It's been a long time since I've seen your face... -OneRepublic

It's been about ... well .... four months since I've last posted here. Well, OOPS...
It really has been a crazy four months, though. We had our second round in NYC; that was hectic and crazy. A lot of negative feelings there that I feel have carried over into this round. Which isn't good...
Anyways, after my round in New York, I went home for my second break. We went to the first couple of days of the Cincinati Open, which was AMAZING. I met Gael Monfils. I literally was shaking for about ten minutes afterwards; he's one of my all-time favourite tennis players. Ever. I also got the autographs of the Bryan Brothers, David Ferrer, Fabio Fognini and a few others. Like, my GOSH, I was so beyond starstruck, it was amazing.
I went with my dad to Chicago after that. I got my French passport renewed while there. Which is nice, because I was thinking about moving to France. I hung out while he worked. We went to Navy Pier (which is SO. AWESOME! I've always loved it.) and hung out there for awhile.
After Chicago, I was actually home for about three days. I saw some family and Ashley, who is now 8 months pregnant. I told her she needs to make the baby stop growing. Well, not really. Because she's changed so much since I last saw her in June. The family I saw was cousins who had kids. Renee has two kids, Andrew and Lucy. They've both gotten so big. Again, they need to stop growing because before we know it, they'll be as big as me. Lucy is a year old this month and Andrew is... two? I think. The last time I actually saw her kids was back in December. And Lucy was three months old. Now she's starting to stand up, she's moving... Like, please stop growing kids, I feel so old. I also saw Nicole and her kids. Her three are so cute; they haven't grown as much as Renee's kids, but still. I noticed they're getting a bit taller. Kiana is in the fifth grade, Quinn is in the first and CJ is going into a pre-K program. Like, for real, where has the time gone?
Now, back from break and actually where we're stationed... We're in Kansas City, Missouri, working hard... Well, I'm not, yet. I haven't found a section that wants me yet, so I'm sitting here in contracting, writing my first post here in four months and looking for jobs. Let's be real... Looking for a job is a full time one.
I'm trying to go home in October. There's a French immersion weekend the first full weekend of October every year that I've been a part of since my family moved Stateside. It's for the American Association of Teachers of French; my grandmother was part of it before she passed and my family has been allowed to go. This will be my 20th year attending. If I go home. And I'm pretty sure I'll be going, so. There's that. I had to take my two Life After AmeriCorps days to go and I'm taking one of my personal days so that I can have some time with my family before I come back to KC. I mean, it's not like it'll be forever until I see them again; I'll be home a month and a half later. But it'll still be nice to go home and have a break, especially with all the drama and bullcrap that's been going on as of late on my team.
All the drama.... There's a girl on my team who is kind of... well... she complains a lot. She always tried to one up people. She kind of acts like she's all that. I do know some things about her; we did have a couple heart to hearts back in NYC. So it was nice to kind of get to know her. But now, it's like she's changed a bit. Like she doesn't care as much about anyone else anymore. It's more about herself. Like, grow up. And I feel like she has a problem with me. I kind of want to go up to her and say, "Grow a pair and tell me what your problem is." But I'm a hypocrite and won't do that, either.
And this guy on my team. He's kind of whiny and bitchy. I mean, he has his moments of awesomeness, but when he doesn't get his way, better watch the hell out, because he's one cranky person. Or irritable.
I'm just sick and tired of the division and dislike that's going on on my team. I'm so glad I'm going home next month and that we only have about two and a half months left in the program. Because this shit is making me go crazy. I can feel an emotional breakdown/psychotic break coming. And nobody is going to like me if that happens, because I'll be world's biggest bitch and I'm going to go on a rampage, calling everyone on their shit.
Whatever. Life happens; this is the place to learn how to deal with the situations that life hands you. I'm going to be working with people like this all my life, I'm going to be in similar situations later on in life. This is the place to figure out how to handle this stuff. And I'm trying. I'm trying to get a better handle on things. I've just learned to keep my mouth shut here, and just do my job. Because, that way, there's less of a reason for people to dislike me. There's less of a reason for people to get me in trouble. And less of a reason for people to try and get under my skin.
Anyways...
The Green Bay Packers opened the American football season last night against the Seattle Seahawks. We lost epically against the Seahawks. But they're the Super Bowl champs of last season. And it wasn't that bad of a loss; it was a two possession loss. Which, in hindsight, isn't the worst. It's not like how the Denver Broncos lost to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. And honestly, it's only the first game of the season.
Gael Monfils lost to Rodger Federer last night, also, in the quarterfinals of the US Open. It was a five set match, so Monfils did put up a hard fight. But Fed is hard to beat. The final for the US Open is on Sunday, for the men's.
BUT France beat Spain in their friendly football match yesterday. So that's good. I'm happy about that; I watched highlights this morning, and it seemed like a fantastic match. So there is one positive about yesterday, sports-wise.
Tonight, I'm going to some Kansas City event. There's going to be fireworks. I'm so excited; I think I'm going to try and hang out with the ladies of the other teams that are here with us as opposed to fake being nice to the people who are being nasty on my team. But I'm excited to go out and have a blast. It'll be so much fun... I hope, anyways.
Then I'm probably going to spend the weekend watching The Vampire Diaries and the US Open men's final. We'll see.
Oh, I got a tattoo about a month ago. It's on the back of my right arm. It's a quote from a book I read, several times, about the French Revolution. Historical fiction, of course. It's "O' dead man, you are dead wrong." The whole quote is "Oh, dead man, you are dead wrong. The world goes on, stupid and brutal, but I do not." I really like the quote and it was banging around my head for the longest time - like six or seven months - before I actually got it. My mom found out when we were at the hotel one night after watching some tennis. My t-shirt sleeve had come up on my arm and the last word was showing, I guess. Mom asked my what it was, and I was like, "I don't know what you're talking about" as I pulled down my sleeve. My brother said it was a tattoo and my mom flipped out. She said, "I can't believe you defiled the body that God gave you."
I rolled my eyes, in typical Charly fashion and went to bed. After she read what my tattoo said.
But mom. Don't you dare pull the God card on me. I don't believe the same way you do. At all. So that doesn't work on me. And second of all, I'm 22 years old, it's MY body and I spent MY money on it. But on that one note, I can understand where she's coming from. I didn't necessarily have the $60 to pay for a tattoo. And it's permanent, so there's that, as well. But I'm HAPPY with it, I LIKE the tattoo. And it is MY body, not hers. Whatever...
She'll get over it. I find it funny that my dad is just as against it, but he accepted the fact that I have a tattoo faster than my mom did. And he seemed more okay with it. My mom will get over herself and move on with it.
Alright, well, there's a life out there that I have to get back to. :) I missed you guys.

Stay classy, stay unique and most of all, stay true to yourself. Have a fantastic Friday and an awesome weekend.