Day 15: Something you are proud of.

I'm proud of my dad.

Day 9: A childhood memory.

When I was ten years old, my family and I went to England on my first overseas experience.  It was wonderful and part of the reason why I fell in love with traveling.  The things that I saw and did when I was there were unforgettable.  Honestly, I hope to be able to go back to study abroad within the next few years. 

I remember I was soooooo excited because my parents got me a brand new suitcase.  It was light blue and transparent.  (Not sure why that was such a thrilling idea, now that I think about it.)  You can see it sitting beside me in the picture below.  The little girl watching me read is my little sister Amy, who turned seven on that trip. 

We went to Madam Tussaud's wax museum in London.  I had never even heard of a wax museum before, so as you can imagine, I was amazed at all of the realistic sculptures of the famous people I'd always seen on TV.  There's me with President Bush.

Since we spent most of our time in London, we got the opportunity to see the changing of the guard.  I loved the guards' tall black hats. 

Stone Henge was my favorite part of the trip.  For some reason, the mystery surrounding those large stones fascinated me.  I actually wrote a fictional "novella" about it over the next few months about how Stone Henge came to be.  (Now that's a story you'd have to pay to read... pretty embarrassing.)  I think it involves some orphaned kids who get stranded and decide to build themselves shelter or something. 

I loved Stone Henge. 

One of my other favorite parts of the trip was when we went to Bath.  Not only was the ancient bath fascinating, but the countryside surrounding the area was gorgeous.  After we toured the bath, my parents sat down and talked while my little sister and I got to run around the surrounding hills and play in the greenest grass I've ever seen.  It was lovely.

We also got to see some other famous attractions in London, including Big Ben, The London Eye, The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and two broadway shows (Lion King and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).  Overall, the experience was amazing.

Day 1: A photograph you've taken.

I took this picture today with my phone from the inside of my car.

Every Tuesday and Thursday after I finish ASL class, I have an hour before my next class... so I always go to my car and sleep.  It was rainy and muggy all morning, much to my delight (rain is the best type of weather to a Texas girl).  I took my usual nap and fell asleep quickly due to the sound of rain gently falling on the roof of my car. 

I also managed to take a picture of the raindrops on my window.  For being taken by a phone, I think the quality of the image is pretty good.  I edited the picture with instagram. 

Rain is so beautiful.  Thank You, Jesus, for such a lovely gift today.

What made me laugh is that I saw so many students running from the rain today.  I saw boys with short-cropped hair, t-shirts, and jeans covering their heads with a notebook and wearing ponchos to escape the rain... while I danced and jumped and threw my hands up in the air.  By the time I entered my government class, my shirt was speckled with a thousand water spots and my jacket was soaked completely through.  I had a similar experience walking back out to my car.

The thunder has been loud today as well.  It made me jump the first time, it had been so long since I had heard a clap of thunder. 

Oh, rain.  How I love you. 

About a week ago, I got the chance to see someone I haven't seen in a very long time.  In fact, I hadn't seen this person in over two months.

She was only passing through, but we had the opportunity to eat lunch together, hug, and even take a few pictures.

I got to see Rebekah!

She had just gone to see Lecrae in concert and happened to be driving through Rebecca's and my town at the same time that Ali was visiting!  It was like old times.  All of us together again, hugging, laughing, telling inside jokes... it was like nothing had ever changed.

It was so good to see everyone.

Rebekah coming to visit was such a fantastic gift because I was sure I wouldn't see her until mid-December.  And since the last time I had seen her was August 16, that would make our time away from each other almost exactly four months!  Far, far too long for as close of friends as we are. 

We could hardly bring ourselves to say goodbye when Rebekah had to leave again.  She was on a tight schedule, so we only got about twenty minutes together.  The time was painfully short, but it was wonderful.

What was especially nice was how comfortable it was to be around Rebekah, even after two months of separation.  Not a moment passed before we were being silly and dorky around each other again.  We still fit together the same way, even if we've both changed here and there from our experiences at college.

We've been friends since we were seven years old.

I think we'll be friends forever.

(And the dorky thing probably won't ever change.)

Ali and I were sad when Rebekah drove away in her familiar car and then Rebecca also hugged Ali goodbye and drove back to her dorm.  This meant that in only thirty minutes, Ali and I would have to say farewell.

For twenty beautiful minutes, I got to see my friends together... and then just like that, we were all saying goodbye.

It just makes me all the more excited for Christmas.

