the one with hunter.

Here's a couple of shots of precious little Hunter.

 

[thanks to Lauren Kelley Mack for a couple of the edits]

the one to start off fall break.

I've been MIA.. sorry.  But Fall Break is this week & I will be updating you on my life.. including a baby shower from a couple weeks ago, my fall display for the Raleigh house,  some pictures I took of this sweet, sweet little boy, a heart-felt 5K with my sister,  & another lovely weekend at home!  :)  I would post one of them now, but first off... my camera is dead & I left my charger at home so I can't upload pictures.  Second,  I allowed myself a hour to enjoy my lovely coffee at Global while listening to a new love of mine: Norah Jones' Pandora Station -- sorry Michael Buble.. I won't cheat on you too awfully long.

These past two weeks I've been:

1.  Doing multiple fist pumps a day because of the gorgeous weather.

2.  Making more excuses to get outside.

3. Trying to get the fall inspired wardrobe in my closet.

4.  Praying for this girl & her (thankfully) growing belly.

5.  Weaning myself off creamer in my coffee.  Im sugarless now and can do straight black on days - depending on the brew.

6.  Seeing that getting up early is getting easier & easier.

7.  Craving the country:

8.  Seeing my sister is a strong woman, who is capable to do anything she sets her mind to!

9.  Drinking wayyyy too many Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

10.  Thinking about travel.  Mission trips, study abroad, weekend trips.  Also, I am desperately wanting to go on a trip with this boy (Boone, maybe?)..

11.  Loving the foxtrot in Social Dance!  Can't wait to teach my closet-dancing brother.

12.  Dealing with multiple car troubles.

13.  Wanting to Christmas Carol for Halloween.

14.  Missing those fine people who decided to give life to me.. and their other offspring!

Here's to Fall Break!  [cheers!]

(also, since it's iTunes Tuesday.. get up on that Norah Jones Pandora Station).

the one who puts the country in the cha-cha.

iTunes Tuesday, yall! :)

In social dance, we hear a lot of music.. music that you wouldn't think you dance certain dances to.  For example, my teacher & I danced the cha-cha to Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much".  At first I was a little skeptical, but my teacher is amazing & he made it so much fun!  Now it's crazy not to cha-cha to upbeat country tunes!  

So this week we are learning the foxtrot, which is so much slower than the cha-cha, but I still love it.  On behalf of new moves & music, I thought I would leave you with a few of my favorite songs to dance to...

Cha-Cha:

I Like The Way You Move - Outkast

Anything from Michael Jackson

Easy Lover - Phil Collins

Foxtrot:

The Best is Yet To Come - Frank Sinatra

How Sweet It Is - Joe Willaims

Ms. Grace - The Thymes

Happy cha-cha-ing & foxtroting! :)

the one for the week.

Happy Monday!  

Just thought I would leave you with some encouraging words for the week!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

- Matthew 11:28-30.

the one with football, food & intense cha-cha moves.

Last week I went home to see my gorgeous family.  First off, like all fall Friday nights -- we took in some high school football where my giant (6'4'') baby brother proudly wore #11. 

I also went to Sam's sister's baby shower & visited my triple babies on their birthday!

Saturday was baby day times 5. :)

Then Saturday night just blew my mind.  Mom fixed a delicious meal that the five of us enjoyed in the back yard.  :)  It was candle lit (& tree lit) with one of dad's favorite pandora stations serving as the background music in the outdoor speakers.  

At the table, we also did high's & low's.  Amazingly, all of our high's were that night.  Just being us.. doing ultimately nothing but enjoying the presence of one another.

Then, I showed my family some of my new dance moves.  I am taking Social Dance this semester as one of my PE's and I LOVE it.  I have so much fun and I love teaching people (so they can dance with me!)  I was showing them the Cha-Cha.

Hilarious but so weird.  My brother told me we were not getting into it enough.  So he was showing me how it was done.. it.was.hilarious.

I had one of the best weekends I have had in a long time.  It was wonderful and I can't wait for more nights like this!  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family who can have so much fun with one another! :)

**Pictures of the baby shower soon!

the one to tease.

