Urget prayer request

Please pray for Justin Hatchett. His internal bleeding started again this morning and they don't know the cause of it yet. Please pray that they find the cause and everything will be okay.

Last day of class

What can I say, eight weeks has gone by extremly fast. Tomorrow is the last class of my Basic Writing Skills summer course. I've enjoyed the class because it's brought back alot of old thing I've learned in high school and refreashed my memory. I loved my teacher, Mrs.Satterly, she's awesome! It will be nice though having a two week break from college, before I start again. We wrote alot of essays, and created a blog. I will probably still blog whenever I want to write or have something big going on that I want to tell people about. I'm still a little nervous about starting college, but I think I'll be ready when the time comes.

Bowling

Tonight, Aaron and I went bowling in Danville. I've always enjoyed bowling but I was never really good at it. I forgot my socks so that wasn't good, I had to wear shoes without them. We started and I bowled four strikes in a row and I was so excited. I ended up bowling a 132, and Aaron bowled a 122. I was so happy because I finally beat him for once. I love bowling.

My life is almost perfect

I have the greatest family in the world. I'm extremly close to my mom, dad, sister, and brother. Even though my sister and brother are a few years older than me we still communicate everyday. My dad can be a little strict at times but he's a dare devil and acts like hes only 25 years old. My mom never quits smiling, shes so wonderful! My big sister, Nicole, is my best friend. We are very close, and I see her pretty much everyday. My brother takes care of me and watches out for me alot. When I was little he use to beat up on me all the time, but its ok because it made me a tough little girl. I am thankfully blessed with three little nephews who I adore. They have changed my life and impacted me in so many different ways. When I'm around them I have no reason not to smile because they are so precious. My family is wonderful!! Having a loving family who you know cares, makes life so perfect.

Holiday World

Today, I went to Holiday world with my boyfriend Aaron. It was so much fun, and very relaxing! The only problem was we didn't get to get on too many rides because the lines were so long and it was too hot to wait in them. We did end up going on the Zinga water slide, it was so great but a little scary! Then we went down the Conga River, and on the Gobbler Getaway. It was a great way to get away and just do something different for a change. The free unlimited soft drinks was also a huge plus! I had to drive all the way down there and back. I was a little nervous because I had no clue how to get there, but I got us there and back safely. I want to go back again sometime when there aren't as many people. It was a blast!

Crazy Weekend

This weekend it seems like I have been running all over the place. Friday night, I went out with Aaron and we ate at Taco Bell. Saturday, I went to a wedding shower, went to church, and then to the fair. The tractor pull at Nelson County was alot of fun, I got to spend time with alot of the people that I graduated with. We watched the John Deere tractors smoke all the Internationals, it was great. After the tractor pull, we went and rode a few rides. They ended up getting me on one that I hated! It made me feel so bad afterwards. Today, I went to see my Grandparents, watched it storm, cleaned my sisters house, and went to Aaron's house. Now, I am sitting here so very tired and worn out.

Another prayer answered

After three weeks straight of thinking and praying. My friend, Justin Hatchett, has been moved out of ICU and moved into a Transitional Care Unit. Everyone was very happy after finding out about his miraculous change yesterday afternoon. After recieving 60 units of blood, eleven surgeries, and many other obstacles along the way, Justin is recovering much better now. His parents are getting alot more sleep now, and so are his friends. God has once again answered my prayers, and made living life alot better everyday. I am very thankful that he was tough and pulled throught everything so far. I love him so much and all I can do is keep praying for another miracle.

Cumberland Falls

My first big adventure to Cumberland Falls was really neat and everything I had expected. The falls was so amazing, I've never seen anything like it before. There was a huge rainbow right below the falls and a little beach right down from the falls. We spent the first day at Somersplash water park. I went down my first huge water slide. My nephews absolutely loved the water! After we left the park, we went and checked into our cabin and started unpacking and grilling steaks and baked potatoes. The next day, we went down to the falls and then came back and swam at the resort pool. My brother, and my dad did tons of flips off the diving board. We grilled out once again, and sat around and listened to funny stories. The next morning it was time to pack up and go back home. We stopped and ate at Ruby Tuesday, and worked our way back to the house. My first trip to Cumberland Falls was neat and I'd like to go back again sometime. I also forgot about my aching sunburn, it was awful and I thought I was coming down with sun poisoning. I'm okay now.

July

So far, July has been a really fun month. I just got back from vacation in Cumberland Falls. It was very neat! Next weekend, I'm playing volleyball, going to a tractor pull, and then going to Holiday World. It's been very eventful and busy. I work alot during the week, but still leave some time to have fun. Today, I went fishing at our pond and caught a few bass. It's been a great month and keeps getting better.

There's a first time for everything...

