Pencil to Paper

Oh, hello there, 2012.

2012-01-03T19:16:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you guys, but I simply cannot believe 2011 is over! It was a pretty good year for me, so I'm sad to see it go. Accomplished a lot, had a lot of good times.

I have pretty high hopes for 2012, and I'm starting it off right—with a trip to Atlanta! I am so unbelievably excited. I'm tagging along with my Dad, who's going for a job. It's a vacation I really need, plus a chance to visit a very good friend of mine who moved to Georgia recently! The best part is, I'll be there for practically two weeks.

Like I said, I simply can't wait.

2011 ended in a bit of a whirlwind for me! Between graduation, Christmas, and New Year, it was over before I knew what had happened. Eventually (hopefully soon) I'll borrow Mom's camera and download the pictures she took of my ceremony.

It wasn't near as bad as I'd feared—I was really paranoid I was going to trip. I had also envisioned there being millions of people there. There weren't. It was big, for sure. We had a few thousand students graduating, so once we filed in and got seated, I felt like I'd be there forever. The walk across the stage went by in a flash—My parents said I booked it, but I didn't notice. I was just thinking something along the lines of, "Don't trip, don't trip, don't trip. Take the diploma. Shake his hand. Smile. Don't trip. Don't fall down the steps. Don't trip. Oh, it's over."

It was such a relief, and so gratifying to actually hold my diploma in my hands—that's something A&M does that I really love. You actually DO get handed your for-real diploma when you walk. So as soon as I took the maroon tube and shook President Loftin's hand, I had my diploma.

Then I came back home and realized...it was only a week until Christmas! I feel like I missed out on the whole countdown-to-Christmas build up. I was so focused on graduation that I didn't even realize how close Christmas was. My Christmas was great—I got a million and one things, and everything that I wanted. I have pictures of Christmas morning to go through, too, and I still may write up a separate post for Christmas. Because really, it deserves it's own post!

Our tree! Overflowing with gifts! <3

New Year snuck up on me, too. But I spent it quietly at home with my parents watching movies, which was lovely.

I should probably start writing down my resolutions—I have some, but so far they're just ideas, and not yet on paper. I'd intended to write up a post about that, too. I suppose I still could, I'd just have to nix "Not procrastinate" off of the resolution list. You know, for posterity's sake.

At any rate, I really have to wrap up this post now. As usual, I've managed to put things off to the last minute so now what I need to be doing is packing my suitcase—I'm actually headed to the airport tomorrow for that Atlanta trip I just mentioned.

I can tell you that one of my resolutions is to stop going so long between posts, so keep an eye out! And, as always, thanks so much for reading!

Oh! And I got new glasses. :D

An Almost Alumni

2011-12-10T18:05:00.001-06:00

By this time next week, I will officially be a Texas A&M University graduate.

Guys, holy cow.

I...don't even know what to do with myself. I'm this crazy mix of emotions. Predominately happy and sad. Happy because, well, it's about freaking time! Sad because I've enjoyed my time at A&M and in some ways I'm not exactly ready for it to end. And then there's the nervousness. Because in a few hours less than a week, I will be walking across the stage in front of thousands of people. And I'm really terrified that I'm going to trip.

So there's that.

But I'd say I'm mostly excited. I graduate at 9 a.m. December 17th, so I'll be getting up pretty early that day. That's okay, though—I have big, fantastic plans to drop by Starbucks before I go, so I should be caffeined-up and ready to rock the cap and gown.

And since I can't mail you, my lovely followers, my graduation announcement, I thought I'd post a picture of it.

The front!

The inside!

Ordering announcements was an adventure in and of itself. Way too many options for me to process, and way too many extras to add. And way too much money to spend. I managed to keep it right at $100, but still. Good grief. That's a lot of money for just 30 announcements. Even including the envelopes, seals, return address labels, and such. Fortunately I won't have to do this again. Unless I go to grad school. But I am choosing not to think about that yet.

All that's really left to do is order the diploma frame. And, you know, do the whole walking thing. Then I can finally stop stressing about it.

Yep, then I can just start stressing about the whole rest of my life.

But I've got plenty of time for that.

I've been spending a lot of my time thinking about graduation day, worrying about it, mulling it over. In the end, I've decided that instead of completely freaking out about the ominous "What's Next?", I'm instead going to take some time to just enjoy being done. Just being proud of what I accomplished.

Plus, Christmas is coming up. And Christmas is my favorite holiday. So I'm really intending to focus on fun, family, and happiness.

I should have a couple of new things coming up for you guys—I'll be posting some more of my writing. I've had a couple of people express interest in reading what I wrote for the Gross Out assignment in my workshop. I also plan to post what I wrote for my final, which is basically a parody of a final. So that should be fun.

Stay tuned, and as always, thanks so much for following my blog, guys!

An Evening with Stephen King

2011-11-12T01:01:00.001-06:00

Tonight I had the wonderful privilege to attend An Evening with Stephen King—hosted by A Real Bookstore. Many of you may already know that Stephen King is basically my idol. So I'm sure you can imagine just how thrilling this was for me.

But just in case you can't, I thought I'd relive the experience here for you guys. Also, I have pictures to share.

I found out about this event last month—completely by accident. I'm ashamed to say I had no idea the wildly talented Mr. King would be in the area at all. I knew his new book (11/22/63) was coming out soon, but it never occurred to me to check and see what kind of a book tour there would be.

Turns out, it was a really small tour. I got lucky. He came to Dallas—twice. Once at the Majestic Theater, and the second time, the one I went to, at McKinney North High School.

I'm not exactly sure why A Real Bookstore picked the high school as the venue, but I'll tell you this—it was actually a really great place for this. It seated about a thousand. And rest assured, it was a full house. We were allowed in the parking lot at 4 (after school let out). Which, in this case, was great. Because since no one could park before 4, there was absolutely no rush to get there before 4. Otherwise I would have felt the need to camp out by the door as soon as the sun rose. Anyway, I got there a little past four—traffic, of course—but we only had to stand in line outside until 5. Then we were allowed in.

I have to say, it was really awesome to be able to sit and wait instead of stand and wait. Because the actual event didn't begin until 7.

I also have to say, I'm really glad I picked up my ticket the day before because the will-call line didn't move at all until we were practically being let inside.

Seating was first come, first served. Another reason I insisted on being right on time, or as close to it as I could manage. I ended up getting a pretty darn good seat, if I do say so myself. Not quite in the front row, which I would have loved. But still close to the front. And I got a free A Real Bookstore tote bag in my seat. Another plus!

My ticket! And my free bag!

I sat next to a couple of friendly people (who had also come solo), which was awesome—I had brought my iPad along, expecting to be bored out of my mind while waiting, but instead I had some very pleasant conversations and got to talk about favorite King novels, how early I started reading his work (somewhere around 5th grade), and how excited we were to be there.

While we waited, a brass trio played jazz for us. And then the McKinney High Jazz Band played some songs. They were actually really good! And I was super surprised at how fast those two hours went by. A Real Bookstore had also put together a slideshow of Stephen King trivia and fun-facts (most of which the woman next to me knew!). There was even an official Twitter hash tag for the event!

The jazz trio. :)

I was all set with not one but two cameras (and my iPhone), and had triple-checked to make sure the flash wouldn't fire—the only condition of photography; it was allowed as long as we didn't use flash. But then I discovered that the red-eye light was also not okay. I panicked a little bit, thinking I wouldn't be able to figure out how in the world to cover up the thing.

Guys, I even went so far as to put bandaids over it (which actually worked pretty well). But then I decided I'd actually look in my camera settings and...voila! I figured out how to turn it off. On my Canon. My Nikon, I'm sad to say, was not so lucky. So it stayed in my purse the whole time.

And I gotta say, my Canon did a bang-up job. It was an excellent sidekick for the evening. And a trooper. Because, believe it or not, I took a whopping 260 pictures during the event. But I learned a long time ago, take a ton of pictures—if you do, you WILL get some good ones. Better safe than sorry. That's my philosophy.

The King!

The whole thing was a blast. Stephen (yes, we're on first name basis) looked so comfortable up there on stage—he owned it. And guys, he's funny. Seriously funny. It was sort of like seeing a stand-up comedy routine. He cracked jokes, poked fun, and was all around delightful and charming. He told stories about people mistaking him for Spielberg and Coppola, and about his experiences in Dallas while he was researching 11/22/63.

If you want to know what11/22/63 is about, here's a summary.

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King’s heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination—a thousand page tour de force.*

And hearing him talk about writing was a dream come true for me. As an aspiring author who can't wait to be published, I couldn't ask for advice or wisdom from a better person—especially considering King is a huge influence for me. I mean, I learned to embrace the beauty of a well-placed sentence fragment from this man. The best advice of the night, at least for me personally, was this: And I'm sad I must paraphrase, but still: "If you're someone who wants to write, you needn't worry about the business side of things. Just get your words on paper. Words on paper, words on paper. The rest will follow." Again, that's a paraphrase. But the basic idea is there.

Words on paper. Words on paper. Words on paper.

Yes, this is my new mantra.

He talked for a little while, shared stories, and was met with generous applause and laughter. Then he read a short section of his book, which was highly enjoyable. He's got a good voice to give a reading; not boring or monotone or unengaged? something like that? And the excerpt really got me excited to read the book.

During the reading.

After the reading, he did a Q&A. I wish I'd really sat down and thought of a good question to submit, because after I got in the car to head back I thought of a million I wish I'd asked. But he was such a good sport and he answered all the questions asked of him, and was genuinely appreciative of the response he got from the audience for the evening.

He also talked about some upcoming books—another in the Dark Tower series,

All in all, it lasted a little over an hour. It was the first time I'd ever seen Stephen King in "real life", I suppose you'd say. And it was great. I always worry that people I idolize will be...disappointing in reality. But Stephen is anything but a disappointment.

He is a charismatic, charming man. Brilliant. Overflowing with ideas, creativity, and he is truly passionate about writing. He loves what he does—at one point in the evening, he said doing events like this were always a little uncomfortable for him because he feels he's meant to be in a room by himself writing stories.

I love the way he puts it—he's made to write stories. Not to get published, be famous, make millions. But to write stories.

Listening to a question.

This man is such an incredible inspiration to me, and I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to see him in person, and in a fairly intimate setting. One thousand people is a lot, but being as close as I was, it didn't feel like a huge venue.

And I walked away with a whole new appreciation for the man who's practically always been my favorite author.

I'm sad to report that I did not get an autographed copy of the book (250 autographed copies were mixed in with the 1,000 that were handed out to us). But the woman sitting next to me did! (Congratulations!)

But that's okay, because the experience itself was the true treasure for me. And I really enjoyed sharing it with you guys!

*Excerpt from Amazon's book description.

30 Crazy Days

2011-11-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Happy November, folks! Halloween has come and gone, and do you know what that means? It's National Novel Writing Month again! (Or NaNoWriMo, for those of you who've heard of this before!)

What is National Novel Writing Month? Well. It's this crazy thing some of us who like to write do. It takes up the whole month of November—all 30 days. And in 30 days, we aim to write 50,000 words. A novel!

It's a lot of fun. It may sound impossible to write so much in a mere 30 days, but I'm here to tell you it IS possible! I'm a NaNo veteran and I've made it to the finish line on more than one occasion!

The idea of National Novel Writing Month is to just write your novel—don't edit, don't think too hard about it. Just let the words come. And come. And come. There's plenty of time to rewrite and change and add and take away in December. Look at it this way—you can't edit anything if you don't write anything to begin with!

Are any of you guys taking on NaNoWriMo this year? I am!

Considered it, but decided against it because you don't have a plan or plot outlined? Reconsider! I don't have a plan or plot outlined, either. And if you'd like a Writing Buddy, feel free to add me over at NaNoWriMo.org!

It's free to sign up, and there is absolutely no penalty if you don't reach 50k. There's no way to LOSE at NaNoWriMo. And even if you only write 5,000 words, that's 5,000 you didn't have before!

Interested? Head over to NaNoWriMo's website and learn more! You can also check them out on Twitter and Facebook! And be sure to stockpile lots of coffee and snacks—there will likely be late nights of writing furiously involved.

NaNoWriMo starts today, but don't worry—there's still plenty of time to get started!

So, who's joining in this year? If you are—do you have a plan? Or are you winging it like me?

Ben and the Clown

2011-10-30T15:35:00.000-05:00

I promised you guys I'd post another story excerpt here—I like to mix it up now and then. I talk about writing a lot, and how I like to call myself a writer. I figure it's only fair to let you sample my stuff. So this is a piece I wrote (and am still working on) for class this semester. The assignment is Story with Clowns, which is something I always enjoy writing about.

So here's my story with clowns. Well, one clown. But sometimes one is all you need. Enjoy!

Ben and the Clown

There had always been a clown in the basement. At least as long as Ben could remember. His parents insisted it was just his imagination, but then they had never seen it, not like Ben had. Every time he tried to show them, the clown would not be there—he must hide, Ben thought. But he knew what he saw, and the clown was down there.
The first time he had seen the clown, it had been crouched low, near the bed frame his parents stored down there. Ben had been quite young, and all he could really remember was how the clown’s long arms had been draped over the small bed, how his body had almost seemed to coil around it, white-gloved hands gripping the bed posts as if to strangle the life from them.
The clown had big red shoes, and he was very tall. Ben had to look up to most everybody—his young age gave him certain height disadvantages—but with the clown, it was more so. On the top of his head, the clown wore a small yellow hat. It had a single pink flower in it, and if he hadn’t been stooped over, the flower would have tickled the ceiling of the basement. Ben felt pretty sure that the clown was abnormally tall.
To Ben, time seemed to slow and stretch, and stop. Then the clown swiveled his head, and Ben was frightened to find that where the clown’s eyes should have been, there were only two black holes, like empty wells.
Then the clown had smiled.
It was a slow movement, a process which peeled back the layers of paint on the clown’s face to reveal an expanse of bright white teeth, sharp and sinister—an alligator grin.
Ben had scrambled back up the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him, leaning against the door after he shut it. He must have looked as distressed as he felt because his mother leaned down, scooped him up, and asked him what in the world was the matter. Concern was written all over her face, in every feature.
“—man,” Ben managed, still breathless. “—in the dark place.”
Naturally Ben’s mother had assumed the worst—well, not quite the worst, for the worst of all was the clown. No, Ben’s mother was afraid of something much less frightening than what Ben saw there. Perhaps a thief, a trespasser. Soon after he’d emerged from the basement, Ben found himself tucked away in his room, never mind that it was the middle of the day, while Ben’s parents searched every corner of the basement.
They found nothing. No one.
That evening, Ben’s father scolded the boy for telling white lies—They’re still lies, Ben, no matter how small—and sent him to bed without dessert.
The next morning, Ben’s parents had encouraged him to stay away from the basement.
“No need to work up your imagination with scary things,” his mother said.
“It’s dangerous down there, anyway,” his father said.
They were both right, of course, at least in part. Ben had an active imagination, and he much preferred it to be filled with happy things rather than things he feared. And the basement was full of old, rusty stuff. There was Ben’s father’s workbench, overflowing with hammers, nails, saws, and sharp tools. The walls were lined with boxes, any of which were liable to topple over on a clumsy little boy who got close enough to bump them.
But eventually Ben’s curiosity got the best of him. He had heard his parents tell him again and again that there were no clowns down there. Just stuff. He had never known his parents to be wrong before, or to lie to him.
They must be right, he thought. So if I go down there again…
I won’t see any clowns.
Working the doorknob was a little tricky—Ben stood on two old phonebooks so he could reach the shiny brass handle. He pushed the door open slowly, just enough to fit himself through. For a moment, he considered shutting the door behind him, but he wasn’t too keen on his parents catching him anywhere he wasn’t supposed to be. Besides, shutting the door seemed like such a bad idea, such a foolish thing to do, because—
What if there is really a clown?
—because then he wouldn’t have anything to light his way down the stairs. He was certain he couldn’t reach the light switch, and he didn’t want to risk standing on slippery phonebooks so near the staircase. Falling to the basement floor wasn’t quite how he wanted to revisit the room.
So he left the door open a crack, prayed his parents wouldn’t find him, and summoned up all his courage before he took the first step.
He was cautious the whole way, cringing each time an old wooden plank creaked underfoot. He kept one hand pressed against the wall as he went, like a security blanket, the cold plaster against his fingertips grounding him to reality.
The temperature seemed to drop as he descended, goose bumps appearing on his arms, raising the hairs at the nape of his neck. He took a deep breath and planted both feet firmly on the ground, the stairs at his back, and looked around.
A faint light broke in through a single small window on the south wall, positioned high up near the ceiling where the room was a bit aboveground. Ben was grateful for whatever light he could get, and he paused for a moment, blinking until his eyes began to adjust.
Soon he could make out faint silhouettes of things—the workbench, the boxes, and finally the bed; the place he’d seen the clown before. Its mattress was stored upright, leaning at a slight angle against the wall next to the twin-sized oak bed frame. Trash bags full of seasonal clothes were nestled on top of the slats, an old quilt thrown over the whole thing, giving it an awkward lumpy look, like something was hiding under the covers. Ben squinted against the shadows, but saw no brightly dressed clown loitering there.
They were right, he thought. No clown. Just in my head.
He moved a little closer, wanting to be sure, absolutely sure.
Nothing.
He supposed he felt relieved, although he was upset at being wrong. His parents hadn’t taken him seriously about the clown, and it turned out they had no reason to. Because there wasn’t anything down in there, besides the boxes, and the bed, and the stuff. Slightly disappointed, though he couldn’t say why—who really wanted a creepy old clown in the basement?—Ben turned and headed back for the stairs.
A soft rustling sound stopped him in his tracks.
“Huh?” He whirled around, eyes wide as they darted left and right, up and down, looking for the source of the sound.
He still didn’t see anything. But the air had a chill in it, one that hadn’t been so strong before. And Ben had an odd feeling, like he was being watched. Still nervous about getting in trouble, he glanced over his shoulder at the staircase, thinking perhaps his mother or father had found him and would be standing up there giving him The Look. He had already prepared himself for a stern scolding, but when he looked, the door was as it had been, open just a little, and no one was there.
The sound came again, a soft but persistent scratching, like the ticker-ticker-tick of rodent feet scurrying across hardwood or cement.
“Hullo?” Ben said softly. “Is there somebody?”
Come clossser…
Ben furrowed his brow, small fists clenching and unclenching anxiously at his sides. “How come?”
So I can sssee you…
“Where are you?”
Not telling… Not telling ‘til you come heeere, boyyy…
“I’m not gonna,” Ben said, forcing his voice to sound decisive. “Not s’posed to talk to strangers.”
Not a strannnger… Friendsss… We can be friendsss…
Ben wasn’t sure that he wanted to be friends with a disembodied voice, but he felt a tug of persuasion deep in his belly, as if the low whisper already held some sway over him. Uncomfortable at the thought, Ben turned tail to run. He caught the toe of his shoe on the first step up and fell, choking out a muffled cry.
“Ben?” His mother’s voice caught Ben’s ear.
Stay with usss… Bennn…
The voice sounded closer, and Ben began to panic. “Mommy?”
Stayyy…
“Mommy!” Ben scrambled up as fast as he could and crawled on hands and knees up the stairs, his backside dusty from his fall. He felt the slightest tug on the leg of his jeans and cried out, kicking desperately. And then his mother was there and scooping him up, and Ben was holding on tight, his face pressed against his mother’s shoulder, his tears wetting her shirt.
He didn’t look back as she carried him up the stairs, but if he had, he might’ve seen the white-gloved fingers peeking out from beneath the bed, and a muted white smile, that alligator grin. Then his mother closed the basement door and the bed fell into shadow once again.