If you've been reading my blog the last week, then I'm sure you probably already guessed that my friends and I got the opportunity to go to a corn maze this year after all, continuing our tradition for the fifth year in a row.  Not everyone could come this year.  Rebekah was in Houston for a big Lecrae concert and Brently was ten hours away at home, but Rebecca, Ali, and I were able to make it... and we added a brand new friend to our tradition this year!  Stephanie.

The corn maze outside of our town was about twenty minutes away.  We parked in the parking lot and were given a hayride over to the entrance of the corn maze.

This particular corn maze was very difficult.  The one back home had numbers 1-10 and a piece of paper with ten clues that led you to the eventual end of the maze... and we'd usually get lost in that one!  This maze had no clues and no numbers.

Actually, we never did find the way out.  Seriously.  We never did.  We eventually (after about two hours) find our way back to the entrance, but we never did find the exit. 

However, the night was still a blast. 

About halfway through the maze was a clearing with a large hay bale in the middle.  Rebecca and I managed to climb atop the hay bale and we stood and surveyed the maze to see if we could glimpse the exit.

No luck.

We made some great memories together and had a blast running through the dark corn maze with only our tiny flashlights and the light of the moon to help us see the way. 

Most of all, it was such a wonderful feeling to be able to continue on with a tradition that has lasted for years.  I was so worried that college would end the tradition abruptly and painfully, that we wouldn't be able to share this moment again since we live so far away from each other.  Running through the corn maze for the fifth year in the row was so much fun and such a relief.

I was able to continue a tradition with old friends and begin a tradition with a new friend who I love dearly.

The night was so much fun.

It was so special to have.

The longer I'm at college, the more I realize that being far away from home doesn't have to change everything.  A lot has changed, sure, but I still have my friendships, even if I don't get to see the same friends every day.  I can keep my traditions and definitely keep my memories.  And wherever I am in the world, I can still manage to have a wonderful, wonderful time.

And to shake things up a bit, here is a very creepy picture of Ali and myself.

Every year since we were freshmen in high school, my friends and I have gone to a corn maze in October.  There is always a fantastic corn maze about an hour outside of my hometown (and we're always sure to take hundreds of pictures from this occasion). 

One thing that depressed me extremely about being away from most of my friends this year was that we wouldn't be able to go on our annual trip to the corn maze.  After all, we went every year.

Here are some pictures from the past few years of corn mazes.

2007 (Freshman Year):

Don't get corn-victed!  We look so young here...

This was the original corn maze group: Rebekah, Rebecca, and me.  We got Ring Pops and baby pumpkins if we made up a song and sang it for the workers at the corn maze.  How fun!

2008 (Sophomore Year):

Here is our second corn maze group in this very blurry picture: Brently, Rebekah, Rebecca, Whitney, and me.

I feel like we had already changed appearance-wise so much since our freshman year of high school!

Almost every year, Rebecca and I would take a picture "hugging corn."

2009 (Junior Year):

Have we grown up at all?  Do we look any older?  I think we have! 

Unfortunately, Rebecca couldn't make it this particular year, as you can see.  This year's group was Rebekah, me, Whitney, and Brently.

We got lost a few times this year.

2010 (Senior Year):

This was the first year Ali got to join us at the corn maze because this was after we adopted her!  This year, we had such a large group (Ali, me, Brently, Michelle, Rebekah, Rebecca, and Whitney) that we split up into two teams and raced each other through the corn maze.

We gave our teams names.  My team was "The Gimps" since Ali had a hurt knee and Michelle (to the right) had a hurt ankle... and I'm not a fast runner. 

The second team was called "The Jocks" because all three of them are very athletic.

If you compare these pictures to Freshman Year, I would definitely say we've grown up quite a bit physically.  It's so weird to see how much we've changed!

And finally, the Corn Maze Adventure of 2010 led to the infamous Mud Fight that Brently and I eagerly managed to avoid by hiding in the corn for thirty minutes.

Notice the mud in Ali's teeth!

I love traditions... and our adventures through the Corn Maze is something I look forward to every single year.  Sadly, this year, only Rebecca and I live in the same town. 

How could we possibly continue our tradition with only two people?

(Part 2 to come on Thursday)

Rebecca's nineteenth birthday was on October 22.  To help celebrate her birthday, Ali came and stayed with us for the weekend!

It was good to see her face again.  Although we've managed to see each other about once or twice a month since we've left, we're still not used to spending more than a few days apart from each other.

