a photo montage of my night

DAY FOUR:

A picture{s} of your night

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

 sweet tea of course.

 meet my roommate, haley.

disclaimer: we've been out in the rain, we like to think we look better than this--sometimes at least.

Awkward:

- having your umbrella down really low {so that the wind doesn't blow rain in your face} and not seeing the tree right in front of you {yepp. ran right into it}

- wearing a dress {thankfully with leggings} and a backpack--not a good combination--my dress got caught under it while I was walking across campus--completely exposing my bum. 

- noticing a huge puddle in front of you and leaping to the side in oder to dodge it only to find yourself landing in an even bigger puddle. 

- I was in the midst of dropping my umbrella, so I try to do this ninja move and catch it--end up throwing it in someone's face {they didn't see the humor in it}

Awesome:

- my girl scout cookies came in todayy! yum yum yum.

- it was dollar day at Jimmy John's--8 inch sandwich for only a dollar. {I of course had to leave class early in order to make this fantastic deal}

- leaving class early was awesome in and of itself

- my group presentation today went amazing. we got great feedback from both the professor and the class. it was five minutes of telling us how great we did, what an ego boost considering before the class started I thought we'd do awful. favorite comment? that it was like I was speaking in conversation. typically I speak really fast and really quiet. {BEST part? I don't have to wake up at 6 am to meet with my group anymore}

- I got an A on my ethics test! {something I did not think was possible}studying 8 hours straight paid off! can we please take a moment, soak this in, have a little party?

whew. alright. onward.

- my class tomorrow got cancelled so my weekend starts now. 

- I am going to a Predators game tonight {hockey}. date night with clint. {can we say concession stand hot dogs for dinner? yumm}

- not sure if this is awesome, but it's definitely funny. dutchie found a flaming hot cheeto, snatched it up, got yelled at, dropped it, and now is suffering the consequences of a burning mouth. she's not too sure what to do with herself. {muahaha--evil I know}

this pretty much has been a fantastic day and it's not even over!

{30 day challenge will be posted when I return from the game}

lesson learned: great things can happen when you least expect it. I expected today to be awful, but look what God can do. my day has already been amazing--so don't be a debbie downer like I was. things can always turn around.

oops...

multiple lessons were just learned:

1) I can't assume that once I've blogged and posted my "lesson learned" that I am done learning

2) Don't leave your bath tub filling up unattended while you are blogging {yes, it did overflow}

3) My stupid apartment complex doesn't have enough hot water to fill a bath tub.

This night is officially lame.

midterms!

so my days have started to blend together. I've been keeping busyyy with school, young life, friends, and family. It's great for the most part {minus the school of course} however, it hasn't been leaving me a lot of time to blog. I've had a wonderful date night with my guy, dinner with my friends, and my first experience as a leader {eek!} but there's only a week and a half until spring break--which means: lots of tests, papers, and garbage.

today was one of those days. I feel like I've been having them a lot lately! I just have so much school work to do, SO much. Worst of all, had dinner with my friends and we decided to have a spontaneous night and go to chicago or something. I have to bail, too much work to do, so while they are on their way to some distant location..I am going to be doing homework! BUT in an attempt to make my lame night better, I am going to take a bubble bath while I read about interpersonal communication {sounds fascinating right? wrong.}

DAY THREE:

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

I go through phases..and although I'm almost ashamed to say I watch these shows--I'm currently hooked, so don't judge!

lesson learned: although I'm sad to admit it--my responsible side has taken over. I'm growing up, and learning I have to prioritize sometimes. It's a bummer, but that's life, right?

it's official....

I've been placed! I'm now officially a leader at Riverdale High School! 

Today was leader day {if you couldn't already tell}, we started the day with our placement--which was exciting! {but kind of nerve racking}  I wasn't expecting to be placed at Riverdale, but I know that's where I'm supposed to be! Some funny coincidences: If Clint would have stayed in Murfreesboro, he would have went to Riverdale, and my high school was RHS and our colors were red and gold--Riverdale is obviously RHS and their colors are red and gold!! Crazy huh?

THEN I drove by Riverdale {I was a little excited, so I wanted to drive by and see it} Clint swore I'd been there before, but I said no. nope. never. I thought I'd never been to any schools in Murfreesboro. Then we pull up and I realize, I HAD been there! I went one summer to watch Clint play summer ball and I remembered every little detail! I remembered thinking while pulling up "where am I? The middle of NO where.." Who would have thought a couple years later I'd be living there and leading at that school.

