If you're in the area and you'd like to purchase tix, drop me a line or write us at contact@whatsinthisjuice.com.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

(and with a band name like What's in This Juice?, how could I steer you wrong??)  =D

Unlike A City by the Light Divided, the band recorded the split completely analog, working with tapes instead of ones and zeros. Three songs were recorded and mixed at Big Blue Meenie Studios, a familiar location for Thursday in their home state of New Jersey. Steve hinted that one more song may be recorded, but that for now they'll be playing a new track live for the first time (which Geoff would later call "As He Climbed the Dark Mountain", inspired in part by Cormac McCarthy's The Road).

I spoke to Tom about the Requiem for a Dream soundtrack, a recommendation he made a few months ago to me; he followed it up with recommending The Fountain's soundtrack. It's something I'll need to check out for sure, as Clint Mansell's work is remarkable. Geoff's recommendation of Beirut certainly paid off well, and I can only recommend Beirut right back to anyone who is reading this. We talked briefly about the differences between Beirut's two albums, agreeing that the first one is probably better.

I got a chance to talk to Steve about record labels and the art of releasing music; we spoke about the NIN and Radiohead method, and it being something the band would be interested in if they had the giant fanbase/audience that those bands have. It will be interesting to see what the band does for their next full-length, as Steve said they are "exploring many possibilities". After mentioning the leak of their good friends' Thrice's Alchemy Index, Steve mentioned his disgust for the demos leaking from A City by the Light Divided, an emotion I can certainly understand, though we both agreed we do listen to album leaks from our favorite bands.

For anyone wondering about the band's Bamboozle chances (Bearfort?), the answer is a resounding "no", straight from the band's mouth. I was interested in talking to Andrew Everding about his role in the upcoming split, but he and Tim weren't around at the time.

God Fires Man, an alternative rock band from New York City, opened the evening. The band certainly had the energy to keep on pace with their good friends in Thursday, but the live act didn't do much to convince me that the band really stands out. The band's drummer really sets the pace for their sound, but they try to merge too many styles without really doing anything particularly memorable. They certainly have their punk and hardcore influences, but they never fully embrace them, instead straddling multiple genres and never really defining their own sound. Their debut record, A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun, was just released in February; I haven't had a chance to check that out yet, but maybe it will open my eyes to what the band is trying to accomplish.

Philadelphia's Innerpartysystem set up their equipment next, with a rig including lights and lasers. A band I was first introduced to on New Year's Even (again, opening for Thursday), they blend a handful of styles together that most closely resembles Men Women & Children mixed with mainstream dance. The band comes off strongly as a novelty; they seem to enjoy what they're doing, but it's nothing I'd want to see again, already tired of their act from earlier in the year. It's something I'd recommend checking out once--you really should see their lighting/lasers--but the band seems more suited to opening for a crowd that is ready to dance. They would define the experience I'd love at a club (see what AFI-side project Blaqk Audio is prying at), but they are extremely out of place opening for Thursday.

Envy on the Coast, from Long Island, New York, directly supported Thursday this evening and opened with"Artist and Repertoire". Vocalist Ryan Hunter sounds like a watered-down Daryl Palumbo, which is nearly a metaphor for the entire band -- a watered down version of some sound they are striving to create. They're trying, which is more that can be said for a lot of other bands that sound similar, but they constantly fall short. That isn't to say their efforts aren't good anyway; they write some solid songs with hooks you'd only expect from a band with a lot more experience. On the flip side, the band tries to incorporate effects and keyboard (and for that matter, a level of technical guitar playing), but the result is never quite as strong as the band will lead you to believe.

Nonetheless, the band played well, with Hunter's voice sound remarkably close to the their debut album Lucy Gray. In fact, most of the instrumentation is recreated near-perfectly, a good indication that the band isn't drowning in studio magic. Lucy Gray (and consequently their live show, which consists entirely of material from that debut on Photo Finish Records) is so promising, that you can't help feeling excited that their follow-up has serious potential, as long as the band decides to move away from their sugary pop elements and more towards the technical side they keep hinting at.

The band closed the evening with "Gift Of Paralysis", probably my favorite song by the band (if not "Tell Them That She's Not Scared" or "Sugar Skulls" even). The full set is as follows

Artist and Repertoire
Sugar Skulls
(X) Amount Of Truth
Vultures
Mirrors
Tell Them That She's Not Scared
Suckerpunch
Gift Of Paralysis

Thursday took the stage near 10PM, opening with "Into the Blinding Light" (the first time I've seen the band open with this track). Upon first inspection, the band sounds like any local post-hardcore band with tight instruments but with a vocalist struggling to keep up. Luckily for Thursday, this was only the case due to how low Geoff's vocals were mixed; in this instance, he was completely drowned out by the dueling guitars of Steve and Tom. With the lack of vocals, the song failed to capture the audience.

Geoff stepped down into the crowd for "At This Velocity", and all doubts of Thursday's live abilities were immediately put to rest. "Division St." followed, and Geoff's vocals were finally more prominently mixed, and the crowd responded appropriately. It's clear that most fans still prefers Full Collapse and War All the Time, so cuts from those albums definitely got the crowd moving.

Introduced as a song about being forced to write pop-rock songs for a major label, "Dead Songs" was next. Probably the strongest cut on Kill the House Lights, the song interestingly has elements in the chorus that are easily the poppiest Thursday has ever sounded. Even so, their message isn't convoluted in the least, with Geoff's delivery as honest as it is passionate.

The car crash pair of songs followed, and though I've seen these songs live (especially "Understanding") many, many times, it's clear that they are two of Thursday's strongest live tracks and will remain in rotation for a long time. I was hoping to possibly hear "Panic On The Streets Of Health Care City" (a partial demo of "Other Side of the Crash") at some point live, but it looks unlikely, and it doesn't really matter considering how good the A City by the Light product is.

Two more from War All the Time ("Signals Over the Air", "For The Workforce, Drowning") were next. Both were performed exceptionally well live, much better than their album counterparts which themselves are great anyway. My favorite live Thursday song, "How Long is the Night?" was next, though this was clearly one of the band's worst performances of the song. Geoff just didn't click with the band throughout the song as he normally does. It was nice to see the song reintroduced into the set, however.

The most exciting part of the evening was easily Thursday's first-ever performance of "As He Climbed the Dark Mountain". One part The Road and one part a dream Geoff had about the helplessness and sheer terror of losing his father, the song was exactly what you would expect on a split with Envy. The band showcased a side they've only hinted at, writing technical, speedy riffs. Tucker pummeled the drums in perfect time, and somehow Geoff managed to sound completely different yet familiar at the same time. The song was dedicated to Geoff's father who was in attendance.

"Jet Black New Year", a crowd favorite, rocked The Chance. The band followed up with "The Lovesong Writer", a great song that unfortunately didn't appeal to much of the crowd hoping for more older material to close the set. The band walked off stage and came back with an encore of "Autobiography of a Nation" and "Sugar in the Sacrament", the former being a great way to end a show while the latter not so much so.

A great song live on its own merits, "Sugar in the Sacrament" doesn't pack the intensity I think the band feels it does, and it's kind of disappointing to hear them close a show with it, especially when Geoff hinted at the possibility that they would play "A Hole in the World" (a cut I haven't heard live since War All the Times was released in 2003) after being offered ten dollars to do so by some fans before the show. The full set list:

Into the Blinding Light
At This Velocity
Division St.
Dead Songs
Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (of Control)
Understanding in a Car Crash
Signals Over the Air
For the Workforce, Drowning
How Long is the Night?
As He Climbed the Dark Mountain
Jet Black New Year
The Lovesong Writer
Autobiography of a Nation
Sugar in the Sacrament

Despite early vocal issues, the band played extremely well the entire evening, especially on the new track, which only excites me more for their upcoming split. There are a few bootlegs of the song from The Chance on Google Video.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road isRapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

----------

Venite intorno gente
dovunque voi vagate
ed ammettete che le acque
attorno a voi stanno crescendo
ed accettate che presto
sarete inzuppati fino all'osso.
E se il tempo per voi
rappresenta qualcosa
fareste meglio ad incominciare a nuotare
o affonderete come pietre
perché i tempi stanno cambiando.

Venite scrittori e critici
che profetizzate con le vostre penne
e tenete gli occhi ben aperti
l'occasione non tornerà
e non parlate troppo presto
perché la ruota sta ancora girando
e non c'è nessuno che può dire
chi sarà scelto.
Perché il perdente adesso
sarà il vincente di domani
perché i tempi stanno cambiando.

Venite senatori, membri del congresso
per favore date importanza alla chiamata
e non rimanete sulla porta
non bloccate l'atrio
perché quello che si ferirà
sarà colui che ha cercato di impedire l'entrata
c'è una battaglia fuori
e sta infuriando.
Presto scuoterà le vostre finestre
e farà tremare i vostri muri
perché i tempi stanno cambiando.

Venite madri e padri
da ogni parte del Paese
e non criticate
quello che non potete capire
i vostri figli e le vostre figlie
sono al dì la dei vostri comandi
la vostra vecchia strada
sta rapidamente invecchiando.
Per favore andate via dalla nuova
se non potete dare una mano
perché i tempi stanno cambiando.

La linea è tracciata
La maledizione è lanciata
Il più lento adesso
Sarà il più veloce poi
Ed il presente adesso
Sarà il passato poi
L'ordine sta rapidamente
scomparendo.
Ed il primo ora
Sarà l'ultimo poi
Perché i tempi stanno cambiando.

We caught stood out of the pit for Four Year Strong, a dual-vocal punk-pop act mixed with hardcore elements and a synthesizer. A watered down (and much less talented) version of the excellent Set Your Goals, the I Surrender Records five-piece from Massachusetts was energetic playing in front of a crowd that knew every hook. The entire evening's sound was exceptionally lacking in the treble range--and being new to the venue, I'm not sure exactly if that's normal--but Four Year Strong's drums sounded extremely lackluster, despite a strong performance from drummer Jake Massucco. The frontmen certainly can't sing--at least in a classical sense--but they did a decent enough job performing the gritty, hardcore-inspired vocals. Synth player Josh Lyford is extremely out of place; the band does not need the trite keyboards and synthesized melodies on top of their guitars. Moreover, he spent most of the time awkwardly dancing, since most of the songs don't require his Korg. The band's live performance suffers more from a lack of well-written songs than lack of dedication or energy, as they seem to pour their entire souls into the music. Unfortunately, the songs they're putting so much heart into aren't anything to write home about.

