I'm not even sure how to start this post off, I'm so far behind on my blogging I don't even know where to start.

But lets start here. I'm home! I've actually been home since the 10Th and I couldn't be happier about that. I'm already dreading going back. I'm fine once I'm there but leaving is always so hard. It's so nice to have real food, to get sleep, and to not always have some kind of homework assignment haunting me.

There is a lot I hadn't had the time to blog about so here is a recap for you:

Well, my apartment mate and I put together a team for intramural flag football. It only consisted of 4 games (given there was only 2 other girls teams) and we didn't end up doing very well, but it was fun. I ended up getting quite the beating when I ripped my fingernail off, landed on my head and possibly got a concussion, and pulled a muscle in my leg that hurt so bad I couldn't run the entire game and it hurt for days afterward. I was quite the hobbler for a few days after that one.

I started working at a local elementary school during the hours my classes allow. I work in a first grade classroom and I love the kids I work with. They are all so sweet! This job has really made me look forward to my career in teaching because I really do just love spending time with those kids and helping them out. When I go through my "I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing with my life" thoughts, I just try to think of how much I love them kids. Sometimes it helps and sometimes I don't feel much better about things, but one day I'll realize if what I'm doing is right.

When I went to the eye doctor for an eye exam to get more contacts I got news I was expecting. Apparently I had spots on my right eye. I was told to cut back on contact wear so he could see if that was the problem. So, I did and when I went back I was told that they had gotten worse. I was then not allowed to wear contacts at all. Apparently my eye had gotten a virus. It wasn't contagious or anything but it couldn't heal with contacts and if it didn't heal it could get way worse. Last time I went to see how it was he said he could barely see it and I would be allowed to go back to contacts in January.

That's really all I got as far as the big things. For the little ones, well I really struggled with biology class but some how I managed to pass it. My little sister turned 13 and I surprised her by being home for her birthday. Whittneys little brother turned 7 and had a party at the zoo which was a lot of fun even for us older folk. Working on the yearbook staff has been harder to manage then I thought it would be but overall it still has been pretty fun.

Oh! Another kinda big thing that I just thought of would be that I volunteered to take pictures of sporting events for the college and now my photos have been used for the recap articles and one even got used on a bigger athletic website.

Well, now Christmas is over, which saddens me. I love giving gifts and shopping is way more fun for me when I have a reason to just go out and buy things for people. Despite the fact that I'm a poor college student who hates spending money, I love buying things for family and friends and seeing them open the gifts I give them. I also love the spirit people have around Christmas, the happiness and extra kindness that people carry around with them. It should last all year but it fades with the season. I wish it would stay.

A new year is not very far away and as excited as I am I can also say honestly that I'm a little scared. I'll be turning 20 here soon and that's a little scary for me. They really are right when they tell you that when your younger you really don't wanna grow up. I didn't really believe it but I do now. I don't want to get any older!

I also don't want to go back to school- but it's something I have to do and it's really not as bad when I get there, it's just the leaving part that's I hate so much.

Speaking of leaving, I'll have to end this post here. I really don't have much else to say and I need to go to bed here soon to- I'm getting up early to go to the sportsmens den with Whittney! I'm excited, I've been wanting to go there and it has been awhile since Whittney and I have hung out. So it will be a good day.

Hope you all are doing well!!!

Love,

Abandoned.

Pretty sure this picture represents how my blog feels right about now. Between all my school responsibilities, I've had barely any time for anything outside of school stuff. I haven't even changed the background to be something other than fall themed. But I found a few moments tonight to share a picture with you though and a few days ago when I was on break, I started a new blog to document things I have accomplished on my bucket list. I have one post on it so far, but it needs to be updated with the other things I have fulfilled before I started the blog. So now, I will need to find the time to not only update this, but catch up on that as well.

Good thing next week is finals week and then I get a nice long winter break.

I'm so ready.

But right now, it's back to studying for Biology. I hope you are all doing well!

Love,

If you want to check out my bucket list blog you can by clicking here. It's still a work in progress though!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Last week I stumbled across the blog that hosts Scavenger Hunt Sunday. Despite my current lack of time to blog, I decided I wanted to participate and throughout the week caught myself thinking about how I wish I had my camera to get pictures of different things I saw that I wanted to enter. So, I found that I must try it. So here it goes.
Pink:
Books: (Something I know all too well these days....)
Fall colors: (I wish I could have gotten a better one for this, but thats all I got...)

Leaf: ( Okay, leaves...)

Orange:

I hope you like them! Now I must get back to studying biology... hopefully I'll find time again soon! Hope you are all well!

Love,

Love that shot.

As I was procrastinating homework this morning and browsing facebook and blogs instead, I noticed that Angie and Amy from i♥faces are guest judging on another cool photo contest blog. It looked like fun, so I decided to enter. Here is my entry, its supposed to be turned the other way but for some reason no matter which way I have it rotated when I upload it on blogger, blogger doesn't want it any other way than this. *sigh* but anyway, here it is:

This is my cousin Jessica- isn't she beautiful! I took this photo in natural light sometime in the early morning. When I processed it I used picnik: I used the eye bright (which is my favorite feature!) and then I turned it to black and white.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to enter!

