I think I may have caught something on board. I have been feeling progressively worse all day, and right now I feel positively dreadful.
:(

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Found this pic on Carnivals site today...if you look at the bow of the ship I'm standing to the right of the flags, above that microphone :)

Spent the day and about to spend the night on board the new Carnival Magic doing what they call a ship inspection, in Galveston. Part of my job. Rough, I know, but someone has to do it. Maroon5 put on a show and are rumored to be sleeping on board the ship. So completely cool. We (meaning me, Debby, and thousands of other travel agents) are having a blast.

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Thank you to all who have served, and are serving. I honor you.

It has been a really long time since I was a ballerina, but I miss it. I want so badly to twirl on my toes and glide across a wooden stage right now. I remember vaguely how my toes used to hurt so bad at the end of practice, and how I was seemingly always turning my ankle, and also how my lower back hurt. But it was worth it. There was nothing like it. I remember how important and grown up I felt when I got to wear toe shoes for the first time. I remember the way they smelled, and the little pads you put around your toes to cushion the wood tips when you're spinning on the top of your toes. I loved the uniforms and tights and skirts. It's such a beautiful art form.
I really love dancing, and I wish I had the time, energy and talent for it now.

 

TEXT: An elderly lady did her shopping and upon returning to her car found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun proceeding to scream at the top of her lungs, "I have a gun and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!" The four men didn't wait for a second threat. They got out and ran like mad.
The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags into the back of the car and then got into the driver's seat. She was so shaken she could not get her keys into the ignition. She tried and tried and then she realized why. It was for the same reason she wondered why there was a football, a frisbee and two 12-packs of beer in the front seat.
A few minutes later she found her own car parked four or five spaces further down.
She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station to report her mistake.
The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn't stop laughing.
He pointed to the other end of the counter where four men were reporting a car-jacking by a mad elderly woman described a white, less than five feet tall, glasses, curly white hair and carrying a large handgun.
No charges were filed.
If you're gonna have a senior moment, go big.

Yesterday I, along with most of the Celebration church production team, were invited to help out at an all day photo shoot for the Story Conference for 2012. It was a long, exhausting day, but a honor to be invited, and fun to get back into something creative.
Every time I think I'm leaving it, it comes back to me.
At the end of the day we were supposed to shoot a cemetery scene with smoke and strobes and the whole thing, but we were late and there was no one to let us in, so we just jumped the fence and hauled all our gear over this thing, except the generators, which we left on the sidewalk outside. Crazy wild shoot I won't soon forget. Here are some pics I took on my phone, and others people took with me in them..

Matt Garner - " Story location 2 - Great shot...on your phone! Shileen Elizabeth Hollis Karnes photographer extraordinaire."
Kip Farrar - "Amazing! Shileen Elizabeth Hollis Karnes is brilliant. "

I just found out that my best friend from my 'former life' became a grandma this weekend. If I weren't such a screw up I'd have been there with her.
R - if you still read this, first of all, congratulations! (I can't believe we're old enough for these things to start happening. )
Second - I'm sorry I'm not there with you celebrating this joyous occasion. It breaks my heart all over again.

When you commit a sin so great that you forever live with all the consequences it's really hard not to get down on yourself. Even being forgiven and loved again can't take away the long term consequences. I feel helpless that there's nothing I can do to change it either. No amount of good I do can undo the bad.
I miss being respected and trusted.
I miss having close friends. Seems these days, all the new ones keep disappearing. There's nothing like being known by someone, for a long time. I desire it again so much.
I miss being excited about my work.
I feel like I'm aging, but not progressing. It's a scary sensation.
And the worst part is, it's all my fault. No one but myself to blame. Do you have any idea how hard it is to convince yourself you're good? When all evidence is contrary?
If I can't convince myself, I have no hope. Why invest in the future of someone that's been labeled defective.

Sorry folks, just one of those days I suppose, when I remember what I've done

Happy 18th birthday to my fabulous firstborn!!!

For her gifts we got her a ticket on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Cruise, and also some pearl earrings and a purse. Michael brought her a huge thing of roses and a diamond heart necklace. We got to take her to lunch and shopping, now Michael has taken her for the evening.   For the rest of us, it's pizza and game 7 of the World Series..

Ladies!

Grab a girlfriend and get away next March for a long weekend trip to Mexico. You can go for around $500 per person. Where else can you get that kind of price for a vacation?? Only a few days left to put down your deposit and secure your cabin. Final payment not due until January. Email me(shileen at 3dcruiseandtravel.com), call me, something!! I will be on this boat! That's incentive enough! (j/k, j/k) Seriously, come join us, it will be a ton of fun..

I met a sweet old man while working the travel booth today. I asked him if he wanted to go on vacation and he said he'd love to but he won't  leave  his wifes side, and she is in a nursing home.  As if that wasn't enough to make me tear up, we then got into a conversation about him being a Vietnam vet. Near the end of our conversation I thanked him for his service, and then he turned back to me and said, "thank you, but when I came home from the war, they spit on us and threw trash on us, treated us like dirt." I was horrified to say the least, and not knowing quite what to say, I apologized and said that wouldn't have happened on my watch. He smiled and thanked me again, then left. I can't even imagine the pain they went through, to come back home to that response. It sickens me. I LOVE our fighting men and women. I honor them for their courage, and for laying it all on the line to protect us. How could anyone not honor them? I don't care how you felt about the war, they are  US soldiers who defended our right to live free. They should be the most honored among us.
Sorry for the rant, but that man will stick with me for a long time, he totally broke my heart.

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Ok, senior year is really expensive. I guess it's to prepare us for the even greater expense of college. All the college application fees, dorm deposit, camp, graduation fee, cap, gown, etc, senior pics, prom, dress for prom, senior trip, good grief it's out of control.   I need another job.
Michaels meeting with his parents went really well. He's actually going to apply to law schools in Houston. His mom insists he chase her down there so he can marry her eventually. Apparently she LOVES Jordan and doesn't want him to lose her. She has good taste, I like her already :) So she'll only be alone down there for a little over a year. That makes me feel a little bit better about the whole thing, but not really.

Had a great time in downtown Austin today with Josh, Michael and the girls. City wide garage sale, lunch, Texas book fair at the capitol, Amy's pumpkin ice cream, and then Music Makers, where we purchased Hannah's first guitar. It's a month early, but when you find the 'right' one, you buy it or it will be gone .


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Hannah's first guitar. Early 15th bday present, she's very happy :)

One of the proudest moments of a homeschool parents career. The day your first child gets their first college ACCEPTANCE LETTER!!!!!!!!!!! This one is for A&M Galveston. (marine biology)
So proud of my girl Jordan, she has worked so hard for this. Oh happy day! :)