For Rebecca's birthday, we all dressed up... and then went to the Puppy Store.  There is a store in my town that keeps about fifteen puppies at a time and the owners will let you hold them if you ask.  Every week or so, Rebecca, Stephanie, and I make trips to the Puppy Store because 1.) they're puppies and thus adorable, and 2.) I miss my puppy Jack from back home.

Ali had never even heard of the Puppy Store, so we took her with us and she got to hold a baby miniature Schnauzer.  Rebecca held a Cockapoo.  I held a little Yorkie puppy (eek!) and filled my heart with memories of my own Yorkie puppy back at home.

After our trip to the Puppy Store, we went to the nice restaurant of Rebecca's choice and sat down and spent time together, talking and laughing.

Ali had brought Rebecca a cake with her from her city of residence and it was beautiful.

The icing was fluffy and not too sugary, the inside was strawberry (with bits of chilled strawberry in the center), and yes, hte roses on top were actually real. 

Is your mouth watering yet?

The cake was lovely and absolutely delicious. 

After we ate dinner and Rebecca opened her presents, we all went to go see "The Three Musketeers" (and loved it, by the way). 

Overall, the night (and weekend) was a huge success. 

We also fulfilled a yearly tradition over the weekend, but I think I'll share that story with you on Thursday...

Today I must share with you the average conversation me and Rebekah have with each other.  Despite the fact that we attend universities four hours apart, our love for one another has not been shaken.

Yes, we do talk to each other this way.  We're girls, okay? ;)

And then of course our conversations often turn into something like this.

I miss you, Rebekah. Only a few more weeks.

As most of you know, I got to go home for my birthday weekend.  I just realized the other day that I haven't shared any pictures from that trip.  It was great.  I hadn't been home in two whole months, which is the longest I've ever been away.  I got to see my grandparents, sleep in my bed, and play with Jack for the first time in forever.  I got to eat at all of my favorite restaurants too... hooray! 

One thing I've noticed as a college student is that I've really craved all of my favorite restaurants, so it was amazing to be able to visit them all again, especially with my family.

I got a haircut, which was good.

I got birthday presents, which was fun!

I got to eat cupcakes (yum) and play boardgames with my family.

Overall, the weekend was a big success.  Check out a few pictures from my time at home.

This is a picture of my little sister Amy, my mom, and me the day I had to leave for the airport!

Me and my mom... (You can read her blog at www.optimistbychoice.blogspot.com).

This is me and my little brother Luke at Red Lobster.  Although this is not the most flattering picture of me, I still laugh at it because this pretty much describes the relationship between me and my brother.

This is me and my dad at one of my favorite restaurants on my birthday.

And of course, here is me and my precious baby Jack.  My family brought him into the airport and he was so excited to see me (and I was so excited to see him!)

It was good to be home.  Not long until December 14 (the day I get to go HOME!).

Check out this car that I saw on campus the other day.  It was absolutely covered in bumper stickers.  Sports stickers, campaign stickers, funny stickers...  There were so many that you could hardly recognize the color of this car.

I can't even imagine what got into the owner's head to make him (or her) want to blanket their car in bumper stickers.  Wow! 

Imagine what this will look like in a year.  You won't be able to see the original paint color at all.  Only bumper stickers.  Hundreds and hundreds of bumper stickers.

I'm sure it's original and attention-catching for the time being, but it also makes me wonder, how will the owner ever sell this car?  Is there anyone in the world who would ever possibly be interested in purchasing such a monstrosity? 

I mean, look at it. 

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This is a picture of Jack I took during the weekend I was home for my birthday.  I love his fluffy little face.  He'd just been groomed the day before, so his hair was cropped short, he was soft, and he smelled good. 

Every time Jack goes to the groomer, they give him a little bandana and a hair bow.  The hair bow doesn't stay on for more than a few minutes.  (Someone always takes it off because he's a boy... even though I personally think he looks adorable with it on.)  The bandana usually stays on for about two days before it finally comes off.  Buddy will keep his bandana on for a week or more, but Jack has a much wilder life than his brother does. 

That particular session, the dogs got orange hair bows and jack-o-lantern bandanas because of Halloween.  How perfect that Jack would get a "jack"-o-lantern bandana. 

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This is a cross one of my suite mates got me for my birthday.  I thought it was very sweet of her.  The main reason I'm sharing the picture here is because I like it... I think it's a pretty picture. 

