Hello! I'd first like to state that I am aware that it has been ages since I last posted. In all honesty, my life got so crazy that I completely forgot about this thing I call my blog. One of my dearest friends, Jenn, is actually the one who reminded me, so you can all blame my annoying text messages reminding you to read this guy on her.

Speaking of that wonderful human being, she left me again. We had breakfast at Snooty Pig, a quaint Keller breakfast joint, on Friday morning before she headed back to Arkansas to start the fall semester. This breakfast has become our tradition, as we meet there the day of or the day before we each head our separate ways. I have come to adore this time and resent it simultaneously. Jenn and I have such a wonderful friendship. She and Caitlin have been by my side since we were little, even throughout the times that I really didn't deserve such loyalty. The happiest times of my life have been shared with these two. We have more memories than I can keep track of, and so many "firsts" we experienced together. Jenn and I have had a way of approaching specific events in our lives at the same exact time. It's very strange, but so cool. We both firmly believe that God gave us each other to lean on and grow with as life throws it's toughest challenges our way.

It is no secret to anyone that my freshman year at college was a rough one. I missed my family and home terribly, and knowing that my two best friends were states away did not help. I remember calling Jenn while sitting in my dimly lit and depressing apartment room and just immediately starting to cry to her when I heard her voice. I didn't have to say a word- she always knew exactly what was wrong. And she would just stay on the line and listen and calm me down in typical Jenn fashion for as long as it took, ending the call with a warning that I'd better call her back when this happened again. What kind of person gives up her time and happiness to listen to her emotional friend panic weekly? The kind of person named Jenn. And so it was no surprise that as we had to part ways once again, we both broke down. She had asked me to start writing in my blog again because when she was at school she "would read it and could hear your (my) voice."

So, I decided to dedicate this one to you, Jenn. My prayer is that you find happiness everywhere you go and that you always manage to flourish into your beautiful self. I hope you accomplish your goals and meet new people, making great friends and lasting relationships. I hope that you never lose sight of who you are and that you only grow into a better version of yourself. And lastly, I pray that you will always come back home and give me a call.

I am sorry for the sappy post. I know that this is the last thing most of you wanted to read, especially those who have been on the edge of theirs seats, anxiously awaiting my next riveting post. ;) I promise to post again soon with a reap of my Spring semester and Summer break, which will be interesting. I promise. I think.. For now, I am taking some much needed time to count my blessings and take in everything about this beautiful life I have been given. I am sitting in my room at home recounting some wonderful things God has given me, and I truly believe that one of the best gifts He has ever showered upon me is Jenn.

An End and A Beginning

Hello all! I hope everyone had a swell Holiday and enjoyed spending time with their loved ones just as I did. I was lucky enough to get 5 weeks off from school and returned about 2 weeks ago. While I was ready to get back to my routine in College Station, I hated saying goodbye to my family AGAIN. Because I was home for such a long duration of time, it felt like summer all over again and the goodbye was pretty difficult. This past Christmas and break reminded me yet again of how truly blessed I really am.

While I was in DFW, my cousins from Arizona came down to visit for the boys’ birthday celebration. Evan is now 5 and Judson is 1. Where does the time go?! And in just a month’s time, my precious Braxton will be three and we will also gain a new edition to our family, Carter! I can’t wait to get the call telling me that my aunt is in labor so I can drop everything and get to that baby! Here are some pictures from Evan and Judson’s birthday party!

The boys' birthday cakes- My Nana is a cake God.

Cousins reunited!

He just couldn't wait for it to be cut. Heaven forbid.

My dad and Judson. (He is a baby whisperer- so good with kids!)

LOOK AT THIS FACE!

This is typical. Evan is just a super hero, no big deal!

The spring semester definitely started off with a bang. With 5 homework assignments the first week and 2 fast approaching quizzes to prepare for, I found that my return to the mundane and silent library cubicles came much quicker than I had anticipated. This semester I am taking an online Health course, which will definitely keep me on my toes and test my memory, a Geography class and lab, a History class and the current love of my life… an ENGLISH CLASS YEAH!!!!! I don’t even try to contain my excitement anymore.

So, let me tell you about this heaven on Earth known as English class. My professor is the most eccentric person you will ever meet. At age 63, she had 3 children under the age of 8. I haven’t decided if that is gross to me yet, but it is definitely eccentric in my mind. She studied at Harvard and has a PhD. She also wrote a book called The Truth About Chivalry and Courtly Love. She wears dated red cowboy boots, long denim skirts, and bland sweaters. What a gal. I also found a boyfriend for my roommate with the pink hair! His name is Lime Green Hair! He sits two rows in font of me and his colorful locks are nearly blinding and absolutely distracting to say the least. This is also the first class I have had where I sit among much older students. There is a woman in her 30’s, another in her 50’s, and a man in his 60’s. I am not sure of the ages of the rest. Yes, I have spoken to all of these people and I love them all. Such an intriguing world we live in.

I have also taken on a new endeavor called cooking. It is crazy dangerous. I have tried all kinds of different things lately, and I must say that despite my concerns, pretty much everything that I have made turned out rather well! My favorite tool in the kitchen is the glorious Crock Pot. In all honesty, the stove scares the crap out of me. This could be the case for a couple of reasons: It’s possible that my fear is generated because the stove in my apartment is ghetto as can be and immediately makes the entire house smell like it’s on fire. The second possibility is that I am secretly worried that fire might become a reality and my whole building would burn down in the blink of an eye. I have also tried this new thing called cooking for others. "Others" are named Riley Woodward and Haley Houston. They are such brave souls. Riley came over for dinner last week in exchange for him hooking up my DVD player. (A great trade off, I know). However, the DVD player task took longer than I expected and turned out to be much more difficult than we both expected which made me feel like the deal wasn't so fair. So, to make up for it, I am cooking dinner for him again tonight! Someone needs to give this boy a medal for his bravery and for being such a good sport. Fingers crossed that I don't poison him!

Speaking of fires, while I was home for the holiday and my family was sitting down for dinner one evening, we actually all smelt smoke coming from the vent above us. My dad went upstairs and into the attic to check it out and we were all genuinely concerned. I, being the wimp and always cautious and prepared person that I am, ran up to my room and gathered a few items together, because I knew that if my house actually was on fire, there would be no way that my mom would let me go upstairs to save my valuables. I came down with an armful of items and set them on the table. The pile consisted of first and foremost, my dolls, my new Rose Gold Kenneth Cole watch, my MacBook Pro, my iPad, my cell phone, and my David Yurman ring. It wasn’t until my sister looked at the pile and sarcastically said, “Really? THAT’S what you want to save in case of a fire?” that I realized how silly those items looked all piled up on the coffee table. Sydney had reminded me once again of how quirky I sometimes act and appear. Fortunately, there was no fire, so the items went back upstairs and into their “home”, the spots my mom always annoyingly called a place you put things other than your floor or counter. I thought this story was funny so I decided to share it, but you might have found it pointless- If so, sorry Charlie.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! I will update again as soon as I feel exciting things have happened to me again. ;)