Wedding Dress Shopping - oh my!

In case you hadn't noticed my facebook updates lately, I just recently became engaged to the most incredible man! I'm still waiting for the pictures from the engagement to explain how it all went down (it's a really great story if you ask me). In the mean time, I've been planning away and I've actually gotten a lot of stuff done. Church, venue and photographer are all set plus we might get the caterer squared away soon. There's just one thing that's turned into a thorn in my side...it's white and sometimes poofy and always expensive. You guessed it, the wedding dress. THE wedding dress that you wear on your big day - that dress your kids will laugh at and make fun of in 20 years. "But it was so trendy at the time!" is what I will defensively say. It was really fun the first couple of stores but now they all look the same. I'm getting restless and confused - first world problems if you ask me but it's just my life right now. You wouldn't believe all the fees that they've come up with. (I realize I sound like the 50 yr old dad paying for the wedding). $300 to get a hem, $200 rush fee, oh you want lace right there? $200 smackaroo's. And the veils! Oh the veils! $250 for literally a piece of tool or whatever literally hot glued on a hair clip. That will be my something borrowed or something DIY'd.

I invited Dustin's mom and step mom to come along for the exciting search for the dress. They were both so helpful, sweet and supportive (as well as my mom!) but still...nothing. I've been to 6 stores and found one dress that I LOVE but it's a little over our planned budget. Homegirl's about to throw the budget thing out the window (just for the dress) after tomorrow if I don't find anything as gorgeous. And if you know me at all, you know I'm the one that's sticking to the strict budget saying, "no! that's too expensive, don't even bring it in the dressing room!" I'm that girl that says at the beginning, "we are on a budget - we can spend X amount of dollars." I'm not scared, those little women don't scare me with their "wedding in June? we might need to rush that" bullying. I wasn't born yesterday, don't try to sell me a $500 embellished belt. You know who you are. Just because I'm a bride to be doesn't mean you can try to stress me out or empty my pockets with your rush fees and $100 off sale ending tomorrow business.

Every dress I try on, I imagine myself walking down the aisle and seeing Dustin sweet face and adorable dimples looking right at me! Eeeeek! That man is the most precious thing on the face of the planet - he sent me flowers today at work just b/c he thinks it's really corny/less special to send flowers on Valentines Day and I totes agree. And the note - oh the note that was attached - made me cry! If it were up to my sweet fiance we would just have icicle lights and mimosas at our wedding - I'm beginning to think he might have it all figured out. I can't wait for our big day together - crazy in love surrounded by family and friends starting our new life together. Bliss.

This is the crazy expensive dress that I might take the plunge in the budget for....NOT. Seriously, though...what the what?!?

2011 - picture style

Yes, you read your blog roll correctly. I have actually written a blog post! I loved Christie's review of 2011 and thought I would do the same since I haven't been updating on here. Better late than never, right? 2011 has brought me so much JOY, fun!, friends, happiness, adventure and...love! Here is my year in pictures - enjoy!


(January) Preston took me to Rick Perry's watch party AND his inaugration ball. I know NOTHING about politics so Preston was a risk taker by inviting me. Live country music, men in suits and cowboy boots - my kind of party!

(April) In the spring, Courtney and Stacy threw a party called the hipster hop party. Everyone dressed up as a local Austinite hipster and danced the night away. Skinny jeans, beards, plaid shirts and funky glasses. Definitely one of my favorite moments from 2011. I kinda liked the neck tats - mom wasn't so amused.

(May) Memorial day weekend we celebrated my big 25th birthday on the river! It was stinking HOT outside so it felt great to float that day. There were about 12-15 ish in our crew and they sang me happy birthday about 4 or 5 times on the river. I felt very special. Another 2011 all-star moment. And then the summer of 2011 began. Oh me oh my...so many fun memories.
(May) Abby Willbanks Dunagan landed me an awesome job with a fantastic company. I started working as the secretary for Boundless in May and moved up since. I work with an AMAZING group of young women! Seriously, the most social, fun and relaxed work environment of all time. Abby, Ryan, Marie and I all work together from ACU.


(June) I would be a poser if I let you believe I laid out at Barton Springs all day everyday like a true Austinite. It turns out I actually don't like Barton Springs. The day I took this picture I started to eat a peach while there was a couple smoking pot behind me and a lady literally walking around naked. Guess who got in trouble from the life guard?? This girl. Not the pot head or the nudist, but the blonde chick with a peach. Not to mention there's a ton of bees out there too. Not my ideal laying out environment.

(July) We went to the ghostland observatory concert in San Marcos. Glow sticks, lasers, sweat...epic. Highly recommend even if you've never heard of them - yet another night of dancing!

