Swampy Time!

I am in love with spring right now. I would stay outside every hour of the day if I could! I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have allergies... Seriously, you could put pollen IN my nose and nothing would happen.

This Friday night we had our spring formal, but it's called Swampwater. "Swampy" was tons of fun!! Before the dance, we went over to Clayton's house. All the girls made an appetizer or dessert and we brought it all together and feasted. We stayed there for a while then went out to the Grand National Marriott and partied all night! I took Goodson, and it was a lot of fun! Here are some pics. I really wish I had of taken more... I'm slacking!!

[The girls before Swampy at Clayton's!]

[Virginia, me, and Annie!]

[Goodson and I]

This coming up weekend I'm going to Birmingham, and then the next weekend Alpha Gam is going to a Braves game! I'm super pumped about both of those things!!

Better go study for my history test that I have tomorrow... Uhh I hate tests. :(

Ok, and P.S.... Have y'all been watching American Idol lately?? Ummmmm everyone on there is AMAZING. I talk about this all the time, but I'm seriously obsessed with this season. If you get a chance, either watch it one night this week or listen to some of the songs on iTunes. You won't be sorry! My favorites are Paul McDonald (Auburn alum. War Eagle!), Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, and Casey Abrams. That's a lot.. and I love the other ones too. Ok, that's all.

Sun + Good Books = :)

Sup y'all???

I'm taking advantage of this AMAZING weather and hanging out in the grassy area outside my dorm.  Seriously, how great has it felt this week?! I'm just in love with this weather.  It makes me so happy!

[Heyyyy I'm just chillin' out here!]

Last year about this time, Jessica loaned me a book.  I just started it 3 days ago... Whoops.  It was called The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers.  I'm sure many of you girls have read it, but if you haven't, seriously you should!  I couldn't put it down from the moment I started reading.

The Last Sin Eater is the fictional story of a 10 year old girl maned Cadi.  She and her family lived in the Appalachian Mountains during the 1850's.  One of the customs of their village was to, after a death, have a man called the "Sin Eater" come and "eat" the sins of the deceased.  They believed that this simple act would carry the dead to heaven.  The Sin Eater was shunned by the village, and only came down from his mountain when the death bell rang and he knew he was needed.  Cadi first encountered this man when her Granny died, and after secretly making eye-contact with him (this was probably the worst thing that could be done in the eyes of the villagers),  she had an instant connection to the man.  Cadi was bound and determined to find out who he was and learn more about him.  When an unknown and unwanted man starts hanging out around the village, Cadi is curious about him as well.  It turns out that this man was sent from the Lord, (Cadi calls him "the man of God") and his actions will change the village forever.  The book has so many twists and turns but in the end shows that there is only one way to heaven -- and it's not by having the Sin Eater take your sins away, but realizing that Jesus already did just that.

Anyways, this book has really made me think.  There are people out there all around us who truly and whole-heartedly believe that their way to heaven is the right way.  It breaks my heart for them.  God put it as simply as possible in the Great Commission:  "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  It's our job to find these people and teach them the Truth, just like the "man of God" did.  The Last Sin Eater is a great representation of this verse.  For real, read it.  I think it changed my life... not kidding.

Ok enough of the book report.  I think I'm getting sunburnt out here.  Sureeeeee makes me miss the beach!!  

Also, some girls are spray painting signs about 20 feet from me and the wind is carrying the paint STRAIGHT to me.  Cool.  Oh, and now pretty much a whole sorority is taking pictures before the formal.  I feel awkward.  So I'm gonna end this blog NOW.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

P.S. I just found out that it's a movie!! Check out the trailer!!

Spring Break, So Great

I kind of want to cry as I'm writing this.... I'm just so sad that spring break is over.  Not just any spring break, but my Sophomore one.... OF COLLEGE.  Gosh, where does the time go??  This was my 14th spring break since starting school.  Wow.  All that aside, this might have been my favorite spring break to date.  

I definitely have been on some great family vacations over the years, though.  Last year we went on a cruise to Mexico and Phillip won the jackpot in bingo so we were upgraded to the "Royal Suite" for most of the trip.  That story always makes me laugh.  Thanks again, Phil!  When I was younger, we would take scuba diving trips over spring break.  Those were always so great!  Senior year was wonderful too.  I went with the FBC seniors on a mission trip to Tucson, Arizona.  This definitely was a rewarding spring break.  Mission trips always are!

