Thursday, February 5, 2009

Second Semester

so...second semester has started.
I can not believe that I am on my second semester of college!
I did not expect my class's to be so hard....they are really stressing me out right now.

Last weekend I went home and took three of my friends from MC with me (Christine, Jack and Taylor)!

Friday night: we arrived at my house just at dinner time so we unloaded the car and then I took the group out to one of my favorite restaurants Lulu's. We hung out around the gulf shores area afterwards.

Saturday: we woke up and we had to take Christine to meet her mom because she had to go home for her cousins birthday party. After we dropped off Christine...we went to a hibachi grill...one of my favorites. Next we went to the new Bass Pro Shop this was a lot of fun I had never been there before so I learned so much. I must say it is one of the coolest stores. After we left we headed back towards my family's house and went out on the boat and tried to fish, however, there are no fish out this time of year. Oh well we still had fun! When we went home it was time for dinner...my dad cooked some amazing food. That night we went to the Foley Outlet Mall and had a good time. when we arrived back at my house we started a fire and attempted to get warm.

Sunday: we meet back up with Christine and her family and eat at cracker barrel. Then we set off for our journey back to college. This was exactly what we needed to get away from the school for a weekend. That night I went to a super bowl party with some friends!

So I can only hope this semester gets easier or I get used to the hard work.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

"Christmas Break"~!

So......I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas!

This christmas with my family was quiet....there were no little ones....it was almost all the usuals. We had a great time though together. My favirote part of the day is family board games...!


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

14. NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE....

SOO....I'M AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE WHERE I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING IS GOING MY WAY...
I'VE LEARNED THROUGH MY EXPERIENCES OF MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE THAT MC IS TRUELY THE BEST FIT COLLEGE FOR ME!! I HAD THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE AT NT FORMAL IN MEMPHIS JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE.

JUST AS I WAS DRIVING BACK FROM MY TUTORS HOUSE TONIGHT IT WAS A TERRIBLY STORMY NIGHT...THE ROADS WERE WET AND EVERYONE HAD THER EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON....IT WAS A TERRIBLE DAY TO BE DRIVING ON i20 AND i55 IN JACKSON...UGH DON'T RECOMEND THESE INTERSTATES....
SO AS THIS ONE CAR DROVE PAST ME REALLY FAST MIGHT I ADD WHEN EVERY OTHER CAR WAS DRIVING CAUSIOUSLY.....
SO AS THE WATER SWOOSHED FROM THE TIRES OF THIS CAR....IT CAUSED MY CAR TO HYDROPLANE TWICE.....SO TONIGHT I LEARNED WHY IN THE DRIVERS LISCENSE MANUEL IS SO DEAD SET ON TELLING YOU NOT TO OVER CORRECT...TONIGHT THAT SAVED MY LIFE...IF I WOULD HAVE NOT OVER CORRECTED I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN HERE TODAY!

SO EVERYONE PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY WHEN ITS RAINING AND REMEMBER IF YOU DO START TO HYDROPLANE PLEASE DO NOT OVER CORRECT YOUR MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

13. "THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE"

THIS WEEKEND WAS THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE!!!

THIS WEEKEND WAS MAGIC IN MEMPHIS--AKA NT FORMAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRIDAY AFTERNOON ABOUT 3:00 I LEFT MC'S CAMPUS AND SET OFF ON MY EXCURSION TO MEMPHIS!

I ARRIVED IN MEMPHIS AROUND 6:00.....I MEET UP WITH TWO OF THE COUPLES THAT WERE IN MY SUITE AT THE REST STOP JUST BEFORE WE TURNED OFF TO INTERSTATE 240....SO I COULD FOLLOW THEM TO THE SUITE SINCE I HAD NO IDEA WHERE I WAS GOING AND I DON'T HAVE A GPS.(WHICH I HAVE ASKED FOR ONE FOR CHRISTMAS).

SOMEHOW IN THE PROCESS OF THE FOLLOWING TO THE HOTEL I GOT LOST. LUCKILY IT WAS STILL ON THE ROAD WHICH THE HOTEL WAS ON. I AM TERRIBLE WITH DIRECTIONS WHEN I CALLED MY FRIENDS AND ASKED FOR HELP THEY IMMEDIATELY HANDED THE PHONE TO THEIR DATES SO THEY COULD GIVE ME DIRECTIONS. THE FIRST THING THEY ASKED WAS WHERE I WAS SO I EXPLAINED I WAS ON POPLAR.....AND BY A BIG BUILDING. THEY SAID THAT DOES NOT HELP MUCH THERE ARE TONS OF BIG BUILDINGS ON POPLAR. THEY TOLD ME WHERE I NEEDED TO GO. APPARENTLY I HAD GONE TO FAR DOWN ON POPLAR. I FOLLOWED THE WRONG CAR WHEN I GOT A CAR LENGTH BEHIND WHEN WE PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE.