In stark contrast to the energetic and crowd-involved Four Year Strong, the evening's next act, Straylight Run, was incredibly dull and lackluster. I enjoy Straylight Run's two albums (and, of course, their original demos), but tonight's live performance was completely lacking. They performed the songs I wanted to hear (among others: Existentialism on Prom Night, It's For The Best, Soon We'll Be Living In The Future, Take It To Manhattan), but John Nolan's vocals started off extremely rough and never really settled; Michelle Nolan's vocals came off exceptionally weak, and boring, but she did manage to sing in key the entire night and sounded wonderful when she put the extra 'umph' into her performance. Most disheartening was the band's extensive use of overdubbing/sampling; guitars, drums, horns, and keys were all sampled for most of the evening. Live sampling is sometimes necessary or a strong enhancement to a live show, but in Straylight Run's case it ruins the performance. While well-written and certainly strong, the band's songs do not need samples to come off live, and the band would do well to ditch the crutches and become a real live act.

Bayside took the stage a little before 10PM, opening with "Carry On" from 2007's The Walking Wounded. The band played thirteen songs, eight of which came from their first two full-lengths. I'm still hoping "I and I" and “Choice Hops and Bottled Self-Esteem” make their way into future setlists; tonight they played (not in order) [this should be correct]:

The Walking Wounded
They're Not Horses, They're Unicorns
Duality
Carry On
Dear Your Holiness
Hello Shitty
Devotion and Desire
They Looked Like Strong Hands
Montauk
Blame it on Bad Luck
Don't Call Me Peanut
Masterpiece
Alcohol and Altar Boys

Bayside played great, engaging the home-state crowd the entire time. Songs from their 2005 self-titled album seemed best received, perhaps the reason behind it making up a bulk of their set. The crowd attempted to start a few pits, but the bulk of the crowd didn't quite understand the basics behind it, resulting in large push-mosh pits. I spent a few songs just protecting some of the younger girls from being completely trampled, but eventually "Don't Call Me Peanut" settled the crowd down. I've written about this band a few times before, and I stand by what I said earlier: Jack O’Shea is an excellent guitarist with a clear metal influence. From his subtle guitar work on the largely acoustic "Don't Call Me Peanut" to his ripping solos, it's impossible to see the band without his signature licks.

Anthony Raneri is a great frontman, and he was on top of his game this evening. Painful lyrics like those on "Blame It On Bad Luck" are delivered with emotion and heart. "Devotion and Desire", the band's most well-known single, closed out the evening as part of their encore, and the crowd finally opened up a few decent pits for the song. This tour continues into March, if it comes your way don't miss out, if only to see a great set from Bayside.

This most recent tour, due to no new album, but I suppose to celebrate a new film venture, has paired Zombie with Ozzy Ozbourne and he has been selling out arenas. Just recently, d42 and I decided to pass on his Madison Square Garden engagement. Every time we have seen him, after expanding a certain amount of force, we were able to get close enough to check out his latest shiny pants. At MSG we would have to shell out hundreds on E-bay to get close, and then we’d be sitting down. In seats. Unspeakable! Unthinkable! He has gotten too big, and was no longer the man we loved for his freedom of action and creativity. And then we found out Zombie was going to break away from Ozzy for a day and play The Chance, in Poughkeepsie, NY.

I saw my very first show at The Chance over a decade ago. I remembered being kept on the mezzanine by the guy who brought me, looking down at the mass of bodies before the stage which wiggled and undulated as one. I’ve never seen the floor looking like that since, but this past Saturday--the 5th of January--d42, Dazvsemir and I found out just how such a phenomenon comes into existence.

The floor was tiny; about as big as my apartment halved, which is incredibly small. Hundreds of people attended this show, with at least thirty percent of these attendees pushing and bashing their way onto the floor. During the opener band, In This Moment, there was still room to breathe as they were obviously not the reason people were cramming into the venue. The band wasn’t bad per se, nor were they very good. The female lead looked cute as hell in her Alice in Wonderland costume with a myriad of petticoats and bloomers that we glimpsed every time she leaned back to get enough air for a metal scream. She couldn’t actually move a whole lot for fear of her boobs popping out. We didn’t hate the band, though some did, and there was a bit of an exodus during their set.

At about 9pm Rob Zombie took the stage. By then there was no breathing room. I was looking forward to the violence primarily because I knew it would weed out the weak and leave air for the strong. Obviously I considered myself in the latter category, and I was wrong.

Zombie opened up with “American Witch” off his Educated Horses album, the last one with original work. He was preceded by a shadow of a Jack-o-Lantern looming over the stage (in case we weren’t sure what that was about, Halloween theme echoed through the room) and came out wearing a skeleton costume, with a cloth mask over his face, and his usual dirty looking locks sticking out from under his trademark cowboy hat. I didn’t love the song, and was suddenly overcome with total paranoia. Was this the man I wanted to see, or a stand-in? Is he really growling or just lip-syncing? WHO IS THIS MAN?

During the very first chords of “Living Dead Girl” Zombie tore off his costume. And yes! It was him! Of course it was him! I felt warm with happiness, and of course the bodies of a hundred or so people who were all trying to murder me for my oxygen. The crowd went nuts and I couldn’t even find d42 for our ritual romp in the pit. But then, there were so many people there that a pit didn’t exist as it usually does. If you were on the floor, you were in the pit--a sluggish pit where I noticed myself grunting, rather than screaming, with the effort of pushing enough people away from myself to expand my thorax.

The set was the longest I remembered him playing in the years I have seen him. But my favorite song was without question “House of a 1000 Corpses”, during which the huge screen behind him filled with grotesque images of murders that overwhelmed the 70’s porn and Hentai. An actual mosh pit broke out as the set has been going on long enough for some to beat retreat into the bar area or the mezzanine. Despite being too tired to defend myself I was in it. There was nowhere else to go. To catalogue injuries: I received an elbow to the head, a knee to the kidney and my left arm started feeling funny just around the time I started to wondering if my labored breathing meant my left rib was cracked.

Some of the stuff on the screen was from his first movie (“House of a 1000 Corpses”, in case you didn’t know) which I love even though I never plan to see it a second time. In fact, he shamelessly plugged every movie he ever made (while wearing a T-shirt with Michael Myers' likeness on it), including the one he is apparently working on now for “Grindhouse 2.” This new gem is called “Werewolf Women of the SS” and the first inkling of it was one of the cheesier faux trailers during the interlude of the first “Grindhouse.” He apparently truly plans to make this instant B horror flick, starring, of all people, Nicolas Cage.

Zombie played some White Zombie favorites such as “More Human Than Human” with thematically appropriate porn, but no huge robots beleaguering the band. No half-naked girls. No pyrotechnics. Obviously, on a stage that small, with the audience literally five feet away, none of this was expected. It only highlighted how different this show was and how he progressed from astounding us by stage antics, to just hanging out, having a good time. I don’t know what Zombie did at MSG, but here we had him all to ourselves. John Five (former Marilyn Manson guitarist) grinned at us through his clown make up and performed amazing guitar solos, one with his mouth, under the watchful eye of a bored bouncer. He and Zombie did not compete for attention, but they both loved it and so the audience was never left looking for something to look at.

Then it all ended. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not, but the lights weren’t coming on, and I knew an encore was on its way. The crowd started a serious ruckus; it was louder than the music had been. And of course Zombie didn’t disappoint. It’s not what he does. Back on stage he went to give us what we wanted.

Last time we saw him at Nokia Theater in 2006, Zombie was still energetic, still screamed at the audience and messed around with band members, but his show was hardly an hour long. This time, relaxed on a small stage, with adoring fans where he could see them, reach them, Zombie was on for nearly two hours. Even while he looked obviously exhausted, sweat pouring off him, he droned out “Lords of Salem” before relinquishing the stage.

He came back though. Almost right away. He dragged in a couple of pillows and then tore them up and shook the contents all over us. Why? Who knows. But he did it, and as if the feathers were baptismal, the crowd surged to him.

Amazing show yet again. And to think, I almost skipped this tour.

• Rob Zombie Myspace
• Rob Zombie Homepage
• Werewolf Women of the SS trailer

Fifteen minutes later, Leland pulled up in front of a beach-front parking lot. Within minutes, beach bags and camera in hand, Lena followed Leland towards the water. "Here give me your hand. These rocks get kinda slick as the day goes on." Lena held tightly to Leland's hand as she made her way down the large rock wall that seperated the beach from the rest of the world. "This is beautiful," Lena looked around in amazement at the turqoise water that stretched out forever. "Yeah, I've lived here half my life and I've never really gotten used to it." Other than an older couple walking along hand in hand, Leland and Lena were the only ones enjoying the view. As if reading her mind, Leland said, "I love this place because its so quiet. Its like my little secret stash place where I can go and just relax." About halfway beteen the piled rocks and the waterline, the two of them set their things down in the sand. Lena grabbed a towel out of her bag and spread it out. "You wanna get in the water?" Leland said with a mischevious smile. "Something tells me I don't have a choice," Lena said with a laugh and continued, "Ok give me just a sec to atleast get my shorts off. They're the only dry things I brought today. I'd like to keep them that way, mister." Good gawd, Leland thought to himself as she slipped her tank top over her shoulders. Oh damn not now. Calm down, down there, Leland thought to himself, hoping she wouldn't notice just how attracted to her he was. These shorts are big enough right? She won't notice anything, hopefully, he silently reasoned with himself. Lena was oblivious to Leland's private battle, but could feel his eyes on her as she shimmied off her shorts and tossed them on top of her bag. He's just a man, Lena. Its not like he's never seen a woman in a bikini before. Oh my, well thats not fair, Lena thought as Leland pulled his shirt over his head. Trying not to stare at his cut abs and arms, Lena directed her eyes to the waterline. "You ready?" Leland asked trying to keep his eyes on her face. Beautiful as it was, it wasn't the only aspect of her being that was keeping his mind occupied at the moment.

The water felt great rushing between her toes. She felt her whole body jump at the feeling of Leland's big hands at her sides. Before she knew what was happening he had her in his arms and was running out into the water. "Leland! Noo Nooooo. Please, I don't want to get wet just yet. Noo Leland!" Lena could barely catch her breath she was laughing so hard. Leland was having a hard time running because he was doubled over laughing. "No, way you're gettin out of this today. Think of it as a welcome to Hawaii gift." "Oh my gawd! Ahhh!" Within seconds Lena was chest high in the Pacific ocean, clutching on to Leland for dear life. With her laughter under control, she gave him a sidelong glance and said, "punk!" The sound of Leland's laughter got her going again. "Tell me you aren't enjoying this. This is a perfect day for the beach." She couldn't stop smiling, "This day is perfect and the water feels great." There the two of them sat, out in the water, Lena almost sitting in his lap with her right arm behind his neck, trying to hold her head above water. She was very aware of his left hand touching her waist. He could barely think straight, for all of the lustful thoughts running through his brain at 100 miles an hour. "Thank you for taking me here. I love it, really." She smiled at him and met his eyes. "You're welcome," Leland said in a low, soft voice. Without thinking, Leland leaned in closer and pulled her to him from her waist. Her heart started racing, realizing where things were headed. His kiss was soft and sweet. Pulling back slightly, Leland smiled hoping to get one in return. Lena didn't give him a chance. Kissing him lightly at first, Lena's hands found their way to the back of his neck at the base of his hairline. Within a few seconds, things got more intense. As if asking for permission, Leland probed gently with his tongue into her mouth. Opening her mouth more, Lena's tongue met his.