Love,

Where homesickness bumps frustration and they both trip over overwhelmed and land on emotion.

Thats where you can find me.

I have so much to say, so many things that I want to put up here so that I will have these stories on my blog so that I can come back and reflect on these moments of my life.
The things that I have neglected to blog but should be up here, like
My cousins coming to stay with me for a week,
Me moving on campus,
Me being moved my first week on campus,
Adjusting to the campus life and the crazy feelings that went with it,
My campus job, that I'm pretty proud of,
How my photography is growing- through sessions and campus opportunities,
What I have learned about my true friends since I've left,

and how I don't at all feel prepared to face life some days.

As well as so much more but time never allows me any of that. I already keep pushing back my bedtime. I cut out activities to do homework. I haven't got to see my family in almost two weeks because if I stay here I think I can get more done. I miss out on friendship building fun activities because I don't feel that I will ever get it all done if I take any time away from it.

I don't know how other college students find the time to watch movies or take naps. I can't seem to find the time to eat some days.

But life goes on and all this frustration may just be the mood I'm in. Which seems to follow all to closely way to often.

I'll share a picture with you since that's all time has left me to offer:

A flower on the bush outside my apartment. Kinda pretty, huh.

Well I better return to homework...

Do you know its been only short one day of a month since I've blogged?

Sad huh.

Well about that homework...I'll be back when it's done.

See you in...June?!

Love,

Excuse me sir, but you smell wonderful!

Not to long ago I wrote a post about my excitement over my first concert. (to visit it, click here) If you read the post you would know how totally excited I was over getting to go to my first concert and having my first celebrity encounter. If you didn't read that post, let me tell you- I was pumped, like super excited. And that's an understatement!

Who knew it would get even better not even two weeks later.

I went to another concert.

A Chuck Wicks concert to be exact. (He is extremely hott. Just sayin')

At a seemly forgotten fair, where we paid only 5 bucks to watch and could get right up to the stage, if we so had chose.

With only about 40 other people in attendance, it was laid back and well worth the two hour trip.

I didn't think it could get better.
But then it did. Check this out:

An amazingly sexy picture of him? Yes, it is. But look a little closer:

He signed it. Personally.

Then it got even better:

We got to get pictures with him.

I may have been trying not to drool in this picture.

He got close. I touched the man, he had his arm on me, and mine was on him.

I was in heaven. I just got to see Craig Morgan and attend my first concert. Now I was at another one, where I actually got to meet a famous man, get his autograph, and get a picture with him.

I was in heaven. He is such a good looking man.

And let me tell you- not only did he look good but he smelled good to!!

Love,

Goin' out with my shades on.

This week at i♥faces the theme is "Got to wear shades" and the photo must have sunglasses and a face (of course!) in it. Here is my entry:

Mr. Gavin was sporting his shades at the forth of July parade we went to. What a serious look he has as he studies something over his shades. Aw, he is too cute.

I hope you have went to i♥faces and entered your own photo and if not you should! Or at least go check out the other entries- you won't be disappointed!

Love,

Hogging up the road with my PPPPP-Plower!

One week ago, I got to go to my first concert. I was so dang excited, I was like a kid in a candy store. All day I waited impatiently to go, then when I got there I couldn't sit still. I was being so silly..pointing to his semi and saying "I wonder if he is in there, right now" and "do you think that is his camper?" I couldn't contain my excitement. Whittney kept on making fun of me for being so excited. I'm nineteen years old and this was my first concert- I couldn't help but be excited even if it was just a county fair concert. I had never been to one or laid eyes on anyone more famous than the local weather people. To say I was pumped was an understatement.

One week ago I got to see Craig Morgan in concert. I was only nine rows away. I wasn't behind any super tall people who blocked my view the whole time (just some of the time). It was loud enough that I could sing and not be heard. He sang the songs I knew and I managed to make it seem like I knew the words to the few songs I really didn't know. He did a few very uhm amazing dance moves that made the concert way more than worth it. I got to experience my first concert with my closest friend. And I got a T-shirt from my first concert. (granted, it was over-priced and not the one I really wanted but hey, it was my first concert,okay. lol.)

And now, for the pictures:

His semi! It looks so cool.
Me and Whittney in our seats waiting (me, not so patiently) for the show to start.

And there he is! He really put on a good show. He was lots of fun. In the middle of one song he started laughing a little. Turns out all he could see was a sign for elephant ears and it reminded him of one of his crew members! lol.

Him again.

The front of my shirt!

The back of my shirt!

Overall, I could say my first concert was way past amazing. It was perfect. I loved it and wouldn't trade it for the world. I had a blast and will remember it for the rest of my life. What a perfect first concert: I am excited to go to more in my lifetime but no matter how awesome the rest of them are none could be as special as this.

Thank you Whittney for buying me the ticket, allowing me to go, and giving me the gift of my first concert: definitely a life moment here. Thank you so much.

Love,

I walked for Dave.

