I worked all evening at the dance studio last night. I was exhausted when I got home. When I pulled up in front of the house I saw Josh and Jason shooting hoops outside. I waved but headed straight for the front door because I was still upset with Josh. He ran over and stopped me before I could get into the house.

He asked why I was so upset and I explained to him that I don't want Nancy coming between us. Then he said something like, "She already has! You've barely talked to me for two days!"

Josh 1, Nicole nothing. So he was right...as usual. I normally find it endearing. Last night I found it annoying.

This morning I was feeling differently. After thinking about it I realized that he was right. I was letting her come between us. I'm not going to let that happen again so I apologized to him.

Tonight is a rehearsal for our country concert next week. The songs seem pretty good, and after spending time in Nashville and going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, I feel that I have an appreciation for country music that I didn't have before. I love Faith Hill. I bought her newest CD and I love it. It's summery and fun and it reminds me of my trip to Nashville.

After the rehearsal Josh promised to take me out...just the two of us so that we could spend some time together.

Frustrated. I can't stand having Nancy around. And the fact that Josh wants to go easy on her doesn't help. I've barely spoken a word to him since Monday. And it's disappointing to think that last week at this time we were having a really great vacation together.

This country concert we're putting on next week has me completely stressed. There just isn't enough time to pull it off and pull it off well. I'm singing an old Dolly Parton song called "Jolene." I like the song but I'm still nervous. I really don't have time to rehearse because I'm spending all my time teaching the kids to line dance! It just worries me.

Tonight I'm going to the dance studio to work on promotion for the dancing competition. It starts on July 13th. I'm excited about it. I just wish I was one of the dancers. I'll just have to wait until next year. Josh promised he dance with me.

Gotta run. --NB

I am so mad right now. I got back to work today and found out that Paula had hired Nancy to work at the swim club. Now I have to deal with Paula and Nancy - who just happened to take her dandy ol' time saying hi to Josh this morning. Grr...I'm in such a bad mood. I had a talk with Henry about it but he wasn't very sympathetic. Then I was venting to Josh and he wasn't sympathetic either. I am so angry with him right now.

Today hasn't been fun. Last night I kind of freaked out because I was missing Josh so I called him. I wanted him to come over for a little while but he was doing something with his family. I kind of got mad at him and yelled at him over the phone. I know, it was childish. Very embarrassing.

He didn't say anything about it this morning so I just pretended nothing happened but when he didn't agree with me about how horrible it is going to be working with Nancy, it just set me off again. He's probably still at work talking to that little succubus right now.

And Henry - he's always on my side! But not this time. He thinks I'm being ridiculous - but that girl kept me and Josh apart for months with her lies and her schemes. I'm so tired of always fighting for him. Why do these other girls keep moving in and thinking they can come between us? I've had it.

I'm back in PA after my week long trip to Tennessee with Josh. Usually I like coming home after a long trip but this time I was sad to get home. I've only been home for a few hours and already I'm missing him. We just had such a great time.

We went to Memphis and saw Graceland. We got to tour the house - Elvis had a very interesting taste in furniture. I guess it was the 70's but a Jungle themed room? A little scary... We saw his gold records and some of the costumes he wore.

After Graceland we drove over to Arkansas. Neither of us had ever been there so we drove across the Mississippi so we could say we'd been there. West Memphis, Arkansas wasn't the nicest city so we pretty much turned around and headed back to Memphis. Then we decided to drive south to Mississippi. I've been there before but Josh hadn't so we drove down there for lunch. The rest of the day we spent in Memphis, walking around, listening to music and exploring.

Then it was on to Nashville. My grandparents were so excited to have us there - and so great to Josh. They didn't act like my weirdo father or my overprotective mother. Josh and my grandfather got along really well. It made things nice. We did a lot in Nashville. We went on a riverboat cruise, saw the Country Music Hall of Fame and went on a southern plantation tour. I actually have an appreciation for country music now. I'm kind of looking forward to the country concert we're doing at the swim club now!

So now it's back to reality. Day camp starts tomorrow so I'll be up early and at work helping the kids get settled in. I hope Paula tones things down a little now that she is settled in. I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but she just rubs me the wrong way.