I attended blues on the green every other Wednesday in the summer. Austin puts on a free concert and so many people come out! You can see Dustin in the background which later on in 2011 this night is a very memorable night that is now talked about..."that one night at blues on the green" I'll explain a little later...


(July?) Elena and I went to Dallas to visit our sweet, dear friends Kim and Emily. It was our second year of getting together - hopefully they will make it to Austin this summer. The 4 of us met in college in Sigma Theta Chi. Love love love these girls!

(August) We took a fun weekend trip to Dan's mom's house out in the country. I LOVE this picture of the 5 of us! A lot of fun memories were made this weekend, yet again!


...and then Dustin and I re-connected. In 5 short months I have fallen in love with the most incredible man any girl could ever ask for! I had no idea that there were men out there like Dustin and I really had no clue that I was deserving of this kind of love. He is the most attentive, sweet, kind, genuine, forgiving, understanding, compassionate, interesting, adventurous man. Just one of the many examples he left me a voice memo (like a vm but longer) on my phone this morning, telling me he was praying for me and read off a few scriptures that he thought would encourage me with what I was going through. And the best part is that isn't abnormal of him to do that. We have done SO many things in the past few months!! UT football games, high school football games (he coaches football at Cooper high school), trapeze lessons, dodgeball, family road trips, motorcycle rides, dreaming of the future. And I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us - plenty of adventures I just know it. The best part about Dustin is that he loves God and is seeking out God's will for his life - I can't wait to be a part of that ministry! I hope you enjoyed my review of 2011 - and hopefully it won't take me a year to post again!

Inspiration

I can't wait to finally have my own space to decorate. After moving around wayyy too much the past 2 years...it's about time for me to settle down somewhere. Luckily, I have everything in the above picture except the headboard which I will start looking for wood to copy this fabulous piece. This picture seriously makes me swoon.

Oh and this chick? She's way cooler than I will ever even attempt to be but how cute is that bandana!? Or is it a scarf? I might, key word MIGHT attempt this look this summer. Maybe with my white linen pants? Yep, I think it's going to be attempted but maybe not documented.

Peace. Love. Scarves.

Someone Like You

Adele is coming to Austin this summer! I can't stop watching this video partially because her accent is awesome and partially because this song speaks to me, almost a little too much. Enjoy.

The Man Who Never Cried

I used to enjoy going to the ACU Film Fest because it is so cool to see people my age that are very talented in something I have NO knowledge about. Well, I've met a few guys from Austin Stone that are beyond talented in the film industry!! They made a short film called, "The Man Who Never Cried" and it is SO good! In fact, their film is up for a national award with the doorpost film project. They have received excellent reviews from the producer of That 70's Show and the writer of Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The creepy brother from Wedding Crashers is the main character along with an actress from Friday Night Lights. It's about 20 minutes long and I think you will like it. Enjoy!

go to www.thedoorpost.com and click on "the man who never cried"

Black Swan Review & Bachelor Predictions

I was so mortified through 3 really uncomfortable scenes that I finally left. I was embarrassed and I was there with my friend who is my age. I can't even imagine what I would've done if I was there with a BOY!!!!

Trust me when I say, DO NOT see this movie! I don't care how "artsy" a movie is, there should never be sex scenes that graphic. Ever. What are movies going to be like when we have kids? Call me old fashioned but what I saw tonight was absolutely not okay!

In other news...I am obsessed with Emily from the Bachelor. She is such a sweet little southern bell who I think will be picked! He'd be crazy not to pick her...

Could she be any cuter?!?

East Side

On Saturday night I went to dinner with Stacy and her lovely roommate Courtney (Cox). Yep, she has the same name as a celebrity! Anyways, we went to literally one of the coolest restaurants in Austin. East Austin used to be the dangerous part of town that you never ventured to explore but in the past few years it has been turned into a very cool part of Austin. Ok, well it's still kind of dangerous but the areas where restaurants and bars have come in to renovate are very unique. We went to the east side show room for dinner. It has a 20's/30's vibe and I loved every second of it. Not only was the vibe awesome, the food was even better. Prices...not so much. Let's just say Courtney ordered a cup of soup and a croissant and it was around $10. Stacy and I each got a cup of chicken curry soup (yum!!) and we split a spinach, ricotta and pecan lasagna. Top 3 best lasagna's I've ever had....hands down. Divine.

Did I mention they play black and white films on the wall in the dining room?

so

darn

cute.

Sunday morning after we went to church Stacy and I went to Snack Bar on South Congress for lunch. "Soco" as some people refer to it is by far my favorite part of Austin for multiple reasons and Snack Bar just got added to the list of reasons. I had a fried egg sandwich...the perfect compromise to the age old question on Sunday..."do I want breakfast or lunch!?"