"So, what happened? Did you have fun?" Amber bombarded Lena with questions first thing Monday morning. Lena laughed, "Yes, I did. He and his brother are really sweet guys." Amber shot her a skeptical look, "And?" Lena sighed, "He asked for my number." "Yeah!" Amber shouted with a goofy expression on her face. "I'll see you in a bit," Lena said as she headed down the hallway to the editing room. She found Carson sitting at his computer. "Hey, how's it girl?" "Good, how was your weekend?" Lena asked.

"What?! What do you mean you moved out? Kelan, stop playing around." Lena half yelled into her cell phone the next day. She had called Kelan to check up on him on her ride home from work. "I couldn't take it anymore, Lena. I couldn't be in that house anymore everyday, being drilled on what I was going to do with my life." "What do you mean? When did things get bad? I just talked to mom and dad last night and they never mentioned anything about it." "Well, consider yourself lucky then." Lena could hear the desperation and frustration in her brother's voice. "Where are you staying?" She asked with a softer tone. "Randy's parents have a furnished basement apartment. They seemed cool with it." Lena sighed. "Well, I hope you are ok. You need to call me and let me know about these things. I might be across the freakin' country, but I'm still your sister." "I know and I'm sorry, its just been baaad," Kelan half-heartedly laughed at his own verbal exaggeration. "Not that this is a subject you want to talk about or anything, but what are you doing these days. You know the whole f-word thing and all?" "F word, what?" Kelan asked, confused. "FUTURE, Kelan, futurrrrre. HAHA! What did you think I meant?" Lena teased, trying to lighten the mood. Within seconds, she had her brother laughing over something she had seen on tv last night. About ten minutes later, she was pulling up into her driveway. "Well, I am here. I need to go in and see what Aunt Marie wants to do for dinner. Please, call me tomorrow and give me an update. I mean it, Kelan." Lena tried to sound stern and sympathetic all in the same. "I will, thanks." Kelan said with a sigh. "I love you, brother - 'bye." "Bye." Click. Lena grabbed her purse, tossed her phone inside and made her way towards the front door.

"Lena, I'm in here hun." Marie's voice carried through the house. "Hey, how was your day?" Lena asked as she headed towards the kitchen. "Good, and yours'?" "Ehh.. good until fifteen minutes ago. Kelan called and he isn't happy." At her Aunt's questioning look, Lena proceeded to tell her about his situation.

An hour and a half later, showered and full, Lena grabbed her phone out of her bag for it's nightly charge. The blinking red light made her stomach flip-flop. A local number. Flip-flooooop. What is wrong with you, Lena thought to herself as she dialed her voicemail. "Hey, Lena this is Leland. Hey I was just calling to say how's it and see how your day was. This is my cell phone number, so just give me a call on it whenever you get a second." Lena's heart raced at the sound of his voice. With a smile, she shut her phone and started gathering her dirty clothes for a load of laundry. I can't look pathetic and call him right back, can I? Lena argued with herself silently.

After about an hour of back and forth in her mind, Lena sat on the edge of her bed, cell phone in hand. Just do it, Lena thought to herself. Taking a deep breathe, Lena pressed found Leland's number in her call log and pressed 'talk'.

(TWO HOURS PRIOR)

Duane Lee, Tim, Leland and Dog were all lounging around in the office, waiting for one of their informants to call them. Leland wasn't listening to the usual joking going on between his brother, dad and uncle Tim. As a matter of fact, he hadn't been able to focus on anything for days. Well, anything but Lena that is. Sitting in his usual recliner, Leland sat chewing nervously on the inside of his lip. "Leland, LELAND!" Leland jolted back to attention, "what?" "Got your mind on something?" Duane Lee asked with a goofy smirk. "Nah dude, I'm just tired." Leland said trying to act natural. "Suuure." Duane Lee said with a laugh. Leland stood, "yeah, whatever man." After walking out the back door, Leland let the tail gate down on his blue Chevy and sat down. You can do this, Leland thought to himself as he found her number in his phone. He felt his heart race at the sound of it ringing. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings. "Hey this is Lena's phone, you know what to do." Smiling at the sound of her sweet voice, Leland spoke into the receiver.

"Hello." Lena's could feel her heart beating against her chest at the sound of his voice. "Hey Leland, this is Lena. I got your message." "Hey, yeah I was just seeing how your day went and just saying hey." Lena smiled.

Leland swallowed hard trying not to stare at the beautiful woman that sat mere inches from him. Before he could think of something to ask her, Duane Lee started in with a joke making his audience laugh. Leland couldn't help but stare at the dimples in her cheeks when she smiled and the pink color laughing made them. "So what do you do for fun back home?" Duane Lee asked Lena after they had recovered from laughing. "Uuuh... summers are spent at the lake on the boat or just hanging out. We usually go four-wheelin' or just driving. I like anything outside and I love to ride horses. I'm from a pretty small town, so there isn't a whole lot of stuff to do on the weekends other than hang out doing outdoorsy stuff." Leland felt himself melt at the sound of the drawl in her sweet voice. "What about y'all?" Lena asked the two men at her sides. "Leland's the one to talk to about that. He's always dragging me around doing something." Lena turned to her left. "Anything on the water is alright with me. I like going spear fishing or even deep-sea when I get the chance. I spend a lot of time at the beach. My heart is in the boxing and mixed martial arts. I love teaching and just helping the kids with it." Lena smiled, awww... he loves kids.

An hour and a half later, Leland pulled up into Lena's driveway. Duane Lee slid out of the truck to let Lena out. Leland met Lena as she came around the back of the truck. Lena had to catch her breath when Leland took her hand gently as they walked side by side towards her front door. "Thank you so much for the ice cream. The whole night was a lot of fun," Lena said with a smile as they reached the door. "I had a lot of fun too. I'm glad that we ran into each other." Several heartbeats later, Leland asked, "Hey would it be okay if I called you sometime. Maybe show you around Hawaii the right way." He laughed and gave her a quick wink. Having a hard time hiding her excitement, Lena laughed before giving him her number. "I would like that. Poor little tourist like me and all," She added making Leland laugh again. His laugh is so sexy, Lena found herself thinking. "Well, I know its late, so I'll let you go. Goodnight, Lena." Leland rubbed his thumb over her tiny hand as he turned to go. "Night," Lena smiled and said softly as she slid the key in the lock.

"Dude, if you don't go talk to her I'm gonna talk to her." Duane Lee teased his little brother. "Yeah whatever, you're married." Leland quipped. "I can't talk to her like that. She looks like she's having fun out there." Leland said aloud. All of the sudden, Duane Lee started mock sniffing the air. "Hey do you smell that?" Duane Lee asked. At Leland's confused look, he continued, "Kinda smells like a big chicken. Baaaaach Baaaach bach bach baaaaach." Laughing uncontrollably at his brother's obvious embarrassment, Duane Lee noticed his brother getting madder and madder. "Shut up man. I can't take you anywhere," Leland said to his brother. "Relax, dude. You know I'm kiddin'. Seriously though man, you should go say something to her." "I will, now be quiet."

Thirsty from dancing three fast ones in a row, Lena excused herself from the dance floor where Amber and Kristina were living it up to some song Lena had never heard and headed towards the counter. "What can I get you ma'am?" The guy behind the counter asked. "Aww, just a water tonight, thanks." Lena smiled at the man as she dug in her pocket for money. Before she could get her hand on the folded bills, she saw him out of the corner of her eye, standing next to her. "Hey don't worry about it, its on me." Leland said handing the man a five. "Hey, thanks you didn't have to do that." Lena smiled shyly. "I wanted to. Its good to see you again," Leland replied and returned her smile. "Yeah you too. How's everybody, how's your family?" Lena tried to make conversation, despite the flighty feeling in her stomach. "Doin' alright, thanks." Looking around the room, trying to come up with another topic, Leland was surprised when Lena beat him to it. "This place is great. Do y'all come here a lot?" Lena asked. "Ahh, not too often, but I agree it is great," Leland said. He noticed the music had slowed down a bit and without even thinking he blurted, "Hey you wanna dance?" Overjoyed that he asked, Lena replied with a smile and a soft "yes". Lena felt her face return to its previously red color as he gently took her hand and led her out on the floor.

Within minutes Leland had her gently around the waist. Lena hesitantly rested her arms on his shoulders and tucked her hands behind his strong neck. "I have to warn you. I'm no good at this dancing thing, so watch your toes," Leland said with a teasing grin. Lena laughed softly and said teasingly, "So you're telling me things could get bloody?" Out of the corner of her eye, Lena noticed Amber and Kristina talking to a small group of guys. Amber looked in her direction and made a goofy face, that made Lena giggle to herself. "Am I that bad?" Leland asked with a small laugh. "Oh no, I was just laughing at my friends over there," Lena motioned with her eyes. After a few moments of silence, Leland broke the ice between them. "So what do you think of Hawaii so far?" "Well, it is unlike any place I've been to before. It is completely different from home in every way. I love the ocean obviously, well what I've seen of it so far and everyone I've met has been so relaxed and sweet. I am looking forward to being able to see some of the different sights, when I get the time off from my internship." Leland watched her lips as she spoke and gently re-adjusted his hand on her lower back, as they swayed with the music. "There's so much to see here that most tourists never know exists," Leland laughed as he put extra emphasis on the word "tourist". Rolling her eyes in good nature, Lena replied with a small laugh. For the next two songs, Lena told Leland about her family and growing up. Lena asked a few questions of her own.

The slow song they were dancing to was coming to an end, when Leland said close to Lena's ear, "thanks for dancing with me. I'm glad you were here tonight." With a small blush from the feeling of Leland's warm voice on her skin, Lena smiled shyly and said, "Me too. I'm glad I came and ran into you." As some of the couples left the dance floor, the two of them stood around for a few, awkward seconds. Leland was holding back the question on his mind and Lena was hoping that he would just hurry up and ask. Everybody likes ice cream, right? Leland thought to himself as he met Lena's dark brown eyes. "Hey, you wanna go get some ice cream or something?" He quickly added, "Duane Lee is over in the corner, we could all go. Tell your friends we could all go grab some." Yes, Lena thought to herself and replied, "Yeah, I'd love to and I'll go ask them. Give me a sec 'k?" Lena walked towards Amber and Kristina as Leland headed over to his table.

