What's up ya'll? I haven't updated in FOREVAR... so i'm almost done with the semester... I have one more day left! Graduation is on Thursday! WooHoo! I can't wait... Although i do have to take two online classes this summer, but OH WELL...

So it was great to see Nate, Heidi, and Kelly last weekend! i'm glad ya'll came to visit! Good times! Dance is going GREAT! my mini company kids won the 2005 nc state dance championship for their age division! I'm sooo proud! Mini Pics

Barry Youngblood came to our studio last week to teach our Hip-Hop Production! That rocked my socks! He's been on tour with J-Lo and everything! BYB Pics 

Well that's about all for now... still single and lovin it! but of course if something comes along i'm all for it... ok well i'll get back witcha in about 5 months... lol... jk... layta playas!

Brookie

On Wednesday of this week something happened in my department at school... something that changed the lives of everyone... (I know that some of you may not care for this, but tabulas is a place to express your feelings and share your stories, so that's what i am about to do...)

It was a normal day at G-Tech... the first full week of classes... you could feel the excitement of everyone in the air... everyone seeing their friends after Christmas break... lots of smiles, hugs, and laughter! One smile in particular stood out above the rest... in fact her smile stood out everyday of the year... i don't think a day went by that she didn't have a smile on her face... her smile was that of someone who cared about everyone she came in contact with... a smile not only of a Professor, but also of a motherly figure who touched so many lives...

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These are the events that happened on Wednesday, January 12, 2005... I'm writing this as my mentor/professor Mrs. Fondow witnessed it:

3:30 pm: she peaked her head in the door of my office and said she wasn't feeling good, that her back hurt... that she had called her daughter to come pick her up... i offered to take her home then so she wouldn't have to wait, but being the don't-worry-about-me kind of person she was, she declined my offer...

5:20 pm: the phone rings and its the hospital... "Mrs. Fondow please... You work with Sue Dick don't you? Wanted to let you know that she was taken to the hospital, and is now in intensive care, in critical condition... she's had a heart attack!" Oh man, how can that be? She only said her back was hurting...

5:45 pm: the phone rings again and its the hospital again... "I'm sorry, but she didn't make it... she had a massive heart attack... there was nothing we can do..."

Nothing you could do??? Nothing you could do??? she was fine earlier today... she even taught a class and now she's had a heart attack and didn't make it... NO WAY... I can't believe it... I don't believe it... I have a class to teach in five minutes... there's no way i can teach... i'm gonna have to tell them this terrible news... how can i tell them that Mrs. Dick is gone, when it's hard for me to believe?

i can do it... i have to do it... i'll tell them, take roll and they can leave... i can't think about anything right now... i'm numb, in shock, stunned... how could such a loving and loved woman die so suddenly, without much warning? Only God knows why... Only God knows why...

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One of my friends called me Wednesday night while i was driving home from the studio... she asked me if i knew Mrs. Dick... i knew her, but she was never one of my professors... everytime she saw me though, she smiled at me and asked how dance was going... my friend said that Mrs. Dick had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital that afternoon... my friend was too choked up to speak at that moment... it took me about five minutes to get it out of her... i kept asking how she was doing, is going to be ok... finally she said that Mrs. Dick didn't make it... i couldn't believe it... i had just seen her earlier that day... and of course she waved at me and gave me a huge smile... (she would have said hey, but i was in class... she waved at me through the window!)

That's the way she was... always smiling... willing to help anyone and everyone who needed help... she was only 60 years old... that's only 2 years older than my mom... and 3 years older than my dad... that scares me... she was in good health up until then...

I still can't believe it... it feels like a dream that we're all gonna wake up from... that's the way everyone feels... I feel like i'll be sitting in class on Tuesday and look up and see her walking down the hall, with a smile on her face, pushing her little cart to her next class... she will definetly be missed and there is absolutely NO ONE who can ever replace her...

even though i was never fortunate enough to have her in class i'm told she was a wonderful professor, mother, grandmother, mentor, and friend... The Office Systems Technology Department will NEVER be the same without her!

"God never throws us things we can't catch... He gives us the strength to overcome it, by sending us team-mates to rely on and in time we WILL win the game!" -Brooke Royster

So i don't know about everyone else, but i had the best christmas ever! I spent lots of time with my family and it was great! I got lots of little presents which is awesome! I think this is the first year that i've actually gotten more joy out of watching everyone else open their presents... i could have not gotten anything and been just as happy! it gave me such joy to see everyone elses faces when they opened their presents! i loved it! i hate that it has taken me 23 years to get to that point, but i'm glad i'm there! i love my family more than anything in the world! i know that no matter what happens they will always be there for me no matter what! I am just sooo blessed to have such a great family!

I have no idea what my plans are for New Years yet! Usually my friends and I have a party, but our lives have sent us different directions this year! (which is completely cool with me!) My bro-in-laws b-day is New Years Day so i think we may go out to eat New Years Eve for his b-day and then come back to my house for cake and ice cream and New Years Rockin Eve! who knows... either way i am sooo lookin forward to 2005! I can just feel great things are going to happen! for one i'm graduating! but i have no idea what else is gonna happen, i just know its gonna be a great year!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and i hope everyone has a even greater New Years!

