I have a good supply of sunshine... through people at work, church, and class! I am blessed!
David... I LOVE this picture of David. I think his blue eyes just look beautiful. He is so sweet to me and I am so proud of him for his hard work! He is a Crossfit trainer, personal trainer, and works the floor at a gym. He took 2 years off before he starts med school in 2012! One thing w love to do is teach the 6th grade Sunday school class. It is a lot of fun... they keep us on our toes with questions such as "Why didn't Moses go to the Promised Land?" And they wow us with their knowledge of iPhones and their busy schedules (a very talented group we have). I will be sure to snap some pictures of them too this Sunday!
David and I after playing in some snow
And these girls are my Wednesday night chicks! I have been with them since they have been in 3rd grade. I love my time with them... we memorize scripture, have girl talk, and play the "pose game." We started playing it 2 years ago... I get in the door way and turn my back and count to 5 and then turn around and they strike a pose while I look to see who moved. Originally, the person who moves was then IT... but then they made me the all time IT haha so needless to say these girls are the perfect group to come to for a midweek break from college life! The other leaders are amazing Christian gals who I get the pleasure to serve with! Yes they are gorgeous... inside and out :) LOOK AT THESE SMILES!
My beautiful chicks!
They loved the idea of me bringing my camera so expect more pictures :)
They LOVE when I bring candy/cookies/dirt really anything haha and LOVE drawing on the whiteboard and piggie back rides! We are hoping to take them to the PINK gymnastics meet here in Tuscaloosa. Should be a good time, and they will love it!
They recommended this movie to me... Tangled. They know I love Disney movies, Barbies, American Girl dolls, acting goofy, etc... so they thought I would love this movie. Have you seen it?
Currently I am watching Minute to Win It... wow, this is so stressful but FUN! We did some of these games at the lake house this past summer, and even at church sometimes we will work them in. GREAT for kids and adults!
Class started this week. Yeah we didn't really get as much snow as other places. David and I were still excited though and got out and ventured down to the river to get some pictures. We were walking and I just happened to look down and see this:
That's right... a heart
I know... AHHH how sweet! David and I both thought it was pretty cool! Just another one of those little "post-it" notes around us to remind us how much God loves us :)
Here is a shot from down by the river...
So anyways--- Beginning of semester (AKA- craziness ensues in the office where I work on campus and in the ol' classroom). BUT I must say I am so excited about this semester. I am taking Severe Weather, Applied Climatology, and Research Traditions Methodology in Geography (yeah, that one is required, I did not just sign up for that for the fun of it). This past October I got the chance to go to a conference and present hurricane research. I was so nervous... but knew this would be a large part of what I get to do one day so now I can say the first time is over and I CAN DO IT :) Yah! Here is a picture from the Fort Worth conference:
Some fellow grad students/support system :)
Speaking of weather... This is a picture taken coming back from California. I know it is a storm... but how gorgeous is that? There was a double rainbow too... stunning:
I love this...
This is why I go to California though... I would go once a month to see these girls (and Dave) if I could!
I even got Mom out there! This is Shelia, Halee, and Kamryn
They are my lovely and beautiful cousins! Shelia's husband is cool too... cooks a mean tri-tip and has an amazing laugh! Just to let you know... tri-tip is AMAZING. Bobby Flay cooks a mean one too here is a picture of his... next time I am out there I am going to photograph Dave cooking this bad boy.
We have a long weekend ahead! Thank you MLK!
Here is a fun fact about him- he liked to dance!! Oh yeah... So be sure to bust a move this weekend in memory of MLK!
Don't forget to look for some Post-it notes floating around...
Mason Jars.... I. Love. Them. They are adorable. I mean you can get them anywhere practically- grandma, mom, antique store, Wal-Mart, online, etc. Recently I got one from my grandma that is the "blue" glass Perfect Mason jar. They are beautiful! But I also have numerous ones in the good ol' clear glass (brands such as Kerr and Ball). Here are my uses of a Mason Jar: 1. Eco-friendly. You can re-use these things in so many ways. 2. Holds just plain water (no plastic, so that is good, no BPA). It is lighter than a big/bulky 32oz. container that I normally bring in my backpack. 3. Canning soups/jams/kraut (my dad and his mother can kraut every year). Just ask your grandma or mom or Google it. 4. You can transform PLAIN water into tea. Hot tea or iced, whichever one floats your boat. Just put the water-filled jar in the microwave or put your tea bags in the jar and pour boiling water in it (cover with the lid to steep.. it will pop, beware, not loud but it'll make you think "what was that, oh ya my hot tea"). *CAUTION: bring a towel to wrap around it or a coozie/huggie (whatever you wanna call it) because it gets HOT. (Of course I didn't learn that from experience... wink, wink) 5. You can pour your hot coffee in it... or 6. Store nuts, oats, anything really. Even put them in your bathroom with cotton balls, Q-Tips, toothbrushes :) 7. Great to mix salad dressing (EVOO, lemon juice, whatever you desire). 8. They come in different sizes. The big one is perfect for David's smoothies. 9. Good flower holder. Or change collector. OR get a cute one and keep your spare buttons in it (you know those that come attached to the price tags of all your darling clothes. Keep them.... you might need them for repairing, but in the time being they look cool collected in a jar. Wine corks look neat in them too (I keep mine in my desert/banana pudding bowl or in a your favorite water pitcher) 10. Lastly it is a GREAT conversation piece... whether you got it from your family or at a store... just know that people will ask you about it, probably. *People have asked if I had moonshine in mine (when I just have it filled with clear water, not sure why I felt the need to specify what color the water was, anyways)... like in the middle of a fellow graduate student's presentation he asked that "Is that moonshine?" He couldn't go on without knowing I guess. One time when I was steeping some green tea before another class, a guy asked me if I had a dead animal or body organ in there (I know right?).
I could go on. Trust me. The good thing about this glass is it is environmentally friendly. Just put it in the dishwasher and BAM use it again yall. Now you do not have to go out and buy them... more than likely you have some around your place. Don't get me wrong, the prices are not bad, so if you want to go buy some they are not expensive. Here is a link to a variety of sizes: GET EM HERE You can also start saving your glass containers... I just use my good ol Goo Be Gone and take the labels off of my Salsa, Coconut Oil, Honey and other goodies to use for flower vases, containers, or even using the mini glass jars to store your spices you buy in bulk (way cheaper that way... I use cinnamon in almost EVERYTHING so it is one thing I keep in a bigger jar). So look beyond the label... you might just have your favorite cup right there in your hand.
Side note: Also... I have seen people collect funky drink glasses of all shapes and sizes then spray paint them all one color and have them on a bookshelf for a decorative element.
Random-- I just got rid of all my 2010 magazines... sad, BUT ready to see what 2011 magazines will inspire me to do. One of my favorite magazines, Whole Living, has a lot of cool eco-friendly ideas for your everyday life. From food to decorating, go check it out. I do keep a big binder with clear covers in there for any article I want to keep from a magazine (recipe, workouts, how-to's, etc.).
I guess I better get back to watching the weather maps to see what this "potential" winter storm is up to. Snow or no snow I am ready for a relaxing weekend... full of rearranging my apartment for the new semester, cleaning, and getting things in order for school to start back Wednesday.
Take care yall.
And just in case you didn't get how AWESOME Mason Jars are... here is a CLEVER idea from good ol Etsy... make Mason Jar Lamps. You could easily just put a candle down in it too.