If you don't live in Austin, you need to make a road trip there stat/asap/now/on the fly/pronto/quickly. 100% guaranteed great time!

"Texas Texas Texas!!"

Preston got an invite to go to the inauguration ball so I accompanied him last night in Austin. Let me just say that I literally know very little to nothing about politics nor do I really care to know (sorry, P). Preston absolutely loves events like that so he can network and meet people which is why I'm a good friend to invite because I'd rather be two stepping and eating dessert than networking with politicians. Preston will drift off and do his thing while I drift off and do my thing. Win win. Eli Young Band, Pat Green and Clay Walker performed which was an awesome night of country music.

I love observing the politicians and how they present themselves. There were 2 other guys there besides Preston that I was hanging out with and luckily they didn't know a lot about politics either so I wasn't alone. We were cracking up about how every politician has the same hand gestures and they always comment about how amazing and beautiful their wife is. And the background music to their videos literally sound like an intense movie trailer. In one of the Governor's speeches he just yelled, "Texas! Texas! Texas!!!" It was awesome.

As cheesy as some of it was, it made me so happy to be a part of Texas history. If you don't know me very well you should know that I'm pretty obsessed with Texas. Like, I don't ever want to leave. If my children aren't born here I will be sad. If Texas secedes, I will support.

You get the picture.

Miss Texas (rodeo) was walking around in her get up, I saw a couple of bow ties that looked like Texas flags and I witnessed a few professional two stepping couples all of which made me oddly happy. My loyalty to this state is somewhat ridiculous but makes complete sense to me.

Preston always jokes about how he looks "chinese" in every picture so I couldn't help but notice how HUGE my eyes look compared to his eyes!! (Yes, I'm aware that my eyeballs are massive and stick out of my eye sockets)

Enjoy your beautiful day no matter what part of the country you may be in!

"The stars at night are big and bright....deep in the heart of Texas!"

Chasing Pavements

Do you ever hear a song and think, "oh I want to download this when I get home." Then you get home and can't remember for the life of you what song you were talking about? Well, this has been going on for about a few months with Adele's song "Chasing Pavements." Ugh, I love it! And I FINALLY remembered what song I had been wanting to download. Yes, this is how my brain works maybe I'm alone in this but who knows?

In other news, life is weird. Good, but weird. You know when you're little and you think everything is peachy keen. You don't have to worry about the weird random stuff that adult's have to worry about. Bills, relationships, failure, vulnerability, conflict, economies. I've had a weird past 2 weeks with the cherry on top from today's happenings. Apparently, mentioning a boy on the blog is the official kiss of death. Ok so I'm being a little dramatic but it was a mutual decision that we both are from completely(!) different families which results in a lot of differing views about core values and beliefs. It makes me want to put on my jellies, crimp my hair and eat ice cream like all is well with the world and no one will disappoint or hurt me.

I am so controlling that I seriously think I will somehow be able to avoid vulnerability altogether until I meet my husband. I'm realizing, umm that's impossible unfortunately. If it is possible, let me know but so far arranged marriages is the only logical solution. Bummer.

No, but seriously the next time I mention a boy on the blog it will be an engagement announcement because otherwise I would have to be vulnerable enough to mention how I'm feeling and that's just absurd! (kidding, of course)

*****self pity ends....here.

When things don't go my way and I cry about it, luckily I have friends who empathize while also encouraging me which makes me SO thankful. Like, SO thankful. Without friends, I'd be in a world of hurt!! So to that, I say thanks! =)

Awesome & Awkward

Awesome

-my mint colored nail polish
-the way God works
-my mom offering to come in town for mani-pedi's when i've had a weird week
-Kona grill's margharita pizza omg, i couldn't stop eating
-Bob Marley
-stores in SA that are in Austin that make me feel like I'm in Austin aka Whole Earth Provision
-this dress
-TCBY's reese's peanut butter cup topping. thank you for not freezing your peanut butter cups and only using fresh ones. seriously, thanks.
-The Message Bible
-encouraging phone calls from my big brother, Ashton
-my niece feeding hunter his brownie a la mode. it became brownie a la hunter's pants. oh and then after getting ice cream and brownie all over him she tooted in his lap.

Awkward

-a girl my age using a check. really? a check? you still use those?
-a guy shaking my hand for too long while asking me out in front of his grandma. i can't even make this stuff up
-trying to get my apartment key out of the little pocket inside my shorts when my neighbor comes out just as it looks like I'm digging around in my pants
-waiting on a party who has someone presenting something. do you know what i mean? i have to sneak in and whisper, "ma'am would you like some more water?" so embarrassing!
-a customer who remembered what I was wearing on NYE and openly admitted it
-carding people and they quickly respond, "ugh yeah I'm 25." sorry! it's my job, lady.

1800's

It's been about a month or so since I last posted and man, has a lot happened in the past month!