[Anne, Me, Jessica, and Becca in Tucson]

[Throughout the week, we went house to house telling people about Jesus!]

[Last Year - In Our "Royal Suite" and In Some Car My Dad Rented....]

Buuuut, this year was different!  My best friends stayed with me at my beach house for a week.  I mean, what's better than that??  The weather was beautiful each day.  The only rainy day was omitted from our trip because we slept through the storm.  Whoops.  Speaking of sleeping, we slept in until around 11 or so every day which was SO nice.  With early classes, I can't tell you the last time I've slept that late!  Our moms sent some pretty awesome food that we continuously snacked on throughout the trip.  Somehow, we had tons left and had to throw it out because it wouldn't fit in the car on the way home.  That's a whole other story, though.

BBBIIIIIGGGGGG shout out to the Samford Sigma Chi freshmen! (Alpha Omicron pledge class, to be specific.)  For real, y'all are the greatest.  You are all so sweet and welcoming and personable, and just tons of fun to be around!  And good lookin' of course!  Ok, I MIGHT have gotten a LITTLE teary-eyed when I had to say goodbye Thursday night.  I give everyone who reads this permission to make fun of me all you want, but I get attached to people/things that I like!!

[Some Wonderful People Right Here!]

[Ben and Baker! Great Guys!]

[Jessica's 20th Birthday was Tuesday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!]

[Catherine Gayle and Olivia - Cutest Girls on the Beach!]

[Movie night with Kristen and Carroll Anna!]

Anyways, to sum it all up, this was the perfect spring break.  I love my family more than anything, but being with my precious friends for seven days straight just can't be beat!  Man, I could think of so many funny things that happened this week, but I have a really, really bad memory so i's kinda difficult.  Ever wonder why I'm such a bad story teller???  There ya go.  

Great Food + Sun + Funny Things Happening ("Mini's") + BFF's + New Friends + ZERO School =

HEAVEN on EARTH!

[I Just Love Y'all So Much!]

This song was played at least twice during every car ride, thanks to the coolest guy eva, Jack Poundstone.

Happy Birthday Justin!!!

Okkkkk most of y'all probably know how much I love Justin Bieber.. Not in a creepy "in love with him for real" way, but I just think he's so sweet and precious and such a great guy! So, as I get ready to go to class and get back a test that I most likely failed, I just wanted to write a Happy Birthday post for my boy.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIEBS!!!

Brook and I before his Birmingham concert in December.

He can sing AND play the piano!! Love it.

Such a great dancer...

I mean, how cute is he?!?

If you haven't seen it, go watch it TONIGHT.

Lastly, a couple model shots.. <3 ya Justin.

Here's my favorite song of his.. It's not on iTunes yet, but you can watch it on youtube any time!!

Save the Trees!!

Unless you've been hiding under a rock today, you heard about the man who poisoned the poor Toomer's Oak trees.  Obviously that man is crazy, but the whole thing really makes me sad.  It's not an "Auburn vs. Alabama" thing... More of a "what kind of person has such a cold heart that he would deliberately make SO many people sad by killing something that means so much to them" kind of thing.  Who would ruin a 130 year old tradition??  I just don't understand some people.

Anyways, everybody in Auburn is pretty much holding back tears.  But OF COURSE, being the supportive family that we are, we're loving those trees and each other even more than ever!

War Treegle

[This was some guy's facebook picture. I thought it was precious.]

Here's the man admitting what he did....

The Club Couldn't Handle Us

I've decided that being surrounded by great people can make any day amazing.  This weekend was just one of those perfect weekends!

Jessica and I had been planning a Birmingham/Samford trip for quite a while now.  Friday, we finally made it happen!  I skipped history (best decision ever... that class is miserable) and drove up on Friday afternoon.  

I met my cousin, Lauren, for lunch at Olexa's in Mountain Brook Village right when I got there.  It was the cutest place ever, and the food was delicious!  Lauren, I still laugh when I think about the conversation we had.... :) After that, I picked Olivia up and we did a little shopping then came back to Samford and met up with Jessica and everybody else.