I can't wait to tell you about my weekend.  It was so busy but so much fun!

Tests today & tomorrow... so no long post today :: just a photo teaser.

:)  It was a great weekend at home.  As I fry my brain.. enjoy my new song obsession:

Pearls On A Strong - Ryan Adams

(last song on the playlist)

the one to remember.

With the smell of my daddy's coffee brewing & my mom's famous breakfast stewing up.. I am watching the 9/11 memorial television broadcast.  Today, we remember.  Within a particular age range, Im sure most people could tell you what exactly they were doing when it happened.

 I was in 5th grade when a teacher came running through the door to our classroom and ran straight to our teacher.  They quickly turned on the tv that was positioned in the back of the classroom.  Before I knew it all desks were pushed to the back & all 5th grade students & teachers were piled into our classroom.  We even watched the second plane crash into the 2nd tower together.  They explained everything as it was broadcasted.   They thought it was important that we knew what was going on.  & that's what we did all day long... we only stopped for bathroom breaks & lunch.  A lot of people's parents pick up their children.. & a lot of the staff came into the classroom periodically to watch the broadcast.  It was crazy.  But I am very appreciative that those teachers allowed us to be included & understand the magnitude of it instead of leaving us in the dark of such a traumatic event.

Today, join me in remembering those who were lost & praying for the families affected.  Help me to always support this country & what it stands for.  Join me today.. in remembering.

the one with weekend update - but not with seth myers.

Get the title?  This is Weekend Update.. with Seth Myers...

SNL?  Not so much?  Well anyways, let's get to blogging.

Sorry I've been MIA this week.  I have rediscovered the art of being a college student.  && when I say art, I mean hittin' 'dem books.  

Anyways, Im back today with a photo update of my weekend.

First, I celebrated 5 years with Sam with lunch, gift exchange, & dinner.

 He also came with me to see the boys!  They ate him up.  :)

Then on Saturday, I headed to Hotlanta with some friends & their parents to watch a Tyler Perry play!  We are obsessed with Tyler Perry's plays (anything with Madea in particular).. and when we heard he was gonna be in the Atlanta - we were dead set on getting some tickets! 

This is a terrible picture.. it was taken by my iPhone.. cameras were prohibited:

But the big & tall guy, right in front of the stair well is Mr. Perry himself! :):)

Then on Sunday.. I studied biochemistry in the lonesome Raleigh house, but I got to use a neat pencil that Sam got as a free gift when he ordered one of my gifts.

Then later for supper, Sam & I enjoyed a great dinner we prepared together.  A dinner that included SpongeBob Squarepants Macaroni & Cheese.

&& Monday, on Labor Day.. I labored on this:

& celebrated it with this:

So since I didn't get to see my family this past weekend, I am headed home tomorrow!  I am so excited to see them & relax with them all weekend! :)  Happy Thursday!

the one for five years.

So I am in love with a boy & have been since I was 15.  He somehow got my parents to bend the rules of "not dating until you're sixteen" without ever speaking to them.  We stayed together after the first date even though we broke some of those "first date rules": we both planned the date (lots of people told me that was a man's thing - first.. at 16, he's still a boy, & second, geez don't be so strict), I ended up calling him my "boyfriend, sorta" to one of my friends when asked that night, & he kissed me twice.  So we broke a couple rules, but here we are today, exactly five years later -- happy as ever.

First picture of us.. ever.  [Ages 15 & 16].

One of Sam's favorites. [Ages 17& 18]

Most recent picture of us. [Ages 20 & 21].

So on behalf of our 5th dating anniversary.. 
I thought I would post my 5 favorite things about us.
(no particular order)


[one] we hold hands when we pray.
[two] we love to be outdoors & active.
[three] we both are in love with our families (& each others).
[four] we both try to protect each other's hearts at all costs.
[five] we both believe in adventure, change & the power of a good nap.


