Living Life Day By Day

Here's to 2012

2011-12-29T11:31:00.007-06:00

It has been SO LONG since I have managed to post something on here. My life has been a whirlwind as of late. Here's my year in review:

1. This summer, I had posted that I had paid off my Tech ring in full and couldn't wait to tackle my next debt. I started getting excited about my financial future this past February when I listed to Dave Ramsey's CDs that I borrowed from my parents' Financial Peace University. Dave Ramsey talks about getting mad a debt and living a debt-free life. He is a truly inspirational man, very enthusiastic, and I began to become enthusiastic as well. If you would like to learn more about Dave Ramsey and what he has to say, you can find out more here.

2. With my debt tackling underway, I decided I needed to get into couponing. What I have learned so far is that teaching full-time and going to grad school part-time leaves very little time for couponing. I am very thankful that I started this summer though, especially for the day-to-day things we use. As of right now, the only thing that has run out of my stockpile is shampoo and laundry detergent. Everything else (such as body wash, toothpaste, and deodorant) I still have stockpiles of. By doing this, I have more money in the miscellaneous category of my budget to spend on things I want, not just need.

3. I officially got accepted into grad school toward the end of August. It was a long struggle to get there, one that started way back in January, but I am hoping with all my heart that it will be worth it. This past semester was super busy (I only made 2 home football games and 1 tailgate, and for anyone that knows me, that truly is a big deal) but I managed to pull out an A and a B. Here's to going into the next semester with a 3.5 GPA! Woohoo!!

4. My old TV was a box. And when I say box, I mean a BOX. No flatscreens in this household! Eric and I had been looking at new TVs for what seemed like FOR-EV-ER. Yet, we were no closer to having one. Then *poof* Walmart had a fantastic deal for the start of school for a 40" Vizio LED. Like, better-than-black-Friday kind of deal. And I wanted it. What you might not know is that literally 1 month before, I had paid off my credit card. Yes, I worked my tail off during summer school and had succeeded. My credit card showed a blank, a zero, nil. But, now there was this TV and I really really really wanted it. And I convinced myself to get it, so I did. I love my TV very very very much. I love getting to watch DVDs and Blu-rays on it. But within a month, I had regretted it. My credit card had over $1000 on it again and I was mad at myself for giving into temptation. But, perhaps, it was for the best because it made me mad. MAD I TELL YOU!! So I decided that this was it, no more! EVER!

5. I told you that story to tell you this one. When I got mad, I decided Eric was going down with me. Trying to get debt free is like being on a diet; it does you no good when your significant other is eating (buying) so much goodness in front of you. So I saved up and spent the money to get the home edition of Financial Peace University for just Eric and I. It comes with DVDs & CDs that can be used at home or in the car. Eric listened to the CDs in his car in record time, and within about a week, he went from an "I want" kind of guy to an "I want to start saving for retirement" kind of guy. This could not have made me happier!!! But, I reminded him, that we needed to get out of debt as well as figure out how to pay for a wedding, and neither one of those would work too well http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifunless we were in this together. and you know what, he was on board with me. It took us 3 months that were full of roadtrips, weddings, and family functions to get our Step 1 completed, but we did it!!! We just paid my credit card off in full last week, and I am now going to freeze that card so that we will never use it again!!! If you would like to see the Financial Peace University I bought for Eric and I, it can be found here.

For 2012, Eric and I have big plans for us, especially financially. Our hope is that by this time next year, we will have my car paid off in full and a good portion of our wedding paid for.

I hope that each and every one of you had a fantastic 2011 and here's to an even better New Year!!!

The End of an Era

2011-07-10T23:51:00.001-05:00

I began to read the Harry Potter books when I was 11. At that time, there were only 4 books for a child to devour, and I was not bent on becoming one of them. But spring of 6th grade found our school in the hallway doing the duck-and-cover because there had been tornadoes spotted near my hometown of Windthorst,TX. In order to calm some of the children down, our 6th/8th grade ELAR teacher began to read from the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It was love at first chapter. That day changed my life.

I subsequently devoured the first 4 books and even began reading them to my 3rd grade sister to be able to share my love of them. Harry Potter became one of my greatest friends. He taught me the value of bravery, empathy, friendship, kindness, and love. He was the person I strived to be as well as the one who gave me hope for a brighter future outside of my hometown. Then something extraordinary happened.

