the sip

I am about to go crazy....just sitting in class, waiting on 3:20 to get here. (i still have 30 min to go, Lord help me!) All i can think about is being in Mississippi in just a few hours--5 to be exact. Mom and Dad are picking me up (thanks, mom!) and we're going to hang out and wait for E's plane to get in like an hour later. Then we are going STRAIGHT to Bops! I can't wait to get a large bop's favorite with cookie dough...my favorite! Erik is equally obsessed with Bops- but he has yet to find a favorite...maybe we will find him one this weekend. I am planning on eating it at least twice a day. don't judge me. 

I also can't wait to see Harris/Louis and Carley/Cole....we have a big triple date planned all day tomorrow. John's Grocery and Dudy Noble Field, here we come. This weekend will the first time we have all been together with our significant others- we've been planning out our lives together since high school, so I guess this weekend will be the "test" of how well we all get along. I'm not too worried about it....I just hope the guys can get a few words in with us three around! I also get to see all my high school girlfriends who are coming into town for the weekend- girls, get ready for some fun Saturday night!! 

Also, we are going to shoot Skeet tomorrow morning- my dad just got his new skeet shooter in and is ready to try it out. We should probably all pray for Erik. just kidding, him and my dad are pals now...I don't *think* there will be any wedding crashers-type "hunting" going on. But just in case..it may not a bad idea to say a prayer or two. ;) 

needless to say, i am PUMPED about going back home for the weekend. Ice Cream, Baseball, BBRs, Skeet Shooting, and Southern Accents= heavenly.

me again.

i am on a blogging KICK lately! i love it. the only bad part is trying to think of good titles for my posts, without being too cheesy or generic. maybe i will just stop putting titles. anywho, on to more important things. here are a few things going on in my life right now that i feel i should tell you about:

1.  i started this bible study with my law girls this week. we're doing the online plan, where we read like 2-3 chapters per week and come together once a week and talk it over. Most of us didnt realize just how insecure we really are until we started this, but we are all loving it so far. [Let me just say, every girl out there should be reading this book....seriously, this is a massive struggle for ALL girls!]






2.  i also just started doing Pilates! i've only been to one class so far, but i am going again today after class. it is soo relaxing--it's in a very calm-feeling room in my gym and the teacher is super chill and soft spoken. (they would never let me be a pilates teacher. but whatever, i suck at it anyway.) it's actually a pretty intense workout--all core exercises and conditioning. i hope i start seeing some results, but even if i don't i will most likely still go just for a little r&r during the week. i should probably invest in a yoga mat too- i used the ones they provide last time, but i always feel yucky after laying my face on it.

not me. and for the record: i despise that stretch/move.

3. i cant pay attention in school this week because all i can think about is getting to sit in this little piece of heaven this weekend with a very special friend:

and i get to lay my head down here:

change of profession

screw law school.....i'm going to be a flight attendant. heck, i probably know how to do their job better than they do these days. 

who wouldn't want to be a stewardess with outfits like those?!

this weekend begins yet another crazy spell of flying (remember my 12 airport visits in the month of December?) only this time it is all happening in ONE week!! Beginning on Friday afternoon, I will fly from Norfolk to Jackson--w/ a nice little layover in the ATL, an airport that absolutely DESPISE. Don't get me started. After spending the weekend in Starkville (i'm sure i will blog more about that later this week), me and E will fly back to Austin together (w/ a layover in DFW- Erik's favorite airport...I have yet to figure out what is so great about it). I am spending the next day hanging out with his mom before flying to Houston (flight #5 if you haven't been keeping count) to stay with Bo and Em for a few days. Erik is getting into H-town thursday night, just in time to fly out Friday morning for CALIFORNIA! (don't you worry, there is a layover involved in that flight somewhere- not even sure where at the moment). After spending the weekend in Redding, we will fly BACK to Houston and spend the night again with Bo/Em. I fly out from there the next morning, making it back to Va Beach just in time for Con Law on Monday afternoon (which is where i am at the moment...I am obviously learning a ton in this class). So for those of you that aren't as good at math and/or werent really paying attention, that is 6 separate airport securities I will rush through, 11 planes that i will ask for some peanuts and a diet co...errr...water on, and 17 total airplane touch-downs I will be making.....IN ONE FREAKING WEEK!!! ridiculous...but so worth it. (PS if you have stock in either southwest or american airlines, you should be set for life...don't sell. and you're welcome.)

