My friends of course! Guys will come and go, a good friend will be there for you forever. No guy is worth a friendship lost.

		I will marry Tony.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Pennsylvania in our fabulous Apartment.
		We will have 3 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Pastel Yellow Corvet.
		I will spend my days as a Actress, and live happily ever after.

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year (2009).
- No requests-- it could be anything. It may be a mix CD. It may be a poem.
I may draw or paint something. I may craft you something.
I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows?
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

Sitting at Dani's with Ed and (of course) Dani. We're heading out at around 3am. Jess and Jess J are driving. I'm sooooooooo excited! I seriously can't wait to head out ^^ I entered Takiko in the Craftsmanship competition and I'm both majorly excited and insanely nervous. But it's bound to be fun!

Hey guys,

I've done some some thinking and I've decided that this journal is going to go Friends Only. There are a lot of reasons for this, and I'm not going to go into them. So, if we're already mutual friends this won't be a problem! If we aren't... then here's what you need to do.

1) Friend Me
2) Comment on this post with the following:
a) How do you know me? Are we friends irl? Met at a con? Are you a friend of a friend? etc...
b) Why do you want to be on my F-list?
c) What are some interests we share?
d) Just for fun... tell me a little bi about yourself, so I know a bit about the person I'm friending!


I'm a very friendly, patient, and outgoing person. However there are some things that I just will NOT tolerate. If you are rude, perverted, nasty, or trolling I will not hesitate to remove you from my friends list. Otherwise, I hope we can be great friends!


<3 Ai

Why don't they make pretty dresses for girl's my size? I have spent the last two weeks trying to find a dress for my Grandfather's wedding to my Great Aunt, in which I am the only bride's maid/maid of honor. My Aunt doesn't want something extremely formal. So we've been looking for a dress that goes to my knees... aka a cocktail dress. And in the last two weeks I have made a very grim discovery... they don't seem to come in my size. I'm not even that big! Yes, I'll admit I'm over weight but I'm only a size 18. So far, everything that has come in my size has been horrible frumpy and/or designed for a 70 year old. So, I must ask... why don't the pretty dresses come in my size? I mean, I pass an entire section of beautiful dresses in the colors I'm looking for just to get to the "plus size" section. Why do we even have to have a "plus size" section? Why can't everything just be together an no one be singled out? And why can't designers get it into their heads that just because someone is a little larger doesn't mean they doesn't deserve to look just as nice as everyone else? I know the usual answer is "it's society's expectations" and "we live in a world blah blah blah" but that really isn't cutting it anymore. I should be able to walk into a store and easily find a nice dress in my size. Not got to 15 stores and find nothing. Or have what I do find be in black... which normally wouldn't be a problem. Save that this is a wedding. And it's kind of a HUGE taboo to wear black to a wedding. Especially if you're in it.

I'm heading out shopping again tonight and I needed to get this out before I go. It get's really depressing after a while. But, I will prevail. I'm not going to let this get me down. It's just agrivates the hell out of me.

Since I was out of town, I had my birthday party today. Majority of the people who said they were going to come apparently forgot. Save for Karen, who was sick.
 
    Ryan was the first to arrive at 3, followed soon by Teri. When no one else had arrived by 5 we decided to go get something to eat. Jess and Mike joined us for dinner, and Marky met up with us at Kyoto Sushi as well once he got off of work.  Marky, Ryan, Teri and I headed back to my house where we were joined by Courtney (Robertson) and Meg (a dear friend of mine from high school). We had cake, watched youtube videos and chatted.

    Not much else to report. Save that I recieved some very thoughtful gifts from my friends. Teri gave me a plusie of Marie from the Aristocats and a japanese dish decorated with bunnies, Jess gave me a cute dish filled with various chocolates, Courtney (R) gave me some home made lip balm, and Marky gave me a Min Min the panda key charm / a set of bunny decorated chop sticks/ and is taking me to see Miss Saigon at Drurry Lane.

     Let's see... I have a crap load of left over cake. And tons of pop. But I have a new DDR dance pad and a new DDR game (came together for $20) so I can burn off the calories. Well... I'll talk to you all later.

