Thankful... two days later.

I need to show how thankful I am more often. I've always been the type to appreciate the little things in life. Like pumpkin spice lattes and naps on Saturday. Here's just a few I have to be thankful for.

- My family. They rock. I love how my mom is so caring and involved in our lives. I love my dad's humor and wit. I love my sister and her crazy stories. And I love my grandparent's love for us.

- Puppies. Words can't explain how much I love my dogs. 

- My bed. It is always there ready for my endless naps.

- Winter. It truly is the best time of the year! It doesn't get much better than a fireplace, some hot chocolate, sweatshirts, and warm dogs to cuddle with.

- John. I love this boy so dang much... Our two year anniversary is in three days. :)

- Home. Nothing is better than home. I'm so lucky to have a warm house to live in. Not everyone has that.

Happy belated thanksgiving! Oh & MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Happy Halloween!

Boy, do I love Halloween! Maybe it's because I grew up with a dad who's crazy about this holiday, but I've always found it so much fun. Nothing can beat Christmas, but something about Halloween makes the entire day feel electric. I think back to when I was younger and how antsy I was to put on my costume all day. My house is always decked out with decorations every yearand that makes it even more awesome. 

This year instead of going to a party, I decided that I wanted to stay home and pass out candy with my family. This was my last Halloween at home and I wanted to enjoy it. I put on an old dance costume (cat in the hat) and John got some Indiana Jones props, and we went to Chipotle with friends to get $3 burritos. After, I came home and laughed at John and Travis all night long. We ended the night with a scary movie and eating some candy. 

The boys. 

Here's a little video to make you laugh. John danced all night for the trick or treaters. At some point there was a huge crowd watching him. He's such a good dancer! The funniest part is that because of the mask he was wearing, he had no idea all of those people were watching him. He was just dancing around like the crazy guy he is. 

Busy, Busy Bee

Last night I had a meltdown. Tears and everything. I'm realizing I have no time to do anything that's truly important. I have so much to do I barely have any time do to homework. I am running around from place to place trying to get everything done and trying to please everybody. My life is so, so, so crazy. 

Sometimes, I think that maybe my job at Gideon is too much. Or maybe I should just let someone else do the project. Or maybe I can manage to read spark notes for english. Or maybe I can just skip Coffee Talk. But at the end of the day, all of those things are important to me. Seeing my baby Mukunth at Gideon and talking with girls about God's grace at Coffee Talk. Or going to dinner with J and taking the dogs on a walk. All of these things keep me busy and sometimes get me behind, but these things are important to me.

I'm realizing I need to let go a little bit. I can't be perfect all the time. I'm gonna mess up and my mind is going to slip (as it did several times this past week). With so much on my mind, it's hard not to mess up. But hey, in 10 years, am I really going to remember the grade I made on my pre-cal quiz? Or when I forgot my homework? I can't let these little things get to me, because my self worth is so much more than that. 

I need to be reminded to just breath. Senior year is definitely not what I accepted (I thought senior year was supposed to be easy?), but it's my last year here in Coppell, so I need to make the most of it. It's time to get happy. 

This is my baby, Mukunth. My future child better be exactly like him. 

Also, here's the BEST chocolate chip pumpkin muffins recipe. Like, holy cow, they're good. 

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 (16 ounce) can pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (yes, 1 1/4 cups)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1:
In large mixing bowl beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and oil until smooth.
2:
Mix dry ingredients together and mix into pumpkin mixture. Fold in chocolate chips.
3:
Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full.
4:
Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes.

Also, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be there right now. 

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Paris!

This post is almost two months late, but who cares. It's time to talk about Paris.

After London, we took a train to Paris. It was awesome. But, when we showed up, it all went downhill from there. The first night we were there was a disaster. Our drive to the hotel was crazy, our hotel was awful, we saw a bird get run over and had its feathers get all over us (I was scarred), then we walked three miles to get some McDonalds (we were in desperate need of normal, American food). That night we walked home pretty defeated and got in our nasty beds. I laid in bed and realized I shouldn't be complaining. This trip is what I've dreamed of so I should enjoy it. And from that point on, I did. 