"What do you think of this? Too dressy?" Lena walked out into the living room and did a little turn for her aunt. She was wearing fitted dark-washed jeans, a small, sleeveless, black top, her chunky black necklace she bought with Kelan and similar dangling earings. Her hair, left down was straightened and was actually behaving for once. "No! You look smokin' girlfriend," Aunt Marie said with a teasing laugh. Lena loved how young her aunt acted. It was more like a having a sister than an aunt. "You sure it isn't too ..." Aunt Marie interrupted her before she could finish, "NO! Now go get your shoes on. It is 6:48. They'll be here any minute." "'K," Lena said as she sped down the hall towards her bedroom. Five minutes later Aunt Marie yelled from the living room, "Hey, they're here." "Coming," Lena yelled as she walked down the hallway. "Now, I know you are a capable woman, but just be careful! This is a pretty safe little island, but you never know. Call me if you need me, k?" "Yes, Ma'am and I will be careful. I don't know how late we'll be in. I'll call you if it is going to be too late." "Alright, have fun!" "I will, thanks. Bye!" Lena opened the front door and headed towards Kristina's Honda Pilot. "Hey! You look great," Amber said as Lena climbed into the back seat and shut the door. "Oh, thanks. Yall look great too," Lena said with a smile. "So what are we doing tonight?" Amber and Kristina exchanged myschievious looks. "Well, I hope you like to dance, 'cause there is this great little place over in Waikiki that just opened a couple of weeks ago. We were hoping that you would want to go," Amber said. "Yeah, that sounds great. We don't have a lot of places like that where I'm from, but I'm always up for something fun. Is it like a club or what?" "Not actually, it has a more relaxed vibe to it, from what I hear. I mean there is obviously dancing, but you can go and sit and talk without it being so dang loud, like most clubs. A friend of mine said they have amazing food, so we'll see," Amber turned out onto the main highway, heading towards Waikiki. "The best part is that it is right by the beach and there are other places close by, just in case it turns out it is lame," Kristina added, turning in her seat to face Lena. "Sounds great. Yeah, I can't get over how beautiful it is here. I have only made it to the beach here once, which is pretty sad," Lena said with a grin.

For the next ten minutes, they three girls made small talk. Lena asked them about their lives. Amber, who was 25 was born and raised in Honolulu, by her mom and dad. Her dad was in the military and had been stationed here when he was active duty. Once he had completed his eight years in, he and Amber's mom loved Hawaii so much, they never left. Amber had worked with the production company for a two years as a receptionist. Lena was surprised to find out that she and Kristina had only been friends for a year, because they seemed like they had known each other for ever. Kristina was 24 and moved to Hawaii to spend more time with her dad, after her mother had passed away from breast cancer three years ago. Her parents divorced when she was young and her father had lived in Hawaii since Kristina was 18. Lena told them about her family and about how her internship happened.

They were talking so intently, Lena didn't noticed when Amber slowed the SUV and pulled into a big parking lot. "There is never any parking right by the bar, but a lot of people just park here and walk everywhere." Lena grabbed her license and money and put them in the pocket of her jeans. She didn't feel like keeping up with a bag all night. Kristina and Amber did the same thing with their id and money. "Hey you can stuff your bag under here," Amber lifted a compartment under her seat. "Cool,thanks." The three women started their walk.

"Can I see some id, ma'am?" Lena handed the large guy at the door her license. "Thanks, have a great time tonight, ladies." With a nod, Lena followed Amber and Kristina into the club. At first glance, the place had a great feeling to it, Lena observed. The front part of the large building had a bar on the left wall, and tables, booths and random chairs placed throughout. The place was full, but not packed. Well, I came across a forest in the middle of nowhere with a big, black horse and a cherry tree... KT Tunstall's voice blared through the speakers. Lena smiled, it was one of her favorite songs right now. Usually a big fan of country music, Lena had her rock and dance favorites that always surprised everyone she knew. "Are you hungry?" Amber asked Kristina and Lena. "Yeah, y'all wanna eat now and then go have some fun?" Lena replied. Amber and Kristina exchanged glances and laughed good heartedly at their newly found friend. "What?" Lena asked with a unsure smile. "Nothing, its just your accent and the words you use. What is it... yee-all?" Amber said with a small laugh. "Y'all," Lena corrected. "Yeah, it means like 'you all'," Lena explained as they all took a booth.

Towards the back of the club, Duane Lee excused himself to go use the bathroom, leaving Leland and Jimmy at the table. He was almost to the bathroom at the front of the building when he spotted her sitting in a booth with two other women. Oh shit! Leland's gonna freak, Duane Lee thought to himself. This should be fun... he thought as he hurried in and out of the men's room. He decided against approaching Lena just yet..

Leland couldn't help but notice the weird look on his brother's face as he sat back down at their table. "What's wrong with you, brah?" "Oh nothing..." Duane Lee smirked and laughed at the thought of what his brother's reaction would be. "Yeah, ok, whatever dude," Leland shrugged it off. "Hey guys, listen I gotta split. Its been fun, we should do it again soon," their long time friend, Jimmy got up to leave. "Later brah," the two Chapman brothers said with a wave. Leland noticed Duane Lee looking around the room with an evil glint in his eye. "Dude, what is wrong with you?" "She's here." "Huh?" Leland asked, confused. "The photographer, dude. Lena? She's here with two other chicks." "Ok, yeah that's funny, Duane Lee." Leland felt his heart beating faster at the sound of her name. "Oh, you don't believe me, huh? Go see for yourself. She's up towards the front in a booth just to the right of the front door." Before Leland could think about getting up to see, he saw her walking towards the dance floor. The two other women with her went unnoticed by Leland. All he could focus in on was her. Damn, could she get any hotter, Leland shifted in his seat. What the hell can I say to her? "I told you, brah! Go talk to her, dude." "Shut up, Duane Lee," Leland pulled his eyes away from her for a split second to give his brother a look. Trying to muster up the courage to go over and say something, Leland noticed her tiny arms, thin waist and perfect hips. He smiled at her as she laughed with her friends and started dancing to a fast number.

"This is the house, Youngblood, over." Leland spoke into his radio. "Ok, listen we are going to pull up right in front of the driveway. You and Beth park right behind us. We'll all get out, swarm in and blam, she'll be on her way to jail. I don't want to give anyone in the house a chance to think," Dog's voice boomed back through the radio in Leland's right hand. "Ten-four," was his reply. In what seemed like an instant to Lena, all four men and Beth were out of the vehicles and heading towards the front door of the house. Lena trailed closely behind the men, walking just a few feet from Beth, snapping pictures as she went. As soon as she reached the front walkway of the home, Lena was met by Leland, Dog, Tim and Duane Lee and Ariana. Duane Lee lead her to the vehicle in handcuffs. Beth fell into step beside her step son. "Ariana, why didn't you go to court? You think you can use my money to get out of jail and then not show up. I don't loan people money to get out of jail, so they can run a muck," Wide-eyed, Lena watched the interaction between Beth and the fugitive, snapping photos all the while. Leland came up behind her with Dog and Tim. Snapping a shot of the three men, Lena moved closer to the SUV. "Now's the time to tell me if you have anything on you. I'm giving you a chance now to not go to jail with something that could make you look even worse," Beth patted Ariana down, searching for drugs.

Within minutes, the crew was loaded back into the vehicles. At the suggestion of Dog, Ariana rode with Beth and Leland. Lena found herself on the right side of the fugitive, on the way to the Honolulu jail. "Ariana, why'd you not go to court?" Lena listened to Leland's voice as he questioned the crying girl next to him. "I don't know," Ariana replied with a shaky, sobbing voice. "I was scared and I forgot about it. I didn't know what to do." "All you have to do is call us. Just pick up the phone, you have our number right?" "Yes" "Ok then, next time you call my dad or me or Beth and say you missed your court date. We can maybe work something out if we know, but not when we have the court's breathing down our necks for your bond money." Lena smiled to herself at the way Leland softened to the girl. Poor thing. She's not the hardened criminal I was envisioning, Lena thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, standing outside the backdoor of the Honolulu jail, Lena snapped pictures of Beth as she talked with Ariana. "We're going to keep the large bond on you and just dump the small ones. I don't do this for everyone, Ariana. You understand me?" At the girls teary nod, Beth hugged her. "Call us everyday, you understand now?" "Uh huh," was Ariana's response. "Ok, Leland, book her." Lena snapped one last photo as Leland stood with Ariana to his side just before going inside the jail.

Within five minutes, Leland came back through the back door, paperwork in hand. "Ok good job everybody. Let's pray," Dog said, motioning to his family. At Dog's reverent voice, Lena found herself bowing her head with the rest of them.

After the short prayer concluded, everyone climbed back into the vehicles. As soon as Leland was seated in the SUV, Rick, who was now seated in the passenger seat, began interviewing Leland about the hunt. "Oh yeah, I always feel sorry for someone like that. She doesn't seem like a bad girl. She just got messed up with the drugs and that criminal life. It's tough you know. You just want to not like them, but you can't help but feeling bad for them when you come face to face." Leland responded to his interview questions for the next minute or two. Next, it was Beth's turn. Leland turned his attention to Lena and smiled as she caught him looking at her. "So what happens with Ariana next? How long will she be in jail?" Lena initiated the conversation. "Most likely no more than a night or two. We kept our largest bond on her, so as soon as the jail post her bail, she will give us a call and we'll get her out." "She wasn't the criminal I was expecting at all." Lena said truthfully. "I know what ya mean. A lot of them just seem like normal, everyday people." "So where are you from?"Leland asked. "A very tiny, town in North Georgia, hence the accent," Lena said with a small laugh. That adorable accent, Leland thought to himself. "What about you?" Lena asked. "Ahh, I was born in Texas, but I speant most of my childhood in Colorado." While he talked, Lena's eyes took in his muscled arms and strong shoulders underneath his black, bulletproof vest. "Have you ever been shot at?" Lena asked. "No, but my dad has. We wear them just in case." Leland flashed a smile, one that Lena returned before looking away. Man, her hair is beautiful, Leland thought to himself. He admired the slight curls at the back of her neck, at the base of her loose pony tail.

Within minutes they were back at the office of Da Kine Bail Bonds. After shutting the vehicle door, Lena waited around for direction from Cason. He strode up beside her and said, "the filmcrew isn't done yet, but we are. If its ok with you, we'll just hang out in the office until filming is stopped for the day." "Yeah, sounds good," Lena responded. For the next ten minutes or so, the crew participated in interviews and chatted amongst themselves. Lena noticed Duane Lee and Leland goofing off across the room. "Brah, get your crap up," Duane Lee playfully pushed his younger brother. "Yeah, ok. We all know who the messy one is around here." Leland said with a laugh. Lena couldn't help but smile to herself. Could he get any more adorable? Leland met her gaze and smiled. Duane Lee witnessed the subtle interaction between the two. Looking between his brother and the new photographer, he shook his head with a smile. Man, you are so obvious, Leland.

