Night Owl

I told myself this break I would be getting my rest, working out, and catching up with my family and friends. Well I have a week left and I have been averaging about 6-7 hours of sleep a night, working at Miss Sallie's instead of working out, and mostly being lazy when I'm at home consuming my time with Pinterest and television = watching House or football and thinking about the things I could make from Pinterest. I've really enjoyed this Christmas break because...

I've gotten closer to my friend Cassey Janak (no relation to Courtney) who is the athletic trainer at the high school and 2 school grades my elder.

I went on my 1st duck hunt with my guy friends in Matagorda. Thank the Lord for safety and their gun knowledge since my gun got jammed but we were REALLY successful!

A week later, I went on my 1st dove hunt with my dad and his buddies. I shot down 5 and had a swell time hanging out and talking with a bunch of "wise" men.

Had an amazing Christmas with both sides of the family. Santa was even kind enough to keep my subtle hints in mind and brought me a 20 gauge shotgun! Later, Big Steve traded it for a 12 gauge and got $100 back. Scott Arbuckle said I should've become the rightful owner of the Benjamin but I'll ask for it later for the horse show I'm going to do in February.

I was able to stay at my Aunt Lori & Uncle John's for a night and take Sydney (almost 15) to the El Maton dance and get the horses their shots the following day. I CANNOT BELIEVE that Santa brought me Rocket 10 YEARS AGO!!! I really miss that horse but I just don't have enough time. Hopefully I can keep him long enough for him to become my kid's horse.

I helped Mom & Dad organize a little New Year's Eve party. It turned out really great. I hope everyone had a splendid time and is having a Happy & Healthy New Year! I skipped out on the champagne toast and sang at 11 pm Mass that night.

I spoke to 8th graders at the middle school's College Day this Tuesday. I had a good time with the group I was with and got my "Growth Points" paper signed to turn in in March for when I start planning my December graduation.

I attended a beautiful rosary of an amazing lady who passed away on the 30th. Please keep Mrs. Nancy Krenek and her family in your prayers. She touched a lot of people's hearts and is continuing to as she is smiling down on us from Heaven.

And on Wednesday, I helped out St. Philip's, where Mrs. Krenek was an aide, so the faculty could attend the funeral. I got to substitute a 1st grade class. They were so cute & full of EVERYTHING! Before we went in from recess, I let them race me. I was nice and gave them a 3 second head start. I beat them. Oops.

Thursday, I helped Miss Sallie out before heading to Houston for a defensive driving class from 4-10 pm. I got a ticket in October so better late than ever to get it done before school starts the 17th and I have no time to do extra things. It was supposed to be funny but the instructor made his jokes into death jokes and it wasn't really funny. So the SIX of us caught on and started making fun of his jokes and the time went by faster. Supposedly if he would've let us out earlier than the required 6 hours, we could be fined $30,000 and his fine would be double or triple that amount!!!

Hope all is well in your neighborhood!
Gig 'em & God Bless!

Sorry I don't have pictures! I need to sync my phone...especially so y'all can see Dad's dog Harley!

Destressing at Home

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. I don't understand why people stress out about Christmas because it get blown over proportion and becomes materialistic instead of spiritual.

"Jesus is the reason for the season."

I know this sounds like the same old story everyone says now-a-days but I would like to destress while I am not in school for 4+ weeks. I do work at The Crossing and I truly enjoy helping out Miss Sallie but then I come home and want to relax, workout, do some crafty things and/or bake and I feel like there's something else for me to do with Dad, Mom or whoever. I'm okay with that...sometimes. Truthfully, I would love to chill out, not talk or text for a couple hours, play my guitar/piano, do some pinning on Pinterest, wrap some presents, and maybe sit by myself in my room (or go to church) and talk to the Lord. And I think that everyone needs at least 30 minutes of that kind of medicine a day. Some of us do it by watching t.v. or reading a book or maybe even...I don't know. I drew a blank. I don't mind helping out around the house. I know figured out why we were given chores when we were little.

You gotta learn to do it on your own some day so might as well start young!

Now, while I am not trying to sit here in my bed and complain because I've been told twice to clean my room from the tornado I brought back to EC with me, I really just want to say that I do listen. I can clean up after myself. I love coming home. I love hanging out with my parents and family and friends. I want to have a better relationship with everyone.