speaking of traveling, i am trying to find a new bag to travel with as a carry-on (to carry a couple books, my laptop, etc. on the plane) Any suggestions? It needs to be easy to carry, big/small enough to hold a mac, and super cute of course. 

these are a few of my favorite things...

i may be a complete idiot and/or failure, but i have decided to give up TWO things for Lent this year, to make up for the lack of discipline i have shown in the past few years for Lent. I feel like I am a much more disciplined person these days- you kind of have to be when you are a full-time student, have 2 jobs, involved in a youth ministry, try to maintain and strengthen a long distance relationship, and still try to fit some time in there to work out! So that is why I have decided to give up two of the things i love most in the world....

1.

and

2.

I have tried and miserably failed at giving up diet coke for Lent for the past two years. I used to drink 2-3 a day, so it was doomed for failure from day one. However, I have decreased my diet coke (and soft drinks in general) intake to around 3 or 4 per week, so I am pretty confident I can do this now. As for the bread, that may be a different story. I go to Panera a few times a week to study, and I get soup and salad every single time. Of course with the meal comes a nice, warm french baguette to dip into my creamy tomato soup...my stomach is growling just thinking about it. It has become without a doubt one of my favorite meals. SOOO.....this is going to be a challenge to either: find something on the menu that doesnt require bread as an option (panera is a bakery, so that should be easy...NOT), or skip out on Panera all together. Since it's freezing outside right now, and Panera not only has a fireplace in every store but also free wi-fi, it doesnt look like I will taking option #2 anytime soon. Im gonna be doing alot of praying at the cash register it looks like...I'll keep you informed on how it is going. It's only 39 more days....I can so do this. right!?

be my valentine.

well, i guess there really is a first time for everything. This year has held many 'firsts' for me, with regard to Erik....as my first "serious" relationship, he's first boy I've ever said "I love you" to (more importantly, the first boy i have ever really loved!)....and yes, my FIRST EVER Valentine! For the past 23 years (or at least since i realized what V-day was really all about), I have proudly celebrated "Singles Awareness Day"instead and secretly despised any and every couple that stood within even an arms length of each other. One year in college, me and my roommate dressed in all black the entire day to protest the stupidity of the holiday. Too dramatic? We sure didn't think so. And it's not like I never dated anyone all those years- I just somehow managed to NOT be dating anyone during the month of February I guess. I would like to say it was just coincidence that it happened that way, but the truth is, I've never been able to stand mushiness and I run as far and fast as I can at the first sight of it. Hence the reason I have probably subconsciously made sure to be mush-free on February 14th each year. Until this year. I have had to make Erik tone down his mushiness ALOT since we started dating (which most of you probably would not even consider mushy things at all, Im just SO anti-romantic), so I had no idea what I was in for this past weekend. He must have caught on fast, because our Valentine's day was PERFECT, and better than I could have ever imagined my first Valentine's day being.

We started the weekend with all of our friends at a hole-in-the-wall Kareoke bar Friday night that we had discovered our 1L year. I will shamelessly admit, me and Erik were a HUGE HIT with our many duets (mainly b/c erik was hamming it up....as usual), AND we kicked everyone's butt in pool. Overall, a very successful night.

