Oops...

Yeahhhh..

Disregard the post below..

That lasted all of 24 hours.

Break From Social Networking.... Ahh!

Yesterday, I came to the realization that about half my life is spend on the internet.  That includes, but is not limited to, Facebook and Twitter.  I say to myself that I'm going to check Facebook "real quick" and then study or be productive, but that "real quick" seems to always turn into about 2 hours.  So, on a whim, I deactivated my Facebook and deleted Twitter from my phone.  I didn't totally delete Twitter because I know I'll want to return to it one day, just minus the constant tweeting and checking my phone every 3 minutes for updates.  And although all I have to do to get FB back is log in, it's easy not to because I know that nobody is writing on my wall, commenting on pictures or status', or sending me messages.  Can't stalk people anymore, though.

With all that said, it's been a sad, lonely, boring, uneventful, strange, social network-less day for me.  I kinda miss it, but I'm going to hold out until finals are over!  Let's see how this goes.

I decided to turn to my blog more for the time being.  Maybe I'll post more, or maybe I'll forget like I always do.  Really, all I need to be doing is studying....... I'm sick of it already!  Can't wait for finals to be over so I can go homeeeee and not have a single thing to worry about!! :)

Speaking of Christmas break, I'm watching The Santa Clause right now!  LOVE this movie.  It's definitely the most-watch Christmas movie of my life.  Here's a little preview of this Disney masterpiece in case you forgot what it's about!

Time to hit the books and finish watching this movie! 

Old Photo Shoot Fun

Dear Olivia, Jessica, Elisabeth, and Sarah,

Don't kill me.

Love,

Sally

A couple days ago I came across some pictures that the girls mentioned above and I took this time last year.  Put a nice camera around us and we'll go to town!  Okay, we may have gotten a little tooo into it, but we had fun!  And yes, we wore fur coats. (Thanks Jen!)  We tried really hard to get Weston to be our male model but he was very, very, very against the idea.  Too bad.  Maybe next time..... which will be this Christmas break, I assure you.  Anyways, for your entertainment, here's a little peak into our photo shoot (How perfect are they?!?! Kills me!).... We'll start with Olivia the beautiful.

 

Well, there ya go.  Maybe some new ones will appear after the break.  Who knows?

By the way, I always have so much fun with those girls!  No matter what, they're always so fun and encouraging to be around.  Best friends for life!! 

My favorite song at the moment is "Hello World" by Lady Antebellum.  Aside from the fact that the parts about the kids don't really apply to me, I love the lyrics.

Traffic crawls 
Cell Phone Calls 
Talk radio screams at me through my tinted window 
I see a little girl, rust red minivan 
She's got chocolate on her face 
Got little hands, and she waves at me, 

yeah she smiles at me. 

Well Hello World 
How you been? 
Good to see you my old friend 
Sometimes I feel, Cold as steel 
Broken like I'm never gonna heal 
I see a light, a little hope in a little girl, 

Well HELLO WORLD 

Everyday I drive by a little white church, 
its got these little white crosses like angels in the yard 

Maybe I should stop on in, say a prayer 
Maybe talk to God like he is there 

Oh I know he's there, Yeah I know he's there 

Well Hello World 
How you been? 
Good to see you my old friend, 
Sometimes I feel as Cold as steel 
And broken like I'm never gonna heal 
I see a light, a little grace, little faith unfurl. 
Well Hello World 

Sometimes I forget what living's for, 

And I hear my life through my front door, 
and I'll be there, 
oh I'm home again 
I See my wife, little boy, little girl, Hello World 

Hello World 
All the empty disappears 
I remember why I'm here 
Just surrender and believe 
I fall down on my knees 
Oh Hello World, Hello World, Hello World

Well, I better get to studying.... Exams are zero fun.  Byeeeeeee.

Letting Out a Little Frustration....

This always happens.. I blog once then slack off for a week or so and then there's just so much piled up that I have to write about! I don't feel like including every detail of the past couple weeks, so I'll just fill you in on the highlights.

Well, I just sat here for a minute and can't even think of what has happened.

