Mavericks = Champions!

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

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!

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...