)

Happy Birthday Creeddaddy...

Today is my dad's birthday. He is 48. Although he would like us to think he is 38. The whole fam went to Outback to eat dinner. After we finished eating, my Momma sent Creeddaddy to restroom telling him something huge was stuck in his teeth and it would need serious attention. While he was away, she pulled out a tiny cake from her purse... and 48 candles. Which RD and I lit. Every single one of them. 

Well Creeddaddy took a hot minute to return form the restroom, he knew we were up to something. So Chase went after him. Well.. Chase wasn't like "hey let's go back to the table" but instead started chatting with him. By this time, the 48 candles were lighting up the entire restraunt. I mean.. you know how dark they keep that place anyways. It looked like a space ship had landed. In the midst of this, the manager sped by our table and said (and I quote) "Yall need to hurry up and blow that out! That is too many candles on the little tiny cake! That is a fire hazard!" She was saying this all while speeding by our table in a fast, very fast might i add, pace. We died laughing!

This is us lighting the 48 candles... 

Chase and Jessica :)

Me and RD... We weren't so much aware that Susie was taking our photograph... umm note the flower in his hair... he wore that the entire evening. 

Anyways.... it was a fun filled night of bright excitement :)

Happy Birthday Creeddaddy! We love you :)

Down in Mississippi...

This picture was taken at the Finals this past January. It's RD and his buddy John waiting for the bull riding to start. I thought I would share it because my post was blah without a picture. :)

Hi all...

I thought I would stop by and say good bye and that I hope everyone has a lovely weekend! I in class today in Tuscaloosa. Then, it's back to V-Town to attend Chase's baseball game at 4:00. Then, it a night of painting and studying Marketing. Then, Friday brings errands, more studying, and a long haul to Huntsville, Alabama for RD's 1st rodeo of the weekend. 

I am super excited though, because my Aunt Sharon and my littlest cousin, Cade, are going to come! Yah! I don't think Cade has ever been to a rodeo (that he can remember) and he loves Ryan to death. He is going to have a such good time!! And my Aunt is such a hoot! She is so random and funny.

Then, Saturday brings a VERY long road trip to Leakesville, Mississippi. Not only do we have to leave at like 7 in the a.m. but he has 2 rodeos in the SAME day! Where I will be found eating allergy pills because for some reason I can't seem to breathe the first half of rodeos. Yeah...  idk I think it's because I want it to be the end event so badly. Yeah... Roll Tide. So that means we won't get home until like 4 in the a.m. on Sunday! Then it's church time. Then it's nap time. 

So in case you wanted to know what in the world I am going to be doing this weekend, there you have it! And in case my phone does not work because I on the other end of the world... no fear.. I'll be back! haha... like i am really that popular.... 

Have a wonderful Thursday... a fantastic Friday... and a Happy Weekend!!! :)

Opinions...

In my graphic design class we were given a list of controversial topics to choose from...

I chose pet euthanasia because it is something I deal with almost every week at work. People ask me all the time how I deal with it... well you get used to it very quickly. When you are not the owner and see the relief it can give, you understand it better. Then again, I am totally against an animal that has nothing wrong with it. For instance, some one decides they no longer want their dog because it pees on the rug... hmmm.... well find it a home! Don't kill it!

Anyways.. I could go on and on.... Here are the posters I had to make.... the first one is against and the seconds one is for.... It was hard for me to come up with a "Pro" poster. But this situation I set up in the poster is the ONLY way I would even think about euthanizing any of my animals....

Tell me what you think.... 

Yah for May! 

When it's snowing on Sunday....

I woke up this morning to a white pasture out my bedroom doors! Yah! I kept looking out the window while getting ready for church. I was so excited! That was until I had to go outside in it... the time I went to church at 10:37.. it was coming a down pour and the wind was blowing. I had forgotten how cold snow is until I was making my hike across the parking lot! WOW! Put it this way.. the man standing at the door was laughing at me sprinting in heels!

After church me and RD came home to eat with Susie and Creeddaddy. Look how sweet....

However.. this (the picture below) was going on before and after the sweet picture above... From the time I got out of the truck I was being begged with snowballs.. and hard might I add!!! I was so mad because I could not get him back because I was being bombarded! When we came in to eat I was so mad cause I didn't get him good.. then he confessed that I had pegged him really hard.. and right in the face! haha... poor guy! Roll Tide! :) That made 472 snowballs he threw at me all worth it! That sounds mean I know... but I literally was attacked and thought I had not even got one good shot back!

This picture is not so much flattering, but I wanted to show the brutality of the battle at hand! Momma just so happened to catch it!

After our war was over, I thanked the good Lord that it hardly ever snows and ate lots of warm, yummy Shepard's pie. Which was ironic, because our service this morning was on Psalms 23 and how the Lord is our Shepard... hmmmm interesting. (My momma went to church at Lighthouse this morning.... not VRC.) Idk... random I know.

Then we napped and ate again, watched the PBR, planned out routes for next weekends rodeos, played Rook with Susie and Creeddaddy, and watched the final episode of the Girls Next Door.

Hope yall had a Happy Snowy Sunday! :)