The clock hit 2:30 am and Whittney and I were still working. This was the second or third night in a row of late night working, although we hadn't surpassed 12:30 the other nights. We were both tired, the sounds of our work were the only sounds filling the room, our conversation swallowed up by the tiredness and the determination to get as much done as we could. Around 3 we made it to bed, vowing to make it up early to finish the rest.

Later that morning we made it out of bed and packed all our hard work into the car. We got it to the track and returned back to my house to finish the last details on the banner. Banner complete we walked back to the track- grumpy from lack of sleep and hot and muggy from the nasty hot weather we had. The tent was set up and in mid-decoration when the rain hit. Everything got shoved in the tent to wait it out, except someone left our banner on the grass and most of our hard work got taken with the rain. Once the rain quit it was another hour or so of redecorating and setting things up. It turned out wonderful. Then a couple laps around the track, rain pouring again but helping very little with the heat and humidity.

The storms came back later and all the hard work we had put into this was pretty much wasted since the event was canceled.

But it wasn't wasted at all. We did it all for him. We worked hard for him. We walked for him.

And thats all that mattered.

I was able to participate in the Relay for Life this year. It was so nice to feel that maybe I could help make a difference to people fighting cancer. It was so touching to see all these people out there working towards helping.

The most touching thing were the people with purple shirts. The ones with SURVIVOR written on the back. The people who fought it, or may still be fighting it. The ones we were doing this for.

I walked for Dave. His purple shirt was missing from the crowd of survivors on Saturday because he was in the hospital due to problems related to his cancer. But he is at home now, and doing much better.

I expect to see his purple survivor shirt at the relay next year where I hope the rain doesn't cancel it and where our decorated tent will be even better than this year. And where I will walk for him again.

I want a world with more birthdays. And if participating in the relay is one way I can help, I will. For Dave as well as anyone else who is battling or has battled cancer. I'll do this for you.

Love,

Over my head

This weeks theme is "Over my head" and it leaves it pretty much wide open as far as entries go as long as it incorporates something over the head.

After Taylors last ball game all the girls had a water balloon fight. They were laughing and squealing and having a blast hitting each other with the balloons. Taylor ended up getting one of the last balloons. Instead of throwing it at someone she....

...popped it right over her head. And I got the picture just in time.

Have you entered into i♥faces this week yet? If not, you should! And don't forget to check out the other entries! Just click on the logo at the top of the page.

Thanks for viewing!

Love,

Teen Week Entry

Love,

I'm a teen,

and i♥faces is having a special just for teens week. Where only teens can enter. I was so pumped.

But because I am a teen, and teens like to hang out with their friends- I missed the deadline and didn't get to enter this week.

I'm so very sad. Next time I shouldn't assume the deadline is at midnight like it usually is. I should've read it and then I would have known that the deadline was at noon. That way I did not come home expecting to enter only to realize that it is over.

So very sad. =[

I had more than one of you tell me that you were looking forward to my entry or thinking of me since its teen week and I am very sorry that I let you down. I didn't mean to, really.

This is when I would say there is always next year..but there isn't. Unless they do another by March, I will be too old to enter. It's quite sad.

But oh well. I guess it made the decision on which to enter easier. lol.

Since I can't not show you some pictures, here are the three I was debating between for the challenge.
I did a photoshoot for my neighbors about a month ago. It was a lot of fun. I was nervous though because Randi is big into photography and very good as well. I wanted to do a good enough job that she would be happy with them. The good news is- she was. And I was to. The above and below shot were from that shoot. They are my two favorites I think. Aren't they just the cutest family?
And then I have this one of Mikayla I took. I love her expression and the way it looks like she has quite the secret. It is an all natural shot to- no posing. And I love the colors as well.
Well anyways, there ya go! I am still pretty sad that I missed the challenge this week but Oh well- I was out having fun with my best friend. And in fifty years I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking back on those memories instead of wishing I would have been at home to enter the contest.

Good luck to all the teens!

Love,

Pet Week!

Over at i♥faces they are still celebrating teens with a special pet photographer as the guest judge and so they made the theme for this week be pets! Thankfully they allow any type of animal picture because my dog is really not into getting her photo taken. I merely pick up the camera and she runs. Good thing I spotted this little guy the other day. He just let me do my thing. Granted he may have been slightly frozen in place due to the huge person pointing a big black thing at him but either way I got a good shot for this week:

Say hello to Mr. Toad! I found him on our back patio and bolted upstairs to my camera so I could get his picture before my dog scared him off. Thankfully the dog did not capture him but I did with my camera instead.

Well, I hope you like my entry! Comments are much appreciated and I will try and return the favor! Want to see other great entries? Check out i♥faces by clicking the logo at the beginning of this post!

Love,

PS: My blog is back under construction for another revamping- just on the layout and header though. Have you noticed a change? Yes indeed, the pictures and posts are bigger! Yay! Thanks to Tracy from The Journey (visit her HERE) for helping me make that happen! But my old layout did not look good with the new sizes of my posts so I found a new one but now need to redo my header and everything. So bear with me- I hope to have it done soon! But what do you think??