And how do you think I can accomplish all of the wants and loves? The Big Man Upstairs, of course!

Just a little praying and bible verse reading here and there plus some singing = strengthening my faith.

I hope that we all can strengthen our faith in Him, ourselves, families, friends, etc. I wish you all a very joyous and blessed Christmas season and you will be getting cards with cute photoshopped pictures soon! I just ask that you pray for my family members who are sick. If you ever need a prayer, shoot me a text and I would be happy to be mindful of your wish.

Gig 'em & God Bless!

P.S. An amazing Christmas CD to listen to is Peace on Earth by Casting Crowns. My favorite song on there is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Very beautiful and moving song.

P.S.S I went on my 1st Duck Hunt with 3 of my close guy friends in Matagorda. I bagged 5 redheads and one of the boys got a Canvas Back. Made me really want to ask for a Benelli shotgun from Santa! But Santa brought me neoprene waders instead...hehe



Family Love

I'm trying to become more "biblically-based." So here is a verse that I think suits my post tonight:

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience."

-Colossians 3:12
 
As most of you know, my Pawpaw Cooper has been going through a hard year of in's and out's of hospitals and doctors. The last trip to Methodist in Houston included an emergency double bypass surgery, breathing treatments, and trying to get PawPaw to eat to gain weight. The poor guy weighs a few pounds more than I do! I love him and my Meemaw to death and I appreciate the prayers that everyone sent to the good Lord for our family. He spent 3 weeks in the hospital and after numerous trips my parents and many others made, he was released to go home last week on Wednesday.
 
When Mom went to Houston to pick them up, Dad was working and I was home alone. I spent most of my Spring Break getting a tan; that is, washing cars in the driveway in my bikini top, shorts, & visor. You have to know that for most of my life I have hidden myself under big clothes and have hated bathing suits. I still do not care for sand or the beach but I have started becoming more comfortable in my own skin and last week, I released my self conscious body into the public vicinity of our driveway.
 
Back to the real story, I washed Meemaw's car for her. As I was sudsing up and rinsing it off, I prayed and thought and pondered over everything that my family member's have gone through. I often think and praise the Lord for how blest I am to have an amazing family. I also thank Him for his graciousness that He has bestowed on each person that has touched my life in a special way. And beside graciousness, I was also able to experience one of the most moving things of my life.
 
As they rolled into the driveway, I helped Pawpaw out and into the house to go to the bathroom. Everyone was exhausted and they were ready to get back home. I helped Pawpaw to the car and as Meemaw tried to discuss medications with my parents, my dad tried to get her in the car and we started to say our goodbyes. Pawpaw began to cry. He could barely talk. He was overwhelmed with gratefulness and so many more emotions that I can't explain because he was getting to go home. He thanked my Mom first, then my dad and I told him goodbye and I loved him. I held it together but let me tell you, I felt something consume me. It was powerful and I still can't explain it.
 
As we walked inside, Dad explained that they needed to get home to rest. He also said that Pawpaw thought he wasn't going to make it out of the hospital this time. I was stricken with anxiety because that's what happens when people bring death up. I do not and cannot deal with it. I'm working on it with the Big Man and it's a tough subject for me to swallow. But I can explain two things:
 
1) Prayer, in any form or fashion, is powerful.
2) Family is also a infallible force.
 
Thank you for reading this and being a part of my life. I thank you all who have made an impact in my life and continue to pray for me and my sister as we journey through our young adult lives. Thank you doctors & nurses & anyone else who has helped my family in all sorts of ways.
 
Gig 'em & God Bless!

Great Weekend

Thursday night ended my hell week. I treated myself with some beer and a movie night with Stacey Gillis. We saw The Roommate. It was not scary at all but she thought it was. After that I took her home and headed to a friends who I haven't seen in awhile to play dominoes. I eventually got my game on helped my partner come back and kick some butt!

Friday, I started my day out with a massage. I found a lady at Elements who will work my knots out and am comfortable with. I went to Academy for Aunt Rhonda to pick up Bryson some Nike golf shoes. Just in luck! Got his size and style he wanted. I headed to my only class of the day, Abnormal Psychology, at 11:30. We started learning about anxiety and stress. Just what I need to learn and understand. Afterwards, I headed out to Aubrey's (horse trainer) for a lesson. She had planned on Angie and I working on the flat and then doing a hunter course.