Well... I'm officially 22 today. It's been a good day over all. I'm at a ski lodge in the middle of god only knows where Wisconsin surrounded by people I don't know. I'm going skiing tomorrow and I'm excited about that. Tonight I enjoyed the indoor water park at the lodge. There was a half indoor half out door hot tub. It was pretty cool. I've also recieved a lot of well wished via text, facebook, aim, and cell. Thanks to all of my friends who remembered. You guys make me feel special.

I'm pretty tired, so that's all for now. Ciao~

Well.. this week has been a mix of good and bad. I received several requests for commissions quotes, a new commission, and as of last night... I finished all of my commissions. I'm going to be mailing them out later today. I also managed to pick up a copy of Dynasty Warriors 4 for only $5 and have been kicking ass as Sun Shang Xiang. Normally I play as Xiao Qiao when playing with Kari, but I haven't unlocked her yet. Speaking of playing with Kari... she and I got together on Sat and spent the entire evening playing the new game, Dynasty Warriors 6. Turns out Koei released a version for it on PS2!!! It lags like no body's business, but who cares?! The game is TOTALLY kick ass! And the new character designs are amazing. I'm not so fond of some of the weapon changes, for example - giving Shang Xiang a bow instead of her Chakram. Now, I may be a mean archer IRL... but in a video game, not so much. Anywho! We had a ton of fun playing, laughing at Zhang He and his verbal-isms, and giggling at inside jokes. There was also cake. So life was good.

I picked up the DW4 copy while I was out with Calz. We had a fun time over all. Especially since there was Ham. Calz and her mom make a delicious ham. God... now I want ham again. Dammit. Okay, getting back on track - We had a lot of fun running around doing crazy errands. Then we dropped her brother off at home when her mom got back from work, and had a nice dinner at Outback. It was really great seeing Calz. I wish we were able to hang more often.

My family is going to a Salvation Army officer's family retreat in a couple days. It's being held at a ski resort up in WI. I'm excited, as I've never been skiing before. There's also an indoor water park. So it should be fun. We'll be there over my birthday on Friday. I'm sad that I won't get to be with my friends on it, but I'm still going to be having fun.

Let's see... well, I'm currently running a 103-104 fever that just doesn't want to break. I'm amazingly loopy yet lucid at the same time. I watched the Double Dragon movie today and was much more amused by it then I should have been. And SailorMoon is really really really fun to watch. All those colors... hehehe. I haven't been doing too much physically because my chest really hurts. Makes it hard to sleep, hence the reason I'm up at 7am.

I went to play DDR the other day, after a 3 hour straight session of DW, and discovered that my dance pad has decided to die on me. All the sudden, out of no where, the left and back arrows aren't working. It's a total bummer as I really love this game. Thankfully the type of dance pad I have isn't as expensive as it used to be. Sadly... I'm currently flat broke when it comes to money I can spend. So... DDR shall have to wait for a while.

Well... the meds I took are kicking in, and the breathing treatments are working, so I'm going to go try and get some more sleep.

TTYL Loves.

Also - Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Festivus! What ever you may celebrate, I hope it was wonderful.

It's been so crazy the last couple days, I haven't had time to properly update. Sorry about that folks! Now that Christmas is over, hopefully things will slow down.

Well... this years Christmas was pretty wonderful. On Christmas Eve is went to a small party at Giordanos being hosted by Jon. Alex, Katia, and "Chad" were there as well! We had a great time just sitting around, talking and munching on stuffs. It was so nice to be able to see everyone.

After that I went back to the corps and helped with Angel Tree distribution. Prayers were answered, as we had received a donation of older kids/teens presents the day it looked like we were going to run out. All I can say to that is, God is good.

After wrapping up at the corps, my family headed home to have our own little Christmas. We have our "Christmas Morning" on Christmas Eve due to the fact that we have to be into the corps early the next day. My corps serves a community Christmas Dinner to the homeless and down on their luck. We also give out gifts and provide other services. Then we hit the streets and take the meal and services directly to the people.

Our family Christmas was pretty nice ^^ . My brother and I gave my parents their gifts first, then exchanged them between ourselves. After that, my parents hand out the rest of the presents.

I got my Mom a nice dress jacket, one of the really in style ones, and a matching necklace. For my Dad I got a gerber multi tool. One of those tools that is like a swiss army knife, only in tool form. It also came with a little mini key chain version. And for my brother I got a $25 I-Tunes card. Everyone seemed to like their gifts, so I'm happy!

