Bike Rides

One of my very favorite things about Dylan is that he takes me out of my comfort zone. I'm not the "outdoorsy" girl. Don't get me wrong... I do love to be outside, but adventurous? No. Since I've been dating him, I've swam in more than one river, been canoeing (and even saw TWO snakes in the water, which I swore I'd never go again after that. But I really will.) We've been hiking, etc. etc. etc. But recently, we've been into riding bikes. The last bike ride we went on was ELEVEN MILES. Needless to say, I was sooo sore the next day. But we had so much fun. There is a bike trail that goes all through our town. We stopped to take pictures at the duck pond by the county hospital, and Dylan got a little silly....











Happy Saturday, friends!

Isabelle and Mady

Isabelle and Mady are two little girls that I've been babysitting for a few years now. I don't babysit them that often, but when I do it is usually and overnight kind of thing. Their parents like to take trips to get away every once in a while, and their mom says I'm the only babysitter they trust to keep their girls overnight... which makes me feel good :) The weekend before Thanksgiving I stayed with them all day Saturday and through Saturday night. This is what our day/night looked like...


This is sweet Isabelle


And Miss Mady :)


We spent most of the day outside with these girls, neighbors Emma and Brooke, creating a "city" out of side walk chalk. I taught them how to do this because it was something I did ALL the time as a kid. It is so much fun!


Isabelle in her "house" that she made.


This is Mady's "house." She is SO creative. They both are!


Take a look at Mady's cool "couch" :)

Later that night we made a HUGE mess making cupcakes decorated for Thanksgiving :)

Isabelle licked the icing off of two and declared she was finished. This is normal.





Finished product!


That night we watched The Grinch (one of my Christmas favorites) and I let them stay up a little later than their parents would have :) After I put them to bed, I tried to study except I was SO exhausted that I fell asleep on my book! Haha!
The next morning we woke up and made cinnamon rolls (out of the can :) and played with play dough until I took them to their neighbors house where they spent the next night until their mom and dad got home.

Here is our play dough creations! Mady made a "cake" I made "chocolates" and Isabelle made "cookies." I'm telling you, these girls are SO creative! That's one of my favorite things about them!


Sometimes, I love babysitting so much that I feel like I should just drop out of school and make it my career :) I'm so lucky for all the families I babysit for, and so lucky I got to spend the weekend with these two little beauties!

Hello World! I'm Back!

WOW- this has been the toughest, roughest, craziest semester of.my.life. Maybe it is because this is my last semester that my grades "count" for applying to graduate schools. Any how, I'm happy to announce

... drum roll please...

My hard work is paying off in all the grades I'm getting back :)

The "after finals" feeling is sloooowly wearing off. Sunday night after family dinner, I was preparing myself to hit the books like I normally would have. And Monday afternoon as I was leaving work, I kept thinking "Ok, what do I need to go over today..." And let me tell you, it was the weirdest feeling in the world when I remembered I'm DONE with school and I don't HAVE to study for over a month. A WHOLE MONTH, PEOPLE!! I mean, have I forgotten what it feels like to be done with finals? ha!

I've also been catching up on a WHOLE lotta sleep that was lost during finals, and also during the semester in general. Today I took a two and a half hour nap and I didn't wake up feeling like I wasted the afternoon :) I loved it. Naps on the couch are the BEST.

I've also been babysitting a lot already this week which is awesome because I actually feel like I can relax and play with the kids.
I enjoy them so much more when I don't have worries about school in the back of my mind.

In the next couple weeks, I'm excited to go Christmas shopping, prepare for Christmas with my family and with Dylan, and prepare applications for graduate schools. I'm so glad it is the Christmas Season and that I'm now able to ENJOY it!

Where Has My Life Gone?

I'll tell ya. It can be found either in a classroom, at a little table piled up with books at a local coffee shop, or in the library. That's where life has taken place for me lately. So I've taken a little blog break to only focus on studying. I took the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) yesterday and did pretty well... I suppose all the worrying/studying paid off. Surprisingly though, I did a LOT better on the math portion than I did on vocabulary. Which is amazing because I am not a math person.

I have a small 5 page paper due on Tuesday and also a final. On Friday I have a final in Neurology. And Saturday I have a final in Audiology at 8:30am and then in my English (elective) class at 4:00pm. I have a lot of work left to do... I just realized.