Working the flat is just going around the arena and she evaluates the horse's "togetherness" at each gait (walk, trot, canter). A hunter course is a course of jumps set up a certain height and the horse is judged. If I was doing equitation, I would be getting evaluated. Aubrey claims that she makes "hunters" out of all of her riders. I would have a hard time in an eq. class because my calfs are not always in line/behind the girth, my heels are not always in line with my hips, I lean forward and close the angle of my hips, and lastly, I bend my wrists and don't always keep my thumbs up.

Anyways, we didn't get to jump because Angie wanted to be a terd. So we switched saddles from a hunt seat to dressage and put some training aids on her and off we went trotting around. I scurried off home to get ready to head back to EC with Taylor Martin. After arriving home, I quickly went to say Hi to dad, who was playing poker at Scott & Terry's. Too bad I'm not a better player... I stayed there until mom arrived to greet her and eat some amazing beans until heading off to my next destination. Scott drove me in his new car to the ball park to watch his sister, Erin, scrimmage. The girls did ok but not only did they know, the alumni were going to kick their butts the next night!

Saturday, we began our morning with some awesome oatmeal and I watched some tv with dad. I went to some batting practice at the field with some alumni. Started off horrible at hitting but I picked it back up quickly. I went home and rested. Mom and dad attended a wedding and I headed off to the ball park again for the big game. 17 alumni showed up and we thought we were going to be awesome! Well we didn't but that's ok. It was a fun game and great to see everyone before Wagner retires from coaching. I went 1 for 2 with a double to right field! I caught one inning (only played 4) and now I'm getting pretty sore. We went to eat at Los Cucos after and I ate way too many chips but I tried the spinach enchiladas and they're were pretty good. Scott, Cassey, and Taylor came over when I got home to watch a movie. I love those nights.

Today, I attended mass at 10 and visited Erin and Scott before I went home to eat lunch with my family. Well Dad forgot I was at home since I didn't come straight home after church and didn't order me lunch. No worries I just shared with everyone else. Bowling Center hamburgers are amazing! Go eat there! I relaxed while my parents got ready for a funeral until I got the phone call Taylor was coming to fetch me and my stuff to travel back to Aggieland. We arrived safely back after I drove (= Happy Alexis) since he wasn't feeling too well. I went and rode and got groceries for tomorrow Anti-Valentine's Day Single Ladies Dinner!

Whoop into Fall

WH12P! I'm officially a junior! It was a hectic summer and I apologize for not updating any juicy gossip from my wonderful life. My summer was a little drab. I took Physics 1 & 2...Hissssss...and I made C's. Oh well, I wouldn't have made it through without an awesome person who is now living with Shelby & I - Courtney Janak. It's an adventure but Courtney loves it here & I love her. We tried to celebrate her 20th birthday last week with a suprise dinner but of course, it wasn't a suprise after our plans out flipped around when Courtney became a counselor for Camp for All in Burton. I'd love to join with her and work out there but I'm just taking it one week at a time because I had a roller coaster spring and summer and I feel a lot is falling into place now.

I've come to see that God is blessing me with many things that are either straight in my line of sight or right under my nose that I have to work to find. Although I am not in a relationship, God will bless me one day with a person who can love me for who I am and handle me at the same time. Although my semester may be rough, I'm learning time & money management better every day. Although I will not be working for the softball team, I am very appreciative for the knowledge & responsibilities I learned and opportunities I was able to be apart of. Although I have many hard courses left, I'm in no rush to leave Aggieland and miss out on other great opportunities. Although I miss many of my family & friends, I am learning more discipline with praying more often for all of the things I am connected to in my life.

I have also been blessed with the best thing that has happened to me in awhile - Horses. In spite of hectic life I was living in the spring, I always had a yearning deep down to learn to ride the English discipline. If you don't know, I do own a horse, Rocket, but he's with Uncle John & Aunt Lori grazing happily in their pasture. I also had Hummer, my barrel racing horse, which I do miss and hope he's doing well as he reaches his 23rd birthday. But now my soul is satisfied with the new horses in my life - Strutt & Angie.