From my brother I received a Mernan purse. It's really cute! From my parents I received a new alarm clock with an ipod dock, a designer perfume, a stylish computer bag, a really pretty silver and gold ring, the first 3 seasons of SailorMoon *squee!* and... a very big surprise. Mom had bought the bracelet that I absolutely loved at the jewelry party we'd gone to in Oct. I had really wanted it, but at the time only has $10 to my name. I almost cried when I opened the package and saw it.

After exchanging gifts, we sat around and snacked on a cheese ball with crackers, cookies, and hot chocolate. We'd already had dinner, Chinese from our fave place, earlier. It was a very nice evening.

Christmas day was hectic. Managing volunteers, crowd control, and other things kept me busy. When we got home, I helped Mom start dinner then took a short nap before getting ready. Marky arrived around 7, and as usual Bella was happy to see him. My goofy dog absolutely loves my boyfriend. Anywho! We sat and talked and cuddled for a while. Then exchanged gifts. I gave him a sterling silver band ring, with a piece in the center that spins around the finger and has a little design engraved on it. He sat there and played with it for a good 10 mins! *dances with joy*

Marky, some how, remembered that I collect music boxes. I'm pretty sure I've only ever mentioned it once. He gave me what has to be the most beautiful music box I have ever seen. It's hand made with hand blown glass turtles that are inlaid with 22k gold and rest on a porcelain base that turns as it plays. It literally sparkles in the light. Plus it plays one of my favorite melodies. I was honestly speechless when I opened it. I placed it on my bedside table.

Dinner was nice. My Mom really out did herself. The conversation was fun and dessert was amazing. After dinner, Marky and I retired to the basement and watched Jeff Dunnham's Christmas Special and cuddled. It was really nice! Despite the raging fight my brother was having with his girlfriend. It got to the point where my parents had to intervene. *sigh* But, on the bright side... if that didn't scare him away...

Other than Christmas stuff, there isn't much to report. I got a new hair cut and had my bangs styled differently. It's so short! Well... to me it's short. I'm used to having hair that goes to the bottom of my back. Now it goes to the bottom of my shoulder blades. I didn't mean for the stylist to take so much but I like it. The funny thing is, if I style my bangs a certain way, it looks like Micheru's hair. , It's pretty cool. Especially seeing as how Neptune is my fave.

Let's see... because I've been sick, I've lost about 5 lbs. I'm enrolling at Regency on Tues, and am totally psyched about that. Ohayocon is a little over a month away, but I have a new sewing machine so it shouldn't be a problem.

Oh! That's what I forgot to mention! Our Chaplain's wife, having heard about my problems with my little Jenome, gave me her old sewing machine! She doesn't use it anymore and wanted me to have it. It's older than I am but in mint condition and perfect working order. She also gave me all of the various accessories and feet with it. It's sooooooo nice! I actually did cry a little when I opened it. This is the type of machine that I wouldn't be able to afford. I am insanely grateful. I'm trying to think of something I could make for her to say thanks. I'm leaning towards a nice little tote bag for her bible and other stuffs.

Well... not much else is going on. With Ohayocon fast approaching I'm going to be busier than a little honey bee in the middle of summer. If anyone is going to Ohayocon, please let me know! I'd love to meet up with you~

TTFN - Ta ta for now!

Angel Tree donations are REALLY down this year. Especially for the 12 and up age group. We have almost nothing for girls and very little for boys. I don't know what we're going to do. Personally, I'm going to go home and dig through my stuff to find some things that are in really really good condition to donate. I think I have some collectors items, stuffed animals, and other things that are still in perfect shape. At least, I hope I do. Maybe I can talk my Mom into giving the program some of the things she got for me. Heaven knows I don't actually need them.

Seriously though, this is kind of depressing. Angel Tree is a program that provides presents to parents who would otherwise be unable to give their children anything. I know the economy is in the pits right now... but would it really be so bad for people to get one less thing for themselves or make their coffee at home for a week instead of going to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts and put that money towards giving a needy family a happy Christmas? After all... Christmas isn't about what you can get. It's about spreading love, and joy, family, and generosity. It's about helping others. Why is it that so many people have forgotten that? One week of making one's own coffee instead of buying it is enough money to get a gift to donate.