They were making a movie

My world could not get better. I searched online every single day for any scrap of news about the movie I could find. (FYI Eric, this is where my web searching abilities came from) I printed out each actor/actress to try to imagine them as the characters in my head. I collected every bookmark, every sticker, anything I could possibly get my hands on. I even pinned up a 6 month countdown to the movie release in my locker.

Then, I saw the movie, and it was everything I had dreamed of, and my love for the Harry Potter series was just solidified.

A year and a half later the 5th book was released. By now, the world had finally noticed Harry Potter. We picked it up at midnight, of course. The next day, I can remember the exact intersection in Arlington the band leadership crew was driving through when I read about Sirius Black's death in the book. I cried for days because I felt Harry's pain as if it were my own.

I have been there for every midnight release of the books, seen the movies the day of release, and experienced all of it with Harry: sympathy for Snape's torment, anger at his betrayal, happiness that Lupin found love, sorrow at so many deaths.

This Friday will be it- the end of an era. There will be no more midnight releases, no more reading 700 pages within 13 hours, no more movies...no more Harry, Ron, and Hermione. This is the end of a very dear friendship that has lasted the span of 12 years. This Friday, I must say goodbye to one of the most influential people thus far in my life. It also marks the official end of my childhood. There is nothing to carry on with me anymore, just memories.

Goodbye Harry. Thank you for being there for me when no one else in my hell of a town was. I will miss you with all if my heart. I will make sure you will live on in the imaginations of my own children.

Love forever,
Mylie Jo

Couponing 06/19/11

2011-06-19T16:37:00.003-05:00

Today, I just made a quick trip to CVS. I ended up seperating my transactions into 3 different ones in order to maxamize the use of ECBs. Here is how my day went:

1st Transaction
2/6.97 On Sale Pantene shampoo and conditioner
-$3.00/2 Pantene Manufacturer's coupon
-$3.00 ECBs from my last purchase
=$1.05 + $2.00ECB from the above to use on my next purchase

2nd Transaction
2.97 On Sale Colgate Advanced
2/4.97 On Sale Aussie or Herbal Essences product
-$1.00 Colgate Advanced Manufacturer's Coupon
-$1.00 Aussie or Herbal Essence product
-$1.00 Aussie or Herbal Essence product
-$2.00 ECB from above transaction
=$2.92 + $2.00 ECB from the Colgate to use on next purchase

3rd Transaction
2.97 On Sale Colgate Advanced
2/4.97 On Sale Aussie or Herbal Essences product
-$1.00 Colgate Advanced Manufacturer's Coupon
-$1.00 Aussie or Herbal Essence product
-$1.00 Aussie or Herbal Essence product
-$2.00 ECB from above transaction
=$2.92 + $2.00 ECB from the Colgate to use on next purchase

Total OOP: $6.89
Total Savings: $29.83 + $2.00 ECB to use on my next purchase

A little bit of old...

2011-06-09T11:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my dear friend, Megan Riggins, posted a Facebook status update about the StrengthsQuest most of the students at Tech our age had to take way back when. It made me wonder what mine was. I hadn't looked at my StrengthsQuest in so long. I took my StrengthsQuest fall of '06 during my Freshman year when I had to take it because we attended a seminar about our strengths for our Honors Literature class. I have changed a lot over the past 5 years of college and post-college. But, these things that were my strengths, I feel are still a pretty core part of myself. I guess you can change the small things, but your inner-most self, the views you have on the world and how you react to it, will always be essentially the same. Enjoy.

Intellection
You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the "muscles" of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person's feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don't feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It's interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Consistency
Balance is important to you. You are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same, no matter what their station in life, so you do not want to see the scales tipped too far in any one person's favor. In your view this leads to selfishness and individualism. It leads to a world where some people gain an unfair advantage because of their connections or their background or their greasing of the wheels. This is truly offensive to you. You see yourself as a guardian against it. In direct contrast to this world of special favors, you believe that people function best in a consistent environment where the rules are clear and are applied to everyone equally. This is an environment where people know what is expected. It is predictable and evenhanded. It is fair. Here each person has an even chance to show his or her worth.

Context
You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As you look back, you begin to see these blueprints emerge. You realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven't seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.

Empathy
You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person's perspective. You do not necessarily feel pity for each person's predicament—this would be sympathy, not Empathy. You do not necessarily condone the choices each person makes, but you do understand. This instinctive ability to understand is powerful. You hear the unvoiced questions. You anticipate the need. Where others grapple for words, you seem to find the right words and the right tone. You help people find the right phrases to express their feelings—to themselves as well as to others. You help them give voice to their emotional life. For all these reasons other people are drawn to you.