Ben and the Clown by Sarah Thomas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Aggie Ring Day!

2011-10-20T16:17:00.000-05:00

If you've been keeping up with my blog, then you undoubtedly have heard me mention that I'd be getting my Aggie ring soon (It finally happened!) and you've probably heard it mentioned on more than one occasion.

I've been meaning to type up this post for awhile now. I did, after all, get my ring on September 16th. I know, I'm a tad behind schedule. A lot of this is my fault. I've been so lazy. It's shameful. But, on the other hand, I did leave for a week long trip to Colorado shortly after Ring Day (But that's a post for another time. Honest!) so things did get a bit hectic for awhile there.

Anyway, I've finally got my pictures sorted through, and I'm super excited to share them with you guys!

So, without further ado, my Ring Day!

My parents drove down the morning of, and it was really exciting when they showed up! I wanted to be over to the Alumni Center early, so we headed over shortly after they arrived. And, true to form, the first placed I stopped on the way was Starbucks. Because I don't like to start my day when I'm absent my coffee.

Me and Dad at Starbucks.
Mom's behind the camera. :)

That was our only stop on the way—after Starbucks, we headed straight to the Alumni Center. Well. Straight to the parking garage. Then we walked a few blocks. THEN we were at the Alumni Center. But it was a nice walk; the way was pleasant. Not too hot, which was a miracle—the past several days down here in College Station had been in the upper 90s. And it was fun to walk with my parents on campus. I got to point out some of the places I see all the time.

Like this!

Our usual bookstore is getting a remodel.
So it's taken up residence here in the Coliseum.

Since I managed to score a spot in the first round of ring pick-ups, it wasn't very busy when we got there. We even managed to get a spot indoors, in the air conditioning. Winning! Inside was much more crowded than outside. Full of anxious Aggies eager to finally slip that Aggie Ring on their finger.

Our Yell Leaders (we don't have cheerleaders) up on the balcony.
We had a quick Yell Practice about five minutes before the first pick up!

Pick up areas were split off into three sections, by alphabet. My line happened to be right by the door we walked in. So convenient! We took our place in line—well, I did. And my parents stood with me!—and counted down the minutes. We were only about half an hour early. Just early enough to get a good spot in line without a super long wait.

Right under that maroon and white balloon arch.
That's where my Aggie Ring is. :)

Once they called the first pick up time (2:00, if you were curious!), things actually went surprisingly fast. Props to A&M for figuring out a way to organize such a huge event. Over 3,500 Aggies got their rings on that day, and pick up times were in 15 minute increments; from 2:00 to 7:00. I walked under the arch, and in the room we were again split up by alphabet. I stood in line behind a group of people, not quite sure which line they were in, and then Dad figured out that they were in the line next to where I needed to be—no one was in my line! So I stepped right up, presented my student I.D. and driver's license, and my Ring Day ticket, then signed my name and TA-DA!

I'm presented with my Aggie Ring! WHOOP!

Putting it on for the first time! :D

After finally getting my ring (isn't it GORGEOUS!) we headed outside. I had a coupon for one free professional photograph at my choice of a few 'landmarks' around the Alumni Center. I chose one of my favorite statues; two replica Aggie Rings.

This is the picture Mom took of me getting my picture taken. :)

And that was that! I had my Aggie Ring! FINALLY. And it was so awesome to get to have my parents down, even though they could only stay for one night. We went to dinner at Ninfa's to celebrate. Because their enchiladas are to die for, and they have fantastic margaritas, too!

The professional photo has reached my house—I haven't seen it yet. I haven't had a chance to go home yet! But Mom says it looks good. So here's hopin'!

And I'm already developing a tan-line where I wear my ring. Because I wear it pretty much all the time. I just take it off to sleep. :)

It feels really great to finally have what's come to be, to me at least, a symbol of all I've accomplished. Just looking at it reminds me of all the hard work I've done, and all the hours I've put in, and the effort I've put forth. It's all worth it. So worth it. And I'm so proud! I'm glad I finally got to share this experience with you guys. :)

Man's Best Friend

2011-10-13T15:22:00.000-05:00

There are certain things you learn when you become a dog owner. Not only do you learn a lot more about dogs—the things they eat, the things they chew, how many bottles of Resolve you go through during potty-training—but you also learn a lot about yourself. I know I have.

I wanted to share with you my wisdom. Or, the wisdom I've been granted thanks to my dogs—both past and present.

A few of my lovely dogs.
Top right; Kelsi. Top left; Tucker. Bottom; Cowboy.

• Standing around, repeating, "Need to?" and "Go teedle!" will make you humble. So will stooping over to pick up their...leavings...

• "Doggie Bags" will no longer bring to mind restaurant leftovers.

• You can tell a dog owner by the slobber on the inside of their passenger window.

• You are much more capable of baby talk than you ever imagined.

• Sometimes a comforting lick is just as good as, if not better than, a hug.

• Toys that boast, "Will keep your dog busy for hours!" will probably not live up to that promise.

• When puppies are teething, NOTHING is safe.

• The difference between acceptable behavior and unsocialized behavior is the difference between "your dog" or "their dog."

• Dogs can totally laugh at you. Also, they do totally laugh at you.

• Dogs are way more loyal than people. They always listen, they love to be around you, they don't care what you look like with no make-up on, they'll never stab you in the back, they'll forgive you for anything, and they would lay down their life for you without a second thought.

• Feeding your dog table scraps can backfire. Big time.

• You will become that person who always brings a conversation back to your dog.

• You will find reasons to show everyone pictures of your dog, whether they want to see them or not.

• My dog has made me a much more patient person.

• It is almost impossible to disappoint a dog.

• The entire world obviously smells much more interesting than you will ever know.

• Dog hair gets on EVERYTHING. Even places that your dog has NEVER BEEN.

• Every dog has a different personality.

• My dog is probably smarter than me. That would not surprise me at all.

Attack of the Lazy

2011-10-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

As you may have noticed, it's been quite some time since my last update!

For this, I am truly sorry.

I wish I could give some sort of long-winded but legitimate excuse about being super busy with countless important things... Alas, I cannot. I did get busy a couple of weeks ago—I spent about a week in Colorado visiting family!—but after getting back, I haven't really been doing anything important.

So long story short, I have no excuse.

Can you ever forgive me?

I hope so.

Anyway, moving on! I have a couple of things I want to share with you guys, but they both deserve their own posts. So I'll just allude to them here, and let you get excited to read them when they come up. It WILL be soon, I promise.

First is Aggie Ring Day. If you've noticed my Ring Day Countdown Clock on my blog, then you've likely also noticed that Ring Day came and went, and without any blog post about it. That is soon to change, my friends. On top of my admitted laziness, while I was away from my desktop I was unable to go through the pictures I took that day. Now that I'm back home with my beloved iMac, I can finally sift through the pictures and find the best of the best to include in my post. So pictures and paragraphs praising my lovely new Aggie Ring are soon to come. I can't wait to show you guys!

Here's a sneak peak! ;)

Secondly, I wanted to blog about my trip to Colorado. It's always a lot of fun seeing family, especially when story swapping happens. I spent several evenings sitting with my parents and my uncles talking about family history, their childhood, anything and everything. It's such a treat to get to listen to these slice-of-life anecdotes. One, in fact, I'm attempting to write. Bits of it are fictionalized, of course—it's one of those tales where 'nobody knows the whole story'. But still, I just thought it was interesting. One of these days, maybe I'll post an excerpt. Anyway, the problem with getting the Colorado post up and running is this—for once, I didn't take many pictures myself. I come from a family of photographers, so Dad took a bunch of pictures, not to mention video, and my Mom took the other half of the pictures. As soon as I get copies from my parents, I'll be going through them and picking some out for the CO blog post.

But listen, I know it's kind of a cop-out to write a blog post about upcoming blog posts, so let's talk about something else now.

I've been thinking lately (I know, it's dangerous.) about life and how it's going and what I'm doing and where I want to be and what I want to do. I know, a mouthful, right? The thing is, I've always been a homebody. I like being around my family and I like being in my comfort zone. But then again, every time I visit another state, I think about how cool it would be to live there. Or how interesting it would be to live somewhere else, even if just for a year or two. And then my cousin (who you'll hear more about in my Colorado post), she got married in Hawaii and looking at her pictures made me think, how cool would it be to live in Hawaii?

Seriously. What's wrong with this picture?

Okay, so that's kind of a no-brainer, I guess.

But the point is, I'm starting to wonder if maybe the reason I get so excited at the thought of moving is because I'm secretly desperate for a change of scenery. Vacations are great, don't get me wrong. But honestly, they're usually just long enough that I wish I could stay longer. My trip to New York, for instance. Amazing. Action packed. And we definitely did a million and one things. But I was only there for a week, and you just can't do New York in a week. Just about the time things get comfortable and familiar enough to really relax, I had to leave. And then this trip to Colorado. Another week long trip, and I wasn't ready to leave at all.

Don't get me wrong, I do love Texas. I mean, I was born and raised here. I feel like, at least for me personally, you can't grow up in a place and not feel at least a little bit at home there.

But you know, the older I get, the more I realize that moving doesn't have to be forever. If I decided to move out of state, or even out of country, it's not like I'm committing to living there forever, whether I end up liking it or not.

It's sort of a weird thing that's happened, now that I'm older. When you're young, home is where your parents are. You live where they live. If they move, you move. If they don't, you don't. But then, you grow up. And you realize you have all of this freedom. You get to make choices yourself, and suddenly you don't have to be where your parents are if you don't want to.

I guess I'm just thinking out loud, really. Food for thought, and all that.

What do you guys think? About relocating. Sometimes I think I need to just get out of my comfort zone. A sure-fire way to do that is to pick up and move. But it could be a little drastic. Anyway, I'm just babbling at this point.

So I'll wrap it up.

And go back to looking at pictures of tropical islands.

Oh, and writing. I'll be doing that, too.

Rut Vs. Groove

2011-09-08T13:08:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what exactly the difference is between a rut and a groove? I have. I figure, a groove is something comfortable, familiar, positive even—a habit or schedule you're happy with. A rut can be comfortable, definitely familiar, but the way I see it, people aren't always happy to be stuck in a rut. They've much rather get in a groove.

Or maybe that's just me.

At any rate, the past couple of weeks have found me struggling to get back in my groove and not stuck in a rut. It isn't exactly working out so far. Basically I've been reliving the day where I'm going to get the groove thing going. Only it's turning out to be more of a rut. I've been spending my days being generally unproductive, and each day I think, 'Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day I'll get out of the rut and into the groove.'

As you may have guessed, I'm definitely in more of a rut than a groove.

But at least I'm working on it, right?

I've got some free time on my hands this semester, which makes it really easy to get sucked in to kicking back on the couch and doing absolutely nothing. (Or playing video games*, if you must know.) So the challenge for me is to use my time wisely instead of wasting it. So I've been really trying to focus on writing. I want to make a real habit of it, a daily thing. And not just a sentence or to. Typing out emails and text messages just don't cut it. They aren't making me a better writer. The things that will better my writing? Writing, of course. And reading.

And honestly, I can think of way worse ways to spend my off time. I mean, I love writing. And I love reading. So really, I'm not sure what this rut I'm in is all about. Expect maybe a general laziness on my part.

But anyway.

September. How is it already September? That December graduation date is sneaking up on me—It'll be here before you know it. I'm not sure how I feel about that. But at least September is a good month. For a couple of reasons.

In just a little over a week, I'll finally be getting my Aggie Ring! (WHOOP!)

I'm super stoked for this, you guys. I mean, I'm really freaking excited. And happy. And my parents are coming, and we're all going to be excited and happy together. So there's that.

And toward the end of this month, I'll be taking a trip to Colorado with my parents. My cousin is getting married. Well, she's getting married in Hawaii. But they live in Colorado, and that's where they're having their reception. The best part? I mean, besides the visiting Colorado part? Since I only have one class this semester, I'll be able to be gone for like a week and still only miss one class day.

Excellent.

No 100s! No 100s!!!

But perhaps the most exciting development in my life right now is that Texas has finally decided to calm down on the heat wave. Why, just the other day I took a trip to Starbucks and sipped my coffee outside. OUTSIDE. A miracle. The forecast for the week down here may be full of 90s, but that's much better than the triple digit misery we'd been having!

I may be a bit premature, but I don't even care—Fall is in the air, you guys. I can feel it.

I love Fall.

*specifically, one video game. Dead Island. Which I recently acquired. And boy, I do love killing zombies... What? No, I'm not ridiculous... Okay, maybe a little ridiculous...

A Change of Sorts

2011-08-13T23:49:00.001-05:00

If you're reading this, then you've likely noticed the new layout happening over here on my blog! I've been trying so hard to find a new layout, a new design, a new anything to spice it up. I'll just be honest—what I had been using...well, I'd been using it for quite some time. And I was ready for something a little different.

This here is my new layout, folks. What do you think?

This is probably only the third true 'revamp' I've done. This is mostly due to the fact that I know little to nothing about HTML and the like, so once I get a template working for me, I'm hesitant to go back to the drawing board.

But it was time. I hope you guys like the new layout. To be honest, I'm not 100% sure that it'll really stick around. I'm still in the process of looking at other options. Actually, I've been spending the bulk of my time trying to figure out how to make one of my own. Or at least use one of my own photos for a background. I have high aspirations, but unfortunately it's much easier said than done!

That being said, I'll probably leave this up for a little while. I may keep tweaking things.

So if you come back to my blog tomorrow and things look different, never fear! It's still me here. And all is well.

And don't worry—I've got more blog posts in the works.

I was just excited about the proverbial face-lift my blog has gotten.

What do you guys think? Feel free to sound off in the comments!

Also, for you Facebookers out there, feel free to mosey on over to Pencil to Paper on Facebook and "Like" what's going on over there!*

We're having fun over on Facebook! I'd love for you to join in! :)

*Yes, this is a shameless plug.

EDIT
I know I literally just posted about how I made some changes and whatnot, but...I've made some more changes. Again. Not just because I'm weird and I can't commit to a new design, but actually because of an issue with the 'Comment' feature. The issue being that with the new template I had, there wasn't a way to leave a comment without a few extra steps.

So. I've got another new look happening now. I think I like it. I'm still toying with it in Photoshop to see if I can't personalize it a little more, but by using a background instead of a template, it's easier for me to customize my blog using Blogger's page editing tools. So consider this The Revamp, Take 2.

What do you guys think?

New layout. 2.0.

A For Effort

2011-08-08T14:44:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I've read a million times that when one has failed to post a blog in awhile, one shouldn't apologize for it and/or point out one's absence. But rules were made to be broken, right? So. I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile! I'd say it's because I've been busy, but that's not totally true. I have, in fact, been busy enjoying not doing much of anything. If that makes sense. But I am finally taking a moment to sit myself down and write up a little something for you all.

Proof that I don't always suck at Math!

First of all, some excellent news! I'm officially finished with that pesky Business Math class! And guess what? I made an A! A freakin' A!!! This is cause for celebration. That's what I think. Because despite the fact that I did much better than I'd anticipated, going to class and wrapping my brain around equations and numbers even just long enough to apply it on test day was like pulling teeth. So I'm very proud to say that Math is behind me.

So there's that.

I've also begun the countdown to the start of the Fall semester. I go back and forth on how I feel about that. In some ways, I'm excited for school to start again. Especially because, honestly, I'm just taking one class. And it's a writing class. So I'll get to really focus on that and that alone, which is awesome. But thanks to Math, this summer seems so short. Like it's flying by and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not ready to start being responsible again. (Yes, I've basically shirked all of my responsibilities this summer. It's been great!) And I'm not ready to leave my friends back home. But the good news is, only 38 more days until I get my Aggie Ring! That's practically less than one month! Yes, I'm super excited.

I've already commanded my parents to make sure they aren't working when Aggie Ring Day rolls around. Because I expect them to drive down and celebrate with me. (Ring Day is a HUGE deal down in College Station. I mean, a really big freaking deal. You will get a glimpse of just how big a deal it is when mine rolls around and I blog about it.) I keep telling them, "Don't you want to be there to see what all that money paid for?" I also keep telling them, "Be glad I am not a boy. Because boy's rings are basically twice as much as the girl one." I'm not sure that's making them feel any better about the cost. But—I admit it—I don't care! Not that I don't care how much in the sense that I don't appreciate what they did for me, but I look at it this way. I will wear my Aggie Ring for the rest of my life. So if you divide the cost of the ring by the projected amount of years I am statistically likely to have left, it's really not that much.

But anyway. More things that I am excited about.

I have a new computer! It is an absolute beauty.

My temporary set up.

If it looks like it's set up on a table...in my kitchen... Well, that's because it is. But that's only temporary! Being home for the summer means struggling to find extra space for new things I acquire. In the case of this computer, there's simply no room in Dad's office. We already have something of a Mac Museum happening in there. But I have plans to relocate it to my desk at my apartment when Fall rolls around. The best part? It's so big, I think I'm actually going to have to rearrange my desk. Probably I will need to move the shelf thing off of it. I don't mind. I've been using a laptop since I started college. Don't get me wrong, I love my laptop! But there's something very pleasant about using a desktop computer. I had almost forgotten how much I love it. Especially for writing. Which is basically all I'll be doing next semester. So I'm pretty thrilled. Isn't it beautiful!?

Also. I started working again, sort of. Picking up odd jobs and doing a little work from home for my old boss. It's nice to be getting paid again, even if it's just a little spending money. That's about it for what's going on in my life at the moment. Besides the unbearable heat going on in my neck of the woods right now. So many days over 100º. And no rain. I would throw a party if we could just get one really good thunderstorm. I'm just sayin'.

I hope everyone else's summer is going wonderfully!

Painting with a Twist

2011-07-20T11:30:00.002-05:00

Last week, I unleashed my inner Van Gogh.

Literally.

It was for a birthday party. Instead of seeing a movie, or going out to dinner, we all met up at this place I'd never heard of—Painting with a Twist.

Painting! With a twist!

It was actually a really cool little place! It was already set up for us when we got there, and we each had our own easel. It was BYOB. I stuck with a bottle of water, but someone brought some wine, and there were a couple of beers cooling in a bucket of ice. There was an artist there to walk us through our painting. We recreated Starry Night. Which just happens to be my favorite painting. So I was pretty thrilled about it.

My work space. Appropriately labeled.