Remember the family that brought their son in to the restaurant so we could meet? Well, it turns out we really like each other. Funny, huh? It definitely makes for a great story! His parents are completely normal, if you were wondering what kind of people would drag their son into a restaurant to meet the waitress. We all giggle about it now. His name is Hunter and one of the first times we hung out he said, "All I own are cowboy boots, I really should buy some different shoes." He played tennis at Auburn which by the way he got to go to the game last night...did you see the game!? Ugh, so stressful and exciting!! I'm so glad he got to witness his alum first hand winning a national championship.

I am still working at the restaurant but the hours are starting to really take a toll on me physically, mentally and socially. I'm at home by myself all day in a 1 bedroom apartment while everyone is at work, then I go to work while everyone else is playing and having fun. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to fix this problem but something has to be fixed! I'm a people person and don't like working 5 nights a week...

In other news, I'm running a half marathon at the end of March with Kim Leedy! If you follow her blog, she just posted about how she is going to donate to Susan G. Komen in honor of her Uncle. I plan on raising money as well in honor of people in the past who have been affected by breast cancer. Yesterday I started my training off with a 2.5 mile run. Today, it will be a 3 mile run which I'm not too worried about. I'm super excited to have a goal and knock out this big goal in March! I have never ran in an organized race so this will be really exciting on so many levels.

My manager said to me, "I think you were supposed to be born in the 1800's or something." This was after I told him that I got a sewing machine for Christmas(!) and my co-worker's love to poke fun at how conservative/old school I am. I can't help it if I love Frank Sinatra, record player's, sewing, blogging, reading and all that good stuff. Ok, so maybe I was supposed to be born in the 1950's....sometimes I wonder but regardless my co-worker's got a really good laugh at how excited I was about my sewing machine. Umm, hello now I can start sewing fabulous things like this:
All of the images were taken from Anna Maria Horner's blog. Check it out! She has amazing fabric and sewing patterns. I can't wait to start sewing!! And if anything I make comes out half as fabulous as the things in these pictures then I will be really impressed with myself.

I'm on day 2 of 1/2 marathon training and it's 36 degrees outside. Yikes! Enjoy your beautiful day however cold it might be outside!!

Zach Galifinakis

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Sean Penn from Between Two Ferns


One of the many reasons I love Zach Galifianakis. Need I say more?

Cheap Home Remedy

I love anything and everything all natural, holistic and well let's be honest, cheap. For some reason, I've had weird bumps/acne on my chin for awhile now. It's not very noticeable but still so annoying to not have a clear face. I went to the dermatologist but the face wash they prescribed me was so expensive that I would have to ration my face wash for a year or sell my left arm. And, I like avoiding taking any kind of medication at all. That's another fun fact about me that I didn't put on my 100 things. My sister-in-law thinks I'm crazy but in my head it makes sense. Anywayssss....

I was at the nail place and my nail lady was so cute and talkative! I love when you go to get your nails done and they always say, "you need eyebrow wax?" Um, no I don't but thanks for noticing! Atleast they don't say something like, "you need lip wax?" That would be where I would draw the line and not think it's cute/funny that they notice my flaws. Ok, back on track. So, my nail lady willingly started addressing the irritation and bumps on my skin. According to her, if you puncture a clear Vitamin E pill and put the clear gel from the pill on your face, then it will clear up your skin. I have done this remedy for only two nights and it has proven true! I can't believe it is starting to clear up my skin that I've been trying to fix for so long now. It is also supposed to clear up scars that you might have on your face or anywhere else, too.

$5 vitamin E pills vs. $200 face wash

Meagan 1 Face Wash Company 0

Stickittothemandiosis.

Mother-in-Law

I love working in a restaurant. There is literally never a dull moment. Ever. This new job has only proven my point to be more true and I love it! My managers are great because they create a laid back environment that isn't stressful. I don't do very well with stress which is why I own a snow cone stand. Only a few people get mean in a snow cone line and to those people I say, "really?"

Apparently, last week I unknowingly got a tattoo on my forehead that says: You should try to set me up with your son/I would make an awesome daughter-in-law. Not one, not two but three customers have made a comment about their sons. One of my favorite couples actually brought their son in, knowing that I would be working! Hilarious. This couple is really sweet and their son was a great sport about the whole thing. It was to say the least very funny and luckily we were both able to laugh it off. Their son is my age and seems really nice so I might hang out with him and his friends in the future. I have some funny stories of how I have met friends, but that one will definitely take the cake if we become friends. Another customer was asking me if I was single and wanted to know when I was working the week of Thanksgiving so she could send in her two single sons (26 and 31) to meet me. I think the words, "take your pick" were used. I have no idea what my thing is with mother's but they love me! Nothing like a backhanded confidence booster from mom's looking out for their sons. It's flattering and extremely entertaining for my manager's and co-workers. win win.

