10.30.2011

Weekend Update

This post is going to be a ton of pictures and very few words since I have a math test that I should be studying for and I may or may not be still in Cville with Stuart. I just can't seem to tear myself away most weekends ;).

Friday we headed up to Carter's Mountain for some apple cider, apple picking and apple cider donuts. This is one of my favorite traditions that we do and I had been dying to go! It was so cold Friday that we immediately went to get some hot cider. Here we are out on the deck enjoying our cider :).
 Seriously that's a huge majority of Cville behind me. So, so, so pretty, even on a dreary day!
 Our view walking up to the Fiji part of the apple orchard. It was quite the hike!
 Apple picking! I didn't know he was taking the picture of me but my hair look so long for me (and windblown, haha)

 Our annual picture :) We had an older gentleman take it and I was showing him how to use the camera on my iPhone and he told me, "I got onna these, I know how to do it!" Too cute!
 Stuart's friend Corey came up for the weekend so we could celebrate his birthday. Here are the cupcakes I made and I put them in a 22 for his 22nd birthday!
 Right before I brought the cupcakes out we discovered it was snowing. SOOOOOO incredibly crazyyyyy.
 So after going to bed about 2:30 Saturday morning we got up at 5:30, packed up the car and headed down to Durham to watch our Hokies take on Duke (that was an u.g.l.y. game and we were incredibly lucky to come out with a win). Needless to say I was exhausted. It is all backroads for about 95% of the trip and after 60 miles with no bathroom, this was my option. Needless to say I was incredibly thankful for my squatting skills. Believe me, if there had been any other option I would have taken it. Of course, after we stopped here (and the man charged someone's gas to my card) we found a nice, clean gas station a few miles down the road.
 This is the only picture we took at Duke because I was tired (haha check out my eyes) and it was so, so, so cold. After screaming my voice out because we were playing sooooooo terrible (and a few questionable calls from the refs) we hopped back in the car and headed home.
Once we got back, we headed to a bar to eat dinner and watch most of the GT-Clemson game (I was so rooting for Clemson for the ACC's sake and now I am sooooo nervous about playing GT next Thursday in Atlanta). We came back and despite the fact that Stuart's roommates were throwing a huge Halloween party and he and Corey were watching a comedian on super loud so they could hear it over the party, I passed out.

It was a jam packed weekend but so much fun! Have a great week y'all!

10.26.2011

Happy Wednesday and Iphone Photo Dump

I have finally made it into the 21st century and it feels so good! I just got my iphone and it is life changing. No, it is not the 4s but I love it just the same :). Mama got the 4s and can't figure out how to use it so I am trying to convince her to save me, butttt no such luck, haha.

Here are some of the photos I took over the weekend :)

 Jim eating at Moe's before we headed downtown for the night. He arrived at my apartment starving (and I had already had dinner) so we stopped at our old favorite, Moe's for his beloved Hokie snack!
 My sister being the star of the show in the Homecoming parade on Saturday morning. I may or may not have yelled at someone trying to hand me a political bumper sticker because they were in the way of my photo taking ;).
 Jim had a little too much to drink Friday night and actually let me drive his truck home. This is monumental as he is more protective of that than his own family. I even backed it in!
 Hokie game day!!! We were getting ready to start jumping up and down to Enter Sandman. It was an absolute perfect football day :)
 My b-e-a-u-tiful Marley Lilly iphone cover complete with ID slot :). I even had the guy at Subway today commenting on how cool it was. I adore it and I have gotten a ton of compliments!
 All dressed up and ready to head DT on Saturday night. I was telling Stuart about my seven dollar Targ shirt score and he requested an outfit picture :) We do this a lot because we have been doing long distance forever, and its nice to see each other every once in a while. If only I could convince him to get an iphone so we can face time! (We've tried Skype and his internet doesn't work super well at his apartment so it is more trouble than it is worth. PS excuse the hair. I hadn't quite finished yet ;).

Thanks for the sweet comments yesterday y'all. If you made it through, I am impressed. I just felt like I needed to get that story out there and down for my own records. Happy Wednesday!