One snowball at a time...

2011-05-30T22:54:00.005-05:00

Since there were no coupons in the Sunday papers this week due to Memorial Day, I will be writing this blog about something else going on in my life that started back in January.

All of my life my parents have struggled to make ends meet. And the sad thing is, we never had anything to show for it. We didn't have a nice house, we never had a car that wasn't at least 5 years old when we bought it, and we only got to go on a vacation that was within the Texas/Oklahoma borders. Yet they struggled to make ends meet. Hmm?

After I had left home for college and was working 40 hrs a week to make my own ends meet, struggling day to day just as they had always done, my parents joined First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls. First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls is one of the three metropolitan sized churchs not within a metropolitan area in the entire nation. It is BIG. And since it is so big, they have numerous programs and events for people to join and be a part of. It was there that my parents were able to harness one of the tools available to them which was Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. They completed the entire course and began to set about changing their financial identity. I got to stand back and watch these changes take place and transform my parents entire relationship not only toward money, but towards each other as well.

This past January found me once again struggling to make ends meet at the end of the month despite having a "real world job" now. This was the kick start I needed to finally be inclined enough to put in the effort to go through Financial Peace myself. And I did. I listened to the audio CDs in my car to and from school, no other time. It took me about 6 weeks to finish it all, but my perception toward my finances have been changed permanently for the better. And I am so thankful for it. It's amazing how much simpler and less stressful my life is now that I budget and save and pay off debt with bigger goals in mind.

Now onto my little success for the week. I finally got my Texas Tech ring ($1,120) paid off after 9 months of payments. I was putting $100 down each month on it as well as any extra I had at the end of the month. Now, I will be able to put that $100 a month that I was paying on the ring down toward my credit card debt on top of what I was already paying on them. This is part of Dave Ramsey's debt snowball plan, and it truly does work because after hitting this first milestone, I am more determined than ever to be debt free of all debts (other than my student loans) by next summer. One snowball at a time...

Reality

2011-05-23T18:00:00.002-05:00

The reality is, I felt like a failure when I graduated college without a ring on my finger. That's what is supposed to happen, right?

The reality is, my fears made me push so many away.

The reality is, Eric didn't push away, at least not for good.

The reality is, I love Eric more than I ever thought I would.

The reality is, I still really want that ring and know for sure that I belong to someone.

The biggest reality is, my other half is leaving for Paris on Friday, and I have never been more scared in my life.

Couponing 05/22/10: You live and learn

2011-05-22T10:08:00.003-05:00

I knew when I started this that despite everything that I have read and learned about couponing, that there would be a lot more for me to learn. But, I honestly did not think my first lesson would hit so soon. Anyways, these were the deals I wanted to focus on this week (see how it went after the deals):

Walgreens

Scunci no damage hair elastics 18ct. $2
-Get $2 RRs
Final Cost: FREE

Tone bodywash 18oz. $3.99
-Get $3 RRs
Final Cost: $0.99

Pure Silk Shave Cream 9.5oz. $1.99
-Get $1.50 RRs
Final Cost: $0.49

Advil (40-50ct); Advil PM (16-20ct) $4.99*
Thermacare heat wraps (2-3pk) $5.99
-Use $5/2 Advil AND Thermacare printable
Final Cost: two for $0.98
*I got the larger bottle for $9.99 so that it would last longer

Infusium $5.99
-Get $2 RRs
-Use $2/1 Select Infusium23 Products SS 5/22
Final Cost: $1.99

Bath Care 4/$12
-Get $4 RRs wyb four
Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion
Suave Lotion
Suave Shampoo or Conditioner
Dove Men + Care Soap, 2 pack
Caress Bodywash
Use B1G1 Suave Body Wash or Lotion 5/22/2011 RP Insert (exp 6/19/2011)
Final Cost:4/$2

It all looks pretty good right? Well, here's the deal. Last week, I hit up all of the Walgreens in town on Monday after school. All of them had different stuff because they were out of so many of the deals, I would get the RR's for purchasing one product and then go onto the next place and use them for a totally different product. This was a little frustrating for me because I didn't feel I got the full experience that I could in regards to snagging deals because they had already sold out of so many things. So this week, I knew I wanted to take a different approach. I looked at the weekly ads for Walgreens and CVS Saturday night, woke up at 7:30AM on Sunday, cut out the coupons in 45 minutes, then set off to get my deals....

