15 Year Old Me

As our last english assignment of the year (and of my high school career), my teacher asked us to write a letter to our younger selves. I thought a lot about the different ages that needed some advice, but I felt like 15 was the most pertinent. That was a tough time for me (middle school was rough, let me tell ya) and as graduation looms closer and close (JUNE 5TH!) I thought reflecting on the age before I started high school was perfect. So, here it is.

Dear 15 year old me,

            I know life is hard. Like, really hard. You’re in middle school and everything sucks. You feel unhappy, useless, sad, and hopeless. You stress about everything and want to disappear from it all. But trust me, it’s about to get better. Way better.

            You’re going to go to high school and everything will change. You’ll discover things about yourself and figure out who you truly are. You’ll meet your high school sweetheart (stay away from any boy that’s not named John… they’ll just waste your time) and you’ll lead a team of 60 girls. You’ll even get into the school of your dreams (sorry to ruin the surprise). You’ll learn that it’s okay to be a kid again. You’ll realize that you aren’t cooler than your parents… in some ways, they are cooler than you. You’ll see that hanging out with your family, writing, and reading brings you more joy than anyone high school party can. Yes, you’ll run into some troubles along the way (math, mean girls, etc.) but in the end, you’ll see that you come out on top. You’ll graduate feeling nothing but happiness.

            In high school, you’ll still be the quiet, skinny, blonde girl that you always have been, but you’ll accept it. Because that’s who you are and there’s no point in changing yourself. You’re special, and somehow, high school will prove that to you.

With love,

    Madison

Happiness Lately

Things that have brought me happiness lately:

food. puppies. strawberry lemonade. gideon. family. baseball hats. monogrammed things.

thinking of austin. caffeine free coke. sand volleyball. staying at home with mom.

sending thank you notes. online shopping. chips and queso.

A Video

Night (Day) at the Museum

Monday was our Senior Skip Day (a given day by the school where we skip class but it gets counted as a school related abscence), so my friends and I celebrated by heading down to Dallas for some lunch in Klyde Warren Park and a visit to the Perot Museum. 

We took the Dart and stopped right in the heart of Dallas. After some yummy lunch (super long wait though) we enjoyed some ice cream and walked to the museum. 

^ Just stargazin'

 John loved the Perot. For me, it was great, but John really enjoys museaums and things like that. He was like a kid in a candy store. Especially in the engineering section. He was in complete heaven making robot things and battery circuits. It was pretty dang cute. 

Thanks guys for an awesome senior skip day!

Mason Jars, French Toast, and Graduation

My grad party this weekend was such a success. I can't believe it all came together. I threw a brunch, complete with Local Diner french toast. 

John likes to say, "You only grad party once", but in my book, you "grad party" 50 times. There were tons of grad parties this weekend. So of course, I had to throw one of my own. 

To be honest, I was nervous no one would show up. Everyone has those nightmares, right? But, friends  and family came, and lots of french toast was enjoyed. 

^ Hi, family! Thanks for truly being the best a girl could have. Y'all rock.

^ M&Ms and pretzels... a.k.a eggs and bacon.

Thanks to everyone who came! Your support and love means more than you know. 

Keep calm & hook 'em!

Families Past

My grandma totally understands my love for antique treasures. She always has something to show me, which I love. Last night, I was at her house and she gave me a box of her parents things. Like their licenses, old checks, wallets, and even their marriage license from 1936. 

I'm so glad my grandma trusts me enough to give me all of these things. It is all so special, at first I said no. I didn't want to lose such sacred things! But in the end, I took them, after she told me I would take care of it all better than anyone else would. 

 

Apparently my great grandma truly believed the world would end in 2012... crazy.

It is so humbling to look back on your families past. I find it so interesting hearing about how they lived back then. Looking at these things makes you realize how important your roots really are.

(wo)man's best friend

I've always wanted to write a post about my dogs, but then I thought that would make me a crazy dog lady. But, my dogs are awesome. So who cares.

Dogs truly are (wo)man's best friend. With my mom, dad, and sister away from home this week, I've been spending quite a bit of time with them (Riley and Molly). They tend to follow me everywhere and bark at nearly any noise they hear in the house. They also require lots of treats. But they're cute, so they deserve them. 

This past week, we put down a sweet dog we'd had for nearly my entire life. I remember my dad picking my sister and I up from elementary school, telling us he was taking us to dinner. Instead, he took us to pick out a yorkie for my mom. We ended up picking Abby (I liked her because her ears were significantly larger than the other puppie's). Abby had her quircks, yes, but she was a good, sweet dog. Putting any animal down is hard (that is now my second pet we've had to put down) and it really sucks. I cried a lot harder about Abby than I should have, but she was the kind of dog who deserved it. She's in doggy Heaven now, where there are endless treats and bowls of food. 

 I heard a quote once that dogs are simply a part of our life, whereas to them, we are their entire life. So if you have a dog, take them on a walk or give them a good belly rub. They love us more than we'll ever know.  

Third Times a Charm

My third and final Lariette banquet was last night.

Besides having a horrible cold, it was a hit. My favorite banquet so far.

My speech went well, my friends looked beautiful, and we danced the night away. Literally.

Dancing with John and my friends might just be my favorite thing in the world. 

We also took some rockin' photobooth pictures (John and I just had to take a cheesy kissing picture. Just go with it)

With the end of banquet, comes the end of Lariettes. 

It's been real, Lariettes!

Calm Yourself

Contrary to popular belief, senior year is chaos. I feel like I'm running around like a mad man. Every day there is something new to do. Yes, school is easier. But emotionally, being a senior is harder. I'm not sure what it is. It could be the college planning, the growing up, the grad parties, and grad gifts. I'm not sure what it is, but my heart and mind seem to be racing these days.

I'm on a kick where I don't want to be lazy. If I'm done with one thing, I move on to the next. I'm literally creating things to do just so I can be busy. Why? There's a million other wonderful things I could be doing besides being stressed. This morning, I've been praying and journaling for a calm heart. I need to relax. Yes, there's a ton of things that need to get done, but God will let me get them done in time. I also realized something this week: We are a world of imperfect people expecting everybody else to be perfect. How messed up is that? Why can't we all be more understanding? We are humans. God created us to be imperfect. That's the awesome thing about us... He loves us anyway, no matter how messed up we are. So, let's change the patterns of this world. Expect imperfection from people and love that about them. I need to learn to be okay when I mess up. I can't be perfect, no matter how hard I try.

This morning, I had a much needed quiet time and found that my "Jesus Calling" was right on cue. It talked about walking in a path of peace, and letting God direct your steps. I encourage everyone to find time to do something that soothes you. For me, it's quiet time at Starbucks, walking my dogs, and laughing with my mom. For you, it may be painting or running or reading or anything. But do it. I'm sure your heart needs to be calmed, just like mine.

Happy Thursday, everyone.