on summer (finally)...

**Advice is at the bottom if you don't care about my boring life**
I'm so so so so sorry for not updating in almost TWO MONTHS!
I've just been crazy busy with finals/preparing for finals/not really having anything other than priorities and studying to blog about. I haven't even been able to bake since Easter, and my Easter baking only consisted of dipping some delicious little Peep Chicks in melted chocolate. :(

Buuuuuut, there are some exciting things going on!

1. It's finally SUMMER TIME! And for the first time since I was a junior in high school I'm not working and taking summer school. But those classes don't start for another week or so, so I've been free to roam around town (which is not as exciting as it sounds) and have been able to get some things done that I've been wanting to do!

2. I'm three days away from my four year anniversary with the best boyfriend in the world!

3. And the said boyfriend's older sister, a great friend of mine, is getting married to the love of her life.

4. And I finally have time to read... I have quite the pile of books that are screaming my name.

To start off I got a few things done.... I got my freshman year scrapbook done. Here are a few pages to see the handy work on my second scrapbook. X / X This really didn't take me very long to actually do... it was buying the materials and ordering the pictures that had me unmotivated to even think about starting this project, but once I got going and started getting crafty, the scrapbook was done and I wish I could make my next one now!
Also I got two shadow box collages done. One is of Austin and I over the past four years, and the other is of my first year doing Student Bonfire. My first attempt at these collages.

On Wednesday the 25th, me and Austin will be celebrating our four year anniversary. We went from starting our relationship as a freshman and sophomore in high school, and now we're celebrating as a freshman and sophomore in college (well, we're a sophomore and junior TECHNICALLY, but it's the thought that counts!). An example of what the two of us do best. But, you can't forget the "I love you more" argument. X / X.

And of course, it wouldn't be polite of me to post pictures of Savanah and her fiancée (even though they are the cutest couple in the world), but I definitely can't keep this out of what is exciting about the summer. It's going to be an absolutely beautiful country wedding with two wonderful families coming together. Not to mention I LOVE weddings.

And last but not least: My summer reading list. ;)

I have some advice, as always.


1. For the girls who are are dreading the departure of their older boyfriend going to college: Enjoy the freaking summer. Spend as much time as you can together and worry about him going away in August. Being happy now will make it easier to be happy later. If you are going to make yourself absolutely miserable, then you will be. **I was this girl two summers ago** My boyfriend went off to college while I was stuck in high school... I made myself miserable and guess what? I was making him miserable too. Just have fun and enjoy the time you do have together and then be a big girl and trust and love your boyfriend, not only that but be proud that you have an ambitious boyfriend with goals and dreams. And know that if he's still with you, you're apart of those dreams too. ;) 

being blessed

As most of you know, I'm blessed to have my boyfriend of almost four years in my life. He's by my side every single day now that we're at Texas A&M University together (he's a sophomore, I'm a freshman) and I couldn't imagine our relationship any other way. But unlike us, I have many friends who aren't as blessed to have their loved one by their side everyday and I want to take a moment to talk about them.

I have two very close friends who have their loved ones in the army. One is a husband and a father, and the other is a boyfriend and a life long friend of the love of his life.

The dedication and love that these couples share with their loved ones is out of this world. I admire these couples for the trust and patriotism they posses, giving their husband and boyfriend to the US Army to serve our country. These are real men and they deserve to be recognized, not only that, they deserve to be recognized for how blessed they are to have women in their lives that are willing to wait for them and are proud of them.

These couples, along with any military couple, deserve to live the happiest of lives when their tours overseas are over, and they deserve to be treated like the real men and women they are.
I'm proud to call these women my friends and I'm there for them when they need a shoulder to cry on, or need someone to help them with an anniversary dinner. I admire these couples and wish the best for them and their loved ones.

One day, I told one of these women that I don't think I could handle Austin being in the army. She just said in reply, "If you love him, you could." 

on giving back

This past weekend I had the opportunity to be apart of an event called Relay for Life. It was a twelve hour event that had so many things to do, my head it still spinning.

They had multiple sports contests, a relay, a 42 tournament, a track to take laps on (someone in your team was supposed to be walking the entire night, and it was a great way to catch up with some friends if you've been busy), there was a HILARIOUS Miss Relay Pageant that was one of the best things that took place, a zumba dance party and multiple entertainers came and performed such as Gatlin Elms, a band formed out of Houston, and Sleeper Star (among others).

There was a very touching ceremony that opened up the Relay and it was amazing to see survivors from 20+ years ago, and also to see peers my age who were survivors as well. If you ever have the opportunity to take part in this event, or an event like it, definitely go for it. It's always for a good cause and you know you will have a good time.

Just go to you school's website and I'm sure you can find a list of events such as these to be apart of. :)

on the rodeo

Now, if you don't/never have lived in any place where there are Rodeos it'll be hard to have a visual of what I'm talking about. :)

I went to the Houston Rodeo last night with a really good friend of mine. She had made plans with someone else to see Brad Paisley, but fortunately for me she bailed so I got to go see one of my favorite country singers. ;)

There are a couple of things that I want to address though...

1. Leave really freaking early. If you're planning on attending the rodeo for any reason whatsoever (livestock show, carnival or concert) plan on leaving pretty early. The traffic is horrible and so is looking for parking and walking. Me and Krystina were stuck in traffic for an hour and it took us another thirty or forty-five minutes to find parking. At that point we just paid a little shuttle golf cart to take us to Reliant Stadium cutting out the forty-five minute walk it would have taken us from cash parking. So, go ahead and leave two/three hours earlier than the rodeo is actually supposed to start.