I'm super excited about getting out for Thanksgiving break on Friday!  I'm going to see Harry Potter with my little bro Friday afternoon, then probably going to the TPS game.  It's true, I can't stay away.  Hopefully I'll be teaching math back at my good ole Alma Mater one day!  I'm just looking forward to a relaxing week filled with doing nothing that has to do with school.... Except writing a History paper.

I'm going to the Iron Bowl this year.  I don't know how I feel about this.  I'm excited, but pretty nervous at the same time.  I want Auburn to win SO bad.  Like, I just really believe that our team deserves a win for all they've been through this season.  No offense to all you Bammers, but I'm sick of everyone talking bad about Auburn.  It's enough.  We do not worship Cam.  We do not live in a barn.  We do not have a team or college full of "thugs."  The students love it when the players run over to us after the game.  As cheesy as you think it is, we ARE a family.  

I have been to school at both Alabama and Auburn.... and words seriously cannot describe how different the two schools are, in my opinion.  The second I stepped foot on Auburn's campus for SOS Day (Successfully Orienting Students Day) last November, I felt at home.  You can ask my mom.  I dreaded having to go back to Tuscaloosa to finish out the semester.  The people are welcoming, kind, happy, caring, etc.  I'm not saying that people at Alabama aren't.  I promise.  I'm just saying that there is definitely a difference in the two schools, and until you experience it, it's hard to explain.  I can't really compare Auburn to any other college, because besides Ole Miss, these are the only two I've been to.  Walk around the Auburn campus, sit at Chick Fil A in the Student Center, or go get some lemonade at Toomer's and you'll notice that the people are always happy.  I never fail to see smiling faces and people laughing wherever I go.  Also, this applies to the football team.  Whenever I see them on campus, they're always in a good mood. They laugh and joke with each other and the other students, and are always nice when you talk to them or ask to take a picture. (I've never done this, I swear! Obviously I'm kidding.)

Ok this definitely turned into a "don't hate on Auburn" post.  But for real, I can't think of one thing about Auburn that should allow it to be a target for all this disrespect.  When people make rude comments about the players, it affects us all.  I'm not trying to sound mean, I just love Auburn so much and am beyond thankful that I am able to go here.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  So naturally, I have to stick up for my favorite place on Earth!  AAAAND, my brother Will got accepted finally!! YAY!!  I can't wait to have him up here in Aubs with me next year!

I think this is enough for now!  Gotta go study for two tests and write a paper.. What fun!!

Birthdays, Pumpkins, and Football Players

"Oh my gosh! I haven't blogged in forever!!" - Me to Carroll Anna..... I'm a nerd.  That was a true statement though.  Sorry to all of you 10 faithful readers!

The first significant thing that I can remember happening since my last post was Phillip's 11th birthday.  I can't believe he's 11!! I was 9 when he was born, and turned 10 six days later.  I thought I was so old and really cool to have a baby brother.  Oh Phil, what would we do without you??  I came home for the night and our whole family went bowling.  SO FUN!! Except for the fact that I was TERRIBLE.  Like, really, really bad.  I'm gonna need Jack Poundstone to back me up on this one - One time I was really good at bowling! It was at some church function, but I beat Jack and BJ and whoever else was on our team.  I was just devastated that my whole entire family, including my mom and Phillip, killed me.  Okay, I can't even talk about it anymore.  Overall, Phillip's birthday was a success!

[Phillip, Me, and Will at the Bowling Alley]

The LSU game was just great!  As with every other game, I went in not sure of the outcome, but of course Auburn pulled off another win!  I wore my new Cam jersey proudly!  Yep.. I think it will be my attire for the rest of the season!

[TOUCHDOWN! LSU Game]

(Annie, Me, and Brook)

[Me and Annie with Nosa Eguae, our new friend!]

It's been yearssss since I last carved a pumpkin, but this week, I CARVED 3!!  Just wanted to throw that in. 

[Carving Pumpkins!]

