The Final Stretch.

      I apologize for my lack of existence over the past ten days, but I've been a busy girl!  I've been turning in assignment after assignment, but it's so nice to see my "to do" list shrinking by the minute.  So many things have been going on, and with just two weeks of school left, things are about to get even crazier. I'll deal with that when I come to it though. Since I've last posted...

Hayley had her bridal shower! 
      It still blows my mind that one of my friends from high school is getting married in a little over a month.  If there's anyone who is ready for it though, it's her. She's already a great mom, student, friend, and everything else, so I'm sure being a good wife will be a breeze.  I can't wait for her wedding!

Are we really old enough to go to these things? Still blows my mind.

I gave my last speech in public speaking!

      I can't even tell you how happy I was when this happened.  I gave a made up Maid of Honor toast, and it was definitely my best speech yet. I managed to remember the entire thing and deliver it almost exactly like I wanted to. The best part about it is, I think I might actually come out of this class with an A. I think I see a new pair of Chaco's are in the near future!

Softball had their last home game of the season.

      Okay, so this technically won't happen until 1pm, but we're close enough.  I can't believe how quickly this season has flown by.  It's crazy to me that Alex has almost completed two seasons playing college softball and still manages to maintain her sanity (for the most part).  I'll be out of the country with no access to technology when they start the postseason, so hopefully they're still in it when I get home!

Jamaica is now 17 days away!!!!

      I'm too excited about this one.  I still find myself waking up some morning singing church songs from the Caribbean mass.  Last year's Jamaica trip was pretty much the most amazing time of my life, and I can't wait to see what this year will be like now that I know what to expect (and, hopefully, will be spending an entire ten days in Jamaica).  We have a meeting about it this afternoon, so I'm sure day dreaming about Kingston will distract me for the rest of the afternoon. Oh well!

      Like I said, I've been crazy busy with school lately. I've got my first final this week, and I've got like six huge assignments due.  On Tuesday, Stew, Brittany, and I are going to see The Fray in the French Quarter, and on Saturday, Stew's brother is getting married.  So get ready, there will actually be an interesting post in the near future! For now, I'm going to go to lunch with my parents, a softball game, and a Jamaica meeting before drowning myself in papers for the rest of the day. Later!

One More Month.

      Spring break was wonderful, but it's time to get back to the grind for four more weeks.  I have yet to do anything productive since returning from Texas on Sunday, and blogging is just about the last thing I have left to do on my procrastination list.  I'm lacking in stories about adventures I've had, so I guess I'll give you one or two of my deeply rooted wisdom nuggets today. Yay nuggets!
      I just finished reading The Faith Club for my religion class. In one section, I came across this awesomeness that Mother Teresa used to print on her "business card".

      That is like...perfect.  It's crazy how easily I was able to apply it to my life the moment I read it.  I love to take a few minutes (admittedly, those few minutes sometimes turn into lots and lots of minutes) to just sit in silence and think.  As I think, my thoughts turn to prayer. As I pray, I remember all of the blessings that God has bestowed upon me and the ones I love, and this strengthens my faith.  Through my faith, I am able to love in situations that I never thought I would be able to. This is where it gets good. With this ability to love even when it seems difficult, I'm able to serve. Specifically, I am able to serve the poorest of the poor. Through this service, I find a peace that I have never been able to find anywhere else. To this day, I have never felt more at peace and sure of God's existence than I did in Kingston last summer. As our departure date for Jamaica gets closer (29 days!), I find myself remembering last years trip more and more throughout each day.  I would leave tonight if I could! There's just really nothing like looking into the face of someone who has nothing (in terms of worldly possessions) and seeing love...and nothing more. What else do we need? I think there's a song about that. I mean seriously, when is the last time you went an entire day without stressing or worrying about something silly. I bet it's been a really, really long time. It's so hard to just sit back and enjoy what you've got when you live in a world that is always striving to be better at things that don't really matter. When friends from home comment on the fact that I've changed, I usually just answer with, "Jamaica."
      Even though I'm ready to go, there are still four weeks of school work, a wedding, a concert, a bridal shower, and so much more to experience first. I guess it's time to be a big girl and get some work done. Later!

P.S. I found this on my bedroom door when I got home, and another one like it in the kitchen. I said yes! I mean, what more does a girl want than a nice proposal and access to her husband's money? 0:)

Melanie makes a cute groomsmen, doesn't she?

Recharged.