2. When you shop, take your time. The prices of the popular, rodeo-only season items such as studded belts, belt buckles and just about any kind of country cowgirl queen clothing is crazy expensive (TWO BAR WEST!). And that makes sense because girls like me will willingly pay $100 for a cow hide studded belt. But, seriously, look around at all of the booths and set a limit on how much you want to buy. It can drain your bank account easily. So look around and go back for the things that catch your eye and you absolutely need to have. :)

On a side note: Brad Paisley was fantastic and I sung along loudly to almost all of the songs!
And there was a couple sitting in the seats directly in front of us. They were fairly young and the woman was pregnant (the super cute, petite early second trimester kind of pregnant) and when Brad Paisley was singing one of his best songs (in my opinion! Also it's my favorite love song he's written) "Then" the boyfriend/husband had his hand on her little belly and was singing the song into his wife/girlfriend's ear and she started crying. So naturally I started to cry a little as well.

I'm just a big fat sucker for romance!

on family

This last week I got to spend time with family I hadn't seen in about four years. That means they haven't seen me since my freshman year of high school, and if you knew me then, you would know I not only am a completely different person, but I am also a completely different looking person!

This won't really be an advice post, but more like a look into my life for once. It's hard to give advice on family since each and every person's family is so different.

I was picked up by my cousin Erica and her daughter Taylor. I hadn't seen either of them in forever. Taylor is only a year younger than me, but we've always been incredibly close.

One of the highlights of the trip were getting to meet my two younger (second) cousins. Hannah is five, and yes I "met" her when she was about six months old, she didn't interact much so seeing her again was like meeting a whole new person. And Molly is three and completely adorable. Below is me with the girls and my cousin Cheri on my grandmother's boat in Florida. They were a handful, but completely adorable.

I spent a lot of time with the girls since I stayed at their house, but I didn't mind. I legitimately enjoyed helping them get ready for daycare in the morning and getting them ready for bed at night. I just love kids. :)

The last day was spent down at the beach and it was pretty interesting. We got a hotel room closer to JAX, since my family lived pretty far from the airport, and just enjoyed my last day there. It was awesome. :)

I miss them already and can't wait to go back!

I should be driving back up there with my mom and my brother's family in April for my great aunt's birthday. So hopefully I'll be seeing everyone again!

on dorm rooms

I, personally, cannot wait to FINALLY move into my apartment (which I will be sharing with three great friends) for many many many many reasons.

Some people may not agree with me (like my boyfriend who plans on living on campus all four years), but many of you lovely ladies may agree with me.

Here are my reasons:

1. I won't have a roommate I know. I got really lucky when I got such a great roommate (Thanks Bailey), but she will be living off campus next year and I don't have anyone that would be available to live with me in my dorm. I don't want to got pot luck and get a bad roommate. Like I said before, I got really really lucky with my roommate.

2. My closet is minuscule. I don't even have enough drawer space for my clothes, let alone hanging space. And that also leaves me with little-to-no space for my shoes. I'm a girl. I have a lot of clothes and shoes. I can't help that I want and need more space.

3. With that said, my room isn't big enough either. I believe the dimensions of my room are somewhere around 11 x 14 ft. And that includes both my roommate and my beds, along with our desks, our sink and cabinets, and our closets. It can be pretty cramped. We don't even have space for our TV without giving up one of our desks.

4. I have to walk up and down four flights of stairs to do laundry. Need I say more?

In my apartment, not only do I have my own room and bathroom, but I have a large closet, a laundry room AND MY OWN KITCHEN. 

Oh, I know that that sounds like a stereotypical woman thing to say but I love to cook and bake. And, yes, my dorm has one but it's tiny and the appliances are ancient and it's diiiiirty. I would rather have a kitchen that has my own appliances and I don't have to lug my supplies up and down all the stairs that I mentioned before, let alone risk them getting stolen because I leave them in storage in the kitchen.

***DISCLAIMER***: Living on campus you're first year is a great idea. You get to be on campus and close, and you also don't have to worry about going out getting groceries, etc. if you don't like to cook. Also, living on campus can make you appreciate your personal space more, and that can lead to being more responsible once you do sign a lease on an apartment/house later.

Of course, that's my two cents.

on airports

Well, to start, apparently you're supposed to take your laptop out of your backpack when you go through the TSA thing. Because if you don't, people freak out. Maybe I'm a terrorist in disguise; I don't know.

I get here SUPER early (the required two hours because I try and be punctual) and now I'm sitting here with only 45 minutes of free wifi. I was going to play a game of League of Legends to pass the time like a nerd, but now I can't. :(

I'm sure I'll have a nice long flight to rant about later considering flying is probably my least favorite, but most encountered, pastime.

Here are some of my flight tips.

1. Bring a backpack full of goodies. I brought my laptop, DS, iPhone (on airplane mode!), Nook and bought like three magazines and a sudoku book. I mean, I'm going to be cooped up in this airplane surrounded by people I don't know. That means I need a lot to do to make sure I don't get creeped out/on and make the three hours of torture bearable.

2. Bring your own food/snacks. That way I'm not subject to any fees, and I get to snack on whatever I like. I also buy bottled water to bring in with me so I don't have to deal with a little cup that will spill every time we manage to hit any kind of turbulence.