10.25.2011

Nick

Hi y'all.

I had originally planned on doing an iphone (yay I have an iphone now!) photo dump from the weekend but I have some other things laying on my heart.

Those of you that have been reading a while have heard me mention that I am running a 1/2 marathon in five weeks for St. Jude. And I have also mentioned little Nick on my blog but I don't know that I have ever written out the whole story. And I want to, for my own records.

I met Nick when I was twenty years old. I was a sophomore in college and just recently became a Tridelta. I had just returned from a trip down to Memphis to visit St. Jude because it is Tridelta's philanthropy. Honestly, it was one of the reasons I chose Tridelta, because I had always known that St. Jude does big things.

When I returned from Memphis, I got a phone call from our pastors wife and a woman who has been like a second mother to me. She said that a lady she worked with knew of a little boy going for his first treatments at St. Jude that summer and wondered if I would be interested in contacting him. I remember having crazy butterflies, but I sent his mom an email and made plans to meet up with them when they returned from Memphis.

I had no idea what to expect. I had been email corresponding with his mom and I had even contacted our chapter president and told them about the Ferris family. She agreed that we should help this family in whatever way we could. I set up care package dates and even sent stuff to them myself, books, games, dvds, all things they could use in the Target House. I even sent chocolate because his mom, Christina, told me that Nick loved chocolate. I also sent stuff to his younger brother, Sean, as well.

After a few months at the Target house and St. Jude, Nick came home to receive care. I put on a pair of letters and my pearl St. Jude necklace and headed over. Mrs. Ferris opened the door for me and I saw a flash of lightening jump down the stairs and peer through the door. That was Nick's brother, Sean. Nick was moving a little more slowly but immediately reached out to hug me and shared his sweet smile with me. As someone who had never been around anyone with cancer, I wasn't expecting him to be so swollen from the meds. Here is a picture from our first meeting. (No, I wasn't swollen from meds, my face was just that round then)


Nick and I talked for a little bit and I also chatted with his mom and dad as well. They are a military family and most of their extended family lives various places throughout the United States. Fortunately, they had found a great church family and others that love them were there to support them as well. Nick had an airplane that we spent some time out in the yard flying and he ended up flying it onto the roof. He then asked me to get it down for him and after laughing at me trying to jump to reach it, we gave up:)

Throughout the fall of my junior year, we spent time sending back to school supplies and various other packages to Nick and his family, just to let them know we were thinking about them. That fall, I along with my friend Heidi came home to walk on Nick's team for cancer research through CureSearch. Here I am with Nick and his brother, Sean.

Later that fall, our chapter president, Katie, came to me with the idea of playing "Santa" for Nick and Sean. I loved it, and the chapter did too. I contacted Christina and asked her if that would be okay. She agreed and the boys sent their Santa notes to me at my apartment. They are some of my most treasured things and I look at them fondly. I got excited to go out and do the shopping and one late night in December, I arrived with a garbage bag full of Santa presents :)

The next spring carried on and despite much medical intervention, Nick was getting worse. You see, he was diagnosed in May of 2009 with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) and you can read more about it here. My younger sister was a senior in high school at the time and her keyettes group put on a car wash to help raise money for the family that I came home for as well. I kept in contact with Mrs. Ferris through the spring and read the updates on her Caring Bridge as well. Here are Nat and I with Nick. He had just started having to use a wheelchair and his speech was slurring. I remember him asking for something to eat and having a hard time understanding him. He was getting frustrated with us and it was incredibly heartbreaking.

Not long after that, I came home for summer break and things took a turn for the worse for Nick. He was in the hospital in Portsmouth and I knew that I wanted to go see him and spend time with him. Heidi agreed to go with me and we got to walk into his room and hold his hand and rubbed his feet. His mom got down by his ear and told him that I had come by to see him and he immediately smiled, even with his eyes closed. I almost lost it in that moment. He had been upgraded to a Weeblo the night before by his boy scout troupe and his room was filled with colorful drawings and cards and such. I just remember burning that hour into my brain trying to remember every last detail of his little body. That was a Wednesday. That Thursday, the family asked that no one else come by, as they wanted to spend as much time with Nick as possible. On Friday morning, at 3:00 am, he passed from his mothers arms into Jesus'. They took him off the ventilator around 3:00 pm that Thursday afternoon and expected him to pass shortly after. He gave his mom twelve extra hours to hold him and I know that she is forever grateful.