Our official Valentine's celebration actually began on Saturday. Since the very first time Erik came to see me, we have continued a tradition of going to eat breakfast at different restaurants all over Va Beach (there are tons) each morning throughout the weekends. Knowing that one of Erik's favorite restaurants is the Cracker Barrel, I found one near Virginia Beach and took him there for a late breakfast. We had planned to drive to Norfolk and go to a movie at a little indie venue, but it started snowing during breakfast so we decided to skip the drive and watch the Olympics at home instead. We came back to the lodge, built a fort (yes, a fort. it was an awesome idea. pictures to come soon.) and watched TV all afternoon. Well, Erik watched TV- he is obsessed with the Olympics....I mostly just napped. That night, we cooked dinner together, using my mom's homemade chicken spaghetti recipe. We cooked enough to feed a small army, but it tasted AMAZING! We also exchanged presents that night because he couldnt wait any longer- he gave me a freaking michael kors watch....I have only taken it off twice (to shower) since i got it. I'm that in love with it. Mostly because it makes me think of him every time i look at it. :) 

is that thing fine or what?!

On Sunday, we went to our usual pre-church breakfast joint- best breakfast in Virginia Beach and right next to church...how convenient. We spent the afternoon watching (more) Olympics and hanging out, and then went to a special service at church that night about relationships/marriage. We both agreed that it was one of the best part of our weekend---we heard some much needed advice/wisdom from some couples in our church that have been doing life together for a REALLY long time! After church, E took me to Buffalo Wild Wings (so romantic, i know) and our friends Sarah and Gabe met up with us there and we all hung out for a long time discussing law, friendships, the future, and life in general. I love that we have such good friends-both in VA and TX- who live and love life the way we do! 

Erik got to stay one more day than he normally does, since Monday was President's Day and he was off work---we spent it doing homework together. Ah, the life of law students. I cant wait to live in Texas so that i can sit next to him everyday and do homework!! 

winter blues

so apparently Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow last week, meaning we are in for six more weeks of winter. what a lame groundhog. who appointed him the king groundhog anyway?? however, i did hear that several other groundhogs around the world did NOT see their shadow....which if they are right, means we dont have that much longer for winter after all! i am personally going with the majority vote here, and telling p.phil to stay in his little hole where he belongs.

i am bitter about winter- can you tell? it has snowed the past two weekends in virginia beach. not the blink-and-you-miss-it kind of snow either- i'm talking DEEP snow. At first I was loving it- although i was in Texas (w/ erik- who by the way is doing GREAT recovering from surgery!!) when the big snow storm hit, i got home just in time to see EVERYTHING covered in pretty white snow...and i mean everything. James and Ryan wouldn't let me drive my car on the icy roads of course, so they came to the airport that Sunday to pick me up (complete w/ cowboy hats, boots and all- since they figured i would be sad that i had to leave Texas) and I was ushered back to the Lodge to stay the night "in safety" (like there were snow monsters outside or something?!?) but I didnt complain- i was tired and COLD and in no mood to argue with them. Class got cancelled the next day and my Office shut down (Va seriously shuts down at the first sight of a snow flake- just like Mississippi, so I'm totally used to it), so I was at least able to take advantage of the snow problem that seemed to be halting life all over Virginia. However, after about a day of laying around and staring at the snow, I started going stir-crazy. I couldnt drive anywhere because of the roads, and all i wanted was to shower in my own bathroom and get some sweatpants from my house. I finally got to go home the next day when the roads were cleared a little, and from that point on, i was SO OVER the snow. However, the snow was obviously not over me yet, and paid a visit AGAIN this past weekend while me and Katie were in the middle of a drive to Newport News to look for wedding dresses (for her, not me...dont worry). I won't even admit that it was really pretty coming down, because when I think about that, I immediately remember the biting cold that the pretty snow brought with it and just want to cringe. 

some pics:

my snow-covered beach. (ok i will admit, this was pretty)

the lodge monday morning.

front yard.

large snow mound...these were ALL over the place!

my car after the 2nd snow- only a couple hours into it! yuck!

I just cant believe I live in a BEACH TOWN, yet it wont stop snowing! there is something just wrong about that, don't you think?! I am so ready for Spring. I can already imagine it---riding down the boardwalk on beach cruisers, eating on the open porch at Doc Taylor's, wearing linen and seersucker on a regular basis, making MULTIPLE trips to Mississippi....oh, how I hope you are wrong about more winter, p.phil!