First off, I knew that Walgreens RR's were considered to be the same as a manufacturer's coupon. Therefore, you could only use as many as you have products. Got it!But there's another catch...

None of the author's in the books that I read ever told the world that when you use an RR from a specific product on the same product at Walgreens, that you would not be allowed to get another RR for the same product. For example, I used 2 RR's that came from shaving cream and used them on another shaving cream and some scunci ponytail holders. I did not get another RR for the shaving cream, but I did get one for the ponytail holders since I did not use an RR of the same product. Does that make sense?

This ended up being a very costly misinformation for me. I went to the first Walgreens, bought at face value all of my products, got my RR's and headed to the next. I was thoroughly confused as to why when all was said and done after giving over my coupons and RR's, that I only got ONE RR back? WTF? There should have at least been 6 of them. So in my haze of illogical reasoning, I went on to the next with my measly little RR and one left over from before to buy the shaving cream/ponytail holder scenario that I mentioned before. Now it made sense. I should have bought every of the products at store #2 individually and made sure that I used a different RR than what the product was. That way, I would have left that store with all of my RR's I should have recieved. This lack of insight actually ended up costing me way more than I had intended on when I first started out on today's adventure. But hey, you live and you learn. I know the rules of the game better now, and will not be making that same mistake again.

This week's finale:
OOP: $39.81
Savings: $53.43

Couponing 05/16

2011-05-17T09:25:00.004-05:00

So, I have decided it is high time that I start working at trying to get things cheaper. I have read blogs, and even bought a book by http://moneysavingqueen.com/ I got so frustrated last week when I bought a paper and it did not have as many coupons as I had hoped. I was ranting and raving about it, being very childish indeed, when my more reasonable half (Eric Steven James) so bluntly put it, "Why did you buy a newspaper when you could get one from campus?" Hmm...I hadn't thought of that. Living the past 4 years off of campus made me forget how to use my college feet. Plus, Murray is open all summer, enabling me to not have to take the summer off from my new found hobby. So guess what I did on Sunday? That's right. I went to campus and took 7 papers for FREE from Murray, took them home, and began cutting to my little hearts content.

Here is a preview of the deals I got this week:

CVS
Wisk detergent $8.39
-on sale in store $4.99
-coupon $2.00 per purchase
=3 for $2.99 each

Skintimate shave gel $3.39
-on sale in store $1.99

Walgreens
Gillette Odor Shield Deodorant $4.97
-BOGO 50% off
-Manufacturer's Coupon(2) BOGO free
=4 for $7.46

Gillette Body Wash
-in store sale 3/$10
-$3.00 Register Rewards
-(3)$2.00 Manufacturer's Coupon
=3/$1.00

Colgate ProClinical White Toothpaste
-in store sale 2/$6
-$4 Register Rewards
-(2) $.75 Manufacturer's Coupon
=2/$.50

I went to Walgreens on Monday night just ONE DAY after these sales were posted in the Sunday paper, and they were completely out of EVERYTHING! So, I asked a cashier if they accepted rainchecks for items listed in the sale, and they said YES! I had a manager write out the raincheck(they are good forever) and immediately set out a game plan to hit up as many Walgreens to get rainchecks as my coupons will allow. When all is said and done (once new shipments come in) I will be getting $90.14 worth of product for $34.80!!! Not to shabby for my first round of this if I do say so myself.

Waiting

2011-04-03T19:59:00.004-05:00

Let me start off my thanking God for the life he has given me. A week and one year ago, another man broke up with me. What was it, number 1,362?? But seriously, I had written Eric off, just like all of the other guys that had walked out of my life. Yet, fate played a trick on the both of us, and stuck us together again. And here we are, a year past our break up, stronger and more in love than I ever thought I would ever get from a relationship. He is my other half, what keeps me going through the day, myt best friend. But of course, my life is never easy.

Eric has decided that he wants to do a program through Texas Tech architecture that is based Houston. It is a great opportunity because not only does he get to work on his Masters but he will get to get internship hours in as well. BUT, that means we will be separated while he is in the program. With all of this budget crisis going on in the state of Texas, more than likely (if I get to keep my job this year), I will not be able to find a job anywhere else for several years. So, I will be in Lubbock for the unforeseeable future until he makes enough to support the both of us or I get a job somewhere else.

