F

F is for FACEBOOK

duh.




I seriously don't know what I spent all of my time and energy on before this beautiful invention. Discovered in the early spring of my freshman year, I have seen facebook grow in leaps and bounds in what if offers the mindless college student in entertainment and voyeurism. We have gone from the primitive grey walls where you had no idea who wrote what unless they signed their name to their post and anyone could go in and erase your whole wall at once...remember those crazy things we would post to each other, Harris? Messages from "Mr. Belding" and other has-been celebrities appearing on our walls. wow. Moving on over the years to photo albums, personalized walls complete with a mini picture on each post, the stalker-feed, and multiple opportunities to appear cool by listing the number of photos and friends one has posted below their not-so realistic looking profile pic. Man, that facebook team really knows how to lure 'em in. Despite the slight sarcasm in the sentence above, I really do love the fact that I can easily keep up with my friends that do not live near me and also maintain certain friendships with semi-friends...you know, the ones that a phone conversation would be SUPER awkward to have with, but a nice wall post or FB message is just the right amount of communication. Not only do I love FB for the virtual friendships, but how about the new bumper sticker application?! LOVE IT.

I wish I would have kept a log of the amount of time I have spent on "the book" over the years...actually, it would probably just depress me if I actually realized how much of my life has been pointlessly wasted by browsing my recently updated friend list in search of "relationship status" changes and newly posted photo albums. I am actually deliberating getting off facebook for a few weeks...at least until finals are over so that I can actually concentrate on schoolwork whenever my computer is turned on (it is my homepage, after all). But then I think of all the wall posts, messages, photo tags, and POKES I will possibly miss out on...and any notion of self-discipline immediately flies out the window. Maybe Law School will strike the final blow in defeating my facebook addiction...but until then....FACEBOOK ME (and stick me with a bumper sticker, virtual friend!)

E

E is for EASY SEMESTER!
until now.

yes, that is right...i have had the easiest semester of college this spring, and I feel fully justified in that. I spread out my core and political science classes over the years so that i wouldn't have to have ALL political science classes during a single semester...because that would just be torture with all those papers and research. This semester, I am only taking 12 hours (I also only had to take 12 hours last semester because of my summer internship counting during the fall..THANKS BOSS!) and I don't think I have even picked up a book in 2 of them. The other two have required a little bit more effort, but I have enjoyed the work so it makes it not nearly as bad. HOWEVER, because of the seemingly "easiness" of my semester, I have procrastinated WAY longer than usual to get my final projects and papers finished. I have a 15 page paper due on Thursday (have I even started? Of course not.), another 15 pager due next Thursday...once again, haven't started...and a final brief,2 final exams, and a take-home final due the week of finals. YIKES. Thank goodness its all just at the end though, because I sure loved all those days of NOTHING this semester that I used to just hang out.

D

i have several d's. that is what happens when i go for days without blogging and continuously thinking about what i should blog about. the STRANGE thing about all of the D's that i could think of is that they are all actually DC's. You will see what I mean at the end.

1. DIET COKE.

If you have been reading my blog for the past few months, you know that I LOVE diet coke and that I gave it up for Lent. Not gonna lie...it made me feel ALOT better not drinking it. In knowing that, WHHYYY do I still love and crave a diet coke every morning, noon, and night? I really think it is all pyschological. I must have had some really good memories with Diet Coke over the years and I just cant bring myself to say good-bye. Although I went on a DC rampage immediately following Lent, I have actually not been drinking as many as I was pre-lent era. I try to only drink one a day, and I make sure to savor every drop.

2. DC (literally)

I lived in Washington, DC, all last summer, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I lived with two amazing girls at Georgetown Law (in the dorms on the Hill) along with the rest of the 30 or so Mississippi State and Ole Miss interns. GOOD times. I spent my weekdays in Dirksen Senate Office building from 9-6, with extended lunch breaks almost every day on the Hill. The weekends consisted of lots of sleeping, sight-seeing (with friends that came to visit throughout the summer), and eating HUGE brunches and dinners before going out in Georgetown or Adams Morgan (my personal favorite...PEYOTE kareoke, what what) I don't have the time or energy to even begin to talk about the number and quality of restaurants in DC, both on the Hill and off, but I am certain that I would have gained about 20 pounds that summer had I not had to walk to work and all around the Capitol everyday. I am the most obsessed with the fast-paced atmosphere around the Hill (where the Capitol is and all of the Senate and House offices are located) and I would LOVE to move back to DC after I finish Law School to work. If you plan on taking a trip to the nation's capitol city anytime soon, let me make your itinerary. I want you to love it as much as I do.