ONCE WE ALL ARRIVED AT THE SUITE. WE MEET UP WITH THE OTHER TWO COUPLES AND CHECKED INTO THE SUITE.

THAT NIGHT WE WENT TO RONDAVOU WHAT IS KNOWN AS "THE BEST BBQ YOU WILL EVER EAT" FOR DINNER. IT WAS AMAZING! AT OUR TABLE WE HAD 12 PEOPLE.(THE 7 OF US FROM MY SUITE, CORY,2 GIRLS, AND ANOTHER COUPLE) WHICH THIS MADE THE NIGHT QUITE INTERESTING WHEN THE BILL CAME. APPARENTLY WHEN YOU ARE IN A PARTY OVER 6 THE BILL HAS TO BE ALL IN ONE.SO WE WERE QUITE SURPRISED WHEN WE SAW THAT THE WILL WAS $100....WE SPENT QUITE A DEAL OF TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE COULD ALL PAY FOR THIS IN CASH....WE PULLED OUT A PEN AND DID A MATH PROBLEM WITH EVERY ONES ORDERS.....IN THE END ONE OF THE GUYS CORY PUT IT ALL ON HIS DEBIT CARD...OF COURSE WE ARE ALL GOING TO PAY HIM BACK! WE WERE SO FORTUNATE THAT HE WAS SO NICE AND WAS WILLING TO PUT THE TAB ON HIS CARD.

AFTER DINNER WE WHERE DOWN TO 10. WE DECIDED IT WOULD BE NICE TO TAKE THE TROLLEY AND SEE WHAT MEMPHIS WAS ALL ABOUT. THIS WAS AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE. APPARENTLY THE TROLLEY TAKES MANY BREAKS ON ITS VOYAGE THROUGH THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS. THIS MADE THE RIDE A LOT LONGER THAN IT WOULD NORMALLY BE. ALL OF US MADE USE OF THE TIME AND HAD A GREAT TIME....AND TOOK SOME CRAZY PICS ON THE TROLLEY. WE RODE ON THE TROLLEY UNTIL IT ARRIVED AT BEALE STREET. WE WANTED TO WALK THE STREETS AND SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE. BOY WAS THIS AN INTERESTING SIGHT. IT WAS LIKE NOTHING I HAD EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

ONCE WE HAD DONE THE WALK AND SEEN ALL OF WHAT WE WANTED TO SEE OF DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS, WE WENT BACK TO OUR CARS.

ONCE THE SEVEN OF US ARRIVED BACK AT THE HOME WOOD SUITE, THE COUPLES EXCHANGED "HAPPIES" THIS IS WHEN THE DATES EXCHANGE GIFTS TO ONE ANOTHER. I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS TRADITION. SO IT WAS QUITE INTERESTING WATCHING THE COUPLES EXCHANGE GIFTS. MY DATE TAYLOR STRINGER WAS UNABLE TO COME UP UNTIL SAT. AFTER THIS WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS AND THE GUYS WENT UP TO THEIR SUITE.

SATURDAY WHEN WE WOKE UP EVERYONE TOOK SHOWERS AND GOT DRESSED FOR THE DAY. THE FIRST THING WE DID SATURDAY WAS AT 11:00 WE WENT TO THE MEMPHIS ZOO. THE ZOO WAS THE PRETTIEST ZOO I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. IT WAS RECENTLY VOTED THE BEST ZOO IN THE "NATION" I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S THE RIGHT WORD. ALL OF US HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE ZOO AND TOOK SOME AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WILL HELP US REMEMBER OUT EXPERIENCE AT THE MEMPHIS ZOO. I ENJOYED THE ZOO SO MUCH THAT I BOUGHT A SOUVENIR: AN ADORABLE PANDA BEAR STUFF ANIMAL. I KNOW THIS MAY SOUND CHILDISH BUT I LIKE IT....ITS A WAY TO REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES THAT WE HAD. WE SPENT ALL MORNING AT THE ZOO.