I am a very happy girl today with a full heart.  I am thankful for Sam & his encouragement throughout my walk with the Lord.  I am thankful for my parents & their support of our relationship.  I am thankful that they too fell in love at a young age (16), allowing them to believe that sometimes (when we get lucky) teenagers get it right.


I love you, Sam.  I am forever grateful for your heart & soul.  I am thankful that you have been in my life for the past 5 years.  You are a daily inspiration of all things & I pray that we continue to pursue one another's hearts.  I know the Lord has some big things in store for us & I can't wait to continue to watch our story unfold.

the one bizarre coffee order.

So in all honesty, I wasn't planning to post today. 

But I was in line of one of my favorite coffee shops a minute ago to study when my eyes stumbled across this cowboy figure that was standing in the line in front of me. Im talking tight levi's, worn boots, fat wallet in back pocket, camo t-shirt, tattered hat with fish hook on the bill.. & I thought that, my friends, is a southern boy.  

Tangent: I love to guess the coffee order drinks of the people in front of me in the line.  Im not that great at it.. but when I get it right, I get so stinkin' excited.. dweeb, I know.. but I believe it is people watching turned into productive creativity.

So I am thinking this fella is gonna get..

[one] giant class of sweet tea & a chocolate chip muffin.

[two] house blend coffee to go.. black.

[three] dark hot chocolate.

I was so curious what this one was gonna be, I knew it was gonna be one of the three...

 but finds out that home boy ordered a... [drum roll, please]

chai latte with soy milk

WHAT!?!?  You are wearing camouflage and you want a chai latte? Bizarre, right?

That drink is usually a order of the super artsy english majors or young mothers (at least from my observance).  Ah, a wave of disappointment (& confusion) washed over me.. but I quickly got over it when I received my own skinny vanilla latte with a fun leaf design in the foam.

Kind of like this one..

Ahh, bizarre morning in  the coffee shop.  Now on to biochemistry.. :)  Happy Thursday!  Expect a sweet & exciting post for tomorrow! 

the one to shag.

I beam when I see older couples happy.  I love to see them hold hands, laughing together, eating side-by-side rather than facing each other, & nothing gets me more than seeing them dance.  Seriously, most precious thing ever.  At North Hills, during the Beach Music Series you see older couples dancing the night away.  You can just see them turn into young teenagers again as they step 1-2-3-1-2-3-rock-step to a classic song.  I want that.  I want that more than anything...  to be in love with my husband after years & years marriage without ever letting our age determine how we think of each other or how we should act towards another.  I want to dance with him.. in the kitchen while we wait for chicken to finish cooking, as we get ready for work (toothbrushes in mouth & all), as we listen to music in our screened in back porch, at beach music series.. I want to dance with him.

Well the reason why I am talking about this is because we went shagging again last week.  This time, it was a million times more fun..  one reason being that we finally had partners, another reason was because it was The Embers.  We had a big ol' time.. watching older couples swing their hips to the music & us getting our hips in motion as well.  :)

Home boy's got it cocked in 2 gear doesn't he?

P.S.. Liza turned 21 at midnight after shagging.. hence the TWO-ONE.

We danced with each other before our partners got there.. & took a break because it was blazing hottttt.  We were so thirsty that we didn't even wait for one to finish their sip of water.

Once our partners got there.. we did not stop dancing.  We had the biggest time. :)

Shorty wanted me to take his picture.. so I did?

Sam is a closet dancer, yall.  I was very impressed by his ability to lead so well. :)

Okay, stop staring at the oil spots all over my face.  We were having so much fun.. we got over the sweat dripping off our bodies.  We actually took this last picture to show how much we were sweating.. haha.  We are gross little girls.

You'd think, I'd be embarrassed by that.. but seriously, we had a great time.  It was worth a sweaty shot. :)  Sadly, the Beach Music Series at North Hills is over.. but TJ's here we come!

Happy Tuesday.. 

for your iTunes Tuesday fix.. The Embers Pandora Station.. toe tapping, hip swaying, finger snapping good music.. I never have to hit the "skip" button.