I awoke the next morning with a feeling in the pit of my stomach and immediately checked my email and the caring bridge site. I will never forget reading that he had passed away. I drafted an email to the sorority and let them know what had happened and encouraged them to never quit fighting for St. Jude. I then had to finish packing to fly out to London the next day.

To say that Friday night was rough after he passed was an understatement. I made it through the day okay, letting people know slowly and asking them to say a prayer for the Ferris family. I remember hugging my mom and calling Stuart to let him know. He spent the rest of that day and night with me, at one point just holding me in my bed and letting me bawl into his shoulder (that is the one and only time he has ever been allowed in my bedroom at home). I begged him and my parents to let me stay home, I knew that I wouldn't be able to live myself if I went and had fun while this had just happened. They all told me that I had to go. That Nick would have wanted me to go. That what I had done while he was here was important, and now that he was in heaven there was nothing left for me to do. So I went. I bawled on the way to the airport, I cried on the plane and I prayed my way through the first few nights in Edinburgh. But I made it, and I am glad I went. Nick even sent me a reminder that he was okay. (Preface: Nick's favorite color was red). I saw this on the best day I had in London and I will never forget him popping up and just letting me know that it was okay.

I know that was long. But I felt like his story needed to be told in it's completion, from my point of view. This is why I am going back to school to get a second undergraduate degree. I am not a scientist and I will never find the cure for cancer. But I can help people like the Ferris family and I know that Nick led me to this path, and for that I am forever grateful. I feel so blessed to have had him in my life.

There is a little girl, Lydia that is in the same situation Nick was in and here is her family blog. They are preparing for God to take their little girl home and I know prayers for peace would be so welcomed. Lydia's mother is one of the strongest people I have ever seen. Here is their blog.

Nick would have been 10 at the beginning of October and I know that he is up there right now, hopefully he has met my Poppi and is showing my cousin Kaleb around heaven. Knowing that he was there when Kaleb passed helped give me such comfort and I will never be able to repay what Nick gave me through his life. He taught me to pray again, to have faith and believe and to trust the true peace that only God can give.

If you made it all the way through, I am impressed. I promise to be back tomorrow with something that is a little less heart heavy. Love you Nick, and thank you always.

10.20.2011

Seven

These little legs of mine (okay really they aren't little) pushed my big ole body seven miles this morning in 45 degree weather. Whoever said running in 50 degrees is the best was right! It was one of the best runs I have ever had and once I got into a rhythm it was awesome! I figured I'd go ahead and post my link if you want to check it out. It tells the story about why I decide to run the 1/2 if you haven't read it yet :) Here it is!

I loved all of you that commented yesterday about the picture problems, blogger is such a pain sometimes!

I'm currently sprawled out on the couch in a huge sweatshirt, leggings and slippers watching Fools Rush In and I could not be happier. Side note: I am Chandler (Matthew Perry) obsessed and has anyone else noticed that this is before he got veneers for his teeth? I think this movie came out sometime during the third or fourth season of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. One day I will devote a post to my bffs Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross. They are the best!
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 The sun looks like it may be trying to peek through the window, but I fully plan to spend the rest of my day on Pinterest, maybe crafting and catching up on shows. It is days like this that I really appreciate being a college student still :) I know the real world is going to attack me at full force pretty soon, so I am trying to soak up these moments!

In other news, one my favorite bloggers and new friend Claire at Life in the Sweet Virginia Breeze reminded me today that Hocus Pocus comes on. Y'all, I will definitely be tuning in even though I have seen it approximately 100 million times. It is the best Halloween movie, hands down. I love seeing SJP play the dumb blonde, as I definitely see her as Carrie now more than anything... but this is way before SATC!!!
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I tend to do really random posts as I usually just talk about what is on my mind at the time :) So here's another one for you!