(Hannah, Catherine, Allison, and Me)

My birthday was Wednesday, October 27!  I'm 20!!  What the heck??  That's like OLD.  Time sure does fly!  We had a Halloween social Tuesday night, so 12:00 rolled around right in the middle of it.  My cool friends (Jessica, Annie, Molly, and Virginia) sang "Happy Birthday" to me while we were walking downtown... Embarrassing, but not quite as bad as when they sang it in Waffle House.... Every table was full... I was thoroughly mortified. I wanted to crawl in a hole and DIE.  Just kidding, it wasn't quite that bad.  My family came and took me to dinner at Brick Oven Wednesday night, then we went over to Nimrod, Matt, and Matt's apartment to open my presents.  Got some good stuff!  (INCLUDING JUSTIN BIEBER TICKETS!!!!)  I know this sounds dumb, but I really did feel SO blessed to have so many people write on my facebook wall for my birthday.  It really makes you feel special knowing that so many people care about you and love you!!  I LOVE YOU ALL!! VERY MUCH!! Thanks!!

[My first picture being 20!]

(Me, Annie, and Molly)

[Opening Phillip's present to me! Sibling love.]

This weekend, I took the opportunity of an away game to spend the weekend at home.  Good decision.  Friday night was very laid back, and my mom cooked one of my favorite meals - Dego Hash.  I don't exactly know what it is, but it's real good.  

Saturday was great too.  Jessica and I had decided last week to have a little Auburn party and cook tons of "tailgate" food.... GREAT IDEA!  The Eppersons spend their day baking and cooking bacon-wrapped sausage and chicken (Props to Sarah), and my mom and I made a bunch of random dips, macaroni and cheese, lima beans, and pork tenderloin.  Okay, well Mom did most of it but I helped a little!  We (Me, my mom, Phillip, Mrs. Epperson, Jessica, Elisabeth, Sarah, and Tucker) had so much fun!  My little neighbors came over to watch the game with us - They're so funny!  Noble had a somewhat loose tooth that he wanted me to pull the whole night.  It never came out, but I tried!  Anyways, the awesome AU win capped off the day.  Then, we decided to watch "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." Who would have thought a random kid movie would be so funny?!?  Well, it was!  If you're ever in an adolescent mood, watch it.

[Watching the AU game with the neighbors and the Epps]

(Brooks, Phillip, Me, Noble, Jessica, and Sarah)

[My attempts to pull Noble's tooth.]

As everyone in the world knows, Sunday was Halloween.  I don't have much to say about it, other than my mom wore a really ugly mask and drove down Carter Hill Road with her head out the window.  Not embarrassing at all.

[One of my Pumpkins. You can't even see the face.]

Sooooo, today is Monday.  Most Mondays stink.  BUT, as I was typing the sentence "Then, we decided to watch 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid.'", who walked up behind me??  Oh, you know, just Zac Etheridge.  Was I star-struck? Maybe.... Ok, yes.  Naturally, I tweeted about my encounter and then Kaitlin Barton called me and asked where I was sitting.  I joined her, Mollie, Annie, and Erin and we trekked around the Student Center looking for Zac.  We never found him, but we did find Antoine Carter and Onterio McCalebb!  Direct quote from Antoine: "Why are yall so excited?"  Ummmm that's embarrassing.  Whatever, it was fun!

[Erin, Mollie, Me, Kaitlin, and Annie with Onterio McCalebb (top) and Antoine Carter (bottom).]

One last thing.. My BFF Jessica Epperson is the assistant director of the Beat Bama Food Drive!  On Friday, November 12 from 5-10 pm, SGA is having a Silent Auction at the Auburn Hotel and Conference Center benefitting the East Alabama Food Bank.  All proceeds go towards the Food Drive!  Stop by for lots of fun activities, live entertainment, exciting auction items, special appearances, and many opportunities to help out the Auburn community!! (Not to mention, Alabama has beaten us the past 3 years, so come for some OPPORTUNITIES TO BEAT BAMA!!)  War Eagle!

Ok that's all for now folks! (P.S. "folks" is my least favorite word.)

The Usual

Ohhh, the possibilities of things to blog about... I'll just throw it all in!

This past Friday night, Brook asked me to go back to the Trinity football game with her. Naturally, I accepted this invitation whole-heartedly! There's just nothing like going back to the best high school ever and getting to see and talk to some great people! Shout out to everybody who went to or goes to TPS.... We all know it's the best! I miss it a whole lot, but I do love Auburn so much. Gotta move on sometime!

[TPS Game! Love You All!]