We started off by painting those trademark swirls in the sky. I think I got mine a little too big. But...creative license, and all that, right? Anyhow, it was time consuming (especially for a perfectionist like me!) to get the sky where I was happy with it. But it was worth it.

My sky. Minus moon and stars.
I was mostly happy with it at this point.

After that, we worked on some of the hills and ground stuff. We didn't get as complicated as Van Gogh did—we only had a few hours to do this. But we included something our artist called the wheat field. I think. And some rolling hills. That part wasn't so bad. That is to say, it's hard to be picky when you're just painting hillsides.

We'd break periodically and take our canvases to a table in the back where, two at a time, we hit 'em with some hot air via a couple of hair dryers. Then we went back to painting, without the fear of smearing what we'd already painted.

After the wheat and the hills, we moved on to that famous...green thing...in the foreground. I think it's a tree. I've always thought that, but our artist talked about it like it was up for debate. So maybe it is. Either way, I think mine turned out pretty darn good.

Pretty much the last thing we did was add the buildings. I didn't go too crazy with them. I was afraid I'd spoil the painting. The smaller details were already giving me trouble. So I stuck with painting a church. And two little buildings. I probably could have added more without it looking bad, but I decided not to risk it.

My finished product!

All in all, I was really proud of what I turned out! I hadn't painted in quite some time, and honestly I hadn't expected to walk away with anything I'd ever consider hanging. But you know what? I think I'm going to hang this piece. Somewhere. Surely there's room on at least one of my apartment walls. I even went as far as to paint the sides of the canvas, so I don't need to frame it. And I didn't just paint it a solid color—no. I had detail. I continued the painting around to the sides and top. Not as much on the bottom, but really, who's going to see that?

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to tap into some creativity I don't usually work with. I play it safe and stick to writing typically. But this was so much fun. It made me want to branch out and stretch some creative muscles I tend to ignore. I used to love to sketch, paint, what have you. This experience made me take a second look and think, why not now?

Fun is fun. Creativity is creativity. Why limit myself to one form or another? It's all fair game. And hopefully seeing this hanging on my wall will be a daily reminder that just because I think I can't do something, doesn't make it the truth.

Ta-da! Move over, Van Gogh. There's new talent afoot.
;)

I'm Kreativ, mmmKay?

2011-07-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

I was recently informed that Maggie over at Maggie the Artist passed on the Kreativ Blogger Award to me! How lovely. Thank you, Maggie!

It seems I have a few questions to answer. It goes along with accepting the award, and all. So here we go!

What is my favorite color? Purple. Pretty much hands down. I've always loved it. But honestly, I really like a lot of colors. So purple is my top pick, but the runners up are many!

What is my favorite animal? Dogs. I'm such a dog person. I really love dogs. Particularly my dog. But, again, I'm kind of an animal lover all around. But I just have to go with dogs on this one. Puppy love, you see.

What is my relaxation place? Oh, this is tough. Because I could pick the place I go the most to relax, or I could pick the place I'd most like to go to relax. How about I just do both? The place I typically go to relax is my room. I also go to Starbucks to just kind of hang out and exist and de-stress, but when I really need to relax, my best bet is where I live. Because there is where I can find peace and quiet. Now, the place I'd most like to go to relax? That's a bit more abstract. Like, think 'cabin in the woods', or 'quaint little house on the beach'. Somewhere with a view, preferably. If I ever travel to that perfect place, I'll let you know.

What is my vacation hot spot? Again, tough. I do so love vacations. My three favorite states I've actually vacationed in are New Mexico, California, and, most recently, New York. All lovely states. All great vacation spots.

Do I have a boyfriend? I do not. I'm one of those single ladies.

What color scheme did you wear in outfits this week? Color scheme? Oh dear. I'm afraid this week I've been too lazy for that. I wear jeans a lot. Does that count as a scheme?

What movie did you watch last? I watched the new Star Trek last night with my parents. Much fun was had by all!

What is your most used phrase? It changes. Lately? "Excellent."

Do you study or do you work? I would say, I work hard at studying. Especially this summer, what with my unfortunate (but necessary) run-in with Math. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

What is your favorite number? Probably 5. Or 17.

What are the names of your favorite friends? Well now that's just mean. I'm definitely not playing favorites. So there.

Do you drink soda, and if so, do you prefer Pepsi or Coca Cola? I actually don't drink sodas much anymore. I gave them up for quite some time—honestly, there's nothing nutritionally worthwhile in them at ALL—although lately I've admittedly succumbed to a soda or two. When I do, I enjoy Mt. Dew. Also, Sunkist. Or Sprite. (Let's face it, despite their utter unhealthiness, I do think they taste pretty good.)

What items do you carry with you always? Well, my iPhone is basically surgically attached to my hand. I also always carry my camera, my Kindle and/or my iPad, wallet, gum... All of this—except the phone, which you'll recall rarely leaves my hand—I carry in my purse. Which I also carry with me all the time.

What is your favorite day of the week? I don't know. Not Monday. Maybe Friday or Saturday. Or Sunday. Weekends are good.

And, now that my 'interview' is over, I get to pass on the award! I'd like to give this one to my good friend Bennett, of Grits 'N Gravy. Much much love to her! Be sure to pay her a visit!

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but my holiday weekend has been surprisingly busy. I hope all of you had a Happy 4th of July, whether or not you were celebrating! Hey, a good day is a good day, am I right?

I ended up celebrating with a lovely group of people. And, as it turns out, a very musically inclined group of people. After we all chowed down on burgers and hotdogs, we gathered around the baby grand. There were three of us on guitar, and most of us singing. We played up a storm, sung old hymns with a blues beat, and then moved on to some Beatles tunes. The talent in this group of people blows me away. But that's not the point. The point is, it was a ton of fun. Music is a huge part of my life, though I'm not near as instrumentally gifted as some. So spending the 4th the way I did—and with the people I was with? Well, not much could top that.

It was so much fun to meet new people, and to visit with people I've known forever. A couple of people in attendance I have literally known my whole life. Most of them I've grown up around—Dad's co-workers and my parents' friends.

I left feeling so fortunate and so blessed to have the family that I have, and to know the people that I know.

The time I spent with friends and family was much more enjoyable to me than any fireworks show or parade. It's not really the size or grandeur of the even that matters, so much as who you share it with.

At least that's what I think.

The Hunger Games Music Project

2011-06-18T14:42:00.000-05:00

Guys, I have some links to share with you. I know I've mentioned the highly talented Matt Bukaty to you all before—he blogs, he composes, he's excellent. And now? He's collaborated with another composer, Edward Underhill, and created an unofficial score to the upcoming Lionsgate film, "The Hunger Games".

And it's really good. I mean, really good. These guys have some serious talent.

I give you, The Hunger Games Music Project!

Personally, I've read The Hunger Games—the whole trilogy, in fact—and the music these two musicians have composed fits perfectly with the way I envisioned the scenes. But it doesn't matter if you haven't read the book. The music is still fantastic!

There are a few different places for you to check out The Hunger Games Music Project. Never fear! I am linking to them all.

First, their website. Here you can listen to all the tracks. If you've read the book, the titles will make sense. If not, it's still great music. You should really check it out. You can also read about the composers and learn more about how this project came about!

The Hunger Games Music Project Official Website

Second, their Facebook page. This is a great place to interact with other fans—we're ready for you to join us! It's also a place where you can share your feedback. Don't forget to take a second to 'Like' their page!

The Hunger Games Music Project on Facebook

Lastly, you can check out their YouTube page. Here you'll find music and promo videos.

The Hunger Games Music Project Official YouTube Page

These two guys are truly talented. I think you'll enjoy what they have to offer. :)

Mavericks = Champions!

2011-06-12T22:58:00.000-05:00

Guys, I'm so excited. I just got through watching the game; Dallas Mavericks v. Miami Heat. I'm a die-hard Mavs fan, and I was so hopeful that we'd wrap up the series before Game 7 and stick it to Miami on their own turf. And WE DID IT. And yes, it deserves an entire blog post. A short one, but still.

This is the first championship for the Mavericks in 31 years—the first championship in the franchise's history. It's a pretty big freakin' deal, that's what!

I watched the game at home with my family, and we were all cheering our boys on. Tucker got overwhelmed by all of the shouting, clapping, et cetera, and retired to my room for a large chunk of game time. I can't stop smiling. We played a great game tonight, and I've never been more proud to be a Mavs fan.

Congratulations, boys. You deserve it!

Dallas Mavericks. 2011 NBA Champions!

First-time NBA champions, from left, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry
show off their hardware after a Game 6 victory. (AP Photo)*

*Click the photo for its source—AOLsportingnews.com

Summer Makes Me Lazy

2011-06-09T23:47:00.000-05:00

I know, I know—It's breaking some cardinal rule of blogging to acknowledge and apologize for my extended absence. But rules were made to be broken, right? I know it's been some time since my last post, and though it's really not important enough to go on and on about, I feel bad. I keep sitting down to work on posts, particularly my Kindle review, but I've officially caught the Summer Lazies. I just haven't had the gumption to do anything.

But I want to catch you guys up on what's been going on with me. Not so much as an excuse—not like, "See? Look what I've been doing! THIS is why I've been MIA." No. Rather, consider this the internet equivalent of sitting down to chat over a cup of coffee—we've just got some catching up to do.

Here we go. I'm going to make a list. I thought it sounded fun.

10 Things That Have Happened Since My Last Update

1. I got my car back! Yes, I was starting to think the time would never come. But the repairs were finally finished. Mostly. I still have one thing that needs fixing, but the part is on national backorder. So one of these days I'll have to take it back in. Whenever they get the part. Fortunately I've been told it will only take one day. I plan to hold them to that.

Good as new!

2. I took a road-trip to Austin! I was down in College Station, quite restless, and so I decided to embark on a mini-road-trip. I visited this great book store, Book People, that I'd been told I needed to check out. It was awesome! I picked up two new books. A classic; As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. The other I chose simply because the title caught my eye. "I Was Told There'd Be Cake". It's a collection of essays. It's actually really funny. At least the ones I've read.

Hello, Austin!

Book People.

My purchases.

3. My car mileage, uh...spelled out? my birth date! I thought it was neat.

4. I added another coffee mug to my collection. This one came from a great little coffee house in College Station called Sweet Eugene's. You probably can't tell from the picture, but it's a rather hefty mug. I have a thing for mugs. And when I saw this one, I knew I had to have it. And now I do.

5. I rescued two baby bunnies! My dogs scared them out of their little hiding place under some bushes. Heroically, I herded the canines back into the house and saw that the little rabbits made it to safety. Under a different bush. Adorable.

I totally didn't even use zoom to take this.

6. I have been whole-heartedly cheering on the Dallas Mavs in the playoffs. I picked up some Finals gear—the place I went had TONS to choose from. Sadly, I could only afford three shirts. But they're good shirts. And I've worn one every game since. (Side-note: We totally kicked butt tonight. I'm so excited. I literally just finished watching the game and then retreated to my room to write up this post for you guys!)

Mavs gear galore!

7. I have officially ordered my Aggie Ring! Since I've been back home and not in College Station for most of the summer, I had to order it via mail. I sent off the form a few days ago, and have now begun counting down to my Aggie Ring Day. Which, if you care to know, is September 16th. I can't wait!

Stamped and ready to be sent!

8. I bought True Grit. The day it came out. This may not seem like a big deal, but I've been desperate for it to make it to DVD since I saw it in theaters. In fact, I plan on watching it. Tonight. Right after I finish this post. I love it.

Seriously, I love this movie.

9. I started my one and only summer class. Business Math. If you'll recall, Business Math and I had a run-in a couple of semesters ago. Unfortunately, I didn't fare well in this run-in. But I'm back, and ready to take this class on again. My first class was today, actually. And it went really well. Surprisingly, I know someone in class with me. And the professor seems nice. He's awkward, but funny, which is something I appreciate.

My parking permit makes it official.

10. I have seen my parents off at the air-port. Which is a first for me. It's their anniversary this month, and they took a trip to California to celebrate. Leaving me to watch the house and the dogs. It's been kind of fun, really. The house-sitting, I mean. I've had a really laid back week, although I have some serious cleaning to do before they come back. But that can be our little secret, right?

Dad sent me this. The view from one of the places they stayed.
Yeah, I'm jealous, too.

So there you have it. Ten things. Summer has definitely gotten off to a busy start! And I'm already counting down to the end of my Math class. It's still the beginning of June, and already so much is going on. I just know I'll have more to catch you guys up on next time! Until then...keep your eyes peeled for my Kindle review. It's coming soon!

How is everyone else's summer going?

I'm 24!

2011-05-30T10:11:00.000-05:00

This may be several days late, but that's only because I've been suddenly busy! That, however, is a story for another time. Because this post is strictly reserved for birthday related activities, events, and the like. So we're going to pretend like it's actually May 16th again. And I'm going to tell you all about how much fun I had, and all the things I did, and hopefully you are going to enjoy it!

Shall we proceed?

Excellent.

The morning of my birthday started off with a delicious breakfast (Thanks Mom!) involving scrambled eggs, tortillas, cheese, and onions. I didn't mean to eat it as quickly as I did, but it was so wonderful I couldn't help but devour it in a frenzy. I mean, can you really blame me?

Breakfast. I love you.

Okay, to backtrack a moment—Technically my morning began much earlier than my breakfast, when my Dad popped in my room on his way to work to wish me a Happy Birthday. But I promptly went back to sleep, so starting with breakfast seems only natural. But since Daddy had to work all day, and I was going to be gone all night, I had specifically requested that he wake me up before he left. I'm glad he did.

Now, where were we...

Ah yes. Then Mom surprised me with a present! I love surprise presents. I'm kind of hard to shop for because I impulsively buy things all the time. This makes it hard to anticipate what I will or won't buy for myself. But Mom definitely did awesome, and I wasn't expecting what she got me at all! But, of course, one must always open a birthday card before opening the present it goes with.

The card is absolutely precious! My Mom even went out of her way to make sure the Boston Terrier looked as much like my little Tucker as possible!

The present is gorgeous! Mom got me a beautiful bracelet with two star charms on it. For those of you who don't know, I adore stars. They've my favorite. Needless to say, she got a BIG hug. (Thanks Mom, I love my bracelet!)

My gift!

My adorable birthday card! Thanks Mom & Dad!

My bracelet! On my wrist! Love.

After several hugs and "Thank you!"s, I loaded up my car and prepared to drive to Frisco. My friend and I had impromptu-decided to get together and celebrate.

But of course before I left town, I had to stop by Starbucks and grab some coffee. I had my free birthday drink coupon, and everything. And a coupon for a free petite pastry, which...I just couldn't let that waste.

Me and my coupons. Exciting!

My birthday drink and pastries. So yummy.

My Mocha Coconut Frappuccino, ready to accompany me on my drive!

Now that I've got my morning coffee, I'm ready for the day!

After picking up my Frappuccino and savoring my Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, I was ready to tackle the drive up to Frisco! My destination? California Pizza Kitchen. Quite possibly my favorite place to get pizza. Well, my favorite chain, anyway. Their BBQ Chicken pizza is fan-freakin'-tastic. And it's also what I ordered for my birthday lunch. Excellent.

CPK. My lunch destination.

Myself and my delicious BBQ Chicken pizza. Heaven on a plate.

A close-up of my pizza. Because seriously, I love it so much!

After we ate, we walked around Stonebriar Mall to settle our bellies and shop around. And I made another trip to Starbucks (and finally bought my Dallas mug there!). I also spent some money at Bath & Body Works.

Then we decided to head back to her place and hang out. On the way, we stopped by Velvet Bake Shop. They make some seriously fantastic cupcakes. I decided to pick up a few...or four. Instead of a cake. Don't judge me, it was my birthday!

Velvet Bake Shop. Nestled amongst other little shops. Yum.

My cupcakes. Coconut, Chocolate, and Raspberry Chocolate.
And no, I didn't eat them all at once!

The rest of the day was spent kicked back on the sofa, nibbling cupcakes and sipping milk and watching T.V. It was quite pleasant. And most definitely an excellent birthday.

Now to start planning for Birthday #25...

Roses are Red, Beer is Cheap

2011-05-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

I've written a new poem. It's of the genre that I like to call Redneck Poetry. I think, in fact, that I would like to write a whole book full of this genre of poetry.

That being said, here it is. Enjoy!

Roses are Red, Beer is Cheap

Roses are red,

And violets are not.

I'm glad you're my honey,

'Cause you're pretty hot.

I ain't got you no chocolate;

That just wouldn't do.

'Cause beer's cheaper than roses,

And it tastes better, too.

Mission Accomplished

2011-05-01T23:59:00.001-05:00

When I first heard the news, I thought it was a joke.

Turns out, it isn't.

Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Tonight, a nation has come together to celebrate. Not to celebrate the death of a man, but to celebrate justice. It isn't about politics, race, or religion. It's about justice.

To those lost on 9/11, to those who live on without them, may you feel at peace. May you experience some sense of closure.

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." —Mark Twain

They Were Right All Along

2011-04-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

I think it must be a cosmic rule, an irrefutable truth, that at some point in your life you'll come to the realization that your parents really were right about everything. All those times they'd say, "One day you'll understand..." Yeah, that's true. And all those times they told me, "Enjoy where you are right now. When you're older, you'll wish you could go back." That's true, too. My scrawny eight year old self scoffed. My twelve year old self scoffed even more. And my fifteen year old self would've straight up committed murder to be sixteen and driving even a week before legally able.

But now, as I'm wrapping up this semester of college and faced with only one more semester after this in the undergraduate season of my life, I finally have had The Epiphany. The "They were RIGHT!" epiphany. The "How did they KNOW?!" epiphany.

Now that I'm that age I used to dream of being, I keep thinking to myself...what was I thinking? Being eight, being ten, being fifteen was awesome. Life was more laid back. When I sit down and compare the stresses in my life now to the stresses in my life then, there's simply no comparison. It's interesting to see how my focus has changed, and what I now consider to be important. Or unimportant, for that matter. Life or deaths situations as a child—do I use the blue crayon or the purple crayon? Or do I use the silver glitter pen?! AH! How do I choose just ONE?!—now seem utterly simplistic and easy to solve (I use the purple crayon, duh.). Things that bothered me or stressed me out in high school—OMG I have to actually present my project to the whole class?!—now aren't monumental at all (Okay, I'm still not thrilled with presentations. But I can totally do them).

It may seem too little too late, having this realization at nearly twenty four years of age. I mean, it's not like I can go back in time and tell my teenage self, "Hey, just shut up and listen; they really do know what they're talking about. They really were young once, too." But it's not just hindsight that The Epiphany affects, oh no.

Because the thing is, now more than ever I realize out of all the people I can ask for advice, my parents are number one on my list. Because now I realize that chances are, the troubles I'm having, the stresses, the issues, they've been there. They understand. I don't know about you, but I find this to be such a relief. Who better to advise you, share their wisdom with you, counsel you, than those who want only the best for you? That's my Mom and Dad. Sure as the sun rises, they just want what's best for me. So I can count on the fact that any advice they give me is truly going to be meant to better me. To help me.