I like crosses.  I think they're so pretty.  What I think is cool about that is how they used to be considered something horrible and a symbol of death.  Christ took something that symbolized death and horror and turned it into something beautiful that represented love.

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How has your week been?  Busy?  Stressful?  Relaxed?  Has something great happened or are you struggling?

Part of me is overjoyed when my family sends me pictures of Jack.  Not only is he adorable in general, but he is incredibly photogenic, so he always manages to look clever and expressive in all of his pictures.

...But then there is a part of me that aches to see him again.  I just miss the little guy so much.

Dad sent me this picture with his iPhone the other day and like always, I couldn't help but melt.

This is Jack's "PLAY WITH ME!!!!!" expression.  When he gets it into his head that he wants to play fetch, he will not think of anything else.  If my mom tries to text, Jack will put his paw on her hand to mess up her typing.  If my dad sits on the couch, Jack will sit on his arm and stare into his face and even bark softly.  When Jack wants to play, he is determined to play.

So in this picture, Jack is watching my dad expectantly as if to say, "Hello... throw the ball!"

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Another picture that made me sad was this one.  My mom sent it to me from her iPhone a few days ago with the caption, "Be jealous."  How mean is that?

These would happen to be two of my best friends from high school.  Zeek, my 6'6 super talented friend who could always bring a smile to my face (and who happened to be in town for the weekend) and Brently, my sweet and encouraging friend who used to be a missionary in Thailand.  She still lives back at home, but I haven't seen her in two months.

I miss both of them so much.

In the picture, Zeek is signing, "I love you!", which is kind of an inside joke between my friend group.

Sigh... I miss my friends.

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And as far as good news goes, I got a new air freshener!

I love car air fresheners.  I used to hate them because I'm not a big scent person.  (For example, I don't spray Febreze or anything like that in my room... and I don't like candles.)  But in my car, for some reason, I love them.  Every month, I change my air freshener, and this month, it's "Waterfall."

It smells fantastic.

I'll admit, it looks a little dorky next to my Converse shoes hanging from the mirror, but it's totally worth it.  Next month will be a Scentsy "Camu Camu" travel tin.  Yum. 

If you're already looking for stocking stuffers or little Christmas gifts for some of your friends, consider some smelly-good air fresheners.  Everyone likes their car to smell nice. 

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What is your favorite scent?

I am a big Elvis fan.  I couldn't bring my two giant Elvis posters to college (no room for them on the walls), but I did bring a couple of small pictures to hang about my room.  The other day, I was out shopping at Michael's and I came across a few Elvis gift cards packaged together for a mere dollar.  A dollar!

Obviously, I purchased them and they're now hanging from the magnetic strip on my wall, along with a clipping I took from the newspaper celebrating Elvis's seventy-fifth birthday.  A cool fact is: he actually performed a concert at my hometown a long, long time ago.  I guess my small city isn't entirely unknown after all. :)

What I like about this picture is that it makes my little Elvis decorations look so old, like I am one of his fans from the old days.  (Actually, in the old days, I probably would have been more of a secret fan because I don't much like to be around rabid fangirls.  Here, I can enjoy Elvis music (and his good looks) without being mauled by other girls who take a slight crush and turn it into obsession.

And as you can see from the corner of my calendar there, it's finally turning autumn, even here in Aggieland where the weather is much, much warmer than back home.

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This right here is what I came to school and found on campus.

Three bouncy castles.  This has to have been one of the more exciting (or at least amusing) moments of my college career.  I mean, look at that thing!  It was open for anybody. 

Stressed-out students carrying loads of books and wearing seemingly permanant frowns would drop their bags on the ground, kick off their shoes, and allow a carefree smile to return to their faces, at least for the moment.  Nobody was an adult anymore.  These things reduced stern and studious college students to giggling children.

I have no idea why they decided to put up free bouncers on the campus that day.  Perhaps it was for a specific reason.  Perhaps it was to boost the students' morale.  Perhaps it was to celebrate the fact that the semester is halfway done.  (Hooray!)

Whatever the reason, I think they should bring back the bouncers more often.

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As you can see here, Charlie the betta is doing quite well.  This picture isn't crystal-clear since it was taken by my iPhone, but you can get the idea.