      Gosh, I feel amazing! Exhausted and sunburnt, but amazing nonetheless.  I got to spend about five glorious days with a few of my best friends in Orange Beach, and I couldn't have asked for a better trip.  There's just nothing better than getting to escape all of your worries for a couple of days to focus on all of the blessings in your life.  I'm so used to going nonstop and stressing about every little thing, so it was refreshing to do absolutely nothing but relax in the sun for a few days.

Heaven on earth.

      There are so many things I could say about this trip, but that would take forever. I'm a sleepy girl! I'm forever grateful for the friends I've been given. We might drive each other crazy, but they understand me like no one else. We all need nights where we stay up way too late talking about life, and I was lucky enough to get more than one of those. I'm telling you God even let us know he was listening one night. A.maz.ing. Tomorrow begins round two of this spring break extravaganza, so I'm calling it a night. Later!

The Day He Died for Me.

      Today was absolutely perfect. Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to go to class and work, I woke up at lunchtime to go absolutely nowhere. Aside from having to finish some physics homework, I didn't have to do a single school-related thing today. I have to keep reminding myself that it's not actually summer yet! I got to spend the day with my family and my SIC Caroline doing nothing but chowing down on crawfish, attempting to dye eggs, riding bikes, and watching a little LSU softball. Tomorrow, I get to sped some time with my niece and nephew and hopefully hit up the Easter Vigil, my favorite mass of the year. There's just something about that paschal candle!

Forgotten eggs apparently get blisters.

      As some of you might have forgotten in the midst of your crawfish boils, today is Good Friday. It's the day that Jesus died in order for you and I to live such amazing lives. Even at 20 years old, I still find it almost impossible to comprehend. Jesus died for me? He allowed himself to be tortured to death...for me? How am I worthy of that love? What have I done with this life to deserve that? I certainly don't feel deserving of this love, yet here I am. Here I am being completely, perfectly loved. Amazing.
      I hope that you all were able to spend time with people who are truly important to you today. We are all blessed with certain people who would do anything for us. They're the people who would give up anything to make our lives better without even thinking about what that might mean for them. I found myself thinking about that so much today as I spent time with my parents in this home that they've created for us over the years. I know they've given up so much for my brother and I, and I only hope that I can be like them when I'm a parent. As goofy and annoying as they can be, they love me so much and do everything they can to make me happy. I am so blessed I can hardly stand it!
      Now, I'm going to curl up with a great, not school related book until I can't keep my eyes open anymore. I urge you to take a long, hard look at your life as this holy week goes on. Make yourself fully aware of your blessings, and thank the ones who have provided them. Later!

Home Sweet Home.

      I'm blogging tonight merely to prove to myself and to the world that I am still alive! I might feel dead, but I do indeed still have a pulse. I cannot believe I survived the insanity of the past week.  This was definitely the worst week of the semester for me, so now I can count down the days left until summer without worrying about all the work I have to do!
      I'm not sure that too many interesting things have happened in the past week, but I can think of one thing for sure. My bestest buddy in the whole wide world got her acceptance letter to nursing school! Go Stewy!!!! I was home during the day for once, and I'm so glad I got to be there when she found out. I almost cried for her! As awesome as it was, it was sad too. We haven't talked about her moving because we didn't want to jinx anything, but now that she's in, it's too real! She'll only be an hour and a half away in  New Orleans, but that's too far! It's going to be so hard to go from living with someone for a whole year (pretty much two if you count dorm life) to hardly ever getting to see them. Who is going to talk to me and read the loyal friend book to me when I can't sleep?! Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We have to grow up sometime, right? Right. Until then, we'll just have the time of our lives. :)
      I thought spring break would never get here, but after packing my bags and spending far too long in traffic, I'm finally home! My pup was so excited to see me that she was waiting in the road and jumped into the car right when I pulled up.

I swear she's smiling!

      I'm home for the next few days, and then I'll disappearing for a few days. I told myself I was going to swear off technology while I was gone, but I have a feeling there will be plenty I'll want to blog about.  Until then, I'll celebrate the Easter season with my family and friends. Like anyone else born and raised in south Louisiana, I've been craving boiled crawfish for weeks. Now I get to have it two days in a row! Tomorrow I get to spend the day dyeing eggs with my mom and making the most delicious Easter casserole known to man that I will not even attempt to spell. Since tomorrow is Good Friday and kind of a huge deal, I'll try to write up something nice for ya. Until then, I'm going to read the Hunger Games (finally!) and argue with my daddy about everything I can think of. Later!