If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor. - E.R

Happy Sunday, lovlies! I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. It seems they go way too fast these days!

Friday was a big day for me. First, and most importantly, it was little Miss Emma Jade's first birthday! I can't believe my little niece is a year old. It just seems like yesterday my sister was giving us the good news! I had some things I needed to get done, so it seemed fitting to take the whole day off. After I finished my errands, I headed back to my hometown to spend the day with her. She slept the whole day away. It's hard being the birthday girl! Her party went great! It made me happy to see that so many people love her!

Now, on to some big, exciting news! Friday morning I met with one of my professors from my Master's program. There is a Women's Studies course that I'm very interested in taking, but it doesn't really help me out in the long run. So, the program director mentioned me taking an Independent Study course on the FDR years. Those of you who know me, should know how excited this made me. WWII is one of my favorite eras in History and FDR is a very interesting person to study! So, I met with the professor and he decided to make my topic Eleanor Roosevelt. At first, I felt a flicker of disappointment. I love ER, and I love all that she stood for, but I wanted to study FDR. However, the more we talked, the more excited I became. Unfortunately, with that excitement came a huge case of anxiety. I've never taken an independent study course and I'm not really sure how well I'll do with the lack of a set schedule. He told me that I'm to make my own Bibliography for the course and I just about lost it. I know this is something I shouldn't be nervous over, but OMG, really? It isn't that I can't find my own books, but it's the fear that my books won't be good enough...that my professor will think I'm not cut out for this...that I'm just going fail at this completely. And to add to my anxiety? He also informed me that if my paper is good enough (which he expects it to be, his words), that I will present it at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference this Spring. He also wants me to come present the paper to the regular class one day this Fall. No pressure, right?? As someone who longs to be a teacher, I should be able to present something like this with no problems. However, my peers make me so nervous. I can speak in front of students in high school with no problem. I fear I will pronounce something wrong, get my facts mixed up and, once again, be looked at as someone who cannot do this. It's enough to make me want to back out of this before I even get started.

I'm sure as the semester goes on, you guys will hear me complain about this, but I also hope to share my findings with you. I hope it doesn't bore you! Now, I will leave you with two pictures of Emma. One from the day after she was born and one from her One Year Pictures that an awesome local photographer took. Enjoy!

One day old, but I already loved her so much!

I may be a bit biased, but is she not the most precious thing you've ever seen?

Never too young for pearls!

Happy Hump Day!

Good morning ladies!

I'm in a pretty good mood for it to be so early! I slept great last night, so I'm happy about that. Plus, I bought some new body wash and lotion that smells like vanilla, honey and oatmeal. My skin is so soft and I catch a whiff of my lotion every time I move my arms. Nothing like a little aroma therapy! :)

I've been itching for a new pair of high heels lately. Let me begin by saying, I am not the type of girl to wear heels at all. My whole life I've been a good four or five inches taller than all of my friends, so I never wanted to seem like an Amazon next to them. I can hardly walk in them now! But, for some reason, I've been dying for a good, basic pair. Target has some really cute ones that I'd love to have, but I just can't bring myself to buy them. Maybe once it gets colder and I can't wear my flip flops anymore I will take the plunge. If you're looking for some new heels, head on over to BonBon Rose Girls. They've been posting some pics of heels the past week or so. There are some really cute pairs!

Well, that's all for today! Hope you ladies have a wonderful day!

Feeling a bit nostalgic.

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.” - Victor Hugo

We've all been there. At some point in our lives, we've been driving down the road flipping through radio stations when a song comes on and instantly you're back in time, thinking of a certain memory associated with said song. This has been happening quite a big lately. I found my old CD case that I thought I had lost. There are CDs in there from when I was 14 years old! They're all marked with the year I made them and I love going through them all. They certainly reflect how I was feeling the night I made the CD. There are CDs full of love songs, some full of rap, pop or country and others with sad love songs when I just thought for sure the world was over because my latest relationship had ended. Then there are those that are so full of horrible songs that I can't believe I'm the one who made it! One of my favorites is the one I made the hubby on our first Valentine's Day, five years ago. I'm not sure why I'm the one who has it had it, but it was still fun listening to it. It took me back to those feelings of a new, exciting love! We surely have been through a lot since then! Another favorite was the one I made when I thought I was leaving Virginia for Missouri. I called it my "goodbye" CD and it has so many great songs on it! Some are sad, but some are inspirational. They all talk about finding a new life and moving forward, leaving the past behind. Finding this case definitely has made me happy. Each time I listen to one of them, it takes me right back to that moment and how I was feeling. I know it isn't good to dwell on the past, but it's nice to take a trip down memory lane every now and then!

Tired Tuesday...

Coffee is definitely my friend this morning. I had a hard time waking up this morning, despite one of the best night's sleep I've had in awhile. Weird how that works out, isn't it?

Last night, I babysat one of my best friends' daughter. We had the best time! We danced, we jumped on the couch (more like she jumped while I held her hands), we took a walk, we colored, we played outside and then we watched The Little Mermaid. I only put it on as background noise while she and I played around in the living room, but she loved it! So, we plopped ourselves down on the couch and watched it. It made me so excited for when it's my turn to have my own child and I can spend evenings like that with it. Hopefully, by then, I'll have more things to keep it entertained than poker chips! haha!

It's miserably hot again today and is supposed to be the same tomorrow. Shew, Fall where are you?? Sunday night Kevin and I watched the NFL game that came on and it made me even more excited for Fall. I love "football weather" and I can't wait to start watching Friday night football games! I don't care how old I am or even if it's my old high school, I will always love watching Friday night football.

What about you guys? What's your favorite part of Fall?

Hello, Monday!

Good morning y'all! How was your weekend?

My weekend didn't consist of much. Saturday the hubby and I went out and about to run some errands and then later that night I went home to my parents' house for a bit. Mom, Whit, Emma and I just had the best time. Mom doesn't like to get out much, but she actually went out with us that night. We went by to see Pops and ran around Wal-Mart for a bit. It was 11:00 when we got home that night, but Whit and I were craving taco salads. So, what does my mom do? She makes us taco salads at 11:00. Whit and I were shocked, but we loved it! It was one of the best nights I've had in such a long time. I've decided that no matter how old I get, I will always love being babied by mom. A co-worker and I were talking about this the other day. She's exactly five years older than I am (go Birthday Twins!) and she got sick at work. So, her mom came to get her. We laughed about it because both of us still want our moms when we get sick. I also got some quality time in with Emma, who is growing so fast. Friday is her first birthday and I just can't believe it. Whit is having her a party at a local park and I'm excited to see how she does with her birthday cake! I will definitely update about that this weekend.

I've become obsessed with reading Emily Giffin books. I'm currently on her fourth one, Love The One You're With, and I love it. Her first two books, Something Borrowed and Something Blue were really good, as well! I skipped the third, Baby Proof, but I plan on going back to it this week. Are you guys reading anything good? Any suggestions for me once I finish Emily Giffin? I highly recommend reading her books, if you're looking for something to read!

Well, that's all for now! I hope you ladies have an awesome Monday!

Wow.

Has it really been two months since I've posted anything at all? Yep, I guess it has. I think I burnt myself out on blogging, as well as Twitter. I've been itching to write for the last few days, but I really have nothing to blog about.

Life is still the same as it was two months ago. Summer has flown by and I, for one, am very happy about that. I've always loved Fall/Winter and counted down the months until my two favorite seasons arrived, but this year? I'm ready for them to be here in a way I never have been before! It's been unbearably hot here and I can't stand it. We're under a heat advisory for the next few days with record breaking temps. Whew! I deal better in cooler weather while wearing peacoats and scarves.

Let's see, what else? Emma Jade will be one year old next week. I can't believe it has been a year since that precious baby came into our lives. She is growing and learning so quickly. She can say a few words (including TeeTee, which made me very proud!) and is crawling everywhere. She dances to any type of music she hears, including ringtones. She had her very first sleepover with TeeTee this past weekend and she did great!

We cancelled our trip to NYC to meet our sister. To say I was heartbroken over it would be an understatement. My oldest sister says it's an even better excuse to come out to California this Fall. I'm definitely crossing my fingers for that.

No teaching job for me this year. I thought I had a chance of getting one, but, according to a little birdy, they hired a friend of a school board member. Oh, well. I've told myself it's okay. I'm giving it one more year and, if by next Fall I still haven't gotten a teaching job, I will just move on. I will find something else. Easier said than done though, right?

OH! My Master's program begins in three weeks! Ah! I'm a bundle of emotions when it comes to this particular topic. I'm nervous, terrified, and excited all at once. I've been e-mailing my professors all week and it is calming the nerves just a tad. I'm really excited about shopping for school supplies though. I'm 25 years old and the thought of shoppingn for school supplies still makes me happy! There are just some things I guess you never grow out of.

How are you ladies? I have been keeping up with your blogs throughout the summer, whether I've commented or not. Forgive me?? :)