The story goes as such: I randomly Googled something like "riding lesson instructors in College Station" and many odd websites appeared. One was a classified website where I found Aubrey. She just moved her a year ago with her husband, Ben, who is specializing in Large Animals (something) at the Vet school. She went to UF & rode on their equestrian team, western & English, and was now relocated here and giving lessons at their barn. So we e-mailed back and forth and the day finally came that I was going to have my first lesson! She was amazed of my knowledge and said that she usually has to teach her students how to tie a rope halter or the basics of grooming but no fear, I got this. So I learned the basics of tacking up Strutt, her 20-year old Quarter Horse, with an English saddle and bridle and off we went into the arena. Of course, I wear a goofy, big helmet but safety first! Oh my gosh! Not only did I learn about all of my bad habits, I had so much fun and wanted to go every day! Unfortunately, EC couldn't keep me away so I would randomly travel back & forth just for a lesson. Sorry about the gas bill, Dad!

Low and behold, I'm improving and advancing quicker than I thought. I'm pretty gun-ho about competing too. I have been to two schooling shows in Bryan. Yes, the first show I was in the Pre-Beginner (like 7 year-old kids) class but we got ribbons. But with practice, more like one day of practice, I showed September 5th in the Hunter-Jumper divisions and a Beginner flat class. I beat one of Aubrey's other students in my flat class and did good in my 2-foot jumping classes!

Soooo...this weekend is my 3rd show. I will be jumping on Strutt and showing Angie on the flat. That's all I said I wanted for my birthday but Mom & Dad are going to cook dinner Saturday night and a big group of my friends & I will go out...somewhere. Yes, I will be 21. I think I'm just looking forward to the freedom (if I choose to) to order a drink at dinner or a bar. I like to DD though so no worries, I try to make every night out, a safe night ;)

There's my update for now. I'll try to be better since I'm not good at phone calls!
I've also attached my latest lesson (last big jump) that I've had with Aubrey on Strutt. I'll try to post some pictures of Angie or the show soon! Gig 'em!

I literally forgot...

...that I had a blog. I haven't even thought about it, even when I've had time to sit down and type it all out. And it's been a month since I've posted but there is just too much to write about so I'll give y'all a few highlights. Highlights seem to be my theme on here anyway!

Mom and Dad celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary January 12th!
January 15th, I went with Cullen Zalman, Bryan Skow, and Maverick Smith to Houston to watch TK Krpec play wheelchair rugby. It was awesome and I'm glad I could be there to support him. That night, my mom's siblings and families all met up to celebrate birthdays at the American Legion Hall in Blessing. I moved back to CS the next day and mom came up that Sunday to help us get our house on track for the semester.
Although we didn't have school on Monday, we had softball practice. After the first few days of school, I became overwhelmed with my classes and I dropped my online Medical Terminlogy. I'm only taking 10 hours but Biology, it's lab, Theatre History & Public Speaking are keeping me on my toes with softball.
I had an evaluation with an Orthodontist in CS (his new office is literally 3 minutes from my house) and got braces a week later. So next time y'all see me, I'll have a smile full of metal haha. I also added a little bit of burgundy to my hair for some contrast since it's winter for a few more weeks.
I got a tutor throught the athletic advisor and I've met with her twice. She's very smart and very helpful! I'm also going to start going to A+ tutoring for my biology chapter and exam reviews.
Yesterday, I gave my first speech on Title IX, the 1972 Higher Education amendments, which prohibits the discrimination of sex in federally-funded educational institutions. I made an 82 of 100 and I'm pretty please for being as nervous as I was! My friend, Brad Staff, told me that I did really good and the teacher said students usually make C's or lower on the first speech! It made me feel better about my delivery.
Today I was very busy at practice because tomorrow is the big day! We are leaving for our first tournament in Tempe, Arizona! I can't wait and am really excited for the girls! But I have to keep on my studying because my biology exam is supposed to be Friday but I'm retaking it on Monday. So I'm going to a review at A+ tonight and studying with my lab partners after. So I better get to packing!

I hope to hear from my readers and hope everyone is doing well! I miss and love you all!

Happy New Year!

I know...I have forgotten about my blog but I do have very good excuses! 1) I had finals and ended my fall semester with 2 A's, 1 B & 1 C. 2) I had a house to clean before I could come home and begin to work for Miss Sallie at The Crossing for my 3rd year. 3) The boyfriend is soooo demanding! hahaha I'm joking...the last blog I wrote he helped me and that was the last time I saw him until this past weekend. 4) I just haven't been in need to be on the computer, which is sort of a good thing for my fingers & eyes.