In other restaurant news, I waited on Robert Horry Monday night. It was crazy! He sat down and I knew he looked familiar but I had no idea if I was just making it up in my head. He was SO nice and tipped well so that was exciting to meet a professional basketball player! Go Spurs Go.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving...yay! Someone was saying how they don't like Thanksgiving...what in the world? Who doesn't like to eat a ton of food, hang out with your family, take naps and watch football? I usually don't eat the turkey because I want to save room for all of the sides. haha My mom's potato casserole is well, divine. Potatoes, cheese, butter and corn flakes. I'm going to attempt to make a pecan pie from scratch. Wish me luck! I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of love and calories. Oh and don't forget your "thanksgiving pants!!!"

awkward

I just saw a super cute blog that does an "awesome and awkward" list once a week and so I think I'm going to do it, too. But probably not once a week considering I post about once every two weeks. Oh and my reaction to things that aren't that great (i.e. my wallet getting stolen) is usually "awesome" in a sarcastic tone so if some of my awesome's don't make sense, that's probably why.

Awesome
-my ability to procrastinate...I should seriously be able to put it on my resume next to my impressive microsoft suite skills (microsoft word? pfff I'm basically a pro. why did I have a hard time finding a job?)
-the fact that my brother has never made a resume and he's almost 29
-texas actually winning a football game
-those thick black leggings you wear with boots and baggy t-shirts/sweaters...life changing moment. it's like you're not wearing pants well I guess because you aren't wearing pants but seriously, way more comfortable than my jeans and a t-shirt. so now i'm kind of trendy but SO comfortable. win win.
-forgetting to buy toilet paper...and realizing it just as you wake up
-my manager giving me the day before and after thanksgiving off
-2 stepping at a Josh Abbott concert with the really cute guy you made eye contact with earlier in the night
-shopping at forever 21...is 3 times in one week too much? maybe.


Awkward
-when older women wear those black leggings with a shirt that doesn't cover their butt
-people clapping in church at in opportune times
-a co-worker wearing a shirt that says "I support single moms" with an outline of a stripper
-abilene/monroe commercials
-ushers at church wearing vests
-soccer mom rolling down her window and yelling at the guy that cut her off then having to witness her tailing the guy through a parking lot.
-trying to communicate with spanish speaking bus boys. i can't tell if i'm talking to them like they're deaf.
-4 way stops when I'm running...are they letting me go? i can't tell, and i don't want to get hit by that car. oh, i think they're letting me go, oh nope! just kidding. i'll just stand here and act like i just got a text.
-when i tell people i went to acu and they ask me if i know someone. awkward because i kind of only know people that were in club...more like "embarrassed" because i didn't branch out.
-negative political ads. yeeesh. can't we all just get along?

Quick Update

Here a few quick updates about my life lately.

-I moved to San Antonio last week and really like it! I am living with Jessica Jennings in Alamo Heights which is the equivalent to Tarry Town in Austin. Super cute old charming houses. Ugh, I love it!

-I have started running almost everyday since I got here. One day I jogged 5.5 miles straight...no stopping! This is a huge personal best for me. Like I said earlier, I have always hated running but I'm really starting to like it. We will see how much I like it when it's 40 degrees outside. Yesterday I mapped out a run through the really nice houses so I'm excited to do that today. Maybe I will take pictures of some of the houses without being super creepy. (not when I'm running but just randomly one day haha)

-I started a new job last week at a nice restaurant called Barbaresco. All of the server's are older and mostly men so you know what that means! Not a lot of drama...it's awesome.

-Last night, I met up with some friends and we went to the Alamo Drafthouse and watched the Wedding Singer. If you have never been to a drafthouse, they have a table in front of your chairs so you can eat and drink while watching the movie. The Wedding Singer was a quote and sing-a-long night so they would have the lyrics on the screen to sing with Adam Sandler. Oh and right before the scene where the old lady pays him in meatballs, they passed out meatballs to everyone in the theater and we had to eat it with our hands. haha It was so fun!

-Last week while working at a bat mizvah, I was helping the event planner get ready for the party and we figured out her sister ran cross country at ACU! We talked for awhile and she told me about how she does corporate Christmas decorating for companies and she asked me to help her out so I am going this Saturday for my first job. This will be a great way to make some extra cash on the side. I'm excited to see how she runs her business!

These pictures have something to do with my to-do list today.

100 Things

Here are 100 fun facts about me. Enjoy!

1. An authentic record player is a MUST when I get my own home and family.

2. I loved troll dolls as a kid.

3. I want to eventually learn how to re-upholster furniture really well because my grandmother knew how to re-upholster.

4. The scientist by coldplay is the only song that makes me sad about a past relationship. "Nobody said it was easy, it's such a shame for us to part."