I bought him a betta bulb a while back and it has sprung to life quite nicely.  Charlie seems thrilled to have a new neighbor and I often notice him ducking between the tiny leaves of the plant.  Charlie's colors are still vivid and beautiful.  Every time someone approaches his bowl, he approaches them as close as he can reach and flares like crazy.  I'm not sure if he's begging for food or initiating a challenge.  He thinks he's so tough.

Mom gave me some pretty rocks to put at the bottom of the bowl.  They add a pretty nice touch, I think.  I love the way they contrast with the red background of the bowl.

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So these are a few of the things I've been up to this last week.  What are some of the things you've been doing?

(Sorry about the picture thing again, guys.  Thanks for letting me know they weren't showing up.  I'm not sure what the glitch is.  I re-uploaded them, so hopefully they will be working now.  If they ever don't work again, please let me know. Thanks!)

Tomorrow I'm going to get to see my dogs for the first time in almost two months.

I've missed my dogs a lot.

Buddy is the white Bichon Frise at the bottom left of the picture.  Jack is the little Yorkshire Terrier in the middle.  Boo is the Boston Terrier on the far right.  I've never not lived with a dog until this month.  I'm serious.  Since I was a baby, my family has always had a dog.  It's been quite an adjustment to have to live without one... and I can't wait until I have the time, money, and housing to get one for myself.

I miss Jack most of all.  We bonded last year because I got home from school at noon every day and had plenty of alone time to spend with Jack.  I taught him tricks, watched "Lost" with him cuddled in my lap every night, and spent the afternoons blogging with Jack curled up on my shoulder. 

Jack never minded sleeping in his playpen.  Often when everyone in the house was bustling around and too busy to sit down and cuddle, Jack would wander over to his playpen and fall asleep.

When Boo gets sleepy, she goes and finds the biggest white stuffed animal in the room and stuffs it as far into her mouth as she possibly can.  Boo is very partial to white stuffed animals.  Sometimes my family and I joke that she uses them as a pacifier since she only puts them in her mouth when she is sleepy. 

That's how Boo takes naps every single day.  With a white toy stuffed into her mouth.

If you have a Boston Terrier, does he or she do this too?  Or is this strange behavior only because Boo is a very strange dog?

Buddy is the laziest out of our three dogs, but I suppose he deserves to be since he is eleven years old.  He sleeps most of the time.  About once a day, he'll decide that he's feeling kinda hyper and start running in circles around the living room.  We call this the Bichon Buzz.  After he's finished racing around the room, he'll usually start rolling around on the floor and trying to convince whoever is nearby to rub his belly.

Buddy is... an interesting, quirky dog.

Sometimes I wonder about his laziness.  Two cushions?  Really?  At least he looks comfortable. 

Yeah, I just felt like showing off my puppies today.  I'm so excited to see them tomorrow. :)

I love taking pictures of the sky.  It's always a little different and it's always beautiful.  Such a stunning creation of God.

In fact, I can't think of a time when the sky isn't pretty in Texas.  On a cloudless day, it looks like a great blue bowl.  On a day when fluffy white clouds fill the sky.  During a sunrise.  During a sunset.  At night when the stars fill the sky like spilled glitter.  During a rainstorm. 

I'm addicted to taking sky pictures.  Instagram hasn't helped this addiction of mine.  At all.  Look at those beautiful clouds. 

Even when it rains and the sky is dark and angry and gray, it's still beautiful.

Since rain is rare in these parts, when it does become rainy, I can't help but take lots of pictures.  Of the grayness of the clouds, of the wet pavement, of the shiny water droplets on my car window.  I love the rain.  I love thunder.  In the town where I'm living right now, it's rained more than I'm used to, even though I'm still in Texas.... and I LOVE IT. 

Rain, rain, how I love you.

I'm emilytheperson on instagram... but if you are planning to follow me, then beware.  I take quite a few sky pictures.

Occasionally I'll mess with them so much that you can't even tell they're the sky.

But they still are.

Yes, some this week's iPhone pictures are a little odd. 

A few days ago, Rebecca and I went to Walmart to cover a gaping hole in her car's dashboard.  Yes, somebody broke into her car and stole her stereo.  Yes, this happened near Baylor, not A&M. :)

Anyway, we went to Walmart.  Every time I go to a store, I usually insist that we visit the toy aisle.  It's just so entertaining to see what bizarre toys they're selling these days.  Two toys in particular caught my eye.  Here is the first toy.  It's supposed to be a sad-looking puppy.  I suppose sad puppies are fun to play with these days?

However, those dark, thick eyebrows and the circles under the puppy's eyes didn't do much other than scare me. 

