Record Spinnin'

I recently purchased a record player... I'm pretty happy, to say the least. My parents pulled out all of their old records and I purchased a few of my own (MGMT, fleet foxes...). The record player turned out to be a little more expensive than I thought, with having to buy new speakers and what not, but i think it's worth it.

Saturday night, Johnny came over and we played with the record player a little bit. We listened to Mumford & Son's (my choice) and Steely Dan (his choice). My mom came up and listened with us and reminisced about her old albums. It's so crazy to think that when my parents were my age, they were listening to records like we listen to iPods. I'm sure in the future, iPods will be ancient and my kids will think it's crazy that we listened to those. 

Life in the Past Month

This has nothing to do with this post. I just thought you'd enjoy it. ;)

Life in the past month has been fun & crazy.

I've enjoyed this wonderful time that is the holidays and I'm sad to see it go. It's crazy to think that next year at this time, I'll be in college. Like, what?

I've celebrated a two year anniversary, a Justin Timberlake concert, quite a few movies, several shopping trips, and quality time with John. Also, some college stressing along the way.

As you can see, my blog has been through somewhat of a makeover. It's still a work in progress, so bear with me. Get ready for more frequent posts! I've been a horrible blogger lately... I'm working on it, I promise ;)

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.