On Fourth of July we had a cookout, fireworks, and a hayride down at our pavilion. We also set up our tents and camped out. It was very interesting, because I have never really camped out before in my life. After going on a late night hayride around the road, I decided that I was going to try to get me some rest. It didn't work! I tried many different times, but all my brother's friends were being so loud. They also set off bottle rockets, and started a bomb fire. It was completly impossible for anyone to get any sleep, so I went back out and sat up with them and talked for a while longer. About 3 a.m, everyone finally decided to go to their tents and sleep. An hour later, I woke up because of all the obnoxious snooring that was going on inside the tents all around me. I egnored it and fell back to sleep. I was later awakened by the screeching sounds being made by all the animals running around. About 7:30 a.m, I woke up for the last time. I decided I was going to get up and stay up. Overall, camping was a great adventure filled with alot of fun. I can't wait to do it again.

My favorite Place

About three years ago my brother & my dad baught 15 acres of land just a few miles from my house. They decided to build a pavilion on some of the land by the creek. It's a great place to hang out with all the family & friends. I call it my favorite place because there have been so many awesome memories made there, and it's so pretty down there. In May, my family had a huge graduation party for my cousin & I. We usually play volleyball, horseshoes, and corn hole. There are trees all around it, a little gravel road, a hiking trail, and a beautiful running creek. It's very peaceful. This past weekend some of my family went camping down at the pavilion, it was so much fun!

A little more about myself.....

My name is Abby and I'm 18 years old. I graduated from Washington County High School in May of 2008. I have a huge caring heart, and that's what most people love about me the most. I was a cheerleader for four years, and I was very active in the 4-H club in my town. Some of my hobbies include: gymnastics, scrapbooking, 4-wheeler riding, traveling, writing/blogging, watching movies, walking/exercising, shopping, bowling, being outdoors, going out on the weekends with my boyfriend Aaron, and most of all spending time with my family & friends. I love getting dressed up, and double dating. I'm very original, soft-hearted, and optimistic. I have two great parents who would do anything in the world for me. I also have one brother named Wesley who is married to an Abby and they have a little boy named Jon-Tate. I consider my sister to be one of my best friends, she is married and has two little boys named Logan & Andrew. My favorite season would be summer or fall. I love Christmas time and Halloween as well. I'm currently working at the Springfield State Bank right downtown. I've been working there for a year now, and I love my job! I also help work on the farm, rake hay, and work in tobacco. I enjoy walking in fields, going to the beach, and picking flowers. I love everything about my life. I am attending St.Catharine College and I plan to study nursing.

My boyfriend, my hero, and my best friend

A year and a half ago I met a boy named Aaron Russell. It wasn't planned, and when I saw him at first I had no idea who he was or what he was like. I cheered with his little sister through high school, and I knew his mom real well. So while we were all in the building playing cards on a cold February night, I finally got the courage up to ask my best friend, which so happened to also be his cousin, what the boys name was that was sitting across the table from us that kept staring at me. Joe Ben said " that's twig, my cousin." I had no idea who twig was, but I later found out that was his nickname that most of his friends refer to him as. That night we started talking, he called me a few times, we really got to know each other, he sent me a rose for my birthday, and soon he asked me to go out on our first date. Well he didn't waste any time at all, he asked me if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I looked at him grinning, because I was so excited and I said yes! Meeting him was the best day of my life! He changed my life in so many different ways. He was such a blessing that came to me so unexpectedly. I've never really been known to date a guy who was older than me, but I decided to take a shot at it and see what it would be like. It was the best decision I've ever made. He knows exactly what to do to put a cute little smile on my face everyday. We always have so much fun no matter what we do. He has an amazing family, I consider them my second family. They are always so nice, and treat me like one of their own. We've been together now for almost a year and a half, and I know we'll be together for many many more years to come. I'm so lucky to call him my boyfriend, my hero, and my best friend!

Scrapbooking

One of my favorite things to do is to scrapbook! I've made over 25 scrapbooks over the past few years. I love going and buying albums, stickers, paper, etc. Although, it does get a little expensive so I have to watch what I spend. I have a special shelf in my closet that I put all the scrapbooks that I've made on. I've spent countless hours working on them. Instead of putting all my pictures in photo albums, I'll just make a scrapbook and personalize all of them. Last week I made a scrapbook for my boyfriend, with all the pictures that we have taken over the past year and a half that we've been together. I will treasure all the scrapbooks that I've made forever!

How could anyone be so stupid??

I've lost my two closest friends because of someone else who decided to just be so stupid and drink & drive. This is one thing I won't ever tolerate. I've suffered heartbreak, depression, social anxiety, and tons of sad emotions since I lost them. I know people who drink & drive and I've told them many times what I think about them. I don't find anything amusing about loosing a friend, and watching someone else get hurt, because it seems like it's always the drunk driver that comes out of the accident okay. After 5 years, the drunk driver who killed my cousin/best friend is still in jail today, and has many more years to serve. I don't see how anyone could be so stupid to do something like that. I want to ask everyone who reads this please don't drive and drive or ride with a drunk driver. It's not a thrill anymore after someone gets seriously hurt or killed.