So now I have more waiting ahead of me. Waiting for my future to happen and take place. Waiting to get married, have a life together, have a family. All the while, everyone else's lives are moving on while mine will stay the same, stay stagnate. Do you know what happens to things in nature that stay stagnate? They start to decay.

I am so scared about the future and the possibility of disappointment. But here I am...waiting...

Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T19:19:00.004-05:00

So, it's been at least 6 months since I had a post...I think...ish...and since today is my favorite holiday of the whole year, it's high time for another one. It just so happens that SITS (who have amazing blogs of fellow women and great blogging tips) is giving away a Canon rebel today ;)

Halloween was always a little different for me. Living in Windthorst, we had to literally drive from house to house in order to trick or treat. There are no sidewalks and about a football field length between each house, minimum. But, the mother of one of our high school teachers would give her popcorn balls to give away, and oh my goodness they were amazing. They were a very well kept secret too. So we would finish up our trick or treating in Windy, and then head to Archer City (where our hs teacher lived) and trick or treat at her house just to get a popcorn ball. When her mother passed away, Mrs. Hubbard finally gave out her mother's popcorn ball recipe. Now anytime I think of Halloween, I cannot help but think of popcorn balls. Weird, I know. But it truly is a special memory for me.

On a side note, my mother always had the book Hallo-weiner in her classroom for her 4th graders to read around Halloween time. If you have never read it, be sure to hit the link and buy it. It's a super cute book. :)

Well, that's all I have for now. Have a happy Halloween ya'll!!!!

Welcome to Lubbock, Vietnam

2010-04-17T21:34:00.004-05:00

I love Lubbock.

I love Texas Tech.

I love my friends.

I love the rain.

But I do not love the rain when it goes for 3 days straight.

I guess I live in Vietnam.

Those poor vets. I now know how you feel.

Welcome to Lubbock, Vietnam.

15 Things I Learned During My Weekend as a Yank...

2010-03-20T19:18:00.012-05:00

1) People from other states expect someone from Texas to greet them with "Howdy." Yeahhhh, no thanks.

2) They make fun of people who wear cowboy boots (oh the horror!)

3) People who consider themselves "country" or "hicks" like to line dance. I'm pretty sure that went out of style in the 80's, MAYBE early 90's, but they think it's cool. So glad we just 2-step.

4) The people of St. Louis take a lot more pride in keeping their city clean than any other big city I've every been to. I like that.

5) You CAN take over 50 pictures of the same arch within a 2-day time span. I can prove it.

6) Snow up north means a flooded Mississippi River.

7) Cheering on the Cardinals never became so easy. Rangers who?...

8) Dallas Cowboys have a way cooler stadium than the Rams. Neh ne neneh nehhhh

9) Drivers in Texas are 100X friendlier.

10) Saying "ya'll" will get you ridiculed for not going ahead and saying "you all." (I didn't even know that's what it meant till junior high so :P all you northerners)

11) There really are beavers, bears, and moose in Illinois.

12) No one can out-John Deere you like they can.

13) Fellow Texas Tech students really are not that friendly toward each other when you see them in another state. Yes, I'm talking to YOU girls-who-wear-tech-gear-and-say-they-go-to-tech-but-look-at-you-like-crazy-when-you-give-the-guns-up.

14) Trying to catch up on 16 years worth of life means LOTS of talking.

15) You can be in the same city as your kindergarten best friend (Lubbock) when she makes it to the national cross country meet that was held by Texas Tech, and not even know it. So, instead, you drive 14 hours one way just to see her.

But, my overall learning experience....

GOD BLESS TEXAS!!!!!

I know, I know...

2010-03-02T18:47:00.006-06:00

*tap tap*
Is this thing on?
*tap tap*
Hmm...

So, when I originally started this blog, I had intended on writing on a regular basis so that I could hash out the things going on in my life, the good and the bad.

I haven't really gotten to do that. Can you tell?

So, recap time.

I started student teaching this semester. Yay! I have had a blast. I am in a special ed academic adjustment class. I love my kiddos. They always brighten my day. I have honest-to-goodness not had a single day that I did not want to be in that classroom. I've wanted more sleep, maybe, but once I step in that classroom everything is right in the world. I now know more than every that this was where I was meant to be: within the special education classroom. God has seen me through. <3

I've had to adjust to living by myself. I miss my roomie every minute but I know her life is now busy and full. So, I sit with Tucker and Tessa every day-Los Tres Amigos. I will most definitely have to get a dog next year. It's been difficult, but it is definitely preparing me for when I'm living alone starting this summer. I will be moving to wherever hires me. I've been worrying about it here lately, but I am putting it in God's hands for now. He will show me where I need to go when the time is right.