AT ABOUT 1:00 OUR STOMACHS WERE GROWLING IT WAS TIME TO FIND FOOD. ON THE CAR RIDE FROM THE ZOO TO LUNCH I CALLED MY DAD'S OLD SECRETARY WHO RETIRED AND MOVED TO MEMPHIS ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO AND TOLD HER HOW I WAS IN MEMPHIS THIS WEEKEND FOR A FORMAL AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE HER IF SHE HAD TIME. SO WE ARRANGED TO MEET AT THE SUITE AND 3:30. WE WENT TO O'CHARLEY'S FOR LUNCH. OFF COURSE I ORDERED MY FAVORITE BEYOND FAVORITE THING CHICKEN QUISADILLAS!

AFTER LUNCH WE WENT TO A STORE AND BOUGHT SOME THINGS FOR ME TO MAKE FOR TAYLOR'S HAPPY! I BOUGHT HIM A RED STOCKING AND A RED BOX AND FILLED THEM WITH TEDDY GRAMS, CANDY CANES, RED GATORADE,BROWN/BLACK DRESS SOCKS, MIKE&IKE'S,ETC.

ONCE WE GOT BACK TO THE SUITE TAYLOR AND MY DAD'S SECRETARY ROSEMARY WERE WAITING IN THE PARKING LOT NEXT TO EACH OTHER...FOR ME. HE HE...SO WHEN TAYLOR WALKED UP TO THE CAR AND GAVE ME A HUGH I CALMLY TOLD HIM OH BY THE WAY YOU ARE ABOUT TO MEET MY DADS OLD SECRETARY. THE MEETING WENT VERY WELL. ALL OF MY FRIENDS WERE SUPER NICE TO HER. EVERYONE WENT INTO THE SUITE. ROSEMARY AND I VISITED FOR LIKE 30 MINUTES AND WE CAUGHT UP WITH EACH OTHERS LIFE SINCE SHE IS BASICALLY PART OF MY FAMILY. WHILE SHE WAS IN OUR SUITE I GAVE TAYLOR HIS HAPPY BECAUSE MY FRIENDS REALLY WANTED TO SEE HIS REACTION. HE LOVED IT...I THINK..HA HA. SO I GUESS IN A WAY TAYLOR HAD THE APPROVAL OF A FAMILY MEMBER BEFORE WE WENT TO FORMAL TOGETHER.

ONCE ROSEMARY LEFT...TAYLOR AND I CAUGHT UP AND WATCH THE ALABAMA FLORIDA GAME. HE GAVE ME MY HAPPY AT THIS POINT, WHICH I ABSOLUTELY LOVED. AN ADORABLE TEDDY BEAR, AN IDENTIFICATION CARD, AND A PICTURE ALBUM WITH PICTURES IN IT. WE DID NOT REALIZE HOW MUCH TIME HAD PASSED. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.I PRETTY MUCH TOLD HIM MY FAMILY HISTORY FROM A-Z. YEAH I'M A VERY TALKATIVE PERSON.WE TALKED UNTIL IT WAS ALMOST THE BEGINNING OF THE 4TH QUARTER OF THE GAME WHICH THAT WAS A BAD THING BECAUSE WE HAD TO BE DRESSED AND READY TO LEAVE FOR THE FORMAL IN AN HOUR. SO WE WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS AND GOT DRESSED.

GETTING DRESSED FOR THE FORMAL WAS SO MUCH FUN! IT WAS FUN TO SEE HOW NERVOUS THE OTHER GIRLS WERE. I WAS NOR NERVOUS BECAUSE I HAD BEEN TO FORMALS BEFORE.

ONCE EVERYONE WAS READY, OUR DATES WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS AND PICKED US UP AND WALKED US TO THE CAR.

IN MY CAR"A CHEVY EQUINOX SPORT" WAS CHRISTINE AND JUSTIN AND TAYLOR AND I. WE DROVE TO THE CADRE BUILDING WERE THE FORMAL WAS HELD. WE SEARCHED FOR A PARKING GARAGE. ONCE WE FOUND A GARAGE AND A SPOT TO PARK WE SET OFF INTO THE NIGHT IN SEARCH OF OUR FINAL DESTINATION---NT FORMAL "MAGIC IN MEMPHIS".

THE BUILDING WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. ONCE WE WALKED INTO THE DOORS THERE WAS A SIGN FOR US SAYING WHERE TO GO. WE GOT INTO THE ELEVATOR AND WENT TO THE FORMAL!!!