Have a great Thursday!!

10.19.2011

So What

It's time for So What Wednesday :) Head on over to Shannon's and link up!

So What...
  • If I use bullet points in half of my blog posts. I love them and they help me switch from subject to subject in an organized way :).
  • I have eaten a Luna Bar and an apple today.... those peanut butter m&m's I bought in fall colors and have been munching on don't count, right?
  • I love doing blog posts with pictures because I think they are more aesthetically pleasing but I hate having to put them in the post. They never go where I want them to!
  • If I find the most joy in celebrating. I just ran out and got dark chocolate brownie mix and champagne to celebrate my sorority sister getting into grad school and I just bought tickets for Stuart and I to take his best friend Corey to the Duke-VT game in Durham next weekend. I love a reason to partyyy!!
  • If I procrastinate like none other. I had an outline due Monday that I still haven't done yet... I will be completing it at work in an hour. He doesn't take late points and I really just don't want to do it. Stupid, yes. But, oh well.
  • If I cannot wait for Fridaayyyy!! My mama will be here with my new iPhone!
  • If my new iPhone is a 4 and not a 4s. Mama ordered herself the 4s and me the 4. I am just happy to be joining the smart phone world :).
  • If this is probably the happiest and least satirical So What Wednesday I have ever done. Cool weather puts me in a great mood :)
Happy Wednesday y'all! 

10.18.2011

Guilty as Charged

Things are rather boring 'round these parts but I have been thinking lately about some of my guilty indulgences. I think we all have them and I'd love to know what some of y'alls are!

  • TLC. I love this channel. From the Duggars to Extreme Couponing to Sister Wives to the Little Couple, this is my reality TV go to. As a teenager I lived for episodes of A Wedding Story and A Baby Story (I loved finding out the baby names but would change the channel for the gory parts, haha)
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  •  Chocolate. Especially Pretzel M&M's. I know I should consume less since I literally could eat them by the bowlful. And sometimes I do. Whoops. But they are so good. I love the peanut butter and pretzel mixed together. THE BEST!!









  • Online shopping. One of my friends always turns to me to help her find the best deals via Google. And I have to admit, I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting a good deal. I can't wait to get my iPhone on Friday so I always have access to figure out the best deals!
  • Boots. I love boots. I have five six SEVEN pairs in my closet right now. Seriously. Seven. I love them so much I am always wanting more. Right now I am borrowing Heather's dads cowboy boots and I am secretly hoping a certain boy that I call Boots (seriously, Stuart and I call each other boots) will stumble upon the link I have saved for Christmas or my birthday ;).
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  • Blogs. Seriously y'all. I love reading yours. I get the best ideas and all my friends think I'm a genius when really it is you guys. So thanks ;) (Don't worry I always usually give credit where credit is due!)
  • TV in general. But specifically reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Will and Grace, Reba, How I Met Your Mother, and other wonderful 90's and early 2000's sitcoms. Plus Dawson's Creek. Best show ever. Seriously. Love. I use them as background noise constantly. 
 
Do y'all have anything you indulge in? I know I wouldn't be the same without mine although I could probably cut back on all of them!!

10.17.2011

A 757 Weekend

Happy Monday! Hope y'all had a great weekend :). I know I did!

I headed out to Charlottesville Thursday night and spent some time with Stuart, which is always a mood booster. I cannot wait until we live in the same town! I got up pretty early Friday morning, grabbed some Bodo's (if you ever are around Charlottesville, go to Bodo's... best bagels ever!!) and hit the road. I arrived just in time to visit with my grandmother and headed to a doctors appointment.

I then met up with Heather, got my eyebrows waxed and spend some time in Target and headed out to Mexican with the fam... my favorite. I spent the rest of the night chatting with my parents and went to bed pretty early because I knew I needed to get up for a nice run.

Saturday started with that run and got more exciting from there. Heather and I headed to her church's rummage sale and then hit the road for Norfolk for some tailgating. The weather was absolutely perfect and we found a great parking spot before heading to my parent's tailgate spot!