5. Cowboy boots make me swoon. Like, SWOON.

6. One of my all-time favorite places in the world is Aaron's farm house porch, listening to the record player and talking about life.

7. I'm abnormally paranoid.

8. I can't stand having lotion on my body!

9. I use all natural deodorant, toothpaste, mouth wash and soap and hope to eventually use all natural face wash, shampoo and laundry detergent. When I say all-natural, I mean I know the lady who makes it at her house.

10. I'm a hell bent 100% Texan 'til I die.

11. I'm in a Pat Green music video.

12. I did ballet, tap and jazz when I was little and loved it!

13. The only fast food I crave is Chick-fil-A. What the heck do they put in those fries???

14. Grey is my absolute new favorite color...for design that is.

15. My 9th grade boyfriend told me, "you're really cute but your arms are kind of fat" so ever since then I've HATED my arms.

16. I rarely ever drink cokes. I'm an ice water kind of girl.

17. I like Elizabeth on The View.

18. I think me and Amy on the Bobby Bones show would be besties.

19. I can't wait to have a house of my own to decorate.

20. I've never lived outside of Texas.

21. I once waited on Cory Morrow and his girl friend at Janie and Jack.

22. My favorite job has been at a golf course in Round Rock as the cart girl. Driving a golf cart around listening to music on my ipod making great money = best job ever.

23. I was a vegetarian for a month but couldn't give up bar-b-q.

24. After going to Africa, I decided I never wanted to drive a luxury car. Not that I judge people who do, but I just feel like it's a completely unnecessary expense.

25. I've coached 2 elementary and 1 junior high volleyball team.

26. The older I get, the more precious my friends become. I love my friends!

27. I sometimes get social anxiety in big groups.

28. Anytime my throat feels sore, I go to Jamba Juice and get "boosts" in my smoothie. Works every time...I guarantee it.

29. I want to live a simple life.

30. I have no interest in politics.

31. I don't have cable and hardly watch tv because I watched it SO MUCH in college.

32. I love Bobby Flay....especially "throw down with Bobby Flay."

33. Patrick Dempsy's hair is so dreamy/sexy.

34. Whoever invented truck nuts should be kicked well...in the nuts.

35. I have grown more in the past year and half than I have in the past 6 years.

36. I love my perfume, Chance Chanel.

37. I really liked having a short "bob" haircut and always got a lot of compliments in college but I like curling my hair so it's long for now.

38. I was the captain of my volleyball team in high school.

39. My austin sports and social sand volleyball team won the league last year.

40. I lalalalove decorating blogs, photography websites and wedding blogs. Oncewed, design sponge and little green notebook..yes, please.

41. I loved tweety bird as a kid.

42. I want to learn how to sew.

43. If I could be any character in any movie it would be Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line OR Allie in The Notebook. I can't decide.

44. If you ever want me to completely write you off wear affliction, man jewelry and visors. Automatic N-O.

45. Visors, seriously one of my biggest pet peeves.

46. I don't really like dogs...at all. haha The main reason I don't like them is when they smell bad or jump on you.

47. I have had SO many lunch dates at Jason's Deli.

48. I grew up going to my grandparents house in the country. I love the simplicity of the farm life.

49. Another must for when I have a family is to have my own garden and peach tree in my back yard.

50. I'm not very domestic but I would love to be a stay at home mom. I have a lot of learning to do!

51. Sometimes if I'm feeling crazy, I will order an Arnold Palmer instead of a water.

52. I rate restaurants on how good their bread is. Johnny Carino's A+

53. I co-own a snow cone stand with my brother and absolutely love it.

54. I want my kids to have really southern names like Stetson or Rhett.

55. I love being the baby girl in the family.

56. I'm so lucky to have extremely supportive and helpful parents who love me to death!

57. Large, expensive, obnoxious church building's make me really uncomfortable.

58. Donald Miller is my favorite author.

59. I'm learning that God wants a relationship not a religious, ritualistic church-goer.

60. I hate when people aren't real and honest. Please don't try to act like you have it all together because you aren't fooling me!

61. When I was little, I thought midgets lived in stop lights and controlled the lights manually.

62. The best song to work out to is A-Punk by Vampire Weekend. I seriously start pumping my arms in the air and bob my head side to side. HEY HEY HEY!

63. My brother Aaron and I have countless inside jokes. We sometimes converse in inside jokes/movie quotes.

64. I love Austin Stone and the way it has changed the way I look at church.

65. 2 stepping is so fun, but I'm horrible at it!!