I've been spending a lot of time with friends lately. This has been to the detriment of time with other people and things in my life. But, I had to make a choice, and I made it. I want to get as much time in with them as I can since the end is getting ever closer by the day. I don't want to look back on my last semester at Tech and regret not spending more time with them. We've already had more shenanigans than any other semester of mine while at Tech. I am going to greatly miss those I will be leaving behind but that's just a part of life, I suppose.

My sister got accepted to the University of Texas and that is where she intends to go. I really really really wish it was someplace else. Then I would try to get into grad school there so we could be together. But alas, it was not meant to be. I never liked UT, I hate the campus, I hate the t-shirt fans, and I really wouldn't want to walk past hobos on my way to class everyday. Small town girls and hobos do not mix. they freak me out. And I love Austin, but it is a little too big for me to handle right now in my life. Baby steps. Baby steps. Sooo now I'm off on my own to forge my own path. I have been trying really hard to figure out where I want to live the rest of my life as opposed to "well, so and so lives there. At least I'd already have friends." This also puts me in a predicament because I HATE Dallas and Houston, and Austin and San Antonio are big and far away from home. So basically, I'm left with Fort Worth and Oklahoma City. I love both about equally for much of the same reasons so now it's all up to the school districts to decide which one will hire me. Ready, set, here we go!

Let the job applications BEGIN!!!

A Little of This, a Little of That

2009-12-05T10:32:00.005-06:00

I have felt so blessed recently. I have had a great semester. Granted, there have been some rough spots with homework, but that is nothing compared to how it could have been. I got to get to know a great group of children out at Bennett Elementary. They reminded me how much I love working with the older age groups. They can still be sweet but they can take care of themselves too. What an awesome combination!

Graham will be here soon and I CANNOT wait!! I'm so excited to get to see his precious face and watch him grow. I am so incredibly happy that he is coming into a world full of people who already love him and who will only love him more once he is born. He is truly one lucky little toot. :D

I am super excited about being oh so close to student teaching. I'm ready to get into the grind and be out in the school everyday. I am especially looking forward to my special ed placement. I have loved each and every one of my special ed placements so far and I'm anxious to get to spend a copious amount of time in one soon. They light up my heart like no one else.

God dropped a great man in my life unexpectedly and I am so thankful for him. I am aware that I am a difficult cookie to handle sometimes and that I have tendencies to push people away, but he has stuck around. And I'm not really sure why some days. But it has been so long since I have had somebody WANT me in their life that it honest-to-goodness makes me cry when I think about how well he treats me. I haven't felt this wanted in a really really long time and it overwhelms me at points, but I'd rather be overwhelmed than the alternative of not being wanted at all.

All in all, this is shaping up to be a great senior year. I cannot wait to see what spring brings along.

2009-09-25T15:47:00.001-05:00

Philippians 3:13 — Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

So hard to do somedays but oh so worth it in the long run. :)

Happenings

2009-09-22T11:55:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted. School has been keeping me busy. But, I am fully looking forward to going out in the schools for 5 weeks starting in mid-October. It'll be such a nice relief to not have to do meaningless homework every night!

But until then, I have Red Raider football to keep me busy. Our boys are doing so good. I'm so proud that were able to bounce back and prove that last year's success was not just because of Harrell and Crabtree. I even got to sit with Josh and the rest of the Saddle Tramps at the first football game. It was so much fun to be around them and have such a good view of the field!Coach Mike Leach's parking spot

Fall weather is here and I'm SO enjoying it. I love the spice smells, the crisp cool air, football, pumpkins, eating anything made of pumpkin, Halloween, EVERYTHING! I'm even enjoying making fun of stupid girls who do not dress properly for the cold because they want to look "hot". lol. I know I know. I think too many evil thoughts sometimes. I really should refrain from making fun of other people. But it's so hard to do when women set themselves up for it.

But, on a completely different note, the pictures from our photoshoot turned out fantastic. This is one of them (my favorite) with more to be taken between now and graduation. :) Enjoy!

