If you have a job without any aggravations, you don't have a job. -Malcolm S. Forbes

I          AM          DONE.

Started working: May 10th

Stopped working: July 29th

Windows-Blue

Tank foundations-Crimson

Rails in the Caustic Loading area-Yellow

Safety poles-Yellow

Doors-Blue

I am completely exhausted.

I now have 5 days in Florence of being a kid with friends and staying out till the sun rises and living my life with my arms, face, legs, and clothes free of paint.

From left to right:

Bo: Would come in every day to break and lunch with a big smile on his face and say, "Whatchyall doin'?"

Seth: The other summer college worker.

Kent: He and Seth would talk about Alabama football every single day (which made me miserable) and would also sing me songs that had Sarah in the title. He also played in a band with Johnny Cash once.

Big Dave: A gentle giant. We always had great conversations about food.

(sitting)Donald: Retiring in December. My grandfather taught him in trade school. He is always the one that gets pranked. Either he or my dad.

Billy: Working in the same place and spending almost every day with him has definitely given us a better relationship. For that, I am very thankful.

Duwayne: Sat by me every day at lunch and is absolutely precious.

Corsby: Probably my favorite of all of them because we had a real connection. Everyday, he would force me to eat a peanut butter cracker, offer me dip, tell me stories, laugh at me, make me turn red, and at the very end...he gave me a cantaloupe and said, "Be good, little'n."

Everyone in the entire chemical plant treated me like their daughter, granddaughter, or their little sister in Seth's case. Everyone would call me, "Dear, Darlin', Little'n, Sweetie, Honey, Baby, or Hun." My summer has been filled with making memories and laughter and working there really was a blessing. There's just something about watching fifty and sixty year old men prank each other, scare each other, or laugh until they cry that just fills me with joy. The people in this picture are the people that I built relationships with and they all have had an impact on my life and left a lasting impression.

"So, my little Amelie, your bones aren't made of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance go by, eventually your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So, go ahead, dammit!"
         Last night, I re-watched one of my all-time favorite movies, Amelie. Some people find a good movie and buy it and watch it occasionally with a group of friends. Not I. I have my favorite movies and I watch them over and over and over whenever I feel like it. I reference them in every day life whether I do it aloud or in my head and I like it that way.  
         I noticed that several of my favorite movies are French or set in France, and because of my love for France, the French language, the French lifestyle, and specifically Paris...I'm going to share these movies with you.

French Kiss (1995)

Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline

When I take a sip of red wine, I think of the line:

"A bold wine with a hint of sophistication and lacking in pretension...actually I was just talking about myself."

A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Audrey Tautou and Gaspard Ulliel

"Revenge is pointless. Try to be happy and don't ruin your life for me."

Chocolat (2000)

Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp

"Can I interest you in some nipples of Venus?"

La Vie en Rose (2007)

Marion Cotillard

Reporter: "If you were to give advice to a woman, what would it be?"

Edith: "Love."

Reporter: "To a young girl?"

Edith: "Love."

Reporter: "To a child?"

Edith: "Love."

Visit #2 with Crentist...

Norah Jones again, my adorable dentist, the sweet nurse lady, the only difference is the side of my mouth that's numb. Last time-left. This time-right.

I've got the giggles like it's no ones business and all I want is a chocolate milkshake.

You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job. -Laurence J. Peter

I'm leaving to go back to school a week from tomorrow and I'm ecstatic. I can't wait to have a house with a mailbox up by the door, antique door knobs, a kitchen to cook in, and two beautiful funny girls to live with.

However, this summer...I've made more friends than I have in the past year and I am going to miss them so so much.

  

 If I had to pick three words to sum up my summer, they would be: paint, dancing, and fireworks.

It's always nice when you find someone who has EVERYTHING in common with you. You know that it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship when you find someone who matches all of your little quirks. 

THIS GUY  ^ does exactly that.  We have absolutely everything in common. It's actually quite scary sometimes. Zelda, The Office, Batman, Harry Potter, Garden State, weather preferences, food preferences, music taste, movies, citronella candles, matching triforces, freckles, and countless other things have contributed to building a really great friendship. Oh, and he actually reads my blog and enjoys it. So that's something, right? 

Some have been around for a while. And I love them more than anything in the world, cabbage patch kid toes and all.

And others have gone in and out of my life, but now it looks like they're there to stay. My summer has been filled to the brim with hilarious memories that I know will be talked about for years to come. I love having friends that love me and truly enjoy my company.

I am an extremely lucky girl. 

I need to marry a dork.

After many many many times of being "in it", I've realized that I've changed a lot this summer. I've matured in more ways than I can count, I'm stronger, I learned a lot of things, I changed the way I handle certain situations, and I've taken the time to look back and see a lot of things that I could have done better. I also have surrounded myself with friends, old and new, who are able to keep my mind occupied so that I can make myself happy. And truly, this summer...I have been happy. People ask me how I'm doing and I tell them honestly that I am doing fine. I usually get a skeptical look because I guess people don't expect me to be fine. But, I really am. I wish I could change things, but I can't. I see what I should have done better. I see what I shouldn't have dealt with. I see everything I should have done differently and I've fixed a lot of things about me that needed fixing. But everything is in the past and there's no sense in dwelling on it. So, I'm moving on. "If you can't laugh at yourself, life is going to seem a whole lot longer than you'd like." So, I'm laughing at myself. I'm laughing at how immature I was about certain things. I'm laughing about how besides me being immature about certain things, I didn't do anything wrong and the one thing that I thought I had control over-failed. And I'm laughing about how I'm able to laugh about it. Things will be okay.   

Now, I've also learned this summer that I am a complete dork. I never really thought about it...but I am. A dork through and through. Nerd to the core.

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Some days are harder than others.

But I'll be okay.

Mischief managed.

For years, Harry Potter has filled me with the kind of happiness that can only come from reading a good book or watching a good movie.   Now that it's all over, I'll spend my days letting memories from Harry Potter drift in and out of my mind and allowing myself to make references to it in any way I can so that the memories are never lost.

Thank you,  J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. for keeping me entertained, excited, and occupied for many many years. 

"When I’m 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I’ll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, “After all this time?” And I will say, “Always.” - Alan Rickman.