We ate dinner at La Paz.  It was really, really good.  Wes got chicken fajitas.  They came with peppers and squash and rice and beans and everything else that fajitas come with, but he only at the chicken and tortillas.  Picky, picky, picky. (But it's okay Wes, you're still perfect. And cute.)

The whole point of the trip was to go to Samford's famous Step Sing.  If you've never seen it, you definitely should go next year!  I've heard great things about it but it truly exceeded my expectations.  The groups are made up of sororities, fraternities, freshman, independents, and whatever else you can think of.  They do a dancing AND singing routine.  Each one was great in it's own way.  Jessica and I were laughing the whole time!  No offense to all the girls out there, but the boy groups were my favorite.  Something about guys getting out there and performing, giving it their all, just makes my heart melt!  If we came to watch one group, it was Sigma Chi.  Theirs was so heart-felt and sweet.  It was very different from the rest.  That's why I loved it.  And of course, Goodson's amazing voice stood out among all the guys!

After it was over, we went to some of Estes' friends' house (That's a lot of weird apostrophes).  We hung out here for a while then went back to Olivia's room and slept!  The only problem was that it got a LITTLE bit cold during the night.......... Jess and Liv were fine, but I kinda froze.  It's okay though.

So, naturally we wake up Saturday morning wondering what's for lunch.  Estes and Wes picked us up and we went to Rojo.  Seriously, Birmingham has the best restaurants ever.  I haven't been to a place that I didn't love.  Maybe it's a good thing that I don't live there.... After lunch, we went to Edgar's Bakery and got some random desserts.  Wes didn't get anything because the only dessert he likes is chocolate chip cookies.

I think the best part of the whole weekend was sitting outside on Saturday afternoon.  I can't imagine better weather!  The sunshine put everyone in a good mood.  We threw a frisbee and football around (okay not really me but I participated occasionally), and just hung out enjoying each other's company.  Like I said earlier, being with great people just makes everything so fun!

[Best Friends :)]

After a while, when the boys had to go practice, we picked up Lacey who had come to see Baby Jack in Step Sing, and went to the Summit and looked around for a little bit.  Then the Poundstone's took us to dinner at Taziki's.  Jack, you have the sweetest family ever!!  They're just so great!

Sooo, the Poundstone's had two extra tickets for Saturday Step Sing, and let us have them!  The only problem was that Jessica, Olivia, and I were three people.. so we needed one more.  Don't worry though, we used our skills and somehow I snuck in and got a seat near them.  We were there just in time to see Sigma Chi perform again, and were just as blown away as we were the night before!

Okay this is getting long like my posts always do.  After Step Sing, we went to Wendy's with Estes.  This only took about 4 hours.  No big deal.  We listened to a couple of songs over and over.... Club Can't Handle Me, Run This Town, and a little P!nk and Glee mixed in..... Don't judge.  There was a minor accident involving Estes' rearview mirror, but we won't name names.  At least it's still attached a little!  We finally made it to Burbon Street for CLAY'S BIRTHDAY!!!  So fun!

Later on, we went back to Samford, met up with Elisabeth who had come with Tucker, and went to bed.  Elisabeth joined me on the air mattress and we endured the freezing process together this time.  At least we had each other to keep warm!!

On Sunday, we (Me, Jess, Olivia, Wes (hottie), and Estes) went to lunch at a good Italian place but I forgot what it was called.  Jessica lost her phone, but no worries, she found it about an hour later in her boot.. that she was wearing.  We were all really tired, and Olivia and I had to study so we went back to campus, said our goodbyes, and left!

I miss yall already!! I just love being with my friends!!  I mean, what could be better??

Campaign Week!

It's that time of year again, guys.  Time for SGA Elections!! Wooooooo!

I'm aware that to anyone not on a campaign, this week can be the most annoying, torturous, avoid-the-concourse, Auburn-hating week of your life.  But seriously, once you're on a campaign one time you'll appreciate everything that the candidates, their Top 5, and their campaign managers go through.  It's not all easy-peasy!