I'm sure I'll have adventures to report tomorrow after the first day of camp!

I don't have a lot of time to post but I wanted to do a quick update. We're in Nashville now and having a great time. My grandparents have been so cool since we've been here. It's amazing to think my father came from them. I keep wondering what happened?

Anyway, we went to Memphis, saw Graceland, then headed East to Nashville. We went to a southern plantation and on a riverboat cruise. Today we're going to check out the Country Music Hall of Fame. I'll post more details when I have more time - probably next week.

That's all for now!

NB

Greetings from Kentucky!

I can officially add two new states to my list of places I've been: Ohio and Kentucky.

I was afraid I wouldn't get a chance to blog much but Josh is in the shower so I thought I'd take advantage of the hotels free wireless internet and update the blog on how things are going.

Graduation was good, but a little sad. I'm glad summer is here but I'm going to miss my friends in high school. My family took me out to dinner after the ceremony. Josh came along. There was weird tension between him and my father.

After dinner we left for the shore. It was fun but too short. We had to be back in Pennsylvania by the afternoon on Saturday so that I could "celebrate" father's day with my dad. What a joke - he's not much of a dad.

Yesterday morning we hit the rode. We stopped for lunch at a Cracker Barrel. Josh says is the ultimate road trip restaurant. It was my first time there, and I have to say it was fun having a country meal. Other than Cracker Barrel, the day was pretty uneventful. We just drove and drove until we got to Louisville.

Today we're going to stop at Churchill Downs. Josh wants to see where they hold the Kentucky Derby. After that we head to Memphis. I went on iTunes and downloaded a bunch of Tennessee-related songs. I know...I'm a dork but I got some Elvis and I got the song "Graceland." It's been in my head non-stop for the past week!

That's all for now. More to come as our adventure continues.

I think the new boss is going to be very high maintenance. Let's just put it this way: Paula is no Henry. With Henry, I'd walk in and get a warm smile and a "Hey there, Sunshine." With Paula, it's "I need to talk to you" the minute I walk through the door.

I stopped over at the swim club this afternoon. I wasn't there to work. I stopped by because Josh called and asked if I could bring him excedrin for his headache. The minute I got there Paula was all over me about the country concert she wants to put on. She wants me to teach the campers a line dance to some country song. But the thing is: 1) I don't know country line dancing (her response was, "you're a dancer, can't you figure it out?", and 2) camp doesn't start until June 26th - that only gives the campers a week and a half to learn a whole routine! I just don't know how I'm going to pull it off. Jennifer offered to help but I'm still stressed over it. Then Paula made a comment about how I can learn to line dance in Nashville...that's just how I want to spend my whole vacation.

The rest of the day was good. We had our senior brunch this morning and then rehearsal for commencement. After that we were dismissed. Molly, Tim, Alex, Tom, Kim and I went out for lunch. Lindsay even met us there so it was a nice afternoon. As we were leaving Josh called and asked me to stop by the swim club with some excedrin. The poor guy...he looked like his head was pounding and he had to wait an extra 10 minutes because of Paula and her one track mind. We're supposed to go out tonight but I have a feeling that's not going to happen. He looked like all he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.

I talked to Jen for a little while before I left. She seems to think that Paula is kind of pushy. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I was hoping to get a few minutes to talk to Henry about this whole line dancing thing but he was pretty busy. I don't even know if it's right for me to complain to him. He's not my boss anymore and I don't want to get her in trouble. I just miss working for him. :(

Today was my last real day of high school. Tomorrow is a half day. We have a senior brunch and then graduation rehearsal. Thursday is graduation and then I'm free. I'm excited for summer, but I'm sad at the same time. I'll miss all of the new friends I've made here in PA. I know Molly and I will be at school together next year but I'll miss seeing Alex, Kim, Tom, Tim and Lauren everyday.

Everything is changing. Tim goes back to Australia on June 30th. Molly's really upset about it. We just found out that Alex's family is moving to Hawaii at the end of July. Alex will still be around since he's going to school in Connecticut, but it's weird to think that when he goes "home" for breaks it will be to Hawaii and not Pennsylvania. It's just so far away...