Myie+Alison

2009-08-18T16:01:00.002-05:00

I am sooo excited for my all day Mylie+Alison Day on Saturday. Alison is a photojournalism major and a very dear friend of mine. I commissioned her this summer to take some senior photos for me this year for me to give to family, use for graduation invitations, etc as I have hardly any professional photos of me since I LAST took senior photos for high school. I really did not have anything in particular in mind other than I wanted to get some shots with Will Rogers when he's all wrapped up for the football games. Well, Alison went to Austin this weekend to visit a friend and texted me on the way there to let me know that there was a huge sunflower field right outside of Slaton right now and that she wanted to get some shots of me with the sunflowers. I have wanted to do that since I first saw the sunflowers near where we live last year, so OF COURSE I said yes! So, we decided to go this weekend after we hit an early morning garage sale so that she can get a bike someone is selling. She needs it to ride to school every day from her aparment because she does not have a car. And today, while I was walking aross campus, I had to pass by the leisure pool and thought, "Man, I really want to be in the water right now." So we added THAT into our list for Saturday as well. Garage sale, sunflower photo shoot, and leisure pool. Pretty good ending to the first week of school. ;)

P.S. I will try and get a few photos that we take up for all to see.

Quote of the Day

2009-08-18T16:01:00.000-05:00

Philippians 4:1 — I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens.

Quote of the Day

2009-08-18T15:56:00.003-05:00

Habakkuk 1:5 - Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.

Plants Anyone?

2009-08-11T14:07:00.004-05:00

Back in June, I planted two calla lillies to bighten up my room. I have never had much luck with plants, and of course, one of the calla lillies died just a few weeks after planting. I do not know what caused this, but it truly was not a surprise to me to see it slowly slip away a little bit at a time. But now, it looks as if some new growth is trying to come up where the original had died. So, does anyone out there know enough about plants in order to tell me how new growth is coming up? I thought when a plant fully dies, then that is the end of it. Is that not the case?

Quote of the Day

2009-08-11T14:04:00.002-05:00

Psalm 100:3 — Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Rules to Live By

2009-08-03T17:54:00.003-05:00

Sooo, I feel like I have learned a LOT of really simple/slightly stupid life lessons over the summer. Some of these are rather duh, but some really did catch me by surprise:

1) Cedar Park is the proverbial black hole of TX. If you get lost, that is where you will end up.
2) Even if you don't throw up the night before from too much drinking, it can still come back up while driving down the highway at 70 mph 12 hours later.
3) Throwing up while driving down the highway will cause you to head straight on for a guardrail that's on a bridge over a river.
4) ALWAYS print out the hotel information and the directions to get there. Ghetto Austin is not a place you want to be.
5) Laying out by the pool for 2 days straight will make you look like a lobster despite the fact that you actually did put on sunscreen both days.
6) Girls, please don't bother with hair and makeup when you are going to the river. No one cares. And it's going to come off anyway. So ask yourself, is causing everyone to be 2 hours behind schedule while you primp and polish really worth it?
7) FarmTown is addicting. Period. Don't start playing unless you never want to stop.
8) The REAL purpose of a $.35 toll booth is so that you can ask for directions on how to get to get to New Braunfels from Cedar Park.
9) You know that 6ft modelesque drop dead gorgeous girl who is a perfect 10, you know the one, the one that was voted homecoming queen in high school? Yeah. Four years later, nothing can make you feel as ugly or unwanted as walking next to her down 6th St while she gets stopped randomly by guys telling her how pretty she is and you just get ignored. Nothing can revert you back to the introverted outcast you were in high school faster as it painfully reminds you of the reasons you two were never friends to begin with.
10) People will always surprise you, even over something as simple as offering some of your nachos to a co-worker only to find out when you come back later that they ate ALL OF THEM. Who knew that such a small person could pack it away like that? lol.
11) Always get gas when you are getting low. Just suck it up and sit in line waiting for a pump to open. You'll be thankful for it later.
12) DVRs will spoil you to the point that you feel utterly confused about TV schedules without one.
13) Always fight for yourself. No one else can do it for you, and if someone like an advisor tells you it's not possible, fight to prove them wrong because if you believe it's possible, then it IS possible.
14) The future never seems as daunting or as scary as when you have no idea where you'll be living a year from now.
15) After being single for 3 years, it becomes harder and harder to imagine anyone else in your life ever again. You start to not want anyone there cuz they'd be overbearing, too touchy,take up too much of your very little time, and would mess up your routine. Or at least, that's what you keep telling yourself because you no longer know what the real reason for pushing everyone away is anymore.
16) Find the joy in the little things. They will get you from day to day when you are on the verge of throwing the towel in.

