Favorite Things

It's the first day of May and I'm so excited for summer to be here!

I just got back from taking a final and only have one more left this Thursday. It's so crazy how this semester is winding down.

Well, since I've had some free time, I've been looking at dozens of recipes and dreaming about when I'll be back home and able to cook and bake whenever I want. Oh, the joys of a fully stocked kitchen!

First up are these sugar cookie tacos. Such a simple idea that is way too adorable. These are definitely at the top of my to-do list. Perfect for parties!


The next two are from one of my new favorite blogs, that I stalk look at daily. It's called Cookies & Cups and you should really go check it out. Not only is she really funny, but her treats are so yummy. Even if you don't plan on making any of them, you should at least go drool over the pictures.

These s'mores cupcakes make me die a little inside. One of my favorite things to do, inside or not, no matter what time of year, is to make s'mores. I'm a little ashamed to say that I've definitely made them over a stove top (more than once). There's nothing that screams summertime treat to me more than a s'more.

The second treat are the key lime pie ice cream sandwiches. I mean, what a great idea! It's another perfect summertime treat- and key lime pie is one of my daddy's favorite desserts. That's a double win for this recipe. I can't wait to make up some!

I plan to make each of these sometime over the summer and am going to try to post my results up here. So, in other words, I need taste testers!!

Super Bulldog Weekend

I understand it's been a long time since I've updated, but this semester has been crazy and hectic and one roller coaster of a ride.

This past weekend was Super Bulldog Weekend and my family was able to make it up here. On Saturday, Amanda & I ran our very first 5k with Sarah.

L-R: Sarah, Amanda, and me

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Amanda's and my Stats from the run

 I ended up with a time of 35:21. Amanda beat me with her time of 33:55, but she was the one that put in serious time and training. I should have put more effort into training before hand... oh well. Hind sight's 20/20 right?

Lin in his original element-- eating crawfish!

Later on Saturday, Dad bought Lin some crawfish. He showed Amanda how to eat them and then he just went to town. That boy can put them away!

We also went to the spring game later that night. It was ridiculously cold for it being April. It was seriously in the 50's and really windy. Really miserable weather!

This past Wednesday was the last day of classes here at State. Amanda & I took pictures of each other-- we're such cool kids. I'm still in shock that I am done with classes. I just have four finals left next week and then I will graduate, get my degree, and start working. It's crazy how quickly it's all happening!

last day of classes!

 Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring is on its way!

Springtime is my second favorite season. (Fall is my all time favorite. I just love all the colors!) I love the warm sun with its cool breeze. And today is one of those perfect days. I think the high here is around 78 or so for today but it's pretty windy and sunny. It's so nice to have after cold weather- not that it's gotten very cold this winter, but I'm a warm weather kinda person!

This morning, after my 8 am class, I went over to Barnes & Noble and reserved my cap and gown for graduation. It's so exciting seeing everything start to come together. I can't believe it's only 78 days away now! It's also hard to believe that spring break is just a couple weeks away. I know that the spring semester always flies by, but it never ceases to amaze me just how quickly everything happens. And after spring break, everything will be downhill!

Hope y'all are having a great day and that you can enjoy the weather!

Today was going to suck...

...until my teacher cancelled my night class.

Now I have a free evening! This never happens :)

I can't stop daydreaming now about what to make for dinner. There are endless possibilities. I'm thinking that I'm not going to follow any recipes. I'm just gonna go straight up chopped-style and see what's in the pantry and go from there. Can't wait to see what I come up with!

My puppy

Today has been full of me dreaming about my future once I graduate. I can't wait to move back home and be close to all my friends and family there. I can't wait to start my new job and see where God takes me. I can't wait to move into my own place and begin to start my life out on my own. I'm especially excited about being around this little goober more.

This is from when we got her, Christmas Day 2007. Wasn't she the cutest puppy?

She loved trying to chew on the ornaments... She seriously stole my heart!

This is from this past summer 2011. She's only laying down because we'd been playing fetch nonstop for almost an hour!

And this picture is from this past Christmas Break. She still has the cutest face... and notice the stick she found over at Nana's that she wants me to throw...

Yes, she has way too much energy. Yes, she can be frustrating. Yes, she's a lot of work. But I love her and I can't wait to be back home with her again. There's something about a dog. She loves me no matter what. Even if I'm trying to teach her something and don't stay as calm as I should, she's always there, always wanting to play. She's such a good dog and she's so smart... probably too smart. But who couldn't look at that face and not love her? And see the way that her ears always perk up when she sees someone and not want to love on her? Or find it so funny watching her run because her back legs are a bit longer and she always seems to be leaning to one side or the other. And what's not to love about the way her tail is always curled up with that white tip in the air?

One of my favorite things when I still had my horse was to watch the two play together. She and Trouble (yes, that was his real name... and he lived up to it!) would chase each other around the pasture. I still remember taking her with me the first time I went to go feed them. I'm pretty sure it was Christmas day after I got her. She was terrified of the horses. I ended up having to pick her up and carry her over there to show her that they were OK. And then, of course, once she realized that the horses weren't out to kill her, it was pretty much impossible to keep her out of their pasture. The older mare, DeeDee, couldn't care less about her and would typically just ignore her, but Trouble couldn't get enough. They'd spend forever chasing each other, and then when Trouble did get tired and want to graze, Reveille would crouch on the ground, not far away from them, and try to herd them to keep them together.

Well, this post turned out to be much longer than I expected, but I guess I'd just never sat down to think about all of her little quirks I love.

End of January 2012!

I simply can't believe the last weekend of January is almost over now. This month has flown by! This is awesome, since I really can't wait for this semester to be over with. Not that I don't like being here, but I know that I'm so very close to graduating and I am now ready to go ahead and graduate and move on.

School is definitely back in full swing. I have my first test tomorrow morning. It is in Food Chemistry, which is probably my hardest class this semester. I've spent all day going over notes and I'm not even through them all yet.

I've been trying to get back in the habit of running again and so Amanda and I have been doing the couch to 5k program while Christina walks. It's been difficult waking up at 6 to go to the Sportsplex, but it is definitely getting easier. I also like that it makes my body form a routine, instead of having different times to wake up since my class schedule varies throughout the week.

Not much has been happening, but I started to feel bad about not having updated this in a while. Great news, though. Spring Break is only in 40 days... and I graduate in 103! I love having countdowns. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something sometimes, even though it's usually just because I've made it through another day of classes. I have no clue what it will be like this coming fall semester when I will be back home, working a full time job, and not having to go to school! It's pretty mind blowing to think about right now. School is all I've known for the past 17 years of my life!

I hope y'all have a great Sunday and enjoy the rest of January!

Christmas Eve!

I can hardly believe it's already Christmas eve!! It doesn't even feel like it's December yet. This year has flown by so quickly.

I've spent my day today baking cookies, sewing on my Toms, making brown sugar body scrub for presents, and helping mom make her tortilla cup dessert.

It's been a really nice day, being able to relax and spend time with my parents. (Poor Lin is having to work today)

I'm about to have to get ready to go to our Christmas Eve service at Grace tonight at 6:30. Most of our family will be going and I always enjoy this service.

Have a Merry Christmas! I know I won't post tomorrow, but hopefully I will soon after.