But enough with all the sadness. This is an exciting time. We'll be high school graduates in two day and then summer is here! I'm counting down the days until my road trip with Josh. It will be so much fun, and just the two of us - I can't wait!

Finals are over! It's such a relief. Molly, Alex, Kim, Tom and I are going out tonight to celebrate. The work is all behind us now. The next few days will be a breeze.

My dad made a fuss about me doing something for Father's Day with him so I'm coming back from the shore Saturday afternoon to go to dinner with him. I told Aunt Lu that she and my mom have to join us. It would just be agonizing if I had to go out alone with him. I'm kind of annoyed that I have to cut my graduation celebration short, but it's just not worth it to argue. If I pick a fight about this, my parents might start in on me again about my "serious" relationship with Josh, and how I'm too young to be tied down, blah, blah, blah...

Lauren invited me over after school today to go through her mom's CD collection. Mrs. Anderson likes country music so I thought I could get some ideas for Paula's country fair. I found a few songs I like but I think I'll have to check out the country charts to see what's popular.

Just a few more days and I'll be a high school grad. We have the last of our finals tomorrow. I can't wait. I'm practically bouncing off the walls. I just want summer to be here!

My parents are flying up from Florida on Wednesday. Thursday is commencement and then I'm heading down to Molly's shore house until Sunday. On Sunday Josh and I leave for our road trip to Nashville. I can't wait. I'm excited about going to Memphis. I've never been there before and I can't wait to see Graceland. And Nashville will be much more fun with him than it is with my family. And I'll get to spend some quality time with my grandparents without having to deal with my dad being there and fighting with everyone.

I worked at the swim club today. My new boss, Paula, is...well, I don't know how to put it. It's not that I dislike her, I just don't know if I like her. She's not Henry. He's able to be efficient and effective while still letting his employees be creative and have fun. Paula's just a little too rigid.

She's planning the Fourth of July celebration. She decided to do a Cowboy themed event. It's supposed to be like a small town, country fair. We're going to have an apple pie eating contest and a country music concert. She asked me to come up with country songs. The only problem is that I really don't know country music that well. I hope I'll get some inspiration in Nashville.

Josh is in Baltimore this weekend hanging out with Keith. I miss him but I'm having a relaxing weekend. Last night Aunt Lu and I went to see "United 93." It was weird. I knew what was going to happen, and yet, I found myself wishing that the passengers would take back that plane and land it safely. It was also kind of weird sitting in the theater, eating popcorn and watching a real life nightmare unfold on screen. I'm glad I saw it though. 9/11 was just a week after my 13th birthday, so while I understood that it was horrible, I was too young to be glued to the news and I probably missed a lot of what happened.

Today it's raining so I'm hanging around the house with Aunt Lu. She's not a big TV watcher but TV Land is running a marathon of "Benson." I've never seen the show before but she and my great uncle used to watch it so we're loafing around, watching it. It's actually pretty good, and it's nice to hang with Aunt Lu.

I'm counting down the days until school lets out. Two weeks from today I'll be a high school grad! It's bitter sweet. Part of me wants to hold on because things finally feel comfortable here. The other part of me can't wait to get out there and be on my own and pave my way in the world. It also helps that Molly and Natalie are going to the same school!

The weekend was fun. Friday night I went with Mrs. Anderson to pick Josh and Mr. Anderson up at the airport. I just could wait any longer to see him. Saturday we the opening of the swim club. It was so warm I wanted to swim but the water was freezing. Molly had a graduation party that night. Sunday we Uncle Bill and Aunt Linda's BBQ. On Monday Lauren, Josh and I went to the Memorial Day Parade.

The rest of the week has been full of me and my desire for summer to start. I'm so impatient but I can't wait to have a little freedom. And I'm so excited about my trip to Tennessee with Josh. We're going to drive from here to Memphis, see Graceland and then head to Nashville. Memphis is a few hours out of the way but Josh really wants to see Graceland. I downloaded Paul Simon's song "Graceland" and I've been playing it non-stop. I know, I'm such a dork. ;)