I love my updates because I go through my calendar on my phone. I see what I've done in the past few weeks and sometimes it reminds me of other things I need to do or have forgotten.
December:
15th - took my online Computer Technology final in the Read Computer Lab from 10-12. James left me to go home & so I was a free woman! That afternoon, I pampered myself to a facial. I have super dry skin & being stressed from finals was not helping...
16th - took my Women's Psychology final at 10:30 am and I was finished! I actually looked at my grades today (Jan. 5th) and made my best test grade! I continued my pampering and got highlights & a trim after lunch.
17th - The day of complete haze! I was so caught up in packing to go home and cleaning the house before I left that I almost forgot to run errands in town! I had to go get christmas gifts & pick up my own things that I didn't want to leave in CS over the break such as my charm bracelet and Rx's.
18th - Went to a much needed chiropractor appointment. The popping & body controtion may freak you out but oh boy, it feels soooo good! Afterwards, I went to work at The Crossing and the craziness of Christmas shopping begins in the shop. That night, one of my new favorite bands was playing at Muldoon's. Megan Martin had wanted me home so we could go together but Josh Abbott decided to charge $20 to get in the door!!! I thought twice and decided to save my money.
19th - I might as well put a calendar on here! lol...I went to work again - 10am to 5:30pm and babysat 2 pre-teens afterwards. It was probably one of the funniest babysitting experiences I've had! They pranked called boys, dressed up silly to go to Wal-Mart to get a gingerbread house kit, and after the house collapsed a few times, they gave up & ate it.
20th - A long choir practice after 6 pm Mass that made me a little more sick and hoarse after my 3 mile run that cold afternoon.
21st - Mom & I went shopping in Victoria!
22nd - Dentist Appt that I was very early to so I went to Lisa Bubela's shop to get some knick-knacks before my teeth cleaning. Afterwards, I went straight to work.
23rd - A long day at work followed by the Biggest Loser Boot Camp workout video can put a girl to sleep!
24th - Christmas Eve! Went to work and closed at 3 pm. Drove with the family to my Uncle Rodney & Aunt Kathy's home in La Ward for Cooper Christmas. The best Christmas I've had with them in a long time! We got back to town and I got changed to go sing at Midnight Mass at St. Philips. Shelby went but wouldn't go with me since I had to be there at 11.
25th - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Mom's side of the family came to our house for dinner after we opened our gifts at lunchtime! Shelby can sleep like no other...
27th - Bram Christmas at my Uncle Tommy & Aunt Monica's home. I went by myself since Mom & Dad went to Mexico for a couple's hunting trip. Got a set of heavy dominoes!
28th - Another day at work before I went to Wadsworth to stay with John & Lori for a few days.
30th - Took the horses to the vet in Bay City. Rocket is healthy and pudgy. I do miss barrel racing & Karen very much. I hope I can pursue my dreams one day once again.
31st - New Year's Eve, I just wanted to be lazy. I worked for half a day and went to Mass at 5. Sadly, I didn't do much that evening except a trip to HEB with my friend's for our New Year's Day party and "The Office" episodes before I slept through midnight.