One thing I noticed about this puppy was that it wasn't very cuddly.  It was about the size of the average stuffed animal, but it was made out of plastic.  How are you supposed to hold and comfort a plastic puppy? 

I don't know... I'm not convinced I would have ever wanted a toy that looked like this when I was a little girl.

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This next toy made me literally facepalm the moment I saw it.

A Justin Bieber doll?  Really?

And if you poke his belly, he'll even sing to you.

The doll is wearing "Real Fashion from His Performance," which is interesting.

To be honest, I would be incredibly creeped out if I knew that stores were selling little doll-versions of me that would sing if you poked their belly and that wore clothes I actually owned. 

The tag says it's from "JB Performance Collection."  I wonder if that means there are more of these dolls out there, wearing different outfits and singing different Justin Bieber songs.

I wonder if Justin Bieber has a shelf of dolls that look like him in his house. 

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This next picture is of all the mail I got the other day.  My family has been great about sending me mail at least once a week.  I usually get three or four letters a week, which has been so nice.  Every time I get a letter in the mail, my day is instantly made.  I walk down the hall, carrying my envelope or package, with a huge smile on my face.

I love mail.

The other day, I happened to get four letters in the mail.  One contained a book from my Grandma Marcia, one contained a little package and a letter from Naana, one contained a letter from my mom, and one contained a letter from Ali.

When I opened my mailbox and saw that it was stuffed with mail, I immediately thought, "Oh wow, everyone must have gotten something today.  I wonder if any of it is mine."  When I saw that it was all mine, I couldn't stop smiling. 

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Finally, these are the awesome house shoes my sister Amy brought for me when she came and visited a couple of weeks ago.  How sweet of her, right?

They look like giant sneakers.  Aggie sneakers, which makes them even better.

Yeah, I do wear them all the time. :)

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(For everyone who couldn't see the pictures today, I re-uploaded them, so hopefully the images will work this time.  Thanks for letting me know about the error!)

Attention: Rebecca and I have an announcement to make.

We may have found the "Missing Link" all the scientists keep talking about.

We were walking through Walmart when we stumbled across this Dallas Cowboys pillow pet.  We assume he's a cowboy... and he's dressed in human clothes and even has some human features... but then again, he looks so much like a monkey.  I mean, look at the fuzzy hair and the ears and the shape of his face and the nose... he seems to be right in the middle.

So there you have it, folks.  The missing link everyone has been looking for can be found at Walmart.

(Alright, alright, just kidding.  Rebecca and I both do not believe in a missing link... but if you're looking for one, I'm sure this pillow pet could be of help.)

There is something about travel that makes my heart sing.

I love the feel of climbing into a car, surrounded by bags and suitcases... or settling into an airplane seat... or checking into a hotel where everything looks and smells brand new.  I love to travel.

Even small road trips excite me.  Once my mom needed to drive an hour away to a tiny Texas town.  I went along for the ride, simply because I love the feel of travel. 

On one of our most recent college road trips, it was incredibly warm outside.  In fact, the thermometer read 116 degrees at one point, which was insane.  That's the nice thing about having a car with a good air conditioner.  You can admire the cloudless blue sky, the mesquite trees, the cacti... without feeling the agonizingly hot sun beating down on your face like a firey sledgehammer. 

Whenever we left the car to grab a bite to eat or make a pit stop, we felt that awful heat.  The sun can be a vicious tormenter.  Although summer is my favorite season, I'll admit I'm looking forward to semi-cool weather.  Autumn weather.  NOT snow.  I don't think I'll ever feel desperate enough to wish for such an awful thing as snow to fall around me.  I'll take the beating sun any day over snowfall.

When I was younger, hotel swimming pools were my favorite part of traveling.  We didn't have a pool at home until I was eleven, so getting to stay at a hotel with a pool down the hall was a source of great excitement.  In fact, my parents were careful to reserve a hotel based on whether or not it had an indoor pool.  (Outdoor pools were either always too hot outside of the water or too cold inside of the water... or both.)  The moment we arrived at the hotel, my sister and I were already begging, "Can we go swimming?  Please, please, can we swim now?" 

After a few minutes of haggling, my parents would finally sigh and allow us to put on our swimsuits.  We'd wriggle into our polka-dotted and flowery one-piece bathing suits before wrapping up in the white hotel towels and scampering down to the pool.  We'd swim and flip and dive into the water, performing trick after trick in front of Mommy and Daddy, who would either watch us wearily from the poolside or tolerate our antics while attempting to play along with us in the water. 