Paris was much different from London. Much more than I expected. To be honest, Paris was dirtier and didn't feel as safe. People were constantly shoving things in our faces to buy and some parks smelled like pee. Ew. I couldn't understand what anyone was saying and I didn't like the food. The first few days were hard to get used to. But by the end, I was in LOVE. I had finally realized that even though Paris wasn't London, it was just as beautiful.

This picture is horrible quality... but who cares it's the MONA LISA. 

We went to the Louvre on a Sunday and got in for free. It was actually pretty crazy because the line for the Louvre was over three hours long... but little did they know that if you went in the side door, there was no line and you got in for free. It was pretty dang awesome. 

The streets were my favorite part. Cobblestone roads, old buildings, bikes. What more could you ask for?

Notre Dame... breathtaking.

Possibly my favorite memory from London. The Pont Des Arts. We even put our own lock on it. :)

Until next time, Paris... 

It's been a while...

So I'm back. It's been so long since my last post, I know... To be honest I was a bit discouraged with my blog. But I miss it. So, the blog is starting up again. :)

Senior year is in full swing with all sorts of things. My life consists of college applications, lariettes, homework, work, stress, stress, and more stress. I've been running around like crazy trying to get everything done. But to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. It sure makes life interesting. 

This past week was homecoming... the best and worst week of the year. It's so hectic but so fun. John & I were on homecoming court again this year which is so dang fun and such an honor. We really enjoyed and appreciated it. We wore mums & garters... such a crazy Texas tradition. We won the football game of course and had an awesome dance on Saturday night. Actually, I hate dances. They are so awkward and sweaty and gross. I just enjoy getting all dressed and seeing John wear a handsome suit. Oh, and the food. :) Sunday night I slept for hours and attempted to recover from the crazy week...

Sweet Lynnette! So happy I got to spend time with her this weekend.

;)

Throughout this stressful year, I've been trying to keep in touch with things that inspire me. Here's some things that I love and keep me inspired, and maybe they'll inspire you too.

All pictures via Pinterest

Now go outside, enjoy the beautiful weather, and maybe carve a pumpkin. 

Lake Daze

This past weekend, I got to go the lake with John and his family. It was so so so fun. We left on Saturday morning and stayed till Monday morning. I was sad we couldn't have stayed longer! The lakehouse we stayed at was John's sister's boyfriend's and it was in Daisy, Arkansas.. a super cute small town!

When we arrived on Saturday, it started raining as soon as we put our swimsuits on. Bummer. We passed the time by playing some card games. When the rain stopped, we went out on the jet skis. It was my first time riding a jet ski, and let me tell you, I was scared. There were two jet skis, and of course the one I was on kept tipping over. John's sister, Christina, and I literally tipped over 4 or 5 times before we even got 10 feet from the dock. I couldn't stop laughing! For dinner, we had yummy burgers. After that, it was game time. We played this suuuuuper fun game called Mexican Train. If you don't know how to play, figure it out and then call me up. :) Of course, I was so bad the first few times I played, but I got the hang of it eventually. But no matter how good you were, no one could beat Stephanie because she just had luck on her side. Boo.

After a night of interesting sleep (John's alarm went off like, three times in the middle of the night and I was just about ready to kill him), we got up, had some breakfast, and went straight to the lake. We were out there all day long. I wouldn't of had it any other way! Johnny and I took the jet skis out and I got air! It was hilarious. I was going so fast and hit a wave and boom, I was in the air! It was pretty awesome, I must say. John looooved the jet ski so much. He was doing crazy figure 8s and hitting every wave. It was hysterical just watching him from the dock. He was having so much fun. After a long day in the sun, J and I came back in to find were sunburned reeeallly good (curse you pale skin). So, that night was pretty rough. I put loads and loads of aloe vera on. I had my glasses on and my hair in a bun on top of my head, so I looked rough. I'm surprised J didn't scream when he saw me. But he's a trooper. ;) Later that night we played with some sparklers, and had a few more rounds of Mexican Train, woohoo!