And you know what? That's pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that I'd even tolerate a rowdy bout of "I told you so!"s from Mom and Dad.

My wonderful Mom and Dad!

My New Kindle—The Unboxing

2011-04-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

So, today was a pretty exciting day. Today I bought myself a brand spankin' new Kindle! Well, actually, my parents bought it for me. Best belated Easter present ever. Just sayin'.

Anyway, so far I'm totally loving it. It's lightweight, has a nice crisp screen, and the e-ink display is, quite simply, awesome. When I first started researching e-readers, I found the unboxing articles, photos, and reviews to be extremely helpful. And as such, now that I've made my purchase, I wanted to share my unboxing with you guys. After I use my Kindle for a few days, I'll be writing up a review.

So, here we go.

The box. This here is the Kindle box. But I'm sure I didn't need to tell you that. Inside is where the goodies are kept!

Voila! The outer sleeve is off. I'm getting pretty excited at this point. Like a kid at Christmas morning, opening a most anticipated new toy.

This was genuinely just as easy as it says.

My new Kindle! Sittin' pretty and waiting to be held for the very first time.

Hello, Kindle! We'll be fast friends!

Hiding underneath the Kindle itself is the Quick Start Guide.
All the basics of what you need to know are tucked away in there!

Last but not least, under the Kindle and the Quick Start Guide, the power cord!

The box and all its contents.

Set up instructions. Straightforward and simple.

The legit Amazon power cord.

First-time start up!

Congratulations? Why, thank you!

Officially registered and belonging to me! Excitement ensues.

So, there you have it! My brand new Kindle, unboxed and in my hot little hands. I hope you enjoyed joining me in unwrapping it. I know I had fun sharing it with you guys.

Stay tuned for a more in-depth review of the Kindle itself, and my experience using it!

Until then, happy reading! :)

Tucker Turns Three

2011-04-17T18:19:00.000-05:00

Portrait of a handsome young pup!

It's Tucker's birthday today! I can't believe he's already three years old. It just doesn't seem possible I've had him that long.

We actually got him over the summer, but as an obsessive doggy mother, I also celebrate his actual date of birth. He was so tiny when we first got him! I can honestly say I remember it like it was yesterday.

We'd gone to Vernon to take Super Granny back home, and she knew I'd been wanting a pup. Ever since I lost Cowboy, my childhood dog, there'd been a sort of hole. I love dogs, I always have. I always will. And I wasn't looking to replace Cowboy—let's face it, no dog could—but I was ready to move on.

It just so happened that Super Granny knew a guy in town who'd just had a litter of pups. Boston Terrier pups. We stopped by to take a look at them, but the guy wasn't home. I stared longingly at the puppies through the fence. Two left; a boy and a girl. That was the first time I saw Tucker.

I was worried, though. Since the man wasn't home, I was nervous he wouldn't get back in time and Dad and I would have to head home without a new little friend for me. So we killed time by grabbing lunch—a burger and fries—at what used to be Vernon's Dairy Queen. The whole time I was eating, all I could think about is how much I hoped someone would come to the door when we went back after eating.

Fortune was on my side, and when we had filled our bellies and trekked back to the house, someone did indeed answer the door. And he was more than willing to show us his pups.

I can't lie—growing up with Cowboy has made me partial to boy dogs. So I was the most interested in the boy. We chatted for awhile, me holding a squirming (and then sleepy) little black and white bundle of adorable in my arms. I had fallen in love. All that was left was hoping that Dad would agree and let me take the little guy home.

As I'm sure you can imagine, he did.

The car ride home was awesome. Tucker, who was then still unnamed, slept in my lap the entire time and was a perfect gentleman. The poor kid was covered in fleas, though. A result of being kept in a yard with absolutely no grass and several other dogs, I assume. Needless to say, since we had other pets at home, he had to get a bath before he could come inside.

Anyway, long story short, that's how I got my dog. Tucker. Three years ago this summer. He's been a blessing and a complete joy in my life. I can't imagine being without him!

Today, he's gotten several treats and lots of lovin'. And I even sang him the Happy Birthday song. Yes, my dog is a spoiled only child. (Just like his Momma!)

I'm thinking I'll have a legit birthday party for him when I can go home again. Mom and Dad can join us. There can be presents. It'll be awesome.

Happy birthday, Tucker. You're my number one special little guy!

Bathiti

2011-04-14T11:30:00.000-05:00

I have a blog to share with you guys. I thought you might find it interesting! It came about in my Senior Seminar class—we were all split up into groups to work on a final project of sorts, and this blog is one particular group's project.

I give you, "Bathiti".

Bathroom Graffiti, if you will.

"I'm writing on the wall. TAKE THAT SOCIETY!"

The purpose of Bathiti is to expose those aspects of Texas A&M's campus culture that are rarely addressed in the open.

Since I'm suggesting you guys take a look at it, I feel it's only fair to give a disclaimer. There is definitely some 'inappropriate' material. So if you're easily offended...well, view at your own risk. But I promise, not everything is wildly inappropriate. Yes, a lot of the pictures are admittedly a bit shocking—especially if you know anything about Texas A&M—but there are some straight up funny pictures, too.

Like this, for example.

"To Mordor"

It would be awesome if you guys could check out their blog, and of course any feedback is welcome! These photos are pretty darn interesting, if I do say so myself. And I do.

It's kind of wild what people say when they have the freedom to remain anonymous.

So go on! Run over and check out Bathiti! And you Facebookers, you can even 'like' their Facebook page!

What are you waiting for? :)

Bad Things Happen

2011-04-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

I've often heard bad things happen in threes. Sometimes I see a connection there. Like, maybe I stub my toe (bad!), get overheard cursing about stubbing my toe (bad x2!) and then subsequently trip as I try to hurry away from such an embarrassing series of events (bad x3!). But most of the time, I have to try pretty hard to really draw parallels to the bad events in my life.

Not this weekend.

The events of this weekend ganged up on me, slapped me in the face, and screamed, "We DO happen in threes! Sometimes MORE than threes! Just watch!"

I drove home this weekend. I left College Station on Thursday so I could meet up with my friend Heather, who's about to move out of the state. In all likelihood, this was my last shot at seeing her any time in the near future, and I wasn't going to miss it!

Earlier in the week, I'd noticed some sort of rash taking up residence on my stomach. This was, as you can imagine, an unacceptable development. Since I was planning to be in town anyway, I had my Mom set up a doctor's appointment for me.

When I left on Thursday, I was battling a serious sinus headache. By the time I woke up the next morning, it was a full on sinus assault. Every step was painful. Moving my eyes, focusing, blinking... All those things hurt. A sneeze or a cough, even clearing my throat, made me feel like my head was going to explode.

I was miserable.

I moved up my doctor's appointment, as no self-treatment was working. I was hoping I could reschedule my day of fun with Heather for some other time that weekend.

When I went to the doctor, two different people had to look at my rash to confirm their diagnosis. Shingles. Often brought on by stress. (Oh, I've got plenty of that, let me tell ya.)

So there's the first bad thing. Bad Thing #1. Shingles. OUCH. It's kind of weird, the way they hurt. Because they also itch. So sometimes you forget about the hurt, focus on the itch, and when you so much as think about giving them a good scratch, the pain swoops back in like an evil surprise. Also, I tend to sleep on my stomach, so the fact that they chose this particular location to set up shop was really frustrating to me.

Then we moved on and discussed my headache and all the symptoms it entailed. I got diagnosed with Bad Thing #2. A sinus infection.

I was prescribed antibiotics, some sort of antiviral medication, Zyrtec-D, Mucinex, and a pain reliever of my choice. Yikes.

I'm not sure if you could call this Bad Thing #3 or not, since it was a result of #1 and #2, but it still sucked big time so I'm calling it #3. I did not get to reschedule hanging out with Heather. By the time I was feeling remotely human again (Sunday), I had to drive back to College Station. I have classes on Monday—that Monday I was worried about a group presentation I had to give later that afternoon. She'll be gone before I could drive back home again, so...Bad Thing #3 indeed.

But Sunday was looking up.

I took a different route back to College Station. I'm not sure which road I was on—what would I do without GPS?—but it was scenic. Beautiful. The day was wonderful; just the right temperature, sunny, lovely. I made good time getting back. I dropped my dog and my bags off at my apartment and got out again to run a few errands. I was finished with almost everything. I had one more stop to make before going back to my apartment. Food.

And I was thinking, what could happen? I've already had my three bad things.

Then Bad Thing #4 came rushing at me in the form of a black Mercedes. Yep, that's right. I got into a car accident.

I'd already been planning a blog post about my horrible weekend, and how I had managed to walk away with a positive feeling about it—about how sometimes you just need to slow down anyway, and if you won't do it yourself, God and your body will set you down and put you in time-out whether you like it or not—in fact, I'd been planning to write it up after dinner that Sunday night.

Obviously that didn't happen. The accident put me in a heck of a mood. The screaming, belligerent passenger in the Mercedes didn't help that. And the seemingly endless minutes...hours...spent on the phone with insurance companies and independent adjusters have been absolutely exhausting. I am not even going to go into all the drama going on with this whole affair right now.

But you know what?

I am STILL determined to walk away from this with a positive attitude.

Sunday night when I was crying to my Mom on the phone about woe is me and why is this happening and I can't take this, she told me to make a list. Of all of the things I can be thankful for in these awful situations. I admit, I never literally wrote a list, but it did get me thinking. It really could have been so much worse.

After all, my car is drive-able. I'm alive. Uninjured. My dog was NOT in the car with me. At least only the passenger was an absolute demon. At least I have insurance, and a great support system of family and friends (one of whom drove down to see me—and back again all in one day!—because she knew I needed cheering up) who I know I can rely on and talk to. At least no one was hurt.

If nothing else, it's one more thing I can add to my list of Life Experiences. (Filed under "But I hope this never happens again!").

It's also another opportunity to sit down and re-evaluate the things that are really important in life, and how I have countless things to be thankful for.

One of them being, "I'm thankful most of those bad things are OVER."

The Little Things

2011-04-01T23:56:00.000-05:00

It feels amazing outside tonight.

I just spent the last half hour or so driving home from a rendezvous with a friend of mine and her boyfriend. We spent several hours chatting at Starbucks before relocating to Macaroni Grill to continue our conversation over dinner.

I'm stuffed beyond reason, just by the way.

On the drive home, I opened my sunroof and rolled down the windows. I hung my arm out the driver's side window for the majority of the trip. I put my new favorite song on repeat (Meyrin Fields, by Broken Bells, if you're interested). I let the wind kick up my hair, I sung at the top of my lungs (even though I didn't know all of the words), and I took the long way home.

It was exhilarating.

Nothing fancy, no speeding, no big deal really. But then again, that's something I've always appreciated.

The little things.

Like moments alone in my car, a cool breeze, great music, and soothing darkness.

Sometimes the little things make the biggest difference.

"Strong and content I travel the open road."

—Walt Whitman

100 Facts About Me

2011-03-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

So, as some of you know, I'm on Twitter. And lately, one of the 'trending topics' has been "100 Facts About Me". While I managed to resist literally sending out 100 tweets with facts about myself, I started thinking this might be a fun topic for a blog post, and a fun way for you guys to get to know me a little better.

Interested?

Then keep reading.

100 Facts About Me.

I'm a sucker for horror movies. Even the bad ones.
I have a thing for purses. I can never have enough purses.
Pizza is my all time favorite food.
I'm kind of an emotional roller-coaster.
I have a genuinely eclectic taste in music.
I can't remember a time in my life without a pet. Or pets.
When I was a kid, I desperately wanted a boa constrictor.
The first book I ever finished was dedicated to my Mom, and was more or less an argumentative proposal of all the reasons that my parents should buy me said boa constrictor. Also, it was fully illustrated by yours truly.
I'm a Apple girl for life. It's all I've ever owned, and it's what I grew up with.
I started writing at a very young age. It's what I've always wanted to do.
I am a better writer when I am reading.
I love anything and everything related to Starbucks.
I have kind of an obsessive personality. When I like something, I love it.
I sometimes have this recurring nightmare about my teeth falling out/getting yanked out/rotting away. It's a big deal to me.
I'm a worst-case-scenario kind of person. But I'm working on being more optimistic.
I'm an avid picture-taker.
I've never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Peanut butter and honey all the way!
I still watch Spongebob Squarepants.
At 23 years old, I am still afraid of the dark, especially when I let my imagination run wild.
I love BBQ sauce. On almost anything. Except desserts. Or breakfast.
I am completely a dog person.
I was a total tomboy growing up. Sometimes, I still am.
I've never been out of the country. I'd love for that to change.
I used to take piano lessons. I wish I had continued.
Once I filmed a commercial. Well, my Dad filmed it. And it never aired. But at a very young age, I was printing up copies of little stories I wrote (and illustrated) and trying to sell them at garage sales. I figured a television spot was the next step to greatness. And, as I recall, I skipped a piano lesson to film it. (I conveniently didn't remind Dad to take me.)
I cry. A lot. Sometimes even during particularly emotional commercials. Or just ones that I find particularly emotional.
I love beer. I'm not sorry.
I actually DO sometimes wish my life was a musical.
I like to play video games.
I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
I'm an adopted only child, and my parents are fantastic.
I cried during Barnyard.
My first car was a Volkswagen Beetle.
I know all the words to Barbie Girl. Still.
I love thunderstorms.
I'm not very good at multitasking. I can't talk on the phone and watch TV at the same time. I WILL get distracted. And I'm terrible at reading more than one book at once.
I'm a creature of habit. Big time.
I play the drums. But just casually.
I'm addicted to texting. Probably literally.
Chocolate is my weakness.
I am extremely body conscious. In a negative way. It's something I'm working on.
I want to live on a plantation. I think it'd be a great place to write—so much history. Plus they're beautiful.
I feel more comfortable with my elders than my peers.
I'm extremely nostalgic and I hate change. Usually.
I collect movies. I have a ton of them.
I don't know how to roller-skate. Or roller-blade. Or ice-skate.
I used to play basketball. I wasn't terribly good, but I love the sport.
My best birthday party ever involved a Shetland pony named Dr. Pepper and lots of pony rides. Also, a Littlest Pet Shop toy. It was a little cat with a purple ball of string. The cake was great, too.
The older I get, the more squeamish I get.
If I don't get enough sleep, I turn into a crazy, emotional, irritable basket-case.
I didn't really learn how to do laundry until last year.
I still don't really know how to cook.
I hate confrontation. It makes me extremely uncomfortable.
I pretty much have to sleep with at least one fan on (sometimes two). Really I only don't use one when I'm sick and running a fever.
I still wear my high school ring. I'll retire it when I get my Aggie ring this fall. WHOOP!
I've worn glasses since 6th grade, but I've only ever owned two pairs. I have an excellent track record with not breaking my glasses. I'm also probably legally blind without my glasses. My eyesight is awful.
I'm not wearing pants right now.
I don't have a single piercing. Not even my ears. Chalk that one up to laziness.
Working in retail has made me that much more cynical about people and their level of integrity and respect in general.
I love cloudy days and cool weather.
One of my guilty pleasures is Paris Hilton. I just love her.
I'm an expert napper.
My absolute favorite musical is Fiddler on the Roof. (And I got to see it live while Topol was still playing Tevye! Best day ever.)
I'm actually kind of a neat freak. It just...comes and goes. Sometimes I clean all night, just so I can wake up to a squeaky clean apartment.
Puppies make my heart smile.
I share my bed with my dog.
I've had two dogs that were 'mine'. A Black Lab/German Shepherd mix named Cowboy, and a Boston Terrier named Tucker. Both are equally capable of taking up the entire bed.
Music is a huge part of my life. It can cheer me up, or facilitate fits of crying, or make me feel like a total badass, or make me hunger for adventure, or make me feel nostalgic, or... Well, you get the idea.
I have a serious fetish for shoes with extremely high heels and extremely pointy toes. So hot. But no, I have not mastered walking gracefully in them.
I really love to vacuum.
My two favorite contemporary authors are Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I am constantly trying to borrow their styles. For instance, I inherited my tendency to use sentence fragments from the brilliant Mr. King.
I pride myself on an extensive vernacular.
The thesaurus is my best friend. Mark Twain really did say it best—"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."
I take serious issue with people who refuse to see foreign films because they "don't like to read".
I also take serious issue with people who refuse to read period.
I'm allergic to cats. But that hasn't always been true. It makes me sad.
Shrimp kind of grosses me out.
Dieting has led me to discover a plethora of new dishes which I now enjoy frequently. But it isn't always easy. (Pizza is my absolute favorite food, remember?)
I sing like a maniac in my car. It makes me feel like a rockstar, even when I can't hit all the notes.
It drives me crazy when I can't think of the word or expression to describe how I feel.
I love Uggs, and I don't care if you don't.
I used to have a credit card. But not anymore. I'm not good at limiting my spending.
When I'm enjoying myself, I can be in a place for hours. But when I get antsy, I will find a way to escape and entertain myself elsewhere.
I was a Girl Scout. But just for a little while. I didn't like it. Girls can be such bitches. (Pardon my French).
I'm 1/4 Hispanic. Not that you could tell from my ghostly pale skin.
I may be young, but I'm still a conservative Republican. Haters gonna hate.
I've always lived in Texas, but only got my first pair of legit cowboy boots last year.
Blue jeans are my favorite thing to wear.
The only drug I ever tried was a cigarette. One time. It was the most disgusting thing I ever tasted.
When I was a kid, my favorite toy was this awesome plastic Sabertooth Tiger. I used to bury him and my other dinosaurs in my Great Grandmother's front yard. One day, I buried him and forgot where. To this day, he remains somewhere in that old Texas dirt. And I still miss him.
I have an overwhelming collection of stuffed animals. And I still keep a few on my bed. (Don't judge me.)
I wish I could have Liam Neeson narrate my life. Anthony Hopkins would also be acceptable.
My favorite show is The Simpsons. I think Homer is my secret soulmate.
When I'm drunk, I morph into a crazy combination of Homer Simspon and Spongebob Squarepants.
I'm kind of embarrassed that I'm sharing some of these things, now that I think about it.
I'm actually quite shy most of the time.
I've gone to five different colleges. Dallas Baptist University, Tarrant County Community College, Navarro College, Midland College, and finally Texas A&M. I have an Associate's in English from Navarro, and I'll be getting my Bachelor's in English from A&M.
My concentration is Creative Writing and my minor is Sociology.
I can't whistle.
I love my family and my friends (and my dog!) more than anything.

Homeward Bound

2011-03-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

Can I just say, a little vodka and orange juice sure will make a three hour flight more interesting. Especially when the orange juice is complimentary and you get to keep the mini vodka bottle.

This past week has gone by SO fast. Isn't that always the way of it? Vacations fly by and normal every-day life slinks by languidly while we wait for something exiting to come up again. From last Friday to this Friday, I've done so much. I've taken literally over a thousand pictures. I've been to a ton of places I'd never seen before, or only previously seen in photographs or on television. And right now, I'm looking down on mountaintops.