THE ROOM HAD A BEAUTIFUL AMBIANCE.THE TABLE WERE DECORATED SO PRETTY. EVERY SINGE DETAIL MADE THE APPEARANCE LOOK ELEGANT. NOT LONG AFTER WE ARRIVE IT WAS TIME TO EAT. AT EACH TABLE THERE WERE FOUR COUPLES. I BELIEVE I HAD THE BEST TABLE. MY BIG SIS___JACLYN HOWARD& MARK REGAN,BONNEY SPAULDING & ANDY WILSON, ABBEY KRAKE & ERIC DAVIS, CAROLINE JACKSON & TAYLOR STRINGER.

THE FOOD WAS AMAZING. WE STARTED OFF WITH OF COURSE SALAD'S. NEXT WAS CHICKEN WHICH I THINK WAS CHICKEN COURT ON BLUE, BEANS, AND POTATOES. LAST THE DESERT WAS CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE..THIS WAS A MOUTH WATERING TREAT.

AFTER WE ATE IT WAS TIME TO "PARTY" WE DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY.
ONCE THE FORMAL WAS OVER WE WALKED BACK TO THE CAR AND RETRIEVED IT. THE FUNNY THING WAS THE PARTICULAR GARAGE WE PARKED AT ONLY TAKES CORRECT CHANGE $5 TO GET OUT. YOU COULD EITHER PUT A $5 BILL IN THE MACHINE OR FIVE ONES. WE SEARCHED OUR POCKETS FRANTICALLY LOOKING FOR EXACT CHANGE. NONE OF US HAD ENOUGH. WE HAD $3..WE STILL NEEDED TO MORE. LUCKILY I HAD A BAG IN THE BACK OF MY CAR WITH A BUNCH OF RANDOM STUFF IN IT..WITHIN THE BAG I FOUND $2. YAY WE COULD GET OUT!

AFTER THE FORMAL MY SUITE MATES AND OUR DATES CHANGED CLOTHES IN A FRIENDS HOTEL ROOM DOWNTOWN IN THE HILTON HOTEL..LUCKILY I REMEMBERED BEFORE WE LEFT THE HOTEL TO GET CHANGE FOR A 20 TO PAY FOR OUR NEXT GARAGE.

THE AFTER PARTY WAS HELD AT B.B. KINGS BLUES CLUB! NONE OF US DRANK WE WENT TO LISTING TO A GOOD JAZZ BAND.
WE LEFT BEALE STREET AT 1:52.
WHEN WE GOT BACK TO THE SUITE THE GIRLS WERE READY TO GO TO BED. THE GUYS HOWEVER STAYED UP AND TALKED UNTIL 5 AM. SINCE I WAS ON THE COACH. I COULD HEAR THEM ALL NIGHT LONG, BUT NOT DESIFERE WHAT THEY WERE SATING. AT ABOUT 5 AM THEY CALMED DOWN AND GOT QUITE. I WAS NOW ABLE TO GET DESCENT NIGHTS SLEEP.

SUNDAY MORNING I GUESS ACTUALLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON WE WOKE UP AND WENT TO THE BLUE PLATE CAFE FOR BRUNCH. THE FOOD WAS ONCE AGAIN AMAZING. AFTER BRUNCH WE SET OFF ONCE AGAIN TO OUR FINAL DESTINATION....MC.

IN MY SUITE AT HOME WOOD SUITES. THERE WERE 10 OF US. RILEY&COURTNEY,HOLLY&MICHAEL, CHRISTINE&JUSTIN,JORDAN&JEREMY,ME AND TAYLOR.

THIS WEEKEND WAS JUST WHAT WE NEEDED TO GET OUR MINDS FOCUSED ON EXAMS AN AMAZING WEEKEND AWAY!!!! THERE IS ONLY ONE THING THAT COULD TOP THIS WEEKEND AND MAKE IT BETTER WOULD BE IT ALABAMA WOULD HAVE WON. OH WELL WE HAD AN AMAZING SEASON. SO roll tide roll!!!!! THERE IS ALWAYS NEXT YEAR! I TOOK AROUND 400 PICTURES."A PICTURE IS WORTH MORE THAN 1000 WORDS"-CHRISTINE "A PIC IS FOREVER"-CAJ

TAYLOR WAS AN AN AWESOME DATE!!

THIS WEEKEND WAS TRULY THE BEST WEEKEND OF MY LIFE."LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL". THANKS:TAYLOR,CHRISTINE, JUSTIN, COURTNEY,RILEY,HOLLY,MICHAEL, JORDAN AND JEREMY.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

12. Thanksgiving Break~!~!

This week has been so much fun!