Here is our setup. Even for CAA football we put up a tent! And yes, that is my padre standing there with his hands on his hips!

Hev and I :)
It wouldn't be a tailgate without some Hokie representation (or Coors and Chick-fil-a, haha!)

After tailgating with the 'rents and some family friends, we headed off to find Kylee! We have known each other f.o.r.e.v.e.r. (literally since birth) and I was so excited to see her. You made it on the blog, Ky!
And here are all three of us girls. These girls are two of my favorite people and best friends. P.S. We were all wearing white because it was homecoming and the white out game!
After a few beers we headed into the stadium for the game! They were handing out some sweet sunglasses and towels, and y'all know what a sucker I am for free stuff. Here is Hev and I with our sweet glasses!
And here are the mighty Monarchs taking the field!

We headed out shortly after halftime because Hev had a going away party to attend and I needed to get home in time to see my Hokies play! The first quarter was a nailbiter but after that my parents showed up after staying for the end of the ODU game along with their bff's the Johnsons and we all settled in with some pizza for a Hokie win!

We got up Sunday morning, headed to church and had lunch at Chili's with our pastor and his wife who are like second parents to me (side note: we don't have a Chili's anywhere out here and I am obsessed with their chips and salsa!!). Mama and I spent some time at Michael's looking for some craft stuff and I hit the road to Charlottesville for the night. Stuart and I had a nice dinner at Mellow Mushroom and then settled in to watch some movies with his roommates :) I finally headed back to the 'burg this morning pretty sad after such a great weekend filled with all kinds of people I love! At least the drive was beautiful... Virginia Octobers are the BEST!!!

Hope you all had a great weekend. I know I did :)

P.S. I don't eat out ALL the time, I just happen to do it more at home and in Charlottesville when I can have things I don't normally have!

10.13.2011

Y'all Can Call Me A Lotta Things...

But vain isn't one of them!

Here is what I look like currently:

I know. So attractive! I swear I should have been a model...haha. But, the important part isn't what I look like, but what I'm repping. St. Jude oh hollaaa! Received this in the mail last week for raising the first part of my fundraising goal and I love love love running in it. A. It was raining when I ran and it is made to repel moisture and B. I just love that people look at me when I'm running by and think about St. Jude. Just call me your running billboard.

I have been having a hard time with running lately, between stress, side stiches and just daily life, but tonight (after a nap) I made myself get up and run. In the rain. Through the hills of Charlottesville. And the traffic, which scares the pee outta me (not literally, but people do not pay attention to pedestrians!) And I finally feel like I got my groove back. Just call me Stella (as in Got Her Groove Back and not Streetcar Named Desire).

I have been so stressed over the future lately and you all have been such a blessing. I need to remember that running is good for me, it helps me clear my head and I feel awesome afterward. (Side note: apparently I wasn't breathing correctly, which caused the side stiches. Once I corrected that I felt SO MUCH better!) So lets just say I feel great right now!

I have a packed but fun weekend ahead of me :). I'm currently in Charlottesville and I am gonna go hop in the shower and then wait for Stuart to get home so we can grab some dinner. Then it is back to the 757 tomorrow for a doctors appointment, some family time, the ODU homecoming game, spending some time with my bff Heather, home to watch the Tech game and then church Sunday morning. I don't go home a whole lot, but I love it when I do. Happy Thursday!!

10.12.2011

So What Wednesday :)

First of all, thank you thank you thank you for the sweet comments yesterday :) Y'all are too sweet and it is nice to know I am not alone in what I have been going through. You girls are the best!

To lighten the mood a little bit, I thought I'd link up with Shannon's So What Wednesday!

