Tucker, TAMU, and the Number 2

The number two has been coming up a lot in my life the past few days.  April 17th was the day my dog, Tucker, turns two! It seems like only yesterday when I got him, a wriggling little bundle of love and puppy.  I'm so lucky to have such a great dog.  So first thing's first—some pictures of Tucker.  Because what mother doesn't like to show off her baby? :-)

Alright, that's my boy! I can't believe he's already two!

That being said, on to the other two in my life.  I'm just about to wrap up my second semester here at Texas A&M University. Whoop! I can't wait for finals to be over.  My life has been somewhat consumed as of late, and I haven't had time for much else besides study and sleep.  (Although Starbucks is having a Frappuccino Happy Hour through the 16th, and I've managed to find time to sneak in a few half price Fraps...)  I have one more final left, tomorrow.  At eight.  In the morning.  Which, can I just say, I think is totally cruel?  Because let's face it, the earliest class I signed up for is at 10:20am.  So how is it I have to take a final at eight?  That's just mean.  But I digress... One more final and I'm done with semester number 2! 

And another 2!  In June I'll be moving to my second apartment, which is exciting for me.  I've got the decorating bug already, which is a problem considering I haven't even moved yet.  So it's pent up and just dying to burst forth once I pick up the key to my new place.

So you see, the number 2 won't leave me alone right now!  But I can't complain.  Life is good, and I am happy.

:-)

Bliss

I’m just sitting outside, enjoying one of the most beautiful days ever here on campus. It’s a delicious 62 degrees, the sun is shining, the sky is that perfect shade of blue, and the wind is just frisky enough to kick up some leaves and tousle the hair. In other words, it’s a perfect day. If you ask me.

It’s days like this that make me really want to stop and smell the flowers. In fact, it’s days like this that make me really understand how appealing stopping and smelling flowers can be. But not just flowers. Also freshly mowed grass. Or crisp, clean air.

I’m one of those people who likes to sit around. And not just in the “couch potato” sense of the word. On a beautiful day, I can just…sit outside. There doesn’t have to be a book to read, or a laptop to distract me with internet and YouTube, or an iPod to listen to (although that can be quite enjoyable as well!).

No, sometimes the best afternoon is spent sitting under the shade of some lovely trees and just being. I love listening to the wind in the trees, birds, heck I’m in such a good mood right now that I don’t even really mind the distant sounds of construction. It’s the outside noises, those are the ones I’m loving right now. There are people walking by, talking on phones, talking to eachother. Footsteps. They can sound so different, it’s kind of amazing. Bikes. Skateboards. Or, my favorite, the cadets boots clack-clacking on the concrete.

Days like this remind me that no matter how bad things seem, or how down I get, or how stressed classes make me, there will always be another great day somewhere along the line. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be next week. But it will come. Just like this day did. And when it’s time, I’ll love that one, too. Life is precious, so so precious. And it is, indeed, a terrible thing to waste. That’s what days like this make me think. And you know, it’s kind of really comforting. My life, even on the worst of days, can be revitalized by the sun and the sky and a breeze and some time spent just existing, without worry, without care, without a deadline.

And I call that bliss.

3,000, Thanks Very Much!

You guys are awesome! My blog has officially reached 3,000 visitors! I'm thrilled, honestly thrilled! Thanks so much for hanging out with me here—reading, commenting, telling your friends. It's working! 3,000 is a pretty big number, and a number to be proud of if you ask me.

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

I'd also like to take a second to point out a few new features I've added to my blog! First, if you'll notice, there's now a bar up at the top with three selections; Home, About Me, and The Writing. These are the spiffy new editions that I'd like to make you aware of.

First, Home:

This is pretty self explanatory. Wherever you are on my blog—a particular post, or any of the other pages—selecting this will take you back to the home page. Not much elaboration necessary, I don't think.

Second, I've added an About Me page. Here you can read a little bit about me, who I am, why I'm here blogging. There's also an email address you can reach me at in case you feel the need.

Lastly (for now!) I've added a tab called "The Writing". Here you can find a list of all of my writing here on this blog. The specific writing, not just the blogging. I've split the lists up into three categories: Poetry, Fiction, and Non-Fiction. So if you're here and you'd like to read some of what I've written, now there's a quick and easy way to do it without having to search through all of my previous entries.

So that's the new stuff! Hope you find it useful, interesting, and/or fun. And again, a big huge whopping thanks to all of you for visiting my blog!

Now, on to 4,000!

:-)