Don't you hate that? When you think you're kind of on top of things and then all the sudden your plate is full again?

Be back soon!

Life Lately

First of all, I have no business writing a blog post right now. But I'm just going to keep on typing and uploading pictures as if I didn't have a meeting with my advisor yesterday to try and drop my elective class because I have "too much on my plate" this semester. That's right. School has taken over my mind, my body, my heart, my soul, my appetite, and my sleep schedule. (And when I say appetite, I mean I'm living off of Sonic diet vanilla Dr.Peppers, halloween candy, and the new pumpkin frozen custard at Shakes and Andy's... both are great by the way.)

I met with my advisor yesterday because after doing my degree check a week or so ago, I found out that I have more elective classes than I needed (Which was a huge surprise. I thought I'd have to take 2 summer classes in 2011 because I was so behind.) But I'm not. I'm more than caught up. And while I do enjoy the elective class I'm in, it is just too overwhelming. Because let me tell you what else is on my "to do list" for the rest of the fall semester. Needless to say, it is too late to drop the course. So I'm stuck with being overwhelmed.

1. Obtain 3 different graduate school applications from 3 different schools and began filling them out and asking for letters of recommendation.
2. Study/make good grades in the 3 program courses I'm enrolled in.
3. Study/make good grades in my elective class... and also write a 5-6 page paper :/
4. Study EVERY DAY for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and take that on December 2nd. And I'm not complaining here... but it is on a Saturday Morning at 8 am. Pray for me.
5. Oh yeah, and get through final exams somehow.

It's just too much. And I think too much and I over analyze. I haven't been sleeping well at night. I'm EXHAUSTED by the end of the day... too exhausted to crack open a book, but I cannot shut my brain off. It took me forever to go to sleep the other night and I had a terrible headache. When I finally got to sleep I woke up at 3:45 and didn't go back to bed until 5:15-5:30. And I still had a headache. I've just got to pray about this. That's the only thing that's going to help.

Dylan and I have still been figuring each other out. We have our ups and downs but... more ups lately :) Yesterday we went on a bike ride. It was a really cool (really long) trail that practically goes through all of fayetteville. We're still figuring out how many miles we rode because we didn't go the whole way... all I know is, today my backside is SO sore. I can barely sit down. Ouch.
(I have pictures, just haven't uploaded them yet.)


A couple of weekends ago... ok, on October 15th. My cousin Austin and a few of his friends invited us to go bowling. The last time I went bowling I was on a field trip in the 5th grade. I didn't feel well during the trip and ending up puking all over my best friend on the bus ride back to school. Bowling hasn't been on my list of things to do since then. Ha.


Ugly bowling shoes!


My score = 55


Dylan's score = way over 55.


Do you watch Teen Mom on MTV? It started out as 16 And Pregnant and then they've followed these girls and their babies and some of the baby's daddies. Anyway. Maci and her ex boyfriend Ryan are on the show. They had a baby boy, Bently. Ryan isn't the nicest guy in the world, and Dylan does the BEST impression of him. And I have red hair like Maci, so it only fit to be a "teen mom" for Halloween, as awful as that sounds. So here we are at my best friend's Halloween party last Friday night. Ryan and Maci. Haha.


The next day, our friend from high school, "B," got married to a very pretty girl, Samantha. B is a country boy 100% so it only fit that the wedding was half pretty pink and half camouflage. We wanted to dress the part. So we decided to wear button up plaid shirts and jeans to their wedding. Dylan showed up to pick me up wearing his plaid shirt and a COW TIE. Yes, it had cows on it in all different patterns. Where in the WORLD did he get that?! I have no clue. But he did take it off before we left, I can promise you that. This picture shows exactly how I felt about his ensemble.


Sweet B and Samantha. I got teary eyed during the ceremony because B was GLOWING. Seriously glowing. He was so happy and it made me so happy for him. I don't really know Samantha, but she made a very beautiful bride. They're relaxing beach side as we speak. So happy for them!!


And here is a fun picture of Dylan to end on. I just want to mention, he's been very supportive, understanding, and extra sweet while I've been so stressed out lately. I'm a lucky girl, I know. :)

Sad Heart.