It's been an awesome experience.

I've walked all over New York City, I've seen Central Park, been on top of the Empire State Building, traipsed through Times Square (both day and night!) dined at Mesa Grill, tackled the subway (and not fallen over), been awestruck at the Met, and that's not even the half of it.

I'm sure this trip and subsequent photos will end up making their way into several posts. Theres just too much to cover in only one. And if I were to attempt such a thing, the outcome would probably be much longer than anyone would want to read.

And I've got way too many pictures to fit into posts, so instead of flooding you with ALL of my trip pictures here (seriously, over a thousand), I'll be uploading them to this blog's Facebook page so you guys can feel free to browse through them there. I'll post a link once I've had the chance to upload them.

New York City
Taken from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building.

Going home is bittersweet. In many ways, I'm ready. I miss my dog, and I suppose I'm a little homesick. This Texas girl isn't used to big city hustle and bustle. But at the same time, one week isn't nearly enough time to see and do all of the things I'd wanted to. Still, all good things must come to an end, and it's been one heck of a good thing.

I can't wait to share it with you guys.

I'm also pretty excited because I have decided to finally try my hand at scrap booking. I've wanted to for some time now, and this trip seems like the perfect excuse to start. I've got a lot of photos, receipts, tickets, and knick-knacks that I think are perfect scrap book fodder. So wish me luck! It'll be a whole new endeavor.

For now, I'm going to curl up with a book (The Town That Forgot How To Breathe, by Kenneth J. Harvey, in case you wanted to know) and hope this three hour flight flies by (no pun intended) smoothly.

Maybe I'll get another vodka and orange juice.

(I did get another vodka and orange juice.)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location: 32,000 feet above the world.

Up In The Air

2011-03-11T18:03:00.001-06:00

As I type this, I'm several thousand feet in the air (39,000, I believe the Captain just said), leaving DFW and headed to La Guardia.

"Excited" just does not quite cover it.

This is the first time I've flown in...years. And only the second time I've ever flown, at that. (The first time was a family vacation to San Francisco, but that's a story for another time.)

This also the first time I've ever flown alone. And the last time I flew, security checks weren't near as strenuous or stressful. I'm serious, with all the TSA agents roaming around, I was thrust back to high school when all it took was the principal looking at me to get me thinking, oh! I...I haven't done nothing wrong! Right?

I totally support the protection of us peoples here in the airport, and I definitely understand the why of it. But man, those people are so serious! I was standing in line, waiting to pour my worldly possessions into little plastic bins, waiting to disrobe and be declared not a terrorist, and I took one step too far past the line. I got a glare and had the wait-right-here sign pointed out to me. I was obviously a little lost, and I smiled (and probably blushed), promptly stepped back, and offered a nervous little, "Oh! Sorry..."

Not even a smile in return.

Now I get that these people are on their guard, but...really? I couldn't stand a job where I had to be serious all the time.

But I digress.

I managed to come through the security checkpoint with most of my dignity intact, and stopped a moment to put myself back together. I turned to wave at my parents—the only time so far I've felt anything but utter mind boggling excitement, which was only briefly replaced with a bout of separation anxiety—and then regrouped, gaped for a moment at the plethora of signs above me, and lit out to find my gate. Fortunately, it was almost literally right around the corner.

Once I had a good handle on where I needed to get back to, I decided it was high time to scrounge up a Starbucks. (That 5:45 alarm was brutal, and I was tired of yawning!)

I've never been to an airport Starbucks before, so I was a little bit excited about that. I got a tall cocoa cappuccino (a new favorite, for sure!) and a slice of cinnamon swirl coffee cake (delish!).

It didn't take me long to finish them. I was done with both before we started boarding. Which actually went really fast, at least in comparison to what I was expecting.

Finding my seat was easy enough. I shoved my backpack in the overhead compartment, plunked myself down in 25F, and commenced with staring out the window with a silly-excited grin on my face.

Thankfully we didn't have to sit around too long before we actually took off.

I'm not sure how long we've been flying now, maybe half an hour. Maybe not quite that. But honestly, so far I'm not feeling cabin fever yet. I keep going back and forth between writing this and childishly grinning as I count all the pools (EVERYBODY has a pool but ME!!!). And I love seeing all of the roads and plots of land. Very fun!

And on top of everything, the free in-flight film is The King's Speech, which I love! (Back in the purse you go, iPod! I don't need you after all!)

And now when I look out the window, I see the tops of clouds, and their shadows on the ground. So cool!

I keep taking photos with my phone (on airplane mode!). I just can't resist! Besides the flight back in a week, I'm not sure when the next time I'll fly is. That's my excuse, anyway.

I'm already working out how fast I'll be able to grab my backpack out of the overhead compartment when we land. So far, it's the coming and going that I'm anxious about. Making sure I get everything that's mine, finding baggage claim once we land in New York. And finding Matt at the airport. (I'll be the tourist gawking at everything, wearing the Texas A&M—aka the "I'm not from around here"—hoodie, Matt!)

I AM quite looking forward to stretching my legs once we land. Hopefully they're still with me when I stand up.

(Ooooh, turbulence!)

You know, when I first arrived at the airport, I really anticipated being nervous on the plane. I was just sure that take-off, that any little bump, that watching the wings tremble against the wind would have me on the edge of my seat, just praying we'd land in one piece and not on fire.

But actually, I'm not really nervous at all. I'm just excited. Beyond excited.

(Now the clouds are no longer sparse! I gotta say, it's awesome to be ABOVE the clouds. It kind of looks like snow!)

(And HEY! I just saw a plane way below us! It looks like a toy!)

Now that the movie's over, I feel free to assume that we've been flying for t least something like two hours. The time change is really throwing me off. We took off a little after ten, and now it's 12:41, but we haven't hit that magic time-change line, so even though we should touch down in...well, less than an hour, since we haven't skipped an hour ahead yet, I'm still thinking man! 2:25 is a long ways off! Fortunately that isn't true!

You guys won't get to read about my adventures in La Guardia in this post because I'll have to put my iPad away by then, but I'm sure I'll share it with you eventually. At the end of my trip, I'll have a whole other three hour stint being strapped to my chair, which means plenty of time to begin recounting the weeks events.

The Captain just came on and said we're about 35 minutes out!!! The excitement, she builds!

You know, I just had an epiphany. Of course my phone isn't going to recognize the time change. Not until it has some signal coming to it, which it doesn't. Neither does my iPad. (Airplane mode still!) so 1:12 might as well be 2:12, which means we are definitely ALMOST THERE!!!

The clouds have opened up again, there aren't too many now. Great view!

Captain says prepare for landing!!!

Ill see you guys on the other side!

Location:Somewhere in the Texas sky.

A Road Trip Getaway

2011-03-09T09:04:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just need to get away.

And sometimes you just want to. A think a little combination of the two is what I had been experiencing for quite some time now.

Solution?

Plan a getaway!

This is precisely what myself and my friend Megan did this past weekend. We planned it about a month in advance. I started saving up. And, of course, getting excited. (I mean, really excited.)

Our original plan had been to drive to Austin and just hang out. Grab a bite, see the sights, do some shopping. But then my life took a few turns, I started looking into graduate school, researching good programs. I turned up a good creative writing program at Texas State University in San Marcos.

San Marcos isn't a whole heck of a lot farther away than Austin and I was itching to check out the campus (I'd initially looked into Texas State when I was trying to decide where to transfer to after getting my Associate's) so I suggested that we add San Marcos to our road trip itinerary.

Lucky for me, Megan was all for it! Then the plan became a drive down to San Marcos, a look around the school, then driving back up and stopping through Austin for shopping and general fun on our way back to College Station.

Then I realized something. San Marcos has an outlet mall. A really great outlet mall. We're talkin' Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Juicy Couture, Gucci, Fendi, Coach, Puma, Lacoste, Lucky, Ed Hardy, Calvin Klein, BCBGirls, Guess... Basically, I flipped out.

Since Megan was also up for shopping, our plan changed again. Austin got nixed completely.

Don't worry, Austin. We'll come back to you soon.

Because you have a California Pizza Kitchen...It's only a matter of time.

New plan? Get an early start, drive down to San Marcos and check out the campus, then head over to the outlets to shop our little hearts out.

Saturday could not come fast enough.

When it did, I was up at six and ready to go at seven forty-five. I picked up Megan at eight, and after a pit stop to fill up the gas tank, we dropped by Starbucks for a morning pick-me-up. Then we were on the road.

The drive was really pleasant. It didn't seem too long, and it only rained on us a bit. By the time we made it to San Marcos, the sun was out and there was a great chill in the air. The perfect day.

We actually spent much more time checking out the campus than I thought we would. Megan was just as curious as I was, and spending two or so hours there gave me plenty of time to get a great first impression of the school. And take a lot of pictures. I mean, a lot.

And here they are! Apologies in advance; there's a ton of 'em.

This is the first building we saw. It's lovely!

Old Main again. We climbed a lot of steps on this campus!

I believe this is the back side of Old Main.

Welcome to Texas State University!

I don't know if it's easy to tell, but it just keeps going down!

Lots of steps and lots of trees!

This is the library, which we did go inside. It's lovely!
And on the 7th floor, they have some exhibits. Very fun!

Arial view of campus from the library!

The Bobcat. Texas State's mascot.

The Stallions. Just beautiful!

One more angle on The Stallions, because I love them!

LBJ.

One of my favorite buildings. Love the architecture style!

View #2 of the building I love!

My favorite huge tree!

I. Love. Trees.

Um, HOW cute are these little guys?

I seriously love this campus.

Look at this little guy! The only one who didn't flop into the water when I approached.

THIS is their theater! For plays and such! In the middle of the pond! Awesome.

So, again, obviously I went a little camera happy. And honestly, that's not even half the pictures. But I've already flooded you guys with plenty.

All in all, I really loved this campus. It's gorgeous, lots of trees, lots of shade. And very hilly! (My TOMS held up amazingly well, and we seriously did a ton of walking!)

We went on a Saturday, which is why there aren't any people in my pictures. It was really nice to be able to get a feel for the campus without being overrun. But I'm already planning on dragging my parents down to look again, and get more information, so I look forward to seeing how the place feels during the week when classes are going on.

After we finished checking out the campus, we were positively famished. We'd passed this adorable Saltgrass Steakhouse on the way in, so we decided to run back out to that. It's such a cool building! Apparently it used to be an old mill. And the view is great—you can see the river! I didn't get a great picture inside, but I got one of the outside.

When we left here, we were stuffed. Delicious!

Historical marker, hoorah!

We really enjoyed the break from walking, and the food was fantastic. We really took our time and enjoyed ourselves.

And after eating, we were more than ready to hit up the shops!

I only got a couple of pictures at the outlet mall. I'd intended to get more, but I got a little carried away with the whole shopping thing. But we walked all around the shopping center—it's outdoors, and the weather was lovely. It was absolutely a blast.

Our first stop. I was in hog heaven!

We went in to a ton of the stores, but mostly window shopped. It was just really fun to see what all they had. Though I won't lie, I found several things I want. I may be making a trip back soon!

After we finished shopping, we stopped by the Starbucks in the outlet mall to grab something to drink before the drive back home. I didn't get too many pictures because we were in a hurry to get back—we both had pups waiting at home for us!

Starbucks. A constant in my life. Delicious all over the world.

The drive back felt longer than the drive there. Probably because there's way more excitement involved in actually driving toward the destination as opposed to away from it. Still, it wasn't bad. And it wasn't too long.

And I slept like a baby.

It was a fantastic trip. A great way to let go of some stress, take some time to just enjoy ourselves. The perfect day-trip getaway. I can't wait to start planning the next one! Austin? Houston? San Antonio? Who knows!

Happy 40th Anniversary, Starbucks!

2011-03-08T20:10:00.000-06:00

If you know me, you know I love Starbucks. And as such, I've been really enthused about all of the changes coming to my favorite coffee company. Not too long ago, Starbucks unveiled their new logo, and today—to celebrate their 40th Anniversary—the new logo made its way into stores across the country! And it brought friends!

There's a whole slew of new merchandise boasting the new Siren logo, new treats, new Starbucks cards, and new drinks! For a full list of 40th Anniversary merch, check out the Starbucks website.

The first thing I did when I walked in was check out the new displays. They were chock full of Tribute blend coffee and Tribute VIA, plus some new drink-ware—mugs and tumblers galore!

New displays! Hooray!

Happy 40th! Tribute blend for all!

Petites! Scrumptious little treats.

The Cocoa Cappuccino made its debut today, and if I do say so myself, it's quite delicious! It's got a great cocoa flavor, and it's very bittersweet. I loved it.

Trouble is, it's only available for a limited time. So I'm trying not to get too attached. It's really yummy, though. I definitely recommend it for those of you who, like myself, really enjoy a nice bitter cocoa flavor.

My cup and cup sleeve both boasted the new Siren logo, and I have to say, I really like it. I will still miss the old logo—after all, that's the logo I've always known, ever since my love affair with Starbucks began. But after seeing the new logo in action, actually on the cup, actually on merchandise, I really like its simplicity. It's very minimalistic, clean, and it means that Starbucks can stand on its logo alone; the words "Starbucks" and "Coffee" aren't necessary to identify it as a brand. Not too many companies can say that.

New logo, new sleeve!

My tall Cocoa Cappuccino and the new Siren!

Of course they didn't totally ditch the "Starbucks" name.

Old Siren, meet New Siren!

I paired my tall Cocoa Cappuccino with one of the new Starbucks Petites pastries, the Red Velvet Whoopie Pie. Oh, it was delicious. Simply delicious! And relatively guilt free! All of the Petites are under 200 calories! In fact, my Whoopie Pie was 190. And I'm serious, it was fantastic. In fact, just writing about it has got me craving another one. Bad.

Way too yummy, seriously.

As for the merch I picked up—I wanted to buy all of it! No lie! But...I couldn't afford that. So I 'limited' myself as best I could.

I picked up the new Siren logo mug, some Tribute VIA, and an adorable little tote! Oh, and the new cards, of course. I have every intention of going back for one of the tumblers and the Tribute ground coffee + canister. Awesome.

New cards! New magnets will be on my fridge soon. ;)

My new mug! And Tribute VIA!

My 'makeshift' VIA holder.

Starbucks tote!

Obviously, I had a great time checking out the new Starbucks stuff and wishing a happy birthday to the Starbucks siren. If you haven't had a chance to invite yourself to the festivities, I highly recommend that you do! I mean, you know, if you love Starbucks as much as I do. I can't wait to see where the next 40 years takes us!

Look at this! Look at what I'm doing!

2011-03-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but 2011 is shaping up to be an amazing year for me. A few plans have changed. There have been a few bumps in the road. But so far, I am having a fantastic year. I've got a lot of really exciting things happening for me in the coming months. So exciting that I just can't resist sharing.

New York City

First up, Spring Break. Destination? New York City!

I fly out on March 11. I'm there for seven whole days. I leave a week later, on the 18th. I'm so excited I can't even explain. Not only will this be my first trip to The Big Apple, but I'm also going up to visit my friend, Matt. It is going to be awesome, epic, fantastic, amazing, and every other word for "best ever" you can come up with.

Our itinerary is pretty extensive. But more than being interested in the landmarks (though there are a few I simply MUST see), I'm the most excited about hanging out in the big city with my friend. A couple of other mutual friends will be there at the same time, and we have an evening of karaoke planned with them.

Some things on the agenda are Ground Zero, The Met, Rockefeller Center, the New York Public Library, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Wall Street, SoHo, and Tiffany & Co. Be prepared for an over abundance of pictures when I get back.

I'm also excited about this trip because I'll get to play the part of an bona fide foodie when I go. We've already got reservations to Mesa Grill, where I plan to try the Spiced Rubbed Bison Filet, with corn, ancho chile sauces, and crispy red onion. My mouth is watering right this second. I'm also going to get to try authentic New York style pizza. Which I already know I'll love. Because let's face it, pizza is my favorite food. I'll also have another go at sushi, and indulge in some fabulous desserts.

It's going to be one of those experiences I'll never forget. I absolutely cannot wait.

My Birthday

I know, I know. I have one of these every year. And I'm turning 24—possibly one of the most anticlimactic ages I've turned so far. But this year is the year I finally have to renew my driver's license. So not only will I get a whole new picture (Exciting!), but I'll also finally have the big-kid license. Yes folks, though I'm a couple of years past twenty-one, I still have the "under eighteen" driver's license.

I'm taking that final step, that last rite of passage from vertical to horizontal.

It will be very strange.

So, odd as it sounds, I'm marking this years' birthday as one of my Big Events of 2011.

New Orleans

Next up, summer vacation! What better time to take a road trip than over the summer? Again I'll be teaming up with Matt, and this time we're hitting the road. Destination? New Orleans!

We're hoping to drop by Shreveport as well.

I'm so excited to actually see New Orleans. I've gotten really intrigued by the South lately, particularly the deep South. And places like New Orleans. And a piece I'm working on, one I'm hoping to turn into a novel, is set in the South. It's a horror/thriller (I hope!) set on a plantation. I've never been to a plantation. That is going to change this summer. One of our stops is going to be at a plantation. We aren't 100% sure which one, but I'm really hoping to visit Oak Alley Plantation. (Google it. It's gorgeous.)

And then, of course, Bourbon Street. And I am already excited just thinking about all of the amazing pictures I'm going to take.

Both New York and Louisiana are going to provide some excellent opportunities to not only get my creative writing juices flowing, but also to expand my horizons as far as photography goes. I'm so thrilled at the chance to photograph things that aren't exactly in my neck of the woods, if you know what I mean.

Ring Day

This one belongs to my friend. MINE will say '11. :)

And then, in...probably November—I can't say for sure yet—I'll finally be getting my Aggie ring! I don't know about you guys; I'm not sure if college rings were a huge deal for you or not, but it's massive to me. There are a couple of reasons for this.

First, I've been working on my undergraduate work for about six years. I started off slow, unsure of what I wanted to do, so I'm not angry that it's taken so much time. But to me, my Aggie ring means more than just credit hours and attendance. It means I finally found a school I'm proud to graduate from. I'm proud to be a student here and I'll be proud when I'm an Alumni, and I'll be proud every day to wear my Aggie ring so the whole world will know—I'm an Aggie. I did it. I graduated.

But also, the Aggie ring is a huge deal down here in Aggieland. We have Ring Day, and ring dunks, and countless other traditions that go along with getting the coveted Aggie ring. Needless to say, I can't wait.

Graduation

Next, in December, I'll be graduating! I had originally planned to graduate in May, but there were a few kinks in that plan. But honestly, with the way this year is panning out, I'm fine with graduating in December. It gives me more time to visit the career center, plan for what I want to do after I graduate, research graduate schools (which is a total headache, by the way).

I think it's so convenient the way all of my big events are spread out over the course of the year. I've got something to look forward to the entire time. No one big event, no one big thing that comes and goes and leaves me wanting more. At the end of everything is the prospect of something more; something exciting and new on the horizon.

2011 is my year, and I plan to live it UP.