January 1st, 2010 - James told me it's the best year ever because he will be graduating this year. The boy is crazy, not literally, but just plain happy-go-lucky all the time. Our relationship is still in the early stages & as long as I'm happy, he gets to stay around ;) This lovely first day of the New Year, I washed some clothes & helped Kimbo Slice in the kitchen for our big lunch with family & friends. You gotta start the New Year off right with some ham, black-eyed peas, cabbage, & cornbread. I hope I'm not forgetting anything?! I also made some puppy chow to take to my friend's party. They loved me for it...and for the air mattresses I took with me.
2nd - I got out off my freezing mattress, packed up & headed towards CS. James & I were spending the weekend together. We went to Houston to the Galleria to shop and meet Scott, Cassey, Cade, Amber, Kenny & Kaylyn for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. It was very delicious and a long day but worth the drive.
3rd - James & I were kinda lazy. We watched movies and went to HEB. He argued with me about me paying for the groceries but I took away his debit card. We made pizza together and ate it after church. He's not Catholic but I'm glad he went with me.
4th - We got up early to clean & pack up and headed our separate ways. I had to work that afternoon and was supposed to catch Emily but that still hasn't happened. And Dad stole me early from Miss Sallie for top secret circumstances...
5th - I was asked to speak with about 20 other students at the EC Middle school's College Day. So from 8 am to 3:30 pm, I got to explain my life as a college student/worker in PG terms. Some kids got brave and asked about partying but we tried to go around it. That evening I went and pumped some iron with some guy friends. I can walk today but I'm not sure about my hamstrings tomorrow especially since I just got off the elliptical...
Which leads me to my day today! It was very eventful. I'm angry with myself for procrastinating my Texas A&M Employee Training, which I have no clue when it's due but most importantly, mad at myself since my defensive driving was due Monday :( It's hard & time consuming!!! Don't do it! Just pay for the ticket!
I went to work but tried to sleep in late on the couch after I ate breakfast. Well, mom wasn't going to let that happen since Miss Sallie counts on me and I'm in the middle of inventory. I'm not kidding whatsoever but it's my favorite thing of this job. I like the solidarity I get and thinking I have to put into it. I don't know why but it's soothing until I miss count or try to remember if I really marked that item down.
Mom stole me away early this afternoon at 2. Dr. Swenson called in for me to go see Dr. Heard, the oral surgeon in Victoria, about getting my tooth implant. I don't know if I got any good news from it except the doctor is super nice and is an Aggie! I stayed positive throughout my appointment although my roots of my teeth beside where I have no tooth are curved inward, giving the post less room to be inserted. So he advised my mother and I to get Orthodontal Therapy, in other words, braces...again. More info to come...I kinda don't want to talk about it right now...

Otherwise, I've had a great start to 2010 and I hope and wish and pray you all the same as well!
Hope to see y'all soon...to those who keep up with my blog...and come visit Shelby & I in Aggieland! The softball schedule can be found at AggieAthletics.com.

Thanks & Gig 'em - Alexis

Happy Halloween!

I'm very behind on posting but I have many reasons why I have not in the last two weeks. So here's an overview!

October was a very busy month of softball. NCAA rules only allow us to play 8 games but the rain though otherwise. We eventually got all of our games in but it took us over a course of 3 weeks. We beat Blinn, Navarro, and McLennan in double header series and ended the fall season at 6-2. The girls are really awesome. A lot of changes have been made but I have an optimistic outlook on the spring season which makes me really excited! But what made me even more excited was after the Maroon and White series, Coach announced that we would have NO PRACTICE until November 2nd! Oh it's so nice to have a little more free time! To explain the series - the coaches split the girls into 2 teams (Maroon & White) and play a 2 out of 3 games. Whoever loses, cooks the Christmas party dinner! This year, Mary and I took teams. I had white and we won! Good luck next year Maroon!

I've had a couple of exams and papers and extra credit since the 11th. I made a 167 of 200 on my extensive Women's psychology exam and am turning in a gender socialization of children's clothing paper today in class. Wednesday I made a C on my Texas Gov't exam which I was pretty excited about since I missed 4 lectures because of games. Every 2 weeks, I have an online computer technology exam on Thursday and a Math exam on Sundays. So next week I will have many lectures to watch online for my CompTech class. Yesterday, I think my Music exam raped me. It wasn't that bad until she pulled time periods from no where and put them on the exam! I don't remember seeing anything about time periods on the review unless that's because those were the names of the chapters in the book?! ...great... I'll get that grade next week hopefully. Otherwise, I just have a lot of extra credit and music projects and defensive driving I need to complete soon!

Oh, for those who didn't know. I got a ticket on my birthday back in September so that's why I'm taking Defensive Driving :)

Aggies beat the hell outta tech last weekend! And I hope we can open that can again on iowa state this weekend! People say Halloween games are fun so I can't wait! But before I can attend the game, I'm judging at the Wharton County 4-H Food Show Saturday morning. I miss 4-H so much and I think it's gonna make me feel great to be back in an atmosphere I loved! Actually, our Collegiate 4-H Club is starting back up this semester! I was sooooo excited about Laura telling me because I want to give my time back to an organization that gave me so many opportunities to become a better person. I was elected the reporter at our October 7th meeting. I will get to help with many things that happen around here such as judging contests to State Round-up! I can't wait!

Shelby got a kitten! His name is Sugar Dumpling Sam! He's snow white with gorgeous blue eyes but is very similar to Bo, always wanting our attention. He's really playful and sweet and the vet thinks he's about 2 months old! So Shelby took him to get checked out and the poor thing had ear mites and an infection and the next day got declawed and snipped. Poor thing but he's all better now! Instead of scratching everything though he's chewing and biting...another great...


