Tenley

Today I had a lunch date with Julie, tiff, and tenley! Tenley was the star of the show! We went to chuys, target, and yogurt mountain!

Christmas gifts

I am so blessed! Below are photos of some of my favorite Christmas gifts this year. I love them all! I also got modern family season one and two. I've never seen it before, but I've already watched three discs-- they are so funny!!!

The greatest gift of all though was quality time with the people I love! I've gotten to see all of my best friends over this trip and it makes my heart so happy. I'm about to spend the afternoon with Tiffany, Julie, and tenley... I couldn't ask for a better way to end this trip home!

Chloe

Chloe is my baby cousin. For years I wanted a little girl cousin, and when I was 15, I finally got one! I love her so much and love spending time with her. She is my favorite kid in this world! When she was five, she got a stepsister who I also adore. Today I took the two of them to lunch, to he frozen yogurt, and to the book store. They both love reading and I let them pick out a book. I hope that they made memories today that they will always look back on and smile!!

I found this picture of me and Chloe when she was three, and then we took one today where she is 9. She is growing up so fast!!

Home for the holidays...

Holly and I made the trek back to Alabama yesterday. I'm so looking forward to a week of relaxation, friends, and family. Merry Christmas!

Photo updates

I finally got around to uploading some pictures on to my computer from my nice camera, so I thought I'd do a post updating with some pictures! Enjoy. :)

Last Friday night I babysat this adorable little boy! Then I spent the day Saturday with him and his sweet momma. I am so thankful for her friendship and for this precious little life! When we were getting ready to go out to eat, Lacey told me to go grab him a bib- and I found this one in the drawer! It says "My Aunt is hot and single", so of course I made him wear it! Isn't he adorable??
This past Friday night we had a Secret Santa trade with some of my best girl friends from church. I had Kathryn and I got her this adorable purple hat and scarf! It is so her style. I really enjoyed picking it out for her, so I hope she enjoys it!
This is Holly and Sarah at the girl's christmas swap.
Last Saturday night was our sunday school class's Christmas party. This is Holly and Zack at the party in their matching shirts. Aren't they adorable?
Here are three of my really good friends here in Dallas! Stephanie, Alex, and Kathryn. And no, Kathryn does not normally dress like this! It was a tacky Christmas party. :)
Me and Ian at the tacky Christmas party. This boy is hysterical! I am so thankful for his friendship and the numerous, numerous giggles he brings into my life. (Also, I hate this photo of me!)

With three of my sweet friends here in Dallas! Amy, me, Kathryn, and Stephanie! I am so thankful for their friendships. We laugh WAY too much and have so many hysterical conversations! It's hard for me to believe that I've only known Amy and Kathryn for a few short months, because I feel like we've been friends forever!

I love this time of year. There is so much time for friends and family! It is so gratifying to remember your blessings during this time. I'm so thankful for the life I live here in Dallas! However, I am super excited about going home in a few days and spending the holidays with my family and friends back home. Merry Christmas!

That kind of Christmas...

I love the Christmas season. I love the parties with friends, I love seeing members of my family that I only see during the holidays, and I love giving gifts-- I love to see people's excitement over things you picked out just for them. I love focusing on the amazing gift of Christ that God gave us. I love the lights, and the mood, and the festiveness. I love almost everything about Christmas.

Except for the fact that my mom isn't here to do Christmas with anymore. She loved Christmas. More than anyone I've ever known. She loved getting her friends and family together during the holidays and she loved decorating and she absolutely loved reading the story of Jesus's birth over and over during the season.

Whenever I hear this song, I think of her.

She had her bone marrow transplant right after Thanksgiving. She told us beforehand that she would still be really sick at Christmas and that Christmas wouldn't look normal that year, but to just hang on because she was going to get so many more Christmases out of this bone marrow transplant, and each one would hold so much more meaning for us. She was right in the fact that Christmas didn't look normal that year, and it hasn't looked normal since.

However, I am so thankful that my lala taught me the love of Jesus, because I know that one day, Christmas would hold so much more meaning for us. Because one day, we will all be with her again on Christmas Day, except we will be with Jesus celebrating with Him. That idea is what keeps me going on the days that I miss her the most. I can't wait for that kind of Christmas.

Thoughts on Thursday

Hello, long lost blog world. I feel like I haven't updated on life in about... forever. I apologize for that, but life has been simply crazy. Story of my life, right? So here is a list of random thoughts...

1. There are 9 days of school left before Christmas break, and I am dying.If you keep up with my blog, you know that I adore my job. But seriously? Trying to keep 147 7th graders engaged in the days leading up to Christmas? Yea, it's impossible. And exhausting. And turning my hair grey. Is it December 21 yet???

2. Besides work, life has been pretty crazy too. I've been selling a lot of my personalized gifts as Christmas quickly approaches. I've also had outings with friends pretty frequently-- dinners, movies, christmas parties, etc. I am looking forward to a nice, quiet night at home soon.... I'm just waiting to find out when that will be!

3. This weekend we are having our Sunday School's Christmas party on Saturday night. It should be pretty fun. I love the people in my sunday school class. They have changed my life here in Dallas and have become some of my closest friends that I have ever had. I look forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior with them (as well as dressing in tacky Christmas attire and trading White Elephant gifts!!)

4. I am pretty much done Christmas shopping. That is always a sad time for me because I love wrapping Christmas presents. It's almost like there is a void that needs to be filled when it's over. We do still need to buy a gift or two for our older brother as well as our grandfather and two guy cousins. Obviously, we struggle with the whole buying for males things. I wish they were easier to buy for!!! If anyone has any suggestions for an 80something year old man, a 26 year old guy, an 18 year old, and a 12 year old you let me know! Ha!

5. I am sooo excited about Alabama going to the National Championship this year! Like, so excited. I want to go to the game so bad. I finished my under-grad in 4 years... and ever since Sunday I am wishing I had taken five years followed by a 2 year masters degree because then I would be a student at Alabama right now with an easy ticket to the game! Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Which means I'm a poor teacher who can't afford the $1,500 ticket! I have texted my dad every day telling him I reallllly want a ticket, but he keeps saying he can't find any for cheap. I'm crossing my fingers that one will be under the Christmas tree like it was two years ago, but I'm not getting my hopes too high this year! Maybe something will work out.

6. Today I sent my request to the district to take two days off in May for my little brother's graduation. Since it is the Thursday and Friday before Memorial Day, I had to get special permission. They said yes, of course. I am just so sad that my baby brother is a senior in high school and about to graduate! Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday when I was the senior in high school and he was the chubby little fifth grader. Geez! I'm so proud of him! :)

7. I really need to go to wal-mart this afternoon, but I'm dreading it. Is there anyone else out there who hates the idea of going to wal-mart? I dread it. It's awful!!!

8. I went to the dentist again on Tuesday to get my crown put on that tooth that I had a root canal on a month ago. It cost so much money. I'm so broke right now. These teeth have cost a fortune this year. I'm praying that I don't have to go back to the dentist until my next cleaning in June! I'm sure he likes seeing me (because me=$$$), but I don't care to see him again anytime soon! (Because he=spending $$$$)

9. So at one point last week, holly and I thought that we weren't going to be able to Christmas with our mom's family. It has always been a tradition that her family gets together on Christmas Eve. We use to do it at our mom's house. It has always been so much fun!! It's seriously the highlight of my Christmas. Well, we found out that they were giong to move it to the 23rd. Holly and I aren't even going home until the 23rd, so there was no way we could make brunch on that day. I was so upset about it, because it basically meant no Christmas for us. Kevin and Alicean aren't coming home until the 27th, so they won't be there for Christmas. We normally do Christmas morning with my Pawpaw, but he passed away in January. We normally do Christmas lunch with my Mawmaw G and Mawmaw K, but Mawmaw K passed away in Janurary too and I don't know if Mawmaw G will drive down alone. So when we talked about the fact that the Moore family Christmas was going to be on the 23rd and we wouldn't make it, Holly and I discussed the idea of not going to Alabama until the 27th when Kevin and Ali went home-- because we literally wouldn't be doing anything until then away. But then my grandmother emailed us the other day and it's all worked out-- the Moore family Christmas will be on Christmas eve! I am so glad. This Christmas will be so different from the past few, so I am thankful that at least one thing will still be the same.

All right, that's enough for random thoughts on Thursday. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the holiday season!!!!! Happy Thursday!

ROLL TIDE!!!

#2 in the country.

Rematch with LSU.

Road to #14.

Revenge.

Never Again.

Nola---

HERE.

WE.

COME.

ROLL TIDE!

Blessed

So, this year wasn't the greatest Thanksgiving ever. In fact, it was the worse. Awful. Terrible. I would never want to re-live it.

However, just because I had a few terrible days this week doesn't mean I'm any less blessed than before those terrible days. So to remind me of what I do have to be thankful for, I'm going to make a list of 30 things I'm thankful for- one for each day of the month.

1. My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Even when I've been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person- He still loves me. He still guides me to His truth and reminds me how I should be living and loving. Many people have given up on me, but He never has.

2. My health and my family member's health. So many people that I know are fighting illnesses, and I am so thankful that my family is not at the moment.

3. My job. I've worked at three different schools in three years and loved them all- but I will say that the one I'm at now was made for me. I enjoy going to work every single day. It's a challenge and I've worked more hours than I ever have before, but I love everything about it!

4. My twin sister. There are times in our lives when we scream and yell and say really ugly things to each other- but she really is my best friend. She knows the ugliest side of me, but loves me anyway. Life would be really dull without her.

5. My younger brother. He has grown up so much and has suddenly become this handsome, funny, caring young man.

6. My older brother. He is the most important man in my life. I look up to him so much and respect him so much. He has such a calming demeanor and genuinely cares about the people in his life. He loves the Lord and his family and is the exact kind of man that I hope to find one day.

7. My sister in law. My brother couldn't have picked a better wife. When I was having a crappy day, no one in my family could make it better. But she just walks into a room, and you know that you can't help but be in a good mood. She makes life fun and interesting, and I love that I can call her my sister.

8. My grandparents. I've recently talked with so many people who have lost all of their grandparents, but I am so blessed that I still have three left. My mom's parents are seriously my two favorite people in this world. I think if I lived closer to them, I would go to dinner with them every night. They are so loving and caring and willing to do anything for us. And you can tell just by looking at them that they love each other so much. I hope to one day be a grandparent with a man like my Pawpaw Georg-o, and I hope to be the kind of grandmother that my mawmaw is to me. I love those two people so much.

9. My dog. Is it lame to be thankful for your dog? I seriously am thankful for mine. After a long and terrible trip home, he has been by my side since I got back. He loves to cuddle and give me kisses. A dog is the one thing that will always love you, no matter what you've done or how long you left him.

10. My dad. There have been moments in my life where he was my least favorite person in this world, but I am thankful for the relationship we have now. I am thankful that we can laugh and enjoy our time together once again.

11. My car. That sounds silly, but I'm thankful that I have a car (and no car payments!) that runs and gets me where I need to go.

12. My apartment. I am thankful that I can afford to live in the location I want to be in, and I am thankful that my apartment is big enough to host people here because I love having people over.

13. My Dallas friends- I'd name them all, but that would take way too long. I am so thankful for every single person in Dallas that I can call a "friend". They keep me busy- literally, I'm doing something with one of them every night of the week it seems- but they make my life here so enjoyable. I am thankful for their fun spirits, their listening ears, their encouragement, their laughs, and their investments in my life.

14. Katey. We've been friends since I was 15, and we've been through all kinds of stuff. But she is one of my few friends from Alabama that I keep up with on a weekly basis. She is always listening to me venting about my troubles, contemplating the boys, and laughing at the good times. I am thankful that I can call her up at any moment and she is there to talk.

15. Nikki. She has been my best friend since freshmen year of college. We've had plenty of ups and downs, but she's there for the long haul. I am thankful that we make it a priority to see each other, even if it's just for a short time. I'm thankful that she loves me for me, the good the bad and the ugly. And I'm thankful that tells me how it is all the time- even when I don't want to hear it.

16. The Duggers. Neil and Paula have become like my Texas family. I know I can call them whenever I need anything, and they do such a good job of including Holly and I in on "family" functions. I am thankful that I have a family here when I'm so far away from the rest of mine.

17. My church in Dallas. For some people, it takes a while to find a church when you move to a new city. Holly and I were lucky enough to find PCBC on our second weekend in Dallas. It took a while to get plugged in, but now that we are, I am so thankful for this church. It challenges me weekly in my walk with Christ. I'm plugged into ministries that depend on me and make me feel included. I have grown more in my walk with Christ at this church than any other church, and I am so thankful that God led me there.

18. My finances. Teachers don't get paid a ton of money, but I am thankful that I get paid what I do. It covers the bills, the emergencies, the extra things, with even some left over to go into savings. I am thankful that I have the money to do the things that need to be done, to give to people, to do things that I want to do, as well as save for things in the future. I have realized lately that this is a blessing that not all people have these days.

19. Alabama football. Is it pathetic that I just put that on a list of things I'm thankful for?! But it's true! I'm thankful for Alabama football. It is exciting and it helps to keep me tied to my past. Maybe it's sad that I just put that, but I really am thankful for it! haha!

20. My education. Studying at the University of Alabama definitely prepared me for my job as a teacher. The hundreds of hours that were required of us in a classroom before we could graduate prepared me more than I could imagine. I am so thankful that I went through the education program at UA, because it made me the teacher I am today.

21. My 147 crazy 7th grade students. They are crazy, and sometimes they make ME feel crazy, but I love each and every one of them. I am thankful that God has put each of them in my life this year, and although I can't talk about Christ to them, I pray that I can live and love like Christ to them.

22. Facebook, blog, and twitter. That sounds crazy, but it makes it so easy to keep up with people from home! Sometimes too easy- I know I should pick up the phone and call people more often- but it always helps to make me not homesick since I can still know what everyone is up to!

23. My college friends- I am so thankful that I can get together with any of them anywhere (Alabama, California, etc) and still have a good time with them. Too many times friendships fade away and can be awkward, but that hasn't happened to us and I'm so thankful that we are all still friends!

24. Clothes and shoes. Yes, I have way too many! But I am thankful that I have any at all, especially the abundance that I do have. God has truly blessed me, because I know there are so many out there who need more of these things.

25. The little babies in my life- Tenley, Charlie, and Braxton! I don't get to see any of them as much as I'd like, but I love looking at pictures of all three of them and seeing how they all have changed. It is truly amazing to watch the miracle that is a child. I can't wait until the day that I will have one of my own to have and to hold and to love on!

26. That God knows my future. There are days when I just want to know what the future holds-- and when that future will get here!-- but it's such a blessing to remember that He knows it all and will bring it all to me in His own timing.

27. Darren. Man, that boy drives me crazy. He really and truly does! But at the same time, he's always been there for me. Even when he hates me and wants nothing to do with me, he's there for me. He makes me laugh and he makes me cry and he's one of the best friends I've ever had. I'm thankful that we still have that friendship, even through all the crazy things these past few years.

28. My craftiness. Again, that may be a weird thing to be thankful for, but I'm seriously thankful that God made me crafty. It gives me something to do on boring days, and I really do get a joy out of making things. That may sound weird, but I'm thankful for that interest.

29. People from my past. There are plenty of friendships and relationships that have come and gone- people that were once so important to me who now have nothing to do with my life- but I am thankful for each and every one of them. Some of them had a huge influence on my life and who I am today. Some of them walked through some pretty crappy times with me, and some of them soared with me through the best times of my life. Some of them I still miss terribly every single day, and some of them I don't even think twice about it. But regardless, I am thankful for every one of those people. Because without them, I wouldn't be who I am today and I wouldn't be where I am today.

30. My mom. I saved the best for last. I miss her the most this time of year, but I am so thankful for the 18 years that I did have with her. I've said this over and over, but it's so true. She was the greatest woman that I've ever known. She had the biggest heart, the kindest spirit, and the most generous soul. She gave and gave and gave until she was called home to the Lord, and if I had to guess, she's still up there giving today. We went and visited her grave while we were home, and it just made my heart ache... but also made me thankful at the same time. Her body was right there underneath me, her soul is so far away, but her spirit- that happy, kind, generous spirit? Well, her spirit is with me every single day. And I am so thankful for that- and for the 18 years I had with her.

Happy birthday, lala!

It's been almost six years, but yet I can still close my eyes and see her smile, hear that laugh, and smell her perfume.

I miss her every single day. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her.

Sometimes my heart longs to pick up the phone and call her... to tell her about my day, vent about the hard times and celebrate the good ones.

She was the most amazing woman in the world, and I miss her all of the time.

Happy 50th birthday, mom. You are truly and greatly missed by many.

The end to a crazy week....

My life is insanely busy, and this week was no different.

In fact, it was busier than normal!!! I am so ready for Thanksgiving break. Of course, I will still be crazy busy that week... but at least it won't be busy from work!!

Anyway, today at 3:00 my crazy week finally calmed down. I realized I had nothing to do until tomorrow morning. So what did I do?? I hopped in my car, drove 20 minutes north to Plano, and spent time with my favorite man....

I love that they live back in the Dallas area, and that when I have free time, I can spend the afternoon with my little Charlie bear! We read books, danced in his room, and juggled three pacies. (You can see two in this photo... the third one was in his lap!)

He is seriously the cutest thing in the world. Spending time with him and his wonderful parents made my crazy busy hectic week 100,000,000 times better!

I love you, Charlie bear!!!

Dancin' Away with my heart...

I was 19.

We were laying in the bed of his truck, looking at the stars and talking about life.

It was a November Friday night, and we were cuddled under blankets trying to stay warm.

The radio was playing through his window,

and I remember thinking it was the most romantic night of my life.

He then grabbed my hand, pulled me out of the bed of his truck...

and we danced...

under the stars...

in my driveway.

When was the last time I thought of that moment?

It's probably been years.

But that's why I just love music.

You hear a song, and it instantly takes you back to the past.

One minute you're grading papers listening to Pandora,

and the next, you're back in that moment....

under the stars....

dancing away with my heart.

"Dancin' Away with my Heart"

Lady Antebellum

I can still feel my head on your shoulder,

and hoping that song would never be over.

I haven't seen you in ages.

Sometimes I find myself wondering where you are,

For me you'll always be 18.

And beautiful...

and dancing away with my heart.

I love that I'm not the only person who went on a trip down memory lane when listening to this song.

I read the comments below the video I linked, and so many people had the same experience.

Sometimes it hurts to go down memory lane because of a song...

but other times....

well, other times, the songs just remind you of where you came from,

how you got to where you are,

and where it is you are currently headed.

Pictures & #3!!!

I just uploaded pictures from this weekend! The ones from the earlier post were from my phone, but these are from my actual camera!! I think they all turned out so cute!! So this is basically just a post to document my pictures!!

However, Bama is NUMBER THREE!!!! Roll Tide to that!!! Go Ducks, Boomer Sooner, and Woo Pig Sooie!!!!!!!!!

Love

Just wanted to post a big ol congratulations to two of my best friends, Katie and Scott!!!

They got engaged yesterday!!!!

Love you both!!!

Roll Tide

When you miss four field goals, intercept the ball at the one, don't field a ball and let it roll 20 yards, don't use your two time outs when there is 1:30 left in the game, and call three terrible offensive calls in overtime... Well, you can't really expect to win after all of that.

At least we had fun tailgating!

Roll tide!

Root Canal, Chili Cookoff, and a plane flight....

Update on my crazy life:

I took a 1/2 day Tuesday and went to the dentist (again... he could seriously be my new best friend!). Dentist didn't know what was wrong with my tooth (again) so he sent me to the endodontist. (spelling??)

Yesterday I took ANOTHER 1/2 day and went to the endodontist.... AND I needed yet another root canal. So I was there for awhile getting that done. Thankfully my mouth isn't hurting anymore... but my wallet sure is!! (It was freaking expensive! And I haven't even paid for the crown yet! Yikes!)

Today was a normal school day, and tonight was the PTA chili/salsa cook off. Brandon, Jeremiah, and Rachel are three of the people I work with and three of my good friends from work! We joined together in a group for the competition. (Jenn rounds out our little "group", but she skipped out!) Anyway, we were the "Blazin' Saddles" and we dressed up in cowboy gear. You can't tell from the picture, but I did wear cowboy boots for the first time! (And those shoes HURT! Not comfortable. AT.ALL.)

Brandon's wife made both our chili and our salsa... Our salsa won best salsa! (But that may have been because Fincher and Bailey pressured all the kids into voting for us! One kid even said "Ya'll teach us not to give into peer pressure but that's what you're doing right now!!!" Ha. Kids...) Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but it made for a long day! 12 1/2 hours at work is too.much.

Tomorrow morning I head to sweet home Alabama for the biggest game of the season! I can't wait to be HOME, see my grandparents, see my long lost friends, AND watch 'bama beat LSU! Roll Tide, boys! Roll Tide....

Trunk or Treat 2011!

Blogger finally has an iPhone app! Hip hip hooray! Unfortunately, I don't know how this will look after being posted from my phone!!! I wanted to quickly post some pictures from trunk or treat yesterday! I will post more tonight!

We were.... The wizard of oz!!! And we won "kid's choice award"! It was epically awesome!!! More on trunk or treat to come! My planning period is over so it's time to teach teach teach!

Doesn't Julio make the CUTEST toto?? I love that picture of him! I loved our costumes. I thought they were even better than last years! I love trunk or treat!

My teeth hate me.

My teeth hate me. I'm pretty sure this is what they all look like.In April, I had two root canals done. In May, a cavity filled. In July, another cavity filled.

Last weekend I was in incredible pain due to my gums on my lower left side. I took off on Monday and went to the dentist. He said it was some kind of infection and gave me some antibiotics.

I took them and by Thursday night, the gums seemed good to go. And then Thursday night, my top back tooth on the left started aching. It was completely random, and it just started hurting. The gums feel like they are too tight around my tooth, and the actual tooth just hurts.

I kept taking the meds the dentist gave me hoping it would go away. Well, after waking up four times last night in pain, I couldn't take it anymore. I called the dentist at 1:30 AM this morning. He just called me back.

I explained it to him, and he said he didn't even look at my top teeth on Monday. He is calling in a stronger antibiotic now, which I'm about to go get. He wants to see me again this week about the tooth so that he can look at it.... but he warned me that it sounds like another ROOT CANAL.

UGH. I'm so upset about this. I don't want another root canal! They are painful and they cost so much money. Ugh ugh ugh. I'm so not looking forward to this.

Please pray that the antibiotics I'm about to start will fix this tooth!! And if they don't, pray that something else is wrong with it besides a ROOT CANAL. I really don't want another root canal!!!!!

Happy 1st birthday....

....to my tiny Tenley! Who isn't so tiny anymore....

You have quickly become a beautiful one year old little girl! I absolutely love getting picture updates from your mom and mimi! You look so much like your daddy that it's almost scary! You are such a laid back baby, which is such a perfect reflection of both of your parents. You are my favorite little girl!
I loved getting to spend an entire week with you at the beach in March! It was this "aunt"s dream come true! I only hope it can become a yearly tradition! I hate that we live so far apart, but I hope you will grow up knowing how much your favorite fake aunt Heather loves you and that if I lived closer, I would see you ALL the time!
You have brought such joy into so many people's lives. That wasn't a surprise though-- when your mommy and daddy are such wonderful people, we all knew you'd be pretty great too!
I remember the days when we just suspected you were on your way--- and I remember the day when it was confirmed that you actually were! I was so excited to finally have you! I sent you presents every month leading up to your arrival- little things for you to enjoy as a little baby. The day you were born was such a great day! Your mom was so funny on the phone and your "aunt" Julie was there keeping us all updated! I was so excited when you finally made your grand entrance. I can't believe it's already been one year! I have loved you every minute since I heard of you!

Happy birthday, baby girl! I hope you are spoiled rotten today! I wish I could be there to spoil you myself! I am so thankful that you came into this world. You have already changed it for the better! Now, I need you to sweet talk your parents into bringing you to Tuscaloosa for the LSU game this weekend... it wouldn't be very nice to leave you behind! And everyone knows how much you want to spend the weekend with 4 out of 5 of your favorite fake aunts!! I hope to see you soon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TENLEY BLAYKE!!! I love you oh so very much!

(Photos were taken by Tenley's REAL aunt, Jessica Burleson. Check her out here. If you live in North Alabama and need a good photography, she obviously takes beautiful pictures!)

Weekends

This weekend has been so crazy. What weekend isn't though? I seriously love my life. It's always go, go, go... but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Friday night we had a jewelry party, Saturday we watched sports all day and made our costumes, and yesterday we went to the fair with our sunday school class followed by pizza and the Rangers game! It was a fun and busy weekend....