So what if I...
  • Slept in until around 9 this morning and I am still craving some kind of caffeine!
  • Unintentionally kicked my Diet Coke habit, but replaced it with coffee... I'm still avoiding aspartame right?
  • Pin so much on Pinterest on my wedding board that a girl I went to high school with FB messaged me last night assuming I am close to a ring, which will not be happening for at least another year or so!
  • Turn the heat off and then cover myself with sweats and blankets. It saves on our heating bill and I love the feeling of being cold and then getting cozy!
  • Love the day after I grocery shop because I forget I went to the store and find all kinds of delicious goodies in my cabinets (healthy ones... this girl has got to get back on track and have more energy for 1/2 marathon training!
  • Ate Goldfish, an orange pepper and Special K Chocolately Delight. It's college and I figure I should get in eating on a whim as much as I can before I have to cook for a husband!
  • Only know how to cook tacos, spaghetti and variations of both? I love Mexican and Italian!!
Happy Wednesday Y'all!

10.11.2011

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight
 -Proverbs 3:5-6

Y'all, I have been struggling with this a lot lately. I want to know RIGHT NOW what my life is going to be and what the next few years are going to hold. I know that I want to become a child life specialist, and I know that I want to spend my life with Stuart. What I don't know is when, where, and how this will all happen and it is K.I.L.L.I.N.G. me.

I am so type-A. So very type-A. I make lists of everything. I plan everything. In fact, one of my biggest flaws is over-planning. Right now I am really struggling with getting everything in on a time table. I feel like all of these obstacles in my career course keep getting thrown at me and I am not quite sure what to do. I thought I had this all planned out, and yet, maternity leaves and programs hesitant to accept undergrads have my plans all in a tailspin. I don't know where Stuart is going to get a job, and as much as I know that at twenty-two I should have a career focus, that doesn't mean I am not ready to live in the same city as him!

I know God has a plan for me. And despite that, I still find myself stressing out over this entire situation. I want things to be settled down. I want to help people. And the fact that it is going to take me until 2013 almost is freaking me out. I am ready to be an adult, to take care of myself, to stop being a burden on my parents. Fortunately, they have the means to support me and I am so entirely thankful to them for doing that. I know not everyone is spoiled the way I am. But I am ready to be out of school. And I am ready to start the next chapter, wherever that may be. I just need to know when and where that is.

So right now, I am trying to trust in the plan. I am trying to take a deep breath, take things day by day and not over-plan. But I am definitely going to need some prayers to do that. So, if you are the prayin' kind, I would love to make it on your prayer list. 

Sorry for the heavy post. It has been laying on my heart lately and since this is my record, I want to be able to look back on this when all is said and done and see how I was feeling.

Happy Tuesday (almost Wednesday) y'all!

10.09.2011

No Voice :)

Hope y'all had a great weekend! I know I did, I didn't pick up my computer once :) Sadly, I didn't really pick up my camera either, haha. But oh my goodness. If y'all follow college football, I hope you caught our game yesterday. It was definitely a nail biter, and absolutely the reason why I follow college football!

We played Miami, known as the "U" yesterday, and I would be willing to say we have one of the nastiest rivalries with them that goes unrecognized in college football. We were powerhouses in the Big East and came into the ACC at the same time. My biased opinion would say they play pretty nasty, and they have recently come into a whole mess load of citations by the NCAA; if you want more info you can read here. But I doubt y'all wanna hear my full opinion on this topic, haha.

Anyways, the 'canes came to town and were ready to play. Stuart came up this weekend, as well as some of Nicole's friends, so we had a full house this weekend (eight people!). We spent Friday night tearing up downtown and were all thankful for a 3:30 start time on Saturday afternoon :)

We ended up heading out to tailgate around 10:30 or so and thus discovered we didn't have a folding table. So, we ended up bringing our dining room table and beer pong table... I am not kidding. It worked perfectly though :) Here is Nicole with our set up!

We walked in to Lane pumped up and ready to play after the nasty loss to Clemson last week. And play we did. I don't think I stopped screaming for four quarters and we only sat down during halftime (it's a huge deal in the student section if you sit... you will get ridiculed until you stand!). I even have a shirt that says "you can sit when you graduate!"