Life of a Living Yo-yo

2009-07-15T20:10:00.005-05:00

I hate this feeling. I have had this feeling for almost a year and a half now all because a stupid boy came in and wrecked the wall that I had built around my heart. I don't even know how he managed to do it, and I don't know what it is about him that drives me so wild, but no matter how many guys I meet, none seem to ever fit me as well as he did. But I'm so sick of it. I'm tired of judging great guys who I KNOW would treat me like a princess all because they don't absolutely MOVE me like he does. They don't make my heart race just being in his presence or make me want to laugh for no reason at all. I hate myself for this. It makes me feel weak, stupid, and all around completely foolish because this is the first guy that's come into my life that I haven't gotten over after I have willed myself to do so. And I never know which way is up with him. Sometimes I feel like I'm the center of his world and other times I think I could drop off the face of the planet and he wouldn't care in the least. He says he likes me, that I'm "different" than most other girls, but he isn't willing to fight long distance for me just because some stupid girls ruined any chance of that years ago. Those girls ruined MY chances, and I hate them for that. But my pride refuses to let me grovel. I only asked for a long-distance relationship once, back before he left Tech. I have never brought it up since then because reject me once-shame on you. Reject me twice-shame on me. HE is the one that brings it up, like I need reassuring or something when the fact is that I steel myself every time I see him for the possibility that this could be the last time I ever see him again. And I'm ok with that. I'm honestly ok with walking away...until he pulls me back in again. I just wish I could be rid of him. It would make my life so much easier. And I have prayed to God over and over again to help me with letting him go, but God hasn't seen fit to answer my prayers. So now I just sit and wait, wait till the next time he pops up in my life just to disappear again, and then my life as a living yo-yo continues.

Trying to Find Home Again

2009-06-03T18:52:00.004-05:00

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
At the mention of your name

I feel so far away from God lately.
This is due mainly to the fact that I work most Sundays.
So I don't have time for church anymore.
I'm ready for that again.
Ready for the closeness.
I'm going to have to find it on my own, I think.
At least for now.
So, I've made it my goal to try & find a devotional that I can read along with my Bible.

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder

One of the things that always made me feel close to God
was seeing his creations in everyday life.
So, I'm going to grow flowers in my room.
Walmart had beautiful calla lillies for sale.
My favorite. ♥
I think they will have to be placed on my windowsill so that
I can wake up every day and be reminded of God's greatness.

With all creation I sing
Praise to the King of Kings
You are my everything
And I will adore You

One Tree Hill

2009-05-28T13:24:00.005-05:00

So, Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton are not coming back for season 7 of One Tree Hill. I'm really disappointed in this, especially since this show is what put them, especially Murray, on the map. But, on a similar note, I finally managed to watch the season 6 finale last night and I really REALLY loved the voice-over that was done at the end of the episode. It's just very inspirational and heartwarming. :) Enjoy!

Mouth: Take a look at yourself in a mirror. Who do you see looking back?
Haley: Is it the person you want to be?
Dan: Or is there someone else you were meant to be, the person should have been, but fell short of?
Mia: Is someone telling you you can’t or you won’t? Because you can.
Chase: Believe that love is out there.
Nathan: Believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.
Peyton: Sometimes happiness doesn’t come from money or fame or power. Sometimes happiness comes from good friends and family and the quiet nobility of leading a good life.
Julian: Believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.
Brooke: Believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.
Peyton: So take a look in that mirror and remind yourself to be happy because you deserve to be. Believe that.
Lucas: And believe that dreams come true every day. Because they do.

My Faith

2009-05-22T15:26:00.001-05:00

I had someone once again today mention the fact that tattoos are a sin according to the Bible. I'm not going to dispute that because it does say so in Leviticus 19:28. "'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD." There you have it. Proof of my sin. But wait! Does that mean that we should take to heart EVERY passage of the Bible? If so, then what about the verse right before this one, Leviticus 19:27? "'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." If we were to take this to heart, then nearly every man within most of the Americas and Europe are living in sin because most have short hair and they shave. A sin is a sin therefore tattoos and shaving will equally damn you to hell if you do not repent. Please, do not patronize me for my decisions. And frankly, know your shit before you spout it and stop saying things just because someone told you so. Know the Bible for yourself. Yes, the Bible says that tattoos are sins, but so are a multitude of other things that we do day to day. What gives you the right to discriminate against me for my tattoo when the only person to EVER live without sin was Jesus Christ himself? Only judge me when you yourself is without sin. Until then, stop being hypocrites.