Thirty minutes later, filming had ended and the film guys were packing their gear into the company's SUV. "Same time tomorrow, Dog?" Cason asked. "Sounds good." "I'm not sure what James has in mind as far as stills go tomorrow, but for certain the film guys will be here." "Alright, brah." Lena watched as the two men shook hands. "Lena, it was a pleasure meeting you, hun. You fit right in today and did a great job. I hope we'll see ya again soon." Lena beamed at the compliment, "Thank you so much and I hope to see you all again soon." "Alright, well we'll see you all later," Cason waved over his shoulder as he headed towards the door. Before turning to follow him, Lena gave a wave to everyone. Leland caught her eye with a small wave and a look. Lena gave a slight smile and turned for the door.

As soon as the door shut behind Lena, Duane Lee began his torture. "Dude, could you be anymore obvious. Oh, what's that on your chin, drool?" Rolling over in the easy chair, Duane Lee laughed uncontrollably. "Shut up, brah. You think you're funny?" Leland said, his face hot with embarassment. "Oh, Leland don't get all shy about it. She's a pretty girl." Beth said, chiding in. At that moment, Dog came around the corner. "What are you hootin' about, Duane Lee? Did I hear something about a pretty girl?" "Nothin'," Leland said, trying to shut his brother up. "Leland is in love with the new photographer," Duane Lee blurted out with a laugh. "Thanks a lot, brah," Leland said sarcastically. "Little Leland's in loooove." Dog said with a booming laugh. "You think that's funny? F^%$ you guys." Leland said with a grin and slammed the back door to the office.

Later on that evening, Lena walked through the door of Aunt Marie's home. "Hey hun, how was your day?" Aunt Marie asked from her position in the kitchen. Lena smiled and told her aunt about her exciting day.

June 25th

Man, what a day I have had. I shot photos with Cason on location at the filming of a tv show, Dog The Bounty Hunter. The Chapmans were such great people and it was such a rush to be out like that, shooting. Tomorrow, James will look over my shots and tell me what he thinks of them. Uuugh. Here's to crossing my fingers that he likes them. Ok, here's the deal - I almost don't want to mention it, but I have to tell SOMEBODY! I met a guy. Well, he is part of the bount hunting family, I shot today. His name is Leland and oh my, is he beautiful. Kinda mysterious, different from anyone I've ever liked, but its exciting you know? I am sure he probably has a drop dead gorgeaous girlfriend, but its fun to dream, right?

In family news: Kelan left me a message today and I couldn't get in touch with him when I called him back. He sounded upset - something about mom and dad wanting him to go to school and he isn't sure about it. Yeah, pretty much the same cryptic statement as last time. It's is killing me not being able to get in touch with him. Well, I need to get some laundry done and get in the bed.

-- Lena

June 26th

Today was a great day. I was really nervous going in today because of the pictures from yesterday, but it turned out well. James seemed pleased with my shots overall and even complimented a few of them. Tomorrow is Friday - yeah! Surprisingly enough, I actually have plans. Kristina and Amber, two of our front office ladies asked me to hang out with them tomorrow tonight. I haven't speant much time getting to know anyone except for of course, Cason and James, so I was surprised when they asked. They are nice girls, so hopefully we will have fun on my "first official Hawaiian night out". They are going to swing by Aunt Marie's tomorrow night. It feels good to be able to make some friends (hopefully). As much as she drives me crazy, I miss Jamie a lot lately. I miss mom and dad and of course Kelan. OK, I have to stop before I make myself miserable and homesick.

Anyway, bed is calling my name - night.

-- Lena

The next twenty minutes were speant taking everything in. Lena enjoyed herself just watching the interaction between the Chapman family as they discussed their "victim of the day", as Dog had said with a big laugh. Ariana Sampiona was a 24 year old girl that was being charged with failure to appear, whose original charges were an assortment of drug related issues. Lena could feel the butterflies in her stomach permorming their second encore of the day, as she followed Cason towards the Chapman's SUV's. Considering her assignment of the day, it was assumed Lena would ride with Beth, Leland and two of their film crew members, Rick and Ken, on the revocation. Lena was relieved to hear Cason say that as a photographer, she would be sitting in a seat in the back, as opposed to the cargo area, where poor Rick and Ken were. Lena waited for Beth and Leland to climb in before she slid into the back seat on the right side of the car. Beth was driving, which meant Leland was in the backseat with Lena. This would happen to me. Hot guy, first day, feeling like an idiot sitting next to him. Yep! Pretty much my luck, Lena thought to herself.

Say something to her, Leland thought as he watched Lena adjusting her seat belt next to him. Lena glanced over at him and gave a shy smile. "So how do you like the job so far," Leland asked. "Well, the seatbelt works," Lena replied with a teasing tone and a grin to match. Laughing, Beth glanced in the rearview mirror to witness the interaction between her step-son and the new photographer and found Leland, red faced, but laughing. Poor Leland. Known the girl thirty minutes and he's already head over, Beth thought as she pulled out of the parking lot, following her husband.

Twenty five minutes later, the Chapman crew pulled up at the house of the man that was the cosigner on Ariana's bond. According to one of the informant's he was her boyfriend. Before climbing out of the SUV, Lena noticed that the house was very nice and relatively normal looking. Not the kind of house a drug addict young girl would be living. Lena left her bag in the truck, but had her camera strap around her shoulder with her camera positioned and ready to shoot as the crew made it to the doorway. Duane Lee headed towards the back of the home, while Leland toward the front door with Dog. Tim took the opposite way around the house as Duane Lee had gone, to cover their bases. Beth hung back with a radio in her hand, ready to communicate with her guys. Lena noticed Cason heading toward the back of the house. As if anticipating her hesitation, he beckoned for her to get closer to the action at the front of the house. While trying to take everything in, Lena began snapping pictures as Leland and Dog knocked loudly at the front door. Within moments, a middle aged man with thinning hair came to the door shirtless and looking like he had been woken up. "Can I help you?" He asked looking nervous. "Yeah, how's it brah? I'm looking for a fugitive by the name of Ariana Sampiano. I lended her money to get out of jail and she didn't show up to court. What's your name sir?" Dog asked, looking the man in the eye with every word. "Look, I don't know where she is, brah. She and I were together for a while, but she left," the man replied. "What's your name sir?" Leland asked getting impatient. "Daniel Estenado," the man replied flatly. "Sir, you cosigned this bond for her, so that makes you financially and legally responsible for her." Dog said firmly. "I don't where she is, brah. She got pissed at me and left." The man said, flailing his arms in the air dramatically. "You're telling me you have no idea where she is or where she could be?" Dog asked, trying to coax the man into giving them information. "Brah, either we find her or you have to pay the $17,ooo," Leland said. "The court isn't giving us much time on this, Daniel," Dog said. "They want her back now or the money. Now, try to think of anyone that she could have gone to. Does she have a new man? Friends? Family?" Dog asked. "She stay with her sister before, but I don't know the number," Daniel answered. "Where's the sister live?" "I don't know exactly, but I know it's over near Pearl City." "And you don't have any way of getting in touch with her at all, brah?" Dog asked, hoping Daniel would give them something they could use. "No, brah. She don't want to talk to me." "Alright, man. Here, take this and you give me a call as soon as you hear from here or if you think of a way to get in touch with her," Dog said handing Daniel a poster with Ariana's mugshot printed on it. As soon as the exchange between the group of men was over, Lena headed towards the SUV where Beth was. Lena listened from a distance as Dog briefed the rest of the team on what Daniel had told he and Leland. "It is pointless to go running all around Pearl City, searching for a needle in a haystack. I say we go get something to eat and re-group," Beth said as Lena snapped a couple of shots. After a moment of consideration, Dog agreed as well as the rest of the team and they climbed back into the vehicles.

"You nervous?" Cason said with a friendly laugh in his voice. "Is it that obvious" Lena forced a smile. "Don't worry about this. He wouldn't have asked you to fill in if he didn't think you were good. I'll be there with you to answer questions and what not. Just follow my lead. These people were are filming are very friendly and great to work with." In all of her nervousness, Lena had forgotten to ask what they were shooting. As if reading her mind, Cason said, "We are going out with the film crew today to film one of our biggest series' , Dog The Bounty Hunter. You know the file you edited for me?" Lena nodded yes. "Well, that is who we are taking pictures of. Don't worry, it's actually a lot of fun once you get over the nervousness." Cason's a nice guy, Lena thought to herself. "So how is the photographer that called in? James mentioned something about a family emergency, " Lena asked. "Yeah, he was at the ER yesterday afternoon and all throughout the night with his father in law, who was having some chest pains. The EKG showed about 90% blockage in three of his arteries. He had to have emergency bypass surgery, but Ryan called today saying that his father in law came through surgery fine. " "Wow. Well, I am sure that is a relief for Ryan and his wife to know that he is on the road to recovery, " Lena replied.

Fifteen minutes later, after all of the gear had been packed into one of the company's SUV's, Lena found herself riding shotgun with Cason driving. Four cameramen were in the seats behind them. "So is there anything I should know in particular today?" Lena asked, feeling the nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Well, the Chapman's are great and easy going. We ride with them as they hunt down their fugitives and basically follow them wherever they go. The film guy's job is to follow every move they make and to capture it on video. Our job is to get great still shots. Concentrate on getting the candids that capture the emotion of the moment. I've seen the photos you sent in with your application, so I'm not worried," Cason said with a reassuring smile. "Thanks," Lena couldn't help but smile. "Well, we're here," Cason said as he pulled into what appeared to be the back entrance of a cream building. Lena grabbed her camera bag that was sitting at her feet. It had taken her a few minutes this morning to get acclimated to the ones the company used versus her Canon Rebel. Thankfully it fit in the cute, red, oversized, shoulder bag that doubled as her purse. Well, this it. This is what you came here for.

"Duane Lee, Leland you wanna come here a minute?" Dog yelled to his sons in the next room. Instead of a reply, Dog heard the two men arguing. "Brah, that is your crap on the table. You left it there last night," Leland said gesturing towards the Gatorade bottle and pile of gloves and t-shirts that sat by the black, recliner chair that sat in the newest part of their office. "Yeah, whatever man. You know you left that bottle sitting there yesterday afternoon before we left to grab that Whalen guy," Duane Lee replied with a teasing grin on his face. "Uh, huh sure," was Leland's only response as he headed to where his dad and the rest of the crew were waiting. Duane Lee wasn't far behind. As soon as everyone was seated facing him, Dog began, "James called me this morning and said that we have a new photographer this morning. He was pretty vague on the phone, but he said something about the person being an intern. Cason is going to be kind of guiding him or her, so it shouldn't change much of anything. So, I just wanted all of yall to be aware of that and keep that in mind today." Leland and Duane Lee exchanged looks. As if reading their minds, Beth interrupted, "Don't even think about giving him or her a hard time like you did the other guy." "Ah come on Beth, what makes you think we would do such a thing?" Duane Lee asked in mock seriousness. Leland replied with a mischievous laugh. "I mean it. Be on your best behaviour, you two," Beth replied with a warning look. "Ah, speaking of. The guys just pulled up outside," Tim said looking out the back door.