I can't wait to bring you guys along for the ride.

Arts and Crafts and Coffee

2011-02-25T16:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was struck with a sincere and severe urge to be crafty.

Trouble is, though I have high aspirations for my craftiness, I'm not all that proficient in many crafting areas. I don't know how to knit, but I wish I did. I don't know how to crochet, but I wish I did. I've never scrap-booked, but I'd like to try. You get the idea—A lot of would if I could.

So as I was thinking about what in the world I could do to sooth my crafting itch, my eyes fell upon my massive stack of Starbucks cards. If you haven't noticed, I'm a Starbucks fanatic of sorts. So I keep every Starbucks card I get, and I have a bunch. I supposed you could say I'm collecting them, but I can't rightly say I know what I'm doing with my collection so much as letting them sit quietly in a chronological stack behind my iPod speakers dock to be occasionally thumbed through.

And this stack isn't even ALL of them.

Some I want to keep in pristine condition. You know, just in case? But others—some duplicates, and some that I just love so much I know I'll never want to sell/get rid of/whatever—I'm not so stuck on keeping perfect for some sort of collection.

And so that got me thinking, what could I do with these cards that would really let me enjoy them, show them off?

Epiphany!

Magnets!

The last time my Mom came to visit me, she commented on how I don't have very many. (At my house, our fridge is affectionally littered with them, of all shapes and sizes.) And this was the perfect solution for both my crafting urge and my Starbucks cards dilemma.

This is the ultimate fun, cheap, and easy way to make magnets if you're like me and have a ton of Starbucks cards lying around. Though obviously you don't have to use Starbucks cards to make magnets. But, since I did, and since I had such a fun time doing it, I'm going to tell you exactly how I did it! You know, just in case reading this inspires you to embrace your crafty side in a similar manner.

First, I had to make a quick trip to Michael's. Any craft supply store will do, though, I'd imagine! As long as they sell some form of magnet. I hadn't realized I'd have so many options, but what I ended up leaving with was just a basic peel-and-stick rectangle of magnets. They came in one piece, but broke off easily into strips, which I then cut to fit the card.

I figured these would be pretty much impossible to mess up (I was right), but I still started off with a card I had multiples of. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorites. I cut one of the magnet strips in half, peeled the backing off, and stuck it on the back of the card.

Worked like a charm.

It's a first edition of sorts. ;)

I was so pleased with the result that I instantly made more. Since I was still in the process of figuring out the best way to put magnets on the back, I tried it a couple of different ways. For some, I used two smaller strips, vertical on each side of the card. For others, one long strip in the middle. For one, I just used a little strip. Aesthetically, it doesn't make much of a difference either way since this all goes on the back. The only difference is how much the magnet can hold. Menus, photos, shopping lists, etc. I think my favorite way is the two vertical strips.

All in all, I ended up making seven different Starbucks card magnets. I love them! They really brighten up my fridge—as you can see, it's black—and I'm excited that I've finally found a use for some of my favorite Starbucks cards.

Plus, if you run out of room on your own fridge, they would make great gifts! And I'm already planning on switching mine out. Some of them, anyway. I have several Christmas themed Starbucks cards—Guess when those are going up! They can be seasonal!

Anyway, these are the results of my creative urges (and my Starbucks mania). They were a ton of fun, and so easy I can't even explain it. And, would you believe it, while I was sifting through cards to use, I found an old favorite of mine from 2006—summer, I believe—that still had a balance on it! $1.49! Score!

This is the infamous card with a nearly six year old balance!

The Eyes and the Storm

2011-02-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

This is a piece I'm working on for my workshop. It is actually part of a bigger idea-in-progress. I posted another part of it a while back. I haven't figured out how the two parts will go together, as far as a timeline is concerned. Currently, I think this will end up coming before the other. If you're interested in reading the companion piece, you can find it here.

_____________________________

A cold wind kicked up across the lake. The clouds came in slowly, bearing the heavy burden of rain. The sunlight winked out, smothered by the smoky gray-black thunderhead.

The surface of the lake bucked and thrashed against the wind; the last remaining boats fluttered back to dock just as the first bullets of rain struck the tormented lake.

Cal watched from his perch on the window seat as the sky spilled out its sadness, cast a deceiving dusk-dark shadow over the midday sun.

He felt a small but firm tug on the cuff of his pant leg and he rocked back on his heels to make room for his sister, who scampered up next to him and pressed both hands and nose to the chilled pane of glass. Her hot breath teased up a ghostly fog on the glass. With one precise little finger, she turned it into a frowning face.

“Rainin,” she said.

Cal nodded and hugged his knees to his chest, crossed his legs at the ankle. “Uh-huh.”

“Guess we can’t go swimming today, huh?” Cecelia turned her big blue eyes up at him, a glimmer of hope still hidden behind her mask of responsible acceptance.

“‘Fraid not,” Cal said, and the glimmer faded. “Maybe tomorrow, yeah?” He nudged Cecelia gently with his shoulder and let a small but encouraging smile play across his lips.

Cecelia perked up, though reluctantly. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe.”

Cal turned back to watch as sheets of rain cascaded down across the sky. He could see the small rowboat he built with his father teeter back and forth on the top of the water, straining against the dock line. A jagged spear of lightning fell from the sky, lit up the lake briefly, leaving an eerie stain behind Cal's eyelids. He counted the seconds, making it to three before the heavy groan of thunder came.

In truth, Cal was glad of the rain, of Cecelia not swimming. He still didn’t trust the water—not the water or the eyes it held.

Find me on Facebook!

2011-02-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

I did it, guys. I caved. Now you can become a fan—er, "like"—my blog on Facebook!

So any of you Facebook users are more than welcome to catch up with me at my page there as well! I'd be more than happy for the conversation to continue. I like interacting with you guys in comments, but Blogger's comment form doesn't make it as easy as it could be.

I've added a widget on the side of my blog to make it super easy for you—just click "like"! That page will allow me to post links whenever I publish a new entry, share pictures, and chat with you guys more personally.

Thanks again for the comments, readership, and support, you guys. Y'all are the best! :)

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-02-08T10:33:00.004-06:00

Texas weather is notorious for being unpredictable. Snow in February? Why not!

We got a pretty decent snowfall when I visited home this weekend. I always love the snow. I attribute this to the fact that, though the South sees snow now and again during the winter, it doesn't often stick around long. Or sometimes it's more..."Texas snow"—that is, sleet.

My dog, Tucker, isn't quite sure what to think of the snow. To him it means cold, and it means something-weird-on-my-feet. I get quite a kick out of watching him tiptoe through it, doing his best to avoid keeping his feet in it too long, and taking the long way around big patches of it whenever possible.

Our other dog, Kelsi, doesn't seem to be phased by it. She has no problems walking in it or sitting in it, and she still makes her rounds on our property despite the cold white stuff.

The only real problem is the buildup of snow causing tree branches to break. And our driveway, which is basically just a paved hill. So when it gets icy, it's kind of unmanageable. (Though to that I say, what better excuse to stay indoors, watch movies, and drink hot chocolate?)

While Dad got out to try and clear off some driveway space, I busied myself taking pictures. Which of course I had to share with you guys.

So, here it is! My first Snow Day of 2011. Enjoy! I know I did.

Snowy clouds.

Pristine blanket of snow!

Kelsi makes her rounds.

Kelsi-tracks.

Our bench. <3

Wheelbarrow out back.

Blue skies.

Our little howling wolf guy.

Hi guys!

The Unyielding Beast

2011-01-29T11:23:00.000-06:00

This is a writing exercise done in class for my senior seminar, Writing as Resistance. It appears here unedited, just as I wrote it in class—only typed, of course. The way she walked us through the exercise was very broad, so I find it interesting that this is where my pen took me.

_____________________________

I could still feel the hot embers burning my nose. I thought if I opened my eyes, I'd see what I'd been so afraid of. But as my clammy hands went to my sides to steady myself, they met with the cool familiar leather of my couch and pulled me back into myself. Blinking, I looked around. The hum of the air conditioner kicked on and made me jump. I hadn't realized how heavy the silence had been.

In the corner, married to shadow, stood the grandfather clock. It towered over me as I approached it. It was cold, smooth against my fingertips, its face eyeless yet staring as seconds became minutes, and minutes hours. The sharp angles of its frame, the once white face now yellowed with age, thrust me back to that day. The funeral. The will. The clock was the only thing he'd left me, a tired reminder of how time marches on. And time runs out. It runs out for everybody.

My hands shook as I pulled back the glass, exposed the face. I wanted to go back. Again the feeling rose in me to run. To run back. I placed my finger down, a roadblock for the ever-moving second hand. It ticked, ticked, then met my finger, stubborn and unmoving. I felt it fight against me; such a small pressure, such a feeble resistance. And that's how it was the last time we spoke, he and I. His body was tired, his spirit broken, his will to fight and live was waning. That's how it was when he told me about the clock and how it only moves one way, always one way. I remembered the light in his eyes, I remembered how fast it faded and how empty he seemed once it was gone. A shell.

Only one way, he'd said.

I heard small wheels inside the clock ache and strain, but I wouldn't relent. Instead, I pushed back. Time, the unyielding beast, was forced back, the minute hand rewinding second by second, hour by hour. It weighed too much. Time bore such a heavy load.

Then, without warning, the minute hand snapped.

I thought I'd won, but the gears shifted and the jagged black claw of the second hand pushed forward. Time could not be defeated. Time could not be stopped.

Though I had pushed back the hands, though the hour the clock boasted was wrong, time itself was a bigger monster, bigger even than that massive grandfather clock with its unforgiving face and empty heart. It was the true adversary, never to be conquered.

Four Years Later

2011-01-26T10:53:00.025-06:00

This is a non-fiction piece that I wrote for my senior seminar, Writing as Resistance. In class we read Suheir Hammad's poem, First Writing Since—the first writing she did after September 11, 2001; her reaction to it. Our written response was supposed to express a way in which we are broken.

I had the idea for this—really, the inspiration, if you want to call it that, since it's not fiction—quite some time ago. About four years ago, actually. But I shoved it aside. I knew it was worth writing, but I didn't want to write it.

Then, in 2009, it came again. The same sensation, the same realization. And I thought, "I should write this. It means something. I needs to be written."

But I couldn't. It was still too hard.

Then I started this class. The first day. The first assignment. Four years later, it was time. I don't know what to title it. I don't know what fits it yet, or if I ever will. Or if it will move anyone but me; they're my thoughts, emotions, and fears, after all.

Still, it was worth finally writing, and it's worth finally sharing. For whatever it's worth.

I don't know why, but I feel like it's important—or at least relevant—to mention that while I wrote this, I listened to "After the Storm," by Mumford & Sons, on perpetual repeat. Somehow it just evoked the right emotion in me, one that really married how I felt when I first had the urge to write this and how I needed to feel to actually write it. Either way, I feel since I listened to it while writing this piece, if you wanted companion music for it, I'd recommend that song.

_____________________________

When you’re little, there is no death. Death is just one of those things that we learn about as we go. My first experience with death that I really remember was the death of my granddad. But for some reason, his isn’t the death that broke something in me. Really, there were two deaths—both recent—that caused the break.

The first was my grandpa’s, my mother’s dad. Strangely enough, it wasn’t his passing that caused such a change in me; it was seeing my mom. Seeing how hard it was for her. At the end of his funeral, we all rose to walk past the coffin and pay our final respects. As I stood in line behind my parents, behind my mother and her three siblings, I was struck by how small she looked. She leaned over my grandpa’s coffin—the final goodbye. As I watched, I realized that I wasn’t looking at my mother, not as I knew her. I was looking at a little girl saying goodbye to her daddy for the last time. A small, heartbroken little girl. It was a shock to me because I had never seen her like that. For some reason it hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that the loss of my grandpa was not the same as her losing her father. Though they were the same man, our sense of loss was very different.

The second death was the death of my grandmother, my dad’s mother. My whole life, I had known her as Super Granny. A great moniker for an extraordinary woman. Her death was very unexpected. Though she was in her mid-eighties, she was in good health. On one of my dad’s frequent trips to her house to check on her, he found her in bed, as if merely sleeping. Again I was shaken by the sensation that I wasn’t watching my father handle things, that I wasn’t comforting and hugging my father, but rather that I was trying to console a little boy who couldn’t quite believe that he really wouldn’t ever see his mommy again.

These two deaths caused something inside me to change, to see things differently. It was like a last veil had been lifted—the image of my parents as indestructible, the same image many children have of their parents when they’re young, gone. I began to realize that my parents are next in line, morbid as it sounds. The older generations are nearly gone. Time is, indeed, marching on—no matter how much I wish it would stop. Shortly after my grandmother’s funeral, my dad was trying to describe to me how it felt having both parents gone. Both of my parents have now lost both of their parents, and my dad described it like being orphaned. I realized then that planning, growing up, preparing—none of those things are foolproof. No matter how old you get, there are some things you’ll never be able to prepare for.

Since these experiences and the subsequent conversations, there’s a new kind of sadness in me. Not a weeping, overwhelming sadness, but one that comes with the realization that one day I’ll lose my parents, too. No matter how old I am, I’ll be jolted back to childhood, to feeling lost and scared with no more mom or dad to turn to. And no matter when it happens, I won’t be ready for it.

Rusty's S.O.S.

2011-01-25T23:45:00.000-06:00

I don't normally do this, but as an avid dog lover (just look at my frequent mentions of my own dog, Tucker) I thought it couldn't hurt to share this with you guys.

I was reading a recent post over at A Dog In My Car, one of the blogs I follow, when I learned about Rusty's plight. Rusty is a sweet little dog, only a year and a half, who is hoping to get transferred from Bully Breed Rescue to Spirit Sanctuary. Bully Breed Rescue is trying to raise money to send him there.

I don't want you guys to feel pressured, or feel like you have to contribute. That isn't what this is about. And as a college student, I absolutely understand wanting to help but just not having money to spare. If that's the case, you'll find no judgements here. None at all. But for Rusty, simply spreading the word could be a huge help.

If you'd like more information on how you can help, check out his ChipIn page, "Help Rusty get to Spirit Sanctuary, NY."

I've also added a widget at the top left corner of my blog.

If you have anything to spare, feel free. If not, consider just sharing the link.

A Better Idea

2011-01-24T11:10:00.000-06:00

Anyone who says that dogs can't talk has obviously never met my dog, Tucker. He is just as capable of communicating with me as anybody else I know. His methods are merely a bit different.

A brief demonstration. The following exchange took place with myself seated at my desk and Tucker sitting at my feet, big brown eyes gazing longingly up at me while I tried to concentrate on my homework.

Big brown eyes are very distracting.

Our conversation went something like this—

"Are you sure you have to do your homework?"

"I mean, are you really sure?..."

"...'cause I have a better idea."

How can I be expected to say no when those eyes are so full of hope...

Homework, let's be honest—

you don't stand a chance.

First Class

2011-01-22T11:00:00.001-06:00

The kind people at First Class Award have done me the honor of choosing me as one of their First Class Blogger Award recipients! Pretty cool, huh?

It may sound cliché, but I am genuinely honored. When I started this blog back in 2008, I had no idea it would reach so far. Or even that I would keep it up for so long.

I started it to work on my voice as a writer, to develop my non-fiction prose. I've loved writing as long as I can remember, but I had only really written fiction; I had a diary, of course—I still journal a lot. But as far a sitting down and putting pencil to paper, it was always to create. To imagine. I wanted to stretch my legs and nurture the other side of my writing aspirations; I wanted to work on learning to use the written word to better express myself, my emotions and opinions, experiences, my fears. And I wanted to learn how to write in a way that is easy and open; a way that would give others a sense of connection, familiarity, conviviality.

It's been truly amazing to watch the community here on my blog grow so much in the past year. What started out as a small cluster of readers has become a much larger following. Yet the conversations that come from comments have continued to feel very friendly and intimate. That is always what I wanted for this blog. I have met so many wonderful, kind-hearted, and talented people here. I consider myself very lucky to have such great and fun-loving people continue to visit, read, and comment.

Thank you all for dropping by and sticking around. I'm excited to see what's in store. I look forward to what lies ahead and I can't wait to continue sharing it with you guys.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The Best Laid Schemes

2011-01-20T19:51:00.000-06:00

I don't always have things planned out. Especially not planned out really well. This semester, I did. I had everything all figured out, and a lot of plans laid out ahead of me.

But, as Robert Burns so eloquently puts it, "The best laid schemes of mice and men / Go often askew" —And indeed they do.

Very askew.

I was going to graduate in May. I was already registered for the last classes I needed here at A&M, with the exception of one. Business Math. I tried to take it here last semester and it totally ate my lunch, so I dropped it. This semester, I planned to take it online at the same place I took my last two Spanish classes; Midland College.

Which should have worked out fine. I had the go-ahead from my advisor and knew the credits would transfer. Piece of cake, right?

Wrong.

When it came time to register, I didn't have my student ID. It took me several days and even more phone calls and emails before I was finally able to get in touch with someone who would email me back. No one ever answered the phone—I left three or so voicemails—I have yet to hear back from them, even now. When I finally did find someone who could provide me with my student ID, I instantly logged on to register. Only to find that the class was full.

Maybe Midland college employs sloths.
This would explain why they can't reach the phone before it rolls to voicemail.

I went into panic mode. Without this class, I wouldn't be able to graduate in May. I started sending more emails, making more phone calls, and being just as frustrated at the lack of response I was getting. Then on Thursday, I had the good fortune to call and actually reach a person on the phone instead of an automated message. He was very helpful and gave me the email address and phone number of the professor teaching the course I needed so that I could contact him and ask if he'd be willing to take one more student. I emailed him promptly.

But by the time I heard back from him the next day (he said he was unable to force me in, and that I'd need to call the Dean), I had learned that I didn't have the pre-requisite to take Business Math at Midland College. Which I still think can't be right because I had no trouble signing up for it here—It was just the passing it here part that I couldn't do. But I had been checking back to see if the class ever opened up, and lo, and behold! It did! It was when I tried to register for it that I got a pop-up saying I couldn't.

So I made more phone calls and sent more emails, but ultimately nothing came of it. The last possible day to register came and went. And I still have not once had someone return my phone call. Any of them. I must have left about six or seven, and their message swears they'll return the call within 48 hours.

Apparently that's a flat out lie.

I turned around and tried to sign up for another Business Math class online through a different school, with slightly better luck. The advisor there was very helpful and tried very hard to get me in, but all of the people she contacted said it simply wouldn't be possible to fit me in.

So my plans? Down the drain. May graduation? Not so much.

I don't know whether I'll take the class over the summer and graduate in August or just wait until next semester and graduate in December. I'm leaning more toward December because honestly? I have things to do this summer. And I want a formal graduation—I've worked so hard to get this degree; well, to almost get it. When I do finally walk across the stage and get my diploma, I don't want it to be in a speedy end-of-summer graduation. Which is why May was ideal. But between August and December, December is closer to what I'm wanting.