We took an early lead and played balls to the wall for three quarters solid. Then the Miami O started to wear down our D and things got ugly in the 4th quarter. However, we pulled it out. There is a video that is going around and you can hear the announcers say "these people are going out of their minds" cause we were so loud and so into what was happening. I don't think I took a breath for two minutes. Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blzftASduNc. (It wouldn't embed for some reason). Even people that aren't Tech fans seem to get chills from it. It was amazing. Trust me. You'll see how the game ended :)

Side note: we jump up and down to Enter Sandman at the beginning of the game when the team runs in. So it tends to get us pumped up!


Here is the picture I sent to my mom since she and my dad were at a wedding. Before this, they hadn't missed a home Virginia Tech game in over ten years!

I know this is getting long, and for those of you that don't care about football, it was probably pretttyyy boring. But this would rank up there with my top three favorite games and I wanted this for my records :)

Stuart and I finished the evening by going on a little date to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and spent the rest of the night watching the Auburn-Arkansas game :) Perfect little Saturday. Now I am off to babysit and then study for an exam. Have a happy Sunday!!!

10.06.2011

Thirsty Thursday

Not really. I have had water, diet coke and coffee today, but the T in thirsty just goes so well with the T in Thursday, don't you think? Haha.

This is the best Thursday I have had in a while. I got up and went to class, went on a b-e-a-u-tiful run downtown and then spent the rest of the day with my roomie. :) Side note: does anyone else get side stitches in the same spot every time they run? Cause I have been having them in the exact same spot on my side for the past two or three weeks. They cause me to have to stop and stretch and are killing my times!


I am currently in the middle of mountains of laundry (but seriously, I have a huge hill of it in my dining room currenty), watching a frightening movie with my roommate and waiting on Stuart to arrive. I am such a rager, I know.

I found an adorable tribal print skirt at a store in the mall today. It is totally the opposite of my style... it is tight and kind of short, but I think it will look adorable with a black top. Plus, it was thirteen dollars. I want a black top with wide sleeves that I will tuck in and then wear with heels. Seriously, it is so different than anything I own, but when I walked out in it my roommate demanded that I buy it. Here it is:
Just fyi, it is not THAT short on me, and it comes up a little higher. Also, I will wear a shirt. I will however take that perfectly flat stomach that the model has. Oh, and her thighs, haha.

Here's a question. Is my option only black with this, or can I use it as a neutral and play it up with some color? I am definitely someone who has a classic style and being trendy scares me! Haha.
Have a great night!

10.05.2011

What I'm Wearing Wednesday

Sorry y'all, this is going to be a quick one (not that you necessarily love my rambling posts, haha). I'm about to bop out the door and head to campus for a full day of midterms and work. I did take a quick outfit picture this morning, although it was in photobooth so it is a little blurry! You can however see through the blur to my messy closet and bathroom, haha.
Cardigan- Target (it has this really awesome crochet back that I love)
Tunic- My roommate. No seriously, she gave it to me and said I thought this was more your style than mine. She's awesome.
Jeans- Ann Taylor Loft Skinnies
Shoes- Platinum Jack Rogers (love love love, I have worn these things into the ground)
Jewelry- Michael Kors watch, Pandora bracelet, class ring, pearl anniversary ring, Ann Taylor gold drop earrings.

The reason I chose to document this is my hair is washed and I am wearing "real" clothes instead of just a pair of jeans and a longsleeved tee, with my hair dry shampooed and pulled back. Clearly I needed to remind myself that people appreciate when I shower, haha.

Happy Hump Day!

10.04.2011

A Quick Tuesday Post

Happy Tuesday y'all... is it Thursday yet?

I am currently taking a few minutes to blog that I probably should be running. To be fair, it would take me a lot longer to drive to McComas, run and drive back than it will for me to write this blog post. I am currently in the middle of studying for two midterms I have tomorrow... blech. I am not a studier. Give me a prompt and I can give you a paper, and a pretty darn good one at that. But tests are not for me. At all.

In other news, Stuart will be heading to Bburg this weekend and I could not be more excited. I hate long distance so much. One day we might end up in the same town. I keep praying for it!

