A New Artist

I recently discovered a new (to me) artist, Brooke Fraser.  She's a singer/songwriter from New Zealand, and I really like her stuff.  I bought her entire album, "Albertine" just minutes after I heard it.  And that's saying something.

My favorite song right now is "Hymn."  I love the piano and violins.  Ah!  And it has been the prayer on my heart since I heard it.

"Hymn"

If to distant lands I scatter

If I sail to farthest seas

Would you find and firm and gather 'til I only dwell in Thee?

If I flee from greenest pastures

Would you leave to look for me?

Forfeit glory to come after

'Til I only dwell in Thee

If my heart has one ambition

If my soul one goal to seek

This my solitary vision 'til I only dwell in Thee

That I only dwell in Thee

'Til I only dwell in Thee 

Legends of the Fall

As the heat index stays somewhere around 110 degrees this August (as it does every August...I just block it out each year), I can't help but wonder if Fall is some elusive season.  Needless to say, I am ready for it.

To me, Fall means lots of things.  Namely, I get to wear tall boots again.  I am such my mother's daughter.  We love boots!  And I love finding them at Target.  I found some last weekend, and I just had to snatch them up before they ran out of my size.

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And Gap always screams "Fall" to me.  Now I'm not 100% about this outfit, but it sure looks cute on her!  It just seems like it would fit nicely on a crisp, Autumn day.  Anyone with me?

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Fall also means getting to nap on weekend afternoons while football games are on TV.  Oh, those are such good naps.

More importantly, Fall to me means friends, family and celebrations.  Like Birthday Cupcakes from Sprinkles!

And this just makes me want to go jump in a pile of leaves.  Aren't those colors stunning?

{This was two years ago in Boston when the Cousins went to visit Troy.  I loved all the leaves changing!}

While I don't mean to wish days away, I'm just ready for a bit of change.  Just sayin'.  :-)  Only a few more months and then we can welcome our two weeks of Fall around here!  Ha.

Happy Friday!  Let the weekend begin!

1 Graduation + 1 (2 Mile) Relay + 1 Pup = 2.5 days of Weekend Fun

This past Friday, Adam graduated from the Fire Academy, so that makes him an official fire fighter and paramedic now, after a year and a half of training!

{All the guys wore their Dress Blue Uniforms for graduation...so handsome!}

We celebrated all weekend long with this delicious cake that Adam's parents brought down from Iowa.  (They brought corn, too, haha.  It was seriously the prettiest corn I've ever seen.  I haven't tasted any (yet!) but it looks delicious.  Seriously...don't laugh!)

It's crazy to think that when Adam was moving down here in October 2008, I was here with these sweet friends, not knowing what life would look like after Baylor.

{Me with Katie and Smoo--Fall, 2008}

During that time, we made tons of good memories and are still close friends.  It's comforting to know that some things stay the same, and yet some things change...

Like me running a two-mile relay with Adam last Saturday!  

It was quite a challenge, and I was so nervous.  We walked up to this much larger event than my first 5k, and there were all these RUNNERS there.  (As in legit runners who've done this before.)  I was really intimidated and didn't say much at all. 

Adam ran the first and last legs of the relay, and I ran the middle part of it.  I knew it would be different than the 5k because the course was on grass and dirt, not to mention trying to run with a baton.  There were hay bales to jump over, and it was super hot.  It was hilly, too, and I ended up walking more than I anticipated.  Needless to say, I was frustrated at myself during my two miles because I walked a bit.  And I stepped in a pile of ants, too.  Oh man.

BUT, we finished, and Adam told me afterwards that I ran my two miles in 20 minutes and 30 seconds.  I was shocked!  Seriously.  (By the way...he ran his much faster!)  Apparently my nerves and frustration had quite the effect on my running ability!  

In the end, I was really glad we ran, and it was fun to do together.  :-)  And now I can say I've done a relay!  Last time, I didn't get to keep my number, but I did on Saturday!  It's the little things in life, right?

Speaking of little things...the rest of the weekend was just really relaxing and low-key.  It was so nice not having anything much planned!  I stayed at my parent's house and took care of Skippy while they were out of town.