I can't wait to go back someday, hopefully. Getting to spend so much time with John was amazing. After a week long mission trip with no communication, I really missed that boy.

Europe part 2: a video

Europe Part 1: London

London was everything I had hoped for and more. The buildings were beautiful and there was something interesting on every street corner. I loved it. 

We did SO MUCH in London. Our hotel was a 2 minute walk to Buckingham palace which was insane. We walked there the first night and had dinner down the street. The next day we went to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. We got to go in and see where William and Kate got married. To say I was excited would be an undertstatment. We also went to the Tower of London and saw the crown jewels. One of the most beautiful things we saw was Windsor Castle. It's the castle that the queen stays in during the summer. It was so amazing to see how old it was and where the old kings and queens used to stay. It was incredible. We did so much more, I can't even think about how to write it all down.

We took the Underground everywhere we went. I'm basically the Underground master. I knew what train to take and when at all times. It was so fun to be able to act like a real London native. I'm tellin' ya, I could live there. 

The food was pretty interesting, but I managed to find something to eat everywhere we went. So that was good. One morning I was so hungry that I actually passed out in the hotel lobby. Not kidding. That was pretty interesting to say the least. 

We were exhausted throughout the entire trip. At the end of the day our feet were aching and legs throbbing. So, we all slept pretty heavily. My sister said I even slept talk some nights. 

I'm already ready to go back. London was like New York, but better. I'm ready to pack my bags and find a little apartment a cute street corner. I think I could do it. 

Next post: PARIS!

It's been a while...

Oh hello... It's been a while, huh?

I've been busy welcoming the summer days. I'm finally on summer break after a stressful last few weeks of school and officer camp. But now I'm home and I've just been soaking up all the free time I have. 

John & I have been skating, biking, cooking, swimming, tanning. You name it. I've been reading, napping, playing, and most of all enjoying. 

Senior year is coming. I've been busy making my senior overalls with my momma and gran. I'm in love with them. There is still a lot to be done, but so far I'm happy with how it's coming along. I'm also busy worrying about college. It's so dang stressful. I just want to know whats going to happen... but I just have to be patient and know that God has a plan, right?

Here's a short little video of Johnny being a skater boy. 

'

I know I probably annoy you...

...but I'm OBSESSED with london & paris.

I can't stop talking about my trip there. I literally squeal everytime I think about it. 

How can you not love it? 

Anyways, this week has been slighty stressful surprisingly. Today was basically my last day of school, yet I still have so much to do. Like ACT, Lariettes, senior overalls, etc...

But all I want to do is lay out and put on sun screen and sleep in and make pancakes and eat ice cream and catch fireflies and hang out with Johnny and do everything else that is somewhat summery. 

I'll leave you with this: 

     

Happy almost Friday. :)

Oh, hello...

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I have been busy with school and lariettes and ACT and work and everything in between.

This weekend was pretty nice. If summer is anything like this weekend, I'll be pretty happy. Friday night I went to a grad party and played in the rain. John and I came home and watched a movie and cuddled up on the couch. We listened to the rain and talked about everything. 

Saturday morning, I went to work at Gideon. The kids there are so stinkin' cute. 

After that, it was naptime, naturally. Later that night I went to grab burgers and fries with my dad and sister. The guy that worked there even gave us a free chocolate milkshake. It was pretty great.

Sunday, I got to film a little and hang out with my family. Then, John and I went to a grad party and then over to a friend's house for a swim party. We ended up eating some burgers and tons of chips. We swam and I even caught some fireflies. I'm pretty good at that, I must say. 

I made this video for my english project. I chose to do it on TOMS since I'm kind of obsessed. It's a "fake commercial" you could say. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Life in a few years...

I'm stealing this idea from my friend Regan (iiiridescence.blogspot.com). Here are just a few pictures from tumblr to describe how my life will look in 10 years. Or, atleast how I hope it looks. 

Justin

I'm going to see this handsome man with an even handsomer man (John) on December 4th, the day after our two year anniversary.

I'm just a little excited.

And so is Johnny.