The best thing ever was when Daddy came in with us.  He was so big and strong that I could climb all over him and neither of us would ever sink.  Sometimes he'd throw me across the pool or put me on his shoulders and fall backwards into the warm water, which was always fun.  Whenever I jumped off the side into his arms, I knew he would catch me. 

These days, I don't swim in hotel pools.  I'm not much of a water person.  In fact, my mom doesn't even pay attention to whether or not our hotel has a pool unless we have my younger brother or sister along with us.  They still enjoy swimming.  Occasionally, however, I'll still meander down to the poolside and stick my toes into the water. 

There is something especially inviting about a hotel pool.  Good memories, perhaps.  Or a glimpse of that early childhood longing.

I love to travel.  Don't you?

I've come to discover that I love photographs of instruments.  There is something about a musical instrument that brings warmth to my heart and a smile on my face.  Not only do I love the sound instruments make and the touch of guitar strings or piano keys beneath my fingers, but I also love the look of instruments.  I love the rough edges of the strings, the dusky wood, the black and white keys of a piano.

I only brought one instrument to college, although I wish I could have brought more.  I brought along my acoustic guitar.  It rests against the far wall of my dorm room.  I think it's the prettiest part of my entire room.

When I'm feeling lonely, I can play a few simple notes and feel my heart lighten.  Music.  Sound.  Beauty.

I love the sound of the acoustic guitar.

I left my keyboard at home.  I can envision it in my mind, sitting next to my bed, waiting for my return.  Although I love piano, I've always struggled with learning how to play.  Guitar comes easier to me.  However, the next time I return home, I'll sit down on my piano bench and wipe the dust off the keys.

The music will return to me after a few minutes.  It always does.

As soon as I move into my own little apartment or home that is bigger than the small dorm room I inhabit at the moment, I'll move my keyboard and my electric guitar along with me.  I'll set them in plain view, just like they should be.  I'll admire them often, like I always do. 

Do you play any instruments?  Which instrument's sound do you find the most pleasant?

Recently, Ali and I had the opportunity to visit some cows.  My Grandma Rhonda owns several cows and since she visits them every day, they're very sweet and friendly.  One of the best parts about getting to see Grandma Rhonda's cows was that she happened to have four adorable calves.  One was only three days old when we visited.  His name was... Beef Steak. 

The reason Beef Steak was named Beef Steak is because, well, that's what he may become one day.  It's a sad fact of life, but true.  Grandma named him Beef Steak to help keep from becoming too attached.

For now, I'm content to call him Cutest Baby Cow on the Ranch.  I mean, look at those big doe eyes.

My favorite calf was a reddish color and had big ears that stuck straight out from the sides of her head.  She was very bold and if she wasn't chasing her cousins, she was tiptoeing behind Ali and me, trying to decide exact what we were.  Red (I'm actually not sure of her name, but that's what I'm calling her for now) was quite the curious little calf, always getting into things.  She seemed like a very bright and intelligent... cow.

Another baby that was a slightly older (by a few days) version of Beef Steak was BB.  She was pretty cute as well, with big doe eyes and a velvety-looking nose.  BB often relaxed on top of a dirt hill or near one of her many mothers (the calves seemed to be content with nursing every mother cow out there... so we weren't really sure who was whose).  I loved BB's dainty little ears.  She was pretty cute.

Wendell was Windy's son (I'll talk about Windy in a moment).  He was born about twice the size of a normal calf, so although he was around the same age as all of the other calves, he was much larger.  However, Wendell was also the sweetest calf there, just like his mother.  He was the only one who willingly let us pet him.  He was a soft, tan color and had big eyes.

The nicest cow of all was Windy, who would rather be petted than eat.  That's pretty impressive for a cow.  She happened to be Wendell's mother and you could tell, since they looked so much alike.  Windy tended to follow me and Ali around, nudging at our backs with her wet nose and trying to convince us to hug her neck.  I never knew a cow could be so sweet and gentle. 

(Notice Red getting into something in the picture below.)

I didn't like the black cows so much.  They mooed all the time and often head-butted each other while trying to get to some food.  The babies and Windy were much gentler.  However, Ali found a black cow friend.  She was still a youngster, only about three months old, although she was much bigger than the week-old babies. 

The cutest thing of all was when the babies would start to nurse. 