3. DC Talk!I know, this is random...but this weekend on our way home from Arkansas, me and the girls I rode there with broke out some old DC Talk songs...What if I stumble, In the Light, Jesus Freak...you know the songs...classics. I had forgotten all about the boys until last fall, when one of the members of the band (Kevin, I think?) came to State for a gospel service with Johnny Cash's sister during the Johnny Cash "Flower Pickin' Festival" in Starkville. He sang "In the Light" by himself, which was good, but it made me miss the rest of the band. Man, I LOVED them. I acutally saw them two years in a row when I was in junior high. Those were the good ole' days. (no, not really). I plan to rummage through my closet at home next time I go there and dig out some of my old CD's. Get ready for a Jam Session.

Delayed...

no, my D is NOT for "delayed"...I have a much better D than that. BUT...due to the fact that I was supposed to be on the road OVER an hour ago headed to Camp for Top Staff Orientation this weekend, I cannot give my D what it deserves today....I will be back Sunday...with plenty of stories and a fabulous D word. In the words of Lee Thorne, a once faithful blog reader..."Y'all be good."

The 3 C's

this game is taking over my life...i spent the whole day yesterday trying to decide what my C's would be. I have three, and I love them all equally. So I'm putting all three. deal with it.

C is for...CAMP OZARK

I think everyone is well aware of my LOVE for this place. I have worked as a counselor at Camp Ozark for the past two summers, and I will be going back in May for one last summer before I move to VA. Not only do I get paid to hang out with some amazing kids everyday, but I also have THE BEST possible job at camp....LAKE CREW. That's right...me and 12 other RIDICULOUSLY awesome counselors are in charge of the Lake Program at Camp Ozark, which is on Lake Ouachita (about a 20 min. drive from the actual camp). I spend most of my summer days driving boats and teaching skiing and wakeboarding, and occasionally we will all switch up duties and I will take kids out on the lake sailing. Ahhh...life is SO good there!! I can honestly say that my FAVORITE memories in the entire world come from camp and being on the Lake. The best part of Lake Crew is definitely the Lake Crew...we are all super close because we spend so much time together away from camp, and we spend almost as many nights at the Lake with each other that we do at camp with our cabins. I am going back this summer as Top Staff, so I will basically be responsible for the Lake Program and for all of the new Lake Crew members. Some of my BEST LC friends are coming back this summer, and it is taking everything in me to not think about it all the time and actually focus on school and trying to graduate!

C is also for CRUSADE

I have become really involved in Campus Crusade this year...I was pretty active my freshman year, but everyone I went with either graduated or just stopped going, and of course I don't normally do things by myself...so I faded out too. Then last semester, I started going again with Peyton Hill and Rachael Kirk (both BALLERS) and found out about a conference over New Years in Atlanta that Crusade sponsors. I was looking for something a little less rowdy to do for New Years this year, so I ended up going with some friends. I talked about it in one of my first blog posts, actually...It was amazing. But that is not the point. The point is, because I went to Atlanta and met Kevin and Missy (the Directors) and some other people involved in Crusade at State, I began to get really involved too. Me, my friends Peyton, Matthew Kimbrough, and Lindsay Bean all started a Crusade co-ed Bible Study called "The Way" this semester, and I LOVE our big group!! Crusade has meant and done more for me spiritually in this one year than anything else in my life to this day. and THAT is why Cru is worthy of recognition in the Alphabet game.

the last C....CHIPOTLE!!

Ahh...Chipotle. I can't even find words to describe my OBSESSION with this restaurant. I first found Chipotle in DC when I lived there last summer, and me and my friend Anne would eat there every week, sometimes more than once a week. If you live near a Chipotle and don't eat there on a regular basis...well, shame on you. I cannot stand it when people try to compare it to Moe's either. WAY BETTER. I mean, I guess it is the same concept of Moe's, but the free-range meat, fresh toppings and various flavors of salsa make Chipotle everything that Moe's wishes it was. To try to describe my love for this place, I will tell you that I drive at least once a month to Tuscaloosa just to eat at the nearest restaurant...I am actually planning a trip for next week. Mesquite grilled chicken, spicy corn, lettuce, sour cream, steamed rice, mozerella cheese all wrapped in a warm steamed wrap...mmmmmm. (i won't mention how many calories are in each burritto..it hurts too much to think about it)

B

**just to clarify how serious i was about taking advantage of my balcony in the previous post, i would like you to know that i am writing this post while sitting out here (and skipping class to do so...it's Spring and beautiful outside, I couldn't help it)**

i have two B's today. is that ok?