My favorite thing is when I walk out the garage, and he usually follows me right to this spot.   He peeks his head around the corner and just sees me to the door.  Such a gentleman, that Skippy!  So ignore the laundry basket and toilet paper...welcome to our real life.  :-)  I just wanted to capture Skippy Dog and the little things he does.  Isn't he sweet??

A Scare and A Surprise

This morning certainly started out with a twist.  I went running since it's about 20 degrees cooler at 6:30 a.m. compared to running at night.  Anyone else ready for Fall??

Well, I had my iPod in, and I had turned around to come back home.  I was on a road with lots of cars and felt safe.  Until someone came up and grabbed me and wrapped me in a hug.  I screamed.  I'm sure everyone at the stoplight wasn't certain what to think.  

It was Lyndsy.  I saw her running in the neighborhood yesterday on my way to work, and then we got to run together for just a little bit today!  It was quite a treat.  Unless you count the part where she scared the living daylights out of me.  But I'll forgive her.

{In the Swiss Alps in 2009!  Lyndsy is on the left.}

When we studied abroad in Europe together, she would run every.single.morning.  Even when it was super cold (which pretty much ended up being evey day.)  The only running I did was to catch a train or two along the way.  In fact, we almost missed most of our trains by a few seconds.  Good thing I could keep up with the Baylor track star! 

She's studying pretty much all the time for Physical Therapy school, so it was an unexpected treat to get to see her this morning.  Emhpasis on the unexpected.  :-)  Who knew that I'd have to be running in order to see her!

25 Years of BSB: the 2010 Edition

This last weekend, we headed to the lake to reunite with our lifelong friends, better known as "BSB"  (Baylor Summer Bunch).  As usual, it was a blast!  There are nine families that include 18 adults and 20+ kids.  (I use the term "kids" loosely, because we're all grown up now!)

We discovered mid-trip that this was the 25th year we'd been coming together with this group of families.  That's a long time!  

Girls!

We played card games

(well, most of the girls did...I'm not a huge fan of games,

 but I would sit and chat while they played!)

We all hung out on the back porch (near the fans) and had delicious meals.  

All these girls are Baylor Bears!  And four of the five are Tri Delts.  (No pressure, Katie!)

Just goofing off--what we do best!

And we decided to add the boys to our photo shoot for this one.  I know they appreciate it...

Brotherly Love, right here.

I love me some T-Roy

Comparing muscles.  I must say the 50-something looks more toned than the 20-something!

Sunset Boat Rides with a more-than-full boat.  Good thing we can all swim!

Trips to Sonic Happy Hour! (It was this photo right here that made me realize I drive a humongous mom-mobile.  Perhaps it doesn't help my perception that I'm wearing my mom's shirt.)

Twins!

I decided that we're some of the hippest chicks around because we all have similar shoes. :-)

Sunday morning with my cousin, Anna

All the kids that were there for the whole weekend.  We are missing so many!

This weekend was such a fun time, and great to get to hang out and catch up with a smaller group.  So many flew in from all over the country (Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Florida) because they didn't want to miss out!  I've had to miss once before, and it's a sad feeling knowing everyone is together and you can't be there.  

It felt funny because so many of us are now working full-time jobs.  We are so grown up!  Instead of talking about college classes and what we did this summer, we talk about vacation days, what we do at work, and what we might want to do next.  We definitely don't get to talk about summer break!

I also felt old because I was asked my thoughts about choosing a major and about dating advice.  It seems that they should be asking for someone else's thoughts, but I guess I did the same to the girls that are just a few years older than me!  (Sad to have missed them!)

I don't have photos of this, but Troy and I got to sing Sunday morning during our worship service.  I don't usually get to do much with Troy these days, so it was quite a treat.  And I always love singing!

We also "launched" our High School graduate, Katie, and got to tell stories about her, pray for her and encourage her.  That time is always sweetest to me, and I have happy memories of my own launching not too long ago.  :-)  

All in all, it was a great weekend full of lots of laughter, fun and sweet friendships.  