Oh the picture I posted Monday was a fun night of mattress pulling with Taylor, Scott and Cade. Oh it was sooo much fun and we find the weirdest and wackiest ways to have fun but we are always careful and try not to get hurt since Scott did have a spill but he's ok. It was a very exciting night and I had grass, dirt, bugs, and a little mud on me but I would do it again any day!

Well I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween! Peace out - I'm going to class before I jet home!

God, please give me knowledge & faith this week!

Oh the wonderful woes of studying...2 exams and a paper due this week!

I'll be home Friday afternoon for a dental appointment, the Ricebird football game in Bay City, and will help judge the Wharton County 4-H Food Show on Saturday morning before returning to Aggieland to watch the boys beat the hell outta iowa state!


I'll explain this picture later and my visit home two weekends ago later this week when I'm not so tied up. Thanks & Gig 'em!

Only happens once in an orange moon...

Y'all are probably all wondering why I used that title. Well it's getting close to Halloween and it's fall so orange sounded better than blue. But Halloween happens every year so there is another meaning within the title ;) So here are some pictures to explain my procrastinating but happy mood early this morning!
Well I should be studying for Women's Psychology but my new plant, Confetti, is just smiling away and is that makes me want to take a break. Mom bought him for the house and he fits perfectly on the dining room table.

Here's my little pumpkin family! I haven't named them yet but I think I'll just leave them be in my room. If you didn't know, I love pumpkins, black cats, witches, and autumn leaves! So I had bought a cute little pumpkin last week to give our house holiday spirit and Bertolli got picked up by someone Friday night and thrown in the street :( Sad day, I know, but my guy friends found the pumpkin patch on Rock Prairie and cheered me up on Saturday morning!

So the 2nd meaning behind the title is...Our house is (almost) spotless!!! And it only happens once in an "orange" (really, blue) moon! It's amazing how much can get done with a sister who knows her cleaning stuff more than I do although I'm a pretty dandy laundry lady! So here are some late night pictures of our clean house for any of y'all who have never been here...

Newly arranged Living Room - bookshelves were installed this summer

Dining Room - notice the folded towels - if you can see the leaves hanging from the top of the hutch, Plant had to be moved up there so Confetti could have a nice spot...for now

This is the semi-messy Kitchen - that's my big pumpkin, Beetlejuice, and the awesome Pineapple Sage candle I got for my birthday.

Here's our Laundry Room - it's been cleared out but y'all missed the abounding piles of clothes and towels and sheets - still have a few loads to go :/

Here is half of Shelby's bathroom - it's Jungle Green and she keeps it pretty neat - as well as her room but she was already asleep so I couldn't sneak in there and get pictures. I skipped the 3rd bedroom too because those bed sheets haven't been washed yet.

Here's the good part! The Master Bedroom or my room - yes, those are 2 Queen beds haha

Here is my Desk in the corner of my bedroom - it is actually more organized than it has been in the past month or two although it looks messy, I've been studying so Kim & Steve, you can't say anything!

Here is the opposite corner of my room going into the bathroom - 3 highlights: wall of crosses, big TV & pumpkin family

Here is part of my Bathroom - you see a shower, small closet of shelves & the sinks - I have a vanity to the right and comfy stool.

Here is a close-up of the arrangement on my counter - Laura & Shelby made it from fake flowers in a small fishbowl with peach-colored marbles. Thanks Miss Sally for the candle & spray - I spray it on the flowers & it makes the bathroom smell amazing!

Here's my Jacuzzi tub - I've used it once and Shelby told me I need to experience the "liftoff" that the jets give you when you're laying in it.

Here's a view of my huge Closet from the door - I'm pretty organized, hence; my shirts are in color order and have specific groups of t-shirts, nice shirts, softball clothes, then jackets.

And here's the Grand Finale! This is a 100+ year old piece that my Mom had refinished this summer. Yes, it's scary having it in our house sometimes but it's beautiful! Thank you family for letting me have it!

Well, I'm gonna get back to the drawing board. I have a couple of short films to watch and I'm typing a review for myself for my exam. It's over 500+ pages of material so I have a lot to do! Hope y'all have a great week!