B is for BESTIES!

(Besties=Best Friends). I have more BEST friends than anyone in the world, I am pretty sure. My "besties" always joke with me that they don't think the title means very much since I say it about so many people, but I honestly REALLY do feel like everyone I say it about has attained BFF status. I can't help it- I bond with people VERY easily. Sometimes that can be a flaw, because I am also way too trusting of people too soon, but my theory is...life is to short to NOT get close to people you like. I have to give a shout out to my NEWEST bestie, BALEIGH, because a) she asked me to and b) her name starts with a B! I love this girl ALOT...she can see God in absolutely EVERYTHING...what an encouragement. I would love to give shout-outs to everyone of my BFFs individually, but I don't want to leave anyone out on accident, so I will shout-out by states...my two besties in TEXAS, one in ALABAMA, and five in MISSISSIPPI. you know who you are. (well, you better.)

the other B is for BOPS!

that's right. The best ice-cream...excuse me, FROZEN CUSTARD store in all the land. I remember my senior year in high school when my parents told me and my brothers that they would be opening their very own Bops in Starkville that fall. I freaked out....I was, and still am, OBSESSED with Bops. Whenever I hear the words "comfort food", I immediately get a craving for a Bops favorite with cookie dough. or maybe some warm apple crisp with custard. Or do I want chocolate with sprinkles?? SO MANY CHOICES. Imagine getting it for FREE too...let's just say I need to work out ALOT more than I do to burn that stuff off. But there is good news...We have SPLENDA custard now, and I just happen to LOVE splenda! It's really not bad at all...when I remember it, I always get it. I love taking my friends to Bops because it is a way that I can do something nice for them without having to spend money (that I obviously don't have as a college student) and I don't think they mind too much either.

Some of my favorite Bops combinations:

Custard with Strawberry and Cheesecake (called a "Sorority Girl")
Chocolate Flakes and Coconut (my CURRENT favorite..thanks Harris!)
Vanilla with Oreo and Sour Gummi Worms (Dirt and Worms)
Peanut Butter and M&M Concrete
SNO CREME sno cone with condensed milk on top
APPLE CRISP or Blackberry Cobbler (esp. on a cold night)

I could go on and on, but then I might break down and have to leave my balcony to go get some..and I just don't feel like getting up right now.

The Alphabet Game

I have been considering doing this game for a while but wasn't sure if I was a committed enough blogger to do this 26 days in a row...so we may only make it to B or C. But I have a good A, so I guess you gotta start somewhere. (Not like I don't talk about things I love on a daily basis on my blog, but I guess this is just a more formalized way to do it and to give me stuff to blog about)

A is for A1 University Drive!

This is the address of my house in the Cotton District of Starkville. Known for short as A1. Anyone who has spent time at our cute little 3-story house knows the greatness that comes with the huge balcony, cozy living room, great location, and fun neighbors. We are in walking distance to campus, the tanning bed, my two favorite restaurants (Bulldog Deli and the Grill!), and we live smack in the middle of a big area of nightlife in Starkville (not that there are THAT many areas of nightlife in this town at all...but still, the Cotton District is one of the best). One of my favorite things to do is sit on my balcony on a pretty day (see picture to left...that is NOT an example of a pretty day, but it's all i could find) and read or hang out there at night and watch all of the drunk people *attempting* to walk home from the bar...I wish I could remember all of the hilarious conversations/fights we have heard on those nights of watching all of this to re-tell. I will only be living there for a few more weeks, which definitely depresses me...but I plan on fully utilizing that balcony as much as possible until May 1st. Two other great things about A1 are my roommates, Jennifer and Mary Annette. We are all three completely different in pretty much every way, but they are both REALLY good at listening/giving advice and putting up with me throwing my stuff ALL over the house. God has blessed me EVERY year of college with amazing roommates, and these girls are no exception!

A1, during campaign season

our COZY living room