For the past four years, maybe five, I've babysat for a wonderful couple, Chris and Christy Murphy. Over the past year, I've watched their three little kids at LEAST once a week. I know their routine. I know their stories. I know their quirky personalities. I know where everything is in the kitchen. I know Ian hates green beans but likes carrots. Lia likes "white milk" and chocolate milk. Ali likes formula :) I taught Ali how to play Pat-a-Cake. I bought Ian play dough for his birthday at his request. I LOVE to tuck them in at night, tell them I love them, then crack their doors open with Legos and baby dolls so they can see into the hall way. I've become a part of their family. And they've become a part of mine.

Last Wednesday was my last time to make them dinner, tuck them in, and tell them I loved them before they fell asleep. Thursday afternoon I pulled up to babysit their neighbors (and my other little loves,) the Dossetts, only to find a moving truck in my (parking) spot right in the middle of the cul-de-sac.

They've been planning this move all summer. Chris is a doctor and taking a job that he's really going to love in South Carolina.

South.Carolina.

Do you know how far away that is from Arkansas?


While I'm SO happy for their family, because Chris will be happier and he will get to spend a LOT more time with his kids and wife (which he deserves-so do they) I am still SO heart broken. I didn't realize how hard it'd be until Thursday night. So hard to say goodbye. So hard to think, although I know I'll see them again someday, I won't be able to cook them our usual dinner, watch Hannah Montana at 6:30, and tuck them in at night. Things aren't going to ever be the same and it makes me SO sad.

I've been thinking about them all day. Hoping that they made it to Hilton Head. Hoping the kids will adjust in school and that Ali will transition well (she just turned 2) and love their new home. Hoping that Christy doesn't overwork herself with the unpacking, etc. and that Chris really will love his new job and all the time off he'll have to go along with it. I hope they make new life long friends there like the ones they have back here in Arkansas. And I hope they don't forget me, their first babysitter, and maybe big sister? :)

Love to the Murphy Family in their new home, South Carolina.
I'm missing you guys already!

The Birthday

It was a BEAUTIFUL day in Northwest Arkansas and I just felt like telling everyone it was my birthday. But I didn't. I just walked around with a smile on my face all day. :) I went to class, had Chick Fil A and a red velvet cupcake for lunch, back to class, then over to Dylan's house. As I was opening presents from his parents I heard the ice cream truck. So, you guessed it... I skipped my happy self outside and Dylan bought me some ice cream! I felt like a kid!







After that I finished opening gifts from Dylan's parents, and I'm so sad because I didn't get a picture of either thing they bought me! First a pair of earrings that are my birthstone, and then his mom put together a shadow box of pictures from Dylan and I on the day he left for his deployment, and the day he came back :) It was very sweet and it will be hung on a wall shortly! Love it!!

Next, I went and got my eyebrows waxed at Ulta. It was probably one of the best parts of my day ;) They did a great job, and it usually cost's $20 (plus tip) to get your eyebrows waxed there but on your birthday its FREE!! So I'm pretty sure I just started a new tradition on my birthday :) I'm also pretty sure that I'm only getting my brows waxed once a year... because $20 bucks?! Come on people!

Dylan has class on Thursday nights, and he even had a test on my birthday :( So he didn't get to come to my birthday dinner. My family took me to La Hacinda, it was my choice and its a family favorite! My mom and I split a margarita and the waitress put it into two little wine glasses. Ha. So cute. We called them "mini margs"



They have a special at this restaurant, "stuffed avocados." I eat avocados with a SPOON they're so good so this is my favorite thing to get there. They're stuffed with either chicken or beef fajita meat and rolled in ... something.. then deep fried. Two come on a plate and I can only eat one, so I took the other for Dylan to eat after class :) I'm such a nice girlfriend.




So thankful for family that celebrated my birthday with me!!

I have an aunt, Laura, who is CRAZY about taking pictures of EVVVERYTHING. So I gave her the camera knowing we'd get a few good pictures out of the night. She took this one right as we all loaded in the elevator at the restaurant. Then she got in and we all crowded her in a corner so she couldn't take anymore :)



Back at my house I opened a lot of fun gifts, including a bike that I wanted!






I was very proud of Dylan for wrapping my presents all by himself... even though they looked like it ;)




My cute little sister, Katelyn.


This is the picture taker, aka "crazy aunt laura" :) Love her.


Even though she isn't looking, this is my grandmother :) My dad snuck in the picture too!


And we ended the night with these little babies. They are DELISH!

Thanks for sticking around for the insanely long post! It was a great birthday and I couldn't possibly be more thankful for the people that surrounded me that day!