I just don't know. I suppose I'm still sort of reeling from the fact that my plans went so completely awry in the first place. At first I was livid. Beyond livid. Just ask my Mom; she had to listen to my tears and my rage and my fist-shaking fury. But now I'm trying to look at it positively.

Everything happens for a reason. Ultimately it's all in God's hands anyway, so who am I to assume that everything is all wrong? In this, I'm trying to find the plus side, the benefits, the bright side. They're there, they really are. For one, I'll be able to focus more on my writing this semester. I'm taking two writing intensive courses. In just one of those, I'm expected to write a grand total of 150 manuscript pages, which is no small task. With the schedule I have this semester, I should really be able to spend good quality time on writing and revising and perfecting. And that's pretty exciting.

Also, though less importantly, I'll be able to graduate with my Aggie ring. When I was going to graduate in May, I was going to have to wait until after graduation to order it since I have to have X amount of completed hours. Not that it would kill me to wait, but as far as looking for the positive, it'll be nice to actually order and receive my ring while I'm still here in Aggieland.

I can spend more time at the career center, working with people who'll help me figure out where to go from here and what I can do with my degree. Aggies have some serious advantages when it comes to networking, so it's a huge benefit to have this at my fingertips. And considering I really don't know what I want to do after I graduate, as far as what kind of job I want to get, this is a definite bonus in having a surprise extra semester.

At least he has a plan!

Overall, I think I'm happy. Not so much that everything got mixed up and rearranged, or that things deviated so completely from my original plans. But happy that I do have a peace about it, and that I can see the silver lining.

Though it may not be my last semester here after all, I'm really looking forward to this semester. And it's always nice to start out a semester with a positive outlook—especially when so much has been altered.

This is what they call adjusting, right? Improvising? Rolling with the punches?

Oh yeah.

I got this.

If you think these cartoons are funny, you should browse the rest of Natalie Dee's site. She is the artist of these comics and I am in no way, shape, or form deserving of any credit for them. Check out her site! Hours upon hours worth of belly-laughs up for grabs!

I Know That You Like My Style

2011-01-12T21:55:00.000-06:00

It has been brought to my attention that I am a stylish blogger. I was flattered and honored to receive the Stylish Blogger Award from not one but two equally fabulous bloggers.

Genuine thanks to both noobventures of pen, paper and a mouse as well as smilelikewoe of Smile Like Woe.

As I understand it, there are four little things I must do along with accepting this award. They are as follows:

Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
Share 7 things about yourself.
Award 15 or so recently discovered great bloggers.
Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

I can already check #1 off of the list. On to the second.

7 Things About Myself

Despite serious anxiety about visiting the dentist, I'm so paranoid about my teeth that I visit the dentist at least twice a year typically.
I have never eaten a PB&J sandwich. Ever.
I'm so emotional that a mere thirty second television ad can make me cry. I mean, if it's sad, of course. Those SPCA commercials get me every time.
I think I could probably live off of pizza forever. Pizza and chocolate. Pizza and chocolate and Starbucks. And bread.
I've never owned any other kind of computer besides a Mac. And I never want to.
When I was a kid, I desperately wanted my parents to buy me a boa constrictor. But they weren't having it. So I wrote and illustrated a small novella (okay, several sheets of notebook paper stapled together and colored with marker) explaining precisely why they should indeed get me one.
I never did get a boa constrictor.

I'm passing the Stylish Blogger Award on to these bloggers, listed in no particular order, of course! Check them out!

Fabulous 35mm — Audree is the queen of movie reviews and red carpet features. But that's not all. She also shares her opinion on books, music, you name it.

Ariel Writes — Ariel is a delightful young woman and aspiring author of young adult fiction. She blogs about her experiences with writing, among other things.

Mary Malcolm's Awesomely Ordinary Blog — Though I am a contributor on this blog, Mary is the real brains behind Awesomely Ordinary. Mary is a writer, and her blog is indeed awesomely ordinary.

Mus(eum)ings — I love the name of Samantha's blog. The posts are good, too! She's an intern and a museum. How cool is that? It's like a sneak peek behind the scenes.

Starbucks Melody — Melody is a true Starbucks enthusiast and brand ambassador. Her blog is chock full of coffee and coffee related posts. She has tons of great pictures, on top of it all, and is all around a friendly and fun person. Her blog reflects that a hundred times over.

Miss Woodhouse's Musings — Miss Woodhouse is an absolute doll! She's a Starbucks enthusiast and fellow English major. Not to mention an avid reader.

A Dog In My Car — As a dog lover, I particularly appreciate the purpose of this blog. Christine started this blog to help support dog rescue. She shares posts about dogs who need homes or need to be fostered, or both, as well as other related information. It's a great blog.

June's Corner — June is a fabulous woman and her blog is a lot of fun. A fellow book lover, she'd love for you to come hang out in her corner for a chat.

Maggie The Artist — Maggie's blog is full of fun and creative tips and photos. She also blogs about art, being an artist, and life in general. Her blog is a ton of fun.

The Misadventures of a TaschaBear — This delightful blog is maintained by the mythical Reading Bear. It's loaded with book reviews and recommendations. Useful and fun to boot!

All of the above bloggers are definitely fabulous, and totally deserving of the Stylish Blogger Award. I hope you give them all a visit!

Broken Bells

2011-01-11T01:35:00.000-06:00

I love music. All kinds, all the time. I would definitely call my taste in music eclectic. I have a little bit of everything. But my favorite CDs are the ones I can listen to all the way through and love from start to finish.

Even better is when I stumble across a gem one way or the other. It's like finding buried treasure. Only, unlike a chest full of gold, this treasure I like to share. Family, friends, anyone who will listen.

So that's what I'm doing right now.

I discovered Broken Bells sometime in mid-2010. I heard "The High Road" on a shopping trip in Hastings, meandered over to the screen that was playing the video so I could catch the name of the band. I realized I recognized the name—I'd seen the CD only a few days before next to the register at Starbucks. I decided to take that as a sign.

I immediately went over to the music department and found a copy of the CD. I forked over my money (Okay, you got me—I used my credit card) and popped the disc in my car as soon as I got in. I was enjoying it so much that when I got back to my apartment, I didn't want to get out of the car.

Since then, I've only grown to love it more.

I'm terrible at describing or categorizing music because I like so many different genres. So instead of trying to explain it only to fail, I recommend heading over to iTunes and previewing Broken Bell's self titled CD. I don't imagine you'll regret it.

I know I didn't.

The Night Santa Came

2011-01-08T16:16:00.000-06:00

Christmas at my house is always my favorite time of year. I love the way my Mom decorates our house. It's the epitome of warm and cozy, inviting and festive.

But on Christmas morning, there's something extra-special about it. It's a little warmer, a little more vibrant, a little more exciting. And it doesn't matter where we are. It's been this way at each house we've lived in. It's not about the place; it's about the people who inhabit it, and who make it what it is. Ever since I was a little girl, the room with the Christmas tree has been the room. When the Christmas tree isn't up, it becomes the room that the Christmas tree will be in. There's something about Christmas that's just particularly special to me.

And Christmas Day 2010 will definitely go down in the books as one of the top five best Christmas Days yet.

Tucker is ready to open presents.

It started out like any other Christmas does for us. The first thing I did upon waking was look for my Christmas stocking. Because that's where the candy is! I said good morning and Merry Christmas to Mom and Dad, got Tucker all excited at the prospect of opening his presents, and ogled the wrapped boxes, gift bags, bows, glitter, and tissue paper spilling out from under our tree.

We had a relaxed breakfast, all of us anticipating the soon-to-come gift unwrapping extravaganza. In my family, the actual unwrapping takes much longer than it would if not for the fact that each of us—myself, my Mom, and my Dad—have cameras. We're like the ultimate picture-taking family. While one of us opens a present, the other two snap away. If two of us start to open presents at the same time, one will inevitably slow down, so that the actual present-reveal isn't simultaneous, thus making it difficult to capture the moment on camera.

There really isn't a downside to this unique Christmas Day tradition; at least not that I can see. It in and of itself makes the whole present-unwrapping last longer, and we never find ourselves lacking in the photo memories department.

I'd guess between the three of us, we have at least three hundred pictures*. Overkill? Perhaps. But better too many than too few. You might think I'm exaggerating, but...I'm not.

*Upon uploading and sorting through pictures for this post, I have learned that we have 354 photos from this Christmas.

I am not joking.

I was the most excited for Mom to open the silver scarves I got her. It had been my mission—a few days before Christmas, I was frantically searching. Mom's only stipulation for the scarf she wanted was that it be silver. I ended up finding two. I bought them both. One is a more understated silver scarf. The other, a fun sequined scarf. Not only was I excited for her to open her present and find that I had managed to come up with a silver scarf, but I was also excited for her to find out she got not one, but two of them. (Fortunately, she liked them both!)

Scarf #2.

Scarf #1.

It was a great Christmas for us. We all got stuff we wanted, with a great mix of stuff we weren't expecting. None of it was unwanted or disliked.

All of us were having a great time. All three of us are huge fans of goofing off. Christmas is no exception.

When the package is just as fun as the present.

I was doubly excited when I got a brand new bottle of my favorite perfume, J'adore. I had run out a while ago, but still had plenty of some other scents, so I didn't think I could justify spending the money for a new bottle. But I'm so happy I got more! I absolutely adore J'adore. No pun intended.

I also got an adorable shirt from my Mom! A shirt boasting the Greek letters of the International English Honor Society I was inducted into last semester. I really love it. It is too freakin' cute!

Sigma Tau Delta, represent!

But more than the perfume, more than the pile of video games, the candy, the clothes, the highlight of my day—my season, in fact—was the letter.

The letter from Santa.

How many of you guys can say you got one of those?

After we had finished opening presents, and were re-examining our loot, we heard the doorbell ring. Confused as to who would possibly be dropping by unannounced on Christmas, I went to the door. It was there that I found the letter.

Apparently, Mr. Clause and Tucker became acquainted when he was entering the house through the chimney to deliver presents. Tucker, the lucky pup that he is, had a delightful conversation with Santa and he got to meet Rudolph. In all the excitement, as he was leaving, Santa realized he'd forgotten my present in his sleigh. Already running behind schedule, Tucker quickly informed him that it would be alright for Santa to leave my present in my car, and that the faithful pup would let me know to look for it there.

Sure enough, when I went out to my car, I found my last two presents!

What I found in them blew me away. Santa really outdid himself this year.

It was a brand new iPad, and a case to boot!

I was floored.

I had mentioned wanting one, but in no way shape or form expected to get one. Especially not so soon.

But my favorite part is the inscription on the back.

I may as well go ahead and admit that I totally teared up a little when I read it. My parents have always been so wonderful and so supportive of my ambitions to write, and I never cease to appreciate the fact that no matter what, I know they back me up one hundred percent.

As excited as I was about the iPad—and let me tell you, it's no exaggeration to say I was doing a happy dance and jumping for joy—I think the most heart-warming and meaningful part of it is the inscription and the meaning behind it.

I'm undeniably thrilled with all of the presents I got this year, but most of all I am thankful—so thankful—for my parents, and how much they love me, and the fact that I was able to spend this Christmas with them again.

After all, Christmas isn't really about presents anyway.

Though it's several days late—more than that, really—the sentiment is still close to my heart; I hope all of you had a wonderful and very merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve: Lights, Presents, Action!

2011-01-04T12:21:00.000-06:00

This Christmas has been so wonderful. As well as a delightful combination of busy and laid back. I'll only briefly apologize for the lateness of this post, which I meant to have written up within a couple of days of it happening. But I'm a college kid reveling in a break from course work and class attendance, so I got lazy and am just now getting to writing it up.

I had been looking forward to Christmas Eve almost as much as Christmas Day for several months. My best friend Matt was flying in from NYC for break and we have a tradition to go Christmas-Lights-Looking and have a present swap the night before Christmas. We'd been talking about it for awhile now. Living in Texas, we've spent some Christmas Eves bundled up in the car, cranking the AC so we can pretend it's actually really cold outside, but this time Mother Nature took care of the AC for us. The fact that it was raining a little didn't dampen our spirits at all.

We convened around six to swap our presents, which is always a blast.

Our presents, about to be swapped!

We had quite the haul this year. A few things we each were expecting, but several great surprises as well! And, of course, as is typical with our escapades, we documented the whole event on camera.

Matt tackles the task of unwrapping.

Official NY Starbucks card! Straight from The Big Apple!

Custom coffee mug. Thank you, Hyperbole and a Half.

SPONGEBOB. I love.

Our collective haul.
I'd like to note that the whipped cream and pie crusts are particularly exciting.
We've been talking for years about throwing pies in each other's faces.
This year, it will happen. Obviously.

Up next on the agenda—Christmas-Lights-Looking. We piled into my car and headed out. Our first order of business was looking for a place still open and selling hot chocolate. Unfortunately, Starbucks was already closed. So we drove to Sonic to ask if they had hot chocolate. If not, we had decided, we would be getting chocolate shakes and pretending. Ironically, when we were informed that they did indeed have hot chocolate, we were disappointed we wouldn't be getting shakes.

But it's Christmas. Well, Eve. But still. So we got both.

Can I just say, Sonic hot chocolate has got nothing on Starbucks hot chocolate. It was more like drinking a thin, liquified snicker-doodle. Not sure what made them think they could call it chocolate. Our shakes, however, were quite tasty!

Then we spent an hour or so driving around to look at Christmas lights. We subtly took pictures of our favorites. Most of the pictures are blurry since we hated to be obvious about it—I know I'd feel a little weird seeing someone taking a picture of my house, even if I did have pretty Christmas lights up. But our intentions were pure—no ulterior motive. Just a few blurry reminders of some of our favorite light displays.

Then we headed home. I dropped him off at his house to spend time with his family and I went home to my own.

I know a lot of families open presents on Christmas Eve. Mine is not one of them. When I was a kid, I was allowed one present early, then on Christmas Day came the miserable wait between waking up at the crack of dawn because IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING, GUYS! and the moment when my Mom, Dad, and Super Granny were up, finished with breakfast, and ready to gather in the living room by the tree. Looking back, I'm not sure how I survived. So many hours of anxiously staring at the presents in hopes that the time would pass magically and we could open the presents right away.

At least I had my stocking to tide me over. Candy, candy, candy. And usually a horse figurine and some Lip Smackers. I kind of miss using that stuff.

All in all, Christmas Eve was a complete success. And I went to sleep eager to greet Christmas morning.

What Day Is It Again?

2010-12-29T18:30:00.004-06:00

I seem to have completely gotten off on my days. After Christmas, what day it is gets really unimportant to me. I tend to revert to child mode and spend the following days immersed in playing with my new toys.

I'd sum it all up, but this years Christmas deserves more than that. So I'm working on a post about Christmas and the events of that wonderful day. Pictures will most definitely be included. And, since my entire family is made up picture takers, I have (easily) a hundred pictures to dig through to find the best and brightest.

So consider my "Yay Christmas Day!" post Coming Soon.

In the mean time, I hope all of you had a fabulous Christmas! Was Santa good to you? Or were you on his naughty list?

When The Moon Goes Dark

2010-12-23T10:23:00.056-06:00

Remember when the word "eclipse" made you think of space, not Twilight? Ah, those were the days...

I know this is a little belated, but I wanted to share some of the photos my Dad took on the 21st, when we stayed up to watch the lunar eclipse.

We almost missed it. Mom had told me it would be on the 21st, but I somehow got it in my head that the 21st plus nighttime equaled the night of the 21st. Which, looking back, doesn't make sense considering after midnight, it would no longer be the 21st.

I was laying in bed, cozy and ready for sleep. Addicted to technology and social networking, I was tweeting my "goodnight" and started to notice that a lot of the people I follow were talking about the eclipse and how they were up late waiting for it.

So I double-checked, realized I was all wrong about when it was happening, and hurried outside to make sure I hadn't missed it.

I hadn't.

When I went outside, the Earth's shadow was just starting to creep across the edge of the moon.

I went back inside to tell my Dad, and we both went out and craned our necks to watch.

About halfway through, we woke Mom up, since she was the one who'd told us about the eclipse in the first place. So then all three of us sat outside and watched. We even had binoculars, although a telescope would've been ideal. The binoculars were still good, though.

And all of us were thankful that it was abnormally not cold that night, since that would have made watching the eclipse much less pleasant.

In the end, it was a really awesome experience, and very worth staying up for.

Enjoy the pictures! All are property of my Dad, taken with his Nikon D80.

And Then There Was One

2010-12-14T22:48:00.015-06:00

It has been a long day.

I got to bed late because, of course, I procrastinated in my studying. I tend to do that. Especially when I know I shouldn't. So waking up early again was killer. Even more so than the day before.

And this time I rolled out of bed at 6 instead of 6:30. I figured getting up earlier was worth having time to stop by Starbucks on the way to my first exam.

I was right.

And I was really excited because I finally got to use the tumbler I bought! So that was a perk. Hey, enjoy the little things, right?

I got to campus early, despite a lengthy wait at Starbucks, but then I made the mistake of sitting in my car, listening to The Swell Season, and singing like a crazy person. Which wasn't so much a mistake, I guess, so much as it put me right on time instead of early. But in the end, it didn't matter. Honestly, I glanced over my notes briefly before he handed out the exam, but nothing I didn't already know stuck anyway. Seems that's just the way of things.

Ok, Campaigns & Elections.
Let's do this.

I was not particularly enthused to take this final. I do really enjoy politics, which is why I thought I'd love this class. And I did find the class interesting—I just...don't know much about political science, and the tests were typically the roughest out of all of my classes. More from struggling with theories and such—Michigan School Theory and Median Voter Theory, I can't tell you apart very easily!

But the good news came when he gave us a quick overview of how the test would go. Back on our final class day, he'd told us that since we were going to have two hours to take the final instead of the usual fifty minutes, we'd have 3-4 essays to answer instead of just one. And more terms to define. But on exam day, it turned out we only had one more definition than normal, and we only had to write two essays.

Insert massive sigh of relief.

I had a break between that exam and my next—Shakespeare. So I came home, intended to study and...took a nap instead.

It was lovely.

Until I went to take my Shakespeare final.

Four essays. Part of what we had to answer was identifying who was speaking to whom in the passage—she gave us lines from the plays and we had to discuss their significance for the overall themes of the plays, plus compare it to one other play we read in class. I totally blanked on these. I didn't recognize the quotes at all. If she hadn't at least given us which play it was from, I would have had no idea where to even begin.

The only positive thing to come from my general "I just don't care," mentality was that instead of freaking out, which would be my normal reaction to looking at a test and feeling like a deer in headlights, I just sat back and reread the quotes several times until I either started to recognize them or could make an educated guess.

After the exam—which did indeed take me the majority of the two hours allotted—I discussed the questions with my friend, Megan. By some lovely miracle, I was pretty much right. At least on who said what.

As to the essays...it's kind of a toss up. I tend to do well on essays, especially in English—not to brag. I'm just an English major, is all. Something would be kind of wrong if I flubbed essays on a regular. But I hate to get my hopes up because I really feel like I was grasping at straws for most of my answers and analysis. We'll see. Grades will be up at the end of the week.