A little update on 1/2 marathon training:
1. I am not running near as much as I should be. In fact, I haven't run since Friday. I knew this week would be a mess. I might be able to slip a run in tomorrow, at least a short one.
2. At least I am making all of my long runs. Last week was 5 miles. This week is 6. I'm planning on getting that done on Thursday.
3. My times are getting better too. I never knew that I could run two miles under 17 minutes.
4. After reading a ton of running blogs, I feel like I should be running 8 minute miles. I think I might be able to run one mile in a little over 8 minutes. I know I just started, but I keep putting this crazy pressure on myself.
5. We have surpassed our halfway goal! Less than 8 weeks to race day!
6. That scares me. Only 8 weeks. Ahhhhhh.

Anyone have any running encouragement for me? Everything I've read says not to place a time goal for your first 1/2, but this is my first race period beyond a 5K I ran two years ago for the victims of April 16th (I wanted to run last year but it got rained out).

Have a great night! This girl needs to get back to Family Financial Management and Family Law and Public Policy... woooo.

10.03.2011

Lazy Monday (Morning)

Y'all, my alarm went off about 9 this morning (I know, so not early) and I could not bring myself to get out of bed. In fact, I am still in my pj's in bed, but I will be getting up soon to make it to my three classes and work this afternoon. It is just so chilly in our apartment and my bed seemed like a much better option this morning after a late night :)

I forgot to mention the funniest part of this weekend during my weekend recap last night. My mom is famous 'round these parts for her trash recipe. Some of y'all might call it puppy chow and I am pretty sure there are some other names for it, but in my house it is called trash. She made it especially for my friend Jim this weekend and it was a hit, as always. We decided that we wanted to bring some of the trash into the stadium. Insert a pair of jeans that are a little too big and a puffy vest, and we had the perfect smuggling attire.
I went into the bathroom and placed the bag between my long sleeved shirt and sweater and tucked it behind my vest and into my jeans. We all decided I looked about four or five months pregnant and we laughed about it all the way to the stadium. After finishing a few drinks (with some funny looks from people, as I looked pregnant) we decided to head into the stadium. Jim then decided to take this opportunity to stop an older man and ask him if he would take a picture of "him and his pregnant girlfriend." Y'all, I about died. Literally. Check out my face.

I could not stop laughing. This poor old man was so confused and I almost peed in my pants I was laughing so hard. Our entire group was dyinnnggg. Oh my word.

I realize that was far longer than it needed to be. Oh well.

Am I the only one who sees temperatures creeping back up into the mid-70's this week and is disappointed about it? I would just like to feel the cool crispness that comes along wth 65 degrees.

Speaking of fall, and I know y'all are probably sick of me talking about it, but one of my favorite things is stalking engagement pictures. And I have decided ones with a background of orange and yellow and red are the prettiest. Especially with swirling leaves. Check these out:


This is probably the most random post ever. Thus is life. Have a great Monday y'all!

10.02.2011

October is Here!

First of all, welcome to October, my favorite month of the year! Full of pumpkin patches, scary movies (kid friendly ones for me, I am such a scaredy cat!), apple spice smells and comfy outfits with boots!

We had a bittersweet weekend here in the 'burg. Two of my favorites (plus my fam jam) made their way to Blacksburg for our Saturday evening matchup against Clemson. It was U-G-L-Y y'all. And raining. But I was with some of my favorite people in the world, so that totally helped :) I may or may not have teared up leaving the stadium, as this season was Tech's last chance to make it to the national championship while I am in school here. Oh well, c'est la vie.

We managed to tailgate hard and took a few girl pictures before we dove into the hot chocolate and Kahlua (okay, so I had already had a cup or two that may or may not have caused the stink eye in a picture or two. Regardless, it was still afternoon!) We didn't get any of the pictures of the guys, but I got two of my besties in them, and that's all that matters anyways, right?

Heidi and I!
Rooms and I :)
The three girls :)

So thankful for these girls. Don't know what I would do without them! So glad we got to spend time together this weekend and I can't wait to see Heidi again (hopefully) next month for the Georgia Tech game in Atlanta!

Hope the rest of y'all had a great weekend. Anyone else have a heart breaking Saturday with their team?