2005 Was the Start of Something Good

{New roommates at a party last Winter.  It was definitely cooler than 107 degrees like today!}

It seems that I've blogged about everyone else lately except Claire.  And I LIVE with her.  My apologies, Rooms!  We moved into our cute little a-p-t at the end of October.  It was quite an ordeal to sign our lease.  The apartment folks are not the easiest to work with.  But we made it, and it's been so.much.fun.

We've had a few parties, watched a lot of Gilmore Girls, laughed a TON, cried a little, and shared lots of meals and stories.  We are definitely not short on stories. 

Claire is the in-house fashionista, and there are probably three times a week (at least) that I ask for her opinion about an outfit (even this morning), choose an accessory from her jewelry drawer, or share a shoe.  (Unfortunately, we don't wear the same size.  But there are a few shoes that work.)

She is incredibly entetaining.  I mean, who else would put on their point shoes in the kitchen to show us what it's like?  (I think this was maybe the second or third time Adam had hung out with Claire.  It was really funny.)

{In a previous life, Claire was a prima ballerina.  It makes her very graceful!}

Claire and I met our freshman year at Baylor, but not until December, despite the fact that we lived across the hall from on another.  I had asked about 20 girls to go to Salado to look at Christmas lights and shop around this little town about 45 minutes south of Waco.  It's really magical at Christmas.  (I love Christmas, by the way...)

 {This was so 2005}

Not a single person could go.  Not one.  And I was bummed.  My roommate at the time, Julia, had introduced me to Claire just a few days earlier, and we were all standing around talking.  Julia suggested that Claire come to Salado.  So we planned to head out Friday afternoon.  She showed up at my door in J Crew jeans, a button down and a bright cable knit sweater.  I was wearing a similar outfit.  (That's when cable knit sweaters were all the rage.  I look back now and think OMG, that was bright.  But I had turquoise moccasins to match, and I was coordinated, don't you know...) 

We talked the whole way there, while we shopped, and while we ate some delicious Mexican food.  Then we went to a Christmas concert at a local church we just happened upon.  It was delightful. 

We bonded SO FAST in my little Volkswagen Passat because we'd both had our little 18-year-old hearts stepped on that first semester.  We've definitely improved in the guy department over the last five years!

That Christmas, I taught Claire to get on the Tollway.  We grew up two miles from each other, and she'd never driven on this glorious road (she used Preston all the time.  So many lights!)  We fixed that right away!  And now she zips on up to school using the Tollway every morning.  Look at that. 

We made many trips to Sonic after class, labored through Spanish class at Baylor (really way too difficult for non-Spanish majors), and I began borrowing her shirts and asking for fashion advice.  Some things never change.

If something really big, dramatic or exciting happens late at night while the other is already asleep, we have this unwritten rule that it's ok to run into the room and wake the other person up.  It's happened.  And it's usually really fun stuff.  And always worth getting woken up for. 

This is the first time I've ever lived with just one other person (unless you count the dorm, which I don't, because you have 600 of your closest friends right there), and it's been a blast.  Here's to lots more adventures!

{At the Rodeo this Summer}

Claire, I'm so grateful for our friendship and our fun little lives we get to live together right now.  You are a dear friend and a great roomie! I love to see how the Lord has orchestrated our friendship.  It's amazing to see how much we have grown as individuals these last five years, and I'm grateful that we got to share college together, witness the awkward I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-my-graduated-self moments, and now experience life in the working world.  Thanks for being such a fun, sweet addition to life!

And forget not...

At work recently, I've been coming up with a proposal for a potential sponsor.  Part of the deal is that we say, "Ok, you donate X amount of money, and in exchange, we'll put your logo up all over everything we print, and you can hang banners and be recognized from the stage the day of our event, etc."  These benefits are part of the deal of being a sponsor. 

I keep typing and talking about benefits at work, and I can't help but think of this verse that I ran across lately in Psalm 103 that says forget not all his benefits. 

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psalm 103:1-5

To me the best part of God's benefits is that we don't have to do anything to earn them.  He's not asking us for $25,000 in return for being forgiven or redeemed.  Thank goodness!  And I can't help but be so thankful and want to praise him for all that he's given us.  So let's not forget his benefits this Monday.  :-)