Alpha Gam is so blessed to have THREE out of five girls in the running for Miss Auburn!  So exciting!!  To be fair, the sorority was split into three groups and each of us was assigned to a wonderful candidate.

Who am I supporting, you ask?? Just kidding, I know nobody truly cares.  But maybe somebody does. (Mom)  Anyways, I'm supporting MILLIE!!  Auburn students, seriously, vote for her!! Millie is so awesome and has been campaigning her little heart out this week!  Her platform is so applicable to all of us, and that really makes a difference!  VOTE FOR MILLIE!!

And to all you tweeple out there, (love yall) you can keep up with Millie's every move by following her!  @Millie4MissAu.

Weeeeeellllll that's all for now!! Remember, 

VOTE FOR MILLIE 

(BALLOT POSITION 1) 

on February 8th!!!

You're All Beautiful

Lately, as in yesterday and today, random things have been occurring that make me think. 

First, I was sitting in the student center by some random people.  A girl walked up, knew one of the guys, and he asked her how she was doing. "Hey! I'm great! How are you?" was her response. The finished their short conversation and the girl walked away.  A few seconds later, the guy turned to his friend and said, "You know what, you could be having the absolute worst day of your life, but when somebody asks you how you are you'll always say you're doing well."  This is so true in my life.  I hardly ever have one of those "Hi, how are you?" conversations with someone without them saying they're doing good.  

Secondly, last night as I was falling asleep, What Women Want was on TV.  If you haven't seen this movie, Mel Gibson's character gets electricuted one night and when he wakes up, he is able to hear every woman's thoughts.  Naturally, he thinks this is so weird and scary.  As he's walking in his office, he notices that one woman is thinking terrible thoughts about herself.  She doesn't show it on her face, but she feels worthless.  She thinks that no one would even care if she weren't alive anymore.

Well, that's just two examples, but they both lead to this: you really never know what someone's going through.  There's absolutely no reason to have a bad attitude, be rude to people, or not be beyond joyful because of the amazing life God has given to each of us.  Knowing how much Jesus loves me makes me want to go talk to every single person and let them know that he loves them just as much.  Who knows, they may have never heard that before.

To any of you out there who are feeling like the lady in What Women Want, or if you're just having a bad day and doubting your worth, here's a song for you.  No matter what pain you're feeling right now, just know that to me and Jesus, you are beautiful.  

Weekend Food with Jessica

Hey Hey Heyyyy!

This weekend has been so fun!  (And it's not even over.. THANK you Martin Luther King!)  Thinking back on it, if I had to pick one thing that stands out the most, it would be the amount of food consumed by all.  Yeah, this is going to be a weird one.

1)  Friday afternoon, Estes made his ten thousandth journey from Samford to Auburn and he, Jessica, George, Will Salter, and I went out to eat at the Auburn Oyster Bar.  None of us had been here before so we were excited/nervous to check it out.  But hey, turns out it was a great choice!  George and the waitress had a little thing for each other, which was interesting.................. But we all loved our food and everything and I'd say it was a success.

2)  After a long and eventful night in Aubs, Little Italy was calling our names.  By this time, a couple of Estes and George's little Sigma Chi pledges had joined us.  (Haaayy Andy and Ben!)  We got some greasy, meaty, greasy pizza and pepsi not coke and after George told some girls that they were in high school, we left.

3)  What's the first thing on our minds when we wake up???? Food of course.  Poor Estes had to leave us (We're all still really really really sad, Estes.), so Jessica, George, Andy, Ben, and I were ready for our first meal of the day.  We had a lot of trouble deciding where to go.  Niffer's was our first try, and the 45 minute wait was a definite "no."  Jessica, brilliant as she is, suggested the Creole Shack.  We drove out to it, weren't sure what to expect when we saw it, and went inside.  The artwork was a little..... cheap. As were the menu's, silverware and napkin holders (aka tape), but hey, we're not complainin'!!  The food was real good!  Thanks Jessie!  That was fun.  I laughed so much.

4)  After we were all stuffed from the chicken fingers, crab claws, fried pickles, pork chops, creole stuff, and whatever else we got, we decided that a little cupcake would be nice.  GiGi's was calling our names!!  The boys might have been a little hesitant to enter, but Jess and I forced them through the doors.  If Estes was there, he wouldn't have cared.  We got our wedding cake and red velvet cake cupcakes with mile high icing, and hit the road.  (If you've never been to GiGi's, you're SERIOUSLY missing out! Ask Annie Stephens!)

5)  A couple hours later, after visiting with some cool Samford kids (minus Estes), we decided it was dinner time.  Soooooooo, Jessica, Kristen, Will Salter, George, Wes, Clay, Owen (Shout out to the new Twitter user btw), and I went to the classic Acapulco's.  Ok, I wanted to go to Fuji, but I wasn't gonna fight anybody over it.  Wes was miserable because after asking for ONLY chicken and cheese in his quesadilla, he found "green things" and onions.  He cried a little but then he was fine.  It took a few days to wash the smell of Mexico off of my body but I managed.  In my opinion, it was good, not great.  That's just my opinion though.

6)  Ok, this was the longest gap of not having food, so it was time for something good.  Jessica and I went to First Baptist Opelika (Woo traditional service) this morning.  Literally within one second, we decided we MUST go to Pannie George's for lunch.  You seriously cannot beat this place.  They have the BEST soul food I've ever had.  The macaroni and cheese?  PERFECT.  The fried chicken, green beans, and cornbread were so amazing as well.  I'd have to say that this is my favorite restaurant in Auburn, and I think I'll have to go there every day for the rest of the semester.  MAYBE Estes will be here next time to go with us.

(Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans, and Cream Corn at Pannie's)

Well, I just blogged about a lot of food.  I feel like Paula Deen.

Anyways, this was a really fun weekend.  Meeting new people, hanging out with friends, and eating good food... how can you go wrong with that??  (It would have been better with Estes the whole time, but we managed.)

Arizona, Here We Come!!

If we agreed about nothing else this winter break, my brothers and I were in total agreement that this was the best Christmas ever.  We had tons of fun times with family and friends, and each got amazing presents! I know that's not what Christmas is all about (so glad baby Jesus was born for us!!), but it sure made us happy!  Will got a duck hunting trip to Arkansas, Phillip got tickets to see Alabama in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, and I got the most amazing trip package ever to Arizona!!  And guess what..... I LEAVE TOMORROW!!

For those of you who didn't know, Auburn is playing Oregon in the BCS National Championship on Monday, January 10, 2011.  Ok, got that out of the way.  My mom and I are taking off from Montgomery at 10 am and arriving in Phoenix around 1:00.  I am beyond ready to be there.  Today, we ran errands for about 20739 hours, and the WHOLE time we talked about how excited we were.  Yep.. I think it's safe to say that Mom is almost 100% All-In for Auburn.  FINALLY!!!  She still will cheer for Alabama when they're not playing Auburn, though.  I think she realizes that one of her kids goes there now, one is going next year, and tons and tons of her money is going to Aubs... So all that, along with the fact that Auburn is just plain great, has made her totally convert.  Phew!

We're staying in Scottsdale all three nights and four days.  I'm pumped about Sunday because we have a free day to do whatever.  I went to Arizona with my fellow FBC seniors for spring break in 12th grade.  (So, so, so, soooo fun and such an amazing experience!!) It was one of the most beautiful place I've ever been.  My favorite part.... NO HUMIDITY!! Just kidding.  Actually, no I'm not.  The mountains and cacti and dirt and blue skies were wonderful as well!  

Well, it's about time for me to go to bed. I just painted my fingernails orange to be sure I'm showing my school spirit 24/7.  (My mom just asked me what I was doing, and when I said blogging she was in shock.  Sorry for my lack of posts.  I feel like I have to say that every time.)  Ahhhhh Arizona!!!  Here. I. Come!!  I hope to see tons and tons of friends and familiar faces out there! :)

War Eagle Y'all!!!  Go Auburn!!  Beat Oregon!!  Track 'em Tigers!!  Kick 'em in the butt Big Blue!! 

I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work. 

I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully. 

I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect and confidence of my fellow men. 

I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities. 

I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all. 

I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all. 

I believe in my Country, because it is a land of freedom and because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that country by "doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with my God." 

And because Auburn men and women believe in these things, I believe in Auburn and love it. 

-George Petrie (1945)