Ali and I never realized cows could be... nice.  Or motherly.  We always saw them as being, well, cows.  We were pleasantly surprised when we visited Grandma Rhonda's little ranch and saw the personalities of all her cows.  I can't speak for Ali, but I have to say... I will never look at a cow the same way again. :)

Check out a YouTube video about our day with the cows here.

And be sure to check out Ali's new blog where she shares about her journey through life with God's help, Big Hair Ali.

I take quite a few pictures with my phone... and I edit most of them with Instagram, which is one of the most entertaining and addicting iPhone apps I've ever found.  Here are a few more I've taken in the last week or two.

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I have an interesting math professor.  She seems like a nice lady, but when it comes to teaching, perhaps her style simply clashes with mine.

Something she did recently was give us a packet of about twenty or thirty pages, filled to the brim with complicated math problems.  (Math is my most difficult subject.  I'm definitely an English person.)  My professor told us on Wednesday that the packet was due on Monday and a test would be over the entire packet.

But would she teach us how to do any of the problems?  No, because they were supposedly pretty easy to figure out and she had more important things to discuss in class... things that weren't going to be on the test.  Arrghhhghghgh.... but enough complaining.  I did okay.  I spent about nine hours in tutoring and about twelve more hours working on the packet on my own and I finally managed to do most of the homework.  Luckily for me, she didn't check whether or not it was correct.

And while the test was difficult, I passed it and will be able to make some corrections to achieve an A, so I'm currently surviving math class.

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Remember the beanbag I've mentioned in previous posts?  After ten days of owning the thing, it ripped... badly.  The problem was that there was no inner lining and the stitching on the outside fabric of the bag was very weak.  The bag was already becoming squashed. 

After the ripping incident, I took that beanbag back to the store for a refund and got a similar-looking beanbag from PBTeen's website.  It was slightly more expensive than the one from Pier 1, but it's much fuller, has an inside lining and an outside lining, other colors were available, and it's much softer than the other one.

Anyway, here's my new beanbag.  It's a charcoal brown color (although this particular picture makes it look a lighter shade of brown than it is) and it's very, very, very soft.  (I'm sitting in it right now as I type these words). 

The little decorative blue pillow came from Pier 1 for about twenty dollars.  It's a nice asset to the beanbag, both to blend it into the colors of my room and to provide a place to rest my head when I curl up on the beanbag.

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To your right is a picture that I took during my first Breakaway last Tuesday.  Breakaway is a big Christian worship session that occurs once a week on the Texas A&M campus.  At times, up to ten thousand students come to worship the Lord.  It's really neat.  Ben Stuart speaks each week and he's great.  He's funny, convicting, and at times, brutally honest.  Jeff Johnson leads worship, and he's always amazing.

One of the coolest things about Breakaway is the sheer amount of people who attend.  I stood on the top balcony when I was there.  Beneath me, I could see thousands of students who had come to worship God and fellowship with other believers.  It's such an awe-inspiring experience.  Every single chair on the first two levels was filled by the time Rebecca and I arrived (and we got there about five minutes early).  It's great.  It's really great.

Although I don't have the opportunity to go to Breakaway very often, it's a great thing going on at Texas A&M and I'm so glad it's there.  I'm so glad it's popular.  And if I ever have the chance, I'll invite people who aren't Christians to go and see the body of Christ worshipping at A&M.

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And finally, here's a quick snapshot of the box I bought from Michael's.  It was very inexpensive, probably because seems to only made from black cardboard, but it was exactly what I needed.

These days, getting mail has been the highlight of my week.  I love it.  My family realizes this, so I've received quite a bit of mail lately, from my mom, Amy, Ali, Nawnie, Naana, Grandma Marcia... and each time I get a new letter or little gift, I get so excited.  Mail!  It's like a taste of home.  A taste of family.

I was getting so many letters and didn't really have anywhere to put them.  They were in my paper shelf, but that's supposed to be reserved for my blog papers only (otherwise they're scattered all over my desk).  I suggested Ali to make Mom a letter box to hold all of the letters Ali writes her for Mom's birthday... and soon after, I realized I could do something similar for myself.  I'm not an incredibly creative person when it comes to making things like arts and crafts.  Besides, black is my favorite color.  I went to Michael's, looked around, and found a "Memory Box" for about a dollar.  Easy buy... and it holds every letter I've received while I've been at college. 

Thanks for writing me, family. :)