I wish there was something more I could do. We started distribution yesterday, and as it stands... we're going to be out of older kid's gifts by the end of the day. And we still have two more days of distribution after that.

For all my friends who enjoy online rp games, I highly recommend this one! It's a lot of fun to play ^^

  Well... seeing as how I spent most of the day either bent over the toilet or curled up asleep somewhere, it was hard to pick out some good things to talk about. I did however manage to find a few things! 

   We had Durry Lane tickets given to us for tomorrow night. My Mom got an extra one for me so that I could take a friend. So far... I haven't found anyone. But I'm still hopeful. I do have all tomorrow after all. I'd take my Darling, but he's working.

    Got home and found I had two pieces of mail. CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS CARDS! Frosty-Chan sent me the CUTEST snow man card! I just love it! Thank you SO SO SO MUCH!

    I also got a card from a dear old friend of mine, Suellen Fried. Suellen is one of the founders of the Kansas Stop Violence Coalition. She is also one of the major heads of the bully prevention movement and author of several books. I've known Suellen since I was in 4th grade. Hearing from her is always a treat.


  Finally... OPT has another member! Whoo, we're growing!
  
   And that concludes my 8 days a cheer. Alas, it ended so soon.

Oopsies! Looks like I fell a little behind on the 8 days of cheer. Sorry~! Let me bring this baby up to date!

Mon (day 4) - I started handing out Christmas Presents to my friends. I just LOVE giving gifts! This year, I made everyone's gifts due to lack of funds. It was fun though.

Tues (day 5) - Cosplay Club Christmas party! We had a ton of fun at Kyoto Sushi... mmmmm Sushi. I also got about 6 people addicted to green tea ice cream lol.

Wed (day 6) - I finally have a little bit of money, so I was able to buy a new sketchbook! I was also able to help Dani with her Theatre class project, got to spend the day hanging out with my friends, and sang Disney and Wicked songs with Justin. ^^

Well, that brings us up to date! I'll post todays happy thing later. Bye bye!

</div>

Day 3 - The good thing for today is that I was able to spend some time with my Mom. We went shopping at Yorktown, had Gloria Jeans hot chocolate, and I found the perfect Christmas present for my boyfriend. I hope he likes it!


In other news... this has me extremely ammused.

</div></div></div>


</div>

  Okay... I was working on my commission for Chibi Usa's time key (which is turning out fabulously!) and I had an idea! I'm planning on doing a Chibi Usa and Sailor Chibi Moon cosplay in the near future... and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in cosplaying the Sailor Quartet along with me?! Seeing as how the Sailor Quartet is Chibi Usa's senshi team... I thought it would be cute. Let me know if anyone is interested!

 
  Anywho! My thing to be greatful for / made me happy today is that I had a Panera soup bowl for dinner. It was SO good!!!

 Hey all! I saw hotarutenshi   had this in her deviant art journal and I thought it was a really neat idea. While personally I don't expect anything... I would like to see if anyone has a wish I could possibly grant! So read through the instructions and post this in your journal ok?!


Step One
- Make a post containing your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.
- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal.

Step Two
- Check to see who has posted their list.

And here's the important part:

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.
You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.
There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

Well... here goes!


1) A homemade Christmas Card ^^
2) Homemade Christmas cookies / Christmas Candies
3) Any hand made gift you could think of! - I like those best ^^
4) The Pikachu backpack purse at Too Cool
5) People to do a group cosplay with me
6) SailorMoon Plushie
7) Um... an AC Paradise subscription?
8) DS Light in Pink ((SO running out of ideas here...))
9) Help paying for my tuition next sem ((Seriously pulling stuff out of no where at this point... >>  ))
10) SailorMoon's Musical Star Locket - The one Endymion gave her

I can be reached on aim sn: aichan cosplay or at sada-chan@hotmail.com

Okay... well, that took a while LOL I'm really better at picking out gifts for other people than I am for myself. ^^;  Drives my Mom nutts every year when she asks what I want and it takes me weeks to come up with this tiny list. Oh to be a child again and have the world at your finger tips. ANYWHO!

DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously! Please.

And if anyone is insterested in having something prop or accessories commissioned for someone special this holiday season... I'd be happy to help! Visit me at Ai no Kaku Commissions -> http://ainokakucommissions.tk  !