Until then I can stress. But I won't. I'll bask in the glory of being at home, not fussing with school.

But that comes after tomorrow. I'll get back to that.

Also, probably the highlight of my day was when Megan gave me my Christmas present after our Shakespeare exam! Not only do I love Christmas presents, but what she got me is absolutely awesome. I'm pretty sure I made my little 'hyperventilating' excited noise when I opened it.

If you know me, you will understand.

Homer mugs! WOO-HOO!

Immediately following our last Shakespeare test ever, Megan and I planned to hit up O'Bannon's, our favorite Irish pub in Northgate—College Station's cluster of bars, if you have no idea what I'm talking about. They do a beer tour—you get a card that they stamp for each unique beer on the tour. 75 total. At the end, you get some serious bragging rights and an awesome stein. I totally plan on finishing this before I graduate. Or possibly when I graduate. But I digress.

On the way, we were going to stop and sell back books. It's always disheartening if you think about how much you spent on them initially, but getting some pocket money is nice just the same.

So we headed for Loupot's, one of the better (in my opinion) places to sell back here in College Station.

Enter first new experience of the day.

I got rear ended.

Not exactly my idea of fun, I gotta tell ya. But the plus side is, the girl who hit me was really nice and super apologetic. And, best of all, there was basically no damage to my car. A tiny little scratch—but if you asked me to swear under oath that I was 100% positive she was the one who did it, I probably couldn't. It's so small that I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been looking.

So I left my first car accident—well, the first one in which I was driving—not much worse for the wear. Except for a little boost of adrenaline.

Wait...my neck is a little sore... I guess that could be from the, uh, incident. If it still hurts in a couple of days, I'll be more worried than I am now.

But at least selling back my books went well. I walked away with a little over sixty bucks. Which is, quite frankly, about thirty more than I thought I'd get. Whoop!

Then when we got to O'Bannon's, I liked each of the two beers we tried. (This is not always the case. I like beer, but there are some that are just...yikes.) And I also got a free cupcake!

Beer + Cupcake = Delicious ÷ Unhealthy

Okay, I got two free cupcakes.

But Megan didn't take one, so I'm pretending like she did and then I just took hers. It makes me feel better.

So all in all, today has actually been pretty good.

It just sort of feels more like two days in one.

Oh, and as I'm writing this post, I'm surveying my apartment and thinking 1) this place is a shameful mess, 2) I really should be packing, 3) Oh, right, I still have that one last final tomorrow morning... and 4) I guess I should study.

Oh, if I must...

College Makes Me Tired

2010-12-13T22:30:00.000-06:00

I woke up at 6:30 this morning. It was horrible.

Even more so because I absolutely had to get up. Being late to a final is not exactly the best way to conclude a semester's worth of class time, or class work.

Also, I re-learned that hitting the snooze for a meager fifteen minutes actually does put me running late.

I get to do it all over again tomorrow, so... Note to Self—Don't Snooze!

The good news is, I am officially done with my Marriage Institution class. And I made a 100 on that research paper I've been working on for weeks. That was a nice surprise—it's always encouraging when the few times I do manage to keep from procrastinating pay off.

I wish she'd done the whole 'smiley face under the two zeros' thing.
But it still makes me happy.

I had the best intentions of coming home after my final and cracking the books for my two finals tomorrow. I did...not so great. I started studying for my Campaigns and Elections final first—because it's at 8 tomorrow morning. And because, between that and Shakespeare, I'd be much more comfortable having to wing the Shakespeare final than the Political Science one. I mean, yikes.

But I was wiped out.

The power nap, while absolutely necessary, also admittedly put a damper in my intended study momentum.

But you know what? I think it's a fair trade. Studying when I can hardly keep my eyes open isn't that productive anyway, and at least this way I think my chances of writing good, solid essays are much better because I'll actually be rested going into it.

"Oh, I guess you're still studying, huh?"

After those two finals, I only have one more to take on Wednesday morning.

Until then, I will either be studying, trying to make myself study, or stressing out because I'm not studying and I should be.

Guess which one I'm doing now?

Then, the best part of my week—Going. Home.

Can. Not. Wait.

I am so ready to be home for a little while, be with my family, see my friends that aren't down here in College Station, and actually have a chance to enjoy my favorite time of year—Christmas time!

But I have so much to do between now and Wednesday. Like, um, pack. For a month. And get everything clean. Because I'm a little neurotic when I leave my apartment, even for a weekend. I totally hate coming back to a dirty apartment. It takes what was a relaxing trip away, and makes it instantly non-relaxing (because the first thing I see is all of the things I need to do now that I'm back) OR it takes a trip that was really hectic and busy and extends the hectic busy-ness into my return because as soon as I walk in the door, I have more things to do.

If that makes sense.

So yeah, things are going to start getting [even more] busy for me. But that's okay. I embrace it.

Until I go crazy and pull out my hair.

Or bomb a final.

Eep.

Wish me luck!

Frappuccino...You want any fries with that?

2010-12-11T10:56:00.001-06:00

My favorite thing to order at Starbucks is a Frappuccino.

I first discovered these with my best friend, Matt, somewhere around the 8th grade. My first Frappuccino was a Venti Caramel Frappuccino. I ate the whipped cream off of the top. Then I was done.

Turns out the caramel Frappuccino is a tad too sweet for this coffee lover.

Still, my first introduction to the Frappuccino certainly was not my last. Over the years, I've acquired fast favorites. My first regular order was the tried and true Mocha Frappuccino. I then progressed to the Java Chip Frappuccino. After that, Peppermint Java Chip. Now I live on Caramel Mocha. The mocha does an excellent job of taming the sweetness of the caramel, and the mix of the two flavors is, quite frankly, divine.

So, as you can tell, I'm no stranger to Frappuccinos, be it texture, flavor, consistency, etc.

Recently, Starbucks changed how they make the Frappuccino. Instead of a vague "base" specific to the trademark blended drink, they're now "However-You-Want-It" Frappuccinos. There are defnitely a lot of positives when it comes to the recipe change. For instance, now you can choose which kind of milk you want— 2%, soy, whole, or what have you. Also, there is more room for customization. And the consistency is, in my humble opinion, much better than that of the previous Frappuccino, which tended toward allowing the flavor to be sucked out in such a way that in the end, you were left with a sort of slushy flavorless icy substance in the bottom of your cup. (Which I always drank, anyway.) Now, if anything starts to settle, a quick stir with the trademark green straw rights those wrongs immediatly.

I'm a big fan.

However, with more room for customization comes more room for inconsistency.

For example there are two Starbucks that I frequent here in College Station. I love both. And the baristas at both are fantastic—friendly, welcoming, conversational. No complaints. But when the new "However-You-Want-It" recipe was first introduced, both stores made Frappuccinos that tasted completely different from one another. The one closest to me—which had been the one I visited most frequently—started turning out Frappuccinos that tasted way too much like milkshakes. Suddenly, I could hardly taste the mocha. I could only taste the milk. And while the consistency of the drink was excellent, the overall experience was anything but. The flavors were all wrong. Consistently all wrong. As a long-time Frappuccino fan, I was concerned. I thought, "That's it. I've had my last delicious Frapp."

I even remember calling my Mom and filling her in on my woes. I was, with a heavy heart, grieving the loss of my long time favorite beverage.

No two Frappuccinos taste alike!

Then I made a trip to the Starbucks on the other side of town. With trepidation, I ordered my usual—a Caramel Mocha Frappuccino.

Lo and behold, it was excellent!

I was thrilled. Unlike the unappealing milkshakyness of the other Frappuccino I'd had, this one was perfect. It had a rich mocha taste and a smooth, creamy texture. The milk was much more subtle, but still pleasant, and best of all, very fresh. My faith in humanity—or at least in Starbucks—was restored.

Which got me thinking. Why the inconsistency?

This has been a problem I've experienced for my entire Frappuccino-drinking life. An extra pump of mocha can be totally different from place to place. Even the amount of time the blend the drink changes the experience. There's nothing more frustrating than having a particularly delicious Frappuccino one day, then returning the next expecting the same level of yum, and being utterly disappointed. But you can't complain that the barista made it wrong. Because they didn't. They just made it. And it turned out different.

I'll always love you, Frappuccino.
Even if you do let me down sometimes.

This is a problem, Starbucks! I consistently enjoy the atmosphere. The baristas are consistently friendly. But the drinks are consistently...inconsistent.

I'm not sure what could be done to solve this problem. And I AM sure that it's not going to keep me from my beloved Frappuccinos. But I do feel it's important, as a customer, to be allowed to expect some sort of consistency in flavor when they order the same coffee. And also, I'm just curious as to whether or not I'm the only person who's encountered this as an issue.

Either way, each trip to Starbucks is a toss-up on whether or not my drink will live up to the one before it. Or, if the one before it was wonderful, if the next will surpass it. It's like I never know what to expect except a drink that won't taste the same as it did the last time I ordered it. I love Frappuccinos, but I don't love those odds.

Random Thoughts

2010-12-09T12:00:00.001-06:00

You know those forwards that always pile up in your inbox? The ones that have titles that make you think, "This might be interesting," but since it isn't actually important, you just leave it there, thinking one of these days you'll get around to reading it?

I get a lot of those. Sometimes I even forget that they're there. And then I re-discover them, as it were, several weeks—or months—or years—later.

And then there are times that I actually think a forward is worth saving. You know, for a later laugh. And rediscovering them makes me realize that yes, there was indeed a good reason that I saved them.

I just found one of those. And I thought it was worth sharing.

It's called "Random Thoughts of the Day." Maybe you, too, have received this forward. I actually think I got it over a year ago. They aren't literally my random thoughts. As in—disclaimer—I didn't write them. I believe they actually originated from thoughts listed at Ruminations.com, so I definitely want to give credit where credit is due. I'm posting the ones that I completely relate to or that make me literally laugh out loud. Or both.

So enjoy.

Random Thoughts of the Day

• I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

• More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story, which is not only better, but also more directly involves me.

• Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

• Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning 180º and walking back in the direction you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy for randomly switching directions on the sidewalk?

• I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

• There is great need for a sarcasm font.

• Sometimes I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize that I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

• I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little big harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

• How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

• I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than make 2 trips to bring in my groceries.

• I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

• The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

• "LOL" has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud," to, "I have nothing else to say."

• I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

• It really irritates me when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

• Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron is absolutely petrifying.

• Whenever someone says, "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart," all I hear is, "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart."

• How many times is it appropriate to say, "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

• I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a jerk from cutting in line at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

• While driving yesterday, I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

• MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

• Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

• I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

• Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

• I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

• Bad decisions make good stories.

• Whenever I am Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

• If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

• Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem...

• You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

• Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

• There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

• I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

• I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

• "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

• I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

• I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run?

• I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle. Then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

• As a driver, I hate pedestrians. As a pedestrian, I hate drivers. But no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

• Sometimes I'll look down at my watch three consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

• I keep some people's numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

• Even if I knew your social security number, I still wouldn't know what to do with it.

• I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

• I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night, more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

• The other night, I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, I saw they had given me four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel fat before dinner.

And if you want more, definitely check out Ruminations.com. It's excellent for a good chuckle. And also, the included pictures are from NatalieDee.com. If you have never visited, you are missing out and you should check it out right after you read this post. But be careful—it's easy to spend several hours going through her archives and laughing your head off.

The Oreo Ball Incident

2010-12-05T15:01:00.000-06:00

I'm not much of a cook. It's not a self-truth that I'm pleased with, but there it is. My lack of skill in the kitchen is a combination of utter laziness and relative ignorance. So when I do find myself in the kitchen, it tends to be a bit of an adventure.

One such adventure occurred a couple of days ago. I call it, "The Oreo Ball Incident."

First of all, I'll start by filling you in on what an Oreo Ball is. In case you don't already know. (If that's the case, don't feel bad! I just discovered them...a couple of weeks ago?)

An Oreo Ball is a delectable little treat comprised of pulverized Oreo cookies and cream cheese, mixed together and rolled into balls. Then dipped in chocolate.

In short, they're a high-calorie, sinfully tasty treat. And they're fairly easy to make!

Well...they're supposed to be fairly easy to make. But I'll get to that.

We'll start off with the recipe.

If you can't read my handwriting, click HERE.

I made a couple of slight changes to this list. The package of Oreos I bought was 16 ounces. And I didn't use shortening. I'm honestly not sure what difference in outcome I would've gotten if I'd used the shortening, so feel free to not cut that out.

Here's exactly what I used.

Prepare to be crushed, Oreos!

I used a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate.
But most of it was semi-sweet.

Instructions

Mix cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy. Add crushed Oreos and beat on high until well mixed. Chill for at least 2 hours in the freezer. Then roll Oreo cookie mix into one inch Oreo Balls
Next, melt the chocolate chips and shortening with a double boiler or in the microwave
Dip the Oreo balls completely into the melted chocolate using tongs or a toothpick
Put on wax paper. After the Oreo balls harden, keep them in the refrigerator
Makes about 3 or 4 dozen Oreo Balls, depending on the size

Um, that does sound pretty easy, huh?

The first problem is that I don't have an electric mixer. I had to crush up my Oreos the old-fashioned way.

I created my own process. I used a wooden spoon, a glass, and a measuring cup. Oh, and a bowl. Of course.

Operation: Cookie Crush

It was impossible to crush all of the Oreos at once. So I'd grab up five or so at a time, chuck 'em in the bowl, and use my big wooden spoon to break them into more manageable pieces.

Oreos, meet Wooden Spoon.

Then, once I'd broken them up into smaller pieces, I used my bowl and a glass as a makeshift mortar and pestle. That's right, I'm resourceful.

When in doubt, improvise.

The 'not pictured' step is when, after smashing the Oreos to teeny tiny bits, I used a rounder-bottomed measuring cup to make sure I'd gotten all the big chunks.

So, a step that would have taken...a few minutes? with a proper mixer instead took me...somewhere in the ballpark of two hours. Also, it made my arms sore.

But I think I did just as good as any fancy electric mixer.

After a couple of hours of hard labor, ta-da!
Pulverized Oreos.

Not too shabby, eh?

Mixing Mission

Next comes mixing the cookie bits with the cream cheese. Luckily, with the crazy amount of time I spent just crushing the cookies, my cream cheese had more than enough time to soften.

P.S. It's a huge pain the the rear to whip cream cheese into a fluffy-ish state with only a wooden spoon.

But I ended up with this—

Cream Cheese ÷ Wooden Spoon = Whipped Cream Cheese + Sore Arm

Once the cream cheese was beat into submission, it was time to mix it with the crushed Oreos. Which is, again, easier said than done because I still have no mixer.

So I thought, like the Oreos, maybe it would be easier to mix the crumbs in a little at a time. I put in one of the three bowls I'd managed to fill with a whole package of Oreos' worth of crumbs.

See? Three bowls worth of crumbs.
Oh, and there's the measuring cup I used for step 3 of my crushing process.

It did not go so well.

My crumbs are overwhelming my cream cheese.

In the end, I resorted to dumping in all of the crumbs, discarding the spoon, and getting down and dirty. That's right. I mixed 'em up with my bare hands.

It actually worked quite well.

Although if I had had a mixer, I'm sure that would have been easier. And probably cleaner. But, like I said, I was forced to improvise.

So, after mixing the crumbs and cream cheese, I popped the...dough? into the freezer to chill for a couple of hours. Which gave me time to clean up the horrible mess I'd made of my kitchen.

By the time my couple of hours were up, I had a nice clear surface to work on again. Which I needed, because the next step involved rolling the dough into little balls, dipping them in melted chocolate, and placing them on wax paper to harden.

Only, I didn't have wax paper. Fortunately, my non-stick cookie sheet worked just as effectively.

Roll, Stick, Dip, Repeat

For the most part, this went much more smoothly than the initial smushing and mixing.

And melting chocolate smells really good. The chocolate I used was Ghirardelli. I used a combo of semi-sweet and milk chocolate. But mostly semi-sweet. (In hindsight, I totally would have used all semi-sweet. Just sayin'.) I dumped two cups worth into some tupperware and popped it into the microwave until it was totally melted.

Chocolate, pre-melting.

I was not super picky about the size I rolled the dough into. The recipe said one inch balls, but...mine vary in size. Which I don't mind, but that does cut down on the number the recipe will make. I definitely did not have 3 or 4 dozen.

I used toothpicks to dip the Oreo balls into the melted chocolate. And my tupperware was shallow enough that I ended up using a spoon to make sure the entire thing was covered. There's probably a better way to do this. Or a more efficient way. But it worked out just fine, anyway.

Left to Right: Bowl of dough, un-dipped Oreo balls, tub of melted chocolate.
Oh, and my non-stick pan—subbing for wax paper.

Chocolate-covered Oreo ball vs. naked Oreo balls.

The only thing that I'd really change about how I dipped these puppies in chocolate would be—okay, there's two things.

First, I guess I got a little over-zealous when I started out. The first Oreo balls to get dunked have a touch too much chocolate on 'em. Which tastes great, but...I can't actually bite into them. I have been using a fork to make the initial break. Then I can bite into them. Again, not a huge issue, but just a note to self (and to you, if you decide to make these!) for the next time.

Second, I didn't take the toothpick out before they hardened. So they're stuck pretty good now. So far, I haven't had an issue yanking them out before ~~biting~~ forking into them, but still. Although honestly, I'm not sure how you'd get the toothpick out once they've been dipped without getting big fingerprints in the chocolate. So...if you guys come up with any good methods, pass them along?

So, after all of the dough had been rolled and dipped, I popped them in the fridge to harden. They're also supposed to be stored in the fridge when you're not eating them or taking them to parties. And, if you do end up with 3 to 4 dozen and no way to eat them all, they'll keep in the freezer for three to four months. So there's that.

Chill out, little dudes.

Since I'd started my project in the evening—and it had ended up taking me so much longer than planned—I didn't actually eat any of these that night. After they'd hardened, I moved them to their own little tupperware home, and saved my taste test for the next day.

It was a success.

Yeah, that layer of chocolate is just a little too thick.
But the creamy insides are delightful!

Mission Accomplished

All in all, the finished product turned out pretty darn good. Some of the fancier Oreo balls I've seen have melted white chocolate drizzled on top to make them prettier, but I had neither the patience, the inclination, or the white chocolate on hand to do so.

But I'm still very proud of how they turned out.

They look pretty darn good considering it's my first time making them. And I had to use prehistoric methods. And okay, they may be a little too hard to initially bite into, but they still taste really good! Especially with milk.

Chocolate + milk = Delicious.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that there's no actual cooking involved. So if you don't end up having to do like all of the mixing by hand, it's actually pretty quick and easy. They make great finger foods at parties. Trust me. This is how I discovered them in the first place!

So there you have it! Ta-Da! Oreo balls.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go eat one. Or two. Or—no, probably just two.

But we'll see...

Nobody's Home

2010-12-03T10:55:00.000-06:00

My Marriage Institution class let out early.

My Campaigns & Elections class is utterly empty.

That is all.