It took a few minutes for the film guys to get their gear out of the back of the SUV. Lena stood on the passenger side of the vehicle waiting for a cue from Cason. "You ready?" Cason asked. "Yep," was Lena's reply. She followed Cason to the door of the building. Lena smiled to herself at the "Beware of Dog" sign that hung at eye level. "Hey, Cason how's it?" Dog's booming voice hit Lena's ears before she made it through the doorway. Lena heard Cason's reply, "not bad man, not bad." Lena's eyes were fixed on the guy with long, blonde hair that was standing in front of a dry erase board that hung on the wall. Before she had a chance to look around the room at the people sitting around, Dog smiled at her and said, "Hey how's it, honey? You must be our new photographer?" Smiling back, Lena stuck out her right hand. "Yes, sir I am." Cason made the formal introduction, "Dog this is Lena Austin, Lena this is Duane Chapman or "Dog" as we know him." "It's great to meet you," Lena said shaking his hand firmly. "Same here. Meet my wife, Beth," Dog gestured to the pretty blonde woman to his left. "Hi, how's it sista?" Beth smiled. "Hi, nice to meet you," Lena shook her hand and returned her friendly smile. "This is my brother and right hand man, Tim Chapman or "youngblood" for short, to your left. The knuckle head on the couch there is my son, Duane Lee and his brother, knuckle head number two or Leland is behind the computer," Dog said with a laugh. Lena smiled at Tim and Duane Lee and said, "hi, it's great to meet you." "Same here, honey," Tim replied standing up to shake her hand. Duane Lee fell in line behind Youngblood. Naturally, Lena's gaze turned to Leland in the corner behind his laptop. She felt her cheeks flush as she realized he was the guy from the red eye file. She noticed he had his dark hair braided down his back. Pictures don't lie, Lena thought to herself. It felt like she had been staring at him forever when she remembered her manners and stepped forward to shake his hand. Little did she know, he was having similar thoughts...

Oh man, she's beautiful, Leland thought to himself as he checked out the new photographer. He smiled at the deep southern accent she spoke with as she was introduced to his dad. He couldn't stop himself from staring at her as she made her way around the room, saying hello to Youngblood and Duane Lee. Your turn you idiot. Say something, Leland thought to himself. Quit staring and get up and say something to her. Leland felt like his face was on fire, as he smiled at Lena. He caught his shirt on the desk awkwardly as he walked over to shake her hand. Good one, Leland, he thought to himself. "Hey, how's it?" Shaking his head, Lena replied with a shy smile, "Hey."

My first day was great! My boss is a cool guy, the office I am working in is great and this place is beautiful. I couldn't be happier than I am right now. My day started off filling out paper work for Mr. Baines or "James" as he prefers I call him. After all of the papers had been signed, James took me on a tour of the place. I got to meet several of the filmographers and photographers they have on staff. Two of their filmographers were actually leaving right as I met them. They were going to shoot one of the reality tv shows that my company produces. That sounds so weird to be able to say "my company". Tomorrow, my day starts at 8:00 am. From the way James' was talking, I am going to pretty much do whatever it is they need me to do. Whether that is answer phones, print proof sheets, touch up photos in photoshop, fetch coffee (hehe) or lunch (LOL) whatever. Bascically, I am the gopher, but a very happy gopher. I am excited to be able to work with the professional photographers and filmographers and soak up all of their knowledge.Tonight, Aunt Marie and I went out to this great Japanese restaurant in Waikiki. Waikiki is a very tourist filled area. It was cool to go in some of the shops down there and be well, a tourist! I bought a new bathing suit tonight in a little surf shop. It is a teal-like turqoise bikini that ties behind my back and shoulders. I am pretty happy with it. Hopefully, this weekend I will be able to work on my tan. I thought I had pretty tan skin for a white girl, that was until I got down here! These people have amazing tans LOL! Well, I am exhausted and need to get in bed.

-- Lena

"Here, this file is the one we call our "red-eye" file. Basically, I need all of these photos touched up with the red eyes removed, blemishes minimized, that sort of thing," Cason, the photographer said as he clicked the folder on his computer screen. "Yeah, no problem. I'll get started on it right away," Lena said sitting down at the small desk that held a huge Mac. Within minutes, Lena had photoshop running and had started with the first photo. "I'll be back in a while. Just stick your head out of the door if you need anything." Cason said as he disappeared down the hall. Lena turned her attention back to the computer screen and recognized the man from the poster out in the front lobby. Thinking to herself, "I sure wouldn't want to be on his bad side." Lena laughed to herself silently as she finished editing the photograph of the man with long, blonde hair, bulging muscles and tatoos. The first twenty five photos in the file were of the same guy. Prompted by her grumbling stomach, Lena glanced at the clock on her screen - 12:25. As if on cue, Cason breezed back through the door. "Hey, sorry that took so long. I got caught up with some stuff. Listen, if you're hungry, feel free to take a lunch." "Yeah, I was actually just thinking about that. I finished the first twenty five photos in the file and I'll get the rest of them finished when I get back," Lena said with a smile. "Sounds great, see you in an hour," Cason replied.

With a stomach full of grilled chicken sandwich and fries, Lena walked back to the office she was in before. The room was empty, so she got back to her "red eye file". Starting where she left off, Lena was relieved to find the next photo wasn't of the "Dog" guy. Instead, she noticed a younger looking man with long brown hair that appeared to be braided down the back. She couldn't tell from the angle of the photo. Clicking the zoom icon, Lena began the easy task of a red-eye removal. Checking to make sure she wasn't missing any other problems before she saved, Lena thought to herself, Man, he is gorgeous. Four hours later, with the entire file edited, Lena headed home. Before she could get her key in the ignition, her phone rang. "Hello," she said flipping it open. "Hey big sister," Kelan's familiar voice said jokingly. "Kelan! Hey I'm glad you called. I was just thinking about you today." "Well, it's nice to know all that sun hasn't gone to your head so bad that you have forgotten your one and only brother." Laughing, Lena pulled out of her parking space and headed to the house.

June 24th

Kelan called today. At first he was all laughs like typical Kelan, but something isn't right. I know my brother and he sounded off. I couldn't get much out of him, but he did mention that he wasn't "sure about school" or something. I have no idea how to interpret that, but there it is. He and Amber aren't seeing each other anymore, which I am sure mom and dad are relieved about. (hehe) I can't honestly say I speant enough time around the girl to judge her character, but I have to admit she did seem a bit shallow. He had to get off of the phone before I had a chance to really get to the bottom of his vague statement, but I promised to call tomorrow after work.

"Hey Lena, can I get you to run down to Starbucks and grab some stuff for everybody?" James said poking his head into the room that Lena was beginning to refers to as "her office". It was the same room she had used to edit her "red eye file" in. "Yeah, no problem. Let me grab something to write it all down," Lena reached for her big shoulder bag. Fifteen minutes later, Lena was standing in line waiting to place her order.

"Here you go. I wasn't sure if you wanted whipped cream on yours so I said no," Lena said as she pushed the door to James' office open and set the cardboard holder that contained the drinks down on an empty section of his desk. "Great and you made the right call. I've never been a fan of it." James said with a little laugh. "Here, have a seat," He gestured to the chair behind her. "So, how do you like the job so far?" Taking a sip of her iced coffee, Lena replied "I think it's great. I'm really excited about working with the other photographers and filmographers and learning some of their tricks of the trade. The editing is great practice, which I like. I have always enjoyed working with photoshop and what not. Overall, I couldn't be happier with everything. Oh and Hawaii isn't bad either," she said laughing. "Well, good I'm glad to hear that. My goal for the next week or so is to get you familiar with the way we run things here and then I would love to get you out in field grabbing some experience. Obviously I was impressed with your work you did with your documentary that was sent in with your application, but I want to see how you do live and out in the field." "Great, I can't wait to get out there," Lena said excitedly.

"Hey Kelan, it's me. I am driving home from work now, so I thought I'd drop in to say hey. Give me a call whenever you get this, ok?" Lena flipped her phone shut. Twenty minutes later, Lena pulled into the driveway of Aunt Marie's house. Knowing she wouldn't be home, Lena unlocked the door and headed to her room. Before leaving for work this morning, Aunt Marie had told her she would be late getting home. A group of her friends were going out to dinner and they were having a "poker night" as she called it. Once every two weeks or so, all of Aunt Marie's friends got together at each other's houses to eat dinner and play cards. Although the house was dead quiet, it was actually very nice to have it to herself. After jumping in the shower, Lena pulled out the sandwich stuff and then settled down on the couch with her laptop. A long list of unread emails glared back at her. Lena clicked on the one from Jamie and read it out loud:

Hey girl, how is Hawaii? I am sure that you are having a great time. How do you like your job? I found my dress! I am attatching pictures of it to this email, so tell me (honestly) what you think. I have decided on an October wedding, so I will let you know what weekend it is exactly as soon as I make up my mind. What do you think about chocolate colored dresses? That or tan/gold ish? I can't decided. Please, let me know which color you like better. I am trying to stick with Fall colors. I saw Kelan in traffic the other day. Oh, I started a new job last week. I am working as a teacher's assistant at Highland's Elementary school down off 92. So far, I love it and it has really gotten me thinking about changing my major to education. Who knows? Well, I need to get off of here, but please write back soon. Give me a call whenever you have a chance.

Lena smiled and clicked reply. She liked the idea of chocolate colored dresses. She definitely has the patience to be a teacher, Lena thought to herself as she typed.

Sitting straight up in bed, Lena's eyes searched for her cell phone. The screen read 6:05. Lena rubbed her eyes and pushed her covers back. Why can't I ever have normal dreams? Lena thought to herself as she headed for the bathroom. She didn't hear Aunt Marie up yet, so she tried to be quiet as she shut the door and got in the shower.