4-H Exchange Trip-2007

During my sophomore year of high school, a girl came from Colorado came to stay at my house for a week and tour some of the main attractions in Kentucky. Last summer my mom & I traveled to Colorado to stay with her family for a week to learn more about her state. It was such a great experience, and a nice opportunity to travel cheap. While we were there we visited a few dairy farms, museums, some nice parks, and ate at some old resturants. Flying halfway across the country seemed like it lasted forever, when when we arrived there the trip was well worth the wait. One day they drove us to Wyoming to visit the Terry Bison Ranch, which was very neat. It's amazing how different Kentucky is from Colorado. Their state is flat, the climate is very dry, and they have mountains all around them. We also went up to Estes Park at the top of the Rocky Mountains, which was very interesting. While we were there we took a bus up and rafted back down the mountain. It was a very exciting trip!

Choosing my college

Size, location, & the type of programs offered are the three things that I researched before I made my college choice. Saint Catharine College is very small, close to home, and I've heard their nursing program is excellent. So far with my tours, orientation, and my first class, I've been very pleased and impressed. When I go to class, I feel right at home. My classes won't be hard to find because it's such a small college. I plan to be attending SCC for two and a half, maybe more years. Enrolling in the nursing program will be very challenging but I'm going to study hard, and do the best that I can to get my degree and be successful when I graduate. Saint Catharine College was the perfect college choice for me.

Going frog gigging

Last summer was my first time ever going frog gigging, I loved it! My dad took two of my Colorado friends and me two summers ago. When we got in the field I was very confused about what I was suppose to be doing. He made us hold the bag to put the frogs in, while him and my other friend went out by the pond and gigged the frogs. The first frog he put in the bag started jumping around, so we screamed and dropped the bag. We laughed so hard that night. Then when we were all finished catching the frogs, we went back to my house, cleaned all the frogs, and then we made frog legs. They were great! My first time frog gigging was a little rough, but it turned into a great memory for all of us. The reason I wrote this blog today was because I'm going frog gigging for the second time tonight with some of my friends. Wish me luck everyone!!

Pray for him

Today, I am praying for a special friend of mine who was put into critical condition. Justin Hatchett was working in hay yesterday morning, when his tractor rolled over on top of him. He was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room, he had alot of internal bleeding but they finally got it all stopped. He's scheduled to have surgery tomorrow if all goes well. Justin graduated high school with me about two weeks ago. He's a really great person, who has set alot of goals for himself in the future. I'm praying for him and I want to ask everyone else who reads this to pray for him too.

Participant # 5

The summer before my senior year, I enrolled myself in the Washington County Junior Miss Program. Junior Miss has been around for about 42 years, and most high school girls have the opportunity to compete in it. We had to compete in the following areas: talent, self-expression, interview, scholastic, and fitness. I first had to think of a talent, so I decided to dance to "Old time rock & roll." I had so much fun making up my dance routine, ordering my costume, and picking out what music I wanted to dance to. 2:30 on the afternoon of June 9th, 2007, I waited nervously until I went for my interview. It went well, and I was ready to perform the rest on stage. After 4 months of practice, and getting prepared for the big day, this was it and I was ready to go. Of course, I was very nervous but I was ready to get on stage where all the attention would be on me. My family was so proud of me, and I had tons of flowers, cards, and good luck gifts. The audience clapped for me, and I finally heard my name come over the intercom and it was my turn to dance. "Next is participant # 5 Abby Smith performing an original rock and roll dance routine to "Old time rock & roll." I was full of smiles, and ready to perform the dance that I worked so hard on. Before I knew it, the program was over, and all the stress was finished with. Jr.miss was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to any girl.

Celebrating how special they are

My family is big about celebrating birthdays. Every year for Logan or Andrew's birthday we've always had a theme. A few of the past themes we've had were John Deere, Barney, The Dukes of Hazzard, Cowboys, etc. It's so cute how they know that their birthday is their special day. We always do everything we can to make them feel so important. Even at Christmas, my sister, brother and I will open our gifts and when we are finished, we'll watch the little ones open theirs and take alot of picutres. During the summer, we go to the pool, play outside, go for walks, and go on vacation. Two years ago we all went to Flordia, they loved the ocean and of course they were facinated when they saw Mickey Mouse. These are just some of the ways that we celebrate to show them how special they are to us.

Three little blessings

Growing up was somewhat hard for me. I lost three of my best friends in car accidents, and it seemed like after they were gone I was left here to struggle through all the changes and emotions. Have you ever heard the saying, "Something good always comes from something bad?" I have come to find that is true. After loosing three amazing friends, I was blessed by three little boys. Two belong to my sister and one belongs to my brother. Logan, Andrew, and Jon-Tate have turned my life around and changed it for nothing but the good. There is nothing better than seeing their cute little smiles, hearing them giggle, and watching them as they grow up so quick. I spend every chance I get with them. I named my blog after them because my dad always calls them "the duke boys." They love watching The Dukes of Hazzard and even playing with the 01 car themselves. They love being outdoors, swimming, watching movies, playing cars & tractors, and fishing. There's nothing like my ol' duke boys!