66. I've danced the night away with friends about 5 or 6 different times in the past few months.

67. I love my life right now and I'm really trying to soak in/cherish all the freedom and time I have for myself.

68. Having kids is a terrifying thought.

69. Was the summer of '69 really the best days of your life?

70. I'm going to be late to my funeral with a sign on the casket that says "I'll be there in 2 seconds!!"

71. My nephew is cooler than your nephew.

72. I'm on the search for a good looking guy who loves the Lord who sometimes wears cowboy boots who wants a stay at home housewife who will love him like crazy. Is that so much to ask?

73. I can't even watch movies with affairs in them...it breaks my heart too much!

74. I have never understood why women smoke cigarettes, it ages you SO fast!!

75. I have white water rafted down the Nile River.

76. Running has always been such a pain to me until recently, I'm starting to kind of like it.

77. A green apple and peanut butter = perfection

78. I overuse exclamation points!!!

79. I love anything and everything from J. Crew. So classy....

80. I never watch the news because it's so depressing.

81. If I could have one song playing in my head ALL the time it would be sweet disposition by Temper Trap. It used to be beautiful day by U2.

82. I hate disappointing people, I'm a total people pleaser.

83. It's always sunny in philadelphia is a hilarious show but entirely too inappropriate.

84. Is the hokey pokey what it's all about?

85. When someone cries, I automatically start crying. I'm such a softy like my dad and mom for that matter.

86. I love naps and probably spent half of my freshman year in college napping.

87. Everyone in my family has an entrepreneurial spirit.

88.George Strait's song, Amarillo by Morning describes my life perfectly. "I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine. I ain't rich, but Lord I'm free."

89. I bleed burnt orange (even when they're sucking). Hook 'em!!!

90. My nickname in high school was Hiney.

91. I had a solo my senior year in Les Miserables.

92. The role I was playing in Les Miserables was lovely lady #1 which is the private school way of saying prostitute #1.

93. I was born in Amarillo.

94. I've never broken a bone or been stung by a bee.

95. If I could eat pizza everyday, I seriously would.

96. I love foot massages.

97. I dislike Dallas for multiple reasons.

98. My friends say I sleep like a vampire. Arms crossed, on my back, with the covers all the way to my chin.

99. Creamy jalapeno from Chuy's is divine.

100. I have received 4 warning tickets in the past year and a half. Batting my eyes at the officer with a sweet smile and apology does the trick apparently..."I'm SO sorry!"

Born in the U.S.A.

I have been feeling extra patriotic the past week or so for two reasons.

Patriotism #1: I was Wendy Peffercorn for Halloween. One of the most classic American movies centered around America's favorite past time.

Patriotism #2: I attended Rick Perry's election watch party at a ranch wearing cowboy boots. I love Texas.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to prove it but I was definitely there. Oh and I don't know anything about politics but I went because I was invited and I'm glad I went because it was fun! Now go listen to Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen...you won't regret it.

Halloween Monsters

In honor of Halloween, I involuntarily signed up to babysit monsters residing in the 6th grade in Austin, Texas. Friday (the 29th) was my first sub job of the year and to say that it was eventful is, well, a HUGE understatement. Let me just start from the beginning.

When I mapquested the location of the school, I quickly realized I might be in for more of a challenge than I thought. I have heard many people say that it can be difficult dealing with children from extremely low income areas because they have behavior issues due to their inattentive home life. Of course, that's not the case with every child but it's hard when the children aren't getting attention or support from home and they aren't held accountable for their behavior. So, this is when it gets fun. I got to the school in the morning and had to have the janitor open up my classroom door for me. As we were walking to the classroom, the janitor laughed and said, "you have the 6th graders? oh, they are going to be horrible!" Or something to that effect. Hoping it was just a crazy janitor talking, I blew it off as not a big deal. Then, the teacher whose portable was connected to mine came over and told me the class was absolutely horrible and that I was going to have a really difficult day. Awesome, I thought. This is going to be interesting. Then, I went to go pick up the monsters from the cafeteria and as we were waiting a teacher pulled me aside and told me the same thing. This class is absolutely horrible and tried to give me a few pointers but basically just said, "good luck!" with a smile. THEN during the assembly, the principal calls out the 6th grade class and tells them that if she hears any bad reports from me that she would be extremely upset. A shout out/threat...from the principal...in front of the entire school...about how bad they are. I mean, how bad could could it possibly be? I'm sure these people are just burnt out and are being dramatic. HA!

Here I was, a young, blond substitute about to enter the wrath of 11 year old monsters.

I made a fool of myself from the very beginning trying to call role. If you ever sub, make sure you go over the role before you are saying it in front of the class. There was a lot of literal spelling that sounds like it looks. You know how you get frustrated with spelling rules when you are young and you wished everything was spelled like it looks? Well, these parents rebelled against ALL spelling rules and regulations. Trynadei pronounced Trinity...yes.