Fourty-five minutes later, Lena had her hair straightened, make up on and was trying to figure out what to wear. "Why didn't I ask about wardrobe?" Mumbling to herself, Lena tried on a black skirt that hit just below the knee. Uughh too business. With a toss of her foot, the skirt went flying into a pile on the floor. When in doubt, dress slightly nicer than you think you should. It can't hurt on the first day right? Within minutes, she had decided on her fitted black pants and a muted teal colored shirt that capped at the shoulders and had pretty beading on the chest. After putting on a chunky, black beaded necklace and a black pair of earings, Lena flipped off the light in her room. She found Aunt Marie on the back deck, sipping coffee with the morning paper in her hands. "Hey, I wanted to tell you I was leaving for work," Lena smiled. "Oh, now don't you look nice. That necklace is great, where'd you get it?" Aunt Marie said. "Umm, I found this one at a little boutique in Charleston. We went there last year for mom's side of the family's reunion. Kelan and I got bored with all of the people we barely knew, so we took a trip into town," Lena said with a little laugh. "Well, you have a great day and good luck!" "Thanks and you have a good day too. I'll call you when I get off to let you know I'll be home." "Alright, sounds good. Bye, hun," Aunt Marie said with a small wave.

With butterflies in full force, Lena took a deep breath and walked towards the door. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the light that was nothing compared to the bright sunshine outside. Lena walked up to the front desk and was greeted by a blonde woman in her early fourties. "Hi, my name is Lena Austin and I am here for the internship. Mr. Baine told me to ask for him at the front desk." "Ahh, yes Lena, he told me you were starting today. I'll let him know you are here," the receptionsist said as she picked up her desk phone. Lena took a minute to glance around the room. Poster sized frames hung on the walls. One in particular caught her eye. It pictured a blonde man with long hair and tatoos. He had his arms crossed and was dressed head-to-toe in black. The large, red font across the front of the poster read, "Dog The Bounty Hunter". "Lena, if you'll follow me back to James' office," the receptionist's voice interrupted Lena's thoughts. "Yes, thank you," Lena said as she followed her down the hall. They paused outside a door that wasn't quite closed. The receptionist pushed the door open and revealed a large office. "Hi, you must be Lena. My name is James Baine, welcome to Hawaii!" Lena extended her hand to meet his. "Hi, it is so great to meet you. Thanks again for this great opportunity," Lena said smiling. "Please, sit down so we can go over a few things. I'll need you to fill out a couple of boring forms while we talk."

"So what do you have planned for today? You start your job tomorrow, right?" Aunt Marie asked when Lena had settled down at the table just a few minutes later. "Well, this morning I have to find a car. I would like to go to the beach to check things out after I get that taken care of." Lena replied pouring her orange juice. "Do you want some company at the dealership? I would hate for you to have to face those sharks alone," Aunt Marie said with a smile. Laughing, Lena said, "Yeah please, as long as it is no trouble to you. I loved my Mustang at home, so maybe I'll be able to find something like it for the right price." "Did you sell it before coming out here or what?" Nodding yes, "I needed the money for a car out here. I couldn't stand the thought of going almost a year without transportation of my own. The 'Stang was paid off, so I can pay cash for what I buy today."

"This is the one, I can feel it," Lena turned to her aunt standing outside of the passenger side door. The two women were at their sixth dealership of the day. "Well, lets ask the man over there for the keys to test-drive it," Aunt Marie gestured to the balding salesman in the corner.

Within a half-hour, Lena was shaking his hand saying, "Thank you so much, sir. Thank you for all of your help." Smiling, the man replied, "Enjoy the car. It really is a beauty and for such a great price." Turning to where her aunt was standing waiting, Lena smiled excitedly as she walked over. "Well, you got your Mustang," Aunt Marie said with a laugh. "Yes, I did." "Well, I am going to head back to the house and get some things done. You heading to the beach now?" "Uuugh, yeah I was planning on just checking it out, maybe do the tourist thing for a day." Lena said with a smile. "Alright, you be careful and call me if you need directions or anything," Aunt Marie said as she headed towards her Honda Accord. "Ok, I will. I'll be home before too long to help you with dinner and don't you dare say no!" Lena said with mock sterness. "Oh ooook," Aunt Marie replied grinning. "Bye!"

No shoes, no shirt, no problems... The radio blared as Lena drove with the windows rolled down. She made a right at the light and slowed down to let a group of young kids cross the road. Two of them were carrying surfboards. Now, that is something to learn to do while I am here, Lena thought to herself. Withing minutes, she was parked and out of her new car. Having only 13,000 miles on it, the car was practically new. The Carfax had only shown one previous owner, but you wouldn't have guessed it had ever been driven the way it was so clean. Lena check her bag to be certain she had her extra memory card. She was notorious for not having enough memory space when she needed it the most. When she spotted the square case at the bottom under her lip gloss, Lena headed east towards the wooden walkway that headed toward the beach.

It had been years since she had felt sand between her toes, and it felt amazing. Inhaling deeply to soak in the salty air, Lena took in the beautiful picture in front of her. Oh, how beautiful is this, she thought to herself. Grabbing for her shoulder bag, Lena pulled out her camera and began snapping pictures. The beach was very crowded with an assortment of people. Little kids played at the water line, while groups of adults sat in chairs under umbrellas. Surfboards, body boards and swimmers filled the crystal clear water. Although the beach was crowded, it didn't appear to be a tourist-filled area. Most of the people Lena noticed, seemed to be residents. Lena started walking towards the massive rocks that jutted out well into the ocean. Although she was in jeans, Lena couldn't resist wading in the water. With the pants of her legs pulled up to her knees, Lena walked out until the water covered her ankles. Looking out onto the pacific, Lena thought to herself, why would anyone want to live anywhere else than this place?

Thirty minutes later, Lena was back in her Mustang sticking the key in the ignition when her cell phone rang. "Hello," Lena pressed the silver phone to her right ear. "Hey this is James Baines. I was just calling to touch base with you about tomorrow." "Oh yes, hi Mr. Baines, how are you?" Lena asked as she pulled out of her parking spot. "Doing fine, thanks. If you could, I would love to have you at the office by 8:00. That'll give us a little while to go over some paperwork before we start the day. Does that sound ok?" "Yes, that sounds just fine. I will be there at 8:00." Flipping her phone closed, Lena smiled to herself. I can't believe this is actually happening to me, she thought.

June 22nd

Well, I start tomorrow. Let the butterflies begin. Today I went to the beach and it was beautiful. Oh and I got there in my 2006 red Ford Mustang. It only has 13,000 miles on it and it looks brand new. I got it at a great price, so I was happy. Aunt Marie is amazing and I am really having fun getting to know her. Tonight we cooked dinner together. It is nice to have family around. Speaking of family, I called mom and dad tonight. They sound good - dad's new project is the basement. He is planning on finishing it, which is pretty cool. Mom was making her famous orange delight cookies for no reason at all. I made her promise to send me some. I can't live without momma's cookies. I called Kelan on his cell because he wasn't home. I miss my brother! He was heading to pick up Amber to see a movie, so he was a bit distracted. (hehe) Well, tomorrow is the big day, so I better get some rest.

-- Lena

Touching the fragrant lei she received after exiting the plane, Lena headed towards the baggage claim area. Trying to take in everything, Lena smiled at the assortment of people around her. A mixture of what appeared to be natives and locals, bustled about in a sea of people that were obvious tourists. Lena giggled to herself at one man's hat. It was the kind of hat you see on people in movies that have their nose covered in thick sunscreen, the kind with the wide brim that usually have fishing lures sticking out or bandanas tied around them. It wasn't long before her gigantic black trunk made its way around the conveyor belt. After a little difficulty with lifting the massive bag, Lena was on her way outside. She reached into her front pocket for the post-it note that had the address of her Aunt Marie's place. Within minutes, she had flagged a cab and given her instructions to the driver and was on her way.

"Lena! Welcome to Hawaii!" Her aunt pulled her close into a hug. "Thank you so much again for letting me stay here," Lena smiled. "Are you kidding me? I was so excited when your dad called and asked me. Really, it is my pleasure to have you, sweetheart. Here, I'll give you the tour," her aunt motioned for Lena to follow. Taking in the beauty of the place, Lena's eyes were immediately drawn to the big, glass doors that led to the deck overlooking the ocean. "This is the family room in here, kitchen is over that way," her aunt said pointing to her right. "Down this hall is a bathroom and little office area. Now, over this way is the main hallway. Your bathroom on the right, my room at the end and thiiiiisss, is your bedroom," her aunt flipped the light switch smiling. The bedroom was decorated in a clean, beachy theme. The walls were a soft, ocean green color, with white baseboards that matched the wooden furniture. Long, flowing curtains were drawn back over the large windows. "Oh wow, this is gorgeous, Aunt Marie thank you." "I'm glad you like it," Lena's aunt replied. "Here, set your bag down and I'll go drag that monstrous trunk in here." Before Lena could protest, her aunt was already heading down the hall. Thank you, Lord. This is such an amazing blessing, Lena prayed silently. "Good heavens child, what did you put in this thing, bricks?" Her aunt smiled jokingly at her. "Here, let me help you. You didn't have to get this for me," Lena rushed forward. "Well, I am going to go finish dinner. You like lasagna, right?" "Oh yes, Ma'am that sounds great," Lena said genuinely. Lasagna was a favorite of hers. "Do you want any help," she offered. "No, I want you to get settled in on your first night. Don't forget to call your mom and dad, because if I know my nephew, he will be fretting his brains out right about now." Lena couldn't help but laugh at the accuratic description of her father. "Ok, I will do do that right now." Lena walked out onto the deck and pulled her cell out of her back pocket. "Hey momma, it's me Lena. Yes, I made it here safe. This place is so beautiful. How is everybody? Is daddy there?" Lena listened to her mother's voice on the other end and smiled.

June 21st

Hawaii is more than I could have ever imagined. This place is amazing and so beautiful. Aunt Marie is just as sweet as I remember her. She actually reminds me a lot of grandma, which I guess makes sense with them being sisters. In fact, we do favor in ways with our dark hair and eyes. She has been so warm and welcoming and my room is perfect. I can't sleep right now, which is probably because of the insane time change. I need to get in the bed and atleast try to get some sleep. Tomorrow I have so much to do before I start my job. I am nervous, but in an excited way. I just want this to be great - night.

--Lena

Home as she knew it was a small, north Georgia town, where everyone knew everyone. Lena loved that atmosphere and could see herself settling down there eventually, she just wasn't ready for that yet. Most of the girls she was friends with in high school were already married and starting families. Seeing everyone settle down and figure out where they wanted to be, contributed greatly to her decision to take the internship with the production company, but it wasn't the only reason. Everything started her last semester in college...

January 14th

Hey - So much is going on here lately. School is keeping me busy as usual, but there is a LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL! In four months, I will officially be a college graduate. Most of my classes this semester are electives that I have put off 'till the bitter end. Arrgh. I tried to choose a few that were of my interest and geared towards my major. I didn't have a choice on the humanities one or my public relations course. The PR class isn't too bad and could actually benefit my future journalist/photographer little self, but the humanities is kicking my behind! Intro to ceramics is a fun one that I just chose for a little something different, as well as my webdesign class. Both classes aren't that heavy as far as work load go, so that helps to balance out the humanities down pour. That man is evil, I tell you - E-V-I-L! My favorite class definitely has to be my continuing filmography techniques. Sophmore year I took intro to film, but we barely did anything in that class. Nothing could be farther from the truth in this semester.