...the worst part was that I did it all with an incredible gum-ache in my mouth. I had a root canal done in April, and the gums below it were so swollen this weekend. It hurt so bad that I could hardly even talk. Therefore I was on hydrocodine all weekend and pretty loopy. I took today off of work and went to the dentist. He doesn't really know what is wrong with my gums. He is guessing that some kind of food got caught in them and just inflamed them. He gave me some more hydrocodine and an antibotic. I go back in two weeks to have it checked out and to have a deep cleaning of my gums. Right now they feel really great, but it's probably because of all the drugs! Ha!

I was super sad to miss school today though! Mainly because it was "wear your favorite sports team shirt" for red ribbon week and I was pumped about wearing my alabama gear! Ha! Oh well, maybe next time.

Speaking of, this is red ribbon week. It basically means it will be a crazy week! There are different activities and a dress up day every day. Friday we have a field trip, so I know on Friday night I will be exhausted. I hope to get a lot of rest in Friday night. Friday night is KP's birthday party! Saturday night I'm throwing a Halloween party at Ian's house! His house is bigger than my apartment and has an awesome backyard and deck, so that's why it's there. It should be a lot of fun! Sunday we are doing trunk or treat at the church. I seriously can't wait to post pictures from this coming up weekend.... our costumes are epic!!

The following weekend Holly and I are flying to Alabama for the LSU weekend. I am so excited to be going to that game!!! It should be so good! I also can't wait to see Katey, Kim, my family, Cody, Tiffany, Tenley, Erin, Julie... the list goes on and on! Yay for a weekend in sweet home Alabama!!!

Trunk or Treat take 2

My life has been crazy busy, but is that really anything new?

Tonight we had a jewelry party at a friends house. Then we headed to JoAnn's to get materials for our Halloween costumes this year! If you remember, last year we were....

Mario Kart. With cars and everything! And at trunk or treat, we decorated our cars to look like Mario world and played Mario music through the speakers. AND we won for most creative idea. It was pretty much.... amazing.

Last year there were 8 of us and two cars. This year, there are 13 of us and three cars. The group above (minus Kirk) plus a few newbies.

We are making our costumes tomorrow and it will be epically awesome as well. I can't wait to post pictures! For now, I'll leave you of a hint of what we might be....

So what do you think we're gonna be??? Next weekend will be jam packed, but what else is new? Every weekend is...

I can't wait to be crafty all day tomorrow with our home made costumes AND watch bama beat Tennessee! I hate Tennessee!

Ha!

When Tennessee's head coach, Dooley, was asked by a reporter how to prepare for Alabama this week, he replied with, "Don't score first. It pisses them off."

Roll Tide!

I hate Tennessee, man

Alabama is #2! Roll Tide! And we'll be number one once we beat LSU in three weeks. Roll Tide! Trent Richardson is a beast. Gosh, I love college football!!!

It's Tennessee week. I love Tennessee week, mainly because I LOVE BEATING THEM!!! I hate Tennessee with a passion. I think I've always hated them. The guy in this video sums it up perfectly. So to kick off Tennessee week, I'm putting a link to the video as well as the words to the video. Roll Tide!!!

Click here to watch the video

I hate Tennessee. First of all, it's Tennessee. And I just hate them. Cuz they're low down, they're dirty, and they're some snitches. And I hate Phillip Fulmer. And I hate their colors, I'm not a dog person, I just hate Tennessee man. I hate Naylor stadium- it looks like a garbage truck worker convention. I hate all their quarterbacks. I just ate Tennessee, man. I hate Tennessee more than I hate Auburn. I just dislike Auburn, but I hate Tennessee. Tenneesse's color is that throw up orange, it's not that orange you can sit with, it's that puke inside of a pumpkin orange. And I really don't like pumpkins. I really don't like Tennessee, man. I can't stretch that enough man. They're losers, they're sore losers, cuz they're not Alabama. I hate Tennessee man.

Recap of Family & Friend fun!

This past weekend was epically awesome. Friday after school I headed straight to happy hour at Chuy's with some friends. After that, we came over to our place and had a game night. It's always fun to have game nights... but maybe I just think that because I'm a competitive person! It was fun having all of my siblings here along with my friends.