The rest of the day was spent worshiping, seminars, bonding, and just getting to know our new teams! All my nerves were for nothing {there's a shocker, right?}, the girls were very welcoming and I can't wait to start!!

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11


DAY TWO:

A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

I would put family here but one--that's a given and two--if you're following my sister's blog, she did our family. So this is my friend Chloe, I have known her since middle school. {I moved a lot, so that's as far back as my friends go--that I still keep in touch with} Our friendship started out different than most. Her boyfriend broke up with her to date me, then broke up with me to date her! {keep in mind this is middle school} Most girls would hate each other after that, but we became best friends--she's been there for me ever since, she is one of the nicest girls I know!

lesson learned: This one was obvious for me today. Don't expect to know your "plan" or future. Don't be let down when things don't go your way, or the way you think they're supposed to go. God has a plan for you, one WAY better than any we can plan. Today I realized that I ended up somewhere I would have NEVER planned. I was dead set against ever going to MTSU, let alone Young Life and all of this. But I couldn't be happier.

30 day challenge!

it has been a busy week! well--not really, I've just been doing a lot of sleeping so it hasn't left much time for blogging!

Quick recap:
         -sister came, loads of fun! {details? read this}
         -aced my tests and papers!
         -got sick, which lead to lots of sleeping, I mean LOTS
         -ate about 90345390 cup cakes {wish I could say this was an exaggeration}
         -Bible study, always fun
         -went shopping for some new "outdoorsy" clothes {I've got that leadership day tomorrow and we're going to be on a farm, do a little hiking--as you remember, I'm not athletic, but at least now I can look the part ;] }
         -now going to a Disney movie marathon {yes, I'm in college}

NOW! 30 Day Challenge! Here's the rules:

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with ten facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of your night
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture and a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

DAY ONE:

{1} I was born in Greece.
{2} My favorite color is pink. {you would have never guessed, huh?}
{3} I have an unhealthy obsession with ice cream. {cookie dough is probably the best}
{4} I love love love country music.
{5} I'd take a bullet for my dog {some say I'm weird..others say I'm sweet, actually no, mostly weird}
{6} I tend to cry a lot during movies/tv shows/and even commercials. {I'm a sucker for sweet things}
{7} This surprises most people, but I love NASCAR {GO JIMMIE JOHNSON--no I didn't join the bandwagon, I loved him pre-fame}
{8} I tend to be a worry-wart. Not because I'm negative, I just care about things too much, so I want everything to be perfect.
{9} huge baseball fan
{10} I'm kind of a nerd. 4.0 and all.

lesson learned: when you see a plate of cup cakes, you do not have to eat them all. I repeat: you do NOT have to eat them all. For most, this is obvious, for me? not so much. I've got a sweet tooth, or maybe ten. 

busy, yet successful day

Thought I'd give you a few random pictures {not related to this post at all}

I was expecting today to be one of those days. School all day, two tests {one in ethics--talk about a confusing class}, a paper to write. Just never ending. To my surprise, it wasn't all that bad. I was happy to get the tests over with..I'd like to say I feel good about them, but I don't really feel anything about them. To be honest I don't even care. shh. don't tell. 

Phoebe came over to give me the details of her engagement. How sweet! In the middle of the story her fiance stops by and they were TOO cute together. It brings out the wanna-be wedding planner in me. But , reluctantly, I'll keep my unexperienced nose out of things. {although, if she wants free advice, I'm totally in}

My night ended very sentimental. It was our last Quest {training to become a leader for Young Life} and we ended the meeting with a sweet prayer circle. And even got an "I love you" from our leader followed by an "awwww" in unison. We get placed {told what high school we are leading at} on Saturday after a day of leader bonding and to be honest I am nervous. I'm most scared about being the "new girl" at a school with leaders who all have already formed relationships. But it will all end up wonderful {I'll fill ya in on how the day goes!}

lesson learned: Don't let your fears, worries, or stress run your emotions. They tend to dominate your emotions {I like to think of them as bullies}. Instead of being worried and thinking of all the negative things that could happen, relax--prepare yourself and that's all you can do. If you spend the moments leading up to something stressed out, you ruin the chance to enjoy those days. When most of the time, it turns out not being that bad {and what a waste of days stressed out and sadness} 

valentine's day of course :)

SO. let me tell you about my wonderful Valentine's day. I know--how typical. But my day started out a little different than most with a bit of excitement {I guess you can call it that}. There was a shooting at the university I go to, yes yes, a shooting. No worries, everyone is okay. We were on lock down for a little while--it was complete with the SWAT team, helicopters, and news stations--the whole SHAbang. Want details? Check it out here.

Now on to the more romantic side of my day. I was picked up by Clint and we went to Nashville to have dinner at the Melting Pot. {never been there? you need to check it out--not really an option, you must}  My "gift" to Clint was this book called What I Love About You {super sweet if you need any ideas} it asks over 100 questions about your significant other {many you would never think of} and it's really sweet to watch them read it because they feel all special inside. {WARNING: the book takes hours to fill out, so don't wait until the last minute! It's fun to fill out though}

Then on our way back to the car I thought the evening was over. NOPE. He opens up the back of the Tahoe and has a blanket laid out, some Sparkling Grape Juice {we're not drinkers ha} and there was a rose and card laying out. This all made sense now because Clint made a fuss over parking on the very TOP of the parking garage and backing into the space. If you haven't been to nashville, it's beautiful at night and the weather was lovely. Needless to say I had a wonderful evening with a great guy.

Lesson Learned: As you grow up, you start to realize what's important. My favorite part of the evening was sitting in the back of a car--not the expensive fancy dinner {although it was great} What I thought was really amazing was the fact that he took the time to think of something special just for me. Just cuddling up and watching the city and enjoying the fact that I have someone that would do anything for me. I realized I need to pay attention to the small things, because most of the time--those are the things that have the most thoughts, emotions, and sincerity behind it.

----disclaimer: photos were taken from my cell phone, so please excuse the poor quality.

is it february?

I started to question if it really was February when I spent the weekend outside with no jacket. In the 60s all weekend, you heard that right. the 60s! After a week of snow, that was wonderful. My weekend was great. I met a new member of the family, my nephew, Ozzy. He is so cute! A little feisty, but definitely cute.

My sister (Ashley), her boyfriend (Chris), Ozzy, Dutchie, and I all went to see my significant other (Clint) play baseball in Alabama. It was a three hour drive, but very worth it to see him potentially play his last game. Spending the weekend with them was great, I'm so lucky to have a family like them. We didn't do anything but hang out and eat {something I am very good at--the gym my not be my thing, but show me some food and that is right up my alley} but still managed to have a wonderful time.

So, I have realized this weekend I have yet another weakness, or two. One: I am not a good photographer. I try, I do. But my sister had to correct me multiple times and the pictures still did not turn out good apparently. Two: I'm not so good at posing for pictures either. I get awkward and clam up. Due to my sisters good photography skills {better than mine at least} we got a few good ones.

lesson learned: there is no need to spend money, go somewhere crazy, or even go out to have a great time. surround yourself with people you love and you will have a good time regardless of what you're doing. maybe this wasn't learned today, but it was definitely reinforced.

"working out"

interesting fact about me? i'm not so athletic. actually, I would go as far as to say I'm completely uncoordinated and out of shape. I tried to go to the gym today---BIG emphasis on tried. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was an epic failure, but I would say more than THREE machines hurt me, yes hurt me. and not because I was intensely working out, but because the machines literally jumped and attacked me. It became obvious that the gym and I are not good friends, nor will we EVER be.  but I do get credit for trying right? anyways. to reward myself, I spent the evening at the cheesecake factory with lovely friends chowing down. I'd call it a successful night.

lesson learned: don't expect to walk in the gym after not working out for eight months {yes, eight} and not feel like death..it will get better though! {well, i'll let yall know if it does}

first post!

my first post on my first blog.. monumental :) I wish I had something important to say, but I don't! After following some very cute blogs like the daybook and my sister's blog, I was inspired to write my own! I couldn't be happier with my life right now and I thought what better way to celebrate than sharing it with others? Bear with me while I figure this whole thing out, my goal is to share interesting things in my life and lessons I've learned..

lesson learned: making a blog cute is a LOT harder than I thought..