The Good & The Bad That Turned Into Good

THE GOOD:
My books for two of my first three classes were suppose to arrive here today, but I was very happy to see the UPS man yesterday leaving a box by the front door!! Yes, that box had my books in there!! I was very excited!! Last night, I even started to read the first chapter of the art history book!! I haven't gotten to any of the incredibly interesting stuff in the book yet, but I'll get to it soon enough.

THE BAD [that turned into GOOD]:
Yesterday, I was getting ready to go outside with Michael while Brayden napped. Just like I always go, I grabbed my camera to take outside with me. I saw that my lens was a little smudged, so I wanted to clean it real fast. Now, I normally don't do this, but I was in a hurry to get outside because Michael just flies out the door the second he's asked if he wants to go outside - but I grabbed the bottle of Windex and lightly misted my camera lens, went to get a paper towel, then wiped off the lens. Everything looked fine, and I went outside after Michael. About 10 minutes later, I look at my lens because something seemed a bit off. Yeah, the Windex got in my lens!! I was so upset!! The Windex wasn't even on my lens for 5 seconds after I sprayed it!! I called the Geek Squad, then went to Best Buy to get it replaced. I get to Best Buy with my sister, and I go to Customer Service. After 5+ minutes of standing there, waiting for them to tell me what's going on, they inform me that I didn't have the protection plan and replacement plan!!!! I was FUMING because I definitely told the guy when I bought the camera that I wanted every little bit of protection/replacement plan and the longest warranty possible for my camera and all of the extra stuff!!!! They then told me that I would have to pay out of pocket for a new lens, but I might be able to get up to 30% off on that new lens. I go back to the camera section of the store, talk to someone who's working in that area, and they tell me that they don't sell my lens separately there, but that I'd have to go through Sony to get a new lens!!!! Are you kidding me?! I was about to lose it - right then and there!! My sister and I just decided to walk around Best Buy and look at pretty much everything else there. About 5-10 minutes later, I take my lens cap off to look at my lens, and guess what - my lens had completely dried out!! There was no more Windex in my camera lens!!!! OMG! I was so excited!! I was so excited that I decided to look at the iPods and accessories. [I've never had my own iPod. I've always borrowed Mark's, but can't now since he took it with him on the deployment. I told him I'd get my own while he was gone.] As I was looking at the iPods, some guy there was buying an iPod and talking to a worker at Best Buy. The worker told this guy about this iPod bundle deal that they have going on. I only heard bits and pieces of it, so after they were done talking about it, I asked the worker what the deal was. The deal was amazing!! It was an 8GB iPod nano, $15 iTunes gift card, iPod wall charger, and iPod arm band for just $179.99!! Yeah, pretty effing amazing!! The 8GB iPod nano is $149.99, the wall charger is $24.99, the arm band is $24.99, and the gift card is obviously $15!! So how could I pass that deal up?! I ended up getting that stuff, and I was so excited because they had only one blue 8GB iPod nano left!! Of course I got the blue iPod because blue is absolute favorite color!! I was so pumped though because that deal was absolutely amazing!! Also, I bought season three of "How I Met Your Mother" while I was at Best Buy. "How I Met Your Mother" is my favorite show!!!! I now have the first three seasons on DVD, and can't wait till season four is on DVD!! I have been watching that show since the very first episode aired on TV. I am a huge, die hard fan and know just about everything about that show!!

I'm just so happy that my camera lens dried out!! I don't know how long I'd have to wait for a new lens to come in and how much money I'd have to spend. I would be a major crab till I got the new lens if I had to get a new one!!

Going Home & Drive-by Photography

That is what I will be doing tomorrow...12 long hours in the car!! HA. And I am hoping that with my wonderful Sony a300, I'll be able to get some amazing shots that I could never get with my old Canon Powershot piece of poop. HA. [Actually, the Powershot was good for that kind of camera. I just don't like it now because it's so two-thousand-eightlate!! LOL.]

I know I'll probably get the usual shot of "Mount Boob". LMAO. [Ashleigh, I think it's you that knows what I'm talking about. HAHA.] I'm looking forward to this one area in either Virginia or West Virginia...the scenery is beautiful!! I love it a whole lot more at night time, but we'll be driving through it during the day. BOO! I'm going to be lame and try to get a photo of every sign "welcoming" us into the state. HA. I know that once we get into Ohio, I definitely want to get photos of certain areas we'll be driving through. I'm going to try to get a lot of photos of my hometown. I think it'd be cool to show you all where I'm from. You'll get to see the one place I love to leave, but hate to be away from. [Am I the only person that has that weird feeling about where they're from?!] I love drive-by photography!! It's amazing!!

Maybe while we're home, I'll go around to places and take photos. I'll try to go to the center of town, the schools I attended, places that have some meaning to me, and just some other places in town that I like. I'd like to show you all where I grew up...Brunswick, OH.

I can't wait to go to Columbus!! I hope that we get to spend some time there after meeting with the ROTC Instructor. I want to go see The Shoe [the football stadium where The Ohio State University plays]. It may come as a surprise to some, maybe most, of you, but I have never seen/been to The Shoe in my life!! Gasp! So I am really hoping that I get to go see it while we're home. That'd be so cool if I got to!! I, also, am hoping that we'll just get to walk around the school and Columbus for a little bit. I want to get some photos of the city - the state's capital.

I can't wait to go to Cleveland to walk around the city and to go to the Indians game!! The Indians have been eh lately, but I love going to watch them play!! I want to go to Cleveland a good while before the game, walk around the city, photograph some of the amazing things there, hopefully get to the field/stadium early so I can photograph the guys warming up, then go to our seats, watch the game, take photographs throughout the game, and enjoy and photograph the fireworks once the game is over!! I ♥ Cleveland!! I really do!! It's such a fun city!!

I am definitely looking forward to going home. In less than 24 hours, we'll be home!! It's going to be so nice being home and being around my family!! I miss my family so much!! And I do miss that little shit hole town I grew up in!! HA.