From one Texan to another

Keep your eyes out for 17-year-old Amarillo girl, Haley! Her dad posted this video in hopes of someone recognizing her or her car!

Only Two and a Half Months...

Well it only took me a two and half months to get a new post up... And so much has happened since then!

Fall semester ended, and before it did: I got inducted into Aggie Sisters for Christ at A&M, which is like a non-selective, Christian sorority. And I applied and got the position as a New Girl leader where I will lead other girls so they can get inducted too! ASC has been such a blessing to me this semester. I've met so many girls, but more than that I've gotten to witness how God is working in other girls' lives! I can honestly say I've found my place in college and I'm excited to see where else it leads me... starting with praying for, encouraging and loving on girls who are craving something beyond the average college life - Jesus Christ.

Non-school wise: I got a new camera! I've got lots of good things to say about Best Buy black tie warranty! I sent in my old Nikon d60 (2.5 years old) to have a few things fixed and got store credit to get a (wait for it, wait for it!) a Nikon d3100! Which basically sums up to more megapixels, HD video and I can view through my LCD screen instead of just my viewfinder! 

Family wise: I've gotten to spend Thanksgiving and now Christmas/New Years in my Calgary with my whole family! This is the first time we've all been under the same roof since May! 

Welp, quick life update... now for picture update!

Oh and I got a tour of the fire station!

 Looks more like fall than Christmas time...

 Christmas on the Riverwalk!

 Not crazy about LED colored lights, but San Antonio did it right!

 Hammock days, slightly obsessed with the changing leaves

 Precious lil tree (:

 Downtown San Antonio, Pearl Brewery... also by the Culinary Institute... which has the best chicken salad salad and muffaletta! 

 Eat, Drink and be merry! 

(have no fear, that is water... though I am legal here)

 Christmas tree + 50mm lens + star bokeh =

 Oh and this is my parents' cute lil house outside Calgary, AB, Canada

 And this is Bailee, the most adorable dog ever.

And last, but not least, my ASC gals, could not have had such a wonderful semester without them. Talk about a blessing from God.

Life in College = Busy

I forgot how much I loved photographing my sister. She's a really good model. Not sure how I forgot this. Anywho, an oldie from the depths of my iphoto abyss.

And a new one! My cousin turned 18 & is finally a senior in high school! I always feel like she should be in college with me because there's such a small age & maturity difference! I just love her. She's gorgeous inside & out. And has such a mind & heart for God's Will. She's so confident in Him. 

Current music obsession (so hard to pick right now): my friend Caity shared this link with me. This is a guy she knows from Texas Tech. Anyway, totally obsessed with song. Last week in ASC we talked about listening to love songs in context with God's love. I like to imagine Jesus singing this to me...

And my verse lately has been in 1 Peter, it has to do with casting all anxieties & stress to Christ.

"Cast all anxieties on Him, because He cares for you"

1 Peter 5:7

Life to the Fullest

Day 2 of my pictures/verse challenge. 

New photo: redecorated my journal! I'm really excited about it, so I figured I'd make it my "new" photo.

 Old photo: I actually just edited this one, even though I took it so long ago. I don't know why but I've fallen in love with it tonight. 

Quote: 

If God brings you to it, He'll bring you through it. 

Song: Another Ellie Goulding cover (obsessed)

A Few Favorites

Since I haven't posted anything lately, & I'm incredibly uninspired, I'm going to try to post:

+ An old favorite photo

+ A new photo

+ A favorite verse/quote

+ A favorite song/song lyrics

Not sure how well I'll be able to follow through with this, but just an attempt to be better about posting...

Ok, go:

Taken back in the Spring, favorite "couples" shot - sweet candid moment.

 Ryan likes to write me a note every time he visits, apparently windex doesn't erase them completely, because when I take a shower, the last one magically appears. 

"Don't tell God you have a big problem; tell your problem you have a big God."

And currently (still) obsessing over David Crowder Band's "Oh How He Loves"; has been a personal favorite since the first time I heard it.

Blog Neglect

Um wow. If I could write a letter to my blog it'd go something like this:

Dear Blog,

I'm so very sorry for the neglect this past end of summer/beginning of school year. I promise I've thought of you; however, school has literally set up camp in my mind and is holding a massive rave. Please don't take it personally, as my camera, watercolors and reading have also been neglected.

Sincerely,

Seemingly hopeless college girl

But great news: This year has been great so far. I'm joining Aggie Sisters for Christ (ASC, whoop if I could). For those of you who know me, know that last year was very rough and I really needed something like this in my life. I'm so so so very excited to get involved in a) something and b) something that is going to produce so much more joy in my life.

Annnnddd I've currently fallen in love with Ellie Goulding, who sings a cover of "Your Song" that is possibly better than Elton John's... let me know what you think? My ideal night would consist of her and John Mayer serenading me while I drink my green mint tea, paint and have my feet rubbed by my super studly firefighter bf... sigh, Ellie you can make a girl dream. Plus I'm in love with her name.

Life on the Road

As someone pointed out on my facebook, its been awhile since a post... sorry. Its been crazy hectic. From moving myself into my new apartment, to the start and finish of summer school (which I got an A in, whoop!), moving into a different apartment all by myself and now two weeks on the road as a nomad.

So yesterday was my year anniversary (yay!). And we had banana nut waffles (my favorite), and spend the day kayaking on the Guadalupe River (where we spent our day the year before) and then went to dinner plus running around the Quarry... p.s. the photo booth at Amy's Ice Cream in the Quarry doesn't work... but we did perfect our rock-paper-scissors game.