(Me, Weston, Andy, Elisabeth)

We drove back Friday night right after the game so that we could wake up in Auburn for the 2:30 game vs. Arkansas. Man, I'm sure glad I didn't miss this one! I literally was speechless throughout the 4th quarter, and I loved it. The thing about the games this season that makes them SO great is that we (or at least I) start out not being too confident about winning, but so far, it always turns out that we do! I'm super excited about the LSU game this weekend.. Ahhh! Okay, I could talk about Auburn all day, but I'll try to restrain myself. War Cam Eagle.

[Some Friends at the Game.]

(Emily, Virginia, Caroline, Annie, Me)

(Ali, Hunter, Jessica, Payton)

[Virginia, Annie, and I :)]

[We WON!! I am clearly the most excited.]

(Virginia, Annie, Me, Hunter, Jessica, Payton.... and Caroline back there)

[A couple more game day shots.

Team prayer, and my favorite sign ever.]

Annie, Virginia, and I went to church on Sunday morning, and guess who was there? Yep, you're right. Cam. (I think we can be on a first name basis now. Everybody knows who he is by this point.) It was a little difficult to focus on the message with the most beautiful person in the world in our presence, but somehow we were able to. The message was about being "All In" for Jesus. Pretty applicable, I must say!

I would have loved to tell you that I had a lazy Sunday afternoon, but studying for my World History test really got in the way. It took up half of my Monday too, but I survived. No worries. 

It seems like these past couple days have been unnaturally busy. I'm not really sure why though because I haven't had anything big going on. Oh well. Random thought.

I got a text from my little brother Phillip tonight (Yes, he has a cell phone and he's 10. *almost 11 ahhh*) that said: "I love u so much"..... I almost cried! I haven't been home or seen him in 3 weeks. I know that doesn't seem like a long time, but me and Phil have never been away from each other for that long that I can remember. I miss him!! We always have so much fun together. If I ever need someone to run to WalMart or Ulta or anywhere with, he's there for me! We both love Panera and Chick fil A and Cali Kraze. He loves Harry Potter and so do I. We just have a special bond and I love it. His birthday is on Thursday so I'm going home to go to dinner and do whatever he wants! He said he wants the family to go bowling, so I'm super pumped! Bowling is the one semi-athletic thing that I am SOMEWHAT good at. I'll let you all know what the outcome is.

[Phil and I]

Anyways, the main reason I am blogging right now is because I don't want to get started on my English paper that's due Thursday. Typical. I'll get it done at some point.

Well that's all for now, friends! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful, amazing, fantastic week!

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:8-9

A Little Note From Chizik

Here's an email I received today. If you go to Auburn, you have already read this. If not, read away.

Dear Auburn Students,

This weekend, we will face our most difficult challenge so far this season when the 12th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks visit Jordan-Hare Stadium. Just like our football team, you as students have risen to every challenge we’ve put in front of you.

It’s difficult to quantify how valuable our student section and fans are, but in my mind, it’s a two-touchdown advantage. If not for your energy and excitement, we may not have been able to capture victories against Clemson and South Carolina.

I want to challenge you again this Saturday. We need you in Jordan-Hare Stadium early and for you to be loud and energetic the entire game. Arkansas has the top-ranked passing offense in the Southeastern Conference and nothing is more difficult on a passing team than a loud crowd. Student gates will open 45 minutes earlier than normal, starting at 11:45 a.m. Come early, and stay late!

As you know, the game will be the marquee matchup in the SEC this weekend and will air before a national audience on CBS.  Let’s show college football fans across the country and everyone in Jordan-Hare Stadium that Auburn has the loudest and most energetic students in the nation.

I also want you to know how much I appreciate the class and sportsmanship that you demonstrate each and every week. Auburn is a special place, and we need you to help us keep it that way.

War Eagle!

Gene Chizik

I just love Auburn. I know people might not think I really do since I chose Alabama in the first place, but that was just a "learning period" so to speak. Without a doubt, I'm all Auburn. I'm so glad we have a coach who cares about and truly appreciates the students. Chiz is the best. Can't wait to get to our weekly "family reunion" and cheer our team to a victory! Cheesy? Maybe... Do I care? Nahhhh. 


War Eagle Guys.

Two Posts One Day = Good Day!

So, I was planning on waiting for a while to update again, but a good friend introduced me to something that I just HAD to share with my (few) readers! I absolutely love listening to music and hearing people who have beautiful voices sing.

This guy you're about to hear is beyond amazing! Maybe everyone has listened to him and I'm just now hearing about his songs, but who cares. I want to listen to each song but there's just so many! Ahhh! Without a doubt, the greatest part about this man is that his passion for the LORD outshines his incredible voice. It's so encouraging to see people use their God-given talents to the BEST of their ability!

Thanks a ton Andy for sharing this with me! You're the best ever and always know how to brighten my day!

Here ya go guys. It took me a while to decide which one to put on here. I figured "Open the Eyes of My Heart" was a good way to go. Listen for yourself and see what you think! Then listen to some more.

Here's the link to the rest of his videos.

Math, Math, Math... And A Sweet Video

[WARNING! This one's got a whole lot of writing.]

As most of you probably know, I really, really, really love math. You might have asked me for some help throughout our high school years (sorry if I told you the wrong answer) or called me from hours away in Tuscaloosa (Zach) to help you out on your homework and quizzes. Last year, my love for numbers and my love for people led me to change my major to Secondary Math Education. I am super excited about becoming a teacher! Being around students all day and helping them understand a subject that is without a doubt loved hated by pretty much everyone sounds like so much fun to me!

With all that said, right now there is just one tiny thing standing in the way of me and my dream job... That would be... Calculus II. (Oh yes. I am aware that I have circa 34802 Math courses left to take before I graduate, so I'm sure there'll be much more complaining in the future!) I just don't even know how to explain how I feel about this class. I honestly enjoy doing the math and figuring out the answers, but the problem is that getting an answer correct is a rare occurrence. I try! I really do! I always complete my homework, write problems on the board whenever my teacher calls on me, and I have been to his office more times that I can count to get extra help. But WHY do I always do so bad on the tests?!? I am most confident that I am in the major that God wants me to be in, but why does it have to be so hard? I know He has a plan for it in the end, though. Gotta keep focused on that!

The whole point of that little spill on my Cal II drama was to give you a background of what my Tuesday (before the test Wednesday) was like: 

To sum it up in one (hyphenated) word, my Tuesday was mind-numbing. ALL I did was go to class, eat, and study Calculus. The hours seemed to drag on and on, while at the same time, I don't know where they all went. Learning how to tell if a series converges or diverges and memorizing endless amounts of theorems all day can make ya crazy! I'm just glad I have Virginia to experience it all with me. 

Math Education majors unite!

[A True Life Saver]

I just read over this post a couple times and realized that it could not be more uninteresting. So, I'll add a little something that's not boring in the least bit. My Jesus Calling devotion that I read this morning couldn't have been better for this hectic time of anxiously studying. Sarah Young wrote:

"Take time to be still in My Presence. The more hassled you feel, 

the more you need this sacred space of communion with Me. 

Breathe slowly and deeply. Relax in My holy Presence while 

My Face shines upon you. This is how you receive My Peace, 

which I always proffer to you.

Imagine the pain I feel when My children tie themselves up in 

anxious knots, ignoring My gift of Peace. I died a criminal's 

death to secure this blessing for you. Receive it gratefully; 

hide it in your heart. My Peace is an inner treasure, growing within 

you as you trust in Me. Therefore, circumstances cannot touch it. 

Be still, enjoying Peace in My Presence."

Jesus went through all of that torture and brutality for us - He went through it so that we would never have to worry about a thing when we submit ourselves to Him. Why is this such a hard concept for me to grasp sometimes? God is literally handing me peace and a free chance to relax and not stress about mundane things, yet I focus my time and energy on all of this earthly stuff when it should be directed towards Him. God comes first, and the rest comes after.

[Okay, last thing. I PROMISE!]

All of these thoughts about striving to putting God first led me to visit the "I Am Second" website. I am sure you all have watched a few of these videos before, or at least heard of them. (Click on this to read about their mission) The video that made the biggest impact on me was that of Bailee Madison. Bailee is a 10-year-old actress living out her dreams in Hollywood. She's been in a bunch of movies that you have probably seen.

I can't even find the words to describe how much I love this video. She knows who she's living for and why she's living for Him. Watch it for yourself, and see how clearly the Lord's love is shown through this precious little girl. 

Try not to cry like I did. :)