I absolutely love being around family!

Tuesday night I hung out with my best friend and went to dinner; we had a good time.
 
Wednesday night I hung out with another one of my good friends and went to dinner and a movie. This evening was a great time.

Thanksgiving day my family and I went over to my cousin's house and ate lunch.
This event was a lot of fun. For the past few years the sets of families seem to have gone their separate ways and doing their own thing, but this year it was nice. We had almost everyone join and eat Thanksgiving together.

Saturday was the best day--it was the Iron Bowl. For those of you who do not know what the Iron Bowl is, it is when the Alabama and Auburn  football teams play one another. The Iron Bowl has been the biggest rivalry game for the state. I love going to watch the teams play. I went with four of my family members. Alabama won 36-0. I was excited to see the score, because Alabama has not beaten Auburn in six years. 

I hope everyone had a nice break!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

11. Weekend Wedding

This weekend I came home because my cousin got married yesterday afternoon at 2:00.

I came home after my friday class's. When I got home we went to my favirote restraunt.

It was a good to see my whole family this weekend. The wedding itself was quite beautiful!
Everyone looked gorgeous! The reception was quite simple everyone ate simple snack food. The cutting of the cake was not even announced. I had never been to a Baptist wedding before so it was interesting to see the difference in a baptist wedding and an episcopalian wedding.

After the wedding my family went over to my cousins house to meet our newest editon to the family my new cousin Marshall. It was a lot of fun meeting him. I love baby's.

This weekend was a lot of fun, I do not really want to drive back to MC to go to classes for two days but I have to. Thank goodness Thanksgiving break is almost here.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

10. My trip to tuscaloosa

Friday at 2:00 I went on a road trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama

I was going to tuscaloosa to meet my dad, sister, and nephew for the Alabama v. Mississippi State football game. I was the first of my family to arrive at the hotel. I did not have any of the information to check in so I waited in the lobby for my dad to arrive.

while I was waiting in lobby I saw some of the hotel employees putting up a red rope going acoss the side of the room. People started showing up and sitting down with me waiting this made me curious so I asked one of the men sitting down what was going on. The answer I received was the football players are about to come through. This was exciting because I had no idea that they did this. Supposidly every friday night before a home football game the Alabama players stay in this hotel and have there meetings there.

I got to see coach Nick Saban walk down and head into the room where they were going to have meetings and eat dinner. shortly after that the football players followed,they were all dressed up in suites. Most of the players went strait up to their room and put there stuff up. Some followed coach saban. I got to see the two players that I knew on a first name basis. I was able to see Cory Reamer who I had meet before and spent some time with one fourth of July. I also saw my friend Mark Barron who I graduated from high school with. It was nice to see him. He looked different than what I remembered.

After all of the excitement of seeing the players my family arrived. Once we checked in we went up to our rooms and put our stuff down. Then we ate dinner in the hotel restraunt. Once we were done eating dinner and started walking back to the elevator to go to our room, we noticed that their were more people standing behind the red rope. Once again we asked what was going on and they said, The players will be back from their movie in 30 minutes if you want to get autographs. Because my nephew had never been to an Alabama game, we waited for the players to come. when they arrived we were told that they could not give any autographs yet because they were late for a meeting, but they would be back in about 15 minutes to give autographs. So we waited again for what seemed like forever. Coach Saban was the first one to come out and give autographs. I got to meet him, and shake his hand he seemed to be a nice guy.
My nephew was able to get a few autographs from the well known players so this made him happy. I was able to have my picture taken with Cory so I was happy.

Saturday when we woke up, we went to the Bryant museum. This was alot of fun, I had never been to see it before. I enjoyed learing a little bit about Alabama football's history. We walked around the streets of tuscaloosa and went in what seemed like all the souvineer shops. It was quite a cold day and because the game was not going to be until 6:45 PM we were buying all the warm things we could get. I had to get gloves, scarf, and a hat to keep me warm. I did not want to freeze. My dad had the brilliant idea of buying a blanket to either sit on or to keep whoever was the coldest warm.

By the time the game rolled around we were all dressed in so many layers. The game was alot of fun. Alabama won 32-7. We had a little bit of weather that was not expected it rained on us for about 5 minutes on and off. It made us a little cold. I had not put my raincoat on as one of my layers because rain was not in the forcast. Well despite the rain all went well and we had a great time at the game,and in tuscaloosa as well.

Roll Tide Roll!!!