Saturday morning, we had people over to watch the TX/OU game. It was a pretty boring game, mainly because OU kicked Texas's butt! It was fairly embarrassing for Texas. Then we got ready to head to a wedding that afternoon. Two friends from our singles sunday school class got married, and the ceremony was beautiful! The groom's brother wrote an amazingly romantic song that had me all teary eyed! We then headed to the reception where we ate and danced for a little bit. After the reception, we headed to Ian's house for a patio party. It was so great to get to hang out with Ian again... we've both been so busy for so long that I haven't spent time with him in forever! It was so much fun. :)

You can read about our Sunday at the fair in my last post. :)

Monday morning, I took my family to tour my new school. Holly and Alicean had seen it, but my dad and brothers had not. Afterward, we headed out to the Dugger's ranch for a late lunch. The food was delicious, and of course it was fun "playing" with the longhorns!

That night, Holly, Chase, my dad, and I watched the rangers play baseball and ate dinner at Pei Wei. Chase and my dad left yesterday afternoon. It was so great having them visit! I can't wait to see them again in just a few weeks when Holly and I fly home for the LSU game.

Speaking of rangers baseball, this game has me super stressed out! We need a win!! (random tidbit)

This past weekend was so great. It was full of family and friends, and I enjoyed every second of it. However, I have been totally pooped this week! I can't wait to sleep in on Saturday. Thankfully, that is only a few days away!!!! Here's to hoping the next two days fly by....

Fair Day with the FAM!!

This weekend has been epically awesome....

Today, I will give you a glimpse into it! My siblings, sis in law, and pops braved the rain (yes, it is finally raining in North Texas!) and headed to the state fair!!

I think we sampled almost all of the fried food at the fair-- we just bought it all and shared! Let's see, we had the following:

Chicken Fried Bacon

Fletcher's Corny Dogs

Fried Snickers

Fried Oreos

Fried Pepperoni Pizza

Fried Butter

Fried Buffalo Chicken in a flapjack

Fried Poptart

Fried Cheesecake

Fried Bubblegum

WOW! It was crazy. My favorite was the fried buffalo chicken in a flapjack... followed by the fried snickers. Crazy good! Thankfully I had 5 other people to share all that food with!

More on this epic weekend coming soon!

Show Us Your Pets

I haven't linked up with Kelly's Korner Show Us Your Life in a really long time! But today is "Show Us Your Pets", so of course I couldn't pass that one up!
This is my baby boy, Julio Ingram! He is a yorkie and the sweetest pup in the world! He is named after my two favorite Alabama football players, Julio Jones and Mark Ingram! He takes after his "daddy" Julio because he has mad jumping skills- he can jump really high! He takes after his "daddy" Mark because he runs really fast! :)

I use to say I would never, ever have a dog. But this dog changed my mind! He is the sweetest little angel. He loves to snuggle, sleep, and run. He gets really excited anytime he gets to go outside. He hates playing fetch, and loves hiding his food around the house. He also really likes to watch Alabama play football-- he has five different Alabama shirts that he rotates through on game days.... sometimes he lets his brother, Gus, borrow them!

This is Julio with his favorite toy, a tootsie roll pop! He loves playing with that toy. He also loves to snuggle up with any of my friends, especially my guy friends. If anyone else is around, he snuggles with other people and acts like I'm not even there. But you better believe he sleeps right next to me at night! It's like I can't get him away from me when it's time to go to bed!

I know he won't live forever, but I've always said that I'd rather die first then live without him. He is seriously my baby boy and I can't imagine loving anything more! Everyone says that will change when I have my own kid, but I don't believe them!

Isn't he adorable? I sure do think so! He has made the past two years of my life super happy. I love that little pup so much!

And of course, I can't forget my "nephew", and Julio's "little brother", Gus. Gus is a pocket puggle and belongs to my sister/roommate, Holly. Gus is the cutest little thing! He loves to snore, chase Julio, and take naps. He also loves to eat.... a lot! He is super sweet, too!

Gus and Julio snuggling the week we got Gus! Gus is bigger than Julio now. It's hard to remember him ever being that tiny!