Anyway, I need to go now and eat some grub.

-- Lena

February 3rd

Hey notebook,

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Life is keeping me busy as usual. Oh! Jamie is engaged to Ken. Yes, you read that right, Jamie is engaged. I still can't believe it - she asked me to be her maid of honor, which of course I said yes to. How could I not? She and I have been good friends since middle school. She was over here a little earlier upset because she says things are tense at home with her mom and dad. She says they are worried she won't finish up school. She took this past semester off because she wanted a break. I guess I can see Mr. and Mrs. Rawling's point of view. To be honest, I am worried she won't finish either. I tried to encourage her to just hurry up and finish out this coming summer term. We'll see I guess.

Speaking of school, things are good in that department. Mr. Evil teacher guy isn't quite as evil as he was in the beginning. My film class is amazing! I am still 100% a photography girl, but film is slowly, but surely winning me over. (haha!) Well, gotta get in the bed.

--Lena

February 15th

Oh what a week it has been. I used to think that Valentines Day sucked because I never had anyone, but it just sucks all around. My hand is already cramping from making flash cards for class, so I will give you the condensed version (sorry notebook).

Jimmy Hines asked me to dinner. Oooh how excited I was... UNTIL I had to actually sit through dinner with that meathead. He was so cute before, but oh my. How could I have spent two years oogling over that idiot? How could I have been so blind? The night started out with him rambling about his hair cut, his car's new transmission, his shirt and how well his teeth whitening strips worked. Oh and that was the fun part of the evening. (I swear) At about halfway through his ranting on the difference in quality between Gap jeans and Gap shirts, I started dozing (you think I'm kidding?). I think I was nodding and smiling, but I can't be sure. It is all just a blur. Oh and to top the evening off, at the end of the night at my door, he proceeds to tell me he had a great time and would love to do something this weekend. Yeeeaaaah. I'm thinking a big negative on that one. Jamie thinks I'm too picky and that I "should give the guy another chance". I told her she could go out with him. She didn't find it funny, like I did. (haha) So the moral of the story is kids, casual dating isn't for Lena. I suck at dating period, but casual dating is not my bag to say the least. I just have never seen the point in getting all gussied up for some nimrod with scarily white teeth, whose greatest problem in life is to gel or not to gel. Call me old-fashioned, call me whatever you want, but I am waiting for that Prince Charming (minus the bizarre tights).

My hand is cramping, so i must go.

--Lena

March 4th

Today is Kelan's 18th birthday. My little brother is growing up on me. (wipes away a tear hehe) We had a party tonight with the family and his buddies from school. It never occurred to me until just now, but we are going to be graduating from school the same year. I think he is having a hard time believing he will be a high school graduate in two months, just like I am with college. Speaking of school, humanities exam - not so great yesterday. Atleast he drops a test if you take all his quizzes at the end of the semester. I have been so busy with my film class, that it has been hard to peel myself away for any other classes. For our final, we have to make a documentary on the subject of our choice. I am not quite sure what direction I am going to take with it, but I was goofing around with the girls at work, "interviewing" them and what not. It was fun nonetheless and who knows? Maybe I will be able to use some of it. I have five weeks until it is due. Instead of a written test, we have to make this documentary and present it to the class in order to pass. As dorky as it sounds, I am actually excited about it - night.

-- Lena

April 29th

Have I got news for you, notebook! First, off I am alive (obviously), but more importantly - I HAVE HUGE NEWS! My documentary for film class turned out pretty good (or so I thought). I ended up focusing on the theme "Childhood Dreams - Adulthood Reality". Basically, I went around interviewing as many people as I could, ranging in age from 18-80 asking them about what they dreamed of being or doing as a kid, and then for contrast, what they are doing now. It was fun to hear everyone's stories about how they got where they are and the circumstances and events in their lives that have contributed to their position in life now. Good and bad, I heard it all, but it was fun.

On to the reason for my excitement - Yesterday, my film instructor stopped me in the outside courtyard and informed me about an available internship for aspiring filmographers and photographers. She loved my documentary and thinks I should apply. As you can imagine, I was BLOWN completely away. Basically, the internship consists of working with a production company, doing whatever they need me to do (or will allow me to do) for about ten months. She gave me the website address to the production company and some numbers to call for questions. I have been on the website every free moment I've had since I got home last night. From what I can tell here, it says that the internship is competitively selected based on obviously a film piece of some kind, GPA, interview and one recommendation. Documentary: check. GPA: check check. Recommendation: I hope that Ms. Ranson will do that for me, so check. Interview: Yikes, but I can try right?

According to the website, they select four students: one student for each location. The locations are Kentucky, Southern California area, Hawaii and New York City, New York. All living expenses are paid for, including travelling allowances ie: airfare, gas money whatever. I'm not sure how students are placed to locations, but all four places sound amazing. I have never been to California or Hawaii before, so either one of those would be a plus. Although the southern cali vibe is not really my style, it would still be a new experience. Listen to me, rambling on like I have the internship already. Yeah, four out of who knows how many people aren't great odds, but a girl can dream right? Well, bed is calling my name.

--Lena

May 25th

I GOT A CALL BACK! I got a call back for an interview. I am still in shock. The man on the phone called and said that "the committee" loved my documentary and would like to speak with me in person. Well, let me correct myself, it isn't actually in person, person, but via video on the internet. The office headquarters are in New York City, so that isn't happening just for an interview. I was relieved when they said they do all of their interviews this way. My appointment time is day after tomorrow at 9:00 am. Obviously I am nervous beyond words right now, but excited over the call back nonetheless.

In family related news - Kelan chose UGA for school next year. GO DAWGS! Dad was happy as you can imagine because it was Georgia. Mom was happy that Kelan got in and is actually going to go. My brother is brilliant, I swear, but the boy is well, "easily distracted". Distraction answers to the name of Amber. She and Kelan have been going out for a while now and I get the feeling mom and dad aren't crazy about the girl. I think it is more that they are worried over him staying away from school for a girl. I can't blame them, but regardless I am just proud of Kelan for getting in.

Well, I am already five minutes late for work as it is, so I'll have to go for now.

--Lena

June 2nd

Hawaii. The island of Oahu, Hawaii is where I have been given an internship. Well, Oahu as a base, but I will doing travelling between the islands. Yes, I have been chosen for the internship and I still have no idea why. I was a babbling, red-faced idiot in my interview, but they seemed to like me. In three weeks, I will be flying across the country to work for an amazing production company, working as an assistant/"floater" in the field that I love. I will be surrounded by people that share my passion for photography, journalism and film and the best part is - living expenses are paid. Ten long months of doing what I love in paradise - what could be better than that right? Oh, but there is always a catch. What is that catch you ask notebook? Mom and Dad have no clue. They have no idea I was applying for this. Basically, I have to drop this monstrous sized bomb on them and fast. Can they say that I can't go? No. I just know they are going to be worried sick and try and inform me of all the terrible things that could happen to me. I am not in shape to take that on at the moment, so I will be "reserving my strength" for the next day or so before I tell them.

-- Lena

June 6th

I put my notice in at work today. Kelan knows and has sworn that he will stick up for me with mom and dad. I told Jamie that I would be leaving (assuming my parents don't chain me to the house - kidding) in two weeks (15 days to be exact). Tonight is the big night. D-Day. Time to face the music. Wish me strength.

-- Lena

June 6th (part 2)

There was no kicking. There was no screaming, shouting or cursing. At first, it was the expected reaction, but by the end of the night they were actually helping me plan. They did have one stipulation in order to have "their blessing" (like I'm accepting someone's "hand" in marriage) What the heck? Parents crack me up. The stipulation is that I have to be willing to rent a bedroom at my Aunt Marie's house right outside of Honolulu. I don't know why it never dawned on me that I had family out there. I haven't seen my Aunt Marie since I was about seven, so this should be interesting. I talked to her on the phone after my parent's called her and asked her. She has always been a nice lady as far as I remember, so it can't possibly be that bad. Right? I will call tomorrow and find out if that is ok with the production company. They usually put their interns up in a condo type place, but we'll see. Aunt Marie's house is on the beach, so that is another big plus to the situation. Well, I have a ton to do now, so this is goodnight.

-- Lena

June 20th

My bags are packed and I am ready to go. My flight from Atlanta to LAX leaves at 7:08 am. That is just eight hours from now. In eight, short hours, I will be on my way to Hawaii. I still can't believe that this is my life. Right after dinner tonight, mom and I made a last minute run to Fred's for some last minute supplies. Do you know how difficult it is to fit an entire wardrobe into a suitcase? Well, mine can't really be classified as a suitcase, it is more like a giant trunk. The thing is almost as tall as me. I am only taking this one and my big shoulder bag. We had dinner as a family tonight. As excited as I am to go, I am still sad. It was a strange feeling sitting at the table tonight, knowing that I wouldn't be seeing these people for a long while. Of course, I will be able to travel back home with my travelling allowances, but it won't be everyday. I guess it's normal to get wet feet before a big event like this, right? I am suddenly exhausted and I have to be up very soon.

-- Lena

A middle aged couple with two teenage girls walked by. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find gate C-6?" The man of the group bunched his eyebrows together, as if in deep thought. "I'm pretty sure that if you go to the end of that walkway, head through the first security stop and keep going, you will wind up in the general direction," the man replied. "Oh, thank y'all so much." Sighing deeply, Lena re-adjusted her shoulder bag and headed off in the way she had been directed.Please, Lord let this be it, she thought to herself..

"Hey honey, its me. I'm just calling to make sure your flight to LA was smooth and that you found everything ok. Just call me as soon as you get this, ok? Love you honey. Buh-Bye." Lena smiled at the sound of her mother's voice on her voicemail. Staring out the window as the rest of the passengers filed onto the plane, Lena thought back to this morning and the way she felt saying goodbye to her family. Her dad was worried like dad's do. Her mother was worried like mother's do. Lena knew why they were worried and she couldn't blame them. It was a risk taking this internship, flying across the country and surrounding yourself with the unknown. Lena understood this the moment she decided to go and that is why she made that decision. My entire life, I have lived in this bubble of predictability and it is time for a change. Those words sounded so strong and reasonable as she practiced countless times before laying the 'bomb' on her parents. She knew they couldn't say no. She was an adult afterall, twenty-two to be exact, but somehow at the time, she felt about twelve. She felt like a twelve year old kid, asking to go to the movies with a boy. Shaking her head at the thought, Lena settled back