I had been forewarned about one particular child and the beginning of the class was rough but not terrible. Unfortunately, one of the other boys started taunting him so he decided to start flicking him and the whole class off, threatening to beat him up and using extremely colorful language. During the first test (she left 4 tests...who knows), the adjoining teacher next to me told me to let the 2 little girls who couldn't speak a lick of english get on the computer to play games. I thought for sure they'd be playing educational games to help them learn english. Nope, just games...for 3 hours. Oh and during the reading test, the really really really bad kid is at a 1st grade reading level so they let him skip the test and play games, too. But of course instead of playing games he got on youtube and was looking at inappropriate rap videos with half naked women. Really?

All day the kids were talking, throwing things, getting up out of their seat and doing whatever the heck they felt like doing. When a kid doesn't blink at the idea of having to go to the office, what am I supposed to do/say to make him stop? Luckily, the day slowly came to the end and they were on their way to "specials" when one of the other boys decided to call 9-1-1 from our classroom. All of these things were happening just as I would turn around after getting onto other children who were misbehaving. Obviously I'm not letting children watch rap videos and call people with me standing there witnessing it. For the first time in my life, I was summoned to the principal's office and the principal was literally interrogating the child and using military tactics to make him confess. "I DO NOT LIKE LIARS!!! YOU BETTER NOT BE LYING TO ME!!!!!" She acted like a drill sergeant and I ws so uncomfortable.

I really never raised my voice or got stressed out all day because it made me sad to think that these kids are most likely getting yelled at at home, too. I know there is a better way to reach a child but it's hard when there are 20 other kids acting up as well. It made me realize there is a HUGE need for children to having mentors and role models especially in that environment. Most of those kids only have one parent at home and aren't taught a lot of things that should be taught to children. Overall, it was a crazyyyy day but I survived (!) and now I see every other sub job as extremely easy.

Who knew Halloween was going to come 2 days early?

Sigma Theta Chi

*****Disclaimer*****

If the thought of Sigma Theta makes you sick, don't keep reading.

I did something very symbolic tonight. It's a story for another blog but the guy I was dating this summer (homeslice and fredricksburg man) is no longer the person I'm dating but a good guy friend instead. It's a pretty sweet set-up if you ask me...we are still friends and we still hang out. He is awesome! For many, many reason's but especially awesome tonight. First, he came to my elementary volleyball game and then we hung out after our community group from church. When we dated, I always joked about how I needed to take off the EOX from the back of my car. He would jokingly reply with how we needed to have a ceremony or a formal dismissing of my past college memories. He realized that getting rid of something permanent like that needs a formal good bye. He was half joking of course but the other half was kind of serious because I think he knew there was a reason I still had my EOX sticker there. So, tonight he surprised me after Amy's ice cream with a razor and goo gone to officially get rid of my Siggie sticker and take a big girl step into the real world. =)

It's not that I purposefully kept it on there so I could live in the past but I subtly never made an effort to take it off. As much mess as I talk about that silly club, I love it. Tonight in the car ride home, I found myself reflecting back on Siggies and remembering all of the sweet memories I made with some people that I have grown to really love and respect.

I'll never (ever) forget the day in chapel that I nervously awaited for 30 minutes to slowly creep by so I could take the long and painful walk from Moody to the campus center to pick up my "packet." In the packet, there was a piece of paper that would forever change my college experience, the way I looked at the color yellow and the way I viewed my friends. After weeks of rushing, waiting, hoping and wishing I finally found out that I would get the chance to one day become an official member of Sigma Theta Chi.

But not so fast.

We first had to go through 6 weeks of panty hose wearing, sing song loving, siggie star performing initiation to appreciate the yellow and white pride. If it wasn't for those 6 weeks, I wouldn't be sitting here writing to you with a full heart about all those great times in club. Wearing the jersey for the first time in school, singing the secret song at the pass the key, placing the EOX sticker on your car and hearing the phrase "the women of sigma theta chi" at sing song wouldn't have been nearly as fun if we didn't have to first go through all of the traditions of being a pledge.

Thinking back on all of the friends I made because of Siggies is overwhelming. What would my college experience been like had I not done club? Being able to trace back those friendships specifically through Siggies makes me love the color yellow even more. I'm not afraid to admit that I loved Siggies more than I led people to believe. I'm sad to see the sticker go but I feel like the cheesy formal good bye (aka singing all of the songs to myself on the way home) was a very necessary process in the growing up phase of my life. This past year has been a year of growth, appreciation, love, trials, disappointments and happiness and I'm so glad that I have my siggie "sister's" on the other end of the phone supporting me 100% of the way no matter what!

"Our love will stay strong in this club we belong, Sigma Theta Chi."