Sorry i've been listening to "99.5 WMAG Your home for continuous Christmas" all night long... so i've a pretty good break so far... oh i made the Dean's List! So i'm pretty happy about that! i went to the doc on Monday b/c i woke up with swollen glands... they said i have the first stage of Mono... i was like "ok?" the doc said i was not contagious (sp?) unless someone drinks or eats after me... so i don't have to be locked in a room and fed under the door (his exact words...lol) he said to just take it easy, get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids... i've been doing just that... the thing is, i don't feel bad... i felt bad a few weeks ago, but i don't feel bad now... oh well... i just wrapped 35 presents! i was wrappin fool! i hung out with my bud Emily today! that was fun! (see some people call me when they are in town so we can hang out... jk) I hope everyone has a great Christmas! I plan on it! Well i must go to bed now! good night all! Merry CHRISTmas!

Hey ya'll... yeah i know its been a while... a lot has happened since i last updated! I am not the official webmaster for the dance studio website! I'm sooo excited... i love it.. i'm addicted... i'm also officially graduating in MAY!!!! WOOHOO! My official degree is "Associates Degree in Applied Science, with a Major in Office Systems Techonologies!" doesn't that sound important!

Dance is going great! I love it... i am teaching Mini Company and they had their first competiton this past weekend! They did soooo good! i am sooo proud! Its the first time i've ever had students compete! I was sooo nervous and excited all at the same time!

I'm also exctied b/c there is only two weeks left in the semester! woohoo... man how its flown by! I can't get over it! next semester will probably take forever b/c its the last! i am going to do my co-op in the summer, but i'll graduate in may!

I've also made some great friends at school! Kristi is cool! I've actually known her for a long time... we went to elementary, middle, and high school together, but were never in the same classes... we also have sisters that are the same age! We're goin to see Disney On Ice when it comes to town!

Amanda is great! we have every class together this semester and next semester... we sit beside each other in every class and our teacher calls us "The Twins!" lol... we're going christmas shopping sometime soon! i can't believe christmas is almost here!

Overall i'm doing great! I still single, but that's ok... i'm loving life! i hope everyone else is too! i wish everyone the best of luck on their finals... its almost over! we can hang in there for a few more weeks!

peace out ya'll!

so hey... i hope this finds everyone well... i'm doing great... except, like heidi i'm starting to get a cold... man i hope i don't... b/c i'm going to LA Dance Force convention this weekend, so i can't get sick! although sooo many kids at the studio weren't there b/c of strep throat!

i've enjoyed my fall break! i didn't have my night class tonight which rocked! other than that... nothing new... this is the shortest entry ever, but i have nothing more to say, except i'm going to bed!

ok so i lied... i am gonna continue to update! i was having updated withdrawls! So i had a great b-day! i went to church and then my family came over for lunch and cake and ice cream! i got $85, two guest passes to SportsCenterTriad, $5 gift certificate to Starbucks, and a pocketbook that has a "B" on it (i haven't been able to find one)! i had a great b-day! my mom made a homemade white cake with chocolate icing and we had oreo ice cream! yummy! Thank you to all of you who left me a message or an IM wishing me a Happy Birthday! I greatly appreciated it!

then tonight i went to Bible study! we are studying the book "Purpose Driven Life!" This book is sooo perfect for me and my situation right now! the first sentence in the book is "It's not about you!" that could not be anymore fitting for my life right now! I'm excited about reading it and figuring out what my purpose in life is, with the help of God!

I hate that about the State/Carolina game yesterday! i babysat for a family last night that went to the game... they both graduated from carolina so they were pretty happy! lol...

Well i hope everyone has a great start to the week! this is my fall break! Mon, Tues, and Wed! (its actually just Mon and Tues, but i don't have classes on Wed so mine is three days!) i'll ttyl!

You know i don't understand people sometimes... especially people who are supposedly your friends... in the last year or so i have grown up a lot... everyone has noticed it... everyone that matters that is... my mom, dad, sister, brother, their families, people at church, etc. they've all noticed how much i've grown up...

As for things always having to be about me... it is very unintentional... i am the youngest in my family... my bro is 12 years older than me and my sis is 11 years older than me... i was raised as the center of attention... it was the way i was brought up... i can't help that... however, it is not my goal to make everything about me... if it seems that way then tell me about it at the time... don't hold it in and expect me to know and then blow up at me when i don't...

it's ironic and funny how people act one way and feel another and expect me to know the way they feel... you can't assume that i know how you feel... you know what assuming does... how am i supposed to know how you feel unless you tell me? and then you get mad when i say i don't know... geesh

this is a breakthrough in my life right now... i'm realizing who my real friends are... i'm tired of my 'so-called-friends' telling me that i need to grow up... i also think its funny that no one else feels that way... if they do, they haven't said anything to me about it... i'm not changing for anybody... God made me who i am for a reason... if you don't like it, fine, don't be my friend... i hope i don't lose my other friends b/c of this...

Man what a great way to start my fall break/b-day weekend (oh wait that was about me... i'm sorry... but isn't this a "personal journal")

At the beginning of writing this i was sooo irate and upset... now i'm feeling pretty good... but as for tabulas... don't look for an update about me for a while... i'll continue to read what's goin on with everyone, but other than that... i'm spent!