And on that note, here are the things I've learned in the past year due to my long distance relationship:

-Having someone to talk to everyday makes things exciting for a second time, and makes things better when they're all bad.

-Skype is the best invention ever.

-I know Highway 21 like the back of my hand.

-Friendship is the best part of dating someone

A lot of people cringe when I tell them I'm in college and doing the long distance thing. But the truth is: I've watched my parents have a successful relationship despite long distance for the past 6+ years, the time apart and long drives are worth the time we do get to spend together, I get to have my own group of friends, I'm not distracted by confusing relationship drama, I haven't become a boyfriend-absorbed-spend-every-waking-moment kinda girl, I don't have to maintain maintenance all the time... So yes, being away from someone you love, someone who always supports you and you always have fun with is hard and its stinks... but I wouldn't have it any other way. I might be pitying myself when I say I had the roughest freshman year, but I did (more later on my upcoming, Incoming Freshman blog). And I definitely couldn't have gotten through it without my two favorite men: Jesus Christ and Ryan.

 Obviously God has a plan and I'm trying to see it.

Here's a few pictures from the last month+ that I've been on blog vaca:

My first apartment... same decor in the newer one...

 My super awesome pillows my mom made me :)

 And I've been cooking an insane amount:

Stuffed zucchini: hollowed out zucchini with feta cheese, bell pepper, turkey bacon bits and with mozzarella on top in the oven on 350F for 20 minutes.

Deep dish pizza... not as good as it looks...

 Classic Sunday night dinner

 Banana nut waffles... I would totally share the recipe if I had it... stole it from Ryan's mom

 Marbled cake with homemade chocolate icing... decorated by myself, a 17, 12 and 7 year old.

My brother (without his braces!) came to CS! 

 Tried my hand at rock climbing...

 Enjoyed beautiful Texas sunsets...

 Chased armadillos...

 And went on great dates.

 And wore fabulous shoes

Sidenote: definitely worked my butt off everyday for two weeks for that dress...

Save Your Epidermis!

courtesy of the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund

Ok, I admit, I am probably the world's worst sunscreen-putter-on-er. I never burn except my face, or when I'm on the lake. I used to think sunscreen was dumb because it was something my mom has always nagged me about. But its not. Its seriously a life-saver, literally. 

Protect your largest organ! Here's how:

1. Wear sunscreen everyday. There are hundreds of products out there that don't even smell like sunscreen, aren't greasy, double as a moisturizer and are quick yet powerful. Girls - you can even be super careful by buying a moisturizer and a makeup that has sunscreen. If you work out everyday in the afternoon - apply a non-greasy, sweat-resiliant sunscreen to exposed body. And remember that just because its not summer does not mean your skin isn't being effected by UV rays.

2. Apply sunscreen to face and neck. Your neck ages and wrinkles faster than your face. No one wants to be that old lady with the extra droopy neck. Also, look for chapstick/lip balm that has SPF in it!

3. Reapply. Reapply. Reapply. (Sorry if I sound like your mom) If you're going to be on the lake, at the beach, at a sporting event, by the pool, or any other event that you'll be in the sun all day, reapplying sunscreen is imperative. Applying it once does not protect you all day. Sorry.

4. Don't use tanning beds. I understand no one likes to be pasty in the wintertime. But it is NOT okay to look like Snooki. Instead use a self-tanner. Seventeen has great how-to-apply instructions. Or there are tanning salons (ick) that have spray on's that won't leave you orange and streaky.

5. Shade is a good thing. Wear those hats, protective yet cool clothes and sunglasses. Your skin will thank you. Also, try to stay out of the sun between the hours of 10am-2pm, because thats when the sun's UV rays are the most powerful/harmful.

6. Don't be afraid to get crazy. Go ahead, apply it everywhere. Between your toes and tips of your ears? Why not, don't think you wanna lose those bad boys. 

Here's how to pick a sunscreen (courtesy of REI):

-Start off with an SPF of at least 30
-Pick one that protects you from UV-A and UV-B rays (has these ingredients)
Benzophenones (often identified as oxybenzone)
Cinnamates (often identified as octinoxate or cinoxate)
Ecamsule (often marketed as Mexoryl or Mexoryl SX)
Sulisobenzone
Salicylates
Zinc oxide
Titanium dioxide
Avobenzone 
-Sweat and water resistant are optimal. There's no such thing as water "proof" sunscreen.
-SPF numbers do not indicate the duration of a sunscreen's protection. Its a generalization of about how many times longer you can stay out in the sun without getting burned versus how long you could stay out in the sun without protection and get burned. 
-Bigger doesn't always mean better. 100SPF is just the same as 50SPF. 30SPF blocks 97% of UV rays while 50SPF blocks 98%. Anything higher than that is pretty much the same, since you'll have to reapply after 60-90 minutes anyhow... I still wear some 50+ on your face though.




Remember, you don't want to be this lady:

http://thinknice.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/wrinkled-sunburn-mess1.jpg

Life with a Lil Sister

Well Wednesday was spent with my favorite "little sister", Tracy. We had a whole day to catch up on the past 6 months - catching some sun, making all sorts of delicious food, watching sisterhood of the traveling pants... total girls night. I kinda always wished I had a younger sister (sorry Bub, you're awesome too though) & Tracy has been that blessing. She'll be a junior, but I tend to forget because this girl has got a head on her shoulders & a heart for God. She's wise beyond her